Stabilized dried blood spot collection

During the collection phase of the dried blood spot method, practitioners need to ensure that there is no smearing of the blood sample on the filter paper or else readings from it will be invalid. This can be difficult to accomplish in the field if there is relative motion between the site of blood discharge on the finger and the filter paper. In this article, a gyroscope stabilization method is introduced and demonstrated to provide consistent and improved dried blood spot collection within a circular guide region notwithstanding the presence of rocking.     

Raman imaging of changes in the polysaccharides distribution in the cell wall during apple fruit development and senescence

Planta - Du ring on-tree ripening, the pectin distribution changed from polydispersed in cell wall to cumulated in cell wall corners. During apple storage, the pectin distribution returned to...     

Rücken‐WNT für die Primärachse der Tiere

Axis formation in animals The last common ancestor of Cnidaria and Bilateria likely used the WNT/β‐Catenin pathway in a regionalized fashion to establish its primary, anterior‐posterior axis. Unexpectedly, the morphological head of Cnidaria corresponds to the rear end of Bilateria. Moreover, annelids use the WNT/β‐Catenin system for early, local and binary decisions, and insects developed a completely unrelated pathway. They use Bicoid (Drosophila) – or Hunchback/Orthodenticle (Tribolium) – to control axis formation. Nevertheless, WNT functions are essential during the segmentation phase in insects and in ancestral insects as well as in other arthropods during formation of posterior structures. In summary, the WNT/β‐Catenin system is an essential part of the molecular tool kit, which helped to establish the unique features of animals.     

The role of selected tree species in industrial sewage sludge/flotation tailing management

The aim of the study was to estimate the ability of ten tree and bush species to tolerate and accumulate Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, and As species [As(III), As(V), and total organic arsenic] in industrial sewage sludge extremely contaminated with arsenic (almost 27.5 g kg^?1) in a pot experiment. The premise being that it will then be possible to select the most promising tree/bush species, able to grow in the vicinity of dams where sewage sludge/flotation tailings are used as landfill. Six of the ten tested tree species were able to grow on the sludge. The highest content of total As was observed in Betula pendula roots (30.0 ± 1.3 mg kg^?1 DW), where the dominant As species was the toxic As(V). The highest biomass of Quercus Q1 robur (77.3 § 2.6 g) and Acer platanoides (76.0 § 4.9 g) was observed. A proper planting of selected tree species that are able to thrive on sewage sludge/flotation tailings could be an interesting and promising way to protect dams. By utilizing differences in their root systems and water needs, we will be able to reduce the risk of fatal environmental disasters.     

ARTD1 regulates cyclin E expression and consequently cell-cycle re-entry and G1/S progression in T24 bladder carcinoma cells

ADP-ribosylation is involved in a variety of biological processes, many of which are chromatin-dependent and linked to important functions during the cell cycle. However, any study on ADP-ribosylation and the cell cycle faces the problem that synchronization with chemical agents or by serum starvation and subsequent growth factor addition already activates ADP-ribosylation by itself. Here, we investigated the functional contribution of ARTD1 in cell cycle re-entry and G₁/S cell cycle progression using T24 urinary bladder carcinoma cells, which synchronously re-enter the cell cycle after splitting without any additional stimuli. In synchronized cells, ARTD1 knockdown, but not inhibition of its enzymatic activity, caused specific down-regulation of cyclin E during cell cycle re-entry and G₁/S progression through alterations of the chromatin composition and histone acetylation, but not of other E2F-1 target genes. Although Cdk2 formed a functional complex with the residual cyclin E, p27^{Kip1 Murray AH, Hunt T. The cell cycle: an introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. [Google Scholar]} protein levels increased in G₁ upon ARTD1 knockdown most likely due to inappropriate cyclin E-Cdk2-induced phosphorylation-dependent degradation, leading to decelerated G₁/S progression. These results provide evidence that ARTD1 regulates cell cycle re-entry and G₁/S progression via cyclin E expression and p27^{Kip1 Murray AH, Hunt T. The cell cycle: an introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. [Google Scholar]} stability independently of its enzymatic activity, uncovering a novel cell cycle regulatory mechanism.     

Lipase‐Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of Novel Antifungal N‐Substituted Benzimidazole Derivatives

A series of new N‐substituted benzimidazole derivatives was synthesized and their antifungal activity against Candida albicans was evaluated. The chemical step included synthesis of appropriate ketones containing benzimidazole ring, reduction of ketones to the racemic alcohols, and acetylation of alcohols to the esters. All benzimidazole derivatives were obtained with satisfactory yields and in relatively short times. All synthesized compounds exhibit significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans 900028 ATCC (% cell inhibition at 0.25 μg concentration > 98%). Additionally, racemic mixtures of alcohols were separated by lipase‐catalyzed kinetic resolution. In the enzymatic step a transesterification reaction was applied and the influence of a lipase type and solvent on the enantioselectivity of the reaction was studied. The most selective enzymes were Novozyme SP 435 and lipase Amano AK from Pseudomonas fluorescens (E > 100). Chirality 28:347–354, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Importance of tree height and social position for drought-related stress on tree growth and mortality

Key message

A higher mortality of dominant trees under drought stress is explained by impacts of tree size, canopy- and root structure and the hydraulic transport system.

Abstract

Drought stress can trigger tree mortality but the impact depends on stress intensity (water demand and availability) and on the vulnerability of the individual. Therefore, most research focusses on the species-specific properties such as water use efficiency or hydraulic conductivity that determine vulnerability. At the ecosystem scale, however, tree properties that have been found important for drought sensitivity or resistance vary with individual size and resource availability within a forest—also within the same species. This is caused by different environmental conditions for each tree and hence different growth histories of individuals generating specific anatomical and physiological features. Individual drought stress sensitivity might thus be considerably different from stand scale sensitivity. Indeed, empirical evidence shows that drought stress impact depends on tree social position which can be defined in degrees of suppression but correlated to resource availability, stress sensitivity and stress exposure. In this review, we collect such evidence and discuss the role of microclimate and soil water distribution as well as anatomical and physiological adjustments, which might serve as foundation for better-adapted management strategies to mitigate drought stress impacts. Finally, we define model requirements aiming to capture stand-scale drought responses or management impacts related to drought stress mitigation.