Inositol‐requiring enzyme‐1 regulates phosphoinositide signaling lipids and macrophage growth

The ER‐bound kinase/endoribonuclease (RNase), inositol‐requiring enzyme‐1 (IRE1), regulates the phylogenetically most conserved arm of the unfolded protein response (UPR). However, the complex biology and pathology regulated by mammalian IRE1 cannot be fully explained by IRE1’s one known, specific RNA target, X box‐binding protein‐1 (XBP1) or the RNA substrates of IRE1‐dependent RNA degradation (RIDD) activity. Investigating other specific substrates of IRE1 kinase and RNase activities may illuminate how it performs these diverse functions in mammalian cells. We report that macrophage IRE1 plays an unprecedented role in regulating phosphatidylinositide‐derived signaling lipid metabolites and has profound impact on the downstream signaling mediated by the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). This cross‐talk between UPR and mTOR pathways occurs through the unconventional maturation of microRNA (miR) 2137 by IRE1’s RNase activity. Furthermore, phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5) phosphate (PI(3,4,5)P₃) 5‐phosphatase‐2 (INPPL1) is a direct target of miR‐2137, which controls PI(3,4,5)P₃ levels in macrophages. The modulation of cellular PI(3,4,5)P₃/PIP₂ ratio and anabolic mTOR signaling by the IRE1‐induced miR‐2137 demonstrates how the ER can provide a critical input into cell growth decisions.     

Plant–soil feedback during biological invasions: effect of litter decomposition from an invasive plant (Sphagneticola trilobata) on its native congener (S. calendulacea)

生物入侵过程中的植物-土壤反馈：一种入侵植物的凋落物分解对其本地近缘植物的影响 植物入侵可通过正或负的植物-土壤反馈效应改变土壤的生物和非生物性质,从而影响入侵栖息地的土壤理化性质。许多入侵物种的凋落物分解可增加土壤养分,降低本地植物多样性,并导致进一步的植物入侵。关于入侵植物凋落物在不同土壤类型及深度分解及反馈效应的研究依然很少。本研究旨在明确入侵植物南美蟛蜞菊(Sphagneticola trilobata)凋落物在不同土壤类型和不同土壤深度条件下的分解情 况及其对本地近缘植物蟛蜞菊(S. calendulacea)生理生长的影响。将装有南美蟛蜞菊凋落物的尼龙袋加入到不同深度(即0、2、4 和6 cm)的砂土、营养土和粘土中,经6个月的分解后,回收凋落物袋并计算分解速率,随后在凋落物分解处理后的土壤中种植本地蟛蜞菊,并在生长期结束时测量其生理生态指标。研究结果表明,所有处理土壤类型中,凋落物在土壤深度为2和4 cm处分解后显著增加了土壤养分,而对本 地蟛蜞菊的叶片叶绿素、叶氮含量等生长指标表现为负效应。因此,入侵植物南美蟛蜞菊凋落物分解对土壤养分表现为正的反馈效应,而对本地植物蟛蜞菊的生长表现为负效应。我们的研究结果还表明,入侵植物的凋落物分解对土壤和本地物种的影响还因凋落物分解所在的土壤深度而显著不同。未来的研究应侧重于入侵栖息地中更多本地和入侵物种的植物-土壤反馈效应,以及更多土壤类型和土壤深度的入侵植物凋落物效应。     

Role of Bacillus licheniformis in Phytoremediation of Nickel Contaminated Soil Cultivated with Rice

Heavy metal contamination in soil is an important environmental problem and it has negative effect on agriculture. Bacteria play a major role in phytoremediation of heavy metals contaminated soil. In this study, the effect of Bacillus licheniformis NCCP-59, a halophilic bacterium isolated from salt mines near Karak, Pakistan, were determined on a three week old greenhouse grown seedling and germinating seeds of two rice varieties (Basmati-385 (B-385) and KSK-282) in soil contaminated with different concentrations (0, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 ppm) of Nickel. Nickel significantly reduced the germination rate and germination percentage mainly at 500 and 1000 ppm. Significant decrease in ion contents (Na, K, and Ca) was observed while Ni ion concentration in the plant tissues increases as the concentration of Ni applied increases. The photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a (chl a), chlorophyll b (chl b), and carotenoids) were also decreased by the application of different concentrations of Ni. Total protein and organic nitrogen were found to be reduced at higher concentrations of Nickel. Inoculation of Bacillus Licheniformis NCCP-59 improved seed germination and biochemical attribute of the plant under Ni stress. It is clear from the results that the Bacillus Licheniformis NCCP-59 strain has the ability to protect the plants from the toxic effects of nickel and can be used for the phytoremediation of Ni contaminated soil.     

ETHNOBOTANICAL CONSERVATION STATUS OF MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK, ISLAMABAD

马加拉山国家公园自建立以来,在自然环境保护方面面临着一些问题。园内住民向来使用药用植物治疗各种疾病,长期依赖周围的植物资源提供食品、房舍、饲料、保健品和其他人文生活的需要。然而,工业化的兴起以及随之而来的人们生活方式的改变,使得利用当地植物作医药的情况不断减少。因此,有必要进行民族植物学研究,把本土植物的利用信息在丧失之前记录下来。调查结果表明,ＡｓｐａｒａｇｕｓａｄｅｓｃｅｎｄｅｎｓＲｏｘｂ．,ＢｅｒｂｅｒｉｓｌｙｃｉｕｍＲｏｙｌｅ（柯杞小檗）和ＶｉｏｌａｃａｎｅｓｃｅｎｃｅＷａｌ．ｅｘＲｏｘｂ．只能少量采集,ＡｃａｃｉａｍｏｄｅｓｔａＷａｌ．,Ａ．ｎｉｌｏｔｉｃａ（Ｌ．）Ｄｅｌｉｌｅ（阿拉伯胶金合欢）,ＢｕｘｕｓｐｉｐｉｌｏｓａＣ．Ｋ．Ｓｃｈｎｅｉｄ．和Ｄｏｄｏｎａｅａｖｉｓｃｏｓａ（Ｌ．）Ｊａｃｑ．（车桑子）等作为薪材面临砍伐的压力。而ＧｒｅｗｉａｏｐｔｉｖａＤｒｕｍ．ｅｘＢｕｒｒｅｔ作为持续利用的饲料和制绳用的种类显示良好的前景     

Hematologic abnormalities associated with simian immunodeficieny virus (SIV) infection mimic those in HIV infection

Background Studies of hematologic abnormalities in HIV‐infected patients are confounded by a multitude of factors. A retrospective data analysis of simian immunodeficieny virus (SIV)‐infected rhesus macaques (RM) of Indian origin was performed to determine the prevalence of hematologic abnormalities free of these confounds. Methods Hematologic data from RM inoculated with SIV and without antiviral therapy were examined pre‐inoculation, and throughout infection and the development of AIDS. Results Anemia, thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, eosinophilia, and neutropenia all increased in prevalence with SIV infection. Significant increases in prevalence for both neutropenia and neutrophilia were also detected in SIV‐infected macaques. SIV‐infected macaques also had lower lymphocyte counts and increased prevalence of lymphopenia compared with non‐infected subjects. The prevalence of eosinophilia was significantly increased during SIV infection. Conclusions Concordance of hematologic abnormalities during SIV infection of macaques with similar changes in HIV infection of humans suggests that, like in HIV infection, hematologic abnormalities are major complications of SIV infection.     

MFG-E8 regulates the immunogenic potential of dendritic cells primed with necrotic cell-mediated inflammatory signals

Dendritic cells (DC) manipulate tissue homeostasis by recognizing dying cells and controlling immune functions. However, the precise mechanisms by which DC recognize different types of dying cells and devise distinct immunologic consequences remain largely obscure. Herein, we demonstrate that Milk-fat globule-EGF VIII (MFG-E8) is a critical mediator controlling DC immunogenicity in inflammatory microenvironments. MFG-E8 restrains DC-mediated uptake and recognition of necrotic cells. The MFG-E8-mediated suppression of necrotic cell uptake by DC resulted in the decreased proinflammatory cytokines production and activated signal components such as STAT3 and A20, which are critical to maintain tolerogenic properties of DC. Furthermore, the DC-derived MFG-E8 negatively regulates the cross-priming and effector functions of antigen-specific T cells upon recognition of necrotic cells. MFG-E8 deficiency enhances an ability of necrotic cell-primed DC to stimulate antitumor immune responses against established tumors. Our findings define what we believe to a novel mechanism whereby MFG-E8 regulates the immunogenicity of DC by modulating the modes of recognition of dying cells. Manipulating MFG-E8 levels in DC may serve as a useful strategy for controlling inflammatory microenvironments caused by various pathological conditions including cancer and autoimmunity.     

Ethnobotanical studies of plants of Charkotli Hills, Batkhela District, Malakand, Pakistan

A survey was conducted with the aim to document the indigenous information of Charkotli Hills, Batkhela District, Malakand, Pakistan. The area has rich vegetation and a high potential for ethnobotanical utilization. Information was collected on various traditional uses of 100 plants distributed over 49 families, of which 43 families were of dicot, 2 of monocot, 2 of pteridophyta, and 1 of gymnosperms. Most plants have more than one local use. Sixty-six plants were found to be medicinal species, 21 fruit and edible seed species, 11 furniture species, 18 fodder or forage species, 12 vegetable species, 12 fuel species, 11 thatching and building species, 5 hedge or fencing species, 5 timber wood species, 5 poisonous plants, 3 species used in ketchup, 2 fixed oil yielding species, 2 miswak species, 2 species for making sticks for cattle and defense purposes, 2 species cultivated for ornamental purposes, 2 species used as mehindi by girls, 1 irritant species, 1 species for the making of Salai (a little stick for applying ‘surma’ to the eyes), 1 species for tanning, 1 species used as refresher in milk pots, 1 species giving gum used as chewing gum, and 1 species used as insect repellent. The area is under heavy pressure of deforestation and overgrazing, which have reduced the regeneration of woody plants. Proper ecological management is required to protect the wildlife and ethnobotanical resources for the coming generations.     

Characterization of fusarium wilt-resistant and fusarium wilt-susceptible somaclones of banana cultivar rastali (Musa AAB) by random amplified polymorphic DNA and retrotransposon markers

Two DNA fingerprinting techniques, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP), were used to characterize somaclonal variants of banana. IRAP primers were designed on the basis of repetitive and genome-wide dispersed long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon families for assessing the somaclonal variation in 2Musa clones resistant and susceptible toFusarium oxysporum f. sp.cubense race 4. RAPD markers successfully detected genetic variation within and between individuals of the clones. IRAP makers amplified either by a single primer or a combination of primers based on LTR orientation successfully amplified different retrotransposons dispersed in theMusa genome and detected new events of insertions. RAPD markers proved more polymorphic than IRAP markers. Somaclonal variation seems to be the result of numerous indels occurring genome-wide accompanied by the activation of retroelements, as a result of stress caused by micropropagation. It is concluded that characterization of the somaclonal variants requires more than one DNA marker system to detect variation in diverse components of the genome.     

Association of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with Houseflies on a Cattle Farm

The ecology of Escherichia coli O157:H7 is not well understood. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of and characterize E. coli O157:H7 associated with houseflies (HF). Musca domestica L. HF (n = 3,440) were collected from two sites on a cattle farm over a 4-month period and processed individually for E. coli O157:H7 isolation and quantification. The prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 2.9 and 1.4% in HF collected from feed bunks and a cattle feed storage shed, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 counts ranged from 3.0 × 10¹ to 1.5 × 10⁵ CFU among the positive HF. PCR analysis of the E. coli O157:H7 isolates revealed that 90.4, 99.2, 99.2, and 100% of them (n = 125) possessed the stx1, stx2, eaeA, and fliC genes, respectively. Large populations of HF on cattle farms may play a role in the dissemination of E. coli O157:H7 among animals and to the surrounding environment.     

Phytoremediation of landfill leachate waste contaminants through floating bed technique using water hyacinth and water lettuce

Abstract

In the present study, the effectiveness of water hyacinth and water lettuce was tested for the phytoremediation of landfill leachate for the period of 15?days. Fifteen plastic containers were used in experimental setup where aquatic plants were fitted as a floating bed with the help of thermo-pole sheet. It was observed that both plants significantly (p?<?0.05/p?<?0.01/p?<?0.001) reduce the physicochemical parameters pH, TDS, BOD, COD and heavy metals like Zn, Pb, Fe, Cu and Ni from landfill leachate. Maximum reduction in these parameters was obtained at 50% and 75% landfill leachate treatment and their removal rate gradually increased from day 3 to day 15 of the experiment. The maximum removal rate for heavy metals such as for Zn (80–90%), Fe (83–87%) and Pb (76–84%) was attained by Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes. Value of bioconcentration and translocation factor was less than 1 which indicates the low transport of heavy metals from roots to the above-ground parts of the plants. Both these plants accumulate heavy metals inside their body without showing much reduction in growth and showing tolerance to all the present metals. Therefore, results obtained from the study suggest that these aquatic plants are suitable candidate for the removal of pollution load from landfill leachate.