Control of glyphosate uptake and metabolism in Pseudomonas sp. 4ASW

Abstract The tandem mini-exon gene repeat is an ideal diagnostic target for trypanosomatids because it includes sequences that are conserved absolutely coupled with regions of extreme variability. We have exploited these features and the polymerase chain reaction to differentiate Phytomonas strains isolated from phloem, fruit or latex of various host plants. While the transcribed regions are nearly identical, the intergenic sequences are variable in size and content (130–332 base pairs). The mini-exon genes of these phytomonads can therefore be distinguished from each other and from the corresponding genes in insect trypanosomes, with which they are oft confused.     

Modulation of the phase heterogeneity of aminoglycerophospholipid mixtures by sphingomyelin and monovalent cations: maintenance of the lamellar arrangement in the biological membranes

The phase behaviour of mixed molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and sphingomyelin of biological origin were examined in aqueous co-dispersions using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The co-dispersions of phospholipids studied were aimed to model the mixing of lipids populating the cytoplasmic and outer leaflets in the resting or scrambled activated cell membrane. Mixtures enriched with phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine were characterized by a phase separation of non-lamellar phases (cubic and inverted hexagonal) with a lamellar gel phase comprising the most saturated molecular species. Inclusion of sphingomyelin in the mixture resulted in a suppression of the hexagonal-II phase in favour of lamellar phases at temperatures where a proportion of the phospholipid was fluid. The effect was also dependent on the total amount of sphingomyelin in ternary mixtures, and the lamellar phase dominated in mixtures containing more than 30 mol%, irrespective of the relative proportions of phosphatidylserine/sphingomyelin. A transition from gel to liquid-crystal phase was detected by wide-angle scattering during heating scans of ternary mixtures enriched in sphingomyelin and was shown by thermal cycling experiments to be coupled with a hexagonal-II phase to lamellar transition. In such samples there was evidence of a coexistence of non-lamellar phases with a lamellar gel phase. A transition of the gel phase to the fluid state on heating from 35 to 41 °C was evidenced by a progressive increase in the lamellar d-spacing. The presence of calcium enhanced the phase separation of a lamellar gel phase from a hexagonal-II phase in mixtures enriched in phosphatidylserine. This effect was counteracted by charge screening with 150 mM NaCl. The effect of sphingomyelin on stabilizing the lamellar phase is discussed in the context of an altered composition in the cytoplasmic/outer leaflets of the plasma membrane resulting from scrambling of the phospholipid distribution. The results suggest that a lamellar structure can be retained by the inward translocation of sphingomyelin in biological membranes. The presence of monovalent cations serves also to stabilize the bilayer in activated cells where a translocation of aminoglycerophospholipids and an influx of calcium occur simultaneously.Abbreviations PC phosphatidylcholine - PE phosphatidylethanolamine - PS phosphatidylserine - SAXS small-angle X-ray scattering - SM sphingomyelin - WAXS wide-angle X-ray scattering - XRD X-ray diffraction     

Long-term platinum retention after treatment with cisplatin and oxaliplatin

Background  

The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term platinum retention in patients treated with cisplatin and oxaliplatin.     

Assessing the effectiveness of foraging radius models for seabird distributions using biotelemetry and survey data

Relatively simple foraging radius models have the potential to generate predictive distributions for a large number of species rapidly, thus providing a cost-effective alternative to large-scale surveys or complex modelling approaches. Their effectiveness, however, remains largely untested. Here we compare foraging radius distribution models for all breeding seabirds in Ireland, to distributions of empirical data collected from tracking studies and aerial surveys. At the local/colony level, we compared foraging radius distributions to GPS tracking data from seabirds with short (Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica, and razorbill Alca torda) and long (Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus, and European storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus) foraging ranges. At the regional/national level, we compared foraging radius distributions to extensive aerial surveys conducted over a two-year period. Foraging radius distributions were significantly positively correlated with tracking data for all species except Manx shearwater. Correlations between foraging radius distributions and aerial survey data were also significant, but generally weaker than those for tracking data. Correlations between foraging radius distributions and aerial survey data were benchmarked against generalised additive models (GAMs) of the aerial survey data that included a range of environmental covariates. While GAM distributions had slightly higher correlations with aerial survey data, the results highlight that the foraging radius approach can be a useful and pragmatic approach for assessing breeding distributions for many seabird species. The approach is likely to have acceptable utility in complex, temporally variable ecosystems and when logistic and financial resources are limited.     

Evolutionary history of nematodes associated with sweat bees

Organisms that live in close association with other organisms make up a large part of the world’s diversity. One driver of this diversity is the evolution of host-species specificity, which can occur via reproductive isolation following a host-switch or, given the correct circumstances, via cospeciation. In this study, we explored the diversity and evolutionary history of Acrostichus nematodes that are associated with halictid bees in North America. First, we conducted surveys of bees in Virginia, and found six halictid species that host Acrostichus. To test the hypothesis of cospeciation, we constructed phylogenetic hypotheses of Acrostichus based on three genes. We found Acrostichus puri and Acrostichus halicti to be species complexes comprising cryptic, host-specific species. Although several nodes in the host and symbiont phylogenies were congruent and tests for cospeciation were significant, the host’s biogeography, the apparent patchiness of the association across the host’s phylogeny, and the amount of evolution in the nematode sequence suggested a mixture of cospeciation, host switching, and extinction events instead of strict cospeciation. Cospeciation can explain the relationships between Ac. puri and its augochlorine hosts, but colonization of Halictus hosts is more likely than cospeciation. The nematodes are vertically transmitted, but sexual transmission is also likely. Both of these transmission modes may explain host-species specificity and congruent bee and nematode phylogenies. Additionally, all halictid hosts come from eusocial or socially polymorphic lineages, suggesting that sociality may be a factor in the suitability of hosts for Acrostichus.     

Evaluation of Garden Crop Mercury Uptake and Potential Exposure from Consumption of Garden Crops Grown on Floodplain Soils

ABSTRACT

This study investigated Hg uptake from soil into garden crops to help assess the significance of human consumption of crops as a potential route of exposure to Hg. Locations for both a floodplain and a control garden were identified within the Augusta Forestry Center near Crimora, VA, USA, which is about 16 river-km downstream from the city of Waynesboro, along the South River. The floodplain garden had measured soil Hg concentrations ranging from 4.2 to 78 mg Hg kg^?1 dry weight basis in the surface to 15-cm deep layer. A total of 139 samples from the floodplain garden from 17 different crops were analyzed for Hg. All crop samples (except for nine) had less than 0.1 μg Hg g^?1 wet weight basis (ww). Many samples were less than the method detection limit (MDL) of 0.003 μg Hg g^?1 ww. Based on the measured Hg concentrations and several conservative assumptions (e.g., Hg assumed present when less than MDL; 100% consumption from the geographical area in which study was conducted; and 100% bioavailable Hg as methyl Hg), consumption of crops with these Hg levels is not expected to be a significant route of Hg exposure.