Diffusional Properties of Methanogenic Granular Sludge: 1H NMR Characterization

The diffusive properties of anaerobic methanogenic and sulfidogenic aggregates present in wastewater treatment bioreactors were studied using diffusion analysis by relaxation time-separated pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and NMR imaging. NMR spectroscopy measurements were performed at 22°C with 10 ml of granular sludge at a magnetic field strength of 0.5 T (20 MHz resonance frequency for protons). Self-diffusion coefficients of H₂O in the investigated series of mesophilic aggregates were found to be 51 to 78% lower than the self-diffusion coefficient of free water. Interestingly, self-diffusion coefficients of H₂O were independent of the aggregate size for the size fractions investigated. Diffusional transport occurred faster in aggregates growing under nutrient-rich conditions (e.g., the bottom of a reactor) or at high (55°C) temperatures than in aggregates cultivated in nutrient-poor conditions or at low (10°C) temperatures. Exposure of aggregates to 2.5% glutaraldehyde or heat (70 or 90°C for 30 min) modified the diffusional transport up to 20%. In contrast, deactivation of aggregates by HgCl₂ did not affect the H₂O self-diffusion coefficient in aggregates. Analysis of NMR images of a single aggregate shows that methanogenic aggregates possess a spin-spin relaxation time and self-diffusion coefficient distribution, which are due to both physical (porosity) and chemical (metal sulfide precipitates) factors.     

Whole-genome methylation analysis of aging human tissues identifies age-related changes in developmental and neurological pathways

Age-associated changes in the DNA methylation state can be used to assess the pace of aging. However, it is not understood what mechanisms drive these changes and whether these changes affect the development of aging phenotypes and the aging process in general. This study was aimed at gaining a more comprehensive understanding of aging-related methylation changes across the whole genome, and relating these changes to biological functions. It has been shown that skeletal muscle and blood monocytes undergo typical changes with aging. Using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, we sought to characterize the genome-wide changes in methylation of DNA derived from both skeletal muscle and blood monocytes, and link these changes to specific genes and pathways through enrichment analysis. We found that methylation changes occur with aging at the locations enriched for developmental and neuronal pathways regulated in these two peripheral tissues. These results contribute to our understanding of changes in epigenome in human aging.     

Effects of temperature regime on primary producers in Icelandic geothermal streams

Eight adjacent sub-arctic streams with consistently different temperatures but broadly similar chemistry, other than some differences in conductivity and linked pH, were used to investigate effects of temperature regime on the structure of primary producer communities. Grazing by invertebrates was also taken into account to detect possible effects on the primary producers.The moss species Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. (Bryophyta) was only observed in the warmer streams and its cover was positively linked with temperature. The liverwort Jungermannia exsertifolia (Steph.) was absent from the warmer streams and scarce in the colder streams. The biomass of F. antipyretica was inversely correlated with concentration of epilithic chlorophyll a, possibly due to shading from the bryophyte and/or competition between algae and bryophytes for nutrients. Epilithic algae and bryophyte biomass were not related to density of the main grazer, Radix peregra Müller (Gastropoda).A high biovolume of green algae (Chlorophyta) occurred in all streams. The biovolume Cyanobacteria was greatest in the coldest stream and in the two intermediately warm streams. Diatom biovolume was low compared with the biovolumes of Cyanobacteria and green algae in all streams, except in the two warmest streams, where the highest biovolume of diatom occurred.Regularized Canonical Correlation Analysis (RCCA) classification based on all primary producer assemblages and invertebrates indicated that warm streams (16.7–22.2 °C) were similar to each other. It also showed that the colder streams (6.6–13.2 °C) were different from the warmer streams and from each other because of differences in conductivity. Temperature and conductivity were the most influential variables in determining overall stream diversity.