Pollen analyses of honey from Finland

The present study reports results of qualitative melissopalynological analyses of Finnish honey between the years 2000–2007 and changes in its pollen content from the period 1960–2007. Altogether the pollen content of 734 honey samples was analysed with an average of 415 pollen grains counted from a sample. Pollen of Trifolium repens type, Rubus spp., Salix spp. and the Brassicaceae family were present in more than 90% of the samples, and these pollen types were also found in the highest proportions. Annual variation in the relative amounts of the most numerous pollen types could be as high as 10%. On the basis of the pollen spectra of the honey samples, four regions of forage plants for bees could be identified in Finland. In the period between 1960 and 2007, the most marked change observed was that the percentage of the Trifolium spp. pollen type had decreased from 70% to 10%, while the proportions of Brassicaceae and Rosaceae pollen types showed a corresponding increase.     

A computational approach for studying antibody–antigen interactions without prior structural information: the anti‐testosterone binding antibody as a case study

Given the increasing exploitation of antibodies in different contexts such as molecular diagnostics and therapeutics, it would be beneficial to unravel the atomistic level properties of antibody‐antigen complexes with the help of computational modeling. Thus, here we have studied the feasibility of computational tools to gather atomic scale information regarding the antibody‐antigen complexes solely starting from an amino acid sequence. First, we constructed a homology model for the anti‐testosterone binding antibody based on the knowledge based classification of complementary determining regions (CDRs) and implicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations. To further examine whether the generated homology model is suitable for studying antibody‐antigen interactions, docking calculations were carried out followed by binding free‐energy simulations. Our results indicate that with the antibody modeling approach presented here it is possible to construct accurate homology models for antibodies which correctly describes the antibody‐antigen interactions, and produces absolute binding free‐energies that are comparable with experimental values. In addition, our simulations suggest that the conformations of complementary determining regions (CDRs) may considerably change from the X‐ray configuration upon solvation. In conclusion, here we have introduced an antibody modeling workflow that can be used in studying the interactions between antibody and antigen solely based on an amino acid sequence, which in turn provides novel opportunities to tune the properties of antibodies in different applications. Proteins 2017; 85:322–331. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Copepod eggs survive a decade in the sediments of the Baltic Sea

Many planktonic calanoid copepod species have been proved to spend a part of their life cycle as benthic resting eggs. In addition to avoiding seasonally occurring unfavourable conditions resting stages may also be used as a long-term survival strategy. The aim of this study was to find out for how long eggs of calanoid copepods retain their viability in the sediments of the Baltic Sea. The occurrence of viable copepod eggs in sea bottom sediment was studied in Pojovik Bay, SW coast of Finland. Eggs were found throughout a 25 cm deep core but deeper than 20 cm they were very scarce. Eggs were incubated at 12 °C in order to check the viability, and their age was estimated by determining the sediment accumulation rate with ¹³⁷Cs-method. Viable eggs were estimated to be 10–13 yrs old, some possibly even 18–19 yrs. Most eggs in the top 8 cm were viable, their age being up to 7–8 yrs. Nauplii that hatched from the eggs belonged to Acartia bifilosa and Eurytemora affinis, A. bifilosa dominating the hatchers of the top sedment layers and E. affinis the deeper layers. Preliminary evidence is presented that E. affinis produces true diapause eggs in the Baltic Sea.     

Where do the treeless tundra areas of northern highlands fit in the global biome system: toward an ecologically natural subdivision of the tundra biome

According to some treatises, arctic and alpine sub‐biomes are ecologically similar, whereas others find them highly dissimilar. Most peculiarly, large areas of northern tundra highlands fall outside of the two recent subdivisions of the tundra biome. We seek an ecologically natural resolution to this long‐standing and far‐reaching problem. We studied broad‐scale patterns in climate and vegetation along the gradient from Siberian tundra via northernmost Fennoscandia to the alpine habitats of European middle‐latitude mountains, as well as explored those patterns within Fennoscandian tundra based on climate–vegetation patterns obtained from a fine‐scale vegetation map. Our analyses reveal that ecologically meaningful January–February snow and thermal conditions differ between different types of tundra. High precipitation and mild winter temperatures prevail on middle‐latitude mountains, low precipitation and usually cold winters prevail on high‐latitude tundra, and Scandinavian mountains show intermediate conditions. Similarly, heath‐like plant communities differ clearly between middle latitude mountains (alpine) and high‐latitude tundra vegetation, including its altitudinal extension on Scandinavian mountains. Conversely, high abundance of snowbeds and large differences in the composition of dwarf shrub heaths distinguish the Scandinavian mountain tundra from its counterparts in Russia and the north Fennoscandian inland. The European tundra areas fall into three ecologically rather homogeneous categories: the arctic tundra, the oroarctic tundra of northern heights and mountains, and the genuinely alpine tundra of middle‐latitude mountains. Attempts to divide the tundra into two sub‐biomes have resulted in major discrepancies and confusions, as the oroarctic areas are included in the arctic tundra in some biogeographic maps and in the alpine tundra in others. Our analyses based on climate and vegetation criteria thus seem to resolve the long‐standing biome delimitation problem, help in consistent characterization of research sites, and create a basis for further biogeographic and ecological research in global tundra environments.     

Effects of liming and boron fertilization on mycorrhizas of Picea abies

Effects of liming and B fertilization on Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] mycorrhizas were studied in factorial field experiments. The lime was applied twice, about 30 years and 12 years before sampling (2000 and 4000 kg ha^-1 dolomite). B was applied at the rate of 1.5 kg B ha^-1 two years before sampling.Boron fertilization doubled the number of root tips in the top 10 mm of the humus layer. The proportion of dead short root tips was increased from 10 % in control plots to 29 % in the limed plots. Numbers of dead root tips were increased when both lime and B were applied. The % of mycorrhizas with external mycelium was slightly increased and the % of Piloderma croceum Erikss. and Hjortst. was decreased by lime. In conclusion, adverse effects of lime on mycorrhizas were found, which were ameliorated by B fertilization, but lime-induced B deficiency alone was not the only reason for the effects of lime on root mortality.     

Condition of Scots pine fine roots and mycorrhiza after fungicide application and low-level ozone exposure in a 2-year field experiment

 In a 2-year experiment at an open-air ozone fumigation field, the effects of fungicide application and low-level ozone exposure, single and combined, on fine root and mycorrhiza condition of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings were studied. Two different fungicides, copper oxychloride and propiconazole, with different modes of actions, were used. Propiconazole treatment reduced mycorrhizal infection in both years while copper oxychloride treatment and ozone exposure slightly stimulated mycorrhizal infection after the first year. Different mycorrhizal morphotypes showed different kinds of responses to the two fungicides. Light brown morphotype appeared to be the most sensitive one to propiconazole treatment. After the second year, ectendomycorrhizas disappeared in propiconazole treatment while in control treatment ectendomycorrhizas formed the majority of the light brown morphotype. The root biomass was not affected by fungicide treatments, but ozone exposure increased the total amount of short roots and the fresh weight of propiconazole treated roots. No significant differences in the concentrations of ergosterol, starch and total phenolics in pine roots between treatments were found. However, ergosterol concentration correlated positively with the mycorrhizal infection level. Both fungicides reduced the soil respiration compared to controls. At the ultrastructural level, both fungicides caused increased transparency and gradual granulation and degeneration of cytoplasm in the fungal symbiont of mycorrhizal short roots. Slightly elevated ozone did not have harmful effects on root ultrastructure. These results suggest that fungicides have deleterious effects on the quantity and quality of mycorrhizas in Scots pine roots and also side-effects on non-target soil fungi. Some of these deleterious effects were noticeable only at the ultrastructural level. Received: 23 June 1997 / Accepted: 11 December 1997     

EGF-receptor regulates salivary gland branching morphogenesis by supporting proliferation and maturation of epithelial cells and survival of mesenchymal cells

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) regulates epithelial morphogenesis during development and is important for the proper branching of the lung, mammary gland, and pancreas. We analyzed the salivary gland phenotype of EGF-R-deficient mice and showed impaired growth, branching, and maturation of the epithelium. Furthermore, treatment of wild-type E13 salivary glands with gefitinib, a small molecular inhibitor of EGF-R, led to apoptosis of the mesenchyme. Interestingly, MMP2 and plasminogen activators were upregulated upon inhibition of EGF-R signaling. To summarize, we show that EGF-R is a physiological regulator of salivary gland development and its main function is to support the proliferation and maturation of the epithelium and the survival of the mesenchyme.     

Polymerization of coniferyl alcohol by Mn3+‐mediated (enzymatic) oxidation: Effects of H2O2 concentration,aqueous organic solvents,and pH

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of one versatile peroxidase and the biocatalytically generated complex Mn(III)‐malonate to polymerize coniferyl alcohol (CA) to obtain dehydrogenation polymers (DHPs) and to characterize how closely the structures of the formed DHPs resemble native lignin. Hydrogen peroxide was used as oxidant and Mn²⁺ as mediator. Based on the yields of the polymerized product, it was concluded that the enzymatic reaction should be performed in aqueous solution without organic solvents at 4.5 ≤ pH ≤ 6.0 and with 0.75 ≤ H₂O₂:CA ratio ≤ 1. The results obtained from the Mn³⁺‐malonate‐mediated polymerization showed that the yield was almost 100%. Reaction conditions had, however, effect on the structures of the formed DHPs, as detected by size exclusion chromatography and pyrolysis‐GC/MS. It can be concluded that from the structural point of view, the optimal pH for DHP formation using the presently studied system was 3 or 4.5. Low H₂O₂/CA ratio was beneficial to avoid oxidative side reactions. However, the high frequency of β–β linkages in all cases points to dimer formation between monomeric CA rather than endwise polymerization. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:81–90, 2018     

Ash in composting of source-separated catering waste

Our earlier experiments in small composters (220 l) indicated the favourable effect of ash from co-incineration of sorted dry waste on the composting of catering waste. The aim of this new study was to clarify further, at a scale of 10 m3, the feasibility of using similar ash as an additive in composting. Source-separated catering waste was mixed with bulking agent (peat and wood chips) and fuel ash from a small (4 MW) district heating power plant. Three compost mixes (CM) were obtained: CM I with 0%, CM II with 10% and CM III with 20 wt.% of fuel ash. These three different mixes were composted in a 10-m3 drum composter as three parallel experiments for 2 weeks each, from January to April 2000. After drum composting, masses were placed according to mixing proportions in separate curing piles. The catering waste fed to the drum was cold, sometimes icy. Even then the temperature rapidly increased to over 50 degrees C. In CM III, the temperature rose as high as 80 degrees C, and after the first week of composting the temperature was about 20 degrees C higher in the CMs II and III than in the CM I. It also improved the oxygen concentrations at the feeding end of the drum and obviously prevented the formation of H2S. No odour problems arose during the composting. Addition of ash increased the heavy metal contents of the composting masses, but the compost was suitable for cultivation or green area construction. Ash clearly decreased the loss of total nitrogen in a time span of 2 years. The lower amounts of nitrogen mean that the amounts applied per hectare can be greater than for normal composts. Measured by mineralization, the breaking down of the organic matter was more rapid in the CM III than in the CM I. Humic acid increased steadily during first 12 months composting, from the initial 39 mg/g organic matter to 115 and 137 mg/g in CMs II and III. Measured by temperature, mineralization and humification the addition of ash appeared to boost the composting. Ash had also other beneficial effects on composting it improved the availability of oxygen in compost mass during the drum composting phase and reduced the formation of odorous gases, especially H2S.     

ELMOD2 is a candidate gene for familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

We performed a genomewide scan in six multiplex families with familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who originated from southeastern Finland. The majority of the Finnish multiplex families were clustered in the region, and the population history suggested that the clustering might be explained by an ancestor shared among the patients. The genomewide scan identified five loci of interest. The hierarchical fine mapping in an extended data set with 24 families originating from the same geographic region revealed a shared 110 kb to 13 Mb haplotype on chromosome 4q31, which was significantly more frequent among the patients than in population-based controls (odds ratio 6.3; 95% CI 2.5-15.9; P = .0001). The shared haplotype harbored two functionally uncharacterized genes, ELMOD2 and LOC152586, of which only ELMOD2 was expressed in lung and showed significantly decreased messenger-RNA expression in IPF lung (n = 6) when compared with that of healthy lung (n = 7; P = .05). Our results suggest ELMOD2 as a novel candidate gene for susceptibility in familial IPF.