Protists have divergent effects on bacterial diversity along a productivity gradient

Productivity and predation are thought to be crucial drivers of bacterial diversity. We tested how the productivity–diversity of a natural bacterial community is modified by the presence of protist predators with different feeding preferences. In the absence of predators, there was a unimodal relationship between bacterial diversity and productivity. We found that three protist species (Bodo, Spumella and Cyclidium) had widely divergent effects on bacterial diversity across the productivity gradient. Bodo and Cyclidium had little effect on the shape of the productivity–diversity gradient, while Spumella flattened the relationship. We explain these results in terms of the feeding preferences of these predators.     

Genetic interactions between HNT3/Aprataxin and RAD27/FEN1 suggest parallel pathways for 5′ end processing during base excision repair

Mutations in Aprataxin cause the neurodegenerative syndrome ataxia oculomotor apraxia type 1. Aprataxin catalyzes removal of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) from the 5′ end of a DNA strand, which results from an aborted attempt to ligate a strand break containing a damaged end. To gain insight into which DNA lesions are substrates for Aprataxin action in vivo, we deleted the Saccharomyces cerevisiae HNT3 gene, which encodes the Aprataxin homolog, in combination with known DNA repair genes. While hnt3Δ single mutants were not sensitive to DNA damaging agents, loss of HNT3 caused synergistic sensitivity to H₂O₂ in backgrounds that accumulate strand breaks with blocked termini, including apn1Δ apn2Δ tpp1Δ and ntg1Δ ntg2Δ ogg1Δ. Loss of HNT3 in rad27Δ cells, which are deficient in long-patch base excision repair (LP-BER), resulted in synergistic sensitivity to H₂O₂ and MMS, indicating that Hnt3 and LP-BER provide parallel pathways for processing 5′ AMPs. Loss of HNT3 also increased the sister chromatid exchange frequency. Surprisingly, HNT3 deletion partially rescued H₂O₂ sensitivity in recombination-deficient rad51Δ and rad52Δ cells, suggesting that Hnt3 promotes formation of a repair intermediate that is resolved by recombination.     

CHROMOSOME NUMBERS IN THE GENUS ANTHURIUM (ARACEAE) II

Chromosome numbers were determined for 86 Anthurium species. Fifty-one of these were newly determined with counts ranging from 2n = 24 to 66 and 30 being the most common. All known Anthurium chromosome numbers were summarized, and 43 taxonomic changes were made in the previous reports to reflect current taxonomy. In terms of somatic chromosome numbers, the numbers form four polyploid series of 20–40–60, 24–30–48–84, 28–56 and 30–60–90–ca. 124. Paleoaneuploidy, polyploidy and B-chromosomes are basic features of the genus, but subsequent recent aneuploidy is not. The exact nature of chromosome evolution in Anthurium remains to be elucidated.     

Esters of trehalose from Corynebacterium diphtheriae: A modified purification procedure and studies on the structure of their constituent hydroxylated fatty acids

The purification procedure of 6,6′-diesters of trehalose from Corynebacterium diphtheriae was modified and the isolated substance was analysed by mass spectrometry as its permethylated derivative. The fatty acid moiety released from the glycolipid after alkaline hydrolysis was studied by mass spectral analysis of the O-methylated and O-acetylated methyl ester derivatives. By argentation thin-layer chromatography, three species of O-acetylated methyl esters were recognized, corresponding to saturated, mono-unsaturated and di-unsaturated α-branched-β-hydroxylated fatty acids. The double bond was located by ozonolysis of the O-acetylated methyl ester derivatives, by gas chromatography of the reaction product and mass spectrometry of the effluent from the gas chromatograph. The main components of each species of α-branched-β-hydroxylated fatty acids found in the gly colipid fraction of C. diphtheriae were 2-tetradecyl-3-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid (C₃₂H₆₄O₃, corynomycolic acid), 2-tetradecyl-3-hydroxy-11-octadecenoic acid (C₃₂H₆₂O₃, corynomycolenic acid), 2-tetradec-7′-enyl-3-hydroxy octadecanoic acid (C₃₂H₆₂O₃) and 2-tetradec-7′-enyl-3-hydroxy-11-octadecenoic acid (C₃₂H₆₀O₃, corynomycoldienic acid). The glycolipid fraction from C. diphtheriae is obviously a complex mixture of 6,6′-diesters of trehalose.     

Identification of Cell Cycle Dependent Interaction Partners of the Septins by Quantitative Mass Spectrometry

The septins are a conserved family of GTP-binding proteins that, in the baker''s yeast, assemble into a highly ordered array of filaments at the mother bud neck. These filaments undergo significant structural rearrangements during the cell cycle. We aimed at identifying key components that are involved in or regulate the transitions of the septins. By combining cell synchronization and quantitative affinity-purification mass-spectrometry, we performed a screen for specific interaction partners of the septins at three distinct stages of the cell cycle. A total of 83 interaction partners of the septins were assigned. Surprisingly, we detected DNA-interacting/nuclear proteins and proteins involved in ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis predominantly present in alpha-factor arrested that do not display an assembled septin structure. Furthermore, two distinct sets of regulatory proteins that are specific for cells at S-phase with a stable septin collar or at mitosis with split septin rings were identified.Complementary methods like SPLIFF and immunoprecipitation allowed us to more exactly define the spatial and temporal characteristics of selected hits of the AP-MS screen.