The Effect of Ethionine Feeding on the Retention of A Single Per Os Dose of Methyl Mercury on Rat

Six adult female rats were daily fed a diet containing DL-ethionine during three weeks. One daily rat dose was 30 mg of ethionine. Six similar rats, the controls, were kept on the same diet without ethionine. On the 21st day of the experiment all rats were given one dose of 203Hg labeled methyl mercury by stomach tube. Each rat received 163 µg in terms of metallic mercury. Ninety hrs. after the mercury administration all rats were sacrificed and the mercury contents of the brains, livers, caudal femoral muscles, erythrocytes and blood plasma were determined. The mean plasma mercury content was significantly (P<0.01) greater in the ethionine fed rats when compared to the controls.     

Regulation of the Minichromosome Maintenance Protein 3 (MCM3) Chromatin Binding by the Prolyl Isomerase Pin1

Human Pin1 is a peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase with a unique preference for phosphorylated Ser/Thr-Pro substrate motifs.Here we report that MCM3 (minichromosome maintenance complex component 3) is a novel target of Pin1. MCM3 interacts directly with the WW domain of Pin1. Proline-directed phosphorylation of MCM3 at S112 and T722 are crucial for the interaction with Pin1. MCM3 as a subunit of the minichromosome maintenance heterocomplex MCM2–7 is part of the pre-replication complex responsible for replication licensing and is implicated in the formation of the replicative helicase during progression of replication. Our data suggest that Pin1 coordinates phosphorylation-dependently MCM3 loading onto chromatin and its unloading from chromatin, thereby mediating S phase control.     

Complementation and regulatory interaction between two cloned fimbrial gene clusters of Escherichia coli strain KS71

Summary Complementation experiments with cloned DNA fragments encoding either the KS71A, the KS71B or the KS71C fimbriae of the pyelonephritogenic Escherichia coli strain KS71 were used to localise the P-fimbrillin genes and to demonstrate regulatory interactions between the cloned genes. The structural genes of the KS71A and KS71B fimbriae were located within a common 1.1 kilobase pair ClaI-SmaI fragment, and it was shown that the gene clusters for these fimbriae could complement each other in trans. The gene cluster encoding the KS71C fimbriae did not complement for the other KS71 fimbriae. A DNA fragment, located near the KS71A fimbrillin gene, was found to enhance the production of the KS71B fimbriae in trans.     

Climate‐induced warming imposes a threat to north European spring ecosystems

Interest in climate change effects on groundwater has increased dramatically during the last decade. The mechanisms of climate‐related groundwater depletion have been thoroughly reviewed, but the influence of global warming on groundwater‐dependent ecosystems (GDEs) remains poorly known. Here we report long‐term water temperature trends in 66 northern European cold‐water springs. A vast majority of the springs (82%) exhibited a significant increase in water temperature during 1968–2012. Mean spring water temperatures were closely related to regional air temperature and global radiative forcing of the corresponding year. Based on three alternative climate scenarios representing low (RCP2.6), intermediate (RCP6) and high‐emission scenarios (RCP8.5), we estimate that increase in mean spring water temperature in the region is likely to range from 0.67 °C (RCP2.6) to 5.94 °C (RCP8.5) by 2086. According to the worst‐case scenario, water temperature of these originally cold‐water ecosystems (regional mean in the late 1970s: 4.7 °C) may exceed 12 °C by the end of this century. We used bryophyte and macroinvertebrate species data from Finnish springs and spring‐fed streams to assess ecological impacts of the predicted warming. An increase in spring water temperature by several degrees will likely have substantial biodiversity impacts, causing regional extinction of native, cold‐stenothermal spring specialists, whereas species diversity of headwater generalists is likely to increase. Even a slight (by 1 °C) increase in water temperature may eliminate endemic spring species, thus altering bryophyte and macroinvertebrate assemblages of spring‐fed streams. Climate change‐induced warming of northern regions may thus alter species composition of the spring biota and cause regional homogenization of biodiversity in headwater ecosystems.     

Evidence for a peptidoglycan‐like structure in Orientia tsutsugamushi

Bacterial cell walls are composed of the large cross‐linked macromolecule peptidoglycan, which maintains cell shape and is responsible for resisting osmotic stresses. This is a highly conserved structure and the target of numerous antibiotics. Obligate intracellular bacteria are an unusual group of organisms that have evolved to replicate exclusively within the cytoplasm or vacuole of a eukaryotic cell. They tend to have reduced amounts of peptidoglycan, likely due to the fact that their growth and division takes place within an osmotically protected environment, and also due to a drive to reduce activation of the host immune response. Of the two major groups of obligate intracellular bacteria, the cell wall has been much more extensively studied in the Chlamydiales than the Rickettsiales. Here, we present the first detailed analysis of the cell envelope of an important but neglected member of the Rickettsiales, Orientia tsutsugamushi. This bacterium was previously reported to completely lack peptidoglycan, but here we present evidence supporting the existence of a peptidoglycan‐like structure in Orientia, as well as an outer membrane containing a network of cross‐linked proteins, which together confer cell envelope stability. We find striking similarities to the unrelated Chlamydiales, suggesting convergent adaptation to an obligate intracellular lifestyle.     

The structural basis of receptor-binding by Escherichia coli associated with diarrhea and septicemia

GafD in Escherichia coli G (F17) fimbriae is associated with diarrheal disease, and the structure of the ligand-binding domain, GafD1-178, has been determined at 1.7A resolution in the presence of the receptor sugar N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. The overall fold is a beta-barrel jelly-roll fold. The ligand-binding site was identified and localized to the side of the molecule. Receptor binding is mediated by side-chain as well main-chain interactions. Ala43-Asn44, Ser116-Thr117 form the sugar acetamide specificity pocket, while Asp88 confers tight binding and Trp109 appears to position the ligand. There is a disulfide bond that rigidifies the acetamide specificity pocket. The three fimbrial lectins, GafD, FimH and PapG share similar beta-barrel folds but display different ligand-binding regions and disulfide-bond patterns. We suggest an evolutionary path for the evolution of the very diverse fimbrial lectins from a common ancestral fold.     

Modelling the genetic architecture of flowering time control in barley through nested association mapping

Background

Barley, globally the fourth most important cereal, provides food and beverages for humans and feed for animal husbandry. Maximizing grain yield under varying climate conditions largely depends on the optimal timing of flowering. Therefore, regulation of flowering time is of extraordinary importance to meet future food and feed demands. We developed the first barley nested association mapping (NAM) population, HEB-25, by crossing 25 wild barleys with one elite barley cultivar, and used it to dissect the genetic architecture of flowering time.

Results

Upon cultivation of 1,420 lines in multi-field trials and applying a genome-wide association study, eight major quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified as main determinants to control flowering time in barley. These QTL accounted for 64% of the cross-validated proportion of explained genotypic variance (p_G). The strongest single QTL effect corresponded to the known photoperiod response gene Ppd-H1. After sequencing the causative part of Ppd-H1, we differentiated twelve haplotypes in HEB-25, whereof the strongest exotic haplotype accelerated flowering time by 11 days compared to the elite barley haplotype. Applying a whole genome prediction model including main effects and epistatic interactions allowed predicting flowering time with an unmatched accuracy of 77% of cross-validated p_G.

Conclusions

The elaborated causal models represent a fundamental step to explain flowering time in barley. In addition, our study confirms that the exotic biodiversity present in HEB-25 is a valuable toolbox to dissect the genetic architecture of important agronomic traits and to replenish the elite barley breeding pool with favorable, trait-improving exotic alleles.