Cloning, functional characterization and heterologous expression of TaLsi1, a wheat silicon transporter gene

Silicon (Si) is known to be beneficial to plants, namely in alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses. The magnitude of such positive effects is associated with a plant's natural ability to absorb Si. Many grasses can accumulate as much as 10% on a dry weight basis while most dicots, including Arabidopsis, will accumulate less than 0.1%. In this report, we describe the cloning and functional characterization of TaLsi1, a wheat Si transporter gene. In addition, we developed a heterologous system for the study of Si uptake in plants by introducing TaLsi1 and OsLsi1, its ortholog in rice, into Arabidopsis, a species with a very low innate Si uptake capacity. When expressed constitutively under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter, both TaLsi1 and OsLsi1 were expressed in cells of roots and shoots. Such constitutive expression of TaLsi1 or OsLsi1 resulted in a fourfold to fivefold increase in Si accumulation in transformed plants compared to WT. However, this Si absorption caused deleterious symptoms. When the wheat transporter was expressed under the control of a root-specific promoter (a boron transporter gene (AtNIP5;1) promoter), a similar increase in Si absorption was noted but the plants did not exhibit symptoms and grew normally. These results demonstrate that TaLsi1 is indeed a functional Si transporter as its expression in Arabidopsis leads to increased Si uptake, but that this expression must be confined to root cells for healthy plant development. The availability of this heterologous expression system will facilitate further studies into the mechanisms and benefits of Si uptake.     

Effectiveness of Common Household Cleaning Agents in Reducing the Viability of Human Influenza A/H1N1

Background

In the event of an influenza pandemic, the majority of people infected will be nursed at home. It is therefore important to determine simple methods for limiting the spread of the virus within the home. The purpose of this work was to test a representative range of common household cleaning agents for their effectiveness at killing or reducing the viability of influenza A virus.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Plaque assays provided a robust and reproducible method for determining virus viability after disinfection, while a National Standard influenza virus RT-PCR assay (VSOP 25, www.hpa-standardmethods.org.uk) was adapted to detect viral genome, and a British Standard (BS:EN 14476:2005) was modified to determine virus killing.

Conclusions/Significance

Active ingredients in a number of the cleaning agents, wipes, and tissues tested were able to rapidly render influenza virus nonviable, as determined by plaque assay. Commercially available wipes with a claimed antiviral or antibacterial effect killed or reduced virus infectivity, while nonmicrobiocidal wipes and those containing only low concentrations (<5%) of surfactants showed lower anti-influenza activity. Importantly, however, our findings indicate that it is possible to use common, low-technology agents such as 1% bleach, 10% malt vinegar, or 0.01% washing-up liquid to rapidly and completely inactivate influenza virus. Thus, in the context of the ongoing pandemic, and especially in low-resource settings, the public does not need to source specialized cleaning products, but can rapidly disinfect potentially contaminated surfaces with agents readily available in most homes.     

A Mouse Model Uncovers LKB1 as an UVB-Induced DNA Damage Sensor Mediating CDKN1A (p21WAF1/CIP1) Degradation

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging and skin cancer. The tumor suppressor serine-threonine kinase LKB1 is mutated in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and in a spectrum of epithelial cancers whose etiology suggests a cooperation with environmental insults. Here we analyzed the role of LKB1 in a UV-dependent mouse skin cancer model and show that LKB1 haploinsufficiency is enough to impede UVB-induced DNA damage repair, contributing to tumor development driven by aberrant growth factor signaling. We demonstrate that LKB1 and its downstream kinase NUAK1 bind to CDKN1A. In response to UVB irradiation, LKB1 together with NUAK1 phosphorylates CDKN1A regulating the DNA damage response. Upon UVB treatment, LKB1 or NUAK1 deficiency results in CDKN1A accumulation, impaired DNA repair and resistance to apoptosis. Importantly, analysis of human tumor samples suggests that LKB1 mutational status could be a prognostic risk factor for UV-induced skin cancer. Altogether, our results identify LKB1 as a DNA damage sensor protein regulating skin UV-induced DNA damage response.     

Hydrological connectivity drives longitudinal movement of endangered endemic Chilean darter Percilia irwini (Eigenmann, 1927)

Movement is a fundamental aspect of fish ecology, and it therefore represents an important trait to monitor for the management and conservation of fish populations. This is especially true for small benthic fish, as they often inhabit part of the catchment where their movement may be restricted by alterations to river connectivity due to human activity. Still, the movement of these small benthic fish remains poorly understood, partly because of their small size and their cryptic nature. This applies to Percilia irwini, an endangered small darter native to the south-central region of Chile. Its habitat has been affected by the presence of large hydroelectric dams and is currently threatened by the construction of several others. In this study, the authors investigated movement patterns of P. irwini from populations inhabiting different parts of the Biobío catchment, with different levels of connectivity due to natural and/or human-induced features. The authors combined chronological clustering with random forest classification to reconstruct lifelong movements from multi-elemental otolith microchemistry transects. The majority of the movements detected occurred in an undisturbed part of the catchment. These were directional upstream movements occurring between capture sites from the lower and the middle reaches of the river, representing a distance of nearly 30 km, a distance much larger than previously thought. Nonetheless, in the part of the catchment where connectivity was affected by human activity, no such movements were identified. This study shows that connectivity alteration could impede naturally occurring movement and further threaten the resilience of populations of P. irwini. Furthermore, the results presented are used to discuss advantages and disadvantages of microchemistry analysis for studying movement of small benthic fish.     

Production and characterization of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against Aflatoxin B1 oxime-BSA in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

From a single aflatoxin B₁ oxime — bovine serum albumin conjugate, polyclonal and monoclonal antibody preparations were produced. The four rabbit polyclonal antisera were specific for aflatoxin Bi in a microtitration plate enzyme — linked immunosorbent assay. The monoclonal antibodies showed a wide range of differing specificities, recognizing, for example, aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂; B₁ and B₂; B₁ and G₁; and G₁ alone. No antibody preparations reacted with aflatoxin M₁. The significance of these results to the strategy of anti-aflatoxin antibody production for use in quantitative enzyme immunoassays is discussed.