Conserved water-mediated H-bonding dynamics of catalytic Asn 175 in plant thiol protease

The role of invariant water molecules in the activity of plant cysteine protease is ubiquitous in nature. On analysing the 11 different Protein DataBank (PDB) structures of plant thiol proteases, the two invariant water molecules W1 and W2 (W220 and W222 in the template 1PPN structure) were observed to form H-bonds with the O_b atom of Asn 175. Extensive energy minimization and molecular dynamics simulation studies up to 2 ns on all the PDB and solvated structures clearly revealed the involvement of the H-bonding association of the two water molecules in fixing the orientation of the asparagine residue of the catalytic triad. From this study, it is suggested that H-bonding of the water molecule at the W1 invariant site better stabilizes the Asn residue at the active site of the catalytic triad.     

Characterization and partial purification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida albicans</Emphasis> Secretory IL-12 Inhibitory Factor

Background  

We have previously shown that supernatant from Candida albicans (CA) culture contains a Secretory Interleukin (IL)-12 Inhibitory Factor (CA-SIIF), which inhibits IL-12 production by human monocytes. However, the effect of CA-SIIF on secretion of other cytokines by monocytes is unknown, and detailed characterization of this factor has not been performed.     

<Superscript>15</Superscript>N natural abundance of fossil peat reflects the influence of animal-derived nitrogen on vegetation

'¹⁵N signatures of fossil peat were used to interpret past ecosystem processes on tectonically active subantarctic Macquarie Island. By comparing past vegetation reconstructed from the fossil record with present-day vegetation analogues, our evidence strongly suggests that changes in the '¹⁵N signatures of fossil peat at this location reflect mainly past changes in the proportion of plant nitrogen derived from animal sources. Associated with uplift above sea level over the past 8,500 years, fossil records in two peat deposits on the island chronicle a change from coastal vegetation with fur and elephant seal disturbance to the existing inland herbfield. Coupled with this change are synchronous changes in the '¹⁵N signatures of peat layers. At two sites ¹⁵N-enriched peat '¹⁵N signatures of up to +17‰ were associated with a high abundance of pollen of the nitrophile Callitriche antarctica (Callitrichaceae). At one site fossil seal hair was also associated with enriched peat '¹⁵N. Less ¹⁵N enriched '¹⁵N signatures (e.g. -1.9‰ to +3.9‰) were measured in peat layers which lacked animal associated C. antarctica and Acaena spp. Interpretation of a third peat profile indicates continual occupation of a ridge site by burrowing petrels for most of the Holocene. We suggest that ¹⁵N signatures of fossil peat remained relatively stable with time once deposited, providing a significant new tool for interpreting the palaeoecology.     

Temporal and spatial differences in the emission of calls by pipistrelle bats<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pipistrellus pipistrellus</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic">P. pygmaeus</Emphasis>

The number of orientation, feeding and social calls emitted by pipistrelle batsPipistrellus pipistrellus Schreber, 1774 andP. pygmaeus Leach, 1825 was recorded throughout the night at eight different sites. Social calls were unaffected by weather variables, whereas orientation calls and feeding buzzes were both significantly affected by cloud and temperature conditions. The number of emissions of each call type was significantly different between sites, indicating that the bats used different sites for different activities. Significant positive correlations between all three combinations of call types occurred only during the middle of the night, corresponding with the nadir of flying insects. This suggests that bats were engaged in activities other than feeding at this time, such as territory protection or mate attraction.     

Separating the climatic signal from tree-ring width and maximum latewood density records

We propose a technique for separating the climatic signal which is contained in two tree-ring parameters widely used in dendroclimatology. The method is based on the removal of the relationship between tree-ring width (TRW) and maximum latewood density (MXD) observed for narrow tree rings from high latitudes. The new technique is tested on data from three larch stands located along the northern timberline in Eurasia. Correlations were calculated between the temperatures of pentads (five consecutive days), TRW chronologies and MXD chronologies calculated according to the standard and proposed methods. The analysis confirms the great importance of summer temperature for tree radial growth and tree-ring formation. TRW is positively correlated with the temperature of four to eight pentads (depending on the region) at the beginning of the growth season, but MXD as obtained by the standard technique is correlated with temperature over a much longer period. For maximum density series from which the relationship between MXD and TRW has been removed (MXD′), there is a clear correlation with temperatures in the second part of the growing season. These results are consistent with the known dynamics of tree-ring growth in high latitudes and mechanisms of tree-ring formation.     

Sex Differences in the Steepness of Dominance Hierarchies in Captive Bonobo Groups

Bonobos have a reputation as a female-dominated and egalitarian species. We examined the 2 aspects of dominance in 6 captive bonobo groups. Females do not consistently evoke submission from all males in all contexts. Though females occupy the highest-ranking positions in the dominance hierarchy, there are in each group males that obtain rather high ranks and are able to dominate ≥1 female. Thus female dominance is not complete and hierarchies can be better described as nonexclusive female dominance. We studied egalitarianism by measuring linearity and steepness of dominance hierarchies. The hierarchies of all groups are highly linear. Hierarchies among males are steeper than among females. On average, male bonobos are more despotic than females, but females too can have despotic relations, both with other females and with males. Hence one can call bonobos in captivity semidespotic rather than egalitarian.     

The next step in biology: A periodic table?

Systems biology is an approach to explain the behaviour of a system in relation to its individual components. Synthetic biology uses key hierarchical and modular concepts of systems biology to engineer novel biological systems. In my opinion the next step in biology is to use molecule-to-phenotype data using these approaches and integrate them in the form a periodic table. A periodic table in biology would provide chassis to classify, systematize and compare diversity of component properties vis-a-vis system behaviour. Using periodic table it could be possible to compute higher-level interactions from component properties. This paper examines the concept of building a bio-periodic table using protein fold as the fundamental unit.