Amazonian Anthrosols Support Similar Microbial Communities that Differ Distinctly from Those Extant in Adjacent, Unmodified Soils of the Same Mineralogy

We compared the microbial community composition in soils from the Brazilian Amazon with two contrasting histories; anthrosols and their adjacent non-anthrosol soils of the same mineralogy. The anthrosols, also known as the Amazonian Dark Earths or terra preta, were managed by the indigenous pre-Colombian Indians between 500 and 8,700 years before present and are characterized by unusually high cation exchange capacity, phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca) contents, and soil carbon pools that contain a high proportion of incompletely combusted biomass as biochar or black carbon (BC). We sampled paired anthrosol and unmodified soils from four locations in the Manaus, Brazil, region that differed in their current land use and soil type. Community DNA was extracted from sampled soils and characterized by use of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. DNA bands of interest from Bacteria and Archaea DGGE gels were cloned and sequenced. In cluster analyses of the DNA fingerprints, microbial communities from the anthrosols grouped together regardless of current land use or soil type and were distinct from those in their respective, paired adjacent soils. For the Archaea, the anthrosol communities diverged from the adjacent soils by over 90%. A greater overall richness was observed for Bacteria sequences as compared with those of the Archaea. Most of the sequences obtained were novel and matched those in databases at less than 98% similarity. Several sequences obtained only from the anthrosols grouped at 93% similarity with the Verrucomicrobia, a genus commonly found in rice paddies in the tropics. Sequences closely related to Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria sp. were recovered only from adjacent soil samples. Sequences related to Pseudomonas, Acidobacteria, and Flexibacter sp. were recovered from both anthrosols and adjacent soils. The strong similarities among the microbial communities present in the anthrosols for both the Bacteria and Archaea suggests that the microbial community composition in these soils is controlled more strongly by their historical soil management than by soil type or current land use. The anthrosols had consistently higher concentrations of incompletely combusted organic black carbon material (BC), higher soil pH, and higher concentrations of P and Ca compared to their respective adjacent soils. Such characteristics may help to explain the longevity and distinctiveness of the anthrosols in the Amazonian landscape and guide us in recreating soils with sustained high fertility in otherwise nutrient-poor soils in modern times.     

Beclin1-binding UVRAG targets the class C Vps complex to coordinate autophagosome maturation and endocytic trafficking

Autophagic and endocytic pathways are tightly regulated membrane rearrangement processes that are crucial for homeostasis, development and disease. Autophagic cargo is delivered from autophagosomes to lysosomes for degradation through a complex process that topologically resembles endosomal maturation. Here, we report that a Beclin1-binding autophagic tumour suppressor, UVRAG, interacts with the class C Vps complex, a key component of the endosomal fusion machinery. This interaction stimulates Rab7 GTPase activity and autophagosome fusion with late endosomes/lysosomes, thereby enhancing delivery and degradation of autophagic cargo. Furthermore, the UVRAG-class-C-Vps complex accelerates endosome-endosome fusion, resulting in rapid degradation of endocytic cargo. Remarkably, autophagosome/endosome maturation mediated by the UVRAG-class-C-Vps complex is genetically separable from UVRAG-Beclin1-mediated autophagosome formation. This result indicates that UVRAG functions as a multivalent trafficking effector that regulates not only two important steps of autophagy - autophagosome formation and maturation - but also endosomal fusion, which concomitantly promotes transport of autophagic and endocytic cargo to the degradative compartments.     

Plasma metabonomics as a novel diagnostic approach for major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a socially detrimental psychiatric disorder, contributing to increased healthcare expenditures and suicide rates. However, no empirical laboratory-based tests are available to support the diagnosis of MDD. In this study, a NMR-based plasma metabonomic method for the diagnosis of MDD was tested. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectra of plasma sampled from first-episode drug-na??ve depressed patients (n = 58) and healthy controls (n = 42) were recorded and analyzed by orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). The OPLS-DA score plots of the spectra demonstrated that the depressed patient group was significantly distinguishable from the healthy control group. Moreover, the method accurately diagnosed blinded samples (n = 26) in an independent replication cohort with a sensitivity and specificity of 92.8% and 83.3%, respectively. Taken together, NMR-based plasma metabonomics may offer an accurate empirical laboratory-based method applicable to the diagnosis of MDD.     

Association of the CTLA4 Gene with Graves' Disease in the Chinese Han Population

To determine whether genetic heterogeneity exists in patients with Graves'' disease (GD), the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated 4 (CTLA-4) gene, which is implicated a susceptibility gene for GD by considerable genetic and immunological evidence, was used for association analysis in a Chinese Han cohort recruited from various geographic regions. Our association study for the SNPs in the CTLA4 gene in 2640 GD patients and 2204 control subjects confirmed that CTLA4 is the susceptibility gene for GD in the Chinese Han population. Moreover, the logistic regression analysis in the combined Chinese Han cohort revealed that SNP rs231779 (allele frequencies p = 2.81×10⁻⁹, OR = 1.35, and genotype distributions p = 2.75×10⁻⁹, OR = 1.42) is likely the susceptibility variant for GD. Interestingly, the logistic regression analysis revealed that SNP rs35219727 may be the susceptibility variant to GD in the Shandong population; however, SNP, rs231779 in the CTLA4 gene probably independently confers GD susceptibility in the Xuzhou and southern China populations. These data suggest that the susceptibility variants of the CTLA4 gene varied between the different geographic populations with GD.     

Expression of baculovirus anti-apoptotic genes p35 and op-iap in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) enhances tolerance to verticillium wilt

Background

Programmed cell death plays an important role in mediating plant adaptive responses to the environment such as the invasion of pathogens. Verticillium wilt, caused by the necrotrophic pathogen Verticillium dahliae, is a serious vascular disease responsible for great economic losses to cotton, but the molecular mechanisms of verticillium disease and effective, safe methods of resistance to verticillium wilt remain unexplored.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In this study, we introduced baculovirus apoptosis inhibitor genes p35 and op-iap into the genome of cotton via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and analyzed the response of transgenic plants to verticillium wilt. Results showed that p35 and op-iap constructs were stably integrated into the cotton genome, expressed in the transgenic lines, and inherited through the T₃ generation. The transgenic lines had significantly increased tolerance to verticillium wilt throughout the developmental stages. The disease index of T₁–T₃ generation was lower than 19, significantly (P<0.05) better than the negative control line z99668. After treatment with 250 mg/L VD-toxins for 36 hours, DNA from negative control leaves was fragmented, whereas fragmentation in the transgenic leaf DNA did not occur. The percentage of cell death in transgenic lines increased by 7.11% after 60 mg/L VD-toxin treatment, which was less than that of the negative control lines''s 21.27%. This indicates that p35 and op-iap gene expression partially protects cells from VD-toxin induced programmed cell death (PCD).

Conclusion/Significance

Verticillium dahliae can trigger plant cells to die through induction of a PCD mechanism involved in pathogenesis. This paper provides a potential strategy for engineering broad-spectrum necrotrophic disease resistance in plants.     

Impacts of ISCO Persulfate,Peroxide and Permanganate Oxidants on Soils: Soil Oxidant Demand and Soil Properties

The consumption of in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) oxidant by soil oxidizable matter (OM), termed the soil oxidant demand (SOD), is an essential factor when designing treatments for successful remediation at an ISCO site. This study aims to assess the impact of different oxidants on SOD and the soil itself, using the Taguchi experimental design. Five oxidation systems, including persulfate (PS), hydrogen peroxide (HP), permanganate (PM), Fe²⁺ activated PS and Fe²⁺ activated HP, and four factors including oxidant concentration, activator concentration, reaction time, and pH were investigated. The results of the Taguchi analysis in this study show that oxidant concentration had the greatest effect on the SOD. Other factors also affected the SOD and the optimum conditions for achieving a lower SOD were determined using the Taguchi design method. Additionally, original and oxidized soils were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer to determine the surface morphology and chemical composition of the samples. Variations in soil organic carbon levels and total soil bacterial counts were recorded and the speciation of soil minerals (Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn) was analyzed.     

Serum Concentrations of 15 Elements Among <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicobacter Pylori</Emphasis>-Infected Residents from Lujiang County with High Gastric Cancer Risk in Eastern China

Data on the effects of magnesium-zinc-calcium-vitamin D co-supplementation on hormonal profiles, biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are scarce. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of magnesium-zinc-calcium-vitamin D co-supplementation on hormonal profiles, biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress in women with PCOS. Sixty PCOS women were randomized into two groups and treated with 100 mg magnesium, 4 mg zinc, 400 mg calcium plus 200 IU vitamin D supplements (n = 30), or placebo (n = 30) twice a day for 12 weeks. Hormonal profiles, biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress were assessed at baseline and at end-of-treatment. After the 12-week intervention, compared with the placebo, magnesium-zinc-calcium-vitamin D co-supplementation resulted in significant reductions in hirsutism (?2.4 ± 1.2 vs. ?0.1 ± 0.4, P < 0.001), serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (?0.7 ± 0.8 vs. +0.2 ± 1.8 mg/L, P < 0.001), and plasma malondialdehyde (?0.4 ± 0.3 vs. +0.2 ± 1.0 μmol/L, P = 0.01), and a significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity concentrations (+46.6 ± 66.5 vs. ?7.7 ± 130.1 mmol/L, P = 0.04). We failed to find any significant effect of magnesium-zinc-calcium-vitamin D co-supplementation on free androgen index, and other biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Overall, magnesium-zinc-calcium-vitamin D co-supplementation for 12 weeks among PCOS women had beneficial effects on hormonal profiles, biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress.