Production of phosphomonoesterases by Nicotiana tabacum 1507 in an aqueous two-phase system

Studies were conducted on Nicotiana tabacum 1507 cultivation in an aqueous two-phase system (PD(5)) formed by adding 4% PEG (MW 20,000) and 7.5% dextran (MW 70,000) to the medium. The time course of growth and changes in the phase volumes of the PD(5) system, as well as the biosynthesis, secretion, and partitioning of phosphomonoesterases during 11 days of cultivation, were followed. In comparison with N. tabacum 1507 cultivation as a free suspension, on day 8 of cultivation in the PD(5) system the yields of acid and alkaline extracellular phosphomonoesterases were 18 and 10 times higher, respectively. Partitioning took place mainly in the bottom phase with specific activity being 4.5 and 3.5 times higher, respectively. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A reference-quality,fully annotated genome from a Puerto Rican individual

Until 2019, the human genome was available in only one fully annotated version, GRCh38, which was the result of 18 years of continuous improvement and revision. Despite dramatic improvements in sequencing technology, no other genome was available as an annotated reference until 2019, when the genome of an Ashkenazi individual, Ash1, was released. In this study, we describe the assembly and annotation of a second individual genome, from a Puerto Rican individual whose DNA was collected as part of the Human Pangenome project. The new genome, called PR1, is the first true reference genome created from an individual of African descent. Due to recent improvements in both sequencing and assembly technology, and particularly to the use of the recently completed CHM13 human genome as a guide to assembly, PR1 is more complete and more contiguous than either GRCh38 or Ash1. Annotation revealed 37,755 genes (of which 19,999 are protein coding), including 12 additional gene copies that are present in PR1 and missing from CHM13. Fifty-seven genes have fewer copies in PR1 than in CHM13, 9 map only partially, and 3 genes (all noncoding) from CHM13 are entirely missing from PR1.     

End-of-life modelling of buildings to support more informed decisions towards achieving circular economy targets

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an internationally accepted method to assess the environmental impacts of buildings. A major methodological...     

Biosignatures and Bacterial Diversity in Hydrothermal Deposits of Solfatara Crater,Italy

We have combined mineralogy, organic geochemistry and molecular microbiology to study hydrothermal deposits from Solfatara Crater, a geologically young volcanic formation (～4,000 years old) displaying hot (45–95°C) and acidic (pH 1.7) mud pools and fumaroles. The search for inorganic (mineral) biosignatures revealed the presence of delicate structures, most likely mineralized extracellular polymers (EPSs), and the presence of potential biologically induced minerals: sulfides, sulfates (barite and alunite), elemental sulfur, and iron oxides. Geochemical analyses revealed a low total organic carbon content, 0.13 to 0.53%, displaying δ¹³C values from ?17.09 to ?27.39‰, and total nitrogen contents from 0.03 to 0.12%, which are characteristic of hydrothermal systems and suggest the presence of autotrophic carbon fixation. Lipid biomarker analysis showed the presence of hopanoids and linear alkanes, and the absence of detectable steroids, implying the occurrence of bacteria in our samples. We constructed 16S rRNA gene libraries from the environmental samples. Most environmental sequences obtained were affiliated to the Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria (Hydrogenophilus-like), the Acidobacteria, and to a lesser extent, the Gammaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria. When known, the closest cultivated relatives were often thermophilic or thermotolerant bacteria oxidizing iron, hydrogen, or methane/methanol, suggesting an important microbial contribution to the formation of biominerals.     

A Membrane-Translocating Peptide Penetrates into Bilayers without Significant Bilayer Perturbations

Using a high throughput screen, we have identified a family of 12-residue long peptides that spontaneously translocate across membranes. These peptides function by a poorly understood mechanism that is very different from that of the well-known, highly cationic cell penetrating peptides such as the tat peptide from HIV. The newly discovered translocating peptides can carry polar cargoes across synthetic bilayers and across cellular membranes quickly and spontaneously without disrupting the membrane. Here we report on the biophysical characterization of a representative translocating peptide from the selected family, TP2, as well as a negative control peptide, ONEG, from the same library. We measured the binding of the two peptides to lipid bilayers, their secondary structure propensities, their dispositions in bilayers by neutron diffraction, and the response of the bilayer to the peptides. Compared to the negative control, TP2 has a greater propensity for membrane partitioning, although it still binds only weakly, and a higher propensity for secondary structure. Perhaps most revealing, TP2 has the ability to penetrate deep into the bilayer without causing significant bilayer perturbations, a property that may help explain its ability to translocate without bilayer permeabilization.     

Age‐related ultrastructural changes of the basement membrane in the mouse blood‐brain barrier

The blood‐brain barrier (BBB) is essential for a functional neurovascular unit. Most studies focused on the cells forming the BBB, but very few studied the basement membrane (BM) of brain capillaries in ageing. We used transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography to investigate the BM of the BBB in ageing C57BL/6J mice. The thickness of the BM of the BBB from 24‐month‐old mice was double as compared with that of 6‐month‐old mice (107 nm vs 56 nm). The aged BBB showed lipid droplets gathering within the BM which further increased its thickness (up to 572 nm) and altered its structure. The lipids appeared to accumulate toward the glial side of the BM. Electron tomography showed that the lipid‐rich BM regions are located in small pockets formed by the end‐feet of astrocytes. These findings suggest an imbalance of the lipid metabolism and that may precede the structural alteration of the BM. These alterations may favour the accretion of abnormal proteins that lead to neurodegeneration in ageing. These findings warrant further investigation of the BM of brain capillaries and of adjoining cells as potential targets for future therapies.     

Decoloration of Amaranth by the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor. Part I. Statistical analysis

The white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor decolorized the mono-azo-substituted naphthalenic dye Amaranth. The relationship between the amount of enzymes present in the system and the efficiency of the decoloration process was investigated. The two responses used to quantify the process of decoloration (i.e., initial decoloration rate, v0, and the percent concentration of dye decolorized in 1 h, %c) were correlated with the amount of three enzymes considered for the study (lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, and laccase) and analyzed through stepwise regression analysis (forward, backward, and mixed). The results of the correlation analysis and those of the regression analysis indicated that lignin peroxidase is the enzyme having the greatest influence on the two responses.     

DNA methylation in the human cerebral cortex is dynamically regulated throughout the life span and involves differentiated neurons

The role of DNA cytosine methylation, an epigenetic regulator of chromatin structure and function, during normal and pathological brain development and aging remains unclear. Here, we examined by MethyLight PCR the DNA methylation status at 50 loci, encompassing primarily 5' CpG islands of genes related to CNS growth and development, in temporal neocortex of 125 subjects ranging in age from 17 weeks of gestation to 104 years old. Two psychiatric disease cohorts--defined by chronic neurodegeneration (Alzheimer's) or lack thereof (schizophrenia)--were included. A robust and progressive rise in DNA methylation levels across the lifespan was observed for 8/50 loci (GABRA2, GAD1, HOXA1, NEUROD1, NEUROD2, PGR, STK11, SYK) typically in conjunction with declining levels of the corresponding mRNAs. Another 16 loci were defined by a sharp rise in DNA methylation levels within the first few months or years after birth. Disease-associated changes were limited to 2/50 loci in the Alzheimer's cohort, which appeared to reflect an acceleration of the age-related change in normal brain. Additionally, methylation studies on sorted nuclei provided evidence for bidirectional methylation events in cortical neurons during the transition from childhood to advanced age, as reflected by significant increases at 3, and a decrease at 1 of 10 loci. Furthermore, the DNMT3a de novo DNA methyl-transferase was expressed across all ages, including a subset of neurons residing in layers III and V of the mature cortex. Therefore, DNA methylation is dynamically regulated in the human cerebral cortex throughout the lifespan, involves differentiated neurons, and affects a substantial portion of genes predominantly by an age-related increase.