570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie
Refine
Has Fulltext
- no (127)
Year of publication
- 2017 (127) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (127) (remove)
Language
- English (127)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (127)
Keywords
- body height (3)
- community effect (3)
- phylogeny (3)
- Cyanobacteria (2)
- Mesenchymal stem cells (2)
- Myodes glareolus (2)
- Phylogeography (2)
- Pregnancy (2)
- Southeast Asia (2)
- acid sphingomyelinase (2)
- alien species (2)
- ancient DNA (2)
- biogeography (2)
- ceramide (2)
- metabarcoding (2)
- secular trend (2)
- species richness (2)
- 2-deoxy-D-ribose-5-phosphate aldolase (1)
- AAP bacteria (1)
- Above-ground (1)
- Actin cytoskeleton (1)
- Adaptive traits (1)
- Adipose tissue (1)
- African green monkeys (1)
- Agricultural landscape (1)
- Algeria (1)
- Anthropogenic pollution (1)
- Antibody detection (1)
- Antigone vipio (1)
- Antisense agents (1)
- Apis mellifera (1)
- Apoptosis (1)
- Aquatic fungi (1)
- Arabidopsis (1)
- Arabidopsis thaliana (1)
- Archaea (1)
- Archival DNA (1)
- Argasidae (1)
- Argonaute 2 protein (1)
- Australia (1)
- Autotaxin (1)
- B lymphocytes (1)
- BPP (1)
- Bacteria (1)
- Bahamas (1)
- Bark beetle (1)
- Bats (1)
- Below-ground (1)
- Berlin (1)
- Beta-diversity (1)
- Biodiversity (1)
- Biofilm (1)
- Bluestain fungi (1)
- Brassicaceae (1)
- Callose (1)
- Camelus dromedarius (1)
- Campylomormyrus (1)
- Canidae (1)
- Canopy (1)
- Carbon isotopes (delta C-13) (1)
- Carbon preference index (CPI) (1)
- Cell polarity (1)
- Centrosome (1)
- Chlamydomonas acidophila (1)
- Chlorella vulgaris (1)
- Chlorophyceae (1)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (1)
- Chytrids (1)
- Climatic legacy (1)
- Cognitive style (1)
- Community (1)
- Community assembly (1)
- Complex dynamics (1)
- Concept of lying (1)
- Continental air masses (1)
- Continuous renal replacement therapy (1)
- Core stability (1)
- Cutting frequency (1)
- DELLA proteins (1)
- DNA barcoding (1)
- DNA metabarcoding (1)
- Dactylis glomerata (1)
- Definition of lying (1)
- Dehydration tolerance (1)
- Dictyostelium (1)
- Dietary Cholesterol (1)
- Digestive enzyme activity (1)
- Disturbance (1)
- Diversity (1)
- Drug discovery (1)
- EMG (1)
- East Asian flyway (1)
- Eco-evolutionary dynamics (1)
- Ecophysiology on freshwater phytoplankton (1)
- Electric organ (1)
- Environmental filtering (1)
- Epithelial tube (1)
- Et-1 (1)
- Eukaryota (1)
- Europe (1)
- European bats (1)
- Exocrine gland (1)
- Experimental philosophy (1)
- Eye-tracking (1)
- FAK-MAPK (1)
- FASTAR (1)
- Fatty acids (1)
- Field experiment (1)
- Field margins (1)
- First trimester (1)
- Forest edge (1)
- Freshwater (1)
- Freshwater microbial communities (1)
- GenBank (1)
- Gene expression (1)
- Germany (1)
- Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database (1)
- Glucose (1)
- Glucosinolates (1)
- Gradients (1)
- Grus japonensis (1)
- Grus monacha (1)
- Habitat heterogeneity (1)
- Hapten (1)
- Hedgerow (1)
- Height z-score (1)
- Hepatic insulin resistance (1)
- Herb layer (1)
- Herbicide exposure (1)
- Herbivores (1)
- Heterogeneity species diversity relationship (1)
- Heteroptera (1)
- Heterotrophy (1)
- Hill numbers (1)
- Hydrogen isotopes (delta D) (1)
- Hypertension (1)
- Immunology (1)
- Immunosensor (1)
- Insect (1)
- Insulin signaling (1)
- Integrase 1 (1)
- Intensive care (1)
- Intermittent cycles (1)
- Invagination (1)
- Ion channels (1)
- Ips typographus (1)
- Issue 119 (1)
- Ixodidae (1)
- JUB1 (1)
- Kupffer Cells (1)
- LPA(3) receptor subtype (1)
- Lactobacillus fermentum (1)
- Lactobacillus salivarius (1)
- Lake (1)
- Land-use history (1)
- Land-use legacy (1)
- Landscape (1)
- Langmuir-Schaefer (1)
- Larix (1)
- Late Glacial and Holocene (1)
- Leopard cat (1)
- Leucogeranus leucogeranus (1)
- Leukotriene B4 (1)
- Light availability (1)
- Limiting similarity (1)
- Lipases (1)
- Long-term change (1)
- Low birth weight (1)
- Lying (1)
- LysM (1)
- Lysophosphatidic acid (1)
- MABC-2 (1)
- MAPK (1)
- MAPK phosphatase (1)
- MIS 5 to 1 (1)
- Management intensity (1)
- Marker (1)
- Mesostigmata (1)
- Meta-analysis (1)
- MiSpEx (1)
- Microplastics (1)
- Microtubules (1)
- Mitosis (1)
- Mixotrophy (1)
- Molecular phylogenetics (1)
- Molecularly imprinted polymers (1)
- Monoclonal antibody (1)
- Monte Carlo method (1)
- Multi-locus phylogeny (1)
- Multimedia learning (1)
- Multispecies coalescent (1)
- Muntjac (1)
- NMR-based metabolomics (1)
- NWEurope (1)
- Namibia (1)
- New Guinea (1)
- Non-target terrestrial plants (1)
- Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) (1)
- Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) (1)
- Norway (1)
- Nosema spp. (1)
- Nucleus (1)
- Nutritional quality (1)
- Nycteribiidae (1)
- Obesity (1)
- Organogenesis (1)
- Osmotrophy (1)
- PAMP (1)
- PARAFAC (1)
- PLFA (1)
- PP2C phosphatase (1)
- Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics (1)
- Phase relationships (1)
- Photosynthesis (1)
- Phylogenetics (1)
- PlGF (1)
- Plant chemical defense (1)
- Plant community (1)
- Plant community modelling (1)
- Plant diversity (1)
- Plant functional trait (1)
- Plant-community composition (1)
- Plant-soil feedback (1)
- Poecile hypermelaenus (1)
- Poecile weigoldicus (1)
- Polish conscripts (1)
- Polycomb (1)
- Pond (1)
- Population dynamics (1)
- Precipitation (1)
- Predator-prey cycles (1)
- Protein carbonylation (1)
- Proteomic (1)
- Pseudomonas syringae (1)
- Puumala virus seroprevalence (1)
- RBP4 (1)
- RNA (1)
- Rank-abundance (1)
- Rarity (1)
- Redistributive land reform (1)
- Renal function (1)
- Resurvey (1)
- Retinol (1)
- Risk assessment tool (1)
- Secular height trend (1)
- Sediment (1)
- Seedlings (1)
- Short-term drought (1)
- Siphonaptera (1)
- Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) (1)
- Small for gestational age (1)
- Small-molecule miRNA modulators (1)
- Snakes (1)
- Space use (1)
- Species co-existence (1)
- Species complex (1)
- Species loss (1)
- Split-belt treadmill (1)
- Stable isotopes (1)
- Staphylococcus aureus (1)
- Stature (1)
- Staurastromyces oculus (1)
- Staurastrum sp. (1)
- Storage effect (1)
- Streblidae (1)
- Survival (1)
- TTR (1)
- Target attainment (1)
- Taxonomic assignment (1)
- Temperate forest (1)
- Treated wastewater (1)
- Triticum aestivum L. (1)
- Turnover (1)
- Typical Western Diet (1)
- Verbalizer (1)
- Visualizer (1)
- Vitamin A (1)
- Warburg effect (1)
- Weakly electric fish (1)
- Westerlies (1)
- Wind turbines (1)
- adaptation (1)
- adipogenic differentiation (1)
- adipose tissue (1)
- adipose tissue regeneration (1)
- anti-oxidative response (1)
- antibacterial activity (1)
- antigen (1)
- asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) (1)
- baboons (1)
- baps (1)
- benthic (1)
- berry development (1)
- beta diversity (1)
- beta-Lactam (1)
- biodiversity (1)
- biodiversity exploratories (1)
- biofilm (1)
- biomarkers of renal failure (1)
- biomimetic sensors (1)
- blood banking (1)
- brassinosteroid (1)
- caffeine (1)
- capsule formation (1)
- capture enrichment (1)
- children (1)
- chimeric transcription factors (1)
- chromatin (1)
- climate change (1)
- co-function network (1)
- community effect on height (1)
- competitive resistance (1)
- complex I (1)
- conscripts (1)
- consumptive resistance (1)
- contrast-induced nephropathy (1)
- correlation (1)
- cranes (1)
- dam construction (1)
- dead Cas9 (1)
- defense genes (1)
- degraded DNA (1)
- developing brain (1)
- distribution (1)
- diyabc (1)
- early warning (1)
- electrochemistry (1)
- electropolymerization (1)
- electrospun scaffold (1)
- endophytes (1)
- ensemble prediction (1)
- enzyme catalysis (1)
- enzyme immobilization (1)
- epidemiology (1)
- epigenetics (1)
- extinct birds (1)
- extinction (1)
- farm productivity (1)
- fertilization (1)
- floodplain (1)
- foreign body giant cells (1)
- forest specialists (1)
- four-dimensional tissue reconstruction (1)
- freshwater lakes (1)
- fruit (1)
- fundamental motor skills (1)
- gamma diversity (1)
- gelatin based scaffold (1)
- gene expression (1)
- gene function prediction (1)
- genetic resistance (1)
- gibberellic acid (1)
- grapevine (1)
- growth (1)
- habitat generalist (1)
- hantavirus (1)
- harmful algae (1)
- height (1)
- herbivory (1)
- heterogeneity (1)
- heterologous systems (1)
- high temperature (1)
- honey bee (1)
- hormonal pathways (1)
- host-pathogen coevolution (1)
- human-wildlife conflict (1)
- hunting (1)
- hybrid capture (1)
- hybridoma technology (1)
- hyperoxia (1)
- immunconjugate (1)
- in vivo study (1)
- individual body height (1)
- intrinsically disordered proteins (1)
- invasive species (1)
- invertebrate-derived (iDNA) (1)
- islands (1)
- iterative mapping (1)
- kindergarten children (1)
- lacustrine groundwater discharge (1)
- land use change (1)
- late embryogenesis abundant proteins (1)
- latitudinal gradients (1)
- leaf economics (1)
- lean mass (1)
- life history (1)
- littoral (1)
- lung inflammation (1)
- macrophytes (1)
- mainland (1)
- measure hormone contents (1)
- mesoporous materials (1)
- metabolomics/metabolite profiling (1)
- miRNA (1)
- microRNA-induced silencing complex (1)
- microarrays (1)
- microbial invasion (1)
- microclimate (1)
- microparticle (1)
- microperoxidase (1)
- microsatellites (1)
- microstructure (1)
- migration (1)
- mitochondria (1)
- mitochondrial genome (1)
- mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) (1)
- mitochondrial genomes (1)
- mitogenome (1)
- monoclonal antibodies (1)
- movement barrier (1)
- mowing (1)
- mtDNA (1)
- museum specimens (1)
- myeloma cells (1)
- n-alkanes (1)
- natural selection (1)
- naturalized species (1)
- network (1)
- next-generation sequencing (1)
- normal weight obesity (1)
- nutrient availability (1)
- nutrient ratios (1)
- nutrients (1)
- nutritional components (1)
- ophenylenediamine (1)
- osmolytes (1)
- ovarian cancer (1)
- oxidative stress (1)
- palaeoenvironment (1)
- palaeogenomics (1)
- palaeontology (1)
- parasite (1)
- pastoralism (1)
- performance (1)
- periphyton (1)
- permafrost deposits (1)
- phenotyping (1)
- phosphorus (1)
- photoheterotrophy (1)
- phylogeography (1)
- phytoplankton (1)
- plant biology (1)
- plant functional traits (1)
- plant invasion (1)
- plant strategies (1)
- platelets (1)
- poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (1)
- poly(ether imide) (1)
- polymeric thin film (1)
- population trend (1)
- pre-school children (1)
- precondition (1)
- preterm infants (1)
- property rights (1)
- protein folding (1)
- protein-membrane interaction (1)
- pufM gene (1)
- rabbit (1)
- rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (1)
- radiocarbon ages (1)
- regional floras (1)
- replacement (1)
- rhizosphere (1)
- sFlt-1 (1)
- salicylic acid (1)
- saproxylic beetles (1)
- scopoletin (1)
- sedaDNA (1)
- seed mass (1)
- seepage (1)
- simulation (1)
- single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (1)
- skinfolds (1)
- social signal (1)
- socioeconomic situation (1)
- soil microbiome (1)
- source-sink dynamics (1)
- spatial grain (1)
- species accumulation curve (1)
- species turnover (1)
- spectroelectrochemistry (1)
- sphingosine kinase-1 (1)
- storage (1)
- strategic growth adjustment (1)
- structure (1)
- synthetic biology (1)
- synthetic circuits (1)
- taxonomy (1)
- thiolactone (1)
- tomato (1)
- transcription factor (1)
- transcription factors (1)
- transcriptional regulation (1)
- transfusion-related acute lung injury (1)
- treeline (1)
- trnL (1)
- tyrosinase (1)
- urban ecology (1)
- variability (1)
- vascularization (1)
- water level (1)
- weight (1)
- zonobiome (1)
Polar nuclear migration is crucial during the development of diverse eukaryotes. In plants, root hair growth requires polar nuclear migration into the outgrowing hair. However, knowledge about the dynamics and the regulatory mechanisms underlying nuclear movements in root epidermal cells remains limited. Here, we show that both auxin and Rho-of-Plant (ROP) signaling modulate polar nuclear position at the inner epidermal plasma membrane domain oriented to the cortical cells during cell elongation as well as subsequent polar nuclear movement to the outer domain into the emerging hair bulge in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Auxin signaling via the nuclear AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR7 (ARF7)/ARF19 and INDOLE ACETIC ACID7 pathway ensures correct nuclear placement toward the inner membrane domain. Moreover, precise inner nuclear placement relies on SPIKE1 Rho-GEF, SUPERCENTIPEDE1 Rho-GDI, and ACTIN7 (ACT7) function and to a lesser extent on VTI11 vacuolar SNARE activity. Strikingly, the directionality and/or velocity of outer polar nuclear migration into the hair outgrowth along actin strands also are ACT7 dependent, auxin sensitive, and regulated by ROP signaling. Thus, our findings provide a founding framework revealing auxin and ROP signaling of inner polar nuclear position with some contribution by vacuolar morphology and of actin-dependent outer polar nuclear migration in root epidermal hair cells.
Plant-soil feedback effects can be masked by aboveground herbivory under natural field conditions
(2017)
For plants, herbivory and interactions with their surrounding soil ecosystem are crucial factors influencing individual performance and plant-community composition. Until now, research has mostly focused on individual effects of herbivory or plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) on plant growth and community composition, but few studies have explicitly investigated herbivory in the context of PSFs. These few studies, however, were performed under greenhouse conditions even though PSFs and herbivory may differ between greenhouse and field conditions. Therefore, we performed a field experiment in a grassland, testing the growth responses of three grass species that consistently differ in local abundance, on soils previously conditioned by these species. We tested these PSF effects for the three species both in the presence and in the absence of aboveground herbivores. Without herbivores, the two subdominant species suffered from negative PSF effects. However, in the presence of herbivores and on heterospecific soils, the same two species experienced a significant loss of shoot biomass, whereas, in contrast, enhanced root growth was observed on conspecific soils, resulting in overall neutral PSF effects. The dominant species was not damaged by herbivores and showed overall neutral PSF effects in the field with and without herbivores. Our study provides empirical evidence that negative PSF effects that exist under natural field conditions in grasslands can be overwhelmed by aboveground herbivory. Hence, potential PSF effects might not be detected in the field, because other abiotic and biotic interactions such as aboveground herbivory have stronger effects on plant performance and might therefore mask or override these PSF effects.
The appearance of the first leaf from the coleoptile in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.) coincides with the development of seedling susceptibility to water deficiency on the fifth day following imbibition. In dehydrated wheat seedlings, an increase in the protein carbonyl group has been observed. The coincidence of higher protein carbonylation levels with development of dehydration intolerance drew our attention. To gain more insight into the molecular basis of wheat drought tolerance, the seedling profiles of carbonylated proteins were analysed and compared. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF and LC-MS/MS) were used to indicate and identify differential carbonylated proteins. Among the protein spots with at least a two-fold change in protein abundance in dehydrated seedlings in relation to control (well-watered) plants during the tolerant phase of growth, 19 carbonylated proteins increased and 18 carbonylated proteins decreased in abundance. Among 26 differentially expressed carbonylated proteins in sensitive seedlings, the abundance of 10 protein spots increased while that of 16 proteins decreased upon dehydration. We have demonstrated a link between protein carbonylation and seedling sensitivity to dehydration. The analysis of carbonylated protein profiles clearly showed that proteins with a potential role in the maintenance of dehydration tolerance in wheat seedlings are mainly linked to energy production, anti-fungal and/or insecticidal activity, or to the regulation of both protein synthesis and degradation.
In Escherichia coli, two different systems that are important for the coordinate formation of Fe–S clusters have been identified, namely, the ISC and SUF systems. The ISC system is the housekeeping Fe–S machinery, which provides Fe–S clusters for numerous cellular proteins. The IscS protein of this system was additionally revealed to be the primary sulfur donor for several sulfur-containing molecules with important biological functions, among which are the molybdenum cofactor (Moco) and thiolated nucleosides in tRNA. Here, we show that deletion of central components of the ISC system in addition to IscS leads to an overall decrease in Fe–S cluster enzyme and molybdoenzyme activity in addition to a decrease in the number of Fe–S-dependent thiomodifications of tRNA, based on the fact that some proteins involved in Moco biosynthesis and tRNA thiolation are Fe–S-dependent. Complementation of the ISC deficient strains with the suf operon restored the activity of Fe–S-containing proteins, including the MoaA protein, which is involved in the conversion of 5′GTP to cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate in the fist step of Moco biosynthesis. While both systems share a high degree of similarity, we show that the function of their respective l-cysteine desulfurase IscS or SufS is specific for each cellular pathway. It is revealed that SufS cannot play the role of IscS in sulfur transfer for the formation of 2-thiouridine, 4-thiouridine, or the dithiolene group of molybdopterin, being unable to interact with TusA or ThiI. The results demonstrate that the role of the SUF system is exclusively restricted to Fe–S cluster assembly in the cell.
To study the role of the TTR-RBP4-ROH complex components (transthyretin, serum retinol binding protein, retinol) and of angiogenic factors PlGF (placental growth factor) and sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1) in pregnancies complicated by small for gestational age infants (SGA). Case control study conducted on maternal serum collected between 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks of gestation. TTR, RBP4, ROH, PlGF and sFlt-1 were measured in SGA patients (birth weight < 10%) who delivered at term (n = 37) and before 37 weeks of gestation (n = 17) and in a matched control group with uneventful pregnancies (n = 37). We found decreased RBP4 in SGA patients that delivered fetuses < 3% and in fetuses delivered after the 37 weeks of gestation compared to controls [1.50 (95% CI 1.40-1.75) vs 1.62 (95% CI 1.47-1.98), p < 0.05]. Further, we found lower PlGF and sFlt-1 concentrations in SGA that delivered before 37 weeks of gestation compared to controls (respectively, PIGF and sFlt-1: 39.7 pg/ml (95% CI 32.3-66.3) vs 62.9 pg/ml (95% CI 45.2-78.4) and 906 pg/ml (95% CI 727-1626) vs 1610 pg/ml (95% CI 1088-212), p < 0.05). First trimester maternal serum RBP4 and angiogenic factors PlGF and sFlt-1 can differently predict the timing of delivery of pregnancies complicated by SGA fetuses.
Long and short-term climatic variation affect the ability of plants to simultaneously cope with increasing abiotic stress and biotic interactions. Specifically, ecotypes adapted to different climatic conditions (i.e., long-term legacy) may have to adjust their allocation to chemical defenses against enemies under acute drought (i.e., short-term response). Although several studies have addressed drought effects on chemical defense production, little is known about their intraspecific variation along resource gradients. Studying intraspecific variation is important for understanding how different environments select for defense strategies and how these may be affected directly and indirectly by changing climatic conditions. We conducted greenhouse experiments with the annual Biscutella didyma (Brassicaceae) to test the effects of long-term climatic legacy versus short-term drought stress on the concentrations of defense compounds (glucosinolates). To this aim, four ecotypes originating from a steep aridity gradient were exposed to contrasting water treatments. Concentrations of chemical defenses were measured separately in leaves of young (8 weeks) and old (14 weeks) plants, respectively. For young plants, ecotypes from the wettest climate (long-term legacy) as well as plants receiving high water treatments (short-term response) were better defended. A marginally significant interaction suggested that wetter ecotypes experienced a larger shift in defense production across water treatments. Older plants contained much lower glucosinolate concentrations and showed no differences between ecotypes and water treatments. Our results indicate that younger plants invest more resources into chemical defenses, possibly due to higher vulnerability to tissue loss compared to older plants. We propose that the strong response of wet ecotypes to water availability may be explained by a less pronounced adaptation to drought.
Dam construction on the Zeya River, which is an important tributary of the Amur River in Far East Russia, has caused significant declines in water levels and frequency of floods in the adjacent floodplains since 1980. However, an extreme flood event occurred in 2013. Populations of six crane species were monitored before and after these drastic water level changes at Muraviovka Park in Far East Russia, an important breeding and stop-over site. Individuals were counted by territory mapping during the breeding season (2000-2015) and by roosting site counts during autumn migration (2006-2015). The objective of this study was to evaluate whether changes in water levels had a significant impact on local and migratory crane populations. We found a positive effect of flooding on numbers of breeding Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) and White-naped Cranes (Antigone vipio), as well as on numbers of roosting Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) in autumn. Siberian Cranes (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) were only observed after the wetlands were flooded. The results of this study highlight the importance of elevated Amur River water levels for crane populations of global importance.
Periphyton is a major contributor to aquatic primary production and often competes with phytoplankton and submerged macrophytes for resources. In nutrient-limited environments, mobilization of sediment nutrients by groundwater can significantly affect periphyton (including epiphyton) development in shallow littoral zones and may affect other lake primary producers. We hypothesized that epiphyton growth in the littoral zone of temperate oligomesotrophic hard-water lakes could be stimulated by nutrient (especially P) supply via lacustrine groundwater discharge (LGD). We compared the dry mass, chlorophyll a (chl a), and nutrient content of epiphyton grown on artificial substrates at different sites in a groundwater-fed lake and in experimental chambers with and without LGD. During the spring-summer periods, epiphyton accumulated more biomass, especially algae, in littoral LGD sites and in experimental chambers with LGD compared to controls without LGD. Epiphyton chl a accumulation reached up to 46 mg chl a/m(2) after 4 wk when exposed to LGD, compared to a maximum of 23 mg chl a/m(2) at control (C) sites. In the field survey, differences in epiphyton biomass between LGD and C sites were most pronounced at the end of summer, when epilimnetic P concentrations were lowest and epiphyton C:P ratios indicated P limitation. Groundwater-borne P may have facilitated epiphyton growth on macrophytes and periphyton growth on littoral sediments. Epiphyton stored up to 35 mg P/m(2) in 4 wk (which corresponds to 13% of the total P content of the littoral waters), preventing its use by phytoplankton, and possibly contributing to the stabilization of a clear-water state. However, promotion of epiphyton growth by LGD may have contributed to an observed decline in macrophyte abundance caused by epiphyton shading and a decreased resilience of small charophytes to drag forces in shallow littoral areas of the studied lake in recent decades.
ecoAO
(2017)
Although aldehyde oxidase (AO) is an important hepatic drug-metabolizing enzyme, it remains understudied and is consequently often overlooked in preclinical studies, an oversight that has resulted in the failure of multiple clinical trials. AO’s preclusion to investigation stems from the following: (1) difficulties synthesizing metabolic standards due to the chemospecificity and regiospecificity of the enzyme and (2) significant inherent variability across existing in vitro systems including liver cytosol, S9 fractions, and primary hepatocytes, which lack specificity and generate discordant expression and activity profiles. Here, we describe a practical bacterial biotransformation system, ecoAO, addressing both issues simultaneously. ecoAO is a cell paste of MoCo-producing Escherichia coli strain TP1017 expressing human AO. It exhibits specific activity toward known substrates, zoniporide, 4-trans-(N,N-dimethylamino)cinnamaldehyde, O6-benzylguanine, and zaleplon; it also has utility as a biocatalyst, yielding milligram quantities of synthetically challenging metabolite standards such as 2-oxo-zoniporide. Moreover, ecoAO enables routine determination of kcat and V/K, which are essential parameters for accurate in vivo clearance predictions. Furthermore, ecoAO has potential as a preclinical in vitro screening tool for AO activity, as demonstrated by its metabolism of 3-aminoquinoline, a previously uncharacterized substrate. ecoAO promises to provide easy access to metabolites with the potential to improve pharmacokinetic clearance predictions and guide drug development.
Predator-prey oscillations are expected to show a 1/4-phase lag between predator and prey. However, observed dynamics of natural or experimental predator-prey systems are often more complex. A striking but hardly studied example are sudden interruptions of classic 1/4-lag cycles with periods of antiphase oscillations, or periods without any regular predator-prey oscillations. These interruptions occur for a limited time before the system reverts to regular 1/4-lag oscillations, thus yielding intermittent cycles. Reasons for this behaviour are often difficult to reveal in experimental systems. Here we test the hypothesis that such complex dynamical behaviour may result from minor trait variation and trait adaptation in both the prey and predator, causing recurrent small changes in attack rates that may be hard to capture by empirical measurements. Using a model structure where the degree of trait variation in the predator can be explicitly controlled, we show that a very limited amount of adaptation resulting in 10-15% temporal variation in attack rates is already sufficient to generate these intermittent dynamics. Such minor variation may be present in experimental predator-prey systems, and may explain disruptions in regular 1/4-lag oscillations.
1. For managed temperate forests, conservationists and policymakers favour fine-grained uneven-aged (UEA) management over more traditional coarse-grained even-aged (EA) management, based on the assumption that within-stand habitat heterogeneity enhances biodiversity. There is, however, little empirical evidence to support this assumption. We investigated for the first time how differently grained forest management systems affect the biodiversity of multiple above- and below-ground taxa across spatial scales. 2. We sampled 15 taxa of animals, plants, fungi and bacteria within the largest contiguous beech forest landscape of Germany and classified them into functional groups. Selected forest stands have been managed for more than a century at different spatial grains. The EA (coarse-grained management) and UEA (fine-grained) forests are comparable in spatial arrangement, climate and soil conditions. These were compared to forests of a nearby national park that have been unmanaged for at least 20years. We used diversity accumulation curves to compare -diversity for Hill numbers D-0 (species richness), D-1 (Shannon diversity) and D-2 (Simpson diversity) between the management systems. Beta diversity was quantified as multiple-site dissimilarity. 3. Gamma diversity was higher in EA than in UEA forests for at least one of the three Hill numbers for six taxa (up to 77%), while eight showed no difference. Only bacteria showed the opposite pattern. Higher -diversity in EA forests was also found for forest specialists and saproxylic beetles. 4. Between-stand -diversity was higher in EA than in UEA forests for one-third (all species) and half (forest specialists) of all taxa, driven by environmental heterogeneity between age-classes, while -diversity showed no directional response across taxa or for forest specialists. 5. Synthesis and applications. Comparing EA and uneven-aged forest management in Central European beech forests, our results show that a mosaic of different age-classes is more important for regional biodiversity than high within-stand heterogeneity. We suggest reconsidering the current trend of replacing even-aged management in temperate forests. Instead, the variability of stages and stand structures should be increased to promote landscape-scale biodiversity.
Plant functional traits reflect individual and community ecological strategies. They allow the detection of directional changes in community dynamics and ecosystemic processes, being an additional tool to assess biodiversity than species richness. Analysis of functional patterns in plant communities provides mechanistic insight into biodiversity alterations due to anthropogenic activity. Although studies have consi-dered of either anthropogenic management or nutrient availability on functional traits in temperate grasslands, studies combining effects of both drivers are scarce. Here, we assessed the impacts of management intensity (fertilization, mowing, grazing), nutrient stoichiometry (C, N, P, K), and vegetation composition on community-weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (Rao's Q) from seven plant traits in 150 grasslands in three regions in Germany, using data of 6 years. Land use and nutrient stoichiometry accounted for larger proportions of model variance of CWM and Rao's Q than species richness and productivity. Grazing affected all analyzed trait groups; fertilization and mowing only impacted generative traits. Grazing was clearly associated with nutrient retention strategies, that is, investing in durable structures and production of fewer, less variable seed. Phenological variability was increased. Fertilization and mowing decreased seed number/mass variability, indicating competition-related effects. Impacts of nutrient stoichiometry on trait syndromes varied. Nutrient limitation (large N:P, C:N ratios) promoted species with conservative strategies, that is, investment in durable plant structures rather than fast growth, fewer seed, and delayed flowering onset. In contrast to seed mass, leaf-economics variability was reduced under P shortage. Species diversity was positively associated with the variability of generative traits. Synthesis. Here, land use, nutrient availability, species richness, and plant functional strategies have been shown to interact complexly, driving community composition, and vegetation responses to management intensity. We suggest that deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping community assembly and biodiversity will require analyzing all these parameters.
Biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships depend on identity and number of measured functions
(2017)
Biodiversity ensures ecosystem functioning and provisioning of ecosystem services, but it remains unclear how biodiversity-ecosystem multifunctionality relationships depend on the identity and number of functions considered. Here, we demonstrate that ecosystem multifunctionality, based on 82 indicator variables of ecosystem functions in a grassland biodiversity experiment, increases strongly with increasing biodiversity. Analysing subsets of functions showed that the effects of biodiversity on multifunctionality were stronger when more functions were included and that the strength of the biodiversity effects depended on the identity of the functions included. Limits to multifunctionality arose from negative correlations among functions and functions that were not correlated with biodiversity. Our findings underline that the management of ecosystems for the protection of biodiversity cannot be replaced by managing for particular ecosystem functions or services and emphasize the need for specific management to protect biodiversity. More plant species from the experimental pool of 60 species contributed to functioning when more functions were considered. An individual contribution to multifunctionality could be demonstrated for only a fraction of the species.
For the first time a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based sensor for tyrosinase is described. This sensor is based on the electropolymerization of scopoletin or o-phenylenediamine in the presence of tyrosinase from mushrooms, which has a high homology to the human enzyme. The template was removed either by treatment with proteinase Kor by alkaline treatment. The measuring signal was generated either by measuring the formation of a product by the target enzyme or by evaluation of the permeability of the redox marker ferricyanide. The o-phenylenediamine-based MIP sensor has a linear measuring range up to 50 nM of tyrosinase with a limit of detection of 3.97 nM (R 2 = 0.994) and shows good discrimination towards other proteins, e.g., bovine serum albumin and cytochrome c.
Near the end of the Pleistocene epoch, populations of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) were distributed across parts of three continents, from western Europe and northern Asia through Beringia to the Atlantic seaboard of North America. Nonetheless, questions about the connectivity and temporal continuity of mammoth populations and species remain unanswered. We use a combination of targeted enrichment and high-throughput sequencing to assemble and interpret a data set of 143 mammoth mitochondrial genomes, sampled from fossils recovered from across their Holarctic range. Our dataset includes 54 previously unpublished mitochondrial genomes and significantly increases the coverage of the Eurasian range of the species. The resulting global phylogeny confirms that the Late Pleistocene mammoth population comprised three distinct mitochondrial lineages that began to diverge ~1.0–2.0 million years ago (Ma). We also find that mammoth mitochondrial lineages were strongly geographically partitioned throughout the Pleistocene. In combination, our genetic results and the pattern of morphological variation in time and space suggest that male-mediated gene flow, rather than large-scale dispersals, was important in the Pleistocene evolutionary history of mammoths.
Assembly of iron sulfur (FeS) clusters is an important process in living cells. The initial sulfur mobilization step for FeS cluster biosynthesis is catalyzed by L-cysteine desulfurase NFS1, a reaction that is localized in mitochondria in humans. In humans, the function of NFS1 depends on the ISD11 protein, which is required to stabilize its structure. The NFS1/ISD11 complex further interacts with scaffold protein ISCU and regulator protein frataxin, thereby forming a quaternary complex for FeS cluster formation. It has been suggested that the role of ISD11 is not restricted to its role in stabilizing the structure of NFS1, because studies of single-amino acid variants of ISD11 additionally demonstrated its importance for the correct assembly of the quaternary complex. In this study, we are focusing on the N-terminal region of ISD11 to determine the role of N-terminal amino acids in the formation of the complex with NFS1 and to reveal the mitochondria) targeting sequence for subcellular localization. Our in vitro studies with the purified proteins and in vivo studies in a cellular system show that the first 10 N-terminal amino acids of ISD11 are indispensable for the activity of NFS1 and especially the conserved "LYR" motif is essential for the role of ISD11 in forming a stable and active complex with NFS1.
Comparing mitogenomic timetrees for two African savannah primate genera (Chlorocebus and Papio)
(2017)
Complete mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes have proved to be useful in reconstructing primate phylogenies with higher resolution and confidence compared to reconstructions based on partial mtDNA sequences. Here, we analyse complete mtDNA genomes of African green monkeys (genus Chlorocebus), a widely distributed primate genus in Africa representing an interesting phylogeographical model for the evolution of savannah species. Previous studies on partial mtDNA sequences revealed nine major clades, suggesting several cases of para- and polyphyly among Chlorocebus species. However, in these studies, phylogenetic relationships among several clades were not resolved, and divergence times were not estimated. We analysed complete mtDNA genomes for ten Chlorocebus samples representing major mtDNA clades to find stronger statistical support in the phylogenetic reconstruction than in the previous studies and to estimate divergence times. Our results confirmed para- and polyphyletic relationships of most Chlorocebus species, while the support for the phylogenetic relationships between the mtDNA clades increased compared to the previous studies. Our results indicate an initial west-east division in the northern part of the Chlorocebus range with subsequent divergence into north-eastern and southern clades. This phylogeographic scenario contrasts with that for another widespread African savannah primate genus, the baboons (Papio), for which a dispersal from southern Africa into East and West Africa was suggested.
Background:
Physical growth of children and adolescents depends on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors e.g. diet and living conditions. Aim: We aim to discuss the influence of socioeconomic situation, using income inequality and GDP per capita as indicators, on body height, body weight and the variability of height and weight in infants and juveniles.
Material and methods:
We re-analyzed data from 439 growth studies on height and weight published during the last 35 years. We added year-and country-matched GDP per capita (in current US$) and the Gini coefficient for each study. The data were divided into two age groups: infants (age 2) and juveniles (age 7). We used Pearson correlation and principal component analysis to investigate the data.
Results:
Gini coefficient negatively correlated with body height and body weight in infants and juveniles. GDP per capita showed a positive correlation with height and weight in both age groups. In infants the standard deviation of height increases with increasing Gini coefficient. The opposite is true for juveniles. A correlation of weight variability and socioeconomic indicators is absent in infants. In juveniles the variability of weight increases with declining Gini coefficient and increasing logGDP per capita.
Discussion:
Poverty and income inequality are generally associated with poor growth in height and weight. The analysis of the within-population height and weight variations however, shows that the associations between wealth, income, and anthropometric parameters are very complex and cannot be explained by common wisdom. They point towards an independent regulation of height and weight.
Controlling mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) behavior is necessary to fully exploit their therapeutic potential. Various approaches are employed to effectively influence the migration capacity of MSCs. Here, topographic microstructures with different microscale roughness were created on polystyrene (PS) culture vessel surfaces as a feasible physical preconditioning strategy to modulate MSC migration. By analyzing trajectories of cells migrating after reseeding, we demonstrated that the mobilization velocity of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) could be promoted by and persisted after brief preconditioning with the appropriate microtopography. Moreover, the elevated activation levels of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in hADSCs were also observed during and after the preconditioning process. These findings underline the potential enhancement of in vivo therapeutic efficacy in regenerative medicine via transplantation of topographic microstructure preconditioned stem cells.
Using the recently built Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database, containing data on the distribution of naturalized alien plants in 483 mainland and 361 island regions of the world, we describe patterns in diversity and geographic distribution of naturalized and invasive plant species, taxonomic, phylogenetic and life-history structure of the global naturalized flora as well as levels of naturalization and their determinants. The mainland regions with the highest numbers of naturalized aliens are some Australian states (with New South Wales being the richest on this continent) and several North American regions (of which California with 1753 naturalized plant species represents the worlds richest region in terms of naturalized alien vascular plants). England, Japan, New Zealand and the Hawaiian archipelago harbour most naturalized plants among islands or island groups. These regions also form the main hotspots of the regional levels of naturalization, measured as the percentage of naturalized aliens in the total flora of the region. Such hotspots of relative naturalized species richness appear on both the western and eastern coasts of North America, in north-western Europe, South Africa, south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and India. High levels of island invasions by naturalized plants are concentrated in the Pacific, but also occur on individual islands across all oceans. The numbers of naturalized species are closely correlated with those of native species, with a stronger correlation and steeper increase for islands than mainland regions, indicating a greater vulnerability of islands to invasion by species that become successfully naturalized. South Africa, India, California, Cuba, Florida, Queensland and Japan have the highest numbers of invasive species. Regions in temperate and tropical zonobiomes harbour in total 9036 and 6774 naturalized species, respectively, followed by 3280 species naturalized in the Mediterranean zonobiome, 3057 in the subtropical zonobiome and 321 in the Arctic. The New World is richer in naturalized alien plants, with 9905 species compared to 7923 recorded in the Old World. While isolation is the key factor driving the level of naturalization on islands, zonobiomes differing in climatic regimes, and socioeconomy represented by per capita GDP, are central for mainland regions. The 11 most widely distributed species each occur in regions covering about one third of the globe or more in terms of the number of regions where they are naturalized and at least 35% of the Earths land surface in terms of those regions areas, with the most widely distributed species Sonchus oleraceus occuring in 48% of the regions that cover 42% of the world area. Other widely distributed species are Ricinus communis, Oxalis corniculata, Portulaca oleracea, Eleusine indica, Chenopodium album, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Stellaria media, Bidens pilosa, Datura stramonium and Echinochloa crus-galli. Using the occurrence as invasive rather than only naturalized yields a different ranking, with Lantana camara (120 regions out of 349 for which data on invasive status are known), Calotropis procera (118), Eichhornia crassipes (113), Sonchus oleraceus (108) and Leucaena leucocephala (103) on top. As to the life-history spectra, islands harbour more naturalized woody species (34.4%) thanmainland regions (29.5%), and fewer annual herbs (18.7% compared to 22.3%). Ranking families by their absolute numbers of naturalized species reveals that Compositae (1343 species), Poaceae (1267) and Leguminosae (1189) contribute most to the global naturalized alien flora. Some families are disproportionally represented by naturalized aliens on islands (Arecaceae, Araceae, Acanthaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae, Convolvulaceae, Rubiaceae, Malvaceae), and much fewer so on mainland (e.g. Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Boraginaceae). Relating the numbers of naturalized species in a family to its total global richness shows that some of the large species-rich families are over-represented among naturalized aliens (e.g. Poaceae, Leguminosae, Rosaceae, Amaranthaceae, Pinaceae), some under-represented (e.g. Euphorbiaceae, Rubiaceae), whereas the one richest in naturalized species, Compositae, reaches a value expected from its global species richness. Significant phylogenetic signal indicates that families with an increased potential of their species to naturalize are not distributed randomly on the evolutionary tree. Solanum (112 species), Euphorbia (108) and Carex (106) are the genera richest in terms of naturalized species; over-represented on islands are Cotoneaster, Juncus, Eucalyptus, Salix, Hypericum, Geranium and Persicaria, while those relatively richer in naturalized species on the mainland are Atriplex, Opuntia, Oenothera, Artemisia, Vicia, Galium and Rosa. The data presented in this paper also point to where information is lacking and set priorities for future data collection. The GloNAF database has potential for designing concerted action to fill such data gaps, and provide a basis for allocating resources most efficiently towards better understanding and management of plant invasions worldwide.