Molecular characterization of the equine herpesvirus 1 strains RacL11 and Kentucky D

The pathogenicities of RacL11 and Kentucky D strains of equine herpesvirus 1 in the hamster infection model are different from those of Ab4p and the Japanese isolates. Virus genome restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and sequence comparison of an intergenic region, glycoproteins and tegument genes showed higher conservation but with some strain-specific differences. These results indicate that point nucleotide differences in RacL11 and Kentucky D might be responsible for their pathogenicity in rodent models.     

Status of aquatic and riparian biodiversity in artificial lake ecosystems with and without management for recreational fisheries: Implications for conservation

1. Humanity is facing a biodiversity crisis, with freshwater-associated biodiversity in a particularly dire state. Novel ecosystems created through human use of mineral resources, such as gravel pit lakes, can provide substitute habitats for the conservation of freshwater and riparian biodiversity. Many of these artificial ecosystems are subject to a high intensity of recreational use, however, which may limit their biodiversity potential.
2. The species richness of several taxa (plants, amphibians, dragonflies, damselflies, waterfowl, and songbirds) was assessed and a range of taxonomic biodiversity metrics were compared between gravel pit lakes managed for recreational fisheries (n = 16) and unmanaged reference lakes (n = 10), controlling for non-fishing-related environmental variation.
3. The average species richness of all the taxa examined was similar among lakes in both lake types and no substantial differences in species composition were found when examining the pooled species inventory. Similarly, there were no differences between lake types in the presence of rare species and in the Simpson diversity index across all of the taxa assessed.
4. Variation in species richness among lakes was correlated with woody habitat, lake morphology (surface area and steepness), and land use, but was not correlated with the presence of recreational fisheries. Thus, non-fishing-related environmental variables had stronger effects on local species presence than recreational fisheries management or the presence of recreational anglers.
5. Collectively, no evidence was found that anglers and recreational fisheries management constrain the development of aquatic and riparian biodiversity in gravel pit lakes in the study region; however, the conservation of species diversity in gravel pit lakes could benefit from an increasing reliance on habitat enhancement activities.

     

Lyso-phosphatidylcholine is a signal in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis represents the most widely distributed mutualistic root symbiosis. We report that root extracts of mycorrhizal plants contain a lipophilic signal capable of inducing the phosphate transporter genes StPT3 and StPT4 of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), genes that are specifically induced in roots colonized by AM fungi. The same signal caused rapid extracellular alkalinization in suspension-cultured tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cells and induction of the mycorrhiza-specific phosphate transporter gene LePT4 in these cells. The active principle was characterized as the lysolipid lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC) via a combination of gene expression studies, alkalinization assays in cell cultures, and chromatographic and mass spectrometric analyses. Our results highlight the importance of lysophospholipids as signals in plants and in particular in the AM symbiosis.     

When fear is near: threat imminence elicits prefrontal-periaqueductal gray shifts in humans

Humans, like other animals, alter their behavior depending on whether a threat is close or distant. We investigated spatial imminence of threat by developing an active avoidance paradigm in which volunteers were pursued through a maze by a virtual predator endowed with an ability to chase, capture, and inflict pain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found that as the virtual predator grew closer, brain activity shifted from the ventromedial prefrontal cortex to the periaqueductal gray. This shift showed maximal expression when a high degree of pain was anticipated. Moreover, imminence-driven periaqueductal gray activity correlated with increased subjective degree of dread and decreased confidence of escape. Our findings cast light on the neural dynamics of threat anticipation and have implications for the neurobiology of human anxiety-related disorders.     

The crystal structure of the signal recognition particle in complex with its receptor

Cotranslational targeting of membrane and secretory proteins is mediated by the universally conserved signal recognition particle (SRP). Together with its receptor (SR), SRP mediates the guanine triphosphate (GTP)-dependent delivery of translating ribosomes bearing signal sequences to translocons on the target membrane. Here, we present the crystal structure of the SRP:SR complex at 3.9 angstrom resolution and biochemical data revealing that the activated SRP:SR guanine triphosphatase (GTPase) complex binds the distal end of the SRP hairpin RNA where GTP hydrolysis is stimulated. Combined with previous findings, these results suggest that the SRP:SR GTPase complex initially assembles at the tetraloop end of the SRP RNA and then relocalizes to the opposite end of the RNA. This rearrangement provides a mechanism for coupling GTP hydrolysis to the handover of cargo to the translocon.     

Evolutionary and somatic selection of the antibody repertoire in the mouse

The repertoire of antibody variable (V) regions has been subject to evolutionary selection, affecting both the diversity of V region genes in the germline and their expression in the B lymphocyte population and its subsets. In ontogeny, contact with an antigen leads to the expansion of B cells expressing antibodies complementary to it. In a defined phase of B cell differentiation, new sets of V regions are generated from the existing repertoire through somatic hypermutation. Cells carrying advantageous antibody mutants are selected into the memory compartment and produce a stable secondary response upon reexposure to the antigen.     

Effects of Foliar Fertilization on Incidence of Berry Shrivel and Bunch Stem Necrosis in Vitis vinifera L. CVS ‘Pinot Blanc’ and ‘Zweigelt’

Berry shrivel and bunch stem necrosis are the economically most important physiological disorders of grapevine. The nutritional status of the plant is considered as one of the main elicitors for the occurrence of these disorders. For foliar fertilization trials, two vineyards that had previously been affected by both diseases were selected in Southwest Germany, one with the variety ‘Zweigelt’ and one with Pinot Blanc. By the use of potassium, magnesium, and calcium foliar fertilizers, a rapid increase of different nutrients in the plants should be caused and the effects on the diseases observed. In 2010, no significant differences in the fertilization treatments were found for both varieties. In ‘Pinot Blanc’, significantly more berries were affected by berry shrivel in 2011 in plots treated with calcium fertilizer compared to those treated with potassium and magnesium. Plots with magnesium fertilizer showed significantly less berries affected by berry shrivel than the untreated control.     

Inherent interreplicate variability during small-scale rainfall simulations

Purpose

The validity of soil erosion data is often questioned because of the variation between replicates. This paper aims to evaluate the relevance of interreplicate variability to soil and soil organic carbon (SOC) erosion over prolonged rainfall.

Materials and methods

Two silty loams were subjected to simulated rainfall of 30 mm h^?1 for 360 min. The entire rainfall event was repeated ten times to enable statistical analysis of the variability of the runoff and soil erosion rates.

Results and discussion

The results show that, as selective removal of depositional particles and crust formation progressively stabilized the soil surface, the interreplicate variability of runoff and soil erosion rates declined considerably over rainfall time. Yet, even after the maximum runoff and erosion rates were reached, the interreplicate variability still remained between 15 and 39 %, indicating the existence of significant inherent variability in soil erosion experiments.

Conclusions

Great caution must be paid when applying soil and SOC erosion data after averaging from a small number of replicates. While not readily applicable to other soil types or rainfall conditions, the great interreplicate variability observed in this study suggests that a large number of replicates is highly recommended to ensure the validity of average values, especially when extrapolating them to assess soil and SOC erosion risk in the field.

     

Ansprache des Rektors der Universität München

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Dialkyl 3,3'-thiodipropionate and dialkyl 2,2'-thiodiacetate antioxidants by lipase-catalyzed esterification and transesterification

Medium- and long-chain dialkyl 3,3'-thiodipropionate antioxidants such as dioctyl 3,3'-thiodipropionate, didodecyl 3,3'-thiodipropionate, dihexadecyl 3,3'-thiodipropionate, and di-(cis-9-octadecenyl) 3,3'-thiodipropionate were prepared in high yield by lipase-catalyzed esterification and transesterification of 3,3'-thiodipropionic acid and its dimethyl ester, respectively, with the corresponding medium- or long-chain 1-alkanols, i.e., 1-octanol, 1-dodecanol, 1-hexadecanol, and cis-9-octadecen-1-ol, in vacuo (80 kPa) at moderate temperatures (60-80 degrees C) without solvents. Immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) was the most active biocatalyst for the preparation of medium- and long-chain dialkyl 3,3'-thiodipropionates showing enzyme activities up to 1489 units/g, whereas the immobilized lipases from Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme RM IM) and Thermomyces lanuginosus (Lipozyme TL IM) were by far less active ( approximately 10 enzyme units/g). Maximum conversions to dialkyl 3,3'-thiodipropionates were as high as 92-98% after 4 h of reaction time. Similarly, dihexadecyl 2,2'-thiodiacetate was prepared in high yield using 2,2'-thiodiacetic acid or diethyl 2,2'-thiodiacetate and 1-hexadecanol as the starting materials and Novozym 435 as the biocatalyst.