A method to detect metabolically-active microorganisms in leaf litter habitats

Autoradiographic procedures are described to detect metabolically-active hyphae in litter habitats. Experiments with Sclerotium rolfsii and with hyphae present on the surfaces of leaf litter of beech showed that active hyphae could be detected after exposure for 2 hr to 10 μCi/ml of uniformly-labelled ¹⁴C-glucose followed by film exposure for 2 days. Controls indicated that there was negligible background radioactivity and that there was no adsorption or non-metabolic (passive) uptake of radionuclide by hyphae. Liquid photographic emulsion was superior to stripping film because closer contact could be obtained between the hyphae and the emulsion. Use of photographic emulsion was facilitated by removing hyphae from leaf litter surfaces in polystyrene peels and then covering the polystyrene peels with emulsion. The use of these techniques in other habitats in soil is discussed.     

The Physcomitrella genome reveals evolutionary insights into the conquest of land by plants

We report the draft genome sequence of the model moss Physcomitrella patens and compare its features with those of flowering plants, from which it is separated by more than 400 million years, and unicellular aquatic algae. This comparison reveals genomic changes concomitant with the evolutionary movement to land, including a general increase in gene family complexity; loss of genes associated with aquatic environments (e.g., flagellar arms); acquisition of genes for tolerating terrestrial stresses (e.g., variation in temperature and water availability); and the development of the auxin and abscisic acid signaling pathways for coordinating multicellular growth and dehydration response. The Physcomitrella genome provides a resource for phylogenetic inferences about gene function and for experimental analysis of plant processes through this plant's unique facility for reverse genetics.     

Diamond genesis,seismic structure,and evolution of the Kaapvaal-Zimbabwe craton

The lithospheric mantle beneath the Kaapvaal-Zimbabwe craton of southern Africa shows variations in seismic P-wave velocity at depths within the diamond stability field that correlate with differences in the composition of diamonds and their syngenetic inclusions. Middle Archean mantle depletion events initiated craton keel formation and early harzburgitic diamond formation. Late Archean accretionary events involving an oceanic lithosphere component stabilized the craton and contributed a younger Archean generation of eclogitic diamonds. Subsequent Proterozoic tectonic and magmatic events altered the composition of the continental lithosphere and added new lherzolitic and eclogitic diamonds to the Archean diamond suite.     

Is orientation-specific color adaptation in human vision due to edge detectors, afterimages, or "dipoles"?

After one looks alternately at red vertical and green horizontal stripes, vertical and horizontal white stripes appear greenish and pink, respectively. This color aftereffect might imply that contour-detecting cells participate in human vision, or might simply be due to afterimages. A procedure that precludes afterimages still yields aftereffects, but sensory units less complex than edge detectors could be responsible.     

Hematopoietic cell regulation by Rac1 and Rac2 guanosine triphosphatases

The Rho guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) Rac1 and Rac2 are critical signaling regulators in mammalian cells. The deletion of both Rac1 and Rac2 murine alleles leads to a massive egress of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSC/Ps) into the blood from the marrow, whereas Rac1-/- but not Rac2-/- HSC/Ps fail to engraft in the bone marrow of irradiated recipient mice. In contrast, Rac2, but not Rac1, regulates superoxide production and directed migration in neutrophils, and in each cell type, the two GTPases play distinct roles in actin organization, cell survival, and proliferation. Thus, Rac1 and Rac2 regulate unique aspects of hematopoietic development and function.     

Lung cancer and indoor air pollution in Xuan Wei, China

In Xuan Wei County, Yunnan Province, lung cancer mortality is among China's highest and, especially in females, is more closely associated with indoor burning of "smoky" coal, as opposed to wood or "smokeless" coal, than with tobacco smoking. Indoor air samples were collected during the burning of all three fuels. In contrast to wood and smokeless coal emissions, smoky coal emission has high concentrations of submicron particles containing mutagenic organics, especially in aromatic and polar fractions. These studies suggested an etiologic link between domestic smoky coal burning and lung cancer in Xuan Wei.     

Energized configurations of heart mitochondria in situ

Changes in the configurational state of the cristal membranes of rat heart mitochondria within the living cell can be induced by imposing energizing conditions. An exact correlation has been established between the configurational states of the cristal membrane and the energy states of the mitochondrion. The configurational changes observed in mitochondria in situ are comparable to those established for beef heart mitochondria in vitro and are consistent with the postulate of the conformational basis of energy transductions in membrane systems. The formation of paracrystalline arrays is one of the noteworthy features of configurational changes of mitochondria in situ.