Immunisation strategies against prion diseases: prime-boost immunisation with a PrP DNA vaccine containing foreign helper T-cell epitopes does not prevent mouse scrapie

Vaccination against prion diseases constitutes a promising approach for the treatment and prevention of the disease. Passive immunisation with antibodies binding to the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) can protect against prion disease. However, immunotherapeutic strategies with active immunisation are limited due to the immune tolerance against the self-antigen. In order to develop an anti-prion vaccine, we designed a novel DNA fusion vaccine composed of mouse PrP and immune stimulatory helper T-cell epitopes of the tetanus toxin that have previously been reported to break tolerance to other self-antigens. This approach provoked a strong PrP(C)-specific humoral and cellular immune response in PrP null mice, but only low antibody titres were found in vaccinated wild-type mice. Furthermore, prime-boost immunisation with the DNA vaccine and recombinant PrP protein increased antibody titres in PrP null mice, but failed to protect wild-type mice from mouse scrapie.     

Uptake of galaxolide, tonalide, and triclosan by carrot, barley, and meadow fescue plants

Many xenobiotics entering wastewater treatment plants are known to be persistent during wastewater treatment and tend to adsorb to sewage sludge. The application of sewage sludge as fertilizer in agriculture may pose the risk of an incorporation of xenobiotics in the cultivated plants and, finally, an inclusion into the food chain. This study was performed to investigate the uptake of common sewage sludge contaminants, galaxolide, tonalide, and triclosan, by plants used for human consumption and livestock feeding. Barley, meadow fescue, and four carrot cultivars were sown and grown in spiked soils under greenhouse conditions. After harvesting the plants, roots and leaves were analyzed separately, and the respective bioconcentration factors were calculated. In carrots, a concentration gradient of the xenobiotics became evident that decreased from the root peel via root core to the leaves. A significant influence of the differing root lipid contents on the uptake rates cannot be supported by our data, but the crucial influence of soil organic carbon content was confirmed. Barley and meadow fescue roots incorporated higher amounts of the target substances than carrots, but translocation into the leaves was negligible. The results indicated that an introduction of persistent semi- and nonpolar xenobiotics into the food chain via edible plants like carrots could be of certain relevance when sludge is applied as fertilizer. Due to low rates found for the translocation of the xenobiotics into the aerial plant parts, the entrance pathway into food products via feeding livestock is less probable.     

Selected Calcium Salt Formulations: Interactions between Spray Deposit Characteristics and Ca Penetration with Consequences for Rain-Induced Wash-Off

The effect of two ethoxylated rapeseed oils (RSO) as surfactants for foliar-applied calcium chloride CaCl₂ and calcium acetate Ca(CH₃COO)₂ on deposit characteristics, penetration, and calcium (Ca) residues after rainfall was investigated in columnar apple trees (CAT, Malus domestica Borkh.) and apple seedlings. Irrespective of salt and apple variety, both surfactants enhanced droplet spreading and led to a greater area covered by calcium within the droplet residues. The addition of the rather lipophilic surfactant RSO 5 and the rather hydrophilic RSO 60 increased penetration of Ca from both salts through isolated apple leaf cuticular membranes. Our data demonstrate that penetration is better reflected by area covered with calcium than by droplet spreading area. Considering the point of deliquescence (POD) from the salts and results of cuticular Ca penetration, we postulate that in case of CaCl₂ reduction of wash-off was due to enhanced penetration, whereas for Ca(CH₃COO)₂ wash-off was decreased due to distinct enhancement of rainfastness.     

Toward a systems approach to understanding plant cell walls

One of the defining features of plants is a body plan based on the physical properties of cell walls. Structural analyses of the polysaccharide components, combined with high-resolution imaging, have provided the basis for much of the current understanding of cell walls. The application of genetic methods has begun to provide new insights into how walls are made, how they are controlled, and how they function. However, progress in integrating biophysical, developmental, and genetic information into a useful model will require a system-based approach.     

Invertebrate diversity and national responsibility for species conservation across Europe - A multi-taxon approach

Invertebrates play important roles in ecosystem functioning, but with the decline in biodiversity worldwide, it has become increasingly evident that our knowledge of invertebrate diversity distributions and of how to adequately integrate many invertebrates into conservation strategies is insufficient. We analyzed congruence between patterns of total as well as of endemic species richness of twelve invertebrate taxa across Europe and compared these patterns to those of so far predominantly studied vertebrates and plants. Coarse-scale centers of high collective diversity were identified, all in southern European regions. However, the strength of covariation between diversity patterns strongly depended on the respective taxa, with ground beetles emerging as one of the invertebrate taxa significantly reflecting endemism and total species richness distributions of many invertebrates, vertebrates and plants. Plants and ants showed similarly strong cross-taxon correlations. In contrast, correlations of vertebrates with invertebrates were in part less strong, questioning whether conservation strategies based on the former adequately account for diversity of invertebrates as a whole. Moreover, as the potential impact of environmental factors on diversity distributions varies among taxa, future climate change might affect relationships between richness patterns of different taxa. Our findings draw attention to the necessity of incorporating invertebrates, represented for instance by the highly diverse ground beetles, into national and international conservation decisions. They also highlight the importance of individual countries in maintaining European biodiversity and the responsibility of these countries for specific invertebrate taxa within international conservation frameworks, emphasizing the need for adequate consideration of invertebrates in the implementation of conservation actions.     

Two high-mountain burnet moth species (Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae) react differently to the global change drivers climate and land-use

Uphill shifts of alpine species have been associated with climate warming; however, land-use change can act simultaneously. We surveyed two related alpine burnet moth species in the Pyrenees to determine whether there was an uphill shift in the range of these two species and, if so, whether this was driven by climate and/or land-use changes. In 2008/09 we revisited 28 sites at the lower altitudinal range limits at which the species had been recorded between 1958 and 1986 (data were obtained from museum collections, distribution atlas, researchers’ field notes). We also recorded the recent upper range limits. The arctic-alpine Zygaena exulans showed an uphill shift (148 m ± SD 87 m/decade) at all sites; at four sites the species has even become extinct. Changes in the lower altitudinal range limits were attributed to climate change. For the endemic species Zygaena anthyllidis we only ascertained an uphill shift at one third of the sites investigated (60 m ± SD 74 m/decade); these shifts were due to changes in grazing intensities. As both species colonize very high summits, further uphill shifts of the upper limits are no longer possible. The studied con-generic species are affected by different global change drivers. Our data indicate the considerable role of land-use in conservation and suggest that it can even exceed the impact of climate change. Ongoing climate change is likely to jeopardize the long-term survival of Z. exulans in the Pyrenees; Z. anthyllidis, however, may be preserved by appropriate management in the subalpine belt.     

Reduction of nitrogen losses in agriculture by fertilizer additives: Appeal for more detailed scientific work—Comments on Guo et al. “Efficacy of four nitrification inhibitors for the mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions under different soil temperature and moisture,” Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science (2022), 185(1), 60–68

In Guo et al. (2022), the difference between pure nitrification inhibitors (NI), fertilizers treated with NI, and formulations containing NI was insufficiently considered. Presented results are misleading and inappropriate to evaluate the efficiency of an NI application by pure NI as well as NI-treated products such as ENTEC^® 26 and PIADIN^®, in particular with respect to practical field conditions.     

Regression statistics as a tool to evaluate excess (anthropogenic) phosphorus,nitrogen, and organic matter in classification of Swedish fresh water quality

Concentrations of phophorus, nitrogen, COD_Mn, and humic matter in streams from small protected Swedish watersheds have been used to build statistical models useful in the evaluation of the state of the water quality. The precision of the models has been tested on data sets from other SEPA (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency) reference programs as well as international data sets. The models refer to watersheds, where most of the samples have a pH above 5.0. For the nutrients two delimitations have been defined. The lowest delimitation,the most likely upper limit for pristine concentration, corresponds to the models estimate minus 1 standard error. The highest delimitation,the most likely upper limit for none or insignificant influence, corresponds to twice the lowest delimitation, which also can be considered as a management concentration [c _m]. The calulated export coefficients for phosphorus agree with coefficients reported in the literature. The export coefficients for nitrogen seems to be dependent on the atmospheric deposition of nitrogen. A nutrient pollution index (NPI) has been calibrated against existing trophic state classification systems. The NPI for phosphorus show a considerable decrease in southern Sweden since the inroduction of chemical treatment plants. The nirogen conditions have not been improved to the same extent.     

Surfactant‐induced deposit structures in relation to the biological efficacy of glyphosate on easy‐ and difficult‐to‐wet weed species

BACKGROUND: Typical active ingredient (AI) residue patterns are formed during droplet drying on plant surfaces owing to the interaction of spray solution characteristics and leaf micromorphology. Currently, comparatively little is known about the influence of AI deposit patterns within a spray droplet residue area on the penetration and biological efficacy of glyphosate. A scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X‐ray microanalysis has been used to characterise residue patterns and to quantify the area ultimately covered by glyphosate within the droplet spread area. RESULTS: The easy‐to‐wet weed species Stellaria media L. and Viola arvensis L., as well as the difficult‐to‐wet Chenopodium album L. and Setaria viridis L., differing in their surface micromorphology, have been used. Rapeseed oil ethoxylates (RSO 5 or RSO 60) were added to glyphosate solutions to provide different droplet spread areas. Addition of RSO 5 enhanced droplet spread area more than RSO 60, and both caused distinct glyphosate residue patterns. The biological efficacy of treatment solutions showed no significant correlation with the area ultimately covered by glyphosate. CONCLUSION: The results have implications on herbicide uptake models. This study shows that droplet spread area does not correspond to the area ultimately covered by glyphosate, and that the latter does not affect glyphosate phytotoxicity. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Vorstellung der SrCl2-Methode nach Bach zur Bestimmung der effektiven Kationenaustauschkapazität und Vergleich mit der NH4Cl-Methode

Presentation of the SrCl₂-method after Bach for the determination of the effective cation exchange capacity and comparison with the NH₄Cl-method The SrCl₂-method for the determination of the effective cation exchange capacity CEC_eff has been developed by Dr. H. Bach, a former geochemist of the “Geologisches Landesamt Schleswig-Holstein”. Exchangeable metallic cations in soils are displaced by a 0, 1 M SrCl₂-solution and analyzed from the percolate. Reexchange of strontium by a 0, 1 M MgCl₂-solution allows to determine the CEC_eff by analyzing for strontium in the second percolate. In comparison with the customary application of NH₄Cl, SrCl₂ shows the following advantages:

• 1 The nearly unbuffered SrCl₂-solution adopts instantly the pH of the soil.
• 2 In contrast to the weakly acid NH₄Cl-solution, no H₃O⁺-cations compete with the exchange cation. Furthermore, partial dissolution of clay minerals is prevented because of the near-neutral character of the SrCl₂-solution.
• 3 The SrCl₂-method can be applied on all types of soils including carbonate- and salt-bearing soils.
• 4 The amount of free (dissolved) cations can be approximated.