Structure of a thiol monolayer-protected gold nanoparticle at 1.1 A resolution

Structural information on nanometer-sized gold particles has been limited, due in part to the problem of preparing homogeneous material. Here we report the crystallization and x-ray structure determination of a p-mercaptobenzoic acid (p-MBA)-protected gold nanoparticle, which comprises 102 gold atoms and 44 p-MBAs. The central gold atoms are packed in a Marks decahedron, surrounded by additional layers of gold atoms in unanticipated geometries. The p-MBAs interact not only with the gold but also with one another, forming a rigid surface layer. The particles are chiral, with the two enantiomers alternating in the crystal lattice. The discrete nature of the particle may be explained by the closing of a 58-electron shell.     

A selective activity-dependent requirement for dynamin 1 in synaptic vesicle endocytosis

Dynamin 1 is a neuron-specific guanosine triphosphatase thought to be critically required for the fission reaction of synaptic vesicle endocytosis. Unexpectedly, mice lacking dynamin 1 were able to form functional synapses, even though their postnatal viability was limited. However, during spontaneous network activity, branched, tubular plasma membrane invaginations accumulated, capped by clathrin-coated pits, in synapses of dynamin 1-knockout mice. Synaptic vesicle endocytosis was severely impaired during strong exogenous stimulation but resumed efficiently when the stimulus was terminated. Thus, dynamin 1-independent mechanisms can support limited synaptic vesicle endocytosis, but dynamin 1 is needed during high levels of neuronal activity.     

Fluorescence detection of aluminum in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal structures and glomalin using confocal laser scanning microscopy

Arbuscular mycorrhizal spores and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) isolated from acid soils were analyzed using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for Al detection. Mycorrhizal structures of Glomus intraradices produced under in vitro conditions as well as spores and GRSP from neutral and Cu-polluted soils were used as contrasting criteria. Spores and GRSP from soils with 7 and 70% Al saturation showed autofluorescence which increased especially at the highest soil Al level and when Al³⁺ solution was added. G.intraradices spores showed fluorescence only when exogenous Al³⁺ was added. On the contrary, spores and GRSP from neutral and Cu-polluted soils showed little or no significant fluorescence. This fluorescence shown by fungal structures and GRSP when subjected to high Al (of endogenous or exogenous origin) suggest a high capacity for Al immobilization, which could be an effective way to reduce Al activity and phytotoxicity in acid soils.     

Mycorrhiza induced resistance in potato plantlets challenged by Phytophthora infestans

Biological control of soil-borne pathogens by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi has been repeatedly demonstrated. However, their role in the control of above-ground hemibiotrophic pathogens is less conclusive. Here, we investigated in vitro the impact of an AM fungus on Phytophthora infestans in potato plants. The leaf infection index was decreased in mycorrhizal potato plants. Real-Time Quantitative PCR revealed the induction of two pathogenesis related genes (PR1 and PR2) in the leaves of mycorrhizal plants shortly after infection with P. infestans. These results suggested a systemic resistance in mycorrhizal plants, related to the priming of the two PR genes in potato.     

Populations of inshore serranids across the Canarian Archipelago: Relationships with human pressure and implications for conservation

We investigated spatio-temporal variability in the abundances and biomasses of four species of inshore serranids (the dusky grouper Ephinephelus marginatus, the island grouper Mycteroperca fusca, the painted comber Serranus scriba, and the blacktail comber S. atricauda) throughout the Canarian Archipelago (central-east Atlantic Ocean) with underwater visual transects. By means of a multiscaled sampling design spanning three orders of magnitude of spatial variability (from 10 s of meters among replicated 100 m² transects to 100 s of kilometres among islands) and four sampling periods, we related differences in the distributions of serranids to differences in the degree of human pressure, such as fishing intensity and human population. Differences in human pressure among islands provide the most parsimonious explanation for many of the consistent inter-island differences in the abundance and biomass of the analyzed species. Larger-bodied serranids (E. marginatus and M. fusca) are more vulnerable than the smaller species (S. scriba and S. atricauda). In fact, the larger, more vulnerable species have been almost completely extirpated from the most intensely fished islands. Our results show that the larger groupers have been overexploited throughout the Canary Islands, and highlight the urgent need for stringent management measures and better control of littoral reef fish resources.     

Effect of the addition of sewage sludge as a fertilizer on a sandy vineyard soil

Purpose

The application of sludge from wastewater in agriculture has increased in recent years, and it is therefore important to assess the effect that such treatment has on both the soil and the plant. The aim of the study described here was to ascertain whether there is a variation in the properties of the soil and to determine if this addition has an impact on the plant.

Materials and methods

The area of investigation was close to the municipality of Villarrubia de los Ojos (Ciudad Real). In this work, six samples were taken from the surface horizon in the studied plot at a depth of 35 cm. A further three samples were taken: (i) a surface horizon of a soil close to the area under investigation but without treatment (control sample), (ii) a sample of sludge from the wastewater treatment plant and (iii) a sample of the mixture used by farmers as fertilizer. Laboratory tests were conducted in accordance with the SCS-USDA (1972) guidelines. Trace element samples were analysed by X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry (Philips PW 2404).

Results and discussion

The parcel of land studied is dominated by a sandy texture (88.3 % sand), and a decrease in pH was observed in areas in which the mixture (manure + sludge) was added (pH?=?8.0) compared to areas in which fertilizer was not applied (pH?=?8.5). It was observed that the addition of the compound led to an increase in the electrical conductivity of the soil. The trace elements can be organized into two groups based on the results obtained in this study. One group contains the trace elements that were only present in the rows that were treated with the fertilizer. The other group of trace elements was mobilized throughout the whole plot.

Conclusions

The application of sewage sludge on agricultural soils can be very useful as an organic amendment because it produces an increase in soil organic matter. However, sewage sludge must be applied with caution due to the changes in soil chemical properties (for example, pH and E.C.). The use of this type of waste for prolonged periods of time can cause problems of contamination in the soil.

     

ITS1-rDNA-based methodology to identify world-wide hake species of the Genus Merluccius

Species-specific DNA-based tags are valuable tools for the management of both fisheries and commercial fish products. In this study, we have developed a two-step molecular tool to detect the presence of hake DNA (Merluccius spp.) and to identify the exact hake species present in an blind sample. The first test involves PCR amplification of an ITS1-rDNA fragment of 193 bp using nested primers that are interspecifically conserved in Merluccius spp. and Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua. The second test consists of the PCR amplification of a 602-659 bp DNA fragment spanning part of the ribosomal cluster 18S-ITS1-5.8S and digesting it with four restriction enzymes whose targets map at interspecifically nonconserved sites of the ITS1. Alternatively, the identification of hake species can be achieved by FINS or BLAST, using the nucleotide sequence of either the whole ITS1 sequence or its nested fragment of 193 bp. Because of their high reproducibility and ease of execution, these procedures allow for routine analysis and constitute high reliable tools for the rapid identification of 12 species of hake.     

Interactive effect between Cu‐adapted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and biotreated agrowaste residue to improve the nutritional status of Oenothera picensis growing in Cu‐polluted soils

The interactive effect of sugar beet (SB) agrowaste and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation in response to increasing Cu levels was evaluated in the metallophyte Oenothera picensis. Plants were grown in a Cu‐added soil (0, 100, or 500 mg Cu kg^?1), in presence or absence of SB, and inoculated with: (1) indigenous Cu adapted mycorrhiza (IM) isolated from Cu‐polluted soils; (2) Claroideoglomus claroideum (CC); or (3) maintained uninoculated (control). Sugar beet application produced an increase in shoot biomass of 2 to 7 times, improving plant nutritional status and allowing their survival at the highest Cu concentrations. Moreover, AM fungi utilization had a positive effect promoting the plant establishment; nevertheless, Cu plant concentration as well as the mycorrhizal development in terms of AM colonization, AM spore density, and glomalin production were strictly dependent of the AM fungi strains used. Remarkable differences between AM fungi strains were observed at the highest soil Cu level where only plants colonized by IM were able to survive and grow when no SB residue was added. An interactive effect between AM fungi and SB produced a higher plant growth than plants without the amendment application, improving the plant establishment and allowing their survival at highest copper concentrations, suggesting that this combination could be used as a biotechnological tool for the phytoremediation of Cu‐polluted soils.     

Crossability relationships between the common potato, Solanum tuberosum spp. tuberosum, and its wild diploid relatives S. kurtzianum and S. ruiz-lealii

The common potato, Solanum tuberosum spp. tuberosum (tbr), is a tetraploid species with a narrow genetic base, but with a large number of related species that harbor great genetic diversity for numerous characters of agronomic interest. S. kurtzianum (ktz) and S. ruiz-lealii (rzl) are wild diploid relatives with potential resistance to adverse biotic and abiotic factors. To evaluate if this wild germplasm can be incorporated by conventional crosses into the tbr gene pool, pollen-pistil compatibility relations and seed set in interspecific crosses with tbr were investigated. In 4x tbr × 2x ktz crosses and the reciprocals, 89% and 52.2% of genotypic combinations (respectively) were compatible at the pollen-pistil level. Seeds were obtained from some genotypic combinations in both directions of the cross, suggesting that functional 2n gametes might be produced by particular ktz genotypes. In 2x rzl × 4x tbr crosses and their reciprocals, 35% and 11.7% (respectively) of the genotypic combinations were compatible at the pollen-pistil level, but no seeds were obtained. These results indicate that the reproductive isolation between 4x tbr and 2x ktz is incomplete, and that gene exchange between them is feasible. Moreover, further studies will have to be carried out with rzl to ascertain its crossability with 4x tbr.