Organic C and N stabilization in a forest soil: Evidence from sequential density fractionation

In mineral soil, organic matter (OM) accumulates mainly on and around surfaces of silt- and clay-size particles. When fractionated according to particle density, C and N concentration (per g fraction) and C/N of these soil organo-mineral particles decrease with increasing particle density across soils of widely divergent texture, mineralogy, location, and management. The variation in particle density is explained potentially by two factors: (1) a decrease in the mass ratio of organic to mineral phase of these particles, and (2) variations in density of the mineral phase. The first explanation implies that the thickness of the organic accumulations decreases with increasing particle density. The decrease in C/N can be explained at least partially by especially stable sorption of nitrogenous N-containing compounds (amine, amide, and pyrrole) directly to mineral surfaces, a phenomenon well documented both empirically and theoretically. These peptidic compounds, along with ligand-exchanged carboxylic compounds, could then form a stable inner organic layer onto which other organics could sorb more readily than onto the unconditioned mineral surfaces (“onion” layering model).To explore mechanisms underlying this trend in C concentration and C/N with particle density, we sequentially density fractionated an Oregon andic soil at 1.65, 1.85, 2.00, 2.28, and 2.55 g cm⁻³ and analyzed the six fractions for measures of organic matter and mineral phase properties.All measures of OM composition showed either: (1) a monotonic change with density, or (2) a monotonic change across the lightest fractions, then little change over the heaviest fractions. Total C, N, and lignin phenol concentration all decreased monotonically with increasing density, and ¹⁴C mean residence time (MRT) increased with particle density from ca. 150 years to >980 years in the four organo-mineral fractions. In contrast, C/N, ¹³C and ¹⁵N concentration all showed the second pattern. All these data are consistent with a general pattern of an increase in extent of microbial processing with increasing organo-mineral particle density, and also with an “onion” layering model.X-ray diffraction before and after separation of magnetic materials showed that the sequential density fractionation (SDF) isolated pools of differing mineralogy, with layer-silicate clays dominating in two of the intermediate fractions and primary minerals in the heaviest two fractions. There was no indication that these differences in mineralogy controlled the differences in density of the organo-mineral particles in this soil. Thus, our data are consistent with the hypothesis that variation in particle density reflects variation in thickness of the organic accumulations and with an “onion” layering model for organic matter accumulation on mineral surfaces. However, the mineralogy differences among fractions made it difficult to test either the layer-thickness or “onion” layering models with this soil. Although SDF isolated pools of distinct mineralogy and organic-matter composition, more work will be needed to understand mechanisms relating the two factors.     

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.     

Shell composition has no net impact on large-scale evolutionary patterns in mollusks

A major suspected bias in the fossil record of skeletonized groups is variation in preservability owing to differences in shell composition. However, despite extensive changes in shell composition over the 500-million-year history of marine bivalves, genus duration and shell composition show few significant relationships, and of those, virtually all are contrary to bias from preferential loss of highly reactive shell types. Distortion of large-scale temporal patterns in marine bivalves owing to preservability is thus apparently weak or randomly distributed, which increases the likelihood that observed patterns in this and other shelled groups carry a strong biological signal.     

PKA type IIalpha holoenzyme reveals a combinatorial strategy for isoform diversity

The catalytic (C) subunit of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is inhibited by two classes of regulatory subunits, RI and RII. The RII subunits are substrates as well as inhibitors and do not require adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to form holoenzyme, which distinguishes them from RI subunits. To understand the molecular basis for isoform diversity, we solved the crystal structure of an RIIalpha holoenzyme and compared it to the RIalpha holoenzyme. Unphosphorylated RIIalpha(90-400), a deletion mutant, undergoes major conformational changes as both of the cAMP-binding domains wrap around the C subunit's large lobe. The hallmark of this conformational reorganization is the helix switch in domain A. The C subunit is in an open conformation, and its carboxyl-terminal tail is disordered. This structure demonstrates the conserved and isoform-specific features of RI and RII and the importance of ATP, and also provides a new paradigm for designing isoform-specific activators or antagonists for PKA.     

Interpretation of recent Southern Hemisphere climate change

Climate variability in the high-latitude Southern Hemisphere (SH) is dominated by the SH annular mode, a large-scale pattern of variability characterized by fluctuations in the strength of the circumpolar vortex. We present evidence that recent trends in the SH tropospheric circulation can be interpreted as a bias toward the high-index polarity of this pattern, with stronger westerly flow encircling the polar cap. It is argued that the largest and most significant tropospheric trends can be traced to recent trends in the lower stratospheric polar vortex, which are due largely to photochemical ozone losses. During the summer-fall season, the trend toward stronger circumpolar flow has contributed substantially to the observed warming over the Antarctic Peninsula and Patagonia and to the cooling over eastern Antarctica and the Antarctic plateau.     

Hepatic glucose sensing via the CREB coactivator CRTC2

Chronic hyperglycemia contributes to the development of diabetes-associated complications. Increases in the concentration of circulating glucose activate the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) and promote the O-glycosylation of proteins by O-glycosyl transferase (OGT). We show that OGT triggered hepatic gluconeogenesis through the O-glycosylation of the transducer of regulated cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein (CREB) 2 (TORC2 or CRTC2). CRTC2 was O-glycosylated at sites that normally sequester CRTC2 in the cytoplasm through a phosphorylation-dependent mechanism. Decreasing amounts of O-glycosylated CRTC2 by expression of the deglycosylating enzyme O-GlcNAcase blocked effects of glucose on gluconeogenesis, demonstrating the importance of the HBP in the development of glucose intolerance.     

Hsp90 potentiates the rapid evolution of new traits: drug resistance in diverse fungi

Hsp90 is a molecular chaperone for many signal transducers and may influence evolution by releasing previously silent genetic variation in response to environmental change. In fungi separated by approximately 800 million years of evolution, Hsp90 potentiated the evolution of drug resistance in a different way, by enabling new mutations to have immediate phenotypic consequences. Resistance was abrogated by Hsp90 inhibitors and by febrile temperatures, suggesting new therapeutic strategies and a clinical benefit of fever. During selection in a human host, drug resistance that was initially Hsp90-dependent evolved toward independence. Thus, Hsp90 can act in diverse ways to couple environmental contingency to the emergence and fixation of new traits.