Inhibition of netrin-mediated axon attraction by a receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase

During axon guidance, the ventral guidance of the Caenorhabditis elegans anterior ventral microtubule axon is controlled by two cues, the UNC-6/netrin attractant recognized by the UNC-40/DCC receptor and the SLT-1/slit repellent recognized by the SAX-3/robo receptor. We show here that loss-of-function mutations in clr-1 enhance netrin-dependent attraction, suppressing ventral guidance defects in slt-1 mutants. clr-1 encodes a transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (RPTP) that functions in AVM to inhibit signaling through the DCC family receptor UNC-40 and its effector, UNC-34/enabled. The known effects of other RPTPs in axon guidance could result from modulation of guidance receptors like UNC-40/DCC.     

Hydrochar amendment promotes microbial immobilization of mineral nitrogen

Hydrochars and biochars are products of the carbonization of biomass in different conversion processes. Both are considered suitable soil amendments, though they differ greatly in chemical and physical composition (e.g., aromaticity, inner surface area) due to the different production processes (pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonization), thus affecting their degradability in soil. Depending on the type, char application may provide soil microorganisms with more (hydrochars) or less (biochars) accessible C sources, thus resulting in the incorporation of nitrogen (N) into microbial biomass. A soil‐incubation experiment was conducted for 8 weeks to determine the relationship between mineral‐N concentration in the soil solution and microbial‐biomass development as well as soil respiration. An arable topsoil was amended with two hydrochars from feedstocks with different total N contents. Biochars from the same feedstocks were used for comparison. Both char amendments significantly decreased mineral‐N concentration and promoted microbial biomass compared to the nonamended control, but the effects were much stronger for hydrochar. Hydrochar application increased soil respiration significantly during the first week of incubation, simultaneous with the strongest decrease in mineral‐N concentration in the soil and an increase in microbial biomass. The amount of N detected in the microbial biomass in the hydrochar treatments accounted for the mineral N “lost” from the soil during incubation. This shows that microbial immobilization is the main sink for decreasing mineral‐N concentrations after hydrochar application. However, this does not apply to biochar, since the amount of N recovered in microorganisms was much lower than the decrease in soil mineral‐N concentration. Our results demonstrate that while both chars are suitable soil amendments, their properties need to be considered to match the application purpose (C sequestration, organic fertilizer).     

Innate immunity in Caenorhabditis elegans is regulated by neurons expressing NPR-1/GPCR

A large body of evidence indicates that metazoan innate immunity is regulated by the nervous system, but the mechanisms involved in the process and the biological importance of such control remain unclear. We show that a neural circuit involving npr-1, which encodes a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) related to mammalian neuropeptide Y receptors, functions to suppress innate immune responses. The immune inhibitory function requires a guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate-gated ion channel encoded by tax-2 and tax-4 as well as the soluble guanylate cyclase GCY-35. Furthermore, we show that npr-1- and gcy-35-expressing sensory neurons actively suppress immune responses of nonneuronal tissues. A full-genome microarray analysis on animals with altered neural function due to mutation in npr-1 shows an enrichment in genes that are markers of innate immune responses, including those regulated by a conserved PMK-1/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. These results present evidence that neurons directly control innate immunity in C. elegans, suggesting that GPCRs may participate in neural circuits that receive inputs from either pathogens or infected sites and integrate them to coordinate appropriate immune responses.     

Der Cichelh?her, ein gef?hrlicher Sch?diger der jungen Cannen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Hydrochar and Biochar Effects on Germination of Spring Barley

Within the framework of climate change mitigation by sequestrating recalcitrant carbon in soil, biochar is considered as a promising soil amendment. Testing any such soil additives is vitally important, as they should not cause abiotic stress for plants due to chemical constituents they may contain. Thus, germination tests with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare) were conducted to assess phytotoxic effects of biochar, hydrochar and process‐water from hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) as soil amendments. Additionally, single‐component tests with substances found in process‐waters were carried out with cress (Lepidium sativum). While biochars generally had no effect on germination, hydrochars and process‐waters significantly inhibited germination. The dissolved organic carbon content predicted the germination‐inhibiting effects observed. Three compounds resulted in partial (guaiacol) or total (levulinic acid and glycolic acid) inhibition of cress seed germination, and three others (acetic acid, glycolaldehyde dimer and catechol) had a negative impact on growth. Phytotoxic substances in chars appeared to be mostly water soluble and volatile. Pre‐treatments of hydrochars and process‐waters (i.e. storage and washing) were able to reduce germination inhibition. While phytotoxic substances that are generated during HTC stay in the products, biochars from kiln carbonization of the same feedstocks had no negative effects on germination, likely because volatiles evaporate during the conversion. Our study highlights the importance of comprehensively testing carbonized products for their compatibility with agricultural and horticultural systems.     

Initial and subsequent effects of hydrochar amendment on germination and nitrogen uptake of spring barley

The application of hydrochars as soil amendments could be an option to ameliorate soil quality by enhancing nutrient and water‐holding capacity of sandy soils. But when hydrochar application is directly followed by sowing, it can decrease the soil mineral‐N concentration and the germination rate of crops. We currently lack evidence, whether these effects are persistent or transient and thus can be avoided by adjusting the application strategy, e.g., by prolonging the period between application and sowing. A set of pot trials with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was performed to study the initial and subsequent effects of different hydrochar amendments on germination, biomass production, and plant N availability. To this end, two subsequent cultivations of barley were grown on hydrochar‐amended soil–peat substrates. The first barley cultivation was sown directly after hydrochar application. After the harvest, the same substrates were cultivated with barley again. Germination, biomass production, and N concentration in the biomass were reduced when sowing directly followed the application of hydrochars. Differences in germination rate and biomass production between hydrochar treatments depended on the hydrochar feedstock. A recultivation of the hydrochar‐amended substrates 9 weeks after hydrochar application showed no significant effects on germination and biomass production. The N concentration in plants was still lower in the hydrochar treatments despite additional fertilization. The N immobilized during the first cultivation period was not released in the following weeks. We conclude that the germination‐inhibiting substances in hydrochars were removed in the weeks after soil incorporation. This is probably due to microbial degradation of hydrochar components and a consecutive immobilization of mineral N. Hydrochar amendment had only short‐term effects on germination and biomass production of barley that can be avoided by applying hydrochar at least 4 weeks prior to sowing. The N concentration in plants was persistently low even 4 months after hydrochar application which can only be redeemed by adjusting the fertilization strategy.     

Effects of hydrochar application on the dynamics of soluble nitrogen in soils and on plant availability

Before hydrochars can be applied as soil amendments in agriculture, information about how hydrochar application affects soil nutrient cycles and plant growth are necessary. In this study, incubation experiments were performed to investigate hydrochar effects on N concentrations (NO$ _3^- $ , NH$ _4^+ $ ) in soils with different N pools (soil N, fertilizer N). A set of pot trials with three crop species (barley, phaseolus bean, leek) was conducted to determine hydrochar effects on plant N availability and biomass production after mineral‐N fertilization. Results of the incubation experiments show that hydrochar reduced the concentration of mineral N in soil within the first week after incorporation, especially that of nitrate. This was particularly evident, when hydrochars with high C : N ratio, high DOC and low mineral‐N contents were applied. Hydrochars promoted biomass production of barley and phaseolus bean in pot trials, which can be partly attributed to an increase in soil pH after hydrochar incorporation. Dry‐matter yield of leek tended to decrease after hydrochar application. Hydrochars with high C : N ratio decreased the plant's N content, an effect that was strongest with increased hydrochar concentration. Hydrochars with low C : N ratio did not affect the crop's N uptake. Our results show that the use of hydrochars as amendment in arable field or horticultural pot production will require an adjustment of N‐mineral‐fertilization strategies.     

Control of larval development by chemosensory neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans

Larval development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is controlled by the activities of four classes of chemosensory neurons. The choice between normal development and development into a specialized larval form called a dauer larva is regulated by competing environmental stimuli: food and a dauer pheromone. When the neuron classes ADF, ASG, ASI, and ASJ are killed, animals develop as dauer larvae regardless of environmental conditions. These neurons might sense food or dauer pheromone, or both, to initiate the specialized differentiation of many cell types that occurs during dauer formation. Entry into and exit from the dauer stage are primarily controlled by different chemosensory neurons. The analysis of mutants defective in dauer formation indicates that the chemosensory neurons are active in the absence of sensory inputs and that dauer pheromone inhibits the ability of these neurons to generate a signal necessary for normal development.