Long-term impacts of integrated nutrient management with equivalent nutrient doses to mineral fertilization on soil organic carbon sequestration in a sub-tropical Alfisol of India

Limited evidence is available on carbon sequestration potential of long-term integrated nutrient management (INM) versus mineral fertilization, when equivalent amounts of nutrients were added. Hence, this study was carried out to understand the impact of 60 years of INM with adjusted nutrient doses and mineral fertilization in an Alfisol in a maize (Zea maysL.)-wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) system on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in surface (0-30 cm) and deep (30-60 cm) soil layers. Conventional tillage was done twice before sowing of both maize and wheat using a spade. In farmyard manure (FYM) and lime treated plots (FYMP'K'L: plots with nitrogen (N) applied in terms of FYM; additional dose of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) and lime) total SOC concentration was nearly 83% higher than unfertilized control plots. The FYMP'K'L plots had similar to 11% more total SOC concentration than plots treated with mineral fertilizer and lime (NPKL: recommended dose of N, P, K and lime) in the 0-30 cm soil layer. Labile C, including KMnO4-C, was more in plots with FYM than NPKL plots, whereas the recalcitrant C stock was more in NPKL than FYM treated plots. In the 0-60 cm soil layer, the labile C stock was highest in FYMP'K'L plots, but the recalcitrant C stock was highest in NPKL. Total SOC accumulation rate (over unfertilized control plots) was highest for FYMP'K'L plots (0.38 Mg ha(-1 )year(-1)) in the surface soil layer, whereas SOC sequestration rate was highest in NPKL plots (0.18 Mg ha(-1 )year(-1)) in the deep layer and in the 0-60 cm layer. Overall, although NPKL management practice had the highest C sequestration in the 0-60 cm layer, FYMP'K'L had the best CMI and labile C pools. Thus, resource poor farmers need not to use full doses of NPK and FYM for soil C management in the region

Autofluorescence lifetime imaging to monitor immune cell metabolism and function

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Mismatch-repair protein MSH6 is associated with Ku70 and regulates DNA double-strand break repair

MSH6, a key component of the MSH2–MSH6 complex, plays a fundamental role in the repair of mismatched DNA bases. Herein, we report that MSH6 is a novel Ku70-interacting protein identified by yeast two-hybrid screening. Ku70 and Ku86 are two key regulatory subunits of the DNA-dependent protein kinase, which plays an essential role in repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) through the non-homologous end-joining (NEHJ) pathway. We found that association of Ku70 with MSH6 is enhanced in response to treatment with the radiomimetic drug neocarzinostatin (NCS) or ionizing radiation (IR), a potent inducer of DSBs. Furthermore, MSH6 exhibited diffuse nuclear staining in the majority of untreated cells and forms discrete nuclear foci after NCS or IR treatment. MSH6 colocalizes with γ-H2AX at sites of DNA damage after NCS or IR treatment. Cells depleted of MSH6 accumulate high levels of persistent DSBs, as detected by formation of γ-H2AX foci and by the comet assay. Moreover, MSH6-deficient cells were also shown to exhibit impaired NHEJ, which could be rescued by MSH6 overexpression. MSH6-deficient cells were hypersensitive to NCS- or IR-induced cell death, as revealed by a clonogenic cell-survival assay. These results suggest a potential role for MSH6 in DSB repair through upregulation of NHEJ by association with Ku70