Contribution of rapid evolution of the luxR-luxI intergenic region to the diverse bioluminescence outputs of Vibrio fischeri strains isolated from different environments

Vibrio fischeri serves as a valuable model of bacterial bioluminescence, its regulation, and its functional significance. Light output varies more than 10,000-fold in wild-type isolates from different environments, yet dim and bright strains have similar organization of the light-producing lux genes, with the activator-encoding luxR divergently transcribed from luxICDABEG. By comparing the genomes of bright strain MJ11 and the dimmer ES114, we found that the lux region has diverged more than most shared orthologs, including those flanking lux. Divergence was particularly high in the intergenic sequence between luxR and luxI. Analysis of the intergenic lux region from 18 V. fischeri strains revealed that, with one exception, sequence divergence essentially mirrored strain phylogeny but with relatively high substitution rates. The bases conserved among intergenic luxR-luxI sequences included binding sites for known regulators, such as LuxR and ArcA, and bases of unknown significance, including a striking palindromic repeat. By using this collection of diverse luxR-luxI regions, we found that expression of PluxI-lacZ but not PluxR-lacZ transcriptional reporters correlated with the luminescence output of the strains from which the promoters originated. We also found that exchange of a small stretch of the luxI-luxR intergenic region between two strains largely reversed their relative brightness. Our results show that the luxR-luxI intergenic region contributes significantly to the variable luminescence output among V. fischeri strains isolated from different environments, although other elements of strain backgrounds also contribute. Moreover, the lux system appears to have evolved relatively rapidly, suggesting unknown environment-specific selective pressures

The ELFIN mission

The Electron Loss and Fields Investigation with a Spatio-Temporal Ambiguity-Resolving option (ELFIN-STAR, or heretoforth simply: ELFIN) mission comprises two identical 3-Unit (3U) CubeSats on a polar (∼93∘ inclination), nearly circular, low-Earth (∼450 km altitude) orbit. Launched on September 15, 2018, ELFIN is expected to have a >2.5 year lifetime. Its primary science objective is to resolve the mechanism of storm-time relativistic electron precipitation, for which electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are a prime candidate. From its ionospheric vantage point, ELFIN uses its unique pitch-angle-resolving capability to determine whether measured relativistic electron pitch-angle and energy spectra within the loss cone bear the characteristic signatures of scattering by EMIC waves or whether such scattering may be due to other processes. Pairing identical ELFIN satellites with slowly-variable along-track separation allows disambiguation of spatial and temporal evolution of the precipitation over minutes-to-tens-of-minutes timescales, faster than the orbit period of a single low-altitude satellite (Torbit ∼ 90 min). Each satellite carries an energetic particle detector for electrons (EPDE) that measures 50 keV to 5 MeV electrons with Δ E/E 1 MeV. This broad energy range of precipitation indicates that multiple waves are providing scattering concurrently. Many observed events show significant backscattered fluxes, which in the past were hard to resolve by equatorial spacecraft or non-pitch-angle-resolving ionospheric missions. These observations suggest that the ionosphere plays a significant role in modifying magnetospheric electron fluxes and wave-particle interactions. Routine data captures starting in February 2020 and lasting for at least another year, approximately the remainder of the mission lifetime, are expected to provide a very rich dataset to address questions even beyond the primary mission science objective.Published versio

Long-term survivors following autologous haematopoetic stem cell transplantation have significant defects in their humoral immunity against vaccine preventable diseases, years on from transplant

Current international guidelines recommend routinely vaccinating haematopoetic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Despite significant infection-related mortality following autologous HSCT, routine vaccination programmes (RVP) completion is poor. For recovered HSCT recipients, it is uncertain whether catch-up vaccination remains worthwhile years later. To determine potential susceptibility to vaccine preventable infections, we measured antibody titres in 56 patients, a median of 7 years (range 0–29) following autologous HSCT, who had not completed RVP. We found that almost all participants had inadequate titres against diphtheria (98.2%) and pneumococcal infection (100%), and a significant proportion had inadequate titres against measles (34.5%). Of those subsequently vaccinated according to available guidelines, many mounted adequate serological responses. These data suggest a pragmatic catch-up approach for autologous HSCT recipients who have not completed RVP is advisable, with universal vaccination against some pathogens (e.g. Streptococcus pneumoniae and diphtheria) and serologically-guided approaches for others (e.g. measles and varicella zoster virus)

Investigation of the potential of silica-bonded macrocyclic ligands for separation of metal ions from nuclear waste. [Macrocyclic ligands covalently bonded to silica gel]

This report describes the testing of some novel separations materials known as SuperLig{trademark} materials for their ability to separate efficiently and selectively certain metal ions from a synthetic, nonradioactive nuclear waste solution. The materials, developed and patented by IBC Advanced Technologies, are highly selective macrocyclic ligands that have been covalently bonded to silica gel. The SuperLig{trademark} materials that were tested are: (1) SuperLig{trademark} 601 for barium (Ba{sup 2+}) and strontium (Sr{sup 2+}) separation, (2) SuperLig{trademark} 602 for cesium (Cs{sup +}) and rubidium (Rb{sup +}) separation, (3) SuperLig{trademark} 27 for palladium (Pd{sup 2+}) separation, and (4) SuperLig{trademark} II for silver (Ag{sup +}) and ruthenium (Ru{sup 3+}) separation. Our observations show that the technology for separating metal ions using silica-bonded macrocycles is essentially sound and workable to varying degrees of success that mainly depend on the affinity of the macrocycle for the metal ion of interest. It is expected that ligands will be discovered or synthesized that are amenable to separating metal ions of interest using this technology. Certainly more development, testing, and evaluation is warranted. 3 figs., 11 tabs

Potential uses of silica-bonded macrocyclic ligands for separation of metal ions from nuclear waste

This paper explores the potential of a relatively new separation material that is obtained by covalently binding macrocyclic ligands to silica gel. Fortunately, neutral macrocyclic ligands can be bound to silica gel such that metal binding constants do not differ significantly from the binding constants of the free ligands so that selectivities of free macrocyclic ligands can be used in designing silica-bound materials with appropriate selectivities. Accordingly, macrocyclic ligands known to have selectivities for Pd{sup +2}, Ag{sup +}, Ru{sup +3}, Sr{sup +2}, and Cs{sup +} were covalently bound to silica gel. These materials were then tested for their ability to separate these ions from a synthetic test solution representative of a nuclear process waste stream. Cs{sup +} and Sr{sup +2} are of interest because their radioactive isotopes are major radioactive constituents of defense nuclear wastes accumulated at the Hanford site. Removal of precious metals such as Pd{sup +2}, Ag{sup +} and Ru{sup +3} present in nuclear defense waste are of interest not just because of their obvious economic value, but also because these metals may hinder the waste vitrification process for confining radionuclides