Kinetics of N2O production and reduction in a nitrate-contaminated aquifer inferred from laboratory incubation experiments

Knowledge of the kinetics of N2O production and reduction in groundwater is essential for the assessment of potential indirect emissions of the greenhouse gas. In the present study, we investigated this kinetics using a laboratory approach. The results were compared to field measurements in order to examine their transferability to the in situ conditions. The study site was the unconfined, predominantly sandy Fuhrberger Feld aquifer in northern Germany. A special characteristic of the aquifer is the occurrence of the vertically separated process zones of heterotrophic denitrification in the near-surface groundwater and of autotrophic denitrification in depths beyond 2-3 m below the groundwater table, respectively. The kinetics of N2O production and reduction in both process zones was studied during long-term anaerobic laboratory incubations of aquifer slurries using the 15N tracer technique. We measured N2O, N2, NO3-, NO2-, and SO42- concentrations as well as parameters of the aquifer material that were related to the relevant electron donors, i.e. organic carbon and pyrite. The laboratory incubations showed a low denitrification activity of heterotrophic denitrification with initial rates between 0.2 and 13 μg N kg-1 d-1. The process was carbon limited due to the poor availability of its electron donor. In the autotrophic denitrification zone, initial denitrification rates were considerably higher, ranging between 30 and 148 μg N kg-1 d-1, and NO3- as well as N2O were completely removed within 60 to 198 days. N2O accumulated during heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification, but maximum concentrations were substantially higher during the autotrophic process. The results revealed a satisfactory transferability of the laboratory incubations to the field scale for autotrophic denitrification, whereas the heterotrophic process less reflected the field conditions due to considerably lower N2O accumulation during laboratory incubation. Finally, we applied a conventional model using first-order-kinetics to determine the reaction rate constants k1 for N2O production and k2 for N2O reduction, respectively. The goodness of fit to the experimental data was partly limited, indicating that a more sophisticated approach is essential to describe the investigated reaction kinetics satisfactorily.DF

Characterization of Novel Di-, Tri-, and Tetranucleotide Microsatellite Primers Suitable for Genotyping Various Plant Pathogenic Fungi with Special Emphasis on Fusaria and Mycospherella graminicola

The goals of this investigation were to identify and evaluate the use of polymorphic microsatellite marker (PMM) analysis for molecular typing of seventeen plant pathogenic fungi. Primers for di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide loci were designed directly from the recently published genomic sequence of Mycospherlla graminicola and Fusarium graminearum. A total of 20 new microsatellite primers as easy-to-score markers were developed. Microsatellite primer PCR (MP-PCR) yielded highly reproducible and complex genomic fingerprints, with several bands ranging in size from 200 to 3000 bp. Of the 20 primers tested, only (TAGG)4, (TCC)5 and (CA)7T produced a high number of polymorphic bands from either F. graminearum or F. culmorum. (ATG)5 led to successful amplifications in M. graminicola isolates collected from Germany. Percentage of polymorphic bands among Fusarium species ranged from 9 to 100%. Cluster analysis of banding patterns of the isolates corresponded well to the established species delineations based on morphology and other methods of phylogenetic analysis. The current research demonstrates that the newly designed microsatellite primers are reliable, sensitive and technically simple tools for assaying genetic variability in plant pathogenic fungi

Detection of co-expressed pathway modules associated with mineral concentration and meat quality in nelore cattle

Meat quality is a complex trait that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors, which includes mineral concentration. However, the association between mineral concentration and meat quality, and the specific molecular pathways underlying this association, are not well explored. We therefore analyzed gene expression as measured with RNA-seq in Longissimus thoracis muscle of 194 Nelore steers for association with three meat quality traits (intramuscular fat, meat pH, and tenderness) and the concentration of 13 minerals (Ca, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Se, and Zn). We identified seven sets of co-expressed genes (modules) associated with at least two traits, which indicates that common pathways influence these traits. From pathway analysis of module hub genes, we further found an over-representation for energy and protein metabolism (AMPK and mTOR signaling pathways) in addition to muscle growth, and protein turnover pathways. Among the identified hub genes FASN, ELOV5, and PDE3B are involved with lipid metabolism and were affected by previously identified eQTLs associated to fat deposition. The reported hub genes and over-represented pathways provide evidence of interplay among gene expression, mineral concentration, and meat quality traits. Future studies investigating the effect of different levels of mineral supplementation in the gene expression and meat quality traits could help us to elucidate the regulatory mechanism by which the genes/pathways are affected

Effect of Long-Term Agricultural Management on the Soil Microbiota Influenced by the Time of Soil Sampling

Application of agrochemicals and mechanization enabled increasing agriculturalproductivity yet caused various environmental and soil health-related problems.Agricultural practices affect soil microorganisms, which are the key players of manyecosystem processes. However, less is known about whether this effect differs betweentime points. Therefore, soil was sampled in winter (without crop) and in summer (inthe presence of maize) from a long-term field experiment (LTE) in Bernburg (Germany)managed either under cultivator tillage (CT) or moldboard plow (MP) in combinationwith either intensive nitrogen (N)-fertilization and pesticides (Int) or extensive reducedN-fertilization without fungicides (Ext), respectively. High-throughput sequencing of 16SrRNA gene and fungal ITS2 amplicons showed that changes in the microbial communitycomposition were correlated to differences in soil chemical properties caused by tillagepractice. Microbial communities of soils sampled in winter differed only depending onthe tillage practice while, in summer, also a strong effect of the fertilization intensity wasobserved. A small proportion of microbial taxa was shared between soils from the twosampling times, suggesting the existence of a stable core microbiota at the LTE. Ingeneral, taxa associated with organic matter decomposition (such as Actinobacteria,Bacteroidetes, Rhizopus, and Exophiala) had a higher relative abundance under CT.Among the taxa with significant changes in relative abundances due to different long-termagricultural practices were putative pathogenic (e.g., Gibellulopsis and Gibberella) andbeneficial microbial genera (e.g., Chitinophagaceae, Ferruginibacter, and Minimedusa).In summary, this study suggests that the effects of long-term agricultural managementpractices on the soil microbiota are influenced by the soil sampling time, and this needsto be kept in mind in future studies for the interpretation of field data.Fil: Fernandez Gnecco, Gabriela Amancay. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Covacevich, Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Consolo, Verónica Fabiana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Behr, Jan H.. Leibniz Institute Of Vegetable And Ornamental Crops (; AlemaniaFil: Sommermann, Loreen. Department Of Agriculture, Ecotrophology And Landscape; AlemaniaFil: Moradtalab, Narges. Department Of Nutritional Crop Physiology, Institute Of; AlemaniaFil: Maccario, Lorrie. Section Of Microbiology, Department Of Biology, Univers; AlemaniaFil: Sørensen, Søren J.. Section Of Microbiology, Department Of Biology, Univers; AlemaniaFil: Deubel, Annette. Department Of Agriculture, Ecotrophology And Landscape; AlemaniaFil: Schellenberg, Ingo. Department Of Agriculture, Ecotrophology And Landscape; AlemaniaFil: Geistlinger, Joerg. Department Of Agriculture, Ecotrophology And Landscape; AlemaniaFil: Neumann, Günter. Department Of Nutritional Crop Physiology, Institute Of; AlemaniaFil: Grosch, Rita. Leibniz Institute Of Vegetable And Ornamental Crops (; AlemaniaFil: Smalla, Kornelia. Julius Kühn Institut Braunschweig; AlemaniaFil: Babin, Doreen. Julius Kühn Institut Braunschweig; Alemani

Gas injection in a liquid saturated porous medium. Influence of pressurization effects and liquid films

We study numerically and experimentally the displacement of a liquid by a gas in a two-dimensional model porous medium. In contrast with previous pore-network studies on drainage in porous media, the gas compressibility is fully taken account. The influence of the gas injection rate on the displacement pattern, breakthrough time and the evolution of the pressure in the gas phase due in part to gas compressibility are investigated. A good agreement is found between the simulations and the experiments as regards the invasion patterns. The agreement is also good on the drainage kinetics when the dynamic liquid films are taken into account

Genetic diversity and population structure of Ascochyta rabiei from the western Iranian Ilam and Kermanshah provinces using MAT and SSR markers

Knowledge of genetic diversity in A. rabiei provides different levels of information that are important in the management of crop germplasm resources. Gene flow on a regional level indicates a significant potential risk for the regional spread of novel alleles that might contribute to fungicide resistance or the breakdown of resistance genes. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and mating type (MAT) markers were used to determine the genetic structure, and estimate genetic diversity and the prevalence of mating types in 103 Ascochyta rabiei isolates from seven counties in the Ilam and Kermanshah provinces of western Iran (Ilam, Aseman abad, Holaylan, Chardavol, Dareh shahr, Gilangharb, and Sarpul). A set of 3 microsatellite primer pairs revealed a total of 75 alleles; the number of alleles varied from 15 to 34 for each marker. A high level of genetic variability was observed among A. rabiei isolates in the region. Genetic diversity was high (He = 0.788) within populations with corresponding high average gene flow and low genetic distances between populations. The smallest genetic distance was observed between isolates from Ilam and Chardavol. Both mating types were present in all populations, with the majority of the isolates belonging to Mat1-1 (64%), but within populations the proportions of each mating type were not significantly different from 50%. Results from this study will be useful in breeding for Ascochyta blight-resistant cultivars and developing necessary control measures

Collateral Health Issues Derived from the Covid-19 Pandemic.

At the end of 2019, a new coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China, and spread throughout the world despite efforts to contain the virus. At the end of January 2020, the General Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and by mid-May 2020, the worldwide number of known Covid-19 cases had surpassed 4.4 million including more than 300,000 deaths..

Genetics Meets Metabolomics: A Genome-Wide Association Study of Metabolite Profiles in Human Serum

The rapidly evolving field of metabolomics aims at a comprehensive measurement of ideally all endogenous metabolites in a cell or body fluid. It thereby provides a functional readout of the physiological state of the human body. Genetic variants that associate with changes in the homeostasis of key lipids, carbohydrates, or amino acids are not only expected to display much larger effect sizes due to their direct involvement in metabolite conversion modification, but should also provide access to the biochemical context of such variations, in particular when enzyme coding genes are concerned. To test this hypothesis, we conducted what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first GWA study with metabolomics based on the quantitative measurement of 363 metabolites in serum of 284 male participants of the KORA study. We found associations of frequent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with considerable differences in the metabolic homeostasis of the human body, explaining up to 12% of the observed variance. Using ratios of certain metabolite concentrations as a proxy for enzymatic activity, up to 28% of the variance can be explained (p-values 10−16 to 10−21). We identified four genetic variants in genes coding for enzymes (FADS1, LIPC, SCAD, MCAD) where the corresponding metabolic phenotype (metabotype) clearly matches the biochemical pathways in which these enzymes are active. Our results suggest that common genetic polymorphisms induce major differentiations in the metabolic make-up of the human population. This may lead to a novel approach to personalized health care based on a combination of genotyping and metabolic characterization. These genetically determined metabotypes may subscribe the risk for a certain medical phenotype, the response to a given drug treatment, or the reaction to a nutritional intervention or environmental challenge

Interplay between estrogen receptor and AKT in estradiol-induced alternative splicing.

BACKGROUND: Alternative splicing is critical for generating complex proteomes in response to extracellular signals. Nuclear receptors including estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and their ligands promote alternative splicing. The endogenous targets of ERα:estradiol (E2)-mediated alternative splicing and the influence of extracellular kinases that phosphorylate ERα on E2-induced splicing are unknown. METHODS: MCF-7 and its anti-estrogen derivatives were used for the majority of the assays. CD44 mini gene was used to measure the effect of E2 and AKT on alternative splicing. ExonHit array analysis was performed to identify E2 and AKT-regulated endogenous alternatively spliced apoptosis-related genes. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to verify alternative splicing. ERα binding to alternatively spliced genes was verified by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Bromodeoxyuridine incorporation-ELISA and Annexin V labeling assays were done to measure cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. RESULTS: We identified the targets of E2-induced alternative splicing and deconstructed some of the mechanisms surrounding E2-induced splicing by combining splice array with ERα cistrome and gene expression array. E2-induced alternatively spliced genes fall into at least two subgroups: coupled to E2-regulated transcription and ERα binding to the gene without an effect on rate of transcription. Further, AKT, which phosphorylates both ERα and splicing factors, influenced ERα:E2 dependent splicing in a gene-specific manner. Genes that are alternatively spliced include FAS/CD95, FGFR2, and AXIN-1. E2 increased the expression of FGFR2 C1 isoform but reduced C3 isoform at mRNA level. E2-induced alternative splicing of FAS and FGFR2 in MCF-7 cells correlated with resistance to FAS activation-induced apoptosis and response to keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), respectively. Resistance of MCF-7 breast cancer cells to the anti-estrogen tamoxifen was associated with ERα-dependent overexpression of FGFR2, whereas resistance to fulvestrant was associated with ERα-dependent isoform switching, which correlated with altered response to KGF. CONCLUSION: E2 may partly alter cellular proteome through alternative splicing uncoupled to its effects on transcription initiation and aberration in E2-induced alternative splicing events may influence response to anti-estrogens.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Two Novel Regions at 11p15.5-p13 and 1p31 with Major Impact on Acute-Phase Serum Amyloid A

Elevated levels of acute-phase serum amyloid A (A-SAA) cause amyloidosis and are a risk factor for atherosclerosis and its clinical complications, type 2 diabetes, as well as various malignancies. To investigate the genetic basis of A-SAA levels, we conducted the first genome-wide association study on baseline A-SAA concentrations in three population-based studies (KORA, TwinsUK, Sorbs) and one prospective case cohort study (LURIC), including a total of 4,212 participants of European descent, and identified two novel genetic susceptibility regions at 11p15.5-p13 and 1p31. The region at 11p15.5-p13 (rs4150642; p = 3.20×10−111) contains serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) and the adjacent general transcription factor 2 H1 (GTF2H1), Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome 5 (HPS5), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), and lactate dehydrogenase C (LDHC). This region explains 10.84% of the total variation of A-SAA levels in our data, which makes up 18.37% of the total estimated heritability. The second region encloses the leptin receptor (LEPR) gene at 1p31 (rs12753193; p = 1.22×10−11) and has been found to be associated with CRP and fibrinogen in previous studies. Our findings demonstrate a key role of the 11p15.5-p13 region in the regulation of baseline A-SAA levels and provide confirmative evidence of the importance of the 1p31 region for inflammatory processes and the close interplay between A-SAA, leptin, and other acute-phase proteins