Plant condensates: no longer membrane-less?

Cellular condensation is a reinvigorated area of study in biology, with scientific discussions focusing mainly on the forces that drive condensate formation, properties, and functions. Usually, condensates are called 'membrane-less' to highlight the absence of a surrounding membrane and the lack of associated contacts. In this opinion article we take a different direction, focusing on condensates that may be interfacing with membranes and their possible functions. We also highlight changes in condensate material properties brought about by condensate-membrane interactions, proposing how condensates-membrane interfaces could potentially affect interorganellar communication, development, and growth, but also adaptation in an evolutionary context. We would thus like to stimulate research in this area, which is much less understood in plants com-pared with the animal field

Concentrating and sequestering biomolecules in condensates: impact on plant biology

Biomolecules can exist in a variety of forms, ranging from single entities to mesoscale assemblies akin to small organelles, also known as ‘biomolecular condensates’. The formation of biomolecular condensates is expedited by phase separation, in which molecules de-mix to form dilute and condensed phases. Phase separation results in concentrating or sequestering certain molecules, thus altering their abundance or other features in the phases and in this way inhibiting or promoting biochemical reactions. Here, we discuss recent research implicating biomolecular condensates in the regulation of biochemical reactions in plants

A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments of the Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean Sea)

International audienc

Sources and downward fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the open southwestern Black Sea

International audienc

Impact of a Dinophysis acuminata Bloom on the Copepod Acartia clausi: first indications

Faecal pellet production and content along with egg production of the dominant copepod species Acartia clausi were studied in the Thermaikos Gulf (NW Aegean Sea) during a pre-bloom and a bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuminata. Both faecal pellet production (6.8–8.6 ind−1 d−1) and egg production (15.8–47.6 ind−1 d−1) appeared unrelated to the D. acuminata bloom. Less than 11% of the copepod faecal pellets contained one or two D. acuminata cells, almost intact, whereas the other material in the pellets was broken into small pieces or amorphous shapes. The toxin outflux seemed to be insignificant when compared to the mean toxin concentration from the whole D. acuminata population. Finally, the potential grazing impact of A. clausi on D. acuminata during the study period was low.European Commission | Ref. EVK3-2001-00055European Commission | Ref. H2020, n. 87115

Occurrence and spatial distribution of 158 pharmaceuticals, drug of abuse and related metabolites in offshore seawater

The occurrence and spatial distribution of 158 pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse were studied in seawater of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Saronikos Gulf and Elefsis Bay in central Aegean Sea). This area is affected by various anthropogenic pressures as it receives the treated wastewater of the greatest Athens area and off-shore input fluxes. This study constitutes the largest one in terms of number of analytes in this environmental compartment. It provides the first evidence on the occurrence of several pharmaceuticals in marine environment including amoxicillin, lidocaine, citalopram or tramadol, among others. 22 samples were collected at three different depths in 9 sampling stations in order to assess the presence and the spatial distribution of the target compounds. A multi-residue method based on solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of the 158 target substances and validated for seawater sample analysis. 38 out of the 158 target compounds were detected, 15 of them with frequencies of detection equal to or higher than 50%. The highest detected values corresponded to amoxicillin, caffeine and salicylic acid, with concentrations in the range of < 5.0–127.8 ng L− 1; 5.2–78.2 ng L− 1 and < 0.4–53.3 ng L− 1, respectively. Inputs from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Athens revealed to be the main source of pollution in the Inner Saronikos Gulf, whereas, other anthropogenic pressures such as contamination from shipping activity, industrial effluents, dredging and/or inputs from land proved to be also relevant. Τhe concentrations of some compounds varied significantly with depth suggesting that currents play an important role in the dilution of the target compounds

Impact of a Dinophysis acuminata Bloom on the Copepod Acartia clausi : First Indications

Faecal pellet production and content along with egg production of the dominant copepod species Acartia clausi were studied in the Thermaikos Gulf (NW Aegean Sea) during a pre-bloom and a bloom of the toxic dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuminata. Both faecal pellet production (6.8-8.6 ind(-1) d(-1)) and egg production (15.8-47.6 ind(-1) d(-1)) appeared unrelated to the D. acuminata bloom. Less than 11% of the copepod faecal pellets contained one or two D. acuminata cells, almost intact, whereas the other material in the pellets was broken into small pieces or amorphous shapes. The toxin outflux seemed to be insignificant when compared to the mean toxin concentration from the whole D. acuminata population. Finally, the potential grazing impact of A. clausi on D. acuminata during the study period was low

Occurrence, sources and transport pathways of natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbons in deep-sea sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

International audienceSurface sediments collected from deep basins (22 stations, 1018-4087 m depth) of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) were analyzed for aliphatic, triterpenoid and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as tracers of natural and anthropogenic inputs. Concentrations of total aliphatic hydrocarbons (TAHC), n-alkanes (NA) and the Unresolved Complex Mixture (UCM) of aliphatic hydrocarbons ranged from 1.34 to 49.2 µg g-1, 145 to 4810 ng g-1 and 0.73 to 36.7 µg g-1, respectively, while total PAHs (TPAH25) concentrations ranged from 11.6 to 223 ng g-1. Molecular profiles of aliphatic hydrocarbons and PAHs reflect the contribution of both natural (epicuticular plant waxes) and anthropogenic (degraded petroleum products, unburned fossil fuels and combustion of petroleum, grass, wood and coal) compounds in deep EMS sediments, with hydrocarbon mixtures displaying significant regional variability. Hydrocarbon concentrations correlated significantly with the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content of sediments, indicating that organic carbon exerts an important control on their transport and fate in the study area, while strong sub-basin and mesoscale variability of water masses also impact their regional characteristics. Major findings of this study support that deep basins/canyons of the EMS could act as traps of both natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbons

Report on the approaches implemented in the Mediterranean countries for GES descriptor 8. Proposition of a road map for a better harmonization

Based on the data gap analysis performed in the first step of MEDCIS, the Medcis team on contaminant proposed a road map associated with a time-schedule in order to improve harmonization in Mediterranean region for 2024 GES assessment. Partner countries shared information on monitored substances and biological effects, thresholds used, matrix/matrices used for the monitoring of each substance/family of substances, the limit of quantification (LQ) of each chemical measurement, and the proportion of censored dat