Molecular analysis of the distribution and phylogeny of the soxB gene among sulfur-oxidizing bacteria - evolution of the Sox sulfur-oxidizing enzyme system

The soxB gene encodes the SoxB component of the periplasmic thiosulfate-oxidizing Sox enzyme complex, which has been proposed to be widespread among the various phylogenetic groups of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) that convert thiosulfate to sulfate with and without the formation of sulfur globules as intermediate. Indeed, the comprehensive genetic and genomic analyses presented in the present study identified the soxB gene in 121 phylogenetically and physiologically divergent SOB, including several species for which thiosulfate utilization has not been reported yet. In first support of the previously postulated general involvement of components of the Sox enzyme complex in the thiosulfate oxidation process of sulfur-storing SOB, the soxB gene was detected in all investigated photo- and chemotrophic species that form sulfur globules during thiosulfate oxidation (Chromatiaceae, Chlorobiaceae, Ectothiorhodospiraceae, Thiothrix, Beggiatoa, Thiobacillus, invertebrate symbionts and free-living relatives). The SoxB phylogeny reflected the major 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic lineages of the investigated SOB, although topological discrepancies indicated several events of lateral soxB gene transfer among the SOB, e.g. its independent acquisition by the anaerobic anoxygenic phototrophic lineages from different chemotrophic donor lineages. A putative scenario for the proteobacterial origin and evolution of the Sox enzyme system in SOB is presented considering the phylogenetic, genomic (sox gene cluster composition) and geochemical data

Replication stress caused by low MCM expression limits fetal erythropoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell functionality

Replicative stress during embryonic development influences ageing and predisposition to disease in adults. A protective mechanism against replicative stress is provided by the licensing of thousands of origins in G1 that are not necessarily activated in the subsequent S-phase. These `dormant' origins provide a backup in the presence of stalled forks and may confer flexibility to the replication program in specific cell types during differentiation, a role that has remained unexplored. Here we show, using a mouse strain with hypomorphic expression of the origin licensing factor mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM)3 that limiting origin licensing in vivo affects the functionality of hematopoietic stem cells and the differentiation of rapidly-dividing erythrocyte precursors. Mcm3-deficient erythroblasts display aberrant DNA replication patterns and fail to complete maturation, causing lethal anemia. Our results indicate that hematopoietic progenitors are particularly sensitive to replication stress, and full origin licensing ensures their correct differentiation and functionality.We thank members of our laboratories for helpful discussions, Marcos Malumbres (CNIO) for advice on the design of the Mcm3-Lox allele, Isabel Blanco for her administrative help with mouse work and Soraya Ruiz for excellent handling of the mouse colony in J.M.'s group. Research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants BFU2013-49153-P and Consolider-Ingenio CSD2007-00015 to J.M., SAF2011-23753 to O.F.-C., BFU2012-35892 to J.I.) and RO1 HL092471 to E.P., S.A. was the recipient of an EMBO short-term fellowship to visit E.P.'s laboratory at UCSF. We are grateful to Manuel Serrano (CNIO), Almudena Ramiro (CNIC) and Arkaitz Ibarra (The Salk Institute, USA) for useful comments on the manuscript.S

Analytical and biological variability in biomarker measurement in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Biomarker variability, which includes within-individual variability (CVI), between-individual variability (CVG) and methodological variability (CVP+A) is an important determinant of our ability to detect biomarker-disease associations. Estimates of CVI and CVG may be population specific and little data exists on biomarker variability in diverse Hispanic populations. Hence, we evaluated all 3 components of biomarker variability in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) using repeat blood collections (n=58) and duplicate blood measurements (n = 761 – 929 depending on the biomarker)

The Metallicity Distribution Functions of SEGUE G and K dwarfs: Constraints for Disk Chemical Evolution and Formation

We present the metallicity distribution function (MDF) for 24,270 G and 16,847 K dwarfs at distances from 0.2 to 2.3 kpc from the Galactic plane, based on spectroscopy from the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE) survey. This stellar sample is significantly larger in both number and volume than previous spectroscopic analyses, which were limited to the solar vicinity, making it ideal for comparison with local volume-limited samples and Galactic models. For the first time, we have corrected the MDF for the various observational biases introduced by the SEGUE target selection strategy. The SEGUE sample is particularly notable for K dwarfs, which are too faint to examine spectroscopically far from the solar neighborhood. The MDF of both spectral types becomes more metal-poor with increasing |Z|, which reflects the transition from a sample with small [alpha/Fe] values at small heights to one with enhanced [alpha/Fe] above 1 kpc. Comparison of our SEGUE distributions to those of two different Milky Way models reveals that both are more metal-rich than our observed distributions at all heights above the plane. Our unbiased observations of G and K dwarfs provide valuable constraints over the |Z|-height range of the Milky Way disk for chemical and dynamical Galaxy evolution models, previously only calibrated to the solar neighborhood, with particular utility for thin- and thick-disk formation models.Comment: 70 pages, 25 figures, 7 tables. Accepted by The Astrophysical Journa

No evidence of brown adipose tissue activation after 24 weeks of supervised exercise training in young sedentary adults in the ACTIBATE randomized controlled trial

Exercise modulates both brown adipose tissue (BAT)metabolismand white adipose tissue (WAT) browning in murine models. Whether this is true in humans, however, has remained unknown. An unblinded randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02365129) was therefore conducted to study the effects of a 24-week supervised exercise intervention, combining endurance and resistance training, on BAT volume and activity (primary outcome). The study was carried out in the Sport and Health University Research Institute and the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital of the University of Granada (Spain). One hundred and forty-five young sedentary adults were assigned to either (i) a control group (no exercise, n = 54), (ii) a moderate intensity exercise group (MOD-EX, n = 48), or (iii) a vigorous intensity exercise group (VIG-EX n = 43) by unrestricted randomization. No relevant adverse events were recorded. 97 participants (34 men, 63 women) were included in the final analysis (Control; n = 35, MOD-EX; n=31, and VIG-EX; n=31).We observed no changes in BAT volume (Δ Control: −22.2 ± 52.6ml; Δ MOD-EX: −15.5 ± 62.1ml, Δ VIG-EX: −6.8 ± 66.4 ml; P = 0.771) or 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake (SUVpeak Δ Control: −2.6 ± 3.1ml; Δ MOD-EX: −1.2 ± 4.8, Δ VIG-EX: −2.2 ± 5.1; p = 0.476) in either the control or the exercise groups. Thus, we did not find any evidence of an exercise-induced change on BAT volume or activity in young sedentary adults.Spanish Government PI13/01393Retos de la Sociedad DEP2016-79512-R PTA-12264IEuropean CommissionSpanish Government FPU13/04365 FPU14/04172 FPU15/04059 FPU16/03653 FPU19/01609Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) 440575Fundacion Iberoamericana de Nutricion (FINUT)Redes Tematicas de Investigacion Cooperativa RETIC Red SAMID RD16/0022AstraZenecaUniversity of Granada Plan Propio de Investigacion 2016 -Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)Plan Propio de Investigacion 2018 -Programa Contratos-PuentePrograma Perfecionamiento de DoctoresJunta de Andalucia Consejeria de Conocimiento, Investigacion y Universidades (ERDF) SOMM17/6107/UGRJunta de Andalucia P18-RT-4455Fundacion Alfonso Martin EscuderoMaria Zambrano fellowship by the Ministerio de Universidades y la Union Europea-NextGenerationEU RR_C_2021_04Novo Nordisk FoundationNovocure Limited NNF18OC003239

Studies of correlations between D and Dˉ{\bar D} mesons in high energy photoproduction

Studies of $D{\bar D}$ correlations for a large sample of events containing fully and partially reconstructed pairs of charmed $D$ mesons recorded by the Fermilab photoproduction experiment FOCUS (FNAL-E831) are presented. Correlations between $D$ and ${\bar D}$ mesons are used to study heavy quark production dynamics. We present results for fully and partially reconstructed charm pairs and comparisons to a recent version of \textsc{Pythia} with default parameter settings. We also comment on the production of $\psi(3770)$ in our data.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Electrochemical degradation of surfactants in domestic wastewater using a DiaClean® cell equipped with a boron-doped diamond electrode

Treating domestic wastewater has become more and more complicated due to the high content of different types of detergents. In this context, advanced electro-oxidation (AEO) has become a powerful tool for complex wastewater remediation. The electrochemical degradation of surfactants present in domestic wastewater was carried out using a DiaClean® cell in a recirculation system equipped with boron-doped diamond (BDD) as the anode and stainless steel as the cathode. The effect of recirculation flow (1.5, 4.0 and 7.0 L min−1) and the applied current density (j = 7, 14, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mA cm−2) was studied. The degradation was followed by the concentration of surfactants, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and turbidity. pH value, conductivity, temperature, sulfates, nitrates, phosphates, and chlorides were also evaluated. Toxicity assays were studied through evaluating Chlorella sp. performance at 0, 3, and 7 h of treatment. Finally, the mineralization was followed by total organic carbon (TOC) under optimal operating conditions. The results showed that applying j = 14 mA cm−2 and a flow rate of 1.5 L min−1 during 7 h of electrolysis were the best conditions for the efficient mineralization of wastewater, achieving the removal of 64.7% of surfactants, 48.7% of COD, 24.9% of turbidity, and 44.9% of mineralization analyzed by the removal of TOC. The toxicity assays showed that Chlorella microalgae were unable to grow in AEO-treated wastewater (cellular density: 0 × 104 cells ml−1 after 3- and 7-h treatments). Finally, the energy consumption was analyzed, and the operating cost of 1.40 USD m−3 was calculated. Therefore, this technology allows for the degradation of complex and stable molecules such as surfactants in real and complex wastewater, if toxicity is not taken into account