The Mqsra Toxin-antitoxin System From Xylella Fastidiosa Plays A Key Role In Bacterial Fitness, Pathogenicity, And Persister Cell Formation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Through the formation of persister cells, bacteria exhibit tolerance to multidrug and other environmental stresses without undergoing genetic changes. The toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are involved in the formation of persister cells because they are able to induce cell dormancy. Among the TA systems, the MqsRA system has been observed to be highly induced in persister cells of Xylella fastidiosa (causal agent of citrus variegated chlorosis-CVC) activated by copper stress, and has been described in Escherichia coil as related to the formation of persister cells and biofilms. Thus, we evaluated the role of this TA system in X. fastidiosa by overexpressing the MqsR toxin, and verified that the toxin positively regulated biofilm formation and negatively cell movement, resulting in reduced pathogenicity in citrus plants. The overexpression of MqsR also increased the formation of persister cells under copper stress. Analysis of the gene and protein expression showed that this system likely has an autoregulation mechanism to express the toxin and antitoxin in the most beneficial ratio for the cell to oppose stress. Our results suggest that this TA system plays a key role in the adaptation and survival of X fastidiosa and reveal new insights into the physiology of phytopathogen host interactions.7Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo [2010/50712-9, 2013/17485-7]CNPqFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Strangeness dynamics and transverse pressure in relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions

We investigate hadron production as well as transverse hadron spectra from proton-proton, proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions from 2 A·GeV to 21.3 A·TeV within two independent transport approaches (HSD and UrQMD) that are based on quark, diquark, string and hadronic degrees of freedom. The comparison to experimental data on transverse mass spectra from pp, pA and C+C (or Si+Si) reactions shows the reliability of the transport models for light systems. For central Au+Au (Pb+Pb) collisions at bombarding energies above ~5 A·GeV, furthermore, the measured K± transverse mass spectra have a larger inverse slope parameter than expected from the default calculations. We investigate various scenarios to explore their potential effects on the K± spectra. In particular the initial state Cronin effect is found to play a substantial role at top SPS and RHIC energies. However, the maximum in the K+/..+ ratio at 20 to 30 A·GeV is missed by 40% and the approximately constant slope of the K± spectra at SPS energies is not reproduced either. Our systematic analysis suggests that the additional pressure - as expected from lattice QCD calculations at finite quark chemical potential µq and temperature T- should be generated by strong interactions in the early pre-hadronic/partonic phase of central Au+Au (Pb+Pb) collisions

The MqsRA toxin-antitoxin system from xylella fastidiosa plays a key role in bacterial fitness, pathogenicity, and persister cell formation

Through the formation of persister cells, bacteria exhibit tolerance to multidrug and other environmental stresses without undergoing genetic changes. The toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are involved in the formation of persister cells because they are able to induce cell dormancy. Among the TA systems, the MqsRA system has been observed to be highly induced in persister cells of Xylella fastidiosa (causal agent of citrus variegated chlorosis-CVC) activated by copper stress, and has been described in Escherichia coil as related to the formation of persister cells and biofilms. Thus, we evaluated the role of this TA system in X. fastidiosa by overexpressing the MqsR toxin, and verified that the toxin positively regulated biofilm formation and negatively cell movement, resulting in reduced pathogenicity in citrus plants. The overexpression of MqsR also increased the formation of persister cells under copper stress. Analysis of the gene and protein expression showed that this system likely has an autoregulation mechanism to express the toxin and antitoxin in the most beneficial ratio for the cell to oppose stress. Our results suggest that this TA system plays a key role in the adaptation and survival of X fastidiosa and reveal new insights into the physiology of phytopathogen host interactions7CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPnão tem2010/50712-9; 2013/17485-7; 2013/02014-

CXCL12/SDF-1 from perisynaptic Schwann cells promotes regeneration of injured motor axonterminals

The neuromuscular junction has retained through evolution the capacity to regenerate after damage, but little is known on the inter-cellular signals involved in its functional recovery from trauma, autoimmune attacks, or neurotoxins. We report here that CXCL12, also abbreviated as stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), is produced specifically by perisynaptic Schwann cells following motor axon terminal degeneration induced by -latrotoxin. CXCL12 acts via binding to the neuronal CXCR4 receptor. A CXCL12-neutralizing antibody or a specific CXCR4 inhibitor strongly delays recovery from motor neuron degeneration invivo. Recombinant CXCL12 invivo accelerates neurotransmission rescue upon damage and very effectively stimulates the axon growth of spinal cord motor neurons invitro. These findings indicate that the CXCL12-CXCR4 axis plays an important role in the regeneration of the neuromuscular junction after motor axon injury. The present results have important implications in the effort to find therapeutics and protocols to improve recovery of function after different forms of motor axon terminal damage

An Operando Investigation of (Ni-Fe-Co-Ce)O_x System as Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical component of industrial processes such as electrowinning of metals and the chlor-alkali process. It also plays a central role in the developing renewable energy field of solar-fuels generation by providing both the protons and electrons needed to generate fuels such as H_2 or reduced hydrocarbons from CO_2. To improve these processes, it is necessary to expand the fundamental understanding of catalytically active species at low overpotential, which will further the development of novel electrocatalysts with high activity and durability. In this context, performing experimental investigations of the electrocatalysts under realistic working regimes, i.e. under operando conditions, is of crucial importance. Here, we study a highly active quinary transition metal oxide-based OER electrocatalyst by means of operando ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy performed at the solid/liquid interface. We observe that the catalyst undergoes a clear chemical-structural evolution as a function of the applied potential with Ni, Fe and Co oxy-hydroxides comprising the active catalytic species. While CeO_2 is redox inactive under catalytic conditions, its influence on the redox processes of the transition metals boosts the catalytic activity at low overpotentials, introducing an important design principle for the optimization of electrocatalysts and tailoring of novel materials

SORÇÃO DO HERBICIDA 2,4-D EM SOLOS BRASILEIROS

Neste trabalho procurou-se gerar e discutir dados sobre sorção de pesticidas ácidos em solos brasileiros, considerando sua dependência do pH. Amostras de solos foram coletadas em diferentes regiões do Brasil e suas propriedades determinadas (% de argila, % de CO e pH). Valores do coeficiente de sorção do herbicida 2,4-D foram determinados em laboratório usando teste em equilíbrio padrão e cromatografia a líquido de alta eficiência (CLAE). O coeficiente de sorção (Kd) foi estimado e o coeficiente de sorção normalizado pela fração de carbono orgânico do solo (Koc) calculado para cada solo. Os resultados de Koc variaram entre 21,3 e 306,5 mL/g, sendo que dados de Koc encontrados na literatura internacional estão entre 20 e 60 mL/g. Observou-se tendência de aumento dos valores de Kd em solos com maiores teores de carbono orgânico. No entanto, houve grande variação nos valores de Koc entre solos da mesma classe. Adicionalmente, os efeitos do pH na sorção do 2,4-D foram estudados em Latossolo. Os valores de Kd e Koc diminuíram com o aumento do pH. A sorção do 2,4-D, como composto ácido, é principalmente determinada pela sua dissociação. Entretanto, a dissociação do 2,4-D pode não ser suficiente para explicar a variação em Kd (ou Koc) em função do pH. Parece que a sorção das formas aniônicas de pesticidas ácidos tem sido superestimada e o efeito da dissociação da matéria orgânica, com mudanças no pH do solo, tem sido subestimada. SORPTION OF 2,4-D HERBICIDES IN BRAZILIAN SOILS Abstract This work aimed to generate and discuss data on acid pesticides sorption in Brazilian soils, taking into account the pH dependence. Soil samples were collected in different regions of Brazil and their properties were determined (% argila, % CO and pH. Sorption coefficient of 2,4-D were measured by means of a standard batch equilibrium method and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The sorption coefficient (Kd) was estimated, and the organic carbon normalized sorption coefficient (Koc) was calculated for each soil. The Koc results are between 21.3 and 306.5 mL/g, while the Koc values from international literature are in the 20 to 60 mL/g range. The Koc values tend to increase in soils with large organic carbon content. However, great Koc values variation occurred among soils in the same class. Additionally, the effects of pH in 2,4-D sorption were studied in a Brazilian Oxisol. The Kd and Koc values decreased with pH increasing. Sorption of 2,4-D, as an acid compound, is mainly driven by its dissociation. However 2,4-D dissociation is not enough to explain the variation in Kd (or Koc) as a function of pH. In general, anionic-form sorption of acidic pesticides has been overvalued; on the other hand, the overall effect of organic matter dissociation owing to pH changes has been overlooked

Anomalous couplings for D-branes and O-planes

We study anomalous Wess-Zumino couplings of D-branes and O-planes in a general background and derive them from a direct string computation by factorizing in the RR channel various one-loop amplitudes. In particular, we find that Op-planes present gravitational anomalous couplings involving the Hirzebruch polynomial L, similarly to the roof genus A encoding Dp-brane anomalous couplings. We determine, in each case, the precise dependence of these couplings on the curvature of the tangent and normal bundles.Comment: 24 pages, LaTex, 5 figure