Expression of membrane-associated proteins within single emulsion cell facsimiles

MreB is a structural membrane-associated protein which is one of the key components of the bacterial cytoskeleton. Although it plays an important role in shape maintenance of rod-like bacteria, the understanding of its mechanism of action is still not fully understood. This study shows how segmented flow and microdroplet technology can be used as a new tool for biological in vitro investigation of this protein. In this paper, we demonstrate cell-free expression in a single emulsion system to express red fluorescence protein (RFP) and MreB linked RFP (MreB–RFP). We follow the aggregation and localisation of the fusion protein MreB–RFP in this artificial cell-like environment. The expression of MreB–RFP in single emulsion droplets leads to the formation of micrometer-scale protein patches distributed at the water/oil interface

The role of microphytobenthos in soft‐sediment ecological networks and their contribution to the delivery of multiple ecosystem services

Sediment dwelling, microscopic primary producers, that occupy sediments in the photic zone, are commonly referred to as microphytobenthos (MPB). The MPB are essential components of soft-sediment systems, but are often overlooked when assessing coastal ecosystem functionality and service delivery. The MPB are involved in several complex interactions and feedback that underpin the delivery of vital ecosystem services. MPB profoundly influence the flow and cycling of carbon and nutrients, such as nitrogen, directly and indirectly underpinning highly productive shallow water marine food webs. The MPB can also stabilize sediments through the formation of biofilms, and significantly improve water quality by mediating the benthic–pelagic coupling of nutrients, sediment and pollutants. The functional role of the MPB is compromised by increasing anthropogenic pressures such as nutrient enrichment, sedimentation, herbicides and emerging contaminants such as microplastic pollution. However, MPB are extremely good at buffering the effects of these land-sourced stressors at the interface between land and sea. Synthesis. Society often appreciates the final provisioning of goods and services from our coastal marine environments. However, provisioning services are only possible due to the multitude of supporting and regulating services that underpin them. Microphytobenthos (MPB) are central to benthic ecological networks, and contribute to ecosystem service delivery through various pathways. Understanding the critical role of MPB in complex networks is therefore essential to appreciate their importance in ecosystem function and service delivery into the future

Draft Genome Sequence of NDM-5-Producing Escherichia coli Sequence Type 648 and Genetic Context of blaNDM-5 in Australia

We report here the draft genome sequence of uropathogenic Escherichia\ua0coli sequence type 648 (ST648) possessing blaNDM-5 from a 55-year-old female in Australia with a history of travel to India. The plasmid-mediated blaNDM-5 was in a genetic context nearly identical to that of the GenBank entry of an IncX3 blaNDM-5 plasmid previously reported from India (Klebsiella\ua0pneumoniae MGR-K194)

Extracellular cracking and content removal of benthic diatoms by intertidal foraminifera

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LiDAR mapping of tidal marshes for ecogeomorphological modelling in the TIDE project

The European research project TIDE (Tidal Inlets Dynamics and Environment) is developing and validating coupled models describing the morphological, biological and ecological evolution of tidal environments. The interactions between the physical and biological processes occurring in these regions requires that the system be studied as a whole rather than as separate parts. Extensive use of remote sensing including LiDAR is being made to provide validation data for the modelling. This paper describes the different uses of LiDAR within the project and their relevance to the TIDE science objectives. LiDAR data have been acquired from three different environments, the Venice Lagoon in Italy, Morecambe Bay in England, and the Eden estuary in Scotland. LiDAR accuracy at each site has been evaluated using ground reference data acquired with differential GPS. A semi-automatic technique has been developed to extract tidal channel networks from LiDAR data either used alone or fused with aerial photography. While the resulting networks may require some correction, the procedure does allow network extraction over large areas using objective criteria and reduces fieldwork requirements. The networks extracted may subsequently be used in geomorphological analyses, for example to describe the drainage patterns induced by networks and to examine the rate of change of networks. Estimation of the heights of the low and sparse vegetation on marshes is being investigated by analysis of the statistical distribution of the measured LiDAR heights. Species having different mean heights may be separated using the first-order moments of the height distribution

Lipid topology and linear cationic antimicrobial peptides: a novel mechanistic model

The dataset is a dedicated LabVIEW virtual instrument, for the analysis of dye-efflux dynamics. The instrument is capable of automatically extracting the apparent permeability from the leakage of encapsulated fluorescent markers, from within artificial cell systems

Interspecies transfer of blaimp-4 in a patient with prolonged colonization by IMP-4-producing enterobacteriaceae

A patient was colonized by IMP-4-producing Enterobacter cloacae and Escherichia coli strains for 7 months. IMP-4-producing E. cloacae strains were first and last isolated at day 33 and at 8 months after admission, respectively. IMP-4-producing E. coli strains were first and last isolated at days 88 and 181 after admission, respectively. The E. cloacae and E. coli isolates shared identical genetic features in terms of bla(IMP-4), bla(TEM-1), qnrB2, aacA4, HI2 plasmids, and ISCR1. This study shows the first prolonged colonization with in vivo interspecies transfer of bla(IMP-4)