Preprocess dependence of optical properties of ensembles and single siphonaxanthin-containing major antenna from the marine green alga Codium fragile

The siphonaxanthin-siphonein-Chl-a/b-protein (SCP) is the light-harvesting complex of the marine alga Codium fragile. Its structure resembles that of the major light-harvesting complexes of higher plants, LHC II, yet it features a reversed Chl a:Chl b ratio and it accommodates other variants of carotenoids. We have recorded the fluorescence emission spectra and fluorescence lifetimes from ensembles and single SCP complexes for three different scenarios of handling the samples. While the data obtained from ensembles of SCP complexes yield equivalent results, those obtained from single SCP complexes featured significant differences as a function of the sample history. We ascribe this discrepancy to the different excitation intensities that have been used for ensemble and single complex spectroscopy, and conclude that the SCP complexes undergo an aging process during storage. This process is manifested as a lowering of energetic barriers within the protein, enabling thermal activation of conformational changes at room temperature. This in turn leads to the preferential population of a red-shifted state that features a significant decrease of the fluorescence lifetime

A genome database for a Japanese population of the larvacean Oikopleura dioica

The larvacean Oikopleura dioica is a planktonic chordate, and is tunicate that belongs to the closest relatives to vertebrates. Its simple and transparent body, invariant embryonic cell lineages, and short life cycle of five days make it a promising model organism for developmental biology research. The genome browser OikoBase was established in 2013 using Norwegian O. dioica. However, genome information for other populations is not available, even though many researchers have studied local populations. In the present study, we sequenced using Illumina and PacBio RSII technologies the genome of O. dioica from a southwestern Japanese population that was cultured in our laboratory for three years. The genome of Japanese O. dioica was assembled into 576 scaffold sequences with a total length and N50 length of 56.6 Mb and 1.5 Mb, respectively. A total of 18,743 gene models (transcript models) were predicted in the genome assembly, named as OSKA2016. In addition, 19,277 non-redundant transcripts were assembled using RNA-seq data. The OSKA2016 has global sequence similarity of only 86.5% when compared with the OikoBase, highlighting the sequence difference between the two far distant O. dioica populations on the globe. The genome assembly, transcript assembly, and transcript models were incorporated into ANISEED (https://www.aniseed.cnrs.fr/) for genome browsing and blast searches. Moreover, screening of the male-specific scaffolds revealed that over 2.6 Mb of sequence were included in the male-specific Yregion. The genome and transcriptome resources from two distinct populations will be useful datasets for developmental biology, evolutionary biology, and molecular ecology using this model organism

Discovery of a novel siphonaxanthin biosynthetic precursor in Codium fragile that accumulates only by exposure to blue-green light

FEBS Letters. 2022, 596 (12), P.1544-155

Serum Free Light Chain Only Myeloma with Cytoplasmic IgM

In the past decade, the serum free light chain (FLC) immunoassays have become widely available enabling greater sensitivity in the diagnosis and management of monoclonal light chain diseases. Here, we describe a rare case of serum free light chain only myeloma with cytoplasmic IgM. A 75-year-old woman presented with a progressively worsening lumbosacral pain. FDG PET/CT images showed increased FDG uptake in the sacral mass, vertebral bodies, and ribs. Laboratory data found hypogammaglobulinemia and the bone marrow aspirate revealed only 2.2% of plasma cells. The serum and urine protein electrophoresis did not detect a monoclonal band. However, the serum FLC immunoassays reported an abnormal kappa/lambda ratio (0.001) indicating the presence of monoclonal lambda FLC. The sacral tumor biopsy revealed proliferation of plasma cells and immunohistochemical staining showed that the plasma cells were positive for CD138, IgM, and lambda light chain but negative for CD20. This case may have previously been described as a nonsecretory IgM myeloma but recently would be identified as free light chain only myeloma. The immunohistochemical and genetic features of the clonal plasma cells in free light chain only myeloma need to be further investigated to better understand the relevance and incidence of this myeloma type

Correction to "Wavelength-Dependent Optical Response of Single Photosynthetic Antenna Complexes from Siphonous Green Alga Codium fragile"

Original article: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01160The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. 2022, 13 (33), P.7802-780

Wavelength-Dependent Optical Response of Single Photosynthetic Antenna Complexes from Siphonous Green Alga Codium fragile

This article has been corrected. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02416The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. 2022, 13 (23), P.5226-523