Potential Benefits of Wetland Filters for Tile Drainage Systems: Impact on Nitrate Loads to Mississippi River Subbasins

The primary objective of this project was to estimate the nitrate reduction that could be achieved using restored wetlands as nitrogen sinks in tile-drained regions of the upper Mississippi River (UMR) and Ohio River basins. This report provides an assessment of nitrate concentrations and loads across the UMR and Ohio River basins and the mass reduction of nitrate loading that could be achieved using wetlands to intercept nonpoint source nitrate loads. Nitrate concentration and stream discharge data were used to calculate stream nitrate loading and annual flow-weighted average (FWA) nitrate concentrations and to develop a model of FWA nitrate concentration based on land use. Land use accounts for 90% of the variation among stations in long term FWA nitrate concentrations and was used to estimate FWA nitrate concentrations for a 100 ha grid across the UMR and Ohio River basins. Annual water yield for grid cells was estimated by interpolating over selected USGS monitoring station water yields across the UMR and Ohio River basins. For 1990 to 1999, mass nitrate export from each grid area was estimated as the product of the FWA nitrate concentration, water yield and grid area. To estimate potential nitrate removal by wetlands across the same grid area, mass balance simulations were used to estimate percent nitrate reduction for hypothetical wetland sites distributed across the UMR and Ohio River basins. Nitrate reduction was estimated using a temperature dependent, area-based, firstorder model. Model inputs included local temperature from the National Climatic Data Center and water yield estimated from USGS stream flow data. Results were used to develop a nonlinear model for percent nitrate removal as a function of hydraulic loading rate (HLR) and temperature. Mass nitrate removal for potential wetland restorations distributed across the UMR and Ohio River basin was estimated based on the expected mass load and the predicted percent removal. Similar functions explained most of the variability in per cent and mass removal reported for field scale experimental wetlands in the UMR and Ohio River basins. Results suggest that a 30% reduction in nitrate load from the UMR and Ohio River basins could be achieved using 210,000-450,000 ha of wetlands targeted on the highest nitrate contributing areas

Modifying the yeast very long chain fatty acid biosynthetic machinery by the expression of plant 3-ketoacyl CoA synthase isozymes

Eukaryotes express a multi-component fatty acid elongase to produce very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs), which are building blocks of diverse lipids. Elongation is achieved by cyclical iteration of four reactions, the first of which generates a new carbon–carbon bond, elongating the acyl-chain. This reaction is catalyzed by either ELONGATION DEFECTIVE LIKE (ELO) or 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) enzymes. Whereas plants express both ELO and KCS enzymes, other eukaryotes express only ELOs. We explored the Zea mays KCS enzymatic redundancies by expressing each of the 26 isozymes in yeast strains that lacked endogenous ELO isozymes. Expression of the 26 maize KCS isozymes in wild-type, scelo2 or scelo3 single mutants did not affect VLCFA profiles. However, a complementation screen of each of the 26 KCS isozymes revealed five that were capable of complementing the synthetically lethal scelo2; scelo3 double mutant. These rescued strains express novel VLCFA profiles reflecting the different catalytic capabilities of the KCS isozymes. These novel strains offer a platform to explore the relationship between VLCFA profiles and cellular physiology.This article is published as Stenback, K.E., Flyckt, K.S., Hoang, T. et al. Modifying the yeast very long chain fatty acid biosynthetic machinery by the expression of plant 3-ketoacyl CoA synthase isozymes. Sci Rep 12, 13235 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17080-8. © The Author(s) 2022. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The impact of the GLOSSY2 and GLOSSY2-LIKE BAHD-proteins in affecting the product profile of the maize fatty acid elongase

The maize glossy2 and glossy2-like genes are homologs, which encode proteins that belong to the BAHD family of acyltransferases. In planta genetic studies have demonstrated that these genes may be involved in the elongation of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) that are precursors of the cuticular wax fraction of the plant cuticle. VLCFAs are synthesized by a fatty acyl-CoA elongase complex (FAE) that consists of four component enzymes. Previously, we functionally identified the maize FAE component enzymes by their ability to complement haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that carry lethal deletion alleles for each FAE component enzyme. In this study we used these complemented haploid strains and wild-type diploid strains to evaluate whether the co-expression of either GLOSSY2 or GLOSSY2-LIKE with individual maize FAE component enzymes affects the VLCFA product-profile of the FAE system. Wild-type diploid strains produced VLCFAs of up to 28-carbon chain length. Co-expression of GLOSSY2 or GLOSSY2-LIKE with a combination of maize 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthases stimulated the synthesis of longer VLCFAs, up to 30-carbon chain lengths. However, such results could not be recapitulated when these co-expression experiments were conducted in the yeast haploid mutant strains that lacked individual components of the endogenous FAE system. Specifically, lethal yeast mutant strains that are genetically complemented by the expression of maize FAE-component enzymes produce VLCFAs that range between 20- and 26-carbon chain lengths. However, expressing either GLOSSY2 or GLOSSY2-LIKE in these complemented strains does not enable the synthesis of longer chain VLCFAs. These results indicate that the apparent stimulatory role of GLOSSY2 or GLOSSY2-LIKE to enable the synthesis of longer chain VLCFAs in diploid yeast cells may be associated with mixing plant enzyme components with the endogenous FAE complex

Longitudinal assessment of PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in pregnant women from Western Canada

BACKGROUND: Maternal exposures to organochlorines prior to pregnancy are considered a risk to neonatal welfare, specifically in relation to neurocognitive functions. There is growing interest in the evaluation of maternal blood testing as a marker for fetal exposure as well as the variable geographic distribution of these priority chemicals. METHODS: Three hundred and twenty-three women in the second trimester of pregnancy entered the study at a prenatal clinic providing genetic counselling information. Subjects who had an indication for genetic amniocentesis based on late maternal age were eligible to participate. Two hundred and thirty-eight completed an environmental questionnaire. A sample of amniotic fluid was taken for karyotype analysis in 323 women and blood samples during pregnancy (209), at birth (105) and from the umbilical cord (97) and breast milk (47) were also collected. These samples were tested for 29 PCB congeners and organochlorine pesticides. RESULTS: The concentrations of PCB 153 in these media were relatively low in relation to other studies. Σ PCBs measurements in samples taken during the second trimester of pregnancy, at birth and in the umbilical cord were strongly correlated. Specific measurements of PCB 153 and PCB 180 among those subjects with completed sampling of blood samples from mothers and cord samples were significantly correlated. The concentrations of PCBs and pesticides did not differ in relation to prior spontaneous abortion history. There were no organochlorines present in the amniotic fluid at the current level of quantification. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women from the Western Canada region of Calgary, Alberta are exposed to relatively low concentrations of organochlorines. Measurement of maternal blood during the second trimester of pregnancy can reliably estimate the fetal exposure to PCBs. This estimate is reliable for Group 2 and 3 PCBs as well as PCB 153 and PCB 180. The amniotic fluid does not contain measurable concentrations of pesticides and PCBs under the conditions of the levels of quantification

The impact of the GLOSSY2 and GLOSSY2-LIKE BAHD-proteins in affecting the product profile of the maize fatty acid elongase

The maize glossy2 and glossy2-like genes are homologs, which encode proteins that belong to the BAHD family of acyltransferases. In planta genetic studies have demonstrated that these genes may be involved in the elongation of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) that are precursors of the cuticular wax fraction of the plant cuticle. VLCFAs are synthesized by a fatty acyl-CoA elongase complex (FAE) that consists of four component enzymes. Previously, we functionally identified the maize FAE component enzymes by their ability to complement haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that carry lethal deletion alleles for each FAE component enzyme. In this study we used these complemented haploid strains and wild-type diploid strains to evaluate whether the co-expression of either GLOSSY2 or GLOSSY2-LIKE with individual maize FAE component enzymes affects the VLCFA product-profile of the FAE system. Wild-type diploid strains produced VLCFAs of up to 28-carbon chain length. Co-expression of GLOSSY2 or GLOSSY2-LIKE with a combination of maize 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthases stimulated the synthesis of longer VLCFAs, up to 30-carbon chain lengths. However, such results could not be recapitulated when these co-expression experiments were conducted in the yeast haploid mutant strains that lacked individual components of the endogenous FAE system. Specifically, lethal yeast mutant strains that are genetically complemented by the expression of maize FAE-component enzymes produce VLCFAs that range between 20- and 26-carbon chain lengths. However, expressing either GLOSSY2 or GLOSSY2-LIKE in these complemented strains does not enable the synthesis of longer chain VLCFAs. These results indicate that the apparent stimulatory role of GLOSSY2 or GLOSSY2-LIKE to enable the synthesis of longer chain VLCFAs in diploid yeast cells may be associated with mixing plant enzyme components with the endogenous FAE complex.This article is published as Alexander LE, Winkelman D, Stenback KE, Lane M, Campbell KR, Trost E, Flyckt K, Schelling MA, Rizhsky L, Yandeau-Nelson MD and Nikolau BJ (2024) The impact of the GLOSSY2 and GLOSSY2-LIKE BAHD-proteins in affecting the product profile of the maize fatty acid elongase. Front. Plant Sci. 15:1403779. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1403779. © 2024 Alexander, Winkelman, Stenback, Lane, Campbell, Trost, Flyckt, Schelling, Rizhsky, Yandeau-Nelson and Nikolau. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms

Physical function and self-rated health status as predictors of mortality: results from longitudinal analysis in the ilSIRENTE study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical function measures have been shown to predict negative health-related events in older persons, including mortality. These markers of functioning may interact with the self-rated health (SRH) in the prediction of events. Aim of the present study is to compare the predictive value for mortality of measures of physical function and SRH status, and test their possible interactions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data are from 335 older persons aged ≥ 80 years (mean age 85.6 years) enrolled in the "Invecchiamento e Longevità nel Sirente" (<it>ilSIRENTE</it>) study. The predictive values for mortality of 4-meter walk test, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), hand grip strength, Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, Instrumental ADL (IADL) scale, and a SRH scale were compared using proportional hazard models. Kaplan-Meier survival curves for mortality and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were also computed to estimate the predictive value of the independent variables of interest for mortality (alone and in combination).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the 24-month follow-up (mean 1.8 years), 71 (21.2%) events occurred in the study sample. All the tested variables were able to significantly predict mortality. No significant interaction was reported between physical function measures and SRH. The SPPB score was the strongest predictor of overall mortality after adjustment for potential confounders (per SD increase; HR 0.64; 95%CI 0.48–0.86). A similar predictive value was showed by the SRH (per SD increase; HR 0.76; 95%CI 0.59–0.97). The chair stand test was the SPPB subtask showing the highest prognostic value.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>All the tested measures are able to predict mortality with different extents, but strongest results were obtained from the SPPB and the SRH. The chair stand test may be as useful as the complete SPPB in estimating the mortality risk.</p