Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Is Involved in the Decarboxylation of Aspartate in the Bundle Sheath of Maize

We recently showed that maize (Zea mays L.) leaves contain appreciable amounts of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK; R.P. Walker, R.M. Acheson, L.I. Técsi, R.C. Leegood [1997] Aust J Plant Physiol 24: 459–468). In the present study, we investigated the role of PEPCK in C4 photosynthesis in maize. PEPCK activity and protein were enriched in extracts from bundle-sheath (BS) strands compared with whole-leaf extracts. Decarboxylation of [4-14C]aspartate (Asp) by BS strands was dependent on the presence of 2-oxoglutarate and Mn2+, was stimulated by ATP, was inhibited by the PEPCK-specific inhibitor 3-mercaptopicolinic acid, and was independent of illumination. The principal product of Asp metabolism was phosphoenolpyruvate, whereas pyruvate was a minor product. Decarboxylation of [4-14C]malate was stimulated severalfold by Asp and 3-phosphoglycerate, was only slightly reduced in the absence of Mn2+ or in the presence of 3-mercaptopicolinic acid, and was light dependent. Our data show that decarboxylation of Asp and malate in BS cells of maize occurs via two different pathways: Whereas malate is mainly decarboxylated by NADP-malic enzyme, decarboxylation of Asp is dependent on the activity of PEPCK

Regulation of Leaf Senescence by Cytokinin, Sugars, and Light. Effects on NADH-Dependent Hydroxypyruvate Reductase

The aim of this study was to investigate the interactions between cytokinin, sugar repression, and light in the senescence-related decline in photosynthetic enzymes of leaves. In transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants that induce the production of cytokinin in senescing tissue, the age-dependent decline in NADH-dependent hydroxypyruvate reductase (HPR), ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, and other enzymes involved in photosynthetic metabolism was delayed but not prevented. Glucose (Glc) and fructose contents increased with leaf age in wild-type tobacco and, to a greater extent, in transgenic tobacco. To study whether sugar accumulation in senescing leaves can counteract the effect of cytokinin on senescence, discs of wild-type leaves were incubated with Glc and cytokinin solutions. The photorespiratory enzyme HPR declined rapidly in the presence of 20 mM Glc, especially at very low photon flux density. Although HPR protein was increased in the presence of cytokinin, cytokinin did not prevent the Glc-dependent decline. Illumination at moderate photon flux density resulted in the rapid synthesis of HPR and partially prevented the negative effect of Glc. Similar results were obtained for the photosynthetic enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. It is concluded that sugars, cytokinin, and light interact during senescence by influencing the decline in proteins involved in photosynthetic metabolism

Theoretical study of nuclear spin polarization and depolarization in self-assembled quantum dots

We investigate how the strain-induced nuclear quadrupole interaction influences the degree of nuclear spin polarization in self-assembled quantum dots. Our calculation shows that the achievable nuclear spin polarization in In_{x}Ga_{1-x}As quantum dots is related to the concentration of indium and the resulting strain distribution in the dots. The interplay between the nuclear quadrupole interaction and Zeeman splitting leads to interesting features in the magnetic field dependence of the nuclear spin polarization. Our results are in qualitative agreement with measured nuclear spin polarization by various experimental groups.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Comparison of signaling interactions determining annual and perennial plant growth in response to low temperature.

Low temperature inhibits plant growth despite the fact that considerable rates of photosynthetic activity can be maintained. Instead of lower rates of photosynthesis, active inhibition of cell division and expansion is primarily responsible for reduced growth. This results in sink limitation and enables plants to accumulate carbohydrates that act as compatible solutes or are stored throughout the winter to enable re-growth in spring. Regulation of growth in response to temperature therefore requires coordination with carbon metabolism, e.g., via the signaling metabolite trehalose-6-phosphate. The phytohormones gibberellin (GA) and jasmonate (JA) play an important role in regulating growth in response to temperature. Growth restriction at low temperature is mainly mediated by DELLA proteins, whose degradation is promoted by GA. For annual plants, it has been shown that the GA/DELLA pathway interacts with JA signaling and C-repeat binding factor dependent cold acclimation, but these interactions have not been explored in detail for perennials. Growth regulation in response to seasonal factors is, however, particularly important in perennials, especially at high latitudes. In autumn, growth cessation in trees is caused by shortening of the daylength in interaction with phytohormone signaling. In perennial grasses seasonal differences in the sensitivity to GA may enable enhanced growth in spring. This review provides an overview of the signaling interactions that determine plant growth at low temperature and highlights gaps in our knowledge, especially concerning the seasonality of signaling responses in perennial plants

An evaluation of antipseudomonal dosing on the incidence of treatment failure

Introduction: Significant mortality is associated with delays in appropriate antibiotic therapy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The impact of empiric dosing on clinical outcomes has been largely unreported. Methods: This retrospective cohort compared treatment failure in patients receiving guideline-concordant or guideline-discordant empiric therapy with cefepime, meropenem, or piperacillin/tazobactam. Patients with culture-positive P. aeruginosa between 1 July 2013 and 31 July 2019 were eligible for inclusion. Patients with cystic fibrosis, polymicrobial infection, and urinary or pulmonary colonization were excluded. The composite primary outcome was treatment failure, defined as (1) therapy modification due to resistance/perceived treatment failure, (2) increased/unchanged qSOFA, or (3) persistent fever 48 h after initiating appropriate therapy. Secondary outcomes included rate of infectious diseases consultation, all-cause inpatient mortality, mechanical ventilation requirement, and infection-related intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay. Results: In total, 198 patients were included: 90 guideline-concordant and 108 guideline-discordant. Baseline characteristics were balanced. Treatment failure was more common in the guideline-discordant than the guideline-concordant group (62% versus 48%; p = 0.04). This remained significant when adjusting for supratherapeutic dosing (p = 0.02). Infectious diseases consultation was higher in the guideline-discordant group (46% versus 29%, p = 0.01), while intensive care unit length of stay was longer in the guideline-concordant group (4.5 versus 3 days, p = 0.03). Additional secondary outcomes were similar. Conclusion: Treatment failure was significantly higher in patients receiving guideline-discordant empiric antipseudomonal dosing. Guideline-directed dosing, disease states, and patient-specific factors should be assessed when considering empiric antipseudomonal dosing

Photorespiration: metabolic pathways and their role in stress protection

Photorespiration results from the oxygenase reaction catalysed by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase. In this reaction glycollate-2-phosphate is produced and subsequently metabolized in the photorespiratory pathway to form the Calvin cycle intermediate glycerate-3-phosphate. During this metabolic process, CO2 and NH3 are produced and ATP and reducing equivalents are consumed, thus making photorespiration a wasteful process. However, precisely because of this ine¤ciency, photorespiration could serve as an energy sink preventing the overreduction of the photosynthetic electron transport chain and photoinhibition, especially under stress conditions that lead to reduced rates of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation. Furthermore, photorespiration provides metabolites for other metabolic processes, e.g. glycine for the synthesis of glutathione, which is also involved in stress protection. In this review, we describe the use of photorespiratory mutants to study the control and regulation of photorespiratory pathways. In addition, we discuss the possible role of photorespiration under stress conditions, such as drought, high salt concentrations and high light intensities encountered by alpine plants

Geometric Mechanics of Curved Crease Origami

Folding a sheet of paper along a curve can lead to structures seen in decorative art and utilitarian packing boxes. Here we present a theory for the simplest such structure: an annular circular strip that is folded along a central circular curve to form a three-dimensional buckled structure driven by geometrical frustration. We quantify this shape in terms of the radius of the circle, the dihedral angle of the fold and the mechanical properties of the sheet of paper and the fold itself. When the sheet is isometrically deformed everywhere except along the fold itself, stiff folds result in creases with constant curvature and oscillatory torsion. However, relatively softer folds inherit the broken symmetry of the buckled shape with oscillatory curvature and torsion. Our asymptotic analysis of the isometrically deformed state is corroborated by numerical simulations which allow us to generalize our analysis to study multiply folded structures

The Evolution of Cosmic Magnetic Fields: From the Very Early Universe, to Recombination, to the Present

(abridged) A detailed examination of the evolution of stochastic magnetic fields between high cosmic temperatures and the present epoch is presented. A simple analytical model matching the results of the 3D MHD simulations allows for the prediction of present day magnetic field correlation lengths and energy. Our conclusions are multi fold. (a) Initial primordial fields with only a small amount of helicity are evolving into maximally helical fields. (b) There exists a correlation between the strength of the magnetic field, B, at the peak of it's spectrum and the location of the peak, given at the present epoch by: B ~ 5x10^{-12} (L/kpc) Gauss, where L is the correlation length determined by the initial magnetic field. (c) Concerning studies of generation of cosmic microwave background (CMBR) anisotropies due to primordial magnetic fields of B~10^{-9} Gauss on ~ 10 Mpc scales, such fields are not only impossible to generate in early causal magnetogenesis scenarios but also seemingly ruled out by distortions of the CMBR spectrum due to magnetic field dissipation on smaller scales and the overproduction of cluster magnetic fields. (d) The most promising detection possibility of CMBR distortions due to primordial magnetic fields may be on much smaller scales at higher multipoles l~10^6 where the signal is predicted to be the strongest. (e) It seems possible that magnetic fields in clusters of galaxies are entirely of primordial origin, without invoking dynamo amplification. Such fields would be of (pre-collapse) strength 10^{-12} - 10^{-11} Gauss with correlation lengths in the kpc range, and would also exist in voids of galaxies.Comment: 35 pages, 22 figures, revtex style, submitted to PR

NADPH oxidase, NOX1, mediates vascular injury in ischemic retinopathy

<b>Aims:</b> Ischemic retinal diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity are major causes of blindness due to damage to the retinal microvasculature. Despite this clinical situation, retinopathy of prematurity is mechanistically poorly understood. Therefore, effective preventative therapies are not available. However, hypoxic-induced increases in reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been suggested to be involved with NADPH oxidases (NOX), the only known dedicated enzymatic source of ROS. Our major aim was to determine the contribution of NOX isoforms (1, 2, and 4) to a rodent model of retinopathy of prematurity. <b>Results:</b> Using a genetic approach, we determined that only mice with a deletion of NOX1, but not NOX2 or NOX4, were protected from retinal neovascularization and vaso-obliteration, adhesion of leukocytes, microglial accumulation, and the increased generation of proangiogenic and proinflammatory factors and ROS. We complemented these studies by showing that the specific NOX inhibitor, GKT137831, reduced vasculopathy and ROS levels in retina. The source of NOX isoforms was evaluated in retinal vascular cells and neuro-glial elements. Microglia, the immune cells of the retina, expressed NOX1, 2, and 4 and responded to hypoxia with increased ROS formation, which was reduced by GKT137831. <b>Innovation:</b> Our studies are the first to identify the NOX1 isoform as having an important role in the pathogenesis of retinopathy of prematurity. <b>Conclusions:</b> Our findings suggest that strategies targeting NOX1 have the potential to be effective treatments for a range of ischemic retinopathie

Structure and play: rethinking regulation in the higher education sector

This paper explores possible tactics for academics working within a context of increasing regulation and constraint. One suggested tactic is to move outside of a creativity-conformity binary. Rather than understanding creativity and conformity as separable, where one is seen as excluding the other, the authors consider the potential of examining the relationships between them. The theme of 'structure and play' illustrates the argument. In the first part of the paper, using various examples from art and design - fields generally associated with creativity - the authors explore the interrelatedness of creativity and conformity. For example, how might design styles, which are generally understood as creative outcomes, constrain creativity and lead to conformity within the design field? Is fashion producing creativity or conformity? Conversely, the ways in which conformity provides the conditions for creativity are also examined. For example, the conformity imposed by the state on artists in the former communist bloc contributed to a thriving underground arts movement which challenged conformity and state regulation. Continuing the theme of 'structure and play', the authors recount a story from an Australian university which foregrounds the ongoing renegotiation of power relations in the academy. This account illustrates how programmatic government in a university, with its aim of regulating conduct, can contribute to unanticipated outcomes. The authors propose that a Foucauldian view of distributed power is useful for academics operating in a context of increasing regulation, as it brings into view sites where power might begin to be renegotiated