Regulated cationic channel function in Xenopus oocytes expressing Drosophila big brain

Copyright © 2002 Society for NeuroscienceBig brain (bib) is a neurogenic gene that when mutated causes defects in cell fate determination during Drosophila neurogenesis through an unknown mechanism. The protein Big Brain (BIB) has sequence identity with the major intrinsic protein family that includes the water- and ion-conducting aquaporin channels. We show here that BIB expressed heterologously in Xenopus oocytes provides a voltage-insensitive, nonselective cation channel function with permeability to K+ > Na+ tetraethylammonium. The conductance, activated in response to endogenous signaling pathways in BIB-expressing oocytes, is decreased after treatment with 20 µM insulin and is enhanced with 10 µM lavendustin A, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Western blot analysis confirms that BIB is tyrosine-phosphorylated. Both tyrosine phosphorylation and the potentiating effect of lavendustin A are removed by partial deletion of the C terminus (amino acids 317-700). Current activation is not observed in control oocytes or in oocytes expressing a nonfunctional mutant (BIB E71N) that appears to be expressed on the plasma membrane by confocal microscopy and Western blotting. These results indicate that BIB can participate in tyrosine kinase-regulated transmembrane signaling and may suggest a role for membrane depolarization in the neurogenic function of BIB in early development.Gina M. Yanochko and Andrea J. Yoo

Future change in ocean productivity: Is the Arctic the new Atlantic?

One of the most characteristic features in ocean productivity is the North Atlantic spring bloom. Responding to seasonal increases in irradiance and stratification, surface phytopopulations rise significantly, a pattern that visibly tracks poleward into summer. While blooms also occur in the Arctic Ocean, they are constrained by the sea-ice and strong vertical stratification that characterize this region. However, Arctic sea-ice is currently declining, and forecasts suggest this may lead to completely ice-free summers by the mid-21st century. Such change may open the Arctic up to Atlantic-style spring blooms, and do so at the same time as Atlantic productivity is threatened by climate change-driven ocean stratification. Here we use low and high-resolution instances of a coupled ocean-biogeochemistry model, NEMO-MEDUSA, to investigate productivity. Drivers of present-day patterns are identified, and changes in these across a climate change scenario (IPCC RCP 8.5) are analyzed. We find a globally significant decline in North Atlantic productivity (> ?20%) by 2100, and a correspondingly significant rise in the Arctic (> +50%). However, rather than the future Arctic coming to resemble the current Atlantic, both regions are instead transitioning to a common, low nutrient regime. The North Pacific provides a counterexample where nutrients remain high and productivity increases with elevated temperature. These responses to climate change in the Atlantic and Arctic are common between model resolutions, suggesting an independence from resolution for key impacts. However, some responses, such as those in the North Pacific, differ between the simulations, suggesting the reverse and supporting the drive to more fine-scale resolutions

Transient thermo-structural analysis of an insulated space structure

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-99).by Yool A. Kim.M.S

Thermal creak induced dynamics of space structures

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-154).Space structures may be subjected to a continually changing thermal environment due to Earth eclipse transients and changes in the spacecraft orientation. During the transient thermal state, components in a structure may experience different amounts of thermal strain due to temperature gradients or coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatches. Such differential thermal strain can result in stress build-up, especially in statically indeterminate structures. If a nonlinear element, such as a friction dependent joint, is present, stress in the element builds up until the maximum load that can be sustained by friction is reached, at which point the element slips and releases some of the stored elastic energy. Such a nonlinear release mechanism will induce impulsive broadband and possibly high frequency loading to the system, in response to low frequency thermal excitations. This phenomenon is referred to as thermal creak. Nonlinear joints with freeplay, tensioning cables and pulleys, and other structural components that depend on friction and allow relative motion are all examples of potential creak elements that are common in space structures. An analytical and experimental investigation of the thermal creak phenomenon is presented. A generic model of a thermal creak element is developed to understand the mechanism and to identify the key parameters. The model captures the thermoelastic response, the friction behavior, and the dynamic response of a system. Key parameters that govern the response and quantify the parameters correlated with the energy storage, energy release and energy propagation are identified. The dynamic response is parametrically studied to qualitatively understand the range of behaviors. Two laboratory experiments were conducted to demonstrate thermal creak and to correlate with the model behavior. The first experiment, a joint characterization, focused on the local thermal creak response and the friction behavior. The model is shown to capture the nonlinear creak response over a range of loading conditions and trends seen in the experiment. The second experiment, a set of thermal tests on a representative deployable structure, investigated the structural response due to thermal creak. Thermal creak events were observed and the resulting dynamics were characterized. The results from the ground experiments and an on-orbit flight experiment conducted by Jet Propulsion Laboratory are used to assess the model and its applicability. The developed model and the experimental results provide a tool for developing thermal creak analysis techniques and mitigation strategies.by Yool A. Kim.Ph.D

EMPOWER-1.0: an Efficient Model of Planktonic ecOsystems WrittEn in R

Modelling marine ecosystems requires insight and judgement when it comes to deciding upon appropriate model structure, equations and parameterisation. Many processes are relatively poorly understood and tough decisions must be made as to how to mathematically simplify the real world. Here, we present an efficient plankton modelling testbed, EMPOWER-1.0 (Efficient Model of Planktonic ecOsystems WrittEn in R), coded in the freely available language R. The testbed uses simple two-layer "slab" physics whereby a seasonally varying mixed layer which contains the planktonic marine ecosystem is positioned above a deep layer that contains only nutrient. As such, EMPOWER-1.0 provides a readily available and easy to use tool for evaluating model structure, formulations and parameterisation. The code is transparent and modular such that modifications and changes to model formulation are easily implemented allowing users to investigate and familiarise themselves with the inner workings of their models. It can be used either for preliminary model testing to set the stage for further work, e.g. coupling the ecosystem model to 1-D or 3-D physics, or for undertaking front line research in its own right. EMPOWER-1.0 also serves as an ideal teaching tool. In order to demonstrate the utility of EMPOWER-1.0, we implemented a simple nutrient–phytoplankton–zooplankton–detritus (NPZD) ecosystem model and carried out both a parameter tuning exercise and structural sensitivity analysis. Parameter tuning was demonstrated for four contrasting ocean sites, focusing on station BIOTRANS in the North Atlantic (47° N, 20° W), highlighting both the utility of undertaking a planned sensitivity analysis for this purpose, yet also the subjectivity which nevertheless surrounds the choice of which parameters to tune. Structural sensitivity tests were then performed comparing different equations for calculating daily depth-integrated photosynthesis, as well as mortality terms for both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Regarding the calculation of daily photosynthesis, for example, results indicated that the model was relatively insensitive to the choice of photosynthesis–irradiance curve, but markedly sensitive to the method of calculating light attenuation in the water column. The work highlights the utility of EMPOWER-1.0 as a means of comprehending, diagnosing and formulating equations for the dynamics of marine ecosystems

Ion channel function of aquaporin-1 natively expressed in choroid plexus

Aquaporins are known as water channels; however, an additional ion channel function has been observed for several including aquaporin-1 (AQP1). Using primary cultures of rat choroid plexus, a brain tissue that secretes CSF and abundantly expresses AQP1, we confirmed the ion channel function of AQP1 and assessed its functional relevance. The cGMP-gated cationic conductance associated with AQP1 is activated by an endogenous receptor guanylate cyclase for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). Fluid transport assays with confluent polarized choroid plexus cultures showed that AQP1 current activation by 4.5 μM ANP decreases the normal basal-to-apical fluid transport in the choroid plexus; conversely, AQP1 block with 500 μM Cd²⁺ restores fluid transport. The cGMP-gated conductance in the choroid plexus is lost with targeted knockdown of AQP1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA), as confirmed by immunocytochemistry and whole-cell patch electrophysiology of transiently transfected cells identified by enhanced green fluorescent protein. The properties of the current (permeability to Na⁺, K⁺, TEA⁺, and Cs⁺; voltage insensitivity; and dependence on cGMP) matched properties characterized previously in AQP1-expressing oocytes. Background K⁺ and Cl⁻ currents in the choroid plexus were dissected from AQP1 currents using Cs-methanesulfonate recording salines; the background currents recorded in physiological salines were not affected by AQP1–siRNA treatment. These results confirm that AQP1 can function as both a water channel and a gated ion channel. The conclusion that the AQP1-associated cation current contributes to modulating CSF production resolves a lingering concern as to whether an aquaporin ionic conductance can have a physiologically relevant function.Daniela Boassa, W. Daniel Stamer and Andrea J. Yoo

A tale of three islands: Downstream natural iron fertilization in the Southern Ocean

Iron limitation of primary productivity prevails across much of the Southern Ocean but there are exceptions; in particular, the phytoplankton blooms associated with the Kerguelen Plateau, Crozet Islands and South Georgia. These blooms occur annually, fertilized by iron and nutrient-rich shelf waters that are transported downstream from the islands. Here we use a highresolution (1/12°) ocean general circulation model and Lagrangian particle tracking to investigate whether inter-annual variability in the potential lateral advection of iron, could explain the inter-annual variability in the spatial extent of the blooms. Comparison with ocean color data, 1998 to 2007, suggests that iron fertilization via advection can explain the extent of each island's annual bloom, but only the inter-annual variability of the Crozet bloom. The area that could potentially be fertilized by iron from Kerguelen was much larger than the bloom, suggesting that there is another primary limiting factor, potentially silicate, that controls the inter-annual variability of bloom spatial extent. For South Georgia, there are differences in the year-to-year timing of advection and consequently fertilization, but no clear explanation of the inter-annual variability observed in the bloom's spatial extent has been identified. The model results suggest that the Kerguelen and Crozet blooms are terminated by nutrient exhaustion, probably iron and or silicate, whereas the deepening of the mixed layer in winter terminates the South Georgia bloom. Therefore, iron fertilization via lateral advection alone can explain the annual variability of the Crozet bloom, but not fully that of the Kerguelen and South Georgia blooms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Benthic biomass size spectra in shelf and deep-sea sediments

The biomass distributions of marine benthic metazoans (meio- to macro-fauna, 1 ?g–32 mg wet weight) across three contrasting sites were investigated to test the hypothesis that allometry can consistently explain observed trends in biomass spectra. Biomass (and abundance) size spectra were determined from observations made at the Faroe–Shetland Channel (FSC) in the Northeast Atlantic (water depth 1600 m), the Fladen Ground (FG) in the North Sea (150 m), and the hypoxic Oman Margin (OM) in the Arabian Sea (500 m). Observed biomass increased with body size as a power law at FG (scaling exponent, b = 0.16) and FSC (b = 0.32), but less convincingly at OM (b = 0.12 but not significantly different from 0). A simple model was constructed to represent the same 16 metazoan size classes used for the observed spectra, all reliant on a common detrital food pool, and allowing the three key processes of ingestion, respiration and mortality to scale with body size. A micro-genetic algorithm was used to fit the model to observations at the sites. The model accurately reproduces the observed scaling without needing to include the effects of local influences such as hypoxia. Our results suggest that the size-scaling of mortality and ingestion are dominant factors determining the distribution of biomass across the meio- to macrofaunal size range in contrasting marine sediment communities. Both the observations and the model results are broadly in agreement with the "metabolic theory of ecology" in predicting a quarter power scaling of biomass across geometric body size classes

On the vertical phytoplankton response to an ice free Arctic Ocean

Rapidly retreating sea ice is expected to influence future phytoplankton production in the Arctic Ocean by perturbing nutrient and light fields, but poor understanding of present phytoplankton distributions and governing mechanisms make projected changes highly uncertain. Here we use a simulation that reproduces observed seasonal phytoplankton chlorophyll distributions and annual nitrate to hypothesize that surface nitrate limitation in the Arctic Ocean deepens vertical production distributions where light-dependent growth rates are lower. We extend this to interpret depth-integrated production changes projected by the simulation for an ice-free Arctic Ocean. Future spatial changes correspond to patterns of reduced surface nitrate and increased light. Surface nitrate inventory reductions in the Beaufort Gyre and Atlantic inflow waters drive colocated production distributions deeper to where light is lower, offsetting increases in light over the water column due to reduced ice cover and thickness. Modest production increases arise, 10% in a seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean and increasing to 30% by the end of the century, occurring at depth

Climate change and ocean acidification impacts on lower trophic levels and the export of organic carbon to the deep ocean

Most future projections forecast significant and ongoing climate change during the 21st century, but with the severity of impacts dependent on efforts to restrain or reorganise human activity to limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. A major sink for atmospheric CO2, and a key source of biological resources, the World Ocean is widely anticipated to undergo profound physical and – via ocean acidification – chemical changes as direct and indirect results of these emissions. Given strong biophysical coupling, the marine biota is also expected to experience strong changes in response to this anthropogenic forcing. Here we examine the large-scale response of ocean biogeochemistry to climate and acidification impacts during the 21st century for Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 2.6 and 8.5 using an intermediate complexity global ecosystem model, MEDUSA-2.0. The primary impact of future change lies in stratification-led declines in the availability of key nutrients in surface waters, which in turn leads to a global decrease (1990s vs. 2090s) in ocean productivity (?6.3%). This impact has knock-on consequences for the abundance of the low trophic level biogeochemical actors modelled by MEDUSA-2.0 (?5.8%), and these would be expected to similarly impact higher trophic level elements such as fisheries. Related impacts are found in the flux of organic material to seafloor communities (?40.7% at 1000 m), and in the volume of ocean suboxic zones (+12.5%). A sensitivity analysis removing an acidification feedback on calcification finds that change in this process significantly impacts benthic communities, suggesting that a~better understanding of the OA-sensitivity of calcifying organisms, and their role in ballasting sinking organic carbon, may significantly improve forecasting of these ecosystems. For all processes, there is geographical variability in change – for instance, productivity declines ?21% in the Atlantic and increases +59% in the Arctic – and changes are much more pronounced under RCP 8.5 than the RCP 2.6 scenario