RrmA regulates the stability of specific transcripts in response to both nitrogen source and oxidative stress

Differential regulation of transcript stability is an effective means by which an organism can modulate gene expression. A well-characterized example is glutamine signalled degradation of specific transcripts in Aspergillus nidulans. In the case of areA, which encodes a wide-domain transcription factor mediating nitrogen metabolite repression, the signal is mediated through a highly conserved region of the 3′ UTR. Utilizing this RNA sequence we isolated RrmA, an RNA recognition motif protein. Disruption of the respective gene led to loss of both glutamine signalled transcript degradation as well as nitrate signalled stabilization of niaD mRNA. However, nitrogen starvation was shown to act independently of RrmA in stabilizing certain transcripts. RrmA was also implicated in the regulation of arginine catabolism gene expression and the oxidative stress responses at the level of mRNA stability. ΔrrmA mutants are hypersensitive to oxidative stress. This phenotype correlates with destabilization of eifE and dhsA mRNA. eifE encodes eIF5A, a translation factor within which a conserved lysine is post-translationally modified to hypusine, a process requiring DhsA. Intriguingly, for specific transcripts RrmA mediates both stabilization and destabilization and the specificity of the signals transduced is transcript dependent, suggesting it acts in consort with other factors which differ between transcripts

Floodplains Use and Didactic Trails

River valleys are among particularly valuable areas concerning their natural, landscape and tourist assets. Inundated areas, located in the closest neighborhood of the river, might be exploited with the exclusion of water stagnation periods, and the influence of anthropopression in these changed areas is strictly related to their location. The combination of flood control, tourism and education has a different dimension in cities and in non-urbanized areas, especially polder areas. The scope of this article focuses on tourist and recreational use of such anthropogenically transformed grounds. Managed polders located within the boundaries of Grądy Odrzańskie NATURA 2000 Site, Ujście Warty National Park, Stobrawski Landscape Park and Brodnicki Landscape Park pose a tourist attraction on a regional scale. Urban inundated grounds are i.e. active and passive leisure locations for city inhabitants. This article briefly describes examples of floodplains revitalization in Kassel on Fulda, Porvoo on Porvoo as well as in Wrocław on Odra, where these areas have a big tourist-recreational potential. Inundated grounds, often unused or poorly developed, with the proper funding can turn into weekend destinations

Hydromorphological valorization of the Bystrzyca river

Waloryzacja hydromorfologiczna zgodnie z Ramową Dyrektywą Wodną jest elementem wspierającym biologiczną ocenę stanu ekologicznego wód powierzchniowych. Stan ekologiczny rzek związany jest z liczebnością i różnorodnością występujących w nich gatunków. Bioróżnorodność środowiska wodnego uzależniona jest od zmian zachodzących we właściwościach ekosystemu rzecznego, co w dużej mierze związane jest z przekształceniami koryt rzecznych. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki hydromorfologicznej waloryzacji fragmentu rzeki Bystrzycy poniżej zbiornika Mietkowskiego wraz z jej starym korytem. Analizie poddano sztucznie wybudowany kanał zrzutowy odprowadzający wodę ze zbiornika (1,4 km), dawne koryto rzeki (2,2 km), które prowadziło wodę przed wybudowaniem zapory wodnej oraz odcinek rzeki po połączeniu nowego fragmentu ze starym korytem Bystrzycy (1,4 km). Łącznie przeanalizowano 25 odcinków rzeki po 200 m każdy. Stopień naturalności poszczególnych fragmentów rzeki oceniono na podstawie metodyki Ilnickiego i Lewandowskiego. Kryteria oceny ekologicznej uwzględniły morfologię koryta, hydrologię cieku, jakość wody, zadrzewienie koryt rzecznych, roślinność wodną i roślinność skarp, ukształtowanie strefy przybrzeżnej oraz sposób użytkowania doliny. Z przeprowadzonych badań wynika, że wraz z oddalaniem się od zbiornika wodnego wzrasta kategoria naturalności rzeki Bystrzycy. Odcinki przynależące do dawnego koryta rzeki zakwalifikowano do III kategorii naturalności, natomiast kanał odprowadzający wodę ze zbiornika (obecnie stanowiący integralną część rzeki Bystrzycy) w 71% zaliczono do niskiej IV kategorii. Po połączeniu ze starym korytem rzeki wzrasta wartość ekologiczna cieku, poszczególne odcinki należą do III (42%), II (29%) i I (29%) kategorii naturalności. Poniżej, w km 43+000 rzeka jest już w niewielkim stopniu przekształcona antropogenicznie, co wpływa dodatnio na jej wartość krajobrazową i ekologiczną terenu.Hydromorphological valorization according to Water Framework Directive is an element of support biological evaluation of surface water’s ecological state. Ecological state of rivers is connected with number and diversity of species that live in them. Biodiversity of aqueous environment is depended on changes occurring in the river environment characteristics what is mostly connected with riverbeds conversions. In this article present the results of hydromorphological valorization of section of The Bystrzyca River below Mietkowskie Lake together with its old bed. Artificially built drop channel that carries away water from the reservoir (1,4 km), old riverbed (2,2 km) which had conducted water before the dam was built and the section of river that was created by the connection of new section with The Bystrzyca old riverbed were analysed (1,4 km). The analyzed a total of 25 sections of river, 200 meters each. The naturalness degree of individual sections was evaluated on the basis of Ilnicki and Lewandowski methodology. Ecological evaluation criteria have taken into consideration riverbed morphology, river hydrology, water quality, tree cover, aquatic and banks vegetation, riparian zone and the valley land management. From conducted research follows that with increasing the distance from the reservoir the naturalness category of The Bystrzyca River rises. The sections belonging to the old river bed was classified as III category naturalness, however channel that carries away water from the reservoir (now an integral part of the Bystrzyca river) in 71 % include to low IV category. After connection with old riverbed the ecological value of the river rises – the individual sections belong to III (42 %), II (29%) and I (29%) naturalness category. Below, in km 43+000 the river is conversed by human to a small extent, which influences favorably on its higher landscape and ecological value of the area

Ecomorphological valorization of the Olawa river from km 01+400 to 04+800

W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono wyniki waloryzacji ekomorfologcznej rzeki Oławy (lewobrzeżny dopływ Odry) na odcinku położonym na terenie miasta Wrocławia w km od 01+400 do 04+800, pomiędzy mostem Rakowieckim a terenami wodonośnymi miasta Wrocławia. Tereny wzdłuż omawianej rzeki należą do obszarów cennych pod względem ekologicznym ze względu na bioróżnorodność, a z drugiej strony narażone są na dużą presję związaną z zagospodarowywaniem doliny. Badany fragment rzeki podzielono na 17 odcinków 200 m, gdzie wykonano waloryzację hydromorfologiczną metodą terenową wg Ilnickiego i Lewandowskiego oraz dla każdego odcinka dokonano waloryzację przyrodniczą. Celem pracy była ocena potencjału ekologicznego doliny rzecznej na terenie zurbanizowanym i możliwości zachowania środowiska przyrodniczego w jak najlepszym stanie, pomimo istniejących zagrożeń.The paper presents the results of ecomorphological valorization of the leftbank tributary of the Oder River – the Oława River situated on Wrocław area in the sections from 01+400 to 04+800, between the Rakowiecki Bridge and the water- bearing areas of the city. The areas along the Oława River belong to the ecologically valuable thanks to it biodiversity. However, their extraordinary landscape make them the subject of cultivation plans in the valley. The studied river segment was divided into 17 sections 200 m each, where hydromorphological valorization was carried out by the use of Ilnicki and Lewandowski method. The aim of the paper was the assessment of the ecological potential of river valley on the urbanized area and possibilities of maintaining natural environment in possible best condition despite of environmental hazard

The role of the GATA transcription factor AreB in regulation of nitrogen and carbon metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans.

In Aspergillus nidulans, nitrogen and carbon metabolism are under the control of wide-domain regulatory systems, including nitrogen metabolite repression, carbon catabolite repression and the nutrient starvation response. Transcriptomic analysis of the wild type strain grown under different combinations of carbon and nitrogen regimes was performed, to identify differentially regulated genes. Carbon metabolism predominates as the most important regulatory signal but for many genes, both carbon and nitrogen metabolisms coordinate regulation. To identify mechanisms coordinating nitrogen and carbon metabolism, we tested the role of AreB, previously identified as a regulator of genes involved in nitrogen metabolism. Deletion of areB has significant phenotypic effects on the utilization of specific carbon sources, confirming its role in the regulation of carbon metabolism. AreB was shown to regulate the expression of areA, tamA, creA, xprG and cpcA regulatory genes suggesting areB has a range of indirect, regulatory effects. Different isoforms of AreB are produced as a result of differential splicing and use of two promoters. These are differentially regulated by carbon and nitrogen conditions. These are likely to be functionally distinct and thus contributing to the modulation of AreB activity

Non-invasive early exclusion of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension after acute pulmonary embolism: The InShape II study

Background The current diagnostic delay of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after pulmonary embolism (PE) is unacceptably long, causing loss of quality-adjusted life years and excess mortality. Validated screening strategies for early CTEPH diagnosis are lacking. Echocardiographic screening among all PE survivors is associated with overdiagnosis and cost-ineffectiveness. We aimed to validate a simple screening strategy for excluding CTEPH early after acute PE, limiting the number of performed echocardiograms. Methods In this prospective, international, multicentre management study, consecutive patients were managed according to a screening algorithm starting 3 months after acute PE to determine whether echocardiographic evaluation of pulmonary hypertension (PH) was indicated. If the 'TEPH prediction score' indicated high pretest probability or matching symptoms were present, the 'TEPH rule-out criteria' were applied, consisting of ECG reading and N-terminalpro-brain natriuretic peptide. Only if these results could not rule out possible PH, the patients were referred for echocardiography. Results 424 patients were included. Based on the algorithm, CTEPH was considered absent in 343 (81%) patients, leaving 81 patients (19%) referred for echocardiography. During 2-year follow-up, one patient in whom echocardiography was deemed unnecessary by the algorithm was diagnosed with CTEPH, reflecting an algorithm failure rate of 0.29% (95% CI 0% to 1.6%). Overall CTEPH incidence was 3.1% (13/424), of whom 10 patients were diagnosed within 4 months after the PE presentation. Conclusions The InShape II algorithm accurately excluded CTEPH, without the need for echocardiography in the overall majority of patients. CTEPH was identified early after acute PE, resulting in a substantially shorter diagnostic delay than in current practice