Biotransformation and accumulation of arsenic in soil amended with seaweed

For many coastal regions of the world, it has been common practice to apply seaweed to the land as a soil improver and fertilizer. Seaweed is rich in arsenosugars and has a tissue concentration of arsenic up to 100 micro/g g(-1). These arsenic species are relatively nontoxic to humans; however, in the environment they may accumulate in the soil and decompose to more toxic arsenic species. The aim of this study was to determine the fate and biotransformation of these arsenosugars in soil using HPLC-ICP-MS analysis. Data from coastal soils currently manured with seaweeds were used to investigate if arsenic was accumulating in these soils. Long-term application of seaweed increased arsenic concentrations in these soils up to 10-fold (0.35 mg of As kg(-1) for nonagronomic peat, 4.3 mg of As kg(-1) for seaweed-amended peat). The biotransformation of arsenic was studied in microcosm experiments in which a sandy (machair) soil, traditionally manured with seaweed, was amended with Laminaria digitata and Fucus vesiculosus. In both seaweed species, the arsenic occurs in the form of arsenosugars (85%). The application of 50 g of seaweed to 1 kg of soil leads to an increase of arsenic in the soils, and the dominating species found in the soil pore water were dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V)) and the inorganic species arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) after the initial appearance of arsenosugars. A proposed decomposition pathway of arsenosugars is discussed in which the arsenosugars are transformed to DMA(V) and further to inorganic arsenic without appreciable amounts of methylarsonic acid (MA(V)). Commercially available seaweed-based fertilizers contain arsenic concentration between 10 and 50 mg kg(-1). The arsenic species in these fertilizers depends on the manufacturing procedure. Some contain mainly arsenosugars while others contain mainly DMA(V) and inorganic arsenic. With the application rates suggested by the manufacturers, the application of these fertilizers is 2 orders of magnitude lower than the maximum permissible sewage sludge load for arsenic (varies from 0.025 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) in Styria, Austria, to 0.7 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) in the U.K.), while a direct seaweed application would exceed the maximum arsenic load by at least a factor of 2.

Climate-related changes in peatland carbon accumulation during the last millennium

Peatlands are a major terrestrial carbon store and a persistent natural carbon sink during the Holocene, but there is considerable uncertainty over the fate of peatland carbon in a changing climate. It is generally assumed that higher temperatures will increase peat decay, causing a positive feedback to climate warming and contributing to the global positive carbon cycle feedback. Here we use a new extensive database of peat profiles across northern high latitudes to examine spatial and temporal patterns of carbon accumulation over the past millennium. Opposite to expectations, our results indicate a small negative carbon cycle feedback from past changes in the long-term accumulation rates of northern peatlands. Total carbon accumulated over the last 1000 yr is linearly related to contemporary growing season length and photosynthetically active radiation, suggesting that variability in net primary productivity is more important than decomposition in determining long-term carbon accumulation. Furthermore, northern peatland carbon sequestration rate declined over the climate transition from the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) to the Little Ice Age (LIA), probably because of lower LIA temperatures combined with increased cloudiness suppressing net primary productivity. Other factors including changing moisture status, peatland distribution, fire, nitrogen deposition, permafrost thaw and methane emissions will also influence future peatland carbon cycle feedbacks, but our data suggest that the carbon sequestration rate could increase over many areas of northern peatlands in a warmer future.

Protein kinase C{delta} deficiency accelerates neointimal lesions of mouse injured artery involving delayed reendothelialization and vasohibin-1 accumulation

To use protein kinase C (PKC) d-knockout mice to investigate the role of PKCd in lesion development and to understand the underlying mechanism of the vascular disease.

Biomolecular mechanisms of staphylococcal biofilm formation

The multitude of biomolecular and regulatory factors involved in staphylococcal adhesion and biofilm formation owe much to their ability to colonize surfaces, allowing the biofilm form to become the preferential bacterial phenotype. Judging by total number, biomass and variety of environments colonized, bacteria can be categorized as the most successful lifeform on earth. This is due to the ability of bacteria and other microorganisms to respond phenotypically via biomolecular processes to the stresses of their surrounding environment. This review focuses on the specific pathways involved in the adhesion of the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus with reference to the role of specific cell surface adhesins, the ica operon, accumulation-associated proteins and quorum-sensing systems and their significance in medical device-related infection.

Hydrolysis characteristics and kinetics of waste hay biomass as a potential energy crop for fermentable sugars production using autoclave parr reactor system

The use of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste crops has received considerable attention as a sustainable feedstock that can replace fossil fuels for the production of renewable energy. Therefore, municipal bin-waste in the form of hay was investigated as a potential energy crop for fermentable sugars production. Hydrolysis of hay by dilute phosphoric acid was carried out in autoclave parr reactor, where reactor temperature (135-200 degrees c) and acid concentration (2.5-10% (w/w)) were examined. Analysis of the decomposition rate of hemicellulosic biomass was undertaken using HPLC of the reaction products. Xylose production reached a maximum value of 13.5 g/100 g dry mass corresponding to a yield of 67% at the best identified conditions of 2.5 wt% H3PO4, 175 degrees C, 10 min reaction time, and at 5 wt% H3PO4, 150 degrees C, and 5 min reaction time. For glucose, an average yield of 25% was obtained at 5 wt% H3PO4, 175 degrees C and 30 min. Glucose degradation to HMF was achieved at 10 wt% H3PO4 and 200 degrees C. The maximum yield for produced arabinose was an average of 3 g/100 g dry. mass corresponding to 100% of the total possible arabinose. The kinetic study of the acid hydrolysis was also carried out using the Saeman and the Two-fraction models. It was found for both models that the kinetic constants (k) depend on the acid concentration and temperature. For xylose and arabinose it was found that the rate of formation was more favoured than the rate of degradation. By contrast, for glucose it was found that glucose degradation was occurring faster than glucose formation. It can be concluded that dilute phosphoric acid hydrolysis of hay crop is feasible for the production of fermentable sugars which are essential for bioethanol synthesis. 

Accumulation, Subcellular Distribution and Toxicity of Copper in Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) in the Presence of Ciprofloxacin

Land application of wastes from concentrated animal feeding operations results in accumulation of copper (Cu) and antimicrobials in terrestrial systems. Interaction between Cu and antimicrobials may change Cu speciation in soil solution, and affect Cu bioavailability and toxicity. In this study, earthworms were exposed to quartz sand percolated with different concentrations of Cu and ciprofloxacin (CIP). Copper uptake by earthworms, its subcellular partition, and toxicity were studied. An increase in the applied CIP decreased the free Cu ion concentration in external solution and mortalities of earthworm, while Cu contents in earthworms increased. Copper and CIP in earthworms were fractionated into five fractions: a granular fraction (D), a fraction consisting of tissue fragments, cell membranes, and intact cells (E), a microsomal fraction (F), a denatured proteins fraction (G), and a heat-stable proteins fraction (H). Most of the CIP in earthworms was in fraction H. Copper was redistributed from the metal-sensitive fraction E to fractions D, F, G, and H with increasing CIP concentration. These results challenge the free ion activity model and suggested that Cu may be partly taken up as Cu-CIP complexes in earthworms, changing the bioavailability, subcellular distribution, and toxicity of Cu to earthworms.

Effect of collagen turnover on the accumulation of advanced glycation end products

Collagen molecules in articular cartilage have an exceptionally long lifetime, which makes them susceptible to the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In fact, in comparison to other collagen-rich tissues, articular cartilage contains relatively high amounts of the AGE pentosidine. To test the hypothesis that this higher AGE accumulation is primarily the result of the slow turnover of cartilage collagen, AGE levels in cartilage and skin collagen were compared with the degree of racemization of aspartic acid (% d-Asp, a measure of the residence time of a protein). AGE (N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine, N(epsilon)-(carboxyethyl)lysine, and pentosidine) and % d-Asp concentrations increased linearly with age in both cartilage and skin collagen (p <0.0001). The rate of increase in AGEs was greater in cartilage collagen than in skin collagen (p <0.0001). % d-Asp was also higher in cartilage collagen than in skin collagen (p <0.0001), indicating that cartilage collagen has a longer residence time in the tissue, and thus a slower turnover, than skin collagen. In both types of collagen, AGE concentrations increased linearly with % d-Asp (p <0.0005). Interestingly, the slopes of the curves of AGEs versus % d-Asp, i.e. the rates of accumulation of AGEs corrected for turnover, were identical for cartilage and skin collagen. The present study thus provides the first experimental evidence that protein turnover is a major determinant in AGE accumulation in different collagen types. From the age-related increases in % d-Asp the half-life of cartilage collagen was calculated to be 117 years and that of skin collagen 15 years, thereby providing the first reasonable estimates of the half-lives of these collagens.

Accumulation of Maillard reaction products in skin collagen in diabetes and aging

To investigate the contribution of glycation and oxidation reactions to the modification of insoluble collagen in aging and diabetes, Maillard reaction products were measured in skin collagen from 39 type 1 diabetic patients and 52 nondiabetic control subjects. Compounds studied included fructoselysine (FL), the initial glycation product, and the glycoxidation products, N epsilon-(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) and pentosidine, formed during later Maillard reactions. Collagen-linked fluorescence was also studied. In nondiabetic subjects, glycation of collagen (FL content) increased only 33% between 20 and 85 yr of age. In contrast, CML, pentosidine and fluorescence increased five-fold, correlating strongly with age. In diabetic patients, collagen FL was increased threefold compared with nondiabetic subjects, correlating strongly with glycated hemoglobin but not with age. Collagen CML, pentosidine and fluorescence were increased up to twofold in diabetic compared with control patients: this could be explained by the increase in glycation alone, without invoking increased oxidative stress. There were strong correlations among CML, pentosidine and fluorescence in both groups, providing evidence for age-dependent chemical modification of collagen via the Maillard reaction, and acceleration of this process in diabetes. These results support the description of diabetes as a disease characterized by accelerated chemical aging of long-lived tissue proteins.

Age-dependent accumulation of N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine and N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)hydroxylysine in human skin collagen

N epsilon-(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) is formed on oxidative cleavage of carbohydrate adducts to lysine residues in glycated proteins in vitro [Ahmed et al. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 8816-8821; Dunn et al. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 10964-10970]. We have shown that, in human lens proteins in vivo, the concentration of fructose-lysine (FL), the Amadori adduct of glucose to lysine, is constant with age, while the concentration of the oxidation product, CML, increases significantly with age [Dunn et al. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 9464-9468]. In this work we extend our studies to the analysis of human skin collagen. The extent of glycation of insoluble skin collagen was greater than that of lens proteins (4-6 mmol of FL/mol of lysine in collagen versus 1-2 mmol of FL/mol of lysine in lens proteins), consistent with the lower concentration of glucose in lens, compared to plasma. In contrast to lens, there was a slight but significant age-dependent increase in glycation of skin collagen, 33% between ages 20 and 80. As in lens protein, CML, present at only trace levels in neonatal collagen, increased significantly with age, although the amount of CML in collagen at 80 years of age, approximately 1.5 mmol of CML/mol of lysine, was less than that found in lens protein, approximately 7 mmol of CML/mol of lysine. The concentration of N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)hydroxylysine (CMhL), the product of oxidation of glycated hydroxylysine, also increased with age in collagen, in parallel with the increase in CML, from trace levels at infancy to approximately 5 mmol of CMhL/mol of hydroxylysine at age 80.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An Arabidopsis mutant cex1 exhibits constant accumulation of jasmonate-regulated AtVSP, Thi2.1 and PDF1.2.

Jasmonates (JA) act as a regulator in plant growth as well as a signal in plant defense. The Arabidopsis vegetative storage protein (AtVSP) and plant defense-related proteins thionin (Thi2.1) and defensin (PDF1.2) have previously been shown to accumulate in response to JA induction. In this report, we isolated and characterized a novel recessive mutant, cex1, conferring constitutive JA-responsive phenotypes including JA-inhibitory growth and constitutive expression of JA-regulated AtVSP, Thi2.1 and PDF1.2. The plant morphology and the gene expression pattern of the cex1 mutant could be phenocopied by treatment of wild-type plants with exogenous JA, indicating that CEX1 might be a negative regulator of the JA response pathway.

Coleoptera and microbe biomass in Antarctic Dry Valley paleosols adjacent to the Inland Ice: Implications for Mars

Bulk paleosol samples collected from a Middle to Early Miocene moraine in the New Mountain area of the Dry Valleys, Antarctica, yielded Coleoptera exoskeletons and occasional endoskeletons showing considerable diagenetic effects along with several species of bacteria, all lodged in a dry-frozen but salt-rich horizon at shallow depth to the land surface. The till is at the older end of a chronologic sequence of glacial deposits, thought to have been deposited before the transition from wet-based to cold-based ice (similar to 15 Ma), and hence, entirely weathered in contact with the subaerial atmosphere. It is possible, though not absolutely verifiable, that the skeletons date from this early stage of emplacement having undergone modifications whenever light snowmelt occurred or salt concentrations lowered the freezing temperature to maintain water as liquid. Correlation of the Coleoptera species with cultured bacteria in the sample and the likelihood of co-habitation with Beauveria bassiani found in two adjacent, although younger paleosols, leads to new questions about the antiquity of the Coleoptera and the source of N and glucose from chitinase derived from the insects. The skeletons in the 831 section may date close to the oldest preserved chitin (Oligocene) yet found on Earth. While harsh Martian conditions make it seemingly intolerable for complex, multicellular organisms such as insects to exist in the near-surface and subaerially, life within similar cold, dry paleosol microenvironments (Cryosols) of Antarctica point to life potential for the Red Planet, especially when considering the relatively diverse microbe (bacteria and fungi) population. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New methods in Biomass Depolymerisation: Catalytic Hydrogenolysis of Barks

Hydrogenolysis of bark from three different species of tree using heterogeneous platinum group metal catalysts produces two major product streams. Aromatic substituted guaiacols are produced from lignin and the lignin-like regions of suberin and a range of saturated fatty acids and alcohols, including a,?-functionalised species, are produced from the polyester regions of suberin. Control experiments demonstrate clear advantages of catalytic hydrogenolysis over base hydrolysis, both in terms of conversion and product selectivity.

A balanced polymorphism in biomass resource allocation controlled by phosphate in grasses screened through arsenate tolerance

The response of arsenate and non-tolerant Holcus lanatus L. phenotypes, where tolerance is achieved through suppression of high affinity phosphate/arsenate root uptake, was investigated under different growth regimes to investigate why there is a polymorphism in tolerance found in populations growing on uncontaminated soil. Tolerant plants screened from an arsenic uncontaminated population differed, when grown on the soil from the populations origin, from non-tolerants, in their biomass allocation under phosphate fertilization: non-tolerants put more resources into tiller production and down regulated investment in root production under phosphate fertilization while tolerants tillered less effectively and did not alter resource allocation to shoot biomass under phosphate fertilization. The two phenotypes also differed in their shoot mineral status having higher concentrations of copper, cadmium, lead and manganese, but phosphorus status differed little, suggesting tight homeostasis. The polymorphism was also widely present (40%) in other wild grass species suggesting an important ecological role for this gene that can be screened through plant root response to arsenate.