Membrane lipid perturbation modifies the set point of the temperature of heat shock response in yeast.

Addition of a saturated fatty acid (SFA) induced a strong increase in heat shock (HS) mRNA transcription when cells were heat-shocked at 37 degrees C, whereas treatment with an unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) reduced or eliminated the level of HS gene transcription at 37 degrees C. Transcription of the delta 9-desaturase gene (Ole1) of Histoplasma capsulatum, whose gene product is responsible for the synthesis of UFA, is up-regulated in a temperature-sensitive strain. We show that when the L8-14C mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which has a disrupted Ole1 gene, is complemented with its own Ole1 coding region under control of its own promoter or Ole1 promoters of H. capsulatum, the level of HS gene transcription depends on the activity of the promoters. Fluorescence anisotropy of mitochondrial membranes of completed strains corresponded to the different activity of the Ole1 promoter used. We propose that the SFA/UFA ratio and perturbation of membrane lipoprotein complexes are involved in the perception of rapid temperature changes and under HS conditions disturbance of the preexisting membrane physical state causes transduction of a signal that induces transcription of HS genes.

Synthesis and evaluation of temperature- and glucose-sensitive nanoparticles based on phenylboronic acid and N-vinylcaprolactam for insulin delivery

Poly N-vinylcaprolactam-co-acrylamidophenylboronic acid p(NVCL-co-AAPBA) was prepared from N-vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) and 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid (AAPBA), using 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. The synthesis and structure of the polymer were examined by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and 1H-NMR. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were utilized to characterize the nanoparticles, CD spectroscopy was used to determine if there were any changes to the conformation of the insulin, and cell and animal toxicity were also investigated. The prepared nanoparticles were found to be monodisperse submicron particles and were glucose- and temperature-sensitive. In addition, the nanoparticles have good insulin-loading characteristics, do not affect the conformation of the insulin and show low-toxicity to cells and animals. These p(NVCL-co-AAPBA) nanoparticles may have some value for insulin or other hypoglycemic protein delivery.

Experimental warming shows that decomposition temperature sensitivity increases with soil organic matter recalcitrance

Soil C decomposition is sensitive to changes in temperature, and even small increases in temperature may prompt large releases of C from soils. But much of what we know about soil C responses to global change is based on short-term incubation data and model output that implicitly assumes soil C pools are composed of organic matter fractions with uniform temperature sensitivities. In contrast, kinetic theory based on chemical reactions suggests that older, more-resistant C fractions may be more temperature sensitive. Recent research on the subject is inconclusive, indicating that the temperature sensitivity of labile soil organic matter (OM) decomposition could either be greater than, less than, or equivalent to that of resistant soil OM. We incubated soils at constant temperature to deplete them of labile soil OM and then successively assessed the CO2-C efflux in response to warming. We found that the decomposition response to experimental warming early during soil incubation (when more labile C remained) was less than that later when labile C was depleted. These results suggest that the temperature sensitivity of resistant soil OM pools is greater than that for labile soil OM and that global change-driven soil C losses may be greater than previously estimated.

The role of soil characteristics on temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter

The uncertainty associated with how projected climate change will affect global C cycling could have a large impact on predictions of soil C stocks. The purpose of our study was to determine how various soil decomposition and chemistry characteristics relate to soil organic matter (SOM) temperature sensitivity. We accomplished this objective using long-term soil incubations at three temperatures (15, 25, and 35°C) and pyrolysis molecular beam mass spectrometry (py-MBMS) on 12 soils from 6 sites along a mean annual temperature (MAT) gradient (2–25.6°C). The Q10 values calculated from the CO2 respired during a long-term incubation using the Q10-q method showed decomposition of the more resistant fraction to be more temperature sensitive with a Q10-q of 1.95 ± 0.08 for the labile fraction and a Q10-q of 3.33 ± 0.04 for the more resistant fraction. We compared the fit of soil respiration data using a two-pool model (active and slow) with first-order kinetics with a three-pool model and found that the two and three-pool models statistically fit the data equally well. The three-pool model changed the size and rate constant for the more resistant pool. The size of the active pool in these soils, calculated using the two-pool model, increased with incubation temperature and ranged from 0.1 to 14.0% of initial soil organic C. Sites with an intermediate MAT and lowest C/N ratio had the largest active pool. Pyrolysis molecular beam mass spectrometry showed declines in carbohydrates with conversion from grassland to wheat cultivation and a greater amount of protected carbohydrates in allophanic soils which may have lead to differences found between the total amount of CO2 respired, the size of the active pool, and the Q10-q values of the soils.

Temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter decomposition in boreal soils

The temperature sensitivity of decomposition of different soil organic matter (SOM) fractions was studied with laboratory incubations using 13C and 14C isotopes to differentiate between SOM of different age. The quality of SOM and the functionality and composition of microbial communities in soils formed under different climatic conditions were also studied. Transferring of organic layers from a colder to a warmer climate was used to assess how changing climate, litter input and soil biology will affect soil respiration and its temperature sensitivity. Together, these studies gave a consistent picture on how warming climate will affect the decomposition of different SOM fractions in Finnish forest soils: the most labile C was least temperature sensitive, indicating that it is utilized irrespective of temperature. The decomposition of intermediate C, with mean residence times from some years to decades, was found to be highly temperature sensitive. Even older, centennially cycling C was again less temperature sensitive, indicating that different stabilizing mechanisms were limiting its decomposition even at higher temperatures. Because the highly temperature sensitive, decadally cycling C, forms a major part of SOM stock in the organic layers of the studied forest soils, these results mean that these soils could lose more carbon during the coming years and decades than estimated earlier. SOM decomposition in boreal forest soils is likely to increase more in response to climate warming, compared to temperate or tropical soils, also because the Q10 is temperature dependent. In the northern soils the warming will occur at a lower temperature range, where Q10 is higher, and a similar increase in temperature causes a higher relative increase in respiration rates. The Q10 at low temperatures was found to be inversely related to SOM quality. At higher temperatures respiration was increasingly limited by low substrate availability.

Induced Variations in Brassinosteroid Genes Define Barley Height and Sturdiness, and Expand the Green Revolution Genetic Toolkit

Reduced plant height and culm robustness are quantitative characteristics important for assuring cereal crop yield and quality under adverse weather conditions. A very limited number of short-culm mutant alleles were introduced into commercial crop cultivars during the Green Revolution. We identified phenotypic traits, including sturdy culm, specific for deficiencies in brassinosteroid biosynthesis and signaling in semidwarf mutants of barley (Hordeum vulgare). This set of characteristic traits was explored to perform a phenotypic screen of near-isogenic short-culm mutant lines from the brachytic, breviaristatum, dense spike, erectoides, semibrachytic, semidwarf, and slender dwarf mutant groups. In silico mapping of brassinosteroid-related genes in the barley genome in combination with sequencing of barley mutant lines assigned more than 20 historic mutants to three brassinosteroid-biosynthesis genes (BRASSINOSTEROID-6-OXIDASE, CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC DWARF, and DIMINUTO) and one brassinosteroid-signaling gene (BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1 [HvBRI1]). Analyses of F2 and M2 populations, allelic crosses, and modeling of nonsynonymous amino acid exchanges in protein crystal structures gave a further understanding of the control of barley plant architecture and sturdiness by brassinosteroid-related genes. Alternatives to the widely used but highly temperature-sensitive uzu1.a allele of HvBRI1 represent potential genetic building blocks for breeding strategies with sturdy and climate-tolerant barley cultivars.

Mu in vitro transposition applications in protein engineering

Transposons, mobile genetic elements that are ubiquitous in all living organisms have been used as tools in molecular biology for decades. They have the ability to move into discrete DNA locations with no apparent homology to the target site. The utility of transposons as molecular tools is based on their ability to integrate into various DNA sequences efficiently, producing extensive mutant clone libraries that can be used in various molecular biology applications. Bacteriophage Mu is one of the most useful transposons due to its well-characterized and simple in vitro transposition reaction. This study establishes the properties of the Mu in vitro transposition system as a versatile multipurpose tool in molecular biology. In addition, this study describes Mu-based applications for engineering proteins by random insertional transposon mutagenesis in order to study structure-function relationships in proteins. We initially characterized the properties of the minimal Mu in vitro transposition system. We showed that the Mu transposition system works efficiently and accurately and produces insertions into a wide spectrum of target sites in different DNA molecules. Then, we developed a pentapeptide insertion mutagenesis strategy for inserting random five amino acid cassettes into proteins. These protein variants can be used especially for screening important sites for protein-protein interactions. Also, the system may produce temperature-sensitive variants of the protein of interest. Furthermore, we developed an efficient screening system for high-resolution mapping of protein-protein interfaces with the pentapeptide insertion mutagenesis. This was accomplished by combining the mutagenesis with subsequent yeast two-hybrid screening and PCR-based genetic footprinting. This combination allows the analysis of the whole mutant library en masse, without the need for producing or isolating separate mutant clones, and the protein-protein interfaces can be determined at amino acid accuracy. The system was validated by analysing the interacting region of JFC1 with Rab8A, and we show that the interaction is mediated via the JFC1 Slp homology domain. In addition, we developed a procedure for the production of nested sets of N- and C-terminal deletion variants of proteins with the Mu system. These variants are useful in many functional studies of proteins, especially in mapping regions involved in protein-protein interactions. This methodology was validated by analysing the region in yeast Mso1 involved in an interaction with Sec1. The results of this study show that the Mu in vitro transposition system is versatile for various applicational purposes and can efficiently be adapted to random protein engineering applications for functional studies of proteins.

A genetic and biochemical analysis of pre-mRNA splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Pre-mRNA splicing requires interaction of cis- acting intron sequences with trans -acting factors: proteins and small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs). The assembly of these factors into a large complex, the spliceosome, is essential for the subsequent two step splicing reaction. First, the 5' splice site is cleaved and free exon 1 and a lariat intermediate (intron- exon2) form. In the second reaction the 3' splice site is cleaved the exons ligated and lariat intron released. A combination of genetic and biochemical techniques have been used here to study pre-mRNA splicing in yeast.

Yeast introns have three highly conserved elements. We made point mutations within these elements and found that most of them affect splicing efficiency in vivo and in vitro, usually by inhibiting spliceosome assembly.

To study trans -acting splicing factors we generated and screened a bank of temperature- sensitive (ts) mutants. Eleven new complementation groups (prp17 to prp27) were isolated. The four phenotypic classes obtained affect different steps in splicing and accumulate either: 1) pre-mRNA, 2) lariat intermediate, 3) excised intron or 4) both pre-mRNA and intron. The latter three classes represent novel phenotypes. The excised intron observed in one mutant: prp26 is stabilized due to protection in a snRNP containing particle. Extracts from another mutant: prpl8 are heat labile and accumulate lariat intermediate and exon 1. This is especially interesting as it allows analysis of the second splicing reaction. In vitro complementation of inactivated prp18 extracts does not require intact snRNPs. These studies have also shown the mutation to be in a previously unknown splicing protein. A specific requirement for A TP is also observed for the second step of splicing. The PRP 18 gene has been cloned and its polyadenylated transcript identified.

Circadian clock mutants of Drosophila melanogaster

Three mutants of Drosophila melanogaster have been isolated in which the free-running period of the circadian eclosion rhythm and the adult locomotor activity rhythm is affected. One mutant is arrhythmic, another has a short period of 19 hours, and the third has a long period of 28 hours. The mutants retain their phenotypes over the temperature range 18° to 25° C. All three mutants map near the tip of the X chromosome (distal to the centromere). By deficiency mapping, the short-period mutation has been localized to the 3B1-2 region. Complementation tests show that all three mutations affect the same functional gene.

Analysis of activity rhythms of individual mosaic flies indicates that the site of action of the short-period mutation is probably located in the head of the fly. A few activity patterns of split-head and mixed-head mosaics appear to possess both mutant and heterozygous components, suggesting that the fly head may contain two complete clocks capable of maintaining their periodicities independently.

The short-period mutation affects both the duration of the light-insensitive part of the oscillation and the degree to which the clock can be reset during the light-sensitive part of the oscillation.

Both the short-period and long-period mutant eclosion rhythms can be entrained to a period of 24 hours by a 12:12 light-dark cycle having a light intensity at least two orders of magnitude greater than that required to entrain the normal rhythm. The arrhythmic mutant does not entrain under these conditions. In the presence of a temperature cycle, however, the arrhythmic mutant does entrain, but its rhythm damps out when the temperature cycle is removed.

Evidence is presented that Pittendrigh's two-oscillator model for the clock in D. pseudoobscura applies to D. melanogaster as well. The three clock mutations primarily affect the light- sensitive driving oscillator. The arrhythmic mutation appears to have eliminated the driving oscillator while leaving the temperature-sensitive driven oscillator relatively intact.

温敏转绿型水稻叶绿素缺失突变体1103s失绿复绿特性研究

叶绿素突变泛指能导致叶绿素代谢失调的核基因或叶绿体基因突变。发生叶绿素突变的植物个体普遍表现为叶色的变化，目前已报道的多数叶绿素突变体为人工诱变产物。叶绿素缺失突变导致的叶结素代谢缺陷实际上反映了叶绿体发育过程的缺陷，研究叶绿素突变更重要的意义是在于阐明叶绿体发育过程。 本研究所用材料1103s是一类特殊的叶绿素突变体，为籼性光敏核不育水稻（Oryza sativa L.）8902s群体中发现的自发突变体。该突本所具有的失绿特性为特定温度条件下才表现出来的瞬时性状，在环境温度恢复后，失绿组织可复发。遗传分析表明该突变由隐性核基因控制。本文不1103s所具有的温度敏感和失绿复绿特性，在亚细胞水平和生理化水平进行了详细的探讨。 叶绿素含量的检测表明，诱导后表现失绿的叶片组织内叶绿素含量明显降低，叶绿素a/b比值升高，原脱植基叶绿素含量低于绿色组织。失绿组织中的这种原脱植基叶绿素在失绿组织中含量的减少是由两方面因素造成的，其一是叶绿素合成过程中原脱植基叶绿素合成之前的某一步过程反应受阻;其二是原脱植基叶绿素向叶绿素转化的过程是正常进行的。 对1103s叶绿体内部的超微结构观察表明：1.控制叶绿素缺失性状的是一多效基因。该基因在特定温度条件下表达时，不仅影响到叶绿体的发育，也对细胞质中的其他细胞器产生重要的影响，其结果是细胞质中的高度有序的内膜系统被大量形状不规则的泡状结构所取代。放大后发现，这类泡状结构由（1）线粒体（2）功能未知的泡状结构I，其内部含颗粒状物质泡结构被膜内还有数层不连续的膜残片（3）功能未知的泡状结构II，其内部含大颗粒状物质。2.该突变体表达失绿和复绿过程中，叶绿体内部膜结构的变化伴随叶绿素含量的变化也有退脂和恢复的过程，但与已报道的其他突体有两个明显的不同：首先，在退化细胞的叶绿体内未观察到前片层体的存在。前片层体是叶绿体发育过程中黄化体阶段常见的非常明显的特殊结构，在电镜下为有规律的晶格状结构。已有研究表明，前片层体的形成与原脱植基叶绿素的积累有密切关系。与组培白化苗中检测到的结果不同，失绿组织中原脱植基叶绿素的含量不但没有积累，反而少于绿色组织中的含量，而造成该突变体在失绿过程中质体内无前片层体形成。其次，1103s在叶绿体退化过程中类囊体膜的变化不同于其化温敏的转绿型叶绿素突变体，尤其是在失绿过程中，其类囊体膜不是以直接解体的方式减少而是以单类囊体膜紧靠为主要特征。 对野生型 8902s与1103s类囊体膜结构的冰冻蚀刻分析表明，1103s失绿叶片上的失绿组织和绿色组织中，EFs面的大颗粒结构均异常。其异常之处表现在每个颗粒明显解离成两个亚单位（上面观），而在野生型8902s中则无上述现象出现。亚单位的解离程度在失绿组织中更明显。有间接证据研究表明，EFs面上的大颗粒代表PS II。如果该推论正确，那么失绿叶片的失绿组织和绿色组织中，PS II都可能是异常的。 另外，通过对失绿组织和绿色组织全叶蛋白双向电泳图谱的比较，得到了一个特异缺失的叶蛋白组分，该蛋白的分子量为51kd。此蛋白在失绿叶片上的失绿组织和绿色组织之间存在组织差异性。通过对该蛋白在不同温度处理和不同遗传背景下的变化规律分析，发现该蛋白是一存在于许多水稻品系叶片中的高含量组分，此蛋白表达本身不受变温诱导过程的影响，而是受另一感温过程的调控。初步分析表明该蛋白为一失绿相关蛋白。 综上所述，1103s所具有的失绿和复绿特性是核基因多效表达的结果，有一感温过程调控下游蛋白表达的复杂过程。此外，该突变特性很可能与PS II的结构异常有关。

High resolution direct measurement of temperature distribution in silicon nanophotonics devices.

Following the miniaturization of photonic devices and the increase in data rates, the issues of self heating and heat removal in active nanophotonic devices should be considered and studied in more details. In this paper we use the approach of Scanning Thermal Microscopy (SThM) to obtain an image of the temperature field of a silicon micro ring resonator with sub-micron spatial resolution. The temperature rise in the device is a result of self heating which is caused by free carrier absorption in the doped silicon. The temperature is measured locally and directly using a temperature sensitive AFM probe. We show that this local temperature measurement is feasible in the photonic device despite the perturbation that is introduced by the probe. Using the above method we observed a significant self heating of about 10 degrees within the device.

质粒RP4CFIts突变体的筛选和KiV表型的分析

用羟胺体外诱变质粒RP4，我们选择到一株温度敏感的菌落形成抑制突变体(temperature-sensitive colony-formation inhibition mutant,简称CFIts突变体)。其表型为在非允许温度时，在固体平板上不能由单个菌体繁殖为集落，类似于在非允许温度时，在固体平板上不能由单个菌体繁殖为集落，类似于文献报道的RP4的KiV基因表型。这种突变体初步认为是kor(KiV控制基因)的温度敏感性突变体，即由于kor蛋白产物的热变性导致KiV产物的过量或异常表达。生化分析研究表明：在非允许条件下，突变体的生长逐步受到抑制（其表现时倍增时间延长），大约繁殖两代后即全面抑制（菌数不再增加）；此时宿主菌的DNA、RNA、蛋白质等大分子合成几乎全部下降，噬菌体产率也明显降低。此时状态是完全可逆的，即在全面抑制后的20小时内，仍可因放回允许温度培养而形成集落。据此抑制现象(KiV表型)的逐步发生性，大分子合成的全面抑制性和完全可逆性判断，很象是宿主菌株在紧急状态下的整体调节机制——严紧型反应。

Immune condition of Chlamys farreri in response to acute temperature challenge

The effects of acute temperature challenge on some immune parameters of haemocyte in Zhikong scallop, Chlamys farreri, recognised as a temperature sensitive bivalve species, were evaluated over a short period of time. Scallops were suddenly transferred from 17 degrees C to 11 degrees C, 23 degrees C and 28 degrees C for a period of 72 h. Total haemocyte count (THC), percentage of phagocytic haemocytes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, acid phosphatase (ACP) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities (in both haemocyte lysate and cell-free haemolymph) were chosen as biomarkers of temperature stress. Results demonstrated that the percentage of phagocytic haemocytes and ACP activity in cell-free haemolymph of scallops challenged at 28 degrees C for 72 h significantly decreased. By contrast, reactive oxygen species production by haemocytes increased when compared to the initial values. It is concluded that haemocyte activities of C. farreri appear to be compromised when scallops were transferred from 17 degrees C to 28 degrees C. Meanwhile, no obvious negative effect of acute temperature stress was detected on haemocyte activities of C. farreri challenged at 11 degrees C, which highlighted the high tolerance of scallops to acute decrease of seawater temperatures. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative mapping of aqueous microfluidic temperature with sub-degree resolution using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

The use of a water-soluble, thermo-responsive polymer as a highly sensitive fluorescence-lifetime probe of microfluidic temperature is demonstrated. The fluorescence lifetime of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) labelled with a benzofurazan fluorophore is shown to have a steep dependence on temperature around the polymer phase transition and the photophysical origin of this response is established. The use of this unusual fluorescent probe in conjunction with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) enables the spatial variation of temperature in a microfluidic device to be mapped, on the micron scale, with a resolution of less than 0.1 degrees C. This represents an increase in temperature resolution of an order of magnitude over that achieved previously by FLIM of temperature-sensitive dyes

Hybrid time dependent/independent solution for the He i line ratio temperature and density diagnostic for a thermal helium beam with applications in the scrape-off layer-edge regions in tokamaks

Spectroscopic studies of line emission intensities and ratios offer an attractive option in the\r\ndevelopment of non-invasive plasma diagnostics. Evaluating ratios of selected He I line\r\nemission profiles from the singlet and triplet neutral helium spin systems allows for simultaneous\r\nmeasurement of electron density (ne) and temperature (Te) profiles. Typically, this powerful\r\ndiagnostic tool is limited by the relatively long relaxation times of the 3S metastable term of helium\r\nthat populates the triplet spin system, and on which electron temperature sensitive lines are based.\r\nBy developing a time dependent analytical solution, we model the time evolution of the two spin\r\nsystems. We present a hybrid time dependent/independent line ratio solution that improves the\r\nrange of application of this diagnostic technique in the scrape-off layer (SOL) and edge plasma\r\nregions when comparing it against the current equilibrium line ratio helium model used at\r\nTEXTOR.