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Selected AbstractsQuantitative, longitudinal profiling of the primate fecal microbiota reveals idiosyncratic, dynamic communitiesENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Joy Wireman Summary We used slot blot hybridization, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and flow cytometry microarrays to quantify specific 16S rDNAs in weekly fecal specimens from four monkeys housed in a research vivarium for periods ranging from five to 8 months. Even in these uniformly housed and fed animals the gut microbiota is idiosyncratic, very dynamic on short timescales, and shows significant positive and negative correlations among some bacteria as well as responses to heavy metal exposure. The relative quantification (fmol targets per total fmol bacterial 16S rDNA) afforded by flow cytometry microarrays agreed well with the absolute quantification (nanogram of target DNA per nanogram of fecal DNA) afforded by slot blots and qPCR. We also noted strengths and weaknesses in inter-method comparisons for DNA-based quantification of these complex bacterial communities. [source] Contrasting microcystin production and cyanobacterial population dynamics in two Planktothrix -dominated freshwater lakesENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 10 2005Ingmar Janse Summary Microcystin concentrations in two Dutch lakes with an important Planktothrix component were related to the dynamics of cyanobacterial genotypes and biovolumes. Genotype composition was analysed by using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiling of the intergenic transcribed spacer region of the rrn operon (rRNA-ITS), and biovolumes were measured by using microscopy. In Lake Tjeukemeer, microcystins were present throughout summer (maximum concentration 30 µg l,1) while cyanobacterial diversity was low and very constant. The dominant phototroph was Planktothrix agardhii. In contrast, Lake Klinckenberg showed a high microcystin peak (up to 140 µg l,1) of short duration. In this lake, cyanobacterial diversity was higher and very dynamic with apparent genotype successions. Several genotypes derived from DGGE field profiles matched with genotypes from cultures isolated from field samples. The microcystin peak measured in Lake Klinckenberg could be confidently linked to a bloom of Planktothrix rubescens, as microscopic and genotypic analysis showed identity of bloom samples and a toxin-producing P. rubescens culture. Toxin-producing genotypes were detected in the microbial community before they reached densities at which they were detected by using microscopy. Cyanobacterial biovolumes provided additional insights in bloom dynamics. In both lakes, the microcystin content per cell was highest at the onset of the blooms. Our results suggest that while genotypic characterization of a lake can be valuable for detection of toxic organisms, for some lakes a monitoring of algal biomass has sufficient predictive value for an assessment of toxin production. [source] Analytical modelling of users' behaviour and performance metrics in key distribution schemesEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 1 2010Massimo Tornatore Access control for group communications must ensure that only legitimate users can access the authorised data streams. This could be done by distributing an encrypting key to each member of the group to be secured. To achieve a high level of security, the group key should be changed every time a user joins or leaves the group, so that a former group member has no access to current communications and a new member has no access to previous communications. Since group memberships could be very dynamic, the group key should be changed frequently. So far, different schemes for efficient key distribution have been proposed to limit the key-distribution overhead. In previous works, the performance comparison among these different schemes have been based on simulative experiments, where users join and leave secure groups according to a basic statistical model of users' behaviour. In this paper, we propose a new statistical model to account for the behaviour of users and compare it to the modelling approach so far adopted in the literature. Our new model is able to to lead the system to a steady state (allowing a superior statistical confidence of the results), as opposed to current models in which the system is permanently in a transient and diverging state. We also provide analytical formulations of the main performance metrics usually adopted to evaluate key distribution systems, such as rekey overheads and storage overheads. Then, we validate our simulative outcomes with results obtained by analytical formulations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Cadherins in neural crest cell development and transformationJOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2001Patrick Pla Cadherins constitute a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules involved in cell-cell interaction, histogenesis and cellular transformation. They have been implicated in the development of various lineages, including derivatives of the neural crest. Neural crest cells (NCC) emerge from the dorsal part of the neural tube after an epithelio-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migrate through the embryo. After homing and differentiation, NCC give rise to many cell types, such as neurons, Schwann cells and melanocytes. During these steps, the pattern of expression of the various cadherins studied is very dynamic. Cadherins also display plasticity of expression during the transformation of neural crest cell derivatives. Here, we review the pattern of expression and the role of the main cadherins involved in the development and transformation of neural crest cell derivatives. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Click Chemistry: A Powerful Tool to Create Polymer-Based Macromolecular ChimerasMACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, Issue 12-13 2008Benjamin Le Droumaguet Abstract The combination of polymeric with biological materials, to create biohybrid macromolecules that merge the properties of both the natural and synthetic components, is a flourishing area in both life sciences and biotechnology. The click chemistry philosophy has recently provided a powerful tool in this direction, leading to a plethora of novel, tailor-made biomacromolecules with unprecedented structural characteristics and properties. The different synthetic strategies, using the alkyne,azide click cycloadditions to bioorthogonally achieve the coupling of synthetic polymers with nucleic acids, peptides, sugars, proteins or even viruses and cells is described. The review covers the latest developments in this very dynamic and rapidly expanding field. [source] Lymphocyte-specific murine deubiquitinating enzymes induced by cytokinesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2002Kwang-Hyun Baek Abstract It is becoming clear that a number of proteins regulating cellular mechanisms for homeostasis in all eukaryotes are controlled not only by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation but also by ubiquitination and deubiquitination. This includes most of oncoproteins and signaling components involved in receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-mediated signal transduction pathways. Like protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation regulated by kinases and phosphatases, respectively, protein ubiquitination and deubiquitination are very dynamic and are regulated by ubiquitin conjugating enzymes and deubiquitinating (DUB) enzymes. A number of deubiquitinating enzymes have been isolated even though little is known about their biological functions. This review concentrates on recent findings and new insights into DUB enzyme subfamily members in lymphocytes. Am. J. Hematol. 71:340,345, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Family of GFP-Like Proteins: Structure, Function, Photophysics and Biosensor Applications.PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Introduction, Perspective ABSTRACT In this issue, we offer a symposium-in-print that is focused on several new advancements in fundamental research related to the family of GFP (green fluorescent protein)-like proteins. A few applied aspects are also included to illustrate the impact this amazing set of colored proteins has made on our understanding of cell biology at the molecular level. The six articles presented here cut across several disciplines ranging from biological function to protein structure to photophysical aspects. These highly original pieces of work include both experimental and computational approaches, and will provide the reader with significant insight into current, state-of-the-art research activities in this very dynamic and fast-paced field. In the first part of this perspective, I will give a brief overview of the history and salient features of GFPs, cite some examples that illustrate their impact on biotechnology, and provide a brief review of the structural and chemical features that lend these proteins their fascinating appearance. In the second part, I will introduce each of the peer-reviewed contributions of the participating authors. [source] Mesophyll conductance to CO2: current knowledge and future prospectsPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2008JAUME FLEXAS ABSTRACT During photosynthesis, CO2 moves from the atmosphere (Ca) surrounding the leaf to the sub-stomatal internal cavities (Ci) through stomata, and from there to the site of carboxylation inside the chloroplast stroma (Cc) through the leaf mesophyll. The latter CO2 diffusion component is called mesophyll conductance (gm), and can be divided in at least three components, that is, conductance through intercellular air spaces (gias), through cell wall (gw) and through the liquid phase inside cells (gliq). A large body of evidence has accumulated in the past two decades indicating that gm is sufficiently small as to significantly decrease Cc relative to Ci, therefore limiting photosynthesis. Moreover, gm is not constant, and it changes among species and in response to environmental factors. In addition, there is now evidence that gliq and, in some cases, gw, are the main determinants of gm. Mesophyll conductance is very dynamic, changing in response to environmental variables as rapid or even faster than stomatal conductance (i.e. within seconds to minutes). A revision of current knowledge on gm is presented. Firstly, a historical perspective is given, highlighting the founding works and methods, followed by a re-examination of the range of variation of gm among plant species and functional groups, and a revision of the responses of gm to different external (biotic and abiotic) and internal (developmental, structural and metabolic) factors. The possible physiological bases for gm, including aquaporins and carbonic anhydrases, are discussed. Possible ecological implications for variable gm are indicated, and the errors induced by neglecting gm when interpreting photosynthesis and carbon isotope discrimination models are highlighted. Finally, a series of research priorities for the near future are proposed. [source] |