Cryopreservation of clonal and polyclonal populations of .

Long-term preservation of laboratory strains of has historically involved either liquid nitrogen cryopreservation, which is expensive and labor intensive, or storage on agar plates, which requires frequent transfer to new plates, and which may leave samples susceptible to contamination as well as genetic drift and/or selection. The emergence of as a model organism for genetic analysis and experimental evolution has produced an increasing demand for an efficient method to cryopreserve populations. The GeneArt™ Cryopreservation Kit for Algae provides the first method for algal storage at -80°C; however, little is known about how this method affects recovery of different clones, much less polyclonal populations.

Bacteriophage M13 Aggregation on a Microhole Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Substrate Produces an Anionic Current Rectifier: Sensitivity toward Anionic versus Cationic Guests.

Bacteriophage material (M13, wild-type) deposited as a film onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate (6 μm thick with a 20 μm diameter laser-drilled microhole) has been investigated for ion conductivity and ionic current rectification effects for potential applications in membranes. The M13 aggregate membrane forms under acidic conditions (in aqueous 10 mM acids) and behaves like a microporous anion conductor with micropores defined by the packing of cylindrical virus particles. Asymmetric deposition on the PET film substrate in conjunction with semipermeability leads to anionic diode behavior.

De novo origins of multicellularity in response to predation.

The transition from unicellular to multicellular life was one of a few major events in the history of life that created new opportunities for more complex biological systems to evolve. Predation is hypothesized as one selective pressure that may have driven the evolution of multicellularity. Here we show that de novo origins of simple multicellularity can evolve in response to predation.

Genetics of a de novo origin of undifferentiated multicellularity.

The evolution of multicellularity was a major transition in evolution and set the stage for unprecedented increases in complexity, especially in land plants and animals. Here, we explore the genetics underlying a de novo origin of multicellularity in a microbial evolution experiment carried out on the green alga . We show that large-scale changes in gene expression underlie the transition to a multicellular life cycle.

Ultrathin Uniform Platinum Nanowires via a Facile Route Using an Inverse Hexagonal Surfactant Phase Template.

We present an attractive method for the fabrication of long, straight, highly crystalline, ultrathin platinum nanowires. The fabrication is simply achieved using an inverse hexagonal (H) lyotropic liquid crystal phase of the commercial surfactant phytantriol as a template. A platinum precursor dissolved within the cylindrical aqueous channels of the liquid crystal phase is chemically reduced by galvanic displacement using stainless steel.