Publications by authors named "Kathryn A Bennett"

Arctic wetlands are known methane (CH) emitters but recent studies suggest that the Arctic CH sink strength may be underestimated. Here we explore the capacity of well-drained Arctic soils to consume atmospheric CH using >40,000 hourly flux observations and spatially distributed flux measurements from 4 sites and 14 surface types. While consumption of atmospheric CH occurred at all sites at rates of 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Metal contamination in Arctic areas is a public health concern due to mining activities and permafrost thaw, which releases heavy metals from soils into food and water sources.
  • The study evaluated soil concentrations of heavy metals like arsenic, chromium, mercury, nickel, and lead using over 1,000 samples from the USGS Alaskan Geochemical Database.
  • Findings showed uneven sampling across regions, with metal concentrations often exceeding average US soil levels, particularly in deeper layers, highlighting significant research gaps concerning heavy metal mobilization in thawing permafrost and its implications for local communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nutrient deprivation based on the loss of essential amino acids by catabolic enzymes in the microenvironment is a critical means to control inflammatory responses and immune tolerance. Here we report the novel finding that Tph-1 (tryptophan hydroxylase-1), a synthase which catalyses the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin and exhausts tryptophan, is a potent regulator of immunity. In models of skin allograft tolerance, tumor growth, and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, Tph-1 deficiency breaks allograft tolerance, induces tumor remission, and intensifies neuroinflammation, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

It is known that vitamin A and its metabolite, retinoic acid (RA), are essential for host defense. However, the mechanisms for how RA controls inflammation are incompletely understood. The findings presented in this study show that RA signaling occurs concurrent with the development of inflammation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Granzyme B (GZB) has been implicated as an effector mechanism in regulatory T cells (T(reg)) suppression. In a model of T(reg)-dependent graft tolerance, it is shown that GZB- deficient mice are unable to establish long-term tolerance. Moreover, mice overexpressing the inhibitor of GZB, serine protease inhibitor 6, are also resistant to tolerization to alloantigen.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF