Phylogenetic analysis and homology modelling of a new Cry8A crystal protein expressed in a sporulating soil bacterium.

Cry proteins, commonly found in Gram-positive soil bacteria, are used worldwide as aerial sprays or in transgenic plants for controlling crop pest populations and insect vectors. Via PCR analysis, a spore producing soil isolate (BV5) was speculated to encode a Cry gene. Partial nucleotide sequence of the amplified PCR fragment showed homology with the Cry8 genes present in GenBank.

Structural models predict a significantly higher binding affinity between the NblA protein of cyanophage Ma-LMM01 and the phycocyanin of NIES-298 compared to the host homolog.

Horizontal gene transfer events between viruses and hosts are widespread across the virosphere. In cyanophage-host systems, such events often involve the transfer of genes involved in photosynthetic processes. The genome of the lytic cyanophage Ma-LMM01 infecting the toxic, bloom-forming, freshwater NIES-298 contains a homolog of the () gene, which was probably transferred from a cyanobacterial host.

Life Cycle Assessment on Agricultural Production: A Mini Review on Methodology, Application, and Challenges.

Agricultural Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an effective tool for the quantitative evaluation and analysis of agricultural materials production and operation activities in various stages of the agricultural system. Based on the concept of life cycle, it comprehensively summarizes the impact of agriculture on the environment, which is an effective tool to promote the sustainability and green development of agriculture. In recent years, agricultural LCA has been widely used in the agroecosystem for resource and environmental impacts analysis.

Vero cells gain renal tubule markers in low-calcium and magnesium chemically defined media.

In this study, a chemically defined, animal component-free media was developed to promote Vero growth in suspension. Key media compounds were screened using Plackett-Burman styled experiments to create a media formulation to support suspension growth. Vero cells remained viable in suspension, but their growth rate was extremely low, conversely, other cell types such as CHO-K1, MDCK and HEK293T were able to grow in single cell suspension in the same media.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory Model for Biochar Additions to Soil.

Stabilizing the global climate within safe bounds will require greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reach net zero within a few decades. Achieving this is expected to require removal of CO from the atmosphere to offset some hard-to-eliminate emissions. There is, therefore, a clear need for GHG accounting protocols that quantify the mitigation impact of CO removal practices, such as biochar sequestration, that have the potential to be deployed at scale.

Natural climate solutions for Canada.

Alongside the steep reductions needed in fossil fuel emissions, natural climate solutions (NCS) represent readily deployable options that can contribute to Canada's goals for emission reductions. We estimate the mitigation potential of 24 NCS related to the protection, management, and restoration of natural systems that can also deliver numerous co-benefits, such as enhanced soil productivity, clean air and water, and biodiversity conservation. NCS can provide up to 78.

Monitoring Microbial Populations and Antibiotic Resistance Gene Enrichment Associated with Arctic Waste Stabilization Ponds.

Wastewater management in the Canadian Arctic is challenging due to climate extremes, small population sizes, and lack of conventional infrastructure for wastewater treatment. Although many northern communities use waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) as their primary form of wastewater treatment, few studies have explored WSP microbial communities and assessed effluent impacts on receiving waters from a microbiological perspective. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene and metagenome sequencing to characterize WSP and receiving water microbial communities for two time points bracketing the spring WSP thaw in Baker Lake (Nunavut) and compared these results to other Nunavut WSPs in Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk.

Influence of two management practices in the Canadian Prairies on radiative forcing.

Surface albedo and soil carbon sequestration are influenced by agricultural management practices which impact the Earth's radiation budget and climate change. In this study we investigate the impact of reduced summer fallowing and reduced tillage in the Canadian Prairies on climate change by estimating the change in radiative forcing due to albedo and soil carbon sequestration. Seasonal variations of albedo, which are dependent on agricultural management practices and soil colour in three soil zones, were derived from 10-day composite 250-m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data.

Slr4, a newly identified S-layer protein from marine Gammaproteobacteria, is a major biofilm matrix component.

S-layers are paracrystalline proteinaceous lattices that surround prokaryotic cells, forming a critical interface between the cells and their extracellular environment. Here, we report the discovery of a novel S-layer protein present in the Gram-negative marine organism, Pseudoalteromonas tunicata D2. An uncharacterized protein (EAR28894) was identified as the most abundant protein in planktonic cultures and biofilms.

Effects of nitrogen deposition and litter layer management on soil CO, NO, and CH emissions in a subtropical pine forestland.

Forestland soils play vital role in regulating global soil greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets, but the interactive effect of the litter layer management and simulated nitrogen (N) deposition on these GHG flux has not been elucidated clearly in subtropical forestland. A field trial was conducted to study these effects by using litter removal method under 0 and 40 kg N ha yr addition in a subtropical forestland in Yingtan, Jiangxi Province, China. Soil CO emission was increased by N addition (18-24%) but decreased by litter removal (24-32%).

Beef cattle production impacts soil organic carbon storage.

Grazing of natural rangeland and seeded pasture is an important feeding strategy for the Canadian beef cattle industry. As a consequence, beef cattle population has a direct influence on the proportion of land base maintained as perennial forage, which in turn changes soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. We examined historical relationships between the net change in SOC resulting from perennial/annual crop conversion and beef cattle populations.

Effect of long-acting β-agonists/glucocorticoids on human airway epithelial cell cytokine, transcriptomic and oxidative stress responses to cannabis smoke.

http://bit.ly/2qiSQhH.

Transcriptomic and barrier responses of human airway epithelial cells exposed to cannabis smoke.

Globally, many jurisdictions are legalizing or decriminalizing cannabis, creating a potential public health issue that would benefit from experimental evidence to inform policy, government regulations, and user practices. Tobacco smoke exposure science has created a body of knowledge that demonstrates the conclusive negative impacts on respiratory health; similar knowledge remains to be established for cannabis. To address this unmet need, we performed in vitro functional and transcriptomic experiments with a human airway epithelial cell line (Calu-3) exposed to cannabis smoke, with tobacco smoke as a positive control.

Nutrient Loss in Snowmelt Runoff: Results from a Long-term Study in a Dryland Cropping System.

Snowmelt runoff often comprises the majority of annual runoff in the Canadian Prairies and a significant proportion of total nutrient loss from agricultural land to surface water. Our objective was to determine the effect of agroecosystem management on snowmelt runoff and nutrient losses from a long-term field experiment at Swift Current, SK. Runoff quantity, nutrient concentrations, and loads were estimated after a change in management from conventionally tilled wheat ( L.

Climate and Soil Characteristics Determine Where No-Till Management Can Store Carbon in Soils and Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Adoption of no-till management on croplands has become a controversial approach for storing carbon in soil due to conflicting findings. Yet, no-till is still promoted as a management practice to stabilize the global climate system from additional change due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, including the 4 per mille initiative promoted through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. We evaluated the body of literature surrounding this practice, and found that SOC storage can be higher under no-till management in some soil types and climatic conditions even with redistribution of SOC, and contribute to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions.

Effect of Increasing Species Diversity and Grazing Management on Pasture Productivity, Animal Performance, and Soil Carbon Sequestration of Re-Established Pasture in Canadian Prairie.

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of type of pasture mix and grazing management on pasture productivity, animal response and soil organic carbon (SOC) level. Pasture was established in 2001 on 16 paddocks of 2.1 ha that had been primarily in wheat and summer fallow.

The GRHL2/ZEB Feedback Loop-A Key Axis in the Regulation of EMT in Breast Cancer.

More than 90% of cancer-related deaths are caused by metastasis. Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) causes tumor cell dissemination while the reverse process, Mesenchymal-to-Epithelial Transition (MET) allows cancer cells to grow and establish a potentially deadly metastatic lesion. Recent evidence indicates that in addition to E and M, cells can adopt a stable hybrid Epithelial/Mesenchymal (E/M) state where they can move collectively leading to clusters of Circulating Tumor Cells-the "bad actors" of metastasis.

Litter decay controlled by temperature, not soil properties, affecting future soil carbon.

Widespread global changes, including rising atmospheric CO concentrations, climate warming and loss of biodiversity, are predicted for this century; all of these will affect terrestrial ecosystem processes like plant litter decomposition. Conversely, increased plant litter decomposition can have potential carbon-cycle feedbacks on atmospheric CO levels, climate warming and biodiversity. But predicting litter decomposition is difficult because of many interacting factors related to the chemical, physical and biological properties of soil, as well as to climate and agricultural management practices.

Grazing improves C and N cycling in the Northern Great Plains: a meta-analysis.

Grazing potentially alters grassland ecosystem carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage and cycles, however, the overall direction and magnitude of such alterations are poorly understood on the Northern Great Plains (NGP). By synthesizing data from multiple studies on grazed NGP ecosystems, we quantified the response of 30 variables to C and N pools and fluxes to grazing using a comprehensive meta-analysis method. Results showed that grazing enhanced soil C (5.

Assessing the bioremediation potential of algal species indigenous to oil sands process-affected waters on mixtures of oil sands acid extractable organics.

Surface mining extraction of bitumen from oil sand in Alberta, Canada results in the accumulation of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). In attempts to maximize water recycling, and because its constituents are recognized as being toxic, OSPW is retained in settling basins. Consequently, research efforts are currently focused on developing remediation strategies capable of detoxifying OSPW to allow for eventual release.

An omics approach to rational feed: Enhancing growth in CHO cultures with NMR metabolomics and 2D-DIGE proteomics.

Expression of recombinant proteins exerts stress on cell culture systems, affecting the expression of endogenous proteins, and contributing to the depletion of nutrients and accumulation of waste metabolites. In this work, 2D-DIGE proteomics was employed to analyze differential expression of proteins following stable transfection of a Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell line to constitutively express a heavy-chain monoclonal antibody. Thirty-four proteins of significant differential expression were identified and cross-referenced with cellular functions and metabolic pathways to identify points of cell stress.

Pathogen-secreted proteases activate a novel plant immune pathway.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades play central roles in innate immune signalling networks in plants and animals. In plants, however, the molecular mechanisms of how signal perception is transduced to MAPK activation remain elusive. Here we report that pathogen-secreted proteases activate a previously unknown signalling pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana involving the Gα, Gβ, and Gγ subunits of heterotrimeric G-protein complexes, which function upstream of an MAPK cascade.

Pollux: platform independent error correction of single and mixed genomes.

Background: Second-generation sequencers generate millions of relatively short, but error-prone, reads. These errors make sequence assembly and other downstream projects more challenging. Correcting these errors improves the quality of assemblies and projects which benefit from error-free reads.

Optimization of culturing conditions for toxicity testing with the alga Oophila sp. (Chlorophyceae), an amphibian endosymbiont.

Eggs of the yellow-spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) have a symbiotic relationship with green algae. It has been suggested that contaminants that are preferentially toxic to algae, such as herbicides, may impair the symbiont and, hence, indirectly affect the development of the salamander embryo. To enable testing under near-standard conditions for first-tier toxicity screening, the authors isolated the alga from field-collected eggs and identified conditions providing exponential growth rates in the apparent asexual phase of the alga.

A modelling approach to evaluate the long-term effect of soil texture on spring wheat productivity under a rain-fed condition.

Soil surface texture is an important environmental factor that influences crop productivity because of its direct effect on soil water and complex interactions with other environmental factors. Using 30-year data, an agricultural system model (DSSAT-CERES-Wheat) was calibrated and validated. After validation, the modelled yield and water use (WU) of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.