Bacterial photosynthesis in surface waters of the open ocean

The oxidation of the global ocean by cyanobacterial oxygenic photosynthesis, about 2,100 Myr ago, is presumed to have limited anoxygenic bacterial photosynthesis to oceanic regions that are both anoxic and illuminated. The discovery of oxygen-requiring photosynthetic bacteria about 20 years ago changed this notion, indicating that anoxygenic bacterial photosynthesis could persist under oxidizing conditions. However, the distribution of aerobic photosynthetic bacteria in the world oceans, their photosynthetic competence and their relationship to oxygenic photoautotrophs on global scales are unknown. Here we report the first biophysical evidence demonstrating that aerobic bacterial photosynthesis is widespread in tropical surface waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean and in temperate coastal waters of the northwestern Atlantic. Our results indicate that these organisms account for 2-5% of the photosynthetic electron transport in the upper ocean.     

The protein Aly links pre-messenger-RNA splicing to nuclear export in metazoans

In metazoans, most pre-messenger RNAs contain introns that are removed by splicing. The spliced mRNAs are then exported to the cytoplasm. Recent studies showed that splicing promotes efficient mRNA export, but the mechanism for coupling these two processes is not known. Here we show that Aly, the metazoan homologue of the yeast mRNA export factor Yralp (ref. 2), is recruited to messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) complexes generated by splicing. In contrast, Aly does not associate with mRNPs assembled on identical mRNAs that already have no introns or with heterogenous nuclear RNP (hnRNP) complexes. Aly is recruited during spliceosome assembly, and then becomes tightly associated with the spliced mRNP. Aly shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm, and excess recombinant Aly increases both the rate and efficiency of mRNA export in vivo. Consistent with its splicing-dependent recruitment, Aly co-localizes with splicing factors in the nucleus. We conclude that splicing is required for efficient mRNA export as a result of coupling between the splicing and the mRNA export machineries.     

The smallest known non-avian theropod dinosaur

Non-avian dinosaurs are mostly medium to large-sized animals, and to date all known mature specimens are larger than the most primitive bird, Archaeopteryx. Here we report on a new dromaeosaurid dinosaur, Microraptor zhaoianus gen. et sp. nov., from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, China. This is the first mature non-avian dinosaur to be found that is smaller than Archaeopteryx, and it eliminates the size disparity between the earliest birds and their closest non-avian theropod relatives. The more bird-like teeth, the Rahonavis-like ischium and the small number of caudal vertebrae of Microraptor are unique among dromaeosaurids and improve our understanding of the morphological transition to birds. The nearly completely articulated foot shows features, such as distally positioned digit I, slender and recurved pedal claws, and elongated penultimate phalanges, that are comparable to those of arboreal birds. The discovery of these in non-avian theropods provides new insights for studying the palaeoecology of some bird-like theropod dinosaurs.     

Structural basis for binding of Smac/DIABLO to the XIAP BIR3 domain

The inhibitor-of-apoptosis proteins (IAPs) regulate programmed cell death by inhibiting members of the caspase family of enzymes. Recently, a mammalian protein called Smac (also named DIABLO) was identified that binds to the IAPs and promotes caspase activation. Although undefined in the X-ray structure, the amino-terminal residues of Smac are critical for its function. To understand the structural basis for molecular recognition between Smac and the IAPs, we determined the solution structure of the BIR3 domain of X-linked IAP (XIAP) complexed with a functionally active nine-residue peptide derived from the N terminus of Smac. The peptide binds across the third beta-strand of the BIR3 domain in an extended conformation with only the first four residues contacting the protein. The complex is stabilized by four intermolecular hydrogen bonds, an electrostatic interaction involving the N terminus of the peptide, and several hydrophobic interactions. This structural information, along with the binding data from BIR3 and Smac peptide mutants reported here, should aid in the design of small molecules that may be used for the treatment of cancers that overexpress IAPs.     

Insights into SCF ubiquitin ligases from the structure of the Skp1-Skp2 complex

F-box proteins are members of a large family that regulates the cell cycle, the immune response, signalling cascades and developmental programmes by targeting proteins, such as cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, IkappaBalpha and beta-catenin, for ubiquitination (reviewed in refs 1-3). F-box proteins are the substrate-recognition components of SCF (Skp1-Cullin-F-box protein) ubiquitin-protein ligases. They bind the SCF constant catalytic core by means of the F-box motif interacting with Skp1, and they bind substrates through their variable protein-protein interaction domains. The large number of F-box proteins is thought to allow ubiquitination of numerous, diverse substrates. Most organisms have several Skp1 family members, but the function of these Skp1 homologues and the rules of recognition between different F-box and Skp1 proteins remain unknown. Here we describe the crystal structure of the human F-box protein Skp2 bound to Skp1. Skp1 recruits the F-box protein through a bipartite interface involving both the F-box and the substrate-recognition domain. The structure raises the possibility that different Skp1 family members evolved to function with different subsets of F-box proteins, and suggests that the F-box protein may not only recruit substrate, but may also position it optimally for the ubiquitination reaction.     

Tracking an object through feature space

Visual attention allows an observer to select certain visual information for specialized processing. Selection is readily apparent in 'tracking' tasks where even with the eyes fixed, observers can track a target as it moves among identical distractor items. In such a case, a target is distinguished by its spatial trajectory. Here we show that one can keep track of a stationary item solely on the basis of its changing appearance--specified by its trajectory along colour, orientation, and spatial frequency dimensions--even when a distractor shares the same spatial location. This ability to track through feature space bears directly on competing theories of attention, that is, on whether attention can select locations in space, features such as colour or shape, or particular visual objects composed of constellations of visual features. Our results affirm, consistent with a growing body of psychophysical and neurophysiological evidence, that attention can indeed select specific visual objects. Furthermore, feature-space tracking extends the definition of visual object to include not only items with well defined spatio-temporal trajectories, but also those with well defined featuro-temporal trajectories.     

Stability analysis of the simplest Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy control system using circle criterion

A frequency-domain-based sufficient condition is derived to guarantee the globally asymptotic stability of the simplest Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy control system by using the circle criterion. The analysis is performed in the frequency domain, and hence the condition is of great significance when the frequency-response method, which is widely used in the linear control theory and practice, is employed to synthesize the simplest T-S fuzzy controller. Besides, this sufficient condition is featured by a graphical interpretation, which makes the condition straightforward to be used. Comparisons are drawn between the performance of the simplest T-S fuzzy controller and that of the linear compensator. Two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate how this sufficient condition can be applied to both stable and unstable plants.