Deep carbon export from a Southern Ocean iron-fertilized diatom bloom

Fertilization of the ocean by adding iron compounds has induced diatom-dominated phytoplankton blooms accompanied by considerable carbon dioxide drawdown in the ocean surface layer. However, because the fate of bloom biomass could not be adequately resolved in these experiments, the timescales of carbon sequestration from the atmosphere are uncertain. Here we report the results of a five-week experiment carried out in the closed core of a vertically coherent, mesoscale eddy of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, during which we tracked sinking particles from the surface to the deep-sea floor. A large diatom bloom peaked in the fourth week after fertilization. This was followed by mass mortality of several diatom species that formed rapidly sinking, mucilaginous aggregates of entangled cells and chains. Taken together, multiple lines of evidence-although each with important uncertainties-lead us to conclude that at least half the bloom biomass sank far below a depth of 1,000 metres and that a substantial portion is likely to have reached the sea floor. Thus, iron-fertilized diatom blooms may sequester carbon for timescales of centuries in ocean bottom water and for longer in the sediments.     

Large-scale production of functional membrane proteins

The preparation of sufficient amounts of high-quality samples is still the major bottleneck for the characterization of membrane proteins by in vitro approaches. The hydrophobic nature, the requirement for complicated transport and modification pathways, and the often observed negative effects on membrane properties are intrinsic features of membrane proteins that frequently cause significant problems in overexpression studies. Establishing efficient protocols for the production of functionally folded membrane proteins is therefore a challenging task, and numerous specific characteristics have to be considered. In addition, a variety of expression systems have been developed, and choice of appropriate techniques could strongly depend on the desired target membrane proteins as well as on their intended applications. The production of membrane proteins is a highly dynamic field and new or modified approaches are frequently emerging. The review will give an overview of currently established processes for the production of functionally folded membrane proteins.     

Effects of monochromatic X-radiation on the membrane of nodes of ranvier under voltage and current clamp conditions

Summary Monochromatic Ag-K_a-radiation decreased irreversibly the peak sodium current in nodes of Ranvier. This decrease occurs only with a delay of about 1000 sec after a threshold dose of about 8 kR has been reached. Potassium current and resting potential are practically not affected.Dedicated to Prof. Dr Dres h.c. Robert Stämpfli on the occasion of his 65th birthday.Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, SFB 38, Membranforschung Bonn-Bad Godesberg.     

Accretion of low-metallicity gas by the Milky Way

Models of the chemical evolution of the Milky Way suggest that the observed abundances of elements heavier than helium ('metals') require a continuous infall of gas with metallicity (metal abundance) about 0.1 times the solar value. An infall rate integrated over the entire disk of the Milky Way of approximately 1 solar mass per year can solve the 'G-dwarf problem'--the observational fact that the metallicities of most long-lived stars near the Sun lie in a relatively narrow range. This infall dilutes the enrichment arising from the production of heavy elements in stars, and thereby prevents the metallicity of the interstellar medium from increasing steadily with time. However, in other spiral galaxies, the low-metallicity gas needed to provide this infall has been observed only in associated dwarf galaxies and in the extreme outer disk of the Milky Way. In the distant Universe, low-metallicity hydrogen clouds (known as 'damped Ly alpha absorbers') are sometimes seen near galaxies. Here we report a metallicity of 0.09 times solar for a massive cloud that is falling into the disk of the Milky Way. The mass flow associated with this cloud represents an infall per unit area of about the theoretically expected rate, and approximately 0.1-0.2 times the amount required for the whole Galaxy.     

The role of pyrophosphate and alkaline phosphatase in skin calcification (calciphylaxis)

Zusammenfassung Durch KMnO₄-Injektionen hervorgerufene lokale Hautverkalkung kann durch Pyrophosphatinjektionen verhindert werden. Durch alkalische Phosphatase wird die Pyrophosphatwirkung aufgehoben.     

Positioning of follicular dendritic cells within the spleen controls prion neuroinvasion

Peripheral infection is the natural route of transmission in most prion diseases. Peripheral prion infection is followed by rapid prion replication in lymphoid organs, neuroinvasion and progressive neurological disease. Both immune cells and nerves are involved in pathogenesis, but the mechanisms of prion transfer from the immune to the nervous system are unknown. Here we show that ablation of the chemokine receptor CXCR5 juxtaposes follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) to major splenic nerves, and accelerates the transfer of intraperitoneally administered prions into the spinal cord. Neuroinvasion velocity correlated exclusively with the relative locations of FDCs and nerves: transfer of CXCR5-/- bone marrow to wild-type mice induced perineural FDCs and enhanced neuroinvasion, whereas reciprocal transfer to CXCR5-/- mice abolished them and restored normal efficiency of neuroinvasion. Suppression of lymphotoxin signalling depleted FDCs, abolished splenic infectivity, and suppressed acceleration of pathogenesis in CXCR5-/- mice. This suggests that prion neuroimmune transition occurs between FDCs and sympathetic nerves, and relative positioning of FDCs and nerves controls the efficiency of peripheral prion infection.     

Expression of functional potassium channels from Shaker cDNA in Xenopus oocytes

The Shaker gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes a potassium-selective ion channel, the 'A' channel, or one of its subunits. A single Shaker messenger RNA species suffices to direct the synthesis of functional A channels in Xenopus oocytes. Physiological characteristics of the A currents induced by two different mRNA species are compared.