An experimental oil spill at a tidal freshwater wetland along the St. Lawrence River re-visited after 21 years.

In 1999, a tidal wetland located along the St. Lawrence River close to Ste. Croix de Lotbinière (Quebec, Eastern Canada) was the site of an experimental oil spill. Test plots were established and subjected to an experimental crude oil spill to evaluate natural attenuation, nutrient amendment and vegetation cropping as countermeasures. In 2020, this study re-visited the test plots to investigate residual oil and habitat recovery. Only concentrations of mid-chain length n-alkanes (C10-C36), but not of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were significantly above detection limit, and were detected in both test plot and control sediments. Hydrocarbon, total organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphate contents did not differ significantly between test plot and control sediments. Microbial analyses did not detect significant differences in microbial load, microbial diversity or microbial community composition between test plot and control sediments. Key genes for the aerobic and anaerobic degradation of n-alkanes as well as for the aerobic degradation of PAHs were detected in all sediment samples. Associated gene abundances did not differ significantly between test plot and control sediments. This study shows that oil-exposed test plot sediments of the Ste. Croix wetland can be considered completely recovered after 21 years irrespective of the performed countermeasure.

Long-term biodegradation of crude oil in high-arctic backshore sediments: The Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) after nearly four decades.

With an on-going disproportional warming of the Arctic Ocean and the reduction of the sea ice cover, the risk of an accidental oil spill from ships or future oil exploration is increasing. It is hence important to know how crude oil weathers in this environment and what factors affect oil biodegradation in the Arctic. However, this topic is currently poorly studied. In the 1980s, the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) project carried out a series of simulated oil spills in the backshore zone of beaches located on Baffin Island in the Canadian High Arctic. In this study two BIOS sites were re-visited, offering the unique opportunity to study the long-term weathering of crude oil under Arctic conditions. Here we show that residual oil remains present at these sites even after almost four decades since the original oiling. Oil at both BIOS sites appears to have attenuated very slowly with estimated loss rates of 1.8-2.7% per year. The presence of residual oil continues to significantly affect sediment microbial communities at the sites as manifested by a significantly decreased diversity, differences in the abundance of microorganisms and an enrichment of putative oil-degrading bacteria in oiled sediments. Reconstructed genomes of putative oil degraders suggest that only a subset is specifically adapted for growth under psychrothermic conditions, further reducing the time for biodegradation during the already short Arctic summers. Altogether, this study shows that crude oil spilled in the Arctic can persist and significantly affect the Arctic ecosystem for a long time, in the order of several decades.

Impact of sample collection on prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity of niche environments of the oil-sand mining impacted Athabasca River.

Microbial communities are an important aspect of overall riverine ecology; however, appreciation of the effects of anthropogenic activities on unique riverine microbial niches, and how the collection of these samples affects the observed diversity and community profile is lacking. We analyzed prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities from surface water, biofilms, and suspended load niches along a gradient of oil sands-related contamination in the Athabasca River (Alberta, Canada), with suspended load or particle-associated communities collected either via Kenney Sampler or centrifugation manifold. At the phylum level, different niche communities were highly similar to each other and across locations. However, there were significant differences in the abundance of specific genera among the different niches and across sampling locations. A generalized linear model revealed that use of the Kenney Sampler resulted in more diverse bacterial and eukaryotic suspended load community than centrifugal collection, though suspended load communities collected by any means remained stably diverse across locations. Although there was an influence of water quality parameters on community composition, all sampled sites support diverse bacterial and eukaryotic communities regardless of the degree of contamination, highlighting the need to look beyond ecological diversity as a means of assessing ecological perturbations, and consider collecting samples from multiple niche environments.

Dominant gut Prevotella copri in gastrectomised non-obese diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats improves glucose homeostasis through enhanced FXR signalling.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Drug and surgical-based therapies in type 2 diabetes are associated with altered gut microbiota architecture. Here we investigated the role of the gut microbiome in improved glucose homeostasis following bariatric surgery. METHODS: We carried out gut microbiome analyses in gastrectomised (by vertical sleeve gastrectomy [VSG]) rats of the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) non-obese model of spontaneously occurring type 2 diabetes, followed by physiological studies in the GK rat. RESULTS: VSG in the GK rat led to permanent improvement of glucose tolerance associated with minor changes in the gut microbiome, mostly characterised by significant enrichment of caecal Prevotella copri. Gut microbiota enrichment with P. copri in GK rats through permissive antibiotic treatment, inoculation of gut microbiota isolated from gastrectomised GK rats, and direct inoculation of P. copri, resulted in significant improvement of glucose tolerance, independent of changes in body weight. Plasma bile acids were increased in GK rats following inoculation with P. copri and P. copri-enriched microbiota from VSG-treated rats; the inoculated GK rats then showed increased liver glycogen and upregulated expression of Fxr (also known as Nr1h4), Srebf1c, Chrebp (also known as Mlxipl) and Il10 and downregulated expression of Cyp7a1. CONCLUSIONS: Our data underline the impact of intestinal P. copri on improved glucose homeostasis through enhanced bile acid metabolism and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) signalling, which may represent a promising opportunity for novel type 2 diabetes therapeutics.

Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic responses of natural oil degrading bacteria in the presence of dispersants.

Oil biodegradation has been extensively studied in the wake of the deepwater horizon spill, but the application of dispersant to oil spills in marine environments remains controversial. Here, we report metagenomic (MG) and metatranscriptomic (MT) data mining from microcosm experiments investigating the oil degrading potential of Canadian west and east coasts to estimate the gene abundance and activity of oil degrading bacteria in the presence of dispersant. We found that the addition of dispersant to crude oil mainly favours the abundance of Thalassolituus in the summer and Oleispira in the winter, two key natural oil degrading bacteria. We found a high abundance of genes related not only to n-alkane and aromatics degradation but also associated with transporters, two-component systems, bacterial motility, secretion systems and bacterial chemotaxis.

Potential for Microbially Mediated Natural Attenuation of Diluted Bitumen on the Coast of British Columbia (Canada).

Western Canada produces large amounts of bitumen, a heavy, highly weathered crude oil. Douglas Channel and Hecate Strait on the coast of British Columbia are two water bodies that may be impacted by a proposed pipeline and marine shipping route for diluted bitumen (dilbit). This study investigated the potential of microbial communities from these waters to mitigate the impacts of a potential dilbit spill. Microcosm experiments were set up with water samples representing different seasons, years, sampling stations, and dilbit blends. While the alkane fraction of the tested dilbit blends was almost completely degraded after 28 days, the majority of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remained. The addition of the dispersant Corexit 9500A most often had either no effect or an enhancing effect on dilbit degradation. Dilbit-degrading microbial communities were highly variable between seasons, years, and stations, with dilbit type having little impact on community trajectories. Potential oil-degrading genera showed a clear succession pattern and were for the most part recruited from the "rare biosphere." At the community level, dispersant appeared to stimulate an accelerated enrichment of genera typically associated with hydrocarbon degradation, even in dilbit-free controls. This suggests that dispersant-induced growth of hydrocarbon degraders (and not only increased bioavailability of oil-associated hydrocarbons) contributes to the degradation-enhancing effect previously reported for Corexit 9500A.IMPORTANCE Western Canada hosts large petroleum deposits, which ultimately enter the market in the form of dilbit. Tanker-based shipping represents the primary means to transport dilbit to international markets. With anticipated increases in production to meet global energy needs, the risk of a dilbit spill is expected to increase. This study investigated the potential of microbial communities naturally present in the waters of a potential dilbit shipping lane to mitigate the effects of a spill. Here we show that microbial degradation of dilbit was mostly limited to n-alkanes, while the overall concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which represent the most toxic fraction of dilbit, decreased only slightly within the time frame of our experiments. We further investigated the effect of the oil dispersant Corexit 9500A on microbial dilbit degradation. Our results highlight the fact that dispersant-associated growth stimulation, and not only increased bioavailability of hydrocarbons and inhibition of specific genera, contributes to the overall effect of dispersant addition.

The genome of the vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus).

We describe a genome reference of the African green monkey or vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops). This member of the Old World monkey (OWM) superfamily is uniquely valuable for genetic investigations of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), for which it is the most abundant natural host species, and of a wide range of health-related phenotypes assessed in Caribbean vervets (C. a. sabaeus), whose numbers have expanded dramatically since Europeans introduced small numbers of their ancestors from West Africa during the colonial era. We use the reference to characterize the genomic relationship between vervets and other primates, the intra-generic phylogeny of vervet subspecies, and genome-wide structural variations of a pedigreed C. a. sabaeus population. Through comparative analyses with human and rhesus macaque, we characterize at high resolution the unique chromosomal fission events that differentiate the vervets and their close relatives from most other catarrhine primates, in whom karyotype is highly conserved. We also provide a summary of transposable elements and contrast these with the rhesus macaque and human. Analysis of sequenced genomes representing each of the main vervet subspecies supports previously hypothesized relationships between these populations, which range across most of sub-Saharan Africa, while uncovering high levels of genetic diversity within each. Sequence-based analyses of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) polymorphisms reveal extremely low diversity in Caribbean C. a. sabaeus vervets, compared to vervets from putatively ancestral West African regions. In the C. a. sabaeus research population, we discover the first structural variations that are, in some cases, predicted to have a deleterious effect; future studies will determine the phenotypic impact of these variations.

Active and adaptive Legionella CRISPR-Cas reveals a recurrent challenge to the pathogen.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats with CRISPR-associated gene (CRISPR-Cas) systems are widely recognized as critical genome defense systems that protect microbes from external threats such as bacteriophage infection. Several isolates of the intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila possess multiple CRISPR-Cas systems (type I-C, type I-F and type II-B), yet the targets of these systems remain unknown. With the recent observation that at least one of these systems (II-B) plays a non-canonical role in supporting intracellular replication, the possibility remained that these systems are vestigial genome defense systems co-opted for other purposes. Our data indicate that this is not the case. Using an established plasmid transformation assay, we demonstrate that type I-C, I-F and II-B CRISPR-Cas provide protection against spacer targets. We observe efficient laboratory acquisition of new spacers under 'priming' conditions, in which initially incomplete target elimination leads to the generation of new spacers and ultimate loss of the invasive DNA. Critically, we identify the first known target of L. pneumophila CRISPR-Cas: a 30 kb episome of unknown function whose interbacterial transfer is guarded against by CRISPR-Cas. We provide evidence that the element can subvert CRISPR-Cas by mutating its targeted sequences - but that primed spacer acquisition may limit this mechanism of escape. Rather than generally impinging on bacterial fitness, this element drives a host specialization event - with improved fitness in Acanthamoeba but a reduced ability to replicate in other hosts and conditions. These observations add to a growing body of evidence that host range restriction can serve as an existential threat to L. pneumophila in the wild.

Genome and Plasmid Analysis of blaIMP-4-Carrying Citrobacter freundii B38.

Sequencing of the blaIMP-4-carrying C. freundii B38 using the PacBio SMRT technique revealed that the genome contained a chromosome of 5,134,500 bp and three plasmids, pOZ172 (127,005 bp), pOZ181 (277,592 bp), and pOZ182 (18,467 bp). Plasmid pOZ172 was identified as IncFIIY, like pP10164-NDM and pNDM-EcGN174. It carries a class 1 integron with four cassettes (blaIMP-4-qacG2-aacA4-aphA15) and a complete hybrid tni module (tniR-tniQ-tniB-tniA). The recombination of tniR from Tn402 (identical) with tniQBA from Tn5053 (99%) occurred within the res site of Tn402/5053 The Tn402/5053-like integron, named Tn6017, was inserted into Tn1722 at the res II site. The replication, partitioning, and transfer systems of pOZ181 were similar to those of IncHI2 plasmids (e.g., R478) and contained a sul1-type class 1 integron with the cassette array orf-dfrA1-orf-gcu37-aadA5 linked to an upstream Tn1696 tnpA-tnpR and to a downstream 3' conserved sequence (3'-CS) and ISCR1 A Tn2 transposon encoding a blaTEM-1 ß-lactamase was identified on pOZ182. Other interesting resistance determinants encoded on the B38 chromosome included multidrug resistance (MDR) efflux pumps, an AmpC ß-lactamase, and resistances to Cu, Ag, As, and Zn. This is the first report of a complete tni module linked to a blaIMP-4-carrying class 1 integron, which, together with other recently reported non-sul1 integrons, represents the emergence of a distinct evolutionary lineage of class 1 integrons lacking a 3'-CS (qacEΔ1-sul1). The unique cassette array, complete tni module of Tn6017, and incompatibility group of pOZ172 suggest a blaIMP-4 evolutionary pathway in C. freundii B38 different from that for other blaIMP-4 genes found in Gram-negative bacteria in the Western Pacific region.

High Incidence of Invasive Group A Streptococcus Disease Caused by Strains of Uncommon emm Types in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

An outbreak of type emm59 invasive group A Streptococcus (iGAS) disease was declared in 2008 in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario, 2 years after a countrywide emm59 epidemic was recognized in Canada. Despite a declining number of emm59 infections since 2010, numerous cases of iGAS disease continue to be reported in the area. We collected clinical information on all iGAS cases recorded in Thunder Bay District from 2008 to 2013. We also emm typed and sequenced the genomes of all available strains isolated from 2011 to 2013 from iGAS infections and from severe cases of soft tissue infections. We used whole-genome sequencing data to investigate the population structure of GAS strains of the most frequently isolated emm types. We report an increased incidence of iGAS in Thunder Bay compared to the metropolitan area of Toronto/Peel and the province of Ontario. Illicit drug use, alcohol abuse, homelessness, and hepatitis C infection were underlying diseases or conditions that might have predisposed patients to iGAS disease. Most cases were caused by clonal strains of skin or generalist emm types (i.e., emm82, emm87, emm101, emm4, emm83, and emm114) uncommonly seen in other areas of the province. We observed rapid waxing and waning of emm types causing disease and their replacement by other emm types associated with the same tissue tropisms. Thus, iGAS disease in Thunder Bay District predominantly affects a select population of disadvantaged persons and is caused by clonally related strains of a few skin and generalist emm types less commonly associated with iGAS in other areas of Ontario.

Sequencing strategies and characterization of 721 vervet monkey genomes for future genetic analyses of medically relevant traits.

BACKGROUND: We report here the first genome-wide high-resolution polymorphism resource for non-human primate (NHP) association and linkage studies, constructed for the Caribbean-origin vervet monkey, or African green monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus), one of the most widely used NHPs in biomedical research. We generated this resource by whole genome sequencing (WGS) of monkeys from the Vervet Research Colony (VRC), an NIH-supported research resource for which extensive phenotypic data are available. RESULTS: We identified genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by WGS of 721 members of an extended pedigree from the VRC. From high-depth WGS data we identified more than 4 million polymorphic unequivocal segregating sites; by pruning these SNPs based on heterozygosity, quality control filters, and the degree of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between SNPs, we constructed genome-wide panels suitable for genetic association (about 500,000 SNPs) and linkage analysis (about 150,000 SNPs). To further enhance the utility of these resources for linkage analysis, we used a further pruned subset of the linkage panel to generate multipoint identity by descent matrices. CONCLUSIONS: The genetic and phenotypic resources now available for the VRC and other Caribbean-origin vervets enable their use for genetic investigation of traits relevant to human diseases.

Population structure and antimicrobial resistance of invasive serotype IV group B Streptococcus, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

We recently showed that 37/600 (6.2%) invasive infections with group B Streptococcus (GBS) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, were caused by serotype IV strains. We report a relatively high level of genetic diversity in 37 invasive strains of this emerging GBS serotype. Multilocus sequence typing identified 6 sequence types (STs) that belonged to 3 clonal complexes. Most isolates were ST-459 (19/37, 51%) and ST-452 (11/37, 30%), but we also identified ST-291, ST-3, ST-196, and a novel ST-682. We detected further diversity by performing whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis and found evidence of recombination events contributing to variation in some serotype IV GBS strains. We also evaluated antimicrobial drug resistance and found that ST-459 strains were resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin, whereas strains of other STs were, for the most part, susceptible to these antimicrobial drugs.

A non-human primate system for large-scale genetic studies of complex traits.

Non-human primates provide genetic model systems biologically intermediate between humans and other mammalian model organisms. Populations of Caribbean vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) are genetically homogeneous and large enough to permit well-powered genetic mapping studies of quantitative traits relevant to human health, including expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL). Previous transcriptome-wide investigation in an extended vervet pedigree identified 29 heritable transcripts for which levels of expression in peripheral blood correlate strongly with expression levels in the brain. Quantitative trait linkage analysis using 261 microsatellite markers identified significant (n = 8) and suggestive (n = 4) linkages for 12 of these transcripts, including both cis- and trans-eQTL. Seven transcripts, located on different chromosomes, showed maximum linkage to markers in a single region of vervet chromosome 9; this observation suggests the possibility of a master trans-regulator locus in this region. For one cis-eQTL (at B3GALTL, beta-1,3-glucosyltransferase), we conducted follow-up single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and fine-scale association analysis in a sample of unrelated Caribbean vervets, localizing this eQTL to a region of <200 kb. These results suggest the value of pedigree and population samples of the Caribbean vervet for linkage and association mapping studies of quantitative traits. The imminent whole genome sequencing of many of these vervet samples will enhance the power of such investigations by providing a comprehensive catalog of genetic variation.

High-throughput sequence analysis of Ciona intestinalis SL trans-spliced mRNAs: alternative expression modes and gene function correlates.

Pre-mRNA 5' spliced-leader (SL) trans-splicing occurs in some metazoan groups but not in others. Genome-wide characterization of the trans-spliced mRNA subpopulation has not yet been reported for any metazoan. We carried out a high-throughput analysis of the SL trans-spliced mRNA population of the ascidian tunicate Ciona intestinalis by 454 Life Sciences (Roche) pyrosequencing of SL-PCR-amplified random-primed reverse transcripts of tailbud embryo RNA. We obtained approximately 250,000 high-quality reads corresponding to 8790 genes, approximately 58% of the Ciona total gene number. The great depth of this data revealed new aspects of trans-splicing, including the existence of a significant class of "infrequently trans-spliced" genes, accounting for approximately 28% of represented genes, that generate largely non-trans-spliced mRNAs, but also produce trans-spliced mRNAs, in part through alternative promoter use. Thus, the conventional qualitative dichotomy of trans-spliced versus non-trans-spliced genes should be supplanted by a more accurate quantitative view recognizing frequently and infrequently trans-spliced gene categories. Our data include reads representing approximately 80% of Ciona frequently trans-spliced genes. Our analysis also revealed significant use of closely spaced alternative trans-splice acceptor sites which further underscores the mechanistic similarity of cis- and trans-splicing and indicates that the prevalence of +/-3-nt alternative splicing events at tandem acceptor sites, NAGNAG, is driven by spliceosomal mechanisms, and not nonsense-mediated decay, or selection at the protein level. The breadth of gene representation data enabled us to find new correlations between trans-splicing status and gene function, namely the overrepresentation in the frequently trans-spliced gene class of genes associated with plasma/endomembrane system, Ca(2+) homeostasis, and actin cytoskeleton.

Effects of marine diesel on microbial diversity and activity in high Arctic beach sediments.

Global warming induced sea ice loss increases Arctic maritime traffic, enhancing the risk of ecosystem contamination from fuel spills and nutrient loading. The impact of marine diesel on bacterial metabolic activity and diversity, assessed by colorimetric assay, 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing, of Northwest Passage (Arctic Ocean) beach sediments was assessed with nutrient amendment at environmentally relevant temperatures (5 and 15 °C). Higher temperature and nutrients stimulated microbial activity, while diesel reduced it, with metabolism inhibited at and above 0.01 % (without nutrients) and at 1 % (with nutrients) diesel inclusions. Diesel exposure significantly decreased microbial diversity and selected for Psychrobacter genus. Microbial hydrocarbon degradation, organic compound metabolism, and exopolysaccharide production gene abundances increased under higher diesel concentrations. Metagenomic binning recovered nine MAGs/bins with hydrocarbon degradation genes. We demonstrate a nutrients' rescue-type effect in diesel contaminated microbial communities via enrichment of microorganisms with stress response, aromatic compound, and ammonia assimilation metabolisms.

Factors that affect water column hydrocarbon concentrations have minor impacts on microbial responses following simulated diesel fuel spills.

Effects of season and mixing on hydrocarbon concentrations and the microbial community response was explored in a series of mesocosm experiments simulating surface spills of diesel into coastal waters. Mixing of any amount contributed to hydrocarbons entering the water column, but diesel fuel composition had a significant effect on hydrocarbon concentrations. Higher initial concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons resulted in higher water column concentrations, with minimal differences among seasons due to high variability. Regardless of the concentrations of hydrocarbons, prokaryotes increased and there were higher relative abundances of hydrocarbon affiliated bacteria with indications of biodegradation within 4 d of exposure. As concentrations decreased over time, the eukaryote community shifted from the initial community to one which appeared to be composed of organisms with some resilience to hydrocarbons. This series of experiments demonstrates the wide range of conditions under which natural attenuation of diesel fuel is an effective response.

Biodegradation potential of residue generated during the in-situ burning of oil in the marine environment.

The biodegradability of residues derived from in-situ burning, an oil spill response strategy which involves burning an oil slick on the sea surface, has not yet been fully studied. With a growing risk of oil spills, the fate of the persistent burn residue containing potentially toxic substances must be better understood. Microcosms were used to study the microbial community response and potential biodegradability of in-situ burn residues generated from Ultra Low Sulphur (ULS) marine diesel. Microcosm studies were conducted using residues originating from the burning of unweathered and weathered diesel, with the addition of a fertilizer and a dispersant. Burn residues were incubated for 6 weeks at 7 °C in natural seawater with continual agitation in the dark. Samples were subsequently sacrificed for chemistry as well as 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Chemistry analyses revealed a reduction in hydrocarbon concentrations. Medium chain-length n-alkanes (nC16-nC24) decreased by 8% in unweathered burn residue microcosms and up to 26% in weathered burn residue microcosms. A significant decrease in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations was observed only for naphthalene, fluorene and their alkylated homologs, in the microcosms amended with residue produced from burning weathered diesel. Decreases of 2-24%, were identified depending on the compound. Microcosms amended with burn residues had distinct microbial communities marked by an increase in relative abundance of putative hydrocarbon degraders as well as an increase of known hydrocarbon-degradation genes. These novel results suggest that if in-situ burning is performed on ULS marine diesel, some of the indigenous bacteria would respond to the newly available carbon source and some of the residual compounds would be biodegraded. Future studies involving longer incubation periods could give a better understanding of the fate of burn residues by shedding light on the potential biodegradability of the more recalcitrant residual compounds.

The MAPT H1 haplotype is associated with tangle-predominant dementia.

Tangle-predominant dementia (TPD) patients exhibit cognitive decline that is clinically similar to early to moderate-stage Alzheimer disease (AD), yet autopsy reveals neurofibrillary tangles in the medial temporal lobe composed of the microtubule-associated protein tau without significant amyloid-beta (Aß)-positive plaques. We performed a series of neuropathological, biochemical and genetic studies using autopsy brain tissue drawn from a cohort of 34 TPD, 50 AD and 56 control subjects to identify molecular and genetic signatures of this entity. Biochemical analysis demonstrates a similar tau protein isoform composition in TPD and AD, which is compatible with previous histological and ultrastructural studies. Further, biochemical analysis fails to uncover elevation of soluble Aß in TPD frontal cortex and hippocampus compared to control subjects, demonstrating that non-plaque-associated Aß is not a contributing factor. Unexpectedly, we also observed high levels of secretory amyloid precursor protein α (sAPPα) in the frontal cortex of some TPD patients compared to AD and control subjects, suggesting differences in APP processing. Finally, we tested whether TPD is associated with changes in the tau gene (MAPT). Haplotype analysis demonstrates a strong association between TPD and the MAPT H1 haplotype, a genomic inversion associated with some tauopathies and Parkinson disease (PD), when compared to age-matched control subjects with mild degenerative changes, i.e., successful cerebral aging. Next-generation resequencing of MAPT followed by association analysis shows an association between TPD and two polymorphisms in the MAPT 3' untranslated region (UTR). These results support the hypothesis that haplotype-specific variation in the MAPT 3' UTR underlies an Aß-independent mechanism for neurodegeneration in TPD.

Draft Whole-Genome Sequences of the Polar Cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya sp. Strain Cla-17 and Its Associated Flavobacterium.

Draft whole-genome sequences of a coculture are presented. One component was a polar cyanobacterium, Leptolyngbya sp. strain Cla-17. The second was a heterotrophic bacterium, Flavobacterium saccharophilum, found in the phycosphere of the cyanobacterium.

Microbial community response to simulated diluted bitumen spills in coastal seawater and implications for oil spill response.

Oil spills in coastal waters can have devastating impacts on local ecosystems, from the microscopic base through to mammals and seabirds. Increasing transport of diluted bitumen has led to concerns about how this novel product might impact coastal ecosystems. A mesocosm study determined that the type of diluent and the season can affect the concentrations of hydrocarbons entering the water column from a surface spill. Those same mesocosms were sampled to determine whether diluent type and season also affected the microbial response to a surface spill. Overall, there were no differences in impacts among the three types of diluted bitumen, but there were consistent responses to all products within each season. Although microbial abundances with diluted bitumen rarely differed from unoiled controls, community structure in these organisms shifted in response to hydrocarbons, with hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria becoming more abundant. The relative abundance of heterotrophic eukaryotes also increased with diluted bitumen, with few photosynthetic organisms responding positively to oil. Overall shifts in the microbial communities were minimal relative to spills of conventional oil products, with low concentrations of hydrocarbons in the water column. Oil spill response should focus on addressing the surface slick to prevent sinking or stranding to minimize ecosystem impacts.