Enhanced gel formation in binary mixtures of nanocolloids with short-range attraction.

Colloidal suspensions transform between fluid and disordered solid states as parameters such as the colloid volume fraction and the strength and nature of the colloidal interactions are varied. Seemingly subtle changes in the characteristics of the colloids can markedly alter the mechanical rigidity and flow behavior of these soft composite materials. This sensitivity creates both a scientific challenge and an opportunity for designing suspensions for specific applications. In this paper, we report a novel mechanism of gel formation in mixtures of weakly attractive nanocolloids with modest size ratio. Employing a combination of x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, rheometry, and molecular dynamics simulations, we find that gels are stable at remarkably weaker attraction in mixtures with size ratio near two than in the corresponding monodisperse suspensions. In contrast with depletion-driven gelation at larger size ratio, gel formation in the mixtures is triggered by microphase demixing of the species into dense regions of immobile smaller colloids surrounded by clusters of mobile larger colloids that is not predicted by mean-field thermodynamic considerations. These results point to a new route for tailoring nanostructured colloidal solids through judicious combination of interparticle interaction and size distribution.

Toxicological effects of CdSe nanocrystals on the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum: The first mass spectrometry-based proteomic approach.

In the marine environment, benthic diatoms from estuarine and coastal sediments are among the first targets of nanoparticle pollution whose potential toxicity on marine organisms is still largely unknown. It is therefore relevant to improve our knowledge of interactions between these new pollutants and microalgae, the key players in the control of marine resources. In this study, the response of P. tricornutum to CdSe nanocrystals (CdSe NPs) of 5 nm (NP5) and 12 nm (NP12) in diameter was evaluated through microscopic, physiological, biochemical and proteomic approaches. NP5 and NP12 affected cell growth but oxygen production was only slightly decreased by NP5 after 1-d incubation time. In our experimental conditions, a high CdSe NP dissolution was observed during the first day of culture, leading to Cd bioaccumulation and oxidative stress, particularly with NP12. However, after a 7-day incubation time, proteomic analysis highlighted that P. tricornutum responded to CdSe NP toxicity by regulating numerous proteins involved in protection against oxidative stress, cellular redox homeostasis, Ca2+ regulation and signalling, S-nitrosylation and S-glutathionylation processes and cell damage repair. These proteome changes allowed algae cells to regulate their intracellular ROS level in contaminated cultures. P. tricornutum was also capable to control its intracellular Cd concentration at a sufficiently low level to preserve its growth. To our knowledge, this is the first work allowing the identification of proteins differentially expressed by P. tricornutum subjected to NPs and thus the understanding of some molecular pathways involved in its cellular response to nanoparticles. SIGNIFICANCE: The microalgae play a key role in the control of marine resources. Moreover, they produce 50% of the atmospheric oxygen. CdSe NPs are extensively used in the industry of renewable energies and it is regrettably expected that these pollutants will sometime soon appear in the marine environment through surface runoff, urban effluents and rivers. Since estuarine and coastal sediments concentrate pollutants, benthic microalgae which live in superficial sediments will be among the first targets of nanoparticle pollution. Thus, it is relevant to improve our knowledge of interactions between diatoms and nanoparticles. Proteomics is a powerful tool for understanding the molecular mechanisms triggered by nanoparticle exposure, and our study is the first one to use this tool to identify proteins differentially expressed by P. tricornutum subjected to CdSe nanocrystals. This work is fundamental to improve our knowledge about the defence mechanisms developed by algae cells to counteract damage caused by CdSe NPs.

Plastids of marine phytoplankton produce bioactive pigments and lipids.

Phytoplankton is acknowledged to be a very diverse source of bioactive molecules. These compounds play physiological roles that allow cells to deal with changes of the environmental constrains. For example, the diversity of light harvesting pigments allows efficient photosynthesis at different depths in the seawater column. Identically, lipid composition of cell membranes can vary according to environmental factors. This, together with the heterogenous evolutionary origin of taxa, makes the chemical diversity of phytoplankton compounds much larger than in terrestrial plants. This contribution is dedicated to pigments and lipids synthesized within or from plastids/photosynthetic membranes. It starts with a short review of cyanobacteria and microalgae phylogeny. Then the bioactivity of pigments and lipids (anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-allergic activities, and cardio- neuro-, hepato- and photoprotective effects), alone or in combination, is detailed. To increase the cellular production of bioactive compounds, specific culture conditions may be applied (e.g., high light intensity, nitrogen starvation). Regardless of the progress made in blue biotechnologies, the production of bioactive compounds is still limited. However, some examples of large scale production are given, and perspectives are suggested in the final section.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis elicits shoot proteome changes that are modified during cadmium stress alleviation in Medicago truncatula.

BACKGROUND: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which engage a mutualistic symbiosis with the roots of most plant species, have received much attention for their ability to alleviate heavy metal stress in plants, including cadmium (Cd). While the molecular bases of Cd tolerance displayed by mycorrhizal plants have been extensively analysed in roots, very little is known regarding the mechanisms by which legume aboveground organs can escape metal toxicity upon AM symbiosis. As a model system to address this question, we used Glomus irregulare-colonised Medicago truncatula plants, which were previously shown to accumulate and tolerate heavy metal in their shoots when grown in a substrate spiked with 2 mg Cd kg(-1). RESULTS: The measurement of three indicators for metal phytoextraction showed that shoots of mycorrhizal M. truncatula plants have a capacity for extracting Cd that is not related to an increase in root-to-shoot translocation rate, but to a high level of allocation plasticity. When analysing the photosynthetic performance in metal-treated mycorrhizal plants relative to those only Cd-supplied, it turned out that the presence of G. irregulare partially alleviated the negative effects of Cd on photosynthesis. To test the mechanisms by which shoots of Cd-treated mycorrhizal plants avoid metal toxicity, we performed a 2-DE/MALDI/TOF-based comparative proteomic analysis of the M. truncatula shoot responses upon mycorrhization and Cd exposure. Whereas the metal-responsive shoot proteins currently identified in non-mycorrhizal M. truncatula indicated that Cd impaired CO2 assimilation, the mycorrhiza-responsive shoot proteome was characterised by an increase in photosynthesis-related proteins coupled to a reduction in glugoneogenesis/glycolysis and antioxidant processes. By contrast, Cd was found to trigger the opposite response coupled the up-accumulation of molecular chaperones in shoot of mycorrhizal plants relative to those metal-free. CONCLUSION: Besides drawing a first picture of shoot proteome modifications upon AM symbiosis and/or heavy metal stress in legume plants, the current work argues for allocation plasticity as the main driving force for Cd extraction in aboveground tissues of M. truncatula upon mycorrhization. Additionally, according to the retrieved proteomic data, we propose that shoots of mycorrhizal legume plants escape Cd toxicity through a metabolic shift implying the glycolysis-mediated mobilization of defence mechanisms at the expense of the photosynthesis-dependent symbiotic sucrose sink.

Role of thylakoid ATP/ADP carrier in photoinhibition and photoprotection of photosystem II in Arabidopsis.

The chloroplast thylakoid ATP/ADP carrier (TAAC) belongs to the mitochondrial carrier superfamily and supplies the thylakoid lumen with stromal ATP in exchange for ADP. Here, we investigate the physiological consequences of TAAC depletion in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). We show that the deficiency of TAAC in two T-DNA insertion lines does not modify the chloroplast ultrastructure, the relative amounts of photosynthetic proteins, the pigment composition, and the photosynthetic activity. Under growth light conditions, the mutants initially displayed similar shoot weight, but lower when reaching full development, and were less tolerant to high light conditions in comparison with the wild type. These observations prompted us to study in more detail the effects of TAAC depletion on photoinhibition and photoprotection of the photosystem II (PSII) complex. The steady-state phosphorylation levels of PSII proteins were not affected, but the degradation of the reaction center II D1 protein was blocked, and decreased amounts of CP43-less PSII monomers were detected in the mutants. Besides this, the mutant leaves displayed a transiently higher nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence than the wild-type leaves, especially at low light. This may be attributed to the accumulation in the absence of TAAC of a higher electrochemical H(+) gradient in the first minutes of illumination, which more efficiently activates photoprotective xanthophyll cycle-dependent and independent mechanisms. Based on these results, we propose that TAAC plays a critical role in the disassembly steps during PSII repair and in addition may balance the trans-thylakoid electrochemical H(+) gradient storage.

The effect of ultrasonic antifouling control on the growth and microbiota of farmed European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).

Biofouling is a serious threat to marine renewable energy structures and marine aquaculture operations alike. As an alternative to toxic surface coatings, ultrasonic antifouling control has been proposed as an environmentally friendly means to reduce biofouling. However, the impact of ultrasound on fish farmed in offshore structures or in marine multi-purpose platforms, combining renewable energy production and aquaculture, has not yet been assessed. Here we study the impact of ultrasound on the growth and microbiota of farmed European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) under laboratory conditions. Whereas growth and survival were not reduced by ultrasound exposure, microbiological analysis using plate counts and 16S rRNA gene based metataxonomics showed a perturbation of the gill and skin microbiota, including an increase in putative pathogenic bacteria. This warrants further research into the long-term effects of ultrasonic antifouling control on the health and wellbeing of farmed fish.

ED-XRF: a promising method for accurate and rapid quantification of metals in a bacterial matrix.

ABSTRACTThe remediation of metal-polluted water using bacterial biofilms is a promising technology. In order to help its development, the present study aims to evaluate the feasibility to utilize XRF spectrometry for accurate and rapid measurement of metal concentrations in bacterial biofilms used in treatment plants. For that purpose, an ED-XRF spectrometer was used to measure Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn concentrations within a matrix of marine bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens BA3SM1 and its metabolites. Contaminated and control cultures of the strain BA3SM1 were dried and crushed, then analysed by ED-XRF. The LOD value of the analysed metals was between 2.08 and 10.5 µg g-1. Metal concentrations were also measured by ICP-AES or ICP-MS to support ED-XRF results. The two techniques showed a good linear correlation with a slope of at least 0.949 and R2 of at least 0.985. These results confirm the possibility to measure metal contents by ED-XRF in bacterial matrices.

Carotenoid biosynthesis in diatoms.

Diatoms are ubiquitous and constitute an important group of the phytoplankton community having a major contribution to the total marine primary production. These microalgae exhibit a characteristic golden-brown colour due to a high amount of the xanthophyll fucoxanthin that plays a major role in the light-harvesting complex of photosystems. In the water column, diatoms are exposed to light intensities that vary quickly from lower to higher values. Xanthophyll cycles prevent photodestruction of the cells in excessive light intensities. In diatoms, the diadinoxanthin-diatoxanthin cycle is the most important short-term photoprotective mechanism. If the biosynthetic pathways of chloroplast pigments have been extensively studied in higher plants and green algae, the research on carotenoid biosynthesis in diatoms is still in its infancy. In this study, the data on the biosynthetic pathway of diatom carotenoids are reviewed. The early steps occur through the 2-C-methyl-D: -erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway. Then a hypothetical pathway is suggested from dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) and isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP). Most of the enzymes of the pathway have not been so far isolated from diatoms, but candidate genes for each of them were identified using protein similarity searches of genomic data.

Marine aggregates in North Atlantic coast: Microbial characteristics and potential interactions with farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Microbial contamination of aggregates collected near an Atlantic salmon farm, in the Cherbourg roadstead, was followed monthly over one year to study the dynamics of Vibrio spp. and explore their impact on farmed fish. Salmon state of health was followed through blood and histopathological analyses. Vibrio were systematically found in aggregates with particularly high concentration in August. The Splendidus clade was strongly dominant in aggregates as well as in gills, and an increase in Vibrio diversity was observed in summer and autumn. Results did not demonstrate that aggregates directly impact the bacterial community of gills, but they suggested an aggregates-gills interaction. Gill contamination was correlated with water temperature and probably impacted by amoebae. Vibrio renipiscarius and Vibrio toranzoniae were isolated in North Atlantic for the first time. A better understanding of the interaction between marine aggregates, Vibrio spp. and fish is essential to improve salmon cage farming.

[Participation in leisure activities by patients with hemiplegia is greatly reduced]. / Considération des activités de loisirs par des ergothérapeutes suisses dans la réadaptation de personnes présentant une hémiplégie.

BACKGROUND: Participation in leisure activities by people with hemiplegia is greatly reduced. There is limited information regarding the extend to which client participation is taken into consideration in the current practice of occupational therapy. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the way by which occupational therapists working at the Centres médico-sociaux (CMS) Vaudois take into consideration the leisure activities of people with hemiplegia. METHODS: An investigation was undertaken by correspondence with occupational therapists working at the CMS. Of the 54 questionnaires received, 31 were considered for analysis. RESULTS: The majority (87 %) of participating occupational therapists explore the areas of leisure activities. Objectives linked to this field are achieved by 55% of the clients. Diverse interventions are favoured in order to reach these objectives. CONCLUSION: Occupational therapists appear to frequently address the subject of leisure activities with their clients. However, they identify objectives with only a limited percentage of their clients and utilise few of the available resources in order to reach these objectives.

Relaxation of a simulated lipid bilayer vesicle compressed by an atomic force microscope.

Using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, we study the relaxation of bilayer vesicles, uniaxially compressed by an atomic force microscope cantilever. The relaxation time exhibits a strong force dependence. Force-compression curves are very similar to recent experiments wherein giant unilamellar vesicles were compressed in a nearly identical manner.

Ability of the marine bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens BA3SM1 to counteract the toxicity of CdSe nanoparticles.

UNLABELLED: In the marine environment, bacteria from estuarine and coastal sediments are among the first targets of nanoparticle pollution; it is therefore relevant to improve the knowledge of interactions between bacteria and nanoparticles. In this work, the response of the marine bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens BA3SM1 to CdSe nanocrystals (CdSe NPs) of 3nm (NP3) and 8nm (NP8) in diameter was evaluated through microscopic, physiological, biochemical and proteomic approaches. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that NP3 were able to penetrate the bacteria, while NP8 were highly concentrated around the cells, embedded in large exopolysaccharides. In our experimental conditions, both CdSe NP sizes induced a decrease in respiration during the stationary growth phase, while only NP8 caused growth retardation and a decrease in pyoverdine production. Proteomic analyses highlighted that the strain responded to CdSe NP toxicity by inducing various defence mechanisms such as cell aggregation, extracellular CdSe NP sequestration, effective protection against oxidative stress, modifications of envelope organization and properties, and cadmium export. In addition, BA3SM1 presented a biosorption capacity of 1.6×10(16)NP3/g dry weight and 1.7×10(15)NP8/g dry weight. This strain therefore appears as a promising agent for NP bioremediation processes. Proteomic data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD004012. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report focussing on the effects of CdSe colloidal nanocrystals (CdSe NPs) on a marine strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens. CdSe NPs are extensively used in the industry of renewable energies and it is regrettably expected that these pollutants will sometime soon appear in the marine environment through surface runoff, urban effluents and rivers. Bacteria living in estuarine and coastal sediments will be among the first targets of these new pollutants. The pseudomonads are frequently found in these ecosystems. They are involved in several biogeochemical cycles and are known for their high resistance to pollutants. Consequently, this study focussing on the effects of CdSe NPs on the marine strain P. fluorescens BA3SM1 is highly relevant for several reasons. First, it aims at improving knowledge about the interactions between bacteria and NPs. This is fundamental to effectively use NPs against pathogenic bacteria. Secondly, in spite of CdSe NP interactions with the bacterial cells, the strain BA3SM1 can develop various strategies to counteract CdSe NP toxicity and ensure its growth. It exhibits interesting properties to sequester CdSe NPs and it retains its ability to form biofilm. The strain therefore appears as a promising agent for NP bioremediation thanks to biofiltration processes. Finally, this study shows that CdSe NPs of 8nm in diameter cause a decrease in the secretion of siderophore pyoverdine, a secondary metabolite playing a key role in microbial ecology since it drives bacterial survival and competitiveness in ecosystems. Bacteria producing effective siderophores survive better in a Fe-deficient environment where they antagonize the growth of other microbes thought iron deprivation. Furthermore, siderophores are also employed as virulence factors in human pathogenic strains such as P. aeruginosa. Consequently, this study highlights that NPs can impact the secondary metabolism of bacteria with environmental and medical implications. In addition, in this work, Data-Dependant Acquisition (DDA) provided state of the art Mass Spectrometry data by Spectral Counting and MS1 Label-Free. The combination of these two well-known proteomic techniques including manual validations strengthened the identification and quantification of regulated proteins. Moreover, numerous correlations between proteomic analyses and other observations (physiological, biochemical, microscopic) consolidated our interpretations.

The effect of cold stress on the proteome of the marine bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens BA3SM1 and its ability to cope with metal excess.

This study examined the effect of cold stress on the proteome and metal tolerance of Pseudomonas fluorescens BA3SM1, a marine strain isolated from tidal flat sediments. When cold stress (+10 °C for 36 h) was applied before moderate metal stress (0.4 mM Cd, 0.6 mM Cd, 1.5 mM Zn, and 1.5 mM Cu), growth disturbances induced by metal, in comparison with respective controls, were reduced for Cd and Zn while they were pronounced for Cu. This marine strain was able to respond to cold stress through a number of changes in protein regulation. Analysis of the predicted differentially expressed protein functions demonstrated that some mechanisms developed under cold stress were similar to those developed in response to Cd, Zn, and Cu. Therefore, pre-cold stress could help this strain to better counteract toxicity of moderate concentrations of some metals. P. fluorescens BA3SM1 was able to remove up to 404.3 mg Cd/g dry weight, 172.5 mg Zn/g dry weight, and 11.3 mg Cu/g dry weight and its metal biosorption ability seemed to be related to the bacterial growth phase. Thus, P. fluorescens BA3SM1 appears as a promising agent for bioremediation processes, even at low temperatures.

Relaxation of the non-photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching in diatoms: kinetics, components and mechanisms.

Diatoms are especially important microorganisms because they constitute the larger group of microalgae. To survive the constant variations of the light environment, diatoms have developed mechanisms aiming at the dissipation of excess energy, such as the xanthophyll cycle and the non-photochemical chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence quenching. This contribution is dedicated to the relaxation of the latter process when the adverse conditions cease. An original nonlinear regression analysis of the relaxation of non-photochemical Chl fluorescence quenching, qN, in diatoms is presented. It was used to obtain experimental evidence for the existence of three time-resolved components in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum: qNf, qNi and qNs. qNf (s time-scale) and qNs (h time-scale) are exponential in shape. By contrast, qNi (min time-scale) is of sigmoidal nature and is dominant among the three components. The application of metabolic inhibitors (dithiothreitol, ammonium chloride, cadmium and diphenyleneiodonium chloride) allowed the identification of the mechanisms on which each component mostly relies. qNi is linked to the relaxation of the ΔpH gradient and the reversal of the xanthophyll cycle. qNs quantifies the stage of photoinhibition caused by the high light exposure, qNf seems to reflect fast conformational changes within thylakoid membranes in the vicinity of the photosystem II complexes.

Strategies developed by the marine bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens BA3SM1 to resist metals: A proteome analysis.

A global proteomic evaluation of the response of the marine bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens BA3SM1 to Cd, Zn and Cu was performed by two dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry. When stressed with Cd, the most toxic metal for P. fluorescens BA3SM1, cell growth is rapidly affected and the number of proteins up-regulated (sixteen for 0.4 mM Cd) remains low in comparison with results obtained for Zn and Cu (twenty eight for 1.5mM Zn and forty four for 1.5 mM Cu). The changes in protein expression indicate that the cell adapts to metals by inducing essentially seven defense mechanisms: cell aggregation/biofilm formation (Zn=Cu>Cd); modification of envelope properties to increase the extracellular metal biosorption and/or control the uptake of metal (Cu>Zn); metal export (Cd=Zn and probably Cu); responses to oxidative stress (Cu>Zn>Cd); intracellular metal sequestration (Zn=Cu and probably Cd); hydrolysis of abnormally folded proteins (Cd=Cu), and the over-synthesis of proteins inhibited by metal (Cd>Cu>Zn). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing that a marine P. fluorescens is able to acquire a metal-resistant phenotype, making the strain BA3SM1 a promising agent for bioremediation processes.

Photosystem II function and dynamics in three widely used Arabidopsis thaliana accessions.

Columbia-0 (Col-0), Wassilewskija-4 (Ws-4), and Landsberg erecta-0 (Ler-0) are used as background lines for many public Arabidopsis mutant collections, and for investigation in laboratory conditions of plant processes, including photosynthesis and response to high-intensity light (HL). The photosystem II (PSII) complex is sensitive to HL and requires repair to sustain its function. PSII repair is a multistep process controlled by numerous factors, including protein phosphorylation and thylakoid membrane stacking. Here we have characterized the function and dynamics of PSII complex under growth-light and HL conditions. Ws-4 displayed 30% more thylakoid lipids per chlorophyll and 40% less chlorophyll per carotenoid than Col-0 and Ler-0. There were no large differences in thylakoid stacking, photoprotection and relative levels of photosynthetic complexes among the three accessions. An increased efficiency of PSII closure was found in Ws-4 following illumination with saturation flashes or continuous light. Phosphorylation of the PSII D1/D2 proteins was reduced by 50% in Ws-4 as compared to Col-0 and Ler-0. An increase in abundance of the responsible STN8 kinase in response to HL treatment was found in all three accessions, but Ws-4 displayed 50% lower levels than Col-0 and Ler-0. Despite this, the HL treatment caused in Ws-4 the lagest extent of PSII inactivation, disassembly, D1 protein degradation, and the largest decrease in the size of stacked thylakoids. The dilution of chlorophyll-protein complexes with additional lipids and carotenoids in Ws-4 may represent a mechanism to facilitate lateral protein traffic in the membrane, thus compensating for the lack of a full complement of STN8 kinase. Nevertheless, additional PSII damage occurs in Ws-4, which exceeds the D1 protein synthesis capacity, thus leading to enhanced photoinhibition. Our findings are valuable for selection of appropriate background line for PSII characterization in Arabidopsis mutants, and also provide the first insights into natural variation of PSII protein phosphorylation.