Humic extracts of hydrochar and Amazonian Dark Earth: Molecular characteristics and effects on maize seed germination

Inspired by the presence of anthropogenic organic matter in highly fertile Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE), which is attributed to the transformation of organic matter over thousands of years, we explored hydrothermal carbonization as an alternative for humic-like substances (HLS) production. Hydrothermal carbonization of sugarcane industry byproducts (bagasse and vinasse) in the presence and absence of H₃PO₄ afforded HLS, which were isolated and compared with humic substances (HS) isolated from ADE in terms of molecular composition and maize seed germination activity. HLS isolated from sugarcane bagasse hydrochar produced in the presence or absence of H₃PO₄ comprised both hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties, differing from other HLS mainly in terms of phenolic content, while HLS isolated from vinasse hydrochar featured hydrophobic structures mainly comprising aliphatic moieties. Compared to that of HLS, the structure of soil-derived HS reflected an increased contribution of fresh organic matter input and, hence, featured a higher content of O-alkyl moieties. HLS derived from lignocellulosic biomass were rich in phenolics and promoted maize seed germination more effectively than HLS comprising alkyl moieties. Thus, HLS isolated from bagasse hydrochar had the highest bioactivity, as the presence of amphiphilic moieties therein seemed to facilitate the release of bioactive molecules from supramolecular structures and stimulate seed germination. Based on the above results, the hydrothermal carbonization of lignocellulosic biomass was concluded to be a viable method of producing amphiphilic HLS for use as plant growth promoters.

Hydrochars produced with by-products from the sucroenergetic industry: a study of extractor solutions on nutrient and organic carbon release

Hydrothermal carbonization transforms biomass into value-added material called hydrochar. The release of nutrients (P, N, Ca, Mg, and K) and organic carbon (TOC) from hydrochar in different extractive solutions was investigated in this study. Two sets of hydrochar were produced: (i) hydrochar prepared from sugarcane bagasse and vinasse mixture (BV-HC) and (ii) hydrochar prepared by the addition of H₃PO₄ to this mixture (BVA-HC). Both hydrochar types released significative amounts of nutrient and organic carbon, mainly Ca (5.0 mg g^-1) in the mixture (KCl, K₂SO₄, NaOH, 1:1:1) extractive solution and TOC (72.6 mg g^-1) in the NaOH extractive solution, for BV-HC. Nutrient release was influenced by pH and ionic strength. The release of P, Ca, and Mg was affected by the presence of insoluble phosphate phases in BVA-HC. The release of nutrients P, N, Ca, Mg, and K and organic carbon demonstrated that hydrochar has potential for soil application purposes.

Effect of the reaction medium on the immobilization of nutrients in hydrochars obtained using sugarcane industry residues

In this study, nutrients were immobilized on the hydrochars obtained by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of a vinasse and sugarcane bagasse mixture, in the presence of acid, base and salt additives at temperatures of 150, 190 and 230°C. The increase in temperature caused higher immobilization of Ca, Mg, K, N, Cu, Mn, Zn, B, P and Fe in all hydrochars produced. H₃PO₄ and NaOH immobilized higher amounts of P, Mg and Mn, while Ca was immobilized in higher quantities in the presence of H₃PO₄ and (NH₄)₂SO₄. The addition of H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄ and (NH₄)₂SO₄ was responsible for an increased immobilization of P, N, Ca, Mg and K. The immobilization of B, not present in the starting raw material, was possible with the addition of H₃BO₃. The results showed that it is possible to alter the reaction medium to immobilize nutrients on hydrochars produced from vinasse and sugarcane bagasse, for agricultural applications.

A p53-bound enhancer region controls a long intergenic noncoding RNA required for p53 stress response

Genome-wide chromatin studies identified the tumor suppressor p53 as both a promoter and an enhancer-binding transcription factor. As an enhancer factor, p53 can induce local production of enhancer RNAs, as well as transcriptional activation of distal neighboring genes. Beyond the regulation of protein-coding genes, p53 has the capacity to regulate long intergenic noncoding RNA molecules (lincRNAs); however, their importance to the p53 tumor suppressive function remains poorly characterized. Here, we identified and characterized a novel p53-bound intronic enhancer that controls the expression of its host, the lincRNA00475 (linc-475). We demonstrate the requirement of linc-475 for the proper induction of a p53-dependent cell cycle inhibitory response. We further confirm the functional importance of linc-475 in the maintenance of CDKN1A/p21 levels, a cell cycle inhibitor and a major p53 target gene, following p53 activation. Interestingly, loss of linc-475 reduced the binding of both p53 and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) to the promoter of p21, attenuating its transcription rate following p53 activation. Altogether, our data suggest a direct role of p53-bound enhancer domains in the activation of lincRNAs required for an efficient p53 transcriptional response.

Adsorption/desorption of arsenic by tropical peat: influence of organic matter, iron and aluminium

The objective of this work was to investigate the interaction of arsenic species (As(III) and As(V)) with tropical peat. Peat samples collected in Brazil were characterized using elemental analysis and 13C NMR. Adsorption experiments were performed using different concentrations of As with peat in natura and enriched with Fe or Al, at three different pH levels. Peat samples, in natura or enriched with metals, were analysed before and after adsorption processes using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy. The adsorption kinetics was evaluated, and the data were fitted using the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The results showed that interaction between As and peat was dependent on the levels of organic matter (OM) and the metals (Fe and Al). As(III) was not adsorbed by in natura peat or Al-enriched peat, although small amounts of As(III) were adsorbed by Fe-enriched peat. Adsorption of As(V) by the different peat samples ranged from 21.3 to 52.7 μg g(-1). The best fit to the results was obtained using the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption of As(V) could be described by the Freundlich isotherm model. The results showed that Fe-enriched peat was most effective in immobilizing As(V). FTIR analysis revealed the formation of ternary complexes involving As(V) and peat enriched with metals, suggesting that As(V) was associated with Al or Fe-OM complexes by metal bridging.

Characterization of light penetration in rat tissues

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study is to determine the optical properties of different rat tissues with respect to spatial intensity variation and light distribution. We are interested mainly in the wavelength of 630 nm. Nevertheless, for liver tissue we have used 514 nm and 670 nm as well.

BACKGROUND DATA

In the past, many articles have been written about the interaction of lasers with rat tissues. However, the technique of imaging the light distribution allows us to obtain the spatial scattering as well as an effective attenuation coefficient for the light intensity.

METHODS

Slices of different rat tissues were placed between two microscope slide mounts (spaced by 3 mm). A laser beam was irradiated on the sandwiched tissue. A CCD camera placed on the side, orthogonal to the beam path, recorded the intensity distribution of the scattered light. Analysis of this spatial intensity profile allowed determining the variation of the intensity as the light penetrates the tissue.

RESULTS

We have found that abdominal wall fat presents the lowest exponential decay when compared with liver, muscle, and kidney. The obtained values provided good data about the light distribution in those tissues when irradiated with a nondiffuse laser beam. For all tissues, we observed a spherical light distribution and exponential decay. Cirrhotic liver shows much stronger decay than healthy liver. These results are useful for several applications of laser for biostimulation a phototherapy.

Analysis of the linkage between fibronectin alternative spliced sites during ageing in rat tissues

The modulation of fibronectin (FN) functions in cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions in a variety of physiological situations is achieved by the selective expression of different isoforms, which in the rat are generated by alternatively splicing of at least three regions of the molecule: EIIIA, EIIIB and V. Extensive information has been collected on the regulation of the differential processing of the single alternatively spliced regions but up to now there was scant knowledge about a possible coordinated expression of the three regions in the same transcript. Using a long range RT-PCR system we have shown that most of the splicing regulation is autonomous for each individual region but we have also observed a preferential expression of the EIIIA+ form linked to the EIIIB- variant that is age independent. Furthermore the analysis of the single regions showed interesting variations occurring in brain during the ageing. There is a decrease in the V120 form between the 6- and the 24-month-old rat brain (from 57% to 39%), whereas despite a constant prevalence of the EIIIA- form in the young rats (65%) there is a random individual variation of this form in the old animals. Noteworthy no variations have been detected in the EIIIB region (90% EIIIB-). These data suggest a role for the V and EIIIA regions, but not for the EIIIB, during the ageing process at least in brain, since no variations were detected in kidney between the 6- and 24-month-old animals.

Regulation of fibronectin expression in rat regenerating liver

Fibronectin (FN) expression displays a complex regulation that results in precisely defined isoform patterns during different developmental stages, ageing and injury. The qualitative and quantitative changes that are observed derive from modulation of the rate of transcription of the single FN pre-mRNA and its specific differential processing in the EIIIA, EIIIB and V regions of rat FN. The liver is the major source of plasma FN which is characterised by the absence of the EIIIA and EIIIB exons. Here we show that in the rat regenerating liver there is a significant reprogramming of the splicing machinery that results in the synthesis by the liver of up to 17% of EIIIA+ FN linked with all the three V forms. On the other hand the EIIIB+ form is totally absent both in normal and regenerating liver. Furthermore there is a variation of the V pattern observed in the regenerating tissue, the V120 form (linked to both EIIIA+ and EIIIA- messengers) increases from 11 to 32%. The quantitative RT-PCR method was used to estimate the FN transcription rate, before and after partial hepatectomy. We have shown a 3-fold increase in FN mRNA in liver that is specifically linked to the regeneration process and not to the surgical stress.

A novel bipartite splicing enhancer modulates the differential processing of the human fibronectin EDA exon

EDA is a facultative type III homology of human fibronectin encoded by an alternative spliced exon. The EDA+ and EDA- mRNA forms show a cell type specific distribution with their relative proportion varying during development, aging and oncogenic transformation. We have previously demonstrated that an 81 bp nucleotide sequence within the exon itself is essential for differential RNA processing. Fine mapping of cis acting elements within this region has been carried out to identify possible target sites for the modulation of alternative splicing. There are at least two short nucleotide sequences involved. Element A (GAAGAAGA) is a positive modulator for the recognition of the exon, its deletion results in constitutive exclusion of the EDA exon. Element B (CAAGG) is a negative modulator for exon recognition, its deletion results in constitutive inclusion of the EDA exon. This bipartite structure of the splicing enhancer is a novel feature of the mammalian exons.

Alternative splicing of a previously unidentified CFTR exon introduces an in-frame stop codon 5' of the R region

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) has been extensively characterized as the carrier of the basic defect in cystic fibrosis. CFTR is part of a growing family of proteins encoded by a single gene, the variant isoforms of which are generated by alternative splicing or RNA editing. We have analyzed the CFTR mRNA in the region of exons 10-11 in T84 cells and detected an alternatively spliced exon (10b) accounting for about 5% of the CFTR mRNA. The exon 10b found in both the human and mice genomes, introduces an in-frame stop codon. The resulting mRNA is translated into a truncated CFTR protein, identified in T84 cells by immunoprecipitation with the CFTR-specific monoclonal antibody MATG 1061. The insertion of a differentially spliced exon carrying an in-frame stop codon is a novel cellular mechanism for the production of a protein sharing common sequences with another, but having different properties and functions.

Beta-nerve growth factor (beta-NGF) mRNA expression in the parkinsonian adrenal gland

The adrenal gland is a well-demonstrated source for different neurotrophic factors. The presence of the beta-nerve growth factor (beta-NGF) mRNA in the adrenal tissue used for grafting in a Parkinsonian patient is reported here. Adrenal samples were obtained on the day of implantation, and a specific cDNA was synthesized after the extraction of total RNA using a synthetic oligonucleotide as a reverse transcription primer. A 168-bp portion of the cDNA was amplified using two other oligonucleotides as Taq polymerase primers in a polymerase chain reaction. Thirty-two cycles of amplification were performed. The amplification products were identified by agarose gel electrophoresis and Southern blot analysis as a single DNA band hybridizing with a third beta-NGF specific oligonucleotide. The identity of the fragment was confirmed by DNA sequencing. Quantitative analysis demonstrated a beta-NGF mRNA concentration exceeding 5 fg/micrograms of total adrenal RNA. These findings add NGF to the other neurotrophic factors produced by the gland (i.e., basic fibroblast growth factor) and demonstrate the retained functional capacity of the Parkinsonian adrenal to express the beta-NGF mRNA. All these data may assume relevant meaning for neurotransplantation research.