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- Walker, M. D., et al.
(author)
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Plant community responses to experimental warming across the tundra biome
- 2006
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 103:5, s. 1342-1346
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent observations of changes in some tundra ecosystems appear to be responses to a warming climate. Several experimental studies have shown that tundra plants and ecosystems can respond strongly to environmental change, including warming; however, most studies were limited to a single location and were of short duration and based on a variety of experimental designs. In addition, comparisons among studies are difficult because a variety of techniques have been used to achieve experimental warming and different measurements have been used to assess responses. We used metaanalysis on plant community measurements from standardized warming experiments at 11 locations across the tundra biome involved in the International Tundra Experiment. The passive warming treatment increased plant-level air temperature by 1-3 degrees C, which is in the range of predicted and observed warming for tundra regions. Responses were rapid and detected in whole plant communities after only two growing seasons. Overall, warming increased height and cover of deciduous shrubs and graminoids, decreased cover of mosses and lichens, and decreased species diversity and evenness. These results predict that warming will cause a decline in biodiversity across a wide variety of tundra, at least in the short term. They also provide rigorous experimental evidence that recently observed increases in shrub cover in many tundra regions are in response to climate warming. These changes have important implications for processes and interactions within tundra ecosystems and between tundra and the atmosphere.
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- Aulchenko, Yurii S, et al.
(author)
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Loci influencing lipid levels and coronary heart disease risk in 16 European population cohorts
- 2009
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 41:1, s. 47-55
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent genome-wide association (GWA) studies of lipids have been conducted in samples ascertained for other phenotypes, particularly diabetes. Here we report the first GWA analysis of loci affecting total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides sampled randomly from 16 population-based cohorts and genotyped using mainly the Illumina HumanHap300-Duo platform. Our study included a total of 17,797-22,562 persons, aged 18-104 years and from geographic regions spanning from the Nordic countries to Southern Europe. We established 22 loci associated with serum lipid levels at a genome-wide significance level (P < 5 x 10(-8)), including 16 loci that were identified by previous GWA studies. The six newly identified loci in our cohort samples are ABCG5 (TC, P = 1.5 x 10(-11); LDL, P = 2.6 x 10(-10)), TMEM57 (TC, P = 5.4 x 10(-10)), CTCF-PRMT8 region (HDL, P = 8.3 x 10(-16)), DNAH11 (LDL, P = 6.1 x 10(-9)), FADS3-FADS2 (TC, P = 1.5 x 10(-10); LDL, P = 4.4 x 10(-13)) and MADD-FOLH1 region (HDL, P = 6 x 10(-11)). For three loci, effect sizes differed significantly by sex. Genetic risk scores based on lipid loci explain up to 4.8% of variation in lipids and were also associated with increased intima media thickness (P = 0.001) and coronary heart disease incidence (P = 0.04). The genetic risk score improves the screening of high-risk groups of dyslipidemia over classical risk factors.
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- Cornelissen, Johannes H C, et al.
(author)
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Global negative vegetation feedback to climate warming responses of leaf litter decomposition rates in cold biomes
- 2007
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In: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 10:7, s. 619-627
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Whether climate change will turn cold biomes from large long-term carbon sinks into sources is hotly debated because of the great potential for ecosystem-mediated feedbacks to global climate. Critical are the direction, magnitude and generality of climate responses of plant litter decomposition. Here, we present the first quantitative analysis of the major climate-change-related drivers of litter decomposition rates in cold northern biomes worldwide.Leaf litters collected from the predominant species in 33 global change manipulation experiments in circum-arctic-alpine ecosystems were incubated simultaneously in two contrasting arctic life zones. We demonstrate that longer-term, large-scale changes to leaf litter decomposition will be driven primarily by both direct warming effects and concomitant shifts in plant growth form composition, with a much smaller role for changes in litter quality within species. Specifically, the ongoing warming-induced expansion of shrubs with recalcitrant leaf litter across cold biomes would constitute a negative feedback to global warming. Depending on the strength of other (previously reported) positive feedbacks of shrub expansion on soil carbon turnover, this may partly counteract direct warming enhancement of litter decomposition.
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- Baniulis, Danas, et al.
(author)
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Monoclonal antibody CL5 recognizes the amino terminal domain of human phagocyte flavocytochrome b558 large subunit, gp91phox
- 2005
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In: European Journal of Haematology. - : Wiley. - 0902-4441 .- 1600-0609. ; 74:4, s. 337-347
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human phagocyte flavocytochrome b558 (Cytb) is a heterodimeric integral membrane protein that serves as the electron transferase of the β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotidephosphate, reduced (NADPH)-oxidase, an enzyme complex important in the host defense function of phagocytic cells. In this study, we report the characterization of monoclonal antibody (mAb) CL5 that is specific for the large subunit, gp91phox, of the oxidase protein. This antibody recognizes gp91phox by immunoblot analysis of membrane extracts and samples of the immunopurified gp91phox/p22 phox heterodimer, prepared on anti-p22phox affinity matrices. Phage display analysis confirmed this specificity, indicating that the CL5 epitope contains the region 135-DPYSVALSELGDR of gp91phox. The antibody was used to probe for the presence of gp91phox in membrane preparations from neutrophils of patients with nine genetically distinct forms of X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). The causative mutations included missense errors as well as nonsense errors that result in premature termination of gp91phox synthesis. Analysis of the CGD samples by immunoblotting indicated that CL5 recognizes only the full-length wild-type and two missense mutations, consistent with the absence of stable short gp91 phox peptide expression in CGD neutrophils. Interestingly, CL5 was also shown to be cross-reactive with cytosolic and membrane-bound gelsolin, identified by purification, mass spectrometry and immunoblot analysis. CL5 probably cross-reacts with the sequence 771-DPLDRAMAEL in the C-terminus of gelsolin. We conclude that mAb CL5 is a useful probe for detection of full length and possibly truncated N-terminal fragments of gp91phox from membranes of Cytb-producing cells. © Blackwell Munksgaard 2005.
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| 10. |
- Baniulis, Danas, et al.
(author)
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Unusual polyclonal anti-gp91phox peptide antibody interactions with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease-derived human neutrophils are not from compensatory expression of Nox proteins 1, 3, or 4
- 2005
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In: European Journal of Haematology. - : Wiley. - 0902-4441 .- 1600-0609. ; 74:3, s. 241-249
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To obtain topological information about human phagocyte flavocytochrome b558 (Cytb), rabbit anti-peptide antibodies were raised against synthetic peptides mimicking gp91phox regions: 1-9 (MGN), 30-44 (YRV), 150-159 (ESY), 156-166 (ARK), 247-257 (KIS-1, KIS-2). Following affinity purification on immobilized peptide matrices, all antibodies but not prebleed controls recognized purified detergent-solubilized Cytb by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Affinity-purified antibodies recognizing KIS, ARK and ESY but not YRV, MGN or prebleed IgG specifically detected gp91phox in immunoblot analysis. Antibodies recognizing MGN, ESY, ARK and KIS but not YRV or the prebleed IgG fraction labeled intact normal neutrophils. Surprisingly, all antibodies, with the exception of YRV and pre-immune IgG controls, bound both normal and Cytb-negative neutrophils from the obligate heterozygous mother of a patient with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) and all neutrophils from another patient lacking the gp91phox gene. Further immunochemical examination of membrane fractions derived from nine genetically unrelated patients with X-CGD, using an antibody that recognizes other Nox protein family members, suggests that the unusual reactivity observed does not reflect the compensatory expression of gp91phox homologs Nox1, 3 or 4. These results suggest that an unusual surface reactivity exists on neutrophils derived from X-linked chronic granulomatous disease patients that most likely extends to normal neutrophils as well. The study highlights the need for caution in interpreting the binding of rabbit polyclonal antipeptide antibodies to human neutrophils in general and, in the specific case of antibodies directed against Cytb, the need for Cytb-negative controls.
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