Rather, the decrease in MreB abundance may be due to the P gingi

Rather, the decrease in MreB abundance may be due to the P. gingivalis cells entering a State resembling stationary phase or responding in a previously unseen way to the formation of the three species community. Protein synthesis Extensive changes were observed in ribosomal proteins and in translation elongation and initiation proteins. While overall more proteins showed reduced abundance in the three species community, the changes to the translational learn more machinery were almost exclusively increases in abundance. Of 49 ribosomal proteins detected, 27 showed increased abundance, while only one showed decreased abundance. Of nine translation

elongation and initiation proteins detected, none showed significant abundance decreases but five showed increased abundance (EfG (PGN1870), putative EfG (PGN1014), EfTs (PGN1587),

EfTu (PGN1578), and If2 (PGN0255)). This represents not only a substantial portion of the translational machinery but also a large portion, 36%, of the proteins showing increased abundance. It is well known that ribosomal content is generally proportional to growth rate [36]; however, given that the cells were not in culture medium Selleckchem XL184 during the assay, rapid growth is an unlikely explanation for these results. The increased ribosomal content presumably indicates increased translation, consistent with the community providing physiologic support to P. gingivalis and allowing higher levels of protein synthesis. Vitamin synthesis Sulfite dehydrogenase Pathways for synthesizing several vitamins showed reduced protein abundance in the three species community. Most of the proteins involved in thiamine diphosphate (vitamin B1) biosynthesis

were downregulated (Fig. 4). Thiamine is a cofactor for the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex that converts 2-oxoglutarate to succinyl-CoA and for the transketolase reactions of the anaerobic pentose phosphate pathway [37]. However, transketolase (PGN1689, Tkt) showed no abundance change while of the three components of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (PGN1755, KorB) only the beta Selleckchem RG7420 subunit showed an abundance increase. Figure 4 Thiamine biosynthetic pathway, showing protein abundance changes for the P. gingivalis – F. nucleatum – S. gordonii / P. gingivalis comparison. Proteins catalyzing each step in the pathway are shown by their P. gingivalis ATCC 33277 gene designation (PGN number) and protein name, where applicable. Green downward arrows indicate decreased abundance in the three species community. Yellow squares indicate no statistically significant abundance change. Empty squares indicate that the protein was not detected in the proteomic analysis. Thiamine diphosphate is shown in bold. Only incomplete pathways have been identified for many of the other vitamin biosynthesis activities in P. gingivalis.

An extension of the ERI model takes overcommitment into account (

An extension of the ERI model takes overcommitment into account (Siegrist et al. 2004). This refers to a motivational pattern of excessive work-related commitment and high need for approval. Overcommitment is a psychological risk factor in itself that adds to the strain of working conditions. Besides these theory-based approaches to assess stress at work, a large number of studies based on questionnaires

of stress-related items dealing with long working hours, time pressure, interpersonal conflicts and other psychosocial aspects of work have been conducted (e.g. Theorell and Floderus-Myrhed 1977; Suadicani et al. 1993; Hibbard and Pope 1993; Torin 2 ic50 Matthews and Gump 2002). While cross-sectional, case–control and Selleckchem Pifithrin-�� prognostic studies still dominate in the literature, a large number of well-designed prospective cohort studies have been conducted in the last years. These contribute Eltanexor nmr a higher degree of evidence to the

causal relationship between work stress and health. Numerous reviews have been published on the relation between stress and CVD (e.g. Costa 2004; Dimsdale 2008; Karasek 2006). Unfortunately, most of the reviews are narrative in nature and thus not transparent and not as comprehensive. Eller et al. (2009), Kivimäki et al. (2006), Netterstrøm and Kristensen (2005), Belkic et al. (2004) and Hemingway and Marmot (1999) conducted systematic reviews. These employ an explicit research strategy with predefined search terms for identifying every publication in the field and analyse the results in a systematic, objective manner in order to minimise bias. Usually, the quality of each study in respect to its level of evidence of results is taken into account, giving more weight to higher-level studies with less risk of bias or confounding (such as randomised trials or cohort studies) than to studies Ergoloid with methodological restrictions. The aim of the present study was to conduct an up-to-date systematic review based on longitudinal data on the association of psychosocial stress

at work with cardiovascular diseases. A broader definition of work stress and cardiovascular outcomes was applied. The following questions were assessed: Is stress at work related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (coronary heart disease, stroke and hypertension)? Which stress models and which CVD outcomes have the strongest evidence for an association? Methods The authors performed a systematic review on the role of work stress for the development of cardiovascular diseases by collecting and analysing all relevant publications with a predefined strategy. The authors intended to include a variety of databases besides MEDLINE, possibly identifying articles published in less-known journals and older publications, and to include those based on less-known stress models.

castellanii The proliferation of serially dilutions of these cul

castellanii. The proliferation of serially dilutions of these cultures correlated with the initial number of culturable cells: 50 to 100 times more culturable cells were observed after co-culture (Figure 4A). Moreover, no proliferation was observed for suspensions containing less Adavosertib than 102 CFU.ml-1 before co-culture. This indicates that L. pneumophila proliferation in contact with A. castellanii was a function of the initial number of culturable cells and at least 102 CFU.ml-1 is required for proliferation to be detected in our conditions. Figure 4 Proliferation of Legionella cells in co-culture with A. castellanii. (A) Proliferation of serially diluted culturable cells is represented

as a function of the initial number of CFU as assessed on the standard medium (BCYE). (B & C) Proliferation of cell suspensions GDC-0068 mouse exposed to various concentrations of HOCl based on the initial number of

CFU as assessed on the standard medium (BCYE) (B) or the supplemented medium (BCYES) (C). Dark bars represent the initial number of CFU as assessed on the standard medium or the supplemented selleck chemical medium (BCYES). Gray bars represent the number of CFU as assessed on the BCYE medium after co-incubation with axenic culture of A. castellanii. The values reported are means for duplicate samples in three independent experiments. Error bars indicate SD and asterisks values below the detection limit (<0.1 CFU.ml-1). Then, we co-incubated

HOCl-treated suspensions of L. pneumophila with axenic cultures of A. castellanii. Staurosporine Initial CFU counts were assessed both on standard and supplemented (BCYES) media. When CFU counts were assessed on standard medium, L. pneumophila proliferation was observed with several suspensions of L. pneumophila containing less than 102 CFU.ml-1 and also the proliferation rates (1000 to 10000) were higher than those observed in calibrated experiments (50 to 100) (Figure 4B). This difference with the results of the calibrated proliferation experiment (Figure 4A) suggests existence of a subpopulation of cells that were not culturable on the standard medium but that were nevertheless able to infect A. castellanii and then grow. Part of the proliferation in this model system could therefore be interpreted in as a “resuscitation”. The initial number of culturable cells assessed from CFU counts on BCYES was always higher than that observed on the standard medium (Figure 4C). In this condition, no proliferation of L. pneumophila was observed after co-culture for suspensions containing less than 102 CFU.ml-1 and the proliferation rates were similar to those observed in calibrated experiments (50 to 100; Figure 4A). Thus, after HOCl treatment, proliferation was a function of the initial number of culturable cells assessed on the BCYES medium but not on the standard medium (BCYE).

It is also preferred for experimental reasons as X-rays at higher

It is also preferred for experimental reasons as X-rays at higher energies are attenuated less by the air path, the buffer solution in which the sample is made, and the cryostat windows. Range-extended XAS In general, EXAFS spectra of systems which Selleck eFT-508 contain adjacent elements in the periodic table have a limited EXAFS range due to the presence of the rising edge of the next element, thus limiting

the EXAFS distance resolution. For the Mn K-edge EXAFS studies of PS II, the absorption edge of Fe in PS II limits the EXAFS energy range (Fig. 4). Traditional EXAFS spectra of PS II samples are collected as an excitation spectrum by electronically windowing the Kα fluorescence (2p to 1s, at 5,899 eV) from the Mn atom. The solid-state detectors that have been used over the past decade have a resolution of about 150–200 eV (FWHM) at the Mn K-edge, making

it impossible to discriminate Mn fluorescence from that of Fe Kα fluorescence (at 6,404 eV). The presence of the obligatory 2–3Fe/PS II (Fe edge at 7,120 eV) limits, the data to a k-range of ~11.5 Å−1 (k = 0.51 ΔE1/2, the Mn edge is at 6,540 eV and ΔE = 580 eV). The Mn–Mn and Mn–ligand distances that can be resolved in a typical EXAFS experiment are given by $$ \Updelta R = \pi / 2k_ \max , $$ (11)where k max is the maximum energy of the photoelectron of Mn. Fig. 4 a Left (top): X-ray fluorescence of Mn and Fe. The multi-crystal monochromator with 1 eV resolution is tuned to the Mn Kα1 peak (red spectrum). Left (below): fluorescence peaks of Mn and Fe as detected using Ge-detector. The fluorescence peaks are convoluted with the electronic

selleck kinase inhibitor window resolution of 150–200 eV of the Ge-detector (black and green spectra for Mn and Fe fluorescence). Note different energy scales for the schemes shown above and below. Iron is an obligatory element in functional PS II complexes. Right: Comparison of the traditional check details Mn K-edge EXAFS spectrum (blue) from the S1 state PS II sample obtained with a traditional 30-element energy-discriminating Ge-detector with a spectrum collected using the high-resolution crystal monochromator (note the absence of Fe contribution). The dashed line at k = 11.5 Å−1 denotes the spectral limit of a conventional EXAFS experiment owing to the iron edge. Use of the high-resolution detector eliminates the Selleck MK-4827 interference of Fe and removes the limit of the energy range for Mn EXAFS data collection. b The comparison of the k-space Mn EXAFS collected with a crystal monochromator and a Ge-detector. The range of data, as indicated by k max, is inversely proportional to the resolution of the data The use of a high-resolution crystal monochromator (see the article by Bergmann and Glatzel, this issue) allows us to selectively separate the Mn K fluorescence from that of Fe (Fig. 4), resulting in the collection of data to higher photoelectron energies and leading to increased distance resolution of 0.1 Å.

05) These data obviously showed that upresgulation of miR-451 mi

05). These data obviously showed that upresgulation of miR-451 might effectively enhance the sensitivity of A549 cells to DDP. Figure 5 Effect of miR-451 upregulation on the in

vitro sensitivity of A549 cells to DDP. A. 4-Hydroxytamoxifen Effects of various concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 μg/ml) of DDP on cells (mock A549, A549/miR-NC or A549/miR-451) for 12 h assessed by MTT assay. B. Effects of 5 μg/ml DDP on cells (mock A549, A549/miR-NC or A549/miR-451) for varied time length (0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h) evaluated by MTT assays. C. Effects of 5 μg/ml DDP on colony formation of cells (mock A549, A549/miR-NC or A549/miR-451). All experiments were performed in triplicate, * P < 0.05. Upregulation of miR-451 enhances DDP-induced apoptosis of A549 cells The precise underlying mechanisms by which upregulation EPZ5676 nmr of miR-451 enhances chemosensitivity of A549 cells to DDP were further investigated. Then, the apoptosis was detected by flow cytometric assay. As shown in Figure 6A, the apoptotic rare of A549/miR-451 treated with 5 μg/ml DDP was increased by approximately 11.7% in comparison with mock A549 cells treated with 5 μg/ml DDP (P < 0.05). However, the apoptotic rate of A549/miR-NC cells treated with DDP showed no significant difference compared with that of mock A549 cells treated with DDP (P > 0.05). Figure 6B showed the results of AnnexinV-FITC apoptosis

detection assay, which Alpelisib ic50 confirmed the results of flow cytomeric assay. Finally, the activity of caspase-3 was also determined by colorimetric assay.

As shown in Figure 6C, the caspase-3 activity in A549/miR-451 Glutathione peroxidase cells treated with DDP remarkably increased by approximately 308% compared that mock A549 or A549/miR-NC cells treated with DDP (P < 0.05). Therefore, upregulation of miR-451 might increase DDP chemosensitivity of A549 cells by enhancing DDP-induced apoptosis. Figure 6 Effect of combined miR-451 upregulation with DDP (5 μg/ml) on apoptosis of A549 cells. A. Flow cytometry analysis of apoptosis in mock A549, A549/miR-NC or A549/miR-451 cells. B. Hoechst staining analysis of apoptosis in mock A549, A549/miR-NC or A549/miR-451 cells. C. Analysis of relative caspase-3 activity in mock A549, A549/miR-NC or A549/miR-451 cells. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Upregulation of miR-451 increases in vivo chemosensitivity of A549 cells to DDP To explore whether upregulation of miR-451 on chemosensitivity of A549 cells to DDP in vivo, s.c. tumors were developed in nude mice followed by treatment with DDP or PBS. As shown in Figure 7A, the tumors formed from A549/miR-451cells grew significantly slower than those from A549/miR-NC after the treatment with DDP. At 28 days after inoculation, the average tumor volume of A549/miR-451 cells (212 ± 36 mm3) was significantly lower than that of A549/miR-NC (323 ± 13 mm3) following DDP treatment (P < 0.05; Figure 7B).

Biol Conserv 101:33–50CrossRef Frenot Y, Chown SL, Whinam SL, Sel

Biol Conserv 101:33–50CrossRef Frenot Y, Chown SL, Whinam SL, Selkirk PM, Convey P, Skotnicki M, Bergstrom DM (2005) Biological invasions in the Antarctic: extent, impacts and implications. Biol Rev 80:45–72PubMedCrossRef Gerighausen U, Brautigam K, Mustafa O, Peter HU (2003) Apoptosis Compound Library price Expansion of vascular plants on an Antarctic island—a consequence of

climate change? In: Huiskes AHL, Gieskes WWC, Rozema J, Schorno RML, van der Vies SM, Wolff WJ (eds) Antarctic biology in a global context. Backhuys, Leiden, pp 79–83 Gremmen NJM, Smith VR (1999) New records of alien vascular plants from Marion and Prince Edward Islands, sub-Antarctic. Polar Biol 21:401–409CrossRef Gremmen NJM, Chown SL, Marshall DJ (1998) Impact of the introduced grass Agrostis stolonifera on vegetation and soil fauna communities at Marion Island, sub-Antarctic. Biol Conserv 85:223–231CrossRef Huff DR (2003) Annual bluegrass (Poa annua

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Hughes KA, Ott S, Bölter M, Convey P (2006) Colonisation processes. In: Bergstrom DM, Convey P, Huiskes AHL (eds) Trends in Antarctic terrestrial and limnetic ecosystems: Antarctica as a global indicator. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 35–54CrossRef Hughes KA, Convey P, www.selleckchem.com/products/cx-5461.html Maslen NR, Smith RIL (2010a) Accidental transfer of non-native soil organisms into Antarctica on construction vehicles. Biol Invasions 2:875–891CrossRef Hughes KA, Lee JE, Ware C, Kiefer K, Bergstrom DM (2010b) Impact of anthropogenic transportation to Antarctica on alien seed viability. Polar Biol 8:1125–1130CrossRef Hughes KA, Lee JE, Tsujimoto M, Imura S, Bergstrom DM, Ware C, Lebouvier M, Huiskes AHL, Gremmen NJM, Frenot Y, Bridge Ribonucleotide reductase PD, Chown SL (2011) Food for thought: risks of non-native species transfer to the Antarctic region with fresh produce. Biol Conserv 144:2821–2831CrossRef Kejna M (2008) Topoclimatic conditions in the vicinity of the Arctowski Station (King George Island, Antarctica) during the summer season of 2006/2007. Pol Polar Res 29:95–116 King JC, Turner J, Marshall GJ, Conolley WM, Lachlan-Cope TA (2003) Antarctic Peninsula climate variability and its causes as revealed by analysis of instrumental records. Antarct Res Ser 79:17–30CrossRef Klan Z (1947) Srovnávaci anatomie plodu rostlin okoličnatých oblasti Republiky Československé (anatomický klič).

For example, the hillock produced in air/vacuum at N = 100 on Si(

For example, the hillock produced in air/vacuum at N = 100 on Si(111) surface is 42%/29% lower than that on Si(100) surface. The BIRB 796 solubility dmso hillocks produced at N = 200 show the similar results. It was also noted that the hillock produced in air was a little lower than that in vacuum, which may be to some extent ascribed to the protective effect of surface oxide layer on the silicon surface [17]. Since less silicon oxide layer was observed on the hillock surface Volasertib chemical structure when scratched in vacuum than

that in air, taller hillocks would be created in vacuum [18]. In summary, because of the anisotropic properties of silicon surfaces, the friction-induced hillocks on Si(100) surface were the highest, but those on Si(111) surface were the lowest under the same conditions. The reasons responsible to the difference will be further discussed in the next section. Figure 4 Comparison of the (a) height ( h ) and (b) volume ( V ) of the friction-induced hillocks. The hillocks were produced at F n = 50 μN and N = 100 in air and in vacuum, respectively. Discussions Effect of the mechanical property on the hillock formation The transmission electron microscope observation indicated that the friction-induced hillock on Si(100) surface contained a thin superficial oxidation layer and a thick disturbed (amorphous and deformed) layer in the subsurface [17, 18]. It was suggested

that the mechanical interaction through amorphization was the key contributor to hillock formation tuclazepam on Si(100) surface. Although the silicon wafers with various P5091 nmr crystal planes present different elastic modulus, all these wafers consist of Si-I phase (diamond-like structure) regardless of crystallographic orientations. During the sliding process, the transformation of Si-I to amorphous structure may occur on three silicon crystal planes, which will further induce the formation of hillock on these silicon surfaces. However, under the same loading conditions, the height of hillock on various silicon crystal planes

was different as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The results suggested that the crystal plane orientation of silicon had a strong impact on the friction-induced nanofabrication on the silicon surface. Due to the anisotropic mechanical properties of monocrystalline, the tip-sample contact may be different on three silicon crystal planes during scratching. When the scratch test was performed at F n = 50 μN, the maximum shear stress on the contact area was estimated as 2.6 GPa on Si(100), 3.1 GPa on Si(110), and 3.3 GPa on Si(111) with the Hertzian contact model, respectively [15]. Since all the shear stress was below the yield stress of silicon (approximately 7 GPa), the deformation during the scratch process on the three silicon crystal planes was assumable to be elastic according to the Tresca yield criterion [19]. However, the repeated scanning under low load may lead to the deformation of silicon matrix, i.e.

Chem Eng

Chem Eng selleck kinase inhibitor J 2012, 197:88–100.CrossRef 28. Liu CC,

Kuang-Wang M, Li YS: JNK inhibitors library Removal of nickel from aqueous solution using wine processing waste sludge. Ind Eng Chem Res 2005, 44:1438–1445. 10.1021/ie0496380CrossRef Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors’ contributions QX designed the experiments. FQ and MW carried out all of the experiments. YC and FR wrote the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
“Background Recently, most binary systems were made based on ZrO2 such as ZrO2-TiB2, ZrO2-TiCN, ZrO2-SiC, ZrO2-TiN, and ZrO2-TiC. Consequently, high mechanical properties of the material can be expected when ZrO2 is hardened by nanoparticles of the second phase (tungsten carbide). It will allow

extensive use of obtained ceramics. It is known that tungsten carbide is widely used in the manufacture of hard alloys based on WC-Co due to its high resistance to wear and low temperatures during use. However, the thermal stability of the cobalt binder greatly limits its use as a structural component, where high heat resistance, resistance to oxidation, and corrosion are very important. OSI-906 cell line Previously, attention was paid to determine the optimum ZrO2 in the composite materials based on WC made by high-energy FAST methods [1, 2]. Also, the authors in [3] reported that the addition of 30% micron-sized WC to ZrO2-matrix significantly increases the hardness and fracture toughness, but their values were low. Research on the possibility of compacting ZrO2-WC composites via hot pressing with electric current (electroconsolidation) is the purpose of this work. It is also important to identify optimal regimes to obtain high-density samples having homogeneous microstructure with high mechanical characteristics. Methods The nanopowders were mixed using a planetary milling plant ‘Pulverisette 6’(Fritsch GmbH, Idar-Oberstein, Germany with isopropyl alcohol for 2 h for a uniform distribution Fludarabine price of particles in

the sample. The rotation speed of planetary disk is 160 rpm. To break the agglomerates, alumina milling balls were added to the container. Installation for hot vacuum pressing, designed and patented by the authors, was done to consolidate the powders. This installation, in comparison with the well-known FAST method in Europe, differs mainly because of the possibility that it uses a conventional AC power frequency without special optional equipment pulse generators. This method later in this article will be referred to as electroconsolidation. The nanopowders were sintered using a hot pressing facility with a direct current under a pressure of 30 MPa and held for 2 min at various temperatures. Further studies were done on molded samples such as tablets of 20 mm in diameter.

The synchronization of cells in S phase by MTX was reversible as

The synchronization of cells in S phase by MTX was reversible as the pattern of cell cycle progression of MTX-treated cells was similar to that of untreated cells 48 hr after drug removal (Figure 1A). Our results thus suggest that MTX is more effective in synchronizing DHDK12 cells in S phase than ara-C or aphidicolin. Consequently, the efficacy of MTX in synchronizing

cells in S phase was then tested in the HT29 cell line. Figure 1 Distribution in cell cycle-phase after MTX treatment. Cell cycle phases of DHDK12 cells (A) and HT29 cells (B) were obtained by uniparametric flow cytometry analysis of DNA content (propidium iodide red-fluorescence intensity in fluorescence units) at various time after MTX removal. On the ordinate is shown the number of cells corresponding Semaxanib to the fluorescence units. In HT29 cell line, the effect of MTX on cell cycle progression was slightly different. As illustrated in Figure 1B, cells began to accumulate in S phase almost immediately after MTX removal. While the rate of cells in S phase was 18% without CB-839 datasheet treatment (Figure 1B), this rate reached 55% 6 hr after MTX removal and decreased thereafter to

reach the ratio of untreated cells 24 hr after MTX removal. Taken together, these observations indicate that the pattern of cell cycle synchronization after MTX removal is specific for each cell line. Because we hypothesize that gene this website transfer efficiency is improved by potent cell cycle synchronization, the time window for transduction experiments with the β-gal reporter gene should be different between the two cell lines. Improvement of gene transfer efficiency in synchronized cell To determinate the optimal period for gene transfer in synchronized cells, we used the β-gal reporter

gene. The rate of DHDK12 cells transduced with the β-gal gene was 3% with X-Gal staining while it was 10% with FDG in flow cytometry (data not shown). The treatment of DHDK12 cells with MTX improved retroviral gene transfer Edoxaban efficiency. Figure 2 shows that the level of transduction increased in cells synchronized in S phase. The highest level of transduction was obtained in the cells infected 20 hr after MTX removal. At that time, the proportion of transduced cells was 26% for cells treated with MTX, while it was 11% in untreated cells (Figure 2A). In the MTX-treated cell population, 44% of cells were in S phase. When the cell cycle distribution of MTX-treated cells returned to the control value 54 hr after drug removal, the efficiency of transduction became similar to that of control cells (Figure 2A). Thus, the optimal period to improve transduction efficiency of reporter gene in synchronized cells was obtained between 12 and 32 hr after drug removal. Figure 2 Infection efficiency of the β- gal retroviral vector. DHDK12 cells (A) and HT29 cells (B) were treated for 24 hr with (filled circle) or whithout (open circle) MTX. Cells were transduced with TG 5391 at the indicated times after MTX removal.

FZ performed the identification and

FZ performed the identification and LGK-974 research buy annotation of the data, constructed the web site and wrote the manuscript. HC conducted the functional characterization based on structural information. All authors have read and approved the final submitted version of this manuscript.”
“Background Nitrosomonas europaea is a widely studied chemolithoautotrophic

ammonia oxidizing bacterium (AOB) that catalyzes the aerobic oxidation of ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2 -) using carbon dioxide (CO2) as the preferred assimilative carbon source [1]. Bacteria closely related to N. europaea have been found in various natural and engineered environments indicating that they can proliferate under different PXD101 ic50 growth Torin 2 chemical structure conditions, by effectively utilizing growth substrates such as NH3 and oxygen [2–4]. The oxidative catabolic pathway of N. europaea involves NH3

oxidation to hydroxylamine (NH2OH) by membrane bound ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and NH2OH oxidation to NO2 – by periplasmic hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) (Figure 1) [5]. In addition, autotrophic denitrification by N. europaea has also been shown [6–8]. It is believed that denitrification by N. europaea is especially favored during growth under low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations or high nitrite concentrations [9] and results in the production of nitric oxide (NO) or nitrous oxide (N2O) [10, 11]. However, little information Methane monooxygenase exists on the mechanisms driving the

responses of N. europaea to DO limitation and possible NO2 – toxicity [12]. For instance, it is as yet unknown whether responses to DO limitation and NO2 – toxicity at the whole-cell level are ultimate manifestations of changes in gene transcription and expression. Figure 1 Schematic of oxidative (unshaded enzymes) and reductive (gray shaded enzymes) nitrogen transformations in N. europaea (modified after [5]). In this study, the ability of N. europaea to transcribe four key genes involved in its catabolic pathway as a function of batch growth conditions (NH3 sufficiency and starvation, DO limitation and NO2 – toxicity) was evaluated. It was hypothesized that DO limitation and NO2 – toxicity would result in lower transcription of genes coding for NH3 and NH2OH oxidation (amoA and hao, respectively), given that these are the main steps leading to energy generation in N. europaea [5]. Furthermore, given that low DO and high NO2 – concentrations are two main triggers for expression of denitrification genes in heterotrophic bacteria [13], it was hypothesized that decreasing DO concentrations and high NO2 – concentrations would similarly induce progressively higher transcription of NO2 – and NO reductase genes in N. europaea (nirK and norB, respectively). The specific objectives of this study were to (i) quantitatively measure the transcription of amoA, hao, nirK and norB, four genes involved in redox N transformations, in N.