Malolactic fermentation (MLF) is important in the production of wines as it reduces acidity through the conversion of malic acid to lactic acid. However, successful MLF can be difficult to achieve due to yeast antagonism of the bacterium responsible for
the secondary fermentation, Oenococcus oeni. In particular, yeast produced sulfur...
Many plant-associated Gram-negative bacteria, such a Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 (PtoDC3000), use a type III secretion system (T3SS) to establish a host-microbe relationship with compatible plants. The T3SS resembles a molecular injection mechanism that allows the bacteria to deliver type III effectors (T3Es) directly into the cell of the...
Thiamine (vitamin B₁) deficiency is a global concern affecting wildlife, livestock, and humans. In Great Lakes salmonines, thiamine deficiency causes embryo mortality and is an impediment to restoration of native lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) stocks. Thiamine deficiency in fish may result from a diet of prey with high levels of...
Plant litter decomposition plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, and contributes large amounts of carbon to soils, which store more carbon than any other terrestrial pool of organic matter. Decomposition plays a fundamental role in nutrient cycling and alters soil properties that shape plant community composition and...
Two diametric paradigms have been proposed to model the molecular co-evolution of microbial mutualists and their eukaryotic hosts. In one, mutualist and host exhibit an antagonistic arms race and each partner evolves rapidly to maximize their own fitness from the interaction at potential expense of the other. In the opposing...
Deciding which textbook to assign to students is often a very difficult decision. A textbook should offer more than just a synthesis of information, it should inspire curiosity, cause one to reflect, and provide a framework for making decisions. Most reviews reflect a single opinion, sometimes based on personal preferences....
We report the sequence and characterization of the genomes of 21 isolates of Rhodococcus. Next generation sequencing technology was used to generate genome sequences. The reads for each genome were de novo assembled. The contigs were re-ordered, using the genome sequence of A44a as a reference. The program, Prokka, was...
Members of Gram-positive Actinobacteria cause economically important diseases to plants. Within the Rhodococcus genus,
some members can cause growth deformities and persist as pathogens on a wide range of host plants. The current model
predicts that phytopathogenic isolates require a cluster of three loci present on a linear plasmid, with...
Stressful environmental conditions affect the adrenocortical function of developing animals, which can have consequences
for their fitness. Discovery of the avian stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in feathers has the potential to broaden the
application of endocrine research in ecological and evolutionary studies of wild birds by providing a long-term measure...