Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yi Lu, Finnur Freyr Eiriksson, Margret Thorsteinsdottir, Nils Cronberg, Henrik Toft Simonsen
Summary: Bryophytes, such as mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, have attracted researchers due to their diverse chemicals and potential applications in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. They accumulate long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (l-PUFA) to maintain cell fluidity in cold environments. While Iceland has a rich bryophyte vegetation, the lipid profiles of these plants are largely unknown. In this study, lipidomics analysis was performed on 39 local bryophyte species in Iceland using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS, revealing that six moss species had abundant arachidonic acid (AA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in their phospholipids and glycerolipids.
Review
Horticulture
Riccardo Motti, Anna Di Palma, Bruna de Falco
Summary: Bryophytes, the oldest living plants of terrestrial habitats, have ethnopharmacological importance and have shown various pharmacological activities. This overview focuses on their use in folk medicine and provides a literature review of the most commonly used mosses and liverworts.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gana Gecheva, Silviya Stankova, Evelina Varbanova, Lidia Kaynarova, Deyana Georgieva, Violeta Stefanova
Summary: For the first time, a macrophyte-based assessment of ecological status was related to the accumulated heavy metals and trace elements in aquatic plants. Three moss and two vascular plant species were applied as biomonitors and three streams were found to be in good ecological status with low contamination. Two sites in moderate ecological status were revealed to be heavily contaminated with trace elements.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Brigitte Schmidt, Felix Kegler, Georg Steinhauser, Ihor Chyzhevskyi, Sergiy Dubchak, Caroline Ivesic, Marianne Koller-Peroutka, Aicha Laarouchi, Wolfram Adlassnig
Summary: The Chernobyl nuclear disaster released large amounts of radionuclides, which can still be detected in plants and sediments today. This study focused on moss samples from different locations and found high concentrations of Cs-137 and Am-241, with Cs-137 being significantly higher in the cooling pond. The results suggest that mosses accumulate radionuclides indiscriminately, while Cs-137 can be washed out from the soil over time, Am-241 remains adsorbed to the topsoil and precipitates in the cooling pond.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Daniel Petras, Andres Mauricio Caraballo-Rodriguez, Alan K. Jarmusch, Carlos Molina-Santiago, Julia M. Gauglitz, Emily C. Gentry, Pedro Belda-Ferre, Diego Romero, Shirley M. Tsunoda, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Mingxun Wang
Summary: ChemProp is a tool for contextualizing molecular networks by scoring abundance changes between connected nodes over sequential data series, which can help prioritize potential biological and chemical transformations or proportional changes of related compounds. This workflow has been tested on defined mixtures and shown utility in prioritizing specific molecules within biological samples, including bacterial transformations of bile acids, human drug metabolism, and bacterial natural products biosynthesis. The ChemProp workflow is freely available through the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) environment.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Boominathan Mohanasundaram, Sona Pandey
Summary: This article explores the phenotypic responses of mosses to environmental signals such as light, temperature, CO2, water, nutrients, and gravity, and compares them with the known responses in vascular plants. Hypotheses based on the contribution of anatomical and molecular factors to specific phenotypic responses are also outlined.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Zdravko Siketic, Iva Bogdanovic Radovic, Marko Barac, Marko Brajkovic, Marijana Popovic Hadzija
Summary: MeV SIMS is a type of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) technique that uses MeV energy ions to desorb molecules from a sample surface. This study presents a new system for molecular imaging of organic materials using a continuous analytical beam and a start trigger based on the detection of secondary electrons. The system allows for the imaging of samples with a lateral resolution of about 20 μm and the analysis of samples of any thickness. The imaging capabilities of MeV SIMS are demonstrated on various samples to show its potential applications in biology and forensic science.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Francesca Degola, Luigi Sanita di Toppi, Alessandro Petraglia
Summary: There are numerous factors that drive individuals to leave their homeland, such as escaping competition and seeking new opportunities. However, the absence of unfavorable biotic interactions can be counterbalanced by other antagonistic abiotic forces. Although the journey of ancestral photosynthetic organisms to establish on dry land remains unknown, traits developed by the ancestors of modern bryophytes have allowed them to adapt and persist in such a different habitat.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sadjad Fakouri Baygi, Yashwant Kumar, Dinesh Kumar Barupal
Summary: The poor chemical annotation of high-resolution mass spectrometry data hinders the use of untargeted metabolomics datasets. To address this issue, we developed a new software called IDSL.CSA, which enables the chemical annotation of high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography peaks even without MS2 fragmentation spectra. Validation tests showed comparable annotation rates using IDSL.CSA libraries and MS/MS libraries for commonly detected endogenous metabolites in human blood samples. The IDSL.CSA package can be used for creating and searching composite spectra libraries from any untargeted metabolomics dataset generated using high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled to liquid or gas chromatography instruments.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhaoyu Ren, Mingke Fang, Ghulam Muhae-Ud-Din, Haifeng Gao, Yazhen Yang, Taiguo Liu, Wanquan Chen, Li Gao
Summary: Metabolomics study revealed significant changes in metabolic profiles of wheat grains after T. controversa infection, involving various metabolic pathways. Fungal toxin-related substances such as PGs and 9-HODEs were significantly upregulated in infected grains, while defense-related substances like cucurbic acid and octadecatrienoic acid showed significant concentration changes. Eight different metabolic pathways were activated during the interaction between T. controversa and wheat plants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Jiewei Hao, L. M. Chu
Summary: Tropical regions are important for studying the potential impact of global climate change on forest ecosystems, including the essential ecological functions of bryophytes. A study in southern China showed that terrestrial moss species transplanted to warmer and drier elevations experienced severe declines in health status and growth, with some species highly susceptible to changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. As the tropics are expected to become hotter and drier, terrestrial mosses may face negative impacts and potential extinction, highlighting the role of bryophytes in reflecting the adverse effects of climate change and providing early warnings of biological outcomes.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peter J. Mullen, Gustavo Garcia, Arunima Purkayastha, Nedas Matulionis, Ernst W. Schmid, Milica Momcilovic, Chandani Sen, Justin Langerman, Arunachalam Ramaiah, David B. Shackelford, Robert Damoiseaux, Samuel W. French, Kathrin Plath, Brigitte N. Gomperts, Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami, Heather R. Christofk
Summary: This study revealed that SARS-CoV-2 infection alters host cell metabolism by increasing glucose entry into the TCA cycle and reducing oxidative glutamine metabolism. Additionally, infection with SARS-CoV-2 activates mTORC1, and inhibiting mTORC1 can suppress viral replication in kidney epithelial cells and lung ALI cultures. These findings suggest that targeting mTORC1 could be a potential treatment strategy for COVID-19 patients.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Max K. Edney, Anna M. Kotowska, Matteo Spanu, Gustavo F. Trindade, Edward Wilmot, Jacqueline Reid, Jim Barker, Jonathan W. Aylott, Alexander G. Shard, Morgan R. Alexander, Colin E. Snape, David J. Scurr
Summary: Modern mass spectrometry techniques produce a wealth of spectral data, but the volume and complexity of data can hinder interpretation. This study applies molecular formula prediction to interpret 3D OrbiSIMS data and achieves successful results on different samples.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jan Zarnowiec, Monika Staniaszek-Kik, Damian Chmura
Summary: This study focused on the plant traits of epixylic bryophytes in Central Europe and their associations with environmental factors, revealing significant correlations between certain species and specific environmental conditions. Three guilds of epixylic bryophytes were identified, each with distinct characteristics related to their habitat preferences and plant traits. Further research is needed to verify these findings on a larger scale.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jordan L. Tanen, Samuel R. White, Duong Ha, Kaveh Jorabchi
Summary: Elemental analysis of fluorochemicals has gained attention due to increased use of fluorinated compounds. In-plasma ionization has limitations for ICPMS applications, but post-ICP chemical ionization using nanospray has improved F detection sensitivity. This study further investigates post-plasma chemical ionization and demonstrates the impact of excess plasma oxygen and use of reagent ions with different metal centers on F detection. The findings present significant improvements for elemental F analysis, especially for online chromatographic detection.
JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gust Bilcke, Koen Van den Berge, Sam De Decker, Eli Bonneure, Nicole Poulsen, Petra Bulankova, Cristina Maria Osuna-Cruz, Jack Dickenson, Koen Sabbe, Georg Pohnert, Klaas Vandepoele, Sven Mangelinckx, Lieven Clement, Lieven De Veylder, Wim Vyverman
Summary: The study integrates transcriptomic data and reveals significant changes in gene expression during sexual reproduction in diatoms in response to SIP, inhibiting processes like S-phase progression, cell division, mitosis, and inducing upregulation of meiotic genes. The research also uncovers the roles of reactive oxygen species, energy metabolism, and cGMP signaling in early sexual reproduction stages.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stefanie Liening, Jana Fischer, Hans Jagusch, Georg Pohnert, Oliver Hoecker, Christian Neusuess, Oliver Werz, Gerhard K. E. Scriba, Ulrike Garscha
Summary: In this study, a novel AA-derived GSH conjugate, TOG(10), was identified in human platelets formed via the 12-LOX pathway in combination with a GST. This confirms the involvement of pt12-LOX and suggests a potential new mechanism for the biosynthesis of GSH conjugates in platelets.
PROSTAGLANDINS & OTHER LIPID MEDIATORS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Raphael A. Seidel, Marcel Ritter, Alexander Joerk, Stefan Kuschke, Niklas Langguth, Daniel Schulze, Helmar Goerls, Michael Bauer, Otto W. Witte, Matthias Westerhausen, Knut Holthoff, Georg Pohnert
Article
Limnology
Frederike Stock, Emilio Cirri, Samarasinghe Gunasekara Liyanage Ishari Nuwanthi, Willem Stock, Nico Ueberschaar, Sven Mangelinckx, Georg Pohnert, Wim Vyverman
Summary: N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) are signaling molecules produced by Gram-negative bacteria for cell-cell communication, influencing marine bacterial processes and interactions with microalgae. Measuring AHL concentrations is challenging but important for ecological research and biofilm control. A novel sampling and analysis method has been developed to detect and quantify AHLs in marine sediment samples efficiently.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY-METHODS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Constanze Kuhlisch, Julia Althammer, Andrey F. Sazhin, Hans H. Jakobsen, Jens C. Nejstgaard, Georg Pohnert
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nico Ueberschaar, Katharina Lehmann, Stefanie Meyer, Christian Zerfass, Beate Michalzik, Kai Uwe Totsche, Georg Pohnert
Summary: The passage of surface-sourced organic compounds in infiltrating waters and percolates undergoes transformations through biotic and abiotic processes, leading to changing chemical environments in subsurface compartments. Different types of lysimeters are available for collecting soil solution samples, and solid phase extraction followed by GC-MS analysis can effectively reduce background signals. Multivariate statistics can be used for monitoring chemical differences in various land use sites, allowing for the detection of organic compounds such as sugars, fatty acids, and phenolic acids.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lu Liu, Carlos Sanchez-Arcos, Georg Pohnert, Dong Wei
Summary: The thermoacidophilic red alga Galdieria sulphuraria has optimized a photosynthetic system for low-light conditions over billions of years, depending heavily on light and substrate supply for growth. Higher cell densities were obtained under high-light conditions, with observed reductions in photosynthetic pigments suggesting the alga may be able to alleviate the effects of photoinhibition. Extensive untargeted metabolomics studies revealed metabolic changes in G. sulphuraria grown under different light intensities, with up-regulation of bilayer lipids and changes in amino acids, amines, and amide metabolism under high-light exposure. Additionally, mixotrophic G. sulphuraria showed higher accumulations of osmoprotectant sugars and sugar alcohols compared to autotrophic algae in response to stress from high concentration of organic carbon sources.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Marine Vallet, Filip Kaftan, Veit Grabe, Fatemeh Ghaderiardakani, Simona Fenizia, Ales Svatos, Georg Pohnert, Thomas Wichard
Summary: Symbiosis is a dominant form of life in marine ecosystems, such as interactions between macroalgae and bacteria. Mass spectrometry profiling and imaging techniques can reveal symbiotic interactions between bacteria and macroalgae. This study provides a basis for understanding bacterial symbioses in aquatic ecosystems and offers a new tool for microbiome research.
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thilo Magnus Philipp, Andreas Will, Hannes Richter, Patrick Rainer Winterhalter, Georg Pohnert, Holger Steinbrenner, Lars-Oliver Klotz
Summary: Methanethiol is a gas produced by microbial degradation of methionine, primarily originating from bacteria in the human large intestine. SELENBP1 has been identified as a methanethiol oxidase, converting it to other substances. Using a novel assay, researchers confirmed the loss of MTO function in SELENBP1 variants and found that mature enterocytes are capable of eliminating microbiome-derived methanethiol.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Simona Fenizia, Jerrit Weissflog, Georg Pohnert
Summary: Phytoplankton rely on bioactive zwitterionic and highly polar small metabolites with osmoregulatory properties to compensate changes in the salinity of the surrounding seawater. Cysteinolic acid is identified as an additional widely distributed polar metabolite in phytoplankton, belonging to the marine sulfonates class.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nils Meyer, Aljoscha Rydzyk, Georg Pohnert
Summary: This study reveals that diatoms are capable of taking up organic resources from lysates of competing algae, and these resources are partially maintained or undergo metabolic transformation within the cells. This suggests that diatoms have the potential to compete with heterotrophs and may have a significant impact on organic material fluxes in the oceans.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Runqing Yang, Dong Wei, Georg Pohnert
Summary: This study reveals that a combination of tryptone and urea as organic nitrogen sources can enhance fucoxanthin production in mixotrophic cultivation of Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Among the amino acids present in the medium, arginine has the highest nitrogen utilization rate and promotes cell growth the most. The optimal combination of arginine and urea as nitrogen sources leads to the highest biomass concentration, fucoxanthin content, and productivity. This study provides new insights into the promotion of fucoxanthin biosynthesis and suggests a promising strategy for efficient enhancement of fucoxanthin production.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vera Nikitashina, Daniel Stettin, Georg Pohnert
Summary: Microalgae respond to salinity stress with common adaptations in the metabolome, such as up-regulation of amino acids and production of saccharides and inositols. However, there are also species-specific dysregulations of metabolites. Several metabolites not previously connected to osmotic stress reactions were identified. This study expands our knowledge about osmoadaptation and highlights the need for further functional characterization of metabolites and pathways in algal stress physiology.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Franziska A. Klapper, Christine Kiel, Peter Bellstedt, Wim Vyverman, Georg Pohnert
Summary: Diatoms, abundant unicellular microalgae, play a crucial role in global photosynthetic CO2 fixation. However, their sexual reproduction remains poorly understood. In this study, the structure of a sex-inducing pheromone in the diatom Seminavis robusta was elucidated, revealing its mechanism of action and providing important insights into the reproductive process of diatoms.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Kristy S. Syhapanha, David A. Russo, Yun Deng, Nils Meyer, Remington X. Poulin, Georg Pohnert
Summary: The discovery of an algicidal bacterium and its key protease gene provides insights into the regulation of harmful algal blooms. Transciptomics-guided approach identified a serine protease gene as a critical element in the algicidal activity. This finding opens the possibility of real-time monitoring of the ecological impact of algicidal bacteria in natural phytoplankton blooms.
