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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10

Centrifugal Pump Model for System Codes for Advanced NPP Designs

In this document, a homologous model and one-dimensional line model for centrifugal pump are described to provide the theoretical background of a pump model to be developed in system-level codes. Input and output parameters are proposed, along with a summary of the governing equations for each model. Furthermore, hydraulic performance degradation of centrifugal pump is also modeled in the homologous pump model. This document suggests that system codes provide a homologous and one-dimensional line model for centrifugal pumps, allowing the users to choose the model that best fits their purposes.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Epicuticular wax accumulation and regulation of wax pathway gene expression during bioenergy Sorghum stem development

Bioenergy sorghum is a drought-tolerant high-biomass C4 grass targeted for production on annual cropland marginal for food crops due primarily to abiotic constraints. To better understand the overall contribution of stem wax to bioenergy sorghum’s resilience, the current study characterized sorghum stem cuticular wax loads, composition, morphometrics, wax pathway gene expression and regulation using vegetative phase Wray, R07020, and TX08001 genotypes. Wax loads on sorghum stems (~103-215 µg/cm 2 ) were much higher than Arabidopsis stem and leaf wax loads. Wax on developing sorghum stem internodes was enriched in C28/30 primary alcohols (~65%) while stem wax on fully developed stems was enriched in C28/30 aldehydes (~80%). Scanning Electron Microscopy showed minimal wax on internodes prior to the onset of elongation and that wax tubules first appear associated with cork-silica cell complexes when internode cell elongation is complete. Sorghum homologs of genes involved in wax biosynthesis/transport were differentially expressed in the stem epidermis. Expression of many wax pathway genes (i.e., SbKCS6, SbCER3-1, SbWSD1, SbABCG12, SbABCG11 ) is low in immature apical internodes then increases at the onset of stem wax accumulation. SbCER4 is expressed relatively early in stem development consistent with accumulation of C28/30 primary alcohols on developing apical internodes. High expression of two SbCER3 homologs in fully elongated internodes is consistent with a role in production of C28/30 aldehydes. Gene regulatory network analysis aided the identification of sorghum homologs of transcription factors that regulate wax biosynthesis (i.e., SbSHN1, SbWRI1/3, SbMYB94/96/30/60, MYS1 ) and other transcription factors that could regulate and specify expression of the wax pathway in epidermal cells during cuticle development.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Anaerobic Fungal Mevalonate Pathway Genomic Biases Lead to Heterologous Toxicity Underpredicted by Codon Adaptation Indices

Anaerobic fungi are emerging biotechnology platforms with genomes rich in biosynthetic potential. Yet, the heterologous expression of their biosynthetic pathways has had limited success in model hosts like E. coli. We find one reason for this is that the genome composition of anaerobic fungi like P. indianae are extremely AT-biased with a particular preference for rare and semi-rare AT-rich tRNAs in E coli, which are not explicitly predicted by standard codon adaptation indices (CAI). Native P. indianae genes with these extreme biases create drastic growth defects in E. coli (up to 69% reduction in growth), which is not seen in genes from other organisms with similar CAIs. However, codon optimization rescues growth, allowing for gene evaluation. In this manner, we demonstrate that anaerobic fungal homologs such as PI.atoB are more active than S. cerevisiae homologs in a hybrid pathway, increasing the production of mevalonate up to 2.5 g/L (more than two-fold) and reducing waste carbon to acetate by ~90% under the conditions tested. This work demonstrates the bioproduction potential of anaerobic fungal enzyme homologs and how the analysis of codon utilization enables the study of otherwise difficult to express genes that have applications in biocatalysis and natural product discovery.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Protection against Different Genotypes of Newcastle Disease Viruses (NDV) Afforded by an Adenovirus-Vectored Fusion Protein and Live NDV Vaccines in Chickens

The efficacy of an adenovirus-vectored Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine expressing the fusion (F) NDV protein (adeno-F) was evaluated against challenges with virulent heterologous and homologous NDV strains to the F protein. In a preliminary study, two different doses (low and high) of adeno-F were tested against a virulent NDV strain containing the homologous NDV F protein, CA02. In a second study, at three weeks post-vaccination, the efficacy of the high dose of adeno-F was compared to a live attenuated NDV vaccine strain (LaSota) against three antigenically distinct virulent NDV challenge strains, one homologous (CA02) and two heterologous (TZ12, EG14) to F in the vectored vaccine. In both experiments, clinical signs, mortality, virus shedding, and humoral response were evaluated. In the first experiment, the survival rates from birds vaccinated with adeno-F at a high and low dose were 100% and 25%, respectively. In the second experiment, birds vaccinated with the high dose of adeno-F had a survival rate of 80%, 75%, and 65% after challenge with the CA02, TZ12, and EG14 viruses, respectively. All of the LaSota-vaccinated birds survived post-challenge no matter the NDV challenge strain. High antibody titers were detected after vaccination with LaSota by HI and ELISA tests. The majority of adeno-F-vaccinated birds had detectable antibodies using the ELISA test, but not using the HI test, before the challenge. The data show that both the similarity of the F protein of the adeno-F vaccine to the challenge virus and the adeno-F vaccination dose affect the efficacy of an adenovirus-vectored NDV vaccine against a virulent NDV challenge.

Ferreira, Helena L. (ORCID:0000000232613712)↗

CryoEM structures of the human CLC-2 voltage-gated chloride channel reveal a ball-and-chain gating mechanism

CLC-2 is a voltage-gated chloride channel that contributes to electrical excitability and ion homeostasis in many different tissues. Among the nine mammalian CLC homologs, CLC-2 is uniquely activated by hyperpolarization, rather than depolarization, of the plasma membrane. The molecular basis for the divergence in polarity of voltage gating among closely related homologs has been a long-standing mystery, in part because few CLC channel structures are available. Here, we report cryoEM structures of human CLC-2 at 2.46 – 2.76 Å, in the presence and absence of the selective inhibitor AK-42. AK-42 binds within the extracellular entryway of the Cl – -permeation pathway, occupying a pocket previously proposed through computational docking studies. In the apo structure, we observed two distinct conformations involving rotation of one of the cytoplasmic C-terminal domains (CTDs). In the absence of CTD rotation, an intracellular N-terminal 15-residue hairpin peptide nestles against the TM domain to physically occlude the Cl – -permeation pathway. This peptide is highly conserved among species variants of CLC-2 but is not present in other CLC homologs. Previous studies suggested that the N-terminal domain of CLC-2 influences channel properties via a “ball-and-chain” gating mechanism, but conflicting data cast doubt on such a mechanism, and thus the structure of the N-terminal domain and its interaction with the channel has been uncertain. Through electrophysiological studies of an N-terminal deletion mutant lacking the 15-residue hairpin peptide, we support a model in which the N-terminal hairpin of CLC-2 stabilizes a closed state of the channel by blocking the cytoplasmic Cl – -permeation pathway.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

From microbial communities to cells

The eukraotic cell, the unit of structure of protoctists, plants, fungi, and animals, is not at all homologous to prokaryotic cells. Instead the eukaryotic cell is homologous to communities of microorganisms such as those of the sulfuretum. This research is based on the hypothesis that at least four different interacting community members entered the original associations that, when stabilized, led to the emergence of eukaryotic cells. These are: (1) host nucleocytoplasm (thermoplasma like archaebacteria); (2) mitochrondria (paracoccus or bdellovibryo like respiring bacteria; and (3) plastids (cyanobacteria) and undulipodia. Tubulin like protein was found in the free living spirochete Spirochaeta bajacaliforniensis and in several other spirochetes. The amino acid sequence was to see if the spirochete protein is homologous to the tubulin of undulipodial and mitotic spindle microtubules.

Margulis, L.↗

Drosophila atonal fully rescues the phenotype of Math1 null mice: new functions evolve in new cellular contexts

Many genes share sequence similarity between species, but their properties often change significantly during evolution. For example, the Drosophila genes engrailed and orthodenticle and the onychophoran gene Ultrabithorax only partially substitute for their mouse or Drosophila homologs. We have been analyzing the relationship between atonal (ato) in the fruit fly and its mouse homolog, Math1. In flies, ato acts as a proneural gene that governs the development of chordotonal organs (CHOs), which serve as stretch receptors in the body wall and joints and as auditory organs in the antennae. In the fly CNS, ato is important not for specification but for axonal arborization. Math1, in contrast, is required for the specification of cells in both the CNS and the PNS. Furthermore, Math1 serves a role in the development of secretory lineage cells in the gut, a function that does not parallel any known to be served by ato. We wondered whether ato and Math1 might be more functionally homologous than they appear, so we expressed Math1 in ato mutant flies and ato in Math1 null mice. To our surprise, the two proteins are functionally interchangeable.

Non-NASA Center↗

Structural determination of a full-length plant cellulose synthase informed by experimental and in silico methods

Three-dimensional structure determination and prediction of proteins with intrinsically disordered regions, unstructured regions, conformational flexibility, and lacking homologous structures are challenging. We previously predicted and refined an in silico structure of a plant cellulose synthase from cotton (GhCESA1), and more recently, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has resolved a majority of the lengths of two CESA structures from poplar (PttCESA8) and cotton (GhCESA7). However, 26–30% of these cryo-EM structures remain unresolved, including the N-terminal domain, half of the class-specific region, the gating loop region, and the C-terminal domain. Here, we describe the generation and evaluation of a full-length hybrid GhCESA1 model based on this cryo-EM PttCESA8 structure, with unresolved regions completed using this in silico refined GhCESA1 model. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations and subsequent energy minimizations were performed for the in silico and hybrid GhCESA1 models in a lipid bilayer-water-ion environment, and structural stability, dynamics, energetics, contacts, and quality were evaluated. The unresolved regions were found to be the most dynamic, in agreement with their poor electron density with cryo-EM. The hybrid model exhibited a higher total secondary structure content, more favorable intra-protein and protein-lipid interaction energies, and improved quality metrics. Moreover, hydrogen bonding was revealed to be a primary mechanism for intra-protein and protein-lipid contacts. These results demonstrate that in silico structure prediction and refinement may be useful to augment experimental structure determination, especially for disordered and unstructured regions. Furthermore, this hybrid model can serve as a steppingstone to derive full-length homology models of other CESAs found in more experimentally tractable organisms.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

A Mesorhizobium japonicum quorum sensing circuit that involves three linked genes and an unusual acyl-homoserine lactone signal

ABSTRACT Members of the genus Mesorhizobium, which are core components of the rhizosphere and specific symbionts of legume plants, possess genes for acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) quorum sensing (QS). Here we show Mesorhizobium japonicum MAFF 303099 (formerly M. loti ) synthesizes and responds to N -[(2 E , 4 E )-2,4-dodecadienoyl] homoserine lactone (2 E, 4 E- C 12:2 -HSL). We show that the 2 E, 4 E- C 12:2 -HSL QS circuit involves one of four luxR-luxI -type genes found in the sequenced genome of MAFF 303099. We refer to this circuit, which appears to be conserved among Mesorhizobium species, as R1-I1. We show that two other Mesorhizobium strains also produce 2 E, 4 E- C 12:2 -HSL. The 2 E, 4 E- C 12:2 -HSL is unique among known AHLs in its arrangement of two trans double bonds. The R1 response to 2 E, 4 E- C 12:2 -HSL is extremely selective in comparison with other LuxR homologs, and the trans double bonds appear critical for R1 signal recognition. Most well-studied LuxI-like proteins use S -adenosylmethionine and an acyl-acyl carrier protein as substrates for synthesis of AHLs. Others that form a subgroup of LuxI-type proteins use acyl-coenzyme A substrates rather than acyl-acyl carrier proteins. I1 clusters with the acyl-coenzyme A-type AHL synthases. We show that a gene linked to the I1 AHL synthase is involved in the production of the QS signal. The discovery of the unique I1 product enforces the view that further study of acyl-coenzyme A-dependent LuxI homologs will expand our knowledge of AHL diversity. The involvement of an additional enzyme in AHL generation leads us to consider this system a three-component QS circuit. IMPORTANCE We report a Mesorhizobium japonicum quorum sensing (QS) system involving a novel acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signal. This system is known to be involved in root nodule symbiosis with host plants. The chemistry of the newly described QS signal indicated that there may be a dedicated cellular enzyme involved in its synthesis in addition to the types known for production of other AHLs. Indeed, we report that an additional gene is required for synthesis of the unique signal, and we propose that this is a three-component QS circuit as opposed to the canonical two-component AHL QS circuits. The signaling system is exquisitely selective. The selectivity may be important when this species resides in the complex microbial communities around host plants and may make this system useful in various synthetic biology applications of QS circuits.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

PRIME: An evaluation framework for protein representation inference and generalization in viral mutation space

Background Protein language models (PLMs) have revolutionized protein fitness prediction, yet their application to rapidly evolving viral pathogens is often confounded by extreme sequence homology. This homology leads to “data leakage” in standard random validation splits, yielding inflated performance metrics that fail to translate into real-world biosurveillance utility. Results We present Protein Representation Inference for Mutation Evaluation (PRIME), a framework that integrates domain-specific fine-tuning with a rigorous position-stratified validation protocol to evaluate viral threats. Using a dataset of 347,432 SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) sequences, we demonstrate that while random training data split yields deceptive R 2 values (> 0.90), they fail to generalize to novel mutational sites. By benchmarking models up to 650 M parameters, we show that domain-specific fine-tuning of the ESM-C 600 M model with correctly stratified data provides an initial demonstration of predictive signal for binding affinity and expression at unseen mutational sites of binding affinity and expression on unseen sites (R 2 ~0.23), a significant advancement over base foundation models which exhibit no predictive power (R 2 <0). PRIME’s embedding-based clustering identified 3.03% of bat coronavirus sequences as candidates for further experimental prioritization based on their functional similarity to human-infective strains in embedding space, offering a perspective complementary to traditional phylogenetic methods. Conclusion PRIME establishes a new benchmark for the application of PLMs in pathogen surveillance. Our findings demonstrate that state-of-the-art models and fine-tuning, when paired with stratified validation, provide biologically meaningful insights into pathogen evolution and zoonotic risk.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The conserved AAA ATPase PCH-2 distributes its regulation of meiotic prophase events through multiple meiotic HORMADs in C. elegans

During meiotic prophase, the essential events of homolog pairing, synapsis, and recombination are coordinated with meiotic progression to promote fidelity and prevent aneuploidy. The conserved AAA+ ATPase PCH-2 coordinates these events to guarantee crossover assurance and accurate chromosome segregation. How PCH-2 accomplishes this coordination is poorly understood. Here, we provide evidence that PCH-2 decelerates pairing, synapsis and recombination in C. elegans by remodeling meiotic HORMADs. We propose that PCH-2 converts the closed versions of these proteins, which drive these meiotic prophase events, to unbuckled conformations, destabilizing interhomolog interactions and delaying meiotic progression. Further, we find that PCH-2 distributes this regulation among three essential meiotic HORMADs in C. elegans: PCH-2 acts through HTP-3 to regulate pairing and synapsis, HIM-3 to promote crossover assurance, and HTP-1 to control meiotic progression. In addition to identifying a molecular mechanism for how PCH-2 regulates interhomolog interactions, our results provide a possible explanation for the expansion of the meiotic HORMAD family as a conserved evolutionary feature of meiosis. Taken together, our work demonstrates that PCH-2’s remodeling of meiotic HORMADs has functional consequences for the rate and fidelity of homolog pairing, synapsis, recombination and meiotic progression, ensuring accurate meiotic chromosome segregation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

An amphioxus winged helix/forkhead gene, AmphiFoxD: insights into vertebrate neural crest evolution

During amphioxus development, the neural plate is bordered by cells expressing many genes with homologs involved in vertebrate neural crest induction. However, these amphioxus cells evidently lack additional genetic programs for the cell delaminations, migrations, and differentiations characterizing definitive vertebrate neural crest. We characterize an amphioxus winged helix/forkhead gene (AmphiFoxD) closely related to vertebrate FoxD genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the AmphiFoxD is basal to vertebrate FoxD1, FoxD2, FoxD3, FoxD4, and FoxD5. One of these vertebrate genes (FoxD3) consistently marks neural crest during development. Early in amphioxus development, AmphiFoxD is expressed medially in the anterior neural plate as well as in axial (notochordal) and paraxial mesoderm; later, the gene is expressed in the somites, notochord, cerebral vesicle (diencephalon), and hindgut endoderm. However, there is never any expression in cells bordering the neural plate. We speculate that an AmphiFoxD homolog in the common ancestor of amphioxus and vertebrates was involved in histogenic processes in the mesoderm (evagination and delamination of the somites and notochord); then, in the early vertebrates, descendant paralogs of this gene began functioning in the presumptive neural crest bordering the neural plate to help make possible the delaminations and cell migrations that characterize definitive vertebrate neural crest. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

NASA Discipline Evolutionary Biology↗

Developmental genes and the origin and evolution of Metazoa

The author discusses the role of developmental genes in evolution of life and the use of molecular approaches to confirm morphologic homology, to aid in understanding developmental mechanisms of evolution of novel structures, and to investigate some aspects of the evolution of life. Topics examined include developmental genes and homology; the role of co-optation and divergence, homeosis, and heterochrony as mechanisms of evolution; and life history evolution and model organisms.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

Arabidopsis chloroplast chaperonin 10 is a calmodulin-binding protein

Calcium regulates diverse cellular activities in plants through the action of calmodulin (CaM). By using (35)S-labeled CaM to screen an Arabidopsis seedling cDNA expression library, a cDNA designated as AtCh-CPN10 (Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplast chaperonin 10) was cloned. Chloroplast CPN10, a nuclear-encoded protein, is a functional homolog of E. coli GroES. It is believed that CPN60 and CPN10 are involved in the assembly of Rubisco, a key enzyme involved in the photosynthetic pathway. Northern analysis revealed that AtCh-CPN10 is highly expressed in green tissues. The recombinant AtCh-CPN10 binds to CaM in a calcium-dependent manner. Deletion mutants revealed that there is only one CaM-binding site in the last 31 amino acids of the AtCh-CPN10 at the C-terminal end. The CaM-binding region in AtCh-CPN10 has higher homology to other chloroplast CPN10s in comparison to GroES and mitochondrial CPN10s, suggesting that CaM may only bind to chloroplast CPN10s. Furthermore, the results also suggest that the calcium/CaM messenger system is involved in regulating Rubisco assembly in the chloroplast, thereby influencing photosynthesis. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗

An early ethylene up-regulated gene encoding a calmodulin-binding protein involved in plant senescence and death

35S-Labeled calmodulin (CaM) was used to screen a tobacco anther cDNA library. A positive clone (NtER1) with high homology to an early ethylene-up-regulated gene (ER66) in tomato, and an Arabidopsis homolog was isolated and characterized. Based on the helical wheel projection, a 25-mer peptide corresponding to the predicted CaM-binding region of NtER1 (amino acids 796-820) was synthesized. The gel-mobility shift assay showed that the peptide formed a stable complex with CaM only in the presence of Ca(2+). CaM binds to NtER1 with high affinity (K(d) approximately 12 nm) in a calcium-dependent manner. Tobacco flowers at different stages of development were treated with ethylene or with 1-methylcyclopropene for 2 h before treating with ethylene. Northern analysis showed that the NtER1 was rapidly induced after 15 min of exposure to ethylene. However, the 2-h 1-methylcyclopropene treatment totally blocked NtER1 expression in flowers at all stages of development, suggesting that NtER1 is an early ethylene-up-regulated gene. The senescing leaves and petals had significantly increased NtER1 induction as compared with young leaves and petals, implying that NtER1 is developmentally regulated and acts as a trigger for senescence and death. This is the first documented evidence for the involvement of Ca(2+)/CaM-mediated signaling in ethylene action.

Non-NASA Center↗

Two genes with similarity to bacterial response regulators are rapidly and specifically induced by cytokinin in Arabidopsis

Cytokinins are central regulators of plant growth and development, but little is known about their mode of action. By using differential display, we identified a gene, IBC6 (for induced by cytokinin), from etiolated Arabidopsis seedlings, that is induced rapidly by cytokinin. The steady state level of IBC6 mRNA was elevated within 10 min by the exogenous application of cytokinin, and this induction did not require de novo protein synthesis. IBC6 was not induced by other plant hormones or by light. A second Arabidopsis gene with a sequence highly similar to IBC6 was identified. This IBC7 gene also was induced by cytokinin, although with somewhat slower kinetics and to a lesser extent. The pattern of expression of the two genes was similar, with higher expression in leaves, rachises, and flowers and lower transcript levels in roots and siliques. Sequence analysis revealed that IBC6 and IBC7 are similar to the receiver domain of bacterial two-component response regulators. This homology, coupled with previously published work on the CKI1 histidine kinase homolog, suggests that these proteins may play a role in early cytokinin signaling.

Non-NASA Center↗

Structures and Mechanisms of a Novel Bacterial Transport System for Fatty Acids

Abstract Bacterial acquisition of metabolites is largely facilitated by transporters with unique substrate scopes. The tripartite ATP‐independent periplasmic (TRAP) transporters comprise a large family of bacterial proteins that facilitate the uptake of a variety of small molecules. It has been reported that some TRAP systems encode a fourth protein, the T component. The T‐component, or TatT, is predicted to be a periplasmic‐facing lipoprotein that enables the uptake of metabolites from the outer membrane. However, no substrates were revealed for any TatT and their functional role(s) remained enigmatic. We recently identified a homolog in Methylococcus capsulatus that binds to sterols, and herein, we report two additional homologs that demonstrate a preference for long‐chain fatty acids. Our bioinformatics, quantitative analyses of protein‐ligand interactions, and high‐resolution crystal structures suggest that TatTs might facilitate the trafficking of hydrophobic or lipophilic substrates and represent a new class of bacterial lipid and fatty acid transporters.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Shade signals alter the expression of circadian clock genes in newly-formed bioenergy sorghum internodes

Stem internodes of bioenergy sorghum inbred R.07020 are longer at high plant density (shade) than at low plant density (control). Initially, the youngest newly-formed subapical stem internodes of shade-treated and control plants are comparable in length. However, full-length internodes of shade-treated plants are three times longer than the internodes of the control plants. To identify the early molecular events associated with internode elongation in response to shade, we analyzed the transcriptome of the newly-formed internodes of shade-treated and control plants sampled between 4 and 6 hr after the start of the light period (14 hr light/10 hr dark). Sorghum genes homologous to the Arabidopsis shade marker genes ATHB2 and PIL1 were not differentially expressed. The results indicate that shade signals promote internode elongation indirectly because sorghum internodes are not illuminated and grow while enclosed with leaf sheaths. Sorghum genes homologous to the Arabidopsis morning-phased circadian clock genes LHY, RVE, and LNK were downregulated and evening-phased genes such as TOC1, PRR5, and GI were upregulated in young internodes in response to shade. We hypothesize that a change in the function or patterns of expression of the circadian clock genes is the earliest molecular event associated with internode elongation in response to shade in bioenergy sorghum. Increased expression of CycD1, which promotes cell division, and decreased expression of cell wall-loosening and MBF1-like genes, which promote cell expansion, suggest that shade signals promote internode elongation in bioenergy sorghum in part through increasing cell number by delaying transition from cell division to cell expansion.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗