Although the columella cells of the root cap have been identified as the site of gravity perception, the cellular events that mediate gravity signaling remain poorly understood. To determine if cytoplasmic and/or wall pH mediates the initial stages of root gravitropism, we combined a novel cell wall pH sensor (a cellulose binding domain peptide-Oregon green conjugate) and a cytoplasmic pH senso...

A glucoamylase::green fluorescent protein fusion (GLA::sGFP) was constructed which allows the green fluorescent protein to be used as an in vivo reporter of protein secretion in Aspergillus niger. Two secretory fusions were designed for secretion of GLA::sGFP which employed slightly different lengths of the glucoamylase protein (GLA499 and GLA514). Expression of GLA::sGFP revealed that fluoresc...

Composition and diversity of aeroterrestrial phototrophic microbial communities are up to now poorly understood. Here, we present a comparative study addressing the composition of algal communities on sandstone substrata based upon the analysis of rRNA gene clone libraries from environmental samples and crude cultures. From a west-facing, shaded wall area of the mediaeval castle ruin Gleichen (...

Highly ordered arrays of intramembrane particles are observed in freeze-fractured plasma membranes of the green alga Micrasterias denticulata during the synthesis of the secondary cell wall. The observable architecture of the complex consists primarily of a precise hexagonal array of from 3 to 175 rosettes, consisting of 6 particles each, which fracture with the P-face. The complexes are observ...

To investigate the involvement of lizard species in the natural cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in Hungary, a total of 186 reptiles belonging to three species--126 green lizards (Lacerta viridis), 40 Balkan wall lizards (Podarcis taurica), and 20 sand lizards (Lacerta agilis)--were captured in 2007 and 2008. All ticks removed from the lizards were Ixodes ricinus, either larvae (...

It is believed that the plastids in green plants lost peptidoglycan (i.e., a bacterial cell wall-containing d-amino acids) during their evolution from an endosymbiotic cyanobacterium. Although wall-like structures could not be detected in the plastids of green plants, the moss Physcomitrella patens has the genes required to generate peptidoglycan (Mur genes), and knocking out these genes causes...

The chemical and structural organization of the plant cell wall was examined in Zinnia elegans tracheary elements (TEs), which specialize by developing prominent secondary wall thickenings underlying the primary wall during xylogenesis in vitro. Three imaging platforms were used in conjunction with chemical extraction of wall components to investigate the composition and structure of single Zin...

During the construction of buildings and interior decoration, even in manufacture home furniture kitchen appliances, dangerous chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, others are used, which accumulate indoors during operation building. Scientists have found that when high concentrations reached, these substances can harm human health. In this article, we analyzed possible impact green walls on...