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Aerobic methane production in aquatic ecosystems impacts the global atmospheric budget of methane, but the extent, mechanism, and taxa responsible for producing this greenhouse gas are not fully understood. Lake Bonney (LB), a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake, has cold hypersaline waters underlying an oxygenated freshwater layer. We present temporal methane concentration profiles in LB indicating methane production in the oxygenated (> 200% air saturation) water. Experiments amended with methylphosphonate (MPn) yielded methane generation, suggesting in situ methanogenesis via the carbon‐phosphorus (C‐P) lyase pathway. Enrichment cultures from the lake were used to isolate five bacterial strains capable of generating methane when supplied with MPn as the sole P source. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolates belong to the Proteobacteria (closely related to Marinomonas, Hoeflea, and Marinobactergenera) and Bacteroidetes (Algoriphagusgenus). 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing confirms the presence of these taxa in LB. None of the isolated species were reported to be capable to produce methane. In addition, orthologs of the phosphoenolpyruvate mutase gene (PepM) and methylphosphonate synthase (MPnS), enzymes involved in phosphonate and MPn biosynthesis, were widely spread in the LB shotgun metagenomic libraries; genes related to C‐P lyase pathways (phngene clusters) were also abundant. 16S rRNA and mcrAgenes of anaerobic methanogens were absent in both 16S rRNA and metagenomics libraries. These data reveal that in situ aerobic biological methane production is likely a significant source of methane in LB.

AbstractBetaine derivatives are considered major ingredients of shampoos and are commonly used as antistatic and viscosity-increasing agents. Several studies have also suggested that betaine derivatives can be used as antimicrobial agents. However, the antifungal activity and mechanism of action of betaine derivatives have not yet been fully understood. In this study, we investigated the antifungal activity of six betaine derivatives against Malassezia restricta, which is the most frequently isolated fungus from the human skin and is implicated in the development of dandruff. We found that, among the six betaine derivatives, lauryl betaine showed the most potent antifungal activity. The mechanism of action of lauryl betaine was studied mainly using another phylogenetically close model fungal organism, Cryptococcus neoformans, because of a lack of available genetic manipulation and functional genomics tools for M. restricta. Our genome-wide reverse genetic screening method using the C. neoformansgene deletion mutant library showed that the mutants with mutations in genes for cell membrane synthesis and integrity, particularly ergosterol synthesis, are highly sensitive to lauryl betaine. Furthermore, transcriptome changes in both C. neoformansand M. restrictacells grown in the presence of lauryl betaine were analyzed and the results indicated that the compound mainly affected cell membrane synthesis, particularly ergosterol synthesis. Overall, our data demonstrated that lauryl betaine influences ergosterol synthesis in C. neoformansand that the compound exerts a similar mechanism of action on M. restricta.

While resistance spot welding (RSW) has been the most successful sheet metal joining process in automotive industry, there are still certain quality and reliability issues due to the control system and its application process. Some weld spots have hard-to-reach areas and new materials make the process more complicated resulting in new challenges for quality welds. Recently, a new welding machine called one-sided RSW was introduced to make a weld of hard-to-reach areas in automotive application. Intelligent current regulation algorithm of welding machine timer helps to control welding current and time with more stablility than conventional constant current regulation. Newly developed RSW simulation tool is another advanced technology to improve weld quality and production stability. In this research, advanced RSW technologies, including one-sided RSW, intelligent adaptive control, and simulation of RSW process, are discussed with various automotive applications.

The abrupt elevation in the levels of cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid during cerebral ischemia contributes to neuronal injury. Recently, evidence has accumulated that both excitotoxic and apoptotic features can coexist in ischemia models in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we evaluated whether phenidone, an inhibitor of both cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase, can provide protection against excitotoxin- or ischemia-induced neurotoxicity, including the staurosporine apoptosis model, in mouse cortical cultures. We examined the protective effect of phenidone against free radical injuries induced by arachidonic acid, hydrogen peroxide, xanthine/xanthine oxidase, Fe2+/ascorbic acid. Pre- and post-treatment with phenidone (300 μM for 24 h) moderately attenuated the neuronal injury induced by 50 μM kainate and oxygen/glucose deprivation (45 min) by 33% and 50%, respectively. It had no effect on NMDA induced injury (150 μM for 5 min). The maximum dose of phenidone (300 μM) reduced the oxidative injury induced by arachidonic acid (71% inhibition), hydrogen peroxide (95% inhibition), xanthine/xanthine oxidase (57% inhibition), and Fe2+/ascorbic acid (99% inhibition) neurotoxicity. Phenidone (300 μM) decreased staurosporine (100 nM)-induced apoptosis to 30%. These results suggest that phenidone may contribute to neuronal survival by modulating oxidative stress, which is involved in the excitotoxic and apoptotic processes occurring under ischemic conditions.

In previous study, alkaliphilic and thermotolerant bacterium strain, Pseudomonassp. strain G5, capable of reducing insoluble indigo was isolated from Korean traditional fermentation liquor. Here, we report the draft genome sequence and annotation of strain G5 to provide the genomic information involved in indigo reduction process.

Malasseziais the most dominant fungal genus on the human skin surface and is associated with various skin diseases including dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. Among Malasseziaspecies, Malassezia restrictais the most widely observed species on the human skin. In the current study, we identified a novel dsRNA virus, named MrV40, in M. restrictaand characterized the sequence and structure of the viral genome along with an independent satellite dsRNA viral segment. Moreover, expression of genes involved in ribosomal synthesis and programmed cell death was altered, indicating that virus infection affected the physiology of the fungal host cells. Our data also showed that the viral nucleic acid from MrV40 induces a TLR3-mediated inflammatory immune response in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells, indicating that a viral element likely contributes to the pathogenicity of Malassezia. This is the first study to identify and characterize a novel mycovirus in Malassezia.