Methane drizzle on Titan

Saturn's moon Titan shows landscapes with fluvial features suggestive of hydrology based on liquid methane. Recent efforts in understanding Titan's methane hydrological cycle have focused on occasional cloud outbursts near the south pole or cloud streaks at southern mid-latitudes and the mechanisms of their formation. It is not known, however, if the clouds produce rain or if there are also non-convective clouds, as predicted by several models. Here we show that the in situ data on the methane concentration and temperature profile in Titan's troposphere point to the presence of layered optically thin stratiform clouds. The data indicate an upper methane ice cloud and a lower, barely visible, liquid methane-nitrogen cloud, with a gap in between. The lower, liquid, cloud produces drizzle that reaches the surface. These non-convective methane clouds are quasi-permanent features supported by the global atmospheric circulation, indicating that methane precipitation occurs wherever there is slow upward motion. This drizzle is a persistent component of Titan's methane hydrological cycle and, by wetting the surface on a global scale, plays an active role in the surface geology of Titan.     

The abundances of constituents of Titan's atmosphere from the GCMS instrument on the Huygens probe

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, remains an enigma, explored only by remote sensing from Earth, and by the Voyager and Cassini spacecraft. The most puzzling aspects include the origin of the molecular nitrogen and methane in its atmosphere, and the mechanism(s) by which methane is maintained in the face of rapid destruction by photolysis. The Huygens probe, launched from the Cassini spacecraft, has made the first direct observations of the satellite's surface and lower atmosphere. Here we report direct atmospheric measurements from the Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS), including altitude profiles of the constituents, isotopic ratios and trace species (including organic compounds). The primary constituents were confirmed to be nitrogen and methane. Noble gases other than argon were not detected. The argon includes primordial 36Ar, and the radiogenic isotope 40Ar, providing an important constraint on the outgassing history of Titan. Trace organic species, including cyanogen and ethane, were found in surface measurements.     

Mutations in SDHC cause autosomal dominant paraganglioma, type 3

Nonchromaffin paragangliomas (PGLs) are usually benign, neural-crest-derived, slow-growing tumours of parasympathetic ganglia. Between 10% and 50% of cases are familial and are transmitted as autosomal dominant traits with incomplete and age-dependent penetrance.     

Whole-genome sequencing of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains identifies compensatory mutations in RNA polymerase genes

Epidemics of drug-resistant bacteria emerge worldwide, even as resistant strains frequently have reduced fitness compared to their drug-susceptible counterparts. Data from model systems suggest that the fitness cost of antimicrobial resistance can be reduced by compensatory mutations; however, there is limited evidence that compensatory evolution has any significant role in the success of drug-resistant bacteria in human populations. Here we describe a set of compensatory mutations in the RNA polymerase genes of rifampicin-resistant M. tuberculosis, the etiologic agent of human tuberculosis (TB). M. tuberculosis strains harboring these compensatory mutations showed a high competitive fitness in vitro. Moreover, these mutations were associated with high fitness in vivo, as determined by examining their relative clinical frequency across patient populations. Of note, in countries with the world's highest incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, more than 30% of MDR clinical isolates had this form of mutation. Our findings support a role for compensatory evolution in the global epidemics of MDR TB.     

Sequence and topology of a model intracellular membrane protein, E1 glycoprotein, from a coronavirus

In the eukaryotic cell, both secreted and plasma membrane proteins are synthesized at the endoplasmic reticulum, then transported, via the Golgi complex, to the cell surface. Each of the compartments of this transport pathway carries out particular metabolic functions, and therefore presumably contains a distinct complement of membrane proteins. Thus, mechanisms must exist for localizing such proteins to their respective destinations. However, a major obstacle to the study of such mechanisms is that the isolation and detailed analysis of such internal membrane proteins pose formidable technical problems. We have therefore used the E1 glycoprotein from coronavirus MHV-A59 as a viral model for this class of protein. Here we present the primary structure of the protein, determined by analysis of cDNA clones prepared from viral mRNA. In combination with a previous study of its assembly into the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, the sequence reveals several unusual features of the protein which may be related to its intracellular localization.     

Complex organic matter in Titan's atmospheric aerosols from in situ pyrolysis and analysis

Aerosols in Titan's atmosphere play an important role in determining its thermal structure. They also serve as sinks for organic vapours and can act as condensation nuclei for the formation of clouds, where the condensation efficiency will depend on the chemical composition of the aerosols. So far, however, no direct information has been available on the chemical composition of these particles. Here we report an in situ chemical analysis of Titan's aerosols by pyrolysis at 600 degrees C. Ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) have been identified as the main pyrolysis products. This clearly shows that the aerosol particles include a solid organic refractory core. NH3 and HCN are gaseous chemical fingerprints of the complex organics that constitute this core, and their presence demonstrates that carbon and nitrogen are in the aerosols.     

抗氧化剂抑制内皮细胞表面的白细胞粘附不依赖其抗氧化活性

氧张力是炎症反应、再灌注损伤和动脉粥样硬化形成的致病因素。这些病变的共同点是内皮细胞表面的白细胞粘附增加。我们用几种抗氧化剂：ＤＣＩ,Ｃｈｒｙｓｉｎ,ＰＤＴＣ和Ｐｒｏｂｕｃｏｌ在流动条件下（切变力在０６～２４ｄｙｎ／ｃｍ２）实验其对内皮细胞表面白细胞粘附的影响,用化学发光法分析这几种抗氧化剂的抗氧化活性。结果显示：ＰＤＴＣ和Ｐｒｏｂｕｃｏｌ对外周血有核细胞氧自由基的产生没有抑制作用,Ｃｈｒｙｓｉｎ可轻度抑制,ＤＣＩ可明显抑制活性氧的产生。相反,ＰＤＴＣ（最大半抑制量８×１０－４ｍｏｌ和Ｃｈｒｙｓｉｎ最大半抑制量５×１０－５ｍｏｌ）可抑制细胞对经ＴＮＦα刺激的人脐带静脉内皮细胞（ＨＵＶＥＣ）的粘附。ＤＣＩ和Ｐｒｏｂｕｃｏｌ对各种切变力范围的细胞粘附无作用。抗氧化剂对内皮细胞表面的白细胞粘附的抑制作用不能单用其抗氧性特性来解释。可能的作用机理是这类物质直接作用转录因子ＮＦ－ｋＢ的结果