Resource partitioning and amino acid assimilation in a terrestrial geothermal spring

High-temperature geothermal springs host simplified microbial communities; however, the activities of individual microorganisms and their roles in the carbon cycle in nature are not well understood. Here, quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) was used to track the assimilation of 13C-acetate and 13C-aspartate into DNA in 74 °C sediments in Gongxiaoshe Hot Spring, Tengchong, China. This revealed a community-wide preference for aspartate and a tight coupling between aspartate incorporation into DNA and the proliferation of aspartate utilizers during labeling. Both 13C incorporation into DNA and changes in the abundance of taxa during incubations indicated strong resource partitioning and a significant phylogenetic signal for aspartate incorporation. Of the active amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) identified by qSIP, most could be matched with genomes from Gongxiaoshe Hot Spring or nearby springs with an average nucleotide similarity of 99.4%. Genomes corresponding to aspartate primary utilizers were smaller, near-universally encoded polar amino acid ABC transporters, and had codon preferences indicative of faster growth rates. The most active ASVs assimilating both substrates were not abundant, suggesting an important role for the rare biosphere in the community response to organic carbon addition. The broad incorporation of aspartate into DNA over acetate by the hot spring community may reflect dynamic cycling of cell lysis products in situ or substrates delivered during monsoon rains and may reflect N limitation.

The predictive power of phylogeny on growth rates in soil bacterial communities

Predicting ecosystem function is critical to assess and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Quantitative predictions of microbially mediated ecosystem processes are typically uninformed by microbial biodiversity. Yet new tools allow the measurement of taxon-specific traits within natural microbial communities. There is mounting evidence of a phylogenetic signal in these traits, which may support prediction and microbiome management frameworks. We investigated phylogeny-based trait prediction using bacterial growth rates from soil communities in Arctic, boreal, temperate, and tropical ecosystems. Here we show that phylogeny predicts growth rates of soil bacteria, explaining an average of 31%, and up to 58%, of the variation within ecosystems. Despite limited overlap in community composition across these ecosystems, shared nodes in the phylogeny enabled ancestral trait reconstruction and cross-ecosystem predictions. Phylogenetic relationships could explain up to 38% (averaging 14%) of the variation in growth rates across the highly disparate ecosystems studied. Our results suggest that shared evolutionary history contributes to similarity in the relative growth rates of related bacteria in the wild, allowing phylogeny-based predictions to explain a substantial amount of the variation in taxon-specific functional traits, within and across ecosystems.

Life history strategies among soil bacteria-dichotomy for few, continuum for many

Study of life history strategies may help predict the performance of microorganisms in nature by organizing the complexity of microbial communities into groups of organisms with similar strategies. Here, we tested the extent that one common application of life history theory, the copiotroph-oligotroph framework, could predict the relative population growth rate of bacterial taxa in soils from four different ecosystems. We measured the change of in situ relative growth rate to added glucose and ammonium using both ¹⁸O-H₂O and ¹³C quantitative stable isotope probing to test whether bacterial taxa sorted into copiotrophic and oligotrophic groups. We saw considerable overlap in nutrient responses across most bacteria regardless of phyla, with many taxa growing slowly and few taxa that grew quickly. To define plausible life history boundaries based on in situ relative growth rates, we applied Gaussian mixture models to organisms' joint ¹⁸O-¹³C signatures and found that across experimental replicates, few taxa could consistently be assigned as copiotrophs, despite their potential for fast growth. When life history classifications were assigned based on average relative growth rate at varying taxonomic levels, finer resolutions (e.g., genus level) were significantly more effective in capturing changes in nutrient response than broad taxonomic resolution (e.g., phylum level). Our results demonstrate the difficulty in generalizing bacterial life history strategies to broad lineages, and even to single organisms across a range of soils and experimental conditions. We conclude that there is a continued need for the direct measurement of microbial communities in soil to advance ecologically realistic frameworks.

Nutrients strengthen density dependence of per-capita growth and mortality rates in the soil bacterial community

Density dependence in an ecological community has been observed in many macro-organismal ecosystems and is hypothesized to maintain biodiversity but is poorly understood in microbial ecosystems. Here, we analyze data from an experiment using quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) to estimate per-capita growth and mortality rates of bacterial populations in soils from several ecosystems along an elevation gradient which were subject to nutrient addition of either carbon alone (glucose; C) or carbon with nitrogen (glucose + ammonium-sulfate; C + N). Across all ecosystems, we found that higher population densities, quantified by the abundance of genomes per gram of soil, had lower per-capita growth rates in C + N-amended soils. Similarly, bacterial mortality rates in C + N-amended soils increased at a significantly higher rate with increasing population size than mortality rates in control and C-amended soils. In contrast to the hypothesis that density dependence would promote or maintain diversity, we observed significantly lower bacterial diversity in soils with stronger negative density-dependent growth. Here, density dependence was significantly but weakly responsive to nutrients and was not associated with higher bacterial diversity.

Soil-atmosphere fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O across an experimentally-grown, successional gradient of biocrust community types

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are critical components of dryland and other ecosystems worldwide, and are increasingly recognized as novel model ecosystems from which more general principles of ecology can be elucidated. Biocrusts are often diverse communities, comprised of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms with a range of metabolic lifestyles that enable the fixation of atmospheric carbon and nitrogen. However, how the function of these biocrust communities varies with succession is incompletely characterized, especially in comparison to more familiar terrestrial ecosystem types such as forests. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate how community composition and soil-atmosphere trace gas fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O varied from early-successional light cyanobacterial biocrusts to mid-successional dark cyanobacteria biocrusts and late-successional moss-lichen biocrusts and as biocrusts of each successional stage matured. Cover type richness increased as biocrusts developed, and richness was generally highest in the late-successional moss-lichen biocrusts. Microbial community composition varied in relation to successional stage, but microbial diversity did not differ significantly among stages. Net photosynthetic uptake of CO2 by each biocrust type also increased as biocrusts developed but tended to be moderately greater (by up to ≈25%) for the mid-successional dark cyanobacteria biocrusts than the light cyanobacterial biocrusts or the moss-lichen biocrusts. Rates of soil C accumulation were highest for the dark cyanobacteria biocrusts and light cyanobacteria biocrusts, and lowest for the moss-lichen biocrusts and bare soil controls. Biocrust CH4 and N2O fluxes were not consistently distinguishable from the same fluxes measured from bare soil controls; the measured rates were also substantially lower than have been reported in previous biocrust studies. Our experiment, which uniquely used greenhouse-grown biocrusts to manipulate community composition and accelerate biocrust development, shows how biocrust function varies along a dynamic gradient of biocrust successional stages.

Soil minerals affect taxon-specific bacterial growth

Secondary minerals (clays and metal oxides) are important components of the soil matrix. Clay minerals affect soil carbon persistence and cycling, and they also select for distinct microbial communities. Here we show that soil mineral assemblages-particularly short-range order minerals-affect both bacterial community composition and taxon-specific growth. Three soils with different parent material and presence of short-range order minerals were collected from ecosystems with similar vegetation and climate. These three soils were provided with ¹⁸O-labeled water and incubated with or without artificial root exudates or pine needle litter. Quantitative stable isotope probing was used to determine taxon-specific growth. We found that the growth of bacteria varied among soils of different mineral assemblages but found the trend of growth suppression in the presence of short-range order minerals. Relative growth of bacteria declined with increasing concentration of short-range order minerals between 25-36% of taxa present in all soils. Carbon addition in the form of plant litter or root exudates weakly affected relative growth of taxa (p = 0.09) compared to the soil type (p < 0.01). However, both exudate and litter carbon stimulated growth for at least 34% of families in the soils with the most and least short-range order minerals. In the intermediate short-range order soil, fresh carbon reduced growth for more bacterial families than were stimulated. These results highlight how bacterial-mineral-substrate interactions are critical to soil organic carbon processing, and how growth variation in bacterial taxa in these interactions may contribute to soil carbon persistence and loss.

Microbes on decomposing litter in streams: entering on the leaf or colonizing in the water?

When leaves fall in rivers, microbial decomposition commences within hours. Microbial assemblages comprising hundreds of species of fungi and bacteria can vary with stream conditions, leaf litter species, and decomposition stage. In terrestrial ecosystems, fungi and bacteria that enter soils with dead leaves often play prominent roles in decomposition, but their role in aquatic decomposition is less known. Here, we test whether fungi and bacteria that enter streams on senesced leaves are growing during decomposition and compare their abundances and growth to bacteria and fungi that colonize leaves in the water. We employ quantitative stable isotope probing to identify growing microbes across four leaf litter species and two decomposition times. We find that most of the growing fungal species on decomposing leaves enter the water with the leaf, whereas most growing bacteria colonize from the water column. Results indicate that the majority of bacteria found on litter are growing, whereas the majority of fungi are dormant. Both bacterial and fungal assemblages differed with leaf type on the dried leaves and throughout decomposition. This research demonstrates the importance of fungal species that enter with the leaf on aquatic decomposition and the prominence of bacteria that colonize decomposing leaves in the water.

Decreased growth of wild soil microbes after 15 years of transplant-induced warming in a montane meadow

The carbon stored in soil exceeds that of plant biomass and atmospheric carbon and its stability can impact global climate. Growth of decomposer microorganisms mediates both the accrual and loss of soil carbon. Growth is sensitive to temperature and given the vast biological diversity of soil microorganisms, the response of decomposer growth rates to warming may be strongly idiosyncratic, varying among taxa, making ecosystem predictions difficult. Here, we show that 15 years of warming by transplanting plant-soil mesocosms down in elevation, strongly reduced the growth rates of soil microorganisms, measured in the field using undisturbed soil. The magnitude of the response to warming varied among microbial taxa. However, the direction of the response-reduced growth-was universal and warming explained twofold more variation than did the sum of taxonomic identity and its interaction with warming. For this ecosystem, most of the growth responses to warming could be explained without taxon-specific information, suggesting that in some cases microbial responses measured in aggregate may be adequate for climate modeling. Long-term experimental warming also reduced soil carbon content, likely a consequence of a warming-induced increase in decomposition, as warming-induced changes in plant productivity were negligible. The loss of soil carbon and decreased microbial biomass with warming may explain the reduced growth of the microbial community, more than the direct effects of temperature on growth. These findings show that direct and indirect effects of long-term warming can reduce growth rates of soil microbes, which may have important feedbacks to global warming.

The Functional Significance of Bacterial Predators

Predation structures food webs, influences energy flow, and alters rates and pathways of nutrient cycling through ecosystems, effects that are well documented for macroscopic predators. In the microbial world, predatory bacteria are common, yet little is known about their rates of growth and roles in energy flows through microbial food webs, in part because these are difficult to quantify. Here, we show that growth and carbon uptake were higher in predatory bacteria compared to nonpredatory bacteria, a finding across 15 sites, synthesizing 82 experiments and over 100,000 taxon-specific measurements of element flow into newly synthesized bacterial DNA. Obligate predatory bacteria grew 36% faster and assimilated carbon at rates 211% higher than nonpredatory bacteria. These differences were less pronounced for facultative predators (6% higher growth rates, 17% higher carbon assimilation rates), though high growth and carbon assimilation rates were observed for some facultative predators, such as members of the genera Lysobacter and Cytophaga, both capable of gliding motility and wolf-pack hunting behavior. Added carbon substrates disproportionately stimulated growth of obligate predators, with responses 63% higher than those of nonpredators for the Bdellovibrionales and 81% higher for the Vampirovibrionales, whereas responses of facultative predators to substrate addition were no different from those of nonpredators. This finding supports the ecological theory that higher productivity increases predator control of lower trophic levels. These findings also indicate that the functional significance of bacterial predators increases with energy flow and that predatory bacteria influence element flow through microbial food webs.IMPORTANCE The word "predator" may conjure images of leopards killing and eating impala on the African savannah or of great white sharks attacking elephant seals off the coast of California. But microorganisms are also predators, including bacteria that kill and eat other bacteria. While predatory bacteria have been found in many environments, it has been challenging to document their importance in nature. This study quantified the growth of predatory and nonpredatory bacteria in soils (and one stream) by tracking isotopically labeled substrates into newly synthesized DNA. Predatory bacteria were more active than nonpredators, and obligate predators, such as Bdellovibrionales and Vampirovibrionales, increased in growth rate in response to added substrates at the base of the food chain, strong evidence of trophic control. This work provides quantitative measures of predator activity and suggests that predatory bacteria-along with protists, nematodes, and phages-are active and important in microbial food webs.

The temperature sensitivity of soil: microbial biodiversity, growth, and carbon mineralization

Microorganisms drive soil carbon mineralization and changes in their activity with increased temperature could feedback to climate change. Variation in microbial biodiversity and the temperature sensitivities (Q₁₀) of individual taxa may explain differences in the Q₁₀ of soil respiration, a possibility not previously examined due to methodological limitations. Here, we show phylogenetic and taxonomic variation in the Q₁₀ of growth (5-35 °C) among soil bacteria from four sites, one from each of Arctic, boreal, temperate, and tropical biomes. Differences in the temperature sensitivities of taxa and the taxonomic composition of communities determined community-assembled bacterial growth Q₁₀, which was strongly predictive of soil respiration Q₁₀ within and across biomes. Our results suggest community-assembled traits of microbial taxa may enable enhanced prediction of carbon cycling feedbacks to climate change in ecosystems across the globe.

Opposing effects of bacterial endophytes on biomass allocation of a wild donor and agricultural recipient

Root endophytes are a promising tool for increasing plant growth, but it is unclear whether they perform consistently across plant hosts. We characterized the blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) root microbiome using two sequencing methods, quantified the effects of root endophytes in the original host (blue grama) and an agricultural recipient, corn (Zea mays), under drought and well-watered conditions and examined in vitro mechanisms for plant growth promotion. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed that the blue grama root microbiome was similar across an elevation gradient, with the exception of four genera. Culturing and Sanger sequencing revealed eight unique endophytes belonging to the genera Bacillus, Lysinibacillus and Pseudomonas. All eight endophytes colonized corn roots, but had opposing effects on aboveground and belowground biomass in each plant species: they increased blue grama shoot mass by 45% (19) (mean +/- SE) while decreasing corn shoot mass by 10% (19), and increased corn root:shoot by 44% (7), while decreasing blue grama root:shoot by 17% (7). Furthermore, contrary to our expectations, endophytes had stronger effects on plant growth under well-watered conditions rather than drought conditions. Collectively, these results suggest that ecological features, including host identity, bacterial traits, climate conditions and morphological outcomes, should be carefully considered in the design and implementation of agricultural inocula.

Predictive genomic traits for bacterial growth in culture versus actual growth in soil

Relationships between microbial genes and performance are often evaluated in the laboratory in pure cultures, with little validation in nature. Here, we show that genomic traits related to laboratory measurements of maximum growth potential failed to predict the growth rates of bacteria in unamended soil, but successfully predicted growth responses to resource pulses: growth increased with 16S rRNA gene copy number and declined with genome size after substrate addition to soils, responses that were repeated in four different ecosystems. Genome size best predicted growth rate in response to addition of glucose alone; adding ammonium with glucose weakened the relationship, and the relationship was absent in nutrient-replete pure cultures, consistent with the idea that reduced genome size is a mechanism of nutrient conservation. Our findings demonstrate that genomic traits of soil bacteria can map to their ecological performance in nature, but the mapping is poor under native soil conditions, where genomic traits related to stress tolerance may prove more predictive. These results remind that phenotype depends on environmental context, underscoring the importance of verifying proposed schemes of trait-based strategies through direct measurement of performance in nature, an important and currently missing foundation for translating microbial processes from genes to ecosystems.

Quantitative stable isotope probing with H218O reveals that most bacterial taxa in soil synthesize new ribosomal RNA

Most soil bacterial taxa are thought to be dormant, or inactive, yet the extent to which they synthetize new rRNA is poorly understood. We analyzed 18O composition of RNA extracted from soil incubated with H218O and used quantitative stable isotope probing to characterize rRNA synthesis among microbial taxa. RNA was not fully labeled with 18O, peaking at a mean of 23.6 ± 6.8 atom percent excess (APE) 18O after eight days of incubation, suggesting some ribonucleotides in soil were more than eight days old. Microbial taxa varied in the degree they incorporated 18O into their rRNA over time and there was no correlation between the APE 18O of bacterial rRNA and their rRNA to DNA ratios, suggesting that the ratios were not appropriate to measure ribonucleotide synthesis. Our study indicates that, on average, 94% of soil taxa produced new rRNA and therefore were metabolically active.

Taxonomic patterns in the nitrogen assimilation of soil prokaryotes

Nitrogen (N) is frequently a limiting nutrient in soil; its availability can govern ecosystem functions such as primary production and decomposition. Assimilation of N by microorganisms impacts the availability of N in soil. Despite its established ecological significance, the contributions of microbial taxa to N assimilation are unknown. Here we measure N uptake and use by microbial phylotypes and taxonomic groups within a diverse assemblage of soil microbes through quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) with ¹⁵ N. Following incubation with ¹⁵ NH4+, distinct patterns of ¹⁵ N assimilation among taxonomic groups were observed. For instance, glucose addition stimulated ¹⁵ N assimilation in most members of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria but generally decreased ¹⁵ N use by Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes. While NH4+ is considered a preferred and universal source of N to prokaryotes, the majority (> 80%) of N assimilation in our soils could be attributed to a handful of active orders. Characterizing N assimilation of taxonomic groups with ¹⁵ N qSIP may provide a basis for understanding how microbial community composition influences N availability in the environment.

Identification of growing bacteria during litter decomposition in freshwater through H218O quantitative stable isotope probing

Identification of microorganisms that facilitate the cycling of nutrients in freshwater is paramount to understanding how these ecosystems function. Here, we identify growing aquatic bacteria using H218O quantitative stable isotope probing. During 8 day incubations in 97 atom % H218O, 54% of the taxa grew. The most abundant phyla among growing taxa were Proteobacteria (45%), Bacteroidetes (30%) and Firmicutes (10%). Taxa differed in isotopic enrichment, reflecting variation in DNA replication of bacterial populations. At the class level, the highest atom fraction excess was observed for OPB41 and δ-Proteobacteria. There was no linear relationship between ¹⁸ O incorporation and abundance of taxa. δ-Proteobacteria and OPB41 were not abundant, yet the DNA of both taxa was highly enriched in ¹⁸ O. Bacteriodetes, in contrast, were abundant but not highly enriched. Our study shows that a large proportion of the bacterial taxa found on decomposing leaf litter grew slowly, and several low abundance taxa were highly enriched. These findings indicating that rare organisms may be important for the decomposition of leaf litter in streams, and that quantitative stable isotope probing with H218O can be used to advance our understanding of microorganisms in freshwater by identifying species that are growing in complex communities.

Phylogenetic organization of bacterial activity

Phylogeny is an ecologically meaningful way to classify plants and animals, as closely related taxa frequently have similar ecological characteristics, functional traits and effects on ecosystem processes. For bacteria, however, phylogeny has been argued to be an unreliable indicator of an organism's ecology owing to evolutionary processes more common to microbes such as gene loss and lateral gene transfer, as well as convergent evolution. Here we use advanced stable isotope probing with ¹³C and ¹⁸O to show that evolutionary history has ecological significance for in situ bacterial activity. Phylogenetic organization in the activity of bacteria sets the stage for characterizing the functional attributes of bacterial taxonomic groups. Connecting identity with function in this way will allow scientists to begin building a mechanistic understanding of how bacterial community composition regulates critical ecosystem functions.

Coexistence of dominant and recessive familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with the D90A Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase mutation within the same country

The Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD) mutations described in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have, for the most part, a dominant influence. However, while a few cases with a heterozygous D90A mutation have been described in different countries, D90A has been recently proven to be recessively inherited with a common founder effect in Scandinavia. We screened French ALS families for Cu,Zn SOD mutations. The presence of the D90A allele was found in two index-cases, and their families were subsequently studied. In the first family the ALS patients were homozygotes for D90A, while in the second, all ALS patients were heterozygotes. In both families the disease was found to initially involve the lower limbs with slower progression than in sporadic cases, and frequent atypical signs such as paresthesia and urgency of micturition. We determined the D90A allele frequency in controls (n = 200) and sporadic ALS patients (n = 408). No D90A allele was found. This is the first report of coexistence of dominant and recessive families with the D90A Cu,Zn SOD mutation within the same country.

Molecular cloning, functional characterization and genomic organization of four alternatively spliced isoforms of the human organic cation transporter 1 (hOCT1/SLC22A1)

In this study we report the cloning of four human OCT1 (hOCT1/SLC22A1) isoforms: a long form, hOCT1G/L554, and three shorter forms (hOCT1G/L506, hOCT1G483 and hOCT1G353). All four variants could be identified in the human glioma cell line SK-MG-1, whereas only two isoforms (hOCT1G/L554 and hOCT1G/L506) were found in human liver cDNA. The hOCT1G/L554 represents the full length hOCT1 since the sequence of this clone is more than 99% identical to previously cloned hOCT1 cDNAs. Elucidation of the gene structure of human OCT1 demonstrated that the other isolated isoforms are alternatively spliced variants. The hOCT1 gene consists of 7 exons and 6 introns. When stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells, only the full length hOCT1 cDNA mediated decynium-22 (D22)-sensitive uptake of tritiated 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ([3H]-MPP+).

Dynamics of haemostasis during the oestrous cycle and pregnancy in bitches

The blood coagulation status was studied in 31 bitches of different breeds during 33 oestrous cycles and during nine pregnancies. Two other bitches were ovariohysterectomized and received subcutaneous injections of oestradiol benzoate for 7 consecutive days. Blood samples were taken in early and late follicular phases, at ovulation, at day 1 after the end of oestrus as determined by cytology, at days 30, 60, 90 and 120 of metoestrus and in anoestrus. The samples were analysed for the concentrations of fibrinogen, fibrin(ogen) degradation products, as well as for the prothrombin time, the activated partial thromboplastin time, the antithrombin III activity, the number of platelets and the haematocrit. In other blood plasma samples the concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone were measured. In the two bitches that were ovariohysterectomized and received subcutaneous injections of oestradiol benzoate for 7 consecutive days, the coagulation parameters and hormones were examined in blood samples collected at appropriate terms and time intervals as in intact dogs. The significantly increased concentrations of fibrinogen and fibrin(ogen) degradation products, the large number of platelets and the decreased antithrombin III activity observed during the luteal phase of the nonpregnant and pregnant bitches are attributed to direct or indirect effects of the high peripheral progesterone concentrations. In the mid-luteal phase (day 30) this activation was more distinct during pregnancy than in the nonpregnant dogs presumably owing to additional effects of local processes in the uteroplacental area. Influences of high concentrations of oestradiol were not observed either during the follicular phase of the intact bitches or after oestradiol benzoate administration in the ovariohysterectomized dogs.

Lysosomal enzymes and severity of saphen varicosis

The severity of the varicosis estimated clinically and histologically is well correlated with the seric levels of beta-acetylglucosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase. No correlations are observed with the arylsulfatase level in serum nor with the levels in venous tissue for the three enzymes.

Experimental studies on unconjugated bilirubin binding by human erythrocytes

The evaluation of the bilirubin bound to human erythrocytes is considered by some paediatricians as a test to estimate the risk of development of kernicterus. We have studied the physical and chemical characteristics of this binding. Red blood cell membranes contain specific binding sites for bilirubin, the affinity of which is low (Kd = 170 mumol/L). The dissociation constant of the bilirubin/human serum albumin complex is about 10,000 times lower. In jaundiced neonates even with a level of blood bilirubin higher than 300 mumol/l, the binding of bilirubin to red blood cells is negligible. So, the evaluation of the bilirubin bound to human red blood cells does not seem to be a useful test to appreciate the risk of development of kernicterus.

Development of a reference method for determining urinary oxalate by means of isotope dilution-mass spectrometry (ID-MS) and its usefulness in testing existing assays for urinary oxalate

An accurate and reproducible GC-MS reference method for determining urinary oxalate is presented. With forty 24-h urines, comparisons were made between this reference method and four other existing procedures: a GC method, an HPLC method and two enzymatic assays. The results of the first two methods were in accordance with the GC-MS method. The performance of the enzymatic kits was less satisfactory. The use of a GC-MS reference method in evaluating existing and newly developed methods is recommended.

An improved high performance liquid chromatographic method for determining urinary oxalate, making use of an ID-MS reference method

With the aid of a newly developed isotope dilution mass spectrometric (ID-MS) measurement of urinary oxalate, an existing HPLC method for assaying this substance was investigated. Results obtained with this method were too high, apparently due to a systematic error. Subsequently, this method was improved by additional prepurification in three different ways: (a) precipitation with CaSO4 to Ca-oxalate, (b) adsorption (and subsequent desorption) to columns supplied with a commercial kit for urinary oxalate and (c) the enzymatic destruction of urinary oxalate present. This work demonstrates the successful use of a reference method in improving a newly developed analytical procedure and presents a reliable and reproducible HPLC method for determining urinary oxalate.

The determination of oxalate in haemodialysate and plasma: a means to detect and study 'hyperoxaluria' in haemodialysed patients

In order to find out whether hyperoxaluria can be demonstrated in patients on chronic (twice a week) haemodialysis, a group of 13 patients was investigated. These included one patient with proven primary hyperoxaluria, one suspected of having this disease and 11 patients in whom no information was available as to their oxalate metabolism. Oxalate concentrations in haemodialysate fractions and blood samples, taken before and after dialysis, were determined. The patient with primary hyperoxaluria had a plasma oxalate concentration before dialysis above 100 mumol/l and after dialysis above 25 mumol/l, while the oxalate concentration in haemodialysate at the start of dialysis was above 25 mumol/l and at the end above 10 mumol/l. The patient suspected of hyperoxaluria had similar values. Of the remaining 11 patients, one was shown to exhibit a transient hyperoxaluria, but the others showed a normal oxalate metabolism. A plasma oxalate/creatinine concentration ratio exceeding 0.1, and the calculated total quantity of oxalate removed by dialysis exceeding 2 mmol, also enabled a diagnosis of hyperoxaluria to be made. Hyperoxaluria can still be demonstrated in patients, who because of renal failure are subjected to haemodialysis. Measurements of oxalate in haemodialysate and plasma are valuable in cases where kidney transplantations are considered, especially when the particular patient exhibits hyperoxaluria.

[A specific radioimmunologic assay for human placental alkaline phosphatase and its clinical applications]

A radioimmunoassay specific for placental alkaline phosphatase (PALP) has been performed. Sera from blood donors contain less than 15 micrograms of PALP per liter. The amounts of PALP found in sera of pregnant women are higher, as soon as the first trimester of the pregnancy, increasing until delivery (50-600 micrograms of PALP L I). Only 3,5% of the patients with various cancer diseases have amounts higher than 25 micrograms PALP/I.

The determination of oxalic acid in plasma and urine by means of capillary gas chromatography

A gas chromatographic procedure for determining oxalate in plasma is described, in which the trimethylsilyl derivative of oxalate is analyzed on a 25-m capillary SE-30 column. In addition the effects of standing of whole blood or plasma and the effect of added glyoxalate on the oxalate concentration were studied. The present method offers good specificity and sensitivity and is easy to perform, in contrast to most methods hitherto described. The normal value of plasma oxalate was found to be 2.8 +/- 1.1 mumol/l (mean +/- 1 SD), which is close to the values obtained with in vivo tracer studies. Plasma oxalate values before and after haemodialysis are presented. By introducing a few minor modifications the method is also applicable to urine samples and in principle it should be possible to determine the glycollic acid concentration as well, both in urine and plasma.

[Evidence for one atypic variant of an alkaline phosphatase from human placenta (author's transl)]

A variant of a partially purified Placental Alkaline Phosphatase, showing a slow electrophoretic mobility but the same kinetic caracteristics as the common type, has been found. This variant also differs from the D type by its insensibility to L-leucine inhibition.

Identification of placental alkaline phosphatase in human sera using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis may be used to separate placental alkaline phosphatase from other types of serum alkaline phosphatase. This method, of which specificity is demonstrated by the thermostability and immunological reaction of the placental form, is sensitive enough to detect an activity of 0.02 mU in a sample, and seems suitable for use in investigating placental isoenzyme in serum.