Highlights
PNNL’s Janet Jansson is part of an international team of scientists warning scientists of the urgency to pay more attention to the role of microorganisms in our climate.
In a consensus statement published today in Nature Reviews Microbiology, Jansson and more than 30 colleagues from nine...
A substance known as amyloid beta protein gets a lot of attention from scientists. Beta amyloid, as it’s also called, is a normal brain protein found in everyone, but for unknown reason it gunks up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, forming deposits that are the classic hallmark...
PNNL scientist Wei-Jun Qian and colleagues have contributed to a study that offers clues for delaying or even preventing the autoimmune attack that’s at the core of type-1 diabetes.
The study team, led by Rohit Kulkarni at the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard, spurred young mice to...
PNNL researchers today published a pair of papers, in Cell and in Nature, exploring the effects of the gut microbiome on our health, including autism, brain function, and inflammatory bowel disease. While scientists have known that the microbes that reside in us have far-reaching effects, the...
The Science
A microbial cell contains important biological material for research or industrial use, such as DNA or proteins. Yet, reaching this cellular material can be a challenge. Different methods of natural or mechanical lysis, cell disruption,...
Technology reveals previously undetectable protein signaling activity in diabetes, cancer
Proteins are the workhorses of the cell. Their activity is often controlled by adding or removing chemicals called phosphates, like switching an electrical current on or off. Measuring how...
The Science
The microbial communities within the loose, friable aggregations of organic and mineral components in soil are highly organized spatially, shaped in part by the structure of the soil itself. ...
The structure of a fundamental electrical switch in the brain has been revealed, thanks to PNNL researchers working together with counterparts at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The team published its work recently...
PNNL scientists and colleagues have taken one of the most in-depth looks ever at the riot of protein activity that underlies colon cancer and have identified potential new molecular targets to try to stop the disease.
The research team, led by corresponding authors Tao Liu and Karin...
Most in-depth proteome study of its kind shows mRNA is not essential for metabolic proteins to follow a 24-hour rhythm
A plethora of organisms rely on the 24-hour light/dark rhythm of the circadian clock to anticipate changes in their external environment and give appropriate...
Researchers suggest moving away from identifying correlative relationships between microorganisms and the ecosystems they so influentially inhabit
The Science
Co-authors of a paper in Nature...
A new framework explains how hydropower triggers a cascade of hydrologic, biogeochemical, and ecological effects
The Science
A recent overview of river corridor science by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) argues that...
Our gut’s microbial community is not unlike a country club membership. We know who’s a member, but we may not know how each contributes to the overall function or health of the club. And if new members are introduced, does it change how the club functions?
Until now, we simply couldn’t...
One of the most common and deadly complications from a heart attack is kidney failure. New research indicates that a specific protein in the bloodstream created after cardiac arrest may be the culprit.
A detailed analysis of blood samples from Ebola patients in Sierra Leone is providing clues about the progression of the effects of the Ebola virus in patients and potential treatment pathways. A manuscript discussing the...
Model shows frequent fluctuation in river flows, caused by dam operations, lead to greater changes in water temperature and biogeochemical reaction rates in river sediments.
The Science
Biogeochemical activity in the hyporheic zone (HZ), sediments where...
Researchers track B12 cellular uptake and distribution to link B12 to key cellular processes.
The Science
To predict how microbial communities will respond to environmental changes, scientists must first understand how microbes...
“You Can’t Go Home Again,” the title of a 1940 novel by Thomas Wolfe, makes a pronouncement about the past most people follow.
But not Janet Jansson. On Sept. 21, the veteran scientist and Laboratory Fellow...
Applying a systems approach to studying microbiome changes could pave the way toward predicting system function and directing microbial activities.
The Science
PNNL scientists developed a conceptual framework for process-based understanding of how...
The Science
A boon to natural gas production, hydraulic fracturing or fracking introduces surface microbes thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface. How do they survive? Could they be harnessed to increase energy output? Scientists brought these microbes into the...
New paper lays foundation for future studies of the poorly understood organisms.
The Science
The bioaccumulation of mercury in plant and animal tissue is strongly linked to mercury methylation in sediments, and poses a significant...
Researchers characterize the degradation products of a protein responsible for generating enamel, opening potential avenues to regeneration strategies.
The Science
The aim of this study in the journal Archives of Oral Biology was to...
The Science
T-cells that can recognize and destroy cancer are often suppressed inside of tumors. This study identifies a specific sub-population of T-cells—found only in tumors—whose presence correlates with patient survival.
The...
Linking microscale processes and macroscale fluxes using soil properties in a process-rich simulation.
The Science
Researchers coupled fundamental soil properties with microbial physiology in a pore-scale simulation to predict how microbial respiration...
Study investigates a common human exposure coupled with a high-fat diet.
The Science
A study led by Aaron Wright of Pacific National Laboratory determined that high-fat diets lead to dramatic alterations in liver and lung metabolism...
Using math to cross spatial scales and combine process-understanding with data.
The Science
We used a mathematical analysis of existing soil decomposition models to: 1) inform a statistical analysis of the direct change in soil carbon...
Aim: Cover key aspects of microbial interactions and community dynamics
When the New Year kicked off, one of Hyun-Seob Song’s resolutions was to finalize a special issue of the journal, Processes, which published this month. The topic —...
Probes facilitate quantification of active enzyme-specific GST response following perturbation, indicative of the capacity for detoxification.
The Science
PNNL researchers developed and applied two new activity-based probes that...
Researchers use the reliable Neurospora crassaorganism to demonstrate new method.
The Science
Researchers at PNNL are now able to predict cellular metabolite concentrations, rate constants, and regulation of enzymes using the...
The Science
PNNL researchers developed an analytics-based tool that intelligently combines individual and disparate data quality control metrics to identify anomalous instrument analyses faster and more accurately.
The Impact...
Researchers discover how certain bacteria may safeguard plant growth during a drought, making way for strategies to improve crop productivity
The Science
The devastating effects of drought are expected to increase in severity and frequency in the coming...
The Science
Detailed analysis of proteins, an important building block for understanding how cells are functioning, has only been possible with samples of thousands to millions of cells. Now scientists have developed a robotically controlled processing platform that...
The Science
Hyporheic zones are found within river corridor ecosystems across the world, and represent a dynamic continuum where groundwater (GW) and river water (RW) mix, stimulating biogeochemical activity. This activity has strong influences over the transformation of...
The Science
Phototropic microbial mats are compact ecosystems containing hundreds of different organisms that capture and transform energy from the sun. While cyanobacteria are the primary producers in these systems, the exchange of nutrients and recycling of light energy...
The Science
Three discrete biological events (embryo implantation, decidualization, and placentation) are necessary for a successful pregnancy. A disruption in any of these complex events can cause complications that researchers believe could be treated if we fully...
The Science
Many Land System Models (LSMs) do not consider lateral transport of water, leaving out a cross-sectional view and understanding of the coupling of surface water with groundwater along rivers, streams, and other water bodies. And yet,...
The Science
Researchers improved the predictive capabilities of subsurface flow models by developing new, more efficient equations that account for length scales at which predictions are made and the hydrological measurements that are made in the...
The Science
Benthic aquatic habitats—in the sea, in freshwater lakes, and in hypersaline aquatic environments —support one of the most widespread ecosystems on earth. These habitats play critical roles in global biogeochemical cycling, and those operating in the euphotic...
The Science
Near‐term land management and policy decisions depend on proxies, which are used as surrogates for soil features and processes and that affect long‐term projections of earth system responses to change. In a new paper led by soil ecologist...
The Science
Soil organic matter (SOM) sustains terrestrial ecosystems, provides food and fiber, and retains the largest pool of actively cycling carbon (C). Over 75% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) in the top meter of soil is directly affected by human land use practices...
The Science
River corridors exist worldwide and are comprised of multiple interacting components, all of them significant for their influences on biogeochemical cycling and microbial interactions. For example, the fluvial zone is the river itself,...
The Science
Hydrologic exchange between rivers and subsurface zones is a crucial component of the water cycle. From centimeter to kilometer scales, the magnitude of exchange affects biogeochemical and ecological processes that occur in the hyporheic zone at a river’s...
The Science
Scientists need a systematic understanding of cellular functioning to metabolically engineer microbes that produce biofuels and other high-value products, and to design drugs that combat pathogens and cancers. Metabolic networks are...
The Science
Researchers used gene sequencing on the bacteria Rhodopseudomonas palustristo determine which genes are absolutely necessary for phototrophic growth.
The Impact
The list of genes identified in the...
The Science
In a recent studypublished in Advances in Water Resources, researchers performed a set of well-controlled drainage and imbibition experiments using six identically manufactured microfluidic cells to study the reproducibility of multiphase flow experiments. The...
The Science
Due to its respiratory versatility, Shewanella oneidensisMR-1 has been widely investigated as a model organism for heavy metal and radionuclide bioremediation. In this study, PNNL researchers developed a...
The Science
The yeast Yarrowia lipolyticais considered a promising “microbial cell factory” for producing biofuels and oleochemicals, but researchers need to understand how the yeast’s lipid metabolism is regulated so that they can...
The Science
Root water uptake is one of the most important processes in subsurface flow and transport modeling. It is driven by transpiration caused by the water potential gradient between the atmosphere and the plant. But the mechanisms of root water uptake are poorly...
The Science
There is a key bottleneck in lipidomics studies based on liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS): Researchers are unable to process spectral data in a high-throughput manner and at the same time confidently identify and...
The Science
In this paper, the authors describe how and why a form of quantitative proteomics they call redox proteomics could be an indispensable tool for redox biology, which investigates cellular oxygen levels. Quantitative proteomics as a whole...
The Science
Soils and nearshore sediments comprise a reservoir of carbon (C) 3.2 times larger than all the carbon stored in the atmosphere. Terrestrial C (e.g., from falling leaves and roots growing underground) is increasingly transported into aquatic systems due to...
The Science
The hyporheic zone (HZ) is the subsurface zone where river water and groundwater exchange and mix. Researchers used multiple laboratory columns containing sediments from the Columbia River HZ to examine how dynamic changes in groundwater and surface water...
The Science
Soil has networks of pores and channels that weave through it like interconnected straws. They’re formed underground by the different minerals that compose soil and as a result of movements or growth by roots, insects, and other living organisms. The...
The Science
Phototropic microbial mats are compact ecosystems containing hundreds of different organisms that capture and transform energy from the sun. While cyanobacteria are the primary producers in these systems, the exchange of nutrients and recycling of light energy...
The Science
In nature, very small communities of microorganisms are present in very large numbers, and therefore mediate key biogeochemical and ecological processes on a global scale. For instance, both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems shape Earth’...
The Science
Microbial biomass is a clean, renewable energy source with the potential to significantly diversify and sustain future energy and transportation fuel requirements. A new paper by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) describes a...
The Science
Vitamin B12 is produced by only a few organisms but is needed by nearly all. Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) just published a paper recording further evidence that the water-soluble vitamin (synthesized in...
In nature’s benthic microscopic realms, microbial communities gather in lattice-like mats that allow a variety of microorganisms to do the work of cooperative survival within a spatially organized environment. Photosynthetically active “primary producers” typically occupy the top of these...
The Science
In a recent study, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) observed two microbial communities to determine how they support diverse members unable to produce vitamin B-related enzyme cofactors, which are necessary for...
The Science
Microbial communities are like our own societies. In their natural environments, where they’re comfortable and acclimated, both microbes and humans tend to thrive. They know how to navigate their surroundings, how to survive, and they concentrate their energy...
The Science
Longitudinal studies of disease require collecting biofluids, preferentially blood. But acquiring blood samples in the form of serum requires a professional, and storing thousands of such samples at -80 degrees C requires energy and freezer space. These...
The Science
There is a great demand for chemical probes that can mimic and react analogously to biological molecules, and that can be used to investigate cellular processes. One class of chemical probes are non-canonical amino acids that can be...
The Science
The hyporheic zone (HZ) is a subsurface environment where groundwater and river water mix, causing various physical, chemical, and microbial processes to occur simultaneously. Dynamic river flow conditions can lead to fluctuations in the delivery of oxygen and...
The Science
Ecological processes govern seasonal changes in microbial communities living along rivers in the hyporheic zone, where groundwater and surface water mix. These processes have been well-studied in plant and animal communities. But...
Biologists often envision their hypotheses within a set of protein interactions, networks, and pathways. In turn, their experiments may focus on measuring an explicit subset of these proteins, corresponding to a targeted proteomics experiment. To date, however, designing a targeted proteomics...
The Science
Researchers at The Ohio State University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory assessed how seasonal changes affect microbial populations in the Colorado River, a snowmelt-dominated fluvial...
The Science
Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently studied how moisture influences soil heterotrophic respiration, the process by which microbes convert dead organic carbon in the soil to carbon dioxide. Their cost-...
Leaf cutter ants area classic example of foraging herbivores that use symbiotic microbes to get energy and nutrients from plant material. According to researchers, a spongy fungal species known as L. gongylophorus,has cooperated with leaf cutter ants for the last 23 million years.
...
The Science
Some minerals abundant in soils and in aquatic and subsurface sediments electronically support microbial growth by supplying electrons or storing them as “environmental batteries,” according to this new review article. Microbial cells derive chemical energy...
The Science
Microbial communities within subsurface aquifers are metabolically influenced by the mineral mixes that bind them. Communities like this also exchange gases on such a vast scale that they influence the composition of the Earth’s...
The Science
Hydrogen gas (H2) is a zero-emission alternative fuel that can be produced by microbes. One promising platform for H2production is the cyanobacteria Cyanothece51442. A new paper by researchers at the Pacific...