Exogenous phosphorus inputs alter complexity of soil-dissolved organic carbon in agricultural riparian wetlands.

High-strengthened farmland fertilization leads to mass inputs of nutrients and elements to agricultural riparian wetlands. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of such wetland sediments is an important intermediate in global carbon (C) cycling due to its role in connecting soil C pools with atmospheric CO2. But the impact of phosphorus (P) on sediment DOC is still largely unknown, despite increasing investigations to emphasize P interception by riparian wetlands. Here, we simulated the temporal influences of exogenous P on sediment DOC of riparian wetlands by integrating gradient P loading at rates of 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 60% relative to the initial total phosphorus content of the sediment with the purpose of illustrating the role of external P on the complexity of soil DOC in terms of its amount and composition. After incubating for nine months, a dramatic linear correlation between Olsen-P and fluorescent and ultraviolet spectral indices considered DOC skeleton was observed. Together with a more microbial-derived origin of DOC and a reduction of DOC aromaticity or humicity, the excitation-emission matrix had shown a blue shift reflecting a trend towards a simpler molecular structure of sediment DOC after P addition. Meanwhile, the content of soil DOC and its ratio with total organic carbon (TOC) were also increased by P loading, coupled with enhanced values of highly labile organic carbon and two C-related enzymes. While TOC and recalcitrant organic carbon decreased significantly. Such implications of DOC amounts and composition stimulated by external P loading may enhance its bioavailability, thereby inducing an accelerated effect on soil C cycling and a potential C loss in response to global climate change.

Molecular and fluorescent sterol approaches to probing lysosomal membrane lipid dynamics.

Although the most exogenous lipids enter the cell via the LDL-receptor pathway, the mechanism(s) whereby lipids leave the lysosome for transport to intracellular sites are not clearly resolved. As shown herein, expression of sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP-2) in transfected L-cells altered lysosomal membrane lipid distribution, dynamics, and response to lipid transfer proteins. SCP-2 expression decreased the mass of cholesterol and lyso-bis-phosphatidic acid [LBPA], as well as the ratios of cholesterol/phospholipid and polyunsaturated/monounsaturated fatty acids esterified to lysosomal membrane phospholipids. Concomitantly, a fluorescent sterol transfer assay showed that SCP-2 expression decreased the initial rates of spontaneous and SCP-2-mediated sterol transfer 5.5- and 3.8-fold, respectively, from lysosomal membranes isolated from SCP-2 expressing cells as compared to controls. SCP-2, sphingomyelinase, low density lipoprotein, and high density lipoprotein directly enhanced the initial rates of sterol transfer from isolated lysosomal membranes by 50-, 12-, 4-, and 5-fold, respectively. In contrast, albumin and cholesterol esterase had no effect on lysosomal sterol transfer. Spontaneous sterol was very slow, t(1/2)>4 days, regardless of the source of the lysosomal membrane, while SCP-2 added in vitro induced formation of rapid and slowly transferable sterol pools in lysosomal membranes of control cells. In contrast, SCP-2 did not induce formation of a rapidly transferable sterol domain in lysosomal membranes isolated from SCP-2 expressing cells. These data suggest that SCP-2 expression selectively shifted the distribution of lipids (cholesterol, LBPA, esterified polyunsaturated fatty acids) away from lysosomal membranes. Furthermore, the cholesterol depleted lysosomal membrane isolated from SCP-2 expressing cells was resistant to additional direct action of SCP-2 to further enhance sterol transfer and induce rapidly transferable sterol pools in the lysosomal membrane.