Lactobacilli and Acetobacter sp. are commercially important bacteria that often form communities in natural fermentations, including food preparations, spoilage, and in the digestive tract of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Communities of these bacteria are widespread and prolific, despite numerous strain-specific auxotrophies, suggesting they have evolved nutrient interdependencies that regulate their growth. The use of a chemically-defined medium (CDM) supporting the growth of both groups of bacteria would facilitate the identification of the molecular mechanisms for the metabolic interactions between them. While numerous CDMs have been developed that support specific strains of lactobacilli or Acetobacter, there has not been a medium formulated to support both genera. We developed such a medium, based on a previous CDM designed for growth of lactobacilli, by modifying the nutrient abundances to improve growth yield. We further simplified the medium by substituting casamino acids in place of individual amino acids and the standard Wolfe's vitamins and mineral stocks in place of individual vitamins and minerals, resulting in a reduction from 40 to 8 stock solutions. These stock solutions can be used to prepare several CDM formulations that support robust growth of numerous lactobacilli and Acetobacters. Here, we provide the composition and several examples of its use, which is important for tractability in dissecting the genetic and metabolic basis of natural bacterial species interactions.

Studies of material returned from Cb asteroid Ryugu have revealed considerable mineralogical and chemical heterogeneity, stemming primarily from brecciation and aqueous alteration. Isotopic anomalies could have also been affected by delivery of exogenous clasts and aqueous mobilization of soluble elements. Here, we show that isotopic anomalies for mildly soluble Cr are highly variable in Ryugu and CI chondrites, whereas those of Ti are relatively uniform. This variation in Cr isotope ratios is most likely due to physicochemical fractionation between 54Cr-rich presolar nanoparticles and Cr-bearing secondary minerals at the millimeter-scale in the bulk samples, likely due to extensive aqueous alteration in their parent bodies that occurred [Formula: see text] after Solar System birth. In contrast, Ti isotopes were marginally affected by this process. Our results show that isotopic heterogeneities in asteroids are not all nebular or accretionary in nature but can also reflect element redistribution by water.

We have discovered two epochs of activity on quasi-Hilda 2009 DQ118. Small bodies that display comet-like activity, such as active asteroids and active quasi-Hildas, are important for understanding the distribution of water and other volatiles throughout the solar system. Through our NASA Partner Citizen Science project, Active Asteroids, volunteers classified archival images of 2009 DQ118 as displaying comet-like activity. By performing an in-depth archival image search, we found over 20 images from UT 2016 March 8-9 with clear signs of a comet-like tail. We then carried out follow-up observations of 2009 DQ118 using the 3.5 m Astrophysical Research Consortium Telescope at Apache Point Observatory, Sunspot, New Mexico, USA and the 6.5 m Magellan Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. These images revealed a second epoch of activity associated with the UT 2023 April 22 perihelion passage of 2009 DQ118. We performed photometric analysis of the tail and find that it had a similar apparent length and surface brightness during both epochs. We also explored the orbital history and future of 2009 DQ118 through dynamical simulations. These simulations show that 2009 DQ118 is currently a quasi-Hilda and that it frequently experiences close encounters with Jupiter. We find that 2009 DQ118 is currently on the boundary between asteroidal and cometary orbits. Additionally, it has likely been a Jupiter family comet or Centaur for much of the past 10 kyr and will be in these same regions for the majority of the next 10 kyr. Since both detected epochs of activity occurred near perihelion, the observed activity is consistent with sublimation of volatile ices. 2009 DQ118 is currently observable until similar to mid-October 2023. Further observations would help to characterize the observed activity.

Protein-protein interactions play a crucial role in driving cellular processes and enabling appropriate physiological responses in organisms. The plant hormone ethylene signaling pathway is complex and regulated by the spatiotemporal regulation of its signaling molecules. Constitutive Triple Response 1 (CTR1), a key negative regulator of the pathway, regulates the function of Ethylene-Insensitive 2 (EIN2), a positive regulator of ethylene signaling, at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through phosphorylation. Our recent study revealed that CTR1 can also translocate from the ER to the nucleus in response to ethylene and positively regulate ethylene responses by stabilizing EIN3. To gain further insights into the role of CTR1 in plants, we used TurboID-based proximity labeling and mass spectrometry to identify the proximal proteomes of CTR1 in Nicotiana benthamiana. The identified proximal proteins include known ethylene signaling components, as well as proteins involved in diverse cellular processes such as mitochondrial respiration, mRNA metabolism, and organelle biogenesis. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of proximity labeling using the N. benthamiana transient expression system and identifies the potential interactors of CTR1 in vivo, uncovering the potential roles of CTR1 in a wide range of cellular processes.