Peptide-based cancer therapy has been of great interest due to the unique advantages of peptides, such as the low molecular weight, the ability to specifically target tumor cells, easy availability and low toxicity in normal tissues. Therefore, identify and synthesize novel peptides could provide a promising choice to patients with cancer. The antitumor second generation peptide CIGB-552 has been developed as a candidate to cancer treatment. Proteomic and genomic studies have identified the intracellular protein COMMD1 as the specific target of CIGB-552. This peptide penetrates inside tumor cells to induce the proteasomal degradation of RelA, causing the termination of NF-kB signaling. The antitumor activity of CIGB-552 has been validated in vitro in different human cancer cell lines, as well as in vivo in syngeneic and xenograft tumor mouse models and in cancer-bearing dogs. The aim of this review is to present and discuss the experimental data about CIGB-552, its mechanism of action and its therapeutic potential in human chronic diseases. This peptide is already in phase I of clinical trials as antineoplastic drug, but also has possible application to other inflammatory and metabolic conditions.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Homoharringtonine (HHT) is a drug for treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. This study investigated the role of homoharringtonine in allergic inflammations. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Mouse model of atopic dermatitis (AD) induced by DNFB and anaphylaxis employing DNP-HSA were used to examine the role of homoharringtonine in allergic inflammations. We investigated roles of miR-183-5p, regulated by HHT in RBL2H3 cells, in AD and anaphylaxis. KEY RESULTS: HHT exerted negative effects on in vitro allergic inflammation and attenuated clinical symptoms associated with AD. AD increased the expression levels of hallmarks of allergic inflammation and induced features of allergic inflammation in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL2H3) cells. HHT prevented DNFB from increasing the expression of Th1/Th2 cytokines in mouse model of AD. HHT inhibited passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and passive systemic anaphylaxis. MiR-183-5p inhibitor inhibited anaphylaxis and AD. B cell translocation gene 1 (BTG1) was shown to be a direct target of miR-183-5p. BTG1 prevented antigen from inducing molecular features of in vitro allergic inflammation. AD increased the expression of NF-kB, and NF-kB showed binding to the promoter sequences of miR-183-5p. NF-kB and miR-183 formed positive feedback to mediate in vitro allergic inflammation. Curcumin inhibited in vitro allergic inflammation and attenuated AD by regulating the expression levels of miR-183-5p and BTG1. Curcumin and miR-183-5p inhibitor prevented cellular interactions involving mast cells and macrophages in AD. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: HHT can be developed as anti-allergy drug and NF-κB- miR-183-5p-BTG1 axis can serve as a target for the development of anti-allergy drugs.

Wound healing is a complex biological dynamic process that involves the transfer of multiple growth factors (GF) from the extracellular matrix (ECM) to fibroblasts for migration, proliferation, and wound closure. Among them, epidermal growth factor (EGF) as the most representative GF has been studied in deeply. Collagen is the most abundant ECM structural protein and has been widely used in tissue engineering for skin repair and skin remodeling. A recombinant human-like collagen (RHC) has been constructed to substitute nature collagen to improve its solubility and immunogenicity. We combined RHC and EGF to obtain a freeze-dried dressing to mimic the function of ECM for skin repair. A synergy occurred when combined EGF and RHC, that was significantly promoted the proliferation, adhesion and extension of fibroblasts (NIH/3T3) and migration of keratinocytes (HaCaT). RHC/EGF freeze-dried dressing was a loose and porous cake and redissolved quickly. RHC/EGF freeze-dried dressings significantly accelerated wound closure, re-epithelialization, orderly arrangement and deposition of collagen in the Sprague-Dawley rats with full-thickness skin defects. Further molecular mechanisms involved to cell proliferation and angiogenesis were carried out. The cell proliferation biomarkers (Ki67 and PCNA) and angiogenesis biomarkers (VEGF and CD31) were significantly up-regulated treated with RHC/EGF freeze-dried dressing. These findings demonstrated RHC/EGF freeze-dried dressing would be a potential therapeutic strategy in wound management.

Western Ghats, known for its biodiversity, once well covered with dense forest, has been severely felled for cultivation of coffee, covering an area of 3.81 lakh ha and production of 3.27 lakh tonnes. To evaluate the effects of conversion from natural forests to coffee plantation on land quality, the changes in soil physical and chemical properties and soil organic carbon stock were assessed in selected hot per-humid, hot moist sub-humid and hot humid forest and coffee ecosystems of Chikmagalur district of Karnataka, Wayanad and Idukki districts of Kerala in the Western Ghats. Sixty sites were studied to understand the soil quality of which 46 sites were located in coffee plantations and 14 in forests adjacent to coffee plantations. In this study, six typifying pedons representing Chikmagalur district of Karnataka, Wayanad and Idukki districts of Kerala in the Western Ghats are explained by comparing the existing natural forest with that of coffee plantation ecosystem. The increase in soil organic carbon stocks (16.32-16.38 kg m-2 in forests to 14.32-19.28 kg m-2 in coffee system), the most reliable indicator of land quality and other soil properties like clay content, pH, exchangeable bases, CEC, available nutrients like N, P, Ca, Mg, S, Zn and Cu in the study area revealed that there was an improvement in land quality, owing to lesser disturbance and better management in coffee plantation compared to forests on its conversion which indicates the restoration of land.

As the world population increases and wild caught fisheries decline, aquaculture offers an important sustainable solution in addressing this global challenge. However, disease management remains difficult. With limited options, there is a need for innovative solutions. The cytokine interleukin-22 (IL-22) has emerged as a possible therapeutic target for fish and has been correlated with protection under pathogen challenge. Plant-based production systems have the potential to effectively manufacture and bring unique efficacy-enhancing features to the aquaculture industry; namely, the advantages of low cost for this commodity market, ready scalability, and reduced environmental impact. Plant-expressed recombinant cfIL-22 yield and purity were adequate for in vitro activity assessment. This study serves as the first report supporting the use of plants to express therapeutic proteins with application for the aquaculture industry. Bioactivity assays showed cfIL-22 notably increased the proliferation of catfish cells, highlighting the tissue preservation capabilities of this protein. Recombinant cfIL-22 also upregulated expression of genes encoding a tissue repair protein, fibronectin, an antimicrobial peptide, Natural killer lysin-1, and a common innate immune protein, interferon. These findings support plant-made recombinant catfish interleukin-22 as a potential therapeutic for the aquaculture industry and supports further analysis of this protein for therapeutic use.

Objective - This study aims to assess fetal physiology training in terms of theoretical knowledge, fetal heart rate interpretation and use of second-line examination. Design - - Single-center prospective study (CHU Lille, France) Setting - The evaluation of fetal well-being during labor is based on fetal heart rate (FHR) analysis and requires knowledge of physiology. Population - Obstetrics and gynecology residents from November 2017 to November 2018 (n=34) Methods – The training was conducted in 3 steps: a session of FHR interpretation and the use of fetal scalp blood sampling (FBS) on clinical cases, then a teaching session on fetal physiology, and finally another session on the same cases presented in the first one. Main Outcome Measures – Theoretical knowledge evaluation (MCQs), number of FBS requested, the reproducibility of responses. Results - Almost 3% estimated their training sufficient on fetal physiology, 11.8% on fetal heart rate analysis and 14.7% on second-line examination. The training allowed a significant improvement of their theoretical knowledge evaluation (mediane [IQR] : 1.5[1.0 to 2.0] vs 4.0[3.0 to 4.5] of MCQs, p <0.001)), a decrease in the number of FBS requested (36.3% vs 29.5%, p =0.002). The Krippendorff’s alpha index assessing the reproducibility of their response was significantly improved, reflecting a better homogenization of practices (alpha [IC95] : 0.60[0.55 to 0.65] vs 0.72[0.67 to 0.76]). Conclusions - The improvement of knowledge in fetal physiology allows a better interpretation of the FHR with better indications of second-line examinations and a homogenization of practices. Funding- None

Sensitivity analysis (SA) for the influence of model parametric constants has been integral in the use of mathematical kinetic models for design and operation of various anaerobic digestion applications. Using Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) as case study, this work aimed to broaden the approach for SA on the time-dependent model outputs of anaerobic digestion models by demonstrating the use of functional principal component analysis (fPCA) scores as input analysis variables into global SA (GSA) for the influence of stoichiometric parameters in ADM1. The methodology involved the following: Morris’ screening design as the GSA technique; ADM1 biomass yield and product yield coefficients as GSA parameters; and ADM1 outputs transformation via fPCA to generate principal component (PC) scores for GSA. Results indicate that 95-99% of the variations in the time-dependent outputs can be captured by the PCs after fPCA transformation, and that the first PC is sufficient to represent the model outputs. Ranked Morris sensitivity indices calculated from the first PC scores revealed the stoichiometric parameters that dominantly affect kinetic responses and those that are least sensitive. The ranking of stoichiometric sensitivities can be used for various purposes including driving mechanisms identification, and mathematical model modification.

We, the students of MICI5029/5049, a Graduate Level Molecular Pathogenesis Journal Club at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, Canada, hereby submit a review of the following BioRxiv preprint:

We, the students of MICI5029/5049, a Graduate Level Molecular Pathogenesis Journal Club at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, Canada, hereby submit a review of the following BioRxiv preprint:

Despite its inherent costs, sexual reproduction is ubiquitous in nature, and the mechanisms to protect it from a competitive displacement by asexuality remain unclear. Popular mutation-based explanations, like the Muller's ratchet and the Kondrashov's hatchet, assume that purifying selection may not halt the accumulation of deleterious mutations in the non-recombining genomes, ultimately leading to their degeneration. However, empirical evidence is scarce and it remains particularly unclear whether mutational degradation proceeds fast enough to ensure the decay of clonal organisms and to prevent them from outcompeting their sexual counterparts. To test this hypothesis, we jointly analyzed the exome sequences and the fitness-related phenotypic traits of the sexually-reproducing fish species and their clonal hybrids, whose evolutionary ages ranged from F1 generations to 300 ky. As expected, mutations tended to accumulate in the clonal genomes in a time-dependent manner. However, contrary to the predictions, we found no trend towards increased non-synonymity of mutations acquired by clones, nor higher radicality of their amino-acid substitutions. Moreover, there was no evidence for fitness degeneration in the old clones compared to that in the younger ones. In summary, although a purifying selection may still be relaxed in the asexual genomes, our data indicate that its efficiency is not drastically decreased. Even the oldest investigated clone was found to be too young to suffer fitness consequences from a mutation accumulation. This suggests that mechanisms other than mutation accumulation may be needed to explain the competitive advantage of sex in the short term.

Plant biochemical reactions are dependent on the combined action of multiple elements. However, it remains unclear how these elements co-vary to adapt to environmental change. Here, we propose a novel concept of the multi-element network (MEN) including the mutual effects between elements to more effectively explore the alterations in response to long-term nitrogen (N) deposition simulations. MENs were constructed with 18 elements and were species specific. Macroelements were more stable, but microelements were more susceptible to N deposition. Interestingly, higher MEN plasticity determined increased relative aboveground biomass (species importance) for different species in one functional group under simulated N deposition. Furthermore, the association between MEN plasticity and species importance was consistently verified along a dry–wet transect. In summary, MENs provide a novel approach for exploring the adaptation strategies of plants and to better predict community composition under altering nutrient availability or environmental stress associated with future global climate change.

Photosynthetic capacity (leaf maximum carboxylation rate, Vcmax) is a critical parameter for accurately assessing carbon assimilation by plant canopies. Recent studies of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) show the potential to estimate Vcmax at the ecosystem level. However, the SIF-Vcmax relationship at leaf and canopy levels are still poorly understood. This study investigates the relationship between leaf or canopy SIF and leaf Vcmax and its controlling factors based on SIF and CO2 response measurements in rice. The results show that SIF (or its yield, SIFy) and Vcmax are strongly correlated during the growing season, though the relationship varies with rice growth stages. After the flowering period, SIFy has a stronger relationship with Vcmax than SIF flux at both leaf and canopy levels. Further analysis suggests that changes in canopy structure and leaf physiology lead to the divergence of the link between SIF and Vcmax from leaf to canopy level. Our findings highlight the need to account for plant physiology and canopy structure in interpreting the SIF signal across spatial scales. Our observation-based results provide evidence that remotely sensed SIF observations can be used to track seasonal variations of Vcmax at the leaf and canopy levels.

This work aims to investigate the fracture evolution of granite containing two pre-existing flaws under uniaxial increasing-amplitude fatigue conditions using GCTS 2000 rock mechanical system and post-test 3D computed tomography (CT) technique. The impacts of flaw arrangement (i.e., approach angle of 20°, 50°, and 70°) on the stress strain responses, hysteresis loop shape, damage evolution and crack coalescence pattern at rock bridge segment were investigated. Results show that rock structure has obvious impact on macroscopic stress strain responses, volumetric strain, resilient modulus and damping ratio. The sparse-dense pattern of hysteresis loop is different at each loading stage caused by the differential accumulative damage. The resilient modulus decreases and damping ratio increases with increasing fatigue loading stage as damage grows. Post-test 3D CT visualization reveal a most striking finding that crack coalescence is easy for rock having low approach angle, and complex crack network forms for rock having high approach angle.

Fitness equalizing mechanisms, such as trade-offs, are recognized as one of the main factors promoting species coexistence in community ecology. However, they have rarely been explored in microbial communities. Although microbial communities are highly diverse, the coexistence of their multiple taxa is largely attributed to niche differences and high dispersal rates, following the principle “everything is everywhere, but the environment selects”. We use a dynamical stochastic model based on the Theory of Island Biogeography to study highly diverse microbial communities over time across three different systems (soils, alpine lakes, and shallow saline lakes). Here we report for the first time a colonization-persistence trade-off in natural microbial communities. We conclude that this trade-off is mainly driven by rare taxa, which are occasional and more likely to follow independent colonization/extinction dynamics. Our work also emphasizes the fundamental value of dynamical models for understanding temporal patterns and processes in highly diverse communities.

Predictions for the future of coral reef are largely based on thermal exposure and poorly account for geographic variation in biological sensitivity and resistance to thermal stress. Based on the ratio of thermal exposure and sensitivity, geographic variability of coral resistance was estimated during the 2016 global-bleaching event. Exposure was estimated as historical cumulative excess summer heat (CTA) and a multivariate index of SST, light, and water flow (CE). Site sensitivity was estimated for 226 sites using coordinated bleaching observations. Site resistance was evaluated by 128 possible models for the influences of geography, historical SST variation, coral cover, and number of coral genera. Most factors were statistically significant but the strongest factor was geography - Coral Triangle having higher resistance than non-Coral Triangle sites. Consequently, future predictions of thermal stress will need to account for strong geographic differences in acclimation/adaptation.

The aim of the study was to estimate the properties of the salt-affected soils (SAS) using hyperspectral remote sensing. The study was carried out on typical SAS from 372 locations covering 17 coastal districts from west coast region of India. The spectral reflectance of processed soil samples was recorded in the wavelength range of 350-2500 nm. The full data set (n=372) was split into two as calibration dataset (n=260, 70%) to develop the model and validation dataset (n=112, 30%) to evaluate the performance of the model independently. The spectral data were calibrated using the laboratory estimated soil properties with five different multivariate techniques: (a) linear – partial component regression (PCR) and partial least square regression (PLSR) and (b) non-linear– multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), random forest (RF) and support vector regression (SVR). In general, the spectral reflectance from the soils decreased with increasing levels of salinity (electrical conductivity, EC). The wavelengths, 494, 673, 800, 1415, 1748, 1915, 2207 and 2385 nm showed peculiar absorption characteristics. The study showed significant achievement in predicting soil properties like soil pH, salinity (EC), bulk density (BD), soil available nitrogen (N), exchangeable magnesium (Mg), soil available zinc (Zn) and boron (B) with acceptable to excellent predictions (ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) ranged 1.48-2.06). Amongst predicted models, SVR, PLSR and PCR were found to be more robust than MARS and RF. The results of the study indicated that the visible near-infrared spectroscopy has the potential predict properties of the SAS.

Managing reproduction is the most effective approach to sustain population or control invasion of species. Flow velocity is recognized to affect the reproduction of fishes spawning drifting eggs in rivers. Despite plenty of studies on this aspect, quantitative relations between flow velocity and fish reproduction, including spawning, fertilizing, hatching and surviving, has not yet been established. Here we for the first time quantified the relationship between flow velocity and reproduction of Chinese carps through lab experiments as well as field surveys. The results showed that a minimum velocity was required to trigger Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (H. molitrix) releasing eggs, and a velocity range was preferential to sustain spawning activity. However, the embryo incubation and larvae development of H. molitrix were found to be inhibited with the increase in flow velocity. Considering the requirements of spawning and hatching as well as larvae development, a compromised optimal flow velocity was identified for reproduction of H. molitrix in rivers. The findings were of great significance to guide the operation of cascade dams to create suitable flow velocities during reproduction season for either improving population or impeding invasion of carps.

Intensified livestock system produced large amount of bio-waste, and improper disposal of livestock manure has led to severe environmental consequences. However, knowledge about the time-dependent changes of manure-derived nitrate and soil bacterial diversity along the soil profiles is limited. In this study, vertical variation of soil bacterial diversity and composition in a manure-amended maize field and adjacent non-manured woodland was investigated using high-throughput sequencing technique in spring and autumn along a 1-meter profile depth. The results showed that higher amount of nitrate was detected along the soil profile loaded with cattle manure compared with the adjacent non-manured woodland, and soil δ15N-NO3- composition further corroborated the manure-derived nitrate in the maize field. No significant difference in bacterial richness between the two land uses was found, while clear separation of bacterial structure was detected even to the deep soil layers. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that soil properties were the major factors influencing the variance of bacterial community composition. Bacterial network is more complex in the maize field than in the adjacent woodland. Soil bacterial communities among the depth profiles in the two land uses tended to be more phylogenetically clustered than expected by chance, and were more likely to be clustered along the depth. These findings suggested that bacterial β diversity was strongly related to multi-nutrient properties with high livestock manure load, and had important implications for assessing the environmental impacts on below-ground biodiversity in sandy loam soils.

Objective: To examine associations between mode of delivery and maternal mental health. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Data from the Danish National Birth Cohort. Population: A total of 54,474 women were followed from diagnosis of pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. Methods: From interviews in pregnancy and 6 months postpartum, the women reported symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Mode of delivery was categorised as spontaneous vaginal delivery, instrumental vaginal delivery, planned caesarean section (CS) and emergency CS. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to compute absolute differences and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between delivery mode and mental health indicators. Main outcome measures: Changes in combined score of emotional distress from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. Presence of emotional distress and specific symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress 6 months postpartum. Results: Mental health indicators improved from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum for all modes of delivery. Improvement was strongest in mothers with planned CS and weakest in mothers with emergency CS. Six months postpartum, symptoms of overall emotional distress were more frequent in women with emergency CS (OR 1.21;1.06-1.37), as were specific symptoms of anxiety (OR 1.11;0.98-1.24), depression (OR 1.25;1.09-1.43) and stress (OR 1.14;1.01-1.29). Symptoms of anxiety were also more frequent in mothers with planned CS (OR 1.15;1.01-1.29). Conclusions: Mental health indicators improved from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum regardless of delivery mode. Mothers with emergency CS experienced more symptoms of emotional distress 6 months postpartum than mothers with spontaneous vaginal birth.

An increase in pulmonary artery pressure is a common observation in adult mammals exposed to alveolar hypoxia. It is considered a maladaptive response that places an increased workload on the right ventricle. The mechanisms initiating and maintaining the elevated pressure are of considerable interest to understanding pulmonary vascular homeostasis and developing new treatments for pulmonary hypertension. In particular, it would be helpful to discover the key molecules in the integrated vascular response to hypoxia to inform potential drug targets. One strategy is to take advantage of experiments of nature; specifically, to understand the molecular basis for the inter-individual variation in the pulmonary vascular response to acute and chronic hypoxia. This is the motivation for genetic studies in populations and animals adapted to life at high altitudes. To date, these studies highlight the importance of hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α), encoded by EPAS1, and prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2 (PHD), encoded by EGLN1, and support efforts to pharmacologically manipulate HIF-2 activity as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension.

Once again, we look back at a case of a maternal who died five years ago with severe preeclampsia combined with PAH. We thought if we were familiar with the special pathophysiological mechanism of PAH and adopt proper treatment methods at that time, her death might be avoided.

Persian oak decline is a syndrome within the oak decline complex in Iran. Profuse stem bleed-ing and larval galleries of the native buprestid, Agrilus hastulifer characterize the disease. A systematic study comparing healthy with diseased trees was undertaken. This work reports the result of isolations from healthy trees and diseased tissue in affected trees, at eight sites in Iran. Culturable bacterial communities were identified using the 16S rDNA sequencing. A significantly higher proportion of symptomatic tissue pieces from diseased trees (Disease In-dex=5) yielded bacterial growth than other disease indexes (83.78%). Significantly higher yields were also obtained from bulk and rhizosphere compared with the root, leaf, and stem. Overall bacterial communities compositions varied at each site, but significant similarities were evident in diseased tissues at all sites. Enterobacteriaceae were dominated in diseased trees whereas Bacilluceae and Moraxellaceae were remarkable more abundant in healthy trees. Sig-nificant associations occurred between diseased tissues and certain bacterial species, implying that the cause of tissue necrosis was not due to random microbiota. Brenneria goodwinii, Ser-ratia marecescence, and Dickeya chrysanthemi were key species consistently isolated from diseased tissue; Campylobacter jejuni and an un-named Clostridium taxon were also frequent-ly isolated from both healthy and diseased trees. It was concluded that there was a shift in the cultivatable bacterial microbiome of diseased trees, with Enterobacteriaceae strongly repre-sented in symptomatic but not healthy tissues. No single dominated species was isolated from diseased tissues, so tissue degradation in oak likely have a polymicrobial cause.

A species’ response to thermal stress is an essential physiological trait that can determine occurrence and temporal succession in nature, including response to climate change. Environmental temperature affects zooplankton performance by altering life-spans and population growth rates, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these alterations are largely unknown. To compare temperature-related demography, we performed cross-temperature life-table experiments in closely related heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive Brachionus rotifer species that occur in sympatry. Within these same populations, we examined the genetic basis of physiological variation by comparing gene expression across increasing temperatures. We found significant cross-species and cross-temperature differences in heat response, with the heat-sensitive species adopting a strategy of high survival and low population growth, while the heat-tolerant followed an opposite strategy. Comparative transcriptomic analyses revealed both shared and opposing responses to heat. Most notably, expression of heat shock proteins (hsps) is strikingly different in the two species. In both species, hsp responses mirrored differences in population growth rates, showing that hsp genes are likely a key component of a species’ adaptation to different temperatures. Temperature induction caused opposing patterns of expression in further functional categories such as energy, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and in genes related to ribosomal proteins. In the heat-sensitive species, elevated temperatures caused up-regulation of genes related to induction of meiotic division as well as genes responsible for post-translational histone modifications. This work demonstrates the sweeping reorganizations of biological functions that accompany temperature adaptation in these two species and reveals potential molecular mechanisms that might be activated for adaptation to global warming.

Fluorescent pseudomonads represent one of the largest groups of bacteria inhabiting the surfaces of plants, but their genetic composition in planta is poorly understood. Here, we examined the population structure and diversity of fluorescent pseudomonads isolated from sugar beet grown at two geographic locations (Oxford, UK and Auckland, New Zealand). To seek evidence for niche adaptation, bacteria were sampled from three types of leaves (immature, mature and senescent) and then characterized using a combination of genotypic and phenotypic analysis. We first performed multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of three housekeeping genes (gapA, gltA, acnB) in a total of 152 isolates (96 from Oxford, 56 from Auckland). The concatenated sequences were grouped into 81 sequence types and 22 distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Significant levels of recombination were detected, particularly for the Oxford isolates (rate of recombination to mutation (r/m) = 5.23 for the whole population). Subsequent ancestral analysis performed in STRUCTURE found evidence of six ancestral populations, and their distributions significantly differed between Oxford and Auckland strains. Next, the ability to grow on 95 carbon sources was assessed using the BiologTM GN2 microtiter plates. A distance matrix was generated from the raw growth data (A660) and subjected to multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis. There was a significant correlation between the substrate utilization profiles and MLSA genotypes. Both phenotypic and genotypic analyses indicated presence of a geographic structure for strains from Oxford and Auckland. Significant differences were genotypically detected between strains isolated from immature versus mature/senescent leaves. The fluorescent pseudomonads thus showed an ecotypic population structure, suggestive of adaptation to both geographical and local plant environments.