解塑再用-中欧合作项目“合成塑料降解转化微生物菌群”介绍

中欧环境生物技术合作研究重大项目废弃塑料的生物降解由国家自然科学基金委员会(NationalNatural Science Foundation of China,NSFC)与欧盟委员会(European Commission,EC)共同资助,旨在促使中欧科学家在"Microorganism communities for plastics biodegradation"领域开展实质性合作研究。该项目的目标是将易造成环境污染且难以降解的石化塑料,利用微生物菌群的代谢能力降解为单体小分子并为微生物所用,从而进一步实现高值生物化学品的生物合成。这不仅可以解决塑料污染问题,同时也将塑料垃圾"变废为宝",创造更高的经济效益。中欧合作研究项目将促进双方科学家在合成生物学领域的深入合作,有助于双方建立长期稳定的国际交流与合作关系。中欧双方将致力于解决全球塑料污染问题,形成科技战略力量,共同开启探索不可降解塑料资源化利用领域的新篇章。     

石油基塑料的微生物降解

石油基塑料种类繁多、数量巨大、应用广泛,常见的有聚乙烯(PE)、聚丙烯(PP)、聚苯乙烯(PS)、聚氯乙烯(PVC)、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)、聚氨酯(PUR)等。这些合成塑料因其高分子量、高疏水性及高化学键能的特点难以被微生物降解,从而在环境中长期存在和累积,"白色污染"已经成为一个全球性问题。因此安全经济的微生物降解合成塑料是人类面临的一个选择和难题。文中从微生物资源及相关酶学研究方面综述了聚苯乙烯、聚乙烯、聚丙烯、聚氨酯、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯和聚氯乙烯这6种石油基塑料的生物降解的研究现状。目前关于上述6种石油基塑料的微生物降解研究依然大多停留在微生物资源的寻找中,已发现的具备相关能力的菌株种类较少,并且微生物降解效率均非常缓慢;对于其降解机理及关键基因和酶的研究比较少。文中为进一步开展塑料生物降解研究,寻找高效的塑料降解菌株资源以及进一步在遗传、分子和生化水平研究塑料生物降解机理研究,从而最终实现合成塑料的彻底降解和高值化利用提供了借鉴。     

黄粉虫及其肠道微生物对聚氯乙烯的生物降解作用

【背景】塑料废物的累积是越来越严重的环境污染问题,其中聚氯乙烯(polyvinyl chloride,PVC)作为最常用的塑料之一,其生产与消耗量极大。【目的】基于黄粉虫(Tenebriomolitor)幼虫自然取食塑料的现象,探究黄粉虫及其肠道微生物对聚氯乙烯类塑料的生物降解作用。【方法】通过观测黄粉虫取食聚氯乙烯过程的重量变化、傅里叶变换红外光谱(fouriertransforminfrared spectroscopy,FTIR)、黄粉虫肠道微生物的筛选和高通量测序等方法研究黄粉虫幼虫及其肠道微生物对聚氯乙烯的降解作用。【结果】研究结果表明:仅以PVC作为碳源类营养来源,每200条黄粉虫为一组,共3组,喂养32d后,每组平均取食了0.499±0.023gPVC,黄粉虫平均体重增长0.015±0.002 g。采用傅里叶变换红外光谱检测发现虫粪组分中PVC官能团中的C-C骨架峰明显减弱,表明PVC长链有断裂现象。高通量测序黄粉虫幼虫肠道微生物菌群的结果显示肠道菌群以哈夫尼菌属(Hafnia)、摩根氏菌属(Morganella)、大肠埃希氏杆菌属(Escherichia coli)和未培养肠杆菌属(unclassifiedEnterobacteriaceae)为优势菌群。肠道菌群中哈夫尼菌属(Hafnia)和摩根氏菌属(Morganella)的丰度分别比常规饲养对照增加了35.20%和16.42%。【结论】证明了黄粉虫及其肠道微生物对PVC塑料具有一定的降解作用,且其肠道菌群中哈夫尼菌属(Hafnia)和摩根氏菌属(Morganella)菌株对PVC的利用效率最高,研究结果为"白色污染"的生物降解提供了科学证据。     

聚己二酸/对苯二甲酸丁二酯塑料地膜高效降解菌群筛选及其群落结构演替特征

【背景】以聚己二酸/对苯二甲酸丁二酯(PBAT)为主要成分的塑料地膜虽然是生物可降解的地膜,但是关于该塑料地膜降解的微生物菌群研究却较少。【目的】拟从不同环境样品中筛选可降解PBAT塑料地膜的微生物菌群。通过对其多次富集的菌群群落结构演替进行分析,明晰可降解PBAT塑料地膜的核心微生物。【方法】利用改良的SM无机盐培养基从不同环境样品中筛选可降解PBAT塑料地膜的微生物菌群;利用失重法测定菌群对PBAT塑料地膜降解的效率;利用16SrRNA基因高通量测序技术对其第5批次(G5)至第9批次(G9)富集的降解菌群的群落结构进行深入探讨;通过Pearson相关性分析方法对菌群不同菌属相对丰度变化和PBAT塑料地膜降解时间进行解析。【结果】从广州金发堆肥厂的堆肥样品中筛选到可完全降解PBAT塑料地膜的菌群,编号为SX。通过连续不断的转接富集,菌群SX对PBAT塑料地膜的降解速率显著提升。16SrRNA基因高通量测序结果显示第5批次(G5)至第9批次(G9)富集的PBAT塑料地膜降解菌群,厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)的相对丰度逐渐下降,而放线菌门(Actinobacteria)的相对丰度逐渐上升。硫磺色节杆菌(Arthrobactersulfureus)、红螺菌科(Rhodospirillaceae)和噬几丁质菌科(Chitinophagaceae)在随着转接富集过程中相对丰度逐渐升高而芽孢杆菌(Bacillussp.)的相对丰度显著降低。通过统计分析发现硫磺色节杆菌(Arthrobacter sulfureus)相对丰度升高与PBAT塑料地膜降解时间缩短显著相关(r=–0.927,P0.05)。【结论】筛选到PBAT塑料地膜高效降解菌群SX。通过连续不断的转接富集,菌群SX对PBAT塑料地膜的降解时间由28 d (第5批次,G5)降低到13 d (第9批次,G9)。通过对菌群群落结构的研究,发现随着菌群降解效率的提高,硫磺色节杆菌的所占相对丰度显著增加,说明其可能在PBAT塑料降解中发挥着关键作用。本研究为PBAT塑料地膜的降解提供了绿色高效环保的新途径和菌株资源,并为PBAT塑料地膜降解的机制研究奠定了基础。     

聚氨酯塑料的微生物降解

未被合理处置的废塑料污染已成为全球性的环境问题,探索塑料废弃物的无害化处理技术势在必行。近来,研究证实了自然界中存在可以降解塑料的微生物及酶。利用微生物或酶对废塑料进行生物处理成为可能。聚氨酯塑料(Polyurethane,PUR)是广泛应用的通用塑料之一,其废弃物量已占到所有废塑料总体积的30%。文中将PUR塑料发明应用70年来有关微生物降解的研究进行了全面综述,对PUR塑料降解真菌、细菌、降解基因与酶、降解产物及相关的生物处理技术系统等进行了总结与分析,并对实现PUR废塑料高效生物处理需解决的关键科学问题进行了展望。     

聚乙烯塑料的微生物降解

聚乙烯(polyethylene,PE)是产量最大的通用塑料之一,通常被加工成一次性包装材料(包括塑料袋及容器)和农用薄膜等。PE塑料的广泛应用导致大量PE废弃物的累积,对生态环境造成严重的威胁。自20世纪70年代以来,一些研究陆续报道了PE塑料被微生物降解的现象,并从土壤、海洋、垃圾堆置点及昆虫肠道等生境中分离筛选到了若干种具有一定PE塑料降解能力的菌株,而且发现一些单加氧酶、过氧化物酶和漆酶等氧化还原酶对PE塑料具有氧化降解能力。这些研究为发展PE塑料废弃物生物降解处理技术提供了一定的依据。本文总结和分析了PE塑料降解微生物的分离和筛选方法,以及已报道的PE塑料降解微生物和降解酶的研究进展,以期为进一步研究PE塑料的微生物降解机理和处理技术提供参考。     

塑料的生物降解与转化专刊序言

合成塑料已广泛应用于国民经济各领域,是国民经济的支柱产业。然而,不规范生产、使用塑料制品以及处置塑料废弃物等问题,造成塑料在环境中长期累积,导致了严重的环境污染和碳资源浪费。生物降解是实现废塑料污染治理与资源化的新途径,已成为国内外废弃塑料处置研究的热点。近年来,在塑料降解微生物/酶资源的分离、筛选、鉴定以及对其进行工程化改造等方面取得了重要突破,为环境中微塑料的治理、废塑料的闭环循环再生提供了新的思路和方案。另一方面,利用微生物(纯菌或菌群)将塑料降解产生的单体进一步转化为生物可降解塑料及其他具有高附加值的化合物,对于解决废塑料的生态环境污染、推动塑料循环经济发展以及减少塑料在生命周期中的碳排放等方面具有重要意义。《生物工程学报》特组织出版“塑料的生物降解与转化”专刊,邀请了国内外塑料生物降解与转化领域的相关专家学者介绍了塑料生物降解资源的发掘、塑料解聚酶的设计与改造、塑料降解物的生物高值转化等领域最新进展和研究成果,收录了包括评论、综述、研究论文等类型的相关文章16篇,为塑料生物降解与转化的进一步研究提供借鉴和指导。     

木质纤维素的微生物降解

木质纤维素广泛存在于自然界中,因结构复杂,其高效降解需要多种微生物的协同互作,由于参与木质纤维素降解的微生物种类繁多,其协同降解机理尚不完全明确。随着微生物分子生物学和组学技术的快速发展,将为微生物协同降解木质纤维素机制的研究提供新的方法和思路。笔者前期研究发现,细菌复合菌系在50℃下表现出强大的木质纤维素降解能力,菌系由可分离培养和暂时不可分离培养细菌组成,但是可分离培养细菌没有降解能力。通过宏基因组和宏转录组研究表明,与木质纤维素降解相关的某些基因表达量发生显著变化,通过组学方法有可能更加深入解释微生物协同降解木质纤维素的微生物学和酶学机理。文中从酶、纯培养菌株和复合菌群三个方面综述了木质纤维素微生物降解研究进展,着重介绍了组学技术在解析复合菌群作用机理方面的现状和应用前景,以期为探索微生物群落协同降解木质纤维素的机理提供借鉴。     

从微生物组到合成功能菌群

微生物组是指特定微环境中的微生物群落及其组学,自然界中的生物过程几乎都是通过微生物组完成的。随着测序技术的发展和成本降低,微生物组已经成为微生物生态学研究的热点领域。继合成生物学之后,基于微生物组的合成功能菌群研究正在兴起,在人类健康、农业、工业和生态等领域都有广泛的应用前景。本文从微生物组到合成功能菌群的角度系统论述了其在不同领域的研究现状与发展趋势,为微生物组从理论研究到应用提供思路。     

瘤胃微生物对纤维素降解机理

城市有机垃圾中木质纤维素难以被降解的根本原因 ,在于其木质素的物理屏障作用及纤维素本身的结晶结构 ,瘤胃微生物能够高效降解木质纤维素 ,是因为瘤胃菌群中存在各种可以分别降解木素和结晶纤维素微生物 ,它们分泌的各种酶类是降解的关键所在。     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.