The characteristics and enzyme activities of 4-chlorophenol biodegradation by Fusarium sp

The effects of pH, temperature and sucrose addition on biodegradative capacity of Fusarium sp. HJ01 for 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) were examined, the property of dioxygenases produced by Fusarium sp. HJ01 during 4-CP degradation was investigated. The results show that Fusarium sp. HJ01 has a high capacity on degrading 4-CP in solution. The optimum values of pH, sucrose concentration and temperature are pH 7,1 g/L and 30°C, respectively. The strain can produce chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase (CC12O) and chlorocatechol 2,3-dioxygenase (CC23O), which show the highest activities when 4-CP is used as the sole carbon source and energy, and the optimal values of pH and temperature are pH 7 and 50°C for CC12O as well as pH 8 and 60°C for CC23O. The kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions accord with the Michaelis-Menten equation. To our knowledge, this is the first study on biodegradation of 4-CP by Fusarium sp. HJ01.     

Ethylene removal efficiency and bacterial community diversity of a natural zeolite biofilter

To establish an economical and environmentally friendly technology for ethylene removal from horticultural facilities and industrial point sources, a bench-scale natural zeolite biofiltration system was developed in this study. The system was evaluated for its performance in removing ethylene from an artificially contaminated air stream and characterized for its bacterial diversity under varied ethylene concentrations, and in different spatial stages of the filter. The biofilter enabled to approximately 100% remove ethylene at loading rates of 0.26-3.76 g m⁻³ h⁻¹ when operated with inoculum containing enriched ethylene-degrading bacteria. The bacterial diversity and abundance varied with the height of the biofilter. Moreover, the occurrence and predominance of specific bacterial species varied with the concentrations of ethylene introduced into the biofilter, as observed by PCR-DGGE methods. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the biofilter system supported a diverse community of ethylene-degrading bacteria, with high similarity to species in the classes Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Actinobacteria.     

Activation of M3 muscarinic receptors inhibits T-type Ca(2+) channel currents via pertussis toxin-sensitive novel protein kinase C pathway in small dorsal root ganglion neurons

Cobrotoxin (CbT), a short-chain postsynaptic α-neurotoxin, has been reported to play a role in analgesia. However, to date, the detailed mechanisms still remain unknown. In the present study, we identify a novel functional role of CbT in modulating T-type Ca²⁺ channel currents (T-currents) in small dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons as well as pain behaviors in mice. We found that CbT inhibited T-currents in a dose-dependent manner. CbT at 1 μM reversibly inhibited T-currents by ~ 26.3%. This inhibitory effect was abolished by the non-selective muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) antagonist atropine, or the selective M3 mAChR antagonist 4-DAMP, while naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist had no effect. Intracellular infusion of GDP-β-S or pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin (PTX) completely blocked the inhibitory effects of CbT. Using depolarizing prepulse, we found the absence of direct binding between G-protein βγ subunits and T-type Ca²⁺ channels in CbT-induced T-current inhibition. CbT responses were abolished by the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122 (but not the inactive analog U73343). The classical and novel protein kinase C (nPKC) antagonist chelerythrine chlorid or GF109203X abolished CbT responses, whereas the classical PKC antagonist Ro31-8820 or inhibition of PKA elicited no such effects. Intrathecal administration of CbT (5 μg/kg) produced antinociceptive effects in mechanical, thermal, and inflammatory pain models. Moreover, CbT-induced antinociception could be abrogated by 4-DAMP. Taken together, these results suggest that CbT acting through M3 mAChR inhibits T-currents via a PTX-sensitive nPKC pathway in small DRG neurons, which could contribute to its analgesic effects in mice.     

37-kDa laminin receptor precursor mediates GnRH-II-induced MMP-2 expression and invasiveness in ovarian cancer cells

GnRH-II enhances ovarian cancer cell invasion in an autocrine manner. We have now found that GnRH-II increases 37-kDa laminin receptor precursor (LRP) production in GnRH receptor (GnRHR)-positive OVCAR-3 and CaOV-3 ovarian cancer cells, while small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated depletion of GnRH-II or GnRHR mRNA abrogates this. The invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells is also reduced >85% by siRNA-mediated knockdown of LRP levels and >50% by pretreatment of Matrigel with a synthetic peptide that blocks interactions between laminin and the 67-kDa nonintegrin laminin receptor which comprises two LRP subunits. Conversely, overexpressing LRP in CaOV-3 cells increases their invasiveness 5-fold, while overexpressing LRP with a nonfunctional laminin-binding site does not. Depletion of LRP by siRNA treatment reduces CaOV-3 cell attachment to laminin-coated plates by ～80% but only reduces their binding to Matrigel by ～20%. Thus, while LRP influences CaOV-3 cell adhesion to laminin, LRP must act in other ways to enhance invasion. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are key mediators of invasion, and LRP siRNA treatment of OVCAR-3 and CaOV-3 cells inhibits MMP-2 but not MMP-9 mRNA levels. Overexpressing LRP in these cells increases MMP-2 production specifically, while a laminin-binding deficient LRP does not. Importantly, LRP siRNA treatment abolishes GnRH-II-induced MMP-2 production, and invasion in OVCAR-3 and CaOV-3 cells, which was also seen after MMP-2 siRNA treatment. These results suggest that GnRH-II-induced LRP expression increases the amount of the 67-kDa nonintegrin laminin receptor, which appears to interact with laminin in the extracellular matrix to promote MMP-2 expression and enhance ovarian cancer cell invasion.     

Next generation genome-wide association tool: design and coverage of a high-throughput European-optimized SNP array

The success of genome-wide association studies has paralleled the development of efficient genotyping technologies. We describe the development of a next-generation microarray based on the new highly-efficient Affymetrix Axiom genotyping technology that we are using to genotype individuals of European ancestry from the Kaiser Permanente Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health (RPGEH). The array contains 674,517 SNPs, and provides excellent genome-wide as well as gene-based and candidate-SNP coverage. Coverage was calculated using an approach based on imputation and cross validation. Preliminary results for the first 80,301 saliva-derived DNA samples from the RPGEH demonstrate very high quality genotypes, with sample success rates above 94% and over 98% of successful samples having SNP call rates exceeding 98%. At steady state, we have produced 462 million genotypes per week for each Axiom system. The new array provides a valuable addition to the repertoire of tools for large scale genome-wide association studies.     

Synthesis and SAR of novel quinazolines as potent and brain-penetrant c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitors

Quinazoline 3 was discovered as a novel c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor with good brain penetration and pharmacokinetic (PK) properties. A number of analogs which were potent both in the biochemical and cellular assays were discovered. Quinazoline 13a was found to be a potent JNK3 inhibitor (IC₅₀ = 40 nM), with >500-fold selectivity over p38, and had good PK and brain penetration properties. With these properties, 13a is considered a potential candidate for in vivo evaluation.     

Discovery of INCB10820/PF-4178903, a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable dual CCR2 and CCR5 antagonist

We report the discovery of a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable dual CCR2 and CCR5 antagonist (3S,4S)-N-[(1R,3S)-3-isopropyl-3-({4-[4-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-2-yl]piperazin-1-yl}carbonyl)cyclopentyl]-3-methoxytetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-amine (19). After evaluation in 28-day toxicology studies, compound 19 (INCB10820/PF-4178903) was selected as a clinical candidate.     

Sorption and ecotoxicity of pentachlorophenol polluted sediment amended with rice-straw derived biochar

To investigate the feasibility of using biochar to control organic pollutants in sediments, we extracted biochar from rice-straw combustion residues (RBC) and studied its adsorption ability and effect on seed germination ecotoxicity of pentachlorophenol (PCP). The results showed that the Freundlich and dual-mode models could describe all the sorption isotherm data well, and the log K_OC values increased with increasing RBC content. With 50 mg kg⁻¹ PCP in the sediment, a significant seed growth inhibition (P < 0.01) was observed. The addition of 2.0% RBC lowered the PCP concentration in the extraction liquid from 4.53 to 0.17 mg L⁻¹ and increased the germination rate and root length significantly. Furthermore, it was found that the addition of RBC had no toxic but stimulative effect on root elongation. Consequently, RBC could serve as a potential supersorbent for the remediation of organic pollution in situ.     

响应面法优化黑曲霉HDF05产β-葡萄糖苷酶过程参数

为获得黑曲霉Aspergillus niger HDF05菌株较高的β-葡萄糖苷酶酶活,对其发酵条件进行了优化。采用Plackett-Burman实验设计考察关键发酵操作参数对产酶的影响。继而采用最陡爬坡路径逼近最大响应区域,并结合中心组合实验和响应面对4个显著性因素进行分析。Plackett-Burman实验结果表明,发酵温度、装液量、麦麸和 (NH4)2SO4浓度对β-葡萄糖苷酶合成影响显著。通过响应面分析得到一元二阶方程,对方程求解得到优化的发酵过程参数：发酵温度为28 ℃,装液量为71.4 mL/250 mL,麸皮浓度为36 g/L,(NH4)2SO4浓度为5.5 g/L。采用该优化的过程参数,菌株的最大产β-葡萄糖苷酶活力可达60.06 U/mL,较优化前提高了23.9％。将黑曲霉HDF05产生的β-葡萄糖苷酶用于酸解玉米芯纤维残渣的酶解实验中,可明显降低纤维二糖的积累,48 h内可使玉米芯纤维素残渣酶解得率达到80.4％。     

大果白刺雄性不育系的细胞学研究

利用石蜡切片法对大果白刺花药进行细胞学研究,探讨雄性不育系发生败育的时期和方式以及雄性败育与药壁组织间的关系.结果表明:不育系小孢子母细胞形成前期,花药各部分结构发育正常.随着绒毡层的异常解体,多种异常现象相继出现,包括小孢子母细胞液泡化,中层、药室内壁、药隔细胞液泡化,细胞畸形,药壁细胞非正常解体等.退化后整个花药萎缩干瘪,不能开裂,无花粉.因此,大果白刺雄性不育系的绒毡层生理异常并提前退化是导致雄性不育的主要原因.