Diversity among Single Zoospore Isolates Derived from Single-zoosporangia of Phytophthora sojae Kauf. and Gerd

Phytophthora sojae Kauf. and Gerd, a host specific pathogen to soybean, causes pre and postemergence damping-off and root and stem rot on soybean. The pathogen evokes severe yield losses in most soybean growing areas worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine phenotypic and genotypic diversity among single zoospore isolates (SZIs) originating from two single zoosporangia (Ps411-1 and Ps411-2) derived from the same parental isolate of P . sojae Ps411. Results showed that colony morphology and growth rate of 32 SZIs derived from sporangium Ps411-1 and 35 SZIs released from sporangium Ps411-2 did not significantly differ from the parental isolate Ps411. Pathogenicity of the SZIs was tested on three resistant and three susceptible Chinese soybean cultivars. While the majority of SZIs derived from sporangium Ps411-1(59.4%) and sporangium Ps411-2(71.4%) retained the same virulence spectrum as the parental isolate, the other SZIs of both progenies demonstrated either a higher or a lower level of virulence compared to that of parental isolate. A low level genetic variability in the populations of both single zoospore progenies was also demonstrated using the sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) technique. Cluster analysis separated the SZIs from both zoosporangia, Ps411-1 and Ps411-2, into four and three SRAP groups, respectively. No close correlation among SRAP and virulence could be established among SZIs. The results of this study suggest that virulence variability may be regarded as part of the total genetic changes among the zoospore progenies derived from single-zoosporangia. The pathogenic variability during asexual reproduction may play a role in changing the virulence structure of P . sojae .     

Putative source of the invasive Sirex noctilio fungal symbiont, Amylostereum areolatum, in the eastern United States and its association with native siricid woodwasps

Two genotypes of the fungal symbiont Amylostereum areolatum are associated with the invasive woodwasp Sirex noctilio first found in North America in 2004. S. noctilio is native to Europe but has been introduced to Australasia, South America and Africa where it has caused enormous losses in pine plantations. Based on nucleotide sequence data from the intergenic spacer region (IGS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA, the A. areolatum genotypes found in North America are most similar to genotypes found in Europe, and not to genotypes from the southern hemisphere. Although two IGS strains of A. areolatum were found in North America it cannot be stated whether A. areolatum was introduced to North America from Europe once or twice based on our study. Genetic groupings formed by sequencing data were in most cases supported by vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs). Other siricid woodwasp species in the genus Sirex are native to North America. The North American native Sirex edwardsii emerging from the same tree as S. noctilio carried the same strain of A. areolatum as S. noctilio. The North American native Sirex sp. ‘nitidus’ collected outside the geographical range of S. noctilio carried a unique strain within A. areolatum. Our findings of A. areolatum in the native North American species, S. sp. ‘nitidus’, contrast with the previous view that A. areolatum was not present in North America before the accidental invasion of S. noctilio.     

白腐菌协同热水预处理对毛白杨化学组分和酶水解效果的影响

【目的】增强真菌预处理的效率和降低热水预处理对反应条件的要求。【方法】综合利用白腐菌和热水预处理毛白杨,分析此方法对毛白杨化学组分和酶水解效果的影响。【结果】白腐菌Lenzites betulinus C5617协同热水处理,损失率最高达70.70%。纤维素在2个预处理阶段都有损失,其中L.betulinus C5617达到29.62%。木质素的降解主要集中在白腐菌预处理阶段,其中L.betulinus C5617降解的酸不溶木素较多,达到了16.98%。综合预处理显著改善了毛白杨的酶水解效果。与只经热水预处理的样品相比较,L.betulinus C5617和P.sanguineus D9497协同热水处理分别引起还原糖得率上升了20.60%和12.23%。【结论】综合预处理降低了热水解对反应条件的要求,节约了预处理成本。     

Genetic Structure of Cochliobolus sativus Populations Sampled from Roots and Leaves of Barley and Wheat in North Dakota

Common root rot (CRR) and spot blotch, caused by Cochliobolus sativus (Ito and Kurib.) Drechsl. ex Dast., are important diseases of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. However, the population biology of C. sativus is still poorly understood. In this study, the genetic structure of three C. sativus populations, consisting of isolates sampled respectively from barley leaves (BL), barley roots (BR) and wheat roots (WR) in North Dakota, was analysed with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. A total of 127 AFLP loci were generated among 208 C. sativus isolates analysed with three primer combinations. Gene diversity (H = 0.277–0.335) were high in all three populations. Genetic variation among C. sativus individuals within population accounted for 74%, whereas 26% of the genetic variation was explained among populations. Genetic differentiation was high (ØPT = 0.261, corrected = 0.39), whereas gene flow (Nm) ranged from 1.27 to 1.56 among the three populations analysed. The multilocus linkage disequilibrium (LD) (= 0.076–0.117) was moderate in C  sativus populations. Cluster analyses indicate that C. sativus populations differentiated according to the hosts (barley and wheat) and tissues (root and leaf) although generalists also exist in North Dakota. Crop breeding may benefit from combining genes for resistance against both specialists and generalists of C. sativus.     

Harnessing the power of enzymes for environmental stewardship

Enzymes are versatile catalysts with a growing number of applications in biotechnology. Their properties render them also attractive for waste/pollutant treatment processes and their use might be advantageous over conventional treatments. This review highlights enzymes that are suitable for waste treatment, with a focus on cell-free applications or processes with extracellular and immobilized enzymes. Biological wastes are treated with hydrolases, primarily to degrade biological polymers in a pre-treatment step. Oxidoreductases and lyases are used to biotransform specific pollutants of various nature. Examples from pulp and paper, textile, food and beverage as well as water and chemical industries illustrate the state of the art of enzymatic pollution treatment. Research directions in enzyme technology and their importance for future development in environmental biotechnology are elaborated. Beside biological and biochemical approaches, i.e. enzyme prospection and the design of enzymes, the review also covers efforts in adjacent research fields such as insolubilization of enzymes, reactor design and the use of additives. The effectiveness of enzymatic processes, especially when combined with established technologies, is evident. However, only a limited number of enzymatic field applications exist. Factors like cost and stability of biocatalysts need to be addressed and the collaboration and exchange between academia and industry should be further strengthened to achieve the goal of sustainability.     

Mesorhizobium ciceri LMS-1 expressing an exogenous 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase increases its nodulation abilities and chickpea plant resistance to soil constraints

Aims: Our goal was to understand the symbiotic behaviour of a Mesorhizobium strain expressing an exogenous 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, which was used as an inoculant of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) plants growing in soil. Methods and Results: Mesorhizobium ciceri LMS‐1 (pRKACC) was tested for its plant growth promotion abilities on two chickpea cultivars (ELMO and CHK3226) growing in nonsterilized soil that displayed biotic and abiotic constraints to plant growth. When compared to its wild‐type form, the M. ciceri LMS‐1 (pRKACC) strain showed an increased nodulation performance of c. 125 and 180% and increased nodule weight of c. 45 and 147% in chickpea cultivars ELMO and CHK3226, respectively. Mesorhizobium ciceri LMS‐1 (pRKACC) was also able to augment the total biomass of both chickpea plant cultivars by c. 45% and to reduce chickpea root rot disease susceptibility. Conclusions: The results obtained indicate that the production of ACC deaminase under free living conditions by Mesorhizobium strains increases the nodulation, plant growth abilities and biocontrol potential of these strains. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first study regarding the use of a transformed rhizobial strain expressing an exogenous ACC deaminase in different plant cultivars growing in soil. Hence, obtaining Mesorhizobium strains with high ACC deaminase activity is a matter of extreme importance for the development of inoculants for field applications.     

百合总皂苷提取工艺及抗抑郁活性研究

本文研究百合总皂苷最佳提取工艺,继而采用AB-8大孔吸附树脂富集纯化百合总皂苷,并测试其抗抑郁活性。采用正交实验,考察乙醇浓度、提取次数、固液比及提取时间四个因素对该工艺的影响;采用小鼠悬尾实验和小鼠强迫游泳实验评价百合总皂苷的抗抑郁活性。确立了百合总皂苷的最佳提取工艺为:提取时间3h,乙醇浓度80%,固液比1∶10,提取次数为3次。在最佳提取工艺条件下,总皂苷提取率为1.24%。经过AB-8大孔树脂富集纯化总皂苷的含量达到62%以上。药理实验表明,百合总皂苷中剂量、小剂量能明显缩短小鼠悬尾的不动时间和游泳时间(P<0.05或者P<0.01),百合富集纯化的总皂苷部位具有较好的抗抑郁活性。     

Degradation of contrasting pesticides by white rot fungi and its relationship with ligninolytic potential

The capacity of nine species of white rot fungus from a variety of basidiomycete orders to degrade contrasting mono-aromatic pesticides was investigated. There was no relationship between degradation of the dye Poly R-478, a presumptive test for ligninolytic potential, and degradation of the highly available pesticides diuron, metalaxyl, atrazine or terbuthylazine in liquid culture. However, there were significant positive correlations between the rates of degradation of the different pesticides. Greatest degradation of all the pesticides was achieved by Coriolus versicolor, Hypholoma fasciculare and Stereum hirsutum. After 42 days, maximum degradation of diuron, atrazine and terbuthylazine was above 86%, but for metalaxyl less than 44%. When grown in the organic matrix of an on-farm "biobed" pesticide remediation system, relative degradation rates of the highly available pesticides by C. versicolor, H. fasciculare and S. hirsutum showed some differences to those in liquid culture. While H. fasciculare and C. versicolor were able to degrade about a third of the poorly available compound chlorpyrifos in biobed matrix after 42 days, S. hirsutum, which was the most effective degrader of the available pesticides, showed little capacity to degrade the compound.     

灵芝真菌液体发酵及其产物应用的研究进展

灵芝作为一种白腐真菌,同时也是珍稀的食药用真菌,富含多种生物活性成分。液体发酵技术生产周期短、效率高、产量大、品质稳定,是开发利用灵芝资源的重要途径。近年来,灵芝属真菌菌丝体液体发酵技术的开发与应用取得了较大进展。本文对灵芝属真菌液体发酵产物的主要活性成分及其药用效果、液体发酵工艺优化和发酵产物的应用进行综述,并对本领域的未来进行展望。