Fabrication of Bioinspired Structured Superhydrophobic and Superoleophilic Copper Mesh for Efficient Oil-water Separation

Oily water treatment has attracted the attention of many researchers.The development of effective and cheap oil/water separation materials is urgent for treating this problem.Herein,inspired by superhydrophobic typical plant leaves such as lotus,red rose and marigold,superhydrophobic and superoleophilic copper mesh was fabricated by etching and then surface modification with 1-dodecanethiol (HS(CH2)11CH3).A rough silver layer is formed on the mesh surface after immersion.The obtained mesh surface exhibits superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity and the static water contact angle was 153° ± 3°.In addition,the as-prepared copper mesh shows self-cleaning character with water and chemical stability.The as-prepared copper foam can easily remove the organic solvents either on water or underwater.We demonstrate that by using the as-prepared mesh,oils can be absorbed and separated,and that high separation efficiencies of larger than 92％ are retained for various oils.Thus,such superhydrophobic and superoleophilic copper mesh is a very promising material for the application of oil spill cleanup and industrial oily wastewater treatment.     

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BSL16 improves phytoremediation potential of Solanum lycopersicum during copper stress

Current study aimed at exploring the diversity of bacterial endophytes with Boswellia sacra and their role in copper (Cu) stress to tomato plants. Bacterial endophytes were belonged to Bacillus, Rhizobium and Paenibacillus, which were screened against Cu (0–10?mM) stress to dwarf and normal rice seeds. Among strains, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BSL16 showed significantly higher bioremediation potential by accumulating high Cu and promoting growth of rice seeds. B. amyloliquefaciens BSL16 significantly increased growth of tomato plants during 2.5?mM Cu stress. Active colonization of BSL16 reduced the accumulation of Cu in leaf, shoot, and root, and in parallel up-regulated total protein contents in leaf and stem. Glutathione peroxidase and reduced glutathione contents were significantly higher and lipid peroxidation was lower in endophyte-treated tomato plants as compared to Cu treatment. The current results conclude that application of metal bio-accumulating bacteria can help in improving the plant growth of tomato plants during Cu stress.     

Effect of copper nanoparticles administered in ovo on the activity of proliferating cells and on the resistance of femoral bones in broiler chickens

The objective of this study was to evaluate bone resistance after in ovo administration of copper nanoparticles (NanoCu) and to determine the number of cells positive for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the femoral bones of broiler chickens (n = 12 per group). The study demonstrated that femoral bones from the NanoCu group were characterised by a higher weight and volume and by significantly greater resistance to fractures compared to the Control group. NanoCu promoted the proliferation of PCNA-positive cells in the long bones of chickens. A significantly higher number of PCNA-positive cells in the bones of birds in the NanoCu group compared with the Control group (137 and 122, respectively) indicate a stimulatory effect during embryogenesis. Considering the improvement in bone resistance to fractures and the effect of NanoCu on the number of PCNA-positive cells in femoral bones, NanoCu may be an alternative agent to minimise the ever-present problem of weak bones in broiler chickens.     

Effect of copper variation in yeast hydrolysate on C‐terminal lysine levels of a monoclonal antibody

The ability to control charge heterogeneity in monoclonal antibodies is important to demonstrate product quality comparability and consistency. This article addresses the control of C‐terminal lysine processing through copper supplementation to yeast hydrolysate powder, a raw material used in the cell culture process. Large‐scale production of a murine cell line exhibited variation in the C‐terminal lysine levels of the monoclonal antibody. Analysis of process data showed that this variation correlated well with shifts in cell lactate metabolism and pH levels of the production culture. Small‐scale studies demonstrated sensitivity of the cells to copper, where a single low dose of copper to the culture impacted cell lactate metabolism and C‐terminal lysine processing. Subsequent analytical tests indicated that the yeast hydrolysate powder, added to the basal media and nutrient feed in the process, contained varying levels of trace copper across lots. The measured copper concentrations in yeast hydrolysate lots correlated well with the variation in lactate and pH trends and C‐terminal lysine levels of the batches in manufacturing. Small‐scale studies further demonstrated that copper supplementation to yeast hydrolysate lots with low concentrations of copper can shift the metabolic performance and C‐terminal lysine levels of these cultures to match the control, high copper cultures. Hence, a strategy of monitoring, and if necessary supplementing, copper in yeast‐hydrolysate powders resulted in the ability to control and ensure product quality consistency. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:463–468, 2017     

靶向抑制铜伴侣蛋白CCS逆转卵巢癌C13*细胞的顺铂耐药性

顺铂（cisplatin）,即二胺二氯铂/diaminedichloroplatinum（DDP）,是治疗卵巢癌最有效的化疗药物;然而,耐药性是限制顺铂临床治疗效果的最重要因素。目前,卵巢癌对顺铂的耐药机制仍不十分清楚。超氧化物歧化酶1铜伴侣蛋白（copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase 1, CCS）介导Cu2+特异性传递给超氧化物歧化酶1（superoxide dismutase1, SOD1）,为维持细胞增殖和生存所必需;相反,抑制CCS可减缓肿瘤细胞增殖。本研究旨在证明,AMPK依赖的CCS表达与卵巢癌的顺铂耐药有关。实时定量PCR及免疫印迹结果显示,与顺铂敏感细胞株OV2008比较,顺铂耐药细胞株C13*中的CCS mRNA和蛋白质表达水平明显上调。shRNA靶向沉默CCS或采用抑制剂DC_AC50抑制CCS后,可明显增强顺铂对C13*细胞增殖的抑制作用,提示CCS高表达与顺铂耐药相关,而抑制CCS可逆转顺铂的耐药性。同样,免疫印迹结果证明,CCS在A549、H1944等6种不同肺癌细胞中的表达水平高低与顺铂敏感性密切相关。采用siRNA干扰CCS在A549细胞中的高表达,或在CCS低表达的H1944细胞中过表达CCS,可明显增加A549或减弱H1944细胞对顺铂的敏感性,进一步证明CCS表达与顺铂耐药性相关。此外,采用AMPK抑制剂化合物C阻断AMPKα Thr172磷酸化（激活）,即抑制AMPK信号通路,可明显抑制CCS在C13*细胞中的表达,提高其对顺铂的敏感性。以上研究结果提示,AMPK信号通路依赖的CCS表达参与肿瘤的顺铂耐药机制,而抑制CCS逆转顺铂耐药。本文的结果还提示,CCS有望成为克服顺铂耐药的潜在靶点。     

Ecological and human health risk assessment of agricultural soils based on heavy metals in mining areas of Singhbhum copper belt,India

Risk characterization of agricultural soils in the mining areas of Singhbhum copper belt was done by determining the total concentrations of metals using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and assessing the potential ecological and human health risks. The concentrations were above the average shale values for most of the metals. Principal component analysis showed anthropogenic contributions of Cu, Ni, Co, Mn, Pb, and Cr in the soils. Ecological risk assessment revealed that 50% of the soil samples were at moderate to very high ecological risk. Health risks for adults and children were calculated using hazard quotients (HQs), hazard index (HI), and Cancer risks for the oral, dermal, and inhalation pathways. The HQs for all the metals except As and Co were below 1, which suggested that non-carcinogenic risks due to metal exposure through soils were within the safe limit. However, considering all the metals and pathways, the HI for adults and children was 0.71 and 5.61, respectively, suggesting appreciable risk to local residents. The carcinogenic risks due to As and Cr in the soils were within the acceptable value of 1E–04. For both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks, oral ingestion appeared to be the primary pathway followed by dermal and inhalation pathways.     

Apyrase inhibitors enhance the ability of diverse fungicides to inhibit the growth of different plant‐pathogenic fungi

A previous study has demonstrated that the treatment of Arabidopsis plants with chemical inhibitors of apyrase enzymes increases their sensitivity to herbicides. In this study, we found that the addition of the same or related apyrase inhibitors could potentiate the ability of different fungicides to inhibit the growth of five different pathogenic fungi in plate growth assays. The growth of all five fungi was partially inhibited by three commonly used fungicides: copper octanoate, myclobutanil and propiconazole. However, when these fungicides were individually tested in combination with any one of four different apyrase inhibitors (AI.1, AI.10, AI.13 or AI.15), their potency to inhibit the growth of five fungal pathogens was increased significantly relative to their application alone. The apyrase inhibitors were most effective in potentiating the ability of copper octanoate to inhibit fungal growth, and least effective in combination with propiconazole. Among the five pathogens assayed, that most sensitive to the fungicide‐potentiating effects of the inhibitors was Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Overall, among the 60 treatment combinations tested (five pathogens, four apyrase inhibitors, three fungicides), the addition of apyrase inhibitors increased significantly the sensitivity of fungi to the fungicide treatments in 53 of the combinations. Consistent with their predicted mode of action, inhibitors AI.1, AI.10 and AI.13 each increased the level of propiconazole retained in one of the fungi, suggesting that they could partially block the ability of efflux transporters to remove propiconazole from these fungi.     

草菇基因组中11个漆酶同源基因的生物信息学分析及铜离子对其表达的影响

通过分析草菇基因组中11个漆酶同源基因所编码的蛋白的性质、转录调控元件和测定铜离子存在条件下的草菇漆酶活性及11个漆酶基因的转录水平,揭示了草菇漆酶基因的各自特性、差异以及基因功能与进化机制。分析表明,这11个漆酶同源基因编码的蛋白具有508–562aa个氨基酸,分子量和理论等电点分别为56.25–60.75kDa和4.51–6.18（未经翻译后修饰）,且都具有真菌漆酶铜离子结合区域的特征序列、4个能够结合催化底物的环形结构以及信号肽序列,都属于分泌性的胞外蛋白,但其底物结合位点数目、loop序列的一致性、跨膜区域数目和位置以及信号肽位置等存在较大差异。草菇11个漆酶起始密码子上游2 000bp的序列中含有真核生物的基本转录调控元件（TATA-box,CAAT-box及GC-box）和多个潜在的调控元件（MRE、XRE、STRE、HSE、ARE、TRE、NIT元件等）,但每个基因所含调控元件数目及种类各有不同。在液体培养条件下,铜离子能够诱导除vv-lac2、vv-lac3和vv-lac7之外的其余8个草菇漆酶基因的表达,且适宜浓度的铜离子有助于草菇漆酶活性的增加。     

铜陵市狮子山铜尾矿废弃地生态恢复过程中植被演替规律

通过对铜陵市狮子山铜尾矿废弃地植被的实地调查,探讨了该废弃地的植被状况及其植被恢复过程中的植物群落形成与演替的一般规律与特征.结果表明:目前废弃地入侵、定居植物共49种,隶属于15科38属,主要包括菊科(12种)、禾本科(11种)、豆科(8种)等.极端贫瘠和过高的重金属含量(特别是Cu、Cd,平均超出对照土样的20～30倍)是限制植物在废弃地定居的主要因素.全部植物中,一、二年生草本植物26种,多年生草本植物20种.风播种子和果实是废弃地植物繁殖体的主要来源.尾矿废弃地植物群落形成具有先锋植物的入侵、定居、群聚和竞争等过程,共形成了14种相对稳定的小群落,包括单优势种群落、次优势种群落和共优势种群落三种类型.伴随着尾矿废弃地植物群落的形成与演替,群落中物种丰富度增大,多样性指数呈增加趋势,而群落内植物种综合优势比间的差值趋于减小.