Fate of nitrogen applied as Azolla and blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria) in waterlogged rice soils—a15N tracer study

Summary ¹⁵N tracer was used to detect the extent to which nitrogen of appliedAzolla caroliniana, Anabaena variabilis andNostoc muscorum was available for assimilation by the growing rice plants in pots under 4 cm flood water for 60 days. The rate of release of nitrogen from the above biofertilizers, the amount of nitrogen remaining in the soils and the amount that was lost from the soils during this period were also examined. Previously¹⁵N-labelled biomass of Azolla, Anabaena and Nostoc to provide 40 mg N was mixed thoroughly with 0.5 kg silt loam Bangladesh soil (Sonatola series) in each of three pots used for a single treatment. Each pot received four 16 days old IR8 rice seedlings. A parallet set of experiments was conducted without rice plants.It was found that nitrogen uptake in the rice plants was increased by 91, 176 and 215% on using Azolla, Anabaena and Nostoc which resulted in increased total dry matter yields (shoot plus root) of 74, 105 and 125%, respectively. Of the total¹⁵N applied at the start, 26, 49 and 53% was released from Azolla, Anabaena and Nostoc; about 7, 14 and 13% was lost by denitrification and 74, 51 and 47% remained in the soils as the undecomposed part of the biofertilizers, respeciively, after 60 days. Of 15.76, 22.72 and 25.92 mg N assimilated by the rice plants, 48, 61 and 62% was supplied by Azolla, Anabaena and Nostoc, respectively. The rest was obtained from the soil used.In the absence of the rice plants 30, 43 and 45% of applied¹⁵N of Azolla, Anabaena and Nostoc was released, respectively, in 60 days of which 93–96% was lost as N₂ through denitrification.     

NaCl induced metabolic changes in the diazotrophic cyanobacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anabaena cylindrica</Emphasis>

NaCl induced changes in fatty acid composition and nitrogenase, glutamine synthetase (GS) and nitrate reductase (NR) activities have been studied in a diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica. GC-MS analysis revealed that the cellular fatty acid composition of NaCl untreated cells of A. cylindrica contained saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in high (85.15%) and low (13.17%) proportions, respectively. In contrast, NaCl adapted cells of A. cylindrica had reduced and increased levels of saturated (45.2%) and unsaturated (40%) fatty acids, respectively. It had a higher overall level of fatty acid unsaturation under NaCl stress mainly due to increase in C12:4, C10:1, C16:1 and C18:2 constituents. The activities of nitrogenase, GS and NR were reduced significantly in NaCl adapted cells as compared to its NaCl untreated counterparts.     

Biosorption of Cu(II) ions from synthetic and actual wastewater using three algal species

The use of three freshwater microalgal cultures—Chlorella sorokiniana, Anabaena laxa, and Hapalosiphon welwitschii—for sorption of copper(II) from synthetic Cu(II) solutions and Marinduque, Philippines, wastewater was studied. The optimum amount of biomass for the three species was 0.025 g dry weight. The optimum contact time for both C. sorokiniana and A. laxa was 1 h, whereas that of H. welwitschii was 30 min. All three species exhibited maximum Cu(II) sorption at pH 4.0–6.0. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm was the best fit model for the three species. The three cultures were found to be effective biosorbents when used in synthetic wastewaters of low concentration (10–30 ppm). Maximum Cu(II) reductions obtained were 88.2, 88.6, and 91.7% for the C. sorokiniana, A. laxa, and H. welwitschii cultures, respectively. C. sorokiniana, A. laxa, and H. welwitschii removed 5.70, 11.16, and 7.15% of Cu(II), respectively, when applied to wastewater taken from Consolidated Mines Inc. (CMI) containing around 150 ppm Cu(II). C. sorokiniana and A. laxa, in combination, exhibited 14.05% Cu(II) removal from CMI wastewater. Desorption with 0.11 M HCl effected 73.20, 64.54, and 70.85% removal of Cu(II) from the surfaces of C. sorokiniana, A. laxa, and H. welwitschii, respectively. SEM-EDS spectra of the three species confirmed the presence of Cu(II) on their surfaces. Presented at the 6th Meeting of the Asia Pacific Society of Applied Phycology, Manila, Philippines.     

UV-C光催化纳米TiO2对蓝藻生长影响的研究

研究了UV-C光催化纳米TiO2对蓝藻生长的影响。从生理上分析了UV-C光催化纳米TiO2具有促进蓝藻中鱼腥藻7120体内活泼态氧化物O2,.OH和H2O2的产生,抑制藻体中过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)和超氧歧化酶(SOD)在内的抗氧化酶活性,降低可溶性蛋白(Soluble Pr)、藻蓝蛋白(C-PC)、叶绿素a(C-Chl a)和类胡萝卜素(C-Carotenoids)含量,最终表现为藻细胞生长代谢中光合速率和呼吸速率迅速降低,细胞增殖中遗传物质核酸含量下降,并出现几乎达到100%的细胞致死率;同时,通过显微镜观察发现,受试蓝藻细胞形态结构发生了明显变化。可以看出,UV-C光催化纳米TiO2能够有效抑制蓝藻生长。     

外源Ca2+对模拟微重力环境中鱼腥藻细胞质膜透性和光合特性的影响

以鱼腥藻为材料,研究了外源Ca^2 对模拟微重力环境中微藻细胞膜透性的影响。实验结果表明：提高培养基中的Ca^2 浓度可减轻由模拟微重力造成的膜透性增大,有助于稳定细胞膜结构和功能。同时,外源Ca^2 降低了藻细胞光系统Ⅱ（PSⅡ）的光化学效率（以荧光参数Fv/Fm 表示）下降的由度,表明外源Ca^2 对模拟微生重力环境下鱼腥藻细胞光合作用的损伤,有良好的防护效应。     

Critical flow velocities for the growth and dominance of Anabaena circinalis in some turbid freshwater rivers

SUMMARY 1. From measurements at several weir pool sites along the turbid and freshwater Barwon‐Darling River, Australia, the development of persistent stratification (for periods of >5 days) was related to river discharge. For the sites examined, the required discharge to allow the development of persistent stratification was between 100 and 450 ML day^?1 during the hotter months. High discharge during the hotter months did not allow the formation of persistent stratification, although diel stratification did occur. Low discharge through the cooler months resulted in diel stratification, although persistent stratification lasting for a few days could occur at times. 2. The growth and dominance of Anabaena circinalis at these sites was closely related to the establishment and maintenance of persistent and strong thermal stratification. Growth only occurred during extended periods (>5 days) of persistent stratification. These conditions not only restrict the displacement of A. circinalis downstream, they also allowed the alga to accumulate in surface waters. 3. The discharge levels required to suppress the formation of persistent stratification at the study sites were variable because of large differences in channel cross‐sectional area. To compensate for this variation, the discharges were converted to flow velocities. A critical velocity of 0.05 ms^?1 was sufficient for the suppression of persistent thermal stratification and concurrent A. circinalis growth for all sites. The turbulent velocity (u*) under weak wind mixing at the study locations varied between 2.66 × 10^?3 and 2.91 × 10^?3 ms^?1 at the critical flow velocities. These values may have potential to be applied to other rivers in similar climatic zones to suppress nuisance cyanobacterial growth.     

人表皮生长因子（hEGF）基因在蓝藻中的表达

人表皮生长因子（hEGF)是由53个氨基酸组成的蛋白,在临床上内服与外敷可促进内外表皮细胞的生长。将人工合成的hEGF基因连接到质粒pRL-489上,位于启动子psb下游。验证连接成功后,用三亲接合转移方法将载体pRL-hEGF导入聚球藻Synechococcus sp.PCC7002和鱼腥藻Anabeana sp.PCC7120。由于pRL-hEGF没有能在单细胞蓝藻中自主复制的复制子,通过筛选,hEGF在聚球藻7002中是整合到蓝藻染色体上进行表达的。用PCR扩增的方法在两种转基因藻中均检测到hEGF基因的存在。放射免疫分析证明,hEGF基因在两种转基因藻中均得到了表达。而且,在聚球藻7002中是采用分泌形式将表达产物分泌到培养液中。     

Crystal structure of Alr1298, a pentapeptide repeat protein from the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7120, determined at 2.1 Å resolution

Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 are filamentous cyanobacteria capable of both oxygenic photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation, with the latter taking place in specialized cells known as heterocysts that terminally differentiate from vegetative cells under conditions of nitrogen starvation. Cyanobacteria have existed on earth for more than 2 billion years and are thought to be responsible for oxygenation of the earth's atmosphere. Filamentous cyanobacteria such as Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 may also represent the oldest multicellular organisms on earth that undergo cell differentiation. Pentapeptide repeat proteins (PRPs), which occur most abundantly in cyanobacteria, adopt a right-handed quadrilateral β-helical structure, also referred to as a repeat five residue (Rfr) fold, with four-consecutive pentapeptide repeats constituting a single coil in the β-helical structure. PRPs are predicted to exist in all compartments within cyanobacteria including the thylakoid and cell-wall membranes as well as the cytoplasm and thylakoid periplasmic space. Despite their intriguing structure and importance to understanding ancient cyanobacteria, the biochemical function of PRPs in cyanobacteria remains largely unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of Alr1298, a PRP from Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 predicted to reside in the cytoplasm. The structure displays the typical right-handed quadrilateral β-helical structure and includes a four-α-helix cluster capping the N-terminus and a single α-helix capping the C-terminus. A gene cluster analysis indicated that Alr1298 may belong to an operon linked to cell proliferation and/or thylakoid biogenesis. Elevated alr1298 gene expression following nitrogen starvation indicates that Alr1298 may play a role in response to nitrogen starvation and/or heterocyst differentiation.