副溶血弧菌CHY5-M1M噬菌体的分离鉴定及生物学特性分析

副溶血弧菌引起的疾病给水产养殖行业带来巨大损失,而随着抗生素的禁用,人们开始探索治疗水产动物病菌的新型方法,如噬菌体治疗法。从青岛市城阳水产品批发市场采集了15份海产品养殖水及下水道污水样品,以副溶血弧菌作为宿主菌,采用点滴法分离纯化获得12株副溶血弧菌噬菌体,通过双层平板法研究副溶血弧菌噬菌体CHY5-M1M的最佳感染复数、一步生长曲线、温度和pH的稳定性以及对紫外线的敏感度等生物学特性。结果显示,CHY5-M1M噬菌体效价为8.65×10¹³ CFU·mL^-1,且在100感染复数时效价最高;一步生长曲线的潜伏期为20 min,裂解时长100 min,140 min后达到平稳期;噬菌体在温度为40 ℃时效价最高,高于60 ℃时活性开始下降;噬菌体pH适应范围为5~11;噬菌体浓度随紫外照射时间增加明显下降;噬菌体基因组共43 193 bp,包含44个基因,无毒力因子基因和抗生素耐药基因。研究结果表明,噬菌体CHY5-M1M在开发新型抗弧菌药物、预防治疗严重海水动物弧菌病等方面具有良好的应用前景,有望作为未来的抗生素替代产品。     

Male poplars have a stronger ability to balance growth and carbohydrate accumulation than do females in response to a short‐term potassium deficiency

Potassium (K) deficiency influences plant performance, such as ion uptake and carbohydrate transport. However, little is known about differences between males and females in response to K deficiency. In this study, dry matter accumulation, photosynthetic capacity, allocation patterns of K⁺, Na⁺ and carbohydrates, and ultrastructural changes in males and females of Populus cathayana exposed to K deficiency were investigated. The results indicated that males maintained a significantly higher K⁺ content and K⁺/Na⁺ ratio in leaves and stems than did females under K deficiency. Moreover, K deficiency significantly increased the sucrose content of females, whereas no significant effect on males was detected. In addition, a comparative analysis showed that males allocated more resources to roots, while females allocated more to leaves, which resulted in sexually different root/shoot (R/S) ratios. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observations showed that males suffered fewer injuries than did females. These results suggested that males have a better ability to cope with K deficiency. In addition, the combined effects of salinity and K deficiency on poplars were studied. The results indicated that salt stress aggravates the negative effects caused by K deficiency. Taken together, our study provided evidence for gender‐specific strategies in ion and carbohydrate allocation in poplars exposed to a short‐term K deficiency. In leaves and stems, the lower K⁺ accumulation inhibited sucrose translocation and resulted in a decreased R/S ratio, which may contribute to males having a stronger ability to balance growth and carbohydrate accumulation when compared with females.     

Molecular Mechanism of Nicotine Degradation by a Newly Isolated Strain,Ochrobactrum sp. Strain SJY1

A newly isolated strain, SJY1, identified as Ochrobactrum sp., utilizes nicotine as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. Strain SJY1 could efficiently degrade nicotine via a variant of the pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways (the VPP pathway), which highlights bacterial metabolic diversity in relation to nicotine degradation. A 97-kbp DNA fragment containing six nicotine degradation-related genes was obtained by gap closing from the genome sequence of strain SJY1. Three genes, designated vppB, vppD, and vppE, in the VPP pathway were cloned and heterologously expressed, and the related proteins were characterized. The vppB gene encodes a flavin-containing amine oxidase converting 6-hydroxynicotine to 6-hydroxy-N-methylmyosmine. Although VppB specifically catalyzes the dehydrogenation of 6-hydroxynicotine rather than nicotine, it shares higher amino acid sequence identity with nicotine oxidase (38%) from the pyrrolidine pathway than with its isoenzyme (6-hydroxy-l-nicotine oxidase, 24%) from the pyridine pathway. The vppD gene encodes an NADH-dependent flavin-containing monooxygenase, which catalyzes the hydroxylation of 6-hydroxy-3-succinoylpyridine to 2,5-dihydroxypyridine. VppD shows 62% amino acid sequence identity with the hydroxylase (HspB) from Pseudomonas putida strain S16, whereas the specific activity of VppD is ∼10-fold higher than that of HspB. VppE is responsible for the transformation of 2,5-dihydroxypyridine. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis suggested that the VPP pathway, which evolved independently from nicotinic acid degradation, might have a closer relationship with the pyrrolidine pathway. The proteins and functional pathway identified here provide a sound basis for future studies aimed at a better understanding of molecular principles of nicotine degradation.     

Electrical Stimulation Improves Microbial Salinity Resistance and Organofluorine Removal in Bioelectrochemical Systems

Fed batch bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) based on electrical stimulation were used to treat p-fluoronitrobenzene (p-FNB) wastewater at high salinities. At a NaCl concentration of 40 g/liter, p-FNB was removed 100% in 96 h in the BES, whereas in the biotic control (BC) (absence of current), p-FNB removal was only 10%. By increasing NaCl concentrations from 0 g/liter to 40 g/liter, defluorination efficiency decreased around 40% in the BES, and in the BC it was completely ceased. p-FNB was mineralized by 30% in the BES and hardly in the BC. Microorganisms were able to store 3.8 and 0.7 times more K⁺ and Na⁺ intracellularly in the BES than in the BC. Following the same trend, the ratio of protein to soluble polysaccharide increased from 3.1 to 7.8 as the NaCl increased from 0 to 40 g/liter. Both trends raise speculation that an electrical stimulation drives microbial preference toward K⁺ and protein accumulation to tolerate salinity. These findings are in accordance with an enrichment of halophilic organisms in the BES. Halobacterium dominated in the BES by 56.8% at a NaCl concentration of 40 g/liter, while its abundance was found as low as 17.5% in the BC. These findings propose a new method of electrical stimulation to improve microbial salinity resistance.     

Pimpinella rhomboidea var. tenuiloba is a synonym of Melanosciadium bipinnatum (Apiaceae)

Based on field investigations, as well as investigation of relevant specimens, Pimpinella rhomboidea var. tenuiloba is shown to be conspecific with Melanosciadium bipinnatum. The distribution and habitat of M. bipinnatum is redescribed and notes on the taxonomy of the species are presented.