Microbial combinatorics: a simplified approach for isolating insecticidal bacteria

Bacteria can control pest insects that damage food crops, vector diseases and defoliate trees. Conventionally, isolation of these bacteria has been from soil and sporadically from dead insects. A simplified approach for isolating insecticidal bacteria from soil using the target insect as the selective agent was employed in this study. Instead of isolating single strains of bacteria from soil and testing each individual strain for insect toxicity, mixtures of bacteria present in each soil sample were tested together directly for toxicity using Manduca sexta (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) as a model insect. Thirty-five soil suspensions or bacterial suspensions of the 40 suspensions tested killed at least one M. sexta larva. All but one bacterial culture isolated from dead larvae and retested for toxicity, killed at least one M. sexta larva. Nineteen bacterial strains isolated from larvae killed in the first test, were identical to the bacteria fed to the retested larvae. Of the 19 strains isolated, 14 were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as belonging to the Bacillus cereus group including three strains that formed crystals that were identified as B. thuringiensis. Of the three other spore-forming strains, two were identified as psychrotrophic B. weihenstephanensis and the third as Lysinibacillus fusiformis. Two others were identified as Enterococcus faecalis. This approach, microbial combinatorics, reduces the number of insects necessary for toxicity screening and associated time and resources compared to conventional methods that first isolate bacteria and then individually test for toxicity as well as a means of discovery of new pathogens using the insect as the selective agent.     

Phylogenetic relationships within the genus Sargassum (Fucales, Phaeophyceae), inferred from ITS-2 nrDNA, with an emphasis on the taxonomic subdivision of the genus

Sequences from the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer‐2 (ITS‐2) were compared among species of Sargassaceae including the genera Sargassum and Hizikia. Species of different subgenera and sections of Sargassum were used to assess the taxonomic relationships within the genus, especially the subdivisions of the subgenus Bactrophycus. Sequences were aligned in accordance with their common secondary structure. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using neighbor‐joining, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods with three species of Turbinaria as outgroups. The resulting phylogenetic trees showed that the genus Sargassum is divided into three clades corresponding to the subgenera Phyllotrichia, Sargassum and Bactrophycus. This last subgenus is further divided into four distinct groups: a Spongocarpus clade, a Teretia clade, a Hizikia clade, and a Halochloa/ Repentia clade. The position of the section Phyllo‐cystae, excluded from the subgenus Bactrophycus and included within the subgenus Sargassum is once again confirmed by the present study. Current results strongly support the assignation of Hizikia fusiformis to the genus Sargassum. Based on morphological differences and a distinct position in the molecular trees, Hizikia should be recognized as a section in the subgenus Bactrophycus so that Hizikia (Okamura) Yoshida, stat. nov. is proposed. A remarkably low divergence of ITS‐2 sequences was observed for the species in the sections Repentia and Halochloa, suggesting very recent radiation of these species. The subgenus Sargassum is divided into three clades corresponding to the three known sections: Acanthocarpicae, Malacocarpicae and Zygocarpicae, previously recognized by the morphology of receptacles. The position of Sargassum duplicatum, S. carpophyllum, S.yendoi, S. piluliferum and S. patens within the subgenus Sargassum is discussed.     

Iodine binding and peroxidase activity in the endostyle of Salpa fusiformis,Thalia democratica,Dolioletta gegenbauri and Doliolum nationalis (Tunicata,Thaliacea)

Summary The protothyroid region in the endostyles of four species of tunicates was examined by means of autoradiography and cytochemistry, at both the light and electronmicroscopic levels. To reveal the primary binding site for iodine, autoradiography was carried out on endostylar tissue from animals that had been incubated with high activity ¹²⁵I^- over a short period of time. The specific iodine binding enzyme, a peroxidase, was traced by its reaction with DAB. In accordance with previous findings, the iodinebinding cells proved to be the same as those containing the peroxidase. There were also strong indications of a secondary uptake of iodinated compounds and subsequent release into the body fluid. Together with the ultrastructural features, the data provided strong evidence indicating that these cells constitute a protothyroid region, which partly functions as an endocrine organ, possibly homologous with the vertebrate thyroid gland. Since the number of zones varied between the species, the numeration of the protothyroid region also varied. However, in all the examined endostyles, the protothyroid region was seen to be situated dorsolaterally to the glandular regions of the endostyle concerned with food capture.     

Hironoia fusiformis gen. et sp. nov.; a cornalean fruit from the Kamikitaba locality (Upper Cretaceous,Lower Coniacian) in northeastern Japan

The application of sieving techniques to bulk samples from the Ashizawa Formation, Futaba Group (Lower Coniacian) of northeastern Honshu, Japan, has yielded well-preserved mesofossil assemblages comparable with those recently described from eastern North America, Europe, and central Asia. Among the most abundant and distinctive components of these assemblages are fusiform fruits that are assigned here to a new genus and species, Hironoia fusiformis gen. et sp. nov. The fruits developed from an epigynous ovary with three to four locules. Each locule bears one seed and has a distinctive dorsal germination valve. These features of the fruit, along with the adnate calyx, indicate an affinity to extant Cornales and specifically the Cornaceae sensu lato. The recognition of an unequivocal cornalean fruit in the Early Coniacian–Early Santonian of Japan provides the earliest record of this group in the fossil record. It also establishes a minimum age for the early divergence of the asterid clade, a major group of living angiosperms comprising more than a third of all species of extant flowering plants. Electronic Publication     

Regulation of gamete release in the economic brown seaweed <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hizikia fusiforme</Emphasis> (Phaeophyta)

Gamete release is an essential event in artificial seeding of the economic brown seaweed, Hizikia fusiforme. Mass egg release occurred in the dark, with few eggs being discharged in the light. Release of eggs was elicited with eight practical salinity units (one PSU ≡ 1 g sea salts l⁻¹) and was inhibited by salinity levels >32 PSU. Egg release was optimal at 23 °C, and was decreased by 72% in agitated seawater compared to unstirred seawater. Inhibitors of photosynthesis and ions channels suppressed egg release, indicating that this process was physiologically associated with photosynthetic activity and ion transport.     

干出和沉水不同条件下羊栖菜光合作用碳源获得机制比较(英文)

经济海洋褐藻羊栖菜(Hizikia fusiforme(Harv.)Okamura)低潮时常常周期性地暴露于空气中。为了认识这种海藻在潮汐循环背景下的光合特征,对其在高潮沉水和低潮干出不同条件下的光合作用碳素获得机制进行了比较。沉水时,羊栖菜主要利用海水中HCO_3~-作为外源无机碳源驱动光合作用;而在干出条件下,其光合作用的主要碳源为空气中的CO_2。在这两种不同环境条件下,光合作用与pH值的关系不同:沉水状态时,羊栖菜在高pH值(10.0)下光合活性很弱;而在干出条件下,羊栖菜在高pH值时仍有较高的光合活性。然而,光合作用无论是在沉水还是在干出条件下,对外源碳源的获得都表现出对胞外碳酸酐酶(CA)强烈的依赖性,并且其光合速率都受周围环境中无机碳源水平的限制。此外,在沉水和干出两种环境条件下,羊栖菜光合作用都表现出对氧气的敏感性。这表明,在羊栖菜中,依赖胞外CA的碳源获得机制不能使细胞内CO_2浓度提高到阻碍其光呼吸的程度。增加空气中或海水中无机碳的浓度,能促进羊栖菜的光合作用,进而增加这种海藻的水产养殖产量。     

大气CO2升高和紫外辐射相互作用对羊栖菜生理特性的影响

为了研究经济海藻羊栖菜对大气CO2浓度增加与紫外辐射(UVR)相互作用的响应,设置两个CO2浓度(380μL/L和800μL/L)以及两种辐射处理,即PAR处理(滤除UV-A、UV-B,藻体仅接受可见光,400—700nm)和PAB处理(全波长辐射280—700nm)培养海藻,探讨了羊栖菜生长、光合作用、呼吸作用、光合色素含量、可溶性糖和蛋白以及硝酸还原酶活性的变化情况。结果表明高浓度CO2显著提高羊栖菜藻体的相对生长速率,并且紫外辐射的负面效应在高CO2处理下表现不显著。高CO2降低了藻体的光合作用速率,而UVR的负面效应和生长体现为一致性,但是羊栖菜的呼吸作用没有受到环境变化的明显影响。羊栖菜的光合色素叶绿素a和类胡萝卜素在高浓度CO2处理下明显降低,而UVR没有明显影响。环境因子对羊栖菜的可溶性糖没有影响,但是在高CO2和全波长辐射处理下,藻体可溶性蛋白的含量显著增加。同时高CO2明显提高了硝酸还原酶的活性,并且仅在高浓度CO2处理下藻体中UVR对其活性有抑制作用。CO2和UVR对羊栖菜的大多数生理特性存在明显的交互作用,在未来CO2浓度进一步增加的情况下,UVR的负面效应将会得到一定程度的缓解,这样有利于羊栖菜在养殖海区获得更高的产量。     

羊栖菜褐藻糖胶部分酸水解产物中寡糖的结构分析

研究了羊栖菜褐藻糖胶DSF32部分酸水解小分子产物中寡糖的结构。DSF32经0.5 mol/L三氟乙酸(TFA)部分酸水解,水解液用截留分子量为3500 Da的透析袋进行透析,然后用D201柱将透过液分为中性糖部分(05N)和酸性糖部分(05A)。采用液质联用和甲基化分析研究了它们的结构,结果表明,05A可能存在以下寡糖:→4)G lcA(1→2)Hex(1→,→2)Hex(1→4)G lcA(1→2)Hex(1→,→4)G lcA(1→2)Hex(1→3)Fuc(1→。05N的一个组分05N-3的非还原末端是Hex(1→,还原末端是2→)Hex,寡糖中间的糖苷键类型主要是1,6,另外还有少量的1,4和1,2,6连接方式。     

转化异丁香酚生成香草醛纺锤芽孢杆菌的筛选

以底物异丁香酚为唯一碳源从七壤中筛选获得了一株能高效转化异丁香酚生成香草醛的芽孢杆菌。根据生理生化特性及16SrRNA序列分析鉴定其属于纺锤芽孢杆菌（Bacillus fusiformis）,初步试验表明该菌能转化2％异丁香酚生成4．20g/L香草醚。     

东海原甲藻对羊栖菜合子生长及光合活性的化感作用研究

为评估东海原甲藻(Prorocentrum donghaiense)赤潮发生对羊栖菜(Sargassum fusiformis)幼苗产量的影响并探讨其化感机理,在实验室条件下分别利用浓度为1.00×10⁵cells/mL东海原甲藻活细胞悬浮液(LC)、细胞破碎液(RC)和无细胞滤液(FC)培养羊栖菜合子,并对其生长发育及光合活性进行测定。结果显示,LC、RC和FC均会抑制羊栖菜合子的生长、叶绿素a合成和光合活性,其中FC及LC对合子的抑制程度相似且均大于RC。JIP-test分析表明,FC及LC对合子的最大量子产率(φP_o)、性能指数(PI)及PSⅡ反应中心密度(RCs/ABS)的抑制作用显著大于RC。表明东海原甲藻主要通过向细胞外释放化感物质产生抑制作用,这些化感物质抑制了羊栖菜合子PSⅡ的电子传递,使PSⅡ部分光化学反应中心(RCs)失活,进而使大量激发能转化为热能被耗散掉。而RC中可能含有某些能够刺激羊栖菜合子生长的物质,从而在一定程度上抵消了化感物质的抑制作用。结果表明东海原甲藻对羊栖菜合子的抑制作用主要是由化感物质引起的,东海原甲藻赤潮可以抑制羊栖菜合子的发育和光合活性,减少羊栖菜种苗产量,并最终阻碍了羊栖菜产业的发展。