Artificial cultivation of true morels: current state,issues and perspectives

Morels (Morchella, Ascomycota), which are some of the most highly prized edible and medicinal mushrooms, are of great economic and scientific value. Morel cultivation has been a research focus worldwide for more than 100 years, and the outdoor cultivation of morels has succeeded and expanded to a large scale in China in recent years. In this study, we review the progress in recent research regarding the life cycle and reproductive systems in the genus Morchella and the current state of outdoor cultivation. Sclerotia formation and conidia production are two important phases during the life cycle. The morel species cultivated commercially in America is M. rufobrunnea based on molecular phylogenetic analysis. The species currently cultivated in China are black morels, including M. importuna, M. sextalata and M. eximia. The field cultivation of morels expanded in the majority of the provinces in China with a yield of fresh morels of 0–7620?kg per ha. The key techniques include spawn production, land preparation and spawning, the addition of exogenous nutrition, fruiting management and harvesting. The application of exogenous nutrition is the most important breakthrough in the field of morel cultivation, but the mechanism remains unclear. It was estimated that the total amount of field cultivated fresh morels was ～500 t in 2015–2016. We also discuss the potential issues remaining in the current literature and suggest directions for future studies.     

Localization by immunofluorescence of a gastrin-like substance in the brain of the rainbow trout,Salmo gairdneri

Summary With the aid of an indirect immunofluorescence technique neurones containing a gastrin-like substance were identified in the brain of Salmo gairdneri. The perikarya of these neurones appear to be located along the periventricular part of the nucleus lateralis tuberis between the hypophysial stalk and the most rostral tip of the saccus vasculosus. The fibres of these perikarya run rostrally toward the hypophysis, where they can be followed in the protrusions of the neurohypophysis into the proximal pars distalis. Here the bundle of immunoreactive fibres divides into numerous smaller bundles and into single fibres. Immunohistochemical specificity tests have shown this immunoreactive substance to belong to the gastrin group, sharing an antigenic determinant with cholecystokinin (CCK) and pentagastrin (common aminoacid sequence Trp-Met-Asp-Phe). A possible function of these gastrin (or CCK)-containing neurones in the rainbow trout is discussed.     

Isolation and characterization of substance P, substance P 5-11, and substance K from two metastatic ileal carcinoids

Using an antiserum directed at the COOH-terminus of tachykinins, we have examined postmortem tissue from two cases of metastatic ileal carcinoid for the presence of tachykinin-like immunoreactivity. The vast majority of the immunoreactive tachykinin-like material eluted from a Sephadex G-50 column as two peaks at positions corresponding to molecular weights of 1300 and 850. The 1300 dalton peak was resolved by reverse-phase-HPLC into two components which by Edman sequencing, amino acid analysis, and fast atom bombardment (FAB)-mass spectrometry criteria, were identified as substance P and substance K. The 850 dalton peak was also resolved on RP-HPLC into two peaks which were resistant to Edman degradation but from amino acid analysis and FAB-mass spectrometry criteria were identified as pyro-Glu-substance P 5-11 and oxidized pyro-Glu-substance P 5-11. In control experiments substance P 5-11 was converted to pyro-Glu-substance P 5-11 during the extraction procedure. Both tumors also contained a minor immunoreactive peak which eluted from a Sephadex G-50 sizing column at a position corresponding to a molecular weight of 4000 which probably represents neuropeptide K. These results suggest that beta-preprotachykinin is preferentially expressed in carcinoid tumors and that substance K may also play a role in the carcinoid syndrome.     

Characteristics of Wine Produced by Mushroom Fermentation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main microorganism used in wine brewing, because this microbe has potent ability to produce alcohol dehydrogenase. We have recently discovered that some genera of mushroom produced alcohol dehydrogenase, and made wine by using a mushroom in place of S. cerevisiae. The highest alcohol concentration in this wine was achieved with Pleurotus ostreatus (2.6 M, 12.2%). In the case of Agaricus blazei, the same alcohol concentration (1.7 M, 8%) was produced under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This wine produced by A. blazei contained about 0.68% β-D-glucan, which is known to have a preventive effects against cancer. The wine made by using Flammulina velutipes showed thrombosis-preventing activity, giving a prolonged thrombin clotting time 2.2-fold that of the control. Thus, the wine made by using mushroom seems to be a functional food which can be expected to have preventive effects against cancer and thrombosis     

Brown drug substance color investigation in cell culture manufacturing using chemically defined media: A case study

Drug substance (DS) color is an important quality attribute for release, stability and comparability studies of biologics. With the increase of DS concentrations and biologics pipelines made in chemically defined media, atypical DS color other than colorless or pale yellow has been recently reported in the biopharmaceutical industry. We recently observed a brown DS color in manufacturing. Although analytical characterization data indicated that the brown color DS had no major quality issue, it is necessary to find the root cause and reduce DS color to ease placebo design for clinical use. It was demonstrated that the brown color was caused by the chemically defined basal medium containing high levels of iron and vitamin B12 (VB12) regardless of cell lines. Iron caused tryptophan oxidation in the protein to form N-formylkynurenine and kynurenine products, which likely contributed to a yellow DS color. A pink DS color was caused by the residual VB12 bound to DS. The brown color was the result of the combinatory effect of yellow and pink colors. Finally a modified basal medium was developed to produce a pale yellow DS in manufacturing.     

Osteoclast-Forming Suppressive Compounds from Makomotake,Zizania latifolia Infected with Ustilago esculenta

A novel compound (1) and a known one (2) were isolated from Makomotake, Zizania latifolia infected with Ustilago esculenta, as osteoclast-forming suppressive substances.     

Screening the Main Factors Affecting Extraction of the Antimicrobial Substance from Bacillus sp. fmbJ using the Plackett–Burman Method

Summary The Plackett–Burman screening method was utilized as a tool to evaluate the importance of the selected six factors, including methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, pH and time, which are relevant to the extraction of the antimicrobial substance produced by Bacillus sp. fmbJ. The main factors that affected the extraction of the antimicrobial substance were determined as methanol (P < 0.0001), ethanol (P < 0.0001), pH (P = 0.0032), and time (P < 0.0001) by using the JMP software. Within the test ranges, methanol, ethanol, and time showed a significant positive relativity to the total extracted amounts respectively; while pH had a significant negative effect. The maximum prediction profile indicated that the total extracted amounts for the antimicrobial substance would reach 50.21 mg/100 ml with 99.64% probability.     

NaCl胁迫及Ca2+和GA3对南瓜属3种蔬菜种子发芽的影响

研究了NaCl胁迫对南瓜(Cucurbita moschata Duch.)、笋瓜(C. maxima Duch.)和西葫芦(C.pepo L.)种子萌发的影响及不同浓度外源Ca2+和GA3对NaCl胁迫下南瓜种子发芽的效应.结果表明,用30 mmol·L-1NaCl处理,南瓜种子的发芽率高于对照(蒸馏水),而用100和170 mmol·L-1NaCl处理,西葫芦和笋瓜种子的发芽率下降率为负值,表明较低浓度NaCl胁迫可一定程度提高西葫芦、笋瓜和南瓜种子的发芽率;高浓度NaCl胁迫对种子发芽有明显的抑制作用.种子萌发期耐盐能力从大至小依次为西葫芦、南瓜、笋瓜.在170 mmol·L-1NaCl胁迫下,施加5～30 mmol·L-1外源Ca2+或浸种处理,对南瓜种子发芽有促进作用,但高浓度外源Ca2+(≥50 mmol·L-1CaCl2)则具有抑制作用.在170 mmol·L-1NaCl胁迫下,用不同浓度GA3浸种处理,对南瓜种子发芽有抑制作用.     

植物激素对砀山酥梨脱病毒苗增殖生长的影响

砀山酥梨脱病毒苗培养基中添加外源激素能通过调节内源激素的含量,从而控制脱病毒苗的增殖和生长。苄基腺嘌呤(benzyladen ine,BA)处理可提高脱病毒苗内源玉米素核苷(zeatin riboside,ZR)含量,而脱病毒苗的有效增殖芽数与IAA/ZR比值呈显著负相关;1萘-乙酸(1-naphthalene acetic ac id,NAA)处理可显著提高内源吲哚乙酸(indole acetic ac id,IAA)含量,较高的内源IAA含量有利于芽梢的生长;继代组培苗体内含有一定量的内源赤霉素(G iberllic Ac id,GA1 3),适量的外源GA3处理,可提高内源GA1 3含量而显著降低脱落酸(absc isic ac id,ABA)含量,促进芽梢的伸长和叶面积的扩大。