Xylose anaerobic conversion by open-mixed cultures

Xylose is, after glucose, the dominant sugar in agricultural wastes. In anaerobic environments, carbohydrates are converted into volatile fatty acids and alcohols. These can be used as building blocks in biotechnological or chemical processes, e.g., to produce bioplastics. In this study, xylose fermentation by mixed microbial cultures was investigated and compared with glucose under the same conditions. The product spectrum obtained with both substrates was comparable. It was observed that, in the case of xylose, a higher fraction of the carbon was converted into catabolic products (butyrate, acetate, and ethanol) and the biomass yield was approximately 20% lower than on glucose, 0.16 versus 0.21 Cmol X/Cmol S. This lower yield is likely related to the need of an extra ATP during xylose uptake. When submitted to a pulse of glucose, the population cultivated on xylose could instantaneously convert the glucose. No substrate preference was observed when glucose and xylose were fed simultaneously to the continuously operated bioreactor.     

Heterogeneous diffusion in aerobic granular sludge

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology allows simultaneous nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon removal in compact wastewater treatment processes. To operate, design, and model AGS reactors, it is essential to properly understand the diffusive transport within the granules. In this study, diffusive mass transfer within full-scale and lab-scale AGS was characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. Self-diffusion coefficients of water inside the granules were determined with pulsed-field gradient NMR, while the granule structure was visualized with NMR imaging. A reaction-diffusion granule-scale model was set up to evaluate the impact of heterogeneous diffusion on granule performance. The self-diffusion coefficient of water in AGS was ∼70% of the self-diffusion coefficient of free water. There was no significant difference between self-diffusion in AGS from full-scale treatment plants and from lab-scale reactors. The results of the model showed that diffusional heterogeneity did not lead to a major change of flux into the granule (<1%). This study shows that differences between granular sludges and heterogeneity within granules have little impact on the kinetic properties of AGS. Thus, a relatively simple approach is sufficient to describe mass transport by diffusion into the granules.     

Engagement of SIRPα Inhibits Growth and Induces Programmed Cell Death in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

Background

Recent studies show the importance of interactions between CD47 expressed on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and the inhibitory immunoreceptor, signal regulatory protein-alpha (SIRPα) on macrophages. Although AML cells express SIRPα, its function has not been investigated in these cells. In this study we aimed to determine the role of the SIRPα in acute myeloid leukemia.

Design and Methods

We analyzed the expression of SIRPα, both on mRNA and protein level in AML patients and we further investigated whether the expression of SIRPα on two low SIRPα expressing AML cell lines could be upregulated upon differentiation of the cells. We determined the effect of chimeric SIRPα expression on tumor cell growth and programmed cell death by its triggering with an agonistic antibody in these cells. Moreover, we examined the efficacy of agonistic antibody in combination with established antileukemic drugs.

Results

By microarray analysis of an extensive cohort of primary AML samples, we demonstrated that SIRPα is differentially expressed in AML subgroups and its expression level is dependent on differentiation stage, with high levels in FAB M4/M5 AML and low levels in FAB M0–M3. Interestingly, AML patients with high SIRPα expression had a poor prognosis. Our results also showed that SIRPα is upregulated upon differentiation of NB4 and Kasumi cells. In addition, triggering of SIRPα with an agonistic antibody in the cells stably expressing chimeric SIRPα, led to inhibition of growth and induction of programmed cell death. Finally, the SIRPα-derived signaling synergized with the activity of established antileukemic drugs.

Conclusions

Our data indicate that triggering of SIRPα has antileukemic effect and may function as a potential therapeutic target in AML.     

A modified metabolic model for mixed culture fermentation with energy conserving electron bifurcation reaction and metabolite transport energy

A modified metabolic model for mixed culture fermentation (MCF) is proposed with the consideration of an energy conserving electron bifurcation reaction and the transport energy of metabolites. The production of H₂ related to NADH/NAD⁺ and Fdred/Fdox is proposed to be divided in three processes in view of energy conserving electron bifurcation reaction. This assumption could fine‐tune the intracellular redox balance and regulate the distribution of metabolites. With respect to metabolite transport energy, the proton motive force is considered to be constant, while the transport rate coefficient is proposed to be proportional to the octanol–water partition coefficient. The modeling results for a glucose fermentation in a continuous stirred tank reactor show that the metabolite distribution is consistent with the literature: (1) acetate, butyrate, and ethanol are main products at acidic pH, while the production shifts to acetate and propionate at neutral and alkali pH; (2) the main products acetate, ethanol, and butyrate shift to ethanol at higher glucose concentration; (3) the changes for acetate and butyrate are following an increasing hydrogen partial pressure. The findings demonstrate that our modified model is more realistic than previous proposed model concepts. It also indicates that inclusion of an energy conserving electron bifurcation reaction and metabolite transport energy for MCF is sound in the viewpoint of biochemistry and physiology. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 1884–1894. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Improved nitrogen removal by application of new nitrogen-cycle bacteria

In order to meet increasingly stringentEuropean discharge standards, new applicationsand control strategies for the sustainableremoval of ammonia from wastewater have to beimplemented. In this paper we discuss anitrogen removal system based on the processesof partial nitrification and anoxic ammoniaoxidation (anammox). The anammox process offersgreat opportunities to remove ammonia in fullyautotrophic systems with biomass retention. Noorganic carbon is needed in such nitrogenremoval system, since ammonia is used aselectron donor for nitrite reduction. Thenitrite can be produced from ammonia inoxygen-limited biofilm systems or in continuousprocesses without biomass retention. Forsuccessful implementation of the combinedprocesses, accurate biosensors for measuringammonia and nitrite concentrations, insight inthe complex microbial communities involved, andnew control strategies have to be developed andevaluated.     

Temperature effect on acetate and propionate consumption by sulfate-reducing bacteria in saline wastewater

Seawater toilet flushing, seawater intrusion in the sewerage, and discharge of sulfate-rich industrial effluents elevates sulfate content in wastewater. The application of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in wastewater treatment is very beneficial; as for example, it improves the pathogen removal and reduces the volume of waste sludge, energy requirement and costs. This paper evaluates the potential to apply biological sulfate reduction using acetate and propionate to saline sewage treatment in moderate climates. Long-term biological sulfate reduction experiments at 10 and 20 °C were conducted in a sequencing batch reactor with synthetic saline domestic wastewater. Subsequently, acetate and propionate (soluble organic carbon) conversion rate were determined in both reactors, in the presence of either or both fatty acids. Both acetate and propionate consumption rates by SRB were 1.9 times lower at 10 °C than at 20 °C. At 10 °C, propionate was incompletely oxidized to acetate. At 10 °C, complete removal of soluble organic carbon requires a significantly increased hydraulic retention time as compared to 20 °C. The results of the study showed that biological sulfate reduction can be a feasible and promising process for saline wastewater treatment in moderate climate.     

Impact of salinity on the anaerobic metabolism of phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAO)

The use of saline water as secondary quality water in urban environments for sanitation is a promising alternative towards mitigating fresh water scarcity. However, this alternative will increase the salinity in the wastewater generated that may affect the biological wastewater treatment processes, such as biological phosphorus removal. In addition to the production of saline wastewater by the direct use of saline water in urban environments, saline wastewater is also generated by some industries. Intrusion of saline water into the sewers is another source of salinity entering the wastewater treatment plant. In this study, the short-term effects of salinity on the anaerobic metabolism of phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAO) were investigated to assess the impact of salinity on enhanced biological phosphorus removal. Hereto, PAO and GAO cultures enriched at a relatively low salinity level (0.02 % W/V) were exposed to salinity concentrations of up to 6 % (as NaCl) in anaerobic batch tests. It was demonstrated that both PAO and GAO are affected by higher salinity levels, with PAO being the more sensitive organisms to the increasing salinity. The maximum acetate uptake rate of PAO decreased by 71 % when the salinity increased from 0 to 1 %, while that of GAO decreased by 41 % for the same salinity increase. Regarding the stoichiometry of PAO, a decrease in the P-release/HAc uptake ratio accompanied with an increase in the glycogen consumption/HAc uptake ratio was observed for PAO when the salinity increased from 0 to 2 % salinity, indicating a metabolic shift from a poly-P-dependent to a glycogen-dependent metabolism. The anaerobic maintenance requirements of PAO and GAO increased as the salinity concentrations risen up to 4 % salinity.