Intensification of Microbial Degradation of Crude Oil and Oil Products in the Presence of Perfluorodecalin

The possibility of using perfluorinated organic compounds for growing microorganisms and degrading xenobiotics has been demonstrated for the first time with perfluorodecalin (PFD), a gas-transporting component of the blood substitute Perftoran. This is particularly promising for intensifying microbial degradation of oil and oil products and the production of biodegrader biomass in synthetic mineral media. The addition of PFD to a mineral medium with crude oil and masut increased by 4.5–10.2 times the maximum concentrations and growth rates of all bacterial strains under study (Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, and Bacillus genera). The degree of oil product consumption was increased 8.7–12.7 times.     

Association between occupational exposure to mineral oil and rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Swedish EIRA case-control study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between exposure to mineral oil and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and in addition to perform a separate analysis on the major subphenotypes for the disease; namely, rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive RA, RF-negative RA, anticitrulline-positive RA and anticitrulline-negative RA, respectively. A population-based case-control study of incident cases of RA was performed among the population aged 18-70 years in a defined area of Sweden during May 1996-December 2003. A case was defined as an individual from the study base who for the first time received a diagnosis of RA according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria of 1987. Controls were randomly selected from the study base with consideration taken for age, gender and residential area. Cases (n = 1,419) and controls (n = 1,674) answered an extensive questionnaire regarding lifestyle factors and occupational exposures, including different types of mineral oils. Sera from cases and controls were investigated for RF and anticitrulline antibodies. Among men, exposure to any mineral oil was associated with a 30% increased relative risk of developing RA (relative risk = 1.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.0-1.7). When cases were subdivided into RF-positive RA and RF-negative RA, an increased risk was only observed for RF-positive RA (relative risk = 1.4, 95% confidence interval 1.0-2.0). When RA cases were subdivided according to the presence of anticitrulline antibodies, an increased risk associated with exposure to any mineral oil was observed only for anticitrulline-positive RA (relative risk = 1.6, 95% confidence interval = 1.1-2.2). Analysis of the interaction between oil exposure and the presence of HLA-DR shared epitope genes regarding the incidence of RA indicated that the increased risk associated with exposure to mineral oil was not related to the presence of shared epitope genotypes. In conclusion, our study shows that exposure to mineral oil is associated with an increased risk to develop RF-positive RA and anticitrulline-positive RA, respectively. The findings are of particular interest since the same mineral oils can induce polyarthritis in rats.     

Effect of various amendments on heavy mineral oil bioremediation and soil microbial activity

To examine the effects of amendments on the degradation of heavy mineral oil, we conducted a pilot-scale experiment in the field for 105 days. During the experiment, soil samples were collected and analyzed periodically to determine the amount of residual hydrocarbons and evaluate the effects of the amendments on microbial activity. After 105 days, the initial level of contamination (7490+/-480 mg hydrocarbon kg(-1) soil) was reduced by 18-40% in amended soils, whereas it was only reduced by 9% in nonamended soil. Heavy mineral oil degradation was much faster and more complete in compost-amended soil than in hay-, sawdust-, and mineral nutrient-amended soils. The enhanced degradation of heavy mineral oil in compost-amended soil may be a result of the significantly higher microbial activity in this soil. Among the studied microbial parameters, soil dehydrogenase, lipase, and urease activities were strongly and negatively correlated with heavy mineral oil biodegradation (P<0.01) in compost-amended soil.     

Effects of growth-light quantity,growth-light quality and CO2 concentration on Rubisco deactivation during low PFD or darkness

The effects of CO₂ concentration and the effects of growth-light conditions on Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) deactivation were examined for Spinacea oleracea (spinach). Rubisco deactivation kinetics and the degree that Rubisco activation limited the rise in photosynthesis following an increase in photon flux density (PFD) were determined from gas-exchange time courses. There were no significant differences in the apparent relaxation time for Rubisco deactivation among leaves exposed to high or low CO₂ (50 or 1000 mol mol^-1) and low PFD (170 mol m^-2 s^-1) or darkness. However, when PFD was increased to 1700 mol m^-2 s^-1 following a period of low PFD or darkness, leaves exposed to low CO₂ × low PFD showed a lower contribution to the photosynthetic induction process by the activation of Rubisco than leaves exposed to the other treatments. For the growth-light experiments, spinach was grown under high PFD × high red:far-red ratio (R:FR), low PFD × high R:FR, or low PFD × low R:FR light environments. Leaves that matured under the low PFD × low R:FR treatment showed a lower percent change in photosynthesis due to Rubisco activation than leaves exposed to the other growth-light treatments. However, there were no significant differences among the growth-light treatments in the maximum contribution of Rubisco activation to the induction response or in the apparent relaxation time for Rubisco deactivation during shade events.     

Behavioural responses of female Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, to mineral oil deposits

Behavioural responses of Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), females to fruit dipped in water and fruit dipped in 0.5% (vol/vol) aqueous emulsions of a mineral oil were determined and analysed. The mineral oil was an nC20–22 distillation fraction of the base oil used to produce an nC23 horticultural mineral oil. Females caged with oil‐treated fruit had significantly longer prelanding intervals than females caged with water‐dipped fruit. The latter was attacked immediately or shortly after being caged with flies whereas some oil‐dipped fruit was not attacked within 180 min. The percentage of landings that led to oviposition on water‐ and oil‐treated fruit were 58 and 13%, respectively, and the percentages ovipositing after probing were 74 and 25%, respectively. Likewise, average times spent probing were 7 vs. 31 s whereas average times spent ovipositing were 321 vs. 223 s. Females spent less than half as much time on oil‐treated fruit than on water‐treated fruit. Transition probabilities of rejection, when applied to the behaviour sequence indicated that oil‐treated fruits are about nine times less likely to be infested with B. tryoni.     

植物法生物修复PAHs和矿物油污染土壤的调控研究

选择苜蓿草为供试植物,以污染物含量水平、专性细菌和真菌及有机肥为调控因子,进行了植物法生物修复多环芳烃(PAHs)和矿物油污染土壤的调控研究。结果表明,PAHs和矿物油的降解率与有机肥含量呈正相关,增加有机肥5%,可提高矿物油降解率17.6%～25.6%,PAHs降解率9%.在植物存在条件下,土壤微生物降解功能增强。多环芳烃总量的平均降解率比无植物对照土壤提高2.0%～4.7%.投加特性降解真菌可不同程度地提高土壤PAHs总量和矿物油的降解率。真菌对萤蒽、芘和苯(a)蒽/(艹屈)的降解有明显促进作用。而细菌能明显提高苊稀/芴、蒽和苯(a)萤蒽/苯(k)萤蒽的降解率。     

Thermodynamic Characterization of the Interaction between Prefoldin and Group II Chaperonin

Prefoldin (PFD) is a hexameric chaperone that captures a protein substrate and transfers it to a group II chaperonin (CPN) to complete protein folding. We have studied the interaction between PFD and CPN using those from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus strain KS-1 (T. KS-1). In this study, we determined the crystal structure of the T. KS-1 PFDβ2 subunit and characterized the interactions between T. KS-1 CPNs (CPNα and CPNβ) and T. KS-1 PFDs (PFDα1-β1 and PFDα2-β2). As predicted from its amino acid sequence, the PFDβ2 subunit conforms to a structure similar to those of the PFDβ1 subunit and the Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 PFDβ subunit, with the exception of the tip of its coiled-coil domain, which is thought to be the CPN interaction site. The interactions between T. KS-1 CPNs and PFDs (CPNα and PFDα1-β1; CPNα and PFDα2-β2; CPNβ and PFDα1-β1; and CPNβ and PFDα2-β2) were analyzed using the Biacore T100 system at various temperatures ranging from 20 to 45 ºC. The affinities between PFDs and CPNs increased with an increase in temperature. The thermodynamic parameters calculated from association constants showed that the interaction between PFD and CPN is entropy driven. Among the four combinations of PFD-CPN interactions, the entropy difference in binding between CPNβ and PFDα2-β2 was the largest, and affinity significantly increased at higher temperatures. Considering that expression of PFDα2-β2 and CPNβ subunit is induced upon heat shock, our results suggest that PFDα1-β1 is a general PFD for T. KS-1 CPNs, whereas PFDα2-β2 is specific for CPNβ.     

Long term storage of callus cultures at low temperatures or under mineral oil layer

Plant tissue cultures from various species were stored at low temperatures or under mineral oil overlay for 4 to 6 months without subcultures. After transfer to normal culture conditions, it was checked, with 3 strains, that growth characteristics and secondary metabolite production were preserved. The storage with a mineral oil overlay (easy to run and economical method) could be a possible alternative to cryogenic or low temperature storage for a large number of strains.Abbreviations 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - DCMU 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1, 1-dimethylurea - TLC Thin layer chromatography - HPLC High performance liquid chromatography - CAS Ceric ammonium sulfate     

Localization and movement of mineral oil in plants by fluorescence and confocal microscopy

Fluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy were explored to investigate the movement and localization of mineral oils in citrus. In a laboratory experiment, fluorescence microscopy observation indicated that when a 'narrow' distillation fraction of an nC23 horticultural mineral oil was applied to adaxial and opposing abaxial leaf surfaces of potted orange [Citrus x aurantium L. (Sapindales: Rutaceae)] trees, oil penetrated steadily into treated leaves and, subsequently, moved to untreated petioles of the leaves and adjacent untreated stems. In another experiment, confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to visualize the penetration into, and the subsequent cellular distribution of, an nC24 agricultural mineral oil in C. trifoliata L. seedlings. Oil droplets penetrated or diffused into plants via both stomata and the cuticle of leaves and stems, and then moved within intercellular spaces and into various cells including phloem and xylem. Oil accumulated in droplets in intercellular spaces and within cells near the cell membrane. Oil entered cells without visibly damaging membranes or causing cell death. In a field experiment with mature orange trees, droplets of an nC23 horticultural mineral oil were observed, by fluorescence microscopy, in phloem sieve elements in spring flush growth produced 4-5 months and 16-17 months after the trees were sprayed with oil. These results suggest that movement of mineral oil in plants is both apoplastic via intercellular spaces and symplastic via plasmodesmata. The putative pattern of the translocation of mineral oil in plants and its relevance to oil-induced chronic phytotoxicity are discussed.     

Application of mineral support on cephamycin C production in culture using soybean oil as the sole carbon source

A mineral support was used for cephamycin C production in a culture using soybean oil as the sole carbon source. When the support was added into an oil-water system, the soybean oil was emulsified as fine oil droplets, which was observed by a photomicroscope. Mycelia were also twined around the support, which was observed by a scanning electron microscope. That caused the formation of an oil-mycelia complex on or around the support, which provided a larger specific surface area of oil. When 15 g/L of the support was used in a batch culture of Streptomyces sp. P6621 with 50 g/L of soybean oil, the maximum cephamycin C concentration was 2.8 g/L, which was 2.2 times higher than that without the support. This indicates that the mineral support is useful for the culture system using vegetable oil as a carbon source. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of mineral oil on Potato virus Y acquisition by Rhopalosiphum padi

Seed potato crops are currently sprayed weekly with mineral oil to prevent transmission of the Potato virus Y (PVY; Potyviridae: Potyvirus), one of the most prevalent and important non‐persistent viruses affecting potato production. In spite of its wide usage as inhibitor of virus transmission, the mode of action for mineral oil is poorly known. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of dosage and time from application of mineral oil on the inhibition of PVY acquisition. The bird cherry‐oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), known as vector of PVY, was used in all the experiments. The results indicated that mineral oil efficiently decreased PVY acquisition by 75 and 70% 1 day after application of 5 and 10 l ha^?1, respectively. The inhibition effect decreased with time from application; mineral oil inhibits acquisition for less than 4 days at 5 l ha^?1 and between 8 and 12 days at 10 l ha^?1. As mineral oil was detected in the body of fewer aphids when they fed on plants 1 day after oil application, a change in the aphid probing behaviour on mineral oil‐treated plants was deduced. These results support the hypothesis that mineral oil physically inhibits the binding of the virus at the tip of the stylets.     

Degradation of mineral oil by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strain

The Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strain TM-31 has been isolated from a microbial assemblage of a pilot plant purifying waste water polluted with mineral oil. This strain is capable of efficient degradation of components of mineral oil (alkanes, isoalkanes, and alkyl residues of the naphthene and arene fraction. The strain bears stably inherited plasmids of sizes 120, 9, and 8 kb, which can be transferred into plasmid-free cells of the parental strain and into bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas and ensure the degradation of hexadecane and mineral oil.     

Reinforcing effect for corn oil stimulus was concentration dependent in an operant task in mice

Corn oil is reported to elicit a conditioned place preference (CPP) in a CPP test in mice. To further investigate a reinforcing effect of corn oil, we studied whether the corn oil acts as a reinforcer under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule in the operant task. BALB/c mice were trained to lever press for sucrose and corn oil. After reaching a stable break-point for 100% corn oil, the PR test was conducted for various concentrations of corn oil (0%-100%). The reinforcing effect of corn oil was increased in a concentration-dependent manner under the PR schedule. A mineral oil and 0.3% xanthan gum as vehicles did not show any reinforcing effect in the PR test, suggesting that oily and viscous texture was not related to the reinforcing property of corn oil. The break-point for corn oil was attenuated by pretreatment with (-)-sulpiride, a D(2) antagonist, in the PR test. On the other hand, SCH23390, a D(1) antagonist, did not influence the break-point. Furthermore, the pretreatment with (-)-sulpiride or SCH23390 did not influence the intake of corn oil in a one-bottle test for 30 min, suggesting that the dopaminergic system is involved in the reinforcing effect but not the consumption of corn oil in mice. In conclusion, operant response to corn oil is concentration-dependently enhanced under the PR schedule. This reinforcing effect of corn oil is at least partly mediated through the dopaminergic systems via D(2) receptors.     

Removal of oil by walnut shell media

Studies were conducted to evaluate the oil sorption capacities of walnut shell media. Sorption capacity is the weight of oil picked up by unit weight of a sorbent. Initial oil pick-up by walnut shell media on pure oil and oil on aqueous medium was evaluated. Batch kinetic studies were conducted to evaluate the equilibrium time required by walnut shell media for sorbing oil. For pure oil medium, sorption capacities of 0.30g/g, 0.51g/g and 0.58g/g were obtained for standard mineral oil, vegetable oil and DoALL Bright-Edge oil, respectively. The results showed sorption capacities of 0.56g/g, 0.58g/g and 0.74g/g for standard mineral oil, vegetable oil and DoALL Bright-Edge oil, respectively, for oil on aqueous medium. It was found that sorbed oil could be recovered from walnut shell media by applying pressure. The study showed that walnut shell media can be used as a sorbent for oil removal.     

Intraluminally injected oil induces changes in vascular permeability in the 'sensitized' and 'non-sensitized' uterus of the mouse

After suitable sensitization of ovariectomized mice with progesterone and oestradiol, the intrauterine instillation of oil produces a massive decidual cell reaction. Vascular permeability, as reflected by the extra-vascular accumulation of 125I-labelled human serum albumin, increased after oil instillation and was maintained at 2-3 times control values for at least the next 3 days. Although oil instillation did not produce a decidual response in females treated with progesterone alone, an increase in vascular permeability (about 2 times control levels) still occurred. This response peaked 8 h after oil instillation and was not maintained. These results indicate that the progesterone-dominated uterus which has not been sensitized with oestradiol cannot be viewed as completely unresponsive to the stimulus of oil and demonstrate that a marked increase in vascular permeability is not itself sufficient to induce decidualization of progesterone-dominated uterine stromal cells. The uterine extravascular accumulation of 125I-labelled albumin was increased both in association with tribromoethanol anaesthesia and after oestradiol treatment of progesterone-primed animals. In pregnant mice, the appearance of Pontamine Sky Blue spots provided an earlier indication of implantation than did determination of total uterine extravascular 125I-labelled albumin accumulation.     

Microbiological and production characteristics of the high-temperature Kongdian bed revealed during field trial of biotechnology for the enhancement of oil recovery

Microbiological technology for the enhancement of oil recovery based on the activation of the stratal microflora was tested in the high-temperature horizons of the Kongdian bed (60 degrees C) of the Dagang oil field (China). This biotechnology consists in the pumping of a water-air mixture and nitrogen and phosphorus mineral salts into the oil stratum through injection wells in order to stimulate the activity of the stratal microflora which produce oil-releasing metabolites. Monitoring of the physicochemical, microbiological, and production characteristics of the test site has revealed large changes in the ecosystem as a result of the application of biotechnology. The cell numbers of thermophilic hydrocarbon-oxidizing, fermentative, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic microorganisms increased 10-10 000-fold. The rates of methanogenesis and sulfate reduction increased in the near-bottom zone of the injection wells and of some production wells. The microbial oil transformation was accompanied by the accumulation of bicarbonate ions, volatile fatty acids, and biosurfactants in the formation waters, as well as of CH4 and CO2 both in the gas phase and in the oil. Microbial metabolites promoted the additional recovery of oil. As a result of the application of biotechnology, the water content in the production liquid from the test site decreased, and the oil content increased. This allowed the recovery of more than 14000 tons of additional oil over 3.5 years.     

Sexual reproduction in subcultures of Absidia blakesleeana after years of preservation under mineral oil

Two subcultures of Absidia blakesleeana IOC No. 2425 (-) mating type strain preserved in 1959 and 1981 on a thick layer of potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium under sterile mineral oil and maintained at room temperature in the Fungal Cultural Collection of Institute Oswaldo Cruz--IOC--were paired with the defined Absidia blakesleeana URM-UFP No. 2076 (+) mating type strain. Portions of the line where mycelia of the two strains met were observed under light microscopy. Zygospores belonging to Subgenus Mycocladus were observed. The results demonstrated conservation and re-establishment of the physiological and genetic metabolic processes of two subcultures preserved under mineral oil.     

Anxiolytic effects of lavender oil inhalation on open-field behaviour in rats

To establish a valid animal model of the effects of olfactory stimuli on anxiety, a series of experiments was conducted using rats in an open-field test. Throughout, effects of lavender oil were compared with the effects of chlordiazepoxide (CDP), as a reference anxiolytic with well-known effects on open-field behaviour. Rats were exposed to lavender oil (0.1-1.0 ml) for 30 min (Experiment 1) or 1h (Experiment 2) prior to open-field test and in the open field or injected with CDP (10 mg/kg i.p.). CDP had predicted effects on behaviour, and the higher doses of lavender oil had some effects on behaviour similar to those of CDP. In Experiment 3, various combinations of pre-exposure times and amounts of lavender oil were used. With sufficient exposure time and quantity of lavender the same effects were obtained as in Experiment 2. Experiment 4 demonstrated that these behavioural effects of lavender could be obtained following pre-exposure, even if no oil was present in the open-field test. In Experiments 2-4, lavender oil increased immobility. Together, these experiments suggest that lavender oil does have anxiolytic effects in the open field, but that a sedative effect can also occur at the highest doses.     

Continuous selective extraction of secondary metabolites from Catharanthus roseus hairy roots with silicon oil in a two-liquid-phase bioreactor

A two-liquid-phase bioreactor was designed to extract indole alkaloids from Catharanthus roseus hairy roots with silicon oil. Partition studies between silicon oil and culture medium showed that the silicon oil did not alter the availability of nutrients. The affinity of tabersonine and l?chnericine for silicon oil is nine times higher than for the aqueous phase. Cultures were elicited with 25 mg/L of jasmonic acid. The growth of the hairy roots was not significantly modified by the presence of silicon oil. The overall specific yields of tabersonine and l?chnericine were increased by 100-400% and 14-200%, respectively, with the use of silicon oil in nonelicited control cultures. In elicited cultures, these values were 10-55% for tabersonine and 20-65% for l?chnericine. Serpentine was never found in the silicon oil. All measured alkaloids' specific yields were higher using silicon oil and elicitation, suggesting that the silicon oil, while acting as a metabolic sink for tabersonine and l?chnericine, was efficient in increasing metabolic fluxes of the secondary metabolism pathways.     

Modification of Macrosiphum euphorbiae colonisation behaviour and reproduction on potato plants treated by mineral oil

Although mineral oil spray is one of the most effective ways to control the transmission of non‐persistent aphid‐borne viruses in the field, its mode of action is poorly understood. In this study, the effects of mineral oil treatment of potato plants on host selection behaviour, growth, and reproduction of potato aphids, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), were investigated. The effects were assessed 30 min, 1 day, and 7 days after treatment, (1) on aphid orientation behaviour by using a Y‐tube olfactometer, and (2) on aphid feeding behaviour by using the electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique. Olfactory experiments showed that the oil had a repulsive effect only 30 min after spraying. EPG experiments showed a slight modification of the aphid feeding behaviour mainly 7 days after treatment. The number of both salivation and sap ingestion events during the phloem phases were increased 7 days after treatment. In addition, irrespective of the time after treatment, xylem ingestion time was increased. Clip cage experiments were set up to assess potential effects of the oil treatment on aphid survival and population parameters. Nymphal mortality was increased on treated plants, whereas fecundity of surviving insects was enhanced. The antagonistic effects of oil treatment on aphids are discussed in a plant protection context.