极地微生物的工业应用及其与天体生物学研究的联系

极地微生物产生的低温蛋白酶、色素、多不饱和脂肪酸以及抗冻蛋白等生物活性物质,不但可以使极地微生物在苛刻的环境中成功生存,而且这些生物活性物质具有潜在的工业应用价值.极地微生物能够在低温下有效降解多种烃,可以用于解决极地环境的烃类污染问题.极地微生物与天体生物学联系密切,通过极地微生物的研究可以寻找火星上生命存在的证据,进而揭示生命的起源.     

低温微生物在污水处理中的应用分析

低温微生物作为极端环境微生物研究的一大热点,自20世纪70年代以来,其研究应用就得到了越来越广泛的关注。低温微生物凭借一系列耐冷机制,可有效抵御低温对其细胞生存生长的胁迫,保障其在低温环境下仍能够生存繁殖。文章首先阐述了低温微生物的相关内涵及其适冷机制,然后探讨了低温微生物在污水处理中的实际应用,以期为低温微生物在实际生产生活中的应用提供参考。     

低温微生物修复石油烃类污染土壤研究进展

耐冷菌、嗜冷菌等低温微生物广泛存在于极地、高山以及高纬度等土壤环境中,是石油烃类污染物在低温条件下降解与转化的重要微生物资源.利用低温微生物的独特优势,石油污染土壤的低温生物修复技术的研究成为当前热点领域.本文系统综述了低温石油烃降解菌的分类及冷适机制,低温微生物对不同类型石油烃组分的降解特征和降解机理,低温环境中接种降解菌、添加营养物质和表面活性剂等强化技术在石油污染土壤中生物修复的应用.以及微生物分子生物学技术在低温微生物降解石油烃的研究现状,为拓展我国石油污染土壤生物修复技术提供参考.     

低温脂肪酶的研究现状与应用前景

低温脂肪酶在低温下仍保持高酶活,因此在应用中有着中温脂肪酶无法取代的优越性,而具有高活性的低温脂肪酶因其具有理论和应用上的双重意义成为了近年来的研究热点。本文从描述产低温脂肪酶的低温微生物特征入手,系统阐述了低温脂肪酶的来源、分类、特征、研究方法及最新进展,并简述了低温脂肪酶在食品、洗涤、制药以及低温环境修复等工业上的应用前景。     

低温秸秆降解复合微生物菌剂的研究进展

我国东北地区冬季寒冷,秸秆产量巨大,但综合利用率较低,利用高酶活性微生物将低温环境中的秸秆降解变废为宝,是一项循环利用的有效途径。研究表明,通过生物学技术手段,筛选高酶活性菌株,深入研究降解机理,优化功能微生物培养条件,提高纤维素酶活性,是提高降解率,秸秆资源化利用的最佳途径。复合微生物菌剂产生的酶活值普遍高于单一微生物菌,真菌菌丝体产生的酶活值高于细菌。实际应用中,选择适合的复合菌剂是低温环境下提高秸秆降解效率的有效途径。系统地归纳了低温条件下降解秸秆的微生物技术、分析了不同条件下降解秸秆的菌株类型和促进秸秆纤维素降解菌酶活力特征、并总结了低温环境下生物菌剂降解秸秆的技术应用效果,旨为低温环境下秸秆的资源化利用提供一定的技术参考。     

多不饱和脂肪酸对微生物低温适应性的影响

地球生物圈75%以上的环境温度常年低于5℃,在这种低温环境中栖息着多种适应低温的微生物。在长期进化过程中低温微生物从细胞到分子水平形成一套独特的低温环境适应机制,而通过增加细胞膜膜脂中多不饱和脂肪酸含量来维持低温条件下最佳的细胞膜流动性是其中的一种。从多不饱和脂肪酸对微生物低温生长、细胞膜流动性细胞膜蛋白的组成和表达水平的影响来探讨多不饱和脂肪酸与微生物低温适应性的关系,总结多不饱和脂肪酸低温合成调节机制的研究进展,为相关的基础和应用开发研究提供参考。     

低温酶及其冷适应性机制研究进展

生活在极地、深海等常年低温环境中的低温微生物和部分变温生物,能够通过产生低温酶来适应在低温环境中的生长、繁殖和代谢。这些酶在低温或常温条件下具有很高的催化活性,对热却很敏感,在高温时能够快速失活,因此在实际的生产和生活中具有广泛的应用前景。基于这些特性,低温酶的冷适应性机制研究成为了当前的一个热点。较系统地综述了低温酶的来源、特点、生产状况以及具有代表性的几种低温酶的冷适应性机制。     

低温微生物的冷适应机理及其应用

低温微生物广泛分布于极地、冰川、永久冻土和深海等寒冷环境,其冷适应能力是多种机理共同作用的结果,包括酶的低温催化活性、低温下膜流动性的保持、冷休克蛋白、抗冻蛋白以及抗冻保护剂等.低温微生物主要应用于催化低温发酵、表达热不稳定蛋白质、生产抗冻保护剂和冬季治理污水等领域.     

低温微生物研究进展

低温微生物指生活在低温环境下的微生物。这类微生物可细分为两类。一类是必须生活在低温条件下,在0℃可生长繁殖,最适温度不超过15℃,最高温度不超过20℃的微生物,称之为嗜冷菌（邱yeh叶加ies）。另一类是能在低温条件下生长,在0—5℃可生长繁殖,最高温度可达20℃以上的微生物,称之为耐冷菌（psyChrotrophS）。这两类微生物的生态分布和低温生物学特性均存在差异,它们以独特的生理功能适应环境。研究这类微生物不仅具有重要的理论意义,而且在实际应用中已经产生了日益明显的经济意义,同时它们是生物技术和生物产业发展的十分重…     

微生物碱性蛋白酶的研究进展

碱性蛋白酶可源于动物、植物和微生物。微生物来源的碱性蛋白酶因其具有培养简便、产量丰富而应用尤为广泛,同时菌种筛选、纯化、诱变乃至重组工程菌技术的应用为其大规模工业化生产提供了坚实的基础。本文对微生物碱性蛋白酶产生菌的种类、高产菌株选育工作进展以及碱性蛋白酶的分类、性质、基因结构及功能等方面进行了简要概述。     

The role of group bulkiness in the catalytic activity of psychrophile cold-active protein tyrosine phosphatase

The cold-active protein tyrosine phosphatase found in psychrophilic Shewanella species exhibits high catalytic efficiency at low temperatures as well as low thermostability, both of which are characteristics shared by many cold-active enzymes. The structure of cold-active protein tyrosine phosphatase is notable for the presence of three hydrophobic sites (termed the CA, Zn-1 and Zn-2 sites) behind the loop structures comprising the catalytic region. To identify the structural components responsible for specific enzyme characteristics, we determined the structure of wild-type cold-active protein tyrosine phosphatase at high resolution (1.1 A) and measured the catalytic efficiencies of enzymes containing mutations in the three hydrophobic sites. The bulkiness of the amino acid side chains in the core region of the Zn-1 site strongly affects the thermostability and the catalytic efficiency at low temperatures. The mutant enzyme I115M possessed a higher kcat at low temperatures. Elucidation of the crystal structure of I115M at a resolution of 1.5 A revealed that the loop structures involved in retaining the nucleophilic group and the acid catalyst are more flexible than in the wild-type enzyme.     

Making light work of enzyme catalysis: protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase

In the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway, the enzyme protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) catalyses a key light-driven reaction that triggers a profound transformation in plant development. Because POR is activated by light, it can provide information on the way in which light energy can be harnessed to power enzyme reactions and it presents us with a unique opportunity to study catalysis at low temperatures and on ultrafast timescales that are not accessible for most analyses of enzyme function. Recent advances in our understanding of the catalytic mechanism of POR illustrate why it is an important generic model for studying enzyme catalysis and reaction dynamics.     

昆虫发育过程中的速率累加效应对其日均发育率的影响

昆虫发育速率V与温度T之间呈S型曲线关系。在确定适合昆虫发育的变温范围的基础上,利用萝卜蚜的试验数据,通过计算机模拟,探讨了“速率累加”过程通过V与T之间的曲线关系在各种变温条件下对昆虫日均发育速率所产生的影响。结果表明,在排除温度波动本身可改变瞬时发育速率的前提下,这种速率累加效应导致在低温区内变温下的发育比在恒温下快,在高温区内则相反,且温度变幅越广差异就越大。文中指出,由于日均发育速率会依温度的变化方式和幅度不同而发生改变,而依据恒温速率曲线可计算出各种变温下的发育进度,故对于预测昆虫在适温区发育进度而言,恒温试验结果比变温试验结果具有更广泛的适用性。     

Flexibility and enzymatic cold-adaptation: a comparative molecular dynamics investigation of the elastase family

Molecular dynamics simulations of representative mesophilic and psycrophilic elastases have been carried out at different temperatures to explore the molecular basis of cold adaptation inside a specific enzymatic family. The molecular dynamics trajectories have been compared and analyzed in terms of secondary structure, molecular flexibility, intramolecular and protein-solvent interactions, unravelling molecular features relevant to rationalize the efficient catalytic activity of psychrophilic elastases at low temperature. The comparative molecular dynamics investigation reveals that modulation of the number of protein-solvent interactions is not the evolutionary strategy followed by the psycrophilic elastase to enhance catalytic activity at low temperature. In addition, flexibility and solvent accessibility of the residues forming the catalytic triad and the specificity pocket are comparable in the cold- and warm-adapted enzymes. Instead, loop regions with different amino acid composition in the two enzymes, and clustered around the active site or the specificity pocket, are characterized by enhanced flexibility in the cold-adapted enzyme. Remarkably, the psycrophilic elastase is characterized by reduced flexibility, when compared to the mesophilic counterpart, in some scattered regions distant from the functional sites, in agreement with hypothesis suggesting that local rigidity in regions far from functional sites can be beneficial for the catalytic activity of psychrophilic enzymes.     

Purification, characterization, and nucleotide sequence of the thermolabile alpha-amylase from the antarctic psychrotroph Alteromonas haloplanctis A23.

The alpha-amylase excreted by the antarctic bacterium Alteromonas haloplanctis was purified and the corresponding amy gene was cloned and sequenced. N- and C-terminal amino acid sequencing were used to establish the primary structure of the mature A. haloplanctis alpha-amylase which is composed of 453 amino acids with a predicted Mr of 49,340 and a pI of 5.5. Three Ca2+ ions are bound per molecule and its activity is modulated by chloride ions. Within the four consensus sequences, Asp-174, Glu-200, and Asp-264 are the proposed catalytic residues. The psychrotrophic A. haloplanctis alpha-amylase is characterized by a high amylolytic activity at low temperatures, a reduced apparent optimal temperature, and typical thermodynamic activation parameters A. haloplanctis alpha-amylase has also a low thermal stability as demonstrated by the temperature effect on both activity and secondary structure. It is suggested that structure flexibility and lower sensitivity of secondary structure to temperature variations in the low temperature range are the main structural adaptations of the psychrotrophic enzyme. The unusual stacking of small amino acids around the catalytic residues is proposed as a factor inducing active site flexibility and concomitant high activity of the enzyme at low temperatures.     

Metabolic enzymes from psychrophilic bacteria: challenge of adaptation to low temperatures in ornithine carbamoyltransferase from Moritella abyssi

The enzyme ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OTCase) of Moritella abyssi (OTCase(Mab)), a new, strictly psychrophilic and piezophilic bacterial species, was purified. OTCase(Mab) displays maximal activity at rather low temperatures (23 to 25 degrees C) compared to other cold-active enzymes and is much less thermoresistant than its homologues from Escherichia coli or thermophilic procaryotes. In vitro the enzyme is in equilibrium between a trimeric state and a dodecameric, more stable state. The melting point and denaturation enthalpy changes for the two forms are considerably lower than the corresponding values for the dodecameric Pyrococcus furiosus OTCase and for a thermolabile trimeric mutant thereof. OTCase(Mab) displays higher K(m) values for ornithine and carbamoyl phosphate than mesophilic and thermophilic OTCases and is only weakly inhibited by the bisubstrate analogue delta-N-phosphonoacetyl-L-ornithine (PALO). OTCase(Mab) differs from other, nonpsychrophilic OTCases by substitutions in the most conserved motifs, which probably contribute to the comparatively high K(m) values and the lower sensitivity to PALO. The K(m) for ornithine, however, is substantially lower at low temperatures. A survey of the catalytic efficiencies (k(cat)/K(m)) of OTCases adapted to different temperatures showed that OTCase(Mab) activity remains suboptimal at low temperature despite the 4.5-fold decrease in the K(m) value for ornithine observed when the temperature is brought from 20 to 5 degrees C. OTCase(Mab) adaptation to cold indicates a trade-off between affinity and catalytic velocity, suggesting that optimization of key metabolic enzymes at low temperatures may be constrained by natural limits.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the unfolding mechanism of the catalytic domain from Aspergillus awamori var. X100 glucoamylase

In this study, 200 ps molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to investigate the unfolding mechanism of the catalytic domain of glucoamylase from Aspergillus awamori var. X100. The unfolding of this domain was suggested to follow a putative hierarchical manner, in which the heavily O-glycosylated belt region from residues T440 to A471 acted as the initiation site, followed by the alpha-helix secondary structure destruction, and then the collapse of the catalytic center pocket. The O-glycosylated belt region surrounded the surface of the catalytic domain in its native state at low temperature, whereas it was extended and is more suitable to be classified as part of the subsequent linker domain at high temperatures due to its high flexibility. The inner set helices of the (alpha/alpha)(6)-barrel seemed to exhibit higher helical content than the outer set ones at all temperatures examined. The distances between the C(alpha) of the three Cys residue pairs fluctuated rapidly at higher temperatures, indicating that these disulfide bonds have little effect on the structural stabilization. The melting temperature, at which the residual total helicity of the catalytic domain is 50%, is much lower than the critical temperature, at which the catalytic center pocket has lost its structural integrity.     

Environmental Control of Flowering in Vicia faba L.

There is a heteroblastic change in leaflet number in many stocksof Vicia faba, the rate of change being affected by the temperatureand photoperiod under which the plants are grown. In all exceptthe earliest flowering stocks of broad beans, and particularlyat high temperatures, flower initiation shows a quantita-tivelong-day response. For full development of the initiated inflorescenceslong days are required. Flower initiation may be accelerated in all except the earliestflowering stocks of V.faba by brief exposures to low temperatures,particularly when the plants are grown in short days at hightemperatures. The response to low temperatures is more rapidat I0° C. than at 4° C. but eventually approaches saturationat both temperatures. More prolonged exposure to low temperaturesdelays flower initia-tion. The response to low temperaturesincreases with increasing plant age but can occur during embryodevelopment on the mother plant. At temperatures above 14° C, and particularly above 23°C, a reaction inhibitory to flower initiation occurs. This reactionis probably restricted to the diurnal dark periods but is operativeat all stages of the life cycle, including embryo development.Its inhibitory effects may be overcome by subsequent cold treatment,and when the low temperature processes have reached saturationsubsequent high temperatures are no longer inhibitory. Although nucleosides could accelerate flower initiation, purineand pyrimidene analogues did not, with one exception, reducethe response to low temperature treatment.