Microbiological analysis of the population of extremely haloalkaliphilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria dominating in lab-scale sulfide-removing bioreactors

Thiopaq biotechnology for partial sulfide oxidation to elemental sulfur is an efficient way to remove H₂S from biogases. However, its application for high-pressure natural gas desulfurization needs upgrading. Particularly, an increase in alkalinity of the scrubbing liquid is required. Therefore, the feasibility of sulfide oxidation into elemental sulfur under oxygen limitation was tested at extremely haloalkaline conditions in lab-scale bioreactors using mix sediments from hypersaline soda lakes as inoculum. The microbiological analysis, both culture dependent and independent, of the successfully operating bioreactors revealed a domination of obligately chemolithoautotrophic and extremely haloalkaliphilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria belonging to the genus Thioalkalivibrio. Two subgroups were recognized among the isolates. The subgroup enriched from the reactors operating at pH 10 clustered with Thioalkalivibrio jannaschii–Thioalkalivibrio versutus core group of the genus Thioalkalivibrio. Another subgroup, obtained mostly with sulfide as substrate and at lower pH, belonged to the cluster of facultatively alkaliphilic Thioalkalivibrio halophilus. Overall, the results clearly indicate a large potential of the genus Thiolalkalivibrio to efficiently oxidize sulfide at extremely haloalkaline conditions, which makes it suitable for application in the natural gas desulfurization. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Nucleotide sequence accession numbers: The GenBank/EMBL accession numbers of the 16S rRNA gene sequence determined in this study are EU709849–EU709878.     

The internal transcribed spacer 2 region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA and the phylogeny of the moss family Hylocomiaceae

Eichhornia azurea is a tristylous species of Pontederiaceae. Moderate self-incompatibility accompanies the floral heteromorphism of this species.Eichhornia azurea is almost exclusively visited by one bee species,Ancyloscelis gigas (Anthophoridae), in South Brazil. This species has an extremely long proboscis covered with recurved hairs. Bees use these hairs to collect pollen from the anthers placed inside the narrow perianth tube ofE. azurea. Analyses of the pollen load ofA. gigas females show that they are flower constant and carry pollen from all three anther levels. The behavior ofA. gigas and its proboscis morphology make this bee species narrowly adapted and an effective pollinator for facilitating legitimate pollination ofE. azurea flowers in southern Brazil.     

Myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase from streptomyces griseus (Studies on the biosynthesis of cyclitols,XXXVIII1)

Summary It could be shown that Streptomyces griseus, the microorganism producing the antibiotic streptomycin and also mutant strains of this species that cannot synthesize streptomycin, possess myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (EC 5.5.1.4), the enzyme cyclizing D-glucose 6-phosphate. The enzyme isolated from that organism is extremely instable, its molecular weight is approximately 260,000, and it requires a divalent metal ion for its activity. This is the first instance that an enzyme of this specificity has been found in a prokaryotic organism.     

国家Ⅰ级重点保护极危植物藤枣研究进展

国家Ⅰ级重点保护植物藤枣[Eleutharrhena macrocarpa(Diels)Forman]属防己科单种属植物,主要分布于云南南部地区。藤枣因其形态特征和分布式样在防己科植物中较为独特,具有重要的植物系统学和区系地理学研究价值。据相关文献记载,目前发现和记录的藤枣自然种群数量小于60株,种群处于极危状态,面临灭绝风险。国内外与藤枣相关的研究资料也相对匮乏。为及时拯救和关注这一濒危物种,该文在前贤研究的基础上,总结报道了藤枣的分类学简史、科学研究价值、自然种群数量、濒危状况、生物多样性保护地位、区系分布、模式标本认定等方面的最新研究进展,提出了近期的研究目标。期望能对藤枣的准确鉴定、精准调查和进一步深入研究提供基础信息和理论参考。     

Isolation of the major basic nuclear protein and its localization on chromosomes of the dinoflagellate,Oxyrrhis marina

Basic nuclear proteins were extracted from isolated nuclei of Oxyrrhis marina. The HPLC pattern of the extract showed a single major peak, which consisted of a major band with an apparent molecular mass of 23 kDa on an SDS-PAGE gel. We designated this protein as Np23 because of its apparent molecular mass. The amino acid composition of this protein revealed its extremely basic nature with a high lysine content. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against Np23. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that Np23 was localized within the nucleus of dividing and non-dividing cells as well, and immuno-electron microscopy showed that the protein was localized only on chromosomes. These data established that Np23 is the major basic chromosome protein of Oxyrrhis marina.     

Microscopic anatomy and ultrastructure of the digestive system of Natatolana obtusata (Vanhöffen, 1914) (Crustacea, Isopoda)

The scavenging cirolanid isopod Natatolana obtusata was caught using primarily meat‐baited traps at a station in the Weddell Sea at Kap Norvegica. The hindguts of most specimens were densely stuffed with meat from the traps. The anatomy and the ultrastructure of different sections of the digestive system are described. The large and extremely expandable mouth opens into a short oesophagus which extends posteriorly into a small stomach. Lateralia and primary filter can be observed directly when the mouth opening is widened to its extreme. The anterior hindgut is extremely variable in its lumen and very distensible, depending on the nutritional condition. The cuticle of the hindgut is colonized by fungi. The length of the midgut glands varies with the nutritional conditions. Morphology and anatomy of the digestive system of Natatolana obtusata are discussed with the background of the lifestyle of the species and compared with other taxa.     

Genetic variation and the mating system in the rare Acacia sciophanes compared with its common sister species Acacia anfractuosa (Mimosaceae)

Acacia sciophanes is an extremely rare and Critically Endangered species known from two small populations separated by less than 7 km. Specifically we aimed to investigate whether rarity in A. sciophanes is associated with decreased levels of genetic variation and increased levels of selfing by comparing patterns of genetic variation and mating system parameters with its widespread and common sister species A. anfractuosa. Fourteen polymorphic allozyme loci were used to assess genetic diversity with four of these used in the estimation of mating system parameters. At the species level A. sciophanes has lower allelic richness, polymorphism, observed heterozygosity and gene diversity than A. anfractuosa and significantly lower levels of gene diversity at the population level. Both species have a mixed mating system but the largest population of A. sciophanes has lower levels of outcrossing, higher correlated paternity and increased bi-parental inbreeding compared with two A. anfractuosa populations. However, both correlated paternity and bi-parental inbreeding appear to be at least partly influenced by population size regardless of the species. We suggest that A. sciophanes is likely to be an intrinsically rare species and that in particular the lower levels of genetic diversity and increased selfing are a feature of a species that has the ability to persist in a few localised small populations. Despite recent extensive habitat destruction our comparative study provided no clear evidence that such events have contributed to the lower genetic diversity and increased selfing in A. sciophanes and we believe its ability to exist in small populations may not only be an important factor in its survival as a rare species but also indicates that it may be less susceptible to the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation. The key to this species conservation will be the maintenance of suitable habitat, particularly through improved fire regimes and control of invasive weeds, that will allow the two small populations to continue to persist in extremely restricted areas of remnant vegetation.     

The amino-terminal hydrophilic region of the vacuolar transporter Avt3p is dispensable for the vacuolar amino acid compartmentalization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Avt3p, a vacuolar amino acid exporter (656 amino acid residues) that is important for vacuolar amino acid compartmentalization as well as spore formation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, has an extremely long hydrophilic region (approximately 290 amino acid residues) at its N-terminus. Because known functional domains have not been found in this region, its functional role was examined with a deletion mutant avt3^(?1–270) expressed in S. pombe avt3? cells. The deletion of this region did not affect its intracellular localization or vacuolar contents of basic amino acids as well as neutral ones. The defect of avt3Δ cells in spore formation was rescued by the expression of avt3⁺ but was not completely rescued by the expression of avt3^(?1–270). The N-terminal region is thus dispensable for the function of Avt3p as an amino acid exporter, but it is likely to be involved in the role of Avt3p under nutritional starvation conditions.     

Isolation from the horse genome of a new DNA transposonbelonging to the Tigger family

Tigger elements are human DNA transposons homologous to the pogo element of Drosophila melanogaster. They contain an open reading frame for a transposase very similar to the major mammalian centromere protein CENP-B. We found in the horse genome a DNA element (Ecatig3) sharing 88% homology with human Tigger3. The presence of Tigger elements in the horse genome confirms previous data that date these elements before the divergence between Perissodactyla and Primates (80–90 Myr ago). Copy number evaluation indicates that the horse element is much more abundant than its human counterpart. Southern blot analysis demonstrates that Ecatig3 elements are extremely homogeneous; this may indicate that the evolution of this DNA transposon has been driven by some kind of selection and has not been neutral.The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper have been submitted to GenBank and have been assigned the accession number AY382599.     

From neglected to dissected: How technological advances are leading the way to the study of Coxiella burnetii pathogenesis

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen responsible for severe worldwide outbreaks of the zoonosis Q fever. The remarkable resistance to environmental stress, extremely low infectious dose and ease of dissemination, contributed to the classification of C. burnetii as a class B biothreat. Unique among intracellular pathogens, C. burnetii escapes immune surveillance and replicates within large autophagolysosome‐like compartments called Coxiella‐containing vacuoles (CCVs). The biogenesis of these compartments depends on the subversion of several host signalling pathways. For years, the obligate intracellular nature of C. burnetii imposed significant experimental obstacles to the study of its pathogenic traits. With the development of an axenic culture medium in 2009, C. burnetii became genetically tractable, thus allowing the implementation of mutagenesis tools and screening approaches to identify its virulence determinants and investigate its complex interaction with host cells. Here, we review the key advances that have contributed to our knowledge of C. burnetii pathogenesis, leading to the rise of this once‐neglected pathogen to an exceptional organism to study the intravacuolar lifestyle.     

Growth,development, and parental care in the western tarsier (Tarsius bancanus) in captivity: Evidence for a “slow” life-history and nonmonogamous mating system

I studied reproduction, prenatal and postnatal growth rates, behavioral ontogeny, and parental care in nine captive births to two wild-caught pairs of Tarsius bancanusover a 5-year period. T. bancanusinvariably gives birth to a single infant of approximately 20% maternal body mass after an extremely long gestation period. The fetal growth rate is among the slowest recorded for any mammal and the relative postnatal growth rate to physical maturity is the lowest in a sample of 26 prosimian species examined. These life-history variables, and a slow rate of reproduction, contribute to an extremely low г _max in this and other species of Tarsius.The relative rate of behavioral development, especially foraging and locomotor behaviors, is extremely rapid for a specialized predator. Infants attained nutritional independence at approximately 80 days and perfected hunting skills without apparent help from either parent. Mothers were very protective of their young and kept fathers from having contact with infants through heightened agonism after birth, and thus , there was no evidence of direct paternal care. The data suggest that there is an energetic/dietary basis for slow pre- and postnatal growth rates, but an extremely large neonatal brain size enables the rapid behavioral development and neuromuscular coordination necessary for this specialized predator to attain early nutritional independence. The captive and field data also suggest that extremely restrictive conditions exist for the purported monogamous mating system of T. bancanusand that an alternative mating system is more likely.     

Photosynthetic response to sunflecks in the desiccation-tolerant fern Polypodium virginianum

Summary The photosynthetic response to sunflecks was investigated in the fern Polypodium virginianum growing on cliff edges of the Niagara Escarpment, in southern Ontario, Canada. Ferns were exposed to natural precipitation, continuous watering, or continuous drought prior to exposure to artificial sunflecks. The results were analyzed using temperature, humidity and previous exposure to light as covariates. The response to sunflecks was extremely rapid and showed no measurable induction period in the field. Controlled experiments completed in the laboratory showed exceptionally short induction periods. Previous exposure to sunflecks, and desiccation did not influence the time constants of response to sunflecks although drying did reduce maximum rates of CO₂ exchange. Polypodium virginianum shows an extremely rapid response to fluctuations in the supply of light, and this is interpreted to be advantageous to this species because of the array of extremely hostile conditions that occur at cliff edges.     

Low genetic diversity and limited genetic structure across the range of the critically endangered Mexican howler monkey (Alouatta palliata mexicana)

Genetic diversity provides populations with the possibility to persist in ever-changing environments, where selective regimes change over time. Therefore, the long-term survival of a population may be affected by its level of genetic diversity. The Mexican howler monkey (Alouatta palliata mexicana) is a critically endangered primate restricted to southeast Mexico. Here, we evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure of this subspecies based on 83 individuals from 31 groups sampled across the distribution range of the subspecies, using 29 microsatellite loci. Our results revealed extremely low genetic diversity (H_O = 0.21, H_E = 0.29) compared to studies of other A. palliata populations and to other Alouatta species. Principal component analysis, a Bayesian clustering method, and analyses of molecular variance did not detect strong signatures of genetic differentiation among geographic populations of this subspecies. Although we detect small but significant F_ST values between populations, they can be explained by a pattern of isolation by distance. These results and the presence of unique alleles in different populations highlight the importance of implementing conservation efforts in multiple populations across the distribution range of A. p. mexicana to preserve its already low genetic diversity. This is especially important given current levels of population isolation due to the extreme habitat fragmentation across the distribution range of this primate.     

Maternal influence on diapause induction in Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae): the dynamics of photosensitivity

It is known that the prepupal diapause in Trichogramma is dependent on temperature conditions of embryonic and larval development and on the photoperiodic conditions of preimaginal development of maternal females. However, the relative photosensitivity of different preimaginal stages has been never investigated. We studied the position of the photosensitive period over the preimaginal development of maternal females in T. embryophagum Htg. and T. principium Sug. et Sor. by transferring preimaginal stages between diapause‐averting ‘long’ day (L : D = 20 : 4) and diapause‐inducing ‘short’ day (L : D = 12 : 12). Results showed that the influence of maternal photoperiod on progeny diapause was determined during the late pupal stage (last days of preimaginal development at 20°C). During this time, the critical duration of the photoperiodic induction was extremely small: one short or long day caused almost the same effect as the permanent development under these conditions. As a whole, photoperiodic response in Trichogramma was found to be unusually rapid, labile and easily reversible which is probably explained by extremely small size and fast development of these egg parasitoids. The results of this study could be used for elaboration of optimal methods for Trichogramma mass rearing and storage and for prediction of its seasonal cycles under natural conditions.     

基于NDVI绿洲-荒漠过渡带宽度识别——以河西走廊中部荒漠绿洲为例

绿洲-荒漠过渡带是荒漠与绿洲之间的生态缓冲区,在维持绿洲能量流动、物质循环和景观稳定方面具有重要作用。过渡带宽度和属性直接影响到了其在整个绿洲系统中的功能发挥。以河西走廊中部张掖绿洲的Landsat(OLI)NDVI(归一化植被指数,Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)数据为基础,结合野外调查将过渡带类型划分为绿洲与石质裸山、砾质荒漠、沙质荒漠和人工固沙区4类。采用缓冲分析、分段线性趋势分析和尺度分别为30 m、90 m、210 m、330 m焦点分析等方法研究了不同类型过渡带宽度和尺度依赖特征。结果表明,在不同尺度上绿洲外缘NDVI变化存在二种线性回归趋势,趋势线交点至绿洲边界距离可确定为过渡带宽度。不同尺度分析表明,绿洲-石质裸山过渡带宽度为165—220 m,在其内NDVI线性变化趋势显著(P0.05)。绿洲-砾质荒漠过渡带宽度保持在330 m,在其内NDVI变化趋势极显著(P0.001)。绿洲-沙质荒漠过渡带宽度变化在230—290 m,NDVI变化趋势也为极显著(P0.001)。绿洲-人工固沙区过渡带宽度变化在570—580 m,与其它类型不同地是在过渡带内存在二种变化趋势,在210—240 m范围内变化趋势极显著(P0.001),超出此范围线性回归趋势不显著(P0.05)。     

A model for repair of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks in the extreme radiophile Deinococcus radiodurans

The bacterium Deinococcus (formerly Micrococcus) radiodurans and other members of the eubacterial family Deinococaceae are extremely resistant to ionizing radiation and many other agents that damage DNA. Stationary phase D. radiodurans exposed to 1.0-1.5 Mrad γ-irradiation sustains >120 DNA double-strand breaks (dsbs) per chromosome; these dsbs are mended over a period of hours with 100% survival and virtually no mutagenesis. This contrasts with nearly all other organisms in which just a few ionizing radiation induced-dsbs per chromosome are lethal. In this article we present an hypothesis that resistance of D. radiodurans to ionizing radiation and its ability to mend radiation-induced dsbs are due to a special form of redundancy wherein chromosomes exist in pairs, linked to each other by thousands of four-stranded (Holliday) junctions. Thus, a dsb is not a lethal event because the identical undamaged duplex is nearby, providing an accurate repair template. As addressed in this article, much of what is known about D. radiodurans suggests that it is particularly suited for this proposed novel form of DNA repair.     

酿酒酵母合成木栓酮及其衍生物的研究现状及展望

木栓酮及其衍生物在植物中普遍存在且种类繁多,具有丰富的生理药理学活性。木栓酮衍生物是以木栓酮为骨架经细胞色素氧化酶P450(cytochromeP450,CYP450)及UDP葡萄糖醛酸转移酶(UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, UGT)修饰而来。植物中天然木栓酮及其衍生物的含量极低,传统的萃取分离和化学合成效率低、能耗高且污染环境,因此,利用酿酒酵母作为宿主菌生产木栓酮及其衍生物是一种高效且环保的策略。本文从增加前体含量、提高酶活性和产物合成的亚细胞定位等方面介绍并展望了木栓酮在酿酒酵母中高效生产的策略,并介绍了目前几种常见的木栓酮衍生物研究现状,从根据碳骨架相似性挖掘CYP450、蛋白质工程改造CYP450和合成代谢基因簇的挖掘等方面展望了木栓酮衍生物的合成途径解析的新思路。     

Identification of a novel gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">ef7</Emphasis> conferring an extremely long basic vegetative growth phase in rice

A late heading-time mutant line, HS276, which was induced by gamma-irradiation of seeds of the japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.) variety Gimbozu, exhibits an extremely long basic vegetative growth phase (BVP). A genetic analysis using the F₂ population from the cross between HS276 and Gimbozu revealed that the late heading of HS276 is governed by a single recessive mutant gene. The subsequent analysis on heading responses of HS276 and Gimbozu to four photoperiods (12, 13, 14, and 15 h) and to the photoperiodic transfer treatment from a short photoperiod to a long photoperiod revealed that the mutant gene confers an extremely long BVP and increases photoperiod sensitivity under long photoperiod (14 and 15 h). The BVP durations of HS276 and Gimbozu were estimated at 30.1 and 16.0 days, respectively; the mutant gene, compared with its wild type allele, elongates the duration of BVP by 14 days. Linkage analysis showed that the mutant gene is located in the 129 kb region between the two INDEL markers, INDELAP0399_6 and INDELAP3487_2, on the distal part of the short arm of chromosome 6. None of the other BVP genes are located in this region; therefore, we declared this a newly detected mutant gene and designated it ef7. A recently established program to breed rice suitable for low latitudes, where short photoperiodic conditions continue throughout the year, aims to develop varieties with extremely long BVPs and weak photoperiod sensitivities; the mutant gene ef7, therefore, will be quite useful in these programs because it confers an extremely long BVP and little enhances photoperiod sensitivity under short photoperiod.