Endophytic fungi as a source of biofuel precursors

Endophytic fungi, isolated from a number of different species of tropical plants, were investigated for lipid biodiesel precursor production. The extracts produced from liquid cultures of these fungi were subjected to acidcatalyzed transesterification reactions with methanol producing methyl esters and then analyzed through chromatographic (GC-FID) and spectrometric techniques (MS, NMR 1H). The European Standard Method, EN 14103, was used for the quantification of methyl esters extracted from the fungi of the species and genera studied. Xylariaceous fungi exhibited the highest concentrations of methyl esters (91%), and hence may be a promising source for biofuel.     

Algal biomass as a source for novel oral nano-antimicrobial agent

In the present study, sulphated polysaccharide Ulvan from Ulva lactuca was used for the synthesis of biogenic Selenium Nanoparticles (SeNPs) conjugate and Mouth rinse was prepared using this conjugate. The synthesis of nanoparticles was confirmed by UV–Visible spectrophotometry and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). TEM showed that the average size of the nanoparticle was 85 nm and spherical in shape. Furthermore, nanoparticle conjugates were evaluated for cell viability using MTT assay 3T3-L1 cell line and at 30 µl/ml showed 34% cell viability. The antimicrobial activity of SeNPs mouth rinse was tested against oral pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus, and Candida albicans and it was effective against all tested microorganism at the concentration of 100 µl/ml. The present study has shown that Ulvan from algal biomass can be a safe and effective source for the development of oral nano-antimicrobial agents.     

Micro-algae as a source of protein

About five decades ago, the mass production of certain protein-rich micro-algae was considered as a possibility to close the predicted so called "protein gap". Comprehensive analyses and nutritional studies have demonstrated that these algal proteins are of high quality and comparable to conventional vegetable proteins. However, due to high production costs as well as technical difficulties to incorporate the algal material into palatable food preparations, the propagation of algal protein is still in its infancy. To date, the majority of micro-algal preparations are marketed as health food, as cosmetics or as animal feed.     

Vitrification of kidney precursors as a new source for organ transplantation

Kidney transplantation from deceased or living human donors has been limited by donor availability as opposed to the increasing demand, and by the risk of allograft loss rejection and immunosuppressive therapy toxicity. In recent years, xenotransplantation of developed kidney precursor cells has offered a novel solution for the unlimited supply of human donor organs. Specifically, transplantation of kidney precursors in adult hosts showed that intact embryonic kidneys underwent maturation, exhibiting functional properties, and averted humoural rejection post-transplantation from non-immunosuppressed hosts. Even if supply and demand could be balanced using xenotransplants or lab-grown organs from regenerative medicine, the future of these treatments would still be compromised by the ability to physically distribute the organs to patients in need and to produce these products in a way that allows adequate inventory control and quality assurance. Kidney precursors originating from fifteen-day old rabbit embryos were vitrified using Cryotop® as a device and VM3 as vitrification solution. After 3 months of storage in liquid nitrogen, 18 kidney precursors were transplanted into non-immunosuppressed adult hosts by laparoscopy surgery. Twenty-one days after allotransplantation, 9 new kidneys were recovered. All the new kidneys recovered exhibited significant growth and mature glomeruli. Having achieved these encouraging results, we report, for the first time, that it is possible to create a long-term biobank of kidney precursors as an unlimited source of organs for transplantation, facilitating the inventory control and distribution of organs.     

Chickpea protein hydrolysate as a substitute for serum in cell culture

The growth of mammalian cells in vitro requires the use of rich culture media that are prepared by combining serum with specific nutrient formulations. Serum, the most expensive component of culture media, provides a complex mixture of growth factors and nutrients. Protein hydrolysates that can support in vitro cell growth and eliminate or reduce the need to use serum have been obtained from different sources. Here we describe the use of two food grade proteases to produce a chickpea protein hydrolysate that has been added to cell culture medium in order to determine whether it can be used as a substitute for serum. Medium containing the hydrolysate has been tested using two human cells lines: the monocytic THP-1 cell line which grows in suspension, and the epithelial Caco-2 cell line which grows as a monolayer. The chickpea protein hydrolysate was a good substitute for serum in the first case, but did not allow growth of Caco-2 cells. Supplementation of culture media with this inexpensive and safe hydrolysate would greatly reduce the cost of cell culture.     

Human and porcine early kidney precursors as a new source for transplantation

Kidney transplantation has been one of the major medical advances of the past 30 years. However, tissue availability remains a major obstacle. This can potentially be overcome by the use of undifferentiated or partially developed kidney precursor cells derived from early embryos and fetal tissue. Here, transplantation in mice reveals the earliest gestational time point at which kidney precursor cells, of both human and pig origin, differentiate into functional nephrons and not into other, non-renal professional cell types. Moreover, successful organogenesis is achieved when using the early kidney precursors, but not later-gestation kidneys. The formed, miniature kidneys are functional as evidenced by the dilute urine they produce. In addition, decreased immunogenicity of the transplants of early human and pig kidney precursors compared with adult kidney transplants is demonstrated in vivo. Our data pinpoint a window of human and pig kidney organogenesis that may be optimal for transplantation in humans.     

Macrophages function as a ferritin iron source for cultured human erythroid precursors

Iron is essential for the survival as well as the proliferation and maturation of developing erythroid precursors (EP) into hemoglobin-containing red blood cells. The transferrin-transferrin receptor pathway is the main route for erythroid iron uptake. Using a two-phase culture system, we have previously shown that placental ferritin as well as macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes could partially replace transferrin and support EP growth in a transferrin-free medium. We now demonstrate that in the absence of transferrin, ferritin synthesized and secreted by macrophages can serve as an iron source for EP. Macrophages trigger an increase in both the cytosolic and the mitochondrial labile iron pools, in heme and in hemoglobin synthesis, along with a decrease in surface transferrin receptors. Inhibiting macrophage exocytosis, binding extracellular ferritin with specific antibodies, inhibiting EP receptor-mediated endocytosis or acidification of EP lysosomes, all resulted in a decreased EP growth when co-cultured with macrophages under transferrin-free conditions. The results suggest that iron taken up by macrophages is incorporated mainly into their ferritin, which is subsequently secreted by exocytosis. Nearby EP are able to take up this ferritin probably through clathrin-dependent, receptor-mediated endocytosis into endosomes, which following acidification and proteolysis release the iron from the ferritin, making it available for regulatory and synthetic purposes. Thus, macrophages support EP development under transferrin-free conditions by delivering essential iron in the form of metabolizable ferritin.     

Glycyrrhizic acid and its hydrolysate as mineralocorticoid agonist

Mineralocorticoid activity of glycyrrhetinic acid (GR) was studied in vivo (electrical potential difference in rat rectum) and in vitro (brush border Mg2+-HCO3- ATPase in rat small intestine, kidney cytosol binding of GR with and without RU-28362, anti-glucocorticoid compound) in order to clarify the mechanism of mineralocorticoid-like activity of GR. Scatchard analysis of [3H]aldosterone showed that Kd of higher affinity site (type I) 6.0 X 10(-9) M, Bmax 1.0 X 10(-14) mol/mg protein, and Kd of lower affinity site (type II) 1.6 X 10(-7) M, Bmax 7.5 X 10(-14) mol/mg protein. GR competed for [3H]aldosterone binding sites in kidney cytosol at the concentration of 10(4) times as that of unlabeled aldosterone. RU-28362 displaced aldosterone binding curve, whereas GR binding kinetic was not affected by this compound. Adrenalectomy caused a significant fall in brush border Mg2+-HCO3- ATPase activity (75% reduction compared with the initial level) which was not restored by GR administration. Electrical potential differences in the adrenalecomized rats were significantly lower than those in the control rats, which did not increase after GR administration.     

Fermentation broth of Bacillus thuringiensis as a source of precursors for production of nikkomycins

Production of nikkomycins (nucleoside antibiotics inhibiting chitin synthesis) by Streptomyces tendae (ATCC 31160) was considerably enhanced by addition of fermentation wastes of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (HD 263) to the basal soymannitol medium. Analysis of this fermentation broth for nucleic acid derivatives showed that they contained about 0·8 g/l of various nucleosides and bases (uracil 0·43 g/l; hypoxanthine 0·21 g/l; as well as uridine, cytosine and adenine).     

Natural protoplast Dunaliella as a source of protein.

The protein content of once-washed pellets of Dunaliella primalecta was 35 to 48%. Protein quality was good. Electron microscopy confirmed the absence of a cell wall.     

Use of unextracted sunflower seeds as a protein source

Substitution of unextracted sunflower seeds for either 0, 25, 50 or 100% of the soya bean meal in pig diets produced no significant differences in digestible energy or apparent nitrogen retention. However, all diets containing unextracted sunflower seeds had significantly higher digestible nitrogen than the diets containing soya bean meal as the protein source. Replacement of 25% of the soya bean meal with unextracted sunflower seeds produced the greatest increase in digestibility. Rate and efficiency of gain in rats were used to evaluate the effects of autoclaving unextracted sunflower seeds at 115°C with 1.05 kg/cm² pressure for 0, 5 or 10 minutes. Rats fed on the basal maize-soya bean meal diet gained significantly faster and more efficiently than the rats fed on the diets containing the sunflower seeds. An increase in heating time of the sunflower seeds produced a significant reduction in rate and efficiency of rat gain.     

Influence of dietary nicotine and colony source ofManduca sexta [Lepidoptera: Sphingidae] on its suitability as a host ofCotesia congregata [Hymenoptera: Braconidae]

Larval tobacco hornworms,Manduca sexta (L.), of 2 different colonies were exposed to parasitism by the gregarious endoparasitoid,Cotesia congregata (Say). A comparison was made of parasitoid larval, pre-pupal, and pupal mortality, female and male dry weight and larval development time. In general, “Maryland” hornworms were more suitable hosts than “North Carolina” hornworms. Although the presence of dietary nicotine increased parasitoid mortality in individuals reared from hornworms of both colonies, the effect was more severe among individuals parasitizing the North Carolina hornworms. Scientific contribution No. 8125, article No. A-5066 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Entomology.     

Production of earthworms as a potentially economical source of protein

The main objectives of this study were (1) to determine the optimum frequency for transferring a fixed population of Eisenia foetida into fresh surroundings to effect maximum production of earthworm biomass, (2) to determine carrying capacity and maximum production of E. foetida biomass per unit area–volume–time at 24°C, and (3) to measure the nucleic acid concentration of this earthworm. Population were rapidly decimated in limed peat moss with horse manure as food when transferred weekly or when held for ten weeks in the same substrate; no significant differences and high survival obtained at intermediate intervals. Significantly more cocoons were produced when transfers were made every two weeks, and a trend was seen toward a lower level of cocoon production with length of detention in substrate. The growth rate of adults was approximately similar in relation to the frequency of transfer, as was biomass, at transfer frequencies of every 2 to 9 weeks. One interpretation of the data is that a detention interval of 6 to 8 weeks is optimum for maximizing production of biomass; eight weeks is the interval commonly selected in commercial practices. Carrying was 9.5 g live weight on a surface area–volume of 24 cm²–110 cm³ with horse manure as food on 20 g of soil as substrate; maximum production in this space was 2 g live weight in 7 weeks, which extrapolates to 6685 kg protein/ha yr. Nucleic acid concentration was 2.9%, which falls below values of about 6–28% obtained for microbes, and may exceed values for mammalian muscle by about twofold.     

Algal contact as a trigger for coral disease

Diseases are causing alarming declines in reef‐building coral species, the foundation blocks of coral reefs. The emergence of these diseases has occurred simultaneously with large increases in the abundance of benthic macroalgae. Here, we show that physical contact with the macroalga Halimeda opuntia can trigger a virulent disease known as white plague type II that has caused widespread mortality in most Caribbean coral species. Colonies of the dominant coral Montastraea faveolata exposed to algal transplants developed the disease whereas unexposed colonies did not. The bacterium Aurantimonas coralicida, causative agent of the disease, was present on H. opuntia sampled close to, and away from diseased corals, indicating that the alga serves as a reservoir for this pathogen. Our results suggest that the spread of macroalgae on coral reefs could account for the elevated incidence of coral diseases over past decades and that reduction of macroalgal abundance could help control coral epizootics.     

Effects of sulfuric acid loading and residence time on the composition of sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate and its use as a source of xylose for xylitol bioproduction

A 2(2) full factorial design was employed to evaluate the effects of sulfuric acid loading and residence time on the composition of sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate obtained in a 250-L reactor. The acid loading and the residence time were varied from 70 to 130 mg acid per gram of dry bagasse and from 10 to 30 min, respectively, while the temperature (121 degrees C) and the bagasse loading (10%) were kept constant. Both the sulfuric acid loading and the residence time influenced the concentrations of xylose and inhibitors in the hydrolysate. The highest xylose concentration (22.71 g/L) was achieved when using an acid loading of 130 mg/g and a residence time of 30 min. These conditions also led to increased concentrations of inhibiting byproducts in the hydrolysate. All of the hydrolysates were vacuum-concentrated to increase the xylose concentration, detoxified by pH alteration and adsorption into activated charcoal, and used for xylitol bioproduction in a stirred tank reactor. Neither the least (70 mg/g, 10 min) nor the most severe (130 mg/g, 30 min) hydrolysis conditions led to the best xylitol production (37.5 g/L), productivity (0.85 g/L h), and yield (0.78 g/g).     

Use of collagen hydrolysate as a complex nitrogen source for the synthesis of penicillin by Penicillium chrysogenum

Optimal conditions for both biomass formation and penicillin synthesis by a strain of Penicillium chrysogenum were determined when using a collagen-derived nitrogen source. Preliminary investigations were carried out in shaken flask cultures employing a planned experimental program termed the Graeco-Latin square technique (Auden et al., 1967). It was initially determined that up to 30% of a conventional complex nitrogen source such as cottonseed meal could be replaced by the collagen-derived nitrogen source without decreasing the productivity with respect to the penicillin yield. In the pilot scale experiments using a 30 l stirred tank type of bioreactor, higher penicillin yields were obtained when 70% of the conventional complex nitrogen source in the form of cottonseed meal was replaced by the collagen hydrolysate. Furthermore, the maximum rate of penicillin synthesis continued for over a longer period when using collagen hydrolysate as a complex nitrogen source. Penicillin synthesis rates were determined using a linear regression.