Microbial Community Structures in Terrestrial Subsurface Sediments from the Southern Kanto Plain,Japan

Abstract

Microbial community structure reflects the surrounding natural environment and changes to that environment. Although the subsurface at 5–100?m depth is important for human activities and there are potential risks of environmental pollution in this region, there have been only a few reports of subsurface microbial community structures in terrestrial areas. We investigated the diversity and community compositions of Bacteria and Archaea in boring cores collected from various depths at three different sites in the southern Kanto Plain, Japan. The results of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing using MiSeq showed that the microbial community composition varied with the geological unit. Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria) were dominant members within sediments accumulated during the Pleistocene in the Musashino Upland. In contrast, Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi characteristically appeared in the Holocene layers of the Arakawa Lowland. These data suggest that the subsurface microbial composition is controlled by the geological features of the sediments.     

Selective replacement of primary hydroxyl groups in carbohydrates: preparation of some carbohydrate derivatives containing halomethyl groups

Selective halogenation of hydroxymethyl groups in sugars and nucleosides has been achieved by use of triphenylphosphine and carbon tetrahalides (chloride, bromide, or iodide) in pyridine. Methyl α-d-glucopyranoside, 1,2,-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose, inosine, and uridine give almost quantitative yields of their primary halomethyl analogs. Similarly, 6,6′-dichloro-6,6′-dideoxysucrose is prepared from sucrose. Chlorination and bromination of 5,6-anhydro-1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose by these reagents give 6-chloro-6-deoxy-1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose and 6-bromo-6-deoxy-1,2-O-iso-propylidene-α-d-glucofuranose, respectively.     

Exploring effects of Simvastatin on coagulation mediators to alleviate the advancement of high cholesterol diet triggered neurodegeneration

The objectives of our study were to investigate the possible effect of Simvastatin in ameliorating high cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced neurodegeneration and to also investigate its possible action on coagulation mediators. In silico and in vitro studies were performed to evaluate the impact of Simvastatin on prime coagulation mediators. HCD was used to induce neuropathology in wistar rats and histopathological and immunohistochemical studies were performed to evaluate the efficacy of Simvastatin in preventing the advancement of neurodegeneration in obese rats. Biochemical analyses were used to estimate changes in lipid profile, oxidative stress, inflammatory and coagulation markers. Simvastatin showed good theoretical affinity to coagulation proteins, significantly reversed changes in inflammatory and coagulation biomarkers which were induced by HCD. Enhanced fibrinolytic activity of Simvastatin was revealed through in vitro analysis. Immunohistoanalysis showed raised level of Nrf2. Histopathological studies also supported neuroprotective potential of Simvastatin in HCD fed rats. Simvastatin demonstrated reduced hypercoagulation, enhanced fibrinolysis and reversed neurodegeneration in HCD exposed rats suggesting its potential role in preventing the progression of neurodegeneration in obesity.     

A comparative study of the aromaticity of pyrrole, furan, thiophene, and their aza-derivatives

The relative aromaticity of pyrrole, furan, thiophene, and their aza-derivatives has been examined using TRE (topological resonance energy), MRE (magnetic resonance energy), ring current (RC), and ring current diamagnetic susceptibility (χ_G) methods. The results obtained were compared with results obtained by others who used the energetic method ASE (aromatic stabilization energy), the geometric method HOMA (harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity), and the magnetic method NICS(1) (nucleus-independent chemical shift). The impact of nitrogen atoms on the aromaticity of the aza-derivatives of pyrrole, furan, and thiophene is discussed. An excellent correlation was found between the energetic (TRE, MRE) and magnetic (RC and χ_G) criteria of aromaticity for all compounds. It was expected that inclusion of a heteroatom would decrease the aromaticity relative to the cyclopentadienyl anion. Our results show that the type of the first heteroatom, which donates two electrons to the system, as well as the number of nitrogen atoms and their positions in the molecule have a strong effect on aromaticity. In general, aromaticity is enhanced when the nitrogen atom is adjacent to the first heteroatom. The magnitude of aromaticity is related closely with the uniformity of distribution of π-electrons in the molecule.