江西武夷山中亚热带南方铁杉针阔混交林群落组成与结构

长期监测型固定样地是研究物种分布格局、群落动态和生物多样性维持机制等森林生态系统特征、过程与机理的重要平台。我国亚热带地区已建立的森林固定样地多为阔叶林类型,而针叶(阔叶混交)林类型十分有限。按照巴拿马Barro Colorado Island大型森林固定样地的建设规范,于2014年在江西武夷山国家级自然保护区内海拔1800 m左右的南方铁杉(Tsuga chinensis var. tchekiangensis)天然种群分布区域建立中亚热带针阔混交林6.4 hm~2固定样地。木本植物调查结果表明:(1)样地内胸径≥1 cm的木本植物共有29科53属89种,显著低于我国亚热带阔叶林样地平均水平,但显著高于温带针叶(阔叶混交)林样地平均水平;(2)在区系组成上,科以热带成分为主,而属以温带成分为主;(3)样地内独立个体数密度为2252株/hm~2,与温带针叶(阔叶混交)林平均水平相当,但显著低于亚热带阔叶林平均水平;(4)胸高断面积为37.89 m~2/hm~2,与亚热带阔叶林样地平均水平相当,但显著低于温带针叶(阔叶混交)林平均水平;(5)群落成层现象显著,优势种明显,多度排名前4位的物种的个体数占总个体数的55%,而排名后40的物种仅占1%;(6)群落总径级结构呈倒"J"型分布,其中胸径≤10 cm的小径木占总个体数的76.9%,而胸径30 cm的大径木仅占5.3%;(7)主要树种的径级结构有偏正态分布和"L"型分布等类型,但它们的种群在空间上均呈现显著的聚集分布特征;(8)南方铁杉虽然是群落现阶段最重要的优势种,但它的种群更新缓慢。研究结果充分显示该样地对中国森林多样性监测以及南方铁杉种群保育的重要意义。     

Comparison of soluble microbial products released from activated sludge and aerobic granular sludge systems in the presence of toxic 2,4-dichlorophenol

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - The objective of this study was to compare the release of soluble microbial products (SMP) from activated sludge (AS) and aerobic granular sludge (AGS) in...     

1,3-丙二醇产生菌的诱变育种及培养基优化

以实验室自然筛选的克雷伯氏杆菌(Klebsiella sp.)为出发株,采用紫外诱变及亚硝基胍和超声波协同处理获得一株1,3-丙二醇高产突变株。在摇瓶发酵中,其产1,3-丙二醇产量由17.39 g/L提高到24.11 g/L,提高38.64%。变异株经10次传代培养,发酵能力稳定。对发酵培养基成分进行了优化,优化后1,3-丙二醇产量为30.05g/L,为优化前的1.25倍。     

Proteomic analysis of Ketogulonicigenium vulgare under glutathione reveals high demand for thiamin transport and antioxidant protection

Ketogulonicigenium vulgare, though grows poorly when mono-cultured, has been widely used in the industrial production of the precursor of vitamin C with the coculture of Bacillus megaterium. Various efforts have been made to clarify the synergic pattern of this artificial microbial community and to improve the growth and production ability of K. vulgare, but there is still no sound explanation. In previous research, we found that the addition of reduced glutathione into K. vulgare monoculture could significantly improve its growth and productivity. By performing SEM and TEM, we observed that after adding GSH into K. vulgare monoculture, cells became about 4-6 folds elongated, and formed intracytoplasmic membranes (ICM). To explore the molecular mechanism and provide insights into the investigation of the synergic pattern of the co-culture system, we conducted a comparative iTRAQ-2-D-LC-MS/MS-based proteomic analysis of K. vulgare grown under reduced glutathione. Principal component analysis of proteomic data showed that after the addition of glutathione, proteins for thiamin/thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) transport, glutathione transport and the maintenance of membrane integrity, together with several membrane-bound dehydrogenases had significant up-regulation. Besides, several proteins participating in the pentose phosphate pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle were also up-regulated. Additionally, proteins combating intracellular reactive oxygen species were also up-regulated, which similarly occurred in K. vulgare when the co-cultured B. megaterium cells lysed from our former research results. This study reveals the demand for transmembrane transport of substrates, especially thiamin, and the demand for antioxidant protection of K. vulgare.     

Two storage hexamerins from the beet armyworm <Emphasis Type=Italic>Spodoptera exigua</Emphasis>: Cloning,characterization and the effect of gene silencing on survival

Background  

In insects, hemocyanin superfamily proteins accumulate apparently to serve as sources of amino acids during metamorphosis, reproduction and development. Storage hexamerins are important members of the hemocyanin superfamily. Although insects possess storage hexamerins, very little is known about the character and specific functions of hexamerin 1 and storage protein 1 in insect development.     

Wentsaiboea tiandengensis sp. nov. and W. luochengensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Karst caves in Guangxi,southern China

Two new species of Gesneriaceae, Wentsaiboea tiandengensis Yan Liu & B. Pan and Wentsaiboea luochengensis Yan Liu & W. B. Xu from Karst caves in Guangxi, China are described and illustrated. Wentsaiboea tiandengensis resembles W. renifolia, but differs in the leaf blade being cordate or broadly ovate, the margin crenate or repand, with conspicuous pinnate veins 3–5 on each side, corolla throat constricted, corolla lobes ovate with apex acute, staminodes 3, and ovary broadly ovoid. Wentsaiboea luochengensis is similar to W. renifolia, but can be distinguished from the latter by the coriaceous leaf blade with 2–3 inconspicuous pinnate veins on each side, elliptic or broadly ovate to sub‐rotund in shape, with sub‐entire margin and attenuate to cuneate or sub‐rotund base, broadly ovate or sub‐rotund corolla lobes, rotund or obtuse apex, and 3 staminodes.     

Functional Interaction of Phosphatase and Tensin Homologue (PTEN) with the E3 Ligase NEDD4-1 during Neuronal Response to Zinc

The contribution of zinc-mediated neuronal death in the process of both acute and chronic neurodegeneration has been increasingly appreciated. Phosphatase and tensin homologue, deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), the major tumor suppressor and key regulator of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, plays a critical role in neuronal death in response to various insults. NEDD4-1-mediated PTEN ubiquitination and subsequent degradation via the ubiquitin proteosomal system have recently been demonstrated to be the important regulatory mechanism for PTEN in several cancer types. We now demonstrate that PTEN is also the key mediator of the PI3K/Akt pathway in the neuronal response to zinc insult. We used primary cortical neurons and neuroblastoma N2a cells to show that zinc treatment results in a reduction of the PTEN protein level in parallel with increased NEDD4-1 gene/protein expression. The reduced PTEN level is associated with an activated PI3K pathway as determined by elevated phosphorylation of both Akt and GSK-3 as well as by the attenuating effect of a specific PI3K inhibitor (wortmannin). The reduction of PTEN can be attributed to increased protein degradation via the ubiquitin proteosomal system, as we show NEDD4-1 to be the major E3 ligase responsible for PTEN ubiquitination in neurons. Moreover, PTEN and NEDD4-1 appear to be able to counter-regulate each other to mediate the neuronal response to zinc. This reciprocal regulation requires the PI3K signaling pathway, suggesting a feedback loop mechanism. This study demonstrates that NEDD4-1-mediated PTEN ubiquitination is crucial in the regulation of PI3K/Akt signaling by PTEN during the neuronal response to zinc, which may represent a common mechanism in neurodegeneration.