Malleola tibetica sp. nov. (Aeridinae,Orchidaceae) from Tibet,China

Malleola tibetica, a new species from southeastern tropical Tibet, China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically, the new species is closely related to M. dentifera, but differs from it by having uniformly green leaves, flowers with entire lateral lobes of the lip and a basally thickened mid‐lobe, and a column that is densely cristaline‐papillose adaxially.     

Heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification by a novel Halomonas campisalis

A novel halophilic strain that could carry out heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification was isolated and named as Halomonas campisalis ha3. It removed inorganic nitrogen compounds (e.g. NO₃ ^?, NO₂ ^? and NH₄ ⁺) simultaneously, and grew well in the medium containing up to 20 % (w/v) NaCl. PCR revealed four genes in the genome of ha3 related to aerobic denitrification: napA, nirS, norB and nosZ. The optimal conditions for aerobic denitrification were pH 9.0, at 37 °C, with 4 % (w/v) NaCl and sodium succinate as carbon source. The nitrogen removal rate was 87.5 mg NO₃ ^?–N l^?1 h^?1. Therefore, this strain is a potential aerobic denitrifier for the treatment of saline wastewater.     

Ostericum atropurpureum sp. nov. (Apiaceae) from Zhejiang,China

Ostericum atropurpureum G. Y. Li, G. H. Xia & W. Y. Xie (Apiaceae, Apioideae) from Zhejiang, China, is described and illustrated. It is closely related to O. huadongense Z. H. Pan & X. H. Li and O. sieboldii (Miquel) Nakai, but differs in having leaves with 1.5–9.0 cm long petiole, linear bracteoles 6–12 mm long, 5–9 rays, 7–14‐flowered umbellules, dark purple petals, broadly winged dorsal and lateral fruit ribs, 1.0–1.5 mm broad, 3–6 vittae in each furrow and 4–8 on the commissure.     

Characterization and constitutive expression of a novel endo-1,4-β-d-xylanohydrolase from Aspergillus niger in Pichia pastoris

A putative endo-1,4-β-d-xylanohydrolase gene xyl10 from Aspergillus niger, encoding a 308-residue mature xylanase belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 10, was constitutively expressed in Pichia pastoris. The recombinant Xyl10 exhibited optimal activity at pH 5.0 and 60 °C with more than 50 % of the maximum activity from 40 to 70 °C. It retained more than 90 % of the original activity after incubation at 60 °C (pH 5.0) for 30 min and more than 74 % after incubation at pH 3.0–13.0 for 2 h (25 °C). The specific activity, K _m and V _max values for purified Xyl10 were, respectively, 3.2 × 10³ U mg^?1, 3.6 mg ml^?1 and 5.4 × 10³ μmol min^?1 mg^?1 towards beechwood xylan. The enzyme degraded xylan to a series of xylooligosaccharides and xylose. The recombinant enzyme with these properties has the potential for various industrial applications.     

Sequence characterization and computational analysis of the non-ribosomal peptide synthetases controlling biosynthesis of lipopeptides, fengycins and bacillomycin D, from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Q-426

Lipopeptides secreted by bacteria attract interest because of their uses in biomedicine, biotechnology and food technology; however, harnessing their megasynthases (non-ribosomal peptide synthetases, NRPSs) has met with some difficulties in heterologous expression and crystallization. Here, we used similarity and phylogenetic analysis of NRPS sequences, including the fengycin and iturin family synthetases from Bacillus spp., and have developed a novel approach for delineating the length and boundaries of NRPS domains from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain Q-426. The sequences were further characterized (including specific residues and conserved motifs) that gave insight into the basis of the substrate specificity. Data from the prediction of the NRPS domains, obtained by the self-optimized prediction method with Alignment program, showed they are all structurally unstable, making it difficult to determine their crystal structures.     

The comparison of immune-enhancing activity of sulfated polysaccharidses from Tremella and Condonpsis pilosula

Based on our previous research, four sulfated polysaccharide (sPSs) from Tremella and Condonpsis pilosula, sTPS_tp, sTPS_70c, sCPPS_tp and sCPPS_50c, were prepared and their effects on splenic lymphocytes proliferation in vitro and the immune response of ND vaccine in chicken were compared taking the unmodified polysaccharide (uPS) TPS_tp as control. The results showed that four sPSs could significantly or numerically stimulate splenic lymphocyte proliferation singly or synergistically with LPS in vitro, sTPS_70c and sCPPS_tp demonstrated better effect; promote peripheral lymphocytes proliferation and enhance serum HI antibody titer in chickens vaccinated with ND vaccine, the actions of sPSs were stronger than that of uPS, and sTPS_70c at medium dosage presented the best efficacy. These indicated that sulfation modification could improve the immune-enhancing activity of TPS and CPPS, sTPS_70c possessed the strongest activity and would be expected as a component of new-type immunopotentiator.     

Arctigenin Exhibits Relaxation Effect on Bronchus by Affecting Transmembrane Flow of Calcium

Arctigenin, a lignan extract from Arctium lappa (L.), exhibits anti-inflammation, antioxidation, vasodilator effects, etc. However, the effects of arctigenin on bronchus relaxation are not well investigated. This study aimed to investigate how arctigenin regulates bronchus tone and calcium ion (Ca²⁺) flow. Trachea strips of guinea pigs were prepared for testing the relaxation effect of arctigenin to acetylcholine, histamine, KCl, and CaCl₂, respectively. Furthermore, l-type calcium channel currents were detected by patch–clamp, and intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration was detected by confocal microscopy. The results showed that arctigenin exhibited relaxation effect on tracheae to different constrictors, and this was related to decreasing cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ concentration by inhibiting Ca²⁺ influx partly through l-type calcium channel as well as promoting Ca²⁺ efflux. In summary, this study provides new insight into the mechanisms by which arctigenin exhibits relaxation effect on bronchus and suggests its potential use for airway disease therapy.     

Zinc Transporter 7 Induced by High Glucose Attenuates Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition of Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient and cytoprotectant involved in preventing many types of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-driven fibrosis in vivo. The zinc-transporter family SLC30A (ZnT) is a pivotal factor in the regulation of Zn homeostasis. However, its function in EMT in peritoneal mesothelial cells (PMCs) remains unknown. This study explored the regulation of zinc transporters and the role they play in cell EMT, particularly in rat peritoneal mesothelial cells (RPMCs), surrounding glucose concentrations and the molecular mechanism involved. The effects of high glucose (HG) on zinc transporter gene expression were measured in RPMCs by real-time PCR. We explored ZnT7 (Slc30A7): the effect of ZnT7 over-expression and siRNA-mediated knock-down on HG-induced EMT was investigated as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. Over-expression of ZnT7 resulted in significantly inhibited HG-induced EMT in RPMCs, while inhibition of ZnT7 expression using a considerable siRNA-mediated knock-down of RPMCs increased the levels of EMT. Furthermore, over-expression of ZnT7 is accompanied by down-regulation of TGF-β/Smad pathway, phospho-Smad3,4 expression levels. The finding suggests that the zinc-transporting system in RPMCs is influenced by the exposure to HG. The ZnT7 may account for the inhibition of HG-induced EMT in RPMCs, likely through targeting TGF-β/Smad signaling.     

Intermediates in the Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Reaction of Rab8 Protein Catalyzed by Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors Rabin8 and GRAB

Small G-proteins of the Ras superfamily control the temporal and spatial coordination of intracellular signaling networks by acting as molecular on/off switches. Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) regulate the activation of these G-proteins through catalytic replacement of GDP by GTP. During nucleotide exchange, three distinct substrate·enzyme complexes occur: a ternary complex with GDP at the start of the reaction (G-protein·GEF·GDP), an intermediary nucleotide-free binary complex (G-protein·GEF), and a ternary GTP complex after productive G-protein activation (G-protein·GEF·GTP). Here, we show structural snapshots of the full nucleotide exchange reaction sequence together with the G-protein substrates and products using Rabin8/GRAB (GEF) and Rab8 (G-protein) as a model system. Together with a thorough enzymatic characterization, our data provide a detailed view into the mechanism of Rabin8/GRAB-mediated nucleotide exchange.