Effects of temperature on simultaneous nitrification and denitrification via nitrite in a sequencing batch biofilm reactor

A laboratory scale experiment was described in this paper to enhance biological nitrogen removal by simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) via nitrite with a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR). Under conditions of total nitrogen (TN) about 30 mg/L and pH ranged 7.15–7.62, synthetic wastewater was cyclically operated within the reactor for 110 days. Optimal operation conditions were established to obtain consistently high TN removal rate and nitrite accumulation ratio, which included an optimal temperature of 31 °C and an aeration time of 5 h under the air flow of 50 L/h. Stable nitrite accumulation could be realized under different temperatures and the nitrite accumulation ratio increased with an increase of temperature from 15 to 35 °C. The highest TN removal rate (91.9%) was at 31 °C with DO ranged 3–4 mg/L. Process control could be achieved by observing changes in DO and pH to judge the end-point of oxidation of ammonia and SND.     

Pentamidine inhibits mitochondrial intron splicing and translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Pentamidine inhibits in vitro splicing of nuclear group I introns from rRNA genes of some pathogenic fungi and is known to inhibit mitochondrial function in yeast. Here we report that pentamidine inhibits the self-splicing of three group I and two group II introns of yeast mitochondria. Comparison of yeast strains with different configurations of mitochondrial introns (12, 5, 4, or 0 introns) revealed that strains with the most introns were the most sensitive to growth inhibition by pentamidine on glycerol medium. Analysis of blots of RNA from yeast strains grown in raffinose medium in the presence or absence of pentamidine revealed that the splicing of seven group I and two group II introns that have intron reading frames was inhibited by the drug to varying extents. Three introns without reading frames were unaffected by the drug in vivo, and two of these were inhibited in vitro, implying that the drug affects splicing by acting directly on RNA in vitro, but on another target in vivo. Because the most sensitive introns in vivo are the ones whose splicing depends on a maturase encoded by the intron reading frames, we tested pentamidine for effects on mitochondrial translation. We found that the drug inhibits mitochondrial but not cytoplasmic translation in cells at concentrations that inhibit mitochondrial intron splicing. Therefore, pentamidine is a potent and specific inhibitor of mitochondrial translation, and this effect explains most or all of its effects on respiratory growth and on in vivo splicing of mitochondrial introns.     

长江河口湿地鱼类的种类组成及多样性分析

为了解长江河口湿地鱼类种类组成的现状及变化趋势, 作者于2004–2007年间在长江河口湿地设置了33个采样站点, 采用多种调查网具对该水域的鱼类资源状况进行了较为系统的调查。共调查到鱼类123种, 隶属1纲18目46科。结合文献记录, 本地区共有鱼类208种, 隶属2纲22目67科。海鲢(Elops saurus)和印度小公鱼(Sardinella sindensis)为本地区的新记录种。鱼类组成以鲤形目和鲈形目为主; 生态型以淡水鱼类最多。长江南支、北支和口门区水域的种类组成存在一定的差异, 南支常见种以鲤形目鱼类为主, 而北支和口门区以鲈形目鱼类为主。与1990年以前的调查资料相比, 长江河口湿地鱼类物种数有所减少, 其中软骨鱼类和鲀科鱼类下降相对较多。一些重要经济种逐渐变为偶见种, 甚至成为濒危物种, 如鲥(Tenualosa reevesii)、前颌间银鱼(Hemisalanx prognathus)和暗纹东方鲀(Takifugu obscurus)等。导致河口湿地鱼类物种多样性下降的主要原因可能是过度捕捞、水域污染和栖息地丧失等。     

Design of potent beta-lactamase inhibitors by phage display of beta-lactamase inhibitory protein

Beta-lactamase inhibitory protein (BLIP) binds tightly to several beta-lactamases including TEM-1 beta-lactamase (K(i) 0.1 nm). The TEM-1 beta-lactamase/BLIP co-crystal structure indicates that two turn regions in BLIP insert into the active site of beta-lactamase to block the binding of beta-lactam antibiotics. Residues from each turn, Asp(49) and Phe(142), mimic interactions made by penicillin G when bound in the beta-lactamase active site. Phage display was used to determine which residues within the turn regions of BLIP are critical for binding TEM-1 beta-lactamase. The sequences of a set of functional mutants from each library indicated that a few sequence types were predominant. These BLIP mutants exhibited K(i) values for beta-lactamase inhibition ranging from 0.01 to 0.2 nm. The results indicate that even though BLIP is a potent inhibitor of TEM-1 beta-lactamase, the wild-type sequence of the active site binding region is not optimal and that derivatives of BLIP that bind beta-lactamase extremely tightly can be obtained. Importantly, all of the tight binding BLIP mutants have sequences that would be predicted theoretically to form turn structures.     

The protective effects of C16 peptide and angiopoietin-1 compound in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome

C16 peptide and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) have been found to have anti-inflammatory activity in various inflammation-related diseases. However, their combined role in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has not been investigated yet. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of C16 peptide and Ang-1 in combination with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory insult in vitro and in vivo. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells were used as cell culture systems, and an ARDS rodent model was used for in vivo studies. Our results demonstrated that C16 and Ang-1 in combination significantly suppressed inflammatory cell transmigration by 33% in comparison with the vehicle alone, and decreased the lung tissue wet-to-dry lung weight ratio to a maximum of 1.53, compared to 3.55 in the vehicle group in ARDS rats. Moreover, C  +  A treatment reduced the histology injury score to 60% of the vehicle control, enhanced arterial oxygen saturation (SO₂), decreased arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (PCO₂), and increased oxygen partial pressure (PO₂) in ARDS rats, while also improving the survival rate from 47% (7/15) to 80% (12/15) and diminishing fibrosis, necrosis, and apoptosis in lung tissue. Furthermore, when C  +  A therapy was administered 4 h following LPS injection, the treatment showed significant alleviating effects on pulmonary inflammatory cell infiltration 24 h postinsult. In conclusion, our in vitro and in vivo studies show that C16 and Ang-1 exert protective effects against LPS-induced inflammatory insult. C16 and Ang-1 hold promise as a novel agent against LPS-induced ARDS. Further studies are needed to determine the potential for C16 and Ang-1 in combination in treating inflammatory lung diseases.     

Calpain activation mediates microgravity-induced myocardial abnormalities in mice via p38 and ERK1/2 MAPK pathways

The human cardiovascular system has adapted to function optimally in Earth''s 1G gravity, and microgravity conditions cause myocardial abnormalities, including atrophy and dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanisms linking microgravity and cardiac anomalies are incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated whether and how calpain activation promotes myocardial abnormalities under simulated microgravity conditions. Simulated microgravity was induced by tail suspension in mice with cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Capns1, which disrupts activity and stability of calpain-1 and calpain-2, and their WT littermates. Tail suspension time-dependently reduced cardiomyocyte size, heart weight, and myocardial function in WT mice, and these changes were accompanied by calpain activation, NADPH oxidase activation, and oxidative stress in heart tissues. The effects of tail suspension were attenuated by deletion of Capns1. Notably, the protective effects of Capns1 deletion were associated with the prevention of phosphorylation of Ser-345 on p47^phox and attenuation of ERK1/2 and p38 activation in hearts of tail-suspended mice. Using a rotary cell culture system, we simulated microgravity in cultured neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes and observed decreased total protein/DNA ratio and induced calpain activation, phosphorylation of Ser-345 on p47^phox, and activation of ERK1/2 and p38, all of which were prevented by calpain inhibitor-III. Furthermore, inhibition of ERK1/2 or p38 attenuated phosphorylation of Ser-345 on p47^phox in cardiomyocytes under simulated microgravity. This study demonstrates for the first time that calpain promotes NADPH oxidase activation and myocardial abnormalities under microgravity by facilitating p47^phox phosphorylation via ERK1/2 and p38 pathways. Thus, calpain inhibition may be an effective therapeutic approach to reduce microgravity-induced myocardial abnormalities.     

生物基分子介导纳米金属材料的制备及其应用

纳米金属材料具有纳米晶强化效应、光吸收率大、较高的表面能和单磁畴性能等优点,因其在医药、化学催化、抗菌抑毒等方面发挥着越来越重要的作用而受到人们广泛关注.近年来,随着全球石化资源消耗与曰俱增,环境污染加剧,基于可再生资源的生物基分子介导纳米材料的制备研究方兴未艾.生物基分子是指直接或间接来源于生物质的小分子或大分子物质...     

古菌ESCRT系统研究进展

内体分拣转运复合体（ESCRT,endosomal sorting complex required for transport）曾被认为是真核生物特有的系统,涉及膜重塑、泛素化蛋白质分拣等重要细胞生命过程。近年的研究显示,TACK（包括Thaumarchaeota、Aigarchaeota、Crenarchaeota和Korarchaeota门）古菌超门中存在着一类与分泌膜囊泡、古菌病毒出胞以及细胞分裂过程等膜重塑过程相关的细胞分裂（Cdv,cell division）系统,该系统中的CdvB和CdvC是真核生物ESCRT-III和Vps4的同源蛋白,提示真核生物ESCRT系统可能起源自古菌。然而,由于TACK古菌中缺少真核生物ESCRT系统的其他关键成分,这一假设仍有争议。最近发现的阿斯加德（Asgard）古菌是一类被认为与真核生物最近缘的古菌,其基因组具有较完整的ESCRT相关蛋白的编码基因,提示真核生物的ESCRT很可能起源于阿斯加德古菌。本文首先简要介绍真核生物ESCRT系统的组成及生物学功能,然后分别总结TACK古菌的Cdv系统和阿斯加德古菌的ESCRT系统的研究进展,重点讨论它们的组成及生物学功能,为进一步了解古菌ESCRT系统与真核生物起源的关系提供参考。     

棘孢木霉挥发性次级代谢产物检测及抑菌活性分析

木霉是一类具有重要生防价值的丝状真菌。文中首先对分离自浙江省绍兴市和广东省佛山市共12株棘孢木霉Trichoderma asperellum进行平板拮抗评价,然后采用顶空固相微萃取气质联用法(HS-SPME-GC-MS)检测拮抗性较好的两株菌的挥发性次级代谢产物。结果表明,棘孢木霉ZJSX5003和GDFS1009菌丝生长迅速,对尖孢镰孢菌Fusariumoxysporum抑制率分别达73%和74%。挥发性次级代谢产物主要是醇类和酮类,其中包含异丁醇、异戊醇、3-甲基-3-丁烯-1-醇、3-羟基-2-丁酮、2,3-丁二醇和6-正戊基-2H-吡喃-2-酮(6-PAP)。进一步通过体外抑菌试验,证实6-PAP具有较好的抑制尖孢镰孢菌的效果,为开发以木霉菌代谢产物如6-PAP为主要成分的生防制剂提供指导。     

基于转录组测序的Cd胁迫下芹菜细胞自噬相关基因的筛选

细胞自噬是植物逆境应答过程中最常见的保护机制之一。动物中,自噬相关基因抵御镉(Cd)毒害的功能研究较清楚,但植物却知之甚少。文中以芹菜品种‘皇后’为试材,采用外源Cd(终浓度为0、2、4、8mg/L)添加营养液水培处理,利用转录组测序(RNA-seq)技术筛选细胞自噬相关差异基因并进行q RT-PCR验证。结果表明Cd胁迫对芹菜植株产生了明显的毒害作用,并与浓度间产生了量效关系。在筛选的8个差异表达的自噬相关基因中,ATG8a、ATG8f、ATG13、AMPK-1、AMPK-2基因随Cd浓度升高表达上调,ATG12、VPS30和VPS34则先上调后下降,说明自噬相关基因可能通过表达上调增加了自噬小体结构以抵御Cd毒性作用;而高浓度Cd(8mg/L)可能超出芹菜的耐受范围,导致多个自噬基因又出现表达下调趋势。以上结果有助于后期自噬相关基因的功能研究,为进一步探讨芹菜对Cd胁迫的耐性机制提供参考依据。