An innovative miniature microbial fuel cell fabricated using photolithography

Recently microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have attracted increasing interests in both environmental and energy fields. Among the various MFC configurations, miniature microbial fuel cell (mini-MFC) has a great potential for the application in medical, communication and other areas because of its miniature volume and high output power density. In this work, a 25-μL single-chamber mini-MFC was fabricated using the photolithography technique. The plate-shaped gold anodic electrode in the mini-MFC showed a higher electrochemical activity than the stripe-shaped one. A biofilm of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was formed on the surface of gold electrode in this micro-liter-scale MFCs. As a result, a maximum power density of 29 mW/m(2) and a maximum current density of 2148 mA/m(2) were achieved by this single-chamber mini-MFC.     

Procyanidin dimer B2 [epicatechin-(4beta-8)-epicatechin] suppresses the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in endotoxin-treated monocytic cells

The anti-inflammatory activity of the predominant procyanidin dimer in cocoa, dimer B2, was investigated in this study. Pretreatment of the procyanidin dimer B2 reduced COX-2 expression induced by the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in differentiated human monocytic cells (THP-1) in culture. To further elucidate the underlying mechanism of COX-2 inhibition by procyanidin, we examined their effects on the activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), Jun-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), which are upstream enzymes known to regulate COX-2 expression in many cell types. Pretreatment with procyanidin dimer B2 decreased the activation of ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK. In addition, procyanidin dimer B2 suppressed the NF-kappaB activation through stabilization of IkappaB proteins, suggesting that these signal-transducing enzymes could be potential targets for procyanidin dimer B2. By affecting the expression rather than the activity of COX-2, these in vitro data reported herein give further evidence on the anti-inflammatory protection by procyanidins.     

银杏观赏品种遗传关系的AFLP分析

从64对EcoRⅠ／MseⅠ引物（其中MseⅠ引物为荧光标记物）中筛选出8对扩增产物多态性高、谱带清晰的引物,对来自美国、荷兰、日本、法国和我国的21个银杏观赏品种的遗传关系进行了研究。结果表明：8对引物共产生1117条谱带,229个特异位点（其中缺失带54条、单态带175条）,多态带983条,多态带的比例为88％;每对引物鉴别效率为100％。14个国外银杏观赏品种平均多态带的比例35．86％,7个国内品种平均多态带的比例31．51％。21个观赏品种之间相似系数为0．4899-0．8499。当相似系数为0．7300时,供试观赏品种可分为四类,来源地相同的品种并不单独聚成一类,中国和法国的品种分别属于其中的三类。根据对观赏品种的特异位点、相似系数、聚类结果等进行综合分析表明,‘塔形银杏’、‘垂乳银杏’、‘筒叶银杏’、‘大耳银杏’、‘斑叶银杏’、‘展冠银杏’、‘垂枝银杏’、‘沂源叶籽银杏’这8个品种是银杏观赏品种中的重要特异种质。     

C-terminus mutations of Acremonium chrysogenum deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase with improved activity toward penicillin analogs

Deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase (acDAOC/DACS) from Acremonium chrysogenum is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes both the ring-expansion of penicillin N to deacetoxycephalosporin C (DAOC) and the hydroxylation of the latter to deacetylcephalosporin C (DAC). Three residues N305, R307 and R308 located in close proximity to the C-terminus of acDAOC/DACS were each mutated to leucine. The N305L and R308L mutant acDAOC/DACSs showed significant improvement in their ability to convert penicillin analogs. R308 was identified for the first time as a critical residue for DAOC/DACS activity. Kinetic analyses of purified R308L enzyme indicated its improved catalytic efficiency is due to combined improvements of K(m) and k(cat). Comparative modeling of acDAOC/DACS supports the involvement of R308 in the formation of substrate-binding pocket.     

Saturation mutagenesis of Acremonium chrysogenum deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase R308 site confirms its role in controlling substrate specificity

Deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase (acDAOC/DACS) from Acremonium chrysogenum is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes both the ring-expansion of penicillin N to deacetoxycephalosporin C and the hydroxylation of the latter to deacetylcephalosporin C. The R308 residue located in close proximity to the C-terminus of acDAOC/DACS was mutated to the other 19 amino acids. In the resulting mutant pool, R308L, R308I, R308T and R308V showed significant improvement in their ability to convert penicillin analogs, thus confirming the role of R308 in controlling substrate selectivity, the four amino acids all possess short aliphatic sidechains that may improve hydrophobic interactions with the substrates. The mutant R308I showed the highest reactivity for penicillin G, with 3-fold increase in k_cat/K_m ratio and 7-fold increase in relative activity.     

莲品种资源的SRAP遗传多样性分析

利用分子标记SRAP技术对国内广泛栽培以及新近育成的39个莲品种进行了DNA多态性分析。选取5对引物扩增基因组DNA,共获得101条带,其中88条为多态性条带,每对引物平均提供20个标记信息。由UPMGA方法得到的聚类分析结果表明了39个品种间的遗传关系,结果表明:花莲、籽莲和藕莲三大类群有明显的界限,花莲和籽莲的遗传距离较近,藕莲与它们的遗传距离较远。分子方差分析结果表明:莲品种间和品种内均存在遗传变异,藕莲品种内的遗传变异略低于品种间的遗传变异,而诱变籽莲、诱变花莲和常规籽莲品种内遗传变异均大于品种间的遗传变异,尤其是诱变籽莲、诱变花莲品种内遗传变异占总变异的分量分别超过了70%和60%,这种品种内的遗传变异,一方面对于莲的高产稳产具有重要的意义,另一方面也说明了从这些国内广泛栽培的品种以及新近育成的莲品种中可以直接进一步选育出更优良的新品种。     

白斑综合征病毒浙江分离株在动物模型克氏原螯虾组织中的分布

应用对虾白斑综合征病毒浙江分离株(WSSV-ZJ)人工口服感染实验动物模型克氏原螯虾,研究其在消化道组织和血淋巴细胞内分布及病理变化的特点。结果显示,在受感染濒死螯虾的胃、中肠和循环血淋巴中观察到大量病毒粒子,是病毒侵染的主要靶组织;此外,在肝胰腺组织的细胞中观察到少量病毒粒子。该病毒主要侵染结缔组织细胞、上皮细胞和循环血淋巴细胞等敏感细胞的细胞核。电镜和光镜观察及应用原位杂交检测表明,浙江株病毒粒子在螯虾体内的形态大小、分布特点和靶细胞组织的病理与其他地理株相似或相同。     

Design,synthesis, evaluation,and molecular docking of ursolic acid derivatives containing a nitrogen heterocycle as anti-inflammatory agents

Ursolic acid derivatives containing oxadiazole, triazolone, and piperazine moieties were synthesized in an attempt to develop potent anti-inflammatory agents. Structures of the synthesized compounds were elucidated by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and HRMS. Most of the synthesized compounds showed pronounced anti-inflammatory effects at 100?mg/kg. In particular, compound 11b, which displayed the most potent anti-inflammatory activity of all of the compounds prepared, with 69.76% inhibition after intraperitoneal administration, was more potent than the reference drugs indomethacin and ibuprofen. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was also assessed by the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and no compounds showed any appreciable cytotoxic activity (IC₅₀ >100?μmol/L). Furthermore, molecular docking studies of the synthesized compounds were performed to rationalize the obtained biological results. Overall, the results indicate that compound 11b could be a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of inflammation.