Complementary selectivity to (S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol-forming Candida parapsilosis by expressing its carbonyl reductase in Escherichia coli for (R)-specific reduction of 2-hydroxyacetophenone

An (R)-specific carbonyl reductase from Candida parapsilosis CCTCCM203011 (CprCR) was shown to catalyze the asymmetric reduction of 2-hydroxyacetophenone to (R)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol (PED), which is a critical chiral building block in organic synthesis. The gene (rcr) encoding CprCR was cloned based on the amino acid sequences of tryptic fragments of the enzyme. Sequence analysis revealed that rcr is comprised of 1008 nucleotides encoding a 35 977 Da polypeptide, and shares similarity to proteins of the medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) superfamily. Recombinant rcr expressed in Escherichia coli showed a specific 2-hydroxyacetophenone-reducing activity. Using rcr expressing cells, (R)-PED was obtained by asymmetric reduction, which is complementary in enantiomeric configuration to (S)-PED obtained by using whole cells of C. parapsilosis. After optimization of reaction conditions, (R)-PED was produced at 95.5% enantiomeric excess with a yield of 92.6% when isopropanol was used for cofactor regeneration.     

Metabolomics and biomarker discovery: NMR spectral data of urine and hepatotoxicity by carbon tetrachloride, acetaminophen, and d-galactosamine in rats

The primary objective of this study was to discover biomarkers which are correlated with hepatotoxicity induced by chemicals using ¹H NMR spectral data of urine. A procedure of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) urinalysis using pattern recognition was proposed for early screening of the hepatotoxicity of CCl₄, acetaminophen (AAP), and d-galactosamine (GalN) in rats. The hepatotoxic compounds were expected to induce necrosis in hepatocytes. This was confirmed through blood biochemistry and histopathology. CCl₄ (1 ml/kg, po) or GalN (0.8 g/kg, ip) was single administered to Sprague–Dawley (S–D) rats and urine was collected every 24 h. Animals were sacrificed 24 h or 48 h post-dosing. AAP (2 g/kg, po) was administered for 2 days and then the animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last treatment. NMR spectroscopy revealed evidently different clustering between control groups and hepatotoxicant treatment groups in global metabolic profilings as indicated by partial least square (PLS)-discrimination analysis (DA). In targeted profilings, endogenous metabolites of allantoin, citrate, taurine, 2-oxoglutarate, acetate, lactate, phenylacetyl glycine, succinate, phenylacetate, 1-methylnicotinamide, hippurate, and benzoate were selected as putative biomarkers for hepatoxicity by CCl₄, AAP, and GalN. Comparison of our rat ¹H NMR PLS-DA data with histopathological changes suggests that ¹H NMR urinalysis can be used to predict hepatotoxicity induced by CCl₄, AAP, and GalN.     

Interstitial fluid flow in the osteon with spatial gradients of mechanical properties: a finite element study

Bone remodelling is the process that maintains bone structure and strength through adaptation of bone tissue mechanical properties to applied loads. Bone can be modelled as a porous deformable material whose pores are filled with cells, organic material and interstitial fluid. Fluid flow is believed to play a role in the mechanotransduction of signals for bone remodelling. In this work, an osteon, the elementary unit of cortical bone, is idealized as a hollow cylinder made of a deformable porous matrix saturated with an interstitial fluid. We use Biot’s poroelasticity theory to model the mechanical behaviour of bone tissue taking into account transverse isotropic mechanical properties. A finite element poroelastic model is developed in the COMSOL Multiphysics software. Elasticity equations and Darcy’s law are implemented in this software; they are coupled through the introduction of an interaction term to obtain poroelasticity equations. Using numerical simulations, the investigation of the effect of spatial gradients of permeability or Poisson’s ratio is performed. Results are discussed for their implication on fluid flow in osteons: (i) a permeability gradient affects more the fluid pressure than the velocity profile; (ii) focusing on the fluid flow, the key element of loading is the strain rate; (iii) a Poisson’s ratio gradient affects both fluid pressure and fluid velocity. The influence of textural and mechanical properties of bone on mechanotransduction signals for bone remodelling is also discussed.     

狂犬病病毒重组免疫毒素的表达及其生物活性鉴定

将狂犬病病毒中和性单链抗体基因克隆入原核表达载体pET-PE40,经酶切鉴定及序列测定,成功构建了重组免疫毒素原核表达载体。IPTG诱导后目的蛋白获得高效表达,SDS-PAGE分析目的蛋白主要以不溶性包涵体的形式存在于菌体中,表达量占菌体总蛋白的32.29％。包涵体蛋白经体外复性及离子交换色谱柱、疏水作用色谱柱、Sephadex G200凝胶过滤层析柱三步纯化后获得纯度大于96％的目的蛋白,间接免疫荧光染色检测表明重组免疫毒素与狂犬病病毒感染细胞具有抗原结合活性,MTT试验显示,重组免疫毒素对狂犬病病毒感染细胞具有明显的杀伤作用,而对正常细胞无杀伤作用。     

利用市政废水和火电厂烟道气大规模培养高油微藻

对高含油量微藻(Scenedesmus dimorphus)培养的生物反应器进行了比较,阐述了市政废水净化处理和火电厂烟道废气利用,研究了S.dimorphus微藻在2种不同的光生物反应器中的生长特性、其移除废水中N.P养分能力及其CO2消耗情况.研究结果表明:S.dimorphus微藻的生长受pH、通气速率、搅拌情况和光照条件等的影响.当通气速率(空气)为6 L/min, S.dimorphus的生长速率达到高峰.通入体积分数33.3% CO2和体积分数 66.7% 空气比通入正常空气或通入比其含有更多CO2的空气更有利于微藻的生长.获得最大微藻生长速率的pH上限是7.5.螺旋状生物反应器比锥型瓶生物反应器更有利于微藻的生长,这主要归功于前者有更高的光利用效率和搅拌效果的改善.S.dimorphus 微藻能利用市政废水中的养分从而移出其中的N.P养分.在6 d的培养中,培养液中的N换算成NO-3从8.3 mg/L下降到3.6 mg/L以下;而P换算成PO3-4则从0.24 mg/L下降到0.03 mg/L 以下.     

梨形短梗蠕孢的分生孢子发育研究

采用玻片培养法对梨形短梗蠕孢(Trichocladium achrasporum)的分生孢子发育类型进行了研究。观察结果表明,梨形短梗蠕孢分生孢子既可以在菌丝顶端形成(顶生式),也可以在菌丝中间形成(间生式),其发育方式是全壁芽生式产孢。     

耐低氮茄子基因型的筛选

在正常供氮和低氮胁迫条件下,比较了10个茄子不同基因型的果实产量、地上部生物量和氮素吸收总量的变化。结果显示,与正常供氮相比,在低氮胁迫条件下,供试基因型的果实产量、地上部生物量和氮素吸收总量均有下降,但不同基因型下降幅度不同。在低氮胁迫条件下,06—991的果实产量、地上部生物量和氮素吸收总量的相对指数均显著高于其他基因型,是一个理想的耐低氮茄子基因型。     

Cloning and expression of the gene encoding (R)-specific carbonyl reductase from Candida parapsilosis CCTCC M203011

The gene which encodes (R)-specific carbonyl reductase (rCR) from Candida parapsilosis CCTCC M203011 was cloned, sequenced and compared with genes from the GenBank. The results indicated that rCR gene was 1011 bp, encoding a protein of 336 amino acids with a molecular weight of 35.9 kDa, and its nucleotide sequence showed 99% similarity to those of other members of the alcohol dehydrogenase superfamily. The rCR gene could express in recombinant strain Escherichia coli JM109, and the expression plasmid could produce (R)-1-pheny-1,2-ethanediol (100% e.e., 80.14% yield) from β-hydroxyacetophenone without any additive to regenerate NAD⁺ from NADH. __________ Translated from Microbiology, 2006, 33(4): 112–118 [译自: 微生物学通报]     

长白山林区核桃楸种群数量动态变化的研究

运用种群年龄结构、存活曲线统计和Leslie模型对长白山核桃楸种群在水胡林、针阔混交林、核桃楸占优杂木林和杂木林4种不同群落类型中种群数量动态变化进行了研究和预测。结果表明,核桃楸种群表现出衰退型的年龄结构特点,幼苗和幼树比例较小,种群在幼年期死亡率较高,反映出核桃楸种群15~20龄在个体经历了比较强烈的环境筛作用;Leslie模型预测显示,核桃楸幼苗数量和种群总数量在今后35年基本呈下降趋势,除在核桃楸占优的林分中种群维持增长外,在其它3中森林类型都表现出衰退趋势。因此,促进核桃楸的天然更新、加强幼苗幼树的抚育工作对长白山地区核桃楸种群的发展至关重要。     

趾间型足癣患者细菌菌种分布特征

目的了解趾间型足癣患者趾间和健康志愿者趾间细菌菌种分布特征。方法对37例经临床和真菌镜检确诊的趾间型足癣患者的趾间进行细菌培养,然后给予1%联苯苄唑霜1次/d外用治疗4周,在治疗后的第1、2、4周分别对趾间再进行细菌培养。33例健康志愿者作为对照。结果健康志愿者趾间细菌培养葡萄球菌属占92.5%,其中表皮葡萄球菌占32.5%,未分离到金黄色葡萄球菌。趾间型足癣患者细菌培养葡萄球菌属占74.4%,其中金黄色葡萄球菌占27.9%,表皮葡萄球菌仅占2.3%,还分离到化脓性链球菌、粪肠球菌、屎肠球菌、奇异变形杆菌、铜绿假单胞菌等。经过4周的外用联苯苄唑霜治疗,金黄色葡萄球菌消失,表皮葡萄球菌又成为优势菌（37.5%）。结论趾间型足癣患者趾间金黄色葡萄球菌的分离率明显高,此乃足癣继发细菌感染的主要致病菌,因此积极治疗足癣对预防足癣合并症有非常重要的意义。