Three new species of the leafhopper genus Tambocerus Zhang & Webb (Hemiptera,Cicadellidae) from southern China

Three new species, Tambocerus dentatus, T. longicaudatus and T. robustispinus spp. n. from southern China, are described and illustrated. A checklist and distribution to the Tambocerus species from China is provided together with a key for their separation.     

Synthesis and in vitro bioactivity of C-terminal deleted analogs of human growth hormone-releasing factor

A series of C-terminal deleted analogs of human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF) with either an amidated or a free carboxylic acid C-terminus were synthesized by solid phase methodology. Their capacity to release growth hormone was tested on rat anterior pituitary cells in monolayer culture. A gradual decrease of bioactivity down to 23% relative to hGRF was noted when the C-terminal amino acids were deleted to hGRF (1-34)OH. Further deletions, however, did not decrease the bioactivity because the potencies of the fragments, hGRF(1-31)NH2, (1-30)NH2 and (1-29)NH2 remained at about 50% of that of hGRF. Continual deletion of residues to hGRF(1-23)NH2, (1-22)NH2 and (1-21)NH2 still yielded bioactive fragments with full intrinsic activity despite very low potency. Only with the deletion down to hGRF(1-19)NH2 did the bioactivity completely disappear. Thus, together with the data published in a previous paper (1), the minimal biologically active core of hGRF with full intrinsic activity comprises the fragment (3-21).     

Maternal Transfer and Protective Role of the Alternative Complement Components in Zebrafish Danio rerio

Embryos of most fish develop externally and are exposed to an aquatic environment full of potential pathogens, whereas they have little or only limited ability to mount an efficient and protective response. How fish embryos survive pathogenic attacks remains poorly defined. Here we demonstrate that the maternal immunization of female zebrafish with formalin-killed Aeromonas hydrophila causes a significant increase in C3 and Bf contents in the mother, a corresponding rise in the offspring, and induces a remarkable increase in the hemolytic activities in both the mother and offspring. In addition, the embryos derived from the immunized mother are significantly more tolerant to A. hydrophila challenge than those from the unimmunized fish, and blocking C3 and Bf activities by injection of the antibodies against C3 and Bf into the embryos render them more susceptible to A. hydrophila. These results clearly show that the protection of zebrafish embryos against A. hydrophila can be achieved by the maternally-transferred immunity of the complement system operating via the alternative pathway. This appears to be the first report providing in vivo evidences for the protective role of the alternative complement components in the early embryos of zebrafish, paving the way for insights into the in vivo function of other maternally-transferred factors in fish.     

Co-fermentation of xylose and cellobiose by an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have integrated and coordinately expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae a xylose isomerase and cellobiose phosphorylase from Ruminococcus flavefaciens that enables fermentation of glucose, xylose, and cellobiose under completely anaerobic conditions. The native xylose isomerase was active in cell-free extracts from yeast transformants containing a single integrated copy of the gene. We improved the activity of the enzyme and its affinity for xylose by modifications to the 5′-end of the gene, site-directed mutagenesis, and codon optimization. The improved enzyme, designated RfCO*, demonstrated a 4.8-fold increase in activity compared to the native xylose isomerase, with a K_m for xylose of 66.7?mM and a specific activity of 1.41?μmol/min/mg. In comparison, the native xylose isomerase was found to have a K_m for xylose of 117.1?mM and a specific activity of 0.29?μmol/min/mg. The coordinate over-expression of RfCO* along with cellobiose phosphorylase, cellobiose transporters, the endogenous genes GAL2 and XKS1, and disruption of the native PHO13 and GRE3 genes allowed the fermentation of glucose, xylose, and cellobiose under completely anaerobic conditions. Interestingly, this strain was unable to utilize xylose or cellobiose as a sole carbon source for growth under anaerobic conditions, thus minimizing yield loss to biomass formation and maximizing ethanol yield during their fermentation.