Development of mechanistically based model for simulating soluble microbial products generation in an aerated/non-aerated SBR

Soluble microbial products (SMPs) are considered as the main organic components in wastewater treatment plant effluent from biological wastewater treatment systems. To investigate and explore SMP metabolism pathway for further treatment and control, two innovative mechanistically based activated sludge models were developed by extension of activated sludge model no.3 (ASM3). One was the model by combining SMP formation and degradation (ASM3-SMP model) processes with ASM3, and the other by combining both SMP and simultaneous substrate storage and growth (SSSG) mechanisms with ASM3 (SSSG-ASM3-SMP model). The detailed schematic modification and process supplements were introduced for comprehensively understanding all the mechanisms involved in the activated sludge process. The evaluations of these two models were demonstrated by a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) operated under aerated/non-aerated conditions. The simulated and measured results indicated that SMP comprised about 83% of total soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) in which biomass-associated products (BAPs) were predominant compared with utilization-associated products (UAPs). It also elucidated that there should be a minimum SMP value as the reactive time increases continuously and this conclusion could be used to optimize effluent SCOD in activated sludge processes. The comparative results among ASM3, ASM3-SMP and SSSG-ASM3-SMP models and the experimental measurements (SCOD, ammonia and nitrate nitrogen) showed clearly the best agreement with SSSG-ASM3-SMP simulation values (R = 0.993), strongly suggesting that both SMP formation and degradation and SSSG mechanisms are necessary in biologically activated sludge modeling for municipal wastewater treatment.     

The three-dimensional structure of bovine calcium ion-bound osteocalcin using 1H NMR spectroscopy

Structural information on osteocalcin or other noncollagenous bone proteins is very limited. We have solved the three-dimensional structure of calcium bound osteocalcin using (1)H 2D NMR techniques and proposed a mechanism for mineral binding. The protons in the 49 amino acid sequence were assigned using standard two-dimensional homonuclear NMR experiments. Distance constraints, dihedral angle constraints, hydrogen bonds, and (1)H and (13)C chemical shifts were all used to calculate a family of 13 structures. The tertiary structure of the protein consisted of an unstructured N terminus and a C-terminal loop (residues 16-49) formed by long-range hydrophobic interactions. Elements of secondary structure within residues 16-49 include type III turns (residues 20-25) and two alpha-helical regions (residues 27-35 and 41-44). The three Gla residues project from the same face of the helical turns and are surface exposed. The genetic algorithm-molecular dynamics simulation approach was used to place three calcium atoms on the NMR-derived structure. One calcium atom was coordinated by three side chain oxygen atoms, two from Asp30, and one from Gla24. The second calcium atom was coordinated to four oxygen atoms, two from the side chain in Gla 24, and two from the side chain of Gla 21. The third calcium atom was coordinated to two oxygen atoms of the side chain of Gla17. The best correlation of the distances between the uncoordinated Gla oxygen atoms is with the intercalcium distance of 9.43 A in hydroxyapatite. The structure may provide further insight into the function of osteocalcin.     

芒果APl同源基因的克隆及其生物信息学分析

我们采用RT-PCR方法克隆了2个APl同源基因全长cDNA,分别命名为MAPl-1(GenBank accession No.FJ529206)和MAPl-2(GenBank accession No.FJ529207).MAPl-1编码247个氨基酸,开放阅读框长度为741 bp,蛋白质分子量为28.54kD,等电点为8.31;MAPl-2编码248个氨基酸,开放阅读框长度为744 bp,蛋白质分子量为28.78 kD,等电点为8.70.同源性分析表明,它们的核苷酸序列与其它木本植物APl同源基因的一致性为72%～81%.实验分析表明,MAPl-1和MAPl-2第1至第61个氨基酸含有一个MADS盒结构域,第88至第178个为K盒结构域;两个基因均定位于细胞核,且功能位点分布存在着不同,推测这两个基因在花器官发育过程中的功能存在差异.蛋白二级结构预测显示,MAPl-1蛋白有12个a-螺旋,4个β折叠区,14个β-转角;而MAPl-2蛋白有11个a-螺旋,5个β折叠区,15个β-转角:其大多数氨基酸具有亲水性.本研究有助于进一步了解芒果的开花分子机理及成花的生物学发育阶段.     

融合基因umcel5N-CBM的构建、表达及融合酶性质分析

BM,并实现了融合基因在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)pLysS中的表达.研究结果表明,融合酶Umcel5N-CBM与结晶纤维素(avicel)以及滤纸粉末的结合能力比原始酶Umcel5N提高了约一倍,但未显示出降解结晶纤维素的新活性,说明在结晶纤维素的降解过程中,纤维素酶的催化功能域起到关键作用.     

CD63在戊型肝炎病毒感染中的作用机制

本研究旨在寻找戊型肝炎病毒(hepatitis E virus,HEV)衣壳蛋白ORF2的相互作用蛋白,探讨其在HEV感染中的作用。采用酵母双杂交方法从人肝细胞文库中筛选与HEV ORF2相互作用的蛋白,结果显示CD63与HEV ORF2相互作用。Pull-down实验提示原核表达的ORF2与CD63结合较弱,而免疫共沉淀实验提示真核表达的ORF2能与CD63结合。流式细胞术检测结果显示,HEV易感细胞PLC/PRF/5细胞膜表面的CD63表达水平普遍低于HEV非易感细胞。过表达CD63抑制PLC/PRF/5细胞的HEV感染,而小干扰RNA(small interfering RNA,siRNA)干扰CD63表达则促进HEV感染。结果提示,CD63能与HEV ORF2相互作用,可能抑制HEV感染肝细胞。