The unconventional P‐loop NTPase OsYchF1 and its regulator OsGAP1 play opposite roles in salinity stress tolerance

YchF proteins are a group of mysterious but ubiquitous unconventional G‐proteins found in all kingdoms of life except Archaea. Their functions have been documented in microorganisms, protozoa and human, but those of plant YchF homologues are largely unknown. Our group has previously shown that OsYchF1 and its interacting protein, OsGAP1, play opposite roles in plant defense responses. OsGAP1 was found to stimulate the GTPase/ATPase activities of OsYchF1 and regulate its subcellular localization. In this report, we demonstrate that both OsYchF1 and OsGAP1 are localized mainly in the cytosol under NaCl treatment. The ectopic expression of OsYchF1 in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana leads to reduced tolerance towards salinity stress, while the ectopic expression of OsGAP1 has the opposite effect. Similar results were also obtained with the Arabidopsis homologues, AtYchF1 and AtGAP1, by using AtGAP1 overexpressors and underexpressors, as well as an AtYchF1‐knockdown mutant. OsYchF1 and OsGAP1 also exhibit highly significant effects on salinity‐induced oxidative stress tolerance. The expression of OsYchF1 suppresses the anti‐oxidation enzymatic activities and increases lipid peroxidation in transgenic Arabidopsis, and leads to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tobacco BY‐2 cells, while the ectopic expression of OsGAP1 has the opposite effects in these two model systems.     

Variation in the pH of experimental diets affects the performance of Lymantria dispar asiatica larvae and its gut microbiota

To study dietary pH effects on Lymantria dispar asiatica larvae and provide a theoretical basis for its control in different forests, phosphate buffers (PBs) of pH 6, 7, and 8 were used to prepare experimental diets. The diet prepared with pH 6 PB was named as DPB6, with pH 8 PB as DPB8, and with pH 7 PB as DPB7 (control). The dietary pH was 5.00 in DPB6, 6.05 in control, and 6.50 in DPB8. After feeding on the diets with different pH values for 84 hr, fourth-instar caterpillars were randomly collected. Growth and various physiological traits were determined and 16S recombinant DNA sequencing was performed using the intestinal microflora of surviving larvae. Results showed that the mortality was 30% in DPB6, and 10% in DPB8, while no mortality was observed in control. The partial least squares discriminant analyses suggested that diets prepared with PB of different pH resulted in different food intake, amount of produced feces, weight gain, digestive enzyme activities, and antioxidant enzyme activities in larvae. Interestingly, both the highest weight gain and the lowest total antioxidant capacities were seen in control larvae. Results also showed that the larval gut microbiota community structure was significantly affected by dietary pH. Moreover, linear discriminant analysis effect size suggested that the family Acetobacteraceae in control, genus Prevotella in DPB8, and genus Lactococcus, family Flavobacteriaceae, family Mitochondria, and family Burkholderiaceae in DPB6 contributed to the diversity of the larval gut microbial community.     

Biodiesel fuel production via transesterification of oils using lipase biocatalyst

Biodiesel has gained widespread importance in recent years as an alternative, renewable liquid transportation fuel. It is derived from natural triglycerides in the presence of an alcohol and an alkali catalyst via a transesterification reaction. To date, transesterification based on the use of chemical catalysts has been predominant for biodiesel production at the industrial scale due to its high conversion efficiency at reasonable cost. Recently, biocatalytic transesterification has received considerable attention due to its favorable conversion rate and relatively simple downstream processing demands for the recovery of by-products and purification of biodiesel. Biocatalysis of the transesterification reaction using commercially purified lipase represents a major cost constraint. However, more cost-effective techniques based on the immobilization of both extracellular and intracellular lipases on support materials facilitate the reusability of the catalyst. Other variables, including the presence of alcohol, glycerol and the activity of water can profoundly affect lipase activity and stability during the reaction. This review evaluates the current status for lipase biocatalyst-mediated production of biodiesel, and identifies the key parameters affecting lipase activity and stability. Pioneer studies on reactor-based lipase conversion of triglycerides are presented.     

The fertilization—induced Ca^2＋ oscillation in mouse oocytes is cytoplasmic maturation dependent

Mature eggs (at metaphase II stage) produce a series of Ca^2 oscillation at fertilization.To define whether the fertilization-induced Ca^2 oscillation is restrict to the metaphase II eggs and cell cycle dependent,mouse oocytes at prophase I (arrested at germinal vesicle stage),metaphase I,metaphase II,as well as the pronuclear embryos at interphase of the first mitotic division derived from fertilization of parthenogenetic activation were inseminated after removal of zona pellucida,The results show that the fertilization-induced Ca^2 oscillation is not specific to metaphase II eggs.This is supported by the fact that immature oocytes generated the Ca^2 oscillations at fertilization regardless of their nuclear progression from prophase I to metaphase I (in vitro matured) stage.More interestingly,it was first found that pronuclear embryos at interphase derived from parthenogenetic activation showed Ca^2 oscillations in response to fertilization while the zygotes at interphase did not after reinsemination or intracytoplasmic injection of sperm extracts which induce Ca^2 oscillations in MII eggs.This suggests that the ability of oocytes to generate Ca^2 oscillation in response to sperm penetration is not regulated in a cell cycle dependent manner but dependent on the cytoplasmic maturation.     

Plasma Equine γ-Globulin in Tolerant Adult Dogs given Anti-lymphocyte Globulin

THIS report describes a positive correlation between sequential serum concentrations of EγG and the dosage schedule of equine anti-dog-lymphocyte globulin (EADLG) in dogs in which tolerance was induced by pretreatment with ultra-centrifuged EγG (tolerogen). This was in marked contrast to results in dogs which were not pretreated with tolerogen.