Improved efficiency of separate hexose and pentose fermentation from steam-exploded corn stalk for butanol production using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clostridium beijerinckii</Emphasis>

Water extract of steam-exploded corn stalk (SECS) was detoxified and used as feed for acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation using Clostridium beijerinckii. Utilization of water extract improved the total ABE yield (g ABE/g dry SECS). Separated fermentation showed higher fermentability (0.078 g ABE/g dry SECS) over typical fermentation (0.058 g ABE/g dry SECS). Furthermore, the final ABE yields (g ABE/g utilized sugar) from water extract neutralized by Ca(OH)₂, NaOH, and Na₂SO₃ were 0.16, 0.1 and 0.07, respectively, suggesting that Ca(OH)₂ had the best detoxification effect.     

In vivo expression of a Cicer arietinum beta-galactosidase in potato tubers leads to a reduction of the galactan side-chains in cell wall pectin

We report the generation of Solanum tuberosum transformants expressing Cicer arietinum betaIII-Gal. betaIII-Gal is a beta-galactosidase able to degrade cell wall pectins during cell wall loosening that occurs prior to cell elongation. cDNA corresponding to the gene encoding this protein was identified among several chickpea beta-galactosidase cDNAs, and named CanBGal-3. CanBGal-3 cDNA was expressed in potato under the control of the granule-bound starch synthase promoter. Three betaIII-Gal transformants with varying levels of expression were chosen for further analysis. The transgenic plants displayed no significant altered phenotype compared to the wild type. However, beta-galactanase and beta-galactosidase activities were increased in the transgenic tuber cell walls and this affected the potato tuber pectins. A reduction in the galactosyl content of up to 50% compared to the wild type was observed in the most extreme transformant, indicating a reduction of 1,4-beta-galactan side-chains, as revealed by analysis with LM5 specific antibodies. Our results confirm the notion that the pectin-degrading activity of chickpea betaIII-Gal reported in vitro also occurs in vivo and in other plants, and confirm the involvement of betaIII-Gal in the cell wall autolysis process. An increase in the homogalacturonan content of transgenic tuber cell walls was also observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis.     

Differentiation of a Miniature Inverted Transposable Element （MITE） System in Asian Rice Cultivars and Its Inference for a Diphyletic Origin of Two Subspecies of Asian Cultivated Rice

In the present study, we report a survey on a Miniature Inverted Transposable Element （MITE） system known as mPing in 102 varieties of Asian cultivated rice （Oryza sativa L.）. We found that mPing populations could be generalized Into two families, mPing-1 and mPing-2, according to their sequence structures. Further analysis showed that these two families of mPing had significant bias in their distribution pattern in two subspecies of rice, namely O. sativa ssp. japonica and indica. 0. sativa japonica has a higher proportion of mPing-1 as a general trait, whereas 0. sativa indica has a higher proportion of roPing-2. We also examined the mPing system In a doubled haploid （DH） cross-breeding population of jingxi 17 （japonica） and zhaiyeqing 8 （indica） varieties and observed that the mPing system was not tightly linked to major subspecies-determining genes. Furthermore, we checked the mPing system in 28 accessions of Asian common wild rice O. rufipogon and found the roPing system in 0. rufipogon. The distribution pattern of the roPing system in O. rufipogon indicated a diphyletlc origin of the Asian cultivated rice O. sativa species. We did not find the mPing system in another 20 Oryza species. These results substantiated a previous hypothesis that O. ruflpogon and O. nivara species were the closest relatives of O. sativa and that the two extant subspecies of O. sativa were evolved independently from corresponding ecotypes of O. ruflpogon.     

Maintenance of pluripotency in human embryonic stem cells cultured on a synthetic substrate in conditioned medium

Realizing the potential clinical and industrial applications of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is limited by the need for costly, labile, or undefined growth substrates. Here we demonstrate that trypsin passaging of the hESC lines, HUES7 and NOTT1, on oxygen plasma etched tissue culture polystyrene (PE‐TCPS) in conditioned medium is compatible with pluripotency. This synthetic culture surface is stable at room temperature for at least a year and is readily prepared by placing polystyrene substrates in a radio frequency oxygen plasma generator for 5 min. Modification of the polystyrene surface chemistry by plasma etching was confirmed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS), which identified elemental and molecular changes as a result of the treatment. Pluripotency of hESCs cultured on PE‐TCPS was gauged by consistent proliferation during serial passage, expression of stem cell markers (OCT4, TRA1‐60, and SSEA‐4), stable karyotype and multi‐germlayer differentiation in vitro, including to pharmacologically responsive cardiomyocytes. Generation of cost‐effective, easy‐to‐handle synthetic, defined, stable surfaces for hESC culture will expedite stem cell use in biomedical applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;105: 130–140. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Life Cycle Assessment of Water Supply Plans in Mediterranean Spain

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare the current water supply planning in Mediterranean Spain, the so‐called AGUA Programme, with its predecessor, the Ebro river water transfer (ERWT). Whereas the ERWT was based on a single interbasin transfer, the AGUA Programme excludes new transfers and focuses instead on different types of resources, including seawater and brackish water desalination and wastewater reuse, among others. The study includes not only water supply but the whole anthropic cycle of water, from water abstraction to wastewater treatment. In addition to standard LCA impact categories, a specific impact category focusing on freshwater resources is included, which takes into account freshwater scarcity in the affected water catchments. In most impact categories the AGUA Programme obtains similar or even lower impact scores than ERWT. Concerning impacts on freshwater resources, the AGUA Programme obtains an impact score 49% lower than the ERWT. Although the current water planning appears to perform better in many impact categories than its predecessor, this study shows that water supply in Spanish Mediterranean regions is substantially increasing its energy intensity and that Mediterranean basins suffer a very high level of water stress due to increasing demand and limited resources.     

A Metabonomics Study of Guan-Xin-Shu-Tong Capsule against Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia in Rats

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - Guan-Xin-Shu-Tong capsule is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, little knowledge about the...     

基于稳定同位素技术的塔里木河下游不同林龄胡杨的水分利用来源

水分是制约很多陆地生态系统植物生长和繁殖的重要因素, 在干旱地区尤为明显。利用稳定同位素技术探究塔里木河下游不同林龄胡杨(Populus euphratica)的水分来源情况, 了解生态输水背景下荒漠河岸林的水分利用循环与利用策略, 可为生态输水提供科学依据, 同时也可对同类地区的生态恢复提供借鉴。本研究通过测定塔里木河下游胡杨茎干水和各潜在水源(土壤水、地下水)的稳定氢氧同位素值(δD、δ¹⁸O), 应用多源线性混合模型(IsoSource)分析了各潜在水源对不同林龄胡杨的贡献比例, 并结合3种林龄胡杨不同土壤深度含水量的变化, 分析了胡杨的主要吸水层位。结果表明: (1)不同林龄胡杨样地的不同深度区间上的土壤水δ¹⁸O值存在显著差异(P < 0.05): 胡杨幼龄木、成熟木、过熟木木质部δ¹⁸O分别为-7.83 ± 0.07‰、-8.53 ± 0.11‰、-9.36 ± 0.21‰; 而δD值不存在显著差异(P > 0.05)。可据此来推断胡杨的主要吸水层位。(2)总体上, 三种林龄胡杨土壤水δ¹⁸O值随土壤深度增加而减小, 并趋于接近地下水的δ¹⁸O值。其中, 0-60 cm土壤水受蒸发影响比较大, 其同位素组成经历了强烈的蒸发分馏过程, 土壤含水量极少, 土壤水δ¹⁸O值偏正。(3)不同林龄胡杨所利用的水分来源不同: 胡杨幼龄木对于地表80 cm以下的土壤水以及地下水均有一定程度的利用, 对80-140 cm、140-220 cm和220-340 cm的土壤水平均利用比率依次为16.2%、21.4%和24.6%, 对地下水平均利用比率为24.5%; 成熟木主要利用220-340 cm的土壤水及地下水, 平均利用比率分别为36.9%和42.3%; 过熟木主要利用140-340 cm的土壤水及地下水, 平均利用比率分别为32.8%和49.3%。     

Specific domains of plant defensins differentially disrupt colony initiation,cell fusion and calcium homeostasis in Neurospora crassa

MsDef1 and MtDef4 from Medicago spp. are small cysteine‐rich defensins with potent antifungal activity against a broad range of filamentous fungi. Each defensin has a hallmark γ‐core motif (GXCX_3–9C), which contains major determinants of its antifungal activity. In this study, the antifungal activities of MsDef1, MtDef4, and peptides derived from their γ‐core motifs, were characterized during colony initiation in the fungal model, Neurospora crassa. These defensins and their cognate peptides inhibited conidial germination and accompanying cell fusion with different potencies. The inhibitory effects of MsDef1 were strongly mediated by the plasma membrane localized sphingolipid glucosylceramide. Cell fusion was selectively inhibited by the hexapeptide RGFRRR derived from the γ‐core motif of MtDef4. Fluorescent labelling of this hexapeptide showed that it strongly bound to the germ tube plasma membrane/cell wall. Using N. crassa expressing the Ca²⁺ reporter aequorin, MsDef1, MtDef4 and their cognate peptides were each shown to perturb Ca²⁺ homeostasis in specific and distinct ways, and the disruptive effects of MsDef1 on Ca²⁺ were mediated by glucosylceramide. Together, our results demonstrate that MsDef1 and MtDef4 differ markedly in their antifungal properties and specific domains within their γ‐core motifs play important roles in their different modes of antifungal action.     

分离自冬虫夏草可培养真菌的多样性研究

冬虫夏草是生长于青藏高原的一种名贵中药材。天然冬虫夏草及其微环境中生活着多种真菌。作者使用常规分离培养方法对冬虫夏草的真菌区系进行研究。从天然冬虫夏草的子座、菌核和菌膜3个部位共分离到572个真菌菌株,并根据形态特征将大部分菌株鉴定到37个不同的属。这些菌株经SSCP(single-strand conformation polymorphism)分析后,再根据nrDNAITS序列的相似性(以97%为阈值)共区分出92种不同的分类单元(operational taxonomic unit,OTU)。其中,属于子囊菌的菌株数及OTU数均比接合菌和担子菌多。从菌膜分离的菌株数及OTU数都明显多于子座和菌核。分离自子座的优势真菌是产黄青霉Penicillium chrysogenum,而分离自菌核和菌膜的优势真菌均为玫红假裸囊菌Pseudogymnoascus roseus。尚未最终鉴定的部分真菌可能为新的真菌物种。