Bioenergetic strategy of microalgae for the biodegradation of phenolic compounds: exogenously supplied energy and carbon sources adjust the level of biodegradation

The biodegradation of phenolic compounds by microalgae seems to be not a simple feature of a particular organism, but mostly a bioenergetic process depending on the growth conditions, especially on the exogenously supplied energy (carbon and light) sources. By using chlorophyll fluorescence induction measurements to estimate the molecular structure and function of the photosynthetic apparatus and therefore the tolerance/sensitivity of microalgae incubated with phenols, it can be assumed that, at least in low concentrations, phenol have no toxic effects on the cultures and can be used as alternative carbon source in them. Halophenols (chlorophenols, bromophenols and iodophenols) are quite toxic for the microalgal cultures. In halophenols the first step of the biodegradation is the split of the halogen substituent (dehalogenation). This is strongly determined by the bond dissociation energy of the corresponding substituent and therefore the energetic requirement for the biodegradation of halophenols increases following the sequence: iodophenol相似文献   

High Yields of Hydrogen Production Induced by Meta-Substituted Dichlorophenols Biodegradation from the Green Alga Scenedesmus obliquus

Hydrogen is a highly promising energy source with important social and economic implications. The ability of green algae to produce photosynthetic hydrogen under anaerobic conditions has been known for years. However, until today the yield of production has been very low, limiting an industrial scale use. In the present paper, 73 years after the first report on H₂-production from green algae, we present a combinational biological system where the biodegradation procedure of one meta-substituted dichlorophenol (m-dcp) is the key element for maintaining continuous and high rate H₂-production (>100 times higher than previously reported) in chloroplasts and mitochondria of the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus. In particular, we report that reduced m-dcps (biodegradation intermediates) mimic endogenous electron and proton carriers in chloroplasts and mitochondria, inhibit Photosystem II (PSII) activity (and therefore O₂ production) and enhance Photosystem I (PSI) and hydrogenase activity. In addition, we show that there are some indications for hydrogen production from sources other than chloroplasts in Scenedesmus obliquus. The regulation of these multistage and highly evolved redox pathways leads to high yields of hydrogen production and paves the way for an efficient application to industrial scale use, utilizing simple energy sources and one meta-substituted dichlorophenol as regulating elements.     

Bmp7 regulates the survival, proliferation, and neurogenic properties of neural progenitor cells during corticogenesis in the mouse

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are considered important regulators of neural development. However, results mainly from a wide set of in vitro gain-of-function experiments are conflicting since these show that BMPs can act either as inhibitors or promoters of neurogenesis. Here, we report a specific and non-redundant role for BMP7 in cortical neurogenesis in vivo using knockout mice. Bmp7 is produced in regions adjacent to the developing cortex; the hem, meninges, and choroid plexus, and can be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid. Bmp7 deletion results in reduced cortical thickening, impaired neurogenesis, and loss of radial glia attachment to the meninges. Subsequent in vitro analyses of E14.5 cortical cells revealed that lack of Bmp7 affects neural progenitor cells, evidenced by their reduced proliferation, survival and self-renewal capacity. Addition of BMP7 was able to rescue these proliferation and survival defects. In addition, at the developmental stage E14.5 Bmp7 was also required to maintain Ngn2 expression in the subventricular zone. These data demonstrate a novel role for Bmp7 in the embryonic mouse cortex: Bmp7 nurtures radial glia cells and regulates fundamental properties of neural progenitor cells that subsequently affect Ngn2-dependent neurogenesis.     

Peptides containing membrane-interacting motifs inhibit herpes simplex virus type 1 infectivity

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) membrane fusion represents an attractive target for anti-HSV therapy. To investigate the structural basis of HSV membrane fusion and identify new targets for inhibition, we have investigated the different membranotropic domains of HSV-1 gH envelope glycoprotein. We observed that fusion peptides when added exogenously are able to inhibit viral fusion likely by intercalating with viral fusion peptides upon adopting functional structure in membranes. Interestingly, peptides analogous to the predicted HSV-1 gH loop region inhibited viral plaque formation more significantly. Their inhibitory effect appears to be a consequence of their ability to partition into membranes and aggregate within them. Circular dichroism spectra showed that peptides self-associate in aqueous and lipidic solutions, therefore the inhibition of viral entry may occur via peptides association with their counterpart on wild-type gH. The antiviral activity of HSV-1 peptides tested provides an attractive basis for the development of new fusion peptide inhibitors corresponding to regions outside the fusion protein heptad repeat regions.     

Chronically ischemic mouse skeletal muscle exhibits myopathy in association with mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage

A myopathy characterized by mitochondrial pathology and oxidative stress is present in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Patients with PAD differ in disease severity, mode of presentation, and presence of comorbid conditions. In this study, we used a mouse model of hindlimb ischemia to isolate and directly investigate the effects of chronic inflow arterial occlusion on skeletal muscle microanatomy, mitochondrial function and expression, and oxidative stress. Hindlimb ischemia was induced by staged ligation/division of the common femoral and iliac arteries in C57BL/6 mice, and muscles were harvested 12 wk later. Muscle microanatomy was examined by bright-field microscopy, and mitochondrial content was determined as citrate synthase activity in muscle homogenates and ATP synthase expression by fluorescence microscopy. Electron transport chain (ETC) complexes I through IV were analyzed individually by respirometry. Oxidative stress was assessed as total protein carbonyls and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) adducts and altered expression and activity of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Ischemic muscle exhibited histological features of myopathy and increased mitochondrial content compared with control muscle. Complex-dependent respiration was significantly reduced for ETC complexes I, III, and IV in ischemic muscle. Protein carbonyls, HNE adducts, and MnSOD expression were significantly increased in ischemic muscle. MnSOD activity was not significantly changed, suggesting MnSOD inactivation. Using a mouse model, we have demonstrated for the first time that inflow arterial occlusion alone, i.e., in the absence of other comorbid conditions, causes myopathy with mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress, recapitulating the muscle pathology of PAD patients.     

Decoding of translation-regulating entities reveals heterogeneous translation deficiency patterns in cellular senescence

Cellular senescence constitutes a generally irreversible proliferation barrier, accompanied by macromolecular damage and metabolic rewiring. Several senescence types have been identified based on the initiating stimulus, such as replicative (RS), stress-induced (SIS) and oncogene-induced senescence (OIS). These senescence subtypes are heterogeneous and often develop subset-specific phenotypes. Reduced protein synthesis is considered a senescence hallmark, but whether this trait pertains to various senescence subtypes and if distinct molecular mechanisms are involved remain largely unknown. Here, we analyze large published or experimentally produced RNA-seq and Ribo-seq datasets to determine whether major translation-regulating entities such as ribosome stalling, the presence of uORFs/dORFs and IRES elements may differentially contribute to translation deficiency in senescence subsets. We show that translation-regulating mechanisms may not be directly relevant to RS, however uORFs are significantly enriched in SIS. Interestingly, ribosome stalling, uORF/dORF patterns and IRES elements comprise predominant mechanisms upon OIS, strongly correlating with Notch pathway activation. Our study provides for the first time evidence that major translation dysregulation mechanisms/patterns occur during cellular senescence, but at different rates depending on the stimulus type. The degree at which those mechanisms accumulate directly correlates with translation deficiency levels. Our thorough analysis contributes to elucidating crucial and so far unknown differences in the translation machinery between senescence subsets.