Ganoderma australe from southern India

The genetic diversity of Ganoderma australe (Fr.) Pat. from southern India was investigated by using ITS1/2 rDNA. The phylogenetic analysis showed that six isolates clustered into two groups viz. biological species I and II. The four strains of BS I (YER03, MYC5, MYC2 and KE) clustered with G. australe TAI-01 and the two other strains of BS II (KMK3 and K39) were grouped with G. australe TAI-05 from Taiwan. The two strains namely TAI-01 and TAI-05 were described as G. australe intersterile Group 1 and 2 from Taiwan, respectively. The higher level nucleotide divergence among BS I and BS II and the high bootstrapping support clearly represent the presence of two biological species of G. australe in southern India which are genetically isolated.     

Optimization of medium composition for lipase production by Candida rugosa NCIM 3462 using response surface methodology

A sequential optimization approach using statistical design of experiments was employed to enhance the lipase production by Candida rugosa in submerged batch fermentation. Twelve medium components were evaluated initially using the Plackett-Burman 2-level factorial design. The significant variables affecting lipase production were found to be glucose, olive oil, peptone, (NH4)2SO4, and FeCl3.6H2O. Various vegetable oils were tested in the second step, and among them, groundnut oil was found to be the best inducer for lipase production by C. rugosa. The third step was to identify the optimal values of the significant medium components with groundnut oil as the inducer using response surface methodology. The regression equation obtained from the experimental data designed using a central composite design was solved, and analyzing the response surface contour plots, the optimal concentrations of the significant variables were determined. A maximum lipase activity of 5.95 U.mL-1, which is 1.64 times the maximum activity obtained in the Plackett-Burman experimental trials, was observed. The optimum combination of medium constituents contained 19.604 g.L-1 glucose, 13.065 mL.L-1 groundnut oil, 7.473 g.L-1 peptone, 0.962 g.L-1 (NH4)2SO4, 0.0019 g.L-1 FeCl3.6H2O, and other insignificant components at the fixed level. A predictive model of the combined effects of the independent variables using response surface methodology and an artificial neural network was proposed. The unstructured kinetic models, logistic model, and Luedeking-Piret model were used to describe cell mass and lipase production. The parameters of the models were evaluated and the lipase production by C. rugosa was found to be growth associated.     

Influence of an oil soluble inhibitor on microbiologically influenced corrosion in a diesel transporting pipeline

Microbial degradation of the oil soluble corrosion inhibitor (OSCI) Baker NC 351 contributed to a decrease in inhibitor efficiency. Corrosion inhibition efficiency was studied by the rotating cage and flow loop methods. The nature of the biodegradation of the corrosion inhibitor was also analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The influence of bacterial activity on the degradation of the corrosion inhibitor and its influence on corrosion of API 5LX were evaluated using a weight loss technique and impedance studies. Serratia marcescens ACE2 and Bacillus cereus ACE4 can degrade aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons present in the corrosion inhibitor. The present study also discusses the demerits of the oil soluble corrosion inhibitors used in petroleum product pipeline.     

Characterization of lipophorin from Antheraea mylitta drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

The high molecular weight (680 KDa) glycolipoprotein from the haemolymph of male larvae of Antheraea mylitta Drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) was identified as lipophorin by gradient KBr ultracentrifugation and SDS-PAGE. This lipophorin is composed of two subunits: apolipoprotein 1 (234 KDa) and apoprotein II (80 KDa). The density of the native molecule is 1.1941 g/ml. By weight, it contains 53.7% protein, 3.7% carbohydrate, and 42.6% lipid. Neutral lipids and phospholipids are 66.2 and 33.8% of the total lipids, respectively. Mannose and N-acetylglucosamine are the only sugars detected by gas liquid chromatography. The amino acid composition of both the native molecule and its two subunits was determined, and yielded similar amino acid compositions. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

High-Bandwidth Protein Analysis Using Solid-State Nanopores

High-bandwidth measurements of the ion current through hafnium oxide and silicon nitride nanopores allow the analysis of sub-30 kD protein molecules with unprecedented time resolution and detection efficiency. Measured capture rates suggest that at moderate transmembrane bias values, a substantial fraction of protein translocation events are detected. Our dwell-time resolution of 2.5 μs enables translocation time distributions to be fit to a first-passage time distribution derived from a 1D diffusion-drift model. The fits yield drift velocities that scale linearly with voltage, consistent with an electrophoretic process. Further, protein diffusion constants (D) are lower than the bulk diffusion constants (D₀) by a factor of ∼50, and are voltage-independent in the regime tested. We reason that deviations of D from D₀ are a result of confinement-driven pore/protein interactions, previously observed in porous systems. A straightforward Kramers model for this inhibited diffusion points to 9- to 12-kJ/mol interactions of the proteins with the nanopore. Reduction of μ and D are found to be material-dependent. Comparison of current-blockage levels of each protein yields volumetric information for the two proteins that is in good agreement with dynamic light scattering measurements. Finally, detection of a protein-protein complex is achieved.     

Urinary Lipocalin Protein in a Female Rodent with Correlation to Phases in the Estrous Cycle: An Experimental Study Accompanied by In Silico Analysis

Male urinary lipocalin family proteins, practically odorant-binding proteins but also could be pheromones by themselves, in rodents act as a shuttle for chemosignal communication and facilitate delivery of the signals for access to congeners. However, presence of this protein in urine of female rodents has not yet been reported. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to find if lipocalin family protein is present in the urine of female house rat and, if so, to find whether its expression differs between the phases in the estrous cycle. The rat urinary protein was separated in single dimensional gel electrophoresis. A 14.5 kDa lipocalin protein appeared in the urine prominently during the estrus and metestrus phases compared to proestrus and diestrus phases. The expression of this protein in the urine was very low in ovariectomized rats. MALDI-TOF/MS analysis affirmed the 14.5 kDa protein as a lipocalin family protein. Analysis adopting bio-informatics tools further proved the protein as a lipocalin family member. Thus, this study for the first time demonstrated the presence of a lipocalin family protein in the urine of a female rodent and it was highly expressed during estrus phase. This lipocalin protein in female rat urine may facilitate a chemosignal function independently of a pheromone or in association with a specific pheromone.     

Mycorrhizal and dark septate fungal associations in shola species of Western Ghats, southern India

We analyzed mycorrhizal types and dark septate endophyte (DSE) fungal associations in a shola vegetation of Western Ghats region, southern India. Plants belonging to 29 species of 19 families were assessed for mycorrhizal type and DSE fungal association. Five mycorrhizal classes were classified based on morphological traits: arbuscular, ecto-, ectendo-, ericoid-, and orchid mycorrhizas. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) association was the most predominant mycorrhizal type, occurring in 16 plant species, followed by orchid (3 species), ericoid- (2 species), and ecto- and ectendomycorrhizas (1 species each). Mycorrhizal association is reported for the first time in 19 plant species. DSE fungal association was found in six plant species. Arum- and Paris-type AM morphology was found, respectively, in 10 and 5 plant species, with intermediate type recorded in one species. In this study, some new records on the morphological types of AM in some plant families were obtained. Further occurrence of ectendomycorrhizas in Pinus oocarpa and dark septate fungal association in Eleaocarpus munronii, Symplocos cochinchiensis, Daphniphyllum neilgherrense, Euodia roxburghiana, Syzygium arnottianum, and Syzygium montanum are reported for the first time. Roots of Berberis tinctoria, Mahonia leschenaultii (Berberidaceae), Elaeagnus latifolia (Elaeagnaceae), and Elaeocarpus oblongus (Elaeocarpaceae) lacked any fungal structures.     

Mass transfer studies on the reduction of Cr(VI) using calcium alginate immobilized Bacillus sp. in packed bed reactor

This study presents the external mass transfer effects on the reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) using calcium alginate immobilized Bacillus sp. in a re-circulated packed bed batch reactor (RPBR). The effect of flow rate on the reduction Cr(VI) was studied. Theoretically calculated rate constants for various flow rates were analyzed using external film diffusion models and compared with experimental values. The external mass transfer coefficients for the bioconversion of Cr(VI) were also investigated. The external mass transfer effect was correlated with a model of the type J_D = K Re⁻⁽¹⁻ⁿ⁾. The model was tested with various K values and the mass transfer correlation J_D = 5.7 Re^−0.70 was found to predict the experimental data accurately. The proposed model would be useful for the design of industrial reactor and scale up.