Long‐term balanced fertilization increases the soil microbial functional diversity in a phosphorus‐limited paddy soil

The influence of long‐term chemical fertilization on soil microbial communities has been one of the frontier topics of agricultural and environmental sciences and is critical for linking soil microbial flora with soil functions. In this study, 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and a functional gene array, geochip 4.0, were used to investigate the shifts in microbial composition and functional gene structure in paddy soils with different fertilization treatments over a 22‐year period. These included a control without fertilizers; chemical nitrogen fertilizer (N); N and phosphate (NP); N and potassium (NK); and N, P and K (NPK). Based on 16S rRNA gene data, both species evenness and key genera were affected by P fertilization. Functional gene array‐based analysis revealed that long‐term fertilization significantly changed the overall microbial functional structures. Chemical fertilization significantly increased the diversity and abundance of most genes involved in C, N, P and S cycling, especially for the treatments NK and NPK. Significant correlations were found among functional gene structure and abundance, related soil enzymatic activities and rice yield, suggesting that a fertilizer‐induced shift in the microbial community may accelerate the nutrient turnover in soil, which in turn influenced rice growth. The effect of N fertilization on soil microbial functional genes was mitigated by the addition of P fertilizer in this P‐limited paddy soil, suggesting that balanced chemical fertilization is beneficial to the soil microbial community and its functions.     

Phylogeographic structure and deep lineage diversification of the red alga Chondrus ocellatus Holmes in the Northwest Pacific

A major goal of phylogeographic analysis using molecular markers is to understand the ecological and historical variables that influence genetic diversity within a species. Here, we used sequences of the mitochondrial Cox1 gene and nuclear internal transcribed spacer to reconstruct its phylogeography and demographic history of the intertidal red seaweed Chondrus ocellatus over most of its geographical range in the Northwest Pacific. We found three deeply separated lineages A, B and C, which diverged from one another in the early Pliocene–late Miocene (c. 4.5–7.7 Ma). The remarkably deep divergences, both within and between lineages, appear to have resulted from ancient isolations, accelerated by random drift and limited genetic exchange between regions. The disjunct distributions of lineages A and C along the coasts of Japan may reflect divergence during isolation in scattered refugia. The distribution of lineage B, from the South China Sea to the Korean Peninsula, appears to reflect postglacial recolonizations of coastal habitats. These three lineages do not coincide with the three documented morphological formae in C. ocellatus, suggesting that additional cryptic species may exist in this taxon. Our study illustrates the interaction of environmental variability and demographic processes in producing lineage diversification in an intertidal seaweed and highlights the importance of phylogeographic approaches for discovering cryptic marine biodiversity.     

应用近红外光谱法估测小麦叶片糖氮比

糖氮比能够反映作物碳氮代谢的协调程度,及时、准确地监测糖氮比对于作物氮素营养诊断和调控具有重要意义.本研究以不同年份、品种、施氮水平的小麦大田试验为基础,获取鲜叶和粉末状干叶近红外(NIR)光谱及糖氮比信息,分别运用偏最小二乘法(partial least squares, PLS)、BP神经网络(back propagation neural network, BPNN)和小波神经网络(wavelet neural network, WNN)3种方法建立了小麦叶片糖氮比预测模型,并利用随机选择的样品集对所建模型进行测试和检验.结果表明： 小麦鲜叶光谱模型预测性能不佳;而干叶片预测模型表现了较好的准确性,在1655~2378 nm谱区范围内基于3种方法构建的干叶粉末糖氮比估算模型,其预测均方根误差均低于0.3%,决定系数均高于0.9.比较而言,WNN法表现最佳.总体显示,近红外光谱法可以准确预测小麦叶片糖氮比状况,为科学诊断糖氮比提供了理论基础和技术途径.     

肇庆星湖湿地可培养放线菌多样性

摘要:【目的】探究星湖湿地可培养放线菌物种多样性,筛选潜在药源活性代谢产物产生菌,为后续菌种资源开发奠定基础。【方法】采用5种选择性分离培养基分离星湖湿地底泥中的放线菌,通过16S rRNA基因同源性分析代表性菌株的物种多样性;以3株病原细菌为指示菌检测分离菌株的抑菌活性;PCR扩增代表菌株的聚酮合酶(PKS I、PKS II)基因、非核糖体多肽合成酶(NRPS)基因、安莎类化合物(AHBA)基因及3-羟基-3-甲基戊二酰辅酶A还原酶(HMGA)基因。【结果】分离到135株放线菌菌株,被鉴定为放线菌纲的7 个目、10个科、13个属,优势类群为链霉菌、小单孢菌及诺卡氏菌。83株检测菌中,24.09%抗金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus),4.8%抗大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli);24株高活性菌株中PKS I阳性率16.7%,PKS II阳性率62.5%,NRPS阳性率16.7%,AHBA阳性率12.5%,HMGA阳性率29.2%。活性复筛及HPLC结果显示,菌株XD007、XD114和XD128显著抑制3株病原指示菌,且能产生大量次级代谢产物。【结论】星湖湿地底泥中放线菌资源丰富,筛选到的活性菌株可用于后续药源活性次级代谢产物的分离。     

Product in indole detection by Ehrlich’s reagent

Ehrlich’s reagent (p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde [DMAB, 1] in 95% EtOH with HCl as catalyst) was employed in spot tests of indoles, providing a diagnosis of, for example, liver diseases, hemolytic processes, occlusion of the common bile duct, and carcinoid syndrome. Although the reagent has been widely used for more than a century, it is not clear how many indole molecules react with a DMAB molecule and whether the reaction takes place at the α- or β-position of the indole molecule. Research here shows that the reaction of DMAB (1) with indole (2) in a 1:2 ratio gives β-bis(indolyl)methane (3). The reaction occurs at the β-position of indole under the conditions of the Ehrlich test, as confirmed by the crystal structure of 3.     

Upconversion luminescence resonance energy transfer-based aptasensor for the sensitive detection of oxytetracycline

In this work, a biosensor based on luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) from NaYF₄:Yb,Tm upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to SYBR Green I has been developed. The aptamers are covalently linked to UCNPs and hybridized with their complementary strands. The subsequent addition of SYBR Green allows SYBR Green I to insert into the formed double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) duplex and brings the energy donor and acceptor into close proximity, leading to the fluorescence of UCNPs transferred to SYBR Green I. When excited at 980 nm, the UCNPs emit luminescence at 477 nm, and this energy is transferred to SYBR Green I, which emits luminescence at 530 nm. In the presence of oxytetracycline (OTC), the aptamers prefer to bind to its corresponding analyte and dehybridize with the complementary DNA. This dehybridization leads to the liberation of SYBR Green I, which distances SYBR Green I from the UCNPs and recovers the UCNPs' luminescence. Under optimal conditions, a linear calibration is obtained between the ratio of I₅₃₀ to I₄₇₇ nm (I₅₃₀/I₄₇₇) and the OTC concentration, which ranges from 0.1 to 10 ng/ml with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.054 ng/ml.     

A Dynamic Model of Chemoattractant-Induced Cell Migration

Cell migration refers to a directional cell movement in response to chemoattractant stimulation. In this work, we developed a cell-migration model by mimicking in vivo migration using optically manipulated chemoattractant-loaded microsources. The model facilitates a quantitative characterization of the relationship among the protrusion force, cell motility, and chemoattractant gradient for the first time (to our knowledge). We verified the correctness of the model using migrating leukemia cancer Jurkat cells. The results show that one can achieve the ideal migrating capacity by choosing the appropriate chemoattractant gradient and concentration at the leading edge of the cell.