Chitosan‐templated bio‐coloration of cotton fabrics via laccase‐catalyzed polymerization of hydroquinone

There is an increasing interest in the development of enzymatic coloration of textile fabrics as an alternative to conventional textile dyeing processes, which is successful for dyeing protein fibers. However, unmodified cotton fabrics are difficult to be dyed through enzyme catalysis due to the lack of affinity of biosynthesized dyes to cotton fibers. In order to improve the enzyme‐catalyzed dyeability of cotton fibers, chitosan was used to coat cotton fabrics as template. A novel and facile bio‐coloration technique using laccase catalysis of hydroquinone was developed to dye chitosan‐templated cotton fabrics. The polymerization of hydroquinone with the template of chitosan under the laccase catalysis was monitored by ultraviolet‐vis spectrophotometer on the absorbance of reaction solution. A significant peak of UV‐vis spectrum at 246 nm corresponding to large conjugated structures appeared and increased with increasing the duration of enzymatic catalysis. The effect of different treatment conditions on the laccase‐catalyzed dyeing of cotton fabric was investigated to determine their optimal parameters of laccase‐catalyzed coloration. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy spectra demonstrated the formation of H‐bond and Schiff base reaction between chitosan and polymerized hydroquinone. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the surface of dyed cotton fiber was much rougher than that of the control sample. Moreover, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy also revealed the existence of the chitosan/polymerized hydroquinone complex and polymerized hydroquinone on the dyed cotton fibers. This chitosan‐templated approach offers possibility for biological dyeing coloration of cotton fabrics and other cellulosic materials.     

Acaricidal properties of an Ailanthus altissima bark extract against Psoroptes cuniculi and Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi in vitro

The potential acaricidal properties of an Ailanthus altissima bark extract were assessed against two common species of animal ectoparasitic mites, Psoroptes cuniculi and Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi, in vitro. A. altissima bark extract was obtained by ethanol thermal circumfluence and tested at four concentrations (1.0, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 g/ml) on mites collected from rabbits. Compared to the fenvalerate treatment group, the A. altissima bark exhibited significant acaricidal properties for both mite species treated. The extract of concentrations of 1.0, 0.5 and 0.25 g/ml killed all tested S. scabiei within 7 h, however, only 1.0 and 0.5 g/ml of extract killed all treated P. cuniculi. The median lethal time (LT₅₀) values at 1, 0.5 and 0.25 g/ml were 0.60, 0.78, 1.48 h for S. scabiei and 0.74, 1.29, 3.33 h for P. cuniculi. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) for P. cuniculi was approximately 1.6 times that for S. scabiei var. cuniculi at 4 h. The extract showed stronger toxicity against S. scabiei than against P. cuniculi. Mortality rates increased with increasing concentration of extract administered and with increasing time post-treatment, indicating that the acaricidal activity of A. altissima bark extract is both time-dependent and dose-dependent. This is the first report on acaricidal activity of A. altissima against P. cuniculi and S. scabiei var. cuniculi. It indicates that A. altissima contain potential acaricidal compounds. Our study is the first step to develop potentially novel compounds from A. altissima for the effective control of mites in livestock.     

Treatment and prevention of natural heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infections in red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) with selamectin and ivermectin

Ten of the 48 red pandas in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan province, China, died in 2006 after prolonged periods of depression, weight loss, and mucocutaneous membrane xanthochromia. During postmortem examination, live heartworms were found in the right cardiac ventricles and pulmonary arteries of all 10 animals. Selamectin and ivermectin were used for clinical prophylaxis in the remaining red pandas between December 2006 and November 2010. We observed a gradual decrease in morbidity and mortality during this period. As a consequence of our prophylaxis program, dirofilariosis did not occur in the remaining red pandas at Chengdu Research Base during 2010.     

An improved LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of prostaglandins E(2) and D(2) production in biological fluids

We report an improved liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay that accurately measures prostaglandins D(2) (PGD(2)) and E(2) (PGE(2)) in cell culture supernatants and other biological fluids. The limit of detection for each prostaglandin was 20 pg/ml (0.20 pg, 0.55 fmol on-column), and the interday and intraday coefficients of variation were less than 5%. Both d(4)-PGE(2) and d(4)-PGD(2) were used as surrogate standards to control for differential loss and degradation of the analytes. Stability studies indicated that sample preparation time should be less than 8h to measure PGD(2) accurately, whereas preparation time did not affect PGE(2) measurement due to its greater stability in biological samples. As an application of the method, PGD(2) and PGE(2) were measured in culture supernatants from A549 cells and RAW 264.7 cells. The human lung alveolar cell line A549 was found to produce PGE(2) but no PGD(2), whereas the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 produced PGD(2) and only trace amounts of PGE(2). This direct comparison showed that COX-2 gene expression can lead to differential production of PGD(2) and PGE(2) by epithelial cells and macrophages. Because PGE(2) is antiasthmatic and PGD(2) is proasthmatic, we speculate that the balance of production of these eicosanoids by epithelial cells and macrophages in the lung contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, asthma, and lung cancer.     

干扰条件下捕食者与被捕食者系统动态模型

建立了在干扰条件下捕食者与被捕食者系统动态模型,得出系统的演化方程和演化曲线及演化相图,分别讨论了无干扰和有干扰影响情况下物种的演化情况,说明考虑了干扰后的模型更为合理,也更有利于物种的进化和新物种的产生.     

Natural 15N abundance in soils and plants in relation to N cycling in a rangeland in Inner Mongolia

Aims Natural 15 N abundance provides integrated information about nitrogen (N) input, transformation and output, indirectly reflecting N cycling traits within terrestrial ecosystems. However, relationships between natural 15 N abundance and N cycling processes are poorly understood in China. Here, our primary objectives were to (i) examine the effects of grazing at varying levels of intensity on δ 15 N of soils and plants in a semi-arid grassland; (ii) detect the relationships between δ 15 N of soils and four major N cycling processes (i.e. mineralization, nitrification, denitrification and ammonia volatilization); and (iii) determine whether δ 15 N of soils can be used as an indicator of N cycling in this semi-arid grassland.Methods The field experiment was conducted within the long-term (17-year) grazing enclosures in a semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia. Five grazing intensities (0.00, 1.33, 2.67, 4.00 and 5.33 sheep ha^-1) were designed. δ 15 N values of topsoils (0–10 cm), surface soils (0–2 cm) and plants were measured in 2006. Differences in δ 15 N of soils and plants between the five grazing intensities were examined. Rates of four soil N cycling processes were measured periodically during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. The δ 15 N values of topsoils were linked to the four N cycling processes to investigate their relationships.Important findings The δ 15 N values of topsoils (5.20–5.96‰) were substantially higher than the δ 15 N values of plants (2.51–2.93‰) and surface soils (1.44–2.92‰) regardless of grazing intensities. The 15 N-depleted N losses during microbial decomposition of organic matter in concert with the downward movement of residual substrate over time are the possible causes of higher δ 15 N values in topsoils than in surface soils. In addition, the δ 15 N values of topsoils were positively correlated with the δ 15 N values of both plants and surface soils. Grazing, especially the high-intensity grazing (5.33 sheep ha^-1), resulted in a significant decrease in δ 15 N of surface soils. However, no statistically significant variations in δ 15 N of topsoils and plants were found in response to grazing. The δ 15 N values of topsoils exhibited significant dependence on the cumulative rates of NH 3 volatilization, net nitrification and denitrification in 2005 but not in 2006.     

环境病毒的宿主鉴定技术进展

病毒是地球上丰度最高的微小生命粒子,通过调控宿主的群落结构、介导宿主死亡和参与水平基因转移等方式影响着生物地球化学循环和地球生命演化。近年来,宏基因组学的发展实现了在全球尺度上对环境病毒的大规模探索和研究,大量新的病毒基因组被发掘,病毒在全球生态过程和生物地球化学循环中的角色和贡献也得到进一步认知。病毒在环境中的重要作用是通过感染宿主实现的。然而,环境病毒的宿主鉴定工作远落后于环境病毒基因组测序研究。本文综述了目前病毒宿主鉴定的主要技术及其优缺点和应用场景,总结了病毒的宿主鉴定在病毒生态学研究和生物工程领域的重要价值,并初步展望了未来病毒宿主鉴定技术的发展方向。     

花生体细胞的器官发生和植株再生

以已萌发的花生种子不同部位为材料,比较了完整的胚芽、主芽,侧芽,胚轴及子叶等培养力的差异,得出了如下结果: 1.在外植体培养过程中,花生的胚轴具有强烈的再生能力;其它部位培养力大小的顺序依次是:完整的胚芽>主芽>侧芽>子叶>叶片。2.通过试验证明,花生外植体培养的最佳激素组合是NAA 0.6毫克/升+BA 0.9毫克/升。     

来源于马赛菌(Massilia sp.) UMI-21的ACSMU和PhaCMU体外表达及功能研究

【目的】构建马赛菌(Massilia sp.) UMI-21来源乙酰辅酶A合成酶ACS_MU和聚羟基脂肪酸酯(polyhydroxyalkanoate, PHA)合酶PhaC_MU的体外重组表达体系并过表达2种酶,利用体外合成体系确定2种酶在Massilia sp. UMI21聚3-羟基丁酸(polyhydroxybutyrate, PHB)合成途径中的主要功能。【方法】利用无缝克隆技术将来源于Massilia sp. UMI-21的乙酰辅酶A合成酶基因acs_MU和PHA合酶基因phaC_MU扩增后与pQE-80L质粒连接,转导大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli) BL21(DE3)构建2个基因的重组表达体系;利用6×His标签纯化蛋白ACS_MU和PhaC_MU,并采用5,5′-二硫双(2-硝基苯甲酸) [5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid), DTNB]法测定其活性;使用体外单相合成系统(one-phase reaction system, OPRS),以(R)-3HB为底物,验证ACS_MU和PhaC_MU这2种酶在合成PHB途径中的功能。【结果】成功构建了ACS_MU和PhaC_MU蛋白重组表达菌株BL21-pQE-80L-acs_MU和BL21-pQE-80L-phaC_MU,提纯得到过表达蛋白ACS_MU和PhaC_MU产率分别为24.8 mg/L和25.6 mg/L;ACS_MU酶比活力为(0.148±0.011) U/mg。PhaC_MU酶对(R)-3HBCoA的比活力为(0.102±0.011) U/mg;核磁共振氢谱(nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy, ¹H-NMR)分析结果表明,使用ACS_Pt-PCT_CP-PhaC_Re、ACS_MU-PCT_CP-PhaC_Re和ACS_MU-PCT_CP-PhaC_MU这3条OPRS途径均能合成PHB,产量分别为0.62、0.76和0.64 g/L。【结论】acs_MU和phaC_MU基因可利用大肠杆菌表达体系过表达并可获得具有活性的可溶性蛋白;对比ACS_Pt-PCT_CP-PhaC_Re合成体系,ACS_MU替代ACS_Pt合成PHB产量增加22.58%,在聚合酶相同的情况下,PHB的合成产量依赖乙酰辅酶A合成酶(acetyl-CoA synthase, ACS)合成乙酰辅酶A的稳定性。使用PhaC_MU代替PhaC_Re,对比ACS_MU-PCT_CP-PhaC_Re组合,合成PHB产量减少了15.79%。在聚合前体浓度相同的情况下,PHB合成量依赖聚合酶的活性。