Salvia petrophila sp. nov. (Lamiaceae) from north Guangxi and south Guizhou,China

Salvia petrophila G. X. Hu, E. D. Liu & Yan Liu, a new species from the Chinese provinces of north Guangxi and south Guizhou, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to S. miltiorrhiza, but can easily be distinguished by its shorter, unbranched stem, subsucculent simple leaf, longer pedicel and corolla tube, oblong‐entire middle lobe of lower corolla lip and larger oblate pollen. It is included in S. sect. Drymosphace on the basis of its falcate‐compressed upper corolla lip and connivent posterior connectives. Trichome and pollen micromorphology of the new species and similar species are described and compared. Additionally, assessment of the conservation status, current geographical distribution and notes on ecology of the new species are given.     

Identification of novel knockout and up-regulated targets for improving isoprenoid production in E. coli

Discovery of novel potential genetic targets to increase the supply of isoprenoid precursors, isopentyl/dimethylallyl diphosphate, is of importance for microbial production of isoprenoids. Here, to improve isoprenoid precursor supply, a flux distribution comparison analysis, based on the genome-scale model, was utilized to simultaneously predict the knockout, down- and up-regulated targets in Escherichia coli. 51 targets were in silico discovered. All knockout and up-regulated targets were experimentally tested to enhance lycopene production. Five knockout targets (deoB, yhfw, yahI, pta and eutD) and four up-regulated targets (ompN, ompE, ndk and cmk) led to 10–45 % increases of lycopene yield, respectively, which had not been uncovered in previous studies. When engineering of the five most significant targets gdhA, eutD, tpiA, ompE and ompN, were combined the lycopene titer improved by 174 % in shake-flask and 81 % in bioreactor fermentations with a maximum yield of 454 mg l^?1.     

Changes in the microbial community structure of filaments and floc formers in response to various carbon sources and feeding patterns

Filamentous bulking is a complicated problem in wastewater treatment plants treating various wastewaters, leading to the deterioration of the settling properties and the effluent quality. This study systematically investigated long-term effects of various carbon sources and feeding patterns on the growth of filamentous bacteria, in order to reveal the mechanism of filamentous bulking. Sludge volume index (SVI), microscopic observations, staining (Gram and Neisser staining), scan electron microscopic, and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) were used to monitor the bulking and track the changes of microbial morphology and community structure of activated sludge in six lab-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) fed with different carbon sources. Filamentous bulking was not observed in all SBRs under anoxic feeding pattern with a short fill time, in which SVI remained below 150 mL/g. In contrast, serious bulking (SVI?>?500 mL/g) occurred under aerobic feeding pattern when fed with ethanol, propionate, acetate, and glucose, in which Thiothrix and Sphaerotilus natans proliferated as dominant filaments. Compared to glucose-fed reactor, relatively light bulking was caused in starch-fed reactor with the growth of Nostocoida limicola II. In addition, flocs in starch-fed reactor were more open and fluffy than flocs formed on readily biodegradable substrates. Finally, a framework integrating kinetic selection, diffusion selection, storage selection, and protozoa capture mechanism was proposed to explain filamentous bulking.     

LATS1过表达对肺癌A549细胞增殖及周期的影响

通过过表达手段上调大肿瘤抑制因子1（1arge tumor suppressor gene 1,LATS1）基因在A549细胞中的表达,研究LATS1对A549细胞生长和细胞周期调控的作用。构建过表达LATS1基因的慢病毒载体,转染A549N胞株,采用RT-PCR和蛋白质印迹法检测转染后A549细胞中LATS1、YAPmRNA和蛋白的表达效率;流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡、周期情况：CCK-8检测细胞的增殖水平变化。结果发现,过表达LATS1慢病毒载体转染A549细胞株后,LATS1mRNA及蛋白表达水平高于未处理组及转染空载体组,YAPmRNA及蛋白表达水平低于未处理组及转染空载体组;过表达LATS1慢病毒转染后,A549细胞增殖率从第五天开始低于对照组（P〈0．05）,过表达组细胞G1期比例明显增高（P〈0．05）,凋亡率明显增加（P〈0．05）,差异均有统计学意义。以上结果提示,LATS1可通过下调YAP的表达水平促进A549细胞的凋亡,诱导G1期阻滞,降低细胞的增殖能力。     

The direct effect of estrogen on cell viability and apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells

Epidemiology researches indicated that gastric cancer is a male-predominant disease; both expression level of estrogen and expression pattern of estrogen receptors (ERs) influence its carcinogenesis. But the direct effect of estrogen on gastric cancer cells is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the direct effect of β-estradiol (E2) on gastric cancer cells. SGC7901 and BGC823 were treated with a serial of concentrations of E2. The survival rates of both the cell lines were significantly reduced, and the reduction of viability was due to apoptosis triggered by E2 treatment. Caspase 3 was activated in response to the increasing E2 concentration in both SGC7901 and BGC823. Cleaved Caspase 3 fragments were detected, and the expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were reduced. Apoptosis was further confirmed by flow cytometry. The expression level of PEG10, an androgen receptor target gene, was reduced during E2 treatment. Both ERα and ERβ were expressed in these cell lines, and the result of bioinformatics analysis of gastric cancer from GEO datasets indicated that the expression levels of both ERα and ERβ were significantly higher in noncancerous gastric tissues than in gastric cancer tissues. Our research indicated that estrogen can reduce cell viability and promote apoptosis in gastric cancer cells directly; ERs expression level is associated with gastric cancer. Our research will help to understand the mechanism of gender disparity in gastric cancer.     

Aragonite shells are more ancient than calcite ones in bivalves: new evidence based on omics

Two calcium carbonate crystal polymorphs, aragonite and calcite, are the main inorganic components of mollusk shells. Some fossil evidences suggest that aragonite shell is more ancient than calcite shell for the Bivalvia. But, the molecular biology evidence for the above deduction is absent. In this study, we searched for homologs of bivalve aragonite-related and calcite-related shell proteins in the oyster genome, and found that no homologs of calcite-related shell protein but some homologs of aragonite-related shell proteins in the oyster genome. We explained the results as the new evidence to support that aragonite shells are more ancient than calcite shells in bivalves combined the published biogeological and seawater chemistry data.     

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β Is Involved in Electroacupuncture Pretreatment via the Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor in Ischemic Stroke

We have previously shown that electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment produces neuroprotective effects, which were mediated through an endocannabinoid signal transduction mechanism. Herein, we have studied the possible contribution of the phosphorylated form of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) in EA pretreatment-induced neuroprotection via the cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R). Focal transient cerebral ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats. Phosphorylation of GSK-3β at Ser-9 [p-GSK-3β (Ser-9)] was evaluated in the penumbra tissue following reperfusion. Infarct size and neurological score were assessed in the presence of either PI3K inhibitors or a GSK-3β inhibitor 72 h after reperfusion. Cellular apoptosis was evidenced by TUNEL staining and determination of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio 24 h after reperfusion. The present study showed that EA pretreatment increased p-GSK-3β(Ser-9) 2 h after reperfusion in the ipsilateral penumbra. Augmented phosphorylation of GSK-3β induced similar neuroprotective effects as did EA pretreatment. By contrast, inhibition of PI3K dampened the levels of p-GSK-3β(Ser-9), and reversed not only the neuroprotective effect but also the anti-apoptotic effect following EA pretreatment. Regulation of GSK-3β by EA pretreatment was abolished following treatment with a CB1R antagonist and CB1R knockdown, whereas two CB1R agonists enhanced the phosphorylation of GSK-3β. Therefore we conclude that EA pretreatment protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury through CB1R-mediated phosphorylation of GSK-3β.     

Absolute Configurations of Four Resorcylic Acid Lactones,Paecilomycins J − M,by CD/TDDFT Calculations

The absolute configurations of four resorcylic acid lactones (RALs), paecilomycins J ? M ( 1 ? 3 and 5 ), were assigned by Time‐Dependent Density‐Functional Theory (TDDFT) calculations of their electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra. The previously reported structure 4 for paecilomycin M was found to be incorrect and should be changed to structure 5 . Analysis of structure‐spectrum relationship for this group of RALs suggested that V′‐shape conformations give type I CD spectra (two negative Cotton effects around 300 and 260 nm, a positive Cotton effect around 220 nm) while V‐shape conformations yield type II spectra (signs of three Cotton effects were opposite to those in type I). Chirality 26:44–50, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.