The behavior of tetracyclines and their degradation products during swine manure composting

The purposes of this study were to investigate the behavior of three tetracyclines including chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC) and tetracycline (TC) and their degradation products in a pilot scale swine manure composting, and also to study the degradation kinetics of CTC, OTC and TC. During the pilot scale composting, CTC, OTC and TC were degraded by 74%, 92% and 70%, respectively. Several degradation products were found like 4-epitetracycline (ETC), 4-epioxytetracycline (EOTC), 4-epichlortetracycline (ECTC), demeclocycline (DMCTC) and anhydrotetracycline (ATC). Both the simple and the adjusted first-order kinetic models successfully fit the degradation process of CTC, OTC and TC during the composting, but the adjusted first-order kinetic model fit much better with the calculated half-lives of 8.2, 1.1 and 10.0 days, respectively.     

Lipid storage and lipophagy regulates ferroptosis

The synthesis, storage, and degradation of lipids are highly regulated processes. Impaired lipid metabolism is implicated in inflammation and cell death. Although ferroptosis is a recently described form of regulated cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, the impact of lipid droplets on ferroptosis remains unidentified. Here, we demonstrate that lipophagy, the autophagic degradation of intracellular lipid droplets, promotes RSL3-induced ferroptotic cell death in hepatocytes. Lipid droplet accumulation is increased at the early stage but decreased at the late stage of ferroptosis in mouse or human hepatocytes. Importantly, either genetically enhancing TPD52-dependent lipid storage or blocking ATG5-and RAB7A-dependent lipid degradation prevents RSL3-induced lipid peroxidation and subsequent ferroptosis in vitro and in vivo. These studies support an antioxidant role for lipid droplets in cell death and suggest novel strategies for the inhibition of ferroptosis by targeting the lipophagy pathway.     

密云水库流域多尺度景观生态风险时空演变趋势

密云水库作为北京重要的地表饮用水水源地、水资源战略储备基地受到广泛关注,相关研究多基于流域尺度,缺乏多尺度针对水源保护区的生态风险评价,开展多尺度生态风险评价有利于指导密云水库流域高质量和可持续发展。以1990、2000、2010和2018年4期土地利用数据为基础,基于景观指数,采用地统计学方法,分析流域土地利用类型及变化,从流域尺度、水源保护区尺度构建生态风险评价模型,揭示生态风险时空变化。结果表明：(1)流域内主要土地利用类型为林地和草地,随着城市扩张和“退耕还林”等政策实施,耕地和未利用地面积减少,建设用地面积增加,流域景观趋于复杂和分散,破碎化程度加剧;(2)生态风险区域在流域尺度呈“边缘高、中间低”的空间分布规律,高风险区域面积逐渐向低风险区域转移,高风险区域集中分布在流域边缘的南部密云区、兴隆县、赤城县和流域北部丰宁县,生态安全逐渐提高。(3)水源保护区尺度呈“中间高、边缘低”的空间分布规律,高风险面积逐渐减少且空间分布集中,生态风险趋于减弱。(4)流域景观生态风险呈正相关关系,Moran’s I指数均大于0,分别为0.322、0.305、0.298和0.317,1990年...     

Redistribution of mitochondria leads to bursts of ATP production during spontaneous mouse oocyte maturation

During mammalian oocyte maturation there are marked changes in the distribution of mitochondria that supply the majority of the cellular ATP. Such redistribution of mitochondria is critical for oocyte quality, as oocytes with a poor developmental potential display aberrant mitochondrial distribution and lower ATP levels. Here we have investigated the dynamics of mitochondrial ATP production throughout spontaneous mouse oocyte maturation, using live measurements of cytosolic and mitochondrial ATP levels. We have observed three distinct increases in cytosolic ATP levels temporally associated with discrete events of oocyte maturation. These changes in cytosolic ATP levels are mirrored by changes in mitochondrial ATP levels, suggesting that mitochondrial ATP production is stimulated during oocyte maturation. Strikingly, these changes in ATP levels correlate with the distribution of mitochondria undergoing translocation to the peri‐nuclear region and aggregation into clusters. Mitochondrial clustering during oocyte maturation was concomitant with the formation of long cortical microfilaments and could be disrupted by cytochalasin B treatment. Furthermore, the ATP production bursts observed during oocyte maturation were also inhibited by cytochalasin B suggesting that mitochondrial ATP production is stimulated during oocyte maturation by microfilament‐driven, sub‐cellular targeting of mitochondria. J. Cell. Physiol. 224: 672–680, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Divergent effect of mammalian PLCζ in generating Ca²⁺ oscillations in somatic cells compared with eggs

Sperm PLCζ (phospholipase Cζ) is a distinct phosphoinositide-specific PLC isoform that is proposed to be the physiological trigger of egg activation and embryo development at mammalian fertilization. Recombinant PLCζ has the ability to trigger Ca2? oscillations when expressed in eggs, but it is not known how PLCζ activity is regulated in sperm or eggs. In the present study, we have transfected CHO (Chinese-hamster ovary) cells with PLCζ fused with either YFP (yellow fluorescent protein) or luciferase and found that PLCζ-transfected cells did not display cytoplasmic Ca2? oscillations any differently from control cells. PLCζ expression was not associated with changes in CHO cell resting Ca2? levels, nor with a significantly changed Ca2? response to extracellular ATP compared with control cells transfected with either YFP alone, a catalytically inactive PLCζ or luciferase alone. Sperm extracts containing PLCζ also failed to cause Ca2? oscillations in CHO cells. Despite these findings, PLCζ-transfected CHO cell extracts exhibited high recombinant protein expression and PLC activity. Furthermore, either PLCζ-transfected CHO cells or derived cell extracts could specifically cause cytoplasmic Ca2? oscillations when microinjected into mouse eggs. These data suggest that PLCζ-mediated Ca2? oscillations may require specific factors that are only present within the egg cytoplasm or be inhibited by factors present only in somatic cell lines.     

褐煤强化产甲烷菌群的群落分析及条件优化

【目的】以白音华褐煤为底物,利用从我国多地煤矿及污水处理厌氧罐中富集-混合-驯化得到的高效混合菌群进行产气,分析其群落组成并优化产气条件。【方法】采用Miseq高通量测序分析混合菌群结构,通过Plackett-Burman(P-B)和Box-Behnken(B-B)试验对褐煤产气影响因素和条件进行筛选和优化。【结果】本源和外源微生物样本混合样品(HN+MD+WT)经驯化后菌群产气效率最高。该样品菌群中细菌群落多样性丰富,以变形菌门的脱硫弧菌属Desulfovibrio(15.07%)、拟杆菌门的屠场杆状菌属Macellibacteroides(14.6%)、厚壁菌门的梭菌属Clostridiaceae(9.77%)、互营菌门的脱硫代硫酸盐弧菌属Dethiosulfovibrio(8.76%)以及热袍菌门Oceanotoga属(8.66%)为主。古菌全部为广古菌门,其群落多样性则较为单一,其中甲烷卵圆形菌属Methanocalculus(80.28%)占据绝对优势。Plackett-Burman(P-B)试验结果表明温度、CoCl_2添加量和NiCl_2添加量是影响褐煤产气的关键因素;Box-Behnken(B-B)试验结果表明最优产气条件为:温度36°C,CoCl_2添加量0.17 g/L,NiCl_2添加量0.02 g/L,最优条件下褐煤累计产甲烷量(周期20 d)达到159.33μmol/g。【结论】经过驯化可以得到高效的产气菌群,优化培养条件可使产气效率明显提高。     

Adaptation of Aspergillus niger to short-term salt strees

Adaptation of filamentous fungi to short-term salt stress has been analysed by a continuous measurement system. Spores of Aspergillus niger were immobilized on the polylysine-coated glass bottom of a culture vessel, which enabled the exchange of a medium containing salt (NaCl) without disturbing continuous observation. Repeated contacts with 0.75% NaCl produced hypha insensitive to this concentration of NaCl. When the NaCl concentration was increased stepwise, the tolerated concentration increased up to 1.25%. The acquisition of such a tolerance to 0.75% NaCl required about 10 min prior contact with 0.5% NaCl. Based on these results, the adaptation mechanism is discussed. Correspondence to: H. Matsuoka     

The dynamics of calcium oscillations that activate mammalian eggs

It has been known for some time that mammalian eggs are activated by a series of intracellular calcium oscillations that occur shortly after sperm egg membrane fusion. Recent work has identified a novel sperm specific phospholipase C zeta as the likely agent that stimulates the calcium oscillations in eggs after sperm-egg membrane fusion. PLCzeta is stimulated by low intracellular calcium levels in a manner which suggests that there is a regenerative feedback of calcium release and PLCzeta induced inositol 1,4,5-trisphophate (InsP(3)) production in eggs. This implies calcium oscillations in fertilizing mammalian eggs are driven by underlying oscillations of InsP(3). This model of oscillations is supported by the response of mouse eggs to sudden increases in InsP(3). The cellular targets of calcium oscillations include calmodulin-dependent protein kinases, protein kinase C and mitochondria. There is evidence that eggs might be best activated by multiple calcium increases rather than a single calcium rise. As yet we do not fully understand how the target of calcium in a mammalian egg might decode the patterns of calcium changes that can occur during egg activation.     

Who contributes more to N2O emission during sludge bio-drying with two different aeration strategies,nitrifiers or denitrifiers?

Global warming effects have drawn more and more attention to studying all sources and sinks of nitrous oxide (N₂O). Sludge bio-drying, as an effective sludge treatment technology, is being adopted worldwide. In this study, two aeration strategies (piles I and II) were compared to investigate the primary contributors to N₂O emission during sludge bio-drying through studying the evolution of functional genes involved in nitrification (amoA, hao, and nxrA) and denitrification (narG, nirS, nirK, norB, and nosZ) by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results showed that the profile of N₂O emission can be divided into three stages, traditional denitrification contributed largely to N₂O emission at stage I (days 1–5), but N₂O emission mainly happened at stage II (days 5–14) due to nitrifier denitrification and NH₂OH accumulation by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), accounting for 51.4% and 58.2% of total N₂O emission for piles I and II, respectively. At stage III (days 14–21), nitrifier denitrification was inhibited because sludge bio-drying proceeded mainly by the physical aeration, thus N₂O emission decreased and changed little. The improved aeration strategy availed pile I to reduce N₂O emission much especially at stages II and III, respectively. These results indicated that nitrifier denitrification by AOB and biological NH₂OH oxidation due to AOB made more contribution to N₂O emission, and aeration strategy was crucial to mitigate N₂O emission during sludge bio-drying.

     

The effect of follicle-stimulating hormone on follicular development, granulosa cell apoptosis and steroidogenesis and its mediation by insulin-like growth factor-I in the goat ovary

The effect of FSH on goat follicular development, granulosa cell apoptosis and steroidogenesis and its mediation by insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I were studied through both in vivo and in vitro experiments. The FSH treatment was begun on Day 9 after estrus and consisted of injections twice a day for 3 days in decreasing doses (7.5–7.5–5.0–5.0–2.5–2.5 mg). Does in both treatment and control groups were slaughtered for ovaries on Day 12. Granulosa cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). Expression of IGF-I and IGF-II mRNA was determined by RT–PCR, while concentrations of progesterone (P4), estradiol (E2), IGF-I and IGF-II were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Following parameters increased significantly (P<0.05) after the FSH treatment: follicle number (5.0±1.5 versus 9.0±2.0 per ovary), the level of E2 (0.1±0.1 ng/ml versus 0.7±0.2 ng/ml), the E2/P4 ratio (0.7±0.4 versus 4.7±3.0) and the concentrations of IGF-I (0.5±0.2 ng/ml versus 119.4±15.1 ng/ml) and IGF-II (0.12±0.03 ng/ml versus 40.9±18.7 ng/ml) in follicular fluid of the medium sized (3–5 mm) follicles and in the ovarian cortex the relative quantity of IGF-I mRNA (0.37±0.17 versus 0.90±0.12 Max OD). In contrast, the ratio of apoptotic granulosa cells in these follicles was reduced significantly (0.53±0.1 versus 0.10±0.01, P<0.05). In large (>5 mm) follicles, however, only the follicle number (2.3±0.7 versus 7.0±1.5 per ovary) and the level of IGF-I (38.4±11.0 ng/ml versus 87.3±13.9 ng/ml) increased significantly (P<0.05), whereas other values did not change. In vitro culture of granulosa cells showed that FSH significantly (P<0.05) enhanced IGF-I production (12.7±2.1 ng/ml versus 26.±21.9 ng/ml) by these cells, and both FSH and IGF-I reduced the ratios of apoptotic cells (from 0.7±0.07 to 0.3±0.1 and 0.2±0.04, respectively) and the effect was additive when both were used together. H89, the PKA pathway inhibitor, blocked the effect of FSH on granulosa cell apoptosis and IGF-I production in vitro. These results indicated that FSH mainly enhanced the development of medium sized follicles in the goat by suppressing the apoptosis of granulosa cells via increasing production of IGF-I and steroids, possibly through the PKA pathway.