A new strategy for cellulases application in high temperature industrial scenarios with syringic acid assisting

In the process of bioethanol production, more stable and active cellulase in high temperature condition is required. In this study, syringic acid was applied in cellulase hydrolysis system. At 70°C, TvEG3 activity increased 201.36%, CtBglA activity decreased 72.79% by syringic acid. With syringic acid assisting, TvEG3 thermostability was improved, CtBglA thermostability was reduced. Syringic acid scarcely affected CtCBH. In hydrolysis system with the cellulases containing TvEG3, CtCBH, and CtBglA, the reducing sugar yield improved by 28.37% with syringic acid assisting. With the molecular dynamic simulation in syringic acid system, the backbone root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) and the residue root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF) of TvEG3, CtCBH reduced, while the RMSD and RMSF of CtBglA increased. The reduction in the number of secondary structures, especially α-helix, caused the structure of CtBglA in the presence of syringic acid to collapse at high temperature. More secondary structures in TvEG3 and more α-helix in CtCBH in the presence of syringic acid make them more stable at high temperatures. These means syringic acid can stabilize TvEG3 and CtCBH structure, destabilize CtBglA structure at high temperature. In summary, this study not only provides insight into cellulase hydrolysis at high temperature with syringic acid assisting but also demonstrates the promoting mechanism of syringic acid.     

Solid-phase microextraction and cuticular hydrocarbon differences related to reproductive activity in juniper bark borer Semanotus bifasciatus Motschulsky

Cuticular hydrocarbons of Cerambycidae species can function as signals for sex recognition. Little is known about the copulatory signals of the juniper bark borer Semanotus bifasciatus, a major economic threat to Platycladus orientalis Franco in China. Here, we investigated the cuticular hydrocarbons of both sexes of S. bifasciatus to determine the chemically mediated mating signals using the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique with carbowax/divinylbenzene fibers (CAR/DVB) and then analyzed by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A series of aliphatic saturated straight-chain n-alkanes (n-C₂₃ to n-C₂₈), internally branched monomethylalkanes at carbons 3, 11, or 13, and dimethylalkanes were identified, which showed no qualitative differences in either sex and were similar in the samples with SPME fiber extraction and those with hexane extraction. The bioassay showed that 11-methylpentacosane (11-MeC₂₅), 11-methylhexacosane (11-MeC₂₆), and 11-methylheptacosane (11-MeC₂₇) have sex-specific recognition functions that triggered more mating attempts at a female-specific ratio of 100:4:60 than at a male-specific ratio of 100:85:50. In addition, the female-specific ratio of 11-methylalkanes can elicit about 70% of male mating attempts within about 60 s, whereas live females elicit about 98% of male mating attempts within 25 s. The discrepancy in the initiation of mating attempts by synthetic mixtures and live females suggests that the methyl isomers 3-MeC₂₅, 3-MeC₂₇, and/or 11,15-diMeC₂₇ may also be involved in the mating behavior of S. bifasciatus. These results suggest that 11-MeC₂₅, 11-MeC₂₆, and 11-MeC₂₇ constitute the contact sex pheromone of S. bifasciatus, with the presence or absence of 11-MeC₂₆ in particular playing an important role in mate recognition by males.     

Systematics of Mukdenia and Oresitrophe (Saxifragaceae): Insights from genome skimming data

Oresitrophe and Mukdenia (Saxifragaceae) are epilithic sister genera used in traditional Chinese medicine. The taxonomy of Mukdenia, especially of M. acanthifolia, has been controversial. To address this, we produced plastid and mitochondrial data using genome skimming for Mukdenia acanthifolia and Mukdenia rossii, including three individuals of each species. We assembled complete plastomes, mitochondrial CDS and nuclear ribosomal ETS/ITS sequences using these data. Comparative analysis shows that the plastomes of Mukdenia and Oresitrophe are relatively conservative in terms of genome size, structure, gene content, RNA editing sites and codon usage. Five plastid regions that represent hotspots of change (trnH-psbA, psbC-trnS, trnM-atpE, petA-psbJ and ccsA-ndhD) are identified within Mukdenia, and six regions (trnH-psbA, petN-psbM, trnM-atpE, rps16-trnQ, ycf1 and ndhF) contain a higher number of species-specific parsimony-informative sites that may serve as potential DNA barcodes for species identification. To infer phylogenetic relationships between Mukdenia and Oresitrophe, we combined our data with published data based on three different datasets. The monophyly of each species (Oresitrophe rupifraga, M. acanthifolia and M. rossii) and the inferred topology ((M. rossii, M. acanthifolia), O. rupifraga) are well supported in trees reconstructed using the complete plastome sequences, but M. acanthifolia and M. rossii did not form a separate clade in the trees based on ETS + ITS data, while the mitochondrial CDS trees are not well-resolved. We found low recovery of genes in the Angiosperms353 target enrichment panel from our unenriched genome skimming data. Hybridization or incomplete lineage sorting may be the cause of discordance between trees reconstructed from organellar and nuclear data. Considering its morphological distinctiveness and our molecular phylogenetic results, we strongly recommend that M. acanthifolia be treated as a distinct species.     

I型马立克氏病毒38kD磷蛋白与Ⅱ和Ⅲ型病毒间的交叉免疫反应

由致病性Ⅰ型马立克氏病病毒(MDV)特异性的单克隆抗体H_(19)制备亲和层析柱,从感染重组杆状病毒BP38Ⅱ的昆虫细胞系Sf9细胞中提纯MDV的pp38基因表达产物,以此免疫小鼠制备抗血清,测定其与不同型MDV毒株感染的鸡胚成纤维细胞免疫反应性,同时也用不同型MDV毒株(HVT,Z4)制备的抗血清和自然感染发病鸡血清分别与感染重组病毒的Sf9细胞进行免疫交叉反应.试验结果表明,完整的Ⅰ型MDV来源的pp38基因产物与所试Ⅱ型Z4株和Ⅲ型HVT Fc126毒株在抗原性上有显著交叉反应.这一结果表明,在Ⅱ型和Ⅲ型MDV毒株中可能存在着pp38的类似物.     

DETERMINING THE ADULT AGE OF THE ORIENTAL LATRINE FLY, CHRYSOMYA MEGACEPHALA (FABRICIUS) (DIPTERA: CALLIPHORIDAE) BY PTERIDINE FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS

The relationship between head pteridine fluorescence (HPF) levels and age in adult females and males of a common necrophagous fly, Chrysomya megacephala, and effects of temperature and fly sex on the relationship were studied by pteridine fluorescence spectrophotometry. Factors affecting HPF levels in flies were found to include fly age, temperature and fly sex, among which the fly age was the most dominant one. There were significant linear relationships between HPF levels and age both for female and male adult flies at five constant temperatures, i. e. 16°C, 20°C, 24°C, 28°C and 32°C. The relationship between mean rate of pteridine accumulation (FV or MV) and temperature (t) could be well described by a modified exponential equation of FV=0.01288 e^{(0.2241t‐3.127)}+0.3649 (r²= 0.9987) for females and a linear regression equation of MV= 0.0574 t ‐ 0.3637 (r²= 0.9557) for males. Using the information from the experiments at five constant temperatures, three calculated methods as the candidates were developed for accurately determining the age of the fly by HPF levels at ambient temperature. The results revealed that these three methods were suitable for estimating the age only for male flies, but not for female flies. The smallest average error of the predicated age was 2.55 days for males. In addition, how to employ which of these three developed methods for determining ages of male flies in practical was also discussed.     

固定化酵母细胞生产1,6-二磷酸果糖研究

本文研究了固定化酵母细胞制备果糖1,6二磷酸(FDP)的方法及其生产。用卡拉胶包埋方法固定化酿酒酵母(Sacchromyces cerevisae),对含葡萄糖1.0M,磷酸盐0.8M的糖磷液,pH6.5,在37℃下进行磷酸化反应。反复分批转化20天以上,可达到平均产FDPH_427.58mg/ml,最高为59.94mg/ml。用100ml固定化细胞生物反应器连续运转309h,稀释速率D=0.097h~(-1),平均产FDPH_4 21.51mg/ml。20L反应器连续运转,生产能力达到1.7g/h.L。用层析方法制备FDPNa_3结晶粉,提取收率为72.08％,制备质量达到或超过了国内外同类产品的质量要求。     

鹅掌楸雌配子体败育对生殖的影响

胚珠和雌配子体败育是限制鹅掌楸生殖成功的一个重要因素。中国东部和西部鹅掌楸种群在雌配子体发育的各阶段上的败育程度有差异,以西部种群的发育较好。西部分布区较合适的生境促进了胚囊的发育,一定温度和湿度的环境可以活化珠心细胞输送营养物质供给雌配子体发育,提高受精和结籽的能力