Isolation of the PCB-degrading bacteria Mesorhizobium sp. ZY1 and its combined remediation with Astragalus sinicus L. for contaminated soil

A bacterial strain ZY1 capable of utilizing PCBs as its carbon source was isolated from the root nodules of Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.). The strain was identified as Mesorhizobium sp. according to its physiological-biochemical properties and the analysis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence. When the initial OD600 was 0.15, 62.7% of 15 mg L^?1 3,3′,4,4′-TCB in a liquid culture was degraded by Mesorhizobium sp. ZY1 within 10 days. Mesorhizobium sp. ZY1 also greatly increased the biotransformation of soil PCBs. Pot experiments indicated that the soil PCB concentrations of a single incubation of strain ZY1 (R) and a single planting of A. sinicus (P) decreased by 20.5% and 23.0%, respectively, and the concentration of PCBs in soil treated with A. sinicus and strain ZY1 decreased by 53.1%. We also observed that A. sinicus-Mesorhizobium sp. ZY1 treatment (PR) improved plant biomass and the concentration of PCBs in plants compared with a single A. sinicus planting treatment (P). The results suggest that the synergistic association between A. sinicus and PCBs-degrading Mesorhizobium sp. ZY1 can stimulate the phytoextraction of PCBs and the rhizosphere microflora to degrade PCBs, and might be a promising bioremediation strategy for PCB-contaminated soil.     

Characteristics of rhizobia isolated from three legumes indigenous to the Canadian high arctic:Astragalus alpinus,Oxytropis maydelliana,andOxytropis arctobia

Summary Forty-eight strains of rhizobia were isolated from the root nodules ofAstragalus alpinus (21),Oxytropis maydelliana (19) andOxytropis arctobia (8), three species of arctic legumes found in the Melville Peninsula, Northwest Territories, Canada. On the basis of 74 characteristics (cultural, physiological, biochemical and host nodulation range) the 48 arctic rhizobia could be divided into 11 distinct groups by numerical analysis techniques. All 48 arctic rhizobia were able to nodulate the three arctic legume species and also sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), however, milkvetch (Astragalus cicer) was only nodulated by 33 strains. In general, the arctic rhizobia showed properties found in both Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium. The adaptation of the arctic strains to low temperature is indicated by their ability to grow in liquid culture at 5°C. Contribution no 293 of Agriculture Canada Research Station at Sainte-Foy.     

细叶黄芪叶肉原生质体植株再生

从细叶黄芪(Astragalus tenuis)外植体愈伤组织分化出的再生苗叶片分离原生质体。原生质体培养在改良 K8p 培养基中形成了愈伤组织。增殖后的愈伤组织转入分化培养基中分化出苗。幼苗在生根培养基中长出不定根,再生成为完整植株。再生苗叶肉原生质体在 AY培养基中,种子无菌苗叶肉原生质体在改良 K8p 或 AY 培养基中均不能形成愈伤组织。较低的2,4-D 浓度有利于原生质体愈伤组织的形成和分化,过高的2,4-D 浓度对愈伤组织的形成和分化有不利的影响。     

Horizontal gene transfer and recombination shape mesorhizobial populations in the gene center of the host plants Astragalus luteolus and Astragalus ernestii in Sichuan, China

Thirty-three rhizobial strains isolated from the root nodules of Astragalus luteolus and Astragalus ernestii growing on the west plateau at two different altitudes in Sichuan province, China, were characterized by amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), and by sequencing of rrs, glnA, glnII and nifH . The ARDRA analysis revealed considerable genomic diversity. In AFLP analysis, 20 of 33 Astragalus rhizobia formed three distinct clades, with others dispersed into different groups with the reference strains. Phylogenetic analysis of the rrs gene of six representative strains showed that the isolates were members of the genus Mesorhizobium . Three of the isolates formed a sister clade to Mesorhizobium loti and Mesorhizobium ciceri , whereas the other three formed a sister clade to a clade harboring the species Mesorhizobium huakuii, Mesorhizobium plurifarum, Mesorhizobium septentrionale and Mesorhizobium amorphae , indicating the existence of two new species. Phylogenetic analysis of glnA and glnII confirmed the rrs phylogenies for four strains, but the trees were incongruent. The nifH sequences of the strains formed a monophyletic clade and were typical of those of mesorhizobia forming symbioses with inverted repeat lacking clade legume species. The incongruent phylogenies of the genes studied suggest that horizontal gene transfer and recombination shape mesorhizobial populations in the gene center of the host plants.     

取样策略对SSR标记鉴别紫云英品种能力的影响

紫云英属于异花授粉植物, 品种内个体基因型杂合, 品种鉴定难度大。本文以紫云英闽紫系列3个审定品种为材料, 采用SSR标记进行取样策略对3个品种鉴别能力影响的研究。结果表明：（1）固定4对引物组合,从5～50进行梯度取样时,品种内的扩增位点总数、观测等位基因数趋于增多,但有效等位基因数、Shanon信息指数、遗传多样性指数增大到最大值后趋于下降,其中总体样品的最大值是出现在取样量为30的时候;随着样品量的增加,品种间Nei氏遗传距离以及分子方差分析的品种间期望变异系数比例值（PhiPT）均呈减少趋势,但PhiPT值的置信度在增大;（2）固定品种的样品容量为30和50,再加入2对能扩增出在品种间形成频率差异的标记位点的SSR引物对,基于这6对SSR引物可以将参试的3个紫云英品种有效的区分,品种间期望变异系数比例值（PhiPT）提高且差异的置信度具有明显的统计学意义（P<0.001）。主成分分析进一步表明：3个参试品种30个样品与50个样品的散布状况基本一致。对紫云英取样策略的研究表明：为提高对参试品种的鉴别能力,样品取样量以30株为宜,即达到较佳鉴别效果又降低分析成本。     

黄芪水提取物减轻高脂饮食引起的小鼠肥胖

目的:研究黄芪水提取物(Astragalus radix extract,ARE)对高脂饮食(High fat diet,HFD)引起的小鼠肥胖的作用及可能机制。方法:将30只C57 BL/6小鼠随机分为正常喂养组(ND组,n=10)、高脂喂养组(HFD组,n=10)和高脂喂养+黄芪水提取物处理组(ARE组,n=10)。记录三组小鼠体重及食物摄入。在喂养16周时,对小鼠附睾白色脂肪称重,并进行HE染色观察脂肪细胞大小;对小鼠肝脏进行进行HE染色观察肝脏脂肪变性情况。应用ELISA方法检测血清瘦素及脂联素水平。应用Western Blot检测脂肪组织过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体γ(Peroxisome proliferator activated receptorγ,PPARγ)表达。结果:1与ND组相比,HFD组体重及热量摄入均显著增加,表明肥胖模型建立成功;ARE处理组的体重较HFD组显著下降,但其热量摄入与HFD组相当。2与ND组相比,HFD组白色脂肪组织重量增加、脂肪细胞增大、肝细胞出现显著脂肪变性;ARE处理组上述指标较HFD组明显改善。3与ND组相比,HFD组瘦素水平升高、脂联素水平下降;ARE处理组与HFD组相比,瘦素水平降低、脂联素水平升高。4与ND组相比,HFD组PPARγ表达显著增加,而ARE处理组较HFD组PPARγ表达下降。结论:黄芪水提取物可能通过抑制PPARγ减轻高质饮食引起的肥胖。     

科布尔黄耆（豆科）新异名及其在中国分布的新资料

通过野外标本采集、鉴定和对国内标本馆大量标本的观察研究,在国内文献中首次报道了科布尔黄耆(As-tragalus koburensis Bunge);纠正了之前国内几个标本馆将科布尔黄耆鉴定为乳白花黄耆(A.galactites Pall.)的错误;同时将宁夏黄耆(A.ningxiaensis Podlech et L.R.Xu)处理为科布尔黄耆的一个异名;并对科布尔黄耆在中国的分布范围和生态地理特征进行了讨论。     

阿勒泰黄芪提取物对蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酯酶1B的抑制作用

本文探讨了阿勒泰黄芪不同提取物对蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酯酶1B(PTP1B)的抑制作用.采用分光光度法测定了提取物中的黄酮和皂苷含量;通过体外酶促动力学方法检测了不同提取物对PTP1B的影响,并确定了抑制类型;并采用氧化酶法检测了阿勒泰黄芪提取物对细胞利用葡萄糖能力的作用.结果表明,阿勒泰黄芪8种提取物(E1 ～8)中黄酮含量分别为5.09、10.46、3.58、3.23、53.91、21.77、5.76和7.49 mg/mL,其中E1、E2、E6、E7、E8皂苷含量分别为16.53、27.45、21.90、10.21和8.96 mg/mL;各提取物对PTP1B活性均表现出抑制作用,其中E1、E2、E7、E8的IC50分别为34.8、4.7、7.35和7.15 μg/mL,E1、E7和E8是竞争性抑制,E2是混合型竞争性抑制.E1、E2、E5、E7和E8较明显的提高了CHO-K1细胞对葡萄糖的利用.提示皂苷可能是阿勒泰黄芪抑制PTP1B活性的主要物质,通过PTP1B途径有效了提高细胞利用葡萄糖的能力.本研究为阿勒泰黄芪开发为防治糖尿病及改善胰岛素抵抗的药物或保健品提供实验依据.     

Expression profile of a PAL gene from Astragalus membranaceus var. Mongholicus and its crucial role in flux into flavonoid biosynthesis

An important traditional Chinese medicine herb, Astragalus membranaceus var. Mongholicus, whose dried root is known as Radix astragali (“Huangqi” in Chinese), has high flavonoid content as an essential active constituent. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5) catalyzes the first and also a rate-limiting step in phenylpropanoid pathway, which supplies precursors for a variety of secondary metabolites including flavonoids. A PAL gene, designated AmPAL1 (GenBank accession no. AY986506), was isolated from A. membranaceus var. Mongholicus with a full-length cDNA of 2562 nucleotides and an open reading frame of 2154 bp. Northern blot analysis revealed that AmPAL1 expressed universally in different organs, and its expression was markedly induced by UV irradiation, mechanical wounding, and white light irradiation on etiolated seedlings, with some distinctive responsive properties. Content of a typical flavonoid, quercetin, in A. membranaceus var. Mongholicus of different ages correlated with PAL enzymatic activity. Transgenic tobacco plants harboring AmPAL1 under the control of the CaMV35S promoter showed significantly increased PAL activity and correlatively increased quercetin content than those in non-transformed plants. These results indicate that PAL is maybe a key point for flux into flavonoid biosynthesis in the genetic control of secondary metabolism in A. membranaceus var. Mongholicus.