Context dependency of infectious disease: the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa decreases white bacterial disease in Daphnia magna

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Periodic operation of immobilized live cell bioreactor for the production of candicidin

A lumped model for cell growth and secondary metabolite production in an immobilized live cell bioreactor has been developed. This model is applied here to simulate the performance of an immobilized bioreactor under steady-state conditions and under conditions of periodically varying concentration of a growth-limiting substrate. The results of the simulation study were experimentally verified in the case of the production of the antibiotic candicidin by Streptomyces griseus in an immobilized bioreactor with forced periodic operation. The results of the studies suggest that periodically operated immobilized live cell bioreactors can provide a potent alternative for the production of non-growth-associated biochemicals, as compared to free cell fermentations, pulsed fermentations with process cycle regeneration, and nonregenerated bioreactors. This work has demonstrated that by frequent pulsing of the growth limiting nutrient, stable extended production can be obtained at high specific cellular productivities.     

The effects of 5‐azacytidine and cadmium on global 5‐methylcytosine content and secondary metabolites in the freshwater microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Scenedesmus quadricauda

Epigenetic changes are important mechanisms in the regulation of chromatin structure and gene expression. Cytosine methylation is one of the major epigenetic modifications, mediated by DNA methyltransferases, which transfer methyl groups from S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAM) to the fifth carbon of cytosine. Various external environmental conditions can change the global hypo/hypermethylation pattern of DNA. These alterations may affect the organism's response to stress conditions. In this study, for the first time, we investigated the effects of 5‐azacytidine, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, and cadmium, a toxic metal and environmental pollutant, on the growth, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids), SAM, S‐adenosylhomocysteine, 5′‐methylthioadenosine and global 5‐methylcytosine (5‐mC) in the green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Scenedesmus quadricauda. The studied species showed major differences in 5‐mC content, secondary metabolite content, and antioxidant activity. Cadmium increased GSH (glutathione) content in C. reinhardtii by 60% whereas 5‐azacytidine did not affect GSH. The biosynthesis of GSH in S. quadricauda in response to the stressors was the opposite. Global 5‐mC content of C. reinhardtii was 1%–1.5%, and the content in S. quadricauda was 3.5%. Amount of some investigated methionine cycle metabolites (SAM, S‐adenosyl homocysteine [SAH], methionine) in S. quadricauda distinctly exceeded C. reinhardtii as well. However, chlorophylls a and b, carotenoids, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and, antioxidant activity were significantly higher in C. reinhardtii than S. quadricauda. Therefore, in further studies it would be advisable to verify whether methylation of cytosine affects the expression of genes encoding certain secondary metabolites.     

细胞代谢过程中的酶促糖基化及其功能

细胞代谢过程中多样的生化修饰反应能够精细调控细胞的活力与功能。其中,酶促糖基化是细胞代谢调控过程中普遍存在的一种分子修饰,对维持和调节细胞功能具有重要影响。糖基转移酶通过将糖基供体的糖基转移至相应的受体分子来实现糖基化修饰。受体分子经过糖基化修饰会改变其在细胞内的稳定性、溶解性和区域定位等特性,并在调节细胞周期、信号转导、蛋白质表达调控、应答反应和清除细胞异物等诸多生物过程中起着重要作用。简要介绍了细胞代谢过程中糖基转移酶超家族的分类、命名和催化机制。重点阐述细胞中蛋白质类生物大分子和小分子化合物的糖基化反应及其在细胞代谢过程中的功能。展望了细胞中糖基化反应及糖基转移酶在人类健康、医药产品、工业催化、食品和农业等领域的应用前景。     

Influence of abiotic stress signals on secondary metabolites in plants

Plant secondary metabolites are unique sources for pharmaceuticals, food additives, flavors, and industrially important biochemicals. Accumulation of such metabolites often occurs in plants subjected to stresses including various elicitors or signal molecules. Secondary metabolites play a major role in the adaptation of plants to the environment and in overcoming stress conditions. Environmental factors viz. temperature, humidity, light intensity, the supply of water, minerals, and CO₂ influence the growth of a plant and secondary metabolite production. Drought, high salinity, and freezing temperatures are environmental conditions that cause adverse effects on the growth of plants and the productivity of crops. Plant cell culture technologies have been effective tools for both studying and producing plant secondary metabolites under in vitro conditions and for plant improvement. This brief review summarizes the influence of different abiotic factors include salt, drought, light, heavy metals, frost etc. on secondary metabolites in plants. The focus of the present review is the influence of abiotic factors on secondary metabolite production and some of important plant pharmaceuticals. Also, we describe the results of in vitro cultures and production of some important secondary metabolites obtained in our laboratory.     

采用代谢组学分析技术分析工业啤酒发酵过程中风味物质生成规律

啤酒风味是保证啤酒品质的关键因素之一。运用代谢组学的方法,分析工业啤酒发酵过程中酵母胞内代谢物和啤酒风味物质的对应关系,从代谢水平上研究风味物质形成过程中的关键影响因素。在啤酒发酵过程中,同时检测风味物质的含量变化和酵母胞内代谢物的变化,对得到海量的、多维的代谢数据采用主成分分析（PCA）和偏最小二乘分析（PLS）的多元统计分析方法进行处理。由PCA分析结果可知：磷酸、海藻糖、琥珀酸、谷氨酸、天冬氨酸、丙氨酸对主成分贡献比较大,说明这些代谢物在不同发酵阶段含量变化显著。由PLS分析结果可知：对啤酒风味影响最大的物质主要为氨基酸,包括丝氨酸、缬氨酸、苏氨酸、赖氨酸、丙氨酸、亮氨酸和天冬酰胺等,这为啤酒中风味物质的调控提供了一定的理论指导。     

Mollusc herbivory influenced by endophytic clavicipitaceous fungal infections in grasses

Clavicipitaceous fungi of the genus Neotyphodium occur widely as mutualistic, systemic, seed‐borne infections in festucoid grasses. Grass infection by these fungi is associated with the presence of a range of secondary metabolites (SM), several of which have been demonstrated to confer to the plant resistance against herbivorous vertebrates and insects. An initial experiment demonstrated that endophytic infection by Neotyphodium can influence the utilisation of grasses by Deroceras, with feeding preferences and impact on plant yields affected differentially by endophytes with different SM profiles. The role of Neotyphodium SM in feeding preferences of Deroceras slugs were then evaluated in artificial diets. Among the indole diterpenoids tested, lolitrem B was demonstrated to reduce feeding, while diets containing paxilline, lolitriol, α‐paxitriol and β‐paxitriol tended to be preferred over that of untreated diet. The pyrrolopyrazine alkaloid peramine had no effect. Among the ergopeptine alkaloids tested in the diets, ergotamine and ergovaline were demonstrated to be phagostimulatory. These results with artificial diets were generally consistent with Deroceras reticulatum preferences among plants of known Neotyphodium endophyte strain and SM profile. Deroceras slugs obtained from sites containing contrasting frequencies of Neotyphodium‐infected grasses, exhibited differential responses to Neotyphodium SM incorporated into artificial diet. This study demonstrates that infection of grasses by different isolates of Neotyphodium endophytes differentially influence herbivory by molluscs, reflecting their SM profile. These results offer an explanation for variable acceptability of grasses to molluscs and their importance in the diet of molluscs in the field reported in previous studies in both natural and agricultural systems. Neotyphodium endophytes potentially offer novel approaches to management of mollusc pests in agricultural gramineous crops.