Paleolirnnological records of carotenoids and carbonaceous particles in sediments of some lakes in Southern Alps

Stratigraphic analyses of organic carbon, organic nitrogen and algal and bacterial carotenoids in short cores of profundal sediments of four alpine lakes (Tovel, Leit, Paione superiore and Tom) were used to reconstruct their trophic history. In addition, depth distribution of carbonaceous particle concentrations provided information on lake contamination from atmospheric deposition. In three lakes (Tovel, Leit and Tom), sedimentary carotenoids unique to sulfur photosynthetic bacteria (okenone and isorenieratene) provide evidence of changes in the oxygen, light and sulfide conditions in the water column. All the lakes are oligotrophic or moderately productive, and the algal community is dominated by Chlorophyta, Pyrrhophyta and Cryptophyta. Cyanobacteria are rather poorly represented. The steep increase of carbonaceous particles in the uppermost sediment layers of all the lakes suggests that lake contamination by atmospheric transport of pollutants began in the 1940s to 1950s. These data, coupled with those from a parallel study on Chrysophycean scale-inferred pH, indicate recent acidification in those which are poorly buffered (Paione superiore and Leit).     

Improved enzyme production by bio-pellets of Aspergillus niger: targeted morphology engineering using titanate microparticles

The present study describes the design of bio-pellet morphologies of the industrial working horse Aspergillus niger strains in submerged culture. The novel approach recruits the intended addition of titanate microparticles (TiSiO(4), 8 μm) to the growth medium. As tested for two recombinant strains producing fructofuranosidase and glucoamylase, the enzyme titer by the titanate-enhanced cultures in shake flasks was increased 3.7-fold to 150 U/mL (for fructofuranosidase) and 9.5-fold to 190 U/mL (for glucoamylase) as compared to the control. This could be successfully utilized for improved enzyme production in stirred tank reactors. Stimulated by the particles, the achieved final glucoamylase activity of 1,080 U/mL (fed-batch) and 320 U/mL (batch) was sevenfold higher as compared to the conventional processes. The major reason for the enhanced production was the close association between the titanate particles and the fungal cells. Already below 2.5 g/L the micromaterial was found inside the pellets, including single particles embedded as 50-150 μm particle aggregates in the center resulting in core shell pellets. With increasing titanate levels the pellet size decreased from 1,700 μm (control) to 300 μm. Fluorescence based resolution of GFP expression revealed that the large pellets of the control were only active in a 200 μm surface layer. This matches with the critical penetration depth for nutrients and oxygen typically observed for fungal pellets. The biomass within the titanate derived fungal pellets, however, was completely active. This was due a reduced thickness of the biomass layer via smaller pellets as well as the core shell structure. Moreover, also the created loose inner pellet structure enabled a higher mass transfer and penetration depths for up to 500 μm. The creation of core-shell pellets has not been achieved previously by the addition of microparticles, for example, made of talc or alumina. Due to this, the present work opens further possibilities to use microparticles for tailor-made morphology design of filamentous fungi, especially for pellet based processes which have a long and strong industrial relevance for industrial production.     

Chemical rescue of a site-modified ligand to a [4Fe-4S] cluster in PsaC, a bacterial-like dicluster ferredoxin bound to Photosystem I

Chemical rescue of site-modified amino acids using externally supplied organic molecules represents a powerful method to investigate structure-function relationships in proteins. Here we provide definitive evidence that aryl and alkyl thiolates, reagents typically used for in vitro iron-sulfur cluster reconstitutions, serve as rescue ligands to a site-specifically modified [4Fe-4S]^1+,2+ cluster in PsaC, a bacterial dicluster ferredoxin-like subunit of Photosystem I. PsaC binds two low-potential [4Fe-4S]^1+,2+ clusters termed F_A and F_B. In the C13G/C33S variant of PsaC, glycine has replaced cysteine at position 13 creating a protein that is missing one of the ligating amino acids to iron-sulfur cluster F_B. Using a variety of analytical techniques, including non-heme iron and acid-labile sulfur assays, and EPR, resonance Raman, and Mössbauer spectroscopies, we showed that the C13G/C33S variant of PsaC binds two [4Fe-4S]^1+,2+ clusters, despite the absence of one of the biological ligands. ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy indicated that the external thiolate replaces cysteine 13 as a substitute ligand to the F_B cluster. The finding that site-modified [4Fe-4S]^1+,2+ clusters can be chemically rescued with external thiolates opens new opportunities for modulating their properties in proteins. In particular, it provides a mechanism to attach an additional electron transfer cofactor to the protein via a bound, external ligand.     

Effects of the cardiomyopathy-causing E244D mutation of troponin T on the structures of cardiac thin filaments studied by small-angle X-ray scattering

Small-angle X-ray scattering experiments were carried out to investigate the structural changes of cardiac thin filaments induced by the cardiomyopathy-causing E244D mutation in troponin T (TnT). We examined native thin filaments (NTF) from a bovine heart, reconstituted thin filaments containing human cardiac wild-type Tn (WTF), and filaments containing the E244D mutant of Tn (DTF), in the absence and presence of Ca²⁺. Analysis by model calculation showed that upon Ca²⁺-activation, tropomyosin (Tm) and Tn in the WTF and NTF moved together in a direction to expose myosin-binding sites on actin. On the other hand, Tm and Tn of the DTF moved in the opposite directions to each other upon Ca²⁺-activation. These movements caused Tm to expose more myosin-binding sites on actin than the WTF, suggesting that the affinity of myosin for actin is higher for the DTF. Thus, the mutation-induced structural changes in thin filaments would increase the number of myosin molecules bound to actin compared with the WTF, resulting in the force enhancement observed for the E244D mutation.     

山西糜子核心种质分子身份证构建

为快速鉴定糜子(Panicum miliaceum)资源, 建立分子标记检测平台, 以272份山西糜子核心种质为研究材料, 利用85对简单重复序列(SSR)引物, 应用ID Analysis 4.0软件, 构建DNA分子身份证。结果表明, 对85对SSR引物进行筛选, 发现20对引物组合(RYW67、RYW53、RYW37、RYW65、RYW62、RYW77、RYW5、RYW49、RYW84、RYW19、RYW11、RYW40、RYW54、RYW28、RYW31、RYW7、RYW16、RYW8、RYW9和RYW18)可区分272份材料。共检测到等位变异(Na) 60个, 平均每个位点检出3个; Shannon多样性指数(I)为0.957 8 (RYW16)-1.096 7 (RYW5), 平均值为1.055 2; 多态性信息含量(PIC)为0.604 4 (RYW77)-0.753 0 (RYW37), 平均值为0.692 1。利用20对引物构建山西糜子核心种质的字符串、条形码和二维码DNA分子身份证, 可为种质身份标识和溯源提供实践路径。     

应用基因芯片筛选鼻咽癌信号转导相关基因

目的：建立具有组织特异性的鼻咽癌基因表达谱,筛选鼻咽癌中信号转导相关基因。方法：采用深圳微芯公司基于玻片的包含8046个人类基因的基因芯片,检测7例鼻咽癌组织及1例鼻咽炎组织,初步获得鼻咽癌异常表达基因;结合GO分类从异常表达的基因中筛选信号转导相关基因,以Biocarta信号通路数据库查询筛选基因相关转导信号通路信息。结果：在鼻咽癌组织独得1241个异常用表达基因,其中高表达基因871个,低表达基因343个。发现28个差异表达基因与细胞的信号转导相关,其中表达上调的21个,表达下调的7个。结论：成功建立了具有组织特异性的鼻咽癌基因表达谱,初步获得了鼻咽癌信号转导相关基因。     

基于农艺性状指标的山西高粱地方品种核心种质构建

利用1285份山西省高粱地方品种18个农艺性状的历史数据,通过比较不同取样方法、取样比例和聚类方法组合的构建方法,确定了"多次聚类偏离度取样法+15％取样比例+欧氏距离+最长距离法"为山西省高粱地方核心种质构建的方法.192份初选核心种质和所有样本的均值差异百分率、方差差异百分率、极差符合率和变异系数变化率分别为0、8...     

大兴安岭泥炭地不同菌根类型木本植物叶片凋落物分解及其温度敏感性差异

以我国大兴安岭多年冻土区泥炭地常见的3种外生菌根木本植物(细叶沼柳Salix rosmarinifolia、白桦Betula platyphylla和柴桦B.fruticosa)和4种欧石楠菌根木本植物(笃斯越桔Vaccinium uliginosum、狭叶杜香Ledum palustre、甸杜Chamaedaphne calyculata和小叶杜鹃Rhododendron parrifolum)为研究对象,通过315天培养试验测定10和20℃叶片凋落物分解过程中的碳(C)累积矿化量和重量损失,并分析其温度敏感性。结果表明:外生菌根植物叶片凋落物的C矿化量和重量损失在10和20℃均高于欧石楠菌根植物;外生菌根植物凋落物分解过程中C矿化量的温度敏感性系数高于欧石楠菌根植物,但重量损失的温度敏感性系数低于欧石楠菌根植物;在每一培养温度下,C矿化量和重量损失均与凋落物全氮(N)和全磷(P)浓度呈正相关,与C/N和C/P呈负相关;尽管C矿化量的温度敏感性系数与凋落物初始化学组成无显著相关性,但重量损失的温度敏感性系数与凋落物全N和全P浓度呈负相关,与C/N和C/P呈正相关。本研究结果为认识和预测气候变暖及其引起的物种组成变化对北方泥炭地植物凋落物分解的影响提供理论依据。     

Control of membrane morphogenesis in bacteriophage PM2

The regulation of membrane formation in bacteriophage PM2 serves as a simple model for changes in membrane structure in eukaryotic cells. Prior to Pseudomonas host lysis, wild-type virions mature to an icosahedral morphology at the inner face of the cytoplasmic membrane. The proliminary charcterization of two temperature-sensitive mutants of PM2 is described. In cells infected at the restrictive temperature with ts 1, an abundance of “empty” virus-size membrane vesicles are seen. Synthesis of DNA is also reduced in ts 1 infected cells. The preponderance of vesicles is not sen in cells infected with wil-type virus or with ts 1 at the permissive temperature. The “empty” appearance of the viral membranes suggests that viral DNA is not encapsulated. The major viral capsid protein (MW 26,000) is located just out side the viral membrane and normallyl sediments with host and virus membranes; insted, large amounts of capsid protein can be precipitated from the supernatant with TCA. Compared to cells infected with wild type virus, cells infected with is 5 at th restrictive temperature produce inside the cell an aboundance of virus-soze membrane vesicles. Taken Together, These results with viral mutants suggest that formation of a viral membrane of the proper size does not require a DNA core around which to form, or an outer scaffolding of coat protein against which to form a spherical bilayer.