利用甘蔗糖蜜酒精发酵液生产腐植酸的菌种鉴定及发酵条件研究

从土壤中筛选出一株适合用甘蔗糖蜜酒精发酵液生产腐植酸的菌株H812。单因素实验和正交实验结果表明,该菌株培养的最适酒精发酵液浓度为16°Bx,最适培养条件为:时间8d、温度34℃、摇床转速200r/min、初始pH7.0、接种量12%和装液量50ml/250ml,其中温度对发酵产品影响显著。在优化的条件下,腐植酸产量为38.12 g/L,较优化前提高了148.34%。对H812菌株进行形态特征分析以及ITS序列分析,推测该菌株为曲霉属真菌。     

保持培养细胞原位、原形的超薄切片制备法

本文介绍先用环氧树脂Epon812包埋剂制成丘状膜,再在膜上培养细胞,直接将膜与细胞一起包埋,制备超薄切片。此种方法不仅能克服以往培养细胞需要离心成团,容易造成细胞破碎、变形的缺点;还能避免琼脂预包埋法悬浮细胞造成的抗原封闭;并能得到为数较多的连续超薄切片。它操作简便,较好地保持了培养细胞生长的原来位置及原有形状,为培养细胞进行免疫电镜的操作和提高制备培养细胞超薄切片的数量和质量提供了一种有效的途径。     

Nucleotide polymorphism affecting FLC expression underpins heading date variation in horticultural brassicas

Variation in flowering time and response to overwintering has been exploited to breed brassica vegetables that can be harvested year‐round. Our knowledge of flowering time control now enables the investigation of the molecular basis of this important variation. Here, we show that a major determinant of heading date variation in Brassica oleracea is from variation in vernalization response through allelic variation at FLOWERING LOCUS C.C2 (BoFLC4). We characterize two alleles of BoFLC.C2 that are both functional and confer a requirement for vernalization, but they show distinct expression dynamics in response to cold. Complementation experiments in Arabidopsis thaliana revealed that the allelic variation results from cis polymorphism at BoFLC.C2, which quantitatively influences the degree of cold‐induced epigenetic silencing. This results in one allelic variant conferring consistently later heading under both glasshouse and field conditions through reduced environmental sensitivity. Our results suggest that breeding of brassica varieties for commercially valuable variation in heading date has been achieved through the selection of cis polymorphism at FLC, similar to that underpinning natural variation in A. thaliana. This understanding will allow for the selection of alleles with distinct sensitivities to cold and robust heading dates under variable climatic conditions, and will facilitate the breeding of varieties more resistant to climate change.     

Enrichment of laccase production by Phoma herbarum isolate KU4 under solid-state fermentation by optimizing RSM coefficients using genetic algorithm

The process parameters were optimized to obtain enhanced enzyme activity from the fungus Phoma herbarum isolate KU4 using rice straw and saw dust as substrate under solid-state fermentation using Response surface methodology (RSM). Genetic algorithm was used to validate the RSM for maximum laccase production. Six variables, viz., pH of the media, initial moisture content, copper sulphate concentration, concentration of tannic acid, inoculum concentration and incubation time were found to be effective and optimized for enhanced production. Maximum laccase production was achieved by RSM at pH 5·0 and 86% of initial moisture content of the culture medium, 150 µmol l⁻¹ of CuSO₄, 1·5% tannic acid and 0·128 g inoculum g⁻¹ dry substrate inoculum size on the fourth day of fermentation. The highest laccase activity was observed as 79 008 U g⁻¹, which is approximately sixfold enhanced production compared to the unoptimized condition (12 085·26 U g⁻¹).     

Repairing DNA damage by XRCC6/KU70 reverses TLR4-deficiency-worsened HCC development via restoring senescence and autophagic flux

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most lethal and prevalent cancers in the human population. The initiation and progression of HCC is closely associated with chronic liver inflammation. Recent research indicates that nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), one of the DNA repair mechanisms, autophagy and senescence are all involved in the pathogenesis of HCC induced by carcinogens or oxidative stress. DNA repair proteins including XRCC6/KU70 and XRCC5/KU80 are the critical NHEJ factors that play pivotal roles in genome-maintenance issues such as DNA replication and repair, telomere maintenance and chromosomal instability. Our studies indicate that a deficiency of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated immune activities results in a decreased expression of XRCC5 and XRCC6 in response to insult by the carcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DEN). This effect causes a failure in DNA repair, and promotes the transformation of precancerous hepatocytes and HCC development. Ectopic expression of XRCC6 protects against HCC initiation and progression by restoring the cellular senescent response and activation of immune networks, which induces an effective autophagic degradation, removes the accumulated reactive oxygen species (ROS), decreases DNA damage, attenuates proliferation, and promotes programmed cell death in TLR4-deficient livers. Our work indicates that repairing DNA damage by XRCC6 reverses TLR4-deficiency-worsened HCC development via restoring immunity to support senescence and autophagy in liver cells.     

Aurora-A controls cancer cell radio- and chemoresistance via ATM/Chk2-mediated DNA repair networks

High expression of Aurora kinase A (Aurora-A) has been found to confer cancer cell radio- and chemoresistance, however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, by using Aurora-A cDNA/shRNA or the specific inhibitor VX680, we show that Aurora-A upregulates cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and anchorage-independent growth to enhance cell resistance to cisplatin and X-ray irradiation through dysregulation of DNA damage repair networks. Mechanistic studies showed that Aurora-A promoted the expression of ATM/Chk2, but suppressed the expression of BRCA1/2, ATR/Chk1, p53, pp53 (Ser15), H2AX, γH2AX (Ser319), and RAD51. Aurora-A inhibited the focus formation of γH2AX in response to ionizing irradiation. Treatment of cells overexpressing Aurora-A and ATM/Chk2 with the ATM specific inhibitor KU-55933 increased the cell sensitivity to cisplatin and irradiation through increasing the phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15 and inhibiting the expression of Chk2, γH2AX (Ser319), and RAD51. Further study revealed that BRCA1/2 counteracted the function of Aurora-A to suppress the expression of ATM/Chk2, but to activate the expression of ATR/Chk1, pp53, γH2AX, and RAD51, leading to the enhanced cell sensitivity to irradiation and cisplatin, which was also supported by the results from animal assays. Thus, our data provide strong evidences that Aurora-A and BRCA1/2 inversely control the sensitivity of cancer cells to radio- and chemotherapy through the ATM/Chk2-mediated DNA repair networks, indicating that the DNA repair molecules including ATM/Chk2 may be considered for the targeted therapy against cancers with overexpression of Aurora-A.