The Effect of Recombinant Heavy Metal-Resistant Endophytic Bacteria on Heavy Metal Uptake by Their Host Plant

The ncc-nre nickel resistance system of Ralstonia metallidurans 31A was efficiently expressed in Burkholderia cepacia L.S.2.4 and Herbaspirillum seropedicae LMG2284. The heterologous expression of ncc-nre encoded nickel resistance was accompanied by nickel removal from the culture medium. B. cepacia L.S.2.4:: ncc-nre and H. seropedicae LMG2284::ncc-nre were able to remove 35 and 15% nickel, respectively. The capacity to remove nickel through sequestration or bio-precipitation processes and consequently lowering the free nickel concentration could offer interesting benefits for these endophytic bacteria and their host plants. Once inoculated in their host plant, they could possibly alter the nickel speciation and therefore decrease the free ions and thus toxic concentration for the plant metabolism. Lupinus luteus L, when grown on a nickel enriched substrate and inoculated with B. cepacia L.S.2.4::ncc-nre, showed a significant increase (30%) of nickel concentration in the roots, whereas the nickel concentration in the shoots remained comparable with that of the control plants. The inoculation of Lolium perenne (cv Atlas) with the nickel resistance derivative of H. seropedicae LMG2284::ncc-nre resulted in a significant decrease of the nickel concentration in the roots (11%) as well as in the shoots (14%). As this phenomenon was also observed in the Lolium perenne plants inoculated with the wild-type strain LMG2284, the nickel resistance characteristics probably are not responsible for the altered nickel uptake observed.     

Organospecific responses of lupin seedlings to lead I. localization of lead ions and stress proteins

A tissue-printing technique was used to follow distribution of lead ions in different organs of lupin seedling with the histological localization of pathogenesis-related proteins designated as PR-L1 to PR-L6, which were found to be induced in lupin roots by heavy metals (Przymusiński and Gwóźdź 1999). Lead nitrate solution was supplied to the root tips and the histological distribution of the metal in lupin organs was visualized by staining with 0.6 % (w/v) of sodium rhodizonate. As the distance from the site of lead application increased, the amount of free lead ions decreased and in the petioles the metal was not detected at all. Lead ions were localized mostly in vascular bundles, which suggests that it was transported into the upper parts of seedlings with the transpiration stream. Immunohistochemical analysis of the tissue prints showed that as compared to the control lead visibly increased the accumulation of the PR proteins in roots, hypocotyls, stems and leaf petioles of the lupin seedling. The histological distribution of the PR protein differs from that of lead, and was localized in parenchymatic cells of root cortex, hypocotyl and stem. It is worth noticing that the stress protein was also observed in the leaf petioles where lead was not detected. This fact as well as marked enhancement of PR (L1–L6) proteins accumulation in lead treated seedlings and our earlier studies (Przymusiński and Gwóźdź 1994, 1999, Przymusiński et al. 1995) suggests that these proteins could be elements of plant’s defence system against both biotic and abiotic stressing factors.     

An integrated approach reveals how lipo‐chitooligosaccharides interact with the lysin motif receptor‐like kinase MtLYR3

N‐acetylglucosamine containing compounds acting as pathogenic or symbiotic signals are perceived by plant‐specific Lysin Motif Receptor‐Like Kinases (LysM‐RLKs). The molecular mechanisms of this perception are not fully understood, notably those of lipo‐chitooligosaccharides (LCOs) produced during root endosymbioses with nitrogen‐fixing bacteria or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In Medicago truncatula, we previously identified the LysM‐RLK LYR3 (MtLYR3) as a specific LCO‐binding protein. We also showed that the absence of LCO binding to LYR3 of the non‐mycorrhizal Lupinus angustifolius, (LanLYR3), was related to LysM3, which differs from that of MtLYR3 by several amino acids and, particularly, by a critical tyrosine residue absent in LanLYR3. Here, we aimed to define the LCO binding site of MtLYR3 by using molecular modelling and simulation approaches, combined with site‐directed mutagenesis and LCO binding experiments. 3D models of MtLYR3 and LanLYR3 ectodomains were built, and homology modelling and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed. Molecular docking and MD simulation on the LysM3 identified potential key residues for LCO binding. We highlighted by steered MD simulations that in addition to the critical tyrosine, two other residues were important for LCO binding in MtLYR3. Substitution of these residues in LanLYR3‐LysM3 by those of MtLYR3‐LysM3 allowed the recovery of high‐affinity LCO binding in experimental radioligand‐binding assays. An analysis of selective constraints revealed that the critical tyrosine has experienced positive selection pressure and is absent in some LYR3 proteins. These findings now pave the way to uncover the functional significance of this specific evolutionary pattern.     

褐环乳牛肝菌对樟子松和油松根际土壤真菌多样性的影响

为了解褐环乳牛肝菌Suillus luteus对樟子松Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica和油松Pinus tabulaeformis根际土壤真菌群落结构的影响,采用Illumina MiSeq高通量测序,对两种松树接种S. luteus与对照组的根际土壤真菌群落结构进行研究。结果显示,4个样品共获得原始序列347 681条,归为5个真菌门。综合各土壤样品真菌Alpha多样性指数及OTUs-Venn图,发现接种S. luteus后樟子松和油松根际土壤真菌相对丰度与对照存在一定差异。群落结构分析表明,接种S. luteus提高了樟子松和油松根际土壤担子菌和壶菌的相对丰度,抑制了子囊菌门真菌。优势属由原来的Geopora转变为Suillus。通过PCA分析与NMDS分析发现接种S. luteus后樟子松和油松根际土壤真菌群落差异性增加,且接种S. luteus后樟子松根际土壤真菌群落结构相似性显著高于油松根际土壤真菌群落结构相似性。接种S. luteus的樟子松和油松土壤真菌丰富度降低、多样性增加,接种S. luteus改变了樟子松和油松根际土壤真菌群落结构和优势真菌种群。试验结果为樟子松和油松促生真菌菌种筛选和育苗工作提供了依据。     

一种由藤黄微球菌产生的纤溶酶

血栓栓塞性疾病如心肌梗塞、脑栓塞等是危害人类健康、导致死亡率最高的疾病之一.全球每年约1 700万人死于心脑血管病,我国每年约有300万人死于此类疾病.治疗此类疾病的主要手段之一是溶栓疗法,即注射溶栓剂疏通血管,但传统的溶栓药物如t-PA、尿激酶等有半衰期短、使用量大、价格昂贵、易引发出血症等不良副作用,因此开发新型溶栓类药物,提供廉价高效、副作用小、使用方便的溶栓药物,对栓塞性疾病的治疗具有重要意义.     

Cr(VI)还原菌的筛选、鉴定及其还原物质分析

【背景】铬污染土壤是我国土壤污染修复的重点治理对象,在众多修复技术中,微生物法因具有简单、经济、无二次污染等特性已成为研究热点,而微生物法中筛选出既能适应污染场地环境又能高效还原Cr(VI)的菌株尤为重要。【目的】筛选适应西北寒旱区高效还原Cr(VI)的菌株,丰富铬还原菌资源库,为铬污染土壤修复奠定基础。【方法】采用富集驯化、分离纯化法进行筛菌;通过形态学和分子生物学相结合的方法对目的菌株进行鉴定;采用傅里叶变换红外光谱法对还原机理进行研究。【结果】菌株G-13有较强的Cr(VI)还原能力,pH 9.0、温度为30°C条件下,60 h对Cr(VI)(100 mg/L)的还原率达到82.8%。经形态学和分子生物学鉴定,菌株G-13为Micrococcus luteus。反应中Cr(VI)的降低伴随着Cr(III)的增加,说明以还原反应为主,并且还原能力与细菌生长呈依赖型关系。对细胞各组分及变性研究表明,胞外酶在还原反应中占主要作用。除Pd~(2+)、Cd~(2+)外,其余金属离子对酶活性无明显抑制作用。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱分析,发现G-13与Cr(VI)结合位点主要为羟基、羰基、羧基、–CH、酰胺基等。【结论】菌株G-13有较强的Cr(VI)还原能力,能为西北寒旱区铬污染土壤修复丰富菌种资源。     

Transformation of a grain legume (Lupinus angustifolius L.) via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer to shoot apices

Transgenic plants of Lupinus angustifolius L. (cvs. Unicrop and Merrit) were routinely generated using Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer to shoot apices. The bar gene for resistance to phosphinothricin (PPT, the active ingredient of the herbicide Basta) was used as the selectable marker. After co-cultivation, the shoot apex explants were transferred onto a PPT-free regeneration medium and their tops were thoroughly wetted with PPT solution (2 mg/ml). The multiple axillary shoots developing from the shoot apices were excised onto a medium containing 20 mg/l PPT. The surviving shoots were transferred every second week onto fresh medium containing 20 mg/l PPT. At each transfer, the number of surviving shoots decreased, until it stabilized. Indeed, some of these chimeric shoots surviving the PPT selection, eventually produced new green healthier axillary shoots which could be transferred to soil. This whole process took from 5 to 9 months after co-cultivation. Average transformation frequencies of 2.8% for cv. Unicrop and of 0.4% for the commercial cultivar Merrit were achieved. Molecular analysis of T₀, T₁, and T₂ generations demonstrated stable integration of the foreign gene into the plant genome and expression of the integrated gene. Transformed plants of the T₁ and T₂ generations were resistant in glasshouse trials where the herbicide Basta (0.1 mg/ml) was sprayed onto whole plants. These results demonstrate that Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer to preorganised meristematic tissue combined with axillary regeneration can form the basis of a routine transformation system for legume crop species which are difficult to regenerate from other explants.     

细菌诱导对昆虫细胞系NIH-SaPe-4生长与抗菌蛋白活性的影响

离体昆虫细胞系在昆虫免疫、抗菌肽及蛋白研究和药物开发方面具有较好的应用前景。该文对双翅目麻蝇科麻蝇成虫卵巢胚细胞系NIH-SaPe-4在藤黄微球菌诱导和非诱导条件下,细胞密度和活力的变化、诱导对细胞生长的影响、抗菌活性及其活性随时间的变化关系等进行了研究,并对所得抗菌蛋白进行了初步分离纯化和稳定性评估。结果表明,诱导使得细胞密度增长减缓,活力变弱。诱导和非诱导组细胞均可产生对3种革兰氏阳性菌具有抑菌活性的抗菌蛋白,其中对藤黄微球菌的抑菌活性最明显;诱导组细胞抗菌蛋白活性出现时间、稳定期抑菌活性均大于非诱导组,诱导菌消失一段时间后抗菌活性恢复到同等水平。抗菌蛋白具有酸碱稳定性和热稳定性。2组抗菌蛋白粗提液经凝胶、反相分离纯化后均得到一种60 kDa左右的抗菌蛋白,诱导组电泳后条带亮度大于非诱导组。该研究为昆虫细胞抗菌蛋白性质、分离纯化等研究奠定了科学基础。     

The formation and translational activity of polysomes from developing lupin seeds

The formation and in vitro translational activity of total, free and membrane-bound polysomes from various stages of developing cotyledons of yellow lupin seeds (Lupinus luteus L. cv. Iryd) has been investigated. The early stages of seed formation were characterized by a low level of polysomes that progressively increased. The main features of the cotyledons at the middle phase of development were full expansion growth and the highest amount of polysomes observed in all three poly so me fractions. In The final stages of emhryogenesis. the seed dehydration was accompanied by-gradual loss of all types of polysomes, at which the membrane-attached formations were degraded earlier than the free ones. By means of a wheat germ-derived cell-free system for protein synthesis, a correlation was demonstrated between cotyledon growth, polysome formation and their capacity for protein synthesis in vitro. As compared to the free polysomes, both the total and membrane-bound formations were more active in protein synthesis in vitro. Analysis of the translational products by means of immunoprecipitation and gel electrophoresis followed by fluorography showed that only membrane-bound polysomes produced polypeptides of higher molecular weight, including subunits of a legumin-like protein.     

Structure of the cDNA coding for conglutin γ, a sulphur-rich protein from Lupinus angustifolius

The sequence of cDNA coding for a sulphur-rich storage protein from Lupinus angustifolius L., conglutin , was determined. The coding region contained an N-terminal leader peptide of 28 amino acids which directly preceded subunits of M _r 28 239 and 16 517. Extensive sequence homology between the protein encoded by conglutin cDNA and basic 7S globulin from soybean was observed. Sequence homology to proteins from other classes of storage proteins, 11S, 7S and 2S, was limited to short and highly fragmented sequences. The amino acid sequence, Asn-Gly-Leu-Glu-Glu-Thr, characteristic of the primary site for post-translational cleavage of the precursors of 11S proteins, was absent from the sequence predicted for prepro-conglutin . It is concluded that conglutin is a representative of a fourth type of storage protein in legumes, distinct from the 11S, 7S and 2S storage protein families.