Characterisation of a thermo-alkali-stable lipase from oil-contaminated soil using a metagenomic approach

Lipases are widely used for a variety of biotechnological applications. Screening these industrial enzymes directly from environmental microorganisms is a more efficient and practical approach than conventional cultivation-dependent methods. Combined with activity-based functional screening, six clones with lipase activity were detected and a gene (termed lipZ01) isolated from a target clone with the highest lipase activity was cloned from an oil-contaminated soil-derived metagenomic library and then sequenced. Gene lipZ01 was expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 and the molecular weight of the recombinant lipase LipZ01 was estimated by electrophoresis analysis to be approximately 50 kDa. The maximum activity of the purified lipase was 42 U/mL, and the optimum reaction temperature and pH value were 45 °C and 8.0, respectively. The enzyme was highly stable in the temperature range 35–60 °C and under alkaline conditions (pH 7–10). The presence of Ca²⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions could significantly enhance the activity of the lipase. The purified lipase preferentially hydrolysed triacylglycerols with acyl chain lengths ≥8 carbon atoms, and the conversion degree of biodiesel production was nearly 92% in a transesterification reaction using olive oil and methanol. Some attractive properties suggested that the recombinant lipase may be valuable in industrial applications.     

Discovery of a disused desaturase gene from the pheromone gland of the moth Ascotis selenaria, which secretes an epoxyalkenyl sex pheromone

Female Ascotis selenaria (Geometridae) moths use 3,4-epoxy-(Z,Z)-6,9-nonadecadiene, which is synthesized from linolenic acid, as the main component of their sex pheromone. While the use of dietary linolenic or linoleic fatty acid derivatives as sex pheromone components has been observed in moth species belonging to a few families including Geometridae, the majority of moths use derivatives of a common saturated fatty acid, palmitic acid, as their sex pheromone components. We attempted to gain insight into the differentiation of pheromone biosynthetic pathways in geometrids by analyzing the desaturase genes expressed in the pheromone gland of A. selenaria. We demonstrated that a Δ11-desaturase-like gene (Asdesat1) was specifically expressed in the pheromone gland of A. selenaria in spite of the absence of a desaturation step in the pheromone biosynthetic pathway in this species. Further analysis revealed that the presumed transmembrane domains were degenerated in Asdesat1. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Asdesat1 anciently diverged from the lineage of Δ11-desaturases, which are currently widely used in the biosynthesis of sex pheromones by moths. These results suggest that an ancestral Δ11-desaturase became dysfunctional in A. selenaria after a shift in pheromone biosynthetic pathways.     

Nuclear-encoded chloroplast RNA polymerase sigma factor SIG2 activates chloroplast-encoded phycobilisome genes in a red alga, Cyanidioschyzon merolae

The phycobilisome (PBS) is a photosynthetic light-harvesting complex in red algae, whose structural genes are separately encoded by both the nuclear and chloroplast genomes. While the expression of PBS genes in both genomes is responsive to environmental changes to modulate light-harvesting efficiency, little is known about how gene expression of the two genomes is coordinated. In this study, we focused on the four nuclear-encoded chloroplast sigma factors to understand aspects of this coordination, and found that SIG2 directs the expression of chloroplast PBS genes in the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae.     

单纯疱疹病毒2型潜伏相关转录体ORF1的表达及其抗凋亡作用

旨在研究单纯疱疹病毒2型潜伏相关转录体 (LAT) 开放读码框1 (ORF1) 对放线菌素D诱导的凋亡作用的影响。以HSV-2 333基因组为模板PCR扩增ORF1片段,构建重组质粒pEGFP-ORF1,转染Vero细胞,RT-PCR鉴定ORF1的表达。放线菌素D诱导Vero细胞凋亡,通过荧光显微镜观察凋亡小体,Hochest33258荧光染色观察细胞形态变化,MTT检测细胞活性,流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡率。双酶切和测序确认pEGFP-ORF1构建成功,RT-PCR表明该真核表达载体能在Vero细胞中高效表达。转染了pEGFP-ORF1的Vero细胞经放线菌素D凋亡诱导后,Hochest33258染色显示细胞形态正常。MTT结果表明转染了重组质粒pEGFP-ORF1的Vero细胞经放线菌素D凋亡诱导后Vero细胞活性与未经任何处理的正常对照组相比,无显著差异 (P＞0.05),但高于放线菌素D诱导凋亡的Vero细胞组及与转染空质粒pEGFP-C2且放线菌素D诱导凋亡的Vero细胞组,差异具有统计学意义 (P＜0.05)。流式结果表明,转染重组质粒pEGFP-ORF1且经放线菌素D诱导凋亡组与正常对照组凋亡率差异不显著 (P＞0.05),而显著低于放线菌素D诱导凋亡组和转染空质粒pEGFP-C2且经放线菌素D诱导凋亡组 (P＜0.05)。HSV-2 LAT ORF1具有抗放线菌素D诱导的Vero细胞的凋亡作用。     

Cyanobacterial bioactive metabolites—A review of their chemistry and biology

Cyanobacterial blooms occur when algal densities exceed baseline population concentrations. Cyanobacteria can produce a large number of secondary metabolites. Odorous metabolites affect the smell and flavor of aquatic animals, whereas bioactive metabolites cause a range of lethal and sub-lethal effects in plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates, including humans. Herein, the bioactivity, chemistry, origin, and biosynthesis of these cyanobacterial secondary metabolites were reviewed. With recent revision of cyanobacterial taxonomy by Anagnostidis and Komárek as part of the Süβwasserflora von Mitteleuropa volumes 19(1–3), names of many cyanobacteria that produce bioactive compounds have changed, thereby confusing readers. The original and new nomenclature are included in this review to clarify the origins of cyanobacterial bioactive compounds.Due to structural similarity, the 157 known bioactive classes produced by cyanobacteria have been condensed to 55 classes. This review will provide a basis for more formal procedures to adopt a logical naming system. This review is needed for efficient management of water resources to understand, identify, and manage cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom impacts.