Biological soil crusts in ecological restoration: emerging research and perspectives

Drylands encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems and face significant anthropogenic degradation causing a loss of ecosystem integrity, services, and deterioration of social‐ecological systems. To combat this degradation, some dryland restoration efforts have focused on the use of biological soil crusts (biocrusts): complex communities of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, bryophytes, and other organisms living in association with the top millimeters of soil. Biocrusts are common in many ecosystems and especially drylands. They perform a suite of ecosystem functions: stabilizing soil surfaces to prevent erosion, contributing carbon through photosynthesis, fixing nitrogen, and mediating the hydrological cycle in drylands. Biocrusts have emerged as a potential tool in restoration; developing methods to implement effective biocrust restoration has the potential to return many ecosystem functions and services. Although culture‐based approaches have allowed researchers to learn about the biology, physiology, and cultivation of biocrusts, transferring this knowledge to field implementation has been more challenging. A large amount of research has amassed to improve our understanding of biocrust restoration, leaving us at an opportune time to learn from one another and to join approaches for maximum efficacy. The articles in this special issue improve the state of our current knowledge in biocrust restoration, highlighting efforts to effectively restore biocrusts through a variety of different ecosystems, across scales and utilizing a variety of lab and field methods. This collective work provides a useful resource for the scientific community as well as land managers.     

水稻悬浮细胞的超低温保存研究

本研究分析了水稻悬浮细胞的生理状态和各种冷冻前处理等因素对超低温保存后细胞存活率的影响。结果表明,继代后培养3—5天,处于对数生长期的细胞,采用二步冷冻法,超低温保存后存活率最高。电镜超微结构观察显示,0.5mol/L山梨醇预培养,10%DMSO 0.5mol/L山梨醇复合保护剂处理,液泡显著变小,数目明显减少,从而降低了细胞内自由水含量,增强细胞的抗冷冻能力。在上述合适的前处理和冷冻-化冻条件下,超低温保存水稻悬浮细胞的恢复生长率为58%,恢复生长的细胞转移到分化培养基上,可再生健壮绿苗, 移植到盆钵,在温室中长成正常结实的植株。     

微生物共同作用下的铁皮石斛组培苗生长效应研究

植物体和植物根际均是复杂的微生态系统,其内栖息着关系复杂的共生微生物,共同影响植物的生长发育.为探讨混合接种真菌与细菌对兰科植物生长的影响,筛选出真菌与细菌的优势促生组合,本研究选取经分离、筛选获得的4株促生内生真菌(铁皮石斛内生真菌C22、C35,美花石斛内生真菌L12、L28)和3株促生内生细菌(铁皮石斛菌内生细菌TX-7、TX-16、TX-19),以"真菌+细菌"的方式混合接种于铁皮石斛无菌组培苗中,共培养120 d.结果获得了3组优势组合:C22+TX-19、L28+TX-16和L28+TX-19,它们对铁皮石斛组培苗的生长均表现出正效应,其中C22+TX-19和L28+TX-19对促进组培苗生物量的增长具有协同效应,L28+TX-19对提高组培苗的根分枝率具有协同效应,3个组合对增加组培苗的分蘖数和根尖数均表现为累加效应.研究结果表明,内生真菌与内生细菌的共同作用可显著促进铁皮石斛的生长,混合接种有可能更大地发挥微生物的效能.     

东海原甲藻(Prorocentrum donghaiensis)对原生动物群落结构影响的现场船基实验

2005年在长江口赤潮频发海域调查期间,分别于4月27日、5月4日和5月8日,在zzf1、zc18a和ra5站位利用现场船基培养的方法,研究了添加到赤潮密度10^6cells L^-1的东海原甲藻（Prorocentrum donghaiense）对原生动物群落结构的影响。结果发现,赤潮密度的东海原甲藻抑制了小型无壳纤毛虫的种群数量,而没有抑制中大型砂壳纤毛虫和夜光虫（Noctiluca scintillans）的种群数量,从而使得原生动物群落向中大型种类演替,这种影响的程度与原生动物本身的群落组成和浮游植物的组成密切相关。添加东海原甲藻72h后,在以小型无壳纤毛虫管游虫（Cyrtostrombidium sp．）为优势种的zzf1站位,演替为以大型原生动物夜光虫为优势种的群落;在以中大型原生动物百乐拟铃虫（Tintinnospsis beroidea）和夜光虫为优势种的zc18a站位,仍然是以此为优势种,且大型原生动物夜光虫在群落中的比例上升;在以小型无壳纤毛虫急游虫2（Strombidium sp．2）为优势种的ra5站位,演替为以中大型原生动物百乐拟铃虫和亚速岛网纹虫（Favella azorica）为优势种的群落。zzf1和ra5站位实验组中原生动物的总丰度都呈下降趋势,而zc18a站位变化不明显,这是由于前两个站位的最优势种管游虫（zzf1站位）和急游虫2（ra5站位）的丰度迅速下降,而zc18a站位的优势种百乐拟铃虫和夜光虫的丰度比较稳定造成的。在zzf1和zc18a站位,对照组和实验组中原生动物的总生物量在实验前后都没有大的变化,而在ra5站位却均呈下降的趋势。这可能与浮游植物的组成有关,zzf1和zc18a站位是以无毒的锥状斯氏藻（Scrippsiella trochoidea）和螺旋环沟藻（Gyrodinium spirale）为主,而ra5站位是以有毒的亚历山大藻（Alexandriumsp．）为主。综上可见,可预测当东海大规模赤潮爆发时,会使原生动物群落向中大型种类演替,进而可能影响海洋生态系统的结构和功能。     

恒河猴二次接种H5N1亚型禽流感病毒

对恒河猴进行二次接种H5N1亚型禽流感病毒试验,并对二次接毒的结果进行观察,评估初次接毒对恒河猴二次接毒效果的影响.首次接种试验中,3、4、5号恒河猴用环甲膜穿刺注射方法接种含有H5N1亚型禽流感病毒的尿囊液,6号猴接种不含病毒的尿囊液.90d后,再次用环甲膜穿刺注射方法二次接种,4、5、6号猴接种7mlTCID50浓度为104.875病毒的尿囊液,3号猴接种7ml不含病毒的尿囊液.进行抗体等检测,并分别于72h无痛处死3、4、6号猴,第7d无痛处死5号猴,进行肺的病毒检测及病理观察.结果显示,3、4、5号猴至试验结束时体内依然有较高的抗H5N1亚型禽流感病毒抗体水平,6号猴没有抗体;通过RT-PCR以及免疫组化染色进行病毒检测,均只在6号猴肺部检出病毒,且6号猴肺部病理损伤最为严重.由此可以得出初步结论:在初次感染H5N1亚型禽流感病毒后90d,临床症状已基本恢复正常的恒河猴体内仍然有较高水平的抗体,此时,恒河猴抵抗H5N1亚型禽流感病毒二次感染的能力显著提高.     

嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌PX1的降解芘特性及定殖效能

为丰富多环芳烃降解菌菌种库、降低农作物的污染风险,本研究对一株可高效降解多环芳烃(PAHs)的植物内生菌进行筛选鉴定,并初步探究其降解途径以及定殖效能。结果表明: 菌株PX1为嗜麦芽寡养单胞菌。该菌株对多环芳烃的降解具有广谱性,7 d几乎可彻底降解PAH无机盐培养基中的萘,在分别含有50.0 mg·L^-1菲、20.0 mg·L^-1芘、20.0 mg·L^-1荧蒽和10.0 mg·L^-1苯并[a]芘的培养体系中,对菲、芘、荧蒽、苯并[a]芘的降解率分别为72.6%、50.7%、31.9%和12.9%。选取芘作为PAHs模型研究菌株PX1的降解特性。酶活性试验表明,芘可诱导菌株PX1体内邻苯二甲酸双加氧酶、邻苯二酚-1,2-双加氧酶和邻苯二酚-2,3-双加氧酶的活性。在芘降解过程中检测到4,5-环氧化芘、4,5-二羟基芘、龙胆酸/原茶儿酸、水杨酸、顺-己二烯二酸/2-羟粘糠酸半醛、顺-2′-羧基苯丙酮酸、1-羟基-2-萘甲酸、水杨醛等中间产物。浸种定殖试验表明,菌株PX1可高效定殖到空心菜和小麦体内,显著促进空心菜和小麦生长,并能够将空心菜、小麦体内及其生长基质中的芘浓度分别降低29.8%～50.7%、52.4%～67.1%和8.0%～15.3%。表明菌株PX1主要通过“水杨酸途径”和“邻苯二甲酸途径”降解芘,且可以定殖到植物体内,促进植物生长。     

Fish models in prion biology: Underwater issues

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), otherwise known as prion disorders, are fatal diseases causing neurodegeneration in a wide range of mammalian hosts, including humans. The causative agents - prions - are thought to be composed of a rogue isoform of the endogenous prion protein (PrP). Beyond these and other basic concepts, fundamental questions in prion biology remain unanswered, such as the physiological function of PrP, the molecular mechanisms underlying prion pathogenesis, and the origin of prions. To date, the occurrence of TSEs in lower vertebrates like fish and birds has received only limited attention, despite the fact that these animals possess bona fide PrPs. Recent findings, however, have brought fish before the footlights of prion research. Fish models are beginning to provide useful insights into the roles of PrP in health and disease, as well as the potential risk of prion transmission between fish and mammals. Although still in its infancy, the use of fish models in TSE research could significantly improve our basic understanding of prion diseases, and also help anticipate risks to public health. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Zebrafish Models of Neurological Diseases.     

以掷孢酵母作为伴生菌产生VC前体KGA的研究

以掷孢酵母作为伴生菌与氧化葡萄糖酸杆菌组成新混菌体系,通过测定生长代谢曲线,对其产酸性能和特点进行了研究。结果表明：相同条件下,新菌系产酸能力高于现有菌系,酸量增加5-7mg/ml,发酵周期缩短6-8h,酸转化率提高3-4%,最高产酸点pH值下降约0.5个单位,表现出较大的产酸潜力和可修饰性。     

Metabolic machinery encrypted in the Raman spectrum of influenza A virus-inoculated mammalian cells

Raman spectroscopy was applied with a high spectral resolution to a structural study of Influenza (type A) virus before and after its inoculation into Madin–Darby canine kidney cells. This study exploits the fact that the major virus and cell constituents, namely DNA/RNA, lipid, and protein molecules, exhibit peculiar fingerprints in the Raman spectrum, which clearly differed between cells and viruses, as well as before and after virus inoculation into cells. These vibrational features, which allowed us to discuss viral assembly, membrane lipid evolution, and nucleoprotein interactions of the virus with the host cells, reflected the ability of the virus to alter host cells’ pathways to enhance its replication efficiency. Upon comparing Raman signals from the host cells before and after virus inoculation, we were also able to discuss in detail cell metabolic reactions against the presence of the virus in terms of compositional variations of lipid species, the formation of fatty acids, dephosphorylation of high-energy adenosine triphosphate molecules, and enzymatic hydrolysis of the hemagglutinin glycoprotein.     

The hydroxylation of P-cresol and its conversion to P-hydroxybenzaldehyde in Pseudomonas putida.

Cell extracts of $\text{Pseudomonas putida}$ catalyze the conversion of $\text{p}$-cresol to $\text{p}$-hydroxybenzylalcohol when phenazine methosulfate, an electron acceptor, is added. The reaction will proceed under anaerobic conditions and a mechanism involving dehydrogenation to a heteroquinone followed by hydration is proposed. This contrasts with the known attack on methyl groups by mono-oxygenases. The same requirements are found for the alcohol dehydrogenase and the major product from reaction mixtures is the aldehyde. Of the compounds tested as substrates only those with the appropriate groups in the $\text{para}$ orientation were attacked.