Renewable fuels from algae: An answer to debatable land based fuels

This article reviews the utilization of first and second-generation biofuels as the suitable alternatives to depleting fossil fuels. Then the concern has been presented over a debate on most serious problem arising from the production of these biofuels; which is the increase of food market prices because of the increased use of arable land for the cultivation of biomass used for the production of first and second-generation biofuels. The solution to this debate has been suggested with the use of non-arable land for the cultivation of algal biomass for the generation of third generation biofuels. The recent research and developments in the cultivation of algal biomass and their use for biofuel production have been discussed.     

Increased lipid production of the marine oleaginous microalgae Isochrysis zhangjiangensis (Chrysophyta) by nitrogen supplement

Effects of nitrate feeding on the cell growth and lipid accumulation of marine microalgae Isochrysis zhangjiangensis were investigated. When nitrate was supplied at interval of 24 h, instead of 72 h, a high lipid content of 40.9% and a biomass density of 3.1 g L⁻¹ were obtained. To confirm whether I. zhangjiangensis accumulates lipid during nitrogen-repletion, a two-stage cultivation method was applied. This algal strain had a high lipid content during sustained nitrate addition and showed a high carbohydrate content under nitrate-depletion conditions. These results revealed that this algal strain can accumulate lipids under nitrogen-repletion conditions and accumulate carbohydrate under nitrogen-depletion conditions. When cultured in an extremely high nitrate concentration, 9 g L⁻¹ at 24 h intervals, the growth of algal cells was suppressed, but the highest lipid content of 53% was attained. This special characteristic of lipid accumulation makes I. zhangjiangensis an ideal candidate for producing biodiesel using N-rich wastewater.     

Crystal structure and substrate-binding mode of cellulase 12A from Thermotoga maritima

Cellulases have been used in many applications to treat various carbohydrate-containing materials. Thermotoga maritima cellulase 12A (TmCel12A) belongs to the GH12 family of glycoside hydrolases. It is a β-1,4-endoglucanase that degrades cellulose molecules into smaller fragments, facilitating further utilization of the carbohydrate. Because of its hyperthermophilic nature, the enzyme is especially suitable for industrial applications. Here the crystal structure of TmCel12A was determined by using an active-site mutant E134C and its mercury-containing derivatives. It adopts a β-jellyroll protein fold typical of the GH12-family enzymes, with two curved β-sheets A and B and a central active-site cleft. Structural comparison with other GH12 enzymes shows significant differences, as found in two longer and highly twisted β-strands B8 and B9 and several loops. A unique Loop A3-B3 that contains Arg60 and Tyr61 stabilizes the substrate by hydrogen bonding and stacking, as observed in the complex crystals with cellotetraose and cellobiose. The high-resolution structures allow clear elucidation of the network of interactions between the enzyme and its substrate. The sugar residues bound to the enzyme appear to be more ordered in the -2 and -1 subsites than in the +1, +2 and -3 subsites. In the E134C crystals the bound -1 sugar at the cleavage site consistently show the α-anomeric configuration, implicating an intermediate-like structure.     

先进生物燃料导向的脂肪酸途径合成生物学改造

化石能源日益枯竭,迫切需要寻找新型燃料。脂肪族生物燃料由于其热值高、性能好而受到广泛重视。微生物脂肪酸代谢途径是生产先进生物燃料的重要途径。文中综述了近几年基于合成生物学理念改造脂肪酸途径的进展,介绍了合成生物学在微生物柴油、中长链脂肪醇、长链烃类化合物生物合成中的应用,并展望了脂肪族生物燃料的发展方向。     

盐胁迫对四季竹细胞膜透性和矿质离子吸收、运输和分配的影响

采用盆栽控制试验,研究了土壤不同NaCl浓度(0(CK)、1‰、2‰、3‰、4‰、5‰和6‰)处理45 d对四季竹叶片脱落率和细胞膜透性以及立竹器官K+、Na+、Ca2+和Cl-等矿质离子的吸收、运输和分配的影响.结果表明,1‰～2‰NaCl处理对四季竹叶片脱落率和离子渗漏率无显著影响,3‰～6‰ NaCl处理显著提高了叶片脱落率和离子渗漏率,四季竹的盐胁迫伤害随土壤盐浓度的增大而加剧.随着Na+、Cl-在四季竹立竹各器官中的显著增加,竹根、竹秆、竹枝K+含量逐渐下降,Ca2+含量变化较小,并且K+、Ca2+在竹根、竹秆中的向上选择性运输能力逐渐减弱.由于竹叶在低浓度(1‰～2‰)和高浓度(3‰～6‰)盐胁迫下分别对Ca2+和K+具有较高的选择性吸收能力,随盐浓度的增大,竹叶K+含量迅速升高,Ca2+含量先升高后下降,这对维持竹叶的营养平衡和正常生长具有重要意义.3‰～6‰NaCl处理时,Na+、Cl-在竹叶中的浓度显著高于立竹其他器官,不仅降低了竹叶的渗透势,有利于水分的向上运输,而且四季竹还可以通过叶片脱落的方式降低体内的盐分含量,减轻盐离子毒害.     

Accumulation of recombinant cellobiohydrolase and endoglucanase in the leaves of mature transgenic sugar cane

A major strategic goal in making ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass a cost-competitive liquid transport fuel is to reduce the cost of production of cellulolytic enzymes that hydrolyse lignocellulosic substrates to fermentable sugars. Current production systems for these enzymes, namely microbes, are not economic. One way to substantially reduce production costs is to express cellulolytic enzymes in plants at levels that are high enough to hydrolyse lignocellulosic biomass. Sugar cane fibre (bagasse) is the most promising lignocellulosic feedstock for conversion to ethanol in the tropics and subtropics. Cellulolytic enzyme production in sugar cane will have a substantial impact on the economics of lignocellulosic ethanol production from bagasse. We therefore generated transgenic sugar cane accumulating three cellulolytic enzymes, fungal cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I), CBH II and bacterial endoglucanase (EG), in leaves using the maize PepC promoter as an alternative to maize Ubi1 for controlling transgene expression. Different subcellular targeting signals were shown to have a substantial impact on the accumulation of these enzymes; the CBHs and EG accumulated to higher levels when fused to a vacuolar-sorting determinant than to an endoplasmic reticulum-retention signal, while EG was produced in the largest amounts when fused to a chloroplast-targeting signal. These results are the first demonstration of the expression and accumulation of recombinant CBH I, CBH II and EG in sugar cane and represent a significant first step towards the optimization of cellulolytic enzyme expression in sugar cane for the economic production of lignocellulosic ethanol.     

Natural Regeneration in Plantations of Native Trees in Lowland Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Community Structure,Diversity, and Dispersal Syndromes

Plantations of native‐tree species are often recommended for ecological restoration, but the understanding of how these techniques catalyze natural ecological processes is limited. We investigated natural regeneration in five plantations of native trees in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve (PABR) in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The plantations were 9–11 years old, and contained 8–14 native‐tree species with different compositions and relative density of species. We analyzed floristic composition, structure (density and basal area) of overstory and understory strata, as well as other ecological attributes (dispersal syndromes, fruit or seed size, and the availability of fruit for frugivores). Zoochorous species comprised 77% of the community, with a prevalence of the two smallest size classes of propagules (< 0.6 and 0.6–1.6 cm) in natural regeneration. The density of zoochorous plants in the understory was positively correlated with their density in the overstory, indicating their influence on natural regeneration (r² = 0.36; p < 0.0002). Fruit availability for frugivores (density and richness of plants fruiting during the year) was also positively correlated with the density of stems in the understory. Therefore, attributes such as dispersal syndrome and fruiting season should be considered in selecting species to be planted. The differences in natural regeneration observed in each of the native‐tree plantations indicated that the performance of plantations as a restoration strategy may differ, depending on initial species composition, planting density, and site conditions.     

Does landscape composition alter the spatiotemporal distribution of the pine processionary moth in a pine plantation forest?

Landscape composition and physiognomy affect community structure and species distribution across space and time. The pine processionary moth (PPM) (Thaumetopoea pityocampa Den. & Schiff., Lepidoptera, Notodontidae) is a common pine defoliator throughout southern Europe and Mediterranean countries. We surveyed the spatiotemporal distribution of the PPM in a pine plantation forest in southwestern France and used the density of the winter nests as a proxy for population density. The study spanned 4 years (2005–2008) and showed a high temporal variability in nest density. We found a strong edge effect with nest densities at stand edges more than twice as large as within-stand densities. At the landscape scale, the spatial distribution of the moth exhibited a significant spatial autocorrelation in 3 out of 4 years of our study. The spatial scales of the autocorrelation ranged from ca. 2 km to more than 22 km. We found a positive correlation between spatial distributions corresponding to certain sampling years, but the relationship was not systematic. Landscape configuration appeared to be an important driver of the PPM spatial pattern. Bivariate Moran’s I correlograms showed that patch richness density as well as the percentage of local landscape covered by various land uses were correlated with population density. The study showed that accounting for landscape characteristics may be important in order to understand forest insect pest distribution, even in cases where the host species is abundant and homogeneously distributed throughout the study area, e.g., pure plantation forests.     

自体骨髓单个核细胞移植治疗缺血性下肢血管病变患者254例

目的探讨自体骨髓单个核细胞移植在下肢缺血性疾病治疗中的应用并评价其疗效。方法回顾性总结分析解放军第四六三医院细胞治疗中心2003年11月至2008年8月住院的具有完整随访资料的下肢缺血性疾病患者254例,经动员后采集及分离自体骨髓,行下肢自体骨髓单个核细胞移植术。随访时间为1年。术后随访指标：3、6、12个月后复查皮温、深感觉、经皮氧分压和踝肱比,随访疼痛、冷感和跛行距离,观察溃疡和坏疽情况。采用F检验分析差异的统计学意义。结果完成随访254例患者。（1）患者的疼痛缓解率为61．8％（157例／254例）,冷感缓解率缓解率74．0％（188例／254例）,跛行好转率40．2％（102例／254例）,溃疡好转率59．0％（36例／61例）,坏疽截肢6例,脱落愈合5例,无变化8例,扩大7例;（2）患者下肢皮温由32．89℃±2．19℃上升至35．52℃±2．26℃（t=13．32,P=0．000）,深感觉缓解由（26．20±15．78）mV下降至（20．34±10．86）mV（t=4．901,P=0．000）,经皮氧分压由（26．46±18．49）mmHg上升至（34．14±14．99）mmHg（t=5．157,P=0．000）,踝肱比由0．62±0．36上升至0．84±0．24（t=8．104,P=0．000）。结论骨髓单个核细胞移植治疗下肢缺血性血管病有效,是一种简单的、有效的治疗下肢动脉缺血性疾病的方法。     

A meta‐analysis of bird and mammal response to short‐rotation woody crops

Short‐rotation woody cropping (SRWC) refers to silvicultural systems designed to produce woody biomass using short harvest cycles (1–15 years), intensive silvicultural techniques, high‐yielding varieties, and often coppice regeneration. Recent emphasis on alternatives to fossil fuels has spurred interest in producing SRWC on privately owned and intensively managed forests of North America. We examined potential bird and small mammal response at the stand level to conversion of existing, intensively managed forests to SRWCs using meta‐analysis of existing studies. We found 257 effect sizes for birds (243 effect sizes) and mammals (14 effect sizes) from 8 studies involving Populus spp. plantations. Diversity and abundance of bird guilds were lower on short‐rotation plantations compared with reference woodlands, while abundance of individual bird species was more variable and not consistently higher or lower on SRWC plantations. Shrub‐associated birds were more abundant on SRWC plantations, but forest‐associated and cavity‐nesting birds were less abundant. Effects on birds appeared to decrease with age of the SRWC plantation, but plantation age was also confounded with variation in the type of reference forest used for comparison. Both guilds and species of mammals were less abundant on SRWC plantations. These conclusions are tentative because none of these studies directly compared SRWC plantations to intensively managed forests. Plantations of SRWCs could contribute to overall landscape diversity in forest‐dominated landscapes by providing shrubby habitat structure for nonforest species. However, extensive conversion of mature or intensively managed forests to SRWC would likely decrease overall diversity, especially if they replace habitat types of high conservation value.