A parametric study on ethanol production from xylose byPichia stipitis

Characteristics of ethanol production by a xylose-fermenting yeast,Pichia stipitis Y-7124, were studied. The sugar consumption rate and specific growth rate were higher in the glucose-containing medium than in the xylose-containing medium. Specific activities of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase were higher in the medium with xylose than glucose, suggesting their induction by xylose. Maximum specific growth rate and ethanol yield were achieved at 30 g xylose/L concentration without formation of by-products such as xylitol and acetic acid whereas a maximum ethanol concentration was obtained at 130 g/L xylose. Adding a respiratory inhibitor, rotenone, increased a maximum ethanol concentration by 10% compared with the control experiment. In order to evaluate the pattern of ethanol inhibition on specific growth rate, a kinetic model based on Luong’s equations was applied. The relationship between ethanol concentration and specific growth rate was hyperbolic for glucose and parabolic for xylose. A maximum ethanol concentration at which cells did not grow was 33.6 g/L for glucose and 44.7 g/L for xylose.     

Tolerance of soil algae and cyanobacteria to drought stress

Tolerance to drought stress in soil crust microorganisms is essential for exploiting suitable organisms for restoring soil. In this study, the responses to drought stress of two drought‐tolerant species, a green alga and a cyanobacterium, were compared with those of two non‐tolerant green algae. In response to drought stress, induced by treatment with polyethylene glycol, the intracellular proline levels increased and were associated with increases in malondialdehye, pigment contents, and enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD). Our results suggest that tolerance to drought stress could be indicated by the intracellular levels of proline, SOD, and carotenoids. This study provides insights into the drought physiology of the photosynthetic microorganisms and suggests that Leptolyngbya boryana and Chlorella vulgaris are suitable pioneer organisms for soil restoration.     

Genetic variation for tolerance to acidic water in salmonids

Water pH is an important factor affecting the general water quality as well as quality traits in fishes, and the magnitude of the effect varies among species. The massive and negative effect of acidification of rivers and lakes became evident during the 1960s and 1970s and caused the depletion of fish stocks in several countries in the northern hemisphere. Significant variation in tolerance to acidic water has been documented among salmonid species, and large genetic variation has been identified among strains of brown trout Salmo trutta, brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. For S. trutta, S. fontinalis and S. salar, there is considerable additive genetic variation in tolerance to acidic water, with heritabilities (h(2)) ranging from 0·09 to 0·27 for dead eyed-eggs (the period most sensitive to low pH). The main reasons for depletion of freshwater fish stocks are discussed.     

Benzylideneoxymorphone: A new lead for development of bifunctional mu/delta opioid receptor ligands

Opioid analgesic tolerance remains a considerable drawback to chronic pain management. The finding that concomitant administration of delta opioid receptor (DOR) antagonists attenuates the development of tolerance to mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists has led to interest in producing bifunctional MOR agonist/DOR antagonist ligands. Herein, we present 7-benzylideneoxymorphone (6, UMB 246) displaying MOR partial agonist/DOR antagonist activity, representing a new lead for designing bifunctional MOR/DOR ligands.     

Do ice nucleating lipoproteins protect frozen insects against toxic chemical agents?

As the body fluid of freeze-tolerant organisms freezes, solutes become concentrated in the gradually smaller unfrozen fluid fraction, and dissolved trace metals may reach toxic levels. A dialysis technique was used to investigate the metal binding capacity of the low density fraction of the hemolymph from the freeze tolerant beetle Phyto depressus. The low density fraction, assumed to contain the ice nucleating lipoproteins, showed approximately 100 times greater capacity to bind metals (Cd ²⁺, Cu ²⁺ and Zn ²⁺) than the proteins albumin, hemoglobin and similar to metallothionein. The high metal binding capacity in the low density fraction raises the question if the ice nucleating lipoproteins might assist in detoxification of potentially toxic concentrations of metals that may occur when a large fraction of the bodyfluids of freeze tolerant insects freeze. This hypotheis is consistent with the fact that the lipoprotein ice nucleators are present in far greater amounts than required for ice nucleation, and also with the fact that the lipoprotein ice nucleators have a remarkably high content of amino acids with negatively charged residues that may act as metal binding sites.     

外源H2O2对小麦幼苗耐盐性的调节作用

以高原448小麦品种为材料,分别测定了4个处理(Hoagland营养液、Hoagland营养液 150 mmol/LNaCl、Hoagland营养液 150 mmol/L NaCl 10μmol/L H2O2和Hoagland营养液 10μmol/L H2O2)的小麦幼苗在第2、4、6、8天叶片叶绿素、丙二醛、可溶性糖和还原性谷胱甘肽含量.结果显示:外源H2O2提高了NaCl胁迫下4个时段小麦幼苗的叶绿素含量(8.27%、32.57%、10.19%、4.86%)及还原性谷胱甘肽含量(3.09%、23.97%、5.85%、2.11%),显著提高了可溶性糖含量(14.58%、8.43%、16.68%、5.8%,P<0.05),而显著降低了其丙二醛含量(17.53%、14.04%、4.75%、8.47%,P<0.05).外源H2O2(10μmol/L)使NaCl胁迫下叶绿素含量和还原性谷胱甘肽含量峰值提前,同时推迟了丙二醛峰值出现的时间.研究表明,外源H2O2通过提高叶片叶绿素、可溶性糖和还原性谷胱甘肽含量以有效地增强小麦幼苗的耐盐性.     

花榈木组培苗茎段低温胁迫培养及耐冷性诱导

以花榈木组培苗茎段为试材,在低温胁迫条件下进行耐冷性愈伤组织诱导培养。结果表明,5℃是花榈木茎段低温胁迫培养及耐冷性诱导的最适温度。经过5℃低温胁迫培养获得的耐冷性愈伤组织在分化培养基MS+6-BA 2.0 mg/L+NAA 0.25 mg/L上的分化率达70.0%,且再生植株的低温伤害率明显低于对照。