Decolorization of azo and triphenylmethane dyes by Pycnoporus sanguineus producing laccase as the sole phenoloxidase

Partial decolorization of two azo dyes (orange G and amaranth) and complete decolorization of two triphenylmethane dyes (bromophenol blue and malachite green) was achieved by cultures in submerged liquid culture producing laccase as the sole phenoloxidase. Enzyme production could be correlated with dye decolorization, with sorption of dye to mycelia accounting for less than 3% of dye removal.     

产漆酶疣孢漆斑菌NF-05的分离及对偶氮染料的脱色

以木质素磺酸钠为唯一碳源的培养基对带岭凉水自然保护区土壤样品进行富集培养,涂布于愈创木酚-PDA平板。经2,2′-连氮-双(3-乙基苯并噻唑-6-磺酸)（ABTS）和丁香醛联氮（SGZ）平板检测初筛,ABTS法测定摇瓶发酵液酶活力复筛,筛选到一株漆酶高产真菌NF-05。形态学观察结合rDNA-ITS序列分析,鉴定该菌为半知菌疣孢漆斑菌Myrothecium verrucaria。该菌株在液体产酶培养基中生物量积累与产酶基本同步,发酵第5天达到产酶高峰,最高酶活力为8,375.87U/L。纯化漆酶对偶氮染料脱色研究结果表明,该酶在96h对甲基橙脱色率达到90%以上,以2,2,6,6-四甲基哌啶氧化物（TE）为介体时,48h脱色率即达90%以上;该酶在24h对橙黄Ⅰ的脱色率即达90%以上;以TE为介体时,该酶在24h即使橙黄G6完全脱色。     

Membrane recycling occurs during asymmetric tip growth and cell plate formation inFucus distichus zygotes

Summary Zygotes of the brown algaFucus distichus undergo a series of intracellular changes resulting in the establishment of a polar growth axis prior to the first embryonic cell division. In order to examine the dynamics of membrane recycling which occur in the zygote during polar growth of the rhizoid, we probed living Fucus zygotes with the vital stain FM4-64, N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(6-(4-(diethylammo)phenyl)hexatrienyl)pyridinium dibromide. In newly fertilized, spherical zygotes, FM4-64 staining is symmetric and predominantly in the perinuclear region which is rich in endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, and vacuolar membranes. As rhizoid or tip growth is initiated, this population of stained membranes becomes asymmetrically redistributed, concentrating at the rhizoid tip and extending centrally to the perinuclear region. This asymmetric localization is maintained in the zygote throughout polar growth of the rhizoid and during karyokinesis. Subsequently, FM4-64 staining also begins to accumulate in a central location between the daughter nuclei. As cytokinesis proceeds, this region of stain expands laterally from this central location, perpendicular to the plane of polar rhizoid outgrowth. The staining pattern thus delineates the formation of a cell plate, similar spatially to the accumulation of nascent plate membranes of higher plants. Treatment of Fucus zygotes with brefeldin-A inhibits both asymmetric growth of the rhizoid and formation of a new cell plate. These data suggest that inF. distichus FM4-64 is labeling a Golgi-derived membrane fraction that appears to be recycling between the site of tip growth, perinuclear region, and new cell plate.Abbreviations AF after fertilization - ASW artificial seawater - BFA brefeldin A - ER endoplasmic reticulum - FM4-64 N-(3-triethylam-moniumpropyl)-4-(6-(4-(diethylamino)phenyl)hexatrienyl)pyridinium dibromide     

Quirks of dye nomenclature. 6. Malachite green

Malachite green was discovered independently by two researchers in Germany in the 19^th century and found immediate employment as a dye and a pigment. Subsequently, other uses, such as staining biological specimens, emerged. A much later application was the control of fungal and protozoan infections in fish, for which the dye remains popular, although illegal in many countries owing to a variety of toxicity problems. In solution, malachite green can exist as five different species depending on the pH. The location of the positive charge of the colored cation on a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom is still debated. The original names of this dye, and their origins, are briefly surveyed.     

频繁使用染发剂对小鼠染色体畸变率影响的研究

研究了多次接触７ 种染发剂对不同组小鼠骨髓和生殖细胞染色体畸变率的影响。结果发现, ７ 种染发剂均导致出现较高的染色体畸变率,３ 种能引起小鼠骨髓细胞染色体畸变率显著上升, 其中以粉末状染发剂的影响最为严重。４ 种染发剂对进行生殖细胞染色体畸变实验的小鼠均产生显著影响, 尤以氧化型染发剂最为明显。     

Cadmium uptake and sequestration kinetics in individual leaf cell protoplasts of the Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens

Hyperaccumulators store accumulated metals in the vacuoles of large leaf epidermal cells (storage cells). For investigating cadmium uptake, we incubated protoplasts obtained from leaves of Thlaspi caerulescens (Ganges ecotype) with a Cd-specific fluorescent dye. A fluorescence kinetic microscope was used for selectively measuring Cd-uptake and photosynthesis in different cell types, so that physical separation of cell types was not necessary. Few minutes after its addition, cadmium accumulated in the cytoplasm before its transport into the vacuole. This demonstrated that vacuolar sequestration is the rate-limiting step in cadmium uptake into protoplasts of all leaf cell types. During accumulation in the cytoplasm, Cd-rich vesicle-like structures were observed. Cd uptake rates into epidermal storage cells were higher than into standard-sized epidermal cells and mesophyll cells. This shows that the preferential heavy metal accumulation in epidermal storage cells, previously observed for several metals in intact leaves of various hyperaccumulator species, is due to differences in active metal transport and not differences in passive mechanisms like transpiration stream transport or cell wall adhesion. Combining this with previous studies, it seems likely that the transport steps over the plasma and tonoplast membranes of leaf epidermal storage cells are driving forces behind the hyperaccumulation phenotype.     

PERK-dependent compartmentalization of ERAD and unfolded protein response machineries during ER stress

Accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates the ER membrane kinases PERK and IRE1 leading to the unfolded protein response (UPR). We show here that UPR activation triggers PERK and IRE1 segregation from BiP and their sorting with misfolded proteins to the ER-derived quality control compartment (ERQC), a pericentriolar compartment that we had identified previously. PERK phosphorylates translation factor eIF2alpha, which then accumulates on the cytosolic side of the ERQC. Dominant negative PERK or eIF2alpha(S51A) mutants prevent the compartmentalization, whereas eIF2alpha(S51D) mutant, which mimics constitutive phosphorylation, promotes it. This suggests a feedback loop where eIF2alpha phosphorylation causes pericentriolar concentration at the ERQC, which in turn amplifies the UPR. ER-associated degradation (ERAD) is an UPR-dependent process; we also find that ERAD components (Sec61beta, HRD1, p97/VCP, ubiquitin) are recruited to the ERQC, making it a likely site for retrotranslocation. In addition, we show that autophagy, suggested to play a role in elimination of aggregated proteins, is unrelated to protein accumulation in the ERQC.     

Direct and simple detection of recombinant proteins from cell lysates using differential scanning fluorimetry

A simple, inexpensive, and universal method to quantify the recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli cell lysate using differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) is reported. This method is based on the precise correlation between Δ(fluorescence intensity) determined by DSF and the amount of protein in solution. We first demonstrated the effectiveness of the DSF method using two commercially available enzymes, α-amylase and cellobiase, and then confirmed its utility with two recombinant proteins, amylosucrase and maltogenic amylase, expressed in E. coli. The Δ(fluorescence intensity) in DSF analysis accurately correlated with the concentration of the purified enzymes as well as the recombinant proteins in E. coli cell lysates. The main advantage of this method over other techniques such as Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and green fluorescence protein (GFP) fusion proteins is that intact recombinant protein can be quantified without the requirement of additional chemicals or modifications of the recombinant protein. This DSF assay can be performed using widely available equipment such as a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) instrument, microplates or microtubes, and fluorescent dye. This simple but powerful method can be easily applied in a wide range of research areas that require quantification of expressed recombinant proteins.     

锰过氧化物酶的耦合固定化及其性质研究

分别采用海藻酸钠、明胶和壳聚糖为载体,并以戊二醛为交联剂,通过包埋-交联和吸附-交联两种耦合固定化方法制备固定化锰过氧化物酶。探讨了酶的不同固定化条件和固定化酶的部分性能。与游离酶相比,制备的3种固定化酶最适反应pH分别由7.0降低到5.0、5.0和3.0,最适反应温度分别由35℃升高到75℃、55℃和75℃。3种固定化酶的耐热性都显著提高,其中用壳聚糖制成的固定化酶在pH 2.2～11的宽范围内表现出很好的酸碱耐受性。30℃连续测定6～9次酶活力,重复使用的3种固定化酶显示出良好的稳定性。将固定化酶应用在偶氮染料的脱色中,用明胶制成的固定化酶在静置和摇床条件下,以及用海藻酸钠制成的固定化酶在摇床条件下,均表现出与游离酶相近的脱色能力,并且在重复进行的摇床实验中,脱色能力未降低,反应前后的酶活力均没有损失。