Degradation of the herbicide bentazon as related to enzyme production by Phanerochaete chrysosporium in two solid substrate fermentation systems

Enzyme production and degradation of the herbicide bentazon by Phanerochaete chrysosporium growing on straw (solid substrate fermentation, SSF) and the effect of nitrogen and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) were studied using a small bioreactor and batch cultures. The best degradation of bentazon was obtained in the low nitrogen treatments, indicating participation of the ligninolytic system of the fungus. The treatments that degraded bentazon also had manganese peroxidase (MnP) activity, which seemed to be necessary for degradation. Pure MnP (with Mn(II) and H₂O₂) did not oxidize bentazon. However, in the presence of MnP, Mn(II) and Tween 80, bentazon was slowly oxidized in a H₂O₂-independent reaction. Bentazon was a substrate of pure lignin peroxidase (LiP) and was oxidized significantly faster (22,000–29,000 times) as compared to the MnP-Tween 80 system. Although LiP was a better enzyme for bentazon oxidation in vitro, its role in the SSF systems remains unclear since it was detected only in treatments with high nitrogen and high HRT where no degradation of bentazon occurred. Inhibition of LiP activity may be due to phenols and extractives present in the straw.     

Cloning of an isozyme of proline 3-hydroxylase and its purification from recombinant Escherichia coli

An isozyme gene of proline 3-hydroxylase was cloned from Streptomyces sp. strain TH1 (Mori H, Shibasaki T, Yano K, Ozaki A, J. Bacteriol. 1997, 179: 5677–5683). The isozyme gene (870 bp) encodes a protein of molecular weight of 33,573. Both 3-hydroxylase genes are identical at 76.2% in amino acid sequence. His-motifs conserved in 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases are conserved in both genes. Although characteristics of both recombinant 3-hydroxylases are similar, specific activities to l-proline and proline analogs are different.     

Effect of feed rate on growth rate and antibody production in the fed-batch culture of murine hybridoma cells

Batch and fed-batch cultures of a murine hybridomacell line (AFP-27) were performed in a stirred tankreactor to estimate the effect of feed rate on growthrate, macromolecular metabolism and antibodyproduction. Macromolecular composition was foundto change dynamically during batch culture ofhybridoma cells possibly due to active production ofDNA, RNA and protein during the exponential phase.Antibody synthesis is expected to compete with theproduction of cellular proteins from the amino acidpool. Therefore, it is necessary to examine therelationship between cell growth in terms of cellularmacromolecules and antibody production. In this study,we searched for an optimum feeding strategy bychanging the target specific growth rate in fed-batchculture to give higher antibody productivity whileexamining the macromolecular composition. Concentratedglucose (60 mM) and glutamine (20 mM) in DR medium(1:1 mixture of DMEM and RPMI) with additional aminoacids were fed continuously to the culture and thefeed rate was updated after every sampling to ensureexponential feeding (or approximately constantspecific growth rate). Specific antibody productionrate was found to be significantly increased in thefed-batch cultures at the near-zero specific growthrate in which the productions of cellular DNA, RNA,protein and polysaccharide were strictly limited byslow feeding of glucose, glutamine and other nutrients. Possible implications of these results are discussed.     

In vitro propagation of Typhonium flagelliforme (Lodd) blume

Summary An in vitro culture system was developed for Typhonium flagelliforme using buds from the rhizomes. The mineral salts of four media were tested. These were Murashige and Skoog (MS), Nitsch and Nitsch (NN), Gamborg B5 (GB5) and White (W) of which MS medium was found to be the best medium for in vitro culture of T. flagelliforme. The addition of as low as 0.1 mg l⁻¹ (0.54 μM) α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) with the presence or absence of N⁶-benzyladenine (BA) in the MS medium caused abnormal shoot formation. The best medium for maximizing shoot number combined with normal complete plantlets from each bud was MS medium supplemented with 0.3 mg l⁻¹ (1.33 μM) BA and 0.5 mg l⁻¹ (2.46 μM) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The best acclimatization process was to transfer the normal plantlets, with all the leaves removed, into sand plus coconut husks substrate (1∶1) and placed in intermittent water mists house or shaded plant house with 50% light exclusion. Ninety two percent of the plantlets survived using this acclimatization method.     

Test of Competitive Interactions for Space Between Two Benthic Fish Species, Burbot Lota lota, and Stone Loach Barbatula barbatula

The substrate preferences, growth rates and foraging efficiency of two small benthic fish species, juvenile burbot, Lota lota, and stone loach, Barbatula barbatula, were compared in combined outdoor mesocosm and indoor laboratory experiments. Both species preferred the same stony substrate when alone, but significant differences in habitat selection were found between the two species under food deprivation and competition conditions. In burbot, preference for the stony habitat was reinforced under food-deprivation conditions and became even stronger when a potential competitor, the stone loach, was present. In contrast, stone loach switched to the gravel substrate when either starving or in the presence of a heterospecific competitor. Growth rates and foraging efficiency of burbot were significantly highest in the stony substrate and decreased with finer substrates. In stone loach, neither growth rates nor foraging efficiency were significantly different among the different substrates. The results provide an example of habitat partitioning by means of different competition styles, with a stenoecious, dominant style of the burbot and an euryoecious, evasive style of stone loach allowing coexistence of two sympatric fish species by graded interactions at an individual level in the littoral zone of a large lake.     

Do Zebra Mussels Grow Faster on Live Unionids than on Inanimate Substrate? A Study with Field Enclosures

The zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha has invaded numerous freshwaters in Europe and North America and can foul many types of solid substrates, including unionid bivalves. In field experiments we compared growth rates of dreissenids on live specimens of the freshwater bivalve Anodonta cygnea to growth rates of dreissenids on stones. Dreissena density in the study lake was about 1000 m^–2 in most places, Anodonta density approximately 1 m^–2 and about 50% of the Anodonta were infested with 10–30 Dreissena . In summer/autumn small dreissenids generally grew faster on live Anodonta than on stones. Similar trends were observed for spring, but differences of growth increments between dreissenids on live Anodonta and stones were usually not significant. Dreissenids settled down or moved towards the ingestion/egestion siphons of Anodonta and ingestion siphons of dreissenids were directed towards siphons of Anodonta . These results suggest that dreissenids can use the food provided by the filter current of the large Anodonta . (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

栽培介质、营养液及化学药剂对红掌生长开花的影响

采用泥炭:珍珠岩:沙(1:1:1)、珍珠岩和水3种栽培介质及3个配方的营养液对红掌进行无土栽培,结果表明,以水作为介质,营养液配方为N:P₂O₅:K₂O=4:1:8的培养液对红掌株高、叶片数及植株净重的增加效果最好,但水培对红掌开花无促进作用。以水为介质的红掌经高温(32℃)胁迫后叶片黄化数为零,显著低于其它处理组;而在泥炭:珍珠岩:沙(1:1:1)介质中,则是6-BA处理的叶片黄化数明显低于其它处理组。     

Active management of an artificial rocky coast

Some aspects of the flora and fauna of the Dutch artificial rocky shores are described, together with abiotic factors determining their distribution. This leads to recommendations for future management. It is shown that there are many ways for a multifunctional use of the dikes and its flora and fauna. Certain types of flora and fauna might be used to strengthen a seawall. Examples are given of the possible application of hard substrate flora and fauna for water purification purposes and for monitoring of water and substrate quality.