Taxonomy and phylogeny of Ceriporia (Polyporales,Basidiomycota) with an emphasis of Chinese collections

Ceriporia accommodates a kind of wood-inhabiting polypores producing resupinate basidiocarps and causing a white rot. More than 30 species of this genus have been described; however, only a few species were referred to molecular phylogeny. In this study, a total of 203 specimens of Ceriporia were studied morphologically, and the ITS and/or nLSU regions from 42 samples, representing 18 species, were sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. Based on both morphological and phylogenetic analyses, three new species of Ceriporia, C. bubalinomarginata, C. pseudocystidiata and C. variegata, are described and illustrated. An annotated identification key is provided for all 20 species of this genus thus far known in China. Our phylogeny shows that (1) Ceriporia is not monophyletic, (2) C. spissa and C. viridans as morphologically circumscribed are polyphyletic, (3) C. inflata is retained for both C. inflata and C. jiangxiensis, and (4) presence or absence of hymenial cystidia is not a useful character in delimiting species relationships in Ceriporia.     

干皮孔菌属的一个新种和三个组合种

本文报道了产自斯里兰卡的干皮孔菌属一个新种,该种的主要特征是具有平伏反卷或具菌盖的子实体,很小的孔口（每毫米8-10个）,菌丝系统二系,生殖菌丝覆盖有刺状结晶,骨架菌丝橙棕色,细腊肠状担孢子（2.7-3.4×0.5-0.8μm）。基于ITS和nLSU序列的系统发育分析表明该新种属于干皮孔菌属的一个明确的分支。此外,将毛孔菌属组合到干皮孔菌属中,并报道了3个组合种,白边干皮孔菌、印度干皮孔菌和萨彦干皮孔菌。     

Production of ortho-hydroxydaidzein derivatives by a recombinant strain of Pichia pastoris harboring a cytochrome P450 fusion gene

CYP57B3 from Aspergillus oryzae was recently discovered to catalyze the ortho-hydroxylation of the soyisoflavone genistein. In the present study, the gene encoding CYP57B3 was fused with the reductase domain of the CYP102A1 gene (BM3R) from Bacillus megaterium, and recombinant Pichia pastoris harboring the P450 fusion gene was evaluated for its ability to produce ortho-hydroxydaidzein derivatives from daidzein. The results showed that 8-hydroxydaidzein (8-OHDe), 3′-hydroxydaidzein (3′-OHDe), and 6-hydroxydaidzein (6-OHDe) were produced during fermentation with a maximal conversion of 2.4, 0.9, and 36.3%, respectively. The maximal yield of 6-OHDe by the recombinant strain was 9.1 mg/l. To our knowledge, both the maximal yield and the conversion efficiency of 6-OHDe from daidzein in the present study are the highest among those reported in the literatures to date. The present study is also the first to demonstrate production of ortho-hydroxydaidzein derivatives using a fusion fungus cytochrome P450 enzyme.     

Ring A rearranged limonoids from the fruits of Aphanamixis grandifolia and their cytotoxicity evaluation

Two new limonoids aphanamolides C (1) and D (2), together with two known limonoids aphanamolide A (3) and aphapolynin A (4), were isolated from the fruits of Aphanamixis grandifolia. Their structures were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic data, with the absolute configurations of 1 and 2 being established by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopic analyses. Those limonoids varied in the ring A: aphanamolide C featured two oxygenated bridges, and aphanamolide D was the second example containing β-hydroxy-α,β:γ,δ-dienoate moiety. The cytotoxic activities were also evaluated in vitro against four human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, A549, SMMC-7721, and HL-60).     

Piezoelectric effect stimulates the rearrangement of chondrogenic cells and alters ciliary orientation via atypical PKCζ

Therapeutic ultrasound was administered to patients suffering from bone fracture with FDA approval. Bone and cartilage are piezoelectric materials. To investigate the effects of piezoelectricity on the cells of chondrogenic lineage, we applied ultrasound stimulation on an AT-cut quartz coverslip to generate electric field fluctuations. The bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) and primary chondrocytes were cultured on either glass or quartz coverslips for ultrasound stimulation. The cells were immunofluorescent-labeled for the assessment of cell arrangement and ciliary orientation. Ultrasound and piezoelectricity both stimulate cell migration and disrupt ciliary orientation induced by directional migration. In particular, piezoelectric effects on cell rearrangement can be abolished by the inhibitor specifically targeting atypical Protein kinase C zeta (PKCζ). Our findings shed light on the possibility of cellular modulation by using piezoelectric manipulation.     

Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide on the Growth and Foliar Chemistry of Transgenic Bt Cotton

A field study was carried out to quantify plant growth and the foliar chemistry of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis （Bt） cotton （cv. GK-12） exposed to ambient CO2 and elevated （double-ambient） CO2 for different lengths of time （1, 2 and 3 months） in 2004 and 2005. The results indicated that CO2 levels significantly affected plant height, leaf area per plant and leaf chemistry of transgenic Bt cotton. Significantly, higher plant height and leaf area per plant were observed after cotton plants that were grown in elevated CO2 were compared with plants grown in ambient CO2 for 1, 2 and 3 months in the investigation. Simultaneously, significant interaction between CO2 level x investigating year was observed in leaf area per plant. Moreover, foliar total amino acids were increased by 14%, 13%, 11% and 12%, 14%, 10% in transgenic Bt cotton after exposed to elevated CO2 for 1, 2 or 3 months compared with ambient CO2 in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Condensed tannin occurrence increased by 17%, 11%, 9% in 2004 and 12%, 11%, 9% in 2005 in transgenic Bt cotton after being exposed to elevated CO2 for 1, 2 or 3 months compared with ambient CO2 for the same time. However, Bt toxin decreased by 3.0%, 2.9%, 3.1% and 2.4%, 2.5%, 2.9% in transgenic Bt cotton after exposed to elevated CO2 for 1, 2 or 3months compared with ambient CO2 for same time in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Furthermore, there was prominent interaction on the foliar total amino acids between the CO2 level and the time of cotton plant being exposed to elevated CO2. It is presumed that elevated CO2 can alter the plant growth and hence ultimately the phenotype allocation to foliar chemistical components of transgenic Bt cotton, which may in turn, affect the plant-herbivore interactions.