Chemotactic assay for biological effects of silver nanoparticles

A method is proposed for assessing the biocidal efficacy of water-dispersed nanoparticles of silver. It is based on negative chemotaxis of the plasmodia of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum. Biocidal and repellent effects were compared for silver nanoparticles, Ag⁺ ions, and AOT in solution and in the agar gel. In such characteristics as increasing the period of auto-oscillations of contractile activity, decreasing the area of spreading on substrate, and substrate preference in spatial tests, silver nanoparticles proved to be substantially more effective than Ag⁺ and AOT. The lethal concentrations of the nanoparticles were close to those found earlier for bacteria and viruses. The chemotactic tests allow quantitative assessment of the biological reaction and monitoring its dynamics; in resolution, they are superior to the tests based on the lethal action of biocidal agents.     

Influence of strong bases on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the ligninolytic fungi Trametes trogii

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized using fungal extract of Trametes trogii, a white rot basidiomycete involved in wood decay worldwide, which produces several ligninolytic enzymes. According to previous studies using fungi, enzymes are involved in nanoparticles synthesis, through the so-called green synthesis process, acting as reducing and capping agents. Understanding which factors could modify nanoparticles’ shape, size and production efficiency is relevant. The results showed that under the protocol used in this work, this strain of Trametes trogii is able to synthesize silver nanoparticles with the addition of silver nitrate (AgNO₃) to the fungal extract obtained with an optimal incubation time of 72 h and pH 13, using NaOH to adjust pH. The progress of the reaction was monitored using UV–visible spectroscopy and synthesized AgNPs was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), through in-lens and QBDS detectors, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Additionally, SPR absorption was modeled using Mie theory and simple nanoparticles and core-shell configurations were studied, to understand the morphology and environment of the nanoparticles. This protocol represents a simple and cheap synthesis in the absence of toxic reagents and under an environmentally friendly condition.     

Bacterial interactions with silver

Summary This review examines interactions between bacteria and the biologically non-essential metal, silver. Aspects of silver toxicity, tolerance and accumulation (possible binding and uptake as opposed to energy-dependent transport) in bacteria are discussed. In addition, plasmid biology is examined briefly since little information is available on the exact mechanism(s) of plasmid-endoced silver resistance in bacteria.     

Transformation and regeneration of Brassica rapa using Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Summary Transformation and regeneration procedures for obtaining transgenic Brassica rapa ssp. oleifera plants are described. Regeneration frequencies were increasedby using silver nitrate and by adjusting the duration of exposure to 2,4-D. For transformation, Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA101 containing a binary plasmid with the neomycin phosphotransferase gene (NPT II) and the b-glucuronidase gene (GUS) was cocultivated with hypocotyl explants from the oilseed B. rapa cvs. Tobin and Emma. Transformed plants were obtained within three months of cocultivation. Transformation frequencies for the cultivars Tobin and Emma were 1–9%. Evidence for transformation was shown by NPT II dot blot assay, the GUS fluorometric assay, Southern analysis, and segregation of the kanamycin-resistance trait in the progeny. The transformation and regeneration procedure described here has been used routinely to transform two cultivars of B. rapa and 18 cultivars of B. napus.     

酸性水和投加铝、钙对鲢鱼早期发育和鳃超微结构的影响

在实验室条件下,研究了酸性水和投加铝、钙对鲢鱼胚胎孵化和鱼苗存活以及幼鱼鳃超微结构的影响。pH4.0引起所有胚胎在24小时内死亡,暴露于pH4.5—6.0的胚胎孵化率和暴露于pH4.0—6.0的5—15日龄鱼苗存活率随pH值上升而增高。投加0.5mg Al~(3+)/L使在酸性pH暴露条件下的胚胎孵化率和鱼苗存活率进一步降低。投加3.0mg Ca~(2+)/L可显著提高暴露于pH4.5和5.0的胚胎孵化率;投加2.0mg Ca~(2+)/L可在一定程度上提高暴露于pH4.5和5.0的鱼苗存活率。幼苗经pH4.5暴露8小时后出现严重的鳃超微结构损害;投加1.0mg Al~(3+)/L使鳃结构损害加剧;投加5.0mg Ca~(2+)/L可明显缓解酸性水对鳃的损害。     

鲢、鳙在天然条件下的摄食强度(Ⅱ)武汉东湖鲢、鳙周年摄食强度的研究

武汉东湖的鲢(Hypophthalmichthy molitrix)鳙(Aristichthys nobilis)在天然条件下摄食强度具季节性变化。摄食强度高峰处于夏季,低谷处于冬季。在实验条件下,按周年采样期间水温变化范围,测定鱼的肠管排空率。食物通过鱼肠管时间(Y_p—h)与水温(X_t—℃)的关系为: 鲢Y_p=270.63 X_t~(0.6408) 鳙Y_p=280.46 X_t~(0.6642) 根据修正后Bajkov公式(D=C (24.A)/n),估算鱼的日粮。鱼日粮(Y_D)与水温(X_t)关系为: 鲢Y_D=0.2683e~(0.1503X_t) 鳙Y_D=0.0075X_t~(2.2715) 计算鱼在天然条件下周年月粮及年粮。鲢、鳙对天然饵料年消耗量分别为18.924公斤及17.39公斤,饵料系数分别为18.02及13.38。     

白鹇距长与年龄的关系

注意到白鹧雄鸟距长在一定时期内随年龄增长的事实,本文根据相邻2年同一月龄之间有12个月的间隔,距长数据除有较为集中外一定又有组间明显差别的特点,推测估计部分标本之年龄,加上确知年龄的部分标本,共测定89个个体120个距长样本数据,得到距长随年(月)龄增长的关系式:SL=am/1+bm,用此式可以实测距长初步估计野外采集到的白鹇个体的年龄     

Dinuclear silver(I) complexes of 24-membered bibracchial tetraimine Schiff base macrocycles derived from 2,5-diformylthiophene

The cyclocondensation of 2,5-diformylthiophene and the amines N,N-bis-(2-aminoethyl)-2-phenylethylamine, N,N-bis-(2aminoethyl)-t-butyl-amine and N,N-bis-(2-aminoethyl)-t-butyl-amine in the presence of silver(I) salts yields homodinuclear bibracchial tetraimine Schiff base macrocyclic complexes. The structures of two such complexes are also reported. The complex Ag₂L⁴(NO₃)(PF₆) (2) crystallises in the triclinic space group , No. 2) and has unit-cell dimensions a = 12.834(6), B = 13.183(6), C = 14.588(7) Å, = 64.86(4), β = 79.77(4), γ = 69.44(3)° with Z = 2; there is a monodentate and singly bridging nitrate anion present and the Ag---Ag separation is 4.161 Å. The complex Ag₂L⁴(CH₃CN)₂(BF₄)₂·CH₃CN (9) crystallises in the triclinic space group , No. 2) and has unit-cell dimensions a = 9.297(4), B = 12.985(3), C = 21.770(5) Å, = 91.570(10), β = 92.33(3), γ = 97.92(3) ° with Z = 2; there is a strongly bonded acetonitrile molecule coordinated to each silver atom and the Ag---Ag separation is 4.920 Å.     

PCR analysis of oilseed rape cultivars (Brassica napus L. ssp. oleifera) using 5′ -anchored simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers

Primers complementary to simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and with variable three-base anchors at their 5 end, were used in PCR analyses to compare pooled DNA samples from various Brassica napus and B. rapa cultivars. Amplification products were resolved on polyacrylamide gels and detected by silver-nitrate staining. The resulting banding patterns were highly repeatable between replicate PCRs. Two of the primers produced polymorphisms at 33 and 23 band positions, respectively, and could each discriminate 16 of the 20 cultivars studied. Combined use of both primers allowed all 20 cultivars to be distinguished. The UPGMA dendrogram, based on the cultivar banding profiles, demonstrated clustering on the basis of winter/spring growth habit, high/low glucosinolate content, and cultivar origin (i.e. the breeder involved). Intracultivar polymorphism was investigated using a minimum of ten individuals for each cultivar and was found to vary considerably between cultivars. It is concluded that anchored SSR-PCR analysis is a highly informative and reproducible method for fingerprinting oilseed rape populations, but that intra-cultivar variation should be investigated before using banding profiles from pooled samples for the identification of individuals.     

复合四倍体异育银鲫个体间遗传异质性的研究

用聚丙烯酰胺梯度凝胶电泳,分析比较了４个不同的银鲫雌核发育系,红鲤和复合四倍体异育银鲫鳍的５种不同的同工酶及蛋白表型的差异,表明复合四倍体异育银鲫表型上的差异主要是来自银鲫种内的遗传差异（不同的雌核发育系）。来源于同一个银鲫雌核发育系的复合四倍体异育银鲫,个体间的ＥＳＴ同工酶出现差异,并与父体红鲤的ＥＳＴ同工酶的多态性相关,因此,复合四倍体异育银鲫个体间的异质性也包含了来自父本的遗传影响。在所检测