Enzyme mediated extracellular synthesis of CdS nanoparticles by the fungus,Fusarium oxysporum

The biosynthesis of Q-state CdS nanoparticles by reaction of aqueous CdSO4 solution with the fungus, Fusarium oxysporum, is demonstrated. Nanoparticle formation proceeds by release of sulfate reductase enzymes by the fungus, conversion of sulfate ions to sulfide ions that subsequently react with aqueous Cd2+ ions to yield highly stable CdS nanoparticles. Elucidation of an enzymatic pathway using fungi opens up the exciting possibility of developing a rational, biosynthesis strategy for nanomaterials over a range of chemical compositions which is currently not possible.     

Synthesis of barium and strontium carbonate crystals with unusual morphologies using an organic additive

In this paper, strontium carbonate (SrCO₃) and barium carbonate (BaCO₃) crystals were synthesized in the presence of an organic additive-hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) using two CO₂ sources. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffractometry were used to characterize the products. The results showed that the morphologies of orthorhombic strontianite SrCO₃ transformed from branch-like to flower-like, and to capsicum-like at last, while the morphologies of BaCO₃ change from fiber-like to branchlike, and to rod-like finally with an increase of the molar ratio HMT/Sr²⁺ and HMT/Ba²⁺ from 0.2 to 10 using ammonium carbonate as CO₂ source. When using diethyl carbonate instead of ammonium carbonate as CO₂ source, SrCO₃ flowers aggregated by rods and BaCO₃ shuttles were formed. The possible formation mechanisms of SrCO₃ and BaCO₃ crystals obtained in different conditions were also discussed.     

Transformation of arsenic(V) by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum melonis isolated from the alga Fucus gardneri

A fungus isolated from the macroalga Fucus gardneri was identified by using 28S rDNA sequence analysis, 99% similarity match, as Fusarium oxysporum meloni. The fungus was exposed to arsenic(V) (500 ppb) in artificial seawater to investigate the possibility that the fungus is the source of the metabolic activity that results in the presence of arsenosugars in the macroalga. High‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to identify the arsenic species in the fungus, and in the growth medium. The fungus was able to accumulate arsenic(V) and an increase in arsenite and dimethylarsinate was also observed. Some reduction of arsenate led to a small increase of arsenite in the growth medium. The fungus does not seem to be involved with the accumulation of arsenosugars by the Fucus. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Signaling in the Tomato Immunity against Fusarium oxysporum

New strategies of control need to be developed with the aim of economic and environmental sustainability in plant and crop protection. Metabolomics is an excellent platform for both understanding the complex plant–pathogen interactions and unraveling new chemical control strategies. GC-MS-based metabolomics, along with a phytohormone analysis of a compatible and incompatible interaction between tomato plants and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, revealed the specific volatile chemical composition and the plant signals associated with them. The susceptible tomato plants were characterized by the over-emission of methyl- and ethyl-salicylate as well as some fatty acid derivatives, along with an activation of salicylic acid and abscisic acid signaling. In contrast, terpenoids, benzenoids, and 2-ethylhexanoic acid were differentially emitted by plants undergoing an incompatible interaction, together with the activation of the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway. In accordance with this response, a higher expression of several genes participating in the biosynthesis of these volatiles, such as MTS1, TomloxC, TomloxD, and AOS, as well as JAZ7, a JA marker gene, was found to be induced by the fungus in these resistant plants. The characterized metabolome of the immune tomato plants could lead to the development of new resistance inducers against Fusarium wilt treatment.     

Enhancement of diosgenin production in Dioscorea zingiberensis cell cultures by oligosaccharides from its endophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum Dzf17

The effects of the oligosaccharides from the endophytic fungus Fusarium oxysporum Dzf17 as elicitors on diosgenin production in cell suspension cultures of its host Dioscorea zingiberensis were investigated. Three oligosaccharides, DP4, DP7 and DP10, were purified from the oligosaccharide fractions DP2-5, DP5-8 and DP8-12, respectively, which were prepared from the water-extracted mycelial polysaccharide of the endophytic fungus F. oxysporum Dzf17. When the cell cultures were treated with fraction DP5-8 at 20 mg/L on day 26 and harvested on day 32, the maximum diosgenin yield (2.187 mg/L) was achieved, which was 5.65-fold of control (0.387 mg/L). When oligosaccharides DP4, DP7 and DP10 were individually added to 26-day-old D. zingiberensis cell cultures at concentrations of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 mg/L in medium, DP7 at 6 mg/L was found to significantly enhance diosgenin production, with a yield of 3.202 mg/L, which was 8.27-fold of control. When the cell cultures were treated with DP7 twice on days 24 and 26, and harvested on day 30, both diosgenin content and yield were significantly increased and reached the maximums of 1.159 mg/g dw and 4.843 mg/L, both of which were higher than those of single elicitation, and were 9.19- and 12.38-fold of control, respectively.     

Heavy-metal remediation by a fungus as a means of production of lead and cadmium carbonate crystals

We show here that reaction of the fungus, Fusarium oxysporum, with the aqueous heavy-metal ions Pb2+ and Cd2+ results in the one-step formation of the corresponding metal carbonates. The metal carbonates are formed by reaction of the heavy-metal ions with CO2 produced by the fungus during metabolism and thus provide a completely biological method for production of crystals of metal carbonates. The PbCO3 and CdCO3 crystals thus produced have interesting morphologies that are shown to arise because of interaction of the growing crystals with specific proteins secreted by the fungus during reaction. An additional advantage of this approach is that the reaction leads to detoxification of the aqueous solution and could have immense potential for bioremediation of heavy metals. Under conditions of this study, the metal ions are not toxic to the fungus, which readily grows after exposure to the metal ions.     

Bioactive compounds from the endophytic fungus Fusarium proliferatum

The crude extract of an endophytic fungus isolated from Syzygium cordatum and identified as Fusarium proliferatum showed 100% cytotoxicity against the brine shrimp Artemia salina at 100 μg/mL. Seven coloured, biologically active metabolites – including ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3β-ol, nectriafurone-8-methyl ether, 9-O-methyl fusarubin, bostrycoidin, bostrycoidin-9-methyl ether and 8-hydroxy-5,6-dimethoxy-2-methyl-3-(2-oxo-propyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone– were isolated from the extract.     

Rapid differentiation of Fusarium oxysporum isolates using PCR-SSCP with the combination of pH-variable electrophoretic medium and low temperature

Differentiation of Fusarium oxysporum is significantly important for unraveling the pathogenetic mechanism of Fusaria wilts. In this study, isolates of F. oxysporum were screened from the soils in the rhizosphere of watermelon plant by Komada medium and differentiated by SSCP approach with the combination of pH-variable electrophoretic medium (Tris-MES-EDTA (TME), pH 6.1) and low temperature (9 degrees C). We found that TME was a good electrophoretic medium and its pH value was variable over the course of electrophoresis in our apparatus. The pH-variable electrophoretic medium made more contribution for the better differentiation of F. oxysporum isolates than low temperature. The combination of TME pH 6.1 and low temperature showed an improved effect on resolution of ssDNAs. Leaving partial nondenatured dsDNA for SSCP was advantageous for differentiation of F. oxysporum isolates. The SSCP patterns of F. oxysporum isolates proved to be highly reproducible. Sequencing data confirmed that this SSCP method could detect one single base change within the 550 bp PCR fragment from the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region of F. oxysporum.     

Distinction of Fusarium oxysporum fungal isolates (strains) using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and advanced statistical methods

Fusarium is a large fungi genus of a large variety of species and strains which inhabits soil and vegetation. It is distributed worldwide and affiliated to both warm and cold weather. Fusarium oxysporum species, for instance, cause the Fusarium wilt disease of plants, which appears as a leaf wilting, yellowing and eventually plant death. Early detection and identification of these pathogens are very important and might be critical for their control. Previously, we have managed to differentiate among different fungi genera (Rhizoctonia, Colletotrichum, Verticillium and Fusarium) using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy methods and cluster analysis. In this study, we used Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy to discriminate and differentiate between different strains of F. oxysporum. The result obtained was of spectral patterns distinct to each of the various examined strains, which belong to the same species. These differences were not as significant as those found between the different genera species. We applied advanced statistical techniques: principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) on the FTIR-ATR spectra in order to examine the feasibility of distinction between these fungi strains. The results are encouraging and indicate that the FTIR-ATR methodology can differentiate between the different examined strains of F. oxysporum with a high success rate. Based on our PCA and LDA calculations performed in the regions [900-1775 cm(-1), 2800-2990 cm(-1), with 9 PCs], we were able to classify the different strains with high success rates: Foxy1 90%, Foxy2 100%, Foxy3 100%, Foxy4 92.3%, Foxy5 83.3% and Foxy6 100%.     

A thermogravimetric study of the solid-state reaction between alumina and strontium carbonate

The kinetics of the solid-state reaction between alumina and strontium carbonate were studied by thermogravimetry. The effects of the structure ( or) and/or doping (with Li⁺ or Cd²⁺) of the alumina on the kinetics of the reaction were examined. The results obtained were correlated with the phase composition and structural changes, followed by a number of physicochemical analyses (DTA, XRA and IRA) throughout the course of the reaction.

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Zusammenfassung Die Kinetik der Festkörperreaktion zwischen Aluminiumoxid und Strontium-carbonat wurde thermogravimetrisch untersucht. Die Effekte der Struktur ( und) und/oder des Dopens des Aluminiumoxids (mit Li⁺ oder Cd²⁺) auf die Kinetik der Reaktion wurde untersucht. Die erhaltenen Ergebnisse wurden mit der Phasenzusammensetzung und mit durch physikalisch-chemische Analysenverfahren (DTA, XRA und IRA) während des Reaktionsverlaufs verfolgten strukturellen Veränderungen in Beziehung gebracht.

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. ( ) Li⁺ Cd²⁺ . , , - .

     

Biosynthesis of CaCO3 crystals of complex morphology using a fungus and an actinomycete

The biosynthesis of CaCO3 by reaction of aqueous Ca2+ ions with a fungus, Fusarium sp., and an actinomycete, Rhodococcus sp. (both plant organisms), is described. In the case of the fungus, cruciform-shaped calcite crystals are obtained (SEM picture A) while the actinomycete yielded the unstable polymorph of CaCO3, vaterite (SEM picture B). Specific proteins secreted by the microorganisms are responsible for the morphology and crystallography control observed. A highlight of this approach is that the microorganisms also provide CO2 for reaction with the Ca2+ ions, making the crystals completely biogenic.     

Dimethyl carbonate synthesis and other oxidative reactions using alkyl nitrites

The oxidative reactions using the alkyl nitrites (RONO) as an oxidant have been developed by Ube Industries, Ltd. In the alkyl nitrite reactions, substrates such as CO andyor unsaturated- andyor carbonyl-compounds are oxidized over the palladium catalysts in no direct contact with molecular oxygen. The dimethyl carbonate (DMC), dialkyl oxalates and other useful chemicals are synthesized efficiently under moderate conditions by the alkyl nitrite reactions.     

Simultaneous separation of simulated radionuclides strontium and neodymium using in situ hydrotalcite synthesis

Aerosol collections were initiated at several locations by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) shortly after the Great East Japan earthquake of May 2011. Aerosol samples were transferred to laboratory high-resolution gamma spectrometers for analysis. Similar to treaty monitoring stations operating across the Northern hemisphere, iodine and other isotopes which could be volatilized at high temperature were detected. Though these locations are not far apart, they have significant variations with respect to water, mountain-range placement, and local topography. Variation in computed source terms will be shown to bound the variability of this approach to source estimation.     

Continuous synthesis of dolutegravir sodium crystals using liquid-gas heterogeneous microreactor

In this work, a liquid-gas heterogeneous microreactor was developed for investigating continuous crystallization of dolutegravir sodium (DTG), as well as revealing reaction kinetics and mixing mechanism with 3-min data acquisition. The reaction kinetics models were established by visually recording the concentration variation of reactants over time in the microchannel via adding pH-sensitive fluorescent dye. The mixing intensification mechanism of liquid-gas flow was quantified through the fluorescent signal to indicate mixing process, demonstrating an outstanding mixing performance with a mixing time less than 0.1 s. Compared with batch crystallization, continuous synthesis of dolutegravir sodium using liquid-gas heterogenous microreactor optimizes crystal distribution size, and successfully modifies the crystal morphology in needle-like habit instead of rod-like habit. The microreactor continuous crystallization can run for 5 h without crystal blockage and achieve D90 of DTG less than 30 µm. This work provides a feasible approach for continuously synthesizing dolutegravir sodium, and can optimize the existing pharmaceutical crystallization.     

Total synthesis of the Fusarium toxin equisetin

A short stereoselective synthesis of the Fusarium toxin equisetin, a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 integrase enzyme is described, using as the key step a stereoselective intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of a fully conjugated E,E,E-triene with a trisubstituted gamma,delta-unsaturated beta-ketothioester.     

Development in the green synthesis of cyclic carbonate from carbon dioxide using ionic liquids

This brief review presents the recent development in the synthesis of cyclic carbonate from carbon dioxide (CO₂) using ionic liquids as catalyst and/or reaction medium. The synthesis of cyclic carbonate includes three aspects: catalytic reaction of CO₂ and epoxide, electrochemical reaction of CO₂ and epoxide, and oxidative carboxylation of olefin. Some ionic liquids are suitable catalysts and/or solvents to the CO₂ fixation to produce cyclic carbonate. The activity of ionic liquid is greatly enhanced by the addition of Lewis acidic compounds of metal halides or metal complexes that have no or low activity by themselves. Using ionic liquids for the electrochemical synthesis of the cyclic carbonate can avoid harmful organic solvents, supporting electrolytes and catalysts, which are necessary for conventional electrochemical reaction systems. Although the ionic liquid is better for the oxidative carboxylation of olefin than the ordinary catalysts reported previously, this reaction system is at a preliminary stage. Using the ionic liquids, the synthesis process will become greener and simpler because of easy product separation and catalyst recycling and unnecessary use of volatile and harmful organic solvents.     

Preconcentration of strontium using aphrons

Aphrons containing di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA) as an active substance were used for preconcentration of strontium from acetate buffers. Conditions for preparation of reasonably stable aphrons using non-ionic and anionic detergents in n-alkane and water mixture were found. After distribution of strontium, aphrons were separated from water solution by filtration with micro-filters. The separation efficiency was compared to the results obtained in liquid-liquid extraction of strontium with DEHPA in n-alkane. The results show that the preconcentration efficiency for strontium for aphrons is as good as for liquid-liquid extraction systems.