Arsenic metabolism in a freshwater food chain: Blue–green alga (Nostoc sp.)→ shrimp (Neocaridina denticulata)→ carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Bioaccumulation and biomethylation of inorganic arsenic were investigated in a three-step fresh-water food chain consisting of an autotroph (blue- green alga: Nostoc sp.), a herbivore (shrimp: Neocaridina denticulata) and a carnivore (carp: Cyprinus carpio). The autotroph, herbivore and carnivore survived in arsenic-containing water below 1000, 2 and 60 mg As(V) dm^?3, respectively. Bioaccumulation of arsenate by Nostoc sp. was decreased with an increase in the nitrogen concentration of the medium. Arsenic(V) was accumulated from the water phase and part-methylated by the carp, as well as by the algae and shrimp. Arsenic was mostly accumulated in the gut of the carp. The predominant arsenical in the guts was the monomethylarsenic species. Arsenic accumulation via food in the above three-step food chain decreased by one order of magnitude and the relative concentration of methylated arsenic to the total arsenic accumulated increased successively with an elevation in the trophic level. When arsenicals were transferred via the food chain, no monomethylarsenic, or only a trace amount, was detected in the three organisms. Dimethylarsenic in the alga, both dimethyl- and trimethyl-arsenic in shrimp, and trimethyl-arsenic in carp, were the predominant methylated arsenic species, respectively.     

海洋生物中的体化合物的研究进展

甾体化合物是一类具有显著生理活性且广泛存在于自然界中的天然化合物。本文对近年来从海洋生物中分离得到的甾体化合物,根据其结构特征对它们进行了分类总结,并对其生物活性进行了阐述,以期对甾体药物的研究开发提供有用的参考。     

常压湿式消解/常压微波消解-原子光谱法测定近海海洋生物体中Cu、Pb、Cd与Hg、As

采用常压湿式消解、常压微波消解两种方法处理近海海洋生物体,以石墨炉原子吸收法测定Cu、Pb、Cd和氢化物发生原子荧光法同时测定Hg、As。实验表明,以常压湿式消解法处理生物体,其Cu、Pb、Cd回收率分别为92%、103%、105%,而Hg、As的回收率分别是52%、58%。以常压微波消解法处理生物体,其Cu、Cd、Hg、As回收率分别为86%、94%、112%、94%,但用于Pb的测定,其回收率严重偏低。常压湿式消解、常压微波消解分别被用于海洋生物体样品中Cu、Pb、Cd和Hg、As的测定,有较好的测定结果。     

Probabilistic Inference with Polymerizing Biochemical Circuits

Probabilistic inference—the process of estimating the values of unobserved variables in probabilistic models—has been used to describe various cognitive phenomena related to learning and memory. While the study of biological realizations of inference has focused on animal nervous systems, single-celled organisms also show complex and potentially “predictive” behaviors in changing environments. Yet, it is unclear how the biochemical machinery found in cells might perform inference. Here, we show how inference in a simple Markov model can be approximately realized, in real-time, using polymerizing biochemical circuits. Our approach relies on assembling linear polymers that record the history of environmental changes, where the polymerization process produces molecular complexes that reflect posterior probabilities. We discuss the implications of realizing inference using biochemistry, and the potential of polymerization as a form of biological information-processing.     

Effect of Processing Treatment and Modified Atmosphere Packing on Carrot’s Microbial Community Structure by Illumina MiSeq Sequencing

The aim of this study was to analyze the microbiome of carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) subjected to minimal pre-treatment (rinsing in organic acid solution) and packaging in a high-oxygen modified atmosphere, and then stored for 17 days under refrigeration conditions (4 °C). The highest levels of bacteria in the carrot microbiome were characterized, at almost 78%, by bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae families. Rinsing in a solution of ascorbic and citric acids resulted in the improvement of microbiological quality in the first day of storage. However, the use of a high-oxygen modified atmosphere extended the shelf life of the minimally processed product. Compared to carrots stored in air, those stored in high oxygen concentration were characterized by a greater ratio of bacteria belonging to the Serratia and Enterobacter genera, and a lower ratio belonging to the Pseudomonas and Pantoea genera. Moreover, the β-biodiversity analysis confirmed that the oxygen concentration was the main factor influencing the differentiation of the metabiomes of the stored carrots. The bacterial strains isolated from carrots identified by molecular methods were mostly pathogenic or potentially pathogenic microorganisms. Neither the minimal pre-treatment nor packaging in high-oxygen atmosphere was able to eliminate the threat of pathogenic bacteria emerging in the product.