Characterization of sulfate-reducing bacteria in yeast industry waste by microcalorimetry and PCR amplification

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were isolated from anaerobic sludge of yeast factory wastewater treatment plant by cultivation on Postgate C medium. Microcalorimetry was used to monitor the anaerobic digestion processes and to measure the growth rates of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The maximum growth rates determined by microcalorimetry and ATP analysis were different—μ_max(dQ/dt) = 0.165 ± 0.008 h⁻¹ and μ_max(N_ATP) = 0.207 ± 0.013 h⁻¹. Experiments on the cultivation of SRB from yeast industry wastewater treatment plant in batch culture showed that during the first 20 h the concentration of sulfate decreased from 78.3 mM down to 62.2 mM while the increase of sulfide production was negligible. Perceptible amount of sulfide (7.82 mM) appeared on the 33.5 h of fermentation together with a peak on the power–time curve and considerable increase in the cell count (1.26 × 10⁹). First steps of sulfate metabolism (activation of sulfate by ATP sulfurylase, production of H₂) are accompanied by endothermic heat effects, therefore the values of thermal power remain moderate until the evolution of sulfide starts. The influence of green microalgae Chlorococcum sp. (preparation Biotreat 100) on the growth characteristics of microorganisms was also studied. Identification of one SRB strain was started by sequencing of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene. Two sets of primers were used for PCR amplification, both specific for domain Bacteria but giving different gene fragments. PCR-products were purified with JETQUICK kit according to the manufacturer instructions.     

Calorimetric studies of the growth of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans in the presence of nitrocellulose

Calorimetric results indicate that nitrocellulose (NC)-induced changes in the metabolism of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans 1388 are caused by both chemical (nitrate) and physical (biofilm formation) factors. Nitrate added to lactate-based culture medium with nitrocellulose competed for the electron flux from lactate and suppressed the bacterial sulfidogenesis and growth. The presence of an insoluble compound (carbon backbone of the polymer) induced the creation of a biofilm-like structure with its own metabolism.     

Dynamic supercoiling bifurcations of growing elastic filaments

Certain bacteria form filamentous colonies when the cells fail to separate after dividing. In Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thermus, and Cyanobacteria, the filaments can wrap into complex supercoiled structures as the cells grow. The structures may be solenoids or plectonemes, with or without branches in the latter case. Any microscopic theory of these morphological instabilities must address the nature of pattern selection in the presence of growth, for growth renders the problem nonautonomous and the bifurcations dynamic. To gain insight into these phenomena, we formulate a general theory for growing elastic filaments with bending and twisting resistance in a viscous medium, and study an illustrative model problem: a growing filament with preferred twist, closed into a loop. Growth depletes the twist, inducing a twist strain. The closure of the loop prevents the filament from unwinding back to the preferred twist; instead, twist relaxation is accomplished by the formation of supercoils. Growth also produces viscous stresses on the filament which even in the absence of twist produce buckling instabilities. Our linear stability analysis and numerical studies reveal two dynamic regimes. For small intrinsic twist the instability is akin to Euler buckling, leading to solenoidal structures, while for large twist it is like the classic writhing of a twisted filament, producing plectonemic windings. This model may apply to situations in which supercoils form only, or more readily, when axial rotation of filaments is blocked. Applications to specific biological systems are proposed.     

35Cr25Ni12奥氏体耐热钢中碳化物的电子显微分析

应用扫描电镜（SEM）和透射电镜（TEM）研究了长期使用前后的35Cr25Ni12奥氏体耐热钢中的碳化物演变行为；该钢固溶时效后的组织由初晶奥氏体及M23C6共晶碳化物组成，奥氏体基体中析出了二次M23C6，二次碳化物总是与基体保持立方－立方取向关系；长期使用（3、5年）后，奥氏体中析出的二次碳化物量明显增加，部分M23C6已转变为M6C，M6C与奥氏体基体以及二次碳化物M23C6保持[001]M6C//[221]A//[221]M23C6孪晶取向关系。     

Spectroscopic evidence for triplet excitation energy transfer among carotenoids in the LH2 complex from photosynthetic bacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhodopseudomonas palustris</Emphasis>

The LH2 complex from Rhodopsudomonas (Rps.) palustris is unique in the heterogeneous carotenoid compositions. The dynamics of triplet excited state Carotenoids (³Car* has been investigated by means of sub-microsecond time-resolved absorption spectroscopy both at physiological temperature (295 K) and at cryogenic temperature (77K). Broad and asymmetric T _n ←T ₁ transient absorption was observed at room temperature following the photo-excitation of Car at 532 nm, which suggests the contribution from various carotenoid compositions having different numbers of conjugated C=C double bonds (N_c=c). The triplet absorption bands of different carotenoids, which superimposed at room temperature, could be clearly distinguished upon decreasing the temperature down to 77 K. At room temperature the shorter-wavelength side of the main T_n04T₁ absorption band decayed rapidly to reach a spectral equilibration with a characteristic time constant of ∽1 μs, the same spectral dynamics, however, was not observed at 77 K. The aforementioned spectral dynamics can be explained in terms of the triplet-excitation transfer among heterogeneous carotenoid compositions. Global spectral analysis was applied to the time-resolved spectra at room temperature, which revealed two spectral components peaked at 545 and 565 nm, and assignable to the T_n04 T₁ absorption of Cars with Nc=c=11 and Nc=c=13, respectively. Surprisingly, the decay time constant of a shorter-conjugated Car, i.e. 0.72 ώs (aerobic) and 1.36 ώs (anaerobic), is smaller than that of a longer-conjugated Car, i.e. 2.12 us (aerobic) and 3.75 ώs (anaerobic), which is contradictory to the general rule of carotenoids and relative polyenes. The results are explained in terms of triplet-excitation transfer among different types of Cars. It is postulated that two Cars with different conjugation lengths coexist in an α, β-subunit in the LH2 complex.     

Deposition of Oral Bacteria and Polystyrene Particles to Quartz and Dental Enamel in a Parallel Plate and Stagnation Point Flow Chamber

The aim of this paper is to determine to what extent (i) deposition of oral bacteria and polystyrene particles, (ii) onto quartz and dental enamel with and without a salivary conditioning film, (iii) in a parallel plate (PP) and stagnation point (SP) flow chamber and at common Peclet numbers are comparable. All three bacterial strains showed different adhesion behaviors, and even Streptococcus mitis BMS, possessing a similar cell surface hydrophobicity as polystyrene particles, did not mimic polystyrene particles in its adhesion behavior, possibly as a result of the more negative ζ potentials of the polystyrene particles. The stationary endpoint adhesion of all strains, including polystyrene particles, was lower in the presence of a salivary conditioning film, while also desorption probabilities under flow were higher in the presence of a conditioning film than in its absence. Deposition onto quartz and enamel surfaces was different, but without a consistent trend valid for all strains and polystyrene particles. It is concluded that differences in experimental results exist, and the process of bacterial deposition to enamel surfaces cannot be modeled by using polystyrene particles and quartz collector surfaces.     

甲烷氧化细菌催化二氧化碳生物合成甲醇的研究

甲烷氧化细菌中包含的甲烷单加氧酶(MMO)、甲醇脱氢酶(ADH)、甲醛脱氢酶(FaldDH)、甲酸脱氢酶(FateDH)经过一系列反应能够把甲烷深度氧化生成二氧化碳，并生成一定的能量物质．把二氧化碳还原为甲醇是一个需要能量的过程，目前还没有已知的有机体在温和条件下完成这一反应．研究发现，甲基弯菌Methylosi-nus trichosporium IMV 3011可以催化二氧化碳生物转化生成甲醇．在休眠的悬浮细胞中充人二氧化碳后，反应一段时间在反应液中检测到了甲醇．二氧化碳转化成甲醇是一个需要能量推动的反应，为了补充反应所消耗的能量．反应一段时间后需要用甲烷进行再生，以恢复细胞中的还原当量NADH．我们进行了反应再生的交替连续批式反应，甲醇积累量能够维持在一个比较稳定的水平．理论上，反应不会增加温室效应，这是一个有效的、环境友好的、可恢复的反应过程．     

Engineering cytochrome P-450s

Cytochrome P-450 isozymes represent a critical component of nature’s spectrum of detoxification catalysts that could be exploited for bioremediation. The ethanol-inducible human cytochrome P-450 2E1 serves as a model eukaryotic P-450 that complements the bacterial P-450 cam in dehalogenation and detoxification of environmental pollutants. We explored the construction of novel chimeric P-450s using cytochrome P-450 camC and 2E1 genes. For construction of chimera 1 (478 amino acids, 55.14 kDa), 145 amino acids from the N-terminus of P-450 2E1 protein (493 amino acids, 56.84 kDa) were replaced with 130 amino acids from the N-terminus of P-450 camC protein (415 amino acids, 46.66 kDa). In chimera 2 (525 amino acids, 60.24 kDa) the strategy involves replacement of 28 amino acids in the C-terminus of chimera 1 with 75 amino acids from the C-terminus of P-450 camC gene. Homology models of both the chimeric proteins were developed using SWISS-MODEL based on the known crystal structure of cytochrome P-450 camC, BM-3, 1DT6A, and 2C17A. The models indicated that the proposed heme-binding site was intact, which is inevitable for catalytic activity of cytochrome P-450s. The expression of chimera 1 and 2 genes in Escherichia coli DH5α was evident from light-pink cell pellets, protein band in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and diagnostic carbon monoxide-difference spectra. Our studies show that strategies can be developed to exploit the natural diversity of the P-450 superfamily to generate chimeric biocatalysts that would provide new templates amenable to directed evolution.     

Purification of a marine bacterial glucose dehydrogenase fromCytophaga marinoflava and its application for measurement of 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol

A novel glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) from a marine bacteriumCytophaga marinoflava IFO 14170 was isolated from its membrane fraction. This GDH catalyzes the oxidation of a hydroxy group of glucose, but does not react in its C-l position. This enzyme is composed of a single peptide with a mol wt of 67,000. The GDH can react under high salinity. The optimum pH is around 8.0, showing a typical property of marine bacterial enzymes. Using this novel enzyme, an enzymatic determination of 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol (1,5AG) utilizing 2,6-dichrolophenolindophenol (DCIP) and phenazine methosulfate (PMS) as electron mediators was caried out. A good linear correlation was observed from 0.5 mM to 4 mM of 1,5AG.     

Solubilities,thermostabilities and flame retardance behaviour of phosphorus-containing flame retardants and copolymers

Thirteen phosphorus-containing flame retardants were synthesized in this work. The solubilities of flame retardant [(6-oxide-6H-dibenz[c,e][1,2]oxaphosphorin-6-yl)-methyl]-butanedioic acid (DDP) in selected solvents are measured. TGA measurements of the 13 phosphorus-containing flame retardants were carried out and thermal stabilities of three flame-resistant PET (FRPET) resins were investigated. A FRPET incorporated by DDP with terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol reported in literature was also discussed and compared. The thermal stability of the FRPET is improved by the incorporation of phosphorus-containing flame retardants. The LOI values of all phosphorus-containing polyesters are higher than 27%. The improvement of the flame-resistant ability is due to the formation of the char that is not only caused by the existence of phosphorus elements in the resin but also by the relative large number of carbon atoms of the phenyl group in the flame retardants.