A quick isolation method for mutants with high lipid yield in oleaginous yeast

A novel method has been developed to easily isolate the mutants with high lipid yield after irradiating oleaginous yeast cells with carbon ions of energy of 80 MeV/u. Pre-selection of the mutants after ion irradiation was performed with culture medium in which the concentration of cerulenin, a potent inhibitor of fatty acid synthetase, was at 8.96 mu mol/l. Afterwards, lipid concentration in the fermentation broth of the pre-selected colonies was estimated by the sulfo-phospho-vanillin reaction instead of the conventional methanol-chloroform extraction. Two mutants with high lipid yield have been successfully selected out by the combined method. This easy and simple method is much less time-consuming but very efficient in the mutant isolation, and it has demonstrated great potential on mutation breeding in oleaginous microorganism.

Alleviation of pre-exposure of mouse brain with low-dose C-12(6+) ion or Co-60 gamma-ray on male reproductive endocrine damages induced by subsequent high-dose irradiation

Irradiation has been widely reported to damage organisms by attacking on proteins, nucleic acid and lipids in cells. However, radiation hormesis after low-dose irradiation has become the focus of research in radiobiology in recent years. To investigate the effects of pre-exposure of mouse brain with low-dose C-12(6+) ion or Co-60 gamma (gamma)-ray on male reproductive endocrine capacity induced by subsequent high-dose irradiation, the brains of the B6C3F(1) hybrid strain male mice were irradiated with 0.05 Gy of C-12(6+) ion or Co-60 gamma-ray as the pre-exposure dose, and were then irradiated with 2 Gy as challenging irradiation dose at 4 h after pre-exposure. Serum pituitary gonadotropin hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, testis weight, sperm count and shape were measured on the 35th day after irradiation. The results showed that there was a significant reduction in the levels of serum FSH, LH, testosterone, testis weight and sperm count, and a significant increase in sperm abnormalities by irradiation of the mouse brain with 2 Gy of C-12(6+) ion or Co-60 gamma-ray. Moreover, the effects were more obvious in the group irradiated by C-12(6+) ion than in that irradiated by Co-60 gamma-ray. Pre-exposure with low-dose C-12(6+) ion or Co-60 gamma-ray significantly alleviated the harmful effects induced by a subsequent high-dose irradiation.

Influence of Hypericum perforatum Extract on Piglet Infected with Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome Virus

To study the influence of Hypericum perforatum extract (HPE) on piglets infected with porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV), enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and cytopathic effect (CPE) were used to determine in vitro whether HPE could induce swine pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) to secrete IFN-gamma, and whether PRRSV titers in PAMs were affected by the levels of HPE-induced IFN-gamma. HPE (200 mg kg(-1)) was administrated by oral gavage to piglets infected with the PRRSV in vivo to observe whether HPE affected the viremia, lung viral titers, and weight gain of piglets infected with PRRSV. The results showed that HPE was capable of inducing PAMs to produce IFN-gamma in a dose dependent manner and HPE pretreatment was capable of significantly reducing PRRSV viral titers in PAMs (P<0.01). Administration of HPE to the PRRSV-infected animals significantly (P<0.05) reduced viremia over time as compared with the PRRSV-infected animals. But there was not significant decrease in lung viral titers at day 21 post-infection between the HPE-treated animals and the PRRSV-infected control piglets. There were no significant differences in weight gain over time among the HPE-treatment animals, the normal control, and the HPE control animals. The PRRSV-infected animals caused significant (P<0.01) growth retardation as compared with the HPE controls and the normal piglets. It suggested that HPE might be an effective novel therapeutic approach to diminish the PRRSV-induced disease in swine.

Morphological Adaptations to Drought and Reproductive Strategy of the Moss Syntrichia caninervis in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China

The biological soil crusts (BSCs) in the Gurbantunggut Desert, the largest fixed and semi-fixed desert in China, feature moss-dominated BSCs, which play an indispensable role in sand fixation. Syntrichia caninervis Mitt. (S. caninervis) serves as one of the most common species in BSCs in the desert. In this study we examined the morphological structure of S. caninervis from leafy gametophyte to protonema using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We also examined the relationships between the morphological structure of S. caninervis and environmental factors. We found that: (1) this moss species is commonly tufted on the sand surface, and its leaves are folded upwards and twisted around the stem under dry conditions; (2) the cells on both upper and lower leaf surfaces have C-shaped dark papillae, which may reflect sunlight to reduce the damage from high temperature; (3) the leaf costa is excurrent, forming an awn with forked teeth; and (4) the protonema cells are small and thickset with thick cell walls and the cytoplasm is highly concentrated with a small vacuole. In addition, we also found that the protonema cells always form pouches on the tip of the mother cells during the process of cell polarization. Our results suggest that S. caninervis has, through its life cycle, several morphological and structural characteristics to adapt to dry environmental conditions. These morphological features of S. caninervis may also be found in other deserts in the world due to the world-wide distribution of the species.

Isolation and extraction of total flavonoids from Epimedium Koreanum Nakai by supercritical fluid extraction

In the present paper is reported the method for the isolation and extraction of total flavonoids of Epimedium Koreanum Nakai by means of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). By examining pressure, temperature. amounts of modifier and extraction time, the optimized condition of SFE is confirmed as 30 MPa and 60 degreesC. with 70% ethanol as the modifier. The samples were statically extracted for 30 min, followed by dynamic extraction for 120 min at a flow rate of 6 mL/min. The quantitative analysis of total flavonoids was performed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Compared with the conventional method, the SFE method is more efficient. more rapid and more friendly environmentally.

Isolation, spectra, structure, and ring-opening polymerization of strained macrocyclic aryl(ether ketone) dimer

Macrocyclic arylene ether ketone dimer was isolated from a mixture of cyclic oligomers obtained by the nucleophilic substitution reaction of bisphenol A and 4,4'-difluorobenzophenone and easily polymerized to high molecular weight linear poly(ether ketone). The cyclic compound was characterized by FTIR, H-1- and C-13-NMR, and single-crystal x-ray diffraction. Analysis of the spectral and crystal structure reveals extreme distortions of he phenyl rings attached to the isopropylidene center and of the turning points of the molecular polygons. The release of the ring strain on ring-opening combined with entropical difference between the linear polymer chain and the more rigid macrocycle at temperatures of polymerization may be the proposed motivating factors in the polymerization of this precursor to high molecular weight poly(ether ketone). (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Isolation and X-ray crystallographic structure of cyclic tetramer based on bisphenol A and o-phthaloyl dichloride

The polycrystalline powder of the cyclic tetramer based on bisphenol A and o-phthaloyldichloride has been prepared by recrystallization from nitrobenzene and its crystal structure has been determined by Wide-Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD). The unit cell is orthorhombic and its dimensions a = 0.967 6 nm, b = 0.869 9 nm, c = 2.085 9 nm, Space group belongs to Pmmm, With two tetramers per unit cell,the crystal density is 1.36 g . cm(-3), Indices of crystal diffraction peaks are also detailed in the present work.

THE ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND OXIDATION REACTION OF ACTIVE INTERMEDIATES OF CYTOCHROME-P-450 MODEL SYSTEM OXOCHROMIUM(V) TETRAPHENYLPORPHYRIN COMPLEXES

Oxochromium (V) tetraphenylporphyrin complexes, O = Cr (V) TPP (Cl) PhI. O = Cr-(V) TPP (N3) PhI and O = Cr (V)TPP (p-CH3OC6H4O)1/2PhI were isolated from the reaction of Cr (III) TPP (Cl). Cr (III) TPP (N3) Py or Cr (III) TPP (p-CH3OC6H4O) THF with iodosy

ISOLATION AND PROPERTIES OF MOLYBDENUM SERIES OF HETEROPOLY BLUE WITH KEGGIN STRUCTURE

The present paper reports the methods for preparing and isolating 8 kinds of 1:12 molybdenum series of heteropoly blue complexes KyHzXMo12O40 . nH2O (X=Si, P, As, Ge). The products were characterized by elemental analyses, potential titration, polarograms, cyclic voltammetry, IR spectra, visible-UV spectra, X-ray powder diffraction, XPS and P-31 NMR. The single crystal structure of 4-electron molybdenum-silicon heteropoly blue was measured and the positions of reduced molybdenum atoms were determined, i.e. they were located at Mo(3), Mo(7), Mo(8) and Mo(10). The experimental results show that the heteropoly blue remains Keggin structure. ESR spectra of heteropoly blue solids were first studied, from which it was found that the delocalization extent of 2-electron heteropoly blue and 4-electron heteropoly blue is smaller than that of 1-electron heteropoly blue. The study of thermal properties shows that the thermal stability increases with the increase of the reduction extent of heteropoly blue. The study of redox properties shows that the oxidizing power order of heteropoly blue changes in different mediums, and the polarographic half-wave voltage is found to be dependent on the electronegativity of the hetero atom linearly. It is found that the phosphorus heteropoly blue and arsenic heteropoly blue show a strong anti-acid property.