Construction and analysis of a high-CO2-requiring mutant of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp strain PCC7120

A mutant of Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120 requiring high CO2 was generated using Tn5 mutagenesis. This is the first data for a filamentous cyanobacterium. The mutant was capable of growing at 5% CO2, but incapable of growing at air levels of CO2. Southern hybridization analysis indicated that the Anabaena genome was inserted by the transposon at one site. The apparent photosynthetic affinity of the mutant to external dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was about 300 times lower that of the wild type (WT), and the medium alkalization rate as well as the carboxysomal carbonic anhydrase activity of the mutant was also lower than those of the WT. When the mutant was transferred from the culture medium bubbled with 5% CO2 to higher DIC (8.4% CO2) or 1% CO2, it showed similar responses to the WT. However, aberrant carboxysomes were found in the mutant cells through ultrastructural analysis, indicating it was most probably the wrong organization of the carboxysomes that eventually led to the inefficient operation of carboxysomal carbonic anhydrase and the subsequent defectiveness of the mutant in utilizing DIC.

The freeliving nematode genus Parodontophora Timm 1963 (Nematoda : Axonolaimidae) is not exclusively marine: Parodontophora limnophila sp nov from freshwater in China

Parodontophora limnophila sp. nov. is described from Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake of China. It is characterized by having an amphid with its posterior end close to the base of the stoma, relatively short cephalic setae, opisthocephalic setae arranged as two subdorsal groups of three longitudinally arranged setae and two single subventral setae, excretory pore at the level of the anterior part of the stoma and renette gland 34-47% of the oesophageal length. To date, the new species is the only Parodontophora species found in freshwater habitats.

Selection and ultrastructural observation of a high-CO2-requiring mutant of cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp PCC7942

A high-CO2-requiring mutant of Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 las been isolated after chemical mutagenesis of ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS). It was able to grow at 4% CO2, but not under ambient CO2. The initial screening of the mutant showed that the genetic reversion rate was about 10(-7) and death occurred 2 -3 days after being transferred from 4% CO2 to the ambient air. Its photosynthetic dependence on external dissolved inorganic carbon was higher than that of the wild type cells, but its carbonic anhydrase activity was comparatively low. In the ultrastructural level, various types of aberrant carboxysomes appeared in the mutant cells: rod-shaped carboxysomes, irregular carboxysomes and the "empty-inclusion carboxysomes" with increasing number of glycogen granules surrounding the thylakoids. All these alterations indicated that the mutant was defective in utilizing the external CO2. The induction of carboxysomes by lower levels of CO2 and the biogenesis of carboxysomes are herein discussed.

An inducible CO2 concentrating mechanism in cyanobacterium Anabaena sp strain PCC7120

In order to define its characteristics of the photosynthetic utilization of CO2 and HCO3- when the ambient inorganic carbon changed, HCG (High-CO2-Growing Cells) of cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120 were prepared. The growth rate of HCG was higher than that of LCG (low-CO2-growing cells, i.e. air-growing cells). When the HCG cells were transferred from 5% CO2 to air levels of CO2 , a series of changes took place: its carbonic anhydrase activity as well as its photosynthetic affinity to the external inorganic carbon significantly increased; the number of the carboxysomes, which is one of the most important components of CCM in cyanobacteria also increased. These facts indicated that the CCM activity of Anabaena PCC 7120 was induced. When the pH in the medium increased from 6 to 9, the photosynthetic affinity to external inorganic carbon of both HCG and LCG declined, while the apparent photosynthetic affinity to external CO2 increased. In the light of these findings, this inducible CCM in cyanobacteria provided a good model for the study of the photosynthetic Ci utilization in the phototrophic microoganisms.

Characteristics of rDNA intergenic spacer region from a waterbloom cyanobacteria species Oscillatoria sp.

Sequence of rDNA intergenic spacer region (ISR) from a waterbloom cyanobacterial species Oscillatoria sp, was determined and analyzed. The results of sequence comparison showed that the spacer had a high level sequence divergence, suggesting the sequence may be a target sequence for developing cyanobacteria genus- and species-specific oligonucleotide probes. In addition, a 20bp sequence of rDNA ISR was found highly conserved in all species of cyanobacteria, which was not found in other eubacteria. This conserved sequence within a variable region indicates that it might be a functional oligonucleotide in the processing of the rRNA precursor.

Ecballocystopsis dichotomus sp. nov. (Chlorococcales, Chlorophyceae) from China

Ecballocystopsis dichotomus sp. nov. is the third described species of Ecballocystopsis that grows on rock under water and epiphytically on the filaments of Cladophora and Mougeotia (green algae) collected in a small irrigation ditch in Chong-yang county, Hubei Province (East longitude 29 degrees 30', North latitude 114 degrees 10') and in Zhu-xi county, Hubei Province (East longitude 32 degrees 20', North latitude 109 degrees 45'). The new species differs from E. indica IYENGAR (1933) in having dichotomous branching and its smaller sized thallus; it differs from the second species, E. desikacharyi PRASAD (1985), in having looped filaments, dichotomous branching and smaller cells. Three patterns of cell divisions were observed in E. dichotomus sp. nov. (transverse, longitudinal and oblique). It may be that the new species is evolutionary a more advanced species based upon the structure of its thallus and the manner of spore formation. The systematic position of the genus, based on the comparative studies of the genus Ecballocystis BOHLIN with Cylindrocapsopsis IYENGAR, is discussed.

Isolation and Characterization of a Methomyl-Degrading Paracoccus sp mdw-1

Methomyl, an extremely toxic pesticide, is widely used in agriculture. A strain named mdw-1 capable of degrading methomyl rapidly was successfully isolated from activated sludge in this study. It could utilize methomyl as the sole carbon or nitrogen source. The optimal temperature and medium pH for its growth and methomyl biodegradation were 30 degrees C and 7.0, respectively. It was identified as a Paracoccus sp. according to its morphological features, physiological and biochemical characteristics, and phylogenetic analysis based on the sequence of 16S rDNA. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that methomyl could be completely transformed to S-methyl-N-hydroxythioacetamidate in 10 h of incubation with the isolate mdw-1.

Rhodococcus qingshengii sp nov., a carbendazim-degrading bacterium

A Gram-positive, aerobic, non-motile, mesophilic strain, djl-6(T), able to degrade carbendazim, was isolated from a carbendazim-contaminated soil sample from Jiangsu province, China. The taxonomic position of this isolate was analysed by using a polyphasic approach. Chemotaxonomic analysis including peptidoglycan type, diagnostic sugar composition, fatty acid profile, menaquinones, polar lipids and mycolic acids showed that the characteristics of strain djl-6(T) were in good agreement with those of the genus Rhodococcus. DNA-DNA hybridization showed that it had low genomic relatedness with Rhodococcus baikonurensis DSM 44587(T) (31.8%), Rhodococcus erythropolis DSM 43066(T) (23.8%) and Rhodococcus globerulus DSM 43954(T) (117.7%), the three type strains to which strain djl-6(T) was most closely related based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis (99.78, 99.25 and 98.91% similarity, respectively). Based on the phenotypic properties and DNA-DNA hybridization data, strain djl-6(T) (=CGMCC 1.6580(T) =KCTC 19205(T)) is proposed as the type strain of a novel Rhodococcus species, Rhodococcus qingshengii sp. nov.

四株有潜在生物活性的放线菌分类地位和产物研究

放线菌是一种重要的微生物资源，广泛分布于自然界中。已经发现的微生物来源的生物活性物质中，由放线菌产生的约占三分之二。从我国云南省不同地方的土壤样品中分离到多株有潜在生物活性的放线菌，本文对从西双版纳原绐森林土壤样品中分得的JX-47菌株着重进行了研究，用形态观察、化学分类及分子分类等多项分类的方法确定了该菌株的分类地位，为链霉菌一新种，命名为Streptomyces autolyticus sp nov.。从该菌株的发酵液中分离得到三个化合物，用各种光谱实验鉴定了它们的结构式。这三个化合物均属于Ansamycin类抗生素；其中一个为新化合物，命名为autolytimycin，并申请了国家发明专利（申请号为：00102982. 7)。初步的实验结果证明这些化合物具有细胞毒性和一定的抗病毒活性。同时，对分离到的JX-42、JX-45、JX-46菌性的分类地位和次生代谢产物进行了初步研究。根据形态特征和细胞壁的化学组成，JX-42和JX-46菌株被确定属于链霉菌属；JX-45菌株被确定属于小单孢菌属。从它们的发酵液中，共分离出10个化合物，并鉴定了结构。

极端环境放线菌的分离及多相分类研究

本文综述了放线菌分类学研究的目的和作用，分析了放线菌分类学的历史和现状，介绍了当前放线菌多相分类研究中所采用的技术方法及适用范围。同时还重点介绍了极端高温、低温、高盐放线菌分离及分类研究的进展。从云南采集高温温泉水样、火山口土样，从云南、新疆等地采集雪山土样，从新疆、青海等地采集盐碱土样进行放线菌分离，对不同极端环境下的放线菌分离方法进行探讨，并对分离到的部分典型放线菌菌株采用形态特征、培养特征，生理生化测定，细胞化学组份分析，DNA G+C mol%和DNA同源性测定，以及16SrDNA全序列分析等相结合的多相分类技术进行系统的分类研究。从表型、基因型及系统发育三个不同层次对其分类地位进行了最终确定。其中，分离自云南洱源温泉的菌株YIM60013和腾冲火山口的菌株YIM60032分别确定为高温放线菌属的两个新种：白色高温放线菌（Thermoactznomyces albus sp. nov.）和云南高温放线菌（Termoactomyces yunnanensis sp. nov.）；分离自新疆北疆地区的一株低温放线菌菌株，结合其形态特征、细胞化学组份及16S rDNA序列分析将其鉴定为链霉菌的一个新种，北疆链霉菌（Streptomyces beijiangensis sp. nov.）；来自新疆盐碱土样的6株嗜盐放线菌菌株YIM90001-90006中，菌株YIM90001被命名为嗜盐普氏菌新种(Prauserella halophila sp. nov.），菌株YIM90005被 命名为脱卤普氏菌新种（Prauserella dehalogenans sp. nov.），菌株YIM90002和YIM90003鉴定为拟诺卡氏菌科中的链单抱菌新属Streptomonospora gen. nov.）和它的两个新种：菌株YIM90002定为盐生链单抱菌新种(Streptomonospora saline sp. nov.），菌株YIM90003定为白色链单抱菌新种(Streptomonospora alba sp. nov.）；菌株YIM90004和YIM90006分别被确定为拟诺卡氏菌属的一个新种和一个亚种：新疆拟诺卡氏菌新种（Nocardopsi sxiniangensis sp. nov.）和嗜阿拉伯糖新疆拟诺卡氏菌亚种( Noocardiopsi sxiniangensis subsp．arabicus subsp．nov，）。

调节LDLR及VCAM-1基因表达的微生物代谢产物的研究

为了筛选对靶基因LDLR和VCAM-1的表达具有调节作用的生物活性物质，建立了两个基于重组人细胞系的高通量的筛选模型，使用荧光素酶在96-孔版上来筛选对上述靶基因的表达具有调节作用的微生物代谢产物。模型之一是来自于人肝HepG2细胞系的重组L39细胞，用于筛选增加LDLR报告基因表达的生物活性物质，以期发现新的具有降胆固醇作用的药物。筛选之二为来源于细胞系ECV304的重组细胞株Nl-14,用于筛选抑制VCAM-1基因表达的活性物质，以期发现治疗风湿性关节炎等免疫性疾病治疗的药物。上述筛选系统均是稳定转染的细胞系，分别含有与荧光素酶报告基因相融合的LDLR或VCAM-1基因的转录调节元件。通过对6300株微生物的总计12600个样品的筛选，共发现和分离了17个活性化合物并进行了结构解析。其中两个被命名为Cladospolede D和Zelkovamycin的化合物被确定为新的化合物。由真菌 FO-6605的发酵液提取得到的一个化合物对LDLR报告基因的表达具有很强的上调作用，其SC200为1 Onmol/L a使用荧光标记的LDL检测到该化合物对于HepG2细胞膜上LDLR具有剂量依赖的增强作用。由真菌FO-5897的发酵液中分离到了一个已知的化合物Ascofuranone，该化合物曾经被报道具有降血脂抗肿瘤的活性。值得注意的是我们首次发现了该化合物同时具有抑制 VCAM-1报告基因表达和增强LDLR报告基因表达的作用，该发现有可能会对其降血脂作用的深入研究提供帮助。由海洋真菌FT-0012产生的化合物Cladospolede D为一个12-员环的大环内酷类的化合物，该化合物对两个测活系统均显示出无选择性的抑制作用形态学研究显示该真菌属于Cladosporiun属。另外一个由土壤放线菌K96-670产生的新化合物为一个环八肤类的化合物，经~1H~1-H COSY,~(13)C-H COSY,~(13)C-~1H HMQC, ~(15)N-~1H HMQC,~(15)-~1N HHMBC等波谱学研究得知该化合物的分子结构中含有六个非普通的氨基酸和两个普通氨基酸。该化合物对VCAM-I报告基因的表达显示出非常好的选择性的抑制活性，其IC50值为9.5ug/ml.形态学的研究表明该菌株属于链霉菌属。 在筛选过程中从来源于云南省西双版纳的土壤中分离到了一株编号为YIM1272的放线菌，经包括形态学、生理一生化和16S rDNA在内的分类学研究，确定该菌株为链霉菌属的一个新种，被命名为佩版纳链霉菌，(Streptomyces.bannaensis．sp.nov）。