人工湿地中氨化细菌去除有机氮的效果

人工湿地去除有机氮主要由于氨化细菌的作用。为了了解人工湿地中氨化细菌去除有机氮的效果,对人工湿地基质中5株氨化细菌进行了初步鉴定,比较了不同氨化细菌去除有机氮的效果,氨化细菌去除有机氮的量通过其生成的NH4+-N来衡量。结果表明,芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)、假单胞菌属(Pseudom onas)为人工湿地中氨化细菌的优势菌属;氨化细菌-1、氨化细菌-2及氨化细菌-5对有机氮的去除效果相对较好,分别达到46.2%、49.4%和52.6%。添加沸石对去除氨氮有明显效果,从而能够提高有机氮的去除率。

杉木连栽根际土壤致害Fusariumoxysporum拮抗菌的筛选

尖孢镰刀菌萎蔫专化型(Fusarium oxysporumf.sp.vasinfectum,SF2)及其分泌的毒素是造成杉木连栽土壤中毒的重要因素之一,基于此,笔者从106株海洋微生物中筛选到23株具有拮抗SF2特性的菌株,在湖南会同杉木中心产区进行的室外盆栽试验结果表明,其中海洋细菌3728菌株能够在杉木根际土壤中定殖,抑制杉木致害菌的生长繁殖,促进了杉木幼苗生长,经鉴定为枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)。该研究对杉木人工林生产具有重要的理论与实践意义。

砷还原菌群对砷的还原作用及菌群的多样性分析

从砷污染土壤中富集砷抗性细菌,在厌氧环境中进行培养,观察其对砷的还原能力。结果表明:在21h之内,As(V)就被完全还原为As(Ⅲ);培养72h后,培养基中出现黄色沉淀,采用X射线衍射分析(XRD)和扫描电镜-能谱分析(SEM-EDS)技术对沉淀进行分析表明,沉淀主要是以3种晶型存在的硫化砷(AsS);培养150h后,大约有65%的As以上述沉淀的方式从溶液中移除。此外,本文还采用了构建16SrDNA文库的方式对该体系中的微生物种群进行分析,利用RFLP技术对16SrDNA片段进行分型,共得到72个操作单元类型(OTU),其中6个OTU占了库容的51%,从这6个OTU中各选取1个克隆进行测序,结果表明,富集到的砷还原细菌属于喜热菌属(Caloramator)、梭菌属(Clostridium)和杆菌属(Bacillus)。

深海芽孢杆菌B1394的鉴定及其产蛋白酶酶学性质

从深3 200~3 600 m的南海海底沉积物中分离到185株深海细菌,从中筛选到1株产蛋白酶活力较强的菌株B1394,酶活高达873 U/mL。采用16S rDNA分子生物学鉴定,结合细菌常规鉴定方法鉴定其为枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)。对其粗酶性质进行研究发现:最适酶活温度60℃,最适pH 8.0,在低温30℃和40℃下也具有较高的酶活性,40~60℃热稳定性较好,显示出部分嗜热酶特性;Mn2+、Mg2+、Ca2+对该蛋白酶有激活作用,Hg2+、Fe3+、Cu2+、Zn2+、Fe2+对该蛋白酶有抑制作用;PMSF几乎完全抑制蛋白酶活性,推断为丝氨酸蛋白酶。

苏云金杆菌以色列变种防治水处理中摇蚊幼虫研究

研究了苏云金杆菌以色列变种(Bacillus thuringiensis var.israelensis de Barjac,简称B.t.i)用于摇蚊幼虫(即红虫)防治的菌种发酵条件.结果表明,发酵时间为36 h,温度为30℃,摇床转速为250 rpm,三角瓶培养基量为50 mL时,B.t.i对红虫的毒力最强.

梭形芽孢杆菌(Bacillusfusiforms)N141发酵产河豚毒素的研究

对分离筛选得到的产河豚毒素(TTX)的梭形芽孢杆菌(Bacillus fusiforms)N141菌株,在10L发酵罐中进行发酵产TTX的试验。发酵产物经提取和精制后,用高效薄层色谱、小鼠生物试验,以及河豚毒素单抗ELISA检测试剂盒,检测出发酵液中含有TTX。研究了菌体生长、pH、溶氧、以及产物TTX的变化规律。结果表明TTX是在菌体生长进入稳定期后才产生的,说明TTX是微生物产生的次级代谢产物。10L罐发酵产TTX的工艺技术,在500L发酵罐进行了验证,重现性良好。这为微生物源河豚毒素的发酵中试提供了科学依据。

土壤抑真菌作用与细菌群落结构的关系

自然清洁土壤所具有的抑真菌作用,是健康土壤的一种自然属性,也是土壤质量的重要指标之一,对控制农作物土传病原真菌的爆发具有积极的生态学意义.本试验以中国科学院沈阳生态实验站近10年未受农药和肥料影响的撂荒地土壤作为自然清洁土壤样品,通过高温(对照、100℃、110℃、121℃)处理得到具有不同抑真菌作用的土壤模型,采用PCR-DGGE(变性梯度凝胶电泳)方法对上述土壤样品的细菌群落结构进行分析.结果表明:土壤抑真菌作用与土壤细菌群落结构紧密相关;对照清洁土壤抑真菌作用最强,处理后土壤细菌群落结构偏离自然清洁土壤愈远,土壤抑真菌能力愈差;DGGE特异性条带切胶测序结果表明,Sphingomonas asaccharolytica、Nitrospira sp.、Hyphomicrobiaceae sp.、Bacillus megaterium和Micro-coccus sp.可能与土壤抑真菌作用密切相关.

Co-immobilized microbial biosensor for BOD estimation based on sol-gel derived composite material

A novel type of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) biosensor was developed for water monitor, based on co-immobilizing of Trichosporon cutaneum and Bacillus subtilis in the sol-gel derived composite material which is composed of silica and the grafting copolymer of poly (vinyl alcohol) and 4-vinylpyridine (PVA-g-P(4-VP)). Factors that influence the performance of the resulting biosensor were examined. The biodegradable substrate spectrum could be expanded by the co-immobilized microorganisms. The biosensor prepared also exhibited good reproducibility and long-term stability. Good agreement was obtained between the results of the sensor BOD measurement and those obtained from conventional BOD5 method for water samples.

Attenuation of Edwardsiella tarda Virulence by Small Peptides That Interfere with LuxS/Autoinducer Type 2 Quorum Sensing

Edwardsiella tarda is a gram-negative pathogen with a broad host range that includes humans, animals, and fish. Recent studies have shown that the LuxS/autoinducer type 2 (AI-2) quorum sensing system is involved in the virulence of E. tarda. In the present study, it was found that the E. tarda LuxS mutants bearing deletions of the catalytic site (C site) and the tyrosine kinase phosphorylation site, respectively, are functionally inactive and that these dysfunctional mutants can interfere with the activity of the wild-type LuxS. Two small peptides, 5411 and 5906, which share sequence identities with the C site of LuxS, were identified. 5411 and 5906 proved to be inhibitors of AI-2 activity and could vitiate the infectivity of the pathogenic E. tarda strain TX1. The inhibitory effect of 5411 and 5906 on AI-2 activity is exerted on LuxS, with which these peptides specifically interact. The expression of 5411 and 5906 in TX1 has multiple effects (altering biofilm production and the expression of certain virulence-associated genes), which are similar to those caused by interruption of luxS expression. Further study found that it is very likely that 5411 and 5906 can be released from the strains expressing them and, should TX1 be in the vicinity, captured by TX1. Based on this observation, a constitutive 5411 producer (Pseudomonas sp. strain FP3/pT5411) was constructed in the form of a fish commensal isolate that expresses 5411 from a plasmid source. The presence of FP3/pT5411 in fish attenuates the virulence of TX1. Finally, it was demonstrated that fish expressing 5411 directly from tissues exhibit enhanced resistance against TX1 infection.

Attenuation of Edwardsiella tarda Virulence by Small Peptides That Interfere with LuxS/Autoinducer Type 2 Quorum Sensing

Edwardsiella tarda is a gram-negative pathogen with a broad host range that includes humans, animals, and fish. Recent studies have shown that the LuxS/autoinducer type 2 (AI-2) quorum sensing system is involved in the virulence of E. tarda. In the present study, it was found that the E. tarda LuxS mutants bearing deletions of the catalytic site (C site) and the tyrosine kinase phosphorylation site, respectively, are functionally inactive and that these dysfunctional mutants can interfere with the activity of the wild-type LuxS. Two small peptides, 5411 and 5906, which share sequence identities with the C site of LuxS, were identified. 5411 and 5906 proved to be inhibitors of AI-2 activity and could vitiate the infectivity of the pathogenic E. tarda strain TX1. The inhibitory effect of 5411 and 5906 on AI-2 activity is exerted on LuxS, with which these peptides specifically interact. The expression of 5411 and 5906 in TX1 has multiple effects (altering biofilm production and the expression of certain virulence-associated genes), which are similar to those caused by interruption of luxS expression. Further study found that it is very likely that 5411 and 5906 can be released from the strains expressing them and, should TX1 be in the vicinity, captured by TX1. Based on this observation, a constitutive 5411 producer (Pseudomonas sp. strain FP3/pT5411) was constructed in the form of a fish commensal isolate that expresses 5411 from a plasmid source. The presence of FP3/pT5411 in fish attenuates the virulence of TX1. Finally, it was demonstrated that fish expressing 5411 directly from tissues exhibit enhanced resistance against TX1 infection.

Enrichment of the hydrogen-producing microbial community from marine intertidal sludge by different pretreatment methods

To determine the effects of pretreatment on hydrogen production and the hydrogen-producing microbial community, we treated the sludge from the intertidal zone of a bathing beach in Tianjin with four different pretreatment methods, including acid treatment, heat-shock, base treatment as well as freezing and thawing. The results showed that acid pretreatment significantly promoted the hydrogen production by sludge and provided the highest efficiency of hydrogen production among the four methods. The efficiency of the hydrogen production of the acid-pretreated sludge was 0.86 +/- 0.07 mol H-2/mol glucose (mean +/- S.E.), whereas that of the sludge treated with heat-shock, freezing and thawing, base method and control was 0.41 +/- 0.03 mol H-2/mol glucose, 0.17 +/- 0.01 mol H-2/mol glucose, 0.11 +/- 0.01 mol H-2/mol glucose and 0.20 +/- 0.04 mol H-2/mol glucose, respectively. The result of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that pretreatment methods altered the composition of the microbial community that accounts for hydrogen production. Acid and heat pretreatments were favorable to enrich the dominant hydrogen-producing bacterium, i.e. Clostridium sp., Enterococcus sp. and Bacillus sp., However, besides hydrogen-producing bacteria, much non-hydrogen-producing Lactobacillus sp. was also found in the sludge pretreated with base, freezing and thawing methods. Therefore, based on our results, we concluded that, among the four pretreatment methods using acid, heat-shock, base or freezing and thawing, acid pretreatment was the most effective method for promoting hydrogen production of microbial community. (C) 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MARINE ORGANISMS ATTACHED TO SEAWEED SURFACES IN JIAOZHOU BAY, CHINA

Scanning electron microscopy of the surfaces of the seaweeds Laminaria japonica, haploid Porphyra yezoensis, Ulva pertusa and the diploid conchocelis of P. yezoensis and P. haitanensis revealed Vibrio and Micrococcus to be abundant on the surfaces of U. pertusa and P. yezoensis. Vibrio, Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Corynebacterium and other genera were isolated from the surfaces of L. japonica.

Phylogenetic analysis of epiphytic marine bacteria on Hole-Rotten diseased sporophytes of Laminaria japonica

During an occurrence of Hole-Rotten Disease of Laminaria japonica in a cultivating farm in Ma Shan Shandong province, China, 42 Gram-negative epiphytic marine bacteria were isolated and purified on Zobell 2216E marine agar medium. Morphological and biochemical characteristics of each isolated bacterium were studied, and molecular identification of bacterial strains was conducted with polymerase chain reaction amplification to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Based on nearly full length of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the isolated strains were bacteria that belong to genus Pseudoalteromonas, Vibrio, Halomonas and Bacillus. The percentage of each group was 61.9%, 28.6%, 7.1% and 2.4% respectively. The results of pathogenicity assay showed that 12 strains could cause the disease symptoms in sporophytes of L. japonica. They belonged to the genera Pseudoalteromonas, Vibrio and Halomonas with 58.3%, 33.3%, 8.3% respectively. The results suggest that these bacteria are the dominant marine bacteria on diseased sporophytes of L. japonica and may be the potential pathogenic bacteria associated with Hole-Rotten Disease of L. japonica.

CfLGBP, a pattern recognition receptor in Chlamys farreri involved in the immune response against various bacteria

Lipopolysaccharide and beta-1, 3-glucan binding protein (LGBP) is a kind of pattern recognition receptor, which can recognize and bind LPS and beta-1, 3-glucan, and plays curial roles in the innate immune defense against Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. In this study, the functions of LGBP from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri performed in innate immunity were analyzed. Firstly, the mRNA expression of CfLGBP in hemocytes toward three typical PAMPS stimulation was examined by realtime PCR. It was up-regulated extremely (P < 0.01) post stimulation of LPS and beta-glucan, and also exhibited a moderate up-regulation (P < 0.01) after PGN injection. Further PAMPs binding assay with the polyclonal antibody specific for CfLGBP proved that the recombinant CfLGBP (designated as rCfLGBP) could bind not only LPS and beta-glucan, but also PGN in vitro. More importantly, rCfLGBP exhibited obvious agglutination activity towards Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coil, Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and fungi Pichia pastoris. Taking the results of immunofluorescence assay into account, which displayed CfLGBP was expressed specifically in the immune cells (hemocytes) and vulnerable organ (gill and mantle), we believed that LGBP in C farreri, serving as a multi-functional PRR, not only involved in the immune response against Gram-negative and fungi as LGBP in other invertebrates, but also played significant role in the event of anti-Gram-positive bacteria infection. As the first functional research of LGBP in mollusks, our study provided new implication into the innate immune defense mechanisms of C. farreri and mollusks. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peptidoglycan recognition protein of Chlamys farreri (CfPGRP-S1) mediates immune defenses against bacterial infection

Peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) is an essential molecule in innate immunity for both invertebrates and vertebrates, owing to its prominent ability in detecting and eliminating the invading bacteria. Several PGRPs have been identified from mollusk, but their functions and the underlined mechanism are still unclear. In the present study, the mRNA expression profiles, location, and possible functions of PGRP-S1 from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri (CfPG RP-St) were analyzed. The CfPGRP-S1 protein located in the mantle, gill, kidney and gonad of the scallops. Its mRNA expression in hemocytes was up-regulated extremely after PGN stimulation (P < 0.01), while moderately after the stimulations of LPS (P < 0.01) and beta-glucan (P < 0.05). The recombinant protein of CfPGRP-S1 (designated as rCfPGRP-S1) exhibited high affinity to PGN and moderate affinity to LPS, but it did not bind beta-glucan. Meanwhile, rCfPGRP-S1 also exhibited strong agglutination activity to Gram-positive bacteria Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus subtilis and weak activity to Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. More importantly, rCfPGRP-S1 functioned as a bactericidal amidase to degrade PGN and strongly inhibit the growth of E. coli and Staphyloccocus aureus in the presence of Zn2+. These results indicated that CfPGRP-S1 could not only serve as a pattern recognition receptor recognizing bacterial PGN and LPS, but also function as a scavenger involved in eliminating response against the invaders. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.