Effect of carbon source on growth and lipid accumulation in Chlorella sorokiniana GXNN01

Heterotrophic culture of microalgae to develop methods of increasing biomass productivity and storage lipids has brought new insight to commercial biodiesel production. To understand the relationship between heterotrophy and lipid production, the effects of carbon sources on the growth and lipid accumulation of Chlorella sorokiniana GXNN01 was studied. The alga exhibited an increased growth rate in response to the addition of carbon sources, which reached the stationary phase after 48 h at 30A degrees C. In addition, glucose and NaAc had a significant effect on the lipid accumulation during the early-stationary phase. Specifically, the lipid content was 0.237 +/- 0.026 g g(-1) cell dry weight and 0.272 +/- 0.041 g L-1 when glucose was used as the carbon source, whereas the lipid content reached 0.287 +/- 0.018 g g(-1) cell dry weight and 0.288 +/- 0.008 g L-1 when NaAc was used as the carbon source. The neutral lipid content was found to first decrease and then increase over time during the growth phase. A glucose concentration of 20 mmol L-1 gave the maximal lipid yield and the optimum harvest time was the early-stationary phase.

Diverse tetracycline resistant bacteria and resistance genes from coastal waters of Jiaozhou Bay

Environmental microbiology investigation was carried out in Jiaozhou Bay to determine the source and distribution of tetracycline-resistant bacteria and their resistance mechanisms. At least 25 species or the equivalent molecular phylogenetic taxa in 16 genera of resistant bacteria could be identified based on 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid sequence analysis. Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Vibrionaceae constituted the majority of the typical resistant isolates. Indigenous estuarine and marine Halomonadaceae, Pseudoalteromonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, and Shewanellaceae bacteria also harbored tetracycline resistance. All the six resistance determinants screened, tet(A)-(E) and tet(G), could be detected, and the predominant genes were tet(A), tet(B), and tet(G). Both anthropogenic activity-related and indigenous estuarine or coastal bacteria might contribute to the tet gene reservoir, and resistant bacteria and their molecular determinants may serve as bioindicators of coastal environmental quality. Our work probably is the first identification of tet(E) in Proteus, tet(G) in Acinetobacter, tet(C) and tet(D) in Halomonas, tet(D) and tet(G) in Shewanella, and tet(B), tet(C), tet(E), and tet(G) in Roseobacter.

Expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant Chinese shrimp crustin-like protein (CruFc) in Pichia pastoris

A crustin-like protein (CruFc) from Fenneropenaeus chinensis was expressed in Pichia pastoris and then purified to electrophoretic homogeneity on a Sephacryl S-100 column with a band corresponding to the expected one (13 kDa) shown by 15% SDS-PAGE. Western blot indicated that the rCruFc specifically reacted with polyclonal rabbit anti-Fenneropenaeus chinensis CruFc. Production in a 5 l bioreactor gave 237 mg rCruFc/l. Antimicrobial assay revealed that 4 mu M rCruFc inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus.

Formation and evolution of the modern warm current system in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea since the last deglaciation

To reconstruct the formation and evolution process of the warm current system within the East China Sea (ECS) and the Yellow Sea (YS) since the last deglaciation, the paleoceangraphic records in core DGKS9603, core CSH1 and core YSDP102, which were retrieved from the mainstream of the Kuroshio Current (KC), the edge of the modern Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) and muddy region under cold waters accreted with the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) respectively, were synthetically analyzed. The results indicate that the formation and evolution of the modern warm current system in the ECS and the YS has been accompanied by the development of the KC and impulse rising of the sea level since the last deglaciation. The influence of the KC on the Okinawa Trough had enhanced since 16 cal kyr BP, and synchronously the modern TWC began to develop with the rising of sea level and finally formed at about 8.5 cal kyr BP. The KC had experienced two weakening process during the Heinrich event 1 and the Younger Drays event from 16 to 8.5 cal kyr BP. The period of 7-6 cal kyr BP was the strongest stage of the KC and the TWC since the last deglaciation. The YSWC has appeared at about 6.4 cal kyr BP. Thus, the warm current system of the ECS and the YS has ultimately formed. The weakness of the KC, indicated by the occurrence of Pulleniatina minimum event (PME) during the period from 5.3 to 2.8 cal kyr BP, caused the main stream of the TWC to shift eastward to the Pacific Ocean around about 3 cal kyr BP. The process resulted in the intruding of continent shelf cold water mass with rich nutrients. Synchronously, the strength of the YSWC was relatively weak and the related cold water body was active at the early-mid stage of its appearance against the PME background, which resulted in the quick formation of muddy deposit system in the southeastern YS. The strength of the warm current system in the ECS and the YS has enhanced evidently, and approached to the modern condition gradually since 3 cal kyr BP.

Evolution and variability of the East Asian summer monsoon during the Pliocene: Evidence from clay mineral records of the South China Sea

The Late Pliocene is thought to be characterized by the simultaneous intensification of both the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). However, the evolution of the EASM during the Pliocene remains still controversial and only little is known about the dynamics of the EASM during the Pliocene on orbital time scales. Here we use clay mineral assemblages in sediments from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea (SCS) to obtain proxy records of past changes in the EASM climate during the Pliocene. Provenance analysis suggests that illite, chlorite and kaolinite originated mainly from the Mekong River drainage area. Smectite was derived mainly from the Indonesian islands. The kaolinite/illite ratio and the chemical index of alteration (CIA) of siliciclastic sediments allowed us to reconstruct the history of chemical weathering and physical erosion of the Mekong River drainage area and thus, the evolution of,the EASM during the Pliocene. Our clay minerals proxy data suggests a stronger EASM during the Early Pliocene than during the Late Pliocene. We propose that the long-term evolution of the EASM has been driven by global cooling rather than the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Spectral analysis of kaolinite/ illite ratio displays a set of strong periodicities at 100 ka, 30 ka, 28 ka, 25 ka, and 22 ka. with no clear obliquityrelated signal. Our study suggests that the Pliocene EASM intensity on orbital time scales is not only controlled by the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation, but also strongly influenced by equatorial Pacific ENSO-like ocean atmosphere dynamics. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coherence between solar activity and the East Asian winter monsoon variability in the past 8000 years from Yangtze River-derived mud in the East China Sea

AMS(14)C dating and grain-size analysis for Core PC-6, located in the middle of a mud area on the inner shelf of the East China Sea (ECS), were used to rebuild the Holocene history of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). The 7.5-m core recorded the history of environmental changes during the postglacial transgression. The core's mud section (the upper 450 cm) has been formed mainly by suspended sediment delivered from the Yangtze River mouth by the ECS Winter Coastal Current (ECSWCC) since 7.6 kyr BP. Using a mathematical method called "grain size vs. standard deviatioW', we can divide the Core PC-6's grain-size distribution into two populations at about 28 mu m. The fine population (< 28 mu m) is considered to be transported by the ECSWCC as suspended loads. Content of the fine population changes little and represents a stable sedimentary environment in accord with the present situation. Thus, variation of mean grain-size from the fine population would reflect the strength of ECSWCC, which is mainly controlled by the East Asian winter monsoon. Abrupt increasing mean grain size in the mud section is inferred to be transported by sudden strengthened ECSWCC, which was caused by the strengthened EAWM. Thus, the high resolution mean grain-size variation might serve as a proxy for reconstruction of the EAWM. A good correlation between sunspot change and the mean grain-size of suspended fine population suggests that one of the primary controls on centennial- to decadal-scale changes of the EAWM in the past 8 ka is the variations of sun irradiance, i.e., the EAWM will increase in intensity when the number of sunspots decreases. Spectral analyses of the mean grain-size time series of Core PC-6 show statistically significant periodicities centering on 2463, 1368, 128, 106, 100, 88-91, 7678, and 70-72 years. The EAWM and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) agree with each other well on these cycles, and the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) and the Indian Monsoon also share in concurrent cycles in Holocene, which are in accord with the changes of the sun irradiance. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

海水鱼细胞系FG、SPH和RSBF的特性分析及其在典型海洋污染物毒性检测上的应用

鱼类细胞培养已成为鱼类病毒学、肿瘤学、毒理学、遗传学和免疫学等研究的重要手段。本文首先从形态、蛋白质（同工酶）和DNA（RAPD分析）三个层次水平对牙鲆鳃细胞系FG、鲈鱼心脏细胞系SPH和真鲷鳍细胞系RSBF的特性进行了分析，并分别与其所对应的原代培养组织作了比较。形态、蛋白质和DNA分析的结果表明：(1) 三株海水鱼细胞系的乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)酶谱彼此明显不同，可作为对它们进行种属鉴定和交叉污染鉴别的有效遗传标记；(2)与所对应的原代培养组织的LDH酶谱相比，细胞系FG的LDH酶谱维持不变，而细胞系SPH和FRSBF的LFH酶酶谱变化较大；(3)与所对应的原代培养细胞的形态相比，细胞系FG的细胞形态没有明显改变，而细胞系SPH和RSBF的细胞形态则发生了明显改变；(4)60个DNA随机引物对三株细胞系及其原代培养组织的RAPD分析表明，有35－48％的引物在细胞系及其原代培养组织之间产生完全相同的RAPD指纹，为这三株细胞系种属来源的鉴别奠定了基础，另有27－32％的引物在细胞系及其原代培养组织之间产生不同的RAPD指纹，表明这三株细胞系中发生了遗传变异；(5)FG、SPH和RSBF三株细胞系与其所来源鱼类个体间的总遗传相似性指数大小为0.825-0.851，这表明了它们之间的同源性，同时为我们采用RAPD技术对其它细胞系进行种属鉴定提供了可供参考的实验数据；(6)筛选得到四个随机引物S－91、S－223、S－228和S－237，分别可参在这三株海水鱼细胞系中扩增得到特异性的彼此明显不同的RAPD指纹，这些特异性RAPD指纹在各细胞系与其原代培养组织之间，以及在细胞系的传代培养过程中是稳定的，因而这四个引物对于这三株细胞系的种属鉴定、交叉污染检测以及监测它们与其来源鱼类个体之间的遗传变异将非常有用。其次，170代以后的FG细胞发生了自发性肿瘤转化，具有了在细胞单层上聚集生长和堆积生长的能力，本文对转化前后细胞的形态、贴壁依赖性(软琼脂克隆形成实验)和遗传物质稳定性(RAPD分析)进行分析的结果表明：FG细胞失去接触抑制和生长的密主抑制，获得在细胞单层上聚集生长和堆积生长能力的同时，也获得了在软琼脂中生的能力(8－14个克隆/10~6个接种细胞)；RAPD分析表明，转化前后FG细胞的RAPD指纹发生了明显的变异。因此，FG细胞的自发性肿瘤转化也如哺乳动物细胞一样，包括一系列不断进行的细胞学和遗传学变化，并最终导致其基因组DNA的遗传变异。最后，本文分析了聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)和氯化镍在RSBF细胞中的细胞毒性和基因毒性，结果表明：鱼类细胞系RSBF可作为一个有效的检测水环境中污染的细胞毒性和基因性效应的效应的筛选系统；RAPD分析可作为一个灵敏的非专一性的基因毒性检测终点；PEI对RSBF细胞的高细胞毒性和基因毒性表明，我们在利用PEI作基因载体进行人类基因冶疗和进行鱼类转基因实验时要格外慎重；镍及其化合物可能是导致鱼类肿瘤性疾病的原因之一。

Size hierarchies affecting the social interactions and growth of juvenile Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus (T. & S.)juveniles were size-graded and divided into three groups (small, large, and mixture of small and large flounder), and their social interactions (feeding, aggressive attacking and activity) and growth were investigated. The growth of the small flounder was markedly suppressed by the presence of the large flounder. Large flounder did not significantly suppress the overall food intake of the small flounder but exhibited high aggressive attacking on them and consequently inhibited their activity. Size dominance showed little influence on the aggressive behavior, feeding, activity and growth of the large flounder. The large flounder could not effectively defend the food in excess during the experiments ruling out disproportional food acquisition as the primary mechanism responsible for the size hierarchy effect. Aggressive interaction of the large flounder on the small flounder might be an important cause for the growth retardation of the small flounder. In culture, size grading could markedly improve the growth and survival of the early juvenile flounder. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.