一种新的中温酸性α-淀粉酶的分离纯化及酶学性质

从Bacillus sp.中分离纯化了一种新的中温酸性α-淀粉酶,并对其酶学性质进行了研究.粗酶经硫酸铵沉淀、 DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow阴离子层析、 Sephadex G-75凝胶过滤层析等步骤后获得电泳均一的α-淀粉酶,其分子量(Mr)约为56×103.该酶最适反应pH为5.0,在pH 5.0～11.0范围内稳定,具有较好的耐酸特性.该酶最适反应温度为40～50 ℃,在40～60 ℃范围内稳定.在60 ℃、 pH 4.5时,该酶能快速有效水解可溶性淀粉;在pH 5.0时该酶对多种生淀粉底物也具有良好的水解作用.因此,该酶有助于解决中温条件淀粉加工行业中,液化酶和糖化酶由于适用pH值的差异而无法联用的难题,是一种具有研究价值和应用前景的中温酸性α-淀粉酶.经LC-MASS-MASS分析得到了酶蛋白中两个肽段的氨基酸序列,通过比对发现,该酶与NCBI中已报道的α-淀粉酶序列具有一定的同源性,同时,在氨基酸水平上也存在着差异.     

苏云金芽胞杆菌(Bacillus thuringiensis)几丁质酶的分离纯化及酶学性质

以苏云金芽胞杆菌为材料 ,通过硫酸铵沉淀分级分离、DEAE - 32离子交换柱层析初步纯化 ,获得比活力为15 0 .5Umg-1的酶制剂 .研究酶催化胶体几丁质水解的反应时间和酶量对酶活力的关系 ,探讨酶催化胶体几丁质的最适条件 .温度和 pH对酶活力的影响和酶的热稳定性及酸碱稳定性的结果表明 :酶催化胶体几丁质水解的的最适pH为 5 .6、最适温度为 5 8℃ .该酶在pH 4 .5～ 6 .5区域稳定 ,而在pH >8能很快失活 ;在 5 5℃以下处理 30min ,酶活力保持不变 ;高于 5 5℃ ,酶快速失活 .图 5参 11     

Rhizopus microsporus var. chinensis生淀粉糖化酶的分离纯化及酶学性质

从Rhizopus microsporus var.chinensis CICIM F0088菌株中分离纯化一种新的具有生淀粉降解能力的糖化酶,并研究其酶学性质.经硫酸铵沉淀、双水相交换、DEAE-650M阴离子层析、Bio-Rad制备电泳等步骤后获得电泳均一的糖化酶,其相对分子质量约为52×103.该酶最适反应pH为4.5,在pH3.5～6.5范围内稳定;最适反应温度为75℃,具有较宽的pH耐受范围和较高的温度耐受性.经飞行质谱分析得到酶蛋白中3个肽段的氨基酸序列,通过比对发现,该酶与NCBI中已报道的糖化酶序列具有一定的同源性.     

产碱杆菌DN25中降氰酶的分离纯化及生化特性

以一株可降氰的产碱杆菌DN25为酶来源,通过超滤、30 mg/mL硫酸鱼精蛋白沉淀、30%～70%硫酸铵盐析和Phenyl-Toyopearl 650M疏水层析等步骤,获得比活力为44 U/mg的纯化酶制剂.在确定酶浓度、反应时间等氰降解活力测定条件后开展酶学性质研究,试图为将来氰降解代谢机理的深入研究和菌株的基因工程改造提供理论基础.研究结果表明,此纯化酶催化氰化物水解的最适pH值为8.0,最适温度为30℃.该酶在pH 7.0～8.0区域稳定,而在pH>9时会很快失活;在30℃保存10 h,酶活力保持稳定,高于60℃,酶快速失活.加入甘氨酸稳定剂,在60℃下保存20 min酶活仍可保留19.6%.酶促反应动力学符合米氏双曲线方程,测得米氏常数Km为3.11 mmol/L,最大反应速率Vmax为0.23 mmolL-1min-1.     

冰川环境耐冷菌的冷适蛋白酶分离纯化及酶学性质

采用离交和凝胶层析对“中国冰川1号”耐冷菌BacilluscereusSYPA23所产的蛋白酶进行分离纯化,并进行酶学性质研究.与中温酶相比,该蛋白酶具有较高的低温催化活力,其最适催化温度为42℃,适宜pH为7.0～8.5,SDSPAGE测定的分子量(Mr)为34.2×103.金属离子Mn2 、Ca2 对该酶有激活作用,Cu2 、Hg2 、Pb2 、Co2 对其活性有一定抑制作用.该酶属金属蛋白酶,其活性受EDTA强烈抑制,不受PMSF抑制.该蛋白酶具有低温酶典型的热不稳定性,0℃下半衰期24h,但Ca2 和一些低分子醇类物质能提高其稳定性.动力学数据分析表明,该蛋白酶在低温下对底物亲和能力高,在较宽温度范围内(25～45℃)均保持着较高的催化效能.图7表3参17     

近平滑假丝酵母NAD(H)依赖型次级醇脱氢酶的分离纯化及酶学性质

从近平滑假丝酵母(Candida parapsilosis CCTCC 203011)中分离得到了NAD(H)依赖型的次级醇脱氢酶.粗酶经乙醇沉淀、Blue Sepharose Fast Flow亲和层析、DEAE Sepharose离子交换层析后在SDS-PAGE上显示为单一条带,其酶蛋白的亚基分子量(Mr)为37.5×103.该酶还原反应的最适pH为6.0,最适温度为45℃,是一个含Zn2 金属酶.该脱氢酶具有较高的底物的选择性,对2-酮具有较高的还原活力;同时,也能作用于醇类发生氧化反应,对次级醇的氧化活力最高.以β-羟基苯乙酮为底物,用纯化得到的酶催化反应后,还原产物为(R)-苯基乙二醇,因此该酶为(R)-专一性次级醇脱氢酶,是一种生产(R)-苯基乙二醇的有效的生物催化剂.经LC-MASS-MASS分析得到了酶蛋白中3个肽段的氨基酸序列,通过比对发现该酶与NCBI编号为BAA24528的次级醇脱氢酶具有较高的同源性.图4表3参17     

维生素C二步发酵中L-山梨糖脱氢酶的性质及作用

从氧化葡萄糖酸杆菌细胞质中分离纯化出L 山梨糖脱氢酶 (SDH) ,其分子量为 46× 10 3 ,表观分子量为 190× 10 3 ;在测试范围内 ,最适pH是 7.4,温度为 5 5℃ ,最稳定的 pH是 7.0 ,温度为 30℃以下 ;FeCl3 促进酶活 ,CoCl2 抑制酶活 .该酶活力与发酵产物 2 酮基 L 古龙酸的合成呈正相关 ;伴生菌促进产酸菌生长和代谢 ,并使该酶比活力增加 ,从而提高发酵系统中该酶的总活力 .图 11表 5参 9     

嗜热子囊菌光孢变种β-葡萄糖苷酶的基因克隆、表达及酶学性质分析

从嗜热子囊菌光孢变种(Thermoascus aurantiacus var.levisporus)RNA中通过RT-PCR克隆出β-葡萄糖苷酶基因bgl Ⅰ的全长序列,cDNA序列为2 672 bp.Genbank登录号为EU269025,将该片段插入巴斯德毕赤酵母Pichia pastoris分泌型表达载体pPIC9K中,获得重组质粒pPIC9K/bgl,经线性化后用电穿孔法导入毕赤酵母GS115中,在醇氧化酶AOXI基因启动子作用下,获得高效表达β-葡萄糖苷酶的毕赤酵母工程菌株.经DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow阴离子层析纯化了该重组表达蛋白.SDS-PAGER测得该重组蛋白相对分子质量(M)约为120×103.经甲醇诱导,培养基中β-葡萄糖苷酶的活力可达1.2 U/mg,小规模发酵量达0.45 mg/mL.该酶的最适反应温度为60℃,最适反应pH为5.0.于70℃保温30 min仍保持80%的酶活力,具有较高的热稳定性,在pH 3.0～9.0的条件下酸碱耐受性强.图6表1参22     

日本沼虾(Macrobrachium nipponense)N-乙酰-β-D-氨基葡萄糖苷酶初步纯化及部分性质

以日本沼虾内脏为材料,通过硫酸铵沉淀分级分离、DEAE-32离子交换柱层析和SephadexG-100分子筛柱层析纯化,获得比活力为3000Umg-1、纯化倍数为8.88倍的N-乙酰-β-D-氨基葡萄糖苷酶制剂(NAGase).以对-硝基苯-N-乙酰-β-D-氨基葡萄糖为底物,研究酶催化底物水解的反应动力学,结果表明,酶的最适pH为6.0,最适温度为53℃.该酶在pH4.5~9.3区域较稳定,当pH>9.3很快失活;在50℃以下处理30min,酶活力保持稳定,高于50℃,酶稳定性较差,75℃酶完全失活.酶促反应动力学符合米氏双曲线方程,测得米氏常数Km为0.165mmolL-1,最大反应速度Vm为6.55μmolL-1min-1.酶催化pNP-β-D-GlcNAc反应的活化能为63.55kJmol-1.图5表1参16     

黑曲霉Aspergillsu niger SL2-111所产酸性蛋白酶的分离纯化及酶学特性

采用硫酸铵盐析、Sephadex G-25柱脱盐、DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow离子交换层析、Sephacryl S-200分子筛层析和高效液相色谱等方法,从黑曲霉菌株Aspergillus niger SL2-111的发酵曲中提取了一种酸性蛋白酶,经SDS-PAGE验证,该酶纯化水平已达到电泳纯.该酶的表观分子量(Mr)约为47×103,最适pH值为3.0,pH稳定性范围为2.5～6.0,最适温度为50℃,温度稳定性范围为30～60℃;Gu2+、Mn2+对其有激活作用,Hg2+、Ag+对其则有轻度的抑制作用;该酶的氨基酸组成为:中极性酸性氨基酸占17.29%,极性碱性氨基酸占4.50%,极性中性氨基酸占38.50%,其它为非极性氨基酸;N端氨基酸序列为SKGSAVTTPQ,经序列同源性比对,表明该酶与其它曲霉酸性蛋白酶具有极高的同源性.图4表5参15     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.