Pseudomonas lemoignei has five poly(hydroxyalkanoic acid) (PHA) depolymerase genes: A comparative study of bacterial and eukaryotic PHA depolymerases

Four polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) depolymerases were purified from the culture fluid ofPseudomonas lemoignei: poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), depolymerase A (M _r , 55,000), and PHB depolymerase B (M _r , 67,000) were specific for PHB and copolymers of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) as substrates. The third depolymerase additionally hydrolyzed poly(3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHV) at high rates (PHV depolymerase;M _r , 54,000). The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the three purified proteins, of a fourth partially purified depolymerase (PHB depolymerase C), and of the PHB depolymerases ofComamonas sp. were determined. Four PHA depolymerase genes ofP. lemoignei (phaZ1,phaZ2,phaZ3, andphaZ4) have been cloned inEscherichia coli, and the nucleotide sequence ofphaZ1 has been determined recently (D. Jendrossek, B. Müller, and H. G. Schlegel,Eur. J. Biochem. 218, 701–710, 1993). In this study the nucleotide sequences ofphaZ2 andphaZ3 were determined.PhaZ1,phaZ2, andphaZ4 were identified to encode PHB depolymerase C, PHB depolymerase B, and PHV depolymerase, respectively.PhaZ3 coded for a novel PHB depolymerase ofP. lemoignei, named PHB depolymerase D. None of the four genes harbored the PHB depolymerase A gene, which is predicted to be encoded by a fifth depolymerase gene ofP. lemoignei (phaZ5) and which has not been cloned yet. The deduced amino acid sequences ofphaZ1–phaZ3 revealed high homologies to each other (68–72%) and medium homologies to the PHB depolymerase gene ofAlcaligenes faecalis T₁ (25–34%). Typical leader peptide amino acid sequences, lipase consensus sequences (Gly-Xaa-Ser-Xaa-Gly), and unusually high proportions of threonine near the C terminus were found in PhaZ1, PhaZ2, and PhaZ3. Considering the biochemical data of the purified proteins and the amino acid sequences, PHA depolymerases ofP. lemoignei are most probably serine hydrolases containing a catalytical triad of Asp, His, and Ser similar to that of lipases. A comparison of biochemical and genetic data of various eubacterial and one eukaryotic PHA depolymerases is provided also.Paper presented at the Bio/Environmentally Degradable Polymer Society—Second National Meeting, August 19–21, 1993, Chicago, Illinois.     

有机垃圾单级高固体厌氧消化的中试实验

在中温(37℃)条件下,应用连续式单级高固体厌氧消化技术对有机垃圾进行了实验室规模的处理研究.结果表明:①根据产气量及pH值变化在时间上可划分为酸化阶段、恢复阶段、稳定阶段及过饱和阶段.②经过酸化的过程后,pH值最低达到5.6左右;在恢复阶段反应器内pH值随TS浓度的增加而稳定在6.8～7.8之间,产气量及甲烷气体浓度均增加;③稳定阶段有机垃圾消化反应总体运行状况良好,第125d出现最大日产气量.为91.86 L·d-1,此时消化液TS浓度为14.78%,甲烷气体的浓度50%一55%左右,HRT为20d,生物降解率为65.28%.④超负荷阶段,TS浓度达到17.71%,氨氮浓度为3770 mg·L-1,抑制了产甲烷杆菌的代谢,发酵液的PH值持续下降到5.8左右,生物降解率也下降到48.25%.     

安捷伦液相/离子阱(XCT)质谱检测虾仁及家禽中的硝基呋喃代谢物

在液相/离子阱质谱上,利用液相/质谱/质谱方法对鸡肉及虾仁中硝基呋喃代谢物残留进行了定性定量分析.对于四种硝基呋喃代谢物,其定量限在0125到05μg·kg-1的范围内,分析结果完全满足欧盟的1μg·kg-1的最低检测限量的要求.     

Being Skeptical? Exploring Far-Right Climate-Change Communication in Germany

This article explores climate-change communication by the German far right – spanning a continuum which ranges from anti-liberal democracy radical-right populists, to the extreme right and to anti-democratic neo-Nazis – and asks: how do these actors articulate the phenomenon of climate change? In responding to this question, we conduct a discourse network analysis which identifies relations between actors, objects, phenomena, and processes, and points out differences/similarities across a continuum of exemplary far-right sources. The investigated actors put forward a rather skeptical climate change narrative, even though differences exist as the significance attached to the Volk and its sovereignty, rooted in far-right ideology, sometimes overrides, and sometimes is in harmony with, their ideological-driven affinity with nature protection. We thus contribute to the growing body of knowledge on climate-change communication and, more specifically, on the link between ideology and climate-change skepticism.     

不同质量比的膨松剂对家庭生物有机垃圾堆肥的影响

为解决家庭生物有机垃圾堆肥反应中含水率高、含有机质多等问题,选择秸秆作为膨松剂对家庭生物有机垃圾进行堆肥处理,重点研究添加不同质量比的膨松剂对堆肥反应中堆体温度、含水率、有机质、pH、电导率及堆料质量减少率等评估堆肥质量参数变化的影响.结果表明,添加质量分数为5%、10%及20%的膨松剂的堆肥反应在第2天堆体温度超过55℃,并持续3 d以上,而添加质量分数为30%的膨松剂堆肥由于其含水率较低(约55%)在整个堆肥反应中堆体温度都低于55℃;堆肥1周内,有机质及含水率下降显著;添加20%膨松剂堆肥的堆料质量减少率最为明显,达39.6%;堆肥反应中,pH在5.5～8.5,在腐熟期pH趋于稳定,呈弱碱性;电导率随堆肥进行呈上升趋势,4种不同质量比膨松剂堆肥产品的电导率均位于1.88～1.96 mS/cm,可以安全使用.     

Fish consumption reduces transfer of BDE47 from dam to murine offspring

Fish and seafood are important contributions to a healthy diet, but also contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Discrepancies have been found between intake and accumulated levels of POPs, where fish consumers have had similar levels of POPs to the general population. Similarly fish oil consumption has been found to reduce accumulation of POPs. This study examined the accumulation of BDE47 or PCB153 in mice fed diets with different nutritional composition, using female mice with pre-weanling pups exposed through gestation and lactation. A fish-based diet was compared to a standard casein-based rodent diet. All diets had low background levels of environmental contaminants and were spiked with BDE47 or PCB153 to levels representing a realistic (∼0.004 μmol kgbw⁻¹ d) or a high dietary exposure (∼1.3 μmol kgbw⁻¹ d). Accumulation of BDE47 or PCB153 in offspring tissues after 18 d lactation reflected the maternal exposure levels. However, the pups of dams fed a fish-based diet had consistently lower BDE47 accumulation in liver, fat and stomach than pups from casein-fed dams. Similarly the pups of dams fed a high dose of PCB153 in a fish diet also accumulated less PCB153 than pups of the dams fed a casein diet, although not significant. In conclusion, the fish based diets seemed to reduce transfer of BDE47 and PCB153 from dams to pups. The study highlights that in-depth knowledge about nutritional impact on toxicokinetics is of great interest to vulnerable consumers.     

Degradative fate of 3-chlorocarbazole and 3,6-dichlorocarbazole in soil

Background, aim, and scope  

3-Chlorocarbazole and 3,6-dichlorocarbazole were isolated from Bavarian soils. The stereospecific formation of the isomers of these chlorinated carbazols can be explained by quantum mechanical calculations using the DFT method. It was shown that chlorination of carbazole and 3-chlorocarbazole respectively is preferred via the sigma-complexes 3-chlorocarbazole and 3,6-dichlorocarbazole as the most stable products. The dioxin-like toxicological potential of 3,6-dichlorocarbazole, determined by the Micro-EROD Test, is in the range of some picogram TCDD equivalents per milligram carbazole. The degradative fate of 3-chlorocarbazole and 3,6-dichlorocarbazole was analysed within a long-term study (57 days) in soil.     

微波预处理对秸秆厌氧消化影响的研究

以秸秆为研究对象,比较不同的微波强度预处理作用下对秸秆厌氧消化产气特性的影响,研究日产气量、pH值、甲烷气体浓度及生物降解率4个参数的变化趋势,结果表明:微波预处理对秸秆厌氧消化有明显效果,平均日产气量由未被预处理的6.21 mL/g VS上升到 8.16 mL/g VS,上升了31.33%,达到最大日产气量时间由原来的第12 d,提前至第2～第7 d不等,最大日产气量由原来的23.43 mL/g VS上升到43.49 mL/g VS;在360～900 W范围内,微波强度越大,反应的pH值下降越快,秸秆厌氧消化最大日产气量越提前;经过微波预处理的甲烷浓度平均浓度由原来的50%提高至62%左右,其生物能范围也由未处理前的17.58 MJ/m³提高至23.46 MJ/m³,物降解率由未预处理的44.12%,提高至71.55%。     

Impact of common cytostatic drugs on pollen fertility in higher plants

Cytostatic drugs are among the most toxic chemicals which are produced. Many of them cause damage of the genetic material which may affect the fertility of higher organisms. To study the impact of the widely used anticancer drugs [cisplatin (CisPt), etoposide (Et), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)] on the reproduction of higher plants, pollen abortion experiments were conducted with species which belong to major plant families, namely with Tradescantia paludosa (Commelinaceae), Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae), Chelidonium majus (Papaveraceae), and Alisma plantago-aquatica (Alismataceae). All compounds increased the frequencies of abortive grains. The lowest effective doses were in general in a narrow range (i.e., 1 and 10 mg/kg of dry soil). The effects of the individual drugs were similar in T. paludosa, A. plantago-aquatica, and Ch. majus, while A. thaliana was consistently less sensitive. The highest abortion rate was obtained in most experiments with CisPt, followed by 5-FU and Et. Comparisons of the doses which caused effects in the present experiments in the different species with the predicted environment concentrations and with the levels of the cytostatics which were detected in hospital wastewaters show that the realistic environmental concentrations of the drugs are 4–6 orders of magnitude lower. Therefore, it is unlikely that these drugs affect the fertility of higher plants in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.     

PCB 77 dechlorination products modulate pro-inflammatory events in vascular endothelial cells

Persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are associated with detrimental health outcomes including cardiovascular diseases. Remediation of these compounds is a critical component of environmental policy. Although remediation efforts aim to completely remove toxicants, little is known about the effects of potential remediation byproducts. We previously published that Fe/Pd nanoparticles effectively dechlorinate PCB 77 to biphenyl, thus eliminating PCB-induced endothelial dysfunction using primary vascular endothelial cells. Herein, we analyzed the toxic effects of PCB congener mixtures (representative mixtures of commercial PCBs based on previous dechlorination data) produced at multiple time points during the dechlorination of PCB 77 to biphenyl. Compared with pure PCB 77, exposing endothelial cells to lower chlorinated PCB byproducts led to improved cellular viability, decreased superoxide production, and decreased nuclear factor kappa B activation based on duration of remediation. Presence of the parent compound, PCB 77, led to significant increases in mRNA and protein inflammatory marker expression. These data implicate that PCB dechlorination reduces biological toxicity to vascular endothelial cells.