铜绿微囊藻与藻际细菌Ma-B1菌株的相互作用

藻与细菌通常共生于淡水生境,形成藻-菌共生体系,藻际细菌是水体生态系统中的重要组成部分,对藻的消长起重要的调控作用,但有关藻际微环境中藻与细菌的互作机制还不清楚. 采用传统的细菌平板培养方法,从太湖优势水华藻——铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)细胞表面分离出一株藻际细菌Ma-B1,基于生理、生化试验和16S rRNA基因序列分析,初步鉴定为甲基营养芽孢杆菌(Bacillus methylotrophicus). 通过测定细胞生长,分析藻-菌相互作用机理. 结果表明:一定浓度(＞60 μg/mL)的Ma-B1的胞外代谢物可显著抑制铜绿微囊藻的生长(培养基为BG11,28 ℃/日,22 ℃/夜,3 000 lx,光暗比为14 h∶10 h);铜绿微囊藻的胞外滤液(500 μL/mL)对Ma-B1的生长有一定的促进作用,但其总滤液(500 μL/mL)显著促进Ma-B1的生长;Ma-B1细胞对铜绿微囊藻的生长没有显著影响,而高浓度(藻菌比10∶1)的铜绿微囊藻细胞则可显著抑制Ma-B1的生长. 铜绿微囊藻与Ma-B1之间存在复杂的相互抑制或促进关系,共同影响着藻、菌在自然水体生态系统中的消长.      

Comparision of the waterborne and dietary routes of exposure on the effects of Benzo(a)pyrene on biotransformation pathways in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

BaP is one of the most studied PAH, due to its ubiquitous presence in aquatic environments and toxicity to aquatic organisms. The main goal of this study was to assess BaP effects in Nile Tilapia after waterborne and dietary exposures, through the evaluation of EROD and GST activities in liver, gills and intestine, and BaP metabolites in bile; and also to evaluate the usefulness of these commonly used biomarkers after two different routes of exposure. Waterborne exposure to BaP led to a significant induction of EROD in all tissues analyzed (644%, 1640% and 2880% in relation to solvent in liver, gill and intestine respectively) while in dietary exposures EROD was induced only in intestine (3143%) after exposure to high BaP concentrations. GST activities with CDNB were slightly induced in liver (40%) and in gill (66%) after water exposure to BaP, and in intestine after dietary exposure to low BaP concentrations (182%). BaP metabolites in bile increased after both exposure routes, and were highly correlated with EROD activity after water exposure. In summary, this work has shown that the effects of BaP on biotransformation pathways depend on the route of exposure. Moreover, barrier tissues like gills and intestine also have an important role in the first-pass metabolism of BaP, reducing the amount of parent compound that reaches the liver to be metabolized. For that reason, EROD activity as a biomarker of exposure should also be applied in extrahepatic organs, like gills and intestine, in monitoring studies. Biliary BaP type metabolites are good reflectors of contamination levels under both exposure routes, while GST activity with CDNB as substrate, as a phase II enzyme, does not seem a reliable biomarker of exposure to BaP regardless the route of exposure.     

PESTICIDES IN GROUND WATER: DO ATRAZINE METABOLITES MATTER?1

ABSTRACT: Atrazine and atrazine-residue (atrazine + two metabolites - deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine) concentrations were examined to determine if consideration of these atrazine metabolites substantially adds to our understanding of the distribution of this pesticide in groundwater of the midcontinental United States. The mean of atrazine.residue concentrations was 53 percent greater than that of atrazine alone for those observations above the detection limit (> 0.05 μg/l). Furthermore, a censored regression analysis using atrazine-residue concentrations revealed significant factors not identified when only atrazine concentrations were used. Thus, knowledge of concentrations of these atrazine metabolites is required to obtain a true estimation of risk of using these aquifers as sources for drinking water, and such knowledge also provides information that ultimately may be important for future management policies designed to reduce atrazine concentrations in ground water.     

Bacterial colonization of the phyllosphere of nineteen plant species and antimicrobial activity of their leaf secondary metabolites against leaf associated bacteria

Summary. The scope of this work was to examine whether leaf constitutive secondary metabolites play a role in determining bacterial colonization of the phyllosphere. To this aim, we surveyed nineteen native or cultivated plant species that share a common bacterial pool in a North Mediterranean area, and estimated the size of total and ice nucleation active (INA) bacterial populations on their leaves. Large differences in the colonization of their phyllosphere were found; the population size of epiphytic bacteria ranged from 7.5 × 10² to 1 × 10⁶ CFU/g fresh weight, in eucalypt and celery, respectively. Species native in Mediterranean-type climate areas, particularly those belonging to the group of aromatic plants, are characterized by scarce presence of INA bacteria. The antibacterial activity of essential oils, surface phenolics and leaf tissue extracts was also estimated against the INA strains P. syringae and E. herbicola, isolated from two of these plant species. E. herbicola proved more sensitive than P. syringae. Of the species examined, oregano [Origanum vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link.) Ietswaart], an aromatic plant, had the highest antimicrobial activity, whereas six species showed no activity at all. Further experiments were performed with oregano and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) that represent two extremes in their secondary metabolite content. Both plants were inoculated with P. syringae. By the end of incubation, the bacterial population on bean plants was about 100 times higher than that on oregano leaves. Scanning electron micrographs showed that bacterial growth on oregano leaves was confined to sites away from glandular hairs. Results from the bacterial colonization survey together with those from the toxicity tests showed that all species rich in antibacterial secondary metabolites harbored low leaf bacterial populations. These results provide substantial evidence that leaf secondary metabolites function as constitutive defense chemicals against microbial invasions. However, the fact that species with non- or moderately active leaf secondary metabolites are not always highly colonized suggests mediation of other unknown factors, the contribution of which requires further investigation.     

How do slugs cope with toxic alkaloids?

Summary. Arion lusitanicus and other slugs are able to feed on a variety of plants, even those containing toxic secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids. Alkaloids, like sparteine, lupanine, quinidine and atropine are avoided in no-choice feeding experiments only when they are present in concentrations above 1 mg/g food pellet. Alkaloids (sparteine, lupanine, cytisine, quinidine, atropine, senecionine, eserine, and harmaline) are toxic to Arion lusitanicus when injected. LD₅₀ values are 10 to 20 fold higher than in vertebrates indicating that slugs have a high tolerance towards food toxins. The tolerance is higher in young animals than in adult slugs. Injected alkaloids are rapidly detoxified within 72 h. Tolerance and detoxification can be induced by feeding slugs on non-lethal doses of lupin alkaloids. Using isolated microsomal preparations from the digestive gland, active detoxification was observed in vitro. Evidence is presented that cytochrome p450 plays an important role in detoxification of the applied alkaloids. A powerful and inducible detoxification systems appears to be the main mechanism that allows slugs to feed on plants rich in secondary metabolites (when no other food is available), that are usually avoided by other herbivores.     

Volatile metabolites from indoor molds grown on media containing wood constituents

Since volatile mold metabolites are used for the detection of mold growth in buildings, it was interesting to determine whether different indoor mold species show different affinity for the major components of wood, a common building material. Growth and volatile metabolites were studied when Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium chrysogenum, and P. palitans were grown on laboratory substrates containing the major wood constituents cellulose, xylan and lignin. Microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) were characterized by thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Growth and volatile metabolites varied considerably and there appeared to be complementary substrate specificities for P. chrysogenum, and P. palitans grown on cellulose and xylan. The failure of A. versicolor to produce characteristic MVOCs when grown on media containing wood constituents suggests that systems using volatile metabolites to detect microbial growth in buildings may be fundamentally unreliable for the detection of this species.     

Secondary metabolism — evolution and function: Products or processes?

Summary The distinguishing characteristics of secondary metabolism and its associated metabolites are outlined. Current theories relating to the function of secondary metabolism in plants and micro-organisms are enumerated and the view that consideration of the processes rather than the products may best explain the origins of secondary metabolism is discussed.     

Synthesis of C-labelled PCB methyl sulphones

Five methylsulphonyltetrachloro-(¹⁴C)biphenyls and three methylsulphonylpentachloro-(¹⁴C)biphenyls were synthesized, 3,4-Dichloro-(¹⁴C)aniline was reacted with 2,3- and 2,6-dichlorothioanisole and 2,4,5-trichloro-(¹⁴C)aniline with 2,5-dichlorothioanisole. The PCB methyl sulphides were oxidized with hydrogen peroxide to the corresponding sulphones.     

Biodegradation and phytotoxicity assessment of phenanthrene by biosurfactant-producing Bacillus pumilus 1529 bacteria

ABSTRACT

Phenanthrene is a toxic and mutagenic pollutant that can cause severe environmental and human health issues. The bioremediation of these polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is possible with a biosurfactant by enhancing hydrophobicity. In this study, the production of a biosurfactant by Bacillus pumilus 1529 and its effects on the phenanthrene biodegradation pathway were examined. Biosurfactant production was determined using hemolytic activity, emulsification index, and surface tension. For phenanthrene metabolite detection, samples at 0, 7, 14, and 21 incubation days were analysed by gas chromatography-mass (GC-mass) spectrometry. The results showed that Bacillus pumilus 1529 can reduce surface tension to 22.83?±?1.1?mN?m^?1. Furthermore, the GC-mass spectrometry analysis showed that 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid, benzaldehyde, o-phthalic acid, and phenylacetic acid were notable phenanthrene metabolites produced during phenanthrene biodegradation. Biodegraded phenanthrene and its metabolites have a less toxic effect on the germination of safflower seeds than non-biodegraded phenanthrene. The IC50 of phenanthrene on seed germination after biodegradation was increased to approximately 113?mg?L^?1. In general, biodegradation aided by biosurfactant producing bacteria contributed to turning the toxic phenanthrene into less harmful metabolites with lower phytotoxicity effects, indicating that its application in the bioremediation of PAHs is promising.     

华南地区薇甘菊叶片挥发性有机化合物的空间差异研究

外来入侵植物薇甘菊对华南地区的生态环境造成严重危害,为探讨薇甘菊叶片挥发性有机化合物在华南地区的空间差异,运用GC-MS分析了华南地区23个不同地理种群230个薇甘菊植株叶片挥发性有机化合物的组分,并用峰面积归一化法计算各组分相对含量;利用线性混合模型分析不同地理种群的气候环境因素对薇甘菊叶片挥发性有机化合物含量的影响;采用聚类分析和主成分分析23个不同地理种群薇甘菊叶片挥发性有机化合物组分的特征。结果表明:利用GC-MS从薇甘菊叶片中鉴定了42种挥发性有机化合物,其主要成分为β-荜澄茄油烯(24.63%)、β-石竹烯(16.81%)、大香叶烯D(10.47%)、α-古芸烯(9.95%)和α-姜烯(9.77%);线性混合模型分析结果显示经度、纬度、海拔高度和温度可显著影响薇甘菊叶片中5种主要挥发性有机化合物的含量;聚类分析和主成分分析表明薇甘菊叶片挥发性有机化合物组分表现出较强的地域特征。研究结果可为阐明薇甘菊的入侵机制及防控措施的制定提供理论与实践参考。