加强电微生物学研究持续利用海岸带新型微生物资源

海岸带生物资源的开发利用,尤其是新型微生物战略资源的可持续利用,是我国生态文明建设的重要内容,也是我国海岸带经济可持续发展的关键支撑。文章简要评述了电微生物学学科的发展态势和前沿科学问题,并对其未来发展方向进行了展望。文章提出海岸带可持续发展需要多学科的协同发展,需要加强复合型人才的培养及国际合作,在应用层面加强与政府和企业的合作,在基础研究层面部署重点研究项目,组织国家/国际层面的大型科学研究计划,甚至需要建设以"海岸科学"为核心的多学科交叉研究中心。加强电微生物学的研究,有助于利用新型微生物战略资源,有助于我国海岸带经济的可持续发展,有助于生态文明建设。

微生物纳米导线的导电机制及功能

微生物胞外呼吸是厌氧环境中控制性能量代谢方式,直接驱动着C、N、S、Fe等关键元素的生物地球化学循环。微生物纳米导线(Microbial nanowires)的发现,被认为是微生物胞外呼吸的里程碑事件,推动了电微生物学(Electromicrobiology)的形成与发展。微生物纳米导线是一类由微生物合成的,具有导电性的纤维状表面附属结构。通过细菌纳米导线,微生物胞内代谢产生的电子可以长距离输送到胞外受体或其他微生物,改变了电子传递链仅仅局限于细胞胞内的认识,从而大大拓展了微生物-胞外环境互作的范围。微生物纳米导线的良好导电性,赋予了其作为天然纳米材料的广阔应用前景。目前,微生物纳米导线的导电机制、生态功能及其在生物材料、生物能源、生物修复及人体健康多领域的应用,已经成为新兴电微生物学的前沿与热点。然而,微生物纳米导线的生物学、生态学功能尚不清楚,它的电子传递机制仍存在分歧。本文在系统性总结微生物纳米导线性质、功能的基础上,以Geobacter sulfurreducens和Shewanella oneidensis纳米导线为模型,详细阐述了纳米导线的组成与结构、表征与测量方法、导电理论(类金属导电学说与电子跃迁学说)及其潜在的应用,最后提出了未来微生物纳米导线研究的重点方向、挑战与机遇。

Inocula selection in microbial fuel cells based on anodic biofilm abundance of Geobacter sulfurreducens

Microbial fuel cells （MFCs） rely on microbial conversion of organic substrates to electricity. The optimal perfor- mance depends on the establishment of a microbial community rich in electrogenic bacteria. Usually this micro- bial community is established from inoculation of the MFC anode chamber with naturally occurring mixed inocula. In this study, the electrochemical performance of MFCs and microbial community evolution were eval- uated for three inocula including domestic wastewater （DW）, lake sediment （LS） and biogas sludge （BS） with varying substrate loading （Lsub） and external resistance （Rext） on the MFC. The electrogenic bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens was identified in all inocula and its abundance during MFC operation was positively linked to the MFC performance. The IS inoculated MFCs showed highest abundance （18% ± 1%） of G. sulfurreducens, maximum current density [Imax = （690 ± 30） mA.m 2] and coulombic efficiency （CE = 29% ±1%） with acetate as the substrate./max and CE increased to （1780 ± 30） mA.m-2 and 58%± 1%, respectively, after decreasing the Rext from 1000 Ωto 200 Ω, which also correlated to a higher abundance ofG. sulfurreducens （21% ±0.7%） on the MFC anodic biofilm. The data obtained contribute to understanding the microbial community response to Lsub and Roy, for of timizing electricity eneration in MFCs.

Electrocatalytic generation of reactive species and implications in microbial inactivation

Controlling microbial proliferation in water systems,including wastewater,recreational water,and drinking water,is essential to societal health.Microbial inactivation through electrochemically generated reactive species(RS)mediated pathways provides an effective route toward this microbial control.Herein we provide an overview of recent progress toward electrocatalytic generation of RS and their application in water disinfection,with a focus on the selective production of RS,the microorganism interactions with RS(including both RS mechanisms of action and innate microorganism responses to RS),and practical implementation of electrochemically generated RS for microbial inactivation.The article is concluded with a perspective where the challenges and opportunities of RS‐based electrochemical disinfection of water are highlighted,along with possible future research directions.

The structural biology of ryanodine receptors

Ryanodine receptors are ion channels that allow for the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic or sarcoplasmic reticulum.They are expressed in many different cell types but are best known for their predominance in skeletal and cardiac myocytes,where they are directly involved in excitation-contraction coupling.With molecular weights exceeding 2 MDa,Ryanodine Receptors are the largest ion channels known to date and present major challenges for structural biology.Since their discovery in the 1980s,significant progress has been made in understanding their behaviour through multiple structural methods.Cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions of intact channels depict a mushroom-shaped structure with a large cytoplasmic region that pre-sents many binding sites for regulatory molecules.This region undergoes significant motions during opening and closing of the channel,demonstrating that the Ryanodine Receptor is a bona fide allosteric protein.High-resolution structures through X-ray crystallography and NMR currently cover～11% of the entire protein.The combination of high-and low-resolution methods allows us to build pseudo-atomic models.Here we present an overview of the electron microscopy,NMR,and crystallographic analyses of this membrane protein giant.

Cryo-electron microscopy for structural biology:current status and future perspectives

Recently, significant technical breakthroughs in both hardware equipment and software algorithms have enabled cryo-electron microscopy(cryo-EM) to become one of the most important techniques in biological structural analysis. The technical aspects of cryo-EM define its unique advantages and the direction of development. As a rapidly emerging field, cryo-EM has benefitted from highly interdisciplinary research efforts. Here we review the current status of cryo-EM in the context of structural biology and discuss the technical challenges. It may eventually merge structural and cell biology at multiple scales.

An intelligent electronic capsule system for automated detection of gastrointestinal bleeding

In clinical practice,examination of the hemorrhagic spot (HS) remains difficult.In this paper,we describe a remote controlled capsule (RCC) micro-system with an automated,color-based sensor to identify and localize the HS of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.In vitro testing of the detecting sensor demonstrated that it was capable of discriminating mimetic intestinal fluid (MIF) with and without the hemoglobin (Hb) when the concentration of Hb in MIF was above 0.05 g/ml.Therefore,this RCC system is able to detect the relatively accurate location of the HS in the GI tract.

Preparation and potential application of functional ordered microstructures

With the development of science and technology,ordered microstructures with special functions have aroused intense research interest.These functional microstructures have been widely used in fields of microelectronic devices,micro-reactors,biochemical sensors and optical devices,etc.This paper summaries our work on preparation and application of microscopic patterned surfaces with ordered microstructures,and looks into the future development of this field.

Effects of Soluble Silicate and Nanosilica Application on Rice Nutrition in an Oxisol

Silicon （Si） has been supplied to plants via application of calcium silicate to soil; however, high doses of calcium silicate are required because of its low solubility. Nanoparticles can reduce Si doses and be applied to seeding furrows. This study investigated the effects of liquid Si sources, i.e., highly soluble silicate （115.2 g L^-1 Si and 60.5 g L^-1 Na20） and nanosilica （〈 200 nm）, on Si uptake by rice plants, plant lignification, plant C：N：P stoichiometry, plant physiology, and grain yield using an Oxisol under greanhouse condistions. The treatments included the application of nanosilica and soluble silicate to seeding furrows at Si doses of 0, 605, 1210, and 2 420 g ha^-1. Plant uptake and treatment effects were evaluated by measuring C and lignin contents, Si, N, and P accumulation, physiological characteristics, and grain yield of rice. The deposition of silica bodies and amorphous silica in the flag leaves was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Application of liquid Si increased Si accumulation in rice by 47.3% in relation to the control （0 g ha^-1 Si）, regardless of the Si sources used. Nanosilica application increased leaf lignin content by 112.7% when compared to that in the control. Silicon moderately affected the net C assimilation （increased by 1.83%） and transpiration rates （increased by 48.3%）; however, Si influenced neither plant growth nor grain yield of rice. These results are explained by the lack of biotic or abiotic stress in rice plants during the experiment. To the best of our knowledge, in Brazilian agriculture, this is the first report on the use of nanosilica as a Si fertilizer and its effect on plant nutrition. This study provides evidence that rice plants absorb and accumulate nanoparticles; however, further studies are required to investigate the use of nanoparticles in other plant species.