Amphipods fail to suppress the accumulation of Ulva lactuca biomass in eutrophic Yundang Lagoon

The Gross growth efficiency （GGE） is defined as the amount of consumer carbon produced relative to the amount of prey ingested in a given time interval. In population ecology, it can be considered as an index for the ability of a consumer to convert the biomass of food into its population production. In this study, it was firstly applied to estimate the role of amphipods grazing in the biomass dynamics of macroalgae （Ulva lactuca） in Yundang Lagoon （a subtropical eutrophic coastal lagoon, Xiamen City, China）. It was found that amphipods were the dominant group （82.2%-98.7%） in the benthic assemblage, in which five amphipod species （Corophium uenoi, Ampithoe valida, Grandidierella japonica, Grammaropsis laevipalmata andCa-prella panantis） were observed in the lagoon. However, onlyA. valida significantly consumedU. lactuca among these amphipod species. A series of experiments were conducted to estimate the consumption of U. lactuca byA. valida. It was suggested that the monthly secondary production （P） ofA. valida using size frequency method ranged from 2.39 to 13.68 g/m2.GGEofA. valida exponentially reduced with body size and was closely associated with water temperature. Therefore,GGE equation for different months using the temperature recorded during the field investigation was fitted. The monthly consumption ofU. lactuca was figured out to be 86.7-1 549.0 g/m2 by the sum of consumption （P/GGE） byA. valida at different size, ac-counting for 2.0%-37.5% ofU. lactucaproduction. It indicates that the grazing effect ofA. valida did play a role in reducingthe accumulation ofU. lactucabiomass whenA. valida was abundant, but it finally fails to limit the U. lactucagrowth in Yundang Lagoon. Low abundance of A. valida and high nutrient loading may be two major reasons for the outbreak ofU. lactuca bloom in the lagoon.

The Antioxidant Activity of Barley Malt Rootlet Extracts in Heated Corn Oil at Frying Temperature

In this study the antioxidant activity of barley malt rootlet (BMR) extracts was evaluated in heat treated corn oil up to 5 hours at 185°C frying temperature. The antioxidant activity of BMR extracts was measured at 25, 50, 100 and 150 ppm concentrations. The free and bound antioxidant phenolics were extracted from BMR using three different extraction methods. Conventional solvent extraction (CSE), microwave assisted extraction (MAE) and autoclave assisted pretreated solvent extraction (APSE). In the present experiment, the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the various extracts were measured. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay was used to evaluate the ability of the BMR to protect lipid peroxidation in corn oil at 185°C frying temperature. The formation of TBARS at 5 hours of heat treated corn oil has shown similar antioxidant levels in 150 ppm butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) or MAE free phenolic extract added to corn oil. TBARS value for BHT was 1.896 ± 0.013 μg/mL of corn oil and for MAE was 1.896 ± 0.034 μg/mL of corn oil. The highest level of antioxidant activity was found for the free phenolic extracts. The order of inhibition of oxidation was found to be for free phenolics as follows: BHT (100 ppm) > APSE (50 ppm) > MAE (100 ppm) > CSE (100 ppm).

Rapid generation of recombinant Pseudomonas putida secondary metabolite producers using yTREX

Microbial secondary metabolites represent a rich source of valuable compounds with a variety of applications in medicine or agriculture.Effective exploitation of this wealth of chemicals requires the functional expression of the respective biosynthetic genes in amenable heterologous hosts.We have previously established the TREX system which facilitates the transfer,integration and expression of biosynthetic gene clusters in various bacterial hosts.Here,we describe the yTREX system,a new tool adapted for one-step yeast recombinational cloning of gene clusters.We show that with yTREX,Pseudomonas putida secondary metabolite production strains can rapidly be constructed by random targeting of chromosomal promoters by Tn5 transposition.Feasibility of this approach was corroborated by prodigiosin production after yTREX cloning,transfer and expression of the respective biosynthesis genes from Serratia marcescens.Furthermore,the applicability of the system for effective pathway rerouting by gene cluster adaptation was demonstrated using the violacein biosynthesis gene cluster from Chromobacterium violaceum,producing pathway metabolites violacein,deoxyviolacein,prodeoxyviolacein,and deoxychromoviridans.Clones producing both prodigiosin and violaceins could be readily identified among clones obtained after random chromosomal integration by their strong color-phenotype.Finally,the addition of a promoter-less reporter gene enabled facile detection also of phenazine-producing clones after transfer of the respective phenazine-1-carboxylic acid biosynthesis genes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.All compounds accumulated to substantial titers in the mg range.We thus corroborate here the suitability of P.putida for the biosynthesis of diverse natural products,and demonstrate that the yTREX system effectively enables the rapid generation of secondary metabolite producing bacteria by activation of heterologous gene clusters,applicable for natural compound discovery and combinatorial biosynthesis.

PCDD/Fs emission, risk characterization, and reduction in China＇s secondary copper production industry

Secondary copper production is one of the key polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans （PCDD/Fs） emission sources in China, but research and data on this issue are rare. In 2004, when the Stockholm Convention entered into force in China, PCDD/Fs emissions from secondary copper production contributed to 32.2% of the total release. In this paper, PCDD/Fs emission dynamics from secondary copper industry were discussed and cumulative risks were characterized. From 2004 to 2009, industrial policies played an indirect role in PCDD/Fs reduction, but its effects are still limited. The Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and central regions were among the top three of dioxin emissions from secondary copper production in China. Shanghai, Shan- dong, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi had comparatively higher accumulated risk and were recommended as the priority regions for promoting PCDD/Fs emission control in China. From 2009 to 2015, the PCDD/Fs emission dynamics in the secondary copper industry were presented through simulation. PCDD/Fs emission equations were established, resulting in the recommendation of control technology conversion rate at 30% for small scale smelters and 51%- 57% for large and medium-sized enterprises in 2015. In conclusion, both indirect policy and direct control technology retrofitting should be integrated for more effective PCDD/Fs emission reduction in secondary copper industry.

Biodiversity variability of macrobenthic in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea between 2001 and 2011

In this study, we compared the biodiversity and ecological status of macrobenthos between 2001 and 2011 in terms of species composition, dominant species, abundance, biomass, diversity, and secondary productivity of macrobenthos in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. The results indicate that the species abundances, biomass, and diversity in spring 2011 were all lower than those in autumn 2000 and spring of 2001. Most of the dominant species have changed from 2001 to 2011, with the exception of the echinoderm Ophiura sarsii vadicola that was dominant in these years. Small-sized animal species have increased possibly due to gradual environment deterioration such as the pollution and the climate warmer.

Production of the Cancer-Preventive Glucoraphanin in Tobacco

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated reduced risk of developing cancer upon consumption of diets rich in cruciferous vegetables. This chemoprevention has been largely attributed to the presence of the natural products glu- cosinolates, particularly the methionine-derived glucoraphanin from broccoli. Improved nutrition by functional foods or health-promoting dietary supplements is an attractive means for prevention of lifestyle-based diseases. Towards this goal, we have engineered the glucoraphanin pathway into tobacco. First, we engineered elongation of the side chain of methionine to produce the key intermediate dihomo-methionine. This process is catalyzed through two cycles in a chain-elongation pathway that takes place partly in the cytosol and partly in the chloroplast. Second, by coupling the five enzymes of the chain-elongation pathway to eight enzymes of the glucosinolate pathway, we show production of glucoraphanin together with other glucosinolates derived from chain-elongated isoleucine and/or leucine. The conver- sion of methionine to glucoraphanin is obtained via 14 intermediates. Demonstrating the production of the high-value glucoraphanin in a heterologous host has great potential in the food and medicinal industry as a means to generate a stable, rich source of glucoraphanin for the benefit of human health.

Coronatine-lnsensitive 1 （COI1） Mediates Transcriptional Responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to External Potassium Supply

The ability to adjust growth and development to the availability of mineral nutrients in the soil is an essential life skill of plants but the underlying signaling pathways are poorly understood. In Arab/dops/s thal/ana, shortage of po- tassium （K） induces a number of genes related to the phytohormone jasmonic acid （JA）. Using comparative microarray analysis of wild-type and coi1-16 mutant plants, we classified transcriptional responses to K with respect to their depen- dence on COI1, a central component of oxylipin signaling. Expression profiles obtained in a short-term experiment clearly distinguished between COil-dependent and COil-independent K-responsive genes, and identified both known and novel targets of JA-COIl-signaling. During long-term K-deficiency, coi-16 mutants displayed de novo responses covering similar functions as COil-targets except for defense. A putative role of JA for enhancing the defense potential of K-deficient plants was further supported by the observation that plants grown on low K were less damaged by thrips than plants grown with sufficient K.

Systemic RNAi in western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, does not involve transitive pathways

Western corn rootworm （WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte） is highly sensitive to orally delivered double-stranded RNA （dsRNA）. RNAi in WCR is systemic and spreads throughout the insect body. This raises the question whether transitive RNAi is a mechanism that functions in WCR to amplify the RNAi response via production of secondary siRNA. Secondary siRNA production is achieved through RNA-dependent RNA polymerase （RdRP） activity in other eukaryotic organisms, but RdRP has not been identified in WCR and any other insects. This study visualized the spread of the RNAi- mediated knockdown of Dr v-ATPase C mRNA throughout the WCR gut and other tissues using high-sensitivity branched DNA in situ hybridization. Furthermore, we did not detect either secondary siRNA production or transitive RNAi in WCR through siRNA sequence profile analysis. Nucleotide mismatched sequences introduced into either the sense or antisense strand of v-ATPase C dsRNAs were maintained in siRNAs derived from WCR fed with the mismatched dsRNAs in a strand specific manner. The distribution of all siRNAs was restricted to within the original target sequence regions, which may indicate the lack of new dsRNA synthesis leading to production of secondary siRNA. Thus, the systemic spread of RNAi in WCR may be derived from the original dsRNA molecules taken up from the gut lumen. These results indicate that the initial dsRNA dose is important for a lethal systemic RNAi response in WCR and have implications in developing effective dsRNA traits to control WCR and in resistance management to prolong the durability of RNAi trait technology.

Bioreactor technology for clonal propagation of plants and metabolite production

Plant cell culture in bioreactors is an enabling tool for large scale production of clonal elite plants in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, pharmaceutical sectors, and for biofuel production. Advantages of bioreactors for plant cell culture have resulted in various types of bioreactors differing in design, operating technologies, instrumentations, and construction of culture vessels. In this review, different types of bioreactors for clonal propagation of plants and secondary metabolites production are discussed. Mechanical and biochemical parameters associated with bioreactor design, such as aeration, flow rate, mixing, dissolved oxygen, composition of built-up gas in the headspace, and pH of the medium, are pivotal for cell morphology, growth, and development of cells within tissues, embryos, and organs. The differences in such parameters for different bioreactor designs are described here, and correlated to the plant materials that have been successfully cultured in different types of bioreactors.

Metabolomic, Transcriptional, Hormonal, and Signaling Cross-Talk in Superroot2

Auxin homeostasis is pivotal for normal plant growth and development. The superroot2 （sur2） mutant was initially isolated in a forward genetic screen for auxin overproducers, and SUR2 was suggested to control auxin conju- gation and thereby regulate auxin homeostasis. However, the phenotype was not uniform and could not be described as a pure high auxin phenotype, indicating that knockout of CYP83B1 has multiple effects. Subsequently, SUR2 was identified as CYP83B1, a cytochrome P450 positioned at the metabolic branch point between auxin and indole glucosinolate metabolism. To investigate concomitant global alterations triggered by knockout of CYP83B1 and the countermeasures chosen by the mutant to cope with hormonal and metabolic imbalances, 10-day-old mutant seedlings were characterized with respect to their transcriptome and metabolome profiles. Here, we report a global analysis of the sur2 mutant by the use of a combined transcriptomic and metabolomic approach revealing pronounced effects on several metabolic grids including the intersection between secondary metabolism, cell wall turnover, hormone metabolism, and stress responses. Metabolic and transcriptional cross-talks in sur2 were found to be regulated by complex interactions between both positively and negatively acting transcription factors. The complex phenotype of sur2 may thus not only be assigned to elevated levels of auxin, but also to ethylene and abscisic acid responses as well as drought responses in the absence of a water deficiency. The delicate balance between these signals explains why minute changes in growth conditions may result in the non-uniform phenotype. The large phenotypic variation observed between and within the different surveys may be reconciled by the complex and intricate hormonal balances in sur2 seedlings decoded in this study.