Laccase activity from the fungus trametes hirsuta using an air-lift bioreactor

Aim: To produce high laccase activities from the white-rot fungus Trametes hirsuta in an in-house air-lift bioreactor (ALB). Methods and Results: Trametes hirsuta was grown in a 6-l ALB. A fed-batch strategy with glycerol as an addition resulted in maximum laccase activity of 19 400 U l)1, which was the highest reported from the fungus. Conclusion: The ALB configuration with additional glycerol resulted in high laccase activities. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study provides useful information on how to produce high concentrations of laccase.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)University of Vigo (SpainDepartment of Biological Engineering of the University of Minho, Portuga

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is strongly expressed in the fetal bovine ileal Peyer's patch and spleen and is associated with expansion of the primary antibody repertoire in the absence of exogenous antigens

Peer reviewe

Novel Data Acquisition System for Silicon Tracking Detectors

We have developed a novel data acquisition system for measuring tracking parameters of a silicon detector in a particle beam. The system is based on a commercial Analog-to-Digital VME module and a PC Linux based Data Acquisition System. This DAQ is realized with C++ code using object-oriented techniques. Track parameters for the beam particles were reconstructed using off-line analysis code and automatic detector position alignment algorithm. The new DAQ was used to test novel Czochralski type silicon detectors. The important silicon detector parameters, including signal size distributions and signal to noise distributions, were successfully extracted from the detector under study. The efficiency of the detector was measured to be 95 %, the resolution about 10 micrometers, and the signal to noise ratio about 10.Comment: Talk from the 2003 Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP03), La Jolla, Ca, USA, March 2003, 6 pages, LaTeX, 5 eps figures. PSN TUGP00

Explaining global surface aerosol number concentrations in terms of primary emissions and particle formation

We use observations of total particle number concentration at 36 worldwide sites and a global aerosol model to quantify the primary and secondary sources of particle number. We show that emissions of primary particles can reasonably reproduce the spatial pattern of observed condensation nuclei (CN) (R2=0.51) but fail to explain the observed seasonal cycle at many sites (R2=0.1). The modeled CN concentration in the free troposphere is biased low (normalised mean bias, NMB=−88%) unless a secondary source of particles is included, for example from binary homogeneous nucleation of sulfuric acid and water (NMB=−25%). Simulated CN concentrations in the continental boundary layer (BL) are also biased low (NMB=−74%) unless the number emission of anthropogenic primary particles is increased or an empirical BL particle formation mechanism based on sulfuric acid is used. We find that the seasonal CN cycle observed at continental BL sites is better simulated by including a BL particle formation mechanism (R2=0.3) than by increasing the number emission from primary anthropogenic sources (R2=0.18). Using sensitivity tests we derive optimum rate coefficients for this nucleation mechanism, which agree with values derived from detailed case studies at individual sites

The effects of dietary resin acid inclusion on productive, physiological and rumen microbiome responses of dairy cows during early lactation

Dairy cows have intense fluctuations in digestive, metabolic and hormonal systems around calving which predispose them to various disorders and health problems. The aim of the current experiment was to investigate feed and nutrient intake, rumen fermentation, rumen bacterial communities, milk production, milk fatty acid composition and plasma biomarker profiles of dairy cows to assess the modulation of these functions by in-feed resin acid inclusion. Thirty-six Nordic Red cows were used in a continuous feeding trial starting 3 weeks prepartum and lasting for 10 weeks into the lactation. The cows were fed grass silage ad libitum and the dietary treatments were 1) control with basal concentrate (CON), 2) CON supplemented with tall oil fatty acids (TOFA; 90 % fatty acids and 9% resin acids) at 7.0 g/cow/day and 3) CON supplemented with resin acid concentrate (RAC; 37.5% resin acids) at 1.7 g/cow/day. The mixture of resin acids in TOFA and RAC, consisting mostly of abietic and dehydroabietic acids, originated from coniferous tree species Pinus sylvestris L. and Picea abies L. Feed intake and milk production were measured throughout the experimental period. Milk and blood samples were collected at weeks 2, 3, 6 and 10, and rumen fluid was sampled at weeks 2 and 10 of lactation to analyse rumen fermentation and rumen bacterial communities. The dynamics in feed intake and milk production with progressing lactation showed typical curvilinear trends (P for timePeer reviewe

Transcription profiling reveals potential mechanisms of dysbiosis in the oral microbiome of rhesus macaques with chronic untreated SIV infection.

A majority of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have inadequate access to antiretroviral therapy and ultimately develop debilitating oral infections that often correlate with disease progression. Due to the impracticalities of conducting host-microbe systems-based studies in HIV infected patients, we have evaluated the potential of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infected rhesus macaques to serve as a non-human primate model for oral manifestations of HIV disease. We present the first description of the rhesus macaque oral microbiota and show that a mixture of human commensal bacteria and "macaque versions" of human commensals colonize the tongue dorsum and dental plaque. Our findings indicate that SIV infection results in chronic activation of antiviral and inflammatory responses in the tongue mucosa that may collectively lead to repression of epithelial development and impact the microbiome. In addition, we show that dysbiosis of the lingual microbiome in SIV infection is characterized by outgrowth of Gemella morbillorum that may result from impaired macrophage function. Finally, we provide evidence that the increased capacity of opportunistic pathogens (e.g. E. coli) to colonize the microbiome is associated with reduced production of antimicrobial peptides

Production and Characterization of Antifungal Compounds Produced by Lactobacillus plantarum IMAU10014

Lactobacillus plantarum IMAU10014 was isolated from koumiss that produces a broad spectrum of antifungal compounds, all of which were active against plant pathogenic fungi in an agar plate assay. Two major antifungal compounds were extracted from the cell-free supernatant broth of L. plantarum IMAU10014. 3-phenyllactic acid and Benzeneacetic acid, 2-propenyl ester were carried out by HPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS, NMR analysis. It is the first report that lactic acid bacteria produce antifungal Benzeneacetic acid, 2-propenyl ester. Of these, the antifungal products also have a broad spectrum of antifungal activity, namely against Botrytis cinerea, Glomerella cingulate, Phytophthora drechsleri Tucker, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium digitatum and Fusarium oxysporum, which was identified by the overlay and well-diffusion assay. F. oxysporum, P. citrinum and P. drechsleri Tucker were the most sensitive among molds

Genetic Profiling Using Genome-Wide Significant Coronary Artery Disease Risk Variants Does Not Improve the Prediction of Subclinical Atherosclerosis: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, the Bogalusa Heart Study and the Health 2000 Survey – A Meta-Analysis of Three Independent Studies

Background Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified a large number of variants (SNPs) associating with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Recently, the CARDIoGRAM consortium published a GWAS based on the largest study population so far. They successfully replicated twelve already known associations and discovered thirteen new SNPs associating with CAD. We examined whether the genetic profiling of these variants improves prediction of subclinical atherosclerosis – i.e., carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and carotid artery elasticity (CAE) – beyond classical risk factors. Subjects and Methods We genotyped 24 variants found in a population of European ancestry and measured CIMT and CAE in 2001 and 2007 from 2,081, and 2,015 subjects (aged 30–45 years in 2007) respectively, participating in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS). The Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS; n = 1179) was used as a replication cohort (mean age of 37.5). For additional replication, a sub-sample of 5 SNPs was genotyped for 1,291 individuals aged 46–76 years participating in the Health 2000 population survey. We tested the impact of genetic risk score (GRS24SNP/CAD) calculated as a weighted (by allelic odds ratios for CAD) sum of CAD risk alleles from the studied 24 variants on CIMT, CAE, the incidence of carotid atherosclerosis and the progression of CIMT and CAE during a 6-year follow-up. Results CIMT or CAE did not significantly associate with GRS24SNP/CAD before or after adjusting for classical CAD risk factors (p>0.05 for all) in YFS or in the BHS. CIMT and CAE associated with only one SNP each in the YFS. The findings were not replicated in the replication cohorts. In the meta-analysis CIMT or CAE did not associate with any of the SNPs. Conclusion Genetic profiling, by using known CAD risk variants, should not improve risk stratification for subclinical atherosclerosis beyond conventional risk factors among healthy young adults.Public Library of Science open acces

An acid-stable laccase from sclerotium rolfsii with potential for wool dye decolourization

The plant pathogen basidiomycete S. rolfsii secretes two laccases (SRL1 and SRL2) with molecular weights of 55 and 86 kDa, respectively. Laccase production was shown to be inducible by the addition of 2,5-xylidine to the cultural media. After treatment with a combination of chitinase and -1,3-glucanase, two different laccases were isolated from the sclerotia depending on the stage of sclerotia development. The more prominent laccase, SRL1, was purified and found to decolourize the industrially important wool azo dye Diamond Black PV 200 without the addition of redox mediators. The enzyme (pI 5.2) was active in the acidic pH range, showing an optimal activity at pH 2.4, with ABTS as substrate. The optimum temperature for activity was determined to be 62 ◦C. Enzyme stability studies revealed that SRL1 was notably stable at 18 ◦C and pH 4.5, retaining almost full activity after a week. Oxidation of tyrosine was not detectable under the reaction conditions but the enzyme did oxidize a variety of the usual laccase substrates. SRL1 was strongly inhibited by sodium azide and fluoride. Dye solutions decolourized with the immobilized laccase were successfully used for redyeing.(undefined