The influence of endogenous hormones on the formation of buds from stems of bitter melon (Momordıca charantıa L.)

Stems of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) cv. Dabai were used to establish in vitro cultures. The endogenous hormone concentrations (indoleacetic acid [IAA], abscisic acid [ABA], gibberellins 3 [GA3], zeatin [ZT]) of the calluses were determined by means of high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The endogenous ZT was higher in the stem calluses that had formed buds, and there was a higher IAA/ZT ratio and GA3/ZT ratio in the calluses having no capacity for buds formation. The results showed that addition of plant growth regulator influences endogenous hormone status and it will be helpful for in vitro propagation of bitter melon.Key words: Endogenous phytohormones, high pressure liquid chromatography, in vitro culture, bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.)

Heterogeneous photodegradation of bisphenol A with iron oxides and oxalate in aqueous solution

Author name used in this publication: F. B. LiAuthor name used in this publication: X. Z. LiAuthor name used in this publication: X. M. LiAuthor name used in this publication: T. X. Liu2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Linkage and mapping analyses of the no glue egg gene Ng in the silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) using simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers

In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, no glue egg is mainly controlled by Ng (No glue) gene, which is located on the 12th chromosome. Owning to a lack of crossing over in females, reciprocal backcrossed F1 (BC1) progenies were used for linkage analysis and mapping of the Ng gene based on the simple sequence repeats (SSR) linkage map using silkworm strains H9 and P50, which are Ng mutant and normal to egg, respectively. The Ng gene was found to be linked to three SSR markers. Using a reciprocal BC1M cross, we constructed a linkage map of 36.4 cM, with Ng mapped at 15.9 cM and the nearest SSR marker at a distance of 7.4 cM. Based on fine genome map of domesticated silkworm (B. mori), the result of Kaikoblast show that the physical distance between the near markers (containing Ng gene) is 181.7 Kb. Further analysis show that BGIBMGA005833, BGIBMGA005835 and BGIBMGA005836 are closer to Ng, and the BGIBMGA005835 is nearest to Ng, which physical distance is 44 Kb.Key words: Gene location, linkage analysis, microsatellite, Ng, silkworm

Purification and biochemical characterization of a serine alkaline protease TC4 from a new isolated Bacillus alcalophilus TCCC11004 in detergent formulations

An extracellular alkaline protease producing strain was isolated from alkaline soil and identified as Bacillus alcalophilus TCCC11004 on the basis of 16S rDNA gene sequencing and biochemical properties. The most appropriate medium for the protease production was composed of (g/l): maltodextrin 110, yeast extract 17.5, cotton seed meal 29.3, K2HPO4 18, trisodium citrate 3.3 and CaCl2 2.6. The alkaline protease TC4 was purified from the culture supernatant by ammonium sulfate precipitation, Sephadex G-75 gel filtration and SP-Sepharose HP ion exchange chromatography, with a 6.8 fold increase in specific activity and 15.2% recovery. The molecular weight was estimated to be 26 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The protease was highly active from pH 9.0-12.0 with an optimal at pH 11.0. It was active at 30 - 60°C and exhibited maximal activity at 50°C. The thermostability of the protease was increased by the addition of CaCl2. It retained 70 and 81% of its initial activity after heating for 2 h at 50°C, in the absence or presence of 2 mM CaCl2, respectively. The enzyme was inactivated by diisopropyl fluorophosphate and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, suggesting that it is a serine protease. The protease was stable in 0.5% SDS and retained 70.3% of its initial activity after 1 h of incubation. It was active in the presence of 3% Triton X-100 with 100% activity and stable towards oxidizing agent with 69.2% activity in the presence of 1% H2O2. The enzyme showed excellent compatibility with commercial detergents such as TaiZi, BiLang, DiaoPai and TianQing, retaining more than 90% of its initial activity in the tested detergents after 1 h of preincubation at 40°C.Keywords: Serine alkaline protease, Bacillus alcalophilus, stability, detergent compatibility

Biomimetic deposition of apatite on surface chemically modified porous NiTi shapememory alloy

Porous NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) with 48% porosity and an average pore size of 50800 μm was synthesized by capsule-free hot isostatic pressing (CF-HIP). To enhance the surface bioactivity, the porous NiTi SMA was subjected to H"2O"2 and subsequent NaOH treatment. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed that a porous sodium titanate (Na"2TiO"3) film had formed on the surface of the porous NiTi SMA. An apatite layer was deposited on this film after immersion in simulated body fluid at 37°C, while no apatite could be found on the surface of the untreated porous NiTi SMA. The formation of the apatite layer infers that the bioactivity of the porous NiTi SMA may be enhanced by surface chemical treatment, which is favorable for its application as bone implants. © 2008 World Scientific Publishing Company.postprin

Development of a Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Agent with Activity Against Herpesvirus Replication and Gene Expression

Purpose: To evaluate the broad-spectrum antiviral activity of peptide H9 (H9) in vitro in order to gain insight into its underlying molecular mechanisms.Method: Antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) was determined using thiazolyl blue (MTT) assay. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was employed to assay H9 antiviral activity against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The inhibitory effect of H9 on the replication of these viral genes including early genes was assayed by real time-Ppolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot.Results: H9 possessed significant inhibitory effect on the four different herpesviruses with 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.21 ng/mL (HSV-1). AD169 infection was strongly inhibited with an EC50 value of 0.46 ng/ml. The anti-herpesviral activity of H9 was dose-dependent. The peptide acted primarily during the early stage of infection by detection of the early genes.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that H9 can inhibit the infection of HSV-1, EBV and HCMV. Furthermore, H9 has a broad-spectrum anti-herpesviral effect in vitro based on targeted killing of infected cells expressing genes.Keywords: Antagonist, Trapping receptor/ligand, Broad-spectrum, Anti-herpesvirus, H9 peptide, Gene expressio

Dehydration of forward osmosis membranes in treating high salinity wastewaters: Performance and implications

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Forward osmosis (FO) is a promising technique for desalinating high salinity wastewaters, and membrane performance is critical for its successful application. In this work, the dehydration of FO membranes was demonstrated for both commercial cellulose triacetate and tailor-made thin-film composite membranes. A significant loss of FO flux was observed after membrane dehydration, but the pure water permeability and rejection properties remained about the same. Dehydrated membrane showed opaque/white spots on the initially homogeneous membrane. Once dehydrated, a membrane with a much lower water flux will be resulting in. It was demonstrated that when the active skin layer was in contact with the saline solution before the support layer was brought into contact with an aqueous solution, membrane dehydration took place. The dehydration was ascribed to osmosis gradient across the active layer that caused water flow from membrane support layer to the active layer, resulting in support dehydration. The dehydrated membrane could be rewetted again by low surface tension liquid or reverse osmosis, illustrating that membrane dehydration is reversible. Precaution should be addressed when operating large FO system to prevent the membrane dehydration for high salinity water treatment