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High-mobility group box (HMGB) 1 is a chromosomal protein that plays critical roles in DNA transcription, replication and repair. In addition, HMGB1 functions as a pro-inflammatory molecule in many vertebrates and invertebrates. In teleosts, very limited studies of HMGB1 have been reported. In this study, we identified a HMGB1 homologue (SsHMGB1) from black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii) and analyzed its structure, expression and biological function. The open reading frame of SsHMGB1 is 621 bp, with a 5’-untranslated region (UTR) of 62 bp and a 3′-UTR of 645 bp. SsHMGB1 contains two typical HMG boxes and an acidic C-terminal tail. The deduced amino acid sequence of SsHMGB1 shares the highest overall identity (89.4%) with the HMGB1 of Anoplopoma fimbria. The expression of SsHMGB1 occurred in multiple tissues and was highest in the brain. Moreover, the mRNA level of SsHMGB1 in head kidney (HK) macrophages could be induced by Listonella anguillarum in a time-dependent manner. Recombinant SsHMGB1 purified from Escherichia coli (i) bound DNA fragments in a dose-dependent manner; and (ii) induced the expression of cytokines in HK macrophages, including a significant increase in TNF-α activity and enhanced mRNA level of TNF13B and IL-1 β, which are known to be involved in antibacterial defense; moreover, (iii) significantly improved the macrophage bactericidal activity together with reduced pathogen dissemination and replication of bacteria in fish kidney. These results indicated that SsHMGB1 is a novel HMGB1 that possesses apparent immunoregulatory properties and is likely to be involved in fighting bacterial infection.

In this study, five Nannochloropsis sp. strains recently isolated from China’s coastal waters were evaluated for their biodiesel and poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) production potential. The results shown, Nannochloropsis sp. 628 achieved the highest biomass accumulation of 7.05 ± 0.21 g L-1, and Nannochloropsis sp. 1049 was the most promising lipid producer, with lipid content of 61.16 ± 0.03% dry cell weight (DCW) and lipid productivity of 235.89 ± 7.58 mg L-1 d-1. For all the strains, neutral lipid was the predominant component of total lipid which counted for percentages ranging from 69.25 ± 1.06% to 87.31 ± 0.26% total lipid. The favorable fatty acids (FAs) of saturated FAs, monounsaturated FAs and C16-C18 components of total FAs of the strains were all preferable attained. Suitable biodiesel properties within the prescribed limits were also revealed. High production ability of PUFAs (89.27 ± 7.79 mg L-1 to 134.94 ± 9.84 mg L-1) meant PUFAs could be considered as co-products of microalgae biodiesel production. The present study shown the Nannochloropsis sp. strains could be consider as valuable feedstock candidates for biodiesel production.

Soil microbial community structure and function are commonly used as indicators for soil quality and fertility. In this paper, the bacterial community structure and function in a black soil of Dehui region influenced by fertilization were investigated by Biolog and PCR-DGGE (polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) methods. Biolog examination showed that substrate richness and catabolic diversities of bacterial communities were the highest in the treatment of farm yard manure, and the lowest in the chemical fertilizer treatment. DGGE fingerprint showed that the majority of bands were similar among all treatments, suggesting that microbial communities with those bands were stable, and not influenced by fertilization. In general, chemical fertilizer decreased the diversity of soil bacterial communities. The PCA (principal component analysis) plots of Biolog and DGGE revealed that the structure and function of bacterial communities were similar in the non-fertilized control and the treatment of farm yard manure alone, which inferred that the application of farm yard manure increased the quantity of soil microbes but had less effect on the changes of community structure. The catabolic function was similar, but the composition structure differed between the treatments of chemical fertilizer alone and combined application of farm yard manure with chemical fertilizer. These results suggest that the use of chemical fertilizer mainly decreased the catabolic activity of the fast growth bacteria or eutrophic bacteria.

Combining precise microscopic measurement with quantitative image analysis, video microscopy has become an important, real space experiment technique to study the microscopic properties of soft matter systems. On the one hand, it provides a basic tool to observe and record the microscopic world. On the other hand, it offers a essential experiment method to study the underlying physics of the microscopic world. This paper reviews the development of the video microscopy, introduces the corresponding hardware and video processing software, and summarizes the typical applications, and recent progresses of video microscopy in colloidal suspensions. The future of the video microscopy in the soft condensed matter physics and interdisciplinary research is discussed.

[ABSTRACT]Both satellite images and ground data were applied for extracting carbon storage and its changes in Beijing municipality, including 1) allometric equations for 12 tree species were established based on destructive sampling, 2) biomass expansion factors were extracted by fitting biomass against timber volume, 3) remote sensing models were established based on Landsat TM images, 4) carbon storage of mountain forest was estimated with the models for 2004 and 2009, respectively, by combining TM imagery with forest inventory data, and 5) carbon storage in urban area was estimated for 2005 and 2009, respectively, on the basis of urban tree census data. Prediction on carbon sequestration from 2011 to 2015 was also conducted. Carbon storages of mountain forest in 2004 and 2009 were 5.24 Tg C and6.16 Tg tC, respectively, and carbon densities were 12.0 tC/ha and 14.1 tC/ha, including roots. Carbon sequestration rate during the period of 2004--2009 was 0.42 tC/(ha・yr), and that of urban area was 0.24 tC/(ha・yr). By model prediction, carbon sequestration in mountain forest and urban trees for the five-year period of2011-2015 was totally 0.96 Tg tC.