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Proteins of the RNF183 (RING finger 183) family proteins have been reported to be of great importance in tumor the initiation and progression. However, the biological role and regulatory mechanism of RNF183 in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development and progression are poorly defined. Hence, lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and cell cycle were measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. The correlation between RNF183 and SHP2 (Src homology-2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase) was measured using coimmunoprecipitation and ubiquitination analysis in vitro. Tumor growth of NSCLC cells in vivo was measured using the nude mouse xenograft model. In this study, we verify that elevated RNF183 expression in tumor tissues of LUAD, origin from the TCGA, GEPIA, TIMER, and UALCAN database. RNF183 regulates apoptosis and cell cycle in vitro and tumor growth in vivo by activating the STAT3 pathway through ubiquitination of SHP2, a negative feedback regulator of the STAT3 pathway. Taken together, our results demonstrate that RNF183 regulates proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle in LUAD cells via modulation of SHP2/STAT3 signaling, suggesting the potential for targeting the RNF183-SHP2/STAT3 pathway for use in LUAD treatment.

In this study, we investigated the mechanistic role and prognostic significance of IGSF10 in lung adenocarcinoma. Oncomine database analysis showed that IGSF10 expression was significantly reduced in most cancer types, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). In the TCGA-LUAD dataset, IGSF10 expression correlated positively with proportions of tumor-infiltrated B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that overall survival of patients with low IGSF10 expression was significantly shorter than those with high IGSF10 expression. MiRWalk2.0 database analysis and dual luciferase reporter assays confirmed that miR-106b-5p suppressed IGSF10 expression by binding to its 3’UTR. MiR-106b-5p levels inversely correlated with IGSF10 expression in the TCGA-LUAD dataset. Moreover, inhibition of miR-106b-5p significantly decreased in vitro proliferation, migration, and invasion by LUAD cells, whereas miR-106b-5p overexpression reversed those effects. These results demonstrate that IGSF10 is an independent prognostic factor for LUAD. Furthermore, miR-106b-5p suppressed IGSF10 expression in LUAD tissues by binding to its 3’UTR, which makes IGSF10 and miR-106b-5p potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in LUAD patients.

Curriculum ideological and political education is the core idea and direction of the construction of online teaching teams in medical colleges and universities. With the development of information and intelligence, online teaching has become one of the important modes of education and teaching development in medical colleges and universities. The construction of online teaching teams plays a key role in the development of online teaching, with four core problems existing at present, including unclear teaching team goals, loose teaching team organization, imperfect teaching team systems and difficulties in achievement transformation. The solutions of the four core problems can be found by following the guidance of curriculum ideological and political education and the regularity of the teaching team development. Therefore, in this study, with the construction of online teaching teams in medical colleges and universities as an example, the role and value of curriculum ideological and political education in the construction of teaching team are analyzed deeply to provide the feasible direction of teaching reform in medical colleges and universities.

Clostridium butyricum is an anaerobic bacterium that inhabits broad niches. Clostridium butyricum is known for its production of butyrate, 1,3-propanediol, and hydrogen. This study aimed to present a comparative pangenome analysis of 24 strains isolated from different niches. We sequenced and annotated the genome of C. butyricum 3-3 isolated from the Chinese baijiu ecosystem. The pangenome of C. butyricum was open. The core genome, accessory genome, and strain-specific genes comprised 1011, 4543, and 1473 genes, respectively. In the core genome, Carbohydrate metabolism was the largest category, and genes in the biosynthetic pathway of butyrate and glycerol metabolism were conserved (in the core or soft-core genome). Furthermore, the 1,3-propanediol operon existed in 20 strains. In the accessory genome, numerous mobile genetic elements belonging to the Replication, recombination, and repair (L) category were identified. In addition, genome islands were identified in all 24 strains, ranging from 2 (strain KNU-L09) to 53 (strain SU1), and phage sequences were found in 17 of the 24 strains. This study provides an important genomic framework that could pave the way for the exploration of C. butyricum and future studies on the genetic diversification of C. butyricum.

Objective: Explore new methods and functions of ideological and political education in the construction of online courses. Methods: Taking the construction of the online course of Chinese medicine pharmacology as an example, the necessity of ideological and political education in the construction of online course is analyzed. At the same time, combined with the disciplinary characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine pharmacology, it analyzes the new methods and effects of ideological and political education integration. Results: Ideological and political education integrates the construction of online courses, which can be integrated into the foreword of the times, models of the times, cutting-edge technology and professional cases, so as to enhance students’ patriotism, ideological morality, innovative thinking and professional skills. Conclusion: Ideological and political education runs through the construction of online courses, so as to provide new ideas for the training of students majoring in Chinese pharmacy.

As a potential oncogene, nucleolar and spindle‑associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) is involved in the regulation of tumor cell proliferation, metastasis and drug resistance. However, the role of NUSAP1 in non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the biological function and underlying molecular mechanisms of NUSAP1 in NSCLC. NUSAP1 expression was measured in NSCLC tissues and cell lines via immunohistochemistry and western blotting, respectively. NSCLC cell lines stably inhibiting NUSAP1 were established to investigate its effects on cell proliferation, colony formation and invasion, and on in vivo tumorigenicity. Additionally, the upstream and downstream mechanisms of NUSAP1 in regulating NSCLC progression were investigated. The results indicated that NUSAP1 expression was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. High NUSAP1 expression was associated with tumor size, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and poor patient survival, whereas knockdown of NUSAP1 inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, colony formation and invasion. Furthermore, downregulation of NUSAP1 decreased the growth of NSCLC xenografts in vivo. In addition, myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) directly targeted the NUSAP1 promoter, thereby enhancing the mRNA and protein expression levels of NUSAP1. Moreover, the results demonstrated that MEF2D expression was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and was positively correlated with NUSAP1 expression. MEF2D‑knockdown decreased NSCLC cell proliferation, colony formation and invasion. NUSAP1 upregulation reversed the effects of MEF2D‑knockdown on NSCLC progression. Furthermore, it was observed that MEF2D‑knockdown inhibited the accumulation and nuclear translocation of β‑catenin, thereby repressing the activation of the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway in NSCLC cells, whereas NUSAP1 upregulation rescued the effects of MEF2D‑knockdown on the activation of the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway. In conclusion, the findings of the present study indicated that the MEF2D/NUSAP1 signaling pathway promoted NSCLC progression by inducing the activation of Wnt/β‑catenin signaling, and this novel mechanism may represent a potential treatment target for patients with NSCLC.

To explore the association between the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of leptin receptor (

Proteins of the RNF183 (RING finger 183) family proteins have been reported to be of great importance in tumor the initiation and progression. However, the biological role and regulatory mechanism of RNF183 in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development and progression are poorly defined. Hence, lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and cell cycle were measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. The correlation between RNF183 and SHP2 (Src homology-2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase) was measured using coimmunoprecipitation and ubiquitination analysis in vitro. Tumor growth of NSCLC cells in vivo was measured using the nude mouse xenograft model. In this study, we verify that elevated RNF183 expression in tumor tissues of LUAD, origin from the TCGA, GEPIA, TIMER, and UALCAN database. RNF183 regulates apoptosis and cell cycle in vitro and tumor growth in vivo by activating the STAT3 pathway through ubiquitination of SHP2, a negative feedback regulator of the STAT3 pathway. Taken together, our results demonstrate that RNF183 regulates proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle in LUAD cells via modulation of SHP2/STAT3 signaling, suggesting the potential for targeting the RNF183-SHP2/STAT3 pathway for use in LUAD treatment.

Brains are vulnerable to ischemic/hypoxic damage, which are directly caused by stroke, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and other cerebral diseases. Currently, therapeutic strategies against cerebral ischemia and hypoxia are extremely limited. Recent studies have indicated that stem cell-derived exosomes play a neuroprotective role in hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. However, the treatment mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we cultured neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro successfully. Exosomes isolated from NSCs (NSCs-Ex) inhibited the apoptosis while promoting the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells both in normal and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) culture conditions. Moreover, in vivo studies demonstrated that NSCs-Ex significantly reduced the infarction area in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model and suppressed the apoptosis of neurons. Furthermore, miR-150-3p was identified as the most abundantly expressed miRNA in exosomes compared to their parent NSCs. The miR-150-3p mimic displayed neuroprotective effects while miR-150-3p inhibitor exacerbated nerve injury both in vivo and in vitro. We further identified CASP2 as a miR-150-3p target. Thus, our data indicate that NSC-Ex facilitate the neuroprotective effects via transfer of miR-150-3p which targets CASP2, thus suppressing neuronal apoptosis after brain injury. Our results suggest that NSCs-Ex prevent cerebral injury by transferring miR-150-3p which promotes neurons proliferation by inhibiting CASP2 signaling pathway.

An exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing strain of YB-2 isolated from mango juice was identified as Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides. The molecular weight (Mw) of this EPS was 7.67×105 Da. Gas chromatography (GC) analysis confirmed the presence of only glucose monomers. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra displayed the glucan nature of the EPS with 96.8% α-(1→6) and 3.2% branching α-(1→3) linkages. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed smooth surfaces and compact structure. The water solubility index (WSI) and water-holding capacity (WHC) of dextran were 97.48±2.46% and 287.51±7.93%, respectively. The rheological analysis of dextran elucidated a non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behavior. The dextran revealed an inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 2.0 mg/mL and 3.0 mg/mL, respectively.

[Background] Coix lacryma-jobi L. is a nourishing food and a traditional Chinese medicine and has been used for the treatment of neuralgia, inflammatory diseases, and rheumatism. Little is known about the anti-tumor of Coix lacryma-jobi L.. In this study, the cytotoxic effects of Coix lacryma-jobi L. on HeLa, HepG2, and SGC-7901 were evaluated.[Methods] The cytotoxic active compounds were isolated and extraction from the stems and leaves of Coix lacryma-jobi L. The structural identification of the compound was determined using ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The cytotoxic activity in vitro effect of the compound was determined using CCK-8, Flow cytometry, and DNA Topo I inhibition experiments.[Results] A compound F2 was isolated and purified from the petroleum ether extract of Coix lacryma-jobi L. stems and leaves. It was identified as the cycloartenol. The minimum IC50 values of HeLa, HepG2 and SGC-7901 cells for this compound were 500, 537.7, and 336.8 μg/mL, respectively. The compound had pro-apoptotic effects on three types of tumor cells, and had a significant inhibitory effect on DNA topoisomerase I.[Conclusion] This study demonstrates that cycloartenol has good cytotoxic activity in vitro, suggesting that cycloartenol could be a potential candidate as a natural antitumor drug.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and it has a poor prognosis. It is urgent to identify prognostic biomarkers to guide therapy.Methods: The immune gene expression profiles for patients with lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The relationships between the expression of 45 immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and prognosis were analyzed. Additionally, the correlations between the expression of 45 biomarkers and immunotherapy biomarkers, including tumor mutation burden (TMB), mismatch repair defects, neoantigens, and others, were identified. Ultimately, prognostic ICGs were combined to determine immune subgroups, and the prognostic differences between these subgroups were identified in LUAD.Results: A total of 11 and nine ICGs closely related to prognosis were obtained from the GEO and TCGA databases, respectively. CD200R1 expression had a significant negative correlation with TMB and neoantigens. CD200R1 showed a significant positive correlation with CD8A, CD68, and GZMB, indicating that it may cause the disordered expression of adaptive immune resistance pathway genes. Multivariable Cox regression was used to construct a signature composed of four prognostic ICGs (IDO1, CD274, CTLA4, and CD200R1): Risk Score = −0.002*IDO1+0.031*CD274−0.069*CTLA4−0.517*CD200R1. The median Risk Score was used to classify the samples for the high- and low-risk groups. We observed significant differences between groups in the training, testing, and external validation cohorts.Conclusion: Our research provides a method of integrating ICG expression profiles and clinical prognosis information to predict lung cancer prognosis, which will provide a unique reference for gene immunotherapy for LUAD.

Background : Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer with low early diagnosis rate and poor prognosis. The integration of immune checkpoint gene expression data and patient prognosis information can help identify the immune subtypes of lung cancer and provide reference for individualized gene immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer. Methods : The data of immune gene expression for lung cancer patients were obtained from TCGA and GEO databases. The relationship between the expressions of 45 immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and prognosis were analysed. In the other hand, the correlation between the expressions of 45 biomarkers , tumor mutation load (TMB), MMRs, neoantigens and other immunotherapy biomarkers were been identified. Ultimately, prognosis-related ICGs were combined with IDO1, CD274, and CTLA4 to divide lung cancer immune subgroups and the prognostic differences between lung cancer immune subgroups were identified. Results: Based on TCGA database and GEO database, 9 and 11 ICGs were obtained respectively, which were closely related to prognosis. There was a certain synergistic relationship between them. The expression of CD200R1 had a significant negative correlation with TMB and neoantigens. CD200R1 showed a significant positive correlation with CD8A, CD68 and GZMB genes, indicating that it may cause the expression disorder of adaptive immune resistance pathway genes. Based on CD200R1 and combination with IDO1, CD274 and CTLA4, the group with high expression of CD200R1 and low expression of IDO1, CD274 and CTLA4 had the best prognosis among the immune subtypes. Conclusion : Our research provides a method of integrating immune checkpoint gene expression profile and clinical prognosis information to identify immune subtypes of lung cancer, which can provide a unique reference for gene immunotherapy of lung cancer patients.

An exopolysaccharide (EPS) was produced by Weissella cibaria YB-1 isolated from pickle Chinese cabbage. The EPS was purified and characterized. The monosaccharide composition of the EPS was glucose, and its molecular mass was 3.89 × 106 Da, as determined by gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The structural characterization of purified EPS determined by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra demonstrated that W. cibaria YB-1 synthesized a linear dextran that predominately had α-(1 → 6) glycosidic linkages with only a few α-(1 → 3) (4.3%) linked branches. The water solubility index (WSI), water holding capacity (WHC) and emulsifying activity (EA) of YB-1 dextran were 95.23 ± 4.45, 287.84 ± 16.23 and 84.43 ± 3.65%, respectively. The in-vitro antioxidant activities of the dextran showed good scavenging effects on superoxide anion radical and hydroxyl radical.

Clostridium kluyveri is an anaerobic microorganism that is well-known for producing butyrate and hexanoate using ethanol and acetate. It is also an important bacterium in the production of Chinese strong flavour baijiu (SFB). To obtain a comprehensive understanding of its metabolism, a curated genome-scale metabolic model (GSMM) of C. kluyveri, including 708 genes, 994 reactions, and 804 metabolites, was constructed and named iCKL708. This model was used to simulate the growth of C. kluyveri on different carbon substrates and the results agreed well with the experimental data. The butyrate, pentanoate, and hexanoate biosynthesis pathways were also elucidated. Flux balance analysis indicated that the ratio of ethanol to acetate, as well as the uptake rate of carbon dioxide, affected hexanoate production. The GSMM iCKL708 described here provides a platform to further our understanding and exploration of the metabolic potential of C. kluyveri.

Baijiu (Chinese liquor) industry is the world-renowned industry to produce high-quality liquor using mixed biomass feedstocks including sorghum, wheat, and rice bran. A huge amount of Baijiu Diuzao (residual solid waste) is produced every 1–3 months after the fermentation. The present study was focused on evaluating the bioenergy potential of the Chinese liquor industry waste for the very first time. The collected sample was subjected to thermal degradation in an inert environment at three heating rates including 10, 30 and 50 Kmin-1. It was shown that pyrolysis of this waste followed a three-stage degradation pattern, with a loss of 7.49% of the mass during the first stage at T ≤ 130 °C. While the second stage showed two zones ranging from 130 to 373 °C with an overall 51.12% of the mass loss. The third stage occurred above 373 °C and showed 16.08% loss in the mass. The released gases were subjected to TG-FTIR-MS analyses to monitor the composition and abundance of the gases where C O groups (aldehydes, ketonic and carboxylic) and hydrocarbons were shown to be the dominating functional groups. Moreover, the data were subjected to kinetics, thermodynamics and reaction mechanism analyses using KSA (Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose), FWO (Flynn-Wall-Ozawa), Vyazovkin and CR (Coats-Redfern) methods. Where, the activation energies (70–195 kJ mol−1), Gibbs free energy (177–185 kJ mol−1) and lower difference of enthalpy (ΔH = ∼5 kJ mol−1) indicated remarkable bioenergy potential of this waste either through pyrolysis or co-pyrolysis. The artificial neural network (R2 = 0.99) and reaction mechanism analyses indicated that the best thermal degradation chemistry was performed and described. This study will lead to establishing a thermal transformation strategy of this abundant and low-cost biological resource into energy and valuable chemicals in the cleanest manner.

Purpose To investigate the safety and efficacy of locoregional therapy plus adoptive transfer of allogeneic gamma delta (γδ) T cells for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Methods Thirty HCC patients and 29 ICC patients were randomly assigned to receive locoregional therapy (HCC, Group A, n = 15; ICC, Group C; n = 15) or locoregional therapy plus γδ T cell therapy (HCC, Group B, n = 15; ICC, Group D, n = 14). Groups A and C only received locoregional ablation (cryoablation or irreversible electroporation), while Groups B and D received locoregional therapy followed by adoptive transfer of allogeneic γδ T cells. The primary endpoints were safety, distant progression-free survival (PFS), local PFS and overall survival (OS). Results The median distant PFS was significantly longer in the combined treatment groups than the locoregional treatment groups (HCC: 8 vs. 4 months, P = 0.04; ICC: 8 vs. 4 months, P = 0.021). There was no significant difference in local PFS between the two treatment modalities. HCC patients in the combined treatment group had a longer OS (median OS: 13 vs. 8 months, P = 0.029). However, there was no significant difference in OS in ICC patients between the two treatment modalities (median OS: 9.5 vs. 8 months, P = 0.546). All adverse events were manageable and no significant difference in the prevalence was observed between the groups. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the novel combination therapy is safe with encouraging clinical efficacy against HCC and ICC.

The present study was focused on the thermal degradation of Eulaliopsis binata biomass produced on a salt-affected soil without any fertilizer or pesticide applications. The plant biomass was subjected to thermal degradation experiments at three heating rates, 10, 30 and 50 K min−1. The kinetic analyses were performed through isoconversional models of Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, followed by the calculation of thermodynamic parameters of activation. The high heating value was calculated as 15.10 MJ mol−1. The activation energy values of the grass were shown to be ranging from 118 through 240 kJ mol−1. Energy difference of enthalpies of activation between the reagent and the activated complex was in accordance with activation energies. Pre-exponential factors indicated the reaction to follow first-order kinetics. Gibbs free energy for the grass was measured to be ranging from 171 to 174 kJ mol−1. Our data have shown that E. binata biomass offers remarkable potential as a low-cost biomass for bioenergy.

The aim of this work was to study the thermal degradation of grass (Cymbopogon schoenanthus) under an inert environment at three heating rates, including 10, 30, and 50°Cmin-1 in order to evaluate its bioenergy potential. Pyrolysis experiments were performed in a simultaneous Thermogravimetry-Differential Scanning Calorimetry analyzer. Thermal data were used to analyze kinetic parameters through isoconversional models of Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) and Kissenger-Akahira-Sunose (KSA) methods. The pre-exponential factors values have shown the reaction to follow first order kinetics. Activation energy values were shown to be 84-193 and 96-192kJmol-1 as calculated by KSA and FWO methods, respectively. Differences between activation energy and enthalpy of reaction values (∼5 to 6kJmol-1) showed product formation is favorable. The Gibb's free energy (173-177kJmol-1) and High Heating Value (15.00MJkg-1) have shown the considerable bioenergy potential of this low-cost biomass.

2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BD) is widely used in several chemical syntheses as well as the manufacture of plastics, solvents, and antifreeze formulations, and can be manufactured by microbial glucose fermentation. Conventional (2,3-BD) fermentation typically has low productivity, yield, and purity, and is expensive for commercial applications. We aimed to delete the lactate dehydrogenase and acetate kinase (ldhA and ack) genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae HD79 by using λRed homologous recombination technology, to eliminate by-products and thereby improve (2,3-BD) production. We also analyzed the resulting gene changes by using transcriptomics. The yield of (2,3-BD) from the mutant Klebsiella strain was 46.21 g/L, the conversion rate was 0.47 g/g, and the productivity was 0.64 g/L·h, which represented increases of 54.9%, 20.5%, and 106.5% respectively, compared to (WT) strains. Lactate and acetate decreased by 48.2% and 62.8%, respectively. Transcriptomics analysis showed that 4628 genes were differentially expressed (404 significantly up-regulated and 162 significantly down-regulated). Moreover, the (2,3-BD) operon genes were differentially expressed. Our data showed that the biosynthesis of (2,3-BD) was regulated by inducers (lactate and acetate), a regulator (BudR), and carbon flux. Elimination of acidic by-products by ldhA and ack knockdown significantly improved (2,3-BD) production. Our results provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying (2,3-BD) production, and form a molecular basis for the improvement this process by genetic modification in the future.

Coix lacryma-jobi L. is a traditional Chinese medicine, and has been investigated to treat inflammatory diseases and rheumatism. An antitumor active compound was isolated from the stems and leaves of Coix lacryma-jobi L. The molecular weight of this compound was 410 using mass spectrum analysis. The structural identification of the purified compound was determined using ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, which showed that the compound was (20R)-22E-24-ethylcholesta-4,22-dien-3-one. HeLa, HepG2 and SGC-7901 cells for survival had a minimum IC50 values with this compound of 23.8, 67.6 and 25.5 μg/mL, respectively. The compound had pro-apoptotic effects on three types of tumor cells, and had an inhibitory effect on DNA topoisomerase I. The effect was concentration dependent, but the compound did not cleave the DNA. The structure-activity relationship and action mechanism were explored, to provide a specific basis for the synthesis and development of antitumor drugs.

Strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BH1 was evaluated for the generation of α-amylase. Culture conditions and medium components were optimized by a statistical approach for the optimal generation of α-amylase with response surface methodology (RSM) method. The Plackett-Burman (PB) design was executed to select the fermentation variables and Central composite design (CCD) for optimizing significant factors influencing production. The optimum levels for highest generation of α-amylase activity (198.26 ± 3.54 U/mL) were measured. A 1.69-fold improve generation was acquired in comparison with the non-optimized. Partial characterization of the α-amylase indicated optimal pH and temperature at 7.0 and 40 °C, respectively. Crude α-amylase maintained a constant pH range 5.0-8.0 and 30-70 °C. The α-amylase was independent of Ca

Baijiu is a Chinese traditional distilled liquor with an annual yield over 13.12 million tons. Strong flavor baijiu (SFB) also called Luzhou-flavor liquor, takes account for70% of the total baijiu produced. SFB is produced by an open solid fermentation process with a complex microbial ecosystem. Clostridium is one of the most important microorganisms for the formation of the main flavor compounds of SFB, such as ethyl caproate. In this paper, we review current research progress on the Clostridium in the SFB ecosystem, focusing on the species diversity, physiological and metabolic features along with interspecies interactions. Systems biology approaches for the study of Clostridium from SFB ecosystems were discussed and explored. Furthermore, current applications of Clostridium in SFB production were discussed.Strong flavor baijiu (SFB) accounts for more than 70% of total yield of Chinese baijiu, which exists for hundreds of years. Clostridium is common in SFB ecosystem and identified to be one of main contributors of flavor compounds in SFB. Study on the Clostridium from SFB ecosystem is not only helpful for the understanding of flavor compounds formation mechanism, but also the improvement of SFB quality. This study focuses on the current researches on the Clostridium species in SFB ecosystem, including the species diversity, physiological and metabolic features, and applications.

Microorganisms play fundamental roles in the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), yet their vertical distributions along the depth continuum of water column are not well known. In this study, we presented the 16S rDNA sequences and lipid profiles in the context of water chemistry to characterize the archaeal community structure above a gas hydrate mound (MC 118) in GOM. Our results showed that all archaeal sequences were related to unknown species of Crenarchaeota or Euryarchaeota. Phylogenetically, group II –β Euryarchaeota dominated the surface water and mid-depth (400-m) water (74% and 58% of total archaeal species, respectively) whereas the marine group I-γ Crenarchaeota dominated the bottom (869 m) water (61% of total archaeal species). Estimates of the Shannon index showed the highest diversity of planktonic Archaea at the 400 m depth. Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids were detected from the 400- and 869-m depths only and characterized by relatively high abundances of GDGT-5 (cren...

The microbial community structures of gas hydrate-bearing (Core 9) and non-hydrate-bearing (Core 1) marine sediments were investigated at Mississippi Canyon (MC) 118 in the Gulf of Mexico. Quantification by quantitative competitive (QC)-PCR showed that bacterial abundance was 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than archaeal abundance in these cores. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were present at 103–104 dsrAB gene copies/g in both cores; methanogens or anaerobic methanotrophs were only present in Core 9 (102–105 mcrA gene copies/g). Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed distinct patterns of bacterial community structure between Core 9 and Core 1 with e-Proteobacteria predominating in the former and γ-Proteobacteria in the latter. Clone libraries were successfully constructed for both Archaea and Bacteria using functional genes (mcrA and dsrAB, respectively). The mcrA gene was present in Core 9, suggesting enhanced abundance or activity of methanogens or methane-oxidizing archaea in the hydrat...

Propanediol (1,3-PD) is an important chemical intermediate in manufacturing polyethers, polyurethanes and polyesters. Production of 1,3-PD by microbial fermentation has attracted increasingly attention of researchers. In this study, deletion mutant of K.pneumoniae HD-1 constructed by knocking out lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) gene in our previous work was cultivated in fermentation medium utilizing glucose as carton source and original strain K.pneumoniae were simultaneously used as the control strain under absolutely the same conditions and their capability of 1,3-PD production were compared. The results showed that an increase of 19.98%, 20%, and 20.19% of 1,3-PD titer, productivity, and yield, respectively were obtained from K.pneumoniae HD-1. Obviously it can be inferred that the ability in the production of 1,3-PD of the K.pneumoniae HD-1was better than that of the K.pneumoniae, therefore it could be a promising strain for 1,3-PD production in the further study of industrialized production. Keywords-K.pneumoniae; lactate dehydrogenase; 1,3