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An integrated system combining ultrasound-intensified outdoor cultivation of Botryococcus braunii with in situ magnetic harvesting of the algal cells was developed. The algal cells were cultivated in 200 L plastic bag reactors, and seven five-minute ultrasonic treatments at a four-day interval using a fixed frequency of 40 kHz and a total power of 300 W improved algal cell biomass and hydrocarbon productivity. The algal cells were harvested using functional magnetic particles and a magnetic separator, and a recovery efficiency of 90% was obtained under continuous operation at a flow rate of 100 mL/min using the in situ magnetic separation system. The overall production cost using the integrated system was US$ 25.14 per kilogram of B. braunii dry biomass. The system developed in this study provides a base for the industrial production of B. braunii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have cloned and characterized four Itpk genes from soybean. All four recombinant Itpk proteins showed canonical Ins(1,3,4)P3 5/6-kinase activity, but a kinetic analysis raised questions about its biological significance. Instead, we provide evidence that one alternative biological role for soybean Itpks is to interconvert the Cl(-) channel inhibitor, Ins(3,4,5,6)P4, and its metabolic precursor, Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5, within a substrate cycle. The soybean Itpks also phosphorylated Ins(3,4,6)P3 to Ins(1,3,4,6)P4 which was further phosphorylated to Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5 by soybean Ipk2. Thus, soybean Itpks may participate in an inositol lipid-independent pathway of InsP6 synthesis.