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The regio- and enantioselective allylic substitution of branched alkyl-substituted allylic acetates employing malonates has been achieved through a process that calls for Krische's π-allyliridium C,O-benzoate catalyst. The protocol reported herein can be applied to a diverse set of branched alkyl substrates that are generally not well tolerated in the other two types of Ir-catalyzed allylation.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been applied as a promising vehicle for tumour-targeted delivery of suicide genes in the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk)/ganciclovir (GCV) suicide gene therapy against malignant gliomas. The efficiency of this strategy is largely dependent on the bystander effect, which relies on high suicide gene expression levels and efficient transportation of activated GCV towards glioma cells. However, up to now, the methods to enhance the bystander effect of this strategy in an efficient and safe way are still lacking and new approaches to improve this therapeutic strategy are required. Methods: In this study, MSCs were gene transfected using magnetosome-like ferrimagnetic iron oxide nanochains (MFIONs) to highly express HSV-tk. Both the suicide and bystander effects of HSV-tk expressed MSCs (MSCs-tk) were quantitatively evaluated. Connexin 43 (Cx43) expression by MSCs and glioma cells was measured under different treatments. Intercellular communication between MSCs and C6 glioma cells was examined using a dye transfer assay. Glioma tropism and the bio-distribution of MSCs-tk were observed. Anti-tumour activity was investigated in the orthotopic glioma of rats after intravenous administration of MSCs-tk followed by intraperitoneal injection of GCV. Results: Gene transfection using MFIONs achieved sufficient expression of HSV-tk and triggered Cx43 overexpression in MSCs. These Cx43 overexpressing MSCs promoted gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) between MSCs and glioma cells, resulting in significantly inhibited growth of glioma through an improved bystander effect. Outstanding tumour targeting and significantly prolonged survival with decreased tumour size were observed after the treatment using MFION-transfected MSCs in glioma model rats. Conclusion: Our results show that iron oxide nanoparticles have the potential to improve the suicide gene expression levels of transfected MSCs, while promoting the GJIC formation between MSCs and tumour cells, which enhances the sensitivity of glioma cells to HSV-tk/GCV suicide gene therapy.

The first collectively asymmetric total synthesis of all members of lycorane, including (+)-α, (+)-β, (+)-γ, and (-)-δ, in a catalytic manner has been achieved. The cornerstone of this synthesis features an asymmetric, stereodivergent Ir/amine dual catalytic α-allylation of 2-phthalimidoacetaldehyde.

Objective In this study, we aimed to identify the genes involved in leaf margin serration in Perilla frutescens. P. frutescens (Family: Lamiaceae) is widely grown in Asian countries. Perilla leaf is the medicinal part stipulated in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. There are mainly two types of perilla leaves: one with serrated leaf margin which is the phenotype described in the pharmacopoeia and the other with smooth leaf margin. Methods Transcriptome sequencing, co-expression analysis, and qRT-PCR analysis of six perilla tissues sampled from two different phenotypes (serrated and smooth leaves) were performed. Results Forty-three differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which may potentially regulate leaf shape, were identified through de novo transcriptome sequencing between the two groups. Genes involved in leaf shape regulation were identified. Simultaneously, we validated five DEGs by qRT-PCR, and the results were consistent with the transcriptome data. In addition, 1186 transcription factors (TFs) belonging to 45 TF families were identified. Moreover, the co-expression network of DEGs was constructed. Conclusion The study identified the key genes that control leaf shape by comparing the transcriptomes. Our findings also provide basic data for further exploring P. frutescens, which can help study the mechanism of leaf shape development and molecular breeding.

An endophytic member of the genus Trichoderma was isolated from the root of a healthy 3-year-old Panax notoginseng in Yunnan province, PR China. The results of phylogenetic analyses based on a combined of ITS, tef1 and rpb2 indicated that this isolate was distinct from other species of the genus Trichoderma and closely related to Trichoderma songyi. It can be distinguished from T. songyi by its slower growth rates on PDA and colony morphology. The novel isolate formed conidia in thick white pustules scattered mostly at the margin. Its conidiophores tended to be regularly verticillium-like, little branched, sometimes substituted by phialides singly or in whorls. Conidia are smooth, mostly broadly subglobose to ellipsoidal. In combination with the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics, all data demonstrated that the fungus studied represented a unique and distinguishable novel species of the genus Trichoderma, for which the name Trichoderma panacis sp. nov. is proposed.

Description, Iron oxide nanoparticles could significantly promote the mitochondrial transfer from mesenchymal stem cells to the injured cells., The transfer of mitochondria between cells has recently been revealed as a spontaneous way to protect the injured cells. However, the utilization of this natural transfer process for disease treatment is so far limited by its unsatisfactory transfer efficiency and selectivity. Here, we demonstrate that iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) can augment the intercellular mitochondrial transfer from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) selectively to diseased cells, owing to the enhanced formation of connexin 43–containing gap junctional channels triggered by ionized IONPs. In a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis, the IONP-engineered hMSCs achieve a remarkable mitigation of fibrotic progression because of the promoted intercellular mitochondrial transfer, with no serious safety issues identified. The present study reports a potential method of using IONPs to enable hMSCs for efficient and safe transfer of mitochondria to diseased cells to restore mitochondrial bioenergetics.

As the current bioconversion of lignocellulose mainly towards on bioenergy, a bioproduct with higher value would be promising to improve the profit output from the process. Straw lignocellulose, hydrothermally pretreated by ammonium sulfite, was used as the substrate to produce high-value microalgal biomass in this study. Medium based on the lignocellulose hydrolysate were prepared to cultivate four locally isolated microalgal strains, Chlorella and Scenedesmus species. All of the microalgal strains well adapted to the lignocellulose hydrolysate. Among the strains, C. ZTY4 had the highest growth rate in hydrolysate-based medium with a generation time of only 10.2 h, which was much shorter than that in glucose medium (16.7 h) and former reports. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content of C. ZTY4 reached to 66.4% in total fatty acids of C. ZTY4, which was well qualified for high-value applications. C. ZTY4 was identified as Chlorella pyrenoidosa by 18S rDNA sequencing. This research proposed a bioconversion approach from straw lignocellulose to high-value microalgal biomass and screened C. ZTY4 as a qualified strain.

Two new compounds chetoseminudin F (1) and G (2) together with eleven known compounds were isolated from the solid fermentation products of the endophytic fungus Chaetomium sp. SYP-F7950. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR, and HRFABMS experiments. The absolute configurations of chetoseminudin F (1) and G (2) were determined by comparing the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectrum with those of the reported references. A plausible biogenetic pathway for compounds 1–6 and 9–13 was proposed. These isolates were also evaluated for their antimicrobial and antitumor activity, revealing that chetoseminudin F (1) displayed more potent cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 cells with an IC50 value of 26.49 μmol L−1 more than the common chemotherapeutic agent (paclitaxel). In antimicrobial assay, compounds 6, 9, 11 and 12 had strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium and antifungal activity against Candida albicans with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.12 to 9.6 μg mL−1; meanwhile compounds 6, 8, 9 and 12 exhibited strong cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 2.75–8.68 μmol L−1 against tumor cell lines A549 and MDA-MB-231. In addition, morphological observation showed that treatment with compounds 6, 9 and 12 increased the mean length of B. subtilis by 1.6 to 1.8-fold. In silico molecular docking was applied to study the binding interactions between the compounds and the active sites of filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z (FtsZ) from B. subtilis. Compounds 6, 9 and 12 displayed the low binding energies, strong H-bond interactions with FtsZ. On the basis of the antimicrobial activities, cellular phenotype observation and docking studies, compounds 6, 9 and 12 are considered to be a promising antimicrobial inhibitor of FtsZ.

Isothiazolinones, such as 1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (BIT), are widely used as biocides for bacterial growth control in many domestic and industrial processes. Despite their advantages as biocides, they are highly toxic and pose a potential risk to the environment. This study investigated the inhibition process and detoxification mechanism involved in microalgal survival and growth recovery after BIT poisoning. BIT could seriously inhibit the growth of Scenedesmus sp. LX1, Chlorella sp. HQ, and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with half maximal effective concentrations at 72 h (72h-EC50) of 1.70, 0.41, and 1.16 mg/L, respectively. The primary inhibition mechanism was the BIT-induced damage to microalgal photosynthetic systems. However, the inhibited strains could recover when their growth was not completely inhibited. The influence of this inhibiting effect on subsequent algal regrowth was negligible or weak. BIT consumption was the primary reason for their recovery. Notably, algae did not die even if their growth was completely inhibited. If the BIT concentration did not exceed a certain high level, then the inhibited algae could recover their growth relatively well. Microalgal generation of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the oxygen radical scavenging enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), played a key role in detoxification against BIT poisoning.

Recent advances in nanomaterials have made iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) as an innovative approach for the delivery of genes. However, the effectiveness of IONPs-assisted gene delivery is currently suffering from their poor uniformity, which not only exhibits detrimental effect on the magnetic property, but also leads to the poor reproducibility to maintain the optimal gene delivery. To this end, the present study developed extremely uniform 15 nm-sized IONPs with a good monodispersity in water phase. These ultra-uniform IONPs exhibit notable potentials for an efficient gene delivery to human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) with the assistance of magnetic force, which partly owes to their abilities to facilitate the cellular uptake, as well as to induce the rapid DNA release and the following nuclear transport. Besides, no significant detrimental effects of these IONPs are observed either on the proliferation or the multi-lineage differentiation potential of hMSCs. The current study highlights the potential advantages of designing extremely uniform magnetic nanomaterials for an efficient and safe delivery of genes to stem cells.

A total of 180 fungal isolates, belonging to 20 genera and 47 species, were obtained from the roots, stems and leaves of Panax notoginseng. One isolate, the endophytic fungus Penicillium janthinellum SYPF 7899, displayed the strongest antibacterial activity and was studied for its production of secondary metabolites. In total, three new compounds, including rotational isomers 1a, 1b and 2 were isolated from the solid cultures of P. janthinellum, as well as eight known compounds (3−10). These structures were determined on the basis of 1D, 2D NMR and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopic analyses as well as theoretical calculations. Compound 1 exhibited significant inhibitory activities against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus with MIC values of 15 and 18 μg/ml, respectively. The other compounds showed moderate or weak activities. In addition, morphological observation showed the rod-shaped cells of B. subtilis growing into long filaments, which reached 1.5- to 2-fold of the length of the original cells after treatment with compound 1. The coccoid cells of S. aureus exhibited a similar response and swelled to a 2-fold volume after treatment with compound 1. In silico molecular docking was explored to study the binding interactions between the compounds and the active sites of filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z (FtsZ) from B. subtilis and S. aureus. Compound 1a, 1b and 2 showed high binding energies, strong H-bond interactions and hydrophobic interactions with FtsZ. Based on the antimicrobial activities, cellular phenotype observation and docking studies, compound 1 is considered to be a promising antimicrobial inhibitor of FtsZ.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are recognized as promising drug delivery vehicles. However, the limitation of drug loading capacity and safety considerations are two obstacles to the further application of MSCs. Here, we report MSC membrane-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN@M) that maintain the active stealth and self-positioning drug delivery abilities of MSCs and resolve issues related to MSCs-mediated drug delivery. MSN@M was established through uniformly integrating MSC membrane onto a mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) core by sonication. Reduced clearance of phagocytes mediated by CD47 marker on MSC membrane was observed in vitro, which explained the only ~ 25% clearance rate of MSN@M compared with MSN in vivo within 24 h. MSN@M also showed stronger tumor targeting and penetration ability compared with MSN in HepG2 tumor bearing mice. Simultaneously, MSN@M exhibited strong capacity for drug loading and sustained drug release ability of MSN when loaded with doxorubicin (DOX), the drug loading of MSN@M increased ~ 5 folds compared with MSC membrane. In HepG2 xenograft mice, DOX-loaded MSN@M effectively inhibited the growth of tumors and decreased the side effects of treatment by decreasing the exposure of other tissues to DOX. Consequently, our MSN@M may serve as alternative vehicles for MSCs and provide more options for antitumor treatment.

Attached microalgae cultivation could simplify the microalgae harvest process and reduce its associated cost, which has attracted much attention recently. In this paper, the reactor patterns, advantages, microalgae biomass productivity, influencing factors and the microalgae physicochemical properties in the attached microalgae cultivation was summarized to show the sketch of this novel microalgae cultivation. It was concluded that the attached microalgae cultivation is advantageous in achieving less water and space consumption, higher water treatment potential and higher biomass productivity compared with the traditional suspended microalgae cultivation. The accumulation of the attached microalgae biomass showed a linear increase with culture time with the largest productivity up to 20.7 g m−2 d−1. Chlorella and Scenedesmus were the top two species that have been studied in attached culture system. Cellulose acetate/nitrate membrane, polycarbonate membrane and cotton were the most popular materials used owing to their high hydrophilicity and wide availability. Flow rate, nutrients, light, CO2 and other factors could affect the attached microalgae productivity and the physicochemical property in a way different from the suspended microalgae, which were described in detail in this review. At last, some technical bottlenecks and the corresponding solvents in the attached microalgae were suggested.

Rare ginsenoside Rh4 and its aglycone are present in low levels in Panax ginseng. This study focused on achieving ginsenoside Rh4 and its aglycone by microbial transformation of the total saponins of stems and leaves of P. ginseng (TSSLG). A total of 78 fungal strains isolated from the rhizosphere soil of P. ginseng, and one of them, Aspergillus tubingensis, was found to be capable of biotransformation of TSSLG to ginsenoside Rh4 and its aglycone with high efficiency, especially the content of ginsenoside Rh4 aglycone was enhanced 100 folds over than that in the original TSSLG. Compared with ginsenoside Rg3 (named ShenYi capsule as antitumor drug in China), ginsenoside Rh4 aglycone exhibited stronger antitumor activity against human cancer cell lines SGC-7901, KB-A-1 and HT-1080. The possible biotransformation pathways of ginsenoside Rh4 and its aglycone were speculated according to the chemical structures. The anticancer binding-target, myeloid cell leukemia 1 protein (MCL-1), was explored using molecular docking analysis and the possible combination mechanism was discussed.

An endophytic strain (designated as strain SYPF 8335T) was isolated from a root of Panax notoginseng in Wenshan district, Yunnan province of China. Strain SYPF 8335T grew very slowly and formed white colonies. Phylogenetic analysis of four loci indicated that strain SYPF 8335T was placed in the Drechmeria clade with Drechmeria campanulata as its closest phylogenetic neighbour. The nucleotide differences between strain SYPF 8335T and D. campanulata are 30 substitutions in the internal transcriber region region. A key morphological feature that differentiates the two fungi is that D. campanulata produces campanulate conidia. Combined with the morphology and molecular analyses, a new species named Drechmeria panacis sp. nov., is proposed.

Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) has been widely used to control bacterial growth in reverse osmosis (RO) systems. However, MIT's toxicity on microalgae should be determined because residual MIT is concentrated into RO concentrate (ROC) and might have a severe impact on microalgae-based ROC treatment. This study investigated the tolerance of Scenedesmus sp. LX1 to MIT and revealed the mechanism of algal growth inhibition and toxicity resistance. Scenedesmus sp. LX1 was inhibited by MIT with a half-maximal effective concentration at 72 h (72 h-EC50) of 1.00 mg/L, but the strain recovered from the inhibition when its growth was not completely inhibited. It was observed that this inhibition's effect on subsequent growth was weak, and the removal of MIT was the primary reason for the recovery. Properly increasing the initial algal density significantly shortened the adaptation time for accelerated recovery in a MIT-containing culture. Photosynthesis damage by MIT was one of the primary reasons for growth inhibition, but microalgal cell respiration and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis were not completely inhibited, and the algae were still alive even when growth was completely inhibited, which was notably different from observations made with bacteria and fungi. The algae synthesized more chlorophyll, antioxidant enzymes of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and small molecules, such as reduced glutathione (GSH), to resist MIT poisoning. The microalgae-based process could treat the MIT-containing ROC, since MIT was added for only several hours a week in municipal wastewater reclamation RO processes, and the MIT average concentration was considerably lower than the maximum concentration that algae could tolerate.

One new indole diterpenoid, drechmerin I (1), was isolated from the fermentation broth of Drechmeria sp. isolated from the root of Panax notoginseng. Its structure was elucidated based on 1 D and 2 D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrum (HRESIMS), and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopic analyses as well as TD DFT calculations of ECD spectra. Drechmerin I (1) was assayed for its antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, B. subtillis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumonia, respectively. Drechmerin I (1) showed antimicrobial activities against B. subtillis with an MIC value of 200 μg/mL. The interaction of S. aureus peptide deformylase with drechmerin I (1) was investigated by molecular docking.

A novel 1(2), 2(18)-diseco indole diterpenoid, drechmerin H (1), was isolated from the fermentation broth of Drechmeria sp. together with a new indole diterpenoid, 2′-epi terpendole A (3), and a known analogue, terpendole A (2). Their structures were determined by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, ECD, and X-ray single crystal diffraction analyses as well as quantum chemical calculation. The abosulte configuration of terpendole A (2) was determined for the first time. Compound 1 displayed the significant agonistic effect on pregnane X receptor (PXR) with EC50 value of 134.91 ± 2.01 nM, and its interaction with PXR was investigated by molecular docking. Meantime, a plausible biosynthetic pathway for compounds 1–3 is also discussed in the present work.

Coordinated utilization of clear and reclaimed water in urban water supply systems has attracted wide attention from both academic and industrial communities. Although the potential and impacts of water reuse have been explored in previous studies, there is still a lack of model-based research that can optimize the utilization of clear and reclaimed water among multiple sectors and at multiple locations and the associated operations of multiple water treatment plants. In this study, an optimization model was developed for supporting the coordinated supply of clear and reclaimed water in urban water supply systems. This model was formulated based on the conversion relationships among clear water, wastewaters, and reclaimed water resources as well as a number of constraints such as the water reclamation capacities of existing wastewater treatment plants. The developed model provides optimal plans for allocating clear and reclaimed water and for operating wastewater treatment plants in a complex water supply system. The optimization model was applied to a case study in the central districts of Beijing, China. Optimal results were generated under both business-as-usual (BAU) and alternative scenarios in which the utilization scale of reclaimed water was capped and not capped, respectively, according to the existing city plans. Under the BAU scenario, reclaimed water accounted for 32% of the total water used, and contributed 60%, 30%, and 42% of agricultural, industrial, and environmental water consumption, respectively. The supply-demand contradiction of reclaimed water was apparent in Haidian and Shijingshan districts. Compared to the BAU scenario, the alternative scenario achieved 0.621 billion yuan more in economic gain, consumed 36.59% more reclaimed water, and reduced clear water use by 14.02%. The alternative scenario also improved the use of the capacities of existing facilities and promoted water reuse. Moreover, the operation plans of wastewater treatment plants for increasing the utilization amount of reclaimed water was provided. The developed model could be widely applied to other water-scare cities with water reclamation potential without loss of generality.

A strain (SYPF 7183T) was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Panax notoginseng in southwest China. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that strain SYPF 7183T was distinct from the other Absidia species with well-supported values. Strain SYPF 7183T produced spherical or subpyriform sporangia and short cylindrical sporangiospores. The azygospores were globose to oval. Based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence, the novel strain Absidia panacisoli sp. nov. is proposed.

Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) is a widely used non-oxidizing biocide for membrane biofouling control in reverse osmosis (RO) systems usually with high dosages. However, few investigations have focused on MIT removal through bio-processes, since it is highly bio-toxic. This study proposed a novel biotreatment approach for efficient MIT degradation by Scenedesmus sp. LX1, a microalga with strong resistance capability against extreme MIT toxicity. Results showed that MIT (3 mg/L) could be completely removed within 4 days’ cultivation with a half-life of only 0.79 d. Biodegradation was the primary removal mechanism and this metabolic process did not rely on bacterial consortia, soluble algal products secretion or algal growth. The main pathway was proposed as ring cleavage followed by methylation and carboxylation through the identification of MIT transformation products. MIT biodegradation followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics under growth control. A new kinetic model was presented to depict the MIT removal considering algal growth, and this model could be used for generally describing non-nutritive contaminants biodegradation. The algal biodegradation capability was independent of the initial biocide concentration, and MIT removal could be enhanced by increasing the initial algal density. Our results highlight the potential application of algal cultivation for MIT-containing wastewater biotreatment, such as RO concentrate.

A total of 58 fungal isolates, belonging to 24 genera, were obtained from the leaves, stems and roots of Ginkgo biloba L.. Among them, one endophytic fungal strain, Penicillium cataractum SYPF 7131, displayed the strongest antibacterial activity. Four new compounds (1-4) were isolated from the strain fermentation broth together with four known compounds (5-8). These structures were determined on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR and [Rh2(OCOCF3)4]-induced electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopic analyses. All the isolated compounds were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activities. Compound 3 and 4 showed moderate inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Compound 7 exhibited significant inhibitory activity against S. aureus with MIC value of 10 μg/mL. Further, the in silico molecular docking studies of the active compounds was used to explore the binding interactions with the active site of filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z (FtsZ) from Staphylococcus aureus. The docking results revealed that compounds 3, 4 and 7 showed high binding energies, strong H-bond interactions and hydrophobic interactions with FtsZ from S. aureus validating the observed antimicrobial activity. Based on antimicrobial activities and docking studies, compounds 3, 4 and 7 were identified as promising antimicrobial lead molecules.

In many microalgal cultivation systems, microalgae co-exist with bacteria, while little is known about the characteristics of their symbiotic relationships. In this study, twenty-six microalgae growth-promoting bacteria were isolated from a culture system of Scenedesmus sp. LX1 cultivated in the secondary effluent from domestic wastewater by using the high-throughput multiple well plate screening method. Ten strains were found to produce and secrete indole acetic acid (IAA), promoting the growth of microalgae. Meanwhile, the microalgae might have secreted signal substances to induce IAA production in bacteria, which was amplified in the tryptophan abundant environment. This indicates that bacteria may mainly promote the growth of the co-existing microalgae through secreting IAA, and microalgae would selectively enhance IAA secretion in turn. Microalgae cultured with microalgal growth-promoting bacteria would be a new potential strategy for improving large-scale microalgal cultivation in an economic and environmentally-friendly way.

Microalgae are potential candidates for the production of valuable products, such as renewable biodiesel, health products and pigments. However, low biomass productivity has restricted their large-scale applications. In this study, the effects of two auxins (one natural type of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and the other synthetic type of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)) on the growth and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) production of a freshwater microalgae Scenedesmus sp. LX1 were investigated. Both auxins showed a "low dosage-promotion and high dosage-inhibition" effect on the growth and FAMEs accumulation. The optimum dosage of IAA and 2,4-D were 1mgL-1 and 0.1mgL-1, respectively. Moreover, the IAA could increase the monounsaturated fatty acid content. The auxins may promote the growth by enhancing the photosynthetic activity through increasing chlorophyll contents. Therefore, auxin significantly enhanced microalgal growth and FAMEs accumulation, and has a potential for application in developing efficient microalgal cultivation.

Heterotrophic cultivation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa based on straw substrate was proposed as a promising approach in this research. The straw pre-treated by ammonium sulfite method was enzymatically hydrolyzed for medium preparation. The highest intrinsic growth rate of C. pyrenoidosa reached to 0.097 h−1 in hydrolysate medium, which was quicker than that in glucose medium. Rising nitrogen concentration could significantly increase protein content and decrease lipid content in biomass, meanwhile fatty acids composition kept stable. The highest protein and lipid content in microalgal biomass reached to 62% and 32% under nitrogen excessive and deficient conditions, respectively. Over 40% of amino acids and fatty acids in biomass belonged to essential amino acids (EAA) and essential fatty acids (EFA), which were qualified for high-value uses. This research revealed the rapid biomass accumulation property of C. pyrenoidosa in straw hydrolysate medium and the effectiveness of nitrogen regulation to biomass composition at heterotrophic condition.

Microalgae cultivation is a promising candidate for autotrophic sequestrating CO 2 transformation into renewable bio-products. However, potential of microalgae has not been fully explored due to the bottlenecks of biomass harvesting during large-scale microalgae cultivation. A novel capillary-driven photobioreactor (CPBR) is proposed in this study for attached microalgae cultivation obtaining high biomass productivity and overcoming the biomass harvesting limitation in traditional suspended cultures. Performances on microalgal growth, cellular composition, nutrients uptake from water, and corresponding light utilization efficiencies were investigated and emphasized. During 12 days of system operation, attached microalgal biomass on the carriers were in the range of 83.6 g/m 2 -footprint area of 121.5 g/m 2 -footprint area, corresponding to light utilization efficiency of 3.3% to 4.8%. With proper carriers packing density of 16% to 32%, obtained biomass productivities of CPBR were approximately 10 g/m 2 /d (footprint area). Biomass composition analysis revealed that lipid and carbohydrates contents in attached microalgal biomass were higher than in suspended microalgal biomass with same cultivating conditions, proving the potential of microalgae cultivated in CPBR as feedstock of biofuels.

Ultra-high-strength liquor wastewater (UHS-LWW) is rich in organic matter, and the required treatment is expensive. Here, an extremophilic strain Monascus pilosus YX-1125 was isolated for the direct conversion of UHS-LWW to short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Strain YX-1125 is an efficient SCFA producer with carbohydrate metabolic flexibility under multiple-stress conditions. Moreover, strain YX-1125 could tolerate up to 75 g/L, 100 g/L, and 50 g/L of ethanol, organic acids, and salt, respectively, without inhibition. In repeated-cycle fermentations, 17.8 g/L of butyric acid and 2.0 g/L of propionic acid were produced from UHS-LWW at the fifth cycle, which are the highest concentrations of wastewater-derived SCFAs reported to date. After SCFA recovery, a 98.9% COD reduction was achieved, which is estimated to reduce treatment costs by 91.7%. Results indicate that M. pilosus YX-1125 is a promising strain for the direct treatment of UHS-LWW, and for converting it into valuable biochemicals without any pre-treatment.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently emerged as a promising living carrier for targeted drug delivery. A wealth of literature has shown evidence for great advances in MSCs-based drug delivery system (MSCs-DDS) in the treatment of various diseases. Nevertheless, as this field of study rapidly advances, several challenges associated with this delivery strategy have arisen, mainly due to the inherent limitations of MSCs. To this end, several novel technologies are being developed in parallel to improve the efficiency or safety of this system. In this review, we introduce recent advances and summarize the present challenges of MSCs-DDS. We also highlight some potential technologies to improve MSCs-DDS, including nanotechnology, genome engineering technology, and biomimetic technology. Finally, prospects for application of artificially improved MSCs-DDS are addressed. The technologies summarized in this review provide a general guideline for the improvement of MSCs-DDS.

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, motile bacterium designated as SYP-B691T was isolated from rhizospheric soil of Panax notoginseng. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that SYP-B691T clearly represented a member of the genus Bacillus and showed 16S rRNA gene similarity lower than 97.0 % with the type strains of species of the genus Bacillus , which indicates that it should be considered as a candidate novel species within this genus. The optimum growth of the strain was found to occur at 37 °C and pH 7.0–9.0. The genomic DNA G+C content was determined to be 45.2 mol%. It contained meso-2,6-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and an unknown phospholipid. MK-7 was the only menaquinone identified. The major cellular fatty acids of SYP-B691T were identified as iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics, SYP-B691T merits recognition as a representative of a novel species of the genus Bacillus , for which the name Bacillus notoginsengisoli sp. nov. is proposed, with SYP-B691T(=DSM 29196T=JCM 30743T) as the type strain.

Five new derivatives of macrolide antibiotic Brefeldin A (BFA, 6), named as Brefeldin E1–E5 (1–5), along with Brefeldin A 7-O-acetate (7), mycotoxins (8–9) and mangrovamides A (10) were produced by an endophytic fungus, Penicillium sp., which was isolated from the healthy root of Panax notoginseng. The structures of 1–5 were established on the basis of their spectroscopic data, while the absolute configurations were assigned using a modified Mosher's method. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic, antiviral and antimicrobial activities. Compounds 1–5 and 8–10 displayed low or moderate cytotoxicity against a panel of cancer cell lines. Compounds 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8–10 showed moderate antimicrobial activity. Compound 6 showed strong anticancer and antiviral properties. Additionally, it demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against human pathogenic bacteria and fungal pathogens that can cause root-rot disease in Panax notoginseng, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Candida albicans, Fusarium solani, Cylindrocarpon didynum and Alternaria panax. Compound 7, which could be mediated by 6 through the acetylation at the 7-hydroxyl, showed similar bioactivities to compound 6. Further studies of the cellular mechanism of compounds 6 and 7 showed that they arrested HepG2 cells at the S phase. Due to the similarities in the basic carbon skeleton and the chemical construction correlations between compounds 1–7, the plausible biosynthetic pathway of the BFA series of compounds has been proposed and their structure–activity relationships are also discussed.

Li Wan,1,* Xinglei Yao,1–3,* Francesco Faiola,3 Bojun Liu,4 Tianyuan Zhang,2 Yasuhiko Tabata,5 Hiroyuki Mizuguchi,6 Shinsaku Nakagawa,7 Jian-Qing Gao,2 Robert Chunhua Zhao1 1Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Center of Excellence in Tissue Engineering Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 2Institute of Pharmaceutics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 3State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Biomaterials, Field of Tissue Engineering, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 6Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, 7Department of Biotechnology and Therapeutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells with multilineage potential, which makes them attractive tools for regenerative medicine applications. Efficient gene transfer into MSCs is essential not only for basic research in developmental biology but also for therapeutic applications involving gene-modification in regenerative medicine. Adenovirus vectors (Advs) can efficiently and transiently introduce an exogenous gene into many cell types via their primary receptors, the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptors, but not into MSCs, which are deficient in coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptors expression. To overcome this problem, we developed an Adv coated with a spermine-pullulan (SP) cationic polymer and investigated its physicochemical properties and internalization mechanisms. We demonstrated that the SP coating could enhance adenoviral transduction of MSCs without detectable cytotoxicity or effects on differentiation. Our results argue in favor of the potentiality of the SP-coated Adv as a prototype vector for efficient and safe transduction of MSCs. Keywords: mesenchymal stem cells, adenovirus vectors, spermine-pullulan, polymer, gene transduction

An endophytic strain (designated as SYPF 7195T) was isolated from a branch of a ginkgo tree in Liaoning province of China. Strain SYPF 7195T was characterized by its grey to greyish-green aerial mycelium, velvety to floccose surface and swelling near the septa. Phylogenetic analyses, which were inferred from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial sequences of the LSU and SSU of the rDNA and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1), showed that strain SYPF 7195T belonged to the genus Pseudochaetosphaeronema, and was distinct from all other species with high bootstrap-supported values (92 %). Strain SYPF 7195T constitutes a separate evolutionary clade with Pseudochaetosphaeronema larense and Pseudochaetosphaeronema martinelli, with P. martinelli as its closest phylogenetic neighbour. The nucleotide differences between strain SYPF 7195T and P. martinelli were 71 substitutions in the ITS region. Strain SYPF 7195Tcould also be distinguished from P. martinelli by a number of physiological characteristics. Combined with morphology and molecular analyses, strain SYPF 7195T merits recognition as a representative of a novel species of the genus Pseudochaetosphaeronema, for which the name Pseudochaetosphaeronema ginkgonis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CBS 140953T (=CGMCC 3.17865T=SYPF 7195T). The Mycobank number is MB 816567.

Two new compounds chetoseminudin F (1) and G (2) together with eleven known compounds were isolated from the solid fermentation products of the endophytic fungus

Attached cultivation systems in the literature do not present a methodology to screen materials for microalgal growth. Hence, a method is needed to find suitable materials for attached cultivation that may enhance attachment of microalgae. In this paper, we have tested seven materials culturing Scenedesmus sp. LX1 (S. sp. LX1) to evaluate the attachment of microalgae on the material surface, its growth in suspension phase and the properties of the materials. Two materials showed attachment of S. sp. LX1, polyurethane foam and loofah sponge, and allowed microalgae to grow both in the surface of the material and suspended phase. Polyurethane foam proved to be a good material for attachment of S. sp. LX1 and the amount of attached microalgae obtained was 51.73 mg/L when adding 100 pieces/L. SEM images showed that the surface and the pore size of the materials affected the attachment of the microalgae, increasing its attachment in scaffold-like materials. Furthermore, the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of the materials also affected the attachment of microalgae. This research can be used as a methodology to search for the assessment of a material suitable for attachment of microalgae.

In this study, we aimed to identify the genes involved in leaf margin serration inTranscriptome sequencing, co-expression analysis, and qRT-PCR analysis of six perilla tissues sampled from two different phenotypes (serrated and smooth leaves) were performed.Forty-three differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which may potentially regulate leaf shape, were identified throughThe study identified the key genes that control leaf shape by comparing the transcriptomes. Our findings also provide basic data for further exploring

A total amount of 116 fungal strains, belonging to 30 genera, were acquired from the rhizosphere soil and plant of Galinsoga parviflora. A strain SYPF 7336, isolated from the rhizospheric soil, was identified as Seltsamia galinsogisoli sp. nov., by morphological and molecular analyses, which displayed high antibacterial activity. In order to study the secondary metabolites of Seltsamia galinsogisoli sp. nov., nine compounds were successfully seperated from the strain fermentation broth, including two new compounds and seven known compounds. Their structures were elucidated based on spectral analysis including 1D and 2D NMR. All the seperated compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities. Compounds 2, 5 and 1 displayed antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC values of 25, 32 and 75 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, morphological observation showed the coccoid cells of S. aureus to be swollen to a volume of 1.4 to 1.7-fold after treatment with compounds 1, 2 and 5, respectively. Molecular docking was carried out to investigate interactions of filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z (FtsZ) with compounds 1, 2 and 5.

Aesculus chinensis belongs to Hippocastanaceae family,bears medicinal and ornamental values. The oleanane type triterpenoid saponin aescin is regarded as active ingredient and accumulated in seed. In order to understand its molecular basis of the triterpenoid biosynthesis,we used high-throughput sequencing under Illumina Hi Seq 2000 platform to obtain the transcriptome data of seed and flower from A. chinensis to further mine the genes involved in its metabolic pathway. Unigene's de novo splicing was performed using Trinity software; the transcriptome results were annotated with KEGG database to predict the specific pathways of the aescin triterpenoid metabolism. Terpenoid and triterpenoid pathways were found from transcriptome data,and forty seven and twenty seven corresponding genes were uncovered respectively. It was found that there are eight kinds of enzymes related to the terpenoid metabolism pathway precursors and three kinds of enzymes related to the triterpenoid metabolism pathway. In this study,five genes corresponding to triterpene cyclase were analyzed in A. chinensis for the first time,which may participate in the synthesis of triterpenoid. It' s revealed that there were thirty three differential genes associated with the ko00900 and ko00909 pathways by analysis on the difference in transcriptome expression between seeds and flowers; seventeen unigenes were up-regulated and sixteen unigenes were down-regulated in the seeds relative to flowers. In this study, qRT-PCR experiments were used to verify the expression of three key enzyme genes of SQE( Unigene25806),HMGS( Unigene36710),and β-AS( Unigene33291). The results of qRT-PCR were consistent with the transcriptome data. The candidate genes related to triterpenoid saponin aescin synthesis in A. chinensis found in this study can provide theoretical basis for the metabolism synthesis and regulation of aescin.

(+) Benzomalvins E (

Two new compounds, (7

As 1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (BIT) has been widely used in high concentrations for microbial growth control in many domestic and industrial processes, its potential eco-risk should be assessed. This study investigated the interaction between BIT and microalgae in aquatic environment as the mechanism of BIT lethal effect on microalgae was unclear and whether microalgae could efficiently remove BIT was unknown. It was found that Chlorella vulgaris could be killed by high concentrations of BIT, and this lethal effect was strongly enhanced when exposed to light. Inhibition of photosystem II electron transport followed by a decrease in cellular chlorophyll led to serious damage to algal photosynthesis. The excess accumulation of reactive oxygen species caused by the photosynthetic damage under light further increased the oxidative damage and promoted cell death. Under dark condition, however, the algae could tolerate higher BIT concentrations. BIT could be efficiently removed when the growth of Scenedesmus sp. LX1 was not completely inhibited. With an initial concentration of 4.5 mg/L, over 99% of BIT was removed during 168 hour cultivation. Microalgal biodegradation was the primary reason for this removal, and the contributions of BIT hydrolytic/photolytic degradation, microalgal growth, photosynthesis and sorption were negligibly small. These results pointed to the potential application of microalgae for efficient BIT removal from wastewater.

Two new compounds, (7R, 2E, 5E)-3,5,7-trimethyl-2,5-octadienedioic-8-methyl ester (1) and neovasipyridone G (3), together with a new natural product compound (7R,2E,5E)-3,5,7-trimethyl-2,5-octadienedioic acid (2), and six known compounds (4–9) were isolated from Penicillium sp. SYPF7381. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 2 were determined by optical rotation. The absolute configuration of compound 3 was determined by means of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation. In addition, the in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of all compounds were assayed in RAW 264.7 cells by assessing LPS-induced NO production. Furthermore, the structure-antiinflammation activity relationships for these isolated compounds were summarized based on the experimental as well as the docking results.

(+) Benzomalvins E (1) and (-) Benzomalvins E (2), a pair of epimeric derivatives, together with three known benzomalvins (3–5), were isolated from solid cultures of a interrhizospheric fungus Penicillium sp. SYPF 8411. The planar structure of (+) Benzomalvins E (1) has been previously reported. While, the absolute configuration of compound 1 was established by X-ray crystallographic analysis for the first time. The planar structure of the new compound 2 were elucidated by detailed interpretation of their HR ESI-TOF MS and NMR spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration of compound 2 was established by Rh2(OCOCF3)4-induced CD spectral data and the electronic circular dichroic (ECD) method. Furthermore, the epimerization induced by pH, temperature and H2O was revealed. Benzomalvins (1–3, 5), a type of indoximod, enhanced the cytotoxic capability of 5-fluorouracil against A549.