N-linked glycan profiling of mature human milk by high-performance microfluidic chip liquid chromatography time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

N-Linked glycans of skim human milk proteins were determined for three mothers. N-Linked glycans are linked to immune defense, cell growth, and cell-cell adhesion, but their functions in human milk are undetermined. Protein-bound N-linked glycans were released with peptidyl N-glycosidase F (PNGase F), enriched by graphitized carbon chromatography, and analyzed with Chip-TOF MS. To be defined as N-glycans, compounds were required, in all three procedural replicates, to match, within 6 ppm, against a theoretical human N-glycan library and be at least 2-fold higher in abundance in PNGase F-treated than in control samples. Fifty-two N-linked glycan compositions were identified, and 24 were confirmed via tandem mass spectra analysis. Twenty-seven compositions have been found previously in human milk, and 25 are novel compositions. By abundance, 84% of N-glycans were fucosylated and 47% were sialylated. The majority (70%) of total N-glycan abundance was composed of N-glycans found in all three milk samples.     

Phosphatase activity in earthworm faeces

Wormcasts of Allolobophora caliginosa have been shown to have higher phosphatase activity than occurs in uningested soil, resulting in an increase in inorganic P released by mineralization of organic P. This paper describes similar observations on organic wastes which may be used for vermiculture. Besides A. caliginosa, three species which will feed on dung or other organic substrates were investigated, Eisenia foetida, Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus rubellus. When cow dung was used as a substrate, background phosphatase activity was too high for the effects of earthworm activity to be detected and a culture medium was therefore developed from sterilized paper waste sludge with added phytin. Phosphatase activity, assayed by a modified Hoffman method, was higher in the presence of all four earthworm species than in controls. It showed two peaks in relation to pH, at 3–5 and 9–10. The former is attributed to microbial activity and the latter to microbial activity or earthworm alkaline phosphatase. After 1 month, cultures of paper waste sludge with phytin contained about twice as much water soluble P when worms were present than in their absence.     

Degradation of lignin in wheat straw during growth of the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) using off-line thermochemolysis with tetramethylammonium hydroxide and solid-state (13)C NMR.

The oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is widely cultivated on wheat straw (Triticum aestivum); however, there is a need to better understand the relationship between the chemical composition of the compost and mushroom growth. Wheat straw was degraded over a period of 63 days by P. ostreatus during which time it was sampled at weekly intervals. Off-line thermochemolysis with tetramethylammonium hydroxide and solid-state (13)C NMR were then used in the molecular characterization of the undegraded wheat straw and the degraded samples. The degraded wheat straw samples had a lower proportion of syringyl- to guaiacyl-derived moieties and cinnamyl- to guaiacyl-derived moieties than the undegraded control. There were increases in both guaiacyl and syringyl acid to aldehyde ratios with composting time, which showed that side-chain oxidation has been mediated by P. ostreatus. The (13)C NMR spectra confirmed the increase in carboxyl content but indicated that the overall lignin and methoxyl contents remained relatively constant, although some nonsystematic variations were observed. The spectra also showed a decrease in amorphous noncellulosic polysaccharides in relation to the crystalline cellulose upon degradation.     

What determines the temperature response of soil organic matter decomposition?

The temperature dependence of litter and soil organic matter (SOM) mineralisation is important because it determines how strong the feedback from the expected warmer climate may be on the atmospheric CO₂ concentration. We have used a simple, analytical model to investigate how three different mechanism (i) the rate at which decomposers take up substrate at their surface; (ii) the rate by which substrate diffuses up to the surface of the decomposer; and (iii) the rate at which substrate is made available in the environment interact to determine the temperature response. The mechanisms are characterised by activation energies; two for the uptake rate (i) and one for each of the other two (ii, iii). The model shows that the temperature dependence is the result of the number of processes that effectively contributes to the rate of mineralisation; this result should also be valid if other processes are included. Depending upon the relative magnitude of the four activation energies, the temperature response is mainly determined by one or two of the mechanisms. In a transition zone, where all activation energies are similar and the number of contributing processes changes, there can be either a sharp increase or a sharp decrease in the temperature response when activation energies change.     

Untersuchungen zur Variabilität des Rohprotein- und Rohfettgehaltes der Sojabohne (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) an den Gaterslebener Welt- und Mutantenkollektionen

Zusammenfassung In den Jahren 1980–1984 wurden insgesamt 1956 Sippen der Sojabohne (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) aus der Gaterslebener Weltkollektion und drei Mutantenkollektionen auf Rohprotein- und Rohfettgehalt in den Samen untersucht. Die Variabilität beider Merkmale war in den Kollektionen gegenüber der des Standards um etwa das Doppelte erhöht (Abb. 1, Tab. 3). Nach dem 1. Wiederholungsanbau bestätigten sich hinsichtlich des Rohproteingehaltes 56 (2,9 %) und hinsichtlich des Rohfettgehaltes 9 (0,46 %) der Sippen als signifikante Plusabweicher (Tab. 5 u. 7). Unter Berücksichtigung des Kornertrages der Plusabweicher wurden nach dem 2. und 3. Wiederholungsanbau 14 Sippen mit signifikant erhöhtem Rohproteingehalt und 3 Sippen mit signifikant erhöhtem Rohfettgehalt sowie guten Kornertragsleistungen ermittelt (Tab. 12 und 13). Zur weiteren Beurteilung der Plusabweicher werden die Werte für Tausendkornmasse, Pflanzenlänge und Vegetationsdauer mitgeteilt. Auf die Bedeutung der Berücksichtigung von Rohprotein-bzw. Rohfettgehalt bei der Züchtung auf Ertrag und Ertragsicherheit der Sojabohne wird hingewiesen.

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Investigations on the variability of protein and oil content of soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) on the Gatersleben world and mutant collections

Summary In 1980–1984 all together 1956 strains of the Gatersleben soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) world and mutant collections have been screened with respect to the crude protein and oil content of the seed. The variability of the two biochemical characters exhibited in the collections two times higher than in the standard variety (fig. 1, tab. 3). After the first re-cultivation of selected strains 56 (2.9 %) significant plus variants for crude protein and 9 (0.46 %) for crude oil content could be selected (tab. 5, 7). Have regard to the grain yields of plus variants, after the second and third re-cultivation 14 strains with significant improved crude protein content and 3 strains with significant improved crude oil content proved to have a good yield capacity (tab. 12, 13). For further estimation of the plus variants the dates of thousand-grain weight, height and vegetation lengtht were represented. Some of the plus variants may be useful as potential genetic sources for improving crude protein content.

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(Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

1980–1984 1956 (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) . , (. 1, . 3). 56 (2,9 %) 9 (0,46 %) — (. 5 7). 2- 3- , , , , 14 3 — , (. 12 13). 1000 , , . , , , , .

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Herrn Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult.Hans Stubbe mit Dank und herzlichen Wünschen zu seinem 85. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Questions and possible new directions for research into the biology of terrestrial isopods

New directions for research identified during the final plenary discussion of the Sixth Symposium on the Biology of Terrestrial Isopods included: locating enzymes buffering pleon fluids during excretion of ammonia and the use of isopods in ecotoxicology including how they adapt to or tolerate high contaminant levels; how they interact with free living and endosymbiotic microbiota and how Wolbacchia avoids the immune response of isopods. New analyses of mating behaviour raised questions concerning mate choice while new microsatellite techniques may help resolve issues of multiple paternity and sperm competition. In relation to their ecology and biogeography new questions included how does the ability to learn the location of high quality food patches in spatially heterogeneous environments and the existence of an Allee effect, influence the population biology of isopods in the field and how do patterns of invasion and colonisation vary between species with different motility and life history strategies?