Untersuchungen über die Keimungsphysiologie der Sporen holzzerstörender Pilze: Merulius lacrymans und Coniophora cerebella

Ohne Zusammenfassung

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The physiology of germination of the spores of wood-destroying fungi:Merulius lacrymans andConiophora cerebella I. Spore-germination in vitro

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Richard Harder zum 70. Geburtstage gewidmet.     

Leptin: a metabolic signal affecting central regulation of reproduction in the pig

The discovery of the obesity gene and its product, leptin, it is now possible to examine the relationship between body fat and the neuroendocrine axis. A minimum percentage of body fat may be linked to onset of puberty and weaning-to-estrus interval in the pig. Adipose tissue is no longer considered as only a depot to store excess energy in the form of fat. Recent findings demonstrate that numerous genes, i.e., relaxin, interleukins and other cytokines and biologically active substances such as leptin, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), IGF-II and Agouti protein are produced by porcine adipose tissue, which could have a profound effect on appetite and the reproductive axis. Hypothalamic neurons are transsynaptically connected to porcine adipose tissue and may regulate adipose tissue function. In the pig nutritional signals such as leptin are detected by the central nervous system (CNS) and translated by the neuroendocrine system into signals, which regulate appetite, hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release and subsequent luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. Furthermore, leptin directly affects LH secretion from the pituitary gland independent of CNS input. Changes in body weight or nutritional status are characterized by altered adipocyte function a reduction in adipose tissue leptin expression, serum leptin concentrations and a concurrent decrease in LH secretion. During pubertal development serum leptin levels, hypothalamic leptin receptor mRNA and estrogen-induced leptin gene expression in fat increased with age and adiposity in the pig and this occurred at the time of expected puberty. In the lactating sow serum and milk leptin concentrations were positively correlated with backfat thickness and level of dietary energy fed during gestation as well as feed consumption. Although, these results identify leptin as a putative signal that links metabolic status and neuroendocrine control of reproduction, other adipocyte protein products may play an important role in regulating the reproductive axis in the pig.     

Comment on "Abiotic pyrite formation produces a large Fe isotope fractionation"

Guilbaud et al. (Reports, 24 June 2011, p. 1548) suggest that the geologic record of Fe isotope fractionation can be explained by abiological precipitation of pyrite. We argue that a detailed understanding of the depositional setting, mineralogy, and geologic history of Precambrian sedimentary rocks indicates that the Fe isotope record dominantly reflects biological fractionations and Fe redox processes.     

Characterization of the Carbohydrates of Nonreduced Glutenin Fractionated by Multistacking SDS-PAGE from Two Hard Red Spring Wheat Flours

Native (nonreduced) glutenin aggregates of two hard red spring wheat flours (Len of good quality and line 205 of poor quality) containing the same high molecular weight glutenin subunits (2*, 7+9, and 5+10) were investigated for the possibility of glycosylation. Glutenins isolated by pH-precipitation were separated and purified under nonreducing conditions into five different molecular weight species by multistacking SDS-PAGE and by transfer to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes by electroblotting. Carbohydrate compositions of the total glutenin fraction and of the different molecular weight glutenin species separated on the stacking gels (4–12% acrylamide) were determined. More total carbohydrates were found in the total glutenin of the line 205 flour (2.33%) than in that of the Len flour (1.87%), with glucose and xylose contributing to the greater total amount in line 205. However, the total glutenin of Len had approximately twice as much of the total of arabinose, mannose, and galactose as line 205 had. After purification by electrophoresis, smaller amounts of monosaccharides (glucose, xylose, arabinose, galactose, and mannose) in the different molecular species were detected. After electroblotting to PVDF membrane to increase purification, no arabinoxylans were found. Following extraction of glutenin from membranes, the β-elimination procedure in mild base under reducing conditions was used. In that procedure, the mono- or oligosaccharide side chains are released from the protein core, and the sugars originally involved in the protein-sugar linkage are reduced to the sugar alcohol. After derivatization (with trimethylsilyl), samples were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Glucose, galactose, and a small amount of mannitol were found in most of the different glutenin aggregates, except that mannitol was not found in the 8% stacking gel glutenin fraction. The content of mannitol was greater in the higher molecular weight glutenin species at the 4 and 6% origins. These results support the hypothesis that the carbohydrates and protein in the glutenin macropolymer may be covalently linked.     

Evaluation of Deammonification Process by Response Surface Models

The influence of the operational variables on the Anammox process has been generally researched considering each variable separately. However, the optimization of the process also requires the identification of the more significant variables and their possible interactions. Response surface models were successfully applied to evaluate the performance of the Anammox process in a deammonification system (i.e., one-stage biofilm Anammox process) taking into account the combined effects caused by two sets of three variables. Specific Anammox activity was measured by a manometric method and used as the response variable. The obtained models pointed out that the significant variables were the temperature, the value of pH, and the ratio between the unionized species of the substrates (free ammonia and free nitrous acid (FA/FNA)). There were interactions among them caused by chemical equilibriums. Total nitrogen concentration and ammonium concentration were found to be not significant in the tested range. According to the models, the optimum values of temperature, pH, and free ammonia to free nitrous acid ratio within the test ranges were, respectively, 30°C, 7.0, and 0.3. Further research at higher temperatures and lower values of pH and FA/FNA ratios would be necessary in order to find the absolute optimum conditions for the process. The obtained model can be also useful in order to develop control strategies that take into account the significant variables and their optimum ranges. A strategy to control deammonification reactors has been proposed, according to the results of the modeling.     

Bioefficacy of Hen Feather Keratin Hydrolysate and Compost on Vegetable Plant Growth

ABSTRACT

The potential of keratin wastes originating from poultry farms in practical application as a valuable organic fertilizer, gives rise to the need for intensive study on their effect on plants. In this study, for the first time there has been examined the influence of hen feather keratin bio-hydrolysate (FKH) and hen feather keratin compost (FKC) on plant growth, and the following features that indicate the plant condition: the leaf chlorophyll content, the activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) enzymes. The results of pot experiments showed a potential plant growth promoting effect of FKH, applied as a leaf treatment and of FKC manure. Fertilization of tested plants with FKC resulted in significant increase of their fresh weight. There was no effect on plant biomass after FKH treatment. The stimulating effect on plant physiology was expressed by decreased PAL activity after FKC treatment, and enhanced GPX activity, after FKH and FKC treatment. The application of FKC as a manure gave better effects for the plant condition expressed by the activity of PAL and GPX in comparison with FKH spraying. The chlorophyll content did not prove to be an efficient parameter to evaluate the impact of FKH or FKC on white cabbage, tomato, and maize plant. However, a significant increase in the leaf chlorophyll a, b, and a+b concentration was observed in cucumber plant after FKC treatment. Among the tested plants, the cucumber has shown the most profitable effect of feather compost on plant growth.     

Cycloate,an inhibitor of fatty acid elongase,modulates the metabolism of very‐long‐side‐chain alkylresorcinols in rye seedlings

BACKGROUND: Cycloate inhibits the biosynthesis of very‐long‐chain fatty acids, the essential constituents of plant waxes and suberin. Fatty acids also serve as precursors of aliphatic carbon chains in resorcinolic lipids, which play a fundamental role in the plant defence system against fungal pathogens. In this study, the effect of cycloate on the biosynthesis of 5‐n‐alkylresorcinols in rye seedlings (Secale cereale L.) grown under various light and thermal conditions was examined. RESULTS: The content of alkylresorcinols biosynthesised in rye was generally increased by the herbicide in both green and etiolated plants. The presence of cycloate also affected patterns of alkylresorcinol homologues in plants grown at 15 and 22 °C; very‐long‐side‐chain compounds were less abundant, whereas both short‐chain saturated and unsaturated homologues were generally accumulated. No cycloate‐related effects caused by homologue pattern modifications were observed at elevated temperature. CONCLUSION: This study extends present understanding of the mode of action of thiocarbamate herbicides. Cycloate markedly affected the biosynthesis of very‐long‐side‐chain resorcinolic lipids in rye seedlings, confirming the existence of parallels in both fatty acid and alkylresorcinol biosynthetic pathways. The observed cycloate‐driven accumulation of 5‐n‐alkylresorcinols may improve the resistance of cereals to infections caused by microbial pathogens. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Tracing Pharmaceuticals in the Unsaturated Zone (10 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope   One of the first occurrences of pharmaceutically active compounds in groundwater was reported from the sewage irrigation farms south of Berlin. At these sewage irrigation farms treated sewage effluent passed the soil and unsaturated zone before reaching the aquifer. Clofibric acid was detected in pore water from soils of those sewage irrigation farms in concentrations between 65 ng/L and 1430 ng/L. The aim of this study was to investigate the transport behavior of regularly detected clofibric acid, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and propyphenazone under conditions comparable to those at the sewage irrigation farms in a multiple compound sand column laboratory experiment. Materials and Methods   Sediment column experiments were conducted to study the transport of pharmaceuticals in the unsaturated zone. The migration was measured in fine to medium grained sand and leaching solution containing 1 mg/L of pharmaceutically active compounds and 61 mg/L of the tracer lithium chloride (LiCl). For the analysis of the pharmaceutical compounds the water samples were adjusted to a pH value of 2 and then extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE). Before extraction, the samples were spiked with a surrogate standard for analytical quality control. The sample extracts were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with selected ion monitoring (SIM). Depending on the sample volume (100 to 200 mL) and the matrix, the limits of detection were between 1 and 10 ng/L, and the limits of quantitation were between 5 and 25 ng/L. Analysis for calcium, magnesium and lithium were carried out using a 'Trace Scan' ICP-AES from Thermo Jarrel Ash. Sodium, potassium, iron and manganese were analyzed using a Philips PU 9400 flame AAS. Analysis of anions was performed on a Dionex ion chromatograph DX 120. Results   At the sewage irrigation farms the average concentrations of clofibric acid in the unsaturated zone declined from higher values near ground surface (480 ng/L) to lower values near the groundwater table (65 ng/L). From the pharmaceuticals analyzed only clofibric acid, primidone and propyphenazone could be analyzed in the first (upper) aquifer at the sewage irrigation farms. All other pharmaceuticals could neither be detected in the first aquifer nor in the deeper aquifers. Breakthrough curves from soil column experiments revealed no transformation and no retardation for clofibric acid, whereas transformation of diclofenac was so high (79%) that no retardation factor could be calculated. Ibuprofen was significantly transformed (37%), transformation of propyphenazone (17%) was quite low and retardation (Rf = 2.05) was in the range of previously conducted column experiments. Discussion   The results confirm previously conducted experiments with clofibric acid where this compound was identified as highly mobile and persistent. The results that diclofenac and ibuprofen are significantly transformed where unexpected as other studies exhibited much lower transformation under saturated conditions at least for diclofenac. However, lower pH values and higher oxygen contents in the unsaturated zone compared to the aquifer may explain this observed high transformation of these compounds at the column experiments. Conclusions   We conclude that irrigation with sewage effluent containing the compounds used in our experiments will lead to an input into groundwater of clofibric acid, whereas diclofenac and ibuprofen will most likely be transformed during the passage. Propyphenazone will be retarded but will most likely occur in groundwater. These results from the column experiments coincide very well with the occurrence of the pharmaceuticals clofibric acid, primidone, and propyphenazone in the first aquifer. Recommendations and Perspective  : The results underline the need to study the sorption of pharmaceuticals on various materials. e.g. organic matter, surfaces at pH values occurring in the unsaturated zone. Future field studies will also include the investigation of desorption behavior in the unsaturated zone.     

Phosphonic analogues of morphactins. Part III: Peptides containing p-terminal 9-aminofluoren-9-ylphosphonic acid

Peptides of 9-aminofluoren-9-ylphosphonic or 1-aminocyclohexylphosphonic acids were synthesised and found to have typical morphactin activity when tested on Lepidium sativum and Triticum vulgare. The observed effects included root elongation with simultaneous stem shortening. The results obtained indicate that these phosphonic acid derivatives of cyclohexylamine and fluoren-9-ylamine may have a similar mechanism of action.