Arsenic-contaminated soils phytotoxicity studies with sunflower and sorghum

Background, Aim and Scope  Environmental pollution caused by arsenic (As) is a major ecological problem. There has been intense worldwide effort to find As-hyperaccumulating plants that can be used in phytoremediation—the green-plant-assisted removal of chemical pollutants from soils. For phytoremediation, it is natural to prefer cultivated rather than wild plants, because their agriculture is well known. This study was conducted to evaluate the tolerance of common sunflower(Helianthus annuus L.) and sugar sorghum(Sorghum saccharatum Pers.) for soil-As contents of 10–100 mg As kg^-1 soil, with sodium arsenite as a model contaminant. Methods  Plants were grown in a growth chamber for 30 days. Microfield experiments were conducted on experimental plots. To study the phytoremediation effect of the auxins indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), we treated 1- and 3-day-old plant seedlings with water solutions of the auxins (concentrations 10^-5, 10^-7, and 10^-9 g l^-1). The soil and plant-biomass samples were analyzed for total As by using the color reaction of ammonium molybdate with As. Results and Discussion  Phytotoxicity studies showed that 100 mg As kg^-1 soil poisoned sunflower and sorghum growth by 50%. There was a linear correlation between soil-As content and As accumulation in the plants. Laboratory experiments showed that the soil-As content was reduced two- to threefold after sunflower had been grown with 10–100 mg As kg^-1 soil for 30 days. Treatment of sunflower and sorghum seedlings with IAA and 2,4-D at a concentration of 10^-5 g l^-1 in microfield experiments enhanced the phytoremediation two- to fivefold as compared with untreated control plants. The best results were obtained with 3-day-old seedlings. Conclusion, Recommendation and Outlook  (a) Sunflower and sorghum are good candidates to remediate As-polluted soils. (b) Phytoremediation can be improved with IAA or 2,4-D. (c) Mixed cropping of sorghum and sunflower may be another way of improving phytoremediation.     

Plant extracts, spices, and essential oils inactivate Escherichia coli O157:H7 and reduce formation of potentially carcinogenic heterocyclic amines in cooked beef patties

Meats need to be heated to inactivate foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7. High-temperature treatment used to prepare well-done meats increases the formation of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs). We evaluated the ability of plant extracts, spices, and essential oils to simultaneously inactivate E. coli O157:H7 and suppress HCA formation in heated hamburger patties. Ground beef with added antimicrobials was inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 (10(7) CFU/g). Patties were cooked to reach 45 °C at the geometric center, flipped, and cooked for 5 min. Samples were then taken for microbiological and mass spectrometry analysis of HCAs. Some compounds were inhibitory only against E. coli or HCA formation, while some others inhibited both. Addition of 5% olive or apple skin extracts reduced E. coli O157:H7 populations to below the detection limit and by 1.6 log CFU/g, respectively. Similarly, 1% lemongrass oil reduced E. coli O157:H7 to below detection limits, while clove bud oil reduced the pathogen by 1.6 log CFU/g. The major heterocyclic amines 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) were concurrently reduced with the addition of olive extract by 79.5% and 84.3% and with apple extract by 76.1% and 82.1%, respectively. Similar results were observed with clove bud oil: MeIQx and PhIP were reduced by 35% and 52.1%, respectively. Addition of onion powder decreased formation of PhIP by 94.3%. These results suggest that edible natural plant compounds have the potential to prevent foodborne infections as well as carcinogenesis in humans consuming heat-processed meat products.     

Efficiency of Mesocosm-Scale Constructed Wetland Systems for Treatment of Sanitary Wastewater Under Tropical Conditions

Subsurface-flow constructed wetlands technology (SSFW) has been used successfully for treating sanitary wastewater throughout North America and Europe. However, treatment wetland technologies have not been used extensively in the tropics. To advance tropical studies, a pilot-scale SSFW was constructed on the campus of the University of the Atlantic in Barranquilla, Colombia. The systems performance was monitored from January to July of 2009. The treatment system consisted of a 760-L septic tank followed by three mesocsom-scale subsurface-flow constructed wetlands in parallel arrangement. Clarified wastewater was batch loaded to each unit at a rate of 53 L/m²/day to affect a hydraulic retention time of approximately 3 days. One of the treatment units served as a non-planted control (gravel only), while the other two treatment units were planted with either Eriochloa aristata or Eleocharis mutata. The objective of this study was to evaluate the comparative efficacy of the treatment units (planted vs. unplanted), with respect to their abilities to augment treatment of septic tank effluent (sanitary wastewater). Monitored parameters included plant biomass, oxidation?Creduction potential, chemical oxygen demand (COD), temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia?Cnitrogen (NH ₄ ⁺ ?CN) nitrate?C and nitrite?Cnitrogen (NO₃?CN, NO₂?CN), phosphates (PO ₄ ^? ), and coliform bacteria. Total biomass (dry matter) was 2.84 and 0.87 Kg/m² for E. aristata and E. mutata, respectively. Redox potential in the plant rizospheres averaged ?172 mV (±164.1) in E. aristata, 29 mV (±251.1) in E. mutata, and 32 mV (±210.5) in the unplanted control. COD removal was superior in planted vs. non-planted systems (>75% vs. 47%). Ammonia and total phosphorus removal averaged 69% and 85%, respectively, in planted systems versus 31% and 59% in the unplanted system. Removal of total and fecal coliforms averaged 96%. Results of this pilot study revealed that SSFW technology in the tropics can provide significant removal of organic matter, nutrients, and bacteria from clarified sanitary wastewater.     

Quantification of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab protein in tissues of YieldGard (MON810) corn hybrids tested at multiple field locations in India

Transgenically expressed Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal-protein Cry1Ab was quantified in target tissues of insect feeding of several YieldGard^® corn hybrids. The Cry1Ab protein is intended to protect corn plants from two economically important stem borers, Chilo partellus and Sesamia inferens. A total of seven YieldGard hybrids, all with MON810 event, were field-tested in a total of fourteen locations during the dry season (October–March) of 2005/2006 and wet season (May–October) of 2006. S. inferens and C. partellus oviposit on leaves of young corn plants, 15–60 days after emergence (DAE). The neonates initially feed by scraping the leaf lamina before migrating to bore into the stem. Thus high concentrations of Cry1Ab in whorl leaf and stem tissues would ensure effective control of the borers. The mean tissue Cry1Ab concentrations during the oviposition window of the borers (15–60 DAE), ranged from 50.05 to 21.01 ppm in whorl leaf, and between 9.26 and 3.47 ppm in stem tissue during the same period in the dry season of 2005/06. Similarly, Cry1Ab concentrations in whorl leaf and stem between 15 and 60 DAE during the wet season of 2006 ranged between 19.30 to 11.08 and 14.28 to 4.69 ppm, respectively. The baseline-sensitivity data of these insects to Cry1Ab in laboratory assays was determined. The concentrations of Cry1Ab in the target tissues as studied in seven YieldGard hybrids tested suggest effective management of the two borers. This paper also provides a summary of the expression of the Cry1Ab gene in various genetic backgrounds.     

An in vivo map of the yeast protein interactome

Protein interactions regulate the systems-level behavior of cells; thus, deciphering the structure and dynamics of protein interaction networks in their cellular context is a central goal in biology. We have performed a genome-wide in vivo screen for protein-protein interactions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by means of a protein-fragment complementation assay (PCA). We identified 2770 interactions among 1124 endogenously expressed proteins. Comparison with previous studies confirmed known interactions, but most were not known, revealing a previously unexplored subspace of the yeast protein interactome. The PCA detected structural and topological relationships between proteins, providing an 8-nanometer-resolution map of dynamically interacting complexes in vivo and extended networks that provide insights into fundamental cellular processes, including cell polarization and autophagy, pathways that are evolutionarily conserved and central to both development and human health.     

Arsenic-contaminated soils genetically modified<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> spp. and their arsemc-phytoremediation potential

Sorghum was inoculated withPseudomonas bacteria, including strains harboring an As-resistance plasmid, pBS3031, to enhance As-extraction by the plants.Pseudomonas strains (P.fluorescens 38a, P.putida 53a, and P.aureofaciens BS1393) were chosen because they are antagonistic to a wide range of phyto-pathogenic fungi and bacteria, and they can stimulate plant growth. The resistance of natural rhizospheric pseudomonads to sodium arsenite was assessed. Genetically modifiedPseudomonas strains resistant to As(III)/As(V) were obtained via conjugation or transformation. The effects of the strains on the growth of sorghum on sodium-arsenite-containing soils were assessed. The conclusions from this study are: (1) It is possible to increase the survivability of sorghum growing in sodium-arsenite-containing soil by using rhizosphere pseudomonads. (2) The presence of pBS3031 offers the strains a certain selective advantage in arsenite-contaminated soil. (3) The presence of pBS3031 impairs plant growth, due to the As-resistance mechanism determined by this plasmid: the transformation of the less toxic arsenate into the more toxic, plant-root-available arsenite by arsenate reductase and the active removal of arsenite from bacterial cells. (4) Such a mechanism makes it possible to develop a bacteria-assisted phytoremediation technology for the cleanup of As-contaminated soils and is the only possible way of removing the soil-sorbed arsenates from the environment.     

Role of carbohydrate reserves in yield production of intensively cultivated oil olive (Olea europaea L.) trees

Olive (Olea europaea) has a very high tendency for year-to-year deviation in yield (alternate bearing), which has a negative economic impact on the olive oil industry. Among possible reasons for alternate bearing, depletion of stored carbohydrates (CHO) during the On-year (high yield) has often been mentioned. The objective of the present study was to verify the role of CHO reserves, as a cause or effect, in the alternate bearing of intensively cultivated olives. A monthly survey of soluble sugar and starch concentrations in the leaves, branches, bark and roots of On- and Off-trees (cv. Barnea) was carried out during a complete reproductive cycle from November 2005 to October 2006. Carbohydrate concentration in the sapwood was determined in January, as well as an estimate of whole-tree biomass. The trunk and limbs possess the largest portion of CHO reserves. The influence of reduced fruit load on CHO reserves was also investigated. Starch, mannitol and sucrose concentrations increased from December to March in all tissues, and then declined along with fruit development. Leaves, branches and bark have a significant role in CHO storage, whereas roots accumulated the lowest CHO concentrations. However, fluctuations in reserve content suggested considerable involvement of roots in the CHO budget. Nevertheless, there were no meaningful differences in the annual pattern of CHO concentration between On- and Off-trees. Even a 75-100% reduction in fruit number brought about only a minor, sluggish increase in CHO content, though this was more pronounced in the roots. Carbohydrate reserves were not depleted, even under maximum demands for fruit and oil production. It is concluded that in olives, the status of CHO reserves is not a yield determinant. However, they may play a significant role in the olive's survival strategy, ensuring tree recovery in the unpredictable semiarid Mediterranean environment. This suggests that CHO reserves in olive act like an active sink, challenging the common concept regarding the regulation of CHO reserves in plants.