High bioremediation potential of strain Chenggangzhangella methanolivorans CHL1 for soil polluted with metsulfuron-methyl or tribenuron-methyl in a pot experiment.

Soil contamination caused by long-term application of metsulfuron-methyl and tribenuron-methyl has become an issue of increasing concern. In our previous study, strain Chenggangzhangella methanolivorans CHL1, capable of efficiently degrading sulfonylurea herbicides, was isolated. Here, the bioremediation potential of strain CHL1 was assessed for soil polluted with metsulfuron-methyl or tribenuron-methyl in a pot experiment.

Limits to sustained energy intake. XVIII. Energy intake and reproductive output during lactation in Swiss mice raising small litters.

Limits to sustained energy intake (SusEI) during lactation in Swiss mice have been suggested to reflect the secretory capacity of the mammary glands. However, an alternative explanation is that milk production and food intake are regulated to match the limited growth capacity of the offspring. In the present study, female Swiss mice were experimentally manipulated in two ways - litter sizes were adjusted to be between 1 and 9 pups and mice were exposed to either warm (21°C) or cold (5°C) conditions from day 10 of lactation.

[Identification and degradation capability of three pyrene-degrading Gordonia sp. strains].

Three pyrene-degrading bacterial strains named D44, D82S and D82Q were isolated from PAHs-contaminated soil in Shenfu Irrigation Area of Shenyang, Northeast China. The strains were identified as Gordonia sp., based on the morphological observation, physiological and biochemical identification, and phylogenetical analysis of 16S rDNA sequences.

[Isolation and identification of a highly efficient pyrene-degrading Mycobacterium sp. strain N12].

By using selective enrichment method, a highly efficient pyrene-degrading bacterium strain N12 was isolated from an oil-contaminated soil collected from Shenfu irrigation area of Shenyang. Based on the physiological and biochemical characteristics and the phylogenetic similarity of 16S rDNA gene sequence, the strain N12 was identified as Mycobacterium sp. , which could utilize phenanthrene, acenaphthene, fluorine, and pyrene, but not anthracene, naphthalene, and benzo (a)pyrene as the sole carbon and energy source.

Assessing the effects of acetochlor on soil fungal communities by DGGE and clone library analysis.

We assessed the potential eco-toxicological risks of the herbicide acetochlor on fungal communities in the microcosm of black soil using 28S rRNA gene-PCR-DGGE and clone library analysis. The acetochlor was applied to black soil at four concentrations (0-control, 50, 150, and 250 mg/kg). The DGGE fingerprint patterns indicated that acetochlor stimulated fungal communities at day 7 after application, after which there was a suppression effect.

[Microbial degradation of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and its relations to soil bacterial population diversity].

A laboratory simulation test was conducted to study the microbial remediation of soils contaminated by medium and low concentration polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the relationships between the degradation of PAHs and the inoculated and indigenous microbes. The addition of high-effective PAHs-degrading bacteria promoted the biodegradation of soil PAHs, and the effect was remarkable in the first two weeks. The biodegradation of test PAHs was phenanthrene < anthracene < pyrene < benzo [a] pyrene < chrysene, and negatively correlated with the diversity/abundance of soil bacterial population.

[Relationship between soil fungistasis and bacterial community structure].

As a natural attribute of clean and healthy soil, fungistasis is an important indicator of soil quality, and has positive ecological significance to the inhibition of plant disease eruption caused by soil-borne fungal pathogens. In this study, soil samples (0-15 cm) were collected from the abandoned land at Shenyang Experimental Station of Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to which pesticides and fertilizers have never been applied for nearly 10 years. A series of soil samples with gradient fungistasis was obtained by heating (CK, 100 degrees C, 110 degrees C, and 121 degrees C for 4 min, respectively), and bacterial community structure was analyzed by Polymerase Chain Reaction coupled with Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis method (PCR-GGGE).

Identification of ssDNA aptamers specific for anti-neuroexcitation peptide III and molecular modeling studies: insights into structural interactions.

Twelve ssDNA aptamers specific for a novel recombinant anti-neuroexcitation peptide (ANEPIII) were identified using the SELEX method from a 79-nucleotide ssDNA pool to purify ANEPIII in a more efficient way. To further understand the binding modes between ssDNA and ANEPIII, fully flexible dinucleotides were docked onto the homology-modeled ANEPIII structure. AutoDocking identified favorable binding sites on ANEPIII for nucleotides, which was valuable for designing more potent ligands.

Toxic effects of acetochlor, methamidophos and their combination on nifH gene in soil.

Toxic effects of two agrochemicals on nifH gene in agricultural black soil were investigated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing approaches in a microcosm experiment. Changes of soil nifH gene diversity and composition were examined following the application of acetochlor, methamidophos and their combination. Acetochlor reduced the nifH gene diversity (both in gene richness and diversity index values) and caused changes in the nifH gene composition.

[Effects of long-term heavy metals stress on farmland soil microbial population, biomass and activity].

An in situ investigation on the farmland soil heavy metals pollution caused by long-term irrigation with heavy metals containing wastewater was carried out in the Zhangshi Irrigation Area of Shenyang. The indices soil microbial population, biomass, and activity were used to evaluate the effects of long-term heavy metals pollution on farmland soil ecosystem. The results showed that in Zhangshi Irrigation Area, soils were heavily polluted by cadmium, with the cadmium content ranged from 1.

[Effects of long-term petroleum and heavy metals pollution on the diversity and community structure of Pesudomonas populations in agricultural soils].

By using PCR-DGGE method, this paper studied the diversity and community structure of Pseudomonas populations in long-term petroleum- and heavy metals-contaminated agricultural soils in Northeast China. The results showed that the Shannon diversity index of Pseudomonas was significantly higher in petroleum- than in heavy metals-contaminated soils. The diversity of Pseudomonas in petroleum-contaminated soil was approached to that in clean soil but lower than that in polluted lowland rice soil, suggesting that contaminant type and cultivation mode were the main factors affecting the diversity of Pseudomonas in agricultural soils.