Effect of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> concentrations on the activity of photosynthetic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> fixation and extracelluar carbonic anhydrase in the marine diatom <Emphasis Type="Italic">Skeletonema costatum</Emphasis>

The growth and activity of photosynthetic CO2 uptake and extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CAext) of the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum were investigated while cultured at different levels of CO2 in order to see its physio-logical response to different CO2 concentrations under either a low (30 靘ol·m-2·s-1) or high (210 靘ol·m-2·s-1) irradiance. The changes in CO2 concentrations (4—31 靘ol/L) affected the growth and net photosynthesis to a greater extent under the low than under the high light re-gime. CAext was detected in the cells grown at 4 mol/L CO2 but not at 31 and 12 靘ol/L CO2, with its activity being about 2.5-fold higher at the high than at the low irradiance. Photo- synthetic CO2 affinity (1/ K1/2(CO2)) of the cells de-creased with increased CO2 concentrations in culture. The cells cultured under the high-light show significantly higher photosynthetic CO2 affinity than those grown at the low-light level. It is concluded that the regulations of CAext activity and photosynthetic CO2 affinity are dependent not only on CO2 concentration but also on light availability, and that the de-velopment of higher CAext activity and CO2 affinity under higher light level could sufficiently support the photosyn-thetic demand for CO2 even at low level of CO2.     

Thermochemical studies of selenium

By using LKB2277 bioactivity monitor, we have studied the effect of Na₂SeO₃ on Bacillus subtilis Growth at two different media and found the antagonism of protein on its toxicity. Low concentration of Na₂SeO₃ has promoting action, and high concentration of Na₂SeO₃ has inhibitory action. Half inhibitory concentration (IC ₅₀) of BPY medium is 4.2×10⁻¹g/L, andIC ₅₀ of PD medium is 2.2×10⁻²g/L. Supported by the National Natural Science Fundation of China Yan Chengnong: born Apr. 1947, Associate professor. Now work at Jinzhou teachers collage     

Effect of Cl- on photosynthetic bicarbonate uptake in two cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechocystis PCC6803

Photosynthetic inorganic carbon utilization was investigated in two cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechocystis PCC6803 grown in standing culture. Photosynthetic rates for the two algae reached about 10 times the theoretical CO₂ supply rate at low dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of 100 μmol/L, and the rates were unaffected by the addition of 20 mmol/L Na⁺, indicating that the two algae possessed Na+-independent HCO^-₃ utilization for photosynthesis under low DIC. Their photo- synthetic rates at low DIC were inhibited by higher Cl^- and the degrees of inhibition were increased with the rise of CI^- concentration, and in the presence of Diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (DPC), a reported Cl^- channel inhibitor, the rates decreased by 74%－82%, implying that putative DPC-sensitive Cl^- channels participate in Na+-independent HCO₃^- uptake for photosynthesis. The experiment of intracellular 14C-DIC accumulation for photosynthesis showed that internal DIC pools decreased by about 80% with 200 μmol/L DPC and by 64%－70% with 100 mmol/L Cl^-. The experiment of chlorophyll a fluorescence quenching showed that initial rates and extents of fluorescence quenching obviously decreased with 200 μmol/L DPC or 100 mmol/L Cl^-. The two experiments gave further evidence that putative DPC-sen- sitive Cl^- channels participate in Na+-independent HCO^-₃ uptake for photosynthesis in the two algae grown in standing culture.     

Nitrogen-fixing inhibition by KCl in a blue-green algaAnabaena cylindrica

Growing in the medium containing 0.10 mol/L KCl for three days, the nitrogen-fixing activity ofAnabaena cylindrica decreased by 95%. Extent of the inhibition was enchanced with increased KCl concentrations. The biggest decrease of nitrogen-fixing activity was between 0.02–0.05 mol/L KCl. The same decline on growth was between 0.05–0.10 mol/L KCl. The longer treating-time was, the lower nitrogen-fixing activity was. A short time of KCl-treatment (for 4 h) resulted in 66.4% decrease of the activity. Under effecting of KCl for three days, the frequency of heterocyst differentiation decreased from 7.2% to 2.1%. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Yi Ping: born in 1974, Graduate student     

Cloning,expression and binding specificity analysis of odorant binding protein 3 of the lucerne plant bug, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adelphocoris lineolatus</Emphasis> (Goeze)

Credible evidence shows that odorant binding proteins (OBPs) are required for insect olfaction perception and play a key role in transporting hydrophobic odorants across the sensillum lymph to the olfactory receptors (ORs). In the present study, a novel OBP (AlinOBP3) gene from the lucerne plant bug, Adelphocoris lineolatus, was cloned and expressed. The expression pattern of AlinOBP3 was evaluated by qPCR, which indicated that AlinOBP3 was dominantly expressed in antennae. The binding properties of AlinOBP3 with 9 cotton volatiles and 5 sex pheromone analogs were measured by fluorescence competitive binding assays with the fluorescence probe 1-NPN. The results revealed that of 9 cotton volatiles, Myrcene, β-Ocimene and α-Phellandrene can bind with AlinOBP3. α-Phellandrene especially bound to AlinOBP3 with a high binding affinity, with a dissociation constant of 56.68 μmol/L. Of the 5 sex pheromone analogs, Hexyl butyrate had the strongest binding affinity with AlinOBP3, with a dissociation constant as 59.53 μmol/L. Butyl butyrate, trans-2-Hexenyl butyrate and Ethyl butyrate had medium binding affinities with AlinOBP3, with dissociation constants of 227.39, 108.77 and 143.47 μmol/L, respectively. The results suggest that AlinOBP3 might be a pheromone binding protein (PBP) with a dual-function for the perception of sex pheromones and plant volatiles.     

Synergistic effect of trace elements and flavonoids from Epimedium koreanum Nakai on primary osteoblasts

Several trace elements, particularly, manganese （Mn） and zinc （Zn）, are essential in bone metabolism as cofactors for specific enzymes. It has been reported that there exists the relationship between osteoporosis and trace element-deficiency and the efficacy of Ca, Mn and Zn supplementation on spinal bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Traditional Chinese medicines （TCM）, such as Herba epimedii, were proved to be effective for prevention of osteoprosis in vivo; however, the efficacy of the main constituents and/or crude extract was not ideal in vitro, which suggested that they may work in another way. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the combination of icariin and total flavonoids （TF） from Herba epimedii with mineral elements, which were abundant in Herba epimedii, would have a more beneficial effect on the viability and differentiation of primary osteoblasts than either agent alone, and to analyze the dada for a possible synergistic, additive or antagonistic effect. The combinations of 10 μmol/L Zn, Ca and Mn with icariin and total flavonoids greatly improved the cell viability and meanwhile dramatically enhanced the alkaline phosphatase activity as compared to each agent alone. On the other hand, an increased cell growth inhibition was also observed by combining 0.1 μmol/L, 1 pmol/L Zn with 10μmol/L icariin, and 10 μmol/L Mn with 0.06 μg/mL total flavonoids. Meanwhile a decreased alkaline phosphatase activity was also found in several icariin-Zn/Mn and total flavonoids-Zn/Ca/Mn combinations. These results suggested that mineral elements （Zn, Ca, Mn） greatly enhanced the efficacy of icariin and total flavonoids from Herba epimedii on the viability and differentiation of primary osteoblasts by certain combinations.     

Assaying poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity in plants by polarographic method

A new method has been developed to assay poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activity in plant tissues through determining the content of nicotinamide (NIC) produced by enzymatic reaction by linear sweeping polarographic method. The detection limit of NIC was 0.03μmol/L, the calibration graph was linear up to 5 Mmol/L ( r = 0.999). The recoveries were approximately in the range of 92% to 98% and the relative standard deviations were less than 6.6% . Moreover, NAD+ and other interference existing in the mixture after enzymatic reaction had been removed by simple pretreatment, thus PARP assays were not interfered. A rapid, simple, sensitive and reliable nonisotopic method is reported to assay PARP activity in plant tissues . The results show that the KmNAD+ value of PARP in maize ( Zea mays L.) seedlings is 59 and the optimum pH for PARP activity is 8.5. Moreover, physiological conditions affect PARP activity in plant tissues, which has not been reported previously. When tobacco ( Nico-tiana tobacum) suspension cells were stressed by NaCI at low concentrations (100, 200 mmol/ L), the PARP activity increased significantly; when the cells were stressed at high concentrations (400, 1 000 mmol/L), it decreased to or even below the control level. PARP activity in etiolated maize seedlings was higher than that in light-grown seedlings.     

Inhibition of bromophenols against PTP1B and anti-hyperglycemic effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhodomela confervoides</Emphasis> extract in diabetic rats

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B （PTPIB） plays an important role as a negative regulator In insulin signaling pathways. PTPIB is an effective target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Four bromophenol derivatives from red algae Rhodomela confervoides, 2,2＇,3,3＇-tetrabromo-4,4＇,5,5＇-tetrahydroxydiphenyl methane （1）, 3-bormo-4,5-bis（2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl） pyrocatechol （2）, bis（2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl） ether （3） and 2,2＇,3-tribromo-3＇,4,4＇,5-tetrahydroxy-6＇-ethyloxymethyldiphenylmethane （4） showed significant inhibitory activity against PTPIB （IC50 were 2.4, 1.7, 1.5 and 0.84 μmol/L, respectively） as potential therapeutical agents for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The anti-hyperglycemic effects of the ethanol extracts from If. confervoides on streptozotocin-induced diabetes （STZ-diabetes） in male Wistsr rats fed with high fat diet were investigated. The STZ-diabetic rats treated with medium-dose and high-dose alga extracts showed remarkable reductions in fasting blood glucose （FBG） as compared with the STZ-diabetic control. The results indicate that the in vivo anti-hyperglycemic activity of the R. confervoides extracts can be partially attributed to the inhibitory actions against PTPIB of the bromophenol derivatives and that may be of clinical Importance in improving the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus.     

Coral reef ecosystems in the South China Sea as a source of atmospheric CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in summer

Field measurements of air-sea CO2 exchange in three coral reef areas of the South China Sea (i.e. the Yongshu Reef atoll of the Nansha Islands, southern South China Sea (SCS); Yongxing Island of Xisha Islands, north-central SCS; and Luhuitou Fringing Reef in Sanya of Hainan Island, northern SCS) during the summers of 2008 and 2009 revealed that both air and surface seawater partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2) showed regular diurnal cycles. Minimum values occurred in the evening and maximum values in the morning. Air pCO2 in each of the three study areas showed small diurnal variations, while large diurnal variations were ob-served in seawater pCO2. The diurnal variation amplitude of seawater pCO2 was ~70 μmol mol–1 at the Yongshu Reef lagoon, 420–619 μmol mol–1 on the Yongxing Island reef flat, and 264–579 μmol mol–1 on the reef flat of the Luhuitou Fringing Reef, and 324–492 μmol mol–1 in an adjacent area just outside of this fringing reef. With respect to spatial relations, there were large differences in air-sea CO2 flux across the South China Sea (e.g. ~0.4 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Yongshu Reef, ~4.7 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Yongxing Island, and ~9.8 mmol CO2 m–2 d–1 at Luhuitou Fringing Reef). However, these positive values suggest that coral reef ecosystems of the SCS may be a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Additional analyses indicated that diurnal variations of surface seawater pCO2 in the shallow water reef flat are controlled mainly by biological metabolic processes, while those of deeper water lagoons and outer reef areas are regulated by both biological metabolism and hydrodynamic factors. Unlike the open ocean, inorganic metabolism plays a significant role in influencing seawater pCO2 variations in coral reef ecosystems.     

Involvement of Oxidative Stress and Down-Regulation of Bcl-2 in Arachidonic Acid-Induced Apoptosis in HUVECs

0IntroductionAraacicdhi,diosn fiocu ancidd p(reAdAo)m i,naanntelsys eantt itahle p sonl-y2u npsoastiutiroante doff actetl-ylular phospholipids . Normal free AAconcentrationin humanblood ranges from5 .8μmol/Lto 49 .3μmol/L[1].It is re-leased mostlythroughactivation of phospholipase A2by physi-ological and pathological sti muli[2]. Free AAcan be metabo-lizedinto various eicosanoids via specific enzymes such as cy-clooxygenases ( COX) , lipoxygenase and cytochromesP-450[3]. During AA met…     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> at a carbon paste electrode modified with a nickel (II)-5, 11, 17, 23-tetra-tert-butyl-25, 27-bis(Diethylcarbamoylmethoxy) calix[4] arene complex and its application

Electrochemical behavior of a carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with nickel(II)-5, 11, 17, 23-tetra-tert-butyl-25, 27-bis(diethylcarbamoylmethoxy) calix[4]arene (Ni (II)-L) complex and its electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide were investigated by cyclic voltammetric technique in a 5.0×10⁻² mol/L NaClO₄+1.0×10⁻³ mol/L NaOH solution. It was found that Ni(II)-L acts as an effective catalyst for the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide. The modified electrode exhibited a linear response over a hydrogen peroxide concentrations in the range of 2.0×10⁻⁵−1.0×10⁻⁴ mol/L with a detection limit as low as 1.0×10⁻⁶ mol/L. The relative standard deviation was 3.5% for 5 successive determinations of H₂O₂ at 1.0×10⁻⁵ mol/L. The modified electrode was used successfully in rainwater analysis. Foundation item: Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (98J040). Biography: Li Chun ya(1972-), Ph. D. candidate, research direction: electroanalysis and electrosynthesis.     

Photocatalytic degradation of trace-level of MicrocystinLR by nano-film of titanium dioxide

The occurrence of toxic water bloom of cyanobacte-ria algae, widely reported in eutrophic freshwater, hasbeen a serious pollution problem in recent years[1]. Mi-crocystins (MCs), the most common cyanobacteriatoxin with a cyclic heptapeptide structure (Fig…     

Effect of iron deficiency on heterocyst differentiation and physiology of the filamentous cyanobacterium<Emphasis Type="Italic">Anabaena</Emphasis> sp. PCC 7120

The effect of iron deficiency on heterocyst differentiation and some physiological properties of the filamentous cyanobacteriumAnabaena sp. PCC 7120 was investigated. Under moderate iron limitation conditions, achieved by addition of iron chelator 2, 2′-Dipyridyl (<80 μmol/L) led to delayed heterocyst differentiation, no heterocyst differentiation was observed under severe iron limitation conditions, when the concentration of 2,2′-Dipyridyl in the medium was more than 100 μmol/L. it seemed that there are certain iron-regulated genes or operons whose function is to control heterocyst development. In addition, iron deficiency impaired the growth. Low iron cells had a decrease in the quantities of pigment content (chlorophyll and phycocyanin content), the whole cellin vivo absorbance spectra confirmed the decrease, the protein electrophoretic profiles revealed that iron-deficient cells had less protein bands, with the increase of 2,2′-Dipyridyl, the protein bands was more and more less. And differently, iron deficiency also caused an increase of ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) and SOD activity, it suggests that iron deficiency led to oxidative stress, which generally occured under high-iron conditions. Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (30070154), the Frontier Science Projects Programme of the Institute of Hydrobiology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (220316), State Key Project on Cyanobacterial Bloom Control in Lake Danchi (K9905-35-01) Biography: Xu Wenllang (1974-), male, Ph. D. research direction: molecular genetics of eyanobacteria.     

Composition dependence of viscosity for Al（1-x）Mgx（0≤x≤0. 10） alloys

Viscosities of molten Al（1-x）Mgx（0≤x≤0. 10 alloys have been measured in the temperature range of 973 K--1173 K by a torsional oscillation cup method. The viscosity dependence on temperature for Al（1-x）Mgx（0≤x≤0. 10 melts obeys Arrhenius equation. The viscosity increases with increasing magnesium concentration in the investigated system. There is an important relationship between viscosity and its glass-forming ability for metallic melt.     

Synergistic defensive mechanism of phytochelatins and antioxidative enzymes in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica chinensis</Emphasis> L. against Cd stress

Brassica chinensis L. was chosen and exposed to different concentrations of Cd exposure to evaluate its Cd-accumulating capacity and its potential cellular defensive mechanisms. Cd accumulation in the shoots and roots of B. chinensis was up to 1348.3±461.8 and 3761.0±795.0 mg per killogram of dry weight, respectively, under 200 μmol/L of Cd exposure. Increasing Cd accumulation in the plant was accompanied by rapid accumulation of phytochelatins （PCs）, and the sequestration of Cd by PCs provided a primary cellular mechanism for Cd detoxification and tolerance of B. chinensis. Furthermore, malondialdehyde formation, hydrogen peroxide content and antioxidative enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, guaiacol peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase were observed in the shoots of Cd-stressed B. chinensis. Increasing enzyme activities in response to concentrations of 5 to 50 μmol/L Cd showed an efficient defense against oxidative stress, suggesting that the antioxidative system was a secondary defensive mechanism. These resulted in reduced free Cd damage and enhanced Cd accumulation and tolerance. Glutathione plays a pivotal role in these two detoxification pathways. In general, these results suggested that PCs and the antioxidative system are synergistic in combatting Cd-induced oxidative stress and that they play important roles in Cd detoxification of B. chinensis, and also give a deep understanding of the natural defensive mechanisms in plants under heavy metal stress.     

Pinacidil,a K<Subscript>atp</Subscript> channel opener,identified as a novel agonist for TRPA1

The transient receptor potential Ankyrin 1(TRPA1) cation channel is activated by various pungent and irritant compounds,and it also mediates the perception of noxious cold.Identification of different agonists for this channel is important for understanding its activation mechanism.Therefore,a screen for novel TRPA1 agonists was performed using an agonist-induced calcium influx assay.Out of 90 compounds screened,pinacidil was identified as a novel agonist for this channel.Pinacidil is a known opener of the K atp channel,for which it has an EC50 value of 1-3 μmol/L.In comparison,the EC50 value of pinacidil for TRPA1 is relatively high(260 μmol/L).Recombinant HEK-TRPA1 cells did not respond to P1075,another K atp channel opener,suggesting that the effect of pinacidil on TRPA1 was highly specific.Further studies revealed that the agonist activity of pinacidil could be blocked by the TRP channel inhibitors,ruthenium red and HC-030031.Using glutathione(GSH) and site-specific mutagenesis,we demonstrated that pinacidil could activate TRPA1 by covalent modification of the critical amino acids C619,C639 and C663 in the N-terminus of TRPA1.     

Effect of cadmium and herbicides on the growth,chlorophyll and soluble sugar content in rice seedlings

To investigate the combined effects of Cd^2＋ （ 0,10,100,500 μmol/L） , acetochlor （AC） （0,1.6,4.0,8.0μmol/L）, and bensulfuronmethyl （BSM） （ 0,0.16,0.40,0.80 μmol/L） on the biomass,leaf soluble sugar, total chlorophyll （chl） content, chl a/b ratio, and Cd content in roots and shoots in the rice seedlings, pot culture experiments were conducted with rice （Oryza sativa L. ） cultivar Jinyou 402. The results showed that the Cd and AC combined treatment （Cd＋ AC treatment） significantly inhibited the growth of the roots and shoots. The root dry weight/shoot dry weight （RDW/SDW） ratio, total chlorophyll content and chl a/b ratio decreased by 41%, 50%, 56% , respectively, in comparison with the control, as well as the leaf soluble sugar content, plant dry weight /plant fresh weight （PDW/PFW） ratio increased by 284% and 44% , respectively. Cd content in the roots and shoots had a decreasing tendency with the increasing concentration of AC under the Cd＋AC treatment. The Cd and BSM combined treatment （Cd＋BSM treatment） had a similar result to the Cd＋AC treatment. The results suggest that the toxicity of Cd to rice seedlings has been enhanced due to its combination with herbicides.     

Seasonal variation and sources of low molecular weight organic acids in precipitation in the rural area of Anshun

Low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids are important and ubiquitous chemical constituents in the atmosphere. A comprehensive study of the chemical composition of precipitation was carried out from June 2007 to June 2008 at a rural site in Anshun, in the west of Guizhou Province, China. During this period, 118 rainwater samples were collected and the main LMW carboxylic acids were determined using ion chromatography. The average pH of rainwater was 4.89 which is a typical acidic value. The most abundant carboxylic acids were formic acid (volume weight mean concentration: 8.77 μmol L⁻¹) and acetic acid (6.90 μmol L⁻¹), followed by oxalic acid (2.05 μmol L⁻¹). The seasonal variation of concentrations and wet deposition fluxes of organic acids indicated that direct vegetation emissions were the main sources of the organic acids. Highest concentrations were observed in winter and were ascribed to the low winter rainfall and the contribution of other air pollution sources northeast of the study area. The ratio of formic and acetic acids in the precipitation ([F/A] _T ) was proposed as an indicator of pollution source. This suggested that the pollution resulted from direct emissions from natural or anthropogenic sources. Comparison with acid precipitation in other urban and rural areas in Guizhou showed that there was a decreasing contribution of LMW organic acids to free acidity and all anions in rainwater from urban to remote rural areas. Consequently, it is necessary to control emissions of organic acids to reduce the frequency of acid rain, especially in rural and remote areas.     

Study of the voltammetric behavior of heme and its direct analysis application

The electroanalytical method of ferriheme was studied by linear sweep voltammetry in medium of 0.05 mol/L Tris+0.05 mol/L NH₃−NH₄Cl buffer at hang mercury drop electrodes (HMDE). Heme exhibits two pair reversible redox peaks and one irreversible peak. The cathodic peak potentials are−;0.236 V, −0.422 V and −1.408 V respectively. The first and the third peaks can be used for directly quantitative determination of heme concentrations. The peak currents are good linear relationship with heme concentration in ranges of 3×10⁻⁶–6×10⁻⁵ mol/L and 3×10⁻⁷–1.5×10⁻⁵ mol/L respectively. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Lju Huihong: born in 1965, Lecturer. Visiting scholar from Xiangyang Teacher’s College, Hubei, 441053     

Inhibition of DNA restrictive endonucleases and Taq DNA polymerase by trimalonic acid C60

Activities of trimalonic acid fullerene (TMA C_60) on DNA restrictive enzymatic reaction were investigated by using two restrictive endonucleases Hind III and EcoR I and plasmid pEGFP-N1 with single restric-tive site for both enzymes. Meanwhile, TMA C60 was also tested to clarify its effects on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the catalyst of Taq DNA polymerase and the template of plasmid pEGFP-N1. The products from restrictive reactions or PCR were detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. It was found that the product amounts from restrictive reactions or PCR decreased significantly with addition of TMA C60. The inhibition by TMA C60 was dose-dependent and IC50 values for reactions of Hind III, EcoR I and PCR were 16.3, 6.0 and 6.0 μmol/L, respectively. Addition of two scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS), L-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate ester magnesium and sodium azide at the con-centrations of 2―10 mmol/L did not antagonize the activities of TMA C60 against PCR and two restrictive reactions. However, increase of Taq DNA polymerase amounts in PCR system antagonized the activities of TMA C60. These data implied that TMA C60 was able to inhibit the activities of the three above-mentioned enzymes involved in DNA metabolism, and that this inhibition probably did not correlate to ROS.