The composition and distribution of metal clusters in the MoFe protein from a nifZ deletion strain （DJ 194） of Azotobacter vinelandii

Through the anaerobic chromatography on the columns of DEAE 52, Q-Sepharose and Sephacryl S-200, a nitrogenase MoFe protein (△nifZ Av1) was obtained from a nifZ deleted mutant of Azotobacter vinelandii (stain DJ194).The results of Western blotting after anoxic native electrophoresis and SDS-PAGE showed that △nifZ Av1 was similar to wild type MoFe protein (OP Av1) at the electrophoretic mobility, molecular weight and subunit composition. Furthermore, △nifZ Avl was also similar to OP Av1 at the molybdenum content, EPR signal (g≈4.3, 3.65 and 2.01), and the molar extinction coefficient (△ε) of circular dichroism (CD)at 660 nm region. All of these indicated that, besides having the same α2β2 composition as OP Av1, the △nifZ Av1 also contained equal amount of reductive FeMoco in the spin state of S=3/2 to OP Av1. However, the iron content and substrate (C2H2, H^ and N2)-reduction activity of △nifZ Av1 were 74% and 46%-50% of those of OP Av1, respectively. Furthermore, the △ε at around 450 nm, which reflects P-cluster in Av1, was obviously lower than that of OP Av1. It suggested that the difference between △nifZ Avl and OP Av1 resulted from P-cluster rather than FeMoco, and from the half number of P-cluster in △nifZ Av1, but the composition or redoxstate of P-cluster in △nifZ Av1 were not changed. Thus it could propose that △nifZ Av1 is composed of two different αβsubunit pairs. One is a FeMoco-and P-cluster-containing pair, and the other is a P-cluster-deficient but FeMoco-containing pair. Since the deletion of nifZ gene leads to the deficiency of only one of two P-clusters in a α2β2 tetramer, the assembly of P-cluster may not simply depend on one gene product, and so a possible mechanism of NifZ is supposed here.     

Identification of a protein associated with circulative transmission of Barley yellow dwarf virus from cereal aphids, Schizaphis graminum and Sitobion avenae

Using 2-D electrophoresis and virus overlay assay,a 50-kDa protein(P50)exhibiting specific binding to purified virus particles of BYDV-GAV was found in the protein extracts from Schizaphis graminum and Sitobion avenae,two aphid species transmiting BYDV-GAV.P50 in the extracts of S.graminum was isolated by preparation electrophoresis and electro-eluted proteins from the gel slices for antiserum preparation.After feeding the antiserum through membrane,the transmission efficiencies of S.graminum and S.avenae for BYDV-GAV decreased significantly.It was suggested that P50 should be related with transmission process.Location of P50 was found at the plasma membrane surrounding the accessory salivary gland(ASG) in the head tissues of S.graminum by immunogold-labelling experiment.The ascertainment of the protein associated with virus transmission has a significance influence on further understanding the transmission mechanism and genetic engineering for resistant to vector transmission.     

Inducible expression pattern of rice Bowman-Birk inhibitor gene<Emphasis Type="Italic">OsWIP1-2</Emphasis> and its protease inhibitory activity

The WIP1-2 gene was cloned from rice. It be-longs to the Bowman-Birk inhibitor gene family. Northernblot showed that expression of this gene was induced bywounding and jasmonic acid (JA). It indicates that the OsWIPI gene plays an important role in the rice defense sys-tem. The OsWIP1-2 was cloned into pET28a and expressed inE. coli. Its expressed product was purified in the form offusion protein and tested for the inhibitory activities againsttrypsin and chymotrypsin. It was found that the fusion pro-tein could inhibit chymotrypsin, but not trypsin. It was alsofound that the His tag at its C-terminal affected its inhibitoryactivity significantly. The fusion protein with a naturalC-terminal had the inhibitory activity, while no inhibitoryactivity was detected in the fusion protein with a (His)6-tag atits C-terminal. This implies that extra amino acid residues atthe C-terminal of OsWIP1-2 may interfere with its correctfolding. The inhibitory assay indicated that the members ofrice Bowman-Birk inhibitor gene family probably differenti-ated both in their structure and function.     

Nucleotide sequence of RNA2 and polyprotein processing sites of a Chinese isolate of broad bean wilt virus 2

RNA2 of broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV2) isolate B935 is composed of 3601 nucleotide (nt) residues, exclusive of the polyadenylate at the 3' end. Only one of the six possible reading frames has a long open reading frame, which extends from nt 231 to nt 3428 in the polarity of encapsidated RNA, and encodes a polyprotein of 119 kD. The N-terminus of the large coat protein (LCP) is located at 599 nt and the small coat protein (SCP) at 197 nl from the C-terminus of the 119 kD protein, which suggests that the coat proteins are released from the polyprotein by cleavages of a glulamine-glycine (Q-G) and a glutamine-alanine (Q-A) bond respectively. The sequence comparison of B935 with fabaviruses shows that B935 has very high sequence homology with other BBWV2 isolates and with patchoul' mild mosaic virus, but has lower homology with BBWV1 isolates. B935 has a similar genomic organization, but a low sequence homology to RNA2 molecules of comoviruses and nepoviruses.     

Characterization of an endo-1,4-β-glucanase from Lilium longiflorum that functioned in pollen germination and pollen tube growth

Endo-β-glucanases play vital roles in the regulation of pollen tube growth. Here, a previously identified endo-1,4-β-glucanase from Lilium longiflorum (lily), named LlpCel1, was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and further investigated for its physiological function. The recombinant LlpCel1 protein hydrolyzed carboxy-methylcellulose (CMC) and exhibited activity towards laminarin from Eisenia. arborea and 1,3:1,4-β-glucan of barley. The pH for the optimum activity was 6.0 and the value of Km calculated from CMC was 5.0 mg/mL. Adding EDTA resulted in the total loss of the enzymatic activity, and this effect could be restored by the addition of Ca2 . Western blotting analysis showed that LlpCel1 protein was present in pollen grains and rehydrated pollen grains, and the amount of the protein was increased during pollen germinating, but not in the pollen tube. Consistently, the immunofluorescence labeling study with the antibody against LlpCel1 also indicated the presence of LlpCel1 at the begin-ning of germination, but not in the elongating pollen tube. Furthermore, incubation of LlpCel1 with pollen at the beginning of pollen germination increased the germination percentage and the length of pollen tube. All of these results suggested that LlpCel1 could play an important role in the regulation of lily pollen germination and the initiation of pollen tube growth.     

Analysis of active sites for N2 and H^＋ reduction on FeMo-cofactor of nitrogenase

Dinitrogen (N2) and proton (H ),which act as physiological substrates of nitrogenase,are reduced on FeMo-co of the MoFe protein. However,researchers have different opinions about their exact reduction sites. Nitrogenases were purified from the wild type (WT) and five mutants of Azotobacter vinelandii (Av),including Qα191K,Hα195Q,nifV-,Qα191K/nifV- and Hα195Q/nifV-; and the activities of these en-zymes for N2 and H reduction were analyzed. Our results suggest that the Fe2 and Fe6,atoms closed to the central sulfur atom (S2B) within FeMo-co,are sites for N2 binding and reduction and the Mo atom of FeMo-co is the site for H reduction. Combining these data with further bioinformatical analysis,we propose that two parallel electron channels may exist between the 8Fe7S cluster and FeMo-co.     

Disease-tolerance of transgenic tobacco plants expressing Ah-AMP gene of Amaranthus hypochondriacus

An antimicrobial peptide gene from Amaranthus hypochondriacus, Ah-AMP, was amplified by PCR and cloned. Sequence analysis results revealed that this gene is 261 bp in length encoding a precursor polypeptide of 87 amino acid residues. Ah-AMP gene was inserted in the binary vector pBin438 to construct a plant expression vector pBinAH916. Leave explants of Nicotiana tabacum var. SR1 were transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 harboring the above expression vector. Results from PCR, Southern and Northern blot analyses confirmed that the Ah-AMP gene had been integrated into the tobacco genome and was transcribed at mRNA level. Two bacterial-resistant transgenic plants were selected by inoculating the plants with Pseudomonas solanacearum and statistic analysis of two T1 lines showed that the resistance increased by 2.24 and 1.62 grade and the disease index decreased by 49.6% and 37.3% respectively when compared with the non-transformed control plants SR1. The results from challenging the plants with inoculums of Phytophthora parasitica showed that the symptom development was delayed and disease index was significantly reduced. These results suggest that Ah-AMP gene may be a potentially valuable gene for genetic engineering of plant for disease-resistance.     

Carbon deposition in porous nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia anode under methane atmosphere

A commercial solid oxide fuel cell with a Ni/YSZ anode was characterized under a pure methane atmosphere. The amount of deposited carbon increased with an increase in temperature but decreased when the temperature exceeded 700°C. The reactivity of carbon decreased with increasing deposition temperature. Filamentous carbon was deposited from 400 to 600°C, whereas flake carbon was deposited at 700 and 800°C. With increasing temperature, the intensity ratio of the D band over the sum of the G and D bands was constant at the beginning and then decreased with the transformation of the carbon morphology. The crystallite size increased from 2.9 to 13 nm with increasing temperature. The results also indicated that the structure of the deposited carbon was better ordered with increasing deposition temperature. In comparison with pure Ni powders, the interaction between the YSZ substrate and Ni particles could not only modify the carbon deposition kinetics but also reduce the temperature effect on the structure and reactivity variation of carbon.     

Characterization of an endo-1,4-β-glucanase from Lilium longiflorum that functioned in pollen germination and pollen tube growth

Endo-β-glucanases play vital roles in the regulation of pollen tube growth. Here, a previously identified endo-l,4-β-glucanase from Lilium Iongiflorum （lily）, named LlpCell, was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and further investigated for its physiological function. The recombinant LlpCell protein hydrolyzed carboxy-methylcellulose （CMC） and exhibited activity towards laminarin from Eisenia. arborea and 1,3：l,4-β-glucan of barley. The pH for the optimum activity was 6.0 and the value of Km calculated from CMC was 5.0 mg/mL. Adding EDTA resulted in the total loss of the enzymatic activity, and this effect could be restored by the addition of Ca^2＋. Western blotting analysis showed that LlpCell protein was present in pollen grains and rehydrated pollen grains, and the amount of the protein was increased during pollen germinating, but not in the pollen tube. Consistently, the immunofluorescence labeling study with the antibody against LIpCell also indicated the presence of LIpCell at the begin-ning of germination, but not in the elongating pollen tube. Furthermore, incubation of LlpCell with pollen at the beginning of pollen germination increased the germination percentage and the length of pollen tube. All of these results suggested that LlpCell could play an important role in the regulation of lily pollen germination and the initiation of pollen tube growth.     

Mechanistic Details of Surface Reactions in Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Processes

1 Results The reaction mechanisms of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes used for thin-film growth have been characterized by a combination of surface sensitive techniques. Our early studies focused on the deposition of TiN films from TiCl4 and ammonia,starting with the independent characterization of each of the two half steps comprising the ALD process. It was found that exposure of the substrate to TiCl4 leads to the initial deposition of titanium in the 3 oxidation state; only at a later stage most of the Ti atoms retain the 4 state expected for molecular TiCl4. The Cl:Ti final ratio at the end of the TiCl4 deposition was found to reach a value of≈3.5,indicating some chlorine removal. Subsequent treatment with ammonia removes most of the remaining Cl and deposits the required nitrogen,as expected,but some chlorine is still seen on the surface,most likely because of HCl readsorption. The buildup of thicker films was then tested by performing multiple cycles with alternating exposures to TiCl4 and NH3. Similar films could be deposited on glass and on W,Ni and Cu foils. Interestingly,depth-profiling studies show that the resulting films consist of a Ti3N4 layer on top of TiN. This suggests that the reduction of titanium takes place during the exposure of the surface to TiCl4,not NH3,and that it is the first reaction of the cycle the rate limiting in the whole ALD process. Additional work was performed aimed at identifying the origin of the oxygen contamination often seen in these films. Incorporation of water or oxygen from the background was ruled out,and diffusion of oxygen from the substrate was proposed.Similar conclusions were reached from studies with TaCl5. In particular,partial reduction of the tantalum atoms is seen in the initial stages of the TaCl5 uptake,suggesting again precursor disproportionation rather than reaction with ammonia as the mechanism for Ta3 formation. A signal likely due to tantalum oxide is seen in the XPS spectra,but ammonia treatments do lead to the replacement of most of the chlorine by nitrogen. The oxide signal is the last to be removed upon sputtering,suggesting that the oxide layer may form at the interface between the substrate and the growing TaN film.     

Characterization of a nitrogenase CrFe protein from a mutant UW3 of Azotobacter vinelandii grown on a Cr-containing medium

Biological nitrogen fixation is one of the most im-portant biochemical reactions in nature. It is catalyzed by an anaerobic metalloenzyme complex-nitrogenase. Three genetically distinct nitrogenase systems exist in Azotobacter vinelandii (A. vinelandii): Mo-containing nitrogenase, V-containing one and “Fe only” nitro-genase[1―4]. They are composed of two separable com-ponent proteins. For example, conventional Mo-con- taining nitrogenase is composed of component I (MoFe protein) and com…     

Identification of the V factor needed for synthesis of the iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase as homocitrate

Nitrogenase catalyses the ATP-dependent reduction of N2 to NH3, and is composed of two proteins, dinitrogenase (MoFe protein or component I) and dinitrogenase reductase (Fe protein or component II). Dinitrogenase contains a unique prosthetic group (iron-molybdenum cofactor, FeMoco) comprised of Fe, Mo and S, which has been proposed as the site of N2 reduction. Biochemical and genetic studies of Nif- (nitrogen fixation) mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae which are defective in nitrogen fixation, have shown that the nifB, nifQ, nifN, nifE and nifV genes are required for the biosynthesis of FeMo-co. Recently, a system for in vitro synthesis of FeMoco was described. The assay requires at least the nifB, nifN and nifE gene products, and a low-molecular-weight factor (V factor) produced in the presence of the nifV gene product. We have used this system to study FeMoco biosynthesis. We report here the isolation of V factor and identify it as homocitric acid ([R]2-hydroxy-1,2,4-butanetricarboxylic acid).     

Fatty-acids and their <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis><Superscript>13</Superscript>C characteristics of seep carbonates from the northern continental slope of Gulf of Mexico

Here we reported the fatty-acids and their δ¹³C values in seep carbonates collected from Green Canyon lease block 185 (GC 185; Sample GC-F) at upper continental slope (water depth: ~540 m), and Alaminos Canyon lease block 645 (GC 645; Sample AC-E) at lower continental slope (water depth: ~2200 m) of the Gulf of Mexico. More than thirty kinds of fatty acids were detected in both samples. These fatty acids are maximized at C₁₆. There is a clear even-over-odd carbon number predominance in carbon number range. The fatty acids are mainly composed of n-fatty acids, iso-/anteiso-fatty acids and terminally branched odd-numbered fatty acids (iso/anteiso). The low δ¹³C values (−39.99‰ to −32.36‰) of n-C₁₂:0, n-C₁₃:0, i-C₁₄:0 and n-C₁₄:0 suggest that they may relate to the chemosynthetic communities at seep sites. The unsaturated fatty acids n-C_18:2 and C_18:1△⁹ have the same δ¹³C values, they may originate from the Beggiatoa/Thioploca. Unlike other fatty acids, the terminally branched fatty acids (iso/anteiso) show lower δ¹³C values (as low as −63.95‰) suggesting a possible relationship to sulfate reducing bacteria, which is common during anaerobic oxidation of methane at seep sites.     

Kinetic studies of the decomposition reaction of adducts of dinuclear Fe(Ⅱ)/O2

Kinetic studies of the decomposition reaction of dinuclear Fe(Ⅱ) adducts [Fe₂(N-Et-HPTB){O₂P(OPh)₂}](Cl- O₄)₂ (1) and [Fe₂(N-Et-HPTB) {O₂P(Ph)₂}] (ClO₄)₂ (2) with O₂ have been carried out at low temperature using UV-vis spectra. The decomposition reaction of Fe(Ⅱ)/O₂ adducts was first-order in the experimental conditions, and the activation parameters were obtained. ?H^¹ = 85.62 kJ·mol^-1, ?S¹ = 19.43 J·mol^-1·K^-1 for compound (1) and ?H^¹ = 97.97 kJ·mol^-1, ?S^¹ = 55.68 J·mol^-1·K^-1 for compound (2). These results are similar to those of dioxygen adducts of other metals complexes and natural enzymes such as methane mono- oxygenase (MMOH).     

Thermodynamic determination of fragility in La-based glass-forming liquid

Differences in the thermodynamic functions between the liquid and crystalline states of La-based bulk metallic glasses alloys were calculated with the specific heat capacity Cp and the fusion heat ΔHf,which we measured. Fragility indexes having different thermodynamic definitions were calculated from the temperature dependence of excess entropy ΔSliq-cry. It is ambiguous for La-based glass-forming liquid to evaluate fragility from the intercepts of ΔSliq-cry-temperature curves. We found that the thermodynam...     

Effects of antisense CENP-B on the proliferation of HeLa (Tet-off) cells

In order to study the change of the expression of centromere protein B (CENP-B) caused by antisense transfection, proto-eukaryotically expressed fused protein GST-CENP-B (65 ku) was injected into mouse, and a peculiar anti-CENP-B serum MaCenpB was collected. A strain of transfected HeLa Tet-off cell HaCb, which contains antisense CENP-B expressing vector pBI-EGFP-as-CenpB, was prepared. Northern blot and Western blot were used to analyze the repression of internal CENP-B in transfected cells. According to the growth curve, the proliferation of HeLa (Tet-off) is repressed by antisense CENP-B, and the multiplication time is prolonged for 32.81 h. The analysis of flow cytometry revealed that, compared with HeLa (Tet-off), the G₁ cell population of HaCb is increased (ΔG₁= 9%) while S fraction is decreased (ΔS = 11%), but the G₂/M phase is nearly unchanged (ΔG₂/M=3%). In the meanwhile, the mitotic index of HaCb declines greatly compared with that of HeLa (Tet-off). Immunofluorescence showed that the assembling of centromeres in HaCb cell is arrested. These results suggest that a normal expression of CENP-B may be necessary for cell proliferation.     

Micro-arc oxidization fabrication and ethanol sensing performance of Fe-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> thin films

In-situ pure TiO₂ and Fe-doped TiO₂ thin films were synthesized on Ti plates via the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technique. The as-fabricated anatase TiO₂ thin film-based conductometric sensors were employed to measure the gas sensitivity to ethanol. The results showed that Fe ions could be easily introduced into the MAO-TiO₂ thin films by adding precursor K₄(FeCN)₆·3H₂O into the Na₃PO₄ electrolyte. The amount of doped Fe ions increased almost linearly with the concentration of K₄(FeCN)₆·3H₂O increasing, eventually affecting the ethanol sensing performances of TiO₂ thin films. It was found that the enhanced sensor signals obtained had an optimal concentration of Fe dopant (1.28at%), by which the maximal gas sensor signal to 1000 ppm ethanol was estimated to be 7.91 at 275°C. The response time was generally reduced by doped Fe ions, which could be ascribed to the increase of oxygen vacancies caused by Fe³⁺ substituting for Ti⁴⁺.     

Magnetic properties and giant magnetoresistance effect of nanometer Fe−In2O3 granular films

Nanometer ferromagnetic metal-semiconductor matrix Fe−In₂O₃ granular films are fabricated by the radio frequency sputtering. Magnetic properties and the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect of Fe_x(In₂O₃)_1−x granular film samples are studied. The result shows that the magnetoresistance (MR) ratio Δρ/ρ ₀ value of the granular film samples with Fe volume fraction x=35% is 4.5% at room temperature. The temperature dependence (T=1.5–300 K) of the MR ratio Δρ/ρ ₀ value of Fe_0.35(In₂O₃)_0.65 granular films shows that Δρ/ρ ₀ value below 10 K increases rapidly with the decrease of the temperature, and when T=2 K, Δρ/ρ ₀ value is 85%. Through the study of the dependence of low field susceptibility on temperature and the hysteresis loops at different temperatures, it has been found that, when the temperature decreases to a critical point T _p=10 K, the change of the structure in Fe_0.35)In₂O₃)_0.65 granular films results in the transformation of state from ferromagnetic to spin-glass-like. The remarkable increase of the MR ratio Δρ/ρ ₀ value of Fe_0.35(In₂O₃)_0.65 granular films below 10 K seems to arise from the peculiar conducting mechanism of the granular film samples in the spin-glass-like state.