Genomics insights into different cellobiose hydrolysis activities in two Trichoderma hamatum strains.

BACKGROUND: Efficient biomass bioconversion is a promising solution to alternative energy resources and environmental issues associated with lignocellulosic wastes. The Trichoderma species of cellulolytic fungi have strong cellulose-degrading capability, and their cellulase systems have been extensively studied. Currently, a major limitation of Trichoderma strains is their low production of ß-glucosidases. RESULTS: We isolated two Trichoderma hamatum strains YYH13 and YYH16 with drastically different cellulose degrading efficiencies. YYH13 has higher cellobiose-hydrolyzing efficiency. To understand mechanisms underlying such differences, we sequenced the genomes of YYH13 and YYH16, which are essentially identical (38.93 and 38.92 Mb, respectively) and are similar to that of the T. hamatum strain GD12. Using GeneMark-ES, we annotated 11,316 and 11,755 protein-coding genes in YYH13 and YYH16, respectively. Comparative analysis identified 13 functionally important genes in YYH13 under positive selection. Through examining orthologous relationships, we identified 172,655, and 320 genome-specific genes in YYH13, YYH16, and GD12, respectively. We found 15 protease families that show differences between YYH13 and YYH16. Enzymatic tests showed that exoglucanase, endoglucanase, and ß-glucosidase activities were higher in YYH13 than YYH16. Additionally, YYH13 contains 10 families of carbohydrate-active enzymes, including GH1, GH3, GH18, GH35, and GH55 families of chitinases, glucosidases, galactosidases, and glucanases, which are subject to stronger positive selection pressure. Furthermore, we found that the ß-glucosidase gene (YYH1311079) and pGEX-KG/YYH1311079 bacterial expression vector may provide valuable insight for designing ß-glucosidase with higher cellobiose-hydrolyzing efficiencies. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the YYH13 strain of T. hamatum has the potential to serve as a model organism for producing cellulase because of its strong ability to efficiently degrade cellulosic biomass. The genome sequences of YYH13 and YYH16 represents a valuable resource for studying efficient production of biofuels.

Production of DUSP1 protein using the baculovirus insect cell expression system and its in vitro effects on cancer cells.

The aim of the present study was to produce the human dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) protein with biological activity and to investigate its in vitro effects on cancer cells. DUSP1 protein was expressed in the baculovirus expression system and purified by Ni-affinity chromatography followed by dialysis in PBS. The purified protein was verified by SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis. Six cancer cell lines were then cultured in the presence of DUSP1 for various periods of time, and the phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) content in each cell line was subsequently determined by western blot analysis. Compared to the ß-actin level, the amount of p-ERK markedly decreased after 1 h, indicating that DUSP1 suppressed the expression of p-ERK in 6 cancer cell lines examined. Human cervical cancer cells were also collected and counted following co-culture with DUSP1 to examine its effect on the growth rate of cancer cells. A baculovirus expression system for the production of DUSP1 protein was successfully constructed. The p-ERK content was found to be significantly decreased when the cancer cell lines were exposed to DUSP1. The capability of binary fission was reduced when the cells were examined under a microscope. The proliferation of human cervical cancer cells was also inhibited by DUSP1.

Highly Active Hydrogen Evolution Electrodes via Co-Deposition of Platinum and Polyoxometalates.

A highly active hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrode with low Pt loading on glassy carbon (GC) has been prepared by anodic platinum dissolution and co-deposition of polyoxometalates. TEM, EDS, XPS, CV, and ICP-MS analyses gave a Pt loading of 50-100 ng/cm2, corresponding to a Pt coverage of only 0.08-0.16 monolayer. With an overpotential of 65 mV at 20 mA/cm2, the modified GC has a HER activity comparable to that of the commercial Pt working electrode.

Pre-concentration and energy transfer enable the efficient luminescence sensing of transition metal ions by metal-organic frameworks.

The 2,2'-bipyridyl moieties lining the channels of two designer metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), UiO-bpydc and Eu-bpydc (bpydc is 2,2'-bipyridine 5,5'-dicarboxylic acid), recognize and pre-concentrate metal ion analytes and, in the case of Eu-bpydc, transfer energy to the Eu(3+) centers, to provide highly sensitive luminescence sensors for transition metal ions.

Rice and cold stress: methods for its evaluation and summary of cold tolerance-related quantitative trait loci.

Cold stress adversely affects rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth and productivity, and has so far determined its geographical distribution. Dissecting cold stress-mediated physiological changes and understanding their genetic causes will facilitate the breeding of rice for cold tolerance. Here, we review recent progress in research on cold stress-mediated physiological traits and metabolites, and indicate their roles in the cold-response network and cold-tolerance evaluation. We also discuss criteria for evaluating cold tolerance and evaluate the scope and shortcomings of each application. Moreover, we summarize research on quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to cold stress at the germination, seedling, and reproductive stages that should provide useful information to accelerate progress in breeding cold-tolerant rice.