Genome-wide identification, characterization, and expression analysis of the ammonium transporter gene family in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.).

As a preferred nitrogen form, ammonium (NH4 + ) transport via specific transporters is particularly important for the growth and development of tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.). However, our understanding of the functions of the AMT family in tea plants is limited. We identified and named 16 putative AMT genes according to phylogenetic analysis. All CsAMT genes were divided into three groups, distributed on 12 chromosomes with only one segmental duplication repetition. The CsAMT genes showed different expression levels in different organs, and most of them were expressed mainly in the apical buds and roots. Complementation analysis of yeast mutants showed that CsAMTs restored the uptake of NH4 + . This study provides insights into the genome-wide distribution and spatial expression of AMT genes in tea plants.

Influence of different nitrogen sources on carbon and nitrogen metabolism and gene expression in tea plants (Camellia sinensis L.).

Nitrogen plays an important role in plant growth and development, with different nitrogen forms also having an impact on carbon/nitrogen metabolism. Unlike most plants, tea plants prefer ammonium over nitrate. In this paper, we focused on how different nitrogen sources regulate the carbon/nitrogen metabolism in tea plants. Tea seedlings of 'Longjing 43' were cultivated hydroponically in four different solutions (zero-nitrogen, only NH4+, only NO3- and mixed nitrogen (NH4+: NO3- = 1:1). We analyzed characteristic components of tea plants and related genes in carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Tea polyphenols and catechins representing carbon pool, increased when NO3- was supplied as the nitrogen source, and similar findings were recorded in the zero-nitrogen treatment. The expression of most catechins biosynthesis-related genes was up regulated under NO3- and zero-N treatment, that was associated with tea polyphenols and catechins changes. Compared with NO3- as the nitrogen source, NH4+ and mixed nitrogen treatments had a positive effect on the accumulation of amino acids, especially theanine, glutamate and arginine, and these components contribute to the freshness flavor of tea. The expression of ammonium-assimilation genes was also up-regulated with NH4+ supply. Under mixed nitrogen treatment, the ratio of total polyphenols to free amino acids (PP/AA) was between sole NH4+ and NO3- supply. Therefore, compared with single nitrogen source, carbon and nitrogen metabolism of tea plant was more balanced under mixed nitrogen treatment. The results suggested that NO3- as the nitrogen source promoted the biosynthesis of catechins enriching the carbon pool, whereas NH4+ supply was more conducive to nitrogen metabolism, indicating that different nitrogen sources could affect the carbon and nitrogen balance.

[Effects of Dissolved Oxygen on Nutrient Removal Performance and Microbial Community in Low Carbon/Nitrogen Municipal Wastewater Treatment Process].

To explore the effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) on the treatment of low carbon/nitrogen municipal wastewater, this study examined the characteristics of the microbial community in a low carbon source environment. The treatment process was conducted with the aeration area having DO concentrations of 2-3, 1-2, and lower than 1 mg·L-1. The results demonstrated that reduced DO concentration in the aeration area increased the efficiency of the nitrogen removal process by 20.23% and 80.54%, for external and internal carbon sources, respectively. Similarly, the efficiency of internal carbon source utilization in the phosphorus removal process increased by 13.89%, thus enhancing the nutrient removal efficiency of the low carbon/nitrogen wastewater treatment system. High-throughput sequencing and RDA analysis showed that reduced oxygen concentration motivated an adjustment in microbial community structure, causing functional microorganisms (i.e., Dechloromonas) to become dominant. In addition, the upregulation of genes associated with energy production and conversion, signal transduction, substrate transport, and metabolism provided favourable nutritional conditions for the proliferation of functional microorganisms in low carbon source conditions. This study provides a theoretical basis for improving the growth of microorganisms involved in the nutrient removal process when treating low carbon/nitrogen municipal wastewater.

Tea polyphenols dominate the short-term tea (Camellia sinensis) leaf litter decomposition.

Polyphenols are one of the most important secondary metabolites, and affect the decomposition of litter and soil organic matter. This study aims to monitor the mass loss rate of tea leaf litter and nutrient release pattern, and investigate the role of tea polyphenols played in this process. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and classical litter bag method were used to simulate the decomposition process of tea leaf litter and track the changes occurring in major polyphenols over eight months. The release patterns of nitrogen, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were also determined. The decomposition pattern of tea leaf litter could be described by a two-phase decomposition model, and the polyphenol/N ratio effectively regulated the degradation process. Most of the catechins decreased dramatically within two months; gallic acid (GA), catechin gallate (CG), and gallocatechin (GC) were faintly detected, while others were outside the detection limits by the end of the experiment. These results demonstrated that tea polyphenols transformed quickly and catechins had an effect on the individual conversion rate. The nutrient release pattern was different from other plants which might be due to the existence of tea polyphenols.

Volatile profile analysis and quality prediction of Longjing tea (Camellia sinensis) by HS-SPME/GC-MS.

This study aimed to analyze the volatile chemical profile of Longjing tea, and further develop a prediction model for aroma quality of Longjing tea based on potent odorants. A total of 21 Longjing samples were analyzed by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Pearson's linear correlation analysis and partial least square (PLS) regression were applied to investigate the relationship between sensory aroma scores and the volatile compounds. Results showed that 60 volatile compounds could be commonly detected in this famous green tea. Terpenes and esters were two major groups characterized, representing 33.89% and 15.53% of the total peak area respectively. Ten compounds were determined to contribute significantly to the perceived aroma quality of Longjing tea, especially linalool (0.701), nonanal (0.738), (Z)-3-hexenyl hexanoate (-0.785), and ß-ionone (-0.763). On the basis of these 10 compounds, a model (correlation coefficient of 89.4% and cross-validated correlation coefficient of 80.4%) was constructed to predict the aroma quality of Longjing tea. Summarily, this study has provided a novel option for quality prediction of green tea based on HS-SPME/GC-MS technique.

[Description of the stability of granules using nongrowth-related parameters].

Qualitative rather than quantitative method was available in the study of aerobic granular sludge. This work therefore investigated two systems, one was the conventional heterotrophic system without anaerobic mix period, the other was the phosphorous removal system with anaerobic period, and it was found that the latter was more stable from the point view of diameter, density and morphology. It was further found that the stability of granule was associated with the metabolic characteristics, i. e., the slow growth system showed more stability may be due to higher fraction of maintenance metabolic energy. In order to evidence that, different size of granule in the slow growth system was obtained for the metabolic character analysis. It was found that the maintenance coefficient m and the ratio of maintenance COD consumption ratio S(min)/COD(influent) was well correlated with the stability of granules. Consequently, it was proposed that these two parameters could be used for the quantitative description of the stability of granules. This study established a new method for the quantitative description of the stability of aerobic granules from the metabolic perspective, which improved the conventional qualitative methods in terms of morphology, diameter and density of granules.

[Distribution and diversity of sulfate-reducing bacteria in a crude oil gathering and transferring system].

The distribution of sulfureted hydrogen (H2S) as well as sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) distribution and diversity in crude oil and oilfield production water samples from a oil gathering and transferring system in Changqing Oilfield of China were investigated by methylene blue colorimetric method, the most probable number technique and sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, respectively. At the oil gathering and transferring system which from oil well through oil flowstation and then to oil comprehensive treatment station, the results showed that in oil samples, the content of H2S were 105.80, 99.70, and 24.57 mg x L(-1), respectively; and the count of SRB were 98, 300, and 680 CFU x100 mL(-1), respectively. In water samples, the content of H2S were 1.13, 2.80, and 3.49 mg x L(-1), respectively; and the count of SRB were 9 500, 40 000, and 76 000 CFU x 100 mL(-1), respectively. The abundance of SRB in the water samples is about 100 times than that in the crude-oil samples. High concentration of H2S in oil well inhibited the growth of SRB, thereby the count of SRB in oil well were small. With the reduction of H2S concentration, the actions of inhibition weakened and disappeared, then the number of SRB were gradual increase in the gathering and transferring system. For the initial concentration of H2S in water samples was low, and the number of SRB were large, then the content of H2S increased gradually with the number of SRB were increased. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that SRB related to Desulfovibrionaceae sp. and Desulfococcus sp. were detected in the water and crude oil samples, simultaneously. However, SRB related to Desulfomonile sp., Desulfotomaculum sp. and Desulfosarcina sp. were detected in the water samples but not in crude-oil samples. Abundance of SRB was increased due to the variation of environmental condition during the period of oil gathering and transferring process.