Effective extraction of tylosin and spiramycin from fermentation broth using thermo-responsive ethylene oxide/propylene oxide aqueous two-phase systems.

Recyclable aqueous two-phase systems with thermo-responsive phase-forming materials have been employed to separate macromolecules; however, these systems have achieved very limited separation efficiency for small molecules, such as antibiotics. In this study, aqueous two-phase systems composed of the ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer and water were developed to extract alkaline antibiotics from the fermentation broth. In the aqueous two-phase systems with an ethylene oxide ratio of 20 and propylene oxide ratio of 80, the partition coefficients of tylosin and spiramycin reached 16.87 and 20.39, respectively, while the extraction recoveries were 70.67 and 86.70%, respectively. Coupled with mechanism analysis, we demonstrated the feasibility of extracting alkaline antibiotics using this aqueous two-phase system, especially for 16-membered macrolide antibiotics. The molecular dynamic simulation was employed to visualize the process of dual-phase formation and the partition behavior of antibiotics in an aqueous two-phase system. The dynamic simulation revealed the binding energy between the antibiotic and ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymers, which provides a simple indicator for screening suitable antibiotics in aqueous two-phase systems. Our recyclable aqueous two-phase systems provide a robust approach for the extraction of 16-membered macrolide antibiotics with ease of operation and high recovery rates, which is appropriate for large-scale extraction in the fermentation industry.

Bioaccumulation of highly hydrophobic organohalogen flame retardants from sediments: application of toxicokinetics and passive sampling techniques.

Highly hydrophobic organohalogen flame retardants (HHOFRs) are found ubiquitously in the environment; therefore, a better understanding of their bioavailability is needed. In the current study, bioaccumulation testing using the oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus, and passive sampling (solid-phase microextraction (SPME)) were performed to study the bioaccumulation potential of HHOFRs, including decabromodiphenyl ether (deca-BDE), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), and dechlorane plus (DP), in laboratory-spiked and field-collected sediments. The HHOFRs were bioavailable to L. variegatus even though their biota-sediment accumulation factors were low (0.016 ± 0.002 to 0.48 ± 0.082 g organic carbon/g lipid, syn-DP > anti-DP > deca-BDE > DBDPE). Hydrophobicity and stereoisomerism affected HHOFR bioavailability. Meanwhile, HHOFR concentrations on the SPME fibers (Cf) correlated with those in biota (Cb), suggesting the potential application of SPME in bioavailability prediction for those compounds. The log Cf to log Cb correlation for deca-BDE and DP had a greater intercept than that for polychlorinated biphenyls (data obtained from the literature) although the slopes were similar, while data for DBDPE fell on the regression line for PCBs, implying some uncertainty in application of SPMEs across chemical classes. The increasing sorptive ability of proteins for HHOFRs in comparison to the less-brominated BDEs suggested that protein-binding should be considered when estimating bioaccumulation potential of HHOFRs in benthic invertebrates.

Chromosome-level reference genome and alternative splicing atlas of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis).

Background: Bamboo is one of the most important nontimber forestry products worldwide. However, a chromosome-level reference genome is lacking, and an evolutionary view of alternative splicing (AS) in bamboo remains unclear despite emerging omics data and improved technologies. Results: Here, we provide a chromosome-level de novo genome assembly of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) using additional abundance sequencing data and a Hi-C scaffolding strategy. The significantly improved genome is a scaffold N50 of 79.90 Mb, approximately 243 times longer than the previous version. A total of 51,074 high-quality protein-coding loci with intact structures were identified using single-molecule real-time sequencing and manual verification. Moreover, we provide a comprehensive AS profile based on the identification of 266,711 unique AS events in 25,225 AS genes by large-scale transcriptomic sequencing of 26 representative bamboo tissues using both the Illumina and Pacific Biosciences sequencing platforms. Through comparisons with orthologous genes in related plant species, we observed that the AS genes are concentrated among more conserved genes that tend to accumulate higher transcript levels and share less tissue specificity. Furthermore, gene family expansion, abundant AS, and positive selection were identified in crucial genes involved in the lignin biosynthetic pathway of moso bamboo. Conclusions: These fundamental studies provide useful information for future in-depth analyses of comparative genome and AS features. Additionally, our results highlight a global perspective of AS during evolution and diversification in bamboo.