Bacillus tequilensis influences metabolite production in tomato and restores soil microbial diversity during Fusarium oxysporum infection.

This study evaluates cellular damage, metabolite profiling, and defence-related gene expression in tomato plants and soil microflora during Fusarium wilt disease after treatment with B. tequilensis PBE-1. Histochemical analysis showed that PBE-1 was the primary line of defence through lignin deposition and reduced cell damage. GC-MS revealed that PBE-1 treatment ameliorated stress caused by F. oxysporum infection. PBE-1 also improved transpiration, photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance in tomato. qRT-PCR suggested that the defence-related genes FLS2, SERK, NOS, WRKYT, NHO, SAUR, and MYC2, which spread infection, were highly upregulated during F. oxysporum infection, but either downregulated or expressed normally in PBE-1 + P treated plants. This indicates that the plant not only perceives the bio-control agent as a non-pathogen entity but its presence in normal metabolism and gene expression within the host plant is maintained. The study further corroborated findings that application of PBE-1 does not cause ecological disturbances in the rhizosphere. Activity of soil microflora across four treatments, measured by Average Well Colour Development (AWCD), showed continuous increases from weeks 1 to 4 post-pathogen infection, with distinct substrate usage patterns like tannic and fumaric acids impacting microbial energy source utilization and diversity. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and diversity indices like McIntosh, Shannon, and Simpson further illustrated significant microbial community shifts over the study period. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that B. tequilensis PBE-1 is an ideal bio-agent for field application during Fusarium wilt disease management in tomato.

Diffusion of Na(I), Cs(I), Sr(II) and Eu(III) in smectite rich natural clay.

Diffusion of Na(I), Cs(I), Sr(II) and Eu(III) in smectite rich natural clay, proposed as a backfill material in the Indian geological repository, was studied using the out-diffusion method. Radiotracers (22)Na, (137)Cs, (85)Sr and (154)Eu were used; the first three are carrier-free enabling experimental work at sub-micromolar metal ion concentration, and Eu(III) tracer (154)Eu was used at sub millimolar concentration. An out-diffusion methodology, wherein a thin planar source of radioactivity placed between two clay columns diffuses out, was used to obtain the apparent diffusion coefficient (Da) values. This methodology enabled determination of diffusion coefficient even for strongly sorbing (154)Eu. Da values for (22)Na, (137)Cs, (85)Sr and (154)Eu were 2.35 (±0.14) × 10(-11), 2.65 (±0.09) × 10(-12), 3.32 (±0.15) × 10(-11) and 1.23 (±0.15) × 10(-13) m(2) s(-1), respectively. Da values were found to be in fair agreement with literature data reported for similar mineralogical sediments. Sorption of radionuclides on the clay was also determined in the present study and differences in Da values were rationalized on the basis of sorption data. Distribution ratios (Kd) for Cs(I) and Eu(III) were higher than that for Sr(II), which in turn was higher than that for Na(I).

Production and purification of tartrate dehydrogenase. Role of aqueous two-phase extraction.

Tartrate dehydrogenase (TDH) is a stereospecific intracellular enzyme produced by Pseudomonas putida. Several methods for separation of nucleic acids from the proteins in cell homogenate were compared in this study. These methods included precipitation (using streptomycin sulfate, manganous sulfate, and protamine sulfate) and aqueous two-phase extraction. Under optimal conditions of separation, a single-step aqueous two-phase extraction followed by back-extraction of the enzyme from enzyme-rich PEG-phase resulted in 77% recovery of enzyme. This compared favorably with 50% enzyme recovery using protamine sulfate treatment. Furthermore, the remaining enzyme activity was accounted in the nucleic acid-rich dextran phase and the spent-PEG phase, suggesting that a multistep extraction process would increase enzyme recovery even more. Under the conditions of aqueous two-phase extraction, the selectivity of proteins over nucleic acids was 30, indicating a high degree of separation of proteins and nucleic acids in this process. The experimental data and their implications are presented.

Fouling and protein adsorption. Effect of low-temperature plasma treatment of membrane surfaces.

Adsorption of proteins and the effect of the chemical nature of membrane surfaces on protein adsorption were investigated using 14C-tagged albumin and several microporous membranes (polyvinilydene fluoride, PVDF; nylon; polypropylene, PP; and polycarbonate, PC). The membrane surfaces were modified by exposing them to low-temperature plasma of several different monomers (n-butane, oxygen, nitrogen alone or as mixtures) in a radiofrequency plasma reactor. Transients in the permeability of albumin solutions through the membranes and changes in flux of distilled water through the membranes before and after adsorption of albumin were used to investigate the role of protein adsorption on membrane fouling. The results show that the extent of adsorption of albumin on hydrophobic membranes was considerably more than that on hydrophilic membranes. The hydrophilic membranes were susceptible to electrostatic interactions and less prone to fouling. A pore-blocking model was successfully used to correlate the loss of water flux through pores of defined geometry.

Membrane lipid metabolism and phospholipase activity in insect Spodoptera frugiperda 9 ovarian cells.

Although there is increasing use of insect ovarian Sf9 cells for the production of recombinant proteins, namely, via the baculovirus vector expression system, little is known about the lipids in the cell membrane and whether endogenous phospholipases are present for regulation of the cell membrane lipids. In this study, analysis of membrane lipids of Sf9 cells indicated the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (diacyl type) and phosphatidylcholine as major phospholipids, followed by phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol (PI), and only trace amounts of ethanolamine plasmalogen. These phospholipids contain high proportions of monoenoic fatty acids, e.g., 16:1 and 18:1, which comprise more than 70% of the total fatty acids although small amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as 18:2 and 20:4 are also present. When Sf9 cells were incubated in a culture medium containing [14C]oleic acid and [14C]arachidonic acid, a large portion of the labels were incorporated into membrane phospholipids. Using [14C]arachidonoyl-phospholipids as substrates for incubation with cell homogenate and subcellular fractions, results indicate the presence of a ca(2+)-independent phospholipase A (PLA2) in the Sf9 cell cytosol fraction. This PLA2 shows a high preference for hydrolysis of PE and is active at a pH range of 7-9. Unlike the brain cells which contain active phospholipase C (PLC) specific for phosphatidylinositol, only limited amount of diacylglycerol (DAG) was released from [14C]arachidonoyl-PE in the Sf9 cells. Taken together, this study demonstrates active metabolism of membrane phospholipids in Sf9 cells, most likely mediated by acyltransferases and PLA2. Furthermore, despite the absence of PLC for PI, limited amount of DAG could be generated through hydrolysis of PE.

A mathematical model of ethanol fermentation from cheese whey : I: Model development and parameter estimation.

The cybernetic approach to modeling of microbial kinetics in a mixed-substrate environment has been used in this work for the fermentative production of ethanol from cheese whey. In this system, the cells grow on multiple substrates and generate metabolic energy during product formation. This article deals with the development of a mathematical model in which the concept of cell maintenance was modified in light of the specific nature of product formation. Continuous culture data for anaerobic production of ethanol by Kluyveromyces marxianus CBS 397 on glucose and lactose were used to estimate the kinetic parameters for subsequent use in predicting the behavior of microbial growth and product formation in new situations.

A mathematical model of ethanol fermentation from cheese whey : II. Simulation and comparison with experimental data.

A cybernetic model for microbial growth on mixed substrates, was used to simulate the anaerobic fermentation of cheese whey and multiple sugars in semisynthetic media by Kluyveromyces marxianus CBS 397. The model simulations quite successfully predicted the observed behavior in batch and during transients in continuous operation, in single-substrate systems as well as in media involving multiple substrates, and in semisynthetic and reconstituted cheese whey solutions. The results of simulations and their comparison with the experimental data are presented.

Removal of fiber from vines by solid state fermentation/enzymatic degradation: a comparison of flax and kudzu retting.

Kinetic data describing the decomposition of the outer sheath of kudzu vines (undergoing a solid fermentation process in a glass beaker of soil) have been analyzed to determine the two constants, K(m)/S(o) and V/S(o), where S(o) is the initial substrate concentration, K(m) the Michaelis constant, and V the maximum product rate. The kinetic data are expressed by a simple time-varying desheathing index, obtained from the number of spatula scrapings required to reach the desired hard cellulosic fibers (vascular bundles) of the plant. A simple relationship between the desheathing index, D.I. and the dimensionless product concentration, P/S(o), is proposed to relate the D.I. data and enzyme kinetic concentration data. Thus, the Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetic parameters can be estimated from easily obtained physical (non-chemical data; the D.I.(t) measurements). This low energy process for processing vines into valuable fibers is similar to the traditional microbial method for recovering flax fibers for linen cloth, by retting of the flax plant vines, except there is no unbound liquid water present in the soil medium.

A structured model for vegetative growth and sporulation in Bacillus thuringiensis.

A mathematical model has been developed for the delta-endotoxin producing Bacillus thuringiensis. The structure of the model involves the processes taking place during vegetative growth, those leading to the initiation of sporulation under conditions of carbon and/or nitrogen limitation, and the sporulation events. The key features in the model are the pools of compounds, such as PRPP, IMP, ADP/ATP, GDP/GTP, pyrimidine nucleotides, NAD/NADH2, amino acids, nucleic acids, cell wall, and vegetative and sporulation proteins. These, along with sigma-factors that control the nature of RNA-polymerase during the different phases, effectively stimulate the vegetative growth and sporulation. The initiation of sporulation is controlled by the intracellular concentration of GTP. Results of simulation of vegetative growth, initiation of sporulation, spore protein formation, and production of delta-endotoxin under C- or N-limitation are presented.