[Elimination of volatile compounds of leaf tobacco from air emissions using biofiltration].

The composition of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of various leaf tobacco brands and their blends has been studied. The differences in the content of nicotine, solanone, tetramethyl hexadecenol, megastigmatrienones, and other compounds, determining the specific tobacco smell, have been revealed. A microbial consortium, which is able to deodorize simulated tobacco emissions and decompose nicotine, has been formed by long-term adaptation to the VOCs of tobacco leaves in a laboratory reactor, functioning as a trickle-bed biofilter. Such a biofilter eliminates 90% of the basic toxic compound (nicotine) and odor-active compounds; the filtration efficiency does not change for tobacco brands with different VOC concentrations or in the presence of foreign substances. The main strains, isolated from the formed consortium and participating in the nicotine decomposition process, belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Rhodococcus. An examination of the biofilter trickling fluid has shown full decomposition of nicotine and odor-active VOCs. The compounds, revealed in the trickling fluid, did not have any odor and were nontoxic. The obtained results make it possible to conduct scaling of the biofiltration process to eliminate odor from air emissions in the tobacco industry.

[Organization of metabolic pathways and molecular-genetic mechanisms of xenobiotic biodegradation in microorganisms: a review].

Contemporary data on the mechanism of biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons and biodegradation genes (genomic organization and pathways of evolution) in diverse groups of microorganisms have been reviewed. Studies of this problem are topical, in view of the need in identification and construction of new strains degrading xenobiotics, particularly those halogenated. For this reason, emphasis is placed on specific features of explored metabolic pathways that can be used for constructing new enzymatic systems not present in nature. Sections on the mechanisms of genomic rearrangements involving biodegradation determinants are presented from the same standpoint. Part of the review is devoted to analyzing methods used for studying the population dynamics of bacterial communities involved in xenobiotic degradation in natural biotopes or industrial waste disposal plants. Particular attention is given to methods of gene systematics.

[Metabolic pathways responsible for consumption of aromatic hydrocarbons by microbial associations: molecular-genetic characterization].

Genes for catechol 1,2- and 2,3-dioxygenases were cloned. These enzymes hold important positions in the ortho and meta pathways of the metabolism of aromatic carbons by microbial associations that consume the following volatile organic compounds in pilot minireactors: toluene, styrene, ethyl benzene, o-xylene, m-xylene, and naphthalene. Genes of both pathways were found in an association consuming m-xylene; only genes of the ortho pathway were found in associations consuming o-xylene, styrene, and ethyl benzene, and only genes of the meta pathway were found in associations consuming naphthalene and toluene. Genes of the ortho pathway (C120) cloned from associations consuming o-xylene and ethyl benzene were similar to corresponding genes located on the pND6 plasmid of Pseudomonas putida. Genes of the ortho pathway from associations consuming o-xylene and m-xylene were similar to chromosomal genes of P. putida. Genes of the meta pathway (C230) from associations consuming toluene and naphthalene were similar to corresponding genes formerly found in plasmids pWWO and pTOL.

[Application of molecular systematics to study of bacterial cultures consuming volatile organic compounds].

A range of species of four mixed bacterial cultures was studied by molecular systematics methods with the use of 16S rRNA genes. The cultures had been developed for application in minireactors, to degrade volatile organic compounds (VOCs): ethyl benzene, m-xylene, styrene, and o-xylene. A sample of 30 plasmid rDNA clones was obtained for each of the mixed cultures. The clones were analyzed by RFLP according to two restriction sites. Major variants of the 16S-rDNA sequences, corresponding to the most abundant species, were determined for each association. Sequencing of four clones of predominant 16S-rDNAs showed that the culture consuming ethyl benzene was dominated by Pseudomonas fluorescens; o-xylene, by Achromobacter xylosoxydans; styrene, by Pseudomonas veronii; and m-xylene, by Delftia acidovorans. Minor components of all four cultures were generally similar. They included species of the genera Sphingobacter, Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Pedobacter, and Paenibacillus. Sampling sequencing of genes for 16S rRNA cloned from total genomic DNA allowed quantitative determination of the composition of actual bacterial associations consuming VOCs in minireactors.

[Development of microbiological technology of air deodoration in laboratory-industrial conditions using a pilot plant]. / Razrabotka tekhnologii mikrobiologicheskoo dezodoratsii vozdukha v laboratorno-proizvodstvennykh usloviiakh s ispol'zovaniem polotnoi ustanovki.

Laboratory tests were performed to select a complex of bacterial strains capable of effective deodoration of waste air produced by an animal formulated feed works under elevated temperature with the presence of numerous organic pollutants. The complex included species from the general Nocardia, Rhodococcus, and Comamonas. The biocatalyst was tested in a real industrial process with the use of a pilot plant for microbiological deodoration of waste air. The test lasted for over six months and confirmed the efficiency of the development method of deodoration.

[Effect of H-ATPase stimulators on cyclosporin biosynthesis]. / Vliianie stimuliatorov H-ATFazy na biosintez tsiklosporina.

An analogy was observed between the mechanisms of action of phytohormones on plant cells and cells of the fungus producing cyclosporine. Fusicoccin and cytokinin were shown to have a high stimulating action on the biosynthesis of cyclosporine. The stimulating concentrations of the phytohormones and the time of their maximum effect were determined. The electron microscopic studies demonstrated that an increase in the level of the cyclosporine synthesis correlated with a significant increase in the number of the cells in the state of the coagulation necrosis.

[The stimulation of crystalline lens regeneration in adult tritons]. / Stimuliatsiia regeneratsii khrustalika u vzroslykh tritonov.

The lens removal from the newt eye stimulates regeneration of the latter from the dorsal iris cells. We have undertaken an attempt to stimulate lens regeneration from teh ventral iris pigmented cells by growth factors: basic and acidic forms of the fibroblast growth factor and the epidermal growth factor. In the presence of the growth factors, the mitotic activity of the ventral iris cells increased 1.5-to 3-fold on the 30th (18) and 70th (58) days after the operation (implantation). Depigmentation of the pupal margin and separation of the ventral iris sheets was observed on the 70th day in teh same animals, what was considered as stage III of lens regeneration. No such stimulation of proliferation was observed in the dorsal iris, but by the 70th day additional lenses have been found to form from the dorsal iris cells.

[Obtaining liposomal preparations of various biologically active substances by the method of detergent flow analysis]. / Poluchenie liposomal'nykh preparatov razlichnykh biologicheski aktivnykh veshchestv metodom detergentnogo protochnogo analiza.

It was shown that detergent dialysis could be successfully used for liposomal encapsulation of substances belonging to different chemical groups with diverse therapeutic activity such as rifampicin, aclarubicin, amphotericin B, pefloxacin and insulin. Liposome encapsulation of substances poorly soluble or insoluble in aqueous media was likely the most promising. The optimal incorporation depended on both the composition of the lipids forming the liposomes and the properties of the compounds being encapsulated.

[Ultrastructure of liposomes (interliposomal bonds)]. / Ul'trastruktura liposom (mezhliposomal'nye sviazi).

Interliposomal bonds (ILBS) analogous to intercellular bonds (ICBs) in microbial cultures were detected by electron microscopy in the liposomal materials obtained after encapsulation of substances of various chemical structure. Possible nonspecific formation of the bonds between biological membrane-limited objects (ILBs and ICBs) was suggested and formation of such bonds in liposome encapsulated drugs was believed to be of importance.

[Characteristics of obtaining protoplasts from 2 strains of Tolypocladium inflatum subsp. Blastosporum]. / Osobennosti obrazovaniia protoplastov u dvukh shtammov Tolypocladium inflatum subsp. Blastosporum.

The optimal conditions for preparing protoplasts with high yields by using the cells of two (low and high potent) isogenic cyclosporine-producing Tolypocladium strains were developed. A specific medium containing 0.5 per cent yeast autolysate (by dry weight) and 3 per cent glucose was used. When grown on this medium the cells of the highly potent strain 847 acquired a yeast-like shape. High yields of protoplasts prepared from the low potent strain 43 mycelium were obtained via prior incubation with 0.01 M dithiothreitol followed by treatment with a complex of enzymes from Helix pomatia for 1.5 to 2 hours was used. For preparation of the protoplasts with employing the highly potent strain 847 cells the prior incubation with dithiothreitol was not required, but it was necessary to employ a mixture of the enzyme complex (Helix pomatia), drizilase (Irpex lacteus) and chitinase (Streptomyces griseus) for 18 hours. The electron microscopic data on the two isogenic strains and their protoplasts are presented. The protoplasts proved to be a suitable initial material for investigating bioenergetic processes at the subcellular level and further genetic improvement of the strains.

[The effect of a cationic surface-active substance (catamine AB) on the physiological-morphological properties of B. cereus and E. coli]. / Vliianie kationnogo poverkhnostno-aktivnogo veshchestva (katamina AB) na fiziologo-morfologicheskie svoistva B. cereus i E. coli.

Catamine AB (0.05-0.5%) promotes transfer of B. cereus st 96, and E. coli st. 906 cell cultures into metabolic rest. Detergent-treated cells have no energetic metabolism and autolytic processes, have high light-scattering coefficient, and peculiar ultrastructural organization. Viable cells can be observed in the detergent-treated cell suspension after 1 year of incubation. Difference in action of different catamine AB concentrations on stationary and exponential B. cereus cells has been revealed.

[Transfer of various markers in Lactobacilli during transformation of plasmid DNA and joint cultivation]. / Perenos razlichnykh markerov u laktobatsill pri transformatsii plasmidnoi DNK i pri ikh sovmestnom kul'tivirovanii.

A system providing a high frequency genetic transfer of various markers making the reference strain Lactobacillus buchneri 1837 resistant to Lm, Em and Fus, able to ferment some carbohydrates and antagonistic against Pseudomonas diminuta CCM 2657 was developed. The frequency of the marker transfer during the lactobacilli joint cultivation was 1.5 X 10(-5) = 5.5 X 10(-5) to 1.5 X 10(-4) = 5.5 X 10(-4) which was 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than the marker transfer frequency during transformation of L. buchneri NRRLB 1837 with plasmid DNA of different lactobacilli. The recombinants and transformants resulting from the joint cultivation of lactobacilli contained a plasmid about 60 kb in length which provided cells of L. buchneri NRRLB 1837 with resistance to fusidin, antagonistic activity against Pseudomonas diminuta and capacity for utilizing sucrose and sorbite. It was shown possible to integrate the plasmid DNA about 26.5 kb in length contained in the cells of L. casei MT 205 to the chromosomes of erythromycin resistant transformants. The results of the investigation of the biological properties of the recombinants and transformants and their plasmid profiles were confirmed with the Southern DNA-DNA hybridization.

[Isolation and characteristics of mitochondrial DNA from Acremonium chrysogenum]. / Vydelenie i kharakteristika mitokhondrial'noí DNK iz Acremonium chrysogenum.

Circular mDNAs 26.85 and 26.94 kb in length were isolated from two isogenic strains of A. chrysogenum producing cephalosporin C. The strains differed in antibiotic production capacity. Restriction analysis of the mDNAs was performed with using 6 endonucleases. Comparison of the restriction data revealed identity of mDNAs. A restriction map of the mDNAs was constructed. It is useful as a basis for further studies with molecular cloning.

[Effect of mytilan, a polysaccharide from Crenomytilus grayanus, on the functional activity of peritoneal macrophages]. / Vliianie mitilana--polisakharida iz midii Crenomytilus grayanus--na funktsional'nuiu aktivnost' peritoneal'nykh makrofagov.

The studies showed that mytilan, a polysaccharide from Crenomytilus grayanus had a marked activating effect on macrophages evident from respective morphological changes and increased metabolic and functional activity of the macrophages. Exposure to mytilan resulted in an increase in the number of the macrophages and their size (optic microscopy), changes in their surface (scanning microscopy) and ultrastructural reconstruction of the cells (light microscopy). It was shown that subcutaneous and intraperitoneal administration of mytilan defined a decrease in the activity of 5'-nucleotidase in the macrophages of the peritoneal exudate from ++noninbred mice and mice CBA. Moreover, under the influence of mytilan the macrophage phagocytic activity against E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and P. vulgaris increased in vivo and in vitro.

[Antibiotic production by variants of Penicillium chrysogenum isolated after protoplast formation and exposure to mutagens at the protoplast stage]. / Antibiotikoobrazovanie u variantov Penicillium chrysogenum, poluchennykh posle protoplastirovaniia i obrabotki mutagenami na stadii protoplastov.

A procedure for protoplast formation in the penicillin-producing organism Penicillium chrysogenum was developed. The yield of the protoplasts was high, the protoplasts were stable and capable of regeneration. Two types of the protoplast regeneration were revealed. The spores and protoplasts were treated with UV light and N-nitroso-N'-methyl biuret and their effect on production of the antibiotic by the isolated variants was studied. It was shown that the protoplasts of P. chrysogenum were more liable to the mutagenic effect of UV light and nitroso methyl biuret than the fungus conidia. It is possible to use this specific feature in intensification of selection aimed at isolation of highly productive strains of P. chrysogenum.

[Identification and characteristics of plasmids of the strains of erythromycin-producing Streptomyces erythreus]. / Identifikatsiia i kharakteristika plazmid v shtammakh Streptomyces erythreus-produtsentakh éritromitsina.

Presence of plasmid DNA was investigated in laboratory strains 2 and 4 (NRRL 2338) of S. erythreus, as well as in strains 1 and 3 of S. erythreus subjected to improvement with respect to erythromycin production. Families of plasmids close by their molecular weights were identified in S. erythreus strains 3 and 4 (NRRL 2338). A plasmid DNA fraction of S. erythreus strain 3 was studied with electron microscopy. It enabled to identify 5 plasmids: pSE11, pSE12, pSE13, pSE14 and pSE15 with length of 5.3, 12.4, 16.3, 29.6 and 86.9 kb respectively. Using of various procedures for isolation of extrachromosomal DNA did not provide its detection in S. erythreus strains 1 and 2. At least a part of the plasmids detected in S. erythreus strains 3 and 4 (NRRL 2338) was conjugative. 32R-Labeled plasmid DNA of S. erythreus strain 3 was subjected to hydridization according to Sauthern with total DNA of the 4 strains treated with restrictases BamHI, PstI and BgIII. The studies showed that the genome of S. erythreus strain 2 was not homologous with the probe while S. erythreus strain 1 contained one of the plasmids or its part in chromosome-integrated state. In strains 3 and 4 (NRRL 2338) of S. erythreus certain plasmid DNAs were present in both autonomous and chromosome-inserted states. 32P-Labeled gene of erythromycin resistance (ermE) was subjected to hybridization according to Southern with total DNA of the 4 strains and with DNA plasmid fraction of S. erythreus strain 3. The signal was positive only in hydridization of the probe with total DNA of S. erythreus strains 1, 3, and 4 (NRRL 2338).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Isolation and characteristics of plasmid DNA from Lactobacilli]. / Vydelenie i nekotorye kharakteristiki plazmidnoi DNK iz laktobatsill.

It was shown on a model of 2 collection strains of lactobacilli that their cultivation on a synthetic multicomponent medium with addition of threonine and subsequent exposure of the cells to lysozyme at 0 degrees C and to alkaline solution of sodium dodecylsulfate at 60 degrees C provided highly efficient detection of plasmid DNA in these organisms. Circular molecules of the plasmid DNA of the 7-kv length, their dimer forms and linear molecules were detected in both of the strains.