Transition metal-free [3 + 3] annulation of cyclopropanols with ß-enamine esters to assemble nicotinate derivatives.

A metal-free and efficient approach for the synthesis of structurally important nicotinates through 4-HO-TEMPO-mediated [3 + 3] annulation of cyclopropanols with ß-enamine esters is presented. This protocol features high atom efficiency, green waste, simple operation and broad substrate scope. Moreover, the experiments of gram-scale synthesis and recovery of oxidants make this strategy more sustainable and practical.

Piscinibacter caeni sp. nov., isolated from activated sludge.

A yellowish-pigmented bacterial strain, designated as MQ-18T, was isolated from a sample of activated sludge collected from a pharmaceutical factory in Zhejiang, China. The strain was characterized through a polyphasic taxonomy approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that strain MQ-18T showed high similarities to Piscinibacter defluvii SH-1T (99.7 %) and Piscinibacter aquaticus IMCC1728T (98.4 %), thereby suggesting that it belongs to the genus Piscinibacter. The DNA-DNA relatedness values of this strain to strains SH-1T and IMCC1728T were only 35.4 and 33.3 %, respectively. Cells of MQ-18T were Gram-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped and non-spore forming. This strain exhibited growth at 25-37 °C (optimum: 30 °C) in the presence of 0-3.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0 % NaCl) and at pH 5.0-8.0 (pH 7.0). The predominant fatty acids were C12 : 0 (5.5 %), C16 : 0 (33.7 %), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c; 38.5 %), and summed feature 4 (anteiso-C17 : 1 B and/or iso C17 : 1 I; 11.6 %). The main quinone type was ubiquinone-8, and the major polyamines were cadaverine and putrescine. The major polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The DNA G+C content was 70.1 mol%. On the basis of its phylogenetic, phenotypic and physiological characteristics, strain MQ-18T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Piscinibacter, for which the name Piscinibacter caeni sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MQ-18T (CCTCC AB 2017223T=JCM 32138T).

[Research advances in the regulation of cardiovascular metabolic disorders and its related risk factors by C1q/TNF related proteins].

The complement C1q/TNF related protein (CTRP) family is rapidly growing and currently comprises 15 members. Although CTRP proteins share a common structure composed of four distinct domains: a signal peptide at the N terminus, a short variable region, a collagenous domain, and a C-terminal globular domain, which is homologous to adiponectin, each CTRP has a unique tissue expression profile and varied function. In this review we focus on the biochemistry and pleiotropic functions of CTRPs as new molecular mediators regulating cardiovascular metabolic disorders and its related risk factors diseases.

Comparative investigation on a hexane-degrading strain with different cell surface hydrophobicities mediated by starch and chitosan.

Bioremediation usually exhibits low removal efficiency toward hexane because of poor water solubility, which limits the mass transfer rate between the substrate and microorganism. This work aimed to enhance the hexane degradation rate by increasing cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) of the degrader, Pseudomonas mendocina NX-1. The CSH of P. mendocina NX-1 was manipulated by treatment with starch and chitosan solution of varied concentrations, reaching a maximum hydrophobicity of 52%. The biodegradation of hexane conformed to the Haldane inhibition model, and the maximum degradation rate (ν max) of the cells with 52% CSH was 0.72 mg (mg cell)-1·h-1 in comparison with 0.47 mg (mg cell)-1·h-1 for cells with 15% CSH. The production of CO2 by high CSH cells was threefold higher than that by cells at 15% CSH within 30 h, and the cumulative rates of O2 consumption were 0.16 and 0.05 mL/h, respectively. High CSH was related to low negative charge carried by the cell surface and probably reduced the repulsive electrostatic interactions between hexane and microorganisms. The FT-IR spectra of cell envelopes demonstrated that the methyl chain was inversely proportional to increasing CSH values, but proteins exhibited a positive effect to CSH enhancement. The ratio of extracellular proteins and polysaccharides increased from 0.87 to 3.78 when the cells were treated with starch and chitosan, indicating their possible roles in increased CSH.

Kinetic analysis of biodesulfurization of model oil containing multiple alkyl dibenzothiophenes.

Biodesulfurization is regarded as a promising alternative technology for desulfurization from diesel oil due to its mild operating conditions and its ability to remove sulfur from alky dibenzothiophenes (C(x)-DBTs). The diesel oil contains complex mixtures of C(x)-DBTs in which individual microbial biodesulfurization may be altered. In this work, interactions among three typical C(x)-DBTs such as dibenzothiophenes (DBT), 4-methyldibenzothiophene (4-MDBT), and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) were investigated using Mycobacterium sp. ZD-19 in an airlift reactor. The experimental results indicated that the desulfurization rates would decrease in the multiple C(x)-DBTs system compared to the single C(x)-DBT system. The extent of inhibition depended upon the substrate numbers, concentrations, and affinities of the co-existing substrates. For example, compared to individual desulfurization rate (100 %), DBT desulfurization rate decreased to 75.2 % (DBT + 4,6-DMDBT), 64.8 % (DBT + 4-MDBT), and 54.7 % (DBT + 4,6-DMDBT + 4-MDBT), respectively. This phenomenon was caused by an apparent competitive inhibition of substrates, which was well predicted by a Michaelis-Menten competitive inhibition model.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Regulated Intestinal Microbial Community and Cytokines to Inhibit Salmonella typhimurium Infection.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are recognized as food-grade safe microorganisms and have many beneficial effects. LAB could maintain the host intestinal homeostasis and regulate intestinal microbial community to exert antibacterial effects. In this study, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum, Lp01) strain isolated from pig intestine was orally administered to C57BL/6 mice, and mice were then infected with Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC14028). The protective effects of L. plantarum were evaluated by monitoring body weight loss, survival rates, bacterial loads in tissue, colon histopathology analysis, and cytokine secretion. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was also utilized to detect the dynamics of the blind gut microbial community in mice. We found that L. plantarum could significantly reduce the body weight loss and improve the survival rates. The survival rate in the L. P-Sty group was up to 67.5%, which was much higher than that in the STY group (25%). Counting of bacterial loads displayed that the colony-forming unit (CFU) of S. typhimurium in the spleen (p < 0.05) and the liver (p < 0.05) from L. P-Sty group both decreased, compared with STY group. Intestinal histopathology showed that it alleviated the intestinal injury caused by Salmonella, inhibited the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and promoted anti-inflammatory cytokines (p < 0. 01). In addition, L. plantarum also significantly ameliorated the intestinal gut microbiome disturbance caused by Salmonella. It displayed an obvious increase of beneficial bacteria including Lactobacillus and Bacteroidetes and reduction of pathogenic bacteria like Proteobacteria. In conclusion, L. plantarum could regulate microbial community to inhibit Salmonella typhimurium infection.

Biological and chemical interaction of oxygen on the reduction of Fe(III)EDTA in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated NOx removal system.

A promising chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated process has been proposed. A major problem of the process is oxidation of the active absorbent, ferrous ethylenediaminetetraacetate (Fe(II)EDTA), to the ferric species, leading to a significant decrease in NO removal efficiency. Thus the biological reduction of Fe(III)EDTA is vitally important for the continuous NO removal. Oxygen, an oxidizing agent and biological inhibitor, is typically present in the flue gas. It can significantly retard the application of the integrated process. This study investigated the influence mechanism of oxygen on the regeneration of Fe(II)EDTA in order to provide insight on how to eliminate or decrease the oxygen influence. The experimental results revealed that the dissolved oxygen and Fe(III)EDTA simultaneously served as electron acceptor for the microorganism. The Fe(III)EDTA reduction activity were directly inhibited by the dissolved oxygen. When the bioreactor was supplied with 3% and 8% oxygen in the gas phase, the concentration of initial dissolved oxygen in the liquid phase was 0.28 and 0.68 mg l(-1). Correspondingly, the instinct Fe(III)EDTA reduction activity of the microorganism determined under anoxic condition in a rotation shaker decreased from 1.09 to 0.84 and 0.49 mM h(-1). The oxidation of Fe(II)EDTA with dissolved oxygen prevented more dissolved oxygen access to the microorganism and eased the inhibition of dissolved oxygen on the microorganisms.

Enhanced biodegradation of n-hexane in a two-phase partitioning bioreactor inoculated with Pseudomonas mendocina NX-1 under chitosan stimulation.

Two-phase partitioning bioreactors (TPPBs) have been extensively used for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) removal. To date, most studies have focused on improving the mass transfer of gas phases/non-aqueous phases (NAPs)/aqueous phases, whereas the NAP/biological phases and gas/biological phases transfer has been neglected. Herein, chitosan was introduced into a TPPB to increase cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and improve the n-hexane mass transfer. The performance and stability of the TPPB with chitosan for n-hexane biodegradation were investigated, and it was found out that the TPPB with chitosan achieved maximum removal efficiency and elimination capacity of 80.6% and 26.5 g m-3 h-1, thereby reaching much higher values than those obtained without chitosan (61.3% and 15.2 g m-3 h-1). Chitosan not only obvio usly increased cell surface hydrophobicity and cell dry biomass on the surface of silicone oil, but might also allow hydrophobic cells in aqueous phases to directly capture and biodegrade n-hexane, resulting in an obvious improvement of mass transfer from the gas phase to biomass. Stability enhancement was another attractive advantage from chitosan addition. This study might provide a new strategy for the development of TPPB in the hydrophobic VOCs treatment.

[Removal of Nitrate Nitrogen by Microbial Photoelectrochemical Cell: PANI/TiO2-NTs as a Photoanode].

The use of microbial photoelectrochemical cells (MPECs) for the removal of contaminants is a cost-effective and environment-friendly method. Based on the preparation of polyaniline/titanium dioxide nanotube array (PANI/TiO2-NTs) composite photoelectrodes, an MPEC system comprising PANI/TiO2-NTs photoanode and biocathode was constructed and the removal performance of nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) was studied. The experimental results showed that the PANI/TiO2-NT electrode exhibited the best photoelectric performance when the PANI loading time was 80 s. Compared with the TiO2-NTs electrode, the photocurrent density doubled. The light-driven MPEC system could realize autotrophic denitrification without an external voltage. The biodegradation of NO3--N conformed to the pseudo first-order kinetics. The higher the photoresponse current density, the better the denitrification performance of the system. When the initial concentration of NO3--N was 25 mg·L-1 and the photoresponse current density increased from 0.17 mA·cm-2 to 0.67 mA·cm-2, the average denitrification rate increased from 0.83 mg·(L·h)-1 to 2.83 mg·(L·h)-1. High-throughput sequencing of the biocathode microbial membranes revealed that Pseudomonas (27.37%) was the dominant bacteria. It was considered that the photogenerated electrons generated by the PANI/TiO2-NTs photoanode were transmitted to the cathode through an external circuit. Pseudomonas and other microorganisms with autotrophic denitrification and electrochemical activity directly used the electrons on the electrode as the sole electron donors for autotrophic denitrification reaction.

Effects of NO2(-) and NO3(-) on the Fe(III)EDTA reduction in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated NO(x) removal system.

The biological reduction of Fe(III) ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is a key step for NO removal in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated process. Since typical flue gas contain oxygen, NO(2)(-) and NO(3)(-) would be present in the absorption solution after NO absorption. In this paper, the interaction of NO(2)(-), NO(3)(-), and Fe(III)EDTA reduction was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate decrease with the increase of NO(2)(-) or NO(3)(-) addition. In the presence of 10 mM NO(2)(-) or NO(3)(-), the average reduction rate of Fe(III)EDTA during the first 6-h reaction was 0.076 and 0.17 mM h(-1), respectively, compared with 1.07 mM h(-1) in the absence of NO(2)(-) and NO(3)(-). Fe(III)EDTA and either NO(2)(-) or NO(3)(-) reduction occurred simultaneously. Interestingly, the reduction rate of NO(2)(-) or NO(3)(-) was enhanced in presence of Fe(III)EDTA. The inhibition patterns observed during the effect of NO(2)(-) and NO(3)(-) on the Fe(III)EDTA reduction experiments suggest that Escherichia coli can utilize NO(2)(-), NO(3)(-), and Fe(III)EDTA as terminal electron acceptors.

Enhancing Chlorobenzene Biodegradation by Delftia tsuruhatensis Using a Water-Silicone Oil Biphasic System.

In this study, a water-silicone oil biphasic system was developed to enhance the biodegradation of monochlorobenzene (CB) by Delftia tsuruhatensis LW26. Compared to the single phase, the biphasic system with a suitable silicone oil fraction (v/v) of 20% allowed a 2.5-fold increase in the maximum tolerated CB concentration. The CB inhibition on D. tsuruhatensis LW26 was reduced in the presence of silicone oil, and the electron transport system activity was maintained at high levels even under high CB stress. Adhesion of cells to the water-oil interface at the water side was observed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Nearly 75% of cells accumulated on the interface, implying that another interfacial substrate uptake pathway prevailed besides that initiated by cells in the aqueous phase. The 8-fold increase in cell surface hydrophobicity upon the addition of 20% (v/v) silicone oil showed that silicone oil modified the surface characteristics of D. tsuruhatensis LW26. The protein/polysaccharide ratio of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from D. tsuruhatensis LW26 presented a 3-fold enhancement. These results suggested that silicone oil induced the increase in the protein content of EPS and rendered cells hydrophobic. The resulting hydrophobic cells could adhere on the water-oil interface, improving the mass transfer by direct CB uptake from silicone oil.

A solid composite microbial inoculant for the simultaneous removal of volatile organic sulfide compounds: Preparation, characterization, and its bioaugmentation of a biotrickling filter.

Volatile organic sulfide compounds (VOSCs) are usually resistant to biodegradation, thereby limiting the performance of traditional biotechnology dealing with waste gas containing such pollutants especially in mixture. In this study, a solid composite microbial inoculant (SCMI) was prepared to remove dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and propanethiol (PT). Given that the DMS degradation activity of Alcaligenes sp. SY1 is inducible and the PT-degradation activity of Pseudomonas putida S-1 is constitutive, different strategies are designed for cell cultivation to obtain high VOSC removal rates of SCMI. Compared with the microbial suspension, the prepared SCMI exhibited better storage stability at 4 and 25°C. Inoculation of the SCMI in biotrickling filters (BTFs) could effectively shorten the start-up period and enhance the removal performance. Microbial analysis by Illumina MiSeq indicated that Alcaligenes sp. SY1 and P. putida S-1 might be dominant and persistent among the microbial communities of the BTF during the operation.

Experimental study on the inhibition of biological reduction of Fe(III)EDTA in NO(x) absorption solution.

Scrubbing of NO(x) from the gas phase with Fe(II)EDTA has been shown to be highly effective. A new biological method can be used to convert NO to N(2) and regenerate the chelating agent Fe(II)EDTA for continuous NO absorption. The core of this biological regeneration is how to effectively simultaneous reduce Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO, two mainly products in the ferrous chelate absorption solution. The biological reduction rate of Fe(III)EDTA plays a main role for the NO(x) removal efficiency. In this paper, a bacterial strain identified as Klebsiella Trevisan sp. was used to demonstrate an inhibition of Fe(III)EDTA reduction in the presence of Fe(II)EDTA-NO. The competitive inhibition experiments indicted that Fe(II)EDTA-NO inhibited not only the growth rate of the iron-reduction bacterial strain but also the Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate. Cell growth rate and Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate decreased with increasing Fe(II)EDTA-NO concentration in the solution.

A new approach for Fe(III)EDTA reduction in NO(x) scrubber solution using bio-electro reactor.

A new process for the removal of NO(x) by a combined Fe(II)EDTA absorption and microbial reduction has been demonstrated, in which part of the Fe(II)EDTA will be oxidized by oxygen in the flue gas to form Fe(III)EDTA. In former studies, strain FR-2 has been found to reduce Fe(III)EDTA efficiently. Otherwise, it has been reported that bio-electro reactor could efficiently provide a chance for simultaneous denitrification and metal ion removal. Therefore, a use of bio-electro reactor is suggested to promote the reduction of Fe(III)EDTA by strain FR-2 in this paper. The results showed that the concentration of Fe(III)EDTA decreased rapidly when electric current was applied, and that as the current density rose, the Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate increased while followed by a decrease afterward. The formation of the biofilm on the electrode was observed by ESEM (Environmental Scan Electro-Microscope). In addition, the Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate obviously decreased with the existence of NaNO(2).

NO(x) removal from simulated flue gas by chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated approach in a biofilter.

A chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated approach, which combines the advantages of both the chemical and biological technologies, is employed to achieve the removal of nitrogen monoxide (NO) from the simulated flue gas. The biological reduction of NO to nitrogen gas (N2) and regeneration of the absorbent Fe(II)EDTA (EDTA:ethylenediaminetetraacetate) take place under thermophilic conditions (50 +/- 0.5 degrees C). The performance of a laboratory-scale biofilter was investigated for treating NO(x) gas in this study. Shock loading studies were performed to ascertain the response of the biofilter to fluctuations of inlet loading rates (0.48 approximately 28.68 g NO m(-3) h(-1)). A maximum elimination capacity (18.78 g NO m(-3) h(-1)) was achieved at a loading rate of 28.68 g NO m(-3) h(-1) and maintained 5 h operation at the steady state. Additionally, the effect of certain gaseous compounds (e.g., O2 and SO2) on the NO removal was also investigated. A mathematical model was developed to describe the system performance. The model has been able to predict experimental results for different inlet NO concentrations. In summary, both theoretical prediction and experimental investigation confirm that biofilter can achieve high removal rate for NO in high inlet concentrations under both steady and transient states.

Evaluation of complexed NO reduction mechanism in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated NO(x) removal system.

Biological reduction of nitric oxide (NO) from Fe(II) ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-NO to dinitrogen (N(2)) is a core process for the continual nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) removal in the chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated approach. To explore the biological reduction of Fe(II)EDTA-NO, the stoichiometry and mechanism of Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction with glucose or Fe(II)EDTA as electron donor were investigated. The experimental results indicate that the main product of complexed NO reduction is N(2), as there was no accumulation of nitrous oxide, ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate after the complete depletion of Fe(II)EDTA-NO. A transient accumulation of nitrous oxide (N(2)O) suggests reduction of complexed NO proceeds with N(2)O as an intermediate. Some quantitative data on the stoichiometry of the reaction are experimental support that reduction of complexed NO to N(2) actually works. In addition, glucose is the preferred and primary electron donor for complexed NO reduction. Fe(II)EDTA served as electron donor for the reduction of Fe(II)EDTA-NO even in the glucose excessive condition. A maximum reduction capacity as measured by NO (0.818 mM h(-1)) is obtained at 4 mM of Fe(II)EDTA-NO using 5.6 mM of glucose as primary electron donor. These findings impact on the understanding of the mechanism of bacterial anaerobic Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction and have implication for improving treatment methods of this integrated approach.

Reduction of Fe(II)EDTA-NO by a newly isolated Pseudomonas sp. strain DN-2 in NOx scrubber solution.

Biological reduction of nitric oxide (NO) chelated by ferrous ethylenediaminetetraacetate (Fe(II)EDTA) to N2 is one of the core processes in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated technique for nitrogen oxide (NOx) removal from flue gases. A new isolate, identified as Pseudomonas sp. DN-2 by 16S rRNA sequence analysis, was able to reduce Fe(II)EDTA-NO. The specific reduction capacity as measured by NO was up to 4.17 mmol g DCW(-1) h(-1). Strain DN-2 can simultaneously use glucose and Fe(II)EDTA as electron donors for Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction. Fe(III)EDTA, the oxidation of Fe(II)EDTA by oxygen, can also serve as electron acceptor by strain DN-2. The interdependency between various chemical species, e.g., Fe(II)EDTA-NO, Fe(II)EDTA, or Fe (III)EDTA, was investigated. Though each complex, e.g., Fe(II)EDTA-NO or Fe(III)EDTA, can be reduced by its own dedicated bacterial strain, strain DN-2 capable of reducing Fe(III)EDTA can enhance the regeneration of Fe(II)EDTA, hence can enlarge NO elimination capacity. Additionally, the inhibition of Fe(II)EDTA-NO on the Fe(III)EDTA reduction has been explored previously. Strain DN-2 is probably one of the major contributors for the continual removal of NOx due to the high Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction rate and the ability of Fe(III)EDTA reduction.

Evaluation of microbial reduction of Fe(III)EDTA in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated NOx removal system.

A chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated process can be used to remove nitrogen oxides (NOx) from flue gas. In such a process, nitric oxide (NO) can be effectively absorbed by the ferrous chelate of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (Fe(II)EDTA) to form Fe(II)EDTA-NO, which can be biologically regenerated by denitrifying bacteria. However, in the course of these processes, part of the Fe(II)EDTA is also oxidized to Fe(III)EDTA. The reduction of Fe(III)EDTA to Fe(II)EDTA depends on the activity of iron-reducing bacteria in the system. Therefore, the effectiveness of the system relies on how to effectively bioreduce Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO in the system. In this paper, a strain identified as Escherichia coli FR-2 (iron-reducing bacterium) was used to investigate the reduction rate of Fe(III)EDTA. The experimental results indicate that Fe(III)EDTA-NO and Fe(II)EDTA in the system can inhibit both the FR-2 cell growth and thus affect the Fe(III)EDTA reduction. The FR-2 cell growth rate and Fe(III)EDTA reduction rate decreased with increasing Fe(II)EDTA-NO and Fe(II)EDTA concentration in the solution. When the concentration of Fe(II)EDTA-NO reached 3.7 mM, the FR-2 cell growth almost stopped. A mathematical model was developed to explain the cell growth and inhibition kinetics. The predicted results are close to the experimental data and provide a preliminary evaluation of the kinetics of the biologically mediated reactions necessary to regenerate the spent scrubber solution.