Identification and Verification of the Ability of Cdk5 to Phosphorylate Deubiquitinating Enzyme BRCC3 In Vitro

It is known that the expression of the deubiquitinating enzyme BRCA1-BRCA2-containing complex subunit 3 (BRCC3) and cyclin-dependent protein kinase 5 (Cdk5) is increased in Parkinson's disease (both are involved in neuroinflammatory response). However, the regulatory mechanism of Cdk5 on the post-translational modification of BRCC3 remains unclear. Here we studied whether Cdk5 phosphorylates BRCC3. Phosphorylation of BRCC3 by Cdk5 was predicted by GPS 5.0 software. His-BRCC3 plasmid was constructed by cloning the BRCC3 gene into pGEX-6P-1 vector, and then His-BRCC3 fusion protein was induced with isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside and purified using His-Tag affinity chromatography purification agarose. Phosphorylation of BRCC3 fusion protein by Cdk5 in vitro was detected by mass spectrometry and Western blotting. The results showed that multiple phosphorylation sites were predicted by GPS 5.0, and the His-BRCC3 fusion protein was successfully induced and purified. In vitro kinase assay, Western blotting, and mass spectrometry showed that Cdk5 can phosphorylate BRCC3. It has been demonstrated that protein kinase Cdk5 can phosphorylate the deubiquitinating enzyme BRCC3 in vitro, which provides new data for further study on the mechanism of neurodegeneration.

Experimental and Model Predictive Investigation into the Relationship of pH Alternation with Addition of Lime in Acid Tin Tailing Treatments

Lime is one of the commonly used amendments for acidic soils. The reasonable application of lime can effectively improve the current status of acid tailings and reduce harm to the environment. In this study, we analyzed the pH alternation of acid tin tailing as a function of lime dose based on three methods-single titration method, K-bicarbonate titration method, and buffer curve method-to predict the accurate lime requirement (LR) in acid tin tailing treatments. Of these prediction methods, the buffer curve method was best suited for the prediction of lime dose, and the prediction values agreed with the experimental data by factors of 1.0‒1.4. Thus, we determined that the buffer curve method was more suitable for predicting the lime requirement of acid tailings. This study of acid tailings lime requirement provides scientific research for the subsequent modification of tailings.

[Investigation of Dominant Plants and Analysis of Ecological Restoration Potential in Lailishan Tin Tailings]

To investigate the dominant plants in ecological restoration of tin mining areas, field investigations were conducted in a tin tailings area in Lailishan, Yunnan Provence, and 15 dominant plants and corresponding rhizosphere soils were collected. The plant root mycorrhizal infection rate; the copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and tin (Sn) contents; and the chemical properties of the rhizosphere tailings were determined. The transfer and enrichment coefficients of six heavy metals were calculated for each of the 15 plants to comprehensively evaluate the application potential of native plants. The rhizophere tailings had an average pH value of 3.13, which was acidic. The organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, alkaline hydrolyzed nitrogen, and available phosphorus content of the soils was 6.07 g ·kg^-1, 5.74 g ·kg^-1, 0.62 g ·kg^-1, 8.66 g ·kg^-1, 30.84 mg ·kg^-1, and 2.08 mg ·kg^-1 respectively, indicating relatively nutrient-poor soil. The average Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, As, and Sn contents of the soils were 347.40, 1.02, 1.34, 168.47, 25.81, and 2299.02 mg ·kg^-1, respectively. Among the heavy metals, the Cd content reached a third-level pollution warning value. The soil also contained a large amount of Cu and Pb which exhibited a different spatial distribution. This area appears to have a high risk of Cu, Pb, and Cd pollution. In addition, the roots of Olea europaea L. and Eurya japonica Thunb. had a high rate of mycorrhizal infection. Alnus cremastogyne Burk., Bambusa multiplex (Lour.) Raeusch. ex Schult. 'Alphonse-Kar' R. A. Young, Juncus effusus L., and Cyperus rotundus L. var. had a strong ability to absorb and transport heavy metals. The other plants were also adapted to the growth environment of the tin tailings, with the potential to restore the mining area.

[Acid Mine Wasteland Reclamation by Juncus ochraceus Buchen as a Potential Pioneer Plant]

Ecological reclamation is the major method for the revegetation of acid mine wasteland worldwide. In this study the pH, fertility characteristics, and heavy metal content of soils from Laili Mountain mine wasteland were analyzed. The research also studied the morphological characteristics and the heavy metal in Juncus ochraceus Buchen as well as its resistance to acid, adaptability to soil fertility in abandoned land, and tolerance to heavy metal pollution (e.g., Zn and Cu) to determine its remediation potential as a pioneer plant for acid mine wasteland. Results showed that the pH of soils in the study area were acidic, ranging from 3.46 to 4.01.The contents of organic matter, total potassium, total phosphorus, and available phosphorus was poor, being 10.28-25.75 g·kg^-1, 8.84-9.32 g·kg^-1, 0.56-0.63 g·kg^-1, and 1.82-5.72 mg·kg^-1 respectively.The contents of Zn, Cu, and Fe in the soil ranged between 54.93 and 114.49 mg·kg^-1, 92.53 and 127.59 mg·kg^-1, and 47133.60 and 112259.63 mg·kg^-1, whereby the Cu content was 1.85-2.55 times higher than the risk screening value. The height of Juncus ochraceus Buchen in the study area ranged from 43.77 cm to 55.42 cm, which was shorter than the average plant height of the control group (51.38-57.66 cm); however, this was not a significant difference, thus indicating that this plant was resistant to acidic soil and heavy metal pollution.Further analysis showed that Juncus ochraceus Buchen had accumulating capacity for both Cu and Zn, and transferring capacity for Zn as well. Thus, it had potential in heavy metal accumulation and absorption.Plant height was significantly related to the available phosphorus content in the rhizosphere soil. In the future, soil fertility could be improved by supplementing fertilizers containing available phosphorus when Juncus ochraceus Buchen is planted on the land of abandoned mines as a pioneer plant. Comprehensive analysis revealed that Juncus ochraceus Buchen had great potential as a pioneer plant to remediate acid mine wasteland.

[Photo-assisted Degradation of Sulfamethazine by Ferrocene-catalyzed Heterogeneous Fenton-like System]

Antibiotics are acknowledged micropollutants in wastewaters and surface waters. They are of particular concern because they can trigger an increase in resistant bacteria. Therefore, novel and efficient technology for the removal of antibiotics is urgently needed. In this study, heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction based on ferrocene (Fc) had been constructed, sulfamethazine (SMZ) was selected as target compound due to its abundance in water. The degradation kinetics, transformation pathway, and degradation products of SMZ in this system were investigated. The results showed that Fc+H₂O₂+UV had better degradation efficiency for SMZ than did Fc, Fc+UV, H₂O₂, and H₂O₂+UV, Fc+H₂O₂ systems. Radical scavenger experiments confirmed that the photogenerated OH was largely responsible for the photolytic enhancement of SMZ in the Fc+H₂O₂+UV system. Additionally, the electron spin resonance technique revealed that photogenerated O₂^- was found in the system, indicating that Fc can generate electrons under light conditions. H₂O₂ underwent electron disproportionation to produce OH, which promoted the degradation of SMZ. The degradation products of SMZ in the Fc+H₂O₂+UV system were identified by LC/LTQ-Orbitrap MS. The hydroxylation of SMZ, the removal of SO₂, and the products of breaking C-S, S-N, and N-C bonds were observed. Common soluble components (such as DOM, Cl^-, and Br^-) in water can quench OH, thus inhibiting the photodegradation of SMZ. However, the ionic strength had no significant effect on the degradation of SMZ in the Fc+H₂O₂+UV system, which showed that this technique positively affected the treatment of wastewater containing high-salinity antibiotics.

Molecular identification of hemoplasma and piroplasma species from Rattus edwardsi based on sequences analysis of ribosomal DNA, China

The present study provides the first report on the molecular epidemiological data regarding infection by hemoplasma and piroplasma species in wild Rattus edwardsi, from China. In the current study, blood samples were investigated from 32 wild Rattus edwardsi from Hunan (23) and Guangxi (9) provinces, China. The prevalence of hemoplasma and piroplasma was 65.63% (21/32) and 6.25% (2/32), respectively. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that hemoplasmas (HQ183731, HQ183732) derived from wild Rattus edwardsi in China, can be grouped into a solitary clade closely related to H. muris (HMU82963) and M. haemomuris (AB758435). In addition, it was shown that piroplasmas from this study have very close genetic distance to other unidentified piroplasma species isolated from China (AB242140) and Japan (AB188086). The results suggested that hemoplasmas isolated in this study should be represented as a new genotype. Piroplasmas on the other hand needs more sequenced samples in its life-cycle and evidence to check its taxonomic status. These data may have important implications for researching on the epidemiology and population biology as well as for studying the taxonomy status of hemoplasmas and piroplasmids of wild rodents.