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A bacteriocin termed plantaricin MX with a broad antimicrobial spectrum was produced by Lactobacillus plantarum NMD-17, which was isolated from Inner Mongolia traditional koumiss of china. Among 300 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) belonging to the genera Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, and Enterococcus, five strains including Lactobacillus reuteri NMD-86, Lactobacillus helveticus NMD-137, Lactococcus lactis NMD-152, Enterococcus faecalis NMD-178, and Enterococcus faecium NMD-219 were revealed to significantly induce the bacteriocin synthesis and greatly increase the cell numbers of Lactobacillus plantarum NMD-17 and activity of AI-2 signaling molecule. Bacteriocin synthesis was not increased by cell-free supernatants and autoclaved cultures of inducing strains, demonstrating that intact cells of inducing strains were essential to the induction of bacteriocin synthesis. The existence of bacteriocin structural plnEF genes and the plnD and luxS genes involved in quorum sensing was confirmed by PCR, and the presence of plnB gene encoding histidine protein kinase was determined by single oligonucleotide nested PCR (Son-PCR). Quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that plnB, plnD, luxS, plnE, and plnF genes of L. plantarum NMD-17 were upregulated significantly (P

SnRK2 protein kinases have been demonstrated to have an important effect on the physiological processes of plant stress tolerance. Here, one of the SnRK2 family members, designated AsSnRK2D, was isolated from oat (Avena sativa Linn. L.). The AsSnRK2D protein includes functional domains specific to the SnRK2 family. The AsSnRK2D protein and its 12 and 21 counterparts were classified into Group II and SnRK2a, respectively. The AsSnRK2D gene was constitutively expressed and positively responded to abscisic acid, low-temperature, salt, and dehydration stress. The subcellular localization analysis revealed that the AsSnRK2.7 protein was localized primarily in the nucleus. Ectopic expression of the AsSnRK2D gene in tobacco resulted in an improvement in the primary root length and plant fresh weight under dehydration and salt stress. The AsSnRK2D-overexpressing tobacco demonstrated improved tolerance to stress resulting from dehydration and salinity, as supported by the morphological changes, survival rates, and physiological indices, including electrolyte leakage, superoxide dismutase level, catalase activity, chlorophyll yield, relative water content, accumulation of reactive oxygen species such as superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide, and the level of free proline. The AsSnRK2D gene was associated with the stress responses of the transgenic tobacco to dehydration and salinity via the regulation of a series of stress-inducible genes, including dehydrins (NtERD10B, NtERD10D, and NtLEA5), cell signaling components (NtPLC3 and NtCaMK1), transcription factors (NtDREB2 and NtDREB4), antioxidative enzymes (NtMnSOD and NtCAT), and proline biosynthesis (NtP5CS). The results show that the AsSnRK2D gene has certain application potential in improving crop tolerances to dehydration and salinity stress.

A symmetrical N2O2-tetradentate dioxime chemical sensor H2L was synthesized for the first time. The sensor H2L can identify S2– ion with dual channels of fluorescence–ultraviolet spectra, and through the calculation of binding constant and detection limit of L-S system, it was showed that H2L can detect S2– ion with high efficiency and specificity. pH response experiments were carried out on L-S system and H2L to explore the pH range recognized by them. The recognition mechanism was determined by 1H NMR titration experiment. At the same time, a new method of macro recognition by means of naked eye recognition (under natural light and ultraviolet light of 365 nm) and filter paper recognition was developed. The practical application of the sensor H2L to detect H2S was evaluated in actual water samples and identification experiment of H2S.

The coordination behaviors of asymmetric quinoline-decorated half-salamo-type ligand HL1 with Cu(NO3)2·3H2O and Cu(OAc)2·H2O were studied. Two Cu(II) complexes, [Cu(L1)(NO3)]·CH3CH2OH (1) and [Cu2(L2)2] (2), were isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography, FTIR, UV–vis, and fluorescence spectroscopies. Structural analyses showed that 1 is a mononuclear species, whereas 2 is a binuclear entity. Spontaneous cleavage along the oxime N-O bond close to quinoline ring of the ligand HL1 occurred upon reaction with Cu(OAc)2·H2O, yielding an unexpected complex 2. Moreover, DFT theoretical calculations and Hirshfeld surfaces analyses of the ligand HL1 and its corresponding Cu(II) complexes were investigated in detail.

The sucrose non-fermenting-1 related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) family plays an important role in the response to abiotic stress. To characterize the function of the SnRK2 gene from Agropyron cristatum in stress protection, we cloned the complete coding sequence of the AcSnRK2.11 gene from A. cristatum and generated AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines. The open reading frame of AcSnRK2.11 was 1083 bp in length and encoded a polypeptide of 360 amino acid residues. The sequence analysis results showed that AcSnRK2.11 contained conserved domains typified in SnRK2 protein kinases. Subcellular localization analysis showed that AcSnRK2.11 was located in the nucleus. AcSnRK2.11 was constitutively expressed in all of the examined tissues, and its transcription was induced by cold, dehydration, and salt stress, but not by abscisic acid treatment. Overexpression of the AcSnRK2.11 gene conferred freezing tolerance in yeast. AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines showed higher tolerance to freezing stress than did wild-type (WT) based on higher survival rates, lower malondialdehyde content and increased relative water content retention, chlorophyll yields, superoxide dismutase activities, reactive oxygen species content, peroxidase levels, and soluble carbohydrates under low-temperature conditions. The transcripts of NtDREB1, NtDREB2, NtERD10A, NtERD10B, NtERD10C, NtERD10D, NtMnSOD, NtCDPK15, and NtMPK9 in AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines were more abundant than in WT plants under low-temperature stress. These results suggest that AcSnRK2.11 may function as a regulatory factor associated with a cold-response pathway and could be used in plant breeding for cold resistance.

The sucrose non-fermenting-1 related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) family plays an important role in the response to abiotic stress. To characterize the function of the SnRK2 gene from Agropyron cristatum in stress protection, we cloned the complete coding sequence of the AcSnRK2.11 gene from A. cristatum and generated AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines. The open reading frame of AcSnRK2.11 was 1083 bp in length and encoded a polypeptide of 360 amino acid residues. The sequence analysis results showed that AcSnRK2.11 contained conserved domains typified in SnRK2 protein kinases. Subcellular localization analysis showed that AcSnRK2.11 was located in the nucleus. AcSnRK2.11 was constitutively expressed in all of the examined tissues, and its transcription was induced by cold, dehydration, and salt stress, but not by abscisic acid treatment. Overexpression of the AcSnRK2.11 gene conferred freezing tolerance in yeast. AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines showed higher tolerance to freezing stress than did wild-type (WT) based on higher survival rates, lower malondialdehyde content and increased relative water content retention, chlorophyll yields, superoxide dismutase activities, reactive oxygen species content, peroxidase levels, and soluble carbohydrates under low-temperature conditions. The transcripts of NtDREB1, NtDREB2, NtERD10A, NtERD10B, NtERD10C, NtERD10D, NtMnSOD, NtCDPK15, and NtMPK9 in AcSnRK2.11-overexpressing tobacco lines were more abundant than in WT plants under low-temperature stress. These results suggest that AcSnRK2.11 may function as a regulatory factor associated with a cold-response pathway and could be used in plant breeding for cold resistance. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13205-020-02203-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

An agar well diffusion assay (AWDA) was used to isolate a high bacteriocin-producing strain with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, strain MXG-68, from Inner Mongolia traditional fermented koumiss. Lactobacillus plantarum MXG-68 was identified by morphological, biochemical, and physiological characteristics and 16S rDNA analysis. The production of antibacterial substance followed a growth-interrelated model, starting at the late lag phase of 4 h and arriving at a maximum value in the middle of the stationary phase at 24 h. Antibacterial activity was abolished or decreased in the presence of pepsin, chymotrypsin, trypsin, proteinase, and papain K. The results showed that antibacterial substances produced by L. plantarum MXG-68 were proteinaceous and could thus be classified as the bacteriocin, named plantaricin MXG-68. The molar mass of plantaricin MXG-68 was estimated to be 6.5 kDa, and the amino acid sequence of its N-terminal was determined to be VYGPAGIFNT. The mode of plantaricin MXG-68 action was determined to be bactericidal. Bacteriocin in cell-free supernatant (CFS) at pH 7 was stable at different temperatures (60 °C, 80 °C, 100 °C, 121 °C for 30 min; 4 °C and − 20 °C for 30 days), as well as at pH 2.0–10.0. Antibacterial activity maintained stable after treatment with organic solvents, surfactants, and detergents but increased in response to EDTA. Response surface methodology (RSM) revealed the optimum conditions of bacteriocin production in L. plantarum MXG-68, and the bacteriocin production in medium optimized by RSM was 26.10% higher than that in the basal MRS medium.

The plasminogen-free fibrin plate assay method was used to isolate Bacillus subtilis MX-6, a strain with high production of nattokinase from Chinese douchi. The presence of aprN, a gene-encoding nattokinase, was verified with PCR method. The predicted amino acid sequence was aligned with homologous sequences, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. Nattokinase was sublimated with ammonium sulfate, using a DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow column, a CM-Sepharose Fast Flow column and a Sephadex G-75 gel filtration column. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the molecular weight of the purified nattokinase from Bacillus subtilis MX-6 was about 28 kDa. Fermentation of Bacillus subtilis MX-6 nattokinase showed that nattokinase production was maximized after 72 h; the diameter of clear zone reached 21.60 mm on the plasminogen-free fibrin plate. Nattokinase production by Bacillus subtilis MX-6 increased significantly after supplementation with supernatant I, supernatant II and soy peptone but decreased substantially after the addition of amino acids. This result indicated that the nattokinase production by B. subtilis MX-6 might be induced by soybean polypeptides. The addition of MgSO4 and CaCl2 increased B. subtilis MX-6 nattokinase production.

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are closely related to abiotic stress tolerance of plants. In the present study, we identified a novel Em-like gene from lettuce, termed LsEm1, which could be classified into group 1 LEA proteins, and shared high homology with Cynara cardunculus Em protein. The LsEm1 protein contained three different 20-mer conserved elements (C-element, N-element, and M-element) in the C-termini, N-termini, and middle-region, respectively. The LsEm1 mRNAs were accumulated in all examined tissues during the flowering and mature stages, with a little accumulation in the roots and leaves during the seedling stage. Furthermore, the LsEm1 gene was also expressed in response to salt, dehydration, abscisic acid (ABA), and cold stresses in young seedlings. The LsEm1 protein could effectively reduce damage to the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and protect LDH activity under desiccation and salt treatments. The Escherichia coli cells overexpressing the LsEm1 gene showed a growth advantage over the control under drought and salt stresses. Moreover, LsEm1-overexpressing rice seeds were relatively sensitive to exogenously applied ABA, suggesting that the LsEm1 gene might depend on an ABA signaling pathway in response to environmental stresses. The transgenic rice plants overexpressing the LsEm1 gene showed higher tolerance to drought and salt stresses than did wild-type (WT) plants on the basis of the germination performances, higher survival rates, higher chlorophyll content, more accumulation of soluble sugar, lower relative electrolyte leakage, and higher superoxide dismutase activity under stress conditions. The LsEm1-overexpressing rice lines also showed less yield loss compared with WT rice under stress conditions. Furthermore, the LsEm1 gene had a positive effect on the expression of the OsCDPK9, OsCDPK13, OsCDPK15, OsCDPK25, and rab21 (rab16a) genes in transgenic rice under drought and salt stress conditions, implying that overexpression of these genes may be involved in the enhanced drought and salt tolerance of transgenic rice. Thus, this work paves the way for improvement in tolerance of crops by genetic engineering breeding.

The function of plNC8HK gene and plnD gene on the bacteriocin production of Lactobacillus plantarum KLDS1.0391 was studied. The results of bioinformatics analysis showed that PlNC8HK protein was a histidine protein kinase and a cytoplasmic membrane protein with six transmembrane helices. PlnD protein was a response regulator of the LytR/AlgR family. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that plNC8HK and plnD genes of L. plantarum KLDS1.0391 were up-regulated significantly ( P L. plantarum KLDS1.0391 co-cultured with Lactobacillus helveticus KLDS1.9207. The plNC8HK - plnD mutant was also constructed. The change of antibacterial activity, AI-2 activity and cell number of plNC8HK - plnD mutant in co-culture and mono-culture demonstrated that plNC8HK and plnD genes were essential for bacteriocin production in L. plantarum KLDS1.0391, and the increase of bacteriocin production correlated closely with plNC8HK and plnD genes in co-culture. These results are beneficial to understand the role of two components system in the bacteriocin production of L. plantarum .

The ICE1 transcription factor plays a critical role in plant cold tolerance via triggering CBF/DREB1 cold-regulated signal networks. In this work, a novel MYC-type ICE1-like gene, RsICE1, was isolated from radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and its function in cold tolerance was characterized in rice. The RsICE1 gene was expressed constitutively with higher transcriptional levels in the roots and stems of radish seedlings. The NaCl, cold, and ABA treatments could significantly upregulate RsICE1 expression levels, but dehydration stress had a weak effect on its expression. Ectopic expression of the RsICE1 gene in rice conferred enhanced tolerance to low-temperature stress grounded on a higher survival rate, higher accumulation of soluble sugars and free proline content, a decline in electrolyte leakage and MDA levels, and higher chlorophyll levels relative to control plants. OsDREBL and OsTPP1, downstream cold-regulated genes, were remarkably upregulated at transcription levels in rice overexpressing RsICE1 under low-temperature stress, which indicated that RsICE1 was involved in CBF/DREB1 cold-regulated signal networks. Overall, the above data showed that RsICE1 played an active role in improving rice cold tolerance, most likely resulting from the upregulation of OsDREBL and OsTPP1 expression levels by interacting with the RsICE1 gene under low-temperature stress.

A bacteriocin named plantaricin MG was produced by Lactobacillus plantarum KLDS1.0391 which was isolated from “jiaoke”, a traditional, naturally fermented cream from Inner Mongolia in China. Bacteriocin production was increased significantly when L. plantarum KLDS1.0391 co-cultured with certain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. Among 76 strains belonging to the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc and Streptococcus, four strains namely Lactobacillus helveticus KLDS1.9207, Enterococcus faecium KLDS4.0352, Lactobacillus reuteri KLDS1.0737 and Enterococcus faecalis KLDS4.0313 were shown to induce bacteriocin production of L. plantarum KLDS1.0391. Cell numbers of L. plantarum KLDS1.0391 were greatly enhanced when co-cultured with four bacteriocin-inducing strains. Bacteriocin production was not induced by autoclaved cultures and cell-free supernatants (CFS) of inducing strains, indicating that living cells of inducing strains might be necessary for enhancement of bacteriocin production. The presence of plnD and luxS genes was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the existence of plNC8HK gene was detected by single oligonucleotide nested PCR (SON-PCR).

A bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus brevis KLDS1.0373 which was isolated from “Jiaoke”, a traditional, naturally fermented cream from Inner Mongolia in China was reported in this article. The bacteriocin was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by sequential gel filtration chromatography, and the apparent molecular weight of the partially purified bacteriocin was estimated at approximately 3.8 kDa.

The identity of jewelry is not only contributed by its specifications of gold weight, beautiful gemstones and excellent quality in craftsmanship. A competitive jewelry needs to have a unique identity which is permanently sealed on the product attached with trustable data of the gems set on the gold mountings, and will be encountered by consumers as their trust-mark in purchasing jewelry. By building up a standardized e-ID system for Hong Kong jewelry industry, trademarked jewelry can be protected and the overall image of local jewelry industry can be further enhanced. This paper illustrates the process of marking e-ID in data matrix format, with size as small as 0.04 mm2, to be encrypted and decrypted on the diamond and jewelry. In which, the methodologies of encryption and decryption are based on the Galois field arithmetic and the Euclid’s algorithm in Reed-Solomon error correction respectively. Technical issues and rectifiable actions are included for reference.

Some phenomena of tungsten bronze crystals growth were observed carefully. The effects of electrolytic temperature, current and time on the growth of crystals were studied and the optimum conditions for crystal growth were found. KxWO3,NayWO3 and KxNayWO3 crystals were produced successfully by fused salt electrolysis.

The intercalation compound Li1+xV3O8 has been prepared successfully and investigated by X-ray powder diffraction and quantitative element analysis. The compound was also studied with 7Li NMR (on line width) in temperature range 298-400K by using SXP4-100 NMR spectrometer at a frequency f = 35.03 MHz. The active energy of Li+ion, Ea = 0.18eV, is derived from the line width of the motional narrowing. The conductivity is 10-3Ω-1·cm-1 at room temperature.

KxWO3,NayWO3 and KxNayWO3 crystals were prepared by fused salt electrolysis. The X-ray diffraction, Raman, Infra-red we may conclude and condutivity me. asurements were made. From our results that KxNayWO3 is formed by intercalating Na+ ions into the tetragonal KxWO3 crystal lattice. A mechanism of ionic conduction is suggested.