Search results for "microbiology"

Leaching of n and c from birch leaf litter and raw humus with special emphasis on the influence of soil fauna

1988

Abstract To examine the role of a community of soil animals in N-mineralization and C fluxes in dead organic matter, we established a microcosm system with substrates composed of: (a) birch leaf litter; (b) raw coniferous humus; and (c) litter on humus. Every 3–4 wks the substrates were irrigated with distilled water, and the amounts of NO5-N, NH4-N, total-N and total-C (as well as humic substances at one recording) in the leachates were analyzed. At the end of the experiment, water-soluble and exchangeable forms of N were measured in the test materials. The differences in the release of N were clear both between the replicates with and without soil animals and between the different forms o…

Reversing agriculture from intensive to sustainable improves soil quality in a semiarid South Italian soil

2010

Intensive agriculture (IA) is widespread in South Italy, although it requires frequent tillage, large amounts of fertilizers and irrigation water. We have assessed the efficacy of reversing IA to sustainable agriculture (SA) in recovering quality of a typical South Italy soil (Lithic Haploxeralf). This reversion, lasting from 2000 to 2007, replaced 75% of nutrients formerly supplied inorganically by farmyard manuring and reduced the tillage frequency. Several chemical and biochemical properties, functionally related to C and N mineralisation–immobilisation processes and to P and S nutrient cycles, were monitored annually from 2005 to 2007 in the spring. Reversing IA to SA decreased soil bul…

Identification of the membrane penetrating domain of Vibrio cholerae cytolysin as a β-barrel structure

2005

Summary Vibrio cholerae cytolysin (VCC) is an oligomerizing pore-forming toxin that is related to cytolysins of many other Gram-negative organisms. VCC contains six cysteine residues, of which two were found to be present in free sulphydryl form. The positions of two intramolecular disulphide bonds were mapped, and one was shown to be essential for correct folding of protoxin. Mutations were created in which the two free cysteines were deleted, so that single cysteine substitution mutants could be generated for site-specific labelling. Employment of polarity-sensitive fluorophores identified amino acid side-chains that formed part of the pore-forming domain of VCC. The sequence commenced at…

Plant-growth-regulating phosphono peptides

1990

Phosphono peptides exhibited plant‐growth‐regulating activity when tested on Lepidium sativum and Cucumis sativus. The studies have provided evidence that the mechanism of action of these compounds may involve the uptake of the phosphono peptides into the plant, intracellular hydrolysis of the peptide bond and release of the P‐terminal aminoalkylphosphonic acid. This acid or its metabolite is then probably responsible for the observed physiological effect.

Ethanol production improvement in Zymomonas mobilis by supplementation of fructan-cleaving enzymes on sucrose containing substrates

2010

Syntrophy of Crypthecodinium cohnii and immobilized Zymomonas mobilis for docosahexaenoic acid production from sucrose-containing substrates

2021

Marine heterotrophic dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii is an aerobic oleaginous microorganism that accumulates intracellular lipid with high content of 4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a polyunsaturated ω-3 (22:6) fatty acid with multiple health benefits. C. cohnii can grow on glucose and ethanol, but not on sucrose or fructose. For conversion of sucrose-containing renewables to C. cohnii DHA, we investigated a syntrophic process, involving immobilized cells of ethanologenic bacterium Zymomonas mobilis for fermenting sucrose to ethanol. The non-respiring, NADH dehydrogenase-deficient Z. mobilis strain Zm6-ndh, with high ethanol yield both under anaerobic and aerobic condition…

The effect of osmo-induced stress on product formation by Zymomonas mobilis on sucrose

2000

The intensification of biosynthesis of fructooligosaccharides in the presence of high salt concentrations was observed during sucrose (10%) fermentation by Zymomonas mobilis 113S. A 0.6 M NaCl concentration led to an increase of oligosaccharide productivity by 3.5-fold. Sorbitol formation was increased in the presence of 0.16 M NaCl and was inhibited at highest salt concentrations. In a medium with high (65%, w/w) sucrose content the salts gave inhibitory effects on fructooligosaccharide production by lyophilised Z. mobilis cells. Influence of salts on gluconic acid and sorbitol formation under these conditions was studied. The ratio of oligosaccharides and gluconic acid productivity (Qolig…

Factors influencing carbon decomposition of topsoils from the Brazilian Amazon Basin

1999

The influence of texture and local climate, especially precipitation, on C decomposition was evaluated in topsoils under forest and pastures at different sites located in the western, central, and eastern Brazilian Amazon Basin. Independent of the geographical location and vegetation cover, C decomposition was lower in topsoils of fine texture with a sand/clay ratio of less than 1, compared to topsoils of coarse a texture with a sand/clay ratio ranging from 2 to 8. In the former, the low sand/clay ratio appears to reduce C decomposition. In the latter, besides the effect of the high sand/clay ratio, the local climate, especially the annual precipitation, seems to play an important role in c…

Carbon decomposition of the topsoils and soil fractions under forest and pasture in the western Brazilian Amazon basin, Rondonia

2000

The topsoils of two sites, comprising natural forest and 4- and 20-year-old pastures, respectively, were selected in Rondonia to evaluate the changes of soil organic matter due to pasture establishment. These changes were evaluated by measuring the proportions of the C and N associated with clay and silt fractions, and by the C decomposition (CD) rate of the whole topsoils and their size fractions. The topsoils studied had large proportions of C and N associated with fine fractions, especially with clay fractions. The CD rate of the silt fractions was higher than that of the clay fractions under the two forest topsoils and under the 20-year-old pasture. The CD rate of the silt fractions und…

Evidence for the involvement of acylglycerides on chitin synthetase activity inCandida albicans

1991

The effect of a lipase activity (EC 3.1.1.3) on the chitin synthetase from Candida albicans has been studied, both on the active and the trypsin activated enzyme. Removal of fatty acids from acylglycerides by lipase has an inhibitory effect on the activity as well as on the ‘in vitro’ activation process by trypsin in the membrane-bound enzyme and in the chitosomes. This would indicate that an adequate lipid environment is required for both the activation process and proper function of the synthetase activity.