Lignocellulose is a major biomass resource for the production of biofuel ethanol. Due to its abundance, environmental friendliness and renewability, the utilization of lignocellulose is promising to solve energy shortage. Surfactant can effectively promote the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose. By discussing the influence and mechanism of different surfactants on the enzymatic hydrolysis, we provide references for finding appropriate surfactants in enzymatic hydrolysis process.
Biofuels ; Biomass ; Hydrolysis ; drug effects ; Lignin ; metabolism ; Sugars ; metabolism ; Surface-Active Agents ; pharmacology

High-affinity K⁺ transporter (HAK) is one of the most important K⁺ transporter families in plants and plays an important role in plant K⁺ uptake and transport. To explore the biological functions and gene expression patterns of the HAK gene family members in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), physicochemical properties, the gene structure, chromosomal location, phylogenetic evolution, conserved motifs, three-dimensional structure, interaction network, cis-acting elements of promoter of BvHAKs were predicted by bioinformatic analysis, and their expression levels in different tissues of sugar beet under salt stress were analyzed by qRT-PCR. A total of 10 BvHAK genes were identified in the sugar beet genome. They contained 8-10 exons and 7-9 introns. The average number of amino acids was 778.30, the average molecular weight was 88.31 kDa, and the isoelectric point was 5.38-9.41. The BvHAK proteins contained 11-14 transmembrane regions. BvHAK4, -5, -7 and -13 were localized on plasma membrane, while others were localized on tonoplast. Phylogenetic analysis showed that HAK in higher plants can be divided into five clusters, namely cluster Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ, and Ⅴ, among which the members of cluster Ⅱ can be divided into three subclusters, including Ⅱa, Ⅱb, and Ⅱc. The BvHAK gene family members were distributed in cluster Ⅰ-Ⅳ with 1, 6, 1, and 2 members, respectively. The promoter of BvHAK gene family mainly contained stress responsive elements, hormone responsive elements, and growth and development responsive elements. The expression pattern of the BvHAK genes were further analyzed in different tissues of sugar beet upon salt treatment, and found that 50 and 100 mmol/L NaCl significantly induced the expression of the BvHAK genes in both shoots and roots. High salt (150 mmol/L) treatment clearly down-regulated their expression levels in shoots, but not in roots. These results suggested that the BvHAK gene family plays important roles in the response of sugar beet to salt stress.
Beta vulgaris/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Phylogeny ; Plant Roots ; Sugars/metabolism* ; Plant Proteins/metabolism*

A strain ZG0656 producing a-amylase inhibitor was isolated from soil in this study. Polyphasic taxonomic studies were performed, including appearance characteristics, culture characteristics, phenotypic characteristics, cell walls chemical composition, nearly complete 16S rDNA sequence alignment with those of representative Streptomyces species. These results revealed that strain ZG0656 represents a novel variation of Streptomyces coelicoflavus, for which we propose the name S. coelicoflavus var. nankaiensis. After fermentation in a 10 L fermentor, alpha-amylase inhibitors were accumulated in the harvested broth of strain ZG0656. The alpha-amylase inhibitors we obtained were identified as aminooligosaccharides after concentration, resin-adsorption, gel-filtration, and desiccation. They could intensively inhibit alpha-amylase, depress postprandial blood glucose elevation obviously. Thus, the a-amylase inhibitors are expected to act as drugs or functional food against diabetes.
Amino Sugars ; biosynthesis ; isolation & purification ; Fermentation ; Oligosaccharides ; biosynthesis ; isolation & purification ; Soil Microbiology ; Streptomyces ; classification ; metabolism ; alpha-Amylases ; antagonists & inhibitors

Activities of hepatic cytosol enzymes involved in UDP-g1ucuronic acid synthesis as well as in glutathione reduction and conjugation systems were determined following administrations of butylated hydroxyanisole (approximately 5 mmol/kg body weight/day) and of equimolar intake doses of its structural anglogs. These compounds included the multi-functional group side chain compounds (t-butyl hydroquinone, 4-hydroxy- anisole, hydroquinone, benzoquinone) and the mono-functional side chain compounds (t-butyl benzene, anisole, phenol). They were administered to mice for 10 days either by mixing them in the diet or by oral intubations. Results showed that glutathione Stransferase activities were markedly increased by all tested compounds except for the t-butyl benzene. Activities of glutathione reductase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase were increased together on1y by BHA and t-butyl hydroguinone. UDP-glucose dehydrogenase and NADH:quinone reductase activities were significantly elevated by the multi-functional side chain compounds, but not by the mono-functional analogs. The relations between chemical structures of tested BHA analogs and elevations of the measured hepatic cytosol conjugation (detoxification) system enzyme activities for the metabolism and excretion of BHA analogs are discussed.
Animal ; Anisoles/metabolism* ; Butylated Hydroxyanisole/analogs & derivatives ; Butylated Hydroxyanisole/metabolism* ; Cytosol/enzymology* ; Glutathione/metabolism* ; Mice ; Uridine Diphosphate Glucuronic Acid/biosynthesis* ; Uridine Diphosphate Sugars/biosynthesis*

In plants, UDP-L-rhamnose is one of the major components of cell wall skeleton. Rhamnose synthase plays a key role in rhamnose synthesis which converts UDP-D-glucose into UDP-L-rhamnose in plants. In this study, we isolated the 1058 bp promoter region of the rhamnose synthase gene AtRHM1 from Arabidopsis genome by PCR, and created a series of deletions of AtRHM1 promoter ranging from -931 bp to +127 bp. The full length of the promoter and its deletion derivatives fused with GUS reporter gene were introduced into wild-type Arabidopsis by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation respectively. The GUS staining and GUS enzymatic activity assay showed that the expression of AtRHM1 is induced at transcriptional level by glucose and the regulatory elements involved in the glucose response are located in the region of -931 bp - -752 bp which contains three G-box motifs.
Arabidopsis ; genetics ; Arabidopsis Proteins ; genetics ; Glucosyltransferases ; genetics ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; genetics ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Uridine Diphosphate Glucose ; genetics ; metabolism ; Uridine Diphosphate Sugars ; genetics ; metabolism

To investigate the antidepressant mechanism of Shenling Kaixin Granules(SLKX) in treating chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) model rats. Ninety male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, Shugan Jieyu Capsules(110 mg·kg~(-1)) group and SLKX low-(90 mg·kg~(-1)), medium-(180 mg·kg~(-1)), and high-dose(360 mg·kg~(-1)) groups. Depression rat model was replicated by CUMS method. After treatment, the behavioral changes of rats were evaluated by sugar preference, open field, elevated cross maze and forced swimming experiments. The contents of interleukin 1 beta(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α), brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) and 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) in serum were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and catalase(CAT) in hippocampal CA1 region were also detected. Pathological changes in hippocampal CA1 region were detected by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, and Western blot was used to determine the expression of nerve growth factor(NGF), BDNF, phospho-tyrosine kinase receptor(p-TrkB)/TrkB, phospho-cAMP-response element binding protein(p-CREB)/CREB, nuclear factor E2 related factor 2(Nrf2), heme oxygenase 1(HO-1), B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)/Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax) and caspase-3 in hippocampal CA1 region. RESULTS:: showed that compared with the control group, the model group had decreased sugar preference, reduced number of entries and time spent in the center of open field and shortened total distance of movement, reduced number of entries and proportion of time spent in open arm, and increased number and time of immobility in forced swimming experiment. Additionally, the serum contents of IL-1β and TNF-α and the expression of caspase-3 were higher, while the contents of BDNF and 5-HT, the activities of SOD and CAT in hippocampal CA1 region, the expressions of NGF, BDNF, p-TrkB/TrkB, p-CREB/CREB, HO-1 and Bcl-2/Bax, and the Nrf2 nuclear translocation were lower in model group than in control group. Compared with the conditions in model group, the sugar preference, the number of entries and time spent in the center of open, total distance of movement, and the number of entries and proportion of time spent in open arm in treatment groups were increased while the number and time of immobility in forced swimming experiment were decreased; the serum contents of IL-1β and TNF-α and the expression of caspase-3 were down regulated, while the contents of BDNF and 5-HT, the activities of SOD and CAT in hippocampal CA1 region, the expressions of NGF, BDNF, p-TrkB/TrkB, p-CREB/CREB, HO-1, Bcl-2/Bax, and Nrf2 nuclear translocation were enhanced. In conclusion, SLKX might regulate the Nrf2 nucleus translocation by activating BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway, lower oxidative stress damage in hippocampus, inhibit caspase-3 activity, and reduce apoptosis of hippocampal nerve cells, thereby playing an antidepressant role.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism* ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Nerve Growth Factor/metabolism* ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Serotonin/metabolism* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Antidepressive Agents/pharmacology* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism* ; Sugars/pharmacology* ; Depression/genetics* ; Stress, Psychological/metabolism*