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, Volume 17 Issue 8 Previous Issue    Next Issue
Articles
Comparative genomic analysis of Lactobacillus plantarum ZJ316 reveals its genetic adaptation and potential probiotic profiles
Ping Li, Xuan Li, Qing Gu, Xiu-yu Lou, Xiao-mei Zhang, Da-feng Song, Chen Zhang
Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(8): 569-579.   https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1600176
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Objective: In previous studies, Lactobacillus plantarum ZJ316 showed probiotic properties, such as antimicrobial activity against various pathogens and the capacity to significantly improve pig growth and pork quality. The purpose of this study was to reveal the genes potentially related to its genetic adaptation and probiotic profiles based on comparative genomic analysis. Methods: The genome sequence of L. plantarum ZJ316 was compared with those of eight L. plantarum strains deposited in GenBank. BLASTN, Mauve, and MUMmer programs were used for genome alignment and comparison. CRISPRFinder was applied for searching the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs). Results: We identified genes that encode proteins related to genetic adaptation and probiotic profiles, including carbohydrate transport and metabolism, proteolytic enzyme systems and amino acid biosynthesis, CRISPR adaptive immunity, stress responses, bile salt resistance, ability to adhere to the host intestinal wall, exopolysaccharide (EPS) biosynthesis, and bacteriocin biosynthesis. Conclusions: Comparative characterization of the L. plantarum ZJ316 genome provided the genetic basis for further elucidating the functional mechanisms of its probiotic properties. ZJ316 could be considered a potential probiotic candidate.
Effects of temperature and diet on length-weight relationship and condition factor of the juvenile Malabar blood snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Sabuj Kanti Mazumder, Simon Kumar Das, Yosni Bakar, Mazlan Abd. Ghaffar
Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(8): 580-590.   https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1500251
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In this study we aimed to analyze the effects of water temperature and diet on the length-weight relationship and condition of juvenile Malabar blood snapper Lutjanus malabaricus over a 30-d experimental period. The experiment was conducted in the laboratory using a flow-through-sea-water system. The fish were subjected to four different temperatures (22, 26, 30, and 34 °C) and two diets (commercial pellet and natural shrimp). Fish were fed twice daily. L. malabaricus exhibited negative allometric growth (b<3) at the beginning of the experiment (Day 0) at all temperatures and both diets except for 22 °C fed with shrimp, which showed isometric growth (b=3). Conversely, at the end of the experiment (Day 30) fish showed isometric growth (b=3) at 30 °C fed with the pellet diet, indicating that the shape of the fish did not change with increasing weight and length, and a positive allometric growth (b>3) at 30 °C fed with shrimp diet, which indicated that fish weight increases faster than their length. The rest of the temperatures represented negative allometric growth (b<3) on both diet, meaning that fish became lighter with increasing size. The condition factors in the initial and final measurements were greater than 1, indicating the state of health of the fish, except for those fed on a pellet diet at 34 °C. However, the best condition was obtained at 30 °C on both diets. Nevertheless, diets did not have a significant effect on growth and condition of juvenile L. malabaricus. The data obtained from this study suggested culturing L. malabaricus at 30 °C and feeding on the pellet or shrimp diet, which will optimize the overall production and condition of this commercially important fish species.
Association of VIPR-1 gene polymorphisms and haplotypes with egg production in laying quails
Yue-jin Pu, Yan Wu, Xiao-juan Xu, Jin-ping Du, Yan-zhang Gong
Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(8): 591-596.   https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1500199
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The laying quail is a worldwide breed which exhibits high economic value. In our current study, the vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor-1 (VIPR-1) was selected as the candidate gene for identifying traits of egg production. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection was performed in 443 individual quails, including 196 quails from the H line, 202 quails from the L line, and 45 wild quails. The SNPs were genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Two mutations (G373T, A313G) were detected in all the tested quail populations. The associated analysis showed that the SNP genotypes of the VIPR-1 gene were significantly linked with the egg weight of G373T and A313G in 398 quails. The quails with the genotype GG always exhibited the largest egg weight for the two mutations in the H and L lines. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis indicated that G373T and A313G loci showed the weakest LD. Seven main diplotypes from the four main reconstructed haplotypes were observed, indicating a significant association of diplotypes with egg weight. Quails with the h1h2 (GGGT) diplotype always exhibited the smallest egg weight and largest egg number at 20 weeks of age. The overall results suggest that the alterations in quails may be linked with potential major loci or genes affecting reproductive traits.
Probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditionally fermented Xinjiang cheese
Ramila Azat, Yan Liu, Wei Li, Abdurihim Kayir, Ding-bo Lin, Wen-wen Zhou, Xiao-dong Zheng
Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(8): 597-609.   https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1500250
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Six lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains were isolated from traditionally fermented Xinjiang cheese and evaluated for functional and probiotic properties and potentials as starter cultures. The isolated six LAB strains comprised Lactobacillus rhamnosus (one strain), Lactobacillus helveticus (one strain), and Enterococcus hirae (four strains). All of the six strains were tolerant to acidic and bile salt conditions. Among which, the L. rhamnosus R4 strain showed more desirable antimicrobial, auto-aggregation, and hydrophobic activity. In addition, the strain L. rhamnosus R4 exhibited the highest level of free radical scavenging activity (53.78% of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals and 45.79% of hydroxyl radicals). L. rhamnosus R4 also demonstrated cholesterol and triglyceride degradation by 50.97% and 28.92%, respectively. To further examine the health-promoting effects of these LAB strains on host lifespan, Caenorhabditis elegans was used as an in vivo model. Worms fed LAB as a food source had significant differences in lifespan compared to those fed Escherichia coli OP50 (as a negative control). Feeding of L. rhamnosus R4 extended the mean lifespan of C. elegans by up to 36.1% compared to that of the control. The results suggest that the strains isolated from Xinjiang fermented dairy products have high potential as starter cultures in the cheese industry.
Chryseobacterium chengduensis sp. nov. isolated from the air of captive giant panda enclosures in Chengdu, China
Cai-fang Wen, Li-xin Xi, Shan Zhao, Zhong-xiang Hao, Lu Luo, Hong Liao, Zhen-rong Chen, Rong She, Guo-quan Han, San-jie Cao, Rui Wu, Qi-gui Yan, Rong Hou
Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(8): 610-618.   https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1500214
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A Gram-negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated 25-1T, was isolated from the air inside giant panda enclosures at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, China. Strain 25-1T grew optimally at pH 7.0–8.0, at 28–30 °C and in the presence of NaCl concentrations from 0.0% to 0.5 %. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain 25-1T belongs to the genus Chryseobacterium within the family Flavobacteriaceae and is related most closely to C. carnis G81T (96.4% similarity), C. lathyri RBA2-6T (95.8% similarity), and C. zeae JM1085T (95.8% similarity). Its genomic DNA G+C molar composition was 36.2%. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15:0 (44.0%), iso-C17:0 3OH (19.8%) and C16:1 ω7c/16:1 ω6c (12.7%). The only isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone 6 (MK-6). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified amino lipids and two unidentified lipids. The DNA–DNA relatedness between strain 25-1T and C. lathyri RBA2-6T was 38%. Phenotypic, genotypic, and phylogenetic characteristics indicated that strain 25-1T is a novel member of the genus Chryseobacterium, for which the name C. chengduensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 25-1T (CCTCC AB2015133T=DSM 100396T).
Statistical culture-based strategies to enhance chlamydospore production by Trichoderma harzianum SH2303 in liquid fermentation
Ya-qian Li, Kai Song, Ya-chai Li, Jie Chen
Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(8): 619-627.   https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1500226
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Trichoderma-based formulations are applied as commercial biocontrol agents for soil-borne plant pathogens. Chlamydospores are active propagules in Trichoderma spp., but their production is currently limited due to a lack of optimal liquid fermentation technology. In this study, we explored response surface methodologies for optimizing fermentation technology in Trichoderma SH2303. Our initial studies, using the Plackett-Burman design, identified cornmeal, glycerol, and initial pH levels as the most significant factors (P<0.05) for enhancing the production of chlamydospores. Subsequently, we applied the Box-Behnken design to study the interactions between, and optimal levels of, a number of factors in chlamydospore production. These statistically predicted results indicated that the highest number of chlamydospores (3.6×108 spores/ml) would be obtained under the following condition: corn flour 62.86 g/L, glycerol 7.54 ml/L, pH 4.17, and 6-d incubation in liquid fermentation. We validated these predicted values via three repeated experiments using the optimal culture and achieved maximum chlamydospores of 4.5×108 spores/ml, which approximately a 8-fold increase in the number of chlamydospores produced by T. harzianum SH2303 compared with that before optimization. These optimized values could help make chlamydospore production cost-efficient in the future development of novel biocontrol agents.
Emergy assessment of three home courtyard agriculture production systems in Tibet Autonomous Region, China
Fa-chun Guan, Zhi-peng Sha, Yu-yang Zhang, Jun-feng Wang, Chao Wang
Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(8): 628-639.   https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1500154
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Home courtyard agriculture is an important model of agricultural production on the Tibetan plateau. Because of the sensitive and fragile plateau environment, it needs to have optimal performance characteristics, including high sustainability, low environmental pressure, and high economic benefit. Emergy analysis is a promising tool for evaluation of the environmental-economic performance of these production systems. In this study, emergy analysis was used to evaluate three courtyard agricultural production models: Raising Geese in Corn Fields (RGICF), Conventional Corn Planting (CCP), and Pea-Wheat Rotation (PWR). The results showed that the RGICF model produced greater economic benefits, and had higher sustainability, lower environmental pressure, and higher product safety than the CCP and PWR models. The emergy yield ratio (EYR) and emergy self-support ratio (ESR) of RGICF were 0.66 and 0.11, respectively, lower than those of the CCP production model, and 0.99 and 0.08, respectively, lower than those of the PWR production model. The impact of RGICF (1.45) on the environment was lower than that of CCP (2.26) and PWR (2.46). The emergy sustainable indices (ESIs) of RGICF were 1.07 and 1.02 times higher than those of CCP and PWR, respectively. With regard to the emergy index of product safety (EIPS), RGICF had a higher safety index than those of CCP and PWR. Overall, our results suggest that the RGICF model is advantageous and provides higher environmental benefits than the CCP and PWR systems.
Effect of Tai Chi exercise on blood lipid profiles: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Xiao-hong Pan, Amina Mahemuti, Xue-hua Zhang, Ya-ping Wang, Po Hu, Ju-bo Jiang, Mei-xiang Xiang, Gang Liu, Jian-an Wang
Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2016, 17(8): 640-648.   https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1600052
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Objective: Studies have demonstrated that Tai Chi exercise improves blood lipid level with inconsistent results. A meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the effects of Tai Chi on blood lipid profiles in humans. Methods: We screened the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library (Central), Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang data, and Clinicaltrials.gov for randomized controlled trials with Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) score more than 3 points up to June 2015. Six studies involving 445 subjects were included. Most trials applied 12-week Tai Chi intervention courses. Results: In comparison with the control group, blood triglyceride (TG) level difference between follow-up and baseline was statistically significantly lower in the Tai Chi practicing group (weighted mean difference (WMD) −16.81 mg/dl; 95% confidence intervals (CI) −31.27 to −2.35 mg/dl; P=0.02). A trend to improving total cholesterol (TC) reduction was found with Tai Chi (WMD −7.96 mg/dl; 95% CI −17.30 to 1.39 mg/dl; P=0.10). However, no difference was found in blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Conclusions: Tai Chi exercise lowered blood TG level with a trend to decrease blood TC level. Our data suggest that Tai Chi has the potential to implement meaningful blood lipid modification and serve as an adjunctive exercise modality. The relationship between Tai Chi exercise regimen and lipid profile change might have a scientific priority for future investigation.
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