Cellulase Production from the Corn Stover Fraction Based on the Organ and Tissue

Hongzhang Chen,Qin He,Liying Liu 한국생물공학회 2011 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.16 No.5

In this study, the biodegradation of fractionated corn stover in solid-state fermentation by Trichoderma reesei YG3 was investigated. Fractions of miscellaneous cells (MC) and fasciculi (FC) tissue from leaf, shell or core were separated using the combined pretreatment method of carding classification after steam explosion. The highest enzyme activities including the filter paper activity, endoglucanase,exoglucanase and β-glucosidase activities, weight loss rate of dry material and biodegradation rate were all observed in the MC tissue fraction from the leaf, which was more nutritious, while lowest activity was observed in the FC tissue fraction from the shell. The maximum filter paper activity and weight loss rate of the dry material were 4.56 and 1.89 times the minimum and the cellulose and hemicellulose biodegradation rates were 51.22 and 39.38%versus 23.85 and 26.51%, respectively. These variances maybe attributed to the heterogeneity of the component in the fractions. A higher weight loss rate corresponded to higher enzymatic activities, whereas cellulose biodegradation was not proportional to cellulase activities. Hemicellulose biodegradation was much slower than cellulose degradation. Here, we demonstrated the importance of fractionation in component biodegradation and utilization of straw.

Transplanting neurofibromatosis-1 gene knockout neural stem cells improve functional recovery in rats with spinal cord injury by enhancing the mTORC2 pathway

Chen Guoliang,Li Xianlong,Zhu Hongzhang,Wu Huachuan,He Dacheng,Shi Liangyu,Wei Fuxin,Liu Xizhe,Chen Ningning,Liu Shaoyu 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

The poor survival and low efficiency of neuronal differentiation limits the therapeutic effects of transplanted neural stem cells in the treatment of spinal cord injury. Neurofibromatosis-1 (NF-1) is a tumor suppressor gene that restricts the rapid and abnormal growth and differentiation of neural cells. In the present study, lentiviral vectors were used to knock out NF-1, Ricotr (the core member of mTORC2) or NF-1+Ricotr in neural stem cells in vitro, and the NF-1, Ricotr or NF-1+Ricotr knockout neural stem cells were transplanted at the lesion site in a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI). We first demonstrated that targeted knockout of NF-1 had an antiapoptotic effect and improved neuronal differentiation by enhancing the mTORC2/Rictor pathway of neural stem cells in vitro. Subsequently, transplanting NF-1 knockout neural stem cells into the injured site sufficiently promoted the tissue repair and functional recovery of rats with spinal cord injury by enhancing the survival and neuronal differentiation of grafted neural stem cells. Collectively, these findings reveal a prominent role of NF-1 in neural stem cell biology, which is an invaluable step forward in enhancing the benefit of neural stem cell-mediated regenerative cell therapy for spinal cord injury and identifies the transplantation of NF-1 knockout neural stem cells as a promising strategy for spinal cord injury.

Acetone-butanol-ethanol Fermentation and Isoflavone Extraction Using Kudzu Roots

Lan Wang,Hongzhang Chen 한국생물공학회 2011 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.16 No.4

The economics of Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation is greatly affected by raw materials,and the use of readily available starchy materials from marginal farming lands could be a viable option for reducing costs. Kudzu, a rapidly growing perennial leguminous vine, has been planted on marginal farming land and widely distributed in Asia and America. This study investigated ABE fermentation by C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824 using kudzu roots and isoflavone extraction from kudzu fermentation residue (KFR). The kudzu roots could be used as a sole substrate for ABE fermentation without nutritional supplements. Batch culture containing 140 g kudzu/L produced 17.99 ± 1.08 g/L solvent (ABE), including 11.20± 0.79 g/L butanol, 5.54 ± 0.20 g/L acetone, and 1.15 ±0.09 g/L ethanol, with a productivity of 0.19 g/(L/h) and a yield of 0.33 g solvent/g sugar after 96 h of fermentation. Isoflavone yield extracted from KFR was 1.90/100 g KFR,approximately 48% higher compared with that extracted from raw kudzu. A kinetic analysis of the extraction process showed that both the isoflavone yield and the extraction rate obtained from KFR were higher than the corresponding values obtained from raw kudzu. These results indicate that kudzu may provide a new potential raw material for ABE production and the process of ABE fermentation integrated with isoflavone extraction may provide a new way to reduce fermentable substrate costs.

Monocytic Differentiation of K562 Cells Induced by Proanthocyanidins from Grape Seeds

Min Wang,Hongzhang Chen,Li Wang,Xiao-Jing Pan 대한약학회 2012 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.35 No.1

Grape seeds procyanidins can inhibit the proliferation of some cancer cell lines and have strong antioxidant activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether grape seeds procyanidins affect the proliferation and redifferentiation in K562 cells. The sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay and trypan blue staining were used to measure cell proliferation and survival. Morphological changes, NBT reductive activity, and surface antigens were used to detect redifferentiation of K562 cells. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (iROS) were detected by a fluorescent probe. Grape seeds procyanidins inhibited cell proliferation but the treatment did not appreciably increase lethality. After treatment with grape seeds procyanidins, a typical differentiated morphology was observed. The positive rate of CD11b and CD14 cells and NBT reductive activities increased significantly. As antioxidants, grape seeds procyanidins can induce arrest in the phase G1 and decrease iROS formation. All results indicate that the antioxidant grape seeds procyanidins are likely to induce monocytic differentiation in leukemia cells, mostly through decreasing iROS formation and inducing phase G1 arrest.

Research on the Influence of Alkali Polarization on an All-Optical Atomic Spin Magnetometer Based on Hybrid Pumping Potassium and Rubidium

Hong Zhang,Sheng Zou,Xi-Yuan Chen,Yang Liu 한국물리학회 2015 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.66 No.8

An all-optical atomic spin magnetometer using a hybrid cell of K and Rb atoms is demonstrated in this paper. Via deriving and solving the Bloch equations, we established the models for the polarization rate of Rb and the magnetometer’s output signal, respectively. In order to achieve the maximum sensitivity, we carried out research on the influence of the pump power on the polarization rate and magnetometer’s output signal. The magnetometer’s sensitivity was found to be proportional to the polarization rate of Rb, which was confined by the pump power. In a certain context, theoretical predictions indicated that the larger the pump power was, the higher magnetometer’s sensitivity that could be realized. However, the theoretical estimate deviated from the experimental results. An analysis of the errors between the actual value and the theoretical value showed that the different molar ratio between the two species of alkali-metal atoms was the primary reason causing the deviation. By comparing the experimental measurement result with simulation result, we found the difference in the molar ratio to be approximate 4 times. After various parameters had been optimized, a sensitivity of 18 fT/Hz1/2 was achieved by analyzing the signal-to-noise ratio.

Pulse vaccination strategies in a infectious disease model with a nonmonotone incidence rate and two delays

Hong Zhang,Lansun Chen 한국전산응용수학회 2009 Journal of applied mathematics & informatics Vol.27 No.3

This paper deals with a delayed SEIRS epidemic model with pulse vaccination and crowded incidence rate. Moreover, the case of vertical and horizontal transmission is considered. By using the discrete dynamical system determined by the stroboscopic map, the exact infection-free periodic solution of the SEIRS model is obtained. Further, by employing the comparison arguments, we prove that under the condition that R*< 1 the infection-free periodic solution is globally attractive, and that under the condition that R* > 1 the disease is uniformly persistent, which means that after some period of time the disease will become endemic. This paper deals with a delayed SEIRS epidemic model with pulse vaccination and crowded incidence rate. Moreover, the case of vertical and horizontal transmission is considered. By using the discrete dynamical system determined by the stroboscopic map, the exact infection-free periodic solution of the SEIRS model is obtained. Further, by employing the comparison arguments, we prove that under the condition that R*< 1 the infection-free periodic solution is globally attractive, and that under the condition that R* > 1 the disease is uniformly persistent, which means that after some period of time the disease will become endemic.