Pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse pretreated with sulfuric acid

Pyrolysis is a promising technique for the recovery of useful gas, tar, and solid products from biomass waste. However, the low tar yields obtained from lignocellulosic biomass are a significant drawback. To enhance tar yields, sugarcane bagasse, which is the most abundant agricultural waste in Fiji, was pretreated at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure using various sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) concentrations. Here, the ether bonds of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin were partially hydrolyzed. The pretreated samples were then pyrolyzed at 500 °C, and it was confirmed that H₂SO₄-pretreatment disrupted the bagasse cell structure, with the thermogravimetry and differential thermogravimetry results confirming that decomposition occurred at lower temperatures after pretreatment. In addition, tar yields were significantly enhanced from 5.6 wt% to 13.4 wt% for the untreated and 3 M H₂SO₄-pretreated samples respectively. The main components detected in this tar product were levoglucosan, andcellulose-and hemicellulose-derived products, whose proportions were increased following pretreatment. Thus, our work demonstrates that dilute acid pretreatment enhances tar production from sugarcane bagasse due to the production of shorter chain components via the partial hydrolysis of ether bonds.     

Profiling and Imaging of Phospholipids in Brains of Abcd1‐Deficient Mice

ABCD1 is a gene responsible for X‐linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X‐ALD), and is critical for the transport of very long‐chain fatty acids (VLCFA) into peroxisomes and subsequent β‐oxidation. VLCFA‐containing lipids accumulate in X‐ALD patients, although the effect of ABCD1‐deficiency on each lipid species in the central nervous system has not been fully characterized. In this study, each phospholipid and lysophospholipid species in Abcd1‐deficient mice brains were profiled by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry. Among the phospholipid and lysophospholipid species that are significantly more enriched in Abcd1‐deficient mice brains, VLCFA were present in 75, 15, 5, 4, and 1 species of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine, and lysophosphatidylethanolamine, respectively. Most VLCFA were incorporated at the sn‐1 position of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Among the phospholipid species that are significantly less enriched in Abcd1‐deficient mice brains, odd‐numbered saturated or mono‐unsaturated fatty acyl moieties are contained in all phosphatidylcholine species. In addition, a number of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylserine species contained highly unsaturated fatty acyl moieties. Intriguingly, 44:1 phosphatidylcholine with VLCFA was mainly distributed in the gray matter, such as the cortex, but not in the white matter in the cerebrum and cerebellum. These results show that ABCD1‐deficiency causes metabolic alternation of long‐chain fatty acids and VLCFA. Moreover, our results imply a molecular mechanism for the incorporation of saturated or monounsaturated VLCFA into the sn‐1 position of phospholipids, and also indicate that the distribution of phospholipids with VLCFA may correlate with the development of X‐ALD.     

Effects of Phosphoryl Oligosaccharides of Calcium (POs-Ca) on Mycelial Growth and Fruiting Body Development of the Edible Mushroom,Pleurotus ostreatus

Phosphoryl oligosaccharides of calcium (POs-Ca) is a calcium salt of phosphoryl maltooligosaccharides made from potato starch. POs-Ca is highly water-soluble and can supply both the calcium ion and acidic oligosaccharides in an aqueous solution. In this study, we investigated the effects of POs-Ca on the mycelial growth and fruiting body yield of Pleurotus ostreatus , which is one of the most widely cultivated edible mushrooms in the world. We cultivated the mushroom using both potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and sawdust-based medium, with added calcium salts. The addition of POs-Ca into the PDA medium with a calcium concentration of 10 mg increased mycelial growth significantly ( p < 0.05, vs . control). POs-Ca addition to the sawdust-based medium at concentrations of 1.0 to 3.0 g/100 g medium increased the amount of calcium in the fruiting bodies but did not affect the length of the cultivation period or the weight of the fruiting body. The calcium content in the fruiting body increased 12-fold when compared to the control. On the other hand, neither the CaHPO ₄ ･2H ₂ O group nor the CaHPO ₄ ･2H ₂ O with oligosaccharides group showed changes in the calcium content of the fruiting bodies. Our results indicate that the use of POs-Ca in mushroom cultivation allows for the possibility of developing new functional foods like calcium-enriched edible mushrooms. This is the first report describing the effects of POs-Ca on mushroom cultivation.     

Transgenic melon (cucumis melo L.) and potential for expression of novel proteins important to food industry

Abstract

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important fruit crop cultivated widely in every region of the world. Our laboratory is targeting this species for production of novel proteins important to food industry. Prior to expression of protein of interest in transgenic melon an efficient genetic transformation system has to be developed. In this context we are testing a wide variety of promoters fused to reporter gene for β‐glucuronidase (GUS) for expression specifically in melon fruits. In this study in melon, salicylic acid‐inducible promoter region of pathogenesis‐related protein gene (PR1a) of tobacco fused to β‐glucuronidase (GUS) gene was introduced into melon via Agrobacterium‐mediated gene transfer using a binary vector system. Gene transfer was effective when Agrobacterium virulence factors like acetosyringone (100 μM) and low pH (5.2) were provided during the co‐culture step. Transformed shoots were recovered from benzyladenine‐induced cut cotyledons using kanamycin gene as a selective marker. Regeneration of shoots from cotyledons was stimulated by providing 10 mM proline in the shoot organogenesis medium. Southern and Northern blot analysis of transformants confirmed the presence of β‐glucuronidase gene in two selected clones J‐3 and PR‐G. The transformants also showed high β‐glucuronidase activity after salicylic acid treatment. Thiamine, a previously known inducer of pathogenesis‐related protein, stimulated β‐glucuronidase in J‐3 but not PR‐G melon transformants tested in this study. These studies showed that tobacco PR1a promoter region can be expressed in melon and it was stimulated by salicylic acid. This indicates the potential to use the promoter region of tobacco PR1a for genetic improvement of melon for specific food processing‐related characteristics or for expression of novel food‐related proteins. The promoter region could be used to drive specific target genes under stress or salicylic acid induced conditions.     

Catalytic activity and solid acidity of vanadium oxide thin layer loaded on TiO2, ZrO2, and SnO2

Vanadium oxide spread highly on TiO₂ (anatase, A) and SnO₂, and rather densely on TiO₂ (rutile, R) and ZrO₂ to make the monolayer in less than 4–5 V nm⁻². Profile of acid site of the monolayer was measured by temperature programmed desorption of ammonia, and its relation with the surface oxidation state was studied. The acid site density was high on the V₂O₅/TiO₂ (A) independent of the degree of oxidation. On the other hand, that of V₂O₅/TiO₂ (R) and V₂O₅/ZrO₂ depended on the oxidation state, and the high value of the concentration was observed on the oxidized one. The strength of acid site generated on the V₂O₅ monolayer on TiO₂ was as high as on the HZSM-5 zeolite. Turnover frequency (TOF) of propane conversion, and product selectivity were measured in propane oxidation. Among tested oxides, the V₂O₅/TiO₂ (A) showed the high TOF and selectivity to form propylene, while those loaded on TiO₂ (R) and ZrO₂ the small TOF and poor selectivity. Therefore, the reaction profile of activity and selectivity could be related with the extent of spreading and solid acidity. An idea of limit of the acid site density ca. 1.5 nm⁻² on the monolayer was elucidated.     

The structure of the core polyol of the ether lipids fromSulfolobus acidocaldarius

The major ether-type lipid structures ofSulfolobus acidocaldarius (ATCC33909) were composed of caldarchaeol and calditoglycerocaldarchaeol. However, the characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry showed that the structure of calditol in calditoglycerocaldarchaeol is not nonitol, 2-(1′,2′,3′-trihydroxypropyl)1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydroxyhexane, but 2-hydroxymethyl-1-(2,3-dihydroxypropoxy),2,3,4,5-cyclopentanetetraol with an ether linkage in the molecule. Such an intermolecular ether linkage was resistant, to BCl₃ treatment, but nonresistant to 57% HI degradation treatment conducted at 100°C for 60 h, producting 2-hydroxymethyl-1,2,3,4,5-cyclopentanepentaol from calditol as reaction product. Further, it was confirmed that the structure of calditol is essentially a derivative of glycerol, and hydrocarbon chains were conjugated to the glycerol-like site in the structure. The calditol with an ether linkage in the molecule suggested an important role regarding the properties of heat-resistance and acid-resistance observed inSulfolobales. Presented at the international workshop on “Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Extremophiles and Archaebacteria,” Wako, Japan, August 1993.     

Reduced Claudin-12 Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis in Cervical Cancer

Background: Within the claudin (CLDN) family, CLDN12 mRNA expression is altered in various types of cancer, but its clinicopathological relevance has yet to be established due to the absence of specific antibodies (Abs) with broad applications. Methods: We generated a monoclonal Ab (mAb) against human/mouse CLDN12 and verified its specificity. By performing immunohistochemical staining and semiquantification, we evaluated the relationship between CLDN12 expression and clinicopathological parameters in tissues from 138 cases of cervical cancer. Results: Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the established mAb selectively recognized the CLDN12 protein. Twenty six of the 138 cases (18.8%) showed low CLDN12 expression, and the disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free survival rates were significantly decreased compared with those in the high CLDN12 expression group. We also demonstrated, via univariable and multivariable analyses, that the low CLDN12 expression represents a significant prognostic factor for the DSS of cervical cancer patients (HR 3.412, p = 0.002 and HR 2.615, p = 0.029, respectively). Conclusions: It can be concluded that a reduced CLDN12 expression predicts a poor outcome for cervical cancer. The novel anti-CLDN12 mAb could be a valuable tool to evaluate the biological relevance of the CLDN12 expression in diverse cancer types and other diseases.     

ADDUCT FORMATION OF β-DIKETONATO LANTHANOIDS(III) WITH CARBOXYLIC ACIDS HAVING HYDROXYL AND METHOXYL GROUPS

Adduct formation of 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetonato(tta) lantha-num(III), europium(III), and ytterbium(I II) with α-pheny 1 1 actic, α-methoxy phenyl acetic, salicylic, and o-methoxy benzoic acids in chloroform has been studied by solvent extraction technique. It has been found that 1anthanoid(111) chelates form more stable adducts with these carboxylic acids in the sequence: Yb(tta)₃ < Eu(tta) ₃ < La(tta) ₃. The adduct formation constants as well as the separation factors obtained as the ratio of the constants between a pair of metals are the largest for α-phenyl lactic acid among these acids. The characteristics with α-phenyl 1actic acid would be caused by the action as bidentate unlike benzoic acid derivatives which work as monodentates owing to the internal complexa-tion through hydrogen bonding.