Phase Cultures Research Articles

Влияние различных норм удобрений на условия роста и продуктивность сортов мягкой пшеницы

The article presents the main agrochemical indicators of cultivated gray-brown soils of Absheron. The results of the analysis showed that the fertile layer of the experimental field has high alkaline properties, the field of medium carbonate. Experience has shown that the number of easily digestible forms of essential nutrients is insignificant. First of all, it was established that the productivity of the soft wheat Gobustan variety of depends on different norms of nitrogen nutrition and the form of fertilization. The reason for the insignificant addition of harvested grain is the introduction of increasing doses of nitrogen fertilizers on the background of P60K60 in both ways (full rate in the phase of plant cultivation and in the phases of plant cultivation, pipes, pods up to 120 kg/ha).

Changing fire regimes during the first olive cultivation in the Mediterranean Basin: New high-resolution evidence from the Sea of Galilee, Israel

Throughout the Mediterranean biome, fire has been a dominant natural agent of change and an important tool for anthropogenic landscape modifications for millennia. However, fundamental knowledge on the complex linkages among fire, vegetation, and early agricultural practices remains limited. This research explores the role these processes have in shaping the landscape in the southern Levant – a key region with a long tradition of agriculture and horticulture. Olive horticulture is among the oldest and most widespread agricultural forms in the Mediterranean Basin. The earliest palynological evidence for olive horticulture is recorded in the Sea of Galilee in Israel and suggests that the first major olive cultivation began during the end of the 8th millennium BP. We present a multi-proxy dataset from the Sea of Galilee before and during the first olive cultivation (~7700–6680 a cal BP). Quantitative analyses of a charcoal time series categorized into distinct charcoal morphotypes indicate changes in fire regimes and sources of biomass burning. With a two-year-resolution, our study offers one of the highest resolution sedimentary charcoal records yet available worldwide. Isotopes from lake carbonates provide new evidence for the climatic setting of this phase, providing an independent evaluation of climatic impacts on vegetation and fire. Combined with palynological evidence, this multi-proxy dataset provides new insights into the linkages between fire, climate, fuel, and early horticultural practice. The fire regime changed with the start of olive cultivation in the Sea of Galilee's catchment. Fire frequency increased just before and during the expansion of olive cultivation, probably driven by the anthropogenic use of fire for clearing the landscape and promoting fertile soils. Once olive orchards were established, low magnitude fires became common, suggesting anthropogenic manipulation of the fire regime with frequent, low intensity, controlled burnings. Fuel limitation and low fuel connectivity likely played a role in both pre-cultivation and cultivation phases, resulting in low fire activity during times of reduced grass and woody vegetation cover. This study allows a new perspective into the temporal variability of middle-Holocene fire regimes in the Levant and an increased understanding of the dynamic role of fire during early horticulture practices. Our data also have relevance for future challenges that cultural legacies such as olive cultivation will face.

Simultaneous production of cellulase and amylase by Aspergillus fumigatus IB-A1

Utilization of agricultural wastes for production of useful metabolites requires hydrolysis using both cellulase and amylase enzymes. We isolated Aspergillus fumigatus IB-A1 and evaluated its ability to simultaneously produce both cellulase and amylase. Although the isolate could produce both cellulase and amylase from either soluble starch or carboxymethyl cellulose, amylase activity was higher with soluble starch while cellulase activity was higher when carboxymethyl cellulose was used as the sole carbon source. With a mixture of carboxymethyl cellulose and soluble starch, both the amylase and cellulase activities increased with increase in the ratio of soluble starch. The optima ratio of carboxymethyl cellulose to soluble starch for cellulase and amylase activities were 0.7:0.3, and 0.4 to 0.6 respectively. For practical application, the optimum ratio of carboxymethyl cellulose to soluble starch in the production medium depends on the relative composition of cellulose and starch in the substrate to be hydrolyzed. The isolate was also able to efficiently produce both amylase and cellulase from cassava peel. With 10 g/L cassava peel, the cellulase and amylase activities were 6.122± 0.320 U/ml/min and 4.342± 0.210 U/ml/min respectively. When the cells were immobilized on loofa sponge and subjected to alternating air phase- liquid phase culture, cellulase and amylase production from cassava peel increased to 8.106± 0.620 U/ml/min and 5.206± 1.24 U/ml/min respectively. The optimum ratio of the air phase to the liquid phase was 3 hours of air phase to 21 hours of liquid phase.

Identification and characterization of bacteriocin biosynthetic gene clusters found in multiple bacteriocins producing Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PUK6

The multiple bacteriocins produced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PUK6 isolated from misozuke-tofu (tofu pickled in miso) were identified as plantaricins A, EF, and NC8. The pln locus (21,847 bp) containing the three plantaricin structural genes and another newly found putative bacteriocin structural genes (orf1 and orf2) were determined, and a biosynthesis mechanism was proposed. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that orf1 and orf2, the putative two-peptide bacteriocin structural genes, were expressed after 8h (logarithmic growth phase) and 20h (stationary growth phase) of cultivation of the PUK6 strain. Additionally, the growth inhibition profile obtained using the chemically synthesized mature peptides of Orf1 and Orf2 (referred to as mOrf1 and mOrf2) showed that the equimolar mixture of mOrf1 and mOrf2 exhibited bactericidal effect against the indicator strain Latilactobacillus sakei subsp. sakei JCM 1157T. Furthermore, fluorescence microscopic analysis revealed disruption of the cell membranes. These findings indicate that orf1 and orf2 are structural genes encoding class IIb bacteriocins consisting of two peptides. Therefore, the novel bacteriocin encoded by plnPUK6α (orf1) and plnPUK6β (orf2) genes was named plantaricin PUK6. Since the PUK6 strain produces multiple bacteriocins, when used as a starter culture, it could contribute to improving the shelf life of fermented foods and preventing the appearance of bacteriocin-resistant bacteria.

Biodegradable Pot (Biopot) Made from Water Hyacinth and Banana Pseudostem as Polybag Substitution for Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao L.) Nursery

The plant nursery is an important cultivation phase to improve the quality of cocoa. However, the conventional nursery container namely polybag has the potential risk to contaminate the environment if the waste is wrongfully handled. A biodegradable pot (BioPot) is a satisfactory alternative nursery container considering its plantable and degradable characteristics. This study aimed to investigate the effect of BioPot compositions and size to support the growth of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seedling as polybag substitution. This research was conducted using a randomized complete design with 1 control (polybag) and 15 treatments combination. The treatments consisted of 5 BioPot compositions (percentage of water hyacinth and banana pseudostem range from 30-70%) and 3 BioPot size (width 5,5 cm and length range from 10.5-11.5 cm). The seedling growth data were analyzed using ANOVA then by means using HSD (Tukey test) and Dunnet test at a 5%. The results showed that the several BioPot compositions and size produced equal seedling quality to polybag and not statistically different based on seedling growth variables. This finding confirmed that the all tested BioPot compositions and size in this study, customized and adjusted according to the raw aterials availability, can be used as polybag substitutes for cocoa nurseries. The implication of this study is the use of BioPot for seedling container that support environmentally sustainable agriculture especially in plant nurseries.

A quantitative framework reveals traditional laboratory growth is a highly accurate model of human oral infection

Bacterial behavior and virulence during human infection is difficult to study and largely unknown, as our vast knowledge of infection microbiology is primarily derived from studies using invitro and animal models. Here, we characterize the physiology of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a periodontal pathogen, in its native environment using 93 published metatranscriptomic datasets from periodontally healthy and diseased individuals. P. gingivalis transcripts were more abundant in samples from periodontally diseased patients but only above 0.1% relative abundance in one-third of diseased samples. During human infection, P. gingivalis highly expressed genes encoding virulence factors such as fimbriae and gingipains (proteases) and genes involved in growth and metabolism, indicating that P. gingivalis is actively growing during disease. A quantitative framework for assessing the accuracy of model systems showed that 96% of P. gingivalis genes were expressed similarly in periodontitis and invitro midlogarithmic growth, while significantly fewer genes were expressed similarly in periodontitis and invitro stationary phase cultures (72%) or in a murine abscess infection model (85%). This high conservation in gene expression between periodontitis and logarithmic laboratory growth is driven by overall low variance in P. gingivalis gene expression, relative to other pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Together, this study presents strong evidence for the use of simple test tube growth as the gold standard model for studying P. gingivalis biology, providing biological relevance for the thousands of laboratory experiments performed with logarithmic phase P. gingivalis Furthermore, this work highlights the need to quantitatively assess the accuracy of model systems.

Generation of Distinct Differentially Culturable Forms of Burkholderia following Starvation at Low Temperature.

ABSTRACTBacteria have developed unique mechanisms to adapt to environmental stresses and challenges of the immune system. Here, we report that Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, and its laboratory surrogate, Burkholderia thailandensis, utilize distinct mechanisms for surviving starvation at different incubation temperatures. At 21°C, Burkholderia are present as short rods which can rapidly reactivate and form colonies on solid media. At 4°C, Burkholderia convert into coccoid forms that cannot be cultured on solid agar but can be resuscitated in liquid media supplemented with supernatant obtained from logarithmic phase cultures of B. thailandensis, or catalase and Tween 80, thus displaying characteristics of differentially culturable bacteria (DCB). These DCB have low intensity fluorescence when stained with SYTO 9, have an intact cell membrane (propidium iodide negative), and contain 16S rRNA at levels comparable with growing cells. We also present evidence that lytic transglycosylases, a family of peptidoglycan-remodeling enzymes, are involved in the generation of coccoid forms and their resuscitation to actively growing cells. A B. pseudomallei ΔltgGCFD mutant with four ltg genes deleted did not produce coccoid forms at 4°C and could not be resuscitated in the liquid media evaluated. Our findings provide insights into the adaptation of Burkholderia to nutrient limitation and the generation of differentially culturable bacteria.IMPORTANCE Bacterial pathogens exhibit physiologically distinct forms that enable their survival in an infected host, the environment and following exposure to antimicrobial agents. B. pseudomallei causes the disease melioidosis, which has a high mortality rate and is difficult to treat with antibiotics. The bacterium is endemic to several countries and detected in high abundance in the environment. Here, we report that during starvation at low temperature, B. pseudomallei produces coccoid forms that cannot grow in standard media and which, therefore, can be challenging to detect using common tools. We provide evidence that the formation of these cocci is mediated by cell wall-specialized enzymes and lytic transglycosylases, and that resuscitation of these forms occurs following the addition of catalase and Tween 80. Our findings have important implications for the disease control and detection of B. pseudomallei, an agent of both public health and defense interest.

Production, purification, and structural characteristics of extracellular polysaccharides derived from Lactobacillus acidophilus

BackgroundExtracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) derived from Lactobacillus acidophilus BCRC 10695 possess lots of beneficial effects to the host. In seeking to develop a fermentation process to produce EPSs, the culture medium compositions, purification, and structural analysis on EPSs were conducted. MethodsThe effects of carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and surfactants on EPSs production were explored. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for optimizing the cultivation medium. A four-step purification approach was carried out. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and NMR were applied for the EPSs structural analysis. FindingsThe optimal concentrations of sucrose, yeast extract and polysorbate 80 were 10.15 g/l, 25 g/l and 2 g/l respectively. The best EPS production was 923.7 mg/l in the late stationary phase of cultivation for 96 h, close to that in the experiment of 923.6 mg/l. The purification approach was able to remove 99.9% proteins and 98.5% of nucleic acid. Structural analysis showed EPSs consisted of mannose, ribose, glucose and galactose in ratios of 60.0: 22.8: 15.0: 2.2 and comprised (1→ 2) (1→6)-Mannose as backbone.

Deletion of rifampicin-inactivating mono-ADP-ribosyl transferase gene of Mycobacterium smegmatis globally altered gene expression profile that favoured increase in ROS levels and thereby antibiotic resister generation.

The physiological role of mono-ADP-ribosyl transferase (Arr) of Mycobacterium smegmatis, which inactivates rifampicin, remains unclear. An earlier study reported increased expression of arr during oxidative stress and DNA damage. This suggested a role for Arr in the oxidative status of the cell and its associated effect on DNA damage. Since reactive oxygen species (ROS) influence oxidative status, we investigated whether Arr affected ROS levels in M. smegmatis. Significantly elevated levels of superoxide and hydroxyl radical were found in the mid-log phase (MLP) cultures of the arr knockout strain (arr-KO) as compared those in the wild-type strain (WT). Complementation of arr-KO with expression from genomically integrated arr under its native promoter restored the levels of ROS equivalent to that in WT. Due to the inherently high ROS levels in the actively growing arr-KO, rifampicin resisters with rpoB mutations could be selected at 0 hr of exposure itself against rifampicin, unlike in the WT where the resisters emerged at 12th hr of rifampicin exposure. Microarray analysis of the actively growing cultures of arr-KO revealed significantly high levels of expression of genes from succinate dehydrogenase I and NADH dehydrogenase I operons, which would have contributed to the increased superoxide levels. In parallel, expression of specific DNA repair genes was significantly decreased, favouring retention of the mutations inflicted by the ROS. Expression of several metabolic pathway genes also was significantly altered. These observations revealed that Arr was required for maintaining a gene expression profile that would provide optimum levels of ROS and DNA repair system in the actively growing M. smegmatis.

Formation of behavioral culture of pre-school children in interactive phased physical culture exercises organized with sports-oriented didactic games

Formation of behavioral culture of pre-school children in interactive phased physical culture exercises organized with sports-oriented didactic games

Growth and division mechanisms by which genetic resisters emerge from the rifampicin-surviving population of differentially antibiotic-susceptible mycobacterial subpopulations.

We recently reported the de novo emergence of unusually high numbers of antibiotic resisters from the in vitro cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis surviving in the presence of minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of antituberculosis antibiotics. The resisters emerged due to multiple asymmetric divisions of elongated mother cells containing multiple nucleoids and multiple septae. We had earlier found a minor subpopulation of short-sized cells (SCs) and a major subpopulation of normal-sized cells (NCs) (10% and 90%, respectively, of the whole population), with significant difference in antibiotic susceptibility and resister generation frequency, in the in vitro cultures of M. tuberculosis, M. smegmatis, and Mycobacterium xenopi, as well as in pulmonary tuberculosis patients' sputum. However, the mechanisms of growth and division promoting the emergence of antibiotic resisters from these subpopulations remained unknown. Therefore, here, we took up the first-time study to find out the mechanism of growth and division by which antibiotic resisters emerge from the antibiotic-surviving population of the two subpopulations of M. smegmatis. M. smegmatis SCs and NCs were fractionated from mid-log phase cultures using Percoll gradient centrifugation; their purity was checked and exposed to 10×, 2×, and 0.4× MBC of rifampicin for 120 h. The colony-forming units (CFUs) were determined on rifampicin-free plates for the total population and on rifampicin-containing plates for scoring rifampicin resisters. The phenotype and the morphology of the cells at various stages of the exposure were determined using transmission electron microscopy. The dynamic growth and division mechanisms of the cells to emerge as rifampicin resisters were monitored using live-cell time-lapse imaging. The rifampicin resisters were sequenced for mutations in the rifampicin resistance determining region of rpoB gene. Statistical significance was calculated using two-tailed paired t-test, with *P ≤ 0.05 and **P ≤ 0.01. Multinucleated and multiseptated elongated cells emerged from their respective antibiotic-surviving populations. They produced a large number of sibling-daughter cells through multiple asymmetric divisions in short durations, showing abnormally high spurts in CFUs of antibiotic resisters. The CFUs were several-fold higher than that expected from the mass-doubling time of the subpopulations. Despite this commonality, the subpopulations showed specific differences in their response to different multiples of their respective MBC of rifampicin. Mycobacterial subpopulations come out of rifampicin stress by undergoing multiple nucleoid replications, multiple septation for nucleoid segregation, and acquisition of antibiotic target-specific mutations, followed by multiple asymmetric divisions to generate unusually a large number of rifampicin resisters. Because we had earlier shown that SCs and NCs are present in the pulmonary tuberculosis patients' sputum, the present findings have clinical relevance on the mechanism of emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains from mycobacterial subpopulations.

Photobiological Optimization, Aeration, Agitation and Two Phase Culture System of Chlamydomonas Hedleyi for the Improvement of Biomass and Lipids

Photobiological Optimization, Aeration, Agitation and Two Phase Culture System of Chlamydomonas Hedleyi for the Improvement of Biomass and Lipids

Perbandingan Kualitas Fermentasi Biji Kakao dengan Penambahan Kultur Campur dan Kultur Tunggal Lactobacillus brevis

Cocoa beans are one of the plants whose processing process is through fermentation to get quality cocoa beans. The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of fermented cocoa beans with the addition of mixed cultures of Saccharomyces cereviseae, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum, Acetobacter orientalis, Acetobacter tropicalis, and single culture of Lactobacillus brevis and determine the best quality of fermented cocoa beans between mixed culture and single culture of Lactobacillus brevis. This study used a randomized block design with 7 treatments and 4 replications. Each treatment was carried out by adding a single culture and mixed culture in the logarithmic growth phase with a culture concentration of 5%, 10%, and 15%, and as a control, fermentation was conditioned to occur naturally. Observation parameters are pH, temperature, water content, yield, total fat content, total sugar content, lactic acid content, cut test, and organoleptic. The results of the fermentation showed that a good quality was obtained in the P5 treatment (addition of 10% mixed culture) which was perfectly fermented 94% and entered the quality class 1 of SNI 2323:2008. Keywords: cocoa, fermentation, mixed culture, single culture, Lactobacillus brevis

The non-ferrous metal toolkit of the Petrovka Culture of the South Trans-Urals

The article presents data on the morphological and typological characteristics of the trade tools of the Pet-rovka Culture of the South Trans-Urals and middle Tobol River region, originating from the sites of Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, and Tyumen Regions (77 specimens in total; 126 specimens in total including knives). According to the radiocarbon dating, the chronological period of the Petrovka sites in the Southern Trans-Urals spans the 19th through 18th centuries B.C. The distribution of tools into types was based on the techniques of typological division of the artifacts, taking into account their shape, presence of certain qualitative features, as well as consideration of the geographical and cultural areal of similar articles. The produce of the Southern Trans-Urals center is repre-sented by a diverse set of metal tools and by functioning of large settlements with metallurgical specialization — Kulevchi 3, Ustye 1, and Shibaevo 1. In the typology of the tool complex of the Petrovka Culture of the Southern Trans-Urals and the Middle Pre-Tobol region, common Eurasian types dominate, being genetically associated with the centers of the Middle Bronze Age of the Circumpontian Metallurgical Province — the Late Yamnaya-Poltavkino, Catacomb Culture, and metal-producing centers of the Corded Ware Culture — Volsk-Lbische and Balanovo. A pronounced variety of the morphotypes of the tools, especially knives, is characteristic of the initial stage of ethnogenesis of the cultures of the forest-steppe and steppe zone of Eurasia during the transitional pe-riod from the MBA to the LBA. Common Eurasian types of tools are characteristic of the cultures of the 1st phase of the Eurasian (West Asian) metallurgical province of the forest-steppe and steppe belt from the Don region to the Irtysh region: Abashevo; Sintashta; Early Srubnaya (Pokrovka); Petrovka (Early Alakul). Specific groups of tools inherent in the tribes of the Petrovka Culture were revealed: axes with a massive head; medium-curved sick-les with a prominent handle; socketed spearheads without eyelets and raised ribs along the edge of the socket; forged arrowheads with a through socket; knives with a straight prominent handle — double-edged and single-edged; knives with a forged open socket. In the appearance of some types of tools among the Petrovka population of the Trans-Urals, such as forged socketed tools — chisels, knives, arrows, double-edged knives with a prominent handle, and sickles with a small curvature, the influence of the Abashevo stereotypes of production is discernible. In the meantime, sufficient data have been obtained on the direct imports or on the conjugation of types of the metal tools and weapons of the Sintashta, Petrovka, and Seima-Turbino Cultures in closed complexes.

Subinhibitory Concentrations of Clinically-Relevant Antimicrobials Affect Resistance-Nodulation-Division Family Promoter Activity in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Efflux pumps contribute to multidrug resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii due to their ability to expel a wide variety of structurally unrelated compounds. This study aimed to characterize the effect of subinhibitory concentrations of clinically-relevant antibiotics and disinfectants on the promoter activity of members of the Resistance-Nodulation-Division (RND) family in A. baumannii. The promoter regions from three RND efflux pumps (AdeABC, AdeFGH and AdeIJK) and the AdeRS regulatory system from three different A. baumannii strains (ATCC 17961, ATCC 17978, and ATCC 19606) were cloned into a luciferase reporter system (pLPV1Z). Promoter activity was quantitatively assessed in both exponential and stationary phase cultures after exposure to subinhibitory concentrations of four antibiotics from different classes (rifampicin, meropenem, tigecycline and colistin) and two disinfectants (ethanol and chlorhexidine). Subinhibitory concentrations of the compounds tested had variable effects on promoter activity that were highly dependent on the A. baumannii strain, the compound tested and the growth phase. Fold changes in AdeABC promoter activity ranged from 1.97 to 113.7, in AdeFGH from −5.6 to 1.13, in AdeIJK from −2.5 to 2, and in AdeRS from −36.2 to −1.32. Taken together, these results indicate that subinhibitory concentrations of clinically-relevant antibiotics and disinfectants affect the promoter activity of RND family members in A. baumannii in a strain and growth phase dependent manner. These results may have important implications for the treatment of infections caused by A. baumannii.

Infradian 4-Day Rhythm of Proliferative Activity of L-929 Mouse Fibroblast Culture in the Logarithmic Growth Phase Is Exogenous.

We studied the dynamic of proliferative activity of cultured mouse transformed fibroblast-like L-929 cells in the logarithmic growth phase. During a long period (December 5-23, 2020), we revealed a 4-day rhythm of daily increase in the number of L-929 cells with an amplitude not lower than in a culture of embryonic fibroblast-like cells. Hence, the formation of the 4-day rhythm is not associated with the molecular mechanisms of inhibition of proliferation, which are absent in transformed cells. Daily thawing of samples of one culture over 17 days showed the presence of a 4-day rhythm synchronous between all thawed samples and the control cell culture. As deep freezing leads to the cessation of all life processes in cells, the formation of a 4-day rhythm of proliferative activity of cell culture is determined by an exogenous mechanism.

Effect of a double phase culture system and activated charcoal on in vitro propagation of Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill.

The effectiveness of a double phase (solid/liquid) culture system (DPS) in comparison to a conventional (solid) system (CS) as well as, the role of various concentrations of activated charcoal in both systems on the enhancement of micropropagation of Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. were investigated. In this study, lateral shoots were used as primary explants and a comparison for shoots regeneration and rooting abilities was assessed between DPS and CS micropropagation systems. Also, the effect of activated charcoal concentration (0, 250, 500, 1000 mg l-­1) during rooting stage was evaluated for both micropropagation systems. All assessed biometric parameters were higher in the DPS propagation system. The addition of activated charcoal induced effectively rhizogenesis in both systems, whereas the highest value of roots length (13.16 cm) was in the DPS system supplemented with activated charcoal at 500 mg l-­1. The DPS culture system represents a promising low-­cost and time­-saving technique which may improve micropropagation efficiency in producing a large quantity of homogenous wild apple plants.

Activation of Apoptosis and Autophagy by Gratiola Officinalis Extract in Human Tumor Cell Lines

The problem of creating antitumor drugs with new mechanisms of action that predominantly induce apoptosis is still topical. The extract of Gratiola officinalis is a potential antitumor agent containing mainly flavonoids. The aim of this research is to study the effects of Gratiola officinalis extract on activation of apoptosis and autophagy in breast adenocarcinoma SK-BR-3 and kidney carcinoma A-498 lines. Apoptotic activity of the extract was studied by flow cytofluorometry using Hoechst stain and double staining with annexin V plus propidium iodide. There was 96.3% of cells in SK-BR-3 culture in late apoptosis phase detected by flow cytofluorometry method at the extract concentration of 0.88 mg/ml, 86.3% of cells were in apoptosis by Hoechst stain. The concentration of 0.82 mg/ml caused apoptosis in half of the cells. The extract has cytoprotective activity at low concentration (0.0352 mg/ml). The cytoprotection mechanism is realized through the activation of autophagy. The maximum number of autophagosomes in kidney carcinoma cells is observed at the extract concentration of 0.056 mg/ml. Thus, Gratiola officinalis extract is able to block cytoprotective autophagy with increasing the extract concentration and to activate apoptosis in 85% of tumor cells. Detailed research should be continued to understand the mechanisms of antitumor activity of Gratiola officinalis extract.

Assessment of the success factors influencing of rice-fish farming innovation village to support food security

In the current condition in the village, the community is faced with limited agricultural land and the unpromising sustainability of conventional rice businesses, so that agricultural business is less attractive to the community. The solution that can be done by the community is to build a rice-fish farming innovation village. This study aims to analyze rice-fish farming in terms of social and economic aspects and to analyze the factors that influence the success of the rice-fish farming innovation village for food security and community welfare. This research was conducted from October to December 2020 in Samberembe, Candibinangun Village, Sleman District, Special Region of Yogyakarta. The research approach used a mixed-method, with data analysis using business analysis, descriptive analysis, and prospective analysis. The results showed that an integrated rice-farming program can increase farmers’ income up to IDR 35 million per 1,000 m per year and changing the socio-technical at every phase of cultivation. The success of the rice-fish farming innovation village can be realized with the following key factors (1) a good technical irrigation system, (2) a continuous supply of superior fish seeds, (3) strengthening of rice-fish farming innovation technology, and (4) strengthening of pest eradication technology (beaver). This key factor can be considered as a national scale reference for the development of the rice-fish farming innovation village. The implication of the study is to create a superior and sustainable village that can improve community food security and local economy growth.

Improving CoQ10 productivity by strengthening glucose transmembrane of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

BackgroundSeveral Rhodobacter sphaeroides have been widely applied in commercial CoQ10 production, but they have poor glucose use. Strategies for enhancing glucose use have been widely exploited in R. sphaeroides. Nevertheless, little research has focused on the role of glucose transmembrane in the improvement of production.ResultsThere are two potential glucose transmembrane pathways in R. sphaeroides ATCC 17023: the fructose specific-phosphotransferase system (PTSFru, fruAB) and non-PTS that relied on glucokinase (glk). fruAB mutation revealed two effects on bacterial growth: inhibition at the early cultivation phase (12–24 h) and promotion since 36 h. Glucose metabolism showed a corresponding change in characteristic vs. the growth. For ΔfruAΔfruB, maximum biomass (Biomax) was increased by 44.39% and the CoQ10 content was 27.08% more than that of the WT. glk mutation caused a significant decrease in growth and glucose metabolism. Over-expressing a galactose:H+ symporter (galP) in the ΔfruAΔfruB relieved the inhibition and enhanced the growth further. Finally, a mutant with rapid growth and high CoQ10 titer was constructed (ΔfruAΔfruB/tac::galPOP) using several glucose metabolism modifications and was verified by fermentation in 1 L fermenters.ConclusionsThe PTSFru mutation revealed two effects on bacterial growth: inhibition at the early cultivation phase and promotion later. Additionally, biomass yield to glucose (Yb/glc) and CoQ10 synthesis can be promoted using fruAB mutation, and glk plays a key role in glucose metabolism. Strengthening glucose transmembrane via non-PTS improves the productivity of CoQ10 fermentation.