The role of variability in night-time mean heart rate on the prediction of ventricular arrhythmias and all-cause mortality in implantable cardioverter defibrillator patients

AIMS

This study was to use implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) home monitoring (HM) feature to evaluate the role of mean night-time heart rate (MNHR) in the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and mortality.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study retrospectively analysed clinical and ICD device data in 318 ICD patients. Data of the first 30-day MNHR (recorded 02:00-06:00 am) by HM were collected. The average and standard deviation of 30-day MNHR (AVHR and SDHR, respectively) were then determined in each patient. The primary endpoint was appropriate ICD treatment of VAs. The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. During a mean follow-up period of 32 ± 10 months, 179 of the 318 patients (56.3%) experienced VAs, 123 patients (38.7%) were treated by ICD shocks, and 37 patients (11.6%) died. The overall SDHR in this study cohort was 4.5 ± 3.0 bpm. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve, the cut-off value of SDHR = 3.685 bpm was identified to predict VAs. In the Kaplan-Meier survival, SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was associated with increased VAs [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.885; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.362-2.609; P < 0.001], shock events (HR = 1.637; 95% CI = 1.11-2.414; P = 0.013), all-cause mortality (HR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.266-4.627; P = 0.008), and the combined endpoints (HR = 1.872; 95% CI = 1.365-2.567; P < 0.001). In univariate and multivariate Cox models (adjusting for clinical factors), SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was still an independent predictor for all endpoints.

CONCLUSION

In ICD population, SDHR ≥ 3.685 bpm was an independent predictor for VAs and all-cause mortality.

[Association of serum free triiodothyronine with long-term outcome in heart failure patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the prognostic role of free triiodothyronine (FT3) on all-cause mortality and heart failure (HF) hospitalization in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

METHODS

In this single-center retrospective cohort study, a total of 202 chronic heart failure (CHF) patients who had CRT implantation from January 2010 to December 2014 were enrolled. Clinical outcomes were defined as all-cause mortality (including heart transplantation) and new heart failure (HF) hospitalization. Patients were divided into three groups according to FT3 tertiles: FT3≤4.08 pmol/L group (n=67), FT3 4.09-4.71 pmol/L group (n=68) and FT3>4.71 pmol/L group (n=67). Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed for each outcome. Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses were used to evaluate the independent prognosis of FT3 in CRT treated patients.

RESULTS

Patients in FT3≤4.08 pmol/L group tended to be older, with more women patients, and had lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), hemoglobin and serum sodium concentration. They were also less frequently subjected to smoking, alcohol consumption and were less likely prescribed with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors. Also, this group had highest proportion of NYHA class Ⅳ patients. Kaplan-Meier analyses demonstrated that FT3 4.09-4.71 pmol/L group was associated with a significantly better survival (P=0.022) and less new hospitalizations for HF event (P=0.020). Cox regression analyses indicated that FT3 4.09-4.71 pmol/L was an independent protective factor for both all-cause mortality (HR=0.220, 95%CI: 0.069-0.700, P=0.011) and HF hospitalization (HR=0.490, 95%CI: 0.241-0.996, P=0.049). Left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDd) enlargement was an independent risk factor of all-cause mortality(HR=1.043, 95%CI: 1.004-1.083, P=0.031).

CONCLUSION

Patients in FT3 4.09-4.71 pmol/L group had the lowest risk of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization after CRT implantation.

Regulation of BmBDV NS1 by phosphorylation: Impact of mutagenesis at consensus phosphorylation sites on ATPase activity and cytopathic effects

Bombyx mori bidensovirus (BmBDV) is a single-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Bidensovirus genus, Bidnaviridae family. Previous studies showed that parvovirus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) contains endonuclease, helicase, and ATPase activities and that these activities are regulated by serine/threonine phosphorylation. We have reported that residue Thr-184 site of BmBDV NS1 is phosphorylated, and that residues of Thr-181 and Thr-191 are potentially phosphorylated. However, whether phosphorylation affects BmBDV NS1 activities remains unclear. In this study, the substitution of threonine with Glycine at positions 181, 184 and 191 of BmBDV NS1 reduced its ATPase activity. After wild-type NS1 was treated with calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (CIP), ATPase activity decreased significantly. Moreover, silkworms that were injected with recombinant viruses carrying these NS1 mutations exhibited significant increases in the median lethal time to death compared with silkworms that were injected with a virus that expressed wild-type NS1. In conclusion, these results showed that the ATPase activity and virulence of BmBDV NS1 are regulated via phosphorylation.

Effect of monomer chemical structures on the cell structures and properties of cyanate ester foams

Cyanate ester (CE) foams with different chemical structures were prepared using bisphenol A dicyanate ester (BADCy), bisphenol E dicyanate ester (BECy), and tetramethyl bisphenol F dicyanate ester (TBFDCy) as monomers, through a two-step process. Rheological tests were performed to investigate the optimal conditions for the preparation of these foams. The results of morphology by scanning electron microscopy showed that cells are in the form of nearly spherical shape in foams from TBFDCy and BADCy and oval in foam from BECy. The thermal properties of the three CE foams were studied by methods of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry analysis. The glass transition temperature ( Tg) obtained from DMA tests are 274, 264, and 241°C for the foams from TBFDCy, BADCy, and BECy, respectively, which are apparently higher than that tested by DSC method. The Tg, compressive properties, and thermal stabilities of the foams are improved after the introduction of the alkyl-substituent groups to the same aromatic ring of –OCN functionality, and the chemical structure–properties relationships are explained according to the monomer chemical structures.

Effect of fluoride on the proteomic profile of the hippocampus in rats

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to detect fluoride-induced alterations in the proteome of the rat hippocampus. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=30) were subjected to treatments three weeks after weaning. Animals of the first group were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with aqueous NaF (20 mg/kg/body weight/day), the second group, injected with physiological saline, served as the control. After 30 days, the body weight of the fluoride-treated rats was lower than that of the control, and F- levels in serum were higher than in the control. The hippocampus was subjected to proteomic analysis, and the fluoride-treated group was found to contain 19 up-regulated and eight down-regulated proteins. The proteins, identified by mass-spectroscopic analysis of their fragments obtained after digestion, were found to be involved in amino acid biosynthesis, the insulin signaling pathway and various other crucial functions. Our results also provide useful information on the mechanism of the reduction of the learning ability and memory induced by F.

Expression and display of a novel thermostable esterase from Clostridium thermocellum on the surface of Bacillus subtilis using the CotB anchor protein

Esterases expressed in microbial hosts are commercially valuable, but their applications are limited due to high costs of production and harsh industrial processes involved. In this study, the esterase-DSM (from Clostridium thermocellum) was expressed and successfully displayed on the spore surface, and the spore-associated esterase was confirmed by western blot analysis and activity measurements. The optimal temperature and pH of spore surface-displayed DSM was 60 and 8.5 °C, respectively. It also demonstrates a broad temperature and pH optimum in the range of 50–70, 7–9.5 °C. The spore surface-displayed esterase-DSM retained 78, 68 % of its original activity after 5 h incubation at 60 and 70 °C, respectively, which was twofold greater activity than that of the purified DSM. The recombinant spores has high activity and stability in DMSO, which was 49 % higher than the retained activity of the purified DSM in DMSO (20 % v/v), and retained 65.2 % of activity after 7 h of incubation in DMSO (20 % v/v). However, the recombinant spores could retain 77 % activity after 3 rounds of recycling. These results suggest that enzyme displayed on the surface of the Bacillus subtilis spore could serve as an effective approach for enzyme immobilization.

Molecular and Physiological Characterization of Two Novel Multirepeat β-Thymosins from Silkworm, Bombyx mori

β-thymosin plays important roles in the development of the lymphatic system and the central nervous system in vertebrates. However, its role and function in invertebrates remain much less explored. Here, we firstly isolated a gene encoding β-thymosin in silkworm (Bombyx mori L.). Interestingly, this gene encodes two polypeptides, named as BmTHY1 and BmTHY2, via two different modes of RNA splicing. The recombinant proteins fused with an N-term GST tag were over-expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and further purified to near homogenity to prepare mouse antibodies. The Western blot analysis showed that these proteins were expressed in various tissues and organs, as well as in different developmental stages. Amazingly, the expression of BmTHY2 was hugely increased during the pupae stage, indicating a specialized role in this period. The expression of these proteins was gradually decreased in BmN cells infected by BmNPV, suggesting they may play different roles in the virus infection. In addition, both BmTHY1 and BmTHY2 can interact with 14-3-3 of silkworm and Ubiquitin of BmNPV as shown by GST pull down and Co-IP assays, consistent with their roles in the regulation of the development of nervous system.

Prediction of ventricular arrhythmia events in ischemic heart disease patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators

The aim of the study was to exam the prediction of ventricular arrhythmia events in ischemic heart disease patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD). A total of 123 consecutive patients confirmed ischemia heart disease with ICD were examined. After device implantation, the occurrence of appropriate ICD therapy was noted. Patients were divided into two groups according to the ventricular arrhythmia occurrence. Patients with ventricular arrhythmia occurrence had a significantly great incidence of atrial fibrillation history compare to the no-ventricular arrhythmia occurrence group (8 vs. 39%, P = 0.02). The level of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) baseline was also significantly higher in the ventricular arrhythmia group than in the no ventricular arrhythmia (3.78 ± 1.1 vs. 0.94 ± 0.7, P < 0.01). The taking of β blocker is not common in ventricular arrhythmia group patients than no ventricular arrhythmia group (5 vs. 29%, P = 0.03). By univariate comparison, male sex, the history of atrial fibrillation, and a high level of hsCRP were significant predictors for ventricular arrhythmia occurrence. By multivariate analysis, the atrial fibrillation burden, and had a high level of hsCRP were significant for incidence of ventricular arrhythmia occurrence in ischemic heart disease patients. β-block were more likely to be free from ventricular arrhythmia occurrence. The high level of hsCRP, and the atrial fibrillation burden were strong predictor of ventricular arrhythmia occurrence in secondary prevention ICD recipients with ischemic heart disease. Taking β-blockers was free from ventricular arrhythmia occurrence.

Evolutionary analysis of the ubiquitin gene of baculovirus and insect hosts

Baculovirus is the only virus that has been found to encode the ubiquitin protein. In this study, ubiquitin sequences from 16 insects and 49 viruses were collected and compared. The resulting sequences were aligned with virus genomes. Then MAGE 5.0, k-estimated software, as well as other software programs were used for systemic evolutionary, selection pressure, and evolutionary distance analysis. The results of the pairwise ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitution values and evolutionary distances showed that ubiquitin from baculovirus and insect hosts have been under purifying selection during evolution and are thus evolutionarily conserved. Moreover, genes from insect hosts were more conserved than those in baculovirus. Analysis of the non-synonymous to synonymous substitution rates at each site and entropy calculations revealed the evolutionary status of every site in the ubiquitin genes of baculovirus and their hosts. Genome locations and phylogenetic trees indicated that granuloviruses and non-photosynthetic vegetation evolved, and granulovirus evolution was more similar to that of insect hosts. Our results suggest that the ubiquitin gene in baculovirus may have been acquired through horizontal transfer from the host.

Abstract 682: Targeting heat shock protein 90 with ganetespib for molecularly targeted therapy of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) remains the fifth most common cancer worldwide. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) has become an attractive therapeutic target in treating cancers, due to its abnormally high expression in cancers. Several successful cases of HSP90 inhibitors capable of inhibiting GC inspired us to try ganetespib, a clinically promising and actively investigated second-generation HSP90 inhibitor in GC treatment. In our study, we show that ganetespib dramatically reduced growth of MGC-803 and also significantly inhibited growth of SGC-7901 and MKN-28 in a dose-dependent manner. It induced G2/M cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in all three cell lines, together with the related markers affected significantly. Mechanistically, ganetespib caused pronounced decrease of expression of classic HSP90 client proteins. Specifically, it greatly affected EGFR signaling cascades by dramatically decreasing levels of total EGFR and EGFR on cell membranes. EGFR knockdown also induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis accompanied with a decrease of several EGFR downstream proteins. These results strongly support EGFR signaling greatly contributes to the ganetespib inhibitory effects. Besides, we found the responses of GC cell lines to ganetespib correlated well with their EGFR expression levels: MGC-803, as well as AGS and BGC-803, with higher EGFR expression responded to ganetespib better, while SGC-7901 and MKN-28 with lower EGFR levels were much less sensitive to ganetespib. Though SGC-7901 and MKN-28 were not very sensitive to ganetespib, ganetespib worked synergistically with radiation and cisplatin in killing them. Importantly, ganetespib significantly inhibited growth of xenograft tumors in vivo as a single agent or in combination with cisplatin. Results of H&E staining, TUNEL assays, and immunohistochemistry staining of pCDK1, EGFR, and Ki-67 revealed significant differences in ganetespib-treated tumors. Collectively, our data suggest that ganetespib, as a new potent treatment option, can be used for the molecularly targeted therapy of GC patients according to their expression profiles of EGFR.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting.

Citation Format: Hanqing Liu, Jian Lu, Ye Hua, Peishan Zhang, Zhiquan Liang, Lingling Ruan, Caixia Lian, Haifeng Shi, Keping Chen, Zhigang Tu. Targeting heat shock protein 90 with ganetespib for molecularly targeted therapy of gastric cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 682. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-682

Abstract 2614: Targeting heat shock protein 90 with Ganetespib for the treatment of lymphoma

Effective treatments for lymphoma remain a serious unmet medical need: the incidence of lymphoma continues to rise, and lymphoma tumors can relapse in patients who initially respond to treatment. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) has become an attractive therapeutic target in treating many many cancers, including blood cancers. In our study, we show that ganetespib, a clinically promising and actively investigated second-generation HSP90 inhibitor, dramatically reduced growth of a couple of different kinds of lymphoma, such as mantle cell lymphoma and Burkitt's lymphoma in a dose-dependent manner. It induced G2/M cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in all studied cell lines, such as Ramos, Jeko-1, Granta-519, Raji, etc. Ganetespib significantly inhibited growth of xenograft tumors in vivo as a single agent or in combination with doxorubicin. Results of H&E staining, TUNEL assays, and immunohistochemistry staining of Ki-67 revealed significant differences in ganetespib-treated tumors. Mechanistically, ganetespib caused pronounced decrease of expression of classic HSP90 client proteins. In summary, our data suggest that ganetespib can be potentially used for the molecularly targeted therapy of lymphoma patients.

Citation Format: Zhigang Tu, Hanqing Liu, Jingjing Zhao, Peishan Zhang, Zhiquan Liang, Lingling Ruan, Yongjin Lu, Dongsheng Shang, Ying Sun, Lili Xu, Keping Chen, Quji Danzeng. Targeting heat shock protein 90 with Ganetespib for the treatment of lymphoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2614. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2614

Highly sensitive detection for proteins using graphene oxide-aptamer based sensors

In recent years, the detection of proteins by using bare graphene oxide (GO) to quench the fluorescence of fluorescein-labeled aptamers has been reported. However, the proteins can be adsorbed on the surface of bare GO to prevent the sensitivity from further being improved. In order to solve this problem, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-protected GO was used to prevent the proteins using thrombin as an example from nonspecific binding. The detection limit was improved compared to bare GO under the optimized ratio of GO to PEG concentration. The results show that our method is a promising technique for the detection of proteins.

Virosome, a hybrid vehicle for efficient and safe drug delivery and its emerging application in cancer treatment

A virosome is an innovative hybrid drug delivery system with advantages of both viral and non-viral vectors. Studies have shown that a virosome can carry various biologically active molecules, such as nucleic acids, peptides, proteins and small organic molecules. Targeted drug delivery using virosome-based systems can be achieved through surface modifications of virosomes. A number of virosome-based prophylactic and therapeutic products with high safety profiles are currently available in the market. Cancer treatment is a big battlefield for virosome-based drug delivery systems. This review provides an overview of the general concept, preparation procedures, working mechanisms, preclinical studies and clinical applications of virosomes in cancer treatment.

Evidence for several independent genetic variants affecting lipoprotein (a) cholesterol levels

Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis-related events that is under strong genetic control (heritability = 0.68-0.98). However, causal mutations and functional validation of biological pathways modulating Lp(a) metabolism are lacking. We performed a genome-wide association scan to identify genetic variants associated with Lp(a)-cholesterol levels in the Old Order Amish. We confirmed a previously known locus on chromosome 6q25-26 and found Lp(a) levels also to be significantly associated with a SNP near the APOA5-APOA4-APOC3-APOA1 gene cluster on chromosome 11q23 linked in the Amish to the APOC3 R19X null mutation. On 6q locus, we detected associations of Lp(a)-cholesterol with 118 common variants (P = 5 × 10(-8) to 3.91 × 10(-19)) spanning a ∼5.3 Mb region that included the LPA gene. To further elucidate variation within LPA, we sequenced LPA and identified two variants most strongly associated with Lp(a)-cholesterol, rs3798220 (P = 1.07 × 10(-14)) and rs10455872 (P = 1.85 × 10(-12)). We also measured copy numbers of kringle IV-2 (KIV-2) in LPA using qPCR. KIV-2 numbers were significantly associated with Lp(a)-cholesterol (P = 2.28 × 10(-9)). Conditional analyses revealed that rs3798220 and rs10455872 were associated with Lp(a)-cholesterol levels independent of each other and KIV-2 copy number. Furthermore, we determined for the first time that levels of LPA mRNA were higher in the carriers than non-carriers of rs10455872 (P = 0.0001) and were not different between carriers and non-carriers of rs3798220. Protein levels of apo(a) were higher in the carriers than non-carriers of both rs10455872 and rs3798220. In summary, we identified multiple independent genetic determinants for Lp(a)-cholesterol. These findings provide new insights into Lp(a) regulation.

The toxicity of NaF on BmN cells and a comparative proteomics approach to identify protein expression changes in cells under NaF-stress: impact of NaF on BmN cells

Fluorides negatively affect the development of organisms and are a threat to human health and environmental safety. In this study, Bombyx mori N cell line (BmN) were used to explore effects of NaF on insect cells. We found that 8h (hrs) culture with high concentration of NaF (≥ 1 mM) induced significantly morphological changes. Dose-response curves of 72 h continuously cultured BmN treated with NaF showed that the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) value was 56.60 μM. Treatment of BmN with 100 and 300 μM of NaF induced apoptosis and necrosis. 2-D electrophoresis of whole cell extracted from BmN showed that treatment with 300 μM NaF up-regulated 32 proteins and down-regulated 11 proteins when compared with controls. We identified 5 different proteins by MALDI-TOF MS, and 4 of them were identified for the first time, including 2 up-regulated proteins (mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH2 and prohibitin protein WPH) and 2 down-regulated proteins (calreticulin precursor CRT and DNA supercoiling factor SCF). These observations were further confirmed by fluorescence quantitative PCR. Together, our data suggest that these target proteins could be regarded as targets influenced by NaF and also provide clues for studies on the response metabolism pathway under NaF stress.

Overexpression of Bm65 correlates with reduced susceptibility to inactivation by UV light

Ultraviolet (UV) light is one of the factors that causes baculovirus inactivation. However, little is known about the response of baculoviruses to UV light. In the present study, Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) orf 65 (Bm65), the homolog of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus orf 79 (Ac79), a predicted endonuclease, was analyzed. Preliminary results indicated that Bm65 mainly accumulated within the nucleus and could improve the survival rate of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and BmNPV BVs after UV radiation, suggesting that Bm65 was involved in the repair of UV-induced DNA damage.

Preparation and characterization of cyanate/epoxy foam

A new type of cyanate (CE)/epoxy (EP) foam with bisphenol-A dicyanate ester prepolymer and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (BADCy/DGEBA) has been successfully prepared through a two-step process. The structure and properties of CE/EP foam were studied. The results reveal that the CE/EP foams, with relatively uniform cell structure, were composed of closed cells as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The compressive strength increased from 0.507 MPa to 3.021 MPa, and the compressive modulus ( E) increased from 15 MPa to 123 MPa as the density increased from 0.103 g cm−3 to 0.305 g cm−3. Dynamic mechanical analysis revealed that the CE/EP foams possessed a high glass transition temperature ( Tg) (203°C) and that density had only a little impact on Tg. Moreover, the excellent thermal stability presented with the onset of weight loss taken at 5% value was above 320°C, and the residual weight of the foam was more than 21.6% at 800°C. With increase in the density of CE/EP foams, the dielectric constants (ε) gradually decreased. For the foam with density of ρ = 0.162 g cm−3, the value of ε was as low as 2.28 at the frequency of 10 kHz.

The aetiology of community associated pneumonia in children in Nanjing, China and aetiological patterns associated with age and season

BACKGROUND

Viral and atypical bacterial pathogens play an important role in respiratory tract infection. Using the Pneumoslide IgM test, the presented study explored the aetiology of community-acquired pneumonia and investigated further whether there was an association between age or season and aetiological organisms.

METHODS

Serum samples, taken between August 2011 and August 2013, from patients with CAP were tested with the Pneumoslide IgM kit. The Pneumoslide IgM technology can simultaneously diagnose 9 viral and atypical bacterial pathogens: Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (LP1), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP), Coxiella burnetii (COX), Chlamydophila pneumonia (CP), Adenovirus (ADV), Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Influenza A (INFA), Influenza B (INFB), Parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3 (PIVs). The data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows (SPSS, version 11.0).

RESULTS

Of a total of 1204 serum samples tested, 624 samples were positive. M. pneumoniae was the dominant pathogen, with INFB, PIVs, and RSV ranking second to fourth, respectively. The positive percentages of MP, INFB, PIVs and RSV were found to be associated with age, especially MP, INFB and PIVs. The positive percentages of MP, PIVs and RSV were also found to be associated with season. The positive percentage of MP in autumn was the highest. The positive percentages of LP1 in August and September, ADV in June and INFB in March were relatively higher than that in other months.

CONCLUSIONS

The results show there were 4 main viral and atypical bacterial pathogens causing CAP in our study. Some pathogens were found to be associated with age and season. M. pneumoniae was the most predominant pathogen among these 9 pathogens. It is necessary to take preventative measures in order to prevent the spread of these pathogens in susceptible age groups during peak season.

Protein profile of Acetobacter pasteurianus HSZ3-21

Acetobacter pasteurianus plays an important role in the process of traditional vinegar production and is also essential for the fermentation of Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar. In this study, we utilized the proteomic approach to analyze the proteomic profile of A. pasteurianus HSZ3-21, and 258 proteins were successfully identified by MALDI-TOF-MS and database search. The hydropathy and GO analyse combined with COG results of the identified proteins revealed the molecular biological characteristics of A. pasteurianus proteins, that is, most proteins of A. pasteurianus were related to metabolic process, binding, catalytic or cellular response. Meanwhile, our results also showed that some proteins of A. pasteurianus may be responsible for acetic acid tolerance, thermotolerance, and stress response. Therefore, the identification of 258 proteins not only deciphers protein composition and functional classification of A. pasteurianus, but also provides useful information for improving quality of Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar.

Optimization of the condition for adsorption of gallic acid by Aspergillus oryzae mycelia using Box-Behnken design

Fresh biomass of Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae) CGMCC5992 can effectively remove gallic acid from aqueous solution. To improve the removal rate of gallic acid, this study first identified the important factors affecting the removal rate of gallic acid with univariate analysis, and then used four-factor and three-level Box-Behnken design (BBD) with the removal rate of gallic acid as response value, to obtain the optimum conditions for the removal of gallic acid as follows: 6.95 h treatment time, pH 3.70, 7.07 g/L mycelium volume, and 120.64 mg/L initial concentration of gallic acid. Under such optimized condition, the removal rate of gallic acid approached 99.21 %. HPLC-MS analysis proved that the gallic acid in aqueous solution was completely removed by A. oryzae, rather than being metabolized into its derivatives. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the biomass morphology and surface structure of A. oryzae changed after the adsorption of gallic acid. Thus, the present study has provided an optimal condition for A. oryzae removal of gallic acid in water.