Specific and rapid analysis of ubiquinones using Craven's reaction and HPLC with postcolumn derivatization

Monitoring biofouling based on aerobic respiration in reverse osmosis system

A monitoring method of biofouling in reverse osmosis (RO) system was proposed based on the fluorescent signal of resorufin, which is reduced by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide released from viable cells during aerobic respiration. The fluorescent signal of resorufin reduced by planktonic cells and microorganisms of biofilm showed linearity, indicating its feasibility to monitor biofouling in a RO system. For the application of the method to the lab-scale RO system, the injection concentration of resazurin and the injection flow rate were optimized. Biofilm on RO membranes continuously operated in a lab-scale RO system was estimated by resorufin fluorescence under optimized detection condition. As a result, resorufin fluorescence on RO membrane showed a significant increase in which the permeability of RO system decreased by 30.48%. Moreover, it represented the development of biofilm as much as conventional biofilm parameters such as adenosine triphosphate, extracellular polymeric substances, and biofilm thickness. The proposed method could be used as a sensitive and low-cost technology to monitor biofouling without autopsy of membranes.

Novel Characteristics of Mitochondrial Electron Transport Chain from Eimeria tenella

Eimeria tenella is an intracellular apicomplexan parasite, which infects cecal epithelial cells from chickens and causes hemorrhagic diarrhea and eventual death. We have previously reported the comparative RNA sequence analysis of the E. tenella sporozoite stage between virulent and precocious strains and showed that the expression of several genes involved in mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), such as type II NADH dehydrogenase (NDH-2), complex II (succinate:quinone oxidoreductase), malate:quinone oxidoreductase (MQO), and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), were upregulated in virulent strain. To study E. tenella mitochondrial ETC in detail, we developed a reproducible method for preparation of mitochondria-rich fraction from sporozoites, which maintained high specific activities of dehydrogenases, such as NDH-2 followed by G3PDH, MQO, complex II, and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). Of particular importance, we showed that E. tenella sporozoite mitochondria possess an intrinsic ability to perform fumarate respiration (via complex II) in addition to the classical oxygen respiration (via complexes III and IV). Further analysis by high-resolution clear native electrophoresis, activity staining, and nano-liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS/MS) provided evidence of a mitochondrial complex II-III-IV supercomplex. Our analysis suggests that complex II from E. tenella has biochemical features distinct to known orthologues and is a potential target for the development of new anticoccidian drugs.

Anaerobic respiration coupled with mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis in wax ester fermentation by Euglena gracilis

In Euglena gracilis, wax ester fermentation produces ATP during anaerobiosis. Here, we report that anaerobic wax ester production is suppressed when the mitochondrial electron transport chain complex I is inhibited by rotenone, whereas it is increased by the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). The ADP/ATP ratio in anaerobic cells is elevated by treatment with either rotenone or CCCP. Gene silencing experiments indicate that acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF), and rhodoquinone (RQ) participate in wax ester production. These results suggest that fatty acids are synthesized in mitochondria by the reversal of β-oxidation, where trans-2-enoyl-CoA is reduced mainly by acyl-CoA dehydrogenase using the electrons provided by NADH via the electron transport chain complex I, RQ, and ETF, and that ATP production is highly supported by anaerobic respiration utilizing trans-2-enoyl-CoA as a terminal electron acceptor.