Acta Microbiologica Sinica 

About: Acta Microbiologica Sinica is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Gene & Plasmid. It has an ISSN identifier of 0001-6209. Over the lifetime, 2367 publications have been published receiving 7646 citations.

[Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology (second edition) Volume 5 and the study of Actinomycetes systematic in China].

Abstract: Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology (hereinafter referred to as "Bergey's Manual") is the collection of academic views accepted by taxonomists in many countries. It has scientificity, unitarity and practicality. "Bergey's Manual" (special issue of Actinomycetes) divided into two parts (part A and part B) was published in May, 2012. Under the guidance and the organization of Michael Goodfellow et al., the great work has been completed successfully in May 2012. "Bergey's Manual" made a great modification on the systematic of Actinomycetes and formally set up the phylum of Actinobacteria, which encompasses 6 classes, 23 orders (include one order incertae sides), 53 families, 222 genera and about 3000 species. The taxonomic catalogue is Bacteria, phylum of Actinobacteria, under the phylum there are class, order, family, genera and species. "Bergey's Manual" collected a great deal of new taxa, which were published in IJSEM (International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology) by Chinese scientists. We need to indicate that due to its too rigorous, conservative writing purpose and long publication periods, "Bergey's Manual" fails to collect new research results using the molecular approaches of multilocus sequence analysis "MLSA", gene chip technology and genome technologies, which however will profoundly change the taxonomy of prokaryotes in the near future.

[Isolation and identification of a taxol-producing endophytic fungus from Podocarpus].

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Endophytic fungi can produce beneficial active components during symbiosis with host plants. We isolated a taxol-producing endophytic fungus strain from Podocrapus. METHODS: The anti-tumor activity of the endophytic funguswas detected by Methyl Thiazolyl Tetrazolium (MTT) method with Vero cells. The production of taxol by one fungus was confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This strain was classified by morphology together with similarity of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence by Clustal W method. The deduced apoptosis of taxol produced from the strain was detected by fluorescent staining method with Vero cells. RESULTS: A total of 155 endophytic fungi were isolated from the tissue of Podocrapus. The result showed that 28 strains inhibited the growth of Vero cell (inhibitory ratio > or = 10%), and 7 strains had high activity (inhibitory ratio > or = 70%). The taxol-producing ability of strain A2 was confirmed by TLC and HPLC. Therefore, we recognized strain A2 as an endophytic fungus capable of producing taxol from Podocrapus-1 and named it EPTP-1. Its output of taxol was 0.56 mg/L when growing in liquid potato dextrose medium. EPTP-1 was classified as Aspergillus fumigates. Taxol extracted from strain EPTP-1 resulted in significant apoptosis of Vero cells at concentration of 5.553 microg/L for 24h. The activity of anti-Vero growth by extracts from strain EPTP-1 was similar to that of the purchased standard taxol (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The identified endophytic fungus, strain EPTP-1, can be a candidate for taxol production.

Emerging of avian leukosis virus subgroup J in a flock of Chinese local breed

Abstract: Myeloid leukosis (ML) cases were first diagnosed in a chicken flock of Chinese local breed in Shan dong province. The main symptom included wasting, weight loss, anemia. It caused about 10% mortality of about 15000 birds at the age of 120-day. In the necropsy, gray-white nodules and protrusions in various sizes were commonly observed on the surface of the sternum, intestine and trachea. Almost all viscera tissues showed moderate to severe enlargement with diffuse gray-white nodules. Histological examination indicated that the tumor cells proliferated in tissues were myelocytes with eosinophilic granules in cytoplasm. In PCR with a pair of ALV-J-specific primers, 15 of 17 liver samples were positive. PCR product of one positive sample was sequenced and demonstrated 98.05% and 97.4% identity with ALV-J HPRS-103 strain at nuclei acid and amino acids level, respectively. By immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique with ALV-J monoclonal antibody, the most intense staining was in the tumor tissue, liver, spleen, kidney, bone marrow, and proventriculus. The results indicate that ALV-J already caused chickens infection and dead in Chinese local breed.

[Construction of recombinant Escherichia coli strains producing poly (4-hydroxybutyric acid) homopolyester from glucose].

Abstract: The aim of this study is to construct recombinant Escherichia coli strains capable of producing poly(4-hydroxybutyric acid) homopolyester from glucose as sole carbon source. A glutamate: succinate semialdehyde transaminase gene from Escherichia coli, a glutamate decarboxylase gene from E. coli, and a 4-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase gene from Ralstonia eutropha were cloned by PCR and assembled onto the plasmid pKSSE5.3 which haboured the PHA synthase gene from Ralstonia eutropha and 4-hydroxybutyrate: CoA transferase from Clostridium kluyveri. The resulting plasmids were transformed into E. coli and the pathway for biosynthesis of poly(4-hydroxybutyric acid) from glucose via alpha-ketoglutarate, an intermediate in TCA cycle was established in recombinant E. coli strains. Recombinant strains synthesized the homopolyester P(4HB), when cells were cultivated in Luria-Bertani broth with glucose as carbon source. P(4HB) accumulation was enhanced up to 30% of cell dry weight, when cells were cultivated in mineral salts M9 medium plus glucose as sole carbon source with addition of yeast extract, tryptone, casein hydrolate into medium respectively.

Studies on antimicrobial activity of extracts from thyme

Abstract: The extracts from thyme by water and ethanol, thyme essential oil, thymol and carvacrol were used as antimicrobial agents in this paper. The results show that all antimicrobial agents used have strong inhibition activity against Staphalococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli.