Advances in bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil / 生物工程学报

With continuous improvement of people's living standards, great efforts have been paid to environmental protection. Among those environmental issues, soil contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons has received widespread concerns due to the persistence and the degradation difficulty of the pollutants. Among the various remediation technologies, in-situ microbial remediation enhancement technologies have become the current hotspot because of its low cost, environmental friendliness, and in-situ availability. This review summarizes several in-situ microbial remediation technologies such as bioaugmentation, biostimulation, and integrated remediation, as well as their engineering applications, providing references for the selection of in-situ bioremediation technologies in engineering applications. Moreover, this review discusses future research directions in this area.

TaqMan MGB probe fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR for rapid detection of Chinese Sacbrood virus.

Sacbrood virus (SBV) is a picorna-like virus that affects honey bees (Apis mellifera) and results in the death of the larvae. Several procedures are available to detect Chinese SBV (CSBV) in clinical samples, but not to estimate the level of CSBV infection. The aim of this study was develop an assay for rapid detection and quantification of this virus. Primers and probes were designed that were specific for CSBV structural protein genes. A TaqMan minor groove binder (MGB) probe-based, fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR was established. The specificity, sensitivity and stability of the assay were assessed; specificity was high and there were no cross-reactivity with healthy larvae or other bee viruses. The assay was applied to detect CSBV in 37 clinical samples and its efficiency was compared with clinical diagnosis, electron microscopy observation, and conventional RT-PCR. The TaqMan MGB-based probe fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR for CSBV was more sensitive than other methods tested. This assay was a reliable, fast, and sensitive method that was used successfully to detect CSBV in clinical samples. The technology can provide a useful tool for rapid detection of CSBV. This study has established a useful protocol for CSBV testing, epidemiological investigation, and development of animal models.

Immune responses of a designed HIV-1 DNA vaccine on rhesus monkeys.

An effective HIV-1 vaccine will be the ultimate solution for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, though HAART plays important roles in treating the disease. In this study, a large-scale recombinant DNA plasmid containing a designed HIV-1 multi-epitope-p24 chimeric gene was prepared and purified. Rhesus monkeys were then inoculated muscularly with the plasmid for four times in week 0, 4, 8 and 18. Whole blood was collected two weeks after the third and fourth inoculation, followed by serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) separation. The CTL activity and proliferation of PBMCs stimulated by macaque MHC-I-restricted HIV-1 CTL epitope peptide were analyzed by MTT and LDH release assay, respectively. Th1 cytokines in supernatant of cultured PBMC stimulated by HIV-1 CTL epitope peptide and anti-HIV-1 antibody in serum were assayed by ELISA. The results showed that increased CTL target-killing activity, higher secretion of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2) and promoted proliferative reaction of monkey PBMCs stimulated by HIV-1 CTL epitope peptide were detected in the immunization group inoculated by the recombinant DNA vaccine for three times, which were further enhanced by the fourth inoculation. At the same time, HIV-1 specific antibody in serum of immunized monkeys was higher than that in controls. We concluded that the designed HIV-1 DNA vaccine may induce HIV-1 specific cellular and humoral immunity on monkeys.