European Journal of Wood and Wood Products
·
2014
·Vol. 73
·期 1
·97-102
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IF 1.105
Pan Chengyuan,Ruan Guanhua,Chen Haihong,Zhang Dayu
Wood preservation is one of the most effective methods to prevent damage caused by termites. Sodium fluoride (NaF) is a well-known fungicide for preventing decay in timber due to its excellent diffusion in wood. In this study, the toxicity of NaF to the termites Reticulitermes flaviceps and its potential leachability as wood preservative were assessed. While termites were in contact with NaF-treated filter paper in a Petri dish for nine days, termites were found completely dead while the papers were treated by NaF at concentration of 0.5 % (wt/wt) or above. Wood blocks of Pinus massoniana were treated with five different concentrations of NaF (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 %) respectively, and then exposed to a non-soil-contact field leaching experiment. After 4 weeks, retention levels of NaF in the wood blocks dropped from 0.075–0.834 % to 0.057–0.284 %. A choice test, in which NaF-treated and untreated wood blocks were exposed to the termites R. flaviceps was conducted. The results showed NaF, even at retention of 0.057 % (wt/wt), could significantly inhibit termite feeding in the treated blocks. The results suggest that NaF is a suitable wood preservative with anti-feedant activity against termites.
研究领域:
昆虫学
·
林学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
·
2025
·Vol. 26
·期 7
·3118
·
IF 4.9
Guotao Mao,Ming Song,Hao Li,Junhan Lin,Kai Wang,Qian Liu,Zengping Su,Hongsen Zhang,Lijuan Su,Hui Xie,Andong Song
The enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose is often hindered by the glucose-mediated inhibition of β-glucosidases, a major bottleneck in industrial cellulose degradation. Identifying novel glucose-tolerant β-glucosidases is essential for enhancing saccharification efficiency. In this study, we cloned and heterologously expressed a novel β-glucosidase, RpBgl8, from the termiteReticulitermes perilucifugusinEscherichia coli. Sequence and structural analyses classified RpBgl8 as a glycoside hydrolase family 1 enzyme. The purified enzyme exhibited optimal activity at 45 °C and pH 7.0, with broad stability across pH 4.0–8.0. Notably, RpBgl8 demonstrated high tolerance to lignocellulose-derived inhibitors and organic solvents, maintaining 100% activity in 15% ethanol. Furthermore, RpBgl8 exhibited outstanding glucose tolerance, retaining 100% activity at 2.5 M glucose and 82% activity at 4.0 M glucose—outperforming most previously reported β-glucosidases. A structural analysis revealed a narrow, hydrophobic substrate pocket, with residue F124 at the glycone-binding site critical for minimizing glucose accumulation. The F124W mutation significantly reduced glucose tolerance, confirming that hydrophobic interactions at the active site mitigate inhibition. These findings establish RpBgl8 as a promising candidate for high-solid biomass processing and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation applications, highlighting termites as underexplored sources of biocatalysts with unique industrial potential.
研究领域:
生物化学
·
工业酶学
·
结构生物学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ADVANCED MATERIALS
·
2025
·
IF 26.8
Wei Li,Xuetao Xu,Dezhao Hao,Zhao Wang,Yu Kang,Jiankun Lai,Feilong Zhang,Lei Jiang,Shutao Wang
Wooden artifacts have attracted comprehensive concern as the witnesses of human civilization; however, their conservation suffers from many difficulties, such as natural degradation and biological invasion. Silicified wood, as a fossil material that has existed for millions of years, provides a valuable clue for the long-term conservation of wooden materials. In this work, a superwetting-enabled in situ silicification strategy is reported to silicify wood in a confined way, fabricating artificial silicified wood within 100 h. The superwetting process of the silica sol enables multi-scale high silica filling throughout the entire wood from the nanoscale to the macroscale. The artificial silicified wood shows a high flexural strength of ≈216.49 MPa and super resistance against termites and fungi. The artificial silicified wood retains 98.70% of its mass against termites, and over 90.64% of its mass against fungi, meeting the safest level in the global standards. The finding provides a general silicification approach for wood-like materials with complex hierarchical structures and a promisingly alternative solution for the conservation of wooden artifacts.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
文物保护
·
林业科学
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Insects
·
2021
·Vol. 12
·期 6
·510
·
IF 2.769
Wenhui Zeng,Bingrong Liu,Wenjing Wu,Shijun Zhang,Yong Chen,Zhiqiang Li
Simple SummaryCoptotermes formosanusShiraki is a wood feeding lower termite and is widely distributed in many areas. The dynamic adjustment of theC. formosanusdigestive system to unfavorable survival environments was investigated via non-lethal toxic feeding. The toxic stress did not change the dominant role of microbial lignocellulases in cellulose degradation ofC. formosanus. The core symbiotic community was stable in abundance during the tolerance to the toxic treatment. However, a large number of low abundance taxa were significantly enriched by the low toxic feeding. These rare bacterial lineages likely contribute to toxic stress tolerance of termite. Above all, these findings add important new knowledge to our understanding of environmental adaptation of the lignocellulose hydrolysis system in termites.AbstractDisturbing the lignocellulose digestive system of termites is considered to be a promising approach for termite control. The research on the tolerance mechanism of the termite lignocellulose digestive system to harmful environment conditions is limited. In this study, we keepCoptotermes formosanusSkiraki under a non-lethal toxic condition by feeding the termites with filter paper containing the kojic acid (a low toxic insecticide). The effects of low toxic stress on the activities and gene expressions of host/symbiotic originated lignocellulases, and on the symbiotic microbial community structure ofC. formosanuswere explored. Our result showed that the low toxic stress would lead to the synchronous decrease of cellulase and hemicellulase activities, and supplementary increase of corresponding gene expressions. The symbiotic community maintained its role as the main force in the lignocellulolytic system ofC. formosanus. Meanwhile, a large number of rare taxa were significantly enriched by kojic acid treatment. These numerically inconspicuous bacterial populations might be responsible for the functions similar to phenoloxidase or insecticide detoxification and enableC. formosanusto tolerate the harmful environment. Overall, our data suggested that the digestive adaptation ofC. formosanusto physiotoxic feeding is closely related to the triple collaboration of termites–flagellates–bacteria.Keywords:lignocellulolytic system;non-lethal stress;symbiont;termite;toxic tolerance
研究领域:
昆虫学
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微生物学
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分子生物学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ACS Applied Nano Materials
·
2022
·
IF 6.14
Yingjian Ma,Rui Zhao,Hongyi Shang,Shuo Zhen,Linjie Li,Xinyu Guo,Meng Yu,Yong Xu,Jianguo Feng,Xuemin Wu
Pesticides are the primary defending strategy against major biological invaders and important for ensuring national food security. Intelligent nanopesticides with precise controlled release modes are currently an emerging area of interest in the field of green, safe, and sustainable pesticide formulation. In this study, β-cypermethrin (β-CYP) was loaded into ZIF-8 by the one-pot method, which successfully prepared a pH-responsive delivery nanoparticle (β-CYP/ZIF-8) to control termites. Results demonstrated that β-CYP/ZIF-8 had a mean diameter of 188 ± 2 nm and a loading capacity of approximately 21%. In vitro release experiments showed that β-CYP/ZIF-8 releases better in acidic than in neutral conditions due to the presence of intermediate acid-unstable imidazole organic compounds. The acidic microenvironment in which termites thrive can promote β-CYP release due to ZIF-8 decomposition, thus improving pesticide targeting and reducing toxic side effects. The bioactivity survey confirmed that β-CYP/ZIF-8 could control termites (Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki) for a longer duration compared to commercial wettable powder (WP) and emulsifiable concentrate (EC). Moreover, an acute toxicity test showed an over 2- and 10-fold reduction in the acute toxicity of β-CYP/ZIF-8 to earthworms and zebrafish, respectively, compared to that of commercial WP and EC. Finally, the cytotoxicity assay of β-CYP/ZIF-8 showed higher safety to human hepatocyte LO2 cells. Overall, these β-CYP/ZIF-8 nanoparticles, prepared using the one-pot method, have great application potential in sustainable pest management and protection of the ecological environment.
研究领域:
农业科学
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环境科学
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纳米技术
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农药化学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Materials
·
2017
·Vol. 10
·期 7
·789
·
IF 2.654
Lihui Xuan,Dongxue Hui,Wanli Cheng,Andrew H. H. Wong,Guangping Han,Wei Khong Tan,Carlson A. D. Tawi
The effects of alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) and zinc borate (ZB) on the resistance of corn stalk fiber (CSF)-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites to biodegradation were examined. Both biocides could inhibit termites, mold fungi, and wood-decay fungi, even at high CSF formulations (i.e., 60%). Additionally, ACQ enhanced the resistance of the composite materials to certain biotic stresses better than ZB. The CSF/HDPE composites treated with ACQ at the 3.0% level exhibited a superior performance against termites, white rot fungi, and brown rot fungi. ACQ treatment at the 1% level was optimal for inhibiting soft rot fungi. Furthermore, mold growth was not observed on ACQ-treated CSF/HDPE samples. The untreated CSF/HDPE composites were more susceptible to mold infections and decay than the untreated poplar/HDPE composites, likely because of an incomplete removal of the pith. The chemical features of the corn stalk may also have influenced these differences, but this possibility will need to be explored in future investigations. Furthermore, the CSF component of CSF/HDPE composites is highly susceptible to fungal attacks, with the soft rot fungus inducing the largest mass losses, followed by the white rot fungus, and then the brown rot fungus.Keywords:corn stalk fiber;high-density polyethylene;alkaline copper quaternary;zinc borate;termite;mold;wood-decay fungi
研究领域:
材料科学
·
生物学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
·
2018
·Vol. 25
·期 26
·26617-26624
·
IF 2.8
Yang Jiachuan,Yang Qian,Deng Jiaqi,Tao Zhexuan,Hua Xiude,Wang Minghua
A soil chemical barrier is the most important and common way to control termites; fast and on-site detection methods are significant tools to verify pesticide content meeting the standard requirements. In this study, conventional and enhanced immunochromatographic assays (ICAs) containing two test lines (TLs) were developed to semi-quantitatively detect imidacloprid in soil chemical barrier, and detection results were quantified by a smart phone. According to the results, the disappearance concentrations of first TL (TL-1) and second TL (TL-2) in an enhanced ICA and conventional ICA were 5 and 20 ng/mL and 20 and 80 ng/mL with the naked eye. The sensitivity of TL-2 was four times that of TL-1 in both ICAs, consistent with the maximum and minimum concentration differences for imidacloprid in Jiangsu province’s “the technical regulation of assay and evaluation on chemical soil barrier of termite prevention treatment in buildings”. The results of TLs can be used to judge whether the amount of imidacloprid in soil chemical barrier meets the standard. Enhanced and conventional ICAs were available for further quantitative testing with a smart phone, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.74 and 3.17 ng/mL, respectively. Moreover, some soil chemical barrier samples from several areas in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, were used to test by ICAs and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the results of ICAs correlated well with HPLC.
研究领域:
分析化学
·
环境科学
·
害虫防治
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Scientific Reports
·
2017
·Vol. 7
·期 1
·1-11
·
IF 4.259
Zhou Yang,Yuan Shaofei,Liu Qian,Yan Dandan,Wang Yun,Gao Li,Han Juan,Shi Haifeng
In this paper, an efficient and convenient Fe 3 O 4 /PMG/IDA-Ni 2+ nanoparticles that applied to purify and immobilize his-tagged β-glucosidase was synthesized, in which, Fe 3 O 4 /PMG (poly ( N, N’- methylenebisacrylamide-co-glycidyl methacrylate) core/shell microspheres were synthesized firstly using distillation-precipitation polymerization, then iminodiacetic acid (IDA) was used to open epoxy rings on the shell of microspheres to the combination of Ni 2+ . The gene of β-glucosidase that was from Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki was amplified, cloned into the expression vector pET28a with an N-terminal His-tag, and expressed in E.coli BL21. The nanoparticles showed the same purification efficiency as commercial nickel column which was a frequently used method in the field of purifying his-tagged proteins from crude cell lysates. The results indicated that Fe 3 O 4 /PMG/IDA-Ni 2+ nanoparticles can be considered as an excellent purification material. β-glucosidase was immobilized on the surface of Fe 3 O 4 /PMG/IDA-Ni 2+ to form Fe 3 O 4 /PMG/IDA-β-glucosidase by means of covalent bound with imidazolyl and Ni 2+ . The immobilized β-glucosidase exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stabilities compared with free β-glucosidase. In addition, immobilized β-glucosidase can be recycled for many times and retain more than 65% of the original activity. The materials display enormous potential in the aspect of purifying and immobilizing enzyme.
研究领域:
生物化学
·
生物技术
·
酶学
·
纳米技术
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
·
2014
·
IF 3.163
Xiude Hua,Xiaofeng Liu,Wei Yin,Yazhong Xia,Qiujun Zhou,Yiwen Lu,Wei Li,Haiyan Shi,Fengquan Liu,Minghua Wang
A sensitive monoclonal antibody-based enzyme monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect bifenthrin in a chemical soil barrier for termite control. LBc ((2-methyl[1,1-biphenyl]-3-methoxy) carbonyl propionic acid) was conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) for producing monoclonal antibody. After optimization, the IC 50 and limit of detection (LOD, IC 10 ) were 0.05 mg L − 1 and 0.004 mg L − 1 , respectively. The sensitivity was improved 40-fold compared to polyclonal antibody-based ELISA reported earlier. No cross-reactivity was measured for the other analogues such as cyhalothrin, cyhalothric acid, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, fenpropathrin, fenvalerate, ethofenprox and tetramethrin except 2-methyl-3-biphenylmethyanol. Spiked recoveries were between 83.5% and 104.7% for the detection of bifenthrin in loess, red soil and black soil. All the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than or equal to 15.0%. Moreover, the ELISA for authentic samples showed reliability and high correlation with gas chromatography. The developed ELISA is an alternative tool for simple, sensitive and accurate monitoring of bifenthrin in chemical soil barriers.
研究领域:
分析化学
·
环境科学
·
害虫控制
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）