BIOSPHERE: BIOMEMBRANE OR BIOMATRIX? http://scipeople.com/publication/99402/; S.A.Ostroumov Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow Epigraph: …whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. Isaac Newton (1642-1727) Key words: biosphere, V.I. Vernadsky, fundamental concepts and principles, migration of elements, immobilization, living matter, biogenic matter, components of the biosphere, chemico-biotic interactions The fundamental concept of the biosphere was a central focus of attention of the classical works by V.I. Vernadsky [1, 2 ]. Many authors contributed to the studies of the biosphere [3- 12]. The goal of this publication is to comment on some basic fundamental concepts and principles that are relevant to modern understanding of what is the biosphere. Traditionally, the biosphere is considered as one of “spheres’ around the globe. Some time ago, a number of scientific terms were coined: lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Among them, the entity that corresponds to the concept and term ‘biosphere’ features some unique qualities: (1) The biosphere is probably the thinnest among all other ‘spheres’ except perhaps the hydrosphere. As a result, the biosphere could be considered as a thin skin or film or membrane that surrounds the hard surface of the globe. (2) The biosphere is probably the most vague entity among the other ‘spheres’ in terms of where its limits or boundaries are. There are various views on that what exactly is included into the biosphere, what exactly should be considered as components (parts, constituents) of the biosphere. In the narrow sense (sensu stricto), it includes living organisms. In the broader sense (sensu lato), it includes both living organisms and the matter that was produced or transformed by living organisms. In that latter case – if that latter broader approach is applied – the biosphere includes all types of detritus, excretions, and all type of former living matter. In latter case, in aquatic ecosystems a significant part of bottom sediments is definitely a part of the biosphere. All organic matter of the bottom sediments and soils should be considered a part of the biosphere. Our recent studies provided new facts on the high ability of living organisms and the matter produced by them (e.g., detritus) to accumulate, absorb, and immobilize some chemical elements that initially were added to the system in the form of salts dissolved in water. To be more specific, it was shown in our experiments with aquatic microcosms. Several metals as a water solution of salts were added to the water of those microcosms [13, 14, 16, 18, 19]. Continuation - see in the attached file.
BIOSPHERE: BIOMEMBRANE OR BIOMATRIX? - Ecological Studies, Hazards, Solutions, 2010, vol.15, p.13-16.

Ostroumov S.A., Kolesov G.M. The aquatic macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum immobilizes Au nanoparticles after their addition to water. Dokl Biol Sci. 2010 (Mar-Apr); 431: 124-127. Affiliation: Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, and Institute of Geochemistry, Moscow, Russia. It was discovered that the aquatic plant (macrophyte) Ceratophyllum demersum immobilized gold (Au) nanoparticles after their addition to water. It is the first time it was shown. The method that was used to detect and measure the conctntrations of gold in the biomass of plants (phytomass) was NAA (neutron activation analysis). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20506851; PMID: 20506851 [PubMed] Key words: nanotechnology, nanoparticles, Au, gold, biogeochemistry, biotechnology, aquatic plants, macrophyte, Ceratophyllum demersum, Immobilization, water quality, monitoring, environmental science, ecology

http://scipeople.ru/publication/70348/; Ostroumov S.A. Biosphere: biomembrane or biomatrix? see: http://scipeople.ru/publication/70166/; at that site the file (Text.vol.15.doc) with the all papers of the volume is attached; in the volume, the full text of the paper is on pages 13-16. Ostroumov S.A. Biosphere: biomembrane or biomatrix? Ecological Studies, Hazards, Solutions, 2010, vol.15, p. 13-16. Fragments of the text of the paper: The fundamental concept of the biosphere was a central focus of attention of the classical works by V.I. Vernadsky [1, 2 ]. Many authors contributed to the studies of the biosphere [3- 12]. The goal of this publication is to comment on some basic fundamental concepts and principles that are relevant to modern understanding of what is the biosphere. […] There are various views on that what exactly is included into the biosphere, what exactly should be considered as components (parts, constituents) of the biosphere. […] Our recent studies provided new facts on the high ability of living organisms and the matter produced by them (e.g., detritus) to accumulate, absorb, and immobilize some chemical elements that initially were added to the system in the form of salts dissolved in water. To be more specific, it was shown in our experiments with aquatic microcosms. […] It is noteworthy that several aspects of interaction of biomass and biogenic matter with chemical species are highly relevant to our analysis: […] All in all, our new data and a vast amount of data in the current literature show that living organisms and the matter that is being produced by them serve as an efficient matrix which binds and immobilize a broad range of chemical species from the aquatic medium. By the same token, organisms and biogenic material can bind some molecules and particles from the surrounding air. On that basis, the view is justified according to which the total sum of components of the biosphere serve a kind of matrix to bind chemical components and particles from water and air. As this matrix is represented by organisms (the biota) and biogenic matter, it is logical to call it ‘biomatrix’. Also, a slightly extended interpretation could be given to the term ‘biomatrix’. Many studies have shown the existence and vital role of a variety of physical fields generated by organisms. Those fields include electromagnetic, acoustic, infrared, optical (the visible range of wavelengths) ones ... Moreover, the physical space between organisms contains also an immense number of infochemicals and other molecules of biogenic origin that carry information and produce a broad range of effects on the organisms receiving them (Ostroumov, 1986) . All those factors are in accord with the vision of the surrounding of the organisms – the surrounding that is essentially packed with the matter and physical fields, - both of which may produce some profound effects on the organisms - rather as a matrix than just as ‘a space’. The answer to the question posed in the title of this publication – the biomembrane or biomatrix? - is dualistic: both the biomembrane and biomatrix.

The proteases viz. α-chymotrypsin, trypsin and papain were immobilized on tri(4-formyl phenoxy) cyanurate to form Schiffs base. The native and immobilized proteases were used for catalyzing the hydrolysis of proteins in an aqueous medium. Immobilized α-chymotrypsin exhibited shift in optimal pH from 8.5 to 9.0, while both trypsin and papain exhibits shift in optimal pH from 8.0 to 8.5. The shift in optimal temperature from 40 to 50 °C was recorded for α-chymotrypsin and trypsin, while papain shifted the optimal temperature from 50 to 60 °C. The immobilized protease revealed 15–20% increased in thermal stability and retained 70–80% of its initial activity after 8 cycles. The optimum in vitro proteolytic activity on animal intestine was recorded for papain in comparison with trypsin and α-chymotrypsin. These results support the diet-related plasticity of proteases.

http://scipeople.ru/publication/69766/; Ostroumov S. A., Kolesov G. M. The aquatic macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum immobilizes Au nanoparticles after their addition to water. - Doklady Biological Sciences, 2010, Vol. 431, pp. 124–127. http://scipeople.com/publication/69766/ [© Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., ISSN 0012-4966]. Original Russian Text © S.A. Ostroumov, G.M. Kolesov, 2010, published in Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2010, Vol. 431, No. 4, pp. 566–569. Bibliogr. 15 refs. Presented by Academician M.A. Fedonkin July 31, 2009. DOI: 10.1134/S0012496610020158. This is the first time it was shown that the nanoparticles of gold (Au) in substantial amount bind to the living biomass of the aquatic macrophyte, Ceratophyllum demersum. The concentrations of Au were measured in the samples of the phytomass of the macrophyte using neutron activation analysis (NAA). As a result of the binding and/or immobilization of the nanoparticles, the amount of Au in the samples of the phytomass increased manifold above the background level of gold in the plant tissues. The increase was by two orders of magnitude. The new data added some new information to the modern vision of the multifunctional role of the biota in the migration of elements in aquatic ecosystems. Also, the result added new information to the studies of interactions of Au with organisms that may contribute to new biotechnologies. Key words: phytomass, biomass, aquatic macrophytes, plants, phytotechnologies, vegetation, biogenic migration of elements, aquatic microcosms, accumulation, nanoparticles, self-purification, neutron activation analysis, NAA, microcosms, gold, Au, immobilization, binding, Ceratophyllum demersum ISSN 0012-4966, Doklady Biological Sciences, 2010, Vol. 431, pp. 124–127. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2010. Original Russian Text © S.A. Ostroumov, G.M. Kolesov, 2010, published in Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2010, Vol. 431, No. 4, pp. 566–569. The Aquatic Macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum Immobilizes Au Nanoparticles after Their Addition to Water S. A. Ostroumov (a) and G. M. Kolesov (b) Presented by Academician M.A. Fedonkin. DOI: 10.1134/S0012496610020158 a Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia b Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul.Kosygina 19, Moscow, 119991 Russia Study of biogenic migration of elements is an important line of biosphere research [1–8]. Biogenic migration of elements in aquatic ecosystems, both freshwater and saltwater, is important for water self- purification and quality formation [9–11]. Data on element accumulation and binding by aquatic organisms, including macrophytes, are important for analyzing the organisms’ important role in biogenic migration of elements in aquatic ecosystems. The concentrations of some elements were determined earlier in different biogenic samples, including hydrobionts and biogenic detrital substances [9, 10]. However, these data were based on a limited set of organisms and elements. There are no published data on either gold (Au) content in Ceratophyllum demersum L. or interaction between Au nanoparticles and aquatic macrophytes. The goal of this work was to study the immobilization of Au nanoparticles added to the water medium of microcosms in the presence of macrophyte hydrobionts C. demersum L.
Doklady Biological Sciences, 2010, Vol. 431, pp. 124–127. [© Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., ISSN 0012-4966].