Studies on inoculation of aerial algae. I. Semi-mass culture and quantification of algal color of Klebsormidium flaccidum (Ulotrichales, Chlorophyceae) sprayed on to concrete board

This paper describes methods of semi-mass culture and the quantification of algal color sprayed on a concrete board of the alga Klebsormidium flaccidum (Küitzing) S. Mattox et Blackwell. The alga was cultured in 100 L tanks normally used for hatching brine shrimp, with aeration from the deepest parts of the slanting sides. Initially mean algal density increased rapidly and attained 9.1 times the original density after 4 weeks. Subsequently, increase of the algal density was slow, and the density became 16.1 times the original level after 8 weeks. The alga cultured in this study was sprayed on to a concrete board using an agricultural sprayer. The relationship between the algal density on the board and its color, expressed as L*a*b* color space, was quantified. The chromaticity was maximum as the algal density on the board was about 5 g/m², and the color was most vivid. When the algal density was more than 20 g/m², both the lightness and chromaticity changed slightly, and the color became dark green.     

物种对资源竞争的动力机制及数值模拟

建立了集合种群物种在两个斑块中对资源竞争的数学模型,并进行了数值模拟实验,结果表明：（1）通过R^＊来预测竞争物种的结局,存在几种可能性：一是具有低R^＊值的物种竞争取代高R^＊值的物种;二是具有不同R^＊值的物种,甚至是具有相同R^＊值的物种也存在共存的可能性;三是具有高R^＊值的物种也可以竞争排斥低R^＊值的物种,结论存在不确定性。（2）竞争物种的随机迁移形成了源一汇结构,对物种竞争共存具有促进作用,但弱的资源利用者（较高的R^＊）的迁移率不宜过高。（3）在种群统计率相同的条件下,资源增长率差异越大,越不利于消费者物种的共存;若种群统计率不相同,在资源增长率相同的情况下,物种共存又是不可能的,在自然界中,物种共存需要资源增长率的差异。（4）不同类型的资源增长对竞争物种的稳定性的影响是不同的。     

云南地区恒河猴MHC部分基因频率及多态性的分析

目的不同种群恒河猴（Macaca mulatta）主要组织相容性复合体（major histocompatibility complex,MHC）基因的差异性,很大程度上影响了用其作为动物模型的实验研究结果的稳定性、可靠性和可重复性。清晰了解云南地区恒河猴种群免疫遗传学背景对于运用该种群开展各项研究非常重要。恒河猴基因Mamu（Macaca mulatta）-A＊01就被公认与猴免疫缺陷病毒（SIV）的感染与延缓病程相联系。Mamu-Ⅱ类等位基因Mamu-DRB1＊0306、0309有研究表明也与SIV感染后的病程发展有关。方法针对目前研究热点的Mamu-A＊01基因及Ⅱ类Mamu-DRB1＊0306、0309基因,采用序列特异性引物-聚合酶链式反应方法（PCR-SSP）,对云南地区的140只恒河猴（其中92只来源于云南景东野外自然繁殖群、48只来源于本灵长类中心自繁群）进行检测。并对阳性样本用部分测序结合单链构象多态性分析（SSCP）的方法加以验证。结果Mamu-A＊01检测结果为阴性。Mamu-DRB1＊0306、0309基因频率分别为32%及45%。结论初步显示云南地区恒河猴种群Mamu-A＊01基因可能缺失或基因频率很低,但存在Mamu-DRB1＊0306、0309基因。初步证明SSCP方法代替大规模测序是可行的,为云南地区恒河猴在AIDS研究中的应用提供了部分依据,一定程度上填补了该种群的遗传背景资料。     

HLA-A*2402-BSP在大肠杆菌中的优化表达及其四聚体的制备和鉴定

HLA-A*2402是中国人群中最常见的等位基因之一,为研究该基因型人群的人巨细胞病毒(HCMV)特异性细胞毒T细胞(CTL)免疫应答,需要制备负载相应抗原肽的HLA-A*2402四聚体。以RT-PCR方法克隆HLA-A*2402重链基因的cDNA,并构建了羧基端融合生物素化酶BirA底物肽(BSP)的HLA-A*2402重链胞外域融合蛋白(HLA-A*2402-BSP)的表达载体,但该载体不能在大肠杆菌(E.coli)中有效表达HLA-A*2402-BSP融合蛋白;通过对氨基端(N端)区域编码区的密码子进行优化,构建了同义突变的HLA-A*2402-BSP表达载体,融合蛋白在E.coli中获得了高效表达。进而制备了负载HLA-A*2402限制性HCMVpp65341-349抗原肽(QYDPVAALF,QYD)的可溶性HLA-A*2402-QYD单体分子和四聚体,获得的四聚体具有与HLA-A24 供者抗原特异性CTL的结合活性,特异性CTL的频率为总CD8 T细胞的0·09%～0·37%。这些结果为进一步研究HLA-A*2402限制性的特异性CTL免疫应答规律奠定基础。     

A组轮状病毒VP5*和VP8*的表达和免疫学性质研究

轮状病毒是引起婴幼儿腹泻的主要病原,VP4是RV重要的抗原蛋白,在早期病毒与细胞黏附过程中发挥重要作用,包括受体结合和细胞渗透。在细胞黏附过程中,VP4易被切割成VP5*和VP8*两个片段并以此增强病毒感染性。为了深入研究VP5*和VP8*的免疫学性质,进一步评价其应用前景,本研究从TB-Chen株RV基因组中编码VP4蛋白基因上克隆了VP5*和VP8*开放读码框核苷酸序列,构建了表达质粒,在原核大肠杆菌系统中重组表达了VP5*和VP8*蛋白,进一步分析了它们的免疫学性质。结果显示,VP5*和VP8*可在E.coli中高效表达,重组蛋白VP5* (rVP5*)和VP8* (rVP8*)可诱导免疫豚鼠产生特异性血清抗体,这些抗体可特异性识别自身蛋白（rVP5*或rVP8*）,可识别来自的TB-Chen株重组VP4蛋白,并可识别SA11和Wa感染的MA104细胞中合成的病毒VP4蛋白。这些结果表明,rVP5*和rVP8*蛋白具有较高的免疫原性,抗rVP5*和抗rVP8*的抗体具有高度特异性和交叉反应性。     

HLA class II alleles with susceptibility of leprosy in the Mexican Mestizo population

Leprosy is a chronic, infectious disease, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium lepromatosis or both, which affects the peripheral nervous system and the skin. Activation of cellular immunity in infected individuals depends on antigen recognition, which involves relevant HLA-Class II alleles. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine HLA-Class II allele frequencies (HLA-DRB1and-DQB1)in Mexican Mestizo leprosy patients and compare themwith healthy controls, in order to define their role in the genetic susceptibility to this infection.The genomic DNA of each participant was obtained from peripheral blood, using the salting-out method. PCR amplification and hybridization ofHLA-class II alleleswas made by PCR-SSO. The results showed that frequencies of HLA-DRB1*15(Pc =0.003, OR=3.3 95%CI=1.53-7.33), HLA-DQB1*05(Pc =0.00003, OR=6.03 95%CI=2.49-14.61) and HLA-DQB1*06 (Pc =0.007, OR=2.89, 95%CI=1.38-6.04)were significantly higher among leprosypatients than those of healthy controls. The study suggests that HLA-DRB1*15, HLA-DQB1*05, and HLA-DQB1*06 are associated with leprosy susceptibility in the Mexican Mestizo population.     

The histological analysis,colorimetric evaluation,and chemical quantification of melanin content in ‘suntanned’ fish

Human melanocytes respond to UV irradiation by increasing the synthesis of melanin. While much is now understood of the pathways governing this process and the nature of the melanin synthesized, little is known of melanins produced by lower vertebrates and their capacity to respond to UV. Here we report that a fish, red seabream, can undergo ‘suntanning’. Histological, colorimetric and chemical assays were performed for suntanned red seabream fish bred in net cages to analyse the melanins and compared with shaded or wild red seabream fish. For color evaluation, the L* values of suntanned fish were dramatically lower than those in the other two groups. Pyrrole‐2,3,5‐tricarboxylic acid (PTCA), an indicator of eumelanin, was detected in suntanned fish at five times higher levels than in shaded or wild fish while 4‐amino‐3‐hydroxyphenyl‐alanine (4‐AHP), a marker for pheomelanin, could not be detected in any of the samples. Histological analysis showed that melanocytes in the suntanned skin enlarged and increased in number to form a monolayer at the surface of the skin. Analysis of L* values and PTCA levels showed quite a high correlation coefficient (r = ?0.843). When comparing shaded and wild red seabream fish, the scores were closer but some significant differences were still found in some body areas. These results indicate that eumelanin accumulates in suntanned fish during the increase in skin color, which is induced by sunlight, presumably by ultraviolet radiation.     

Analysis of HLA DR2&;DQ6 (DRB1*1501, DQA1*0102, DQB1*0602) Haplotypes in Iranian Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is prototype of inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system .The etiology of MS remains unclear, but according to current data the disease develops in genetically susceptible individuals and may require additional environmental triggers. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II alleles (DRB1*1501, DQA1*0102, DQB1*0602) may have the strongest genetic effect in MS. In this study, the role of these alleles were investigated in 183 Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis and compared with 100 healthy individuals. HLA typing for DRB1*1501, DQA1*0102, DQB1*0602 was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) method. The results show that, HLA DR B1*1501 was significantly more frequent among MS patients (46% vs. 20%, PV = 0.0006) but DQA1*0102 haplotype was negatively associated with MS (30% vs. 50%, PV = 0.0049) and no significant association was found with DQB1*0602 and MS patients in comparison with control group (24% and 30%, PV = 0.43). No significant correlation was observed among these alleles with sex, type of disease; initial symptoms, expanded disability status scale (EDSS), as well as age at onset and familial MS. This study therefore indicates that there is no association of above HLA haplotypes with clinical presentation, disease duration, and disability in Iranian patients with MS which is in line with other previous studies in different ethnic groups.     

Colour of larch heartwood and relationships to extractives and brown-rot decay resistance

Larch heartwood is appreciated for its good mechanical properties, its colour and its texture, and it is often used outdoors because of its natural durability (decay resistance). In this study the colour of larch heartwood was studied in relation to extractives and decay resistance, with the aim to estimate durability of larch heartwood from its colour. On a total of 293 trees colour in the CIE L*a*b* space (L* lightness, a* red/green axis, b* yellow/blue axis), extractives content (acetone and hot-water extractives, amount of phenolics) and the brown-rot decay resistance were determined. For calculating the relative decay resistance ( x), mass loss after inoculation for 16 weeks with two fungi [ Coniophora puteana (Schum.ex.Fr.) Karst., Poria placenta (Fr.) Cke, European standard EN 113] of larch heartwood samples was compared to Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L) sapwood reference samples (EN 350-1). Different species [Japanese larch ( Larix kaempferi Lamb.), Hybrid larch (Larix deciduax L. kaempferi) and European larch ( L. decidua Mill.)], provenances and age classes (38-year, >150-year) were included. Japanese larch heartwood turned out to be significantly more reddish (higher a*-values) compared to the European larch provenances. Reddishness of the hybrids was intermediate. The red hue (+a*) was strongly correlated with the amount of phenols ( r =0.84) and decay resistance ( r =0.63) and therefore suitable for prediction of both parameters. The results suggest that colour measurements of larch heartwood could be of benefit in tree breeding programs and for an optimised utilization of larch timber.     

木薯良种──“南植188”的栽培研究

本文报道木薯良种──“南植１８８”的栽培研究结果,为推广“南植１８８”品种提供有效的栽培技术措施。     

用PCR-SSP方法检测中国恒河猴Mamu-DRB*W101和Mamu-DRB*W201基因

利用序列特异引物聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reactionsequence-specific primers,PCR-SSP)方法扩增中国恒河猴的主要组织相容性复合体II类基因Mamu-DRB*W101、-DRB*W201,初步了解中国恒河猴中Mamu-DRB*W101、-DRB*W201基因的阳性率。采集中国恒河猴静脉血,用DNA提取试剂盒提取全血DNA,分别用Mamu-DRB*W101、-DRB*W201特异引物PCR扩增Mamu-DRB*W101、-DRB*W201基因的第二外显子区域,并对扩增出的阳性条带进行测序,与已知序列对比验证序列是否正确。共检测了来自136只中国恒河猴的样本,PCR检测出Mamu-DRB*W101阳性个体10只,Mamu-DRB*W201阳性个体也是10只,其阳性个体所占比率均为7.35%。测序结果表明,PCR扩增产物的核苷酸序列与基因库中的序列完全一致。本研究表明中国恒河猴中存在Mamu-DRB*W101、-DRB*W201基因阳性个体,为中国恒河猴在AIDS研究中的应用及进一步分析中国恒河猴MHC II类基因提供了基础。     

Nitrogen fixation does not axiomatically lead to phosphorus limitation in aquatic ecosystems

A long‐standing debate in ecology deals with the role of nitrogen and phosphorus in management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. It has been argued that nutrient reduction strategies to combat blooms of phytoplankton or floating plants should solely focus on phosphorus (P). The underlying argument is that reducing nitrogen (N) inputs is ineffective because N₂‐fixing species will compensate for N deficits, thus perpetuating P limitation of primary production. A mechanistic understanding of this principle is, however, incomplete. Here, we use resource competition theory, a complex dynamic ecosystem model and a 32‐year field data set on eutrophic, floating‐plant dominated ecosystems to show that the growth of non‐N₂‐fixing species can become N limited under high P and low N inputs, even in the presence of N₂ fixing species. N₂‐fixers typically require higher P concentrations than non‐N₂‐fixers to persist. Hence, the N₂ fixers cannot deplete the P concentration enough for the non‐N₂‐fixing community to become P limited because they would be outcompeted. These findings provide a testable mechanistic basis for the need to consider the reduction of both N and P inputs to most effectively restore nutrient over‐enriched aquatic ecosystems.     

Bisoprolol responses (PK/PD) in hypertensive patients: A cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 targeted polymorphism study

BackgroundBisoprolol is an effective β1-adrenergic blocker, an inter-individual genetic variability was recorded in its response. This study aimed at investigating the association of CYP2D6*2A (rs1080985) and CYP2D6*10 (rs1065852) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with Bisoprolol response in cardiac patients attending King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Patients and methodsIn the study, 107 patients were enrolled. Five mL of venous blood was collected from each patient and genotyping for CYP2D6*2A and CYP2D6*10 using Vivid® CYP2D6 Green Screening Kit (Life Technologies, USA). Response to Bisoprolol was evaluated through assessment of diastolic and systolic blood pressure and by measuring Bisoprolol plasma level using triple quad mass spectrometer (TQ-MS).ResultsAll patients were found to carry homozygous wild type CYP2D6*10 (GG) and none were carrying heterozygous (GA) or mutant homozygous (AA) genotype. CYP2D6*2A allele was detected in the homozygous wild type (GG) in 70 out of 107 patients, the heterozygous (GC) in 19 patients, and the homozygous mutant (CC) in 18 patients with minor allele frequency (MAF) of 25.7%. The plasma concentrations of Bisoprolol in CC carriers were significantly lower than those in GG & CC carriers by 25%, and 51%; respectively. Higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures were also observed in CC carriers than GG and CC carriers.ConclusionThere is a possible association of CYP2D6*2A genotype with plasma concentration of bisoprolol. This could provide a helpful tool to choose the optimum dose for bisoprolol, depending on the patient’s genotyping, in order to increase effectiveness and ameliorate its toxicity.     

A step by step guide to phylogeny reconstruction

The aim of this paper is to enable those who have never reconstructed a phylogeny to do so from scratch. The paper does not attempt to be a comprehensive theoretical guide, but describes one rigorous way of obtaining phylogenetic trees. Those who follow the methods outlined should be able to understand the basic ideas behind the steps taken, the meaning of the phylogenetic trees obtained and the scope of questions that can be answered with phylogenetic methods. The protocols have been successfully tested by volunteers with no phylogenetic experience.     

HLA class II alleles in Ainu living in Hidaka district,Hokkaido, northern Japan

The Ainu people are considered to be the descendants of preagricultural native populations of northern Japan, while the majority of the population of contemporary Japan (Wajin) is descended mainly from postneolithic migrants. Polymorphisms of the HLA-DRB1, DRB3, and DQB1 alleles were investigated in DNA samples of 50 Ainu living in Hidaka district, Hokkaido. Unique features of the Ainu in this study were high incidences of DRB1*1401, DRB1*1406, and a newly described allele, DRB1*1106 (20%, 17%, and 5%, respectively). On the other hand, several common alleles in Wajin (DRB1*1502, 1302, 0803, and 1501) were found at relatively low frequencies (1–2%) in Ainu. Previously DRB1*1406 was described as a characteristic allele of some Native American or northeast Asian ethnic groups, and DRB1*1106 had been found in only two Singapore Chinese and one Korean. Principal component analysis of various populations based on HLA class II allele frequencies places the Ainu population midway between other east Asian populations, including Wajin, and Native Americans. These observations may support the hypothesis that the Ainu people are the descendants of some Upper Paleolithic populations of northeast Asia from which Native Americans are also descended. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Cisplatin adducts of d(CCTCTG*G*TCTCC).d(GGAGACCAGAGG) in aqueous solution by vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy

The vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and IR absorption spectra of a dodecamer d(CCTCTGGTCTCC).d(GGAGACCAGAGG) coordinated with cisplatin are distinct compared to those of the dodecamer without cisplatin. Although the intensity of PO(2)/deoxyribose absorptions (1150-850 cm(-1)) increases noticeably relative to those of the carbonyl and ring deformations of the bases (1750-1500 cm(-1)), the VCD spectra differ to a much greater extent. Overlapping positive and negative bands can be assigned relatively easily to individual vibrational modes. The effect of platination on the dodecamer duplex is expressed most prominently in VCD arising solely from the vibrations of the guanines bound to the platinum atom. The effect on the VCD features of other bases leads to minute wavenumber shifts at most. These observations are in agreement with previous NMR and X-ray experiments on the same oligonucleotide. The assignment of the absorption and VCD bands strongly resembles those of the octamer duplex d(CCTGGTCC).d(GGACCAGG) when coordinated with platinum. The spectra of the dodecamer did not indicate any isomerization of the complex with time, as is clearly the case for the octamer.     

STEAP, a prostate tumor antigen, is a target of human CD8+ T cells

STEAP is a recently identified protein shown to be particularly overexpressed in prostate cancer and also present in numerous human cancer cell lines from prostate, pancreas, colon, breast, testicular, cervical, bladder and ovarian carcinoma, acute lymphocytic leukemia and Ewing sarcoma. This expression profile renders STEAP an appealing candidate for broad cancer immunotherapy. In order to investigate if STEAP is a tumor antigen that can be targeted by specific CD8⁺ T cells, we identified two high affinity HLA-A*0201 restricted peptides (STEAP_86–94 and STEAP_262–270). These peptides were immunogenic in vivo in HLA-A*0201 transgenic HHD mice. Peptide specific murine CD8 T cells recognized COS-7 cells co-transfected with HHD (HLA-A*0201) and STEAP cDNA constructs and also HLA-A*0201⁺ STEAP⁺ human tumor cells. Furthermore, STEAP_86–94 and STEAP_262–270 stimulated specific CD8⁺ T cells from HLA-A*0201⁺ healthy donors, and these peptide specific CD8⁺ T cells recognized STEAP positive human tumor cells in an HLA-A*0201-restricted manner. Importantly, STEAP_86–94-specific T cells were detected and reactive in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells in NSCLC and prostate cancer patients ex vivo. These results show that STEAP can be a target of anti-tumor CD8⁺ T cells and that STEAP peptides can be used for a broad-spectrum-tumor immunotherapy.     

通路克隆入门载体pEN-L4~*-PrbcS-~*T-gfp-L3~*的构建及其应用

为了利用通路克隆(Gateway)技术构建一个含有两个目的基因表达盒的植物表达载体,并把目的基因编码的蛋白质定位到转基因植物的叶绿体中,通过定点突变技术,在含有attL4和attL3重组位点的Gateway入门载体pEN-L4-2-L3中产生HindⅢ和XhoⅠ的酶切位点,然后在这两个酶切位点之间插入一个含有1,5-二磷酸核酮糖羧化酶小亚基的光诱导型启动子(PrbcS)及其叶绿体基质定位序列(*T)和绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)报告基因(gfp)的DNA片段,获得pEN-L4*-PrbcS-*T-gfp-L3*入门载体.用该载体和另一个含有attL1和attL2重组位点的入门载体(pENTR*-PrbcS-*T-gus)与Gateway的目的载体pK7 m34GW2-8 m21GW3进行LR重组反应可以构建一个能串联gfp和gus两个报告基因表达盒的植物表达载体pKm-35S-PrbcS-*T-gfp-PROLD-PrbcS-*T-gus,所构建的植物表达载体转化烟草后,gfp和gus基因能插入到转基因烟草的基因组中并正常表达,所表达的GFP蛋白可正确定位到转基因植物的叶绿体中,而GUS蛋白也可以在叶片中表达.利用此表达载体通过一次转化事件不仅可以完成两个目的基因的转化操作,而且还可以利用叶绿体基质定位序列(*T)把PrbcS控制表达的目的蛋白直接定位到转基因植物的叶绿体中.因此pEN-L4*-PrbcS-*T-gfp-L3*入门载体的应用进一步扩大了Gateway技术及植物表达载体的应用范围,为叶绿体基因工程操作提供了一个更方便的技术平台.     

The potential in fluvial geomorphology of a new mineral identification technology (QEM*SEM)

The mineralogical signatures of fluvial sediments can be used to identify source areas and the degree of mixing of sediments from different fluvial and non-fluvial sources. The potential use of these signatures has not been fully realised because of uncertainties that result from mineralogical change as a result of sorting and weathering and the considerable time and expense involved in conventional optical mineral identification. A new quantitative mineral identification system QEM*SEM (Quantitative Evaluation of Materials by Scanning Electron Microscope), using an image analysis system with energy dispersive spectrometry and back scatter electron responses to identify phases, has been employed to provide rapid and economic analysis of sediments; large numbers of grains are counted with a greater statistical reliability than was previously possible.Results from a survey at the Nepean River, NSW, delineate the maximum level of flooding in an environment where clearly defined flood deposits are not evident. The results suggest the flood levels to be higher than predicted from previous studies.