家蚕凋亡蛋白抑制因子(BmIAP)基因真核表达与功能分析

【目的】家蚕Bombyx mori凋亡蛋白抑制因子(BmIAP)是在家蚕中发现的一个凋亡蛋白抑制因子(IAP)。本研究旨在验证家蚕BmIAP蛋白在家蚕细胞内的功能特征,以进一步研究BmIAP在家蚕细胞凋亡中的作用。【方法】对构建的瞬时表达载体PIZ/V5-BmIAP-dsRed,应用脂质体转染家蚕Bm N-SWU1细胞;应用实时荧光定量PCR和Western blot分析BmIAP mRNA及蛋白表达水平;通过150 ng/m L放线菌素D诱导家蚕Bm N-SWU1细胞12,18和24 h,应用免疫荧光及实时荧光定量PCR方法,分析BmIAP瞬时表达与细胞凋亡的关系。【结果】构建的瞬时表达载体PIZ/V5-BmIAP-dsRed能在家蚕Bm N-SWU1细胞表达BmIAP蛋白,其BmIAP mRNA表达水平上调近45倍,融合蛋白约为60 k D;BmIAP基因瞬时表达72 h后,BmIAP能显著抑制放线菌素D诱导12 h时的家蚕Bm N-SWU1细胞凋亡。【结论】BmIAP蛋白在家蚕细胞中能抑制家蚕细胞凋亡,是家蚕的一种凋亡蛋白抑制因子。     

Bmo-miR-375-3p对家蚕丝素蛋白轻链基因BmFib-L表达的调控作用

【目的】探究家蚕Bombyx mori miRNAs对丝素蛋白轻链基因(fibroin light chain gene,Bm FibL)和P25蛋白基因Bm P25表达的调控作用。【方法】分别以Bm Fib-L和Bm P25 mRNA 3'UTR为靶序列,应用在线预测软件RNAhybrid从前期家蚕4和5龄幼虫后部丝腺(posterior silk gland)sRNA高通量测序获得的29个差异表达bmo-miRNAs中,筛选对Bm Fib-L和Bm P25具有调控作用的候选bmo-miRNAs;采用半定量RT-PCR方法在mRNA水平分析候选bmo-miRNAs及其靶基因Bm Fib-L和Bm P25在4和5龄幼虫期以及5龄第3天幼虫不同组织的表达水平;利用双荧光报告基因检测系统在家蚕细胞Bm N中验证候选bmo-miRNAs对Bm Fib-L和Bm P25表达的调控作用。【结果】筛选到一个在Bm Fib-L和Bm P25 mRNA 3'UTR上都有靶位点的bmo-miR-375-3p(曾称bmo-miR-375*)。在后部丝腺中bmo-miR-375-3p和其预测靶基因Bm Fib-L和Bm P25都有较高的表达水平,提示bmo-miR-375-3p具备调控Bm Fib-L和Bm P25表达的时空条件。miR-375-3p重组表达载体与融合了Bm Fib-L 3'UTR的萤火虫荧光素酶(luciferase)报告基因(luc)表达载体共转染Bm N细胞,报告基因luc的表达水平显著下降;而在miR-375-3p重组表达载体与融合了Bm P25 3'UTR的luc表达载体共转染Bm N细胞中报告基因luc的表达水平下降不显著。【结论】miR-375-3p显著下调Bm Fib-L基因的表达,而对Bm P25基因的表达无明显调控作用。     

家蚕miR-301对化学感受蛋白基因csp9表达的调控

【目的】探索家蚕Bombyx mori miRNAs对化学感受蛋白基因表达的调控作用,以进一步研究miRNAs及其靶基因在昆虫化学识别中的作用。【方法】利用生物信息学方法预测和筛选可能作用于家蚕化学感受蛋白CSPs基因家族成员的miRNAs;实时荧光定量PCR分析预测获得的候选miR-301和其作用的靶基因在家蚕成虫不同组织中的表达变化;构建miR-301预测靶基因3′-UTR的双荧光素酶报告载体,与合成的miR-301 mimics或阴性对照转染人胚肾细胞HEK293,通过双荧光素酶报告基因检测系统中荧光素酶活性变化检测miR-301对其靶基因表达的调控作用。【结果】生物信息学分析结果发现,家蚕化学感受蛋白基因csp9是miR-301的预测靶基因,二者的结合位点位于csp9的3′-UTR区。实时荧光定量PCR检测结果表明,miR-301在交配后家蚕雌雄成虫触角和雄成虫头部都显著上调表达,靶基因csp9在对应组织中表达则显著下调。二者共转染HEK293细胞后,双荧光素酶检测结果表明,miR-301可以通过与csp9 3′-UTR的互作,显著抑制上游荧光素酶报告基因的表达。【结论】家蚕化学感受蛋白基因csp9是miR-301的靶基因,miR-301通过与靶基因3′-UTR的结合,在翻译水平上抑制csp9的表达。     

家蚕丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂20的表达特征分析

【目的】原核表达家蚕Bombyx mori丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂20(Serine proteinase inhibitor 20,Bm Serpin-20),分析Bm Serpin-20基因和蛋白组织表达分布特点,以及不同外源病原物刺激家蚕后Bm Serpin-20基因的表达模式。【方法】利用p ET-28a表达载体在大肠杆菌Transetta(DE3)中融合表达Bm Serpin-20蛋白,利用纯化的重组蛋白作为抗原免疫新西兰大白兔制备多克隆抗体,利用实时定量PCR技术及Western blot方法分别分析Bm Serpin-20基因和蛋白的组织表达水平,以及病原物免疫刺激后的表达模式。【结果】在大肠杆菌中正确表达和纯化了融合Bm Serpin-20蛋白,并制备了多克隆抗体;Bm Serpin-20基因和蛋白在脂肪体、中肠、血细胞、马氏管、表皮、睾丸、卵巢中均有表达,且在表皮中表达量最高;家蚕5龄幼虫经核型多角体病毒(Nuclear polyhedrosis viruses)、藤黄微球菌Micrococcus luteus、大肠杆菌Escherichia coli、白僵菌Beauveria bassiana处理后,Bm Serpin-20基因表达量先下调而后上调,但不同病原物在不同时间的影响不尽相同。【结论】研究了Bm Serpin-20基因和蛋白的表达模式,为下一步研究其在家蚕免疫系统中的作用奠定了基础。     

家蚕二分浓核病毒感染家蚕后的释放动态研究

【目的】研究家蚕二分浓核病毒(Bm BDV)感染家蚕后不同时间段内释放到环境中的病毒量,为通过蚕沙快速检测病毒提供方法和依据。【方法】选取家蚕二分浓核病毒基因组节段VD1上的ns1基因和VD2上的ns3基因中的一小部分片段,分别克隆到p MD18-T载体上,制备标准品质粒,并用实时荧光定量PCR的方法绘制ns1和ns3的标准曲线。通过检测Bm BDV感染5龄家蚕后不同时间蚕沙中的病毒量来衡量释放到环境中的病毒的变化动态。【结果】在病毒感染家蚕第3天,大量的病毒随蚕沙释放到环境中,每微克蚕沙中约含1.38×106个VD1,6.54×105个VD2;从感染后第5天开始,释放到环境中的病毒量呈指数型增加;第7-8天病毒的释放量到达一个平台期,此时每微克蚕沙中约有2.12×107个VD1,1.34×107个VD2。普通PCR结果也反应出了类似的病毒释放动态。【结论】根据Bm BDV感染家蚕后的释放动态,推测病毒的复制周期约60 h。利用实时荧光定量PCR检测蚕沙中的Bm BDV,能简单、快速、准确地诊断病毒的感染。     

犬细小病毒NS1 非结构蛋白可诱导细胞凋亡

【目的】研究犬细小病毒(Canine parvovirus,CPV)非结构蛋白NS1在CPV引起宿主细胞凋亡中的作用,初步探讨CPV引起细胞凋亡的机制。【方法】首先采用PCR方法从犬细小病毒基因组中扩增NS1编码基因,然后利用pcDNA3.1A质粒构建NS1真核表达载体pcDNA-NS1,并通过HEK293FT细胞瞬时表达NS1重组蛋白,用Western-blot检测以确定重组NS1蛋白能否在真核细胞中表达。然后用CPV感染和用pcDNA-NS1表达载体转染F81宿主细胞,通过AnnexinV/PI双染法检测磷脂酰丝氨酸外翻和通过化学发光法检测caspase-3/7活性,分析感染CPV或转染NS1基因对F81宿主细胞凋亡的影响。【结果】结果表明,本实验扩增的NS1基因序列与GenBank的序列一致,构建的表达载体结构正确,并能够介导NS1基因在真核细胞中表达。感染CPV和转染NS1基因均能诱导F81细胞膜磷脂酰丝氨酸外翻和明显提高细胞内caspase-3/7的活性,表明CPV和NS1蛋白均能引起细胞的凋亡。【结论】CPV诱导宿主细胞凋亡与其编码的NS1非结构蛋白有关。     

Pri-miRNA21/23a重组病毒载体的构建及其在肝细胞中的表达鉴定

目的:构建Pri-miRNA-21/23A基因的重组病毒载体,并在L-02肝细胞中获得表达。方法:设计并合成Pri-miRNA-21/23a的基因产物,插入含绿色荧光蛋白Zsgreen基因的真核表达载体pCI Mamma Lian中,以重组质粒为模板,设计扩增含Zsgreen基因的Pri-miRNA序列产物,并将其与pCDH-CMV-MCS-EF1-Puro病毒载体连接,将Pri-miRNA重组病毒载体转染293T细胞后进行病毒包装,病毒上清转染L-02肝细胞后用荧光显微镜及实时荧光定量PCR确认转染效果。结果:荧光定量PCR结果显示重组病毒上清转染L-02肝细胞感染效果良好,经荧光显微镜观察,证实重组病毒载体能在细胞中表达蛋白。结论:构建了Pri-miRNA21/23a重组病毒表达载体并在L-02肝细胞中表达,奠定了miRNA进一步功能研究的基础。     

SV40T抗原肝细胞特异性表达载体的构建与鉴定

目的构建在肝细胞中特异性表达SV40T抗原的表达载体并进行鉴定。方法通过Gateway技术构建SV40T慢病毒载体p LV-Puro-ALBSV40T并通过菌落PCR筛选鉴定,将其与辅助质粒p LV-helper1、p LV-helpe2、p LV-helper3共转染293T细胞包装慢病毒并在荧光显微镜下进行滴度值测定。用SV40T慢病毒载体转染肝癌Hep G2细胞,并在荧光显微镜下行转染效率测定;实时荧光定量PCR检测转染细胞SV40T基因的表达水平。结果 Gateway技术构建的慢病毒载体p LV-Puro-ALBSV40T经鉴定完全正确;慢病毒包装48 h后视野下可见清晰绿色荧光表达,病毒滴度为1.73×108 TU/m L。慢病毒载体成功转染Hep G2细胞,转染效率约70%,并通过RT-PCR检测SV40T表达水平明显升高。     

利用优化改造的家蚕杆状病毒表达系统提高NS1表达产量

为优化家蚕杆状病毒表达系统,提高外源基因的表达产量。文中通过同源重组技术,用串联的氯霉素基因(Cm)表达盒和绿色荧光蛋白基因(egfp)表达盒将其替换,从而获得Chitinase和Cystein Protease两个基因缺失的家蚕杆状病毒载体。通过转座,将多角体启动子控制的家蚕二分浓核病毒(Bm BDV)ns1基因表达盒,定点插入到改造后的该分子载体中。将重组载体转染Bm N细胞,获得能表达家蚕二分浓核病毒(Bm BDV)NS1的缺失型重组病毒;另外,将多角体启动子控制的ns1基因转座到野生型Bm-bacmid中,获得能表达Bm BDV NS1的野生型重组病毒。将这两种病毒分别皮下注射家蚕,对感染后的家蚕血液中NS1表达水平进行比较,发现缺失Chitinase和Cystein Protease重组病毒感染的家蚕血液中,NS1的表达量是对照组的3倍,从而建立了一种高效表达可溶性NS1蛋白的方法,为靶蛋白的结构与功能研究奠定基础。     

Ectogenesis and the case against the right to the death of the foetus

Ectogenesis, or the use of an artificial womb to allow a foetus to develop, will likely become a reality within a few decades, and could significantly affect the abortion debate. We first examine the implications for Judith Jarvis Thomson’s violinist analogy, which argues for a woman’s right to withdraw life support from the foetus and so terminate her pregnancy, even if the foetus is granted full moral status. We show that on Thomson’s reasoning, there is no right to the death of the foetus, and abortion is not permissible if ectogenesis is available, provided it is safe and inexpensive. This raises the question of whether there are persuasive reasons for the right to the death of the foetus that could be exercised in the context of ectogenesis. Eric Mathison and Jeremy Davis have examined several arguments for this right, doubting that it exists, while Joona Räsänen has recently criticized their reasoning. We respond to Räsänen’s analysis, concluding that his arguments are unsuccessful, and that there is no right to the death of the foetus in these circumstances.     

On the diversity of the Cladocera in the tropics

The mythical concept of an impoverished tropical cladoceran fauna is refuted. On a planetary scale, around half of the cladoceran species presently known occur exclusively in the tropics-subtropics, often with considerable restriction to particular geographical subzones. On a regional (political) scale, the situation is often unclear because of the continued fragmentary nature of studies, and because political units are not a good basis for biogeographical comparisons. At the finest level of resolution (lake-perlake comparisons), there appears to be an upper limit of c. 50 cladoceran species per individual lake. No significant difference between lakes in the temperate zone and in the tropics could be established here. Daphnia is largely absent from the tropics, but is replaced by more Sidids, Moinids, and Bosminids, such that the average cladoceran community in the limnetic zone of a tropical lake is not characterized by less species but rather by lower population densities. This, in turn, is considered a consequence of higher prevalent predation levels in the tropics.     

Tubular networks in the terminal endings of the visual receptor cells in the human,the monkey,the cat and the dog

Summary A tubular network was found in the terminal endings of the visual receptor cells in the human, the monkey (Macaca mulatta), the cat and the dog. These tubules are arranged in close groups in the vicinity of the synaptic lamellae and the invaginated dendrites. According to the form, diameter, density of the tubules and to the consistence of the network formed by them one can distinguish at these places an initial type (type I), a transitory (type II) and a vesicular one (type III). In the the type III branching, bizarre forms are frequent. The diameter of all the tubules reaches 500–600 Å, their density and walls being the same as in the synaptic vesicles.Similar networks also occur in the axons of the visual receptor cells of the monkey.

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Zusammenfassung In den Endigungen der Photorezeptorzellen von Mensch, Affe (Macaca mulatta), Katze und Hund kommen aus Tubuli bestehende Komplexe vor. Organellenartig in geschlossenen Gruppen angeordnet, liegen sie in Nähe der synaptischen Lamellen und der invaginierten Dendriten. An diesen Stellen kann man nach Form, Durchmesser, Dichte und Konsistenz der von den Tubuli gebildeten Komplexe drei Typen unterscheiden: 1. einen initialen (Typus I), 2. einen Übergangstypus (Typus II) und 3. einen vesiculären Typus (Typus III). In letzterem kommen häufig verzweigte, bizarre Formen vor. Der Durchmesser sämtlicher Tubuli erreicht 500–600 Å. Ihre Dichte und ihre Wand gleicht denen der synaptischen Vesikel.Ähnliche Komplexe fanden wir auch in den Axonen der Photorezeptorzellen vom Affen.

     

Assessing the Physiological State of the Fucoids from the Barents Sea Littoral by the End of the Polar Night

Methods of amperometry and potentiometric titration were used to follow dark respiration (DR) and apparent photosynthesis (AP) in the fucoids Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jol, Fucus vesiculosus L., and F. serratus L. from the Barents Sea littoral by the end of the 40-day-long polar night. The macroalgae were shown to manifest species-specific low rates of photosynthesis and respiration. However, in spite of their low photosynthetic status due to the effects of subzero temperature and prolonged low or zero illumination, the macroalgae have been able to restore DR and AP to the initial level already by the day 9; the ability to restore AP depended on the level of illumination. The study of the changes in the carbonate–bicarbonate system in the light and darkness demonstrated that the macroalgae grown in darkness, in contrast to those grown in twilight, could absorb bicarbonate in darkness; however, they lost this capacity after two-day-long illumination at an irradiance of 7 mol/(m² s). Bicarbonate uptake in darkness and the capacity to restore the systems of photosynthesis and respiration in fucoid cells are discussed in the context of algal energy metabolism under the polar night conditions.     

Arranging the elements of the potassium channel: the T1 domain occludes the cytoplasmic face of the channel

The voltage-gated potassium channel is currently one of the few membrane proteins where functional roles have been mapped onto specific segments of sequence. Although high-resolution structures of the transmembrane portions of three bacterial potassium channels, the tetramerization domain and the cytoplasmic ball are available, their relative spatial arrangement in mammalian channels remains a matter of ongoing debate. Cryo-electron microscopic images of the six transmembrane voltage-gated Kv channel have been reconstructed at up to 18 Å resolution, revealing that the T1 domain tetramerizes and is suspended below the transmembrane segments. However, the resolution of these images is insufficient to reveal the location of the third piece of the puzzle, the inactivating ball domain. We have used the aberrant interactions observed in a series of chimæric channels to establish that an assembled T1 domain restricts access to the cytoplasmic face of the channel, suggesting that the N-terminal ball and chain may be confined in the space between the T1 domain and the transmembrane portion of the channel.     

Separation of the pineal vesicle from the wall of the third ventricle during the post-hatching development of the chicken

Summary According to light- and electron-microscopic observations the pineal organ of the 3-day-old chicken consists of a prominent end vesicle and a tapering parenchymal stalk. During this stage the pineal lumen is in open communication with the third ventricle. However, in the 40-day-old chicken, which still possesses a well-developed end vesicle, the proximal portion of the pineal stalk displays regressive changes leading to local fragmentation. At this stage the pineal stalk is reduced, and the pineal lumen is missing. In 1-year-old chickens the parenchyma of the proximal portion of the stalk is further diminished, and in 3-year-old domestic fowl is completely displaced by bundles of collagenous fibers, only some nerve fibers being present. This post-hatching pineal development may reflect the sequence of changes leading from pineal sense organs to pineal glands.This work was supported by a grant-in-aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan     

On the Dependence of the Quadratic Risk of the Classical Predictor and the Prediction-Horizon

When constructing predictors on the basis of the linear model of time series of various indicators often the question arises on the dependence of forecasting accuracy and the changing prediction horizon. The dependency of the quadratic risk of the classical predictor and the time horizon is considered.