甘肃鼢鼠适应地下生活的消化道形态和结构的季节可塑性

甘肃鼢鼠(Myospalax cansus)是终生营地下生活的小型哺乳动物,为研究其在自然环境中的消化对策和调节,探讨地下鼠消化道的可塑性,测定了不同季节消化道各器官长度、重量及各器官的组织结构。结果显示,甘肃鼢鼠总消化道长度、各消化器官长度和含内容物总重量无显著季节差异。总消化道及各器官的鲜重和干重多在春季最高,含内容物重量于秋季较高。组织结构有显著性季节变化,黏膜层和肌层的厚度及肠道绒毛高度春季最高。结果表明,甘肃鼢鼠主要依靠肠道重量的增加和组织结构的可塑性变化来适应相对稳定的地下生活环境,无需增加消化器官长度满足其能量需求。     

小鼠肠道组织结构在低温环境下的适应性调整

对长期(3个月)处于低温条件下的小鼠各肠道组织结构的适应性变化进行了比较研究。低温驯化后小鼠的体重(P0.05)、消化道总长度(P0.05)、小肠长度(P0.01)和盲肠长度(P0.05)显著增加,而十二指肠肠腔隙截面积未发生显著变化,提示小鼠的肠腔隙体积在低温环境下明显增加。同时,低温驯化小鼠十二指肠的肠道和肠壁组织截面积均显著降低(P0.05),而其绒毛高则显著增加(P0.001),提示其黏膜层厚度增加,而黏膜下层结构趋于萎缩,表明小鼠肠道组织的形态结构为应对低温条件已经产生了适应性调整,即通过增加消化道的长度和营养物质的吸收面积来增加食物摄取量、食物吸收速率和吸收效率等,进而满足低温条件下小鼠能量需求的增加。相比之下,低温鼠的胃大小、盲肠重量、大肠长度与重量、直肠组织结构均未产生显著变化,暗示这些肠道结构对外界温度变化的敏感性相对较低。研究结果表明,小型哺乳类主要通过增大消化道长度和吸收面积来提高其消化效率,通过改变消化道的形态和结构来提高消化和吸收效率,以便更好地去适应环境温度变化而导致的能量需求变化。     

青海沙蜥消化道组织结构及嗜银细胞研究

为揭示青海沙蜥消化系统的组织结构,探索其高海拔适应的组织学基础,应用解剖学与石蜡切片、H.E染色和Grimelius银染法对青海沙蜥消化道组织结构和嗜银细胞进行研究。结果显示：青海沙蜥的消化道管壁结构分为4层,从内到外依次是粘膜层、粘膜下层、肌层和浆膜。消化道各段的长度和壁厚均存在显著差异,其中小肠最长,胃幽门部的管壁最厚。粘膜皱襞和绒毛的分布也存在差异,空肠部位的小肠绒毛数量最多,其次是十二指肠和回肠。嗜银细胞形状多样,广泛分布在消化道各段的黏膜上皮基部和黏膜上皮之间。胃体是嗜银细胞分布密度最高的部位,其次是贲门,回肠最低。与栖息在低海拔的有鳞类相比,青海沙蜥为适应高海拔环境,小肠的相对长度变长,胃体部嗜银细胞增多。     

野生与养殖黄鳍鲷消化道形态组织结构

采用常规石蜡组织切片的方法对野生和养殖黄鳍鲷(Sparus latus)消化道的形态组织结构进行了比较观察。结果表明,野生和养殖黄鳍鲷的消化道存在一定差异。(1)形态学研究表明,食道粗而短,胃呈V形,分为贲门部、胃体部和幽门部,胃与肠的连接处有4条幽门盲囊,肠道在体腔内迂回两个回折。野生黄鳍鲷牙齿更为坚硬锋利,体腔中脂肪较少,消化道更为粗短。野生和养殖黄鳍鲷的肠道系数分别为0.71±0.03和0.94±0.12。(2)组织学研究表明,食道黏膜上皮由扁平细胞层和杯状细胞层组成,杯状细胞发达。胃黏膜由单层柱状上皮组成,无杯状细胞,贲门部和胃体部胃腺发达。幽门盲囊组织学特征与肠相似,上皮为柱状上皮,其中的杯状细胞少于肠。肠中,前肠杯状细胞最多,中肠次之,后肠最少。直肠杯状细胞多于肠。野生与养殖黄鳍鲷组织学的区别在于,消化道相同部位养殖鱼的杯状细胞多于野生鱼,野生鱼的肌层厚度大于养殖鱼。黄鳍鲷消化道的形态组织结构与其生活环境和食物是相关的。     

美国白蛾幼虫消化道形态和超微结构观察

美国白蛾Hyphantria cunea Drury是我国重要的林业检疫性害虫之一,世界范围内寄主多达600余种,对我国林业生产和生态环境建设造成了巨大损失。明确美国白蛾幼虫消化道各部分的形态结构,可为进一步研究其幼虫的食性及消化机能奠定基础。利用光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜与透射电子显微镜观察了美国白蛾6龄幼虫消化道形态及超微结构。美国白蛾幼虫的消化道由前肠、中肠、后肠组成。前肠是消化道最长的部分,占整个消化道的54.27%,包括咽、食道、嗉囊、前胃四部分;中肠较短,占整个消化道的21.28%,内部具围食膜;后肠由幽门、回肠、结肠和直肠组成,幽门由幽门锥和幽门瓣组成。马氏管共6条,丝腺2条。美国白蛾幼虫消化道总体结构大部分鳞翅目消化道结构相似,但是其前肠在长度上发生了较大的变异,本文进一步讨论了美国白蛾幼虫消化道结构与其食性及耐饥饿能力等的相关性。     

基于高通量测序的池塘养殖半滑舌鳎消化道菌群的结构特征分析

运用高通量测序方法研究了池塘养殖半滑舌鳎消化道和池水、池塘底泥、颗粒饵料中的微生物菌群结构,并分析了它们之间的相关性。实验结果证实,养殖池塘池水、底泥和饵料中的细菌种类多样性要远高于半滑舌鳎消化道中的细菌多样性,但消化道中的菌群结构与池水和池塘底泥中的细菌没有相关性,仅在一定程度上受到颗粒饵料中菌群的影响。而半滑舌鳎消化道不同部位的细菌种类多样性存在一定的差异,但优势菌群的组成并没有明显的结构差异,优势菌种的构成和相对数量比例非常相似,并且大部分的优势菌种在NCBI数据库中没有同源菌株。研究说明半滑舌鳎消化道菌群这一微生态系统的结构相对独立,在池塘养殖这一阶段几乎不受养殖环境中菌群的影响,而且定植肠道中的一些优势细菌种类可能具有宿主特异性。     

猫儿山小鲵和瑶山肥螈消化道组织结构及 5-羟色胺细胞分布特征

为探讨猫儿山小鲵(Hynobius maoershanensis)和瑶山肥螈(Pachytriton intexpectatus)消化道结构的异同及5-羟色胺(5-HT)细胞的分布特征与食性、生活环境之间的关系,运用常规组织染色及免疫组织化学染色法对其消化道进行研究。结果显示,猫儿山小鲵和瑶山肥螈的消化道均包括食道、胃、十二指肠、回肠和直肠,但瑶山肥螈消化道长于猫儿山小鲵。猫儿山小鲵和瑶山肥螈的比肠长(即肠道长与头体长的比值)分别为0.57±0.03(n=5)和0.84±0.03(n=5)。两者消化道组织结构均由黏膜层、黏膜下层、肌层和外膜组成,主要差异在消化道黏膜层和肌层厚度。猫儿山小鲵的消化道黏膜层以胃体部最厚,达(712.82±37.67)μm(n=5),而瑶山肥螈则胃贲门部最厚,为(403.24±55.81)μm(n=5);二者消化道肌层均以胃幽门部最厚,但瑶山肥螈胃幽门部的肌层厚度比猫儿山小鲵的厚。二者消化道均有开放型和闭合型的5-HT细胞,但5-HT细胞的分布特征不同:猫儿山小鲵分布密度高峰位于直肠,低谷位于食道;瑶山肥螈则在十二指肠部位分布密度最高,直肠最低。综上所述,猫儿山小鲵和瑶山肥螈消化道形态学和组织学结构相似,二者肠道长占头体长的比值均不超过1,符合肉食性动物消化道短的特征。二者消化道5-HT细胞都具有内、外分泌功能,分布密度具有自身的特点,可能与它们的食物组成和生活环境不同有关。     

组学视角下养殖动物消化道微生物组结构与功能研究进展北大核心

养殖动物消化道中含有大量的微生物,不仅参与动物对营养物质的消化和吸收,还对宿主生长发育及免疫起重要调节作用。动物消化道微生物组研究是目前国内外的热点领域,取得了一系列重要研究进展。深入了解养殖动物消化道微生物组的结构与功能,将为今后调控和应用消化道微生物、提高动物生产性能、改善动物胃肠道健康和实现绿色健康养殖奠定理论基础。本文以4种代表性养殖动物(牛、羊、猪和鸡)为主体,对组学视角下其消化道微生物群落结构、功能等研究进展进行总结和分析;并对未来研究方向进行展望。     

长江中下游三个湖泊中鳜消化道寄生蠕虫群落的组成与多样性

鱼类在食物网中的营养位置对其消化道寄生蠕虫的群落结构有重要作用。本研究调查了梁子湖、洞庭湖、鄱阳湖中鳜(Siniperca chuatsi)消化道寄生蠕虫群落的组成和多样性。在3个湖泊中共发现11种寄生蠕虫, 优势种均为范尼道佛吸虫(Dollfustrema vaneyi), 频率分布中感染有12种寄生虫的样本占65%, 单个样本中最大物种数为6。3个湖泊中平均物种丰富度为1.532.13, Brillouin多样性指数为0.120.33, 其中鄱阳湖中的多样性最高。梁子湖和洞庭湖之间的Jaccard相似度和百分比相似指数最高。通过比较食物网中不同营养位置鱼类的消化道寄生蠕虫群落结构, 发现鳜的消化道寄生虫群落的物种丰富度与多样性水平都高于植食性和杂食性鱼类。研究还讨论了宿主食物组成对消化道寄生蠕虫群落结构的影响。       

浙江温州地区4种雀形目鸟类消化道形态特征比较

食性是影响鸟类消化系统形态结构的重要因子之一.本文对丝光椋鸟Sturnus sericeus、白头鹎Pycnonotus sinensis、小鹀Emberiza pusilla及红头长尾山雀Aegithalos concinnus 4种雀形目鸟类的消化道形态结构进行了比较研究.结果发现,4种雀形目鸟类总消化道及各消化器...     

Cytotoxic components of Zingiber zerumbet,Curcuma zedoaria and C. domestica

One new and five known compounds, which all showed cytotoxic activity, were isolated from the rhizomes of Zingiber zerumbet. The new compound was 3″,4″-O-diacetylafzelin. The known compounds were zerumbone, zerumbone epoxide, diferuloylmethane, feruloyl-p-coumaroylmethane and di-p-coumaroylmethane. Several substituted cinnamoylmethanes were synthesized and tested for cytotoxic properties. Among these were tricinnamoylmethane and triferuloylmethane. The structures were elucidated mainly by spectroscopic methods and ¹³C NMR data are given.     

Comparison of a Homology Built Model of Angiogenin to its Crystal Structure

The comparison of our homology built model of human angiogenin with the recently determined x-ray structure of the same is reported. The basic details of the structure in terms of alpha -helices and beta sheets were found to be common. The main differences between the model and the x-ray data lie in a C-terminal rearrangement in the x-ray structure that causes the C-terminus to end in a 3₁₀ helix which puts the residue GLN-117 (ALA-122 in bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A, RNaseA) into the active site. The homology model was updated by producing a new sequence alignment using the information from the x-ray data which improved the r.m.s. by 0.5Å. This new alignment is also reported here. A check for systematic bias was carried out using the RNaseA structures from which the x-ray and homology models were derived. A detailed comparison of torsion angles and hydrogen bonding between all the structures have been compared and the model displays several hydrogen bonds that are not present in the parent RNaseA structures but are present in the x-ray structure of angiogenin.Electronic Supplementary Material available.     

New insights into the binding mode of pyridine-3-carboxamide inhibitors of E. coli DNA gyrase

Previously we have reported on a series of pyridine-3-carboxamide inhibitors of DNA gyrase and DNA topoisomerase IV that were designed using a computational de novo design approach and which showed promising antibacterial properties. Herein we describe the synthesis of additional examples from this series aimed specifically at DNA gyrase, along with crystal structures confirming the predicted mode of binding and in vitro ADME data which describe the drug-likeness of these compounds.     

On the Structural Diversity and Individuality of Polymorphic Amyloid Protein Assemblies

The prediction of highly ordered three-dimensional structures of amyloid protein fibrils from the amino acid sequences of their monomeric self-assembly precursors constitutes a challenging and unresolved aspect of the classical protein folding problem. Because of the polymorphic nature of amyloid assembly whereby polypeptide chains of identical amino acid sequences under identical conditions are capable of self-assembly into a spectrum of different fibril structures, the prediction of amyloid structures from an amino acid sequence requires a detailed and holistic understanding of its assembly free energy landscape. The full extent of the structure space accessible to the cross-β molecular architecture of amyloid must also be resolved. Here, we review the current understanding of the diversity and the individuality of amyloid structures, and how the polymorphic landscape of amyloid links to biology and disease phenotypes. We present a comprehensive review of structural models of amyloid fibrils derived by cryo-EM, ssNMR and AFM to date, and discuss the challenges ahead for resolving the structural basis and the biological consequences of polymorphic amyloid assemblies.     

Chemical constituents of Nothapodytes pittosporoides (Icacinaceae)

A new alkaloid, O-acetyl-7-methoxycamptothecin (1), was isolated from the roots of Nothapodytes pittosporoides (Icacinaceae), together with seventeen known compounds (2–18). The structures of these compounds were identified by extensive spectroscopic interpretation. Isocoumarins were reported from the investigated genus for the first time. The alkaloids and isocoumarins in N. pittosporoides could serve as its chemotaxonomic markers.     

Recent advances in the structural biology of modular polyketide synthases and nonribosomal peptide synthetases

Polyketides and nonribosomal peptides are an important class of natural products with useful bioactivities. These compounds are similarly biosynthesized using enzymes with modular structures despite having different physicochemical properties. These enzymes are attractive targets for bioengineering to produce “unnatural” natural products owing to their modular structures. Therefore, their structures have been studied for a long time; however, the main focus was on truncated-single domains. Surprisingly, there is an increasing number of the structures of whole modules reported, most of which have been enabled through the recent advances in cryogenic electron microscopy technology. In this review, we have summarized the recent advances in the structural elucidation of whole modules.     

A cyclohexadienone and a cyclohexenone from halleria lucida

Two new compounds, a cyclohexadienone, hallerone and a cyclohexenone, halleridone, were isolated from Halleria lucida. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic data and by chemical behaviour. Hallerone was converted into halleridone.     

Dissecting the Conformational Dynamics of the Bile Acid Transporter Homologue ASBTNM

Apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) catalyses uphill transport of bile acids using the electrochemical gradient of Na⁺ as the driving force. The crystal structures of two bacterial homologues ASBT_NM and ASBT_Yf have previously been determined, with the former showing an inward-facing conformation, and the latter adopting an outward-facing conformation accomplished by the substitution of the critical Na⁺-binding residue glutamate-254 with an alanine residue. While the two crystal structures suggested an elevator-like movement to afford alternating access to the substrate binding site, the mechanistic role of Na⁺ and substrate in the conformational isomerization remains unclear. In this study, we utilized site-directed alkylation monitored by in-gel fluorescence (SDAF) to probe the solvent accessibility of the residues lining the substrate permeation pathway of ASBT_NM under different Na⁺ and substrate conditions, and interpreted the conformational states inferred from the crystal structures. Unexpectedly, the crosslinking experiments demonstrated that ASBT_NM is a monomer protein, unlike the other elevator-type transporters, usually forming a homodimer or a homotrimer. The conformational dynamics observed by the biochemical experiments were further validated using DEER measuring the distance between the spin-labelled pairs. Our results revealed that Na⁺ ions shift the conformational equilibrium of ASBT_NM toward the inward-facing state thereby facilitating cytoplasmic uptake of substrate. The current findings provide a novel perspective on the conformational equilibrium of secondary active transporters.