PLD基因的基本功能及在植物中的利用研究现状

磷脂酶D(PLD)是一种重要的磷脂水解酶,它广泛分布于各种植物、动物和微生物(细菌、真菌)中。近几年的研究发现它在植物细胞信号转导、膜运输及降解、脂降解、细胞分化和生殖、细胞防御反应中均发挥重要作用。本文从PLD的基本特性、功能、应用等方面综述了其最新研究进展并讨论了其在植物中的应用前景。     

棉花蔗糖合成酶(SuSy)分子结构特征与功能预测分析

从生物信息学角度,利用http://www.us.expasy.org、http://www.ch.embnet.org和NCBI的核酸/蛋白质结构特征在线分析工具,对棉花蔗糖合成酶（SuSy,sucrose synthase E.C.2.4.1.13）基因及其推导的氨基酸序列进行结构特征和功能域预测分析,探讨了棉花蔗糖合成酶的亲/疏水性、信号肽、跨膜拓扑结构、卷曲螺旋结构及功能域。结果表明该酶具有2个卷曲螺旋区段;20-30和190-215氨基酸区域,没有信号肽,是一个非跨膜的亲水性稳定蛋白,包含两个功能结构域7-555（Sucrosc-synth）和568-747（Glycose-transf-1）,分别行使蔗糖合成功能,糖基化合物（UDP、ADP、GDP或CMP）转移功能。     

我国国家级自然保护区数量特征研究

研究我国国家级自然保护区数量特征对加强保护区建设和管理具有重要意义。本文通过资料收集,采用方差分析、多元比较、相关分析等数理统计方法,分析了我国国家级自然保护区数量和面积的分布格局、各类型保护区各功能区划面积比例及功能区面积与物种的关系等数量特征。结果表明,我国国家级自然保护区数量上以森林生态系统类型最多;面积上为荒漠生态系统类型最大;面积分布格局呈现从西向东及从北向南逐渐减少的趋势。方差分析表明不同类型国家级自然保护区3个功能区面积所占其总面积的比例之间差异不显著;相关分析表明在以物种为保护对象的保护区中,其总面积、各功能区面积与物种数量、动植物种类的相关性显著。该研究相关结果为我国自然保护区的建设与管理提供一定的参考依据。     

柠檬酸合酶的分子生物学研究进展

柠檬酸合酶（citrate synthase,CS）是细胞内多种重要代谢途径的关键酶。CS可催化草酰乙酸和乙酰辅酶A之间的缩合反应生成柠檬酸和辅酶A。通常革兰氏阳性细菌、古菌以及真核细胞的CS为同源二聚体,而革兰氏阴性细菌的CS为同源六聚体。根据其在细胞内的定位不同,CS可分为线粒体CS、乙醛酸循环体CS、过氧化物酶体CS。这些同工酶在能量代谢、植物脂肪的代谢、脂肪酸的氧化及细胞解毒过程中起着重要作用。不同来源的CS空间结构、催化机制和动力学性质十分相似。针对其生化特性、空间结构特点、催化机制以及分子进化等研究进展进行综述。     

Graphical procedures for evaluating overall and subject-specific incremental values from new predictors with censored event time data

Quantitative procedures for evaluating added values from new markers over a conventional risk scoring system for predicting event rates at specific time points have been extensively studied. However, a single summary statistic, for example, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve or its derivatives, may not provide a clear picture about the relationship between the conventional and the new risk scoring systems. When there are no censored event time observations in the data, two simple scatterplots with individual conventional and new scores for "cases" and "controls" provide valuable information regarding the overall and the subject-specific level incremental values from the new markers. Unfortunately, in the presence of censoring, it is not clear how to construct such plots. In this article, we propose a nonparametric estimation procedure for the distributions of the differences between two risk scores conditional on the conventional score. The resulting quantile curves of these differences over the subject-specific conventional score provide extra information about the overall added value from the new marker. They also help us to identify a subgroup of future subjects who need the new predictors, especially when there is no unified utility function available for cost-risk-benefit decision making. The procedure is illustrated with two data sets. The first is from a well-known Mayo Clinic primary biliary cirrhosis liver study. The second is from a recent breast cancer study on evaluating the added value from a gene score, which is relatively expensive to measure compared with the routinely used clinical biomarkers for predicting the patient's survival after surgery.     

A test of homogeneity of distributions when observations are subject to measurement errors

When the observed data are contaminated with errors, the standard two-sample testing approaches that ignore measurement errors may produce misleading results, including a higher type-I error rate than the nominal level. To tackle this inconsistency, a nonparametric test is proposed for testing equality of two distributions when the observed contaminated data follow the classical additive measurement error model. The proposed test takes into account the presence of errors in the observed data, and the test statistic is defined in terms of the (deconvoluted) characteristic functions of the latent variables. Proposed method is applicable to a wide range of scenarios as no parametric restrictions are imposed either on the distribution of the underlying latent variables or on the distribution of the measurement errors. Asymptotic null distribution of the test statistic is derived, which is given by an integral of a squared Gaussian process with a complicated covariance structure. For data-based calibration of the test, a new nonparametric Bootstrap method is developed under the two-sample measurement error framework and its validity is established. Finite sample performance of the proposed test is investigated through simulation studies, and the results show superior performance of the proposed method than the standard tests that exhibit inconsistent behavior. Finally, the proposed method was applied to real data sets from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. An R package MEtest is available through CRAN.     

RabGTPase激活蛋白结构与功能

RabGTPase激活蛋白(RabGAPs)是一类含有TBC (Tre2/Bub2/Cdc16)结构域的蛋白家族,在Rab活性调节中起着失活Rab的作用。 近年的研究表明,RabGAPs蛋白通过与特定Rab相互作用参与细胞内膜泡运输的调节。 人类RabGAPs突变涉及细胞的极性运输、糖尿病和肿瘤发生等过程,植物RabGAPs蛋白介导病毒的细胞内迁移及气孔免疫等行为。 重要的是,RabGAPs作为一个关键的调节节点,整合Rab与其他小G蛋白之间的信号进而确保囊泡正确的分选、运输及锚定到不同的胞内膜泡系统。 本文综述了RabGAPs蛋白的结构特征、生理功能、底物识别及作用机制,并对RabGAPs蛋白未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

Signature Function for Predicting Resonant and Attenuant Population 2-cycles

Populations are either enhanced via resonant cycles or suppressed via attenuant cycles by periodic environments. We develop a signature function for predicting the response of discretely reproducing populations to 2-periodic fluctuations of both a characteristic of the environment (carrying capacity), and a characteristic of the population (inherent growth rate). Our signature function is the sign of a weighted sum of the relative strengths of the oscillations of the carrying capacity and the demographic characteristic. Periodic environments are deleterious for populations when the signature function is negative. However, positive signature functions signal favorable environments. We compute the signature functions of six classical discrete-time single species population models, and use the functions to determine regions in parameter space that are either favorable or detrimental to the populations. The two-parameter classical models include the Ricker, Beverton-Holt, Logistic, and Maynard Smith models.     

基于分组重量编码的蛋白质功能预测

从蛋白质序列出发,采用分组重量编码(Encoding Based on Grouped Weight,简记EBGW),并结合最近邻居算法对蛋白质功能进行预测。对酵母(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)蛋白质的1826条序列进行预测,整体预测准确率与其他基于序列信息的蛋白质功能预测方法相当。实验结果表明基于EBGW编码方案的新方法可有效地应用于蛋白质功能预测。     

Pitfalls to avoid in nonlinear perturbation analysis of structured population models

Despite the ubiquity of nonlinear functional relationships in nature we tend to characterize mechanisms in science using more tractable linear functions. In demographic modeling, transfer function analysis is used to calculate the nonlinear response of population growth rate to a theoretical perturbation of one or more matrix elements. This elegant approach is not yet popular in ecology. Inconveniently, using transfer function without care can produce erroneous results without warning. We used a large matrix projection model database to explore the potential pitfalls to be avoided in using transfer function analysis. We asked a fundamental population control question, what matrix element perturbation would be needed to reach a minimum goal of replacement population growth? We then tracked instances in which transfer function yields erroneous output and explored these cases in detail to measure how frequently it occurs. We developed a phylogenetically-corrected mixed effects logistic regression model in a Bayesian framework to test the effect of species traits and the identity of matrix elements on the probability that transfer function yields errors. We found in 16% of cases the transfer function yielded erroneous outcomes. These errors were more likely when perturbing demographic stasis and also for shrubs more than any other life form. Errors in transfer function analysis were often due to perturbing matrix elements beyond their biological limits, even when this is still mathematically correct. To use transfer function analysis properly in demographic modeling and avoid erroneous results, input must be carefully selected to include only a biologically admissible set of perturbations.     

酸感受性离子通道生物学特性及其调控

酸感受离子通道(ASICs)为H -门控的阳离子通道,是一类新的配体门控性离子通道,属于钠通道超家族的新成员.作为近来研究的热点,ASICs具有许多重要的生物学功能,并很有可能成为抗癫痫、镇痛、提高学习记忆能力和保护神经元缺血损伤作用药理学新靶点.近来,ASICs各个亚基已被克隆,它们在生物体内分布、表达、功能和相关调节因素的研究正受到广泛重视.     

基于SPEI指数的淮河流域干旱时空演变特征及影响研究

运用淮河流域149个气象站1962—2016年逐日气温、降水资料以及历史旱情资料,基于SPEI、EOF和M-K等方法分析淮河流域的干旱时空特征,研究干旱的时空演变规律并揭示其对农业生产的影响。结果表明:(1)基于SPEI得到的干旱频次与受灾、成灾面积的相关性通过了0.1的显著性水平检验,表明SPEI在淮河流域具有较好的适用性;(2)淮河流域干旱发生时间差异明显,干旱次数呈现波动变化,发生重旱和特旱次数占总干旱的比重是20.0%,其中重旱和特旱在1960s比重最大(24.8%),其次是2010s(15.8%),在1980s比重最低(10.0%);(3)干旱的空间分布差异大,淮河流域干旱频率在27.76%—36.04%之间,西北部和东南部发生干旱强度较西南部、东北部及中部低;(4)淮河流域总体呈干旱化的趋势,从中部到四周呈现由高到低递减的趋势变化,且空间模态表现为全区一致型、南北相反型和东西相反型。