走进内蒙

2015年8月1日,我们每一个人收拾好行囊,整装待发,在邓涛老师带领下踏上了去往内蒙古的征程,拉开了探索灰色生命之旅的序幕. 队伍由两辆车、8人组成,我们早晨7点从中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所出发,披着清晨的阳光,摆脱城市的拥挤,缓缓地“逃离”了北京城.直到抵达张北之后我们的车子才能像矫健的马儿一样驰骋在广袤的公路上,沿途没有了城市的喧闹,没有了交通的堵塞,伴随我们的只有那一眼望去蓝蓝的天空、随风摆动的小草,以及那迷人的风景,偶尔打开车窗,一股凉爽的清风扑面而来,沁人心脾.经过一路的颠簸,我们在傍晚时刻到达锡林浩特,当地文物保护站的同志为我们安顿好了一切.     

小鼠基因组中的微卫星重复序列的数量、分布和密度

作者分析了老鼠基因组中各染色体及其内含子、外显子和基因间区上各种类型的微卫星(1-6个碱基的重复序列)的数量及其密度。SSR约占老鼠基因组的2.85%,其中46.2%存在于基因间区,4.75%存在于外显子,49.05%在内含子区域,即非编码区富含微卫星。微卫星的数量与染色体或基因区域的大小有关,但密度与染色体或基因区域的大小的关系并不十分密切。第4染色体的外显子区域中6种类型的SSR含量都比其它区域少。A,T,AC,AG,AT,AAC,AAG,AGG,AAAC,AAAG,AAAT,AACC,AAAAC,AAAAG,AAAAT,AAACC,AAAGG,AAGAG,AAAAAC,AAAAAG,AAAAAT,AAAGAG,ACACAT,ACAGAG,ACAGGC,ACATAT是老鼠基因组中主要的SSR类型,而一些5碱基重复单元的SSR在老鼠基因组的某一条甚至某几条染色体都不存在     

考察心语

正在亚东原始森林考察前,咨询当地林业局朋友,得知,上月的一场大雨,道路被严重损毁,车辆只能到达半山处……途中,我们多次下车推车,艰难行进!当我们的车行驶到可能是半山处时,路真的被水给冲毁了,车不能再前行了,我们只好步行完成余下的路程,虽然累些,观察拍摄的机会却多了许多。背着重重的器材等,步行进入了下亚东原始深林,耳畔是隆隆的河水声,映入眼帘的是郁郁葱葱青山。在这里,我听见印度洋暖湿气流撞击岩壁发出的声音撼人心魄。空中的云随气流快速移动,沟里的雾在时断时续的阳光照射下蒸腾,当云雾散开时,可见层层叠叠的山外青山,高不可攀,目不可及。同一地点,一会阵雨,一会晴。林中高大的古树多被雷电击断,然后又顽强地发出新枝,吐露新芽。     

周细胞的研究进展

长久以来,周细胞的存在和作用一直很少受重视.但是作为微血管的构成成分之一,周细胞在微血管的发生、发展、稳定、成熟,以及再塑形的过程中都起着重要作用,近来越来越受到关注.本文就周细胞的定位,结构,表达,功能,相关的信号通路,以及和内皮细胞的相互作用进行了综述,为在周细胞的研究提供参考.     

酸雨与微生物

近些年来,酸雨的危害日益引起国际上的关注,我国把酸雨的成因、危害及其防治等方面的问题列入国家重点科研项目,据文献报道,酸雨不仅对农牧业、森林业带来灾难,而且对人类的安全造成威胁,这是当今世界“天然祸害”之一,有人认为这是生物圈的一大病症。随着工业化的大发展,酸雨形成及其危害日益严重,它不但损害自然环境、农作物、森林、水生物以及耐旱的地衣等等,也给人们尤其是老人和儿童的健康带来严重危害,据统计,欧洲一些国家每年因酸雨致死的老人和儿童好几千人,如联邦德国每年达2000—4000人,英国最多的一年可达5000人。这是人们非常关切的一个问题,应引起各有关部门的密切注视。     

姜黄素的提取及其甲基化研究

以姜黄为原料,用70%的乙醇进行粗提,正丙醇进行两次重结晶得醇的姜黄素.再以此纯的姜黄素为原料,用乙醚和甲醇溶解,以过量的CH3I为甲基化试剂,在pH=12～14的条件下进行反应10 h,用氨水沉淀,过滤,水洗至中性,烘干,在经层析柱分离得到一种黄色针状物,经鉴定为一新化合物,即纯的二甲基姜黄素,分子式为C23H24O6,收率为35%以上.     

我家有个机灵鬼

小宠故事多一天,我放学回家,瞧见路边有个阿姨面前摆着一个箱子,里面装着二十几只小鸡,叽叽喳喳活蹦乱跳,可爱极了!我仔细瞧着它们,有红的、黄的、紫的、绿的……其中,一只被染成浅紫色的小鸡最为机灵,它浑身毛茸茸的,黑葡萄似的眼睛警惕地望着四周,好像随时会蹿出一只老鹰叼走它似的。我对这只特别的小鸡产生了好奇,便在征得了爸爸妈妈的同意后,把它带回了家,给它取了个外号——机灵鬼。     

脱落酸（ABA）在蒜苔衰老中的作用

蒜苔在切除珠蒜后可减少贮存中干物质的损失,延缓衰老,在切口处施加外源ABA可加速苔干叶绿素的破坏和组织的老化,气相色谱与色质联用法检测完整蒜苔和无珠蒜蒜苔各部分组织中ABA含量在衰老过程中的变化,发现无珠蒜苔干上,中,下各段ABA含量在衰老进程中是逐步减少的,变化幅度小,而带有珠蒜的苔干各相应段和珠蒜的ABA含量均有一迅速增加而后减少的过程,珠蒜的ABA含量最大,ABA含量高峰出现时间最早,苔干各段ABA含量按上,中,下顺序依次减少,高峰出现的时间也是由上至下依次推迟,没有发现蒜苔在衰老过程中有乙烯放出,外加乙烯对其衰老进程影响不大,本文认为珠蒜是蒜苔衰老的关键部位,能加速苔干衰老的ABA主要是在珠蒜中合成的,并自上向下极性运往苔干组织,进而动员物质的再分配,起着信息传递作用,蒜苔的衰老过程可分为“准备期”和“活跃期”两个阶段。     

植物保护伞

在高温炎热的夏季,植物为了降低自身温度,叶片会自动提高其蒸腾速率,但叶片旺盛的蒸腾作用常常会导致植物体内水分收支失衡,入不敷出,从而出现严重缺水萎蔫,导致植株部分或全部死亡等现象。与此同时,干旱的气候还使植物可吸收的水分有限,特别是对于新移栽的树木,其根系已受到不同程度的伤害,吸水能力尚未全部恢复,此时如不采取适当保护措施,则会影响植物的正常生长或造成移栽树木的死亡。针对上述的情况,人们通常只能对树木进行少量的修剪,以减缓植株地上部分的伤害。为了解决上述过度蒸腾给植物造成的危害,一种新型的夏季型植物抗蒸腾剂现…     

途中偶拾:别样的精彩

正来到西藏,卸去一身的俗务,放下身份和角色,没有网络,没有手机信号,我们在这些简单的元素里走进自然,贴近自然,得到的是超乎想象的精神和视觉的双重盛宴。透过镜头,我们重新拾回心的世界。在登山临水、惊叹河流悠长、玄想星辰回转时,开始重新打量自己。则里拉上空的鹰鹰,空中的霸主,著名的掠食者,动物界里至今还没其他物种能撼动其空中霸主的地位。它孤傲、凶猛,在空中所向无敌。一直以来鹰的形象都是     

Cell Proliferation and Oxygen Diffusion in a Vascularising Scaffold

The supply of oxygen to proliferating cells within a scaffold is a key factor for the successful building of new tissue in soft tissue engineering applications. A recent in vivo model, where an arteriovenous loop is placed in a scaffold, allows a vascularising network to form within a scaffold, establishing an oxygen source within, rather than external, to the scaffold. A one-dimensional model of oxygen concentration, cell proliferation and cell migration inside such a vascularising scaffold is developed and investigated. In addition, a vascularisation model is presented, which supports a vascularisation front which moves at a constant speed. The effects of vascular growth, homogenous and heterogenous seeding, diffusion of cells and critical hypoxic oxygen concentration are considered. For homogenous seeding, a relationship between the speed of the vascular front and a parameter defining the rate of oxygen diffusion relative to the rate of oxygen consumption determines whether a hypoxic region exists at some time. In particular, an estimate of the length of time that a fixed point in the scaffold will remain under hypoxic conditions is determined. For heterogenous seeding, a Fisher-like travelling wave of cells is established behind the vascular front. These findings provide a fundamental understanding of the important interplay between the parameters and allows for a theoretical assessment of a seeding strategy in a vascularising scaffold.     

The Function of Vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) a Subunit Isoforms in Invasiveness of MCF10a and MCF10CA1a Human Breast Cancer Cells

The vacuolar H⁺ ATPases (V-ATPases) are ATP-driven proton pumps that transport protons across both intracellular and plasma membranes. Previous studies have implicated V-ATPases in the invasiveness of various cancer cell lines. In this study, we evaluated the role of V-ATPases in the invasiveness of two closely matched human breast cancer lines. MCF10a cells are a non-invasive, immortalized breast epithelial cell line, and MCF10CA1a cells are a highly invasive, H-Ras-transformed derivative of MCF10a cells selected for their metastatic potential. Using an in vitro Matrigel assay, MCF10CA1a cells showed a much higher invasion than the parental MCF10a cells. Moreover, this increased invasion was completely sensitive to the specific V-ATPase inhibitor concanamycin. MCF10CA1a cells expressed much higher levels of both a1 and a3 subunit isoforms relative to the parental line. Isoforms of subunit a are responsible for subcellular localization of V-ATPases, with a3 and a4 targeting V-ATPases to the plasma membrane of specialized cells. Knockdown of either a3 alone or a3 and a4 together using isoform-specific siRNAs inhibited invasion by MCF10CA1a cells. Importantly, overexpression of a3 but not the other a subunit isoforms greatly increased the invasiveness of the parental MCF10a cells. Similarly, overexpression of a3 significantly increased expression of V-ATPases at the plasma membrane. These studies suggest that breast tumor cells employ particular a subunit isoforms to target V-ATPases to the plasma membrane, where they function in tumor cell invasion.     

ULTRASTRUCTURE AND SYSTEMATICS OF TWO NEW FRESHWATER RED CRYPTOMONADS, STOREATULA RHINOSA, SP. NOV. AND PYRENOMONAS OVALIS, SP. NOV.

The ultrastructure and systematics of two red colored freshwater cryptomonads, Storeatula rhinosa , sp. nov. and Pyrenomonas ovalis , sp. nov., are described for the first time. Storeatula, which had been described from marine waters only, has a single inner periplast sheet and a fibrous surface periplast component. Cells lack a furrow but possess a gullet, a bilobed chloroplast connected by a pyrenoid and a nucleomorph located in an indentation of the pyrenoid. This freshwater Storeatula possesses the same general features as the marine species, but it has a contractile vacuole and lacks the lobed chloroplast of S. major. P. ovalis has the generic characteristics described for marine species of Rhodomonas. These characteristics include a short furrow, a deep gullet, square inner periplast plates with beveled corners, a slightly fibrillar surface periplast component, a single chloroplast with two lobes connected by a pyrenoidal bridge and a nucleomorph located in an indentation of the pyrenoid.     

Microscopic anatomy of pycnogonida: II. Digestive system. III. Excretory system

The digestive system of several species of sea spiders (Pycnogonida, Arthropoda) was studied by electron microscopy. It is composed of the foregut inside a long proboscis, a midgut and a hindgut. Lips near the three jaws at the tip of the proboscis receive several hundred ductules originating from salivary glands. These previously undetected glands open on the lips, a fluted, projecting ridge at the external hinge line of the jaws, i.e., to the outside of the mouth. This disposition suggests affinities to the chelicerate line. The trigonal esophagus within the proboscis contains a complex, setose filter device, operated by dedicated muscles, that serves to reduce ingested food to subcellular dimensions. The midgut has diverticula into the bases of all legs. Its cells differentiate from the basal layer and contain a bewildering array of secretion droplets, lysosomes and phagosomes. In the absence of a hepatopancreas, the midgut serves both digestive and absorptive functions. The cuticle-lined hindgut lies in the highly reduced, peg-like abdomen. Traditionally, pycnogonids have been claimed to have no excretory organ at all. Such a structure, however, has been located in at least one ammotheid, Nymphopsis spinosissima, in which a simple, but standard, excretory gland has been found in the scape of the chelifore. It consists of an end sac, a straight proximal tubule, a short distal tubule, and a raised nephropore. The end sac is a thin-walled and polygonal chamber, about 150 microm in cross section, suspended in the hemocoel of the appendage, its edges radially tethered to the cuticle at more than half a dozen locations. This wall consists of a filtration basement membrane, 1-4 microm thick, facing the hemocoel, and internally of a continuous carpet of podocytes and their pedicels. The podocytes, measuring maximally 10 by 15 microm, have complex contents, of which a labyrinthine system of connected intracellular channels stands out. These coated cisternae open into a central vacuole that often rivals the nucleus in size. The design of the organ closely approximates that of the primitive crustacean Hutchinsoniella macracantha.     

Purified Wnt-5a increases differentiation of midbrain dopaminergic cells and dishevelled phosphorylation

The Wnt family of lipoproteins regulates several aspects of the development of the nervous system. Recently, we reported that Wnt-3a enhances the proliferation of midbrain dopaminergic precursors and that Wnt-5a promotes their differentiation into dopaminergic neurones. Here we report the purification of hemagglutinin-tagged Wnt-5a using a three-step purification method similar to that previously described for Wnt-3a. Haemagglutinin-tagged Wnt-5a was biologically active and induced the differentiation of immature primary midbrain precursors into tyrosine hydroxylase-positive dopaminergic neurones. Using a substantia nigra-derived dopaminergic cell line (SN4741), we found that Wnt-5a, unlike Wnt-3a, did not promote beta-catenin phosphorylation or stabilization. However, both Wnt-5a and Wnt-3a activated dishevelled, as assessed by a phosphorylation-dependent mobility shift. Moreover, the activity of Wnt-5a on dishevelled was blocked by pre-treatment with acyl protein thioesterase-1, indicating that palmitoylation of Wnt-5a is necessary for its function. Thus, our results suggest that Wnt-3a and Wnt-5a, respectively, activate canonical and non-canonical Wnt signalling pathways in ventral midbrain dopaminergic cells. Furthermore, we identify dishevelled as a key player in transducing both Wnt canonical and non-canonical signals in dopaminergic cells.     

Complement component 5a (C5a)

The 74 amino acid glycoprotein, complement component 5a (C5a), is a potent pro-inflammatory mediator cleaved enzymatically from its precursor, C5, upon activation of the complement cascade. C5a is quickly metabolised by carboxypeptidases, forming the less potent C5adesArg. Acting via a classical G protein-coupled receptor, CD88, C5a and C5adesArg exert a number of effects essential to the innate immune response, while their actions at the more recently discovered non-G protein-coupled receptor, C5L2 (or GPR77), remain unclear. The widespread expression of C5a receptors throughout the body allows C5a to elicit a broad range of effects. Thus, C5a has been found to be a significant pathogenic driver in a number of immuno-inflammatory diseases, making C5a inhibition an attractive therapeutic strategy.     

One Dimensional Turing-Like Handshake Test for Motor Intelligence

In the Turing test, a computer model is deemed to "think intelligently" if it can generate answers that are not distinguishable from those of a human. However, this test is limited to the linguistic aspects of machine intelligence. A salient function of the brain is the control of movement, and the movement of the human hand is a sophisticated demonstration of this function. Therefore, we propose a Turing-like handshake test, for machine motor intelligence. We administer the test through a telerobotic system in which the interrogator is engaged in a task of holding a robotic stylus and interacting with another party (human or artificial). Instead of asking the interrogator whether the other party is a person or a computer program, we employ a two-alternative forced choice method and ask which of two systems is more human-like. We extract a quantitative grade for each model according to its resemblance to the human handshake motion and name it "Model Human-Likeness Grade" (MHLG). We present three methods to estimate the MHLG. (i) By calculating the proportion of subjects'' answers that the model is more human-like than the human; (ii) By comparing two weighted sums of human and model handshakes we fit a psychometric curve and extract the point of subjective equality (PSE); (iii) By comparing a given model with a weighted sum of human and random signal, we fit a psychometric curve to the answers of the interrogator and extract the PSE for the weight of the human in the weighted sum. Altogether, we provide a protocol to test computational models of the human handshake. We believe that building a model is a necessary step in understanding any phenomenon and, in this case, in understanding the neural mechanisms responsible for the generation of the human handshake.     

A system for coupled multiple-column separation of proteins

Purification of proteins is commonly a multiple-step process involving size exclusion, ion exchange, affinity, hydrophobic, and other modes of chromatography. In an effort to circumvent the laborious process of collecting the solutes from each column and reintroducing them onto a second column, a valving system is described that directs the samples eluted from a high-performance liquid chromatographic column through a detector with a high-pressure cell into either a second column or into storage loops of a multiloop value. This multiloop value is referred to as a high-pressure fraction collector. After development of the first column is complete, a second solvent can be directed to the second column or high-pressure fraction collector to elute the solutes back through the detector and onto any other column in the system. The process of eluting a sample from a column through a single detector and directing it to the high-pressure fraction collector or any other column in the system may be repeated a number of times. Such valving systems make it possible to chromatograph a single protein component on two or three columns in a short time.     

Complement 5a Enhances Hepatic Metastases of Colon Cancer via Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1-mediated Inflammatory Cell Infiltration

Complement 5a (C5a), a potent immune mediator generated by complement activation, promotes tumor growth; however, its role in tumor metastasis remains unclear. We demonstrate that C5a contributes to tumor metastases by modulating tumor inflammation in hepatic metastases of colon cancer. Colon cancer cell lines generate C5a under serum-free conditions, and C5a levels increase over time in a murine syngeneic colon cancer hepatic metastasis model. Furthermore, in the absence of C5a receptor or upon pharmacological inhibition of C5a production with an anti-C5 monoclonal antibody, tumor metastasis is severely impaired. A lack of C5a receptor in colon cancer metastatic foci reduces the infiltration of macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells, and the role for C5a receptor on these cells were further verified by bone marrow transplantation experiments. Moreover, C5a signaling increases the expression of the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and the anti-inflammatory molecules arginase-1, interleukin 10, and transforming growth factor β, but is inversely correlated with the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules, which suggests a mechanism for the role of C5a in the inflammatory microenvironment required for tumor metastasis. Our results indicate a new and potentially promising therapeutic application of complement C5a inhibitor for the treatment of malignant tumors.     

Apolipoprotein(a): A Puzzling Evolutionary Story

Human apolipoprotein(a), a risk factor for heart disease, has over 80% sequence identity to plasminogen. Plasminogen contains five distinct kringle domains plus a catalytic protease subunit. Human apo(a) consists of multiple copies (the number varies in individuals) of a domain resembling kringle 4, a single copy of a domain resembling kringle 5, and a protease-like domain. The recently cloned hedgehog version of apolipoprotein(a), which contains 31 nearly identical copies of plasminogen kringle 3 and lacks a protease domain, has prompted us to investigate the evolutionary history of the apolipoprotein (a) gene in mammals. Our analysis supports the nonfunctionality of the human apolipoprotein(a) protease domain, and a single (or multiple) duplication of plasminogen gene before mammal radiation, which originated apolipoprotein(a) in mammals. Received: 26 February 1996 / Accepted: 6 August 1996