Longevity of animals under reactive oxygen species stress and disease susceptibility due to global warming

The world is projected to experience an approximate doubling of atmospheric CO_2 concentration in the next decades. Rise in atmospheric CO_2 level as one of the most important reasons is expected to contribute to raise the mean global temperature 1.4 ℃-5.8 ℃ by that time. A survey from 128 countries speculates that global warming is primarily due to increase in atmospheric CO_2 level that is produced mainly by anthropogenic activities. Exposure of animals to high environmental temperatures is mostly accompanied by unwanted acceleration of certain biochemical pathways in their cells. One of such examples is augmentation in generation of reactive oxygen species(ROS) and subsequent increase in oxidation of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids by ROS. Increase in oxidation of biomolecules leads to a state called as oxidative stress(OS). Finally, the increase in OS condition induces abnormality in physiology of animals under elevated temperature. Exposure of animals to rise in habitat temperature is found to boost the metabolism of animals and a very strong and positive correlation exists between metabolism and levels of ROS and OS. Continuous induction of OS is negatively correlated with survivability and longevity and positively correlated with ageing in animals. Thus, it can be predicted that continuous exposure of animals to acute or gradual rise in habitat temperature due to global warming may induce OS, reduced survivability and longevity in animals in general and poikilotherms in particular. A positive correlation between metabolism and temperature in general and altered O_2 consumption at elevated temperature in particular could also increase the risk of experiencing OS in homeotherms. Effects of global warming on longevity of animals through increased risk of protein misfolding and disease susceptibility due to OS as the cause or effects or both also cannot be ignored. Therefore, understanding the physiological impacts of global warming in relation to longevity of animals will become very crucial challenge to biologists of the present millennium.     

Human evolution and human-influenced evolution of organisms in changing environments

Human evolution and human-influenced evolution of living organisms such as animals,plants,and microorganisms on our planet are among the most active and inspiring topics of scientific research.This is because the evolutionary processes influenced by humans can be detected within a quantifiable period of time,and the consequences of such evolutionary processes vary significantly in terms of their rates and diversification,compared to those under the conditions of no human influences (Hendry et al.,2008).For example,domesticated animals (e.g.,chicken and pig)and plant species (e.g.,rice and maize) have evolved relatively rapidly within the past 10 000 years,which has resulted in tremendous genetic diversity of these domesticates under human influences in different environments (Dorshorst et al.,2011;Huang et al.,2012;Rubin et al.,2012).However,the rapid evolution and changes in these organisms have had significant impacts on the environments that humans and these organisms inhabit.     

A drug from poison: how the therapeutic effect of arsenic trioxide on acute promyelocytic leukemia was discovered

It is surprising that,while arsenic trioxide(ATO) is now considered as "the single most active agent in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)",the most important discoverer remains obscure and his original papers have not been cited by a single English paper.The discovery was made during the Cultural Revolution when most Chinese scientists and doctors struggled to survive.Beginning with recipes from a countryside practitioner that were vague in applicable diseases,Zhang TingDong and colleagues proposed in the 1970s that a single chemical in the recipe is most effective and that its target is APL.More than 20 years of work by Zhang and colleagues eliminated the confusions about whether and how ATO can be used effectively.Other researchers,first in China and then in the West,followed his lead.Retrospective analysis of data from his own group proved that APL was indeed the most sensitive target.Removal of a trace amount of mercury chloride from the recipe by another group in his hospital proved that only ATO was required.Publication of Western replication in 1998 made the therapy widely accepted,though neither Western,nor Chinese authors of English papers on ATO cited Zhang’s papers in the 1970s.This article focuses on the early papers of Zhang,but also suggests it worth further work to validate Chinese reports of ATO treatment of other cancers,and infers that some findings published in Chinese journals are of considerable value to patients and that doctors from other countries can benefit from the clinical experience of Chinese doctors with the largest population of patients.     

The structure analysis and antigenicity study of the N protein of SARS-CoV

The Coronaviridae family is characterized by a nucleocapsid that is composed of the genome RNA molecule in combination with the nucleoprotein (N protein) within a virion. The most striking physiochemical feature of the N protein of SARS-CoV is that it is a typical basic protein with a high predicted pI and high hydrophilicity, which is consistent with its function of binding to the ribophosphate backbone of the RNA molecule. The predicted high extent of phosphorylation of the N protein on multiple candidate phosphorylation sites demonstrates that it would be related to important functions, such as RNA-binding and localization to the nucleolus of host cells. Subsequent study shows that there is an SR-rich region in the N protein and this region might be involved in the protein-protein interaction. The abundant antigenic sites predicted in the N protein, as well as experimental evidence with synthesized polypeptides, indicate that the N protein is one of the major antigens of the SARS-CoV. Compared with o     

Lack of Evidence for 3/4 Scaling of Metabolism in Terrestrial Plants

Scaling, as the translation of information across spatial, temporal, and organizational scales, is essential to predictions and understanding in all sciences and has become a central issue in ecology. A large body of theoretical and empirical evidence concerning allometric scaling in terrestrial individual plants and plant communities has been constructed around the fractal volume-filling theory of West, Brown, and Enquist （the WBE model）. One of the most thought-provoking findings has been that the metabolic rates of plants, like those of animals, scale with their size as a 3/4 power law. The earliest, single most-important study cited in support of the application of the WBE model to terrestrial plants claims that whole-plant resource use in terrestrial plants scales as the 3/4 power of total mass, as predicted by the WBE model. However, in the present study we show that empirical data actually do not support such a claim. More recent studies cited as evidence for 3/4 scaling also suffer from several statistical and data-related problems. Using a forest biomass dataset including 1 266 plots of 17 main forest types across China, we explored the scaling exponents between tree productivity and tree mass and found no universal value across forest stands. We conclude that there is not sufficient evidence to support the existence of a single constant scaling exponent for the metabolism-biomass relationship for terrestrial plants.     

Source area of spring population of meadow moth, Loxostege sticticalis L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), in Northeast China

The meadow moth, Loxostege sticticalis L., is an important outbreak pest in Northeast China. The spring population in Northeast China was considered as immigrants from North China; however, the population dynamics during 1996–2007 was not consistent with this traditional theory. In this study, the source area of the spring population of the meadow moth in Northeast China was identified by trajectory analysis using the wind field simulated by mesoscale numerical forecast model MM5. The results indicated that the population of the meadow moth in North China was able to migrate into Northeast China, but had not made a crucial contribution to the outbreaks there since the weather systems were generally adverse for such a long range migration in most of the years. On the other hand, high density cocoons of L. sticticalis have frequently been found in autumn in Northeast China since 1996. The trajectory analyses indicated that most of L. sticticalis in Northeast China in spring emerged from the cocoons that had overwintered either locally or in neighboring countries, i.e. Mongolia and Russia. The development of overwintering areas at higher latitudes coincides with the increased frequency of second-generation larvae; both phenomena might be attributed to the regional climate change associated with global warming.     

Source area of spring population of meadow moth, Loxostege sticticalis L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), in Northeast China

The meadow moth, Loxostege sticticalis L., is an important outbreak pest in Northeast China. The spring population in Northeast China was considered as immigrants from North China; however, the population dynamics during 1996–2007 was not consistent with this traditional theory. In this study, the source area of the spring population of the meadow moth in Northeast China was identified by trajectory analysis using the wind field simulated by mesoscale numerical forecast model MM5. The results indicated that the population of the meadow moth in North China was able to migrate into Northeast China, but had not made a crucial contribution to the outbreaks there since the weather systems were generally adverse for such a long range migration in most of the years. On the other hand, high density cocoons of L. sticticalis have frequently been found in autumn in Northeast China since 1996. The trajectory analyses indicated that most of L. sticticalis in Northeast China in spring emerged from the cocoons that had overwintered either locally or in neighboring countries, i.e. Mongolia and Russia. The development of overwintering areas at higher latitudes coincides with the increased frequency of second-generation larvae; both phenomena might be attributed to the regional climate change associated with global warming.     

ACTA BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA SINICA

Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica （ABBS） is an intemationally peer-reviewed journal that aims to publish original research articles and review articles in diverse fields of biomedical research including Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Immunology, etc. ABBS was launched in 1958 by Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and has established itself as one of the most influential scientific journals in China. It is highly appreci- ated by scientists throughout the country.     

The origins of agriculture in the Americas

Three independent centers of domestication and agricultural origin have been identified in the Americas: the south-central Andes, Mexico, and most recently, eastern North America. Much of the evidence for early domesticates in these three regions has been excavated from higher elevation dry caves and rock shelters. These sites contain remarkably well preserved plant and animal remains, along with a record of short-term occupation by small groups of hunter-gatherers and early cultivators. As a result it has long been thought that plants and animals were brought under domestication in the Americas by small, seasonally mobile societies living in upland settings. The age of small seeds and other plant materials recovered from such dry caves and believed to represent early domesticates was, of necessity, determined indirectly, through conventional large-sample radiocarbon dating of organic material thought to be contemporaneous. In each of the three regions, the earliest domesticates were believed to date between 7,000 and 10,000 B.P. The origin of agriculture in the Americas was thought to be roughly contemporary with the transition from foraging to farming in the Near East (Fertile Crescent, ca. 10,000 B.P.) and China (Yangtze Corridor, ca. 8,500 B.P.). Since the mid-1980s, however, the age of many of the proposed early domesticates in the Americas, as well as their contexts of domestication, have been re-examined, beginning in eastern North America. The excavation of larger and more sedentary river valley settlements in eastern North America has yielded ample evidence of the cultivation of domesticated seed plants. This evidence is as old as or older than that recovered from seasonally occupied upland caves and rock shelters. In addition, a new and more rigorous standard for evidence of domestication has been adopted in eastern North America. That standard, which requires direct dating of seeds and other plant parts that exhibit clear, unequivocal, and well-documented morphological markers of domestication, is now being applied throughout the Americas, producing conservative timetables of domestication and agricultural origins that contradict alternative, more speculative chronological frameworks. Under the new standard of evidence, domestication of plants in all three independent centers (and in the Andes, domestication of animals) appears to have taken place between about 5,500 and 4,000 years ago, much more recently than previously was thought. Several lines of evidence also suggest that the Native American societies that first brought these species under domestication may not have been exclusively seasonally mobile hunter-gatherers of higher-elevation environments. In each of the three regions, domesticates recovered from upland caves may reflect a transition to a farming way of life accomplished by societies occupying more sedentary settlements in river valleys. In some cases, upland caves containing domesticates may represent one component in the seasonal round of early food production by societies occupying nearby river valleys; in others, they may mark the subsequent expansion of food production economies out of rich river valley resource zones into adjacent upland environments.     

New Archaeozoological Data from the Fayum “Neolithic” with a Critical Assessment of the Evidence for Early Stock Keeping in Egypt

Faunal evidence from the Fayum Neolithic is often cited in the framework of early stock keeping in Egypt. However, the data suffer from a number of problems. In the present paper, large faunal datasets from new excavations at Kom K and Kom W (4850–4250 BC) are presented. They clearly show that, despite the presence of domesticates, fish predominate in the animal bone assemblages. In this sense, there is continuity with the earlier Holocene occupation from the Fayum, starting ca. 7350 BC. Domesticated plants and animals appear first from approximately 5400 BC. The earliest possible evidence for domesticates in Egypt are the very controversial domesticated cattle from the 9^th/8^th millennium BC in the Nabta Playa-Bir Kiseiba area. The earliest domesticates found elsewhere in Egypt date to the 6^th millennium BC. The numbers of bones are generally extremely low at this point in time and only caprines are present. From the 5^th millennium BC, the numbers of sites with domesticates dramatically increase, more species are also involved and they are usually represented by significant quantities of bones. The data from the Fayum reflect this two phase development, with very limited evidence for domesticates in the 6^th millennium BC and more abundant and clearer indications in the 5^th millennium BC. Any modelling of early food production in Egypt suffers from poor amounts of data, bias due to differential preservation and visibility of sites and archaeological remains, and a lack of direct dates for domesticates. In general, however, the evidence for early stock keeping and accompanying archaeological features shows large regional variation and seems to be mainly dependent on local environmental conditions. The large numbers of fish at Kom K and Kom W reflect the proximity of Lake Qarun.     

A Survey of Chinese Citizens’ Perceptions on Farm Animal Welfare

Farm animal welfare has been gradually recognized as an important issue in most parts of the world. In China, domestic animals were traditionally raised in backyard and treated as an important component of family wealth. Industrialization of animal production brings forth the farm animal welfare concerns recently in China, yet the modern concept of animal welfare has not been publicized and a comprehensive recognition on how consumers and farmers perceive animal welfare is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a survey on public opinions toward farm animal welfare in China, based on pigs (including sows, piglets, and fattening pigs), domestic fowls (including layers and broilers) and their products. From 6,006 effective questionnaires approximately two thirds of the respondents had never heard of ‘animal welfare’; 72.9% of the respondents claimed that, for the sake of animal derived food safety, human beings should improve the rearing conditions for pigs and domestic fowls; 65.8% of the respondents totally or partly agreed on establishing laws to improve animal welfare; more than half of the respondents were willing, or to some extent willing, to pay more for high-welfare animal products, whereas 45.5% of the respondents were not willing or reluctant to pay more. In summary, farm animal welfare is still in its early stage of development and more efforts are needed to improve the public conception to animal welfare in the process of establishing farm animal welfare standards and legislations in China.     

两种颚口线虫流行病学调查和刚刺颚口线虫幼虫对四十种动物感染力的研究

本文报告刚刺颚口线虫Gnathostoma hispidum和棘颚口线虫Gnathostoma spinigerum流行学和动物实验。证明我国有40种动物充当它们的第一、二中间宿主和转续宿主,其中30种是这两种病源共同宿主。首次报告猕猴Macaca mulatta可作刚刺颚口线虫的第二中间宿主和转续宿主。用刚刺颚口线虫晚第三期幼虫经皮肤感染家猫和小白鼠均得阳性。调查和实验结果表明刚刺颚口线虫和棘颚口线虫的生物学和流行学特性十分相似,显示它们都是人兽共患的寄生虫。文中讨论刚刺颚口线虫的传播途径和人体感染问题。     

Monophyletic origin of domestic bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and its evolutionary relationship with the extant wild camel (Camelus bactrianus ferus)

The evolutionary relationship between the domestic bactrian camel and the extant wild two-humped camel and the factual origin of the domestic bactrian camel remain elusive. We determined the sequence of mitochondrial cytb gene from 21 camel samples, including 18 domestic camels (three Camelus bactrianus xinjiang , three Camelus bactrianus sunite , three Camelus bactrianus alashan , three Camelus bactrianus red , three Camelus bactrianus brown and three Camelus bactrianus normal ) and three wild camels ( Camelus bactrianus ferus ). Our phylogenetic analyses revealed that the extant wild two-humped camel may not share a common ancestor with the domestic bactrian camel and they are not the same subspecies at least in their maternal origins. Molecular clock analysis based on complete mitochondrial genome sequences indicated that the sub-speciation of the two lineages had begun in the early Pleistocene, about 0.7 million years ago. According to the archaeological dating of the earliest known two-humped camel domestication (5000–6000 years ago), we could conclude that the extant wild camel is a separate lineage but not the direct progenitor of the domestic bactrian camel. Further phylogenetic analysis suggested that the bactrian camel appeared monophyletic in evolutionary origin and that the domestic bactrian camel could originate from a single wild population. The data presented here show how conservation strategies should be implemented to protect the critically endangered wild camel, as it is the last extant form of the wild tribe Camelina.     

Domestication affects the structure,development and stability of biobehavioural profiles

Domestication is an evolutionary process during which the biobehavioural profile (comprising e.g. social and emotional behaviour, cognitive abilities, as well as hormonal stress responses) is substantially reshaped. Using a comparative approach, and focusing mainly on the domestic and wild guinea pig, an established model system for the study of domestication, we review (a) how wild and domestic animals of the same species differ in behaviour, emotion, cognition, and hormonal stress responses, (b) during which phases of life differences in biobehavioural profiles emerge and (c) whether or not animal personalities exist in both the wild and domestic form. Concerning (a), typical changes with domestication include increased courtship, sociopositive and maternal behaviours as well as decreased aggression and attentive behaviour. In addition, domestic animals display more anxiety-like and less risk-taking and exploratory behaviour than the wild form and they show distinctly lower endocrine stress responsiveness. There are no indications, however, that domestic animals have diminished cognitive abilities relative to the wild form. The different biobehavioural profiles of the wild and domestic animals can be regarded as adaptations to the different environmental conditions under which they live, i.e., the natural habitat and artificial man-made housing conditions, respectively. Concerning (b), the comparison of infantile, adolescent and adult wild and domestic guinea pigs shows that the typical biobehavioural profile of the domestic form is already present during early phases of life, that is, during early adolescence and weaning. Thus, differences between the domestic and the wild form can be attributed to genetic alterations resulting from artificial selection, and likely to environmental influences during the pre- and perinatal phase. Interestingly, the frequency of play behaviour does not differ between the domestic and wild form early in life, but is significantly higher in domesticated guinea pigs at later ages. Concerning (c), there is some evidence that personalities occur in both wild and domestic animals. However, there may be differences in which behavioural domains – social and sexual behaviour, emotionality, stress-responsiveness – are consistent over time. These differences are probably due to changing selection pressures during domestication.     

Population genetic analysis of the domestic Bactrian camel in China by RAD‐seq

Restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (RAD‐seq) is one of the most effective high‐throughput sequencing technologies for SNP development and utilization and has been applied to studying the origin and evolution of various species. The domestic Bactrian camels play an important role in economic trade and cultural construction. They are precious species resources and indispensable animals in China's agricultural production. Recently, the rapid development of modern transportation and agriculture, and the deterioration of the environment have led to a sharp decline in the number of camels. Although there have been some reports on the evolution history of the domestic Bactrian camel in China, the origin, evolutionary relationship, and genetic diversity of the camels are unclear due to the limitations of sample size and sequencing technology. Therefore, 47 samples of seven domestic Bactrian camel species from four regions (Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang) were prepared for RAD‐seq analysis to study the evolutionary relationship and genetic diversity. In addition, seven domestic Bactrian camel species are located in different ecological zones, forming different characteristics and having potential development value. A total of 6,487,849 SNPs were genotyped. On the one hand, the filtered SNP information was used to conduct polymorphism mapping construction, LD attenuation analysis, and nucleotide diversity analysis. The results showed that the number of SNPs in Dongjiang camel was the highest, the LD coefficient decayed the fastest, and the nucleotide diversity was the highest. It indicates that Dongjiang camel has the highest genetic diversity. On the other hand, the filtered SNPs information was used to construct the phylogenetic tree, and F_ST analysis, inbreeding coefficient analysis, principal component analysis, and population structure analysis were carried out. The results showed that Nanjiang camel and Beijiang camels grouped together, and the other five Bactrian camel populations gathered into another branch. It may be because the mountains in the northern part of Xinjiang and the desert in the middle isolate the two groups from the other five groups.     

In vitro embryo production (IVEP) in camelids: Present status and future perspectives

Camels are a fundamental livestock resource with a significant role in the agricultural economy of dry regions of Asia and Africa. Similarly, llamas and alpacas are an indigenous resource considered as beasts of burden in South America because of their surefootedness and ability to adapt. Camel racing, a highly lucrative and well-organized sport, camel beauty contests, and high demand for camel milk lead to a steady interest in the multiplication of elite animals by in vitro embryo production (IVEP) in this species during the last few decades. Although offspring have been produced from in vitro produced embryos, the technique is still not that well developed compared with other domestic animal species such as cattle. IVEP involves many steps, including the collection of oocytes from either slaughterhouse ovaries or live animals through ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration; in vitro maturation of these collected oocytes; collection and preparation of semen for fertilization; culture and passaging of cells for nuclear transfer, chemical activation of the reconstructed embryos, and in vitro culture of embryos up to the blastocyst stage for transfer into synchronized recipients to carry them to term. This review discusses the present status of all these steps involved in the IVEP of camelids and their future perspectives.     

Genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of Bactrian camels shown by mitochondrial sequence variations

The Bactrian camel includes various domestic (Camelus bactrianus) and wild (Camelus ferus) breeds that are important for transportation and for their nutritional value. However, there is a lack of extensive information on their genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure. Here, we studied these parameters by examining an 809‐bp mtDNA fragment from 113 individuals, representing 11 domestic breeds, one wild breed and two hybrid individuals. We found 15 different haplotypes, and the phylogenetic analysis suggests that domestic and wild Bactrian camels have two distinct lineages. The analysis of molecular variance placed most of the genetic variance (90.14%, P < 0.01) between wild and domestic camel lineages, suggesting that domestic and wild Bactrian camel do not have the same maternal origin. The analysis of domestic Bactrian camels from different geographical locations found there was no significant genetic divergence in China, Russia and Mongolia. This suggests a strong gene flow due to wide movement of domestic Bactrian camels.     

Deconstructing the concept of Subneolithic farming in the southeastern Baltic

The paper presents a critical review of the zooarchaeological, macrobotanical, palynological and archaeological data from Lithuania and their previous interpretations, which formerly served as the basis for the concept of development of pre-Neolithic or Subneolithic low intensity farming and/or livestock breeding in the eastern Baltic region. Moreover, it presents the first direct AMS dates from the crop remains and domestic animal bones discovered in Lithuanian Subneolithic and Neolithic settlements. An investigation proved that most of, or possibly all, the early farming “evidence” came from the wrong identification of the plant and animal species and incorrect dating of crop remains and domestic animal bones. The errors of dating were caused by the fresh water reservoir effect being ignored when dating the bulk lacustrine sediment samples, by the failure to evaluate the impact of the palimpsest and bioturbation phenomena on the formation of an archaeological layer, and by insufficient attention to stratigraphy and spatial documentation of the finds during very extensive archaeological excavations in the second half of the 20th century. To date, no credible evidence is available in Lithuania that domestic animals had been kept and crops grown before the Neolithic Globular Amphora and Corded Ware cultures in 3200/2700 cal bc. However, this does not mean such evidence may not appear in the future, provided direct AMS dating of animal and crop residues from Subneolithic contexts continues, and systematic macrobotanical studies finally start not only in the lake settlement and fishing sites, but also in higher altitude areas.