江南桤木(Alnus trabeculosa)的花粉形态与其生态因子

采用光学显微镜、扫描电镜和透射电镜对产自安徽省岳西县鹞落坪国家自然保护区的桦木科江南桤木的花粉形态进行了观察和研究。结果表明花粉粒圆球形至近球形,花粉大小为22.5—35.0μm,平均为31.5μm。赤道面观近扁球形,极面观为四角形或五角形。光学显微镜下,4-5孔,孔的结构特殊,内、外层到孔边分离,形成显著的孔室。在光切面看,外层在孔处加厚,孔间带状加厚。同时,在扫描电镜下,萌发孔沿赤道排列,为短萌发孔,萌发孔长轴3.2μm,短轴为1.5μm,其长轴约为短轴的2倍。外壁厚为2.0μm,外壁外层明显厚于内层。外壁纹饰在光学显微镜为不明显的颗粒排列为细条纹,扫描电镜下为微刺。在透射电镜下,花粉壁分为明显的四层,即:覆盖层、柱状层、基层和内层;覆盖层有刺状纹饰等。同时研究了江南桤木花粉的地理分布及其与生态因子的关系。根据江南桤木植物赖以生存的生态因子,得出江南桤木花粉分布区的主要生态因子,包括地理位置、海拔高度、年降水量、年积温及生境,为利用地层中桦木科化石花粉重建古气候、古环境及气候变迁提供了现代孢粉学资料和依据,也为该植物的现代地理分布提供了科学依据。     

菹草(Potamogeton crispus)的花粉形态与其生态因子

应用光学显微镜、扫描电镜和透射电镜对安徽大学校内水池中眼子菜科植物菹草的花粉形态进行了观察和研究.结果表明花粉粒球形至近球形,花粉大小为21.0-29.0 μm,平均为24.5 μm.无萌发孔.光学显微镜下,花粉外壁纹饰为网状,外壁厚约4.1μm,两层明显,外层较内层厚.在扫描电镜下花粉表面具粗网状纹饰,网脊窄.在透射电镜下,花粉外壁为三层组成,即覆盖层、柱状层和基层.外壁内层不明显.覆盖层不连续,为半覆盖层;柱状层小柱发达;基层较厚.同时研究了菹草花粉的地理分布及其与生态因子的关系.根据菹草植物赖以生存的生态因子,得出菹草花粉分布区的主要生态因子,包括地理位置、海拔高度、年降水量、年积温及生境,为利用地层中眼子菜科化石花粉重建古气候、古环境及气候变迁提供了现代孢粉学资料和依据.     

中国酸模属植物花粉形态研究

利用光学显微镜、扫描电镜对１５种,透射电镜对２种国产酸模属植物的花粉进行观察与研究。本属花粉为球形或近球形,大小为１５～４０×１８～４０μｍ。具３孔沟、４斜孔沟、散孔沟、散沟等;沟或外沟狭长,几达两极,内陷或不内陷,内孔圆形、稍横长或纵长;表面具皱波状纹饰;外壁厚１．０～３．５μｍ,外层明显厚于内层。在透射电镜下,花粉外壁分３层：覆盖层最厚,具穴状或穿孔,颗粒状或刺状纹饰,内面均匀;柱状层明显,厚,小柱为钝圆锥体或圆柱状,基层和内层不分,最薄,但在萌发孔处明显增厚。根据花粉形态,本属花粉可以分成７个组,它们是：小酸模组、滨海酸模组、酸模组、土大黄组、荒地酸模组、巴天酸模组和钝叶酸模组。对萌发孔分布规律的研究,基本支持Ｗｏｄｅｈｏｕｓｅ（１９３１）的观点,同时据花粉萌发孔演化的规律,认为本属花粉可能是蓼科花粉由少数萌发孔向多数萌发孔演化的过渡类型。     

国产毛茛组植物孢粉形态学研究

对国产毛茛组１５种２变种的花粉形态进行了光学显微镜和扫描电镜的观察。根据花粉萌发孔类型及外壁纹饰,可将它们分布５种类型,花粉形态在系统分类上无意义,但在组间分类上有一定系统学意义。ＲａｎｕｎｃｕｌｕｓｔｒｉｇｏｎｕｓＨａｎｄ．－Ｍａｓｚｚ。花粉散孔,平坦覆盖层。     

水雍科植物的花粉形态研究

应用光学显微镜、扫描电镜和透射电镜对世界水雍科6种植物的花粉形态进行了观察。水雍科植物花粉为舟形或船形,具远极单沟萌发孔类型,外壁纹饰通常为浅网状至网状,稀为小刺状纹饰,外壁外层由覆盖层、柱状层和基层组成,覆盖层厚。水雍科植物花粉外壁纹饰表现了从小刺状向网状的过渡。该科花粉为远极单沟,覆盖层厚,具小刺等特征反映了其与水鳖科和泽泻目花蔺科的密切联系,而该科花粉外壁纹饰多为网状则与茨藻目植物接近。这一结果支持将水雍科从茨藻目中分出作为一个独立的目处理的观点。此外,水雍科植物的花粉大小、纹饰类型、网眼大小与深浅等方面的差异对种级分类有一定意义。     

中国鸢尾属花粉形态研究

本文借助光学显微镜和扫描电镜,对我国产鸢尾属Iris L．32种植物的花粉形态进行 了观察。该属植物的花粉为舟形或近球形。萌发孔可分为远极单沟、远极单沟-拟沟、二合 沟及无萌发孔等类型。外壁主要为网状纹饰,少数具瘤状或鼓槌状纹饰。本文依据花粉形态 和其它器官特征,对本属花粉外壁及萌发孔的演化趋势及某些种的分类地位进行了探讨。     

泽泻科的花粉形态研究

本文对泽泻科11属27种代表植物的花粉进行了光学显微镜、扫描电镜和透射电镜观察。在系统描述了该科及各属植物花粉形态的基础上,将泽泻科植物的花粉划分为3种类型,即少果泽苔草型、慈菇型和泽泻型。根据花粉形态特征的比较,并依据泽泻科植物祖先类群的花粉具有船形、具单沟萌发孔、花粉外壁具明显的刺状纹饰、覆盖层完整无通道等特征,作者认为泽泻科植物花粉形态的如下演化趋势是明显的：由船形演化为卵球形、球形和多面体球形;由单沟萌发孔经过一无孔的中间类型演化为散孔类型;孔膜由光滑演化为具颗粒和小刺;萌发孔不内陷进化到内陷;花粉粒外壁的刺状纹饰逐渐过渡为颗粒状纹饰或者消失,以及覆盖层由无通道到具细通道和通道。     

五种木兰属植物的花粉形态

对木兰属(Magnolia)5种花粉进行了光学显微镜观察,形态相似。扫描电镜下观察,花粉外壁均为小穴状纹饰,荷花玉兰(M．grandiflora)略为粗糙。透射电镜下观察,5种花粉外壁均可分为覆盖层、柱状层和基层。覆盖层不连续,有小穿孔。在远极面萌发沟区域,外壁逐渐减薄,最后覆盖层和柱状层消失,仅残留基层。柱状层内部空隙较小,多由颗粒构成,处于小柱发育的初级阶段。荷花玉兰和玉兰萌发沟区域下有明显的外壁-2。木兰属花粉属于原始类型的代表。     

我国椴树科花粉形态的研究

本文对分布于我国的椴树科(Tiliaceae)9属44种植物的花粉形态进行了光学显微镜 的系统观察,并对其中10种花粉的外壁细微结构进行了扫描电镜观察。本科花粉为长球形、 扁球形和球形,萌发孔为长3孔沟、短3孔沟和3(一4)孔三种类型,外壁主要为网状纹饰,个 别属为刺状纹饰。根据花粉资料,本文还探讨了该科植物分类中的某些问题。     

新疆蚤缀属植物花粉形态学研究

通过光学显著 和扫描电镜,对新疆产双属９种植物的花粉形态进行了研究,发现该属花粉大多近球形,萌发孔多数,孔膜上有疣状突起,外壁纹饰为颗粒状,夹杂有小穴散布。     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.