黑素皮质素受体-4的研究进展

黑素皮质素受体 4 (MC4R)是人类中枢神经系统中参与调节肥胖症发生的重要因素 ,可调节动物的体重和采食量。自MC4R基因克隆以来 ,学者们对MC4R的结构 ,生理功能 ,调控 ,作用机制及其基因突变与体重的关系等方面进行了大量的研究。     

Cyclin-CDK-CKI及UPP参与生殖调控及在甲壳动物性腺发育中的研究进展

Cyclin-CDK-CKI是参与真核细胞周期调控的3个重要的调节因子。泛素蛋白酶体途径(ubiquitin proteasome pathway,UPP)是真核细胞内非溶酶体途径的蛋白质选择性降解的重要途径。细胞周期中许多时相特异性周期蛋白通过泛素化被周期性的降解对于细胞分裂的调控进程具有重要的作用。主要综述了Cyclin-CDK-CKI和UPP的组成、生理生化特性及其参与生殖调控的作用机制,同时阐述了这两大系统之间的联系及其在甲壳动物性腺发育中的研究进展。     

血插管技术在动物机体营养代谢研究中的应用

动物机体的营养代谢是一个不断变化的动态过程.血插管技术在研究营养代谢的动态过程中具有独特优势.血插管技术可用于研究不同来源或不同水平的营养素、生物活性物质、营养调控剂或药物对门静脉氨基酸、葡萄糖流量以及对机体内分泌因子、血清生化指标的动态影响效应;研究不同生理或病理条件下动物机体自身营养调控过程的机制;研究某个器官或组织对养分的吸收和代谢特点,等等.本文简要介绍了血插管技术的类型和在动物营养研究中的应用,以期为充分利用此技术加深对动物营养代谢过程及其调控机理的研究提供参考.     

线粒体自噬调控机制研究进展

线粒体为细胞正常生命运动提供能量和物质;然而各种因素会导致线粒体损伤,衰老及功能紊乱,它们是细胞潜在的危险因素,必需及时清除,线粒体自噬可以起到这一作用,维持细胞稳态。当细胞处于恶劣环境时,线粒体自噬可通过降解线粒体补充生命必需物质,从而度过危机维持生存。另外线粒体自噬会在某些情况下通过降解正常线粒体来维持线粒体质量和数量的平衡。不同生物中具有不同的线粒体自噬途径和机制,酵母中主要通过Atg32磷酸化调控线粒体自噬;哺乳动物中则存在分别由Parkin-PINK1、Nix、FUNDC1等不同蛋白介导的线粒体自噬调控机制;植物线粒体自噬的研究主要集中在拟南芥,其途径及具体调控机制尚不明确。综述了近年来酵母、动物和植物中线粒体自噬的作用机制及调控因子等方面的研究进展。     

促炎因子调控紧密连接的研究进展

紧密连接存在于所有上皮或内皮细胞间连接的最顶端,是物质经过旁细胞途径进行物质转运的结构基础,具有"屏障"和"栅栏"的作用。在炎症及免疫因素介导的多种疾病中,如炎症性肠病、囊肿性纤维化、舍格伦综合征和神经系统炎症等,患者血清及疾病累及的上皮或内皮组织均出现多种促炎因子含量升高。促炎因子作用于相关的上皮或内皮组织,通过影响紧密连接蛋白的表达、结构和功能从而调控上皮或内皮的旁细胞途径通透性,是炎症性疾病的一个重要的发病机制。本文重点综述了促炎因子对肠道、呼吸道、唾液腺上皮以及脑微血管内皮紧密连接的调控及其相关分子机制。     

低氧信号传导途径与鱼类低氧适应

低氧信号传导途径是从线虫到哺乳动物都十分保守的一个细胞信号传导途径系统,它对于维持后生动物的氧稳态至关重要.低氧诱导因子是该信号传导系统中最为关键的因子.对低氧诱导因子的调控是对低氧信号途径网络进行有效调控的主要方式.由于鱼类生存的水环境溶氧量的变化很大,在长期进化过程中,鱼类演化出适应不同浓度溶氧水环境的物种,并发展出千差万别的低氧适应策略.对鱼类低氧适应策略及其低氧适应机制的研究,对于认识鱼类物种形成的动因和培育耐低氧鱼类新品种具有十分重要的意义.本文在总结低氧信号传导及其调控机制研究进展的基础上,综述了鱼类低氧信号途径、低氧适应策略、低氧信号途径网络调控等方面研究的慨况.     

白念珠菌生物被膜形成的遗传调控机制

白念珠菌是人体重要的条件性致病真菌。形态的多样性和可塑性是白念珠菌典型的生物学特征,这与它的致病性、宿主适应能力以及有性生殖过程密切相关。白念珠菌生物被膜(Biofilm)是由不同形态细胞(包括酵母型、菌丝和假菌丝)以及胞外基质组成的致密结构,也是毒性和耐药性形成的重要因子。生物被膜对抗真菌药物、宿主免疫系统和环境胁迫因子等都表现出较强的抵抗力和耐受性,是临床上病原真菌感染防治的重大挑战。随着基因表达谱和遗传操作技术的发展,白念珠菌生物被膜的形成及其耐药性的获得所依赖的遗传调控通路和分子调控机制越来越清楚。主要包括MAPK和cAMP介导的信号途径以及Bcr1和Tec1等因子介导的转录调控。此外,白念珠菌生物被膜的形成与形态转换和有性生殖之间存在密切的联系。文中综述了白念珠菌生物被膜形成的遗传调控机制,重点介绍了细胞壁相关蛋白、转录因子和交配型对该过程的调控以及生物被膜的耐药机制。     

动物营养与基因表达关系研究进展

营养在动物的基因表达中起着重要的作用。在介绍基因表达过程及营养调控途径的基础 上,综述了营养水平与蛋白质、氨基酸、碳水化合物、脂肪与脂肪酸、矿物元素及维生素等营养因 子对相关基因表达的调控作用及主要机制,并对营养基因的调控、环境因子的调控和风味调控的 研究进行了展望。     

昆虫抗药性相关细胞色素P450基因的表达调控机制

杀虫剂的频繁持续使用,必然导致昆虫产生抗药性。大量研究事例表明参与杀虫剂解毒的细胞色素P450(简称P450)过量表达是昆虫对不同类型杀虫剂产生抗性的重要原因,但目前人们对P450基因过量表达机制的认识还非常有限。近十年来,随着生命科学与相关研究技术的发展,有关昆虫P450基因表达调控机制的研究取得了实质性的进展。本文综述了这一研究领域的重要发现。除了基因重复或基因扩增导致的P450基因拷贝数增加外,P450基因在转录层面的上调表达是P450介导抗药性的普遍且重要的机制。P450基因的转录上调由顺式调控元件与反式作用因子相互作用得以实现。现已发现了几种不同类型的转录因子(CncC, CREB和核受体等)对昆虫P450表达的直接调控,也鉴定了间接调控P450表达的作用因子如G蛋白偶联受体及其下游效应子。ncC:Maf/Keap1是抗药性相关P450基因表达的重要而普遍的调控途径。越来越多的事例表明小RNA在昆虫P450的表达调控中起重要作用。现有的研究结果揭示了昆虫P450基因调控因子和信号转导通路的多样性及调控机制的复杂性。     

温带落叶阔叶林地表鞘翅目成虫小尺度空间格局动态分析

土壤动物空间格局是格局—过程以及生物多样性维持机制研究的重要基础,目前小尺度空间土壤动物空间格局动态特征仍不清楚。基于地统计空间分析方法,以鞘翅目成虫为研究对象,研究帽儿山温带落叶阔叶林小尺度空间(5m)地表鞘翅目成虫群落及类群的空间格局动态特征。结果表明:4次调查共捕获鞘翅目成虫11科、29类、1021只个体,调查月份鞘翅目成虫群落具有较强的时空变异性;Moran'sⅠ系数表明鞘翅目成虫群落和类群具有复杂的正的空间自相关性,其空间异质性可用球状、指数、高斯和线性模型进行拟合。这种空间异质性具有一定的时间变化特征,且这种空间分异是由随机性因素单一调控或结构性因素和随机性因素共同调控的结果;类群之间在多种尺度上表现为复杂的以负相关居多的空间关联性,这种空间关联性的形成主要是结构性因素或随机性因素单一调控的结果。本实验表明地表鞘翅目成虫群落在小尺度空间具有明显的空间异质性特征,这种空间异质性时间变异性较明显。     

环境重金属污染物的生物有效性

利用生态系统研究了白银有色金属冶炼矿区周围环境中重金属的分布及生物有效性。结果表明 ,工厂在冶炼过程中已造成 Pb、Cd、Cu、Zn对周围环境不同程度的污染 ,其含量与距工厂的距离呈负相关 ;重金属在各种生物体内均有不同程度的吸收和累积 ,其吸收累积量随重金属和生物种类的不同而有差异 ;土壤的污染 ,使农作物和牧草中 Pb、Cd含量超过动物的最大耐受量和中毒的临界值 ;动物研究发现 ,肾脏、骨骼和肝脏是机体内重金属蓄积的主要器官。因此 ,放牧动物可作为环境重金属污染状况的标识 ,对评价重金属环境污染对当地人群的危害也有重要意义     

Use of balance methods for assessment of short-term changes in body composition

Balance methods reveal changes in body energy, nitrogen, macro‐ and micronutrients as well as fluid in response to different feeding regimens. Under metabolic ward conditions, where physical activity is restricted and activity and food intake are controlled, the errors of estimates of energy intake, energy expenditure, and energy losses are about 2, 4, and 2%, respectively. Balance techniques can be used to validate techniques of in vivo body composition analysis (BCA). This is necessary since immediate and transient changes in body composition in response to a change in diet adversely affect the validity of techniques by violating the assumptions underlying standard methods (i.e., a constant composition or hydration of lean mass). Using two compartment reference methods, like densitometry, dual X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) or deuterium dilution, changes in fat mass with caloric restriction and overfeeding can be measured with a minimal detectable change (MDC) of 1.0–2.0 kg. However, when compared against balance data, the validity of these techniques to measure short‐term changes in body composition is poor. The noninvasive and rapid new quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR) technique has a high precision with a MDC of 0.18 kg of fat mass. The validity of QMR to assess short‐term changes in fat mass is challenged by comparison to balance data. Today, techniques used for in vivo BCA should be related to steady state conditions only, while in the nonsteady state, the use of balance methods is recommended to assess short‐term changes in body composition.     

Animal board invited review: genetic possibilities to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants

Measuring and mitigating methane (CH₄) emissions from livestock is of increasing importance for the environment and for policy making. Potentially, the most sustainable way of reducing enteric CH₄ emission from ruminants is through the estimation of genomic breeding values to facilitate genetic selection. There is potential for adopting genetic selection and in the future genomic selection, for reduced CH₄ emissions from ruminants. From this review it has been observed that both CH₄ emissions and production (g/day) are a heritable and repeatable trait. CH₄ emissions are strongly related to feed intake both in the short term (minutes to several hours) and over the medium term (days). When measured over the medium term, CH₄ yield (MY, g CH₄/kg dry matter intake) is a heritable and repeatable trait albeit with less genetic variation than for CH₄ emissions. CH₄ emissions of individual animals are moderately repeatable across diets, and across feeding levels, when measured in respiration chambers. Repeatability is lower when short term measurements are used, possibly due to variation in time and amount of feed ingested prior to the measurement. However, while repeated measurements add value; it is preferable the measures be separated by at least 3 to 14 days. This temporal separation of measurements needs to be investigated further. Given the above issue can be resolved, short term (over minutes to hours) measurements of CH₄ emissions show promise, especially on systems where animals are fed ad libitum and frequency of meals is high. However, we believe that for short-term measurements to be useful for genetic evaluation, a number (between 3 and 20) of measurements will be required over an extended period of time (weeks to months). There are opportunities for using short-term measurements in standardised feeding situations such as breath ‘sniffers’ attached to milking parlours or total mixed ration feeding bins, to measure CH₄. Genomic selection has the potential to reduce both CH₄ emissions and MY, but measurements on thousands of individuals will be required. This includes the need for combined resources across countries in an international effort, emphasising the need to acknowledge the impact of animal and production systems on measurement of the CH₄ trait during design of experiments.     

Associative effects between forages on feed intake and digestion in ruminants

The feeding value of forage mixtures from permanent and temporary multi-species grasslands cannot always be precisely defined. Indeed, the digestibility and feed intake of a combination of forages can differ from the balanced median values calculated from forages considered separately. In order to present an overview of the associative effects between forages on digestion and intake, a literature study was carried out. The associative effects can be studied in a complementary way in vitro to test digestive interactions of a large number of mixtures and to carry out explanatory experiments, and in vivo to investigate intake and digestion at the whole animal scale. We identified three main situations in which interactions between forages can lead to associative effects on intake and digestion: (i) increased intake that can be observed with grass and legume association can be explained by fast digestion of the soluble fraction of legumes, and a higher rate of particle breakdown and passage through the rumen, (ii) increased digestion when a poor forage is supplemented by a high nitrogen content plant can be explained by stimulation of the microbial activity and (iii) modification of digestive processes in the rumen, including proteolysis and methane production when certain bioactive secondary metabolites such as tannins, saponins or polyphenol oxidase are present. According to the type and concentration of these compounds in the diet, the effects can be favourable or unfavourable on intake and digestive parameters. Reported associative effects between forages show a large variability among studies. This reflects the complexity and multiplicity of nutritional situations affecting intake and the rumen function in a given animal. In order to provide more reliable information, further accumulation of data combining in vitro and in vivo studies is required. A better understanding of the associative effects between forages could help to optimise feed use efficiency, resulting in greater productivity, a reduction of the environmental impact of animal emissions and more sustainable animal production.     

The regulation of food intake in mammalian hibernators: a review

One of the most profound hallmarks of mammalian hibernation is the dramatic reduction in food intake during the winter months. Several species of hibernator completely cease food intake (aphagia) for nearly 7 months regardless of ambient temperature and in many cases, whether or not food is available to them. Food intake regulation has been studied in mammals that hibernate for over 50 years and still little is known about the physiological mechanisms that control this important behavior in hibernators. It is well known from lesion experiments in non-hibernators that the hypothalamus is the main brain region controlling food intake and therefore body mass. In hibernators, the regulation of food intake and body mass is presumably governed by a circannual rhythm since there is a clear seasonal rhythm to food intake: animals increase food intake in the summer and early autumn, food intake declines in autumn and actually ceases in winter in many species, and resumes again in spring as food becomes available in the environment. Changes in circulating hormones (e.g., leptin, insulin, and ghrelin), nutrients (glucose, and free fatty acids), and cellular enzymes such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) have been shown to determine the activity of neurons involved in the food intake pathway. Thus, it appears likely that the food intake pathway is controlled by a variety of inputs, but is also acted upon by upstream regulators that are presumably rhythmic in nature. Current research examining the molecular mechanisms and integration of environmental signals (e.g., temperature and light) with these molecular mechanisms will hopefully shed light on how animals can turn off food intake and survive without eating for months on end.     

Wildlife utilization: use it or lose it — a Kenyan perspective

The history, present status, plans for the future and constraints of consumptive utilization of wildlife in Kenya are discussed. Such utilization is considered to be a viable development option and has positive aspects for conservation of the environment and animals. It is proposed that illegal consumptive utilization is at such a level in the country that if it is not brought under control the wildlife population will decline catastrophically. There are numerous constraints of a legal and infrastructural nature which will reduce the potential of wildlife utilization, especially in the short term. Community knowledge of sustainable utilization methods is lacking as is, to a large extent, governmental and non-governmental support for such activities. The Kenya Wildlife Service is the body empowered to act in this area and it is funded to carry a community programme forward but implementation will require a massive locally-driven initiative without bureaucratic interference. Game ranching and farming are developing but involve only a small sector of the community and at a relatively low level compared with Southern Africa. Some practical and veterinary aspects are briefly discussed.     

Leptin transport in the central nervous system

Synthesized and released by the adipose tissue, leptin is the widely studied 167‐amino acid hormonal protein product of the obesity gene. Originally leptin was defined in association with satiety and energy balance and claimed to be an anti‐obesity factor that functioned via a feedback effect from adipocytes to hypothalamus. There is a growing body of evidence that emphasizes the importance of leptin in the regulation of food intake and body weight in animals and humans, alike. Other research findings point out that it plays a role in the regulation of the metabolism, sexual development, reproduction, hematopoiesis, immunity, gastrointestinal functions, sympathetic activation, and angiogenesis. The aim of this review is to evaluate the relation between leptin and the central nervous system (CNS). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Does declining carbon‐use efficiency explain thermal acclimation of soil respiration with warming?

Enhanced soil respiration in response to global warming may substantially increase atmospheric CO₂ concentrations above the anthropogenic contribution, depending on the mechanisms underlying the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. Here, we compared short‐term and seasonal responses of soil respiration to a shifting thermal environment and variable substrate availability via laboratory incubations. To analyze the data from incubations, we implemented a novel process‐based model of soil respiration in a hierarchical Bayesian framework. Our process model combined a Michaelis–Menten‐type equation of substrate availability and microbial biomass with an Arrhenius‐type nonlinear temperature response function. We tested the competing hypotheses that apparent thermal acclimation of soil respiration can be explained by depletion of labile substrates in warmed soils, or that physiological acclimation reduces respiration rates. We demonstrated that short‐term apparent acclimation can be induced by substrate depletion, but that decreasing microbial biomass carbon (MBC) is also important, and lower MBC at warmer temperatures is likely due to decreased carbon‐use efficiency (CUE). Observed seasonal acclimation of soil respiration was associated with higher CUE and lower basal respiration for summer‐ vs. winter‐collected soils. Whether the observed short‐term decrease in CUE or the seasonal acclimation of CUE with increased temperatures dominates the response to long‐term warming will have important consequences for soil organic carbon storage.     

The hypothalamic syndrome in rats.

The original conception of the hypothalamus controlling feeding by the activity of two specific and reciprocally inhibitory centers has now been largely abandoned. Detailed neural research using a wide variety of methods has demonstrated the complex morphological and functional organization of this part of the brain and has modified the earlier simplistic approach. However, examination of the feeding responses to a variety of stimuli that represent components of control of feeding indicates that much or even most feeding control is extrahypothalamic. As demonstrated by the obesity or aphagia resulting from hypothalamic damage or from reversible hypothalamic interference, the hypothalamus influences or modulates feeding control, possibly by an enabling action, but it does not itself substantially control food intake either in the short or the long term. In the cachaxia of cancer, which can tentatively be regarded as a negative obesity, and which is closely reproducible in a rat model, the decline of food intake can be attributed to failure of control components that are all extrahypothalamic, and the deterioration of control of feeding appears to be quite independent of the hypothalamus. The very detailed reconstruction of intrahypothalamic circuitry that has been developed in recent years has not yet had any real impact on the problem of where or how the active control of food intake is generated or the way in which the hypothalamus influences this control.     

Voluntary intake and digestibility in horses: effect of forage quality with emphasis on individual variability

Food intake is a key biological process in animals, as it determines the energy and nutrients available for the physiological and behavioural processes. In herbivores, the abundance, structure and quality of plant resources are known to influence intake strongly. In ruminants, as the forage quality declines, digestibility and total intake decline. Equids are believed to be adapted to consume high-fibre low-quality forages. As hindgut fermenters, it has been suggested that their response to a reduction in food quality is to increase intake to maintain rates of energy and nutrient absorption. All reviews of horse nutrition show that digestibility declines with forage quality; for intake, however, most studies have found no significant relationship with forage quality, and it has even been suggested that horses may eat less with declining forage quality similarly to ruminants. A weakness of these reviews is to combine data from different studies in meta-analyses without allowing the differences between animals and diets to be controlled for. In this study, we analysed a set of 45 trials where intake and digestibility were measured in 21 saddle horses. The dataset was analysed both at the group (to allow comparisons with the literature) and at the individual levels (to control for individual variability). As expected, dry matter digestibility declined with forage quality in both analyses. Intake declined slightly with increasing fibre contents at the group level, and there were no effects of crude protein or dry matter digestibility on intake. Overall, the analysis for individual horses showed a different pattern: intake increased as digestibility and crude protein declined, and increased with increasing fibre. Our analysis at the group level confirms previous reviews and shows that forage quality explains little of the variance in food intake in horses. For the first time, using mixed models, we show that the variable 'individual' clarifies the picture, as the horses showed different responses to a decrease in forage quality: some compensated for the low nutritional value of the forages by increasing intake, few others responded by decreasing intake with declining forage quality, but not enough to cause any deficit in their energy and protein supplies. On the whole, all the animals managed to meet their maintenance requirements. The individual variability may be a by-product of artificial selection for performance in competition in saddle horses.