水稻转录因子OsBP-73靶基因的初步筛选

OsBP-73是用酵母单杂交系统,以水稻蜡质基因(Wx)的顺式作用元件为诱饵,从水稻cDNA表达文库中筛选获得的转录因子。本文以OsBP-73基因为例介绍了用"下拉"(pull-down)方法筛选转录因子靶基因的一般步骤。将含有该基因DNA结合功能域的cDNA片段构建到原核表达载体上,并在大肠杆菌中诱导表达获得其蛋白p73。用纯化后的p73蛋白通过"下拉"实验对OsBP-73靶基因进行初步筛选,获得了22个阳性克隆,为进一步研究转录因子OsBP-73参与的水稻转录调控网络提供依据。     

Critical issues in preparing for a mass casualty event: highlights from a new community planning guide

To assist community planners in allocating scarce resources in a mass casualty event, the Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response collaborated with leading experts on a series of issue papers on preparedness and response. These papers were presented at an expert meeting in Washington, DC, in June 2006. The papers, revised based on meeting discussions, have been published by AHRQ as Mass Medical Care with Scarce Resources: A Community Planning Guide.     

In situ proteolysis for protein crystallization and structure determination

We tested the general applicability of in situ proteolysis to form protein crystals suitable for structure determination by adding a protease (chymotrypsin or trypsin) digestion step to crystallization trials of 55 bacterial and 14 human proteins that had proven recalcitrant to our best efforts at crystallization or structure determination. This is a work in progress; so far we determined structures of 9 bacterial proteins and the human aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase (AIRS) domain.     

Migraine and stroke in young women: case-control study

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between migraine and ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke in young women.DesignHospital based case-control study.SettingFive European centres participating in the World Health Organisation Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease and Steroid Hormone Contraception.Subjects291 women aged 20-44 years with ischaemic, haemorrhagic, or unclassified arterial stroke compared with 736 age and hospital matched controls.InterventionQuestionnaire.ResultsAdjusted odds ratios associated with a personal history of migraine were 1.78 (95% confidence intervals, 1.14 to 2.77), 3.54 (1.30 to 9.61), and 1.10 (0.63 to 1.94) for all stroke, ischaemic stroke, and haemorrhagic stroke respectively. Odds ratios for ischaemic stroke were similar for classical migraine (with aura) (3.81, 1.26 to 11.5) and simple migraine (without aura) (2.97, 0.66 to 13.5). A family history of migraine, irrespective of personal history, was also associated with increased odds ratios, not only for ischaemic stroke but also haemorrhagic stroke. In migrainous women, coexistent use of oral contraceptives or a history of high blood pressure or smoking had greater than multiplicative effects on the odds ratios for ischaemic stroke associated with migraine alone. Change in the frequency or type of migraine on using oral contraceptives did not predict subsequent stroke. Between 20% and 40% of strokes in women with migraine seemed to develop directly from a migraine attack.ConclusionsMigraine in women of childbearing age significantly increases the risk of ischaemic but not haemorrhagic stroke. The coexistence of oral contraceptive use, high blood pressure, or smoking seems to exert a greater than multiplicative effect on the risk of ischaemic stroke associated with migraine.

Key messages

• A personal history of migraine was associated with increased risk of ischaemic but not haemorrhagic stroke
• Coexistence of risk factors—use of oral contraceptives, high blood pressure, or smoking had more than multiplicative effects on odds ratios for ischaemic stroke associated with migraine alone
• A family history of migraine, irrespective of a personal migraine history, was associated with increased risk of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke
• Up to 40% of strokes in migrainous women develop directly out of a migraine attack—so called migrainous strokes
• A change in type or frequency of migraine with use of oral contraceptives did not predict subsequent stroke

     

Evolutionary conservation of the membrane fusion machine

Recent structural studies of proteins mediating membrane fusion reveal intriguing similarities between diverse viral and mammalian systems. Particularly striking is the close similarity between the transmembrane envelope glycoproteins from the retrovirus HTLV-1 and the filovirus Ebola. These similarities suggest similar mechanisms of membrane fusion. The model that fits most currently available data suggests fusion activation in viral systems is driven by a symmetrical conformational change triggered by an activation event such as receptor binding or a pH change. The mammalian vesicle fusion mediated by the SNARE protein complex most likely occurs by a similar mechanism but without symmetry constraints.     

温-压热降解实验中松粉的演变特征

松粉温-压模拟实验研究表明,热演变过程中随颜色加深,花粉个体大小收缩率可达40％以上,并且气囊比本体收缩率更高。因此,在孢粉化石鉴定时应考虑热演变程度对孢粉形态的影响。花粉热变指数、H／C、O／C原子比及镜质体反射率都是良好的热成熟度指标,前者在未熟-低熟阶段反映演变程度更为敏感,后者进入成熟阶段以后,能更详尽地描述热演变程度。花粉属于Ⅱ1型干酪根,含有大量的类脂组分,是一类良好的生油母质,其生烃能力与浮游藻类接近。     

关于物种濒危等级标准之探讨--对IUCN物种濒危等级的思考

为了保存地球上的生物多样性,我们需要根据物种的种群数量与分布、种群数量波动与分布区下降速率来评定濒危物种的濒危等级,并针对物种的濒危等级提出具体的保护措施。1994年11月,IUCN第40次理事会会议正式通过了经过修订的Mace-Lande物种濒危等级标准作为IUCN物种濒危等级标准。IUCN濒危物种红色名录虽然不是国际法和国家法律,但是对于政府间组织、非政府组织的保护决策以及各国的自然法律法规的制定有着深远的影响,在保护生物学理论研究中也发挥了一定作用。我们在研究制定中国水生野生生物濒危等级标准时发现,如果直接应用IUCN物种濒危等级标准评定水生野生生物濒危等级将存在一些问题。如：(1)如何区别对待那些本来就数量稀少、分布区狭窄的物种和那些由于人类活动而导致其种群数量与生境面积急剧下降的物种?(2)不同的动物类群能否应用同一濒危标准尺度?(3)如何区别对待物种边缘分布区和核心分布区的种群数量与密度的差异?(4)如何处理种群的局部灭绝、局部濒危?(5)一些濒危物种在野生环境中濒危,但是这些物种可以人工繁殖,如何处理可以人工繁殖的濒危物种?(6)如果没有种群与栖息地的精确历史资料和统计数据,怎样应用物种的濒危标准评估其濒危等级?在实践中,我们针对这些问题提出了解决方案。考虑与国际流行的IUCN物种濒危等级标准接轨,我们提出来一个由“无危”、“值得关注”、“受胁”、“濒危”和“灭绝”等5个级构成的濒危等级系统,其中“值得关注”、“受胁”、“濒危”又分为“一般”与“高度”两个亚等级。我们提出应区分“生态濒危物种”、“进化濒危物种”;对于不同生物类群,应区分物种的生活史对策,制定不同生活史物种的濒危标准。对于r-对策物种,引入“经济灭绝”这一等级,将这一等级对应于“受胁”等级,以解决缺少物种数量的统计数据和历史数据这一难题;区别对待特有物种,将其濒危等级提升一等;引进集合种群(metapopulation)概念,将集合种群的局域种群(local population)作为“个体”对待。     

Adenovirus-mediated expression of pig α(1,3) galactosyltransferase reconstructs Gal α(1,3) Gal epitope on the surface of human tumor cells

INTRODUCTIONGal a(1, 3) Gal (gal epitope) is a carbohydrate epitope, which is produced in large amounton the cells of pigs, mice and New World monkey(monkey of South America) by the glycosylationenzyme G alal 1 ) 4G IcNAc3- a- D- galactosyltransferase[or(1, 3)GT; EC2.4.1.511111. This enzyme is active in the Golgi appaxatus of cells and transfers galactose from the sugandonor uridine diphoSphate galactose (UDP-galactose) to the acceptor Nacetyllactosamine residue (Galaal-4GlcNAc-R…