As above,not so below: Long-term dynamics of net primary production across a dryland transition zone

Drylands are key contributors to interannual variation in the terrestrial carbon sink, which has been attributed primarily to broad-scale climatic anomalies that disproportionately affect net primary production (NPP) in these ecosystems. Current knowledge around the patterns and controls of NPP is based largely on measurements of aboveground net primary production (ANPP), particularly in the context of altered precipitation regimes. Limited evidence suggests belowground net primary production (BNPP), a major input to the terrestrial carbon pool, may respond differently than ANPP to precipitation, as well as other drivers of environmental change, such as nitrogen deposition and fire. Yet long-term measurements of BNPP are rare, contributing to uncertainty in carbon cycle assessments. Here, we used 16 years of annual NPP measurements to investigate responses of ANPP and BNPP to several environmental change drivers across a grassland–shrubland transition zone in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. ANPP was positively correlated with annual precipitation across this landscape; however, this relationship was weaker within sites. BNPP, on the other hand, was weakly correlated with precipitation only in Chihuahuan Desert shrubland. Although NPP generally exhibited similar trends among sites, temporal correlations between ANPP and BNPP within sites were weak. We found chronic nitrogen enrichment stimulated ANPP, whereas a one-time prescribed burn reduced ANPP for nearly a decade. Surprisingly, BNPP was largely unaffected by these factors. Together, our results suggest that BNPP is driven by a different set of controls than ANPP. Furthermore, our findings imply belowground production cannot be inferred from aboveground measurements in dryland ecosystems. Improving understanding around the patterns and controls of dryland NPP at interannual to decadal scales is fundamentally important because of their measurable impact on the global carbon cycle. This study underscores the need for more long-term measurements of BNPP to improve assessments of the terrestrial carbon sink, particularly in the context of ongoing environmental change.     

Are brood sex ratios adaptive?—The effect of experimentally altered brood sex ratio on nestling growth,mortality and recruitment

Brood sex ratios (BSRs) have often been found to be nonrandom in respect of parental and environmental quality, and many hypotheses suggest that nonrandom sex ratios can be adaptive. To specifically test the adaptive value of biased BSRs, it is crucial to disentangle the consequences of BSR and maternal effects. In multiparous species, this requires cross-fostering experiments where foster parents rear offspring originating from multiple broods, and where the interactive effect of original and manipulated BSR on fitness components is tested. To our knowledge, our study on collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) is the first that meets these requirements. In this species, where BSRs had previously been shown to be related to parental characteristics, we altered the original BSR of the parents shortly after hatching by cross-fostering nestlings among trios of broods and examined the effects on growth, mortality and recruitment of the nestlings. We found that original and experimental BSR, as well as the interaction of the two, were unrelated to the fitness components considered. Nestling growth was related only to background variables, namely brood size and hatching rank. Nestling mortality was related only to hatching asynchrony. Our results therefore do not support that the observed BSRs are adaptive in our study population. However, we cannot exclude the possibility of direct effects of experimentally altered BSRs on parental fitness, which should be evaluated in the future. In addition, studies similar to ours are required on various species to get a clearer picture of the adaptive value of nonrandom BSRs.     

反义寡聚硫代磷酸脱氧核苷抑制体外细胞培养系统中乙肝抗原表达的研究

设计合成了两个分别互补于乙肝病毒２．１ｋｂ ｍＲＮＡ起始区（片段Ａ）和增强子区（片段Ｂ）的硫代磷酸的ＤＮＡ片段,在经克隆ＨＢＶ ＤＮＡ转染ＨｅｐＧ２细胞建立的ＨＢＶ短暂表达系统及稳定产生ＨＢＶ的２２１５细胞中研究二者对ＨＢｓＡｇ及ＨＢｅＡｇ表达的抑制作用。结果表明反义寡聚物能不同程序抑制乙肝抗原表达,并与剂量呈一定正相关。在ＨｅｐＧ２细胞ＨＢＶ短暂表达系统中,６μｍｏｌ／Ｌ浓度时,片段Ａ、Ｂ对ＨＢ     

人工繁殖恒河猴的血清前清蛋白、转铁蛋白、苹果酸脱氢酶和醇脱氢酶遗传多态性研究

用薄层聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳方法分析118头人繁殖恒河猴血清四种蛋白质和同工酶遗传基因位点的多态性,结果表明,除醇脱氢酶(ADH)为单态外,其余三个基因位点均表现多态,前清蛋白(PA)可分为AA、AB、AC、AD和BB、CC,EE七种表型,各基因的频率为A 0.85,B 0.072,C 0.042,D 0.009,E 0.034转铁蛋白(Tf)可分为CC、DD、EE、FFGG、CD、CE、CG、CH、DE、DF、DG、DH、EF、EG、EH、FG十七种表型,墓因频率为C 0.064,D 0.380,E 0.188,F 0.111,G 0.244,H 0.014,苹果酸脱氢酶(MDH)可分MDH)1-1和MDH2-1两种表型,基因频率为MDH~10.958和MDH~20.042。     

Dieckol,a natural polyphenolic drug,inhibits the proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells by inhibiting PI3K,AKT, and mTOR phosphorylation

This study investigated that dieckol (DKL), a natural drug, inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation and migration by inhibiting phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) phosphorylation in HCT-116 cells. The cells were treated with DKL in various concentrations (32 and 50 μM) for 24 h and then analyzed for various experiments. MTT (tetrazolium bromide) and crystal violet assay investigated DKL-mediated cytotoxicity. Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate staining was used to assess the reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurement, and apoptotic changes were studied by dual acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining. Protein expression of cell survival, cell cycle, proliferation, and apoptosis protein was evaluated by western blot analysis. Results indicated that DKL produces significant cytotoxicity in HCT-116, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration was found to be 32 μM for 24-h incubation. Moreover, effective production of ROS and enhanced apoptotic signs were observed upon DKL treatment in HCT-116. DKL induces the expression of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT, and mToR-associated enhanced expression of cyclin-D1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-4, CDK-6, and Bcl-2 in HCT-116. In addition, proapoptotic proteins such as Bax, caspase-9, and caspase-3 were significantly enhanced by DKL treatment in HCT-116. Hence, DKL has been considered a chemotherapeutic drug by impeding the expression of PI3K-, AKT-, and mTOR-mediated inhibition of proliferation and cell cycle-regulating proteins.     

Deciphering RNA m6A regulation in aging: Perspectives on current advances and future directions

N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is a dynamic and reversible RNA modification that has emerged as a crucial player in the life cycle of RNA, thus playing a pivotal role in various biological processes. In recent years, the potential involvement of RNA m⁶A modification in aging and age-related diseases has gained increasing attention, making it a promising target for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying aging and developing new therapeutic strategies. This Perspective article will summarize the current advances in aging-related m⁶A regulation, highlighting the most significant findings and their implications for our understanding of cellular senescence and aging, and the potential for targeting RNA m⁶A regulation as a therapeutic strategy. We will also discuss the limitations and challenges in this field and provide insights into future research directions. By providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field, this Perspective article aims to facilitate further advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying aging and to identify new therapeutic targets for aging-related diseases.     

宁夏河东沙区刺槐和丝绵木水分利用策略

刺槐和丝绵木混交林是宁夏河东沙区防护林建设的主要模式,了解刺槐和丝绵木的水分利用策略,能为区域植被恢复和防护林林分结构调整提供科学依据。以宁夏河东沙区刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)和丝绵木(Euonymus bungeanus)混交林为研究对象,通过监测微气象、树干液流和土壤质量含水量,结合大气降水、土壤水、植物木质部水同位素组成,采用Granier及其校正公式,运用贝叶斯混合模型(MixSIAR)和相似性比例指数(PS)研究2个树种的蒸腾耗水、水分来源和水分利用关系。结果表明：刺槐和丝绵木的蒸腾耗水量在生长季中期较高,前期和后期较小,刺槐的蒸腾耗水量是丝绵木的1.55倍;影响刺槐蒸腾耗水的主要环境因子为饱和水汽压差、太阳辐射、0—40 cm土壤质量含水量和40—120 cm土壤质量含水量;影响丝绵木蒸腾耗水的主要环境因子为饱和水汽压差、太阳辐射、平均气温、0—40 cm土壤质量含水量和40—120 cm土壤质量含水量;蒸腾耗水较高时,刺槐主要吸收利用中层土壤水,丝绵木主要吸收利用浅层土壤水,蒸腾耗水较低时,刺槐主要吸收利用浅层土壤水,丝绵木主要吸收利用中层土壤水;在...     

Characterization of phosphoinositide kinases in normal and sickle anaemia red cells

PtdIns and PtdInsP kinases from normal erythrocyte (AA) membranes and sickle cell anaemia erythrocyte (SS) membranes have been characterized. PtdIns kinase was studied in native membranes under conditions in which PtdInsP kinase and PtdInsP phosphatase do not express any activity. Kinetic analysis of the AA and SS PtdIns kinases indicate similar K_m values for PtdIns and ATP but higher V_max values for SS PtdIns kinase. PtdInsP kinase was partially purified from erythrocyte ghosts by NaCl extraction. The kinetic parameters of PtdInsP kinase determined under these conditions were similar in AA and SS NaCl extracts. These data suggest the presence of some effector of PtdIns kinase in SS cell membranes, resulting in a greater activity of the enzyme. This leads consequently, to increase the PtdInsP pool and to activate PtdInsP kinase, in agreement with our previous observations of a greater [³²P]Pi incorporation in both polyphosphoinositides in SS cells relatively to AA cells.     

Thioredoxin 1 overexpression attenuated diabetes-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress in Müller cells via apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1

As one of the common and serious chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), the related mechanism of diabetic retinopathy (DR) has not been fully understood. Müller cell reactive gliosis is one of the early pathophysiological features of DR. Therefore, exploring the manner to reduce diabetes-induced Müller cell damage is essential to delay DR. Thioredoxin 1 (Trx1), one of the ubiquitous redox enzymes, plays a vital role in redox homeostasis via protein–protein interactions, including apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). Previous studies have shown that upregulation of Trx by some drugs can attenuate endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in DR, but the related mechanism was unclear. In this study, we used DM mouse and high glucose (HG)-cultured human Müller cells as models to clarify the effect of Trx1 on ERS and the underlying mechanism. The data showed that the diabetes-induced Müller cell damage was increased significantly. Moreover, the expression of ERS and reactive gliosis was also upregulated in diabetes in vivo and in vitro. However, it was reversed after Trx1 overexpression. Besides, ERS-related protein expression, reactive gliosis, and apoptosis were decreased after transfection with ASK1 small-interfering RNA in stable Trx1 overexpression Müller cells after HG treatment. Taken together, Trx1 could protect Müller cells from diabetes-induced damage, and the underlying mechanism was related to inhibited ERS via ASK1.