Mitochondrial genome phylogeny reveals the deep-time origin of Gomphomastacinae (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae) and its alpine genera in China

Gomphomastacinae is a grasshopper subfamily in Eumastacidae, with a morphology and distribution distinct from other subfamilies. The alpine genera of Gomphomastacinae that inhabit the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in China show unique characteristics adapted to high-altitude life. However, their phylogenetic position and biogeographic history remain controversial. Thus, to determine the diversification history of these alpine genera and the origin of the subfamily, we obtained mitochondrial genome sequences from all seven Gomphomastacinae genera distributed in China. The reconstructed phylogeny was well supported and confirmed the phylogenetic position of Gomphomastacinae within Eumastacidae. Time calibration revealed a deep-time origin of the subfamily dating back to the Cretaceous period, and the diversification among alpine genera was also an ancient pre-Miocene event (30–50 Ma). Based on phylogeny and time estimates, the most likely biogeographic scenario is that Gomphomastacinae originated from an ancestral lineage that lived in East Gondwana and dispersed to Central and Western Asia through India. Subsequently, the alpine genera likely diverged along with the uplift of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and survived drastic climate change by in situ adaptation to high-altitude dwellings.     

九种蹄盖蕨科植物配子体的酯酶同工酶分析

本文培养了蹄盖蕨科９个种即中华蹄盖蕨（Ａｔｈｙｒｉｕｍｓｉｎｅｎｓｅ）带岭蹄盖蕨（Ａ．ｄａｌｉｎｇｅｎｓｅ）、多齿蹄盖蕨（Ａ．ｍｕｌｔｉｄｅｎｔａｔｕｍ）（包括青柄和紫柄２种带岭蹄蕨类型）、东北蛾眉蕨（Ｌｕｎａｔｈｙｒｉｕｍｐｙｃｎｏｓｏｒｕｍ）、朝鲜介蕨（Ｄｒｙｏａｔｈｙｒｉｕｍｃｏｒｅａｎｕｍ）、山冷蕨（Ｃｙｓｔｏｐｔｅｒｉｓｓｕｄｅｔｉｃａ）、假冷蕨（Ｐｓｅｕｄｏｃｙｓｔｏｐｔｅｒｉｓｓｐｉｎｕｌｏｓａ）、欧洲羽节蕨（Ｇｙｍｎｏｃａｒｐｉｕｍｄｒｙｏｐｔｅｒｉｓ）和黑鳞短肠蕨（Ａｌａｎｔｏｄｉａｃｒｅｎａｔａ）的配子体为材料,进行酯酶同工酶的分析,以表明它们的种间差异,其中多齿蹄盖蕨的青柄和紫柄两种类型的酶谱存在明显差异,应考虑紫柄为多齿蹄盖蕨的变型。     

New dual electrochemical detector for microbore liquid chromatography determination of dopamine and serotonin in rat striatum dialysates

A new type of liquid chromatographic (LC) dual thin-layer amperometric detector for the simultaneous measurement of trace levels of dopamine and serotonin in microdialysates is described. The concentrations of these analytes in rat dialysates are usually in the sub-nanomolar concentration range (typically, 0.10–5.00 pg in 5-μl dialysates). With this dual electrode, a glass-lined microbore column provides excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and separation. In addition, a three- to five-fold improvement in anodic current or cathodic responses over conventional dual electrodes in microbore LC can be achieved. Due to the irreversible electrochemical properties of some interference peaks, this dual electrode provides reliable measurement of dopamine based on the cathodic signal. The detection limit (signal-to-noise RATIO=3) of this assay is 0.02 pg per injection for dopamine or serotonin. This new dual electrode allows the simultaneous measurements of basal dopamine and serotonin in rat striatum dialysates without the use of re-uptake inhibitors in perfusion medium.     

四膜虫(Tetrahymena shanghaiensis)大核核仁与去膜大核能诱导非细胞体系核重建

外源DNA或染色质在非洲爪蟾卵提取物中可以诱导细胞核样结构的重建。重建核除不具有核仁样结构外,在其它形态结构上与真核细胞核十分相似。前人的工作表明在重建核中具有核仁前体结构。但可能是由于缺少活性核仁组织者的缘故,这些核仁前体不能相互融合形成新生核仁。那么活性核仁组织者在重建核中是否能发挥其功能呢?为了研究这一问题,我们提取纯化了四膜虫的大核与大核的周边核仁。进一步去除大核的核被膜,并将去除核被膜的大核与大核核仁分别加入非洲爪赡卵非细胞体系中。通过电镜超薄切片观察,我们发现无论是与大核染色质相连的周边核仁还是分离纯化的核仁结构在非洲爪赡卵非细胞体系中都不能保持其原有结构特征,而是发生了典型核重建变化,并且在诱导形成的重建核中也看不到核仁样结构。这些结果说明具有活性的核仁组织者在加入非洲爪蟾卵提取物后既不能继续保持其原有的RNA转录功能也不能诱导新的核仁的出现。     

The 3-Phosphorylated Phosphoinositide Response of 3T3-L1 Preadipose Cells Exposed to Insulin,Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1, or Platelet-Derived Growth Factor

We compared the pattern of 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides produced by confluent 3T3-L1 preadipose cells upon exposure to growth factors that either induce differentiation (insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1) or do not (platelet-derived growth factor). Following addition of insulin or insulin-like growth factor-1, PI(3,4,5)P3 rapidly rose, on average, to levels tenfold over basal. PI(3,4)P₂ either did not change (after insulin) or slightly increased (1.5 fold). Time course studies with insulin demonstrated that the rise in PI(3,4,5)P₃ peaked by 1 minute, and levels then remained steady over 30 minutes. Dose-response experiments showed that insulin at a concentration of 1 nM was sufficient for the PI(3,4,5)P₃ response. Insulin failed to increase PI(3,4)P₂ at any of the time points or at any of the doses used. In contrast, after addition of platelet-derived growth factor, both PI(3,4)P₂ and PI(3,4,5)P₃ rose concurrently and to comparable extents. These data suggest that one possible mechanism contributing to insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1-induced 3T3-L1 preadipose cell differentiation is a distinct pattern of 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositide accumulation, defined by a prominent increase in PI(3,4,5)P₃ with no (in the case of insulin), or a minimal (in the case of IGF-1), rise in PI(3,4)P₂.     

厉螨科－新属及二新种（蜱螨亚纲：革螨股）

本文记述厉螨科一新属,邓厉螨属Ｔｅｎｇｉｌａｅｌａｐｓｇｅｎ．ｎｏｖ,其主要特征;角化较强,体毛壮,背毛２９对;颚角粗钝,具纵裂;头盖尖角形;胸板六角形,各角均尖突;殖腹板毛１对;各足股、膝节上均具长毛、模式种为天牛邓厉螨,新种Ｔｅｎｇｉｌａｅｌａｐｓｃｅｒａｍｂｙｃｉｕｓｓｐ．ｎｏｖ。另一新种为副单阳厉螨ＡｎｄｒｏｌａｅｌａｐｓＰａｒａｓｉｎｇｕｌａｒｉｓｓｐ．ｎｏｖ。模式标本均采自云南省的甲虫体上。     

Poplar (Populus nigra L.) plants transformed with aBacillus thuringiensis toxin gene: insecticidal activity and genomic analysis

Insect-resistant poplar (Populus nigra L.) plants have been produced by infecting leaves withAgrobacterium tumefaciens strains carrying a binary vector containing different truncated forms of aBacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) toxin gene under a duplicated CaMV 35S promoter. Putative transgenic plants were propagated by cuttings at two experimental farms (in Beijing and Xinjiang, China). At 2–3 years after transformation, 17 of them were selected on the bases of insect-tolerance and good silvicultural traits, and evaluated for insect resistance, for the presence of theB.t. toxin DNA fragment (Southern blots and PCR) and for the expression of the transgene (western and northern blots). Somaclonal variation, as suggested by the appearance of permanent changes in the shape of the leaves, was also investigated with molecular tools (RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism), RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) and microsatellite DNA).Bioassays withApochemia cineraius andLymantria dispar on the leaves of the selected clones showed different and, in some cases, high levels of insecticidal activity. The molecular analysis demonstrated integration and expression of the foreign gene. Somatic changes were correlated to extensive genomic changes and were quantified in dendrograms, in terms of genomic similarity. The analysis of control plants suggested that genomic changes were correlated to thein vitro culture step necessary forA. tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer, rather than to the integration of the foreign genes.Three transgenic clones (12, 153 and 192), selected for insect resistance, reduced morphological changes and promising silvicultural traits, are now under large-scale field evaluation in six different provinces in China.