Is the Turbellaria polyphyletic?

Within the last two decades, syntheses of both light-microscopic and ultrastructural characters have shown that there are three well-defined monophyletic groups within the Platyhelminthes: 1) the Catenulidale, 2) the Nemertodermatida-Acoela, and 3) the Haplopharyngida-Macrostomida-Polycladida-Neoophora (+ parasitic platyhelminth classes). However, the relationships among these three groups are problematic. The possible apomorphies that would unite them are either not true homologues (i.e. frontal organ), are mutually conflicting (i.e. 9+1 axoneme in spermatozoa vs. biflagellate spermatozoa, epidermal ciliary rootlet structure, and protonephridia), or are unrooted with any outgroup and hence untestable or uncertain as apomorphies (protonephridia, mode of epidermal replacement, absence of accessory centrioles on cilia). The chief obstacle to deciphering the relationships of these groups is the lack of information on them; presently available information is insufficient to test potential synapomorphies and insufficient also to allow agreement upon a narrowly defined outgroup for the Turbellaria.A view consistent with the present evidence (and admittedly an unsatisfactory view) is to regard the Turbellaria (and hence the Platyhelminthes) as polyphyletic, consisting of three separate and unrelatable groups.     

蟾蜍卵母细胞的Na~+/H~+交换

应用pH选择性徽电极和普通檄电极测量了蟾蜍卵母细胞内的pH值(pHi)。当用含NH_4~+而不含HCO_3~-的溶液培灌卵母细胞时,pHi逐渐下降,在停止培灌后,pHi恢复到对照值。这个pHi恢复过程是一个H~+的主动转运,用胆碱离子取代培灌液中的Na~+可以抑制pHi的恢复,这种抑制作用是可逆的。伴随着细胞内pH值的恢复,细胞内Na~+活度(Na_1~+)呈现暂时性增加,而细胞内Cl-活度(Cl_1~+)不变或稍有增加。实验结果提示在蟾蜍卵母细胞膜上存在着Na~+/H~+的交换。     

Neuronal cell adhesion molecules and cytotactin are colocalized at the node of Ranvier

Immunocytochemical methods were used to show that Ng-CAM (the neuron-glia cell adhesion molecule), N-CAM (the neural cell adhesion molecule), and the extracellular matrix protein cytotactin are highly concentrated at nodes of Ranvier of the adult chicken and mouse. In contrast, unmyelinated axonal fibers were uniformly stained by specific antibodies to both CAMs but not by antibodies to cytotactin. Ultrastructural immunogold techniques indicated that both N-CAM and Ng-CAM were enriched in the nodal axoplasm and axolemma of myelinated fibers as well as within the nodal regions of the myelinating Schwann cell. At embryonic day 14, before myelination had occurred, small-caliber fibers of chick embryos showed periodic coincident accumulations of the two CAMs but not of cytotactin, with faint labeling in the axonal regions between accumulations. Cytotactin was found on Schwann cells and in connective tissue. By embryonic day 18, nodal accumulations of CAMs were first observed in a few medium- and large-caliber fibers. Immunoblot analyses indicated that embryonic to adult conversion of N-CAM and a progressive decrease in the amount of Ng-CAM and N-CAM occurred while nodes were forming. Sciatic nerves of mouse mutants with defects in cell interactions showed abnormalities in the distribution patterns and amount of Ng-CAM, N-CAM, and cytotactin that were consistent with the known morphological nodal disorders. In trembler (+/Tr), intense staining for both CAMs appeared all along the fibers and the amounts of N-CAM in the sciatic nerve were found to be increased. In mice with motor endplate disease (med/med), Ng-CAM and N-CAM, but not cytotactin, were localized in the widened nodes. Both trembler and med/med Schwann cells stained intensely for cytotactin, in contrast to normal Schwann cells which stained only slightly. All of these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that surface modulation of neuronal CAMs mediated by signals shared between neurons and glia may be necessary for establishing and maintaining the nodes of Ranvier.     

A new mechanism for altering chromosome number during karyotype evolution

Summary A new mechanism for changing chromosome numbers (preserving the fundamental number of long chromosome arms) during karyotype evolution is suggested. It includes: 1) Occurrence of individuals heterozygous for two interchanges between different arms of three chromosomes (a metacentric and two acrocentric ones). 2) Formation in heterokaryotypes of multivalents during meiosis between the chromosomes involved in the interchanges and their unchanged homologues. 3) Mis-segregation of chromosomes from these multivalents resulting in hypoploid (n-1) and hyperploid (n+1) simultaneously instead of euhaploid gametes. 4) Fusion of n-1 or n+1 gametes which gives rise to (zygotes and) individuals representing homokaryotypes with changed number of chromosomes (2n+2 or 2n-2), but preserves (as compared to the parental karyotypes) the number of long chromosome arms. Under definite conditions, chromosome numbers of the progeny may be changed by this process in both directions (upwards and downwards). The mechanism is free of the difficulties associated with the explanation for such changes by direct Robertsonian interchanges (see Discussion), which are usually considered to be responsible for such alterations in chromosome number. The above-mentioned process has been experimentally documented in Vicia faba and it probably also occurred naturally within the Vicia sativa group.     

MSI2通过下调circRNA_001214促进急性髓系白血病细胞HL60生长

Musashi-2（MSI2）是一种RNA结合蛋白质,对维持造血干细胞功能具有重要作用。研究表明,MSI2高表达能促进急性髓系白血病（acute myelocytic leukemia, AML）进展,但其作用机制尚不明确。本研究稳定沉默HL60细胞MSI2后,第1、2、3、4 d对照组的相对细胞生长率分别为1.931 ± 0.027、3.070 ± 0.073、4.017 ± 0.092和4.215 ± 0.246;敲减组分别为1.927 ± 0.035、2.564 ± 0.090、2.825 ± 0.097和3.223 ± 0.182,两组相比具有统计学差异,P<0.001;细胞凋亡明显增加(7.967% ± 0.698% vs 3.400% ± 0.322%., P<0.01);G₀/G₁期细胞比例明显增高（67.430% ± 4.390% vs. 50.360% ± 2.160%, P<0.01）;NUMB蛋白明显上调,LEF1明显下降。环状RNA（circular RNA, circRNA）芯片筛选和荧光定量PCR验证显示,MSI2沉默组circRNA_001214表达水平是对照组3.48倍。这一结果也在NALM6细胞得到证实。进一步用生物信息学分析,显示circRNA_001214最可能与miR-1273a、miR-1273e和miR 5095结合,进而影响参与细胞凋亡相关基因（CYCS、AKT1、BAX、TNFRSF10A、TNFRSF10D）、Wnt信号基因（WNT4、WNT2B、WNT7B、 DKK2、SFRP1、CSNKE1和LEF1）以及参与细胞代谢相关基因（RPE, PGAM4, PGAM1, TAT, CBS、RPE、SUCLG2、PGAM4、PGAM1和 IDNK）。总而言之,MSI2可能通过干扰circRNA_001214生成,减少靶miRNA对凋亡、Wnt信号及细胞代谢相关基因表达的影响,促进细胞生长。     

Identification of two types of keratin polypeptides within the acidic cytokeratin subfamily I

Cytoskeletal filaments of the α-keratin type (cytokeratins) are a characteristic of epithelial cells. In diverse mammals (man, cow and rodents) these cytokeratins consist of a family of approximately 20 polypeptides, which may be divided into the more acidic (I) and the more basic (II) subfamilies. These two subfamilies show only limited amino acid sequence homology. In contrast, nucleic acid hybridization experiments and peptide maps have been interpreted to show that polypeptides of the same subfamily share extended sequence homology.We compare two polypeptides of the acidic cytokeratin subfamily, VIb (M_r 54,000) and VII (M_r 50,000), which are co-expressed in large amounts in bovine epidermal keratinocytes. These two epidermal keratins can be distinguished by specific antibodies and show different patterns of expression among several bovine tissues and cultured cells. In addition, they differ in the stability of their complexes with basic keratin polypeptides and in their tryptic peptide maps. The amino acid sequences deduced from the nucleotide sequences of complementary DNA clones containing the 3′ ends of the messenger RNAs for these keratins are compared with each other and with available amino acid sequences of human, murine and amphibian epidermal keratins. Bovine keratins VIb and VII share considerable sequence homology in the α-helical portion (68% residues identical) but lack significant homology in the extrahelical portion. Bovine keratin VIb shows, in its α-helical region, a pronounced sequence homology (88% identity) to the murine epidermal keratin of M_r 59,000. In addition, the non-helical carboxy-terminal regions of both proteins are glycinerich and contain a canonic sequence GGG^S_GYGG, which may be repeated several times. Moreover, their mRNAs present a highly conserved stretch of 236 nucleotides containing, in the murine sequence, the end of the coding and all of the non-coding region (81% identical nucleotides). Bovine keratin VII is considerably different from the murine M_r 59,000 keratin but is almost identical to the human cytokeratin number 14 of M_r 50,000, both in the α-helical and in the non-α-helical regions of the proteins, and the mRNAs of the human and the bovine keratins also display a high homology in their 3′ non-coding ends.The results show that in the same species keratins of the same subfamily can differ considerably, whereas equivalent keratin polypeptides of different species are readily identified by characteristic sequence homologies in the α-helical and the non-helical regions as well as in the 3′ non-coding portions of their mRNAs. Among the members of the acidic subfamily I of cytokeratin polypeptides that are co-expressed in bovine epidermis, at least two types can be distinguished by their carboxy-terminal sequences. One type is characterized by its abundance of glycine residues, a consensus GGG^S_GYGG heptapeptide sequence, which may be repeated several times, and an extended stretch of high RNA sequence homology in the 3′ non-coding part. The other type shows a predominance of serine and valine residues, a subterminal GGG^S_GYGG sequence (which has been maintained in Xenopus, cow and man) and also a high level of homology in the 3′ non-coding part of the mRNA. The data indicate that individual keratin type specificity overrides species diversity, both at the protein and the mRNA level. We discuss the evolutionary conservation and the tissue distribution of these two types of acidic keratin polypeptides as well as their possible biological functions.     

酪氨酸对大鼠离体Leydig细胞睾酮和cAMP生成的影响

本实验采用胶原酶消化,Ficoll 密度梯度离心,制备大鼠睾丸 Leydig 细胞悬浮液进行体外培养(每管内含有10~6 细胞),以研究酪氨酸对 Leydig 细胞睾酮和cAMP 生成的影响。实验结果表明,hCG(100mIU)能明显地促进Leydig 细胞睾酮和 cAMP的生成。睾酮从对照组的3.08±0.58ng(X±SD,下同)增加到41.61±1.52ng,cAMP 含量从19.62±2.56pmol增加到153.24±5.92pmol。若将酪氨酸(60μg)与hCG同时加入到细胞培养液中,则睾酮和cAMP 含量分别下降到 19.22±.0.52ng(P<0.01)和92.63±6.02pmol(P<0.05)。但是,酪氨酸羟化酶抑制剂(α-甲基酪氨酸)对酪氨酸抗hCG致睾酮生成作用无阻断效应,而酪氨酸对外源cAMP(2.5mM)诱导的睾酮生成,则有明显的抑制作用,睾酮含量从27.56±1.53ng降至 19.50±0.47ng(P<0.01)。以上实验结果表明,酪氨酸抗hCG致睾酮生成的作用机理与cAMP有关。     

云南叶螨属一新种(蜱螨目:叶螨科)

在鉴定云南叶螨标本时,发现叶螨属一新种,现记述如下。模式标本保存于上海农学院。本文量度单位均为微米。 食禾叶螨Tetranychus graminivorus新种(图1—14) 雌螨 体长(包括喙)454,宽298。椭圆形。浅黄绿色。须肢端感器圆柱形,长6.8,