Broad-spectrum antiviral effect of Agrimonia pilosa extract on influenza viruses

Influenza virus continues to emerge and re-emerge, posing new threats for humans. Here we tested various Korean medicinal plant extracts for potential antiviral activity against influenza viruses. Among them, an extract of Agrimonia pilosa was shown to be highly effective against all three subtypes of human influenza viruses including H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A subtypes and influenza B virus. The EC₅₀ value against influenza A virus, as tested by the plaque reduction assay on MDCK cells, was 14–23 μg/ml. The extract also exhibited a virucidal effect at a concentration of 160–570 ng/ml against influenza A and B viruses when the viruses were treated with the extract prior to plaque assay. In addition, when tested in embryonated chicken eggs the extract exhibited a strong inhibitory effect in ovo on the H9N2 avian influenza virus at a concentration of 280 ng/ml. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis data showed that the extract, to some degree, suppressed viral RNA synthesis in MDCK cells. HI and inhibition of neuraminidase were observed only at high concentrations of the extract. And yet, the extract's antiviral activity required direct contact between it and the virus, suggesting that its antiviral action is mediated by the viral membrane, but does not involve the two major surface antigens, HA and NA, of the virus. The broad-spectrum antiviral activity of Agrimonia pilosa extract on various subtypes of influenza viruses merits further investigation as it may provide a means of managing avian influenza infections in poultry farms and potential avian-human transmission.     

L'innervation du lophophore chez le Bryozoaire chilostome Electra pilosa (L.)

Résumé Le trajet des grands nerfs de la couronne tentaculaire et la structure du collier nerveux péripharyngien dont ils se détachent, ont été précisés chez Electra pilosa par des imprégnations argentiques in toto selon la technique de Bielschowsky et par une étude d'ultrastructure.Chaque tentacule est innervé par quatre faisceaux nerveux, dépourvus d'envelope gliale, qui courent entre l'épithélium et l'assise collagène qui délimite le canal tentaculaire interne; trois sont rassemblés sous les trois rangées cellulaires épithéliales de l'arête orale du tentacule et le quatrième est médian-dorsal.Les cellules épithéliales orales-latérales, par leur forme pédonculée, par la densité de leur cytoplasme, par leur cil unique et par leur relation topographique et cytologique avec les nerfs tentaculaires sous-jacents, présentent des adaptations structurales telles qu'il parait probable qu'elles assurent une fonction tactile.L'examen du collier péripharyngien montre son caractère organisé et la complexité des connexions qui coordonnent l'ensemble des tentacules et relient le lophophore à d'autres secteurs de l'innervation.

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The innervation of the lophophore in a chilostome

Summary The pathway of the tentacle nerves and the organisation of the peripharyngial nervous belt from which they arise, have been studied in Electra pilosa by silver stained whole mounts (Bielschowsky technique), and by ultrastructural investigation.Each tentacle is innervated by four nervous fascicles without any differentiated glial sheath, running between the epithelium and the collagen layer which surrounds the muscles and the peritoneal cells in the internal tentacle canal. Three nerves are gathered underneath the three rows of epithelial cells forming the oral edge of the tentacle. The fourth nerve is in medio-dorsal location.The oral epithelial cells show such ultrastructural adaptations in their general shape, in the density of their cytoplasm, in their ciliary apparatus reduced to a single cilium and in their close topographical and cytological relationship with the underlying tentacle nerves that it seems most probable they have a tactile function.The analysis of the pattern of the peripharyngial nervous belt shows a precise organisation and the intrication of the connections which coordinate the tentacles and link the lophophore set to other pathways of general innervation.

     

人血小板生成素全长分子在酵母系统中的分泌表达及活性分析

外源基因可通过整合型载体被整合到毕赤酵母（Ｐｉｃｈｉａｐａｓｔｏｒｉｓ）染色体上,获得遗传性稳定分泌表达株．利用酵母信号肽ＭＦα,对该信号肽蛋白酶识别位点的相关序列进行重新设计,使天然人ＴＰＯ成熟肽在毕赤酵母系统中分泌表达成功．表达产物经Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ－ｂｌｏｔ进行分析,分子量约为６６ｋＤ处蛋白条带可被ＴＰＯ抗体识别;表达量约为０．１ｇ／Ｌ;Ｎ端氨基酸序列分析结果与设计的一致;表达产物对小鼠骨髓细胞形成巨核细胞集落形成单位（ｍｅｇａｋａｒｙ－ｏｃｙｔｅｃｏｌｏｎｙｆｏｒｍｉｎｇｕｎｉｔ,ＣＦＵ－Ｍｅｇ）具有明显的刺激作用．     

人肝金属硫蛋白-I_A基因在鱼腥藻中的克隆与表达

将人工合成的人肝金属硫蛋白（ｍｅｔａｌｏｔｈｉｏｎｅｉｎ,简称ＭＴ）－ＩＡ基因插入至中间载体ｐＲＬ－４３９上强启动子ｐｓｂＡ后,再将其与穿梭载体ｐＫＴ－２１０相连,得到大肠杆菌－蓝藻穿梭表达载体ｐＫＴ－ＭＴ,用三亲接合转移法将ｐＫＴ－ＭＴ转入丝状体蓝藻－鱼腥藻７１２０,经链霉素筛选,得到了稳定的转人肝ＭＴ－ＩＡ基因鱼腥藻．纯化单藻落,液体扩大培养．从鱼腥藻中提取的质粒经Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎ印迹分析,确定人肝ＭＴ－ＩＡ基因已转入鱼腥藻７１２０中,Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ印迹分析表明,金属硫蛋白在转人肝ＭＴ－ＩＡ基因鱼腥藻中得到了表达．经原子吸收光谱法测定表达量约为７００μｇＭＴ／ｇ鲜藻,重金属耐受性实验表明,得到了能耐受重金属－镉的转人肝ＭＴ－ＩＡ基因鱼腥藻,它将在清除水域中重金属污染和医药研究方面发挥重要作用．     

小花鬼针草的染色体数目及其自然多倍体类型

本文对小花鬼针草的体细胞染色体进行了观察和计数,并对其染色体倍性和有关的细胞学及分类学等问题略作讨论,旨在为药用植物的分类、品种鉴别和育种实践等工作提供必要的细胞学资料。笔者观察到的小花鬼针草的体细胞染色体除了２ｎ＝４８国外已有报道外,其中２ｎ＝２４,３６,７２,８４和９６的二倍体、三倍体、六倍体、七倍体和八倍体等多倍体系列均为首次报道,此外２ｎ＝２２,２６,４２和４７等体细胞染色体的非整倍性变异,迄今也尚未见有报道。     

江苏泰县五通组观山段胞石Grahnichitina pilosa的发现及其意义

根据江苏泰县Ｎ－４井五通组观山段顶部的胞石Ｇｒａｈｎｉｃｈｉｔｉｎａ ｐｉｌｏｓａ的发现,确定观山段的时代为中泥盆世吉维特期。据此认为：擂鼓台段的两层暗色泥岩,应分别对比为南洞页岩、长顺页岩;中泥盆世大海侵时,华南海沿苏皖河经皖南、苏南入侵苏北。对Ｇｒａｈｎｉｃｈｉｔｉｎａ ｐｉｌｏｓａ进行描记和讨论。     

Ultrastructural Study of Secondary Wall Formation in the Stem Fiber of Phyllostachys pubescens

Ultrastructural changes in secondary wall formation of Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel fiber were investigated with transmission electron microscopy. Fiber developed initially with the elongation of cells containing ribosomes, mitochondria and Golgi bodies in the dense cytoplasm. During the wall thickening, the number of rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi bodies increased apparently. There were two kinds of Golgi vesicles, together with the ones from endoplasmic reticulum formed transport vesicles. Many microtubules were arranged parallel to the long axis of the cell adjacent to the plasmalemma. Along with the further development of fiber, polylamellate structure of the secondary wall appeared, with concurrent agglutination of chromatin in the nucleus, swelling and disintegration of organelles, while cortical microtubules were still arranged neatly against the inner side of plasmalemma. Lomasomes could be observed between the wall and plasmalemma. The results indicated that the organelles, such as Golgi bodies together with small vesicles, rough endoplasmic reticulum and lomasomes, played the key role in the thickening and lignification of the secondary wall of bamboo fiber, though cortical microtubules were correlative with the process as well.