Characterization of mouse melanoma cell lines by their mortal malignancy using an experimental metastatic model

We characterized the metastatic ability and mortality of four different mouse melanoma cell lines, B16-F0, -F1, -F10 and -BL6. B16-F0 is the parent cell line. B16-F1 was obtained by a one-time selective procedure and B16-F10 by a ten-time selective procedure using Fidler's method. B16-BL6 derived from B16-F10 has much more invasive activity than B16-F10. To investigate the difference in mortal malignancy among B16-F0, -F1, -F10 and -BL6, we examined the survival time of syngeneic C57BL/6Cr mice intravenously inoculated with these cells. As a control, we used the C57BL/6J-embryo mouse fibroblast-like semi-normal cell line. The ability to form lung metastatic nodules in mice gradually increased in the order: B16-F0, -F1, and -F10 (=-BL6). C57BL/6J-embryo cell (1 x 10(5)/mouse)-inoculated mice survived for over 46 days. B16-F0, -F1, -F10 and -BL6 (1 x 10(5)/mouse)-inoculated mice survived 31.4+/-4.4 (7), 25.7+/-2.8 (7), 23.6+/-1.5 (7) and 25.3+/-2.3 (7) days [mean+/-S.D. (number of mice)], respectively. According to the Mann-Whitney test, the B16-F0 inoculated group versus -F1 inoculated group (P<0.05), -F0 inoculated group versus -BL6 inoculated group (P<0.05), and -F0 inoculated group versus -F10 inoculated group (P<0.01) were significantly different, but the B16-F1 group versus -F10 group, -F1 group versus -BL6 group, and -F10 group versus -BL6 group were not. These results suggest that mortal malignancy is not necessarily correlated with lung-colonizing potential and even only one-time selected B16-F0 mouse melanoma cells are useful as an experimental metastatic model in vivo.     

Structure and spatial patterns of trees in old-growth northern hardwood and mixed forests of northern Maine

Stand structure including spatial patterns was studied in northern hardwood and mixed forest types in the 2000-ha old-growth Big Reed Forest Reserve in northern Maine using complete stem mapping, dendrochronology, and spatial analyses on 0.5 plots. The inclusion of saplings, dead wood, age distributions, spatial pattern, and interactions provided some idea of underlying processes and temporal change. Structural characteristics were most comparable to spruce-northern hardwood forests of northern New England and New York, and most characteristics matched expected patterns for old-growth forests of the region.Results indicated smaller maximum-tree sizes, lower basal areas (26–34 ) and downed-wood volumes (29–64), higher densities (475–649), but similar species longevities compared to other mesic old-growth forests further south and in the Lake States. The stands were dominated by very shade-tolerant tree species, including Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., Acer saccharum Marsh.,Picea rubens Sarg. and Abies balsamea(L.) Mill, with each species found in many crown positions and age and size classes. The sapling layer was dominated by Fagus grandifolia followed by Picea rubens. Most species had reverse-J shaped diameter distributions, but age distributions were indicative of synchronous, episodic recruitment. In most plots, Acer saccharum diameter distributions were skewed towards the mid-larger size classes. Lack of young and small Acer saccharum stems suggested change in forest composition towards Fagus grandifolia dominance. Most species formed small-scale clusters (15 ) perhaps in response to small gap disturbances. Snags were the dominant dead wood type and were randomly to regularly distributed in most plots. Logfall directions were unrelated to hurricane paths. Recent small-scale disturbance events and topographic position appear to be important in explaining current structure and dynamics of the hardwood and mixed forests of Big Reed Forest Reserve in northern Maine. The continued effects of beech bark disease had a greater effect on hardwood plots, whereas a recent spruce budworm outbreak had a greater effect on plots with higher conifer density.The dominance of very shade tolerant tree species in small-scale clusters, and randomly distributed snags rather than clustered uproots were indicative of the prevalence of small scale gap disturbance regimes in the hardwood and mixed forests of Big Reed Forest Reserve in northern Maine. Varying topographic position may allow for slight changes in disturbance regime leading to consequent variation in structure and dynamics. H1, a more open plot on upper exposed slopes, had distinctly different characteristics such as lower live and dead tree and sapling densities than the other plots, but more uprooted trees and Acer saccharum saplings. Such small scale gap disturbance regimes operating on an episodic basis, and effects of slight variations in this regime on stand composition and structure have significant implications for silvicultural interventions and management of these forest types.     

Canopy surface topography in a French Guiana forest and the folded forest theory

The canopy surface is an undulating surface that follows the irregular contours of the upper tree crowns and defines the inner and the outer limits of the forest volume. In French Guiana, the height of the canopy surface was surveyed in both a primary and a 20-years old clear-felled secondary forest plot. The topographic surface was displayed in a three-dimensional mesh, where X and Y are horizontal co-ordinates, and Z is the canopy height measured from the ground with an optical telemeter. The statistical dispersion of Z-data, and the spatial tree height variations, are interpreted at different levels of ecosystem organisation, from forest type (primary or secondary forest) to the trees themselves, following the folded forest model theory (Oldeman 1992, 1994). The vertical growth of trees creates a convex pattern in the relief of canopy surface, whereas gaps make concavities which delimit impact of perturbation on the forest structure. These events are either the result of the dynamic of single trees (emergent and decayed trees), or arise from the dynamic of a group of trees working together (group of emergent trees or complex gaps). At the plot scale, the elementary events, convexities and concavities, are gathered on similar topo-sequences, and form canopy units either higher or lower than the average canopy height. This study suggests that the topography of the canopy surface is defined by a complex nested system from trees, to groups of trees, to canopy units, within a delimited floristic and physical environment.     

Safety aspects related to recombinant protein expression from Semliki Forest virus vectors

Semliki Forest virus vectors (SFV) have been developed for efficient transgene expression to result in high receptor yields(50–200 pmol receptor/mg protein) in a variety of mammalian host cells. Transfer of the SFV technology to mammalian cells growing in suspension cultures has made it feasible to produce hundreds of milligrams of receptor proteins in a short time. Large-scale production, however, raises the questions of the safety of handling virally infected cells for down-stream processing. Analysis of cell culture medium and SFV-infected cells revealed that some infectious particles were still present. Replacement of virus-containing medium at 2 h post-infection efficiently removed the majority of infectious replication-deficient SFV particles. Washes with PBS further reduced the number of infectious particles significantly both in the medium and associated with cells to levels that allowed safe handling of SFV-infected cells outside the cell culture facility for biochemical, pharmacological, or electrophysiological assays or down-stream processes in connection to receptor purification. Furthermore, engineering of novel temperature-sensitive mutant SFV vectors resulted in temperature-controlled transgene expression, which completely eliminates the risk of contaminating laboratory personnel. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

植物营养转移研究进展

50年代初 ,Gregory(见 Williams〔1〕)发现禾谷类植物在生长到其 (干 )生物量的 2 5%时 ,它就吸收积累了全部所需氮磷养分的 90 % ,这些积累的养分是后期生长发育所需的基本养分库 ,养分库的大小决定了产量的高低 ,无疑 ,这些养分必然在体内不断地转移、利用和再分配。这一发现立即引起极大的重视 ,并带来了大量以营养转移为主题的后续研究 ,直至最近的 2 0多年 ,这一主题仍然得到广泛的重视。大量的研究表明 ,营养转移是植物所有保持营养机制中最重要的策略之一 ,因而 ,它又对竞争、营养吸收、生产力等过程产生影响 〔2〕;它在植物体内营…     

Density compensation in neotropical primate communities: evidence from 56 hunted and nonhunted Amazonian forests of varying productivity

Density compensation is a community-level phenomenon in which increases in the abundance of some species may offset the population decline, extirpation, or absence of other potentially interacting competitors. In this paper we examine the evidence for density compensation in neotropical primate assemblages using data from 56 hunted and nonhunted, but otherwise undisturbed, forest sites of Amazonia and the Guianan shields from which population density estimates are available for all diurnal primate species. We found good evidence of density compensation of the residual assemblage of nonhunted mid-sized species where the large-bodied (ateline) species had been severely reduced in numbers or driven to local extinction by subsistence hunters. Only weak evidence for density compensation, however, was detected in small-bodied species. These conclusions are based on the effects of ordinal measures of hunting pressure on the aggregate primate biomass across different size classes after controlling for the effects of forest type and productivity. These results are interpreted primarily in relation to patterns of niche partitioning between different primate functional groups or ecospecies. This study suggests that while overhunting drastically reduces the average body size in multi-species assemblages of forest vertebrates, depletion of large-bodied species is only partially offset (i.e. undercompensated) by smaller taxa. Received: 2 November 1998 / Accepted: 8 September 1999     

实验性高血压大鼠室旁核加压素分泌的免疫细胞化学研究

精氨酸加压素（AVP）主要是由下丘脑室旁核（PVN）和视上核（SON）的加压素能神经元合成分泌。近年来的研究表明,AVP作为一种血管活性肽与高血压的发病有关。本文采用二肾一夹法制成高血压模型。应用光、电镜技术、免疫细胞化不技术和图象分析技术对实验性高血压大鼠PVN加压素神经元进行了研究,并与SON加压素神经元及正常大鼠进行比较,研究结果表明,实验性高血压大鼠PVN和SON内AVP阳性细胞中分泌颗粒密集呈棕黄色,正常大鼠组染色浅谈。图象分析检测两组PVN和SON中AVP阳性细胞平均灰度值,所得数据分别经统计学处理,实验组和正常组AVP神经元在PVN有显著性差异。在SON也有显著性差异。但在实验组内的PVN和SON之间无显著性差异,正常大鼠组PVN和SON之间亦无显著性差异。结果表明, 高血压大鼠在血压升高时,PVN和SON内加压素神经元的分泌增强。     

西双版纳不同热带森林下土壤氮矿化和硝化作用研究

 1998年7月,用埋袋法对西双版纳热带季节雨林、崖豆藤(Mellettia leptobotrya)次生林、季节雨林内林窗和轮歇地土壤的氮矿化和硝化作用进行了研究。研究结果表明季节雨林和崖豆藤次生林的格局基本相同,氮净矿化速率分别为6.55mgN·kg-1·30d-1和6.37mgN·kg-1·30d-1,硝化速率分别为16.28mgN·kg-1·30d-1和16.38mgN·kg-1·30d-1。而林窗下和轮歇地土壤的氮净矿化速率和硝化速率均为负值,氮净矿化速率分别为–7.85mgN·kg-1·30d-1和–10.69mgN·kg-1·30d-1,硝化速率分别为–2.78N·kg-1·30d-1和–3.69mg N·kg-1·30d-1。从实验结果看,在30d的培养过程中,NH4–N消耗较多,导致硝化速率大于氮净矿化速率。     

中国东北森林生长演替模拟模型及其在全球变化研究中的应用

 NEWCOP模型是一个新的适于模拟东北森林的种类组成动态的林窗类计算机模拟模型,它通过模拟在每一个林分斑块上的每株树木的更新、生长和死亡的全过程来反映森林群落的中长期生长和演替动态。由于 NEWCOP模型是一个由气候变量驱动的生态系统模型,故可用于评价气候变化对东北森林生长和演替的影响。在东北大兴安岭、小兴安岭和长白山地区对NEWCOP模型进行了验证和校准。沿环境梯度对NEWCOP模型的数字模拟实验表明：它能准确地再现顶极森林中树种组成及其在东北地区的垂直分布规律和水平分布规律;能准确地再现大兴安岭、小兴安岭和长白山的主要类型森林的生长和演替规律;在一定的场合NEWCOP还可反映林分的径级结构;NEWCOP模型还具有对现有森林的跟踪模拟能力。应用NEWCOP模型评估了东北森林生态系统对可能气候变化的敏感性。在GFDL 2×CO2和GISS 2×CO2气候变化情景下,东北森林的种类组成将发生很大变化,落叶阔叶树将取代目前长白山、小兴安岭的红松(Pinus koraiensis)和大兴安岭的兴安落叶松(Larix gmelinii)成为东北森林主要树种,而针叶树将在地带性森林中占很小的比重,阔叶树中蒙古栎(Quercus mongolica)将是最重要的树种,它将成为小兴安岭和大兴安岭最主要树种;东北地区适于森林生长的区域将大幅度减少,这些变化主要发生在气候变化过渡期。东北森林对不同的气候变化情景有不同响应。但是,总的趋势是未来东北森林中落叶阔叶树的比重将大幅度增加。这些结论对在全球气候变化背景下,我国东北合理地选择造林树种和制定现有森林的保护经营策略具有一定参考价值。     

朱砂叶螨实验种群的孤雌生殖效应

在温度28±1℃,相对湿度65±5％的条件下,室内以蚕豆叶饲养朱砂叶螨。连续观察3个世代,世代平均历期25.12 d,其中卵平均历期4.34 d,幼螨平均历期2.01 d,若螨平均历期4.66 d,雌螨平均产卵历期14.16 d;组建朱砂叶螨实验种群连续3个世代的生命表。实验结果表明:孤雌生殖对朱砂叶螨实验种群具有强烈的影响作用,表现在缩短了雌螨的产卵历期,使雌螨的产卵高峰期提前,提高了种群的死亡率,降低了种群的净繁殖率、内禀增长率以及周限增长率。同时发现朱砂叶螨实验种群对世代历期、单雌卵量、性比具有极强的保持能力,孤雌生殖对这些指标的影响不能遗传给下一代。