Evaluating Peptide Mass Fingerprinting-based Protein Identification

Identification of proteins by mass spectrometry (MS) is an essential step in pro- teomic studies and is typically accomplished by either peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) or amino acid sequencing of the peptide. Although sequence information from MS/MS analysis can be used to validate PMF-based protein identification, it may not be practical when analyzing a large number of proteins and when high- throughput MS/MS instrumentation is not readily available. At present, a vast majority of proteomic studies employ PMF. However, there are huge disparities in criteria used to identify proteins using PMF. Therefore, to reduce incorrect protein identification using PMF, and also to increase confidence in PMF-based protein identification without accompanying MS/MS analysis, definitive guiding principles are essential. To this end, we propose a value-based scoring system that provides guidance on evaluating when PMF-based protein identification can be deemed sufficient without accompanying amino acid sequence data from MS/MS analysis.     

Non-invasive in situ simultaneous measurement of multi-parameter mechanical properties of red blood cell membrane

The purpose of this study was to develop a new dynamic image analyzing technique that will give us the ability to measure the viscoelastic parameters of individual living red blood cells non-invasively, in situ and in real time. With this technique, the bending modulus Kc, the shear elasticity μ and their ratio ε were measured under different temperatures, oxygen partial pressures and osmotic pressures. The results not only show the effects of external conditions on mechanical properties of cell membranes including deformability,flexibility, adhesive ability and plasticity, but also demonstrate that the technique can be used to measure cell membrane parameters continuously under several physiological and pathological conditions.     

太白红杉林径级和龄级结构的研究

在秦岭太白山,选取太白红杉3个林型组中的8种林型,设置20个样地,用样方分析法进行调查,共做样方180个,主要分析了太白红杉8种林型的径级和龄级结构及其密度变化规律等,根据它们的径级和龄级结构表现特征,划分为3种类型,结果表明用径级和龄级对太白红杉林进行客观描述存在着一致性,太白红杉年龄均值浮动区间的大小,说明太自红杉林种群在发育上存在着时间差异,还对造成太白红杉8种林型的这一径级和年龄结构的形成原因进行了探索,提出了相应的保护策略。     

RAP, an integrated program for monitoring bioluminescence and analyzing circadian rhythms in real time

To process the large number of circadian rhythmic bioluminescence data that we generated with specially developed, high-throughput monitoring apparatuses, we developed an integrated rhythm-analyzing program (RAP) with a user-friendly graphical interface. RAP does all of the following in real time: (i) displays the bioluminescence time course, (ii) records time-series data, (iii) analyzes the data, (iv) displays the analyzed results, (v) statistically evaluates the analyzed results, and (vi) provides printouts. Because RAP can import files, it can analyze not only bioluminescence data but also other data such as those obtained by DNA array experiments and by Northern and Western blot analyses. The program is a powerful tool for large-scale investigations of biological rhythmic phenomena in general.     

中国北方林生产力变化趋势及其影响因子分析

森林生产力是反映森林固碳能力的重要指标,是进行碳循环研究的重要环节。用模拟生态系统生物地球化学循环的CENTURY模型,模拟中国北方林(兴安落叶松林)近35a来的生产力动态,用3种趋势分析方法,检验了其变化趋势,并用多元线性回归模型分析了中国北方林生产力的年际波动与气温降水年际波动的关系,以及气温和降水对我国北方林生产力的影响程度。结果表明：中国北方林生产力呈增加的趋势,平均年增长率为0．34％;气温与森林生产力呈显著负相关,对森林生产力的贡献因子为4．0977;降水与森林生产力呈弱的正相关,其对森林生产力的贡献因子为0．3902。从而说明近35a来森林生产力的增加除了受气温降水等非生物因素的影响外,还受其它因素的影响;另外说明以气候变暖为标志的全球变化会对森林生产力产生重要的影响。     

Computational Prediction of Protein–Protein Interaction Networks: Algo-rithms and Resources

Protein interactions play an important role in the discovery of protein functions and pathways in biological processes. This is especially true in case of the diseases caused by the loss of specific protein-protein interactions in the organism. The accuracy of experimental results in finding protein-protein interactions, however, is rather dubious and high throughput experimental results have shown both high false positive beside false negative information for protein interaction. Computational methods have attracted tremendous attention among biologists because of the ability to predict protein-protein interactions and validate the obtained experimental results. In this study, we have reviewed several computational methods for protein-protein interaction prediction as well as describing major databases, which store both predicted and detected protein-protein interactions, and the tools used for analyzing protein interaction networks and improving protein-protein interaction reliability.     

中国首例iVDPVs病例粪便标本中病毒血清型分布和Ⅲ型iVDPVs VP1区基因特征

分析中国首例免疫缺陷疫苗衍生脊髓灰质炎病毒(immunodeficient vaccine-derived polioviruses,iVDPVs)急性弛缓性麻痹(acute flaccid paralysis,AFP)病例(实验室编号为9230)12份便标本中病毒血清型分布和分离物中Ⅲ型VP1区的基因特征。31个省的疾病预防控制中心脊髓灰质炎(脊灰)实验室网络,在2005年采用细胞培养、病毒分离和微量中和试验从5231例AFP病例中的293例的便标本中分离到脊灰病毒,其中从1例编号为9230的AFP病例发病2~150天的12份便标本中分离到17株脊灰病毒株,包括Ⅱ型12株,Ⅲ型5株。用PCR-RFLP和ELISA两种方法对送检的293例AFP病例中分离的病毒进行型内鉴定,VP1区序列测定和分析发现:从9230号病例粪便标本中分离的12株Ⅱ型为混合不同变异数目的Ⅱ型iVDPVs,5株Ⅲ型病毒为单一Ⅲ型iVDPVs;除9230号病例外未发现其它iVDPVs或疫苗衍生脊灰病毒(vaccine-derived polioviruses,VDPVs)。5株Ⅲ型iVDPVs的VP1区基因和SabinⅢ相比有22~24个碱基突变,同源性为97.33%~97.56%,是中国至今发现变异最大的Ⅲ型VDPVs。9230号病例临床诊断为X-连锁低/无丙种球蛋白血症,是在中国首次发现的iVDPVs病例,该病例的病毒分离物中同时存在Ⅱ型和Ⅲ型iVDPVs,Ⅲ型iVDPVs在患者体内至少复制2.5年以上,iVDPVs病例的持续排毒已经给中国维持无脊灰状态提出了新的挑战。     

红细胞膜变形能力与胞内分子聚合状态和细胞形态的相关变化

以显微激光散射光谱和图像分析技术,对单个活态红细胞在无扰、在位、实时的情况下,测量了人血红细胞膜的变形能力,以及与之同时对应的胞内血红蛋白的聚合状态和细胞的形态结构。并据此研究了它们的相关关系及随各种生理条件而交互变化的情况。