Bad guys turned nice? A critical assessment of Wolbachia mutualisms in arthropod hosts

Wolbachia are the most abundant bacterial endosymbionts among arthropods. Although maternally inherited, they do not conform to the widespread view that vertical transmission inevitably selects for beneficial symbionts. Instead, Wolbachia are notorious for their reproductive parasitism which, although lowering host fitness, ensures their spread. However, even for reproductive parasites it can pay to enhance host fitness. Indeed, there is a recent upsurge of reports on Wolbachia‐associated fitness benefits. Therefore, the question arises how such instances of mutualism are related to the phenotypes of reproductive parasitism. Here, we review the evidence of Wolbachia mutualisms in arthropods, including both facultative and obligate relationships, and critically assess their biological relevance. Although many studies report anti‐pathogenic effects of Wolbachia, few actually prove these effects to be relevant to field conditions. We further show that Wolbachia frequently have beneficial and detrimental effects at the same time, and that reproductive manipulations and obligate mutualisms may share common mechanisms. These findings undermine the idea of a clear‐cut distinction between Wolbachia mutualism and parasitism. In general, both facultative and obligate mutualisms can have a strong, and sometimes unforeseen, impact on the ecology and evolution of Wolbachia and their arthropod hosts. Acknowledging this mutualistic potential might be the key to a better understanding of some unresolved issues in the study of Wolbachia–host interactions.     

PTEN regulates RPA1 and protects DNA replication forks

Tumor suppressor PTEN regulates cellular activities and controls genome stability through multiple mechanisms. In this study, we report that PTEN is necessary for the protection of DNA replication forks against replication stress. We show that deletion of PTEN leads to replication fork collapse and chromosomal instability upon fork stalling following nucleotide depletion induced by hydroxyurea. PTEN is physically associated with replication protein A 1 (RPA1) via the RPA1 C-terminal domain. STORM and iPOND reveal that PTEN is localized at replication sites and promotes RPA1 accumulation on replication forks. PTEN recruits the deubiquitinase OTUB1 to mediate RPA1 deubiquitination. RPA1 deletion confers a phenotype like that observed in PTEN knockout cells with stalling of replication forks. Expression of PTEN and RPA1 shows strong correlation in colorectal cancer. Heterozygous disruption of RPA1 promotes tumorigenesis in mice. These results demonstrate that PTEN is essential for DNA replication fork protection. We propose that RPA1 is a target of PTEN function in fork protection and that PTEN maintains genome stability through regulation of DNA replication.     

A Particle‐Controlled,High‐Performance,Gum‐Like Electrolyte for Safe and Flexible Energy Storage Devices

Storing energy within flexible and safe materials is one of the most important goals for energy storage devices. To that end, high‐performance conformable electrolytes, which can transport ions quickly and safely, and can also effectively separate and bond strongly to the two electrodes, are of great importance. However, it is challenging to develop an electrolyte that can play these multiple roles simultaneously. Here, aiming to overcome this challenge, a particle‐based approach to the fabrication of a high‐performance, gum‐like electrolyte is described. The intriguing properties of the gum‐like electrolyte include high ionic conductivity, good mechanical properties, excellent adhesion properties, and, more importantly, thermal‐protection capability. It is shown that these significant properties are well‐controlled by the incorporation of wax particles with variable size, loading, and surface properties that can be designed through the use of an apporpriate surfactant. This provides a promising solution for high‐performance electrolytes and indicates a cost‐effective approach to fabricating multifunctional ion‐conducting materials.     

《生物多样性公约》获取与惠益分享议题国际谈判动态研究

1993年生效的《生物多样性公约》(CBD,the Convention on Biological Diversity)将获取与惠益分享(ABS,access and benefit sharing)作为其三大目标之一。2010年在CBD缔约方大会第10次会议(COP-10)上达成了《生物多样性公约关于遗传资源获取与公平和公正地分享其利用所产生惠益的名古屋议定书》(简称"《名古屋议定书》"),标志着获取与惠益分享议题取得了实质性进展。随后又组织召开了3次政府间委员会会议,《名古屋议定书》于2014年10月在韩国平昌召开COP-12期间生效,并在2014年10月13-17日召开了《名古屋议定书》缔约方大会第1次会议(COP/MOP-1)。本文系统总结和梳理了获取与惠益分享议题产生背景、关键议题争论的焦点、谈判历程和发展动态,深入分析了欧盟、非洲集团、瑞士等主要国家集团和非政府组织(NGOs)、工商界等非国家行为体(NSAs)在获取与惠益分享国际谈判中的立场、策略和作用,讨论了《名古屋议定书》对发展中国家和发达国家的利益体现、影响以及中国面临的挑战。     

2型糖尿病的系统性血管保护治疗策略

在最新研究发现的系统性血管保护的优化治疗策略表明,血管损伤机制与胰岛素抵抗、糖尿病肾病及外周动脉疾病(PAD)的发病机理相关。胰岛素抵抗机制在血管损伤方面主要表现为大血管和微血管病变。系统性动脉硬化性疾病的及时诊断和干预是至关重要的。并且,治疗方面不仅仅是改善现有疾病状况,也应注意减少心血管事件的风险。这些努力有助于降低心血管事件的风险和死亡率。PAD的治疗包括药物治疗、血管内治疗和血管重建,以及运动疗法。经典治疗药物包括血管舒张剂,如贝前列素和抗血小板药物。值得注意的是,贝前列素除血管舒张活性外还有几个其他治疗作用,包括保护血管内皮、抗血小板和抗炎作用。最近的前期临床研究表明,贝前列素不仅通过其舒张血管活性改善四肢缺血,同时改善了影响血管内皮功能的胰岛素抵抗。贝列前素的应用,在早期疾病阶段维持血管内皮功能,减少血管事件的发生率,发挥其系统性血管保护作用。这样,贝列前素最终将有助于改善患者的生存质量并可能增加PAD患者的寿命。     

河北省大鸨的分布与保护

报道并探讨了河北省在大鸨迁徙途径中的重要性,河北省大鸨的地理分布与居留期变化,大鸨的保护工作及其保护与研究展望,指出河北省是大鸨重要的越冬地.     

模拟胃酸条件下的幽门螺杆菌CAT特异性抗体活性研究

幽门螺杆菌是常见的感染性病原菌,人类多种疾病发生与此菌感染有关。预防和治疗菌体感染及引发的相关疾病仍是现代医学面临的课题。实验利用原核表达的幽门螺杆菌过氧化氢酶(1~380 aa)免疫家兔,获得效价为1∶6 000的特异性抗血清,经硫酸铵沉淀法得到初步纯化的抗体。在体外模拟胃酸环境下(pH3.4)将抗体进行水解。SDS-PAGE结果显示,抗体的重链能被水解。水解后的抗体产物经ELISA方法检测,仍然具有与抗原特异性结合的能力。实验结论证实,在体外环境下特异性幽门螺杆菌抗体保护作用不会被胃蛋白酶的水解而破坏,提示口服特异性抗体预防和治疗幽门螺杆菌感染可能是一条可行的途径。     

猪场沼液对蔬菜病原菌的抑制作用

用不同贮存时间的猪场沼液对7种蔬菜病原菌的抑制作用进行了研究。结果表明,新鲜猪场沼液原液对番茄灰霉病菌、番茄早疫病菌、辣椒疫病菌、黄瓜炭疽病菌和茄子灰霉病菌有较强的抑制作用,沼液贮存对番茄灰霉病菌、番茄早疫病菌和茄子灰霉病菌的抑制效果没有显著影响,但对辣椒疫病菌和黄瓜炭疽病菌的抑制效果影响显著;新鲜猪场沼液滤液对番茄灰霉病菌和茄子灰霉病菌有较强的抑制作用,沼液滤液贮存对番茄灰霉病菌和茄子灰霉病菌的抑菌效果没有显著影响。     

Counting Australia’s protected rivers

Summary Australia is committed to protecting its important and representative ecosystems. Foremost among protection measures is the network of terrestrial and marine protected areas that comprise the National Reserve System (NRS). However, these reserves were often established with little regard for the conservation needs of riverine ecosystems. There has been no conservation status assessment to determine whether riverine ecosystems are adequately protected within terrestrial reserves. This study begins this task by determining the extent of riverine protection through the NRS. Three classes of protection are defined based on the proportion of the catchment of each stream segment (the link between tributary confluences) that is contained within a protected area, and the presence of major in‐stream barriers. The analysis reveals cause for concern. While nearly 225 000 km (7.6%) of the 2.9 million kilometres of streams assessed fall within a protected area of IUCN class I to IV where the principal objective is nature conservation, just 12 334 km of stream, less than half of one per cent of the total stream length, receives Class A protection, the strongest level of protection against threat. Class A is achieved where an entire drainage basin is contained within a protected area. Most of the protected stream length of the larger, named streams is potentially threatened by land‐use activities occurring in unprotected headwaters or is fragmented by major dams and thus receives the lowest class of protection. Owing to a variety of pervasive threats, a more comprehensive conservation status assessment of these ecosystems would undoubtedly yield an even more pessimistic result. Such an assessment is recommended.