Enhanced expression of the human chitinase 3-like 2 gene (YKL-39) but not chitinase 3-like 1 gene (YKL-40) in osteoarthritic cartilage

The knowledge of molecular alterations in osteoarthritic cartilage is important to identify novel therapeutic targets or to develop new diagnostic tools. We aimed to characterize the molecular response to cartilage degeneration by identification of differentially expressed genes in human osteoarthritic versus normal cartilage. Gene fragments selectively amplified in osteoarthritic cartilage by cDNA representational difference analysis included YKL-39 and the oesophageal-cancer-related-gene-4 (ECRG4). YKL-39 expression was significantly upregulated in cartilage from patients with osteoarthritis (n=14) versus normal subjects (n=8) according to real-time PCR (19-fold, p=0.009) and cDNA array analysis (mean 15-fold, p<0.001) and correlated with collagen 2 up-regulation. In contrast, the homologous cousin molecule YKL-40 (chitinase 3-like 1), which is elevated in serum and synovial fluid of patients with arthritis, showed no significant regulation in OA cartilage. Enhanced levels of YKL-40 may, therefore, be derived from synovial cells while modulation of YKL-39 and collagen 2 expression reflected the cartilage metabolism in response to degradation.     

Vegetation regeneration on blanket mire after mechanized peat-cutting

• 1 Blanket mire in Northern Ireland is an ecologically threatened habitat in which land use for hand peat‐cutting, forestry and agriculture has had a major influence. A recent land use change is the introduction of tractor‐powered peat‐harvesting. In this paper, the effect of machine peat‐cutting on ombrotrophic blanket mire vegetation is assessed from a regional sample of cut and uncut plots.
• 2 Principal components analysis identified water‐table depth and grazing intensity as major factors influencing the species composition of uncut mire. A key variable affecting the composition of machine‐cut mire across the drainage gradient was the number of times cut, with multiple annual cutting causing progressive decreases in acrotelm depth, catotelm bulk density and plant cover. Ericaceous species and Sphagnum spp. were particularly sensitive to cutting, with Eriophorum angustifolium and Campylopus introflexus characteristic of multiple‐cut sites.
• 3 Redundancy analysis, with number of times cut partialled out, showed that recovery time accounted for a significant amount of variance in vegetation composition. Species that significantly increased in abundance with recovery time were Sphagnum spp., Odontoschisma sphagni , Erica tetralix and Drosera rotundifolia.
• 4 Sites cut frequently, or which were grazed, recovered more slowly. Recovery from cutting was partly dependent on the post‐cutting structure of the mire surface and the species that survive cutting. The rate of recovery on sites cut once, then abandoned, is relatively rapid compared with multiple‐cut sites where species colonization is constrained by bare compacted peat.

     

基因差异表达研究方法的探讨--从DD-PCR到cDNA RDA

ＤＤ－ＰＣＲ和ｃＤＮＡ ＲＤＡ都是近年发展起来的新技术,它们被应用于生物及医学领域,在基因差异表达和筛选差异基因的研究中有着广泛的前景。本文论述了ＤＤ－ＰＣＲ及ｃＤＮＡ ＲＤＡ的基本技术策略,并对两者进行了比较分析。     

稀有种处理对RDA排序结果影响的比较研究

为了解稀有种对RDA排序结果的影响,该研究以北京东灵山华北落叶松林调查数据为例,在RDA排序的基础上,对比分析了未处理稀有种RDA与剔除频度5%、盖度5%的稀有种后RDA排序结果的差异,并用蒙特-卡罗拟合检验分析了二者物种变量和环境变量之间的相关关系,以及用Spearman秩相关系数检验了对应排序轴的相关性。结果表明:(1)蒙特-卡罗拟合检验结果显示未处理稀有种RDA与剔除稀有种RDA各自对应的物种变量和环境变量之间均呈极显著相关关系;(2)从排序轴特征值对物种数据方差以及物种—环境关系解释量来看,剔除稀有种RDA前两排序轴与前四排序轴均有较高的物种-环境关系累积解释量;(3)剔除稀有种前后对应排序轴的Spearman秩相关分析结果表明,尽管未处理稀有种RDA和剔除稀有种RDA在第三轴和第四轴间存在一定的交叉,但二者对应的前四排序轴均呈极显著的一一对应关系(P0.001),相似性极高。总之,结合物种-环境关系的累积解释量及对应排序轴的相关性可知,在环境因子个数较少、研究尺度较小时,使用RDA排序揭示植物种、植物群落和环境因子之间相互作用的生态关系时,剔除稀有种前后RDA排序具有较高吻合性,只是对环境因子的解释趋势稍有差异。     

CHARACTERIZATION OF EXPRESSED SEQUENCE TAGS GENERATED FROM SKIN CDNA CLONES OF Equus caballus BY SINGLE PASS SEQUENCING

A cDNA library was built using RNA extracted from the skin tissue of an adult horse. The library was primed with oligo (dT) and sequences were directionally inserted in order to produce an expression library. The library has 5.8X 10⁵ plaque forming units with 99.6% recombinant phage. The average insert size is 1.3 Kbp. Three hundred and thirteen expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated from sequencing of the 5 prime end of randomly selected skin cDNA clones. The ESTs were sequenced on an ABI 377 using Big-Dye chemistry. A similarity search was performed on each EST using the NCBI non-redundant protein database and 206 ESTs were putatively identified. Twenty six percent of the identified ESTs were redundant. The ESTs were categorized by function. The most frequently identified functional class was translational proteins.     

基于功能类群分析呼兰河口湿地浮游植物群落结构特征

浮游植物对水环境条件变化敏感,其群落演替特征被广泛应用于指示水环境变化。基于3种浮游植物功能类群方法,对呼兰河口湿地浮游植物群落结构进行研究。于2018年春季（4、5月）、夏季（6、7、8月）和秋季（9、10月）三季,在呼兰河口湿地共设置11个采样点,通过ASNOSIM和SIMPER分析探索FG、MFG和MBFG功能类群的演替特征,基于RDA分析阐述功能类群对环境因子的响应模式。研究期间共鉴定浮游植物243个分类单位,隶属于7门9纲18目32科75属;其种类组成主要以绿藻门（46.09%）、裸藻门（19.34%）和硅藻门（18.52%）为主。共划分FG功能类群25个,MFG功能类群20个,MBFG功能类群6个;ANOSIM分析表明不同季节之间FG和MFG功能类群结构差异显著;SIMPER分析表明S1/Lo/W1/P/J/Y、9b/5a/11b/6a/2c/2d/1c和Ⅲ/Ⅰ类群是影响不同季节之间功能类群变化的主要类群;RDA分析表明,FG、MFG和MBFG功能类群的演替受多种环境因素共同影响,其中pH、BOD₅、Tur.和COD_Mn与功能类群演替关系密切。相较于MBFG功能类群,FG和MFG功能类群能更好的响应呼兰河口湿地水环境的空间异质性。     

宁南山区不同乔木林地土壤干层分布及干燥化特征

以宁南山区典型坡面不同人工林地为研究对象,分层采集0~600 cm土样,分析杏树(Armeniaca vulgaris)、杨树(Populus simonii)、榆树(Ulmus pumila)、刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)和松树(Pinus sylvestris var.mongolica)及农田(对照)土壤含水量垂直剖面分布特征,采用干燥化指数(SID)、土壤水分相对亏缺指数(CSWDI)、干层起始深度(DSLFD)、干层厚度(DSLT)和干层内平均含水量(DSL-SWC)等指标对土壤干燥化强度和干层分布特征进行分析,利用冗余分析(RDA)确定相关环境因子对土壤干燥化和干层的影响,为黄土高原山区植被合理利用水土资源和生态恢复等提供数据支撑。结果表明:(1)杏树、杨树、榆树、刺槐、松树土壤水分均属中等变异,且0~600 cm平均土壤含水量与对照农田相比分别降低了31.17%、24.15%、23.19%、29.67%和18.35%。(2)不同人工林地干层起始深度、干层厚度及垂直剖面土壤水分分布明显不同,杏树、杨树、榆树、刺槐、松树和农田土壤干层起始深度分别为90、160、140、140、160和600 cm,干层厚度分别为510、460、480、480、460和0 cm。(3)杏树、杨树、榆树、刺槐和松树0~600 cm平均土壤干燥化指数分别为63.48%、91.88%、95.17%、73.97%和111.91%,土壤水分相对亏缺指数分别为0.68、0.59、0.52、0.63和0.41,其土壤水分干燥化强度及亏缺程度由高到低依次为杏树>刺槐>杨树>榆树>松树。(4)RDA分析结果表明,乔木类型、黏粒含量和地形条件是影响土壤干燥化的重要因素。     

濒危高原植物羌活化学成分与生态因子的相关性

羌活（Notopterygii Rhizoma Et Radix） 是伞形科植物羌活（N. incisum）或宽叶羌活（N. franchetii）的干燥根茎和根,为濒危高原药用植物。考察羌活主产地生态气象因子对其主要化学成分含量的影响,探讨气象因子与羌活品质的关系。应用HPLC方法检测羌活醇,异欧前胡素2种主要化学成分含量。采用中国气象科学数据共享服务网平台获得不同产地的平均气压、年降水量、平均风速、日照时数、相对湿度、年平均温度、年最高温度、年最低温度等9个生态因子数据,通过偏最小二乘回归分析（PLS）、冗余分析（RDA）分析了其化学成分含量与生态因子之间的相关性。化学分析表明,羌活中羌活醇的含量高于异欧前胡素,而宽叶羌活中羌活醇含量低于异欧前胡素。经PLS及RDA分析,羌活中羌活醇与日照时数呈强正相关关系,其次是年降水量和海拔。异欧前胡素与年降水量呈强负相关关系,其次是温度。宽叶羌活中影响羌活醇含量的主导因子分别是海拔、年降水量,且都呈正相关。同时2个主导因子对异欧前胡素含量的影响呈负显著相关。因此日照时数、海拔、年降水量是影响羌活化学成分累积的主要因素,日照时数有利于羌活化学成分累积,在一定范围内,海拔越高,年降水量越大,越能促进羌活醇的积累,而不利于异欧前胡素含量富集。基于化学成分含量主成分分析（PCA）表明,羌活和宽叶羌活以四川产为最优。研究结果对保护濒危高原植物羌活及引种栽培奠定基础。     

烟台近海浮游动物优势种空间生态位研究

根据2018年春、夏季烟台近海海域的调查资料,以浮游动物优势种(类)为研究对象,运用Levins公式和Pianka指数分析了浮游动物优势种(类)的生态位宽度和生态位重叠程度,采用冗余分析(RDA)研究了影响浮游动物优势种(类)空间生态位分化的主要因素。研究结果表明,浮游幼虫和桡足类是烟台近海浮游动物群落结构的主要组成群体,春、夏季浮游动物优势种(类)更替率为73.33%。依据烟台近海浮游动物优势种(类)的生态位宽度值,可将其划分为广生态位、中生态位和窄生态位三大类群,广生态位种类为浮游动物优势种(类)的主要构成群体,春季代表种类有短角长腹剑水蚤(Oithona brevicornis)、拟长腹剑水蚤(Oithona similis)等,夏季代表种类有小拟哲水蚤(Paracalanus parvus)、克式纺锤水蚤(Acartia clausi)等。生态位重叠指数与物种分布的环境位点的重合情况密切相关,广生态位种类之间的生态位重叠程度要高于窄生态位种类与其他种类之间的生态位重叠程度。RDA分析表明,春季影响浮游动物优势种(类)空间生态位分化的主要因素为海水温度、盐度和无机氮(DIN),夏季为海水盐度、叶绿素a(Chl a)、无机氮(DIN)和活性磷酸盐(PO_4-P)。     

连栽杉木人工林参与土壤碳氮转化过程酶活性及其与土壤理化因子的相关性

选取福建三明不同连栽代数杉木人工林(一代、二代、三代)及格氏栲天然林为研究对象,运用冗余分析法研究不同林地土壤理化性质、养分含量与参与碳,氮转化过程酶活性之间的相互关系,以探究中亚热带连栽杉木人工林土壤酶的季节变化及其影响因素,为揭示杉木人工林养分循环特点和林地土壤质量评价提供依据。结果表明:连栽杉木人工林地土壤pH显著低于天然林,但一、二、三代杉木林间无显著差异。12月份土壤全碳、全氮含量在不同连栽代数杉木林中无显著差异,并且二代和三代林土壤全碳、全氮含量均显著高于天然林(P0.05);6月份杉木三代林土壤全碳含量显著高于一代林(P0.05),但与二代林和天然林无显著差异。12月份土壤铵态氮和硝态氮含量在一、二、三代杉木林间无显著差异。6月份杉木一代林土壤硝态氮含量显著高于二代林和天然林(P0.05),但与三代林无显著差异。12月份天然林土壤脲酶活性显著高于连栽杉木人工林(P0.05),而一、二、三代杉木林土壤脲酶活性无显著差异;杉木一代、二代林和天然林土壤天冬酰胺酶活性无显著差异,均显著高于三代林(P0.05)。冗余分析表明,土壤含水量、NO~-_3-N含量和pH对酶活性的影响较大,它们与土壤天冬酰胺酶、β-葡萄糖苷酶(BG)、和蛋白酶(protease)呈显著正相关,但与土壤N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶(NAG)呈显著负相关。本研究说明杉木林进入成熟林-过熟林阶段后,不同连栽代数林地许多土壤理化指标及酶活性均有不同程度恢复,而且它们受季节因素影响很大,建议今后加强土壤酶活性对环境变化响应的长期综合监测。