TSA-induced JMJD2B downregulation is associated with cyclin B1-dependent survivin degradation and apoptosis in LNCap cells

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are emerging as a novel class of anti-tumor agents and have manifested the ability to induce apoptosis of cancer cells, and a significant number of genes have been identified as potential effectors responsible for HDAC inhibitor-induced apoptosis. However, the mechanistic actions of these HDAC inhibitors in this process remain largely undefined. We here report that the treatment of LNCap prostate cancer cells with HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) resulted in downregulation of the Jumonji domain-containing protein 2B (JMJD2B). We also found that the TSA-mediated decrease in survivin expression in LNCap cells was partly attributable to downregulation of JMJD2B expression. This effect was attributable to the promoted degradation of survivin protein through inhibition of Cyclin B1/Cdc2 complex-mediated survivin Thr34 phosphorylation. Consequently, knockdown of JMJD2B enhanced TSA-induced apoptosis by regulating the Cyclin B1-dependent survivin degradation to potentiate the apoptosis pathways.     

播种量和施氮量对垄沟覆膜栽培冬小麦花后生理性状的影响

为协调冬小麦个体与群体间的关系,充分发挥旱作条件下垄沟栽培优势,以冬小麦品种小偃22为材料,采用二元二次正交旋转组合设计,通过田间试验研究了垄下集中施肥、垄上覆膜、膜际种植模式下播种量和施氮量对冬小麦花后生理性状的影响.结果表明:花后叶面积指数、旗叶叶绿素含量和净光合速率均随施氮量的增加而增加.灌浆前中期叶面积指数随播种量的增加呈先增后稳的趋势;灌浆后期叶面积指数随播种量的增加而降低.随播种量的增加,旗叶的叶绿素含量和净光合速率降低,单株产量呈先减少后增加的趋势.适宜的播种量可以协调个体与群体间的矛盾,而适量增施氮肥有利于花后小麦生理性状的改善和产量的提高.在供试条件下,小偃22在播种量112.5 kg hm-2与施氮量180 ～222 kg N·hm-2配置时,个体与群体的关系比较协调,花后叶面积指数较高,群体结构适宜,而且旗叶叶绿素含量、净光合速率和单茎产量较高,能获得高产.     

The pollination of a self-incompatible, food-mimic orchid, Coelogyne fimbriata (Orchidaceae), by female Vespula wasps

Background and Aims

The study of specialized interactions between species is crucial to our understanding of processes in evolutionary ecology due to their profound effect on life cycles and diversification. Obligate pollination by a single wasp species is rare in Orchidaceae except in species with sexually deceptive flowers that are pollinated exclusively by male insects. The object of this study was to document pollination of the food-deceptive flowers of Coelogyne fimbriata, a species pollinated exclusively by female wasps.

Methods

Field observations and experiments were conducted in two populations of C. fimbriata. Floral phenology was recorded, and functional floral architecture was measured. Insect visitors to flowers were observed from 2005 to 2007. Bioassay experiments were conducted to check whether the floral odour attracted pollinators. Natural (insect-mediated) rates of pollinarium removal, pollinium deposition on stigmas, and fruit set were recorded. To determine the importance of cross-pollination, the breeding system was assessed via controlled, hand-pollination experiments.

Key Results

Two populations of C. fimbriata with fragrant, nectarless flowers are pollinated by females of the same Vespula species (Vespidae, Hymenoptera). Experiments on wasps show that they crawl towards the source of the odour. The flowering period appears to coincide with an annual peak in Vespula colony expansion when additional workers forage for carbohydrates. Rates of pollinarium removal (0·069–0·918) and pollinium deposition on stigmas (0·025–0·695) are extremely variable. However, fruit set in C. fimbriata is always low (0·014–0·069) and appears to be based on self-incompatibility coupled with intraclonal (geitonogamous) deposition of pollinia.

Conclusions

Coelogyne fimbriata and Steveniella satyrioides are now the only orchid species known to have food-deceptive flowers that are pollinated exclusively by eusocial, worker wasps. In C. fimbriata, floral odour appears to be the major attractant. Sub-populations may go through flowering seasons when pollinators are abundant or infrequent, but fruit set always remains low because the obligate pollinator does not often appear to transfer pollinaria between intercompatible genets.Key words: Coelogyne fimbriata, Vespula wasps, food deception, floral odour, pollinarium removal, pollinium deposition, self-incompatibility     

Intramolecular hydrogen bonding as a determinant of the inhibitory potency of N-unsubstituted imidazole derivatives towards mammalian hemoproteins

Enzymes involved in the mammalian microsomal metabolism of drugs are, in numerous cases, inhibited by compounds bearing an imidazolyl scaffold. However, the inhibition potency is highly dependent upon the accessibility of the imidazolyl nitrogen lone pair. In order to highlight some structural parameters of inhibitors that control this phenomenon, a series of compounds containing a nitrogen unsubstituted imidazolyl moiety with varying degrees of nitrogen lone pair accessibility was tested on human and rat hepatic cytochromes P450 and microperoxidase 8, an enzymatically active peptide derived from cytochrome c. In each case, we have shown that the accessibility of the imidazole lone pair determined the extent of inhibition. Nitrogen accessibility was tuned not only by varying the steric hindrance in the vicinity of the imidazolyl ring but also by modifying its surrounding hydrogen bonding network. Compounds in which there exists intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the imidazole moiety and an H-bond acceptor, such as an appropriately positioned amide carbonyl group, demonstrated enhanced inhibitory effects. Conversely, imidazole moieties which are in proximity to H-bond donors, such as an amide NH group, displayed reduced potency. This trend was observed in cyclo-peptide derivatives in which the intramolecular H-bond network was adjusted through the modification of the stereochemistry of a dehydrohistidine residue. It was observed that (Z)-isomers weakly bind heme, whereas (E)-isomers demonstrated higher degrees of metal binding. Therefore, enzymatic inhibition of heme-containing proteins by compounds bearing a dehydrohistidine motif seems to be closely related to its stereochemistry and hydrogen binding propensity. At neutral pH, these differences in binding affinities can be confidently attributed to the ambident H-bond properties of imidazole nitrogen atoms. This structure-activity relationship may be of use for the design of novel imidazolyl compounds as new P450 inhibitors or drug candidates.     

山西恒山温带草原与暖温带落叶阔叶林交错区植被生态研究

在中国植被分区上,山西恒山是温带草原地带与暖温带落叶阔叶林地带的交错区.采用TWINSPAN分类和DCA排序相结合的方法,对恒山南北坡植被类型进行了比较研究.TWINSPAN分类结果将南北坡的植被分别划分为16个群丛和20个群丛,分别隶属于16个和20个群系.DCA排序较好的印证了其分类结果：DCA排序第一轴反映海拔、温度的变化,南坡植被随海拔的升高,从耐旱的山蒿灌丛向寒温性的针叶林过渡,北坡由旱生的长芒草草原也向寒温性的针叶林过渡; 第二轴反映湿度的变化,排序轴从上到下,南坡由低海拔的山蒿群丛向高海拔的华北落叶松群丛,北坡是由长芒草、碱茅群丛向青杨群丛过渡.DCA排序结果显示,南北坡基带植被的群丛组成迥然不同,南坡基带为山蒿群丛、三裂叶绣线菊-山蒿＋赖草群丛、虎榛子-披针叶苔草群丛,是落叶阔叶林破坏后形成的次生植被类型;北坡基带为长芒草群丛、碱茅＋千里光群丛、三裂叶绣线菊-硬质早熟禾群丛、山菊＋硬质早熟禾群丛,具有典型的草原植被特征,这与它们所处的植被带有较高的吻合度.南北坡随海拔升高,植被类型表现出明显的趋同性.对南北坡群系的比较结果表明：有4个群系为南北坡共有,但群丛数量存在较大的差异,三裂叶绣线菊群系、山蒿群系在南坡的群丛数要比北坡多,披针叶苔草群系在北坡的群丛数要比南坡多,华北落叶松群系分布大致相同.     

五台山蓝花棘豆群落优势种群的种间关系分析

应用2×2列联表的χ2检验和Spearman秩相关系数研究了五台山蓝花棘豆群落(Oxytropiscoeruleacommunity)的种间关系,分别测定了18种植物,共153个种对的种间关联(或相关)。结果表明,χ2检验仅有6个种对为显著或极显著正(或负)关联,而相关系数表明有10个种对呈显著正相关,8个种对呈显著负相关。整体来看,大多数种群之间关系松散。种群之间正关联或正相关主要是由于它们具有相近的生物学特性,对生境的需求相似;而种对间的负关联和负相关,则主要是由于它们具有不同的生物学特性,对生境具有不同的生态适应性或相互竞争所致。     

西伯利亚鲟(Acipenser baerii)致病性维氏气单胞菌的分离鉴定

摘要：【目的】本研究旨在寻找引起养殖西伯利亚鲟鱼(Acipenser baerii)病害的致病因子。【方法】从北京地区自然患病的西伯利亚鲟鱼体内分离到致病菌株X-1-06909,采用生理生化鉴定结合16S rRNA基因序列的系统发育学分析确定该菌株的系统发育地位。同时采用琼脂扩散法对抗菌类药物的敏感性进行测定。【结果】菌株X-1-06909与Aeromonas veronii ATCC 35624T的16S rRNA基因序列相似性达99.6％;结合形态特征与生理生化测定结果,革兰氏阴性杆菌,具极生单鞭毛     

Variation of cytosine methylation in 57 sweet orange cultivars

Sweet orange is an important group of citrus cultivars, which includes a number of bud sport cultivars. Little is known about the CpG methylation status of the CCGG sequences in the orange genome. In this study, methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP), based on the application of isoschizomers (Hpa II and Msp I), was first used to analyze cytosine methylation patterns in 57 orange cultivars that were not fully differentiated by regular DNA molecular markers. Three types of bands were generated from ten primer pairs. Type I bands were present following restriction with Eco RI + Hpa II and Eco RI + Msp I; type II or type III were present only following restriction with either Eco RI + Hpa II or with Eco RI + Msp I. The total number of these three types of bands was 802, 72, and 157, respectively. Among these, the number of polymorphic bands were 244 (30.2%), 23 (31.9%), and 32 (20.4%), in type I, II and III, respectively. The methylation patterns of these 57 cultivars are discussed and assessed by dendrograms derived from the analysis of polymorphic MSAP bands. The distribution of polymorphic bands of the above three types demonstrate the methylation patterns and frequency at the cytosine loci. We suggest that methylation events could be more frequent than demethylation events, and that the methylation patterns maybe associated with phenotypic traits.     

Conservative secondary structure motif of streptavidin-binding aptamers generated by different laboratories

Aptamers that are selected in vitro from random pools of DNA or RNA molecules by SELEX (Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) technique have been extensively explored for analytical and biomedical applications. Although many aptamers with high affinity and specificity against specific ligands have been reported, there is still a lack of well characterized DNA aptamers. Here we report the selection of a group of aptamer candidates (85 mer) against streptavidin. Through comparing the predicted secondary structures of all the candidates, a conservative bulge-hairpin structure section (about 29 mer) was found, and then it was determined to be the binding motif to streptavidin. This binding motif was further discovered to also exist in streptavidin-binding aptamers (SBAs) selected by three other laboratories using different methods. The primary sequences of this secondary structure motif are very different, only several nucleotides in the loop and bulge area are critical for binding and other nucleotides are variable. The streptavidin binding of all the SBAs could be competed by biotin implying that they bind to the same site on streptavidin. These results suggest that the evolution of SBA is predominated by specific groups on streptavidin. The highly variable sequence composition of streptavidin-binding aptamer would make the design of aptameric sensor or device based on streptavidin more flexible and easy.     

Vertical distribution of fine roots in relation to soil factors in Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. forest of the Loess Plateau of China

Growth and vertical distribution of fine root closely depend on soil resource availability. Better understanding of relationships of root profile with vertical distribution of available soil resource and soil characteristics can allow ecologists to predict the fine root distribution on the scales ranging from individual plants to vegetation communities. The objective of the study was to understand the fine root mass density (FRMD), fine root length density (FRLD), fine root area density (FRAD), mean root diameter and specific root length (SRL), vertical distribution in soil profile and their relation with soil environment factors in semiarid and arid Loess Plateau of China. The vertical fine root distribution and soil bulk density, soil moisture and soil inorganic N in 0-60 cm soil profile (0–15, 15–30, 30–45 and 45–60 cm intervals) were investigated by soil coring methods in three Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. forests chosen at three locations. The fine root density parameters (FRMD, FRLD and FRAD) and SRL peaked in the most upper soil layer (0–15 cm interval) and decreased with increased soil depth. The results provided a strong support that soil water rather than soil inorganic N is a key control on fine root distribution in the Loess Plateau. With increased soil moisture, the root mass, length and SRL increased and the mean root diameter decreased. The effects of soil bulk density on the fine root parameters were consistent with those of the soil water. An unexpected result was obtained about the relationships between soil organic N and the root distributions and occurrences because of no differences among the soil depth intervals in soil inorganic N content. It might be associated with severe soil water deficit limiting soil nitrogen utilization efficiency in arid Loess Plateau.