Improved ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in mixed cultures with Kluyveromyces lactis on high-sugar fermentation

The influence of non-Saccharomyces yeast, Kluyveromyces lactis, on metabolite formation and the ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in mixed cultures was examined on synthetic minimal medium containing 20% glucose. In the late stage of fermentation after the complete death of K. lactis, S. cerevisiae in mixed cultures was more ethanol-tolerant than that in pure culture. The chronological life span of S. cerevisiae was shorter in pure culture than mixed cultures. The yeast cells of the late stationary phase both in pure and mixed cultures had a low buoyant density with no significant difference in the non-quiescence state between both cultures. In mixed cultures, the glycerol contents increased and the alanine contents decreased when compared with the pure culture of S. cerevisiae. The distinctive intracellular amino acid pool concerning its amino acid concentrations and its amino acid composition was observed in yeast cells with different ethanol tolerance in the death phase. Co-cultivation of K. lactis seems to prompt S. cerevisiae to be ethanol tolerant by forming opportune metabolites such as glycerol and alanine and/or changing the intracellular amino acid pool.     

三峡大老岭山地常绿落叶阔叶混交林林隙干扰研究 I．林隙基本特征

为探讨我国亚热带山地常绿落叶阔叶混交林的林隙干扰特征,对三峡大老岭地区这一植被类型进行调查,分析了植被中林隙的数量、类型及成因;林隙形成木（GM）的类型、数量、物种构成和径级结构,以及林隙和GM的多尺度空间格局特征。结果表明1）林隙密度为11.7个*hm-2;冠林隙和扩展林隙分别占森林面积的11.09%和27.06%。平均每个林窗的形成木为4.5株;单株GM形成的林隙只占17.46%,其中翻倒木集群性最强。对林隙形成的贡献大小次序是翻倒木>折干>枯立>折枝。2）林隙成因方面冬雪和春、秋冻雨的影响最大;病害影响其次;树木间的牵连和撞击扩大了林隙的范围;陡峭的地形增大林隙形成的机率;干旱的影响很小。3）68种GM主要是森林建群种;常绿树种形成林隙的平均机率高于落叶种。4）GM的胸径结构表明本地森林林隙干扰十分频繁。     

玉米雄穗性状遗传结构与形成分子机制*

玉米为雌雄同株异花植物,其雄穗着生于植株顶部,雌穗腋生。雄穗一方面需产生足量花粉以保证雌穗授粉结实,另一方面由于对下部叶片的遮蔽作用和自身营养需求,其生长发育会同时影响叶片光合作用效率和能量分配,因此优化雄穗结构是提高玉米产量的重要措施之一。玉米雄穗性状包括雄穗分枝数、雄穗分枝长度、雄穗主轴长度、雄穗分枝总长度、雄穗分枝角度等,均为多基因控制的数量性状。自20世纪90年代,研究者开始利用数量性状位点(quantitative trait locus,QTL)定位方法解析玉米雄穗性状遗传结构;随着玉米自交系B73等参考基因组释放,以及DNA微阵列、基因组重测序等高通量基因分型技术的日益成熟,全基因组关联分析(genome-wide association study, GWAS)成为数量性状遗传研究的主流方法,目前已鉴定出大量玉米雄穗性状遗传位点。通过总结雄穗性状遗传定位研究结果,构建一致性图谱并挖掘定位热点区间,有助于进一步了解雄穗性状遗传结构特征及指导雄穗性状候选基因克隆。此外,通过对调控雄穗发育的已知基因进行功能分类,可为解析玉米雄穗发育的遗传网络和调控通路提供理论支撑。     

Variance Component Estimation for Mixed Model Analysis of cDNA Microarray Data

Microarrays provide a valuable tool for the quantification of gene expression. Usually, however, there is a limited number of replicates leading to unsatisfying variance estimates in a gene‐wise mixed model analysis. As thousands of genes are available, it is desirable to combine information across genes. When more than two tissue types or treatments are to be compared it might be advisable to consider the array effect as random. Then information between arrays may be recovered, which can increase accuracy in estimation. We propose a method of variance component estimation across genes for a linear mixed model with two random effects. The method may be extended to models with more than two random effects. We assume that the variance components follow a log‐normal distribution. Assuming that the sums of squares from the gene‐wise analysis, given the true variance components, follow a scaled χ²‐distribution, we adopt an empirical Bayes approach. The variance components are estimated by the expectation of their posterior distribution. The new method is evaluated in a simulation study. Differentially expressed genes are more likely to be detected by tests based on these variance estimates than by tests based on gene‐wise variance estimates. This effect is most visible in studies with small array numbers. Analyzing a real data set on maize endosperm the method is shown to work well. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Inference for the Break Point in Segmented Regression with Application to Longitudinal Data

This paper considers inference for the break point in the segmented regression or piece‐wise regression model. Standard likelihood theory does not apply because the break point is absent under the null hypothesis. We use results by Davies for this type of non‐standard set‐up [Biometrika 64 (1977), 247–254 and 74 (1987), 33–43] to obtain a test for the null hypothesis of no break point. A confidence interval can be constructed provided replicate data are available. The methods are exemplified using two longitudinal datasets, the one from ecology, the other from pharmacology.     

Induction of hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes by DL-methionine in rats

A single intraperitoneal injection of DL-methionine (500 mg/kg body wt.) to adult male Wistar rats was shown to significantly induce all the components of the hepatic microsomal mixed function oxidase system such as NADPH cytochrome C reductase activity, cytochromes P-450 and b₅, as well as activities of drug metabolizing enzymes such as aminopyrine demethylase and uridine 5′ -diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase. Combined administration of nicotinamide (250 mg/kg body wt.) and DL-methionine (500 mg/kg body wt.) was shown to bring about an additional increase (25-30%) in the activities of these enzymes as compared to their induction on independent administration of the two endobiotics. In rats bearing Yoshida sarcoma (ascites) tumour as well as in normal rats injected with serum from tumour bearing animals, the decreased activities of hepatic mixed function oxidases could be restored to their normal levels by administration of DL-methionine (500 mg/kg body wt.) to these rats. Whereas actinomycin D (1 mg/kg body wt.) had no effect on the increased incorporation of [¹⁴C] labelled leucine into microsomal proteins following administration of nicotinamide, the enhanced incorporation of the label following DL-methionine administration was completely inhibited by the same dose of actinomycin D. Administration of cycloheximide (0·5 mg/kg body wt.) to rats could completely inhibit the increased incorporation of [¹⁴C] leucine into hepatic microsomal proteins following independent administration of nicotinamide and DL-methionine. Similar inhibitory pattern with actinomycin D and cycloheximide was also demonstrated in case of induction of NADPH cytochromeC reductase activity by both these endobiotics.     

Iron release from transferrin induced by mixed ligand complexes of copper(II)

Summary Copper(II) complexes CuL₁L₂ with the ligand pairs 3-phosphoglycerate (PG)/ethylenediamine (en), phosphoserine (PS)/ethylenediamine, phosphoserine/malonate (mal) are shown to be effective in inducing the release of both iron atoms from di-ferric transferrin (Fe2Tf; human serum transferrin) at pH 7.3 in 1 M NaCl at 25°C. Half-times of the reaction with Cu(PG)(en)^– were less than 1 min at 0.02 M concentration. The iron(III) products are polynuclear hydroxo complexes. There is weaker interaction with Cu(PS) ₂ ^4– and virtually none with Cu(serine)(en) nor Cu(PS)(2,2-bipyridyl)^–, revealing crucial effects of the combined ligand sphere including the phosphomonoester group. The results suggest that the release of iron from Fe2Tf, or from either monoferric transferrins, occurred due to the breakdown of the stability of iron binding in conjunction with the expulsion of the synergistic anion carbonate (or oxalate). The active copper(II) complexes are postulated to be models of membrane components that could liberate iron from transferrin succeeding its uptake at the receptor sites of cells.Abbreviations PG phosphoglycerate - PS phosphoserine - en ethylenediamine - Fe2Tf diferric transferrin - Fe_cTf and Fe_NTf transferrin with iron bound to the lobe containing the C- or N-terminus, respectively - apoTf apotransferrin - K-3 all-cis-1,3,5-tris(trimethylammonio)-2,4,6-cyclo-hexanetriol - NTA nitrilotriacetic acid; bipy, 2,2-bipyridine; mal, malonate     

Statistical techniques for detection of major genes in animal breeding data

Summary Statistical techniques for detection of major loci and for making inferences about major locus parameters such as genotypic frequencies, effects and gene action from field-collected data are presented. In field data, major genotypic effects are likely to be masked by a large number of environmental differences in addition to additive and nonadditive polygenic effects. A graphical technique and a procedure for discriminating among genetic hypotheses based on a mixed model accounting for all these factors are proposed. The methods are illustrated by using simulated data.Journal Paper No. J-12733 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project No. 1901     

硬头鳟巨噬细胞的体外长期培养(简报)

鱼类的巨噬细胞和高等脊椎动物的一样,在吞灭入侵的病原体方面起着极其重要的作用。探索在体外长期培养巨噬细胞的方法,有助于研究巨噬细胞的机能。Braun-Nesje等虽已从硬头鳟(Salmo gairdneri)等鲑科鱼类的头肾中分离出大量的巨噬细胞,并在体外培养了3个月之久,但因细胞不分裂,无法传代。本研究改用组织块培养法和饲养层技术探索长期培养巨噬细胞的方法,并获得成功。迄今巨噬细胞已在体外培养22个月,传代48次。细胞的原代培养分为三组。前两组是单独的脾或头肾的组织培养;第三组是脾与头肾的混合组织培养。培养液是Leibovitz’s L-15,外加20%胎牛血清,100 IU/ml青霉素和100μg/ml链霉素。巨噬细胞的吞噬活力用酵母菌Candida