Real-time imaging of the dynamics of secretory granules in growth cones

Secretory granules containing a hybrid protein consisting of the regulated secretory protein tissue plasminogen activator and an enhanced form of green fluorescent protein were tracked at high spatial resolution in growth cones of differentiated PC12 cells. Tracking shows that granules, unlike synaptic vesicles, generally are mobile in growth cones. Quantitative analysis of trajectories generated by granules revealed two dominant modes of motion: diffusive and directed. Diffusive motion was observed primarily in central and peripheral parts of growth cones, where most granules diffused two to four orders of magnitude more slowly than comparably sized spheres in dilute solution. Directed motion was observed primarily in proximal parts of growth cones, where a subset of granules underwent rapid, directed motion at average speeds comparable to those observed for granules in neurites. This high-resolution view of the dynamics of secretory granules in growth cones provides insight into granule organization and release at nerve terminals. In particular, the mobility of granules suggests that granules, unlike synaptic vesicles, are not tethered stably to cytoskeletal structures in nerve terminals. Moreover, the slow diffusive nature of this mobility suggests that secretory responses involving centrally distributed granules in growth cones will occur slowly, on a time scale of minutes or longer.     

ERRATUM: New Body Mass Estimates for Omomys carteri,a Middle Eocene Primate From North America. Am J Phys Anthropol 109:41–52.

Payseur BA, Covert HA, Vinyard CJ, Dagosto M. 1999. New Body Mass Estimates for Omomys carteri, a Middle Eocene Primate From North America. Am J Phys Anthropol 109:41–52. This article included an incomplete Table 2. The final two columns, showing “Intercept” and “SEE” data were omitted. The complete Table 2, with these two columns included, is provided below.     

植物种群表观竞争机制及其研究进展

植物表观竞争既影响群落结构和组成,也与生态系统功能密切相关。目前,国内尚缺乏对植物表观竞争的实验研究和机制探索。对植物表观竞争概念和研究进展进行了系统梳理和阶段性总结,分析了草食动物为媒介的表观竞争主要通过食物和生境介导植物竞争过程,以及ELP-采食者关系对表观竞争的影响;植物参与的表观竞争通常与资源竞争共同作用;AM真菌为媒介的表观竞争不仅受到宿主植物菌根依赖性的影响,还与AM真菌对资源的需求和环境资源供给状况有密切关系。未来研究既要注重实验设计的合理性,也要考虑测定方法和评价参数的有效性;重视植物群落和生态系统水平上表观竞争的功能研究。这不仅能够为植物群落结构和物种共存提供机制性解释,而且能够丰富经典的植物竞争理论和多营养级相互作用的食物网理论。     

坡向与龄级对新疆野核桃自然保护区野核桃病害的影响

为了解渐危植物新疆野核桃的病害情况,在新疆野核桃自然保护区调查不同坡向、不同龄级野核桃4种病害的患病比例,分析病害种类、病害等级与野核桃胸径及坡向的相关关系。结果表明: 保护区野核桃的主要病害为核桃褐斑病(95.8%)、核桃枯枝病(90.5%)、核桃黑斑病(74.4%)和核桃腐朽病(7.7%)。4个坡向的野核桃均易患核桃褐斑病,阴坡和半阴坡的野核桃易患核桃枯枝病,阳坡和阴坡的野核桃易患核桃黑斑病,半阳坡和半阴坡的野核桃相对易患核桃腐朽病。4个坡向野核桃的4种病害均随病害等级(1～4级)的增加而病株比例减小。4个坡向核桃枯枝病、核桃黑斑病、核桃褐斑病均以中龄树比例最大,其次是老龄树,再次是小树,未见幼苗患病;核桃腐朽病仅发生在老龄树。核桃枯枝病、核桃腐朽病、核桃黑斑病、核桃褐斑病与野核桃的胸径呈显著正相关,核桃黑斑病与坡向呈显著负相关,核桃枯枝病、核桃腐朽病、核桃黑斑病的不同病害等级与胸径和坡向存在相关性。     

Stress protein of cyanobacteria CP36: interaction with photoactive complexes and formation of supramolecular structures

Cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans R2, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (wild-type strain and mutants Delta2 and Delta3 lacking PSII and PSI, respectively), and Synechocystis sp. BO 9201 synthesize the pigment--protein complex CP36 (CPIV-4, CP43') under iron deficiency in the medium. Accumulation of CP36 is accompanied by structural reorganizations in the photosynthetic membranes. Integrating mean times of excitation relaxation (quenching) are 2.2 nsec (CP36), 1 nsec (PSI), and 420 psec (PSII in Fm state). The energy migration between CP36 and the photosystems can be described by a model of a one-layer ring of CP36 around core-complexes. The excitation from CP36 to PSI is transferred within <10 psec. The energy transfer from CP36 to PSII occurs during 170 psec. Cells with low content of CP36 probably contain only a latent fraction of unbound to phycobilisomes PSII which is the analog of PSIIbeta of higher plants. In PSI there are four binding sites for CP36 monomers per RC. PSII can bind up to 32 molecules of CP36 per RC. Cells with a large amount of CP36 contain monomer form of PSII core-complex which can bind eight tetramers of CP36 (8 binding sites). In conditions of iron deficiency only one monomer of a dimer PSII core-complex is destroyed and released chlorophyll is accumulated in CP36. Accumulation of CP36 in A. nidulans cells can be accompanied by membrane stacking which is similar to the stacking in chlorophyll b-containing organisms. The stacking can occur in the region of localization of PSII latent fraction bound to CP36. The membrane stacking shields PSII stromal surfaces from the aqueous phase for activation of electron transfer on the acceptor side of PSII.     

Demographic history of a recent invasion of house mice on the isolated Island of Gough

Island populations provide natural laboratories for studying key contributors to evolutionary change, including natural selection, population size and the colonization of new environments. The demographic histories of island populations can be reconstructed from patterns of genetic diversity. House mice (Mus musculus) inhabit islands throughout the globe, making them an attractive system for studying island colonization from a genetic perspective. Gough Island, in the central South Atlantic Ocean, is one of the remotest islands in the world. House mice were introduced to Gough Island by sealers during the 19th century and display unusual phenotypes, including exceptionally large body size and carnivorous feeding behaviour. We describe genetic variation in Gough Island mice using mitochondrial sequences, nuclear sequences and microsatellites. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial sequences suggested that Gough Island mice belong to Mus musculus domesticus, with the maternal lineage possibly originating in England or France. Cluster analyses of microsatellites revealed genetic membership for Gough Island mice in multiple coastal populations in Western Europe, suggesting admixed ancestry. Gough Island mice showed substantial reductions in mitochondrial and nuclear sequence variation and weak reductions in microsatellite diversity compared with Western European populations, consistent with a population bottleneck. Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) estimated that mice recently colonized Gough Island (~100 years ago) and experienced a 98% reduction in population size followed by a rapid expansion. Our results indicate that the unusual phenotypes of Gough Island mice evolved rapidly, positioning these mice as useful models for understanding rapid phenotypic evolution.     

MR 弥散加权成像对鉴别诊断良恶性椎体压缩性骨折的临床价值研究

目的：探讨MR弥散加权成像(DWI)鉴别诊断良恶性椎体压缩性骨折的临床价值。方法：对57 例经临床或病理证实的椎体 良恶性压缩性骨折患者行矢状位T1WI、T2WI、T2WI/FS 及DWI扫描,研究其在常规序列和DWI序列上的表现,将常规MR 序列 和DWI序列检出率进行比较,测量正常椎体及病变椎体的表观弥散系数(ADC)值,并进行统计学分析。结果：(1)MR 常规序列和 DWI序列(b=500s/mm2)表现：良性椎体压缩性骨折呈长T1 长或等T2 改变,T2WI/FS 呈高信号,DWI 可以呈高信号、等信号及低 信号;恶性椎体压缩性骨折呈长T1 长T2 信号,大部分病灶T2WI/FS 及DWI呈高信号,少数变现为低信号;(2)MR 常规序列和 DWI 序列(b=500s/mm2)病灶检出率的比较：T1WI、T2WI/FS 及DWI序列病灶检出率均高于T2WI 序列,其间的差别有显著性意 义(P<0.01),T1WI、T2WI/FS 及DWI序列病灶检出率之间无显著性差异(P>0.01);(3)ADC 值比较：在DWI(b=500 s/mm2)上,良性组 ADC 值为(2.03± 0.83)× 10-3mm2/s,恶性组ADC 值为(1.37 ± 0.75)× 10-3mm2/s,正常组ADC值为(0.36± 0.21)× 10-3mm2/s,成像条 件相同时,良性组高于恶性组,两组间有明显的统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论：DWI可较好的反映椎体的弥散特征,ADC值作为量化 指标可对良恶性椎体压缩性骨折进行可靠鉴别。     

新疆甘草化学成分研究

从新疆甘草(GlycyrrhizauralensisFisch.)根中分离得到5个化合物,分别鉴定为:槲皮素(1)、甘草次酸(2)、阿魏酸(3)、5,7,3′,4′-四羟基-7-葡萄糖基二氢黄酮醇(4)、8,5′-二羟基3′α-鼠李糖黄酮(5)。其中化合物4,5为首次从该植物中分离得到。     

高血压脑出血患者术后重症监护治疗与早期再出血的相关因素分析

目的:探究高血压脑出血患者术后重症监护治疗与早期(24 h内)再出血的相关因素。方法:回顾性分析2014年1月至2018年10月于中山大学附属第一医院及中山市人民医院行手术治疗并进行重症监护的高血压脑出血患者的相关资料,记录术后早期发生再出血情况,比较其相关因素,包括年龄、性别、术前格拉斯哥昏迷量表(GCS)评分、出血量、术前收缩压、术后收缩压、镇静时间、插管时间、有无使用止血药、血压波动、血压差、有无镇痛情况,分析术后早期再出血的影响因素。结果:本研究共纳入465例患者,其中术后早期再出血患者44例,未再出血患者421例,再出血发生率为9.46%(44/465)。高血压脑出血术后早期再出血患者的术后收缩压、有无镇痛、血压差、血压波动与未再出血患者比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。术后早期再出血患者的年龄、性别及术前GCS评分、出血量、术前收缩压、镇静时间、插管时间、有无使用止血药与未再出血患者比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,患者血压波动大是术后早期再出血的危险因素,手术前后血压差大、术后使用镇痛治疗是其保护因素。结论:高血压脑出血患者术后血压波动、手术前后血压差及术后镇痛治疗均是早期再出血的影响因素,合理降压及镇痛治疗可减少脑出血术后早期再出血的发生。