英国英格兰西北部和威尔士北部岩溶地区钙华苔藓植物群落研究

报道了英国英格兰西北部和威尔士北部共 6个岩溶沉积地点苔藓植物群落的研究结果。记载典型钙华苔藓群落 1 0个 ,苔藓种类 9科 1 2属 1 4种 (含变种 ) ;区系地理成分含北温带分布 ( 6 4 .3% )、温带欧洲分布( 1 4 .3% )和世界广泛分布 ( 2 1 .4 % ) 3种类型 ;生活型含高丛集型 ( 7.1 % )、垫状矮丛集型 ( 4 2 .9% )、交织型( 35 .8% )和平埔型 ( 1 4 .2 % ) 4种。根据岩溶沉积环境特征 ,划分该地区苔藓群落为 :泉华苔藓群落、瀑华苔藓群落、洞穴钙华苔藓群落、峭壁钙华苔藓群落和溪流钙华苔藓群落等 5种生态类型。研究地点现代苔藓植物群落钙华沉积作用十分活跃     

禽多杀性巴氏杆菌粘附蛋白Cp39的交叉免疫保护作用

【目的】比较体内外增殖禽多杀性巴氏杆菌荚膜蛋白、天然粘附蛋白Cp39和重组粘附蛋白rCp39对小鼠的交叉保护作用。【方法】用NaCl提取法制备鸡胚尿囊液和DSA培养基增殖的C48-3株荚膜蛋白,并用电洗脱方法纯化Cp39蛋白,将rCp39蛋白以可溶形式表达在大肠杆菌BL21后,用Amylose Resin亲和层析柱纯化。分别以100μg剂量的鸡胚尿囊液增殖菌体荚膜蛋白、DSA培养基培养菌体荚膜蛋白、纯化的Cp39蛋白和rCp39蛋白通过皮下注射各试验组小鼠,生理盐水为对照组,第二次免疫后2周分别以A:1型菌C48-3株(6.7×102cfu)和A:3型菌C51-3株(1.1×103cfu)进行攻毒试验。采集免疫后小鼠血清,用ELISA法检测抗体水平,并计算免疫保护率,来评价4种抗原对小鼠的交叉保护效果。【结果】SDS-PAGE结果显示,体内外增殖禽多杀性巴氏杆菌荚膜蛋白的条带和分子量相似,且体内外表达的Cp39蛋白的分子量相同;ELISA结果表明Cp39免疫组小鼠和rCp39免疫组小鼠血清rCp39蛋白特异性抗体的水平显著高于其他两组(P0.05);保护试验表明,体外增殖菌体荚膜蛋白免疫组小鼠对同源C48-3株和异源C51-3株攻毒的保护率分别为100%和60%,鸡胚尿囊液增殖菌体荚膜蛋白免疫组小鼠、Cp39免疫组小鼠和rCp39免疫组小鼠对同源C48-3株和异源C51-3株攻毒的保护率分别为100%和80%。【结论】粘附蛋白Cp39是禽多杀性巴氏杆菌荚膜蛋白中的主要交叉保护抗原,可以作为禽霍乱亚单位疫苗。     

Diffusion-controlled sensitization of photocleavage reactions on surfaces

The kinetic rate equation for the photosensitized cleavage reaction of surface-bound photolabile chromophores with free diffusion of sensitizer molecules from the bulk of a solution to the surface is derived by determining the stationary solution of a diffusion equation with suitable boundary conditions. The relation between the phenomenological rate constant for the photosensitized reaction at the surface and in the bulk is established. Applying the result to the analysis of an experimental example, the origin of the quasi zeroth-order kinetics of the sensitized reaction is revealed. A theoretical comparison of intramolecular sensitization in photocleavable protecting groups with a molecular antenna and sensitization with the freely diffusing sensitizer shows that in a typical case sensitization with free diffusion is more effective than intramolecular sensitization for sensitizer concentrations higher than 5 mM.     

Incorporation of a high potential quinone reveals that electron transfer in Photosystem I becomes highly asymmetric at low temperature

Photosystem I (PS I) has two nearly identical branches of electron-transfer co-factors. Based on point mutation studies, there is general agreement that both branches are active at ambient temperature but that the majority of electron-transfer events occur in the A-branch. At low temperature, reversible electron transfer between P(700) and A(1A) occurs in the A-branch. However, it has been postulated that irreversible electron transfer from P(700) through A(1B) to the terminal iron-sulfur clusters F(A) and F(B) occurs via the B-branch. Thus, to study the directionality of electron transfer at low temperature, electron transfer to the iron-sulfur clusters must be blocked. Because the geometries of the donor-acceptor radical pairs formed by electron transfer in the A- and B-branch differ, they have different spin-polarized EPR spectra and echo-modulation decay curves. Hence, time-resolved, multiple-frequency EPR spectroscopy, both in the direct-detection and pulse mode, can be used to probe the use of the two branches if electron transfer to the iron-sulfur clusters is blocked. Here, we use the PS I variant from the menB deletion mutant strain of Synechocyctis sp. PCC 6803, which is unable to synthesize phylloquinone, to incorporate 2,3-dichloro-1,4-naphthoquinone (Cl(2)NQ) into the A(1A) and A(1B) binding sites. The reduction midpoint potential of Cl(2)NQ is approximately 400 mV more positive than that of phylloquinone and is unable to transfer electrons to the iron-sulfur clusters. In contrast to previous studies, in which the iron-sulfur clusters were chemically reduced and/or point mutations were used to prevent electron transfer past the quinones, we find no evidence for radical-pair formation in the B-branch. The implications of this result for the directionality of electron transfer in PS I are discussed.     

Sequential photoisomerisation dynamics of the push-pull azobenzene Disperse Red 1

The ultrafast dynamics of the push-pull azobenzene Disperse Red 1 following photoexcitation at λ(pump) = 475 nm in solution in 2-fluorotoluene have been probed by broadband transient absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence up-conversion spectroscopy. The measured two-dimensional spectro-temporal absorption map features a remarkable "fast" excited-state absorption (ESA) band at λ ≈ 570 nm appearing directly with the excitation laser pulse and showing a sub-100 fs lifetime with a rapid spectral blue-shift. Moreover, its ultrafast decay is paralleled by rising distinctive ESA at other wavelengths. Global fits to the absorption-time profiles using a consecutive kinetic model yielded three time constants, τ(1) = 0.08 ± 0.03 ps, τ(2) = 0.99 ± 0.02 ps, and τ(3) = 6.0 ± 0.1 ps. Fluorescence-time profiles were biexponential with time constants τ(1)' = 0.12 ± 0.06 ps and τ(2)' = 0.70 ± 0.10 ps, close to the absorption results. Based on the temporal evolution of the transient spectra, especially the "fast" excited-state absorption band at λ ≈ 570 nm, and on the global kinetic analysis of the time profiles, τ(1) is assigned to an ultrafast transformation of the optically excited ππ* state to an intermediate state, which may be the nπ* state, τ(2) to the subsequent isomerisation and radiationless deactivation time to the S(0) electronic ground state, and τ(3) to the eventual vibrational cooling of the internally "hot" S(0) molecules.     

Blood meal analysis, flavivirus screening, and influence of meteorological variables on the dynamics of potential mosquito vectors of West Nile virus in northern Italy

An extended area of northern Italy has experienced several West Nile virus (WNV) outbreaks and the emergence of Usutu virus (USUV) during previous years. Our aim was to study some of the factors that could explain disease patterns in the Trentino region, where circulation was detected in human sera and sentinel chickens, but no human or equine cases were reported. We collected Culex species (Diptera: Culicidae) in peridomestic environments. The collected specimens were analyzed for feeding behavior, the influence of temperature and rainfall on the abundance of mosquitoes, and the occurrence of flaviviruses. Analysis of blood meals showed that Culex pipiens fed mainly on blackbirds (Turdus merula) and house sparrows (Passer domesticus), while Culex hortensis fed strictly on lizards. The abundance of Cx. pipiens females correlated positively with mean temperature and negatively with rainfall (one to four weeks before capture). This negative relationship could be due to the direct effect of the flushing of habitats together with an indirect effect of oviposition repellency. The mean weekly temperature influenced the abundance of Cx. hortensis. No flaviviruses were detected in the analyzed Culex mosquitoes. These data suggest a silent cycle at low enzootic transmission levels in the area. Furthermore, we present the first contribution to understanding the transmission role of Cx. pipiens mosquitoes in Italy by identifying vertebrate hosts to species level.     

The chimpanzee GH locus: composition, organization, and evolution

In most mammals the growth hormone (GH) locus comprises a single gene expressed primarily in the anterior pituitary gland. However, in higher primates multiple duplications of the GH gene gave rise to a complex locus containing several genes. In man this locus comprises five genes, including GH-N (expressed in pituitary) and four genes expressed in the placenta, but in other species the number and organization of these genes vary. The situation in chimpanzee has been unclear, with suggestions of up to seven GH-like genes. We have re-examined the GH locus in chimpanzee and have deduced the complete sequence. The locus includes five genes apparently organized in a fashion similar to that in human, with two of these genes encoding GH-like proteins, and three encoding chorionic somatomammotropins/placental lactogens (CSHs/PLs). There are notable differences between the human and chimpanzee loci with regard to the expressed proteins, gene regulation, and gene conversion events. In particular, one human gene (hCSH-L) has changed substantially since the chimpanzee/human split, potentially becoming a pseudogene, while the corresponding chimpanzee gene (CSH-A1) has been conserved, giving a product almost identical to the adjacent CSH-A2. Chimpanzee appears to produce two CSHs, with potentially differing biological properties, whereas human produces a single CSH. The pattern of gene conversion in human has been quite different from that in chimpanzee. The region around the GH-N gene in chimpanzee is remarkably polymorphic, unlike the corresponding region in human. The results shed new light on the complex evolution of the GH locus in higher primates.     

Effect of subinihibitory and inhibitory concentrations of Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng essential oil on Klebsiella pneumoniae

We evaluated the antimicrobial activity and some mechanisms used by subinhibitory and inhibitory concentrations of the essential oil, obtained from leaves of Plectranthus amboinicus, against a standard strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 5 multiresistant clinical isolates of the bacteria. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC), the rate of kill and the pH sensitivity of the essential oil were determined by microdilution tests performed in 96-well plates. Subinhibitory and inhibitory concentrations of the essential oil were tested in order to check its action on K. pneumoniae membrane permeability, capsule expression, urease activity and cell morphology. The MIC and MBC of the essential oil were 0.09±0.01%. A complete inhibition of the bacterial growth was observed after 2h of incubation with twice the MIC of the essential oil. A better MIC was found when neutral or alkaline pH broth was used. Alteration in membrane permeability was found by the increase of crystal violet uptake when the bacteria were incubated with twice the MIC levels of the essential oil. The urease activity could be prevented when all the subinhibitory concentrations were tested in comparison to the untreated group (p<0.001). Alteration of the bacterial morphology besides inhibition of the capsule expression was verified by atomic force microscopy, and Anthony's stain method, respectively. Our data allow us to conclude that the essential oil of P. amboinicus can be a good candidate for future research.     

Participation of cholinergic pathways in α-hederin-induced contraction of rat isolated stomach strips

The dry extract of Hedra helix leaves and its main active compounds, predominantly α-hederin and hederacoside C, has been traditionally believed to act spasmolytic. However, it has been recently proved that both, the extract of ivy and triterpenoid saponins, exhibit strong contractile effect on rat isolated stomach smooth muscle strips. It turned out that the most potent contractile agent isolated from the extract of ivy leaves is α-hederin. Thus, it seems reasonable to estimate the mechanism of the contractile effect of this saponin. The presented study was aimed at verifying the participation of cholinergic pathways (muscarinic and nicotine receptors) in α-hederin-induced contraction. The experiments were carried out on rat isolated stomach corpus and fundus strips under isotonic conditions. The preparations were preincubated with either atropine or hexamethonium and then exposed to α-hederin. All results are expressed as the percentage of the response to acetylcholine - a reference contractile agent. The obtained results revealed that the pretreatment of isolated stomach strips (corpus and fundus) with atropine neither prevented nor remarkably reduced the reaction of the preparations to α-hederin. Similarly, if the application of saponin was preceded by the administration of hexamethonium, the strength of the contraction of stomach fundus strips induced by α-hederin was not modified. Concluding, it can be assumed that the cholinergic pathways do not participate in α-hederin-evoked contraction of rat isolated stomach preparations.