人工抚育措施对油松林生长及结构特征的影响

研究了人工抚育年后油松林的生长状况、群落组织和结构.结果表明,不同人工抚育措施的油松林平均胸径、树高、冠幅均有极显著差异(P＜0.01),采取抚育措施的两个样地间的油松胸径和冠幅差异均达到显著水平,其中既打枝又间伐的油松林的胸径(7.8±0.29cm)、树高(5.5±0.09m)和平均冠幅(249±7.24cm)最大,未打枝和间伐的油松林最大;随着人工抚育措施加强,单株油松的平均新叶、老叶和枝的生物量逐渐增加,达到极显著水平(P＜0.01);在不同抚育措施下,既打枝又间伐的油松林地上生物量最大(44.0t·hm^-2)、未打枝和间伐油松林地上生物量最大(14.9t·hm^-2);油松新叶和老叶长度的差异性显著;油松的比叶面积在生长初期(5月和月)和末期(9月)差异性显著;人工抚育措施增加了林下植被的种类数量和盖度.     

上海郊区人群的体质特征和遗传关系

本项研究收集了上海郊区的 13个具有明显方言差异的人群的各类人类遗传学数据 5 3项进行聚类分析 ,发现黄浦江以东的人群相对较纯 ,而黄浦江以西的则较混杂 ,两组群体都分别可以聚成较远的 3类。由此认为上海郊区的人群大致有 3种起源 ,上海奉贤区金汇镇和闵行区马桥镇为代表的居民与南方土著民族较近 ,崇明县、嘉定区、浦东新区和南汇区的居民与北方民族较近 ,而奉贤区的头桥镇、金山区、青浦区的朱家角和商榻、松江区天马山等地的居民又是另一类。这与历史记载他们的不同来源有关。     

我国陆地地面水环境近十年来的变化特征及原因分析

本文根据近十年来我国环境状况公报和有关统计资料,分析了我国陆地地面水环境近十年来的变化特征及其原因。分析表明我国陆地地面水环境近十年来呈现由恶化到基本控制的变化态势;重要的污染源正由工业污染向生活污水和农业面源污染转变,从而提出了相应的污染控制策略。     

Bioinformatic analysis of structural proteins of paramyxovirus Tianjin strain

The amino acid sequences of the NP,P, M, F,HN and L proteins of the paramyxovirus Tianjin strain were analyzed by using the bioinformatics methods. Phylogenetic analysis based on 6 structural proteins among the Tianjin strain and 25 paramyxoviruses showed that the Tianjin strain belonged to the genus Respirovirus, in the subfamily Paramyxovirinae, and was most closely related to Sendal virus (SeV). Phylogenetic analysis with 14 known SeVs showed that Tianjin strain represented a new evolutionary lineage. Similarities comparisons indicated that Tianjin strain P protein was poorly conserved, sharing only 78.7%-91.9% amino acid identity with the known SeVs, while the L protein was the most conserved, having 96.0%-98.0% amino acid identity with the known SeVs. Alignments of amino acid sequences of 6 structural proteins clearly showed that Tianjin strain possessed many unique amino acid substitutions in their protein sequences, 15 in NP, 29 in P, 6 in M, 13 in F, 18 in HN, and 29 in L. These results revealed that Tianjin strain was most likely a new genotype of SeV. The presence of unique amino acid substitutions suggests that Tianjin strain maybe has a significant difference in biological, pathological, immunological, or epidemiological characteristics from the known SeVs.     

Comparative study of lignins isolated from Alfa grass (Stipa tenacissima L.)

Soda lignin, dioxane lignin and milled lignin were isolated from Alfa grass (Stipatenacissima L.). The physico-chemical characterization of three different lignins: one industrial lignin precipitated from soda spent liquor and two lignin preparations isolated under laboratory conditions from Alfa grass (also know as Esparto grass) was performed. The structures of lignins were studied by three non-destructive (FT-IR, solid state ¹³C NMR and UV/visible spectroscopy) and two destructive (nitrobenzene oxidation and thermogravimetric analysis) methods. Elemental analysis and the methoxyl content determination were performed in order to determine the C₉ formulae for the studied lignins. The total antioxidant capacity of the studied lignins has been determined and compared to commercial antioxidants commonly used in thermoplastic industry.     

Molecular Dissection of Bombyx mori Nucleopolyhedrovirus orf8 Gene

Viruses including baculoviruses are obligatory parasites, as their genomes do not encode all the proteins required for replication. Therefore, viruses have evolved to exploit the behavior and the physiology of their hosts and often eoevolved with their hosts over millions of years. Recent comparative analyses of complete genome sequences of baculoviruses revealed the patterns of gene acquisitions and losses that have occurred during baculovirus evolution. In addition, knowledge of virus genes has also provided understanding of the mechanism of baculovirus infection including replication, species-specific virulence and host range. The Bm8 gene of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) and its homologues are found only in group I NPV genomes. The Autographa californica NPV Acl6 gene is a homologue of Bm8 and, encodes a viral structural protein. It has been shown that Bm8/Ac 16 interacts with baculoviral and cellular proteins. Bm8/Ac 16 interacts with baculoviral IE1 that is facilitated by coiled coil domains, and the interaction with IE1 is important for Bin8 function. Ac16 also forms a complex with viral FP25 and cellular actin and associates with membranes via palmitoylation. These data suggested that this gene family encodes a multifunctional protein that accomplishes specific needs of group INPVs.     

Structural Alerts,Reactive Metabolites,and Protein Covalent Binding: How Reliable Are These Attributes as Predictors of Drug Toxicity?

In an increasing number of cases, a deeper understanding of the biochemical basis for idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions (IADRs) has aided to replace a vague perception of a chemical class effect with a sharper picture of individual molecular peculiarity. Considering that IADRs are too complex to duplicate in a test tube, and their idiosyncratic nature precludes prospective clinical studies, it is currently impossible to predict which new drugs will be associated with a significant incidence of toxicity. Because it is now widely appreciated that reactive metabolites, as opposed to the parent molecules from which they are derived, are responsible for the pathogenesis of some IADRs, the propensity of drug candidates to form reactive metabolites is generally considered a liability. Procedures have been implemented to monitor reactive‐metabolite formation in discovery with the ultimate goal of eliminating or minimizing the liability via rational structural modification of the problematic chemical series. While such mechanistic studies have provided retrospective insight into the metabolic pathways which lead to reactive metabolite formation with toxic compounds, their ability to accurately predict the IADR potential of new drug candidates has been challenged. There are several instances of drugs that form reactive metabolites, but only a fraction thereof cause toxicity. This review article will outline current approaches to evaluate bioactivation potential of new compounds with particular emphasis on the advantages and limitation of these assays. Plausible reason(s) for the excellent safety record of certain drugs susceptible to bioactivation will also be explored and should provide valuable guidance in the use of reactive‐metabolite assessments when nominating drug candidates for development.     

Elevated CO2 concentration and temperature effects on the partitioning of chemical components along juvenile Scots pine stems (Pinus sylvestris L.)

The effects of doubled ambient [CO₂] and different temperature levels on young Pinus sylvestris growing in phytotron chambers were studied. Five chambers were supplied with ~380 (‘ambient air’) and five with ~700 μmol mol⁻¹ CO₂ (‘elevated [CO₂]’). Temperature levels in the chambers ranged in increment steps of 2°C from −4°C to +4°C relative to the long-term monthly (day and night) average air temperature levels in Berlin–Dahlem. Substrate was medium fertile; soil moisture and air humidity were kept constant. After three vegetation periods twigs and stems were harvested, weighed, homogenized, and analyzed chemically. There was no significant temperature effect on wood mass accumulation, clearest positive [CO₂] effect occurred in the youngest twigs. In total, wood mass increased by 28.5% at doubled ambient [CO₂]. N-contents (percentage) decreased at elevated [CO₂] in the uppermost stem sections and not in twig wood causing wider C/N ratios in total. In response to elevated temperature, N-contents decreased slightly in twigs (~0.3%). Traces of free glucose, fructose and sucrose, which decreased from the top to the bottom, were found in stem wood, in contrast to traces of starch that increased from the top to the bottom. In response to elevated [CO₂] only a little more (0.05%) was accumulated in the top shoot and in tendency; glucose, fructose, and sucrose contents were lower at the bottom of stems as compared to the control. There was no obvious response of these non-structural carbohydrates to elevated temperature except for starch that decreased to half of the content from the lowest to the highest temperature level. Among the hemicellulose compounds, rhamnose and arabinose declined from the top shoot to the bottom of stem, whereas 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic-acid, mannose, and xylose increased. Contents (percentage) of galactose remained approximately stable along the stem. The clearest positive effect of elevated [CO₂] along the whole stem was found for mannose with differences of 0.6–0.3%. In contrast to rhamnose and arabinose that showed a negative response to elevated [CO₂], mannose was reduced towards the uppermost stem sections. The 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic-acid was slightly lowered at the bottom, and galactose and xylose showed no [CO₂] response. The only hemicellulose compound which reacted to temperature elevation was galactose. It increased slightly (~0.1% per 1°C). Cellulose and lignin (Klason) behaved oppositely: cellulose increased and lignin decreased from the top to the bottom. These structural components behaved reversely also in response to elevated [CO₂]. In stem parts above the bottom section, cellulose content was slightly higher at elevated [CO₂], and lignin content was slightly lower at the bottom. Lignin reacted to temperature elevation by a very slight increase on the average (~0.1% per one 1°C). Cellulose, however, decreased by ~0.2% per 1°C temperature elevation. The importance of persistent sinks of carbon in woody plant parts is discussed in respect to the greenhouse effect.     

基于结构信息的蛋白质相互作用规律的研究

蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用是蛋白质发挥其功能的重要途径之一。作者基于相互作用蛋白质数据库、基因本体数据库和蛋白质结构分类数据库（structural classification of proteins, SCOP）,结合SWISS-PROT等相关数据库中蛋白质功能注释信息,定义描述蛋白质相互作用倾向性的参数,对酿酒酵母定位于不同细胞器蛋白、部分膜蛋白,以及酿酒酵母、线虫和大肠杆菌按SCOP分类的不同结构类蛋白质之间相互作用规律进行研究。结果表明各种细胞器、膜和结构类蛋白质之间相互作用确实存在明显的偏向性。     

Structural genomics is the largest contributor of novel structural leverage

The Protein Structural Initiative (PSI) at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding four large-scale centers for structural genomics (SG). These centers systematically target many large families without structural coverage, as well as very large families with inadequate structural coverage. Here, we report a few simple metrics that demonstrate how successfully these efforts optimize structural coverage: while the PSI-2 (2005-now) contributed more than 8% of all structures deposited into the PDB, it contributed over 20% of all novel structures (i.e. structures for protein sequences with no structural representative in the PDB on the date of deposition). The structural coverage of the protein universe represented by today’s UniProt (v12.8) has increased linearly from 1992 to 2008; structural genomics has contributed significantly to the maintenance of this growth rate. Success in increasing novel leverage (defined in Liu et al. in Nat Biotechnol 25:849–851, 2007) has resulted from systematic targeting of large families. PSI’s per structure contribution to novel leverage was over 4-fold higher than that for non-PSI structural biology efforts during the past 8 years. If the success of the PSI continues, it may just take another ~15 years to cover most sequences in the current UniProt database.