An integrated analysis of the association between Ts gene polymorphisms and clinical outcome in gastric and colorectal cancer patients treated with 5-FU-based regimens

Thymidylate synthetase is the major target of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which is widely used for the treatment of gastric cancer (GC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). This meta-analysis aimed to elucidate the effect of Ts polymorphisms on the efficacy of 5-FU-based chemotherapy in GC and CRC patients. Individual data were analyzed from 10 studies of 1102 GC and CRC patients treated with 5-FU-based regimens. The primary outcomes of interest were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Data were pooled using the program STATA version 10.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX). The relationship between the Ts polymorphism and survival following 5FU-based treatment of GC and CRC patients was systematically summarized. Compared with the C allele, the G allele was associated with shorter PFS but with similar OS in Caucasian CRC patients. Compared with the 3R/3R genotype, the 2R/3R or 2R/2R genotype was associated with the same PFS, but with a shorter OS, particularly in Caucasian CRC patients. These results show a correlation between survival following 5-FU-based therapy and tumor genotype in Caucasian CRC patients. Larger studies and further clinical trials are required to confirm this observation.     

Y chromosome diversity and paternal origin of Chinese cattle

To determine the Y chromosome genetic diversity and paternal origin of Chinese cattle, 369 bulls from 17 Chinese native cattle breeds and 30 bulls from Holstein and four bulls from Burma were analyzed using a recently discovered USP9Y marker that could distinguish between taurine and indicine cattle more efficiently. In total, the taurine Y1, Y2 haplogroup and indicine Y3 haplogroup were detected in 7 (1.9 %), 193 (52.3 %) and 169 (45.8 %) individuals of 17 Chinese native breeds, respectively, although these frequencies varied amongst the Chinese native cattle breeds examined. Y2 dominates in northern China (91.4 %), while Y3 dominates in southern China (81.2 %). Central China is an admixture zone with Y2 predominating overall (72.0 %). Our results demonstrate that Chinese cattle have two paternal origins, one from B. taurus (Y2) and the other from B. indicus (Y3). The Y1 haplogroup may originate from the imported beef cattle breeds in western countries. The geographical distributions of the Y2 and Y3 haplogroup frequencies reveal a pattern of male indicine introgression from south to north China, and male taurine introgression from north to south China.     

Rhizospheric NO affects N uptake and metabolism in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings depending on soil N availability and N source

We investigated the interaction of rhizospheric nitric oxide (NO) concentration (i.e. low, ambient or high) and soil nitrogen (N) availability (i.e. low or high) with organic and inorganic N uptake by fine roots of Pinus sylvestris L. seedlings by ¹⁵N feeding experiments under controlled conditions. N metabolites in fine roots were analysed to link N uptake to N nutrition. NO affected N uptake depending on N source and soil N availability. The suppression of nitrate uptake in the presence of ammonium and glutamine was overruled by high NO. The effects of NO on N uptake with increasing N availability showed different patterns: (1) increasing N uptake regardless of NO concentration (i.e. ammonium); (2) increasing N uptake only with high NO concentration (i.e. nitrate and arginine); and (3) decreasing N uptake (i.e. glutamine). At low N availability and high NO nitrate accumulated in the roots indicating insufficient substrates for nitrate reduction or its storage in root vacuoles. Individual amino acid concentrations were negatively affected with increasing NO (i.e. asparagine and glutamine with low N availability, serine and proline with high N availability). In conclusion, this study provides first evidence that NO affects N uptake and metabolism in a conifer.     

Midday stomatal conductance is more related to stem rather than leaf water status in subtropical deciduous and evergreen broadleaf trees

Midday depressions in stomatal conductance (g_s) and photosynthesis are common in plants. The aim of this study was to understand the hydraulic determinants of midday g_s, the coordination between leaf and stem hydraulics and whether regulation of midday g_s differed between deciduous and evergreen broadleaf tree species in a subtropical cloud forest of Southwest (SW) China. We investigated leaf and stem hydraulics, midday leaf and stem water potentials, as well as midday g_s of co‐occurring deciduous and evergreen tree species. Midday g_s was correlated positively with midday stem water potential across both groups of species, but not with midday leaf water potential. Species with higher stem hydraulic conductivity and greater daily reliance on stem hydraulic capacitance were able to maintain higher stem water potential and higher g_s at midday. Deciduous species exhibited significantly higher stem hydraulic conductivity, greater reliance on stem capacitance, higher stem water potential and g_s at midday than evergreen species. Our results suggest that midday g_s is more associated with midday stem than with leaf water status, and that the functional significance of stomatal regulation in these broadleaf tree species is probably for preventing stem xylem dysfunction.     

Duration of sucrose preculture is critical for shoot regrowth of in vitro-grown apple shoot-tips cryopreserved by encapsulation-dehydration

A simple and efficient cryopreservation protocol using encapsulation-dehydration was established for in vitro-grown shoot-tips of apple ‘Gala’ (Malus × domestica Borkh.). Shoot-tips, of 2.0 mm in length and with 5–6 leaf primordia, excised from 4-week-old shoot stock cultures, without cold-hardening, were encapsulated into beads, each being about 5 mm in diameter and containing a single shoot-tip. The beads were precultured on MS medium containing 0.5 M sucrose for 7 days. The precultured beads were dehydrated by air-drying to reduce the water content of the beads to about 22–20 % in 5–7 h, followed by a direct immersion in liquid nitrogen for 1 h. Frozen shoot-tips were re-warmed in a water bath at 38 °C for 2 min and post-cultured on a recovery medium for shoot regrowth. This protocol was successfully applied to four Malus species and one hybrid, among which M. micromalus and M. robusta are wild species native to China. The highest and lowest shoot regeneration rates were found in ‘Gala’ (75 %) and ‘Wangshanhong’ (36 %), with a mean shoot regrowth rate of 61 % attained for the seven Malus genotypes tested. Histological studies revealed that shoots could be regenerated in cryopreserved shoot-tips only when many cells in the leaf primordia and most of the cells in the apical dome survived following cryopreservation. Morphologies of the regenerated plantlets were identical to those from the in vitro stock cultures. Therefore, the encapsulation-dehydration procedure developed in the present study should provide a technical support for setting-up Malus cryo-banking in China.     

增氮对青藏高原东缘高寒草甸土壤甲烷吸收的早期影响

研究大气氮沉降对青藏高原高寒草甸土壤CH4吸收的影响,对于揭示氮素调节土壤CH4吸收的机制和评价氮沉降增加背景下大气CH4收支平衡至关重要.通过构建多形态、低剂量的增氮控制试验,测定土壤CH4净交换通量和相关土壤理化性质,分析高寒草甸土壤CH4通量变化特征及其主要驱动因子.研究结果表明:自然状态下高寒草甸土壤是大气CH4汇,CH4平均吸收量为(35.40±1.92) μg· m-2· h-1.土壤CH4吸收主要受水分驱动,其次为土壤NH4+-N和NO3-N含量.NH4+-N抑制CH4吸收,NO3--N促进CH4吸收;不同剂量氮素输入对土壤CH4吸收影响也不尽相同,低氮处理促进土壤CH4吸收,而中氮和高氮处理抑制土壤CH4吸收.结果显示青藏高原高寒草甸土壤是重要的大气CH4汇,在未来大气氮沉降加倍的情景下CH4汇功能增强,但当氮沉降量增加两倍以上时CH4汇功能将会减弱.     

珠海鹤洲水道沿岸红树林湿地大型底栖动物群落特征

对珠海鹤洲水道沿岸的4个红树人工林(包括老鼠簕Acanthus ilicifolius、木榄Bruguiera gymnorrhiza、秋茄Kandelia candel和无瓣海桑Sonneratia apetala)样地和2个挺水植被(短叶茳芏Cyperus malaccensis和芦苇Phragmites australis)样地的大型底栖动物群落进行为期一年(2010年12月、2011年3、6、9月共4次野外采样)的生物调查。研究与分析了大型底栖动物的种类、生活型及功能群、栖息密度、平均生物量、多样性指数等群落特征,并结合等级聚类和非参数多变量标序(MDS)方法对大型底栖动物的群落结构进行深入探讨。本调查共采集大型底栖动物35种,包括环节动物(7种)、软体动物(10种)、甲壳动物(10种)、鱼类(1种)和其他无脊椎动物(7种)。优势种包括谭氏泥蟹(Ilyrplax deschampsi)(占总个体数的34%)、麦克碟尾虫(Discapseudes mackiei)(占总个体数的25%)、羽须鳃沙蚕(Dendronereis prinnaticirris)(占总个体数的12%)。在6种生境类型中,老鼠簕站位大型底栖动物物种数量最多,为19种,均匀度和多样性指数均较高;短叶茳芏样地大型底栖动物栖息密度最高,为254.7 ind/m2,但是多样性指数(H"=1.25)最低;无瓣海桑站位平均生物量最高,为32.0613 g/m2。研究结果表明：(1)不同生境下大型底栖动物群落结构存在显著差异,尤其是无瓣海桑站位,无论群落结构、优势种还是生活型等都与其它站位有明显不同;(2)围垦区人工湿地与自然滩涂大型底栖动物群落结构差异显著;(3)潮汐作用对大型底栖动物群落结构影响显著。     

研究报告：Ⅳ型胶原在癌侵袭转移过程中的动态变化：脉冲模式

结合量子点原位分子成像技术探究了基于Ⅳ型胶原动态改变的癌侵袭转移模式．收集肝癌、胃癌、乳腺癌和宫颈癌的临床病理标本,利用免疫组化和量子点成像技术对癌细胞及其相关微环境中的关键分子进行成像,观察癌侵袭转移过程中Ⅳ型胶原的动态变化．结果表明,在癌侵袭和转移过程中Ⅳ型胶原呈现动态改变．首先在基底膜处交联增多,形成不规则且致密的袖套包裹癌巢;随后多处基底膜处的胶原发生构象改变并被降解形成侵袭前锋．同时,伴随着间质中的Ⅳ型胶原重新线性沉积及巨噬细胞的团聚增多,癌细胞最终逃逸转移．由上述结果可以断定,癌侵袭转移呈现“脉冲模式”,Ⅳ型胶原的动态改变为癌侵袭转移创造了适宜的微环境．