大鼠尾壳核头部生长抑素mRNA的区域性表达

目的　观察尾壳核 (CP)头部背内侧区、背外侧区、腹内侧区和腹外侧区生长抑素 (SOM )mRNA阳性神经元分布特点。方法　采用原位杂交组织化学方法。结果　CP头部不同区域SOMmRNA阳性神经元的密度存在差异 ,腹内侧区SOMmRNA阳性神经元的密度明显高于其他区 (P <0 0 1)。结论　CP头部不同区域的SOMmRNA阳性神经元密度存在差异 ,这可能是CP头部不同区域机能差异的形态学基础之一。     

Amaranthus caudatus lectin with polyproline II fold: conformational and functional transitions and molecular dynamics

Polyproline II (PPII) fold, a peculiar structural element was detected in the Amaranthus caudatus seed lectin (ACL) based on far UV circular dichroism spectrum, conformational transitions of the lectin, and a distinct isodichroic point in thermal denaturation. It was confirmed using PolyprOnline database to estimate the percentage of amino acids contributing to PPII fold and showed the values as 13.5 and 13.9% for PROSS and XTLSSTR, respectively. Investigations of the functional and conformational transitions of ACL during thermal-, pH-, and guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl)-induced denaturation were carried out using biochemical and biophysical techniques and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations approach. The lectin got aggregated at 60°C with instantaneous structural alterations. The aggregation-prone regions in ACL were predicted using online servers viz. AGGRESCAN, AmylPred, FoldAmyloid, and Waltz that were represented by Visual Molecular Dynamics tools. Nine conserved regions were identified by these softwares as being ‘hot-spots’ for aggregation. MD simulation studies of the lectin at 60°C revealed increase in radius of gyration. The loss of PPII fold in 2.0 M GdnHCl was reversible. The partially unfolded intermediate of ACL with diminished PPII fold formed at pH 1.0 was stable up to 90°C. The polyproline II fold has been rarely detected in lectins, ACL being the second after the potato lectin.     

Egg–larval opiine parasitoids (Hym., Braconidae) of tephritid fruit fly pests do not attack the flowerhead-feeder Trupanea dubautiae (Dipt., Tephritidae)

Abstract:  We investigated the potential impact of three opiine tephritid fruit fly parasitoids: Fopius arisanus (Sonan), Fopius caudatus (Szépligeti) and Fopius ceratitivorus Wharton, on the non-target native Hawaiian tephritid, Trupanea dubautiae (Bryan), infesting flowerheads of the endemic Asteraceae shrub Dubautia raillardioides Hillebrand. The three species are the only known opiine fruit fly parasitoids that attack host eggs (but occasionally attack first instars). F. arisanus , which originated in southeast Asia, is now widely established in Hawaii and elsewhere in the world, while the other two are African species currently in quarantine in Hawaii. In the laboratory, field-collected flowerheads of D. raillardioides containing T. dubautiae eggs and first instar larvae were exposed to naïve female wasps of each of the three Fopius species in the absence (no-choice test) or presence (choice test) of papaya fruit infested with eggs of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), the parasitoids' normal host. All three Fopius species visited the papaya fruit much more often than the flowerheads, and displayed normal ovipositional responses (probing and stinging) on the fruit in the choice test. None of the three parasitoid species showed ovipositional responses to flowerheads in either choice or no-choice tests. As a result, not a single T. dubautiae egg or larva was attacked by any of the three parasitoids, indicating that these parasitoids of pest tephritids are unable to recognize the microhabitats of flowerhead-feeding tephritids. The results suggest minimal risk of non-target impact in these biological control agents.     

抗蚜基因及其转基因植物的研究进展

在我国目前的环境条件下,蚜虫作为农业害虫和植物病毒的传播者,已经成为严重威胁农业生产发展重要的害虫之一。抗蚜植物基因工程可以有效抑制蚜虫危害,并且随着对生命科学的深入理解和技术手段的日益成熟,得到广泛的关注和重视。抗蚜植物基因工程的核心是抗蚜基因的筛选、转抗蚜基因植物的培育以及生物安全性。本文讨论了多种抗蚜基因,并重点论述雪花莲凝集素和苋菜凝集素基因在目前科学研究和生产实践的应用。     

Methyl jasmonate differentially affects tocopherol content and tyrosine amino transferase activity in cultured cells of Amaranthus caudatus and Chenopodium quinoa

Tocopherols are lipid-soluble compounds synthesised exclusively by photosynthetic organisms. In this study, in vitro callus cultures were established from two plants that are naturally rich in tocopherols, Amaranthus caudatus and Chenopodium quinoa, in order to examine whether callus cultures were able to produce these compounds at levels comparable to those observed in planta . In both species, cotyledon explants produced the best callus induction and, once established, callus cultures were grown under two different hormonal treatments to check for effects of growth and to induce chloroplast differentiation in the cells. A rapid differentiation of chloroplasts occurred only in C. quinoa cell aggregates grown in the presence of benzyladenine, leading to the production of a homogeneous green callus. In both species, only α-tocopherol was produced by callus cultures, although levels were much lower than in planta, and the production was not influenced by the hormonal conditions. Interestingly, cell cultures of the two species responded in different ways to methyl jasmonate (MJ). In A. caudatus cultures, treatment with 100 μ m MJ increased the production of α-tocopherol up to fivefold, and the inductive effect was influenced by the hormonal composition of the medium. This increase in α-tocopherol was associated with a proportional increase in tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) activity, one of the key enzymes involved in tocopherol biosynthesis. By contrast, in C. quinoa cultures, elicitation with MJ did not have any effect, neither on tocopherol production, nor on TAT activity. These results are discussed in relation to chloroplast differentiation and the interplay between jasmonates and phytohormones.     

Correlation of Increased Grooming Behavior and Motor Activity with Alterations in Nigrostriatal and Mesolimbic Catecholamines After α-Melanotropin and Neuropeptide Glutamine–Isoleucine Injection in the Rat Ventral Tegmental Area

1. We wished to further study the behavioral effects of -melanotropin (-MSH), melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), and neuropeptide glutamine–isoleucine (NEI).2. To this effect we administered -MSH, MCH, and NEI in the ventral tegmental area of the rat, a structure where these neuropeptides are highly concentrated. To further elucidate the biochemical mechanisms of the behavioral effect of these neuropeptides, we determined the degree of grooming behavior and the levels of catecholamines, after neuropeptide administration.3. We preselected those animals responding to the central injection of -MSH with excessive grooming behavior. We administered the neuropeptides at the dose of 1 g/0.5 L, in each side of the ventral tegmental area, bilaterally. We studied grooming behavior, locomotor activity, and total behavior scores, 30 and 65 min after administration of the peptides.4. Three groups of animals were decapitated immediately after the injection of the neuropeptides, and 30 or 65 min after injection. We measured dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA), and the dopac/dopamine ratio (DOPAC/DA) to determine steady state levels of catecholamines and an indirect measure of DA release and metabolism, respectively.5. Injections of -MSH produced significant elevations in grooming behavior, locomotor activity, and total behavior scores, both 30 and 65 min after peptide administration. This was correlated with significant decreases in DA content, increases in DOPAC content, and increases in the DOPAC/DA ratio. In the caudate putamen, changes in catecholamines occurred both at 30 and 65 min after injection. In the nucleus accumbens, changes were present at 65 min after injection. Conversely, there were no alterations in NA content, either in the caudate putamen or in the nucleus accumbens, at any time after the injection.6. Injections of NEI resulted in significant elevations in grooming behavior, locomotor activity, and total behavior scores, both 30 and 65 min after peptide administration. This was correlated with increased DOPAC/DA ratio in the nucleus caudatus but not in the nucleus accumbens. Conversely, NEI produced increased NA concentrations in the nucleus accumbens, but not in the nucleus caudatus.7. Injections of MCH did not produce significant changes in behavior or significant changes in nucleus caudatus or nucleus accumbens catecholamines.8. Our results indicate (a) There is a correlation with alterations in behavior as induced for the neuropeptides injected here, and changes in extrapyramidal catecholamines. (b) There is a correlation between alterations in behavior and increases in DOPAC/DA ratio in the nucleus caudatus. (c) There is a correlation between alterations in behavior and alterations in catecholamines in the nucleus accumbens. In the nucleus accumbens, DOPAC/DA ratio is changed after -MSH, and NA ratio is changed after NEI injection. (d) Absence of alterations in extrapyramidal catecholamines, and in particular in catecholamines in the nucleus accumbens, correlates with absence of behavioral alterations after neuropeptide administration to the ventral tegmental area.9. In conclusion, the behavioral effect of exogenous administration of neuropeptides in the ventral tegmental area is peptide-specific, and is probably associated with alterations in catecholamine metabolism and release in the nucleus caudatus and the nucleus accumbens. Both -MSH and NEI seem to stimulate the nigrostriatal DA system. While -MSH appears to stimulate the mesolimbic DA system as well, NEI may exert its actions not through the DA, but through the NA mesolimbic system. The precise contribution of DA and NA, and the relative role of the nucleus caudatus and nucleus accumbens in these behaviors remain to be elucidated.     

Rapid techniques for the extraction of vitamin E isomers from Amaranthus caudatus seeds: ultrasonic and supercritical fluid extraction

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of seeds of Amaranthus caudatus (Amaranthaceae) and the use of ultrasound as a co-adjuvant in the extraction process were compared with methods traditionally used in the extraction of tocopherols and fatty acids. The use of readily available ultrasound equipment as an adjunct to the classical methods employed for the extraction of tocols provided qualitatively acceptable results more rapidly and more economically. SFE gave quantitatively better yields in shorter times, with solvent-free extracts obtained under conditions that minimised the degradation of thermolabile components. No significant variations were observed in the profile of the fatty acids extracted from amaranth oil by SFE or other methods, thus confirming the qualitative comparability of the faster supercritical extraction with the more time-consuming classical techniques even when processed with the aid of ultrasound.     

Heritability of parental effort in a passerine bird

Abstract The study of the evolution of parental care is central to our understanding of social systems, sexual selection, and interindividual conflict, yet we know virtually nothing about the genetic architecture of parental care traits in natural populations. In this paper, we use data from a long term field study of a passerine bird, the long-tailed tit ( Aegithalos caudatus ), to examine the heritability of the rate at which parents feed offspring. This measure of effort is positively related to offspring survival, is repeatable within individuals, and does not appear to be confounded by environmental effects. Using both parent-offspring regression, and an animal model approach, with a pedigree derived from ringing data, we show that our measure of effort has a significant heritable component.     

尾莫蟹蛛雄蛛的描述（蜘蛛目：蟹蛛科）

对蟹蛛科Ｔｈｏｍｉｓｉｄａｅ的尾莫蟹蛛Ｍｏｎａｅｓｅｓｃａｕｄａｔｕｓ雄蛛作了描述。