Mercurial-sensitive water transport in barley roots

An isolated barley root was partitioned into the apical and basal part across the partition wall of the double-chamber osmometer. Transroot water movement was induced by subjecting the apical part to a sorbitol solution, while the basal part with the cut end was in artificial pond water. The rate of transroot osmosis was first low but enhanced by two means, infilitration of roots by pressurization and repetition of osmosis. Both effects acted additively. The radial hydraulic conductivity (Lp_r) was calculated by dividing the initial flow rate with the surface area of the apical part of the root, to which sorbitol was applied, and the osmotic gradient between the apical and basal part of the root. Lp_r which was first 0.02–0.04 pm s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ increased up to 0.25–0.4 pm s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ after enhancement. Enhancement is assumed to be caused by an increase of the area of the plasma membrane which is avallable to osmotic water movement. The increased Lp_r is in the same order of magnitude as the hydraulic conductivity (Lp) of epidermal and cortical cells of barley roots obtained by Steudie and Jeschke (1983). HgCl₂, a potent inhibitor of water channels, suppressed Lp_r of non-infiltrated and infiltrated roots down to 17% and 8% of control values, respectively. A high sensitivity of Lp_r to HgCl₂ suggests that water channels constitute the most conductive pathway for osmotic radial water movement in barley roots.     

TGF-beta1表达水平与原发性肝癌浸润及转移的关系

目的：探讨转化生长因子beta1（TGF-beta1）在原发性肝癌组织中的表达及其与肿瘤侵袭和转移的关系。方法：选择288 例确诊为 原发性肝癌患者作为研究组,另选取274 例健康志愿者作为对照组。应用酶联免疫吸附法检测两组研究对象血清TGF-beta1 水平, 免疫组织化学标记法检测肝癌患者肿瘤组织、癌旁组织及正常肝脏组织中TGF-beta1 的表达情况,并结合临床病理资料进行相关性 分析。结果：原发性肝癌患者血清中TGF-茁1 水平明显高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义（P <0.01）。血清TGF-beta1 水平与肿瘤的组 织学分级、浸润深度及转移呈正相关（P <0.01）。肝癌患者肿瘤组织中TGF-beta1 表达水平明显高于正常肝脏组织及癌旁组织,差异 具有统计学意义（P <0.01）。结论：血清TGF-beta1与原发性肝癌的侵袭和转移密切相关。TGF-beta1 可能会改变肿瘤微环境,增加侵袭 和转移的潜力。     

MMP-2、MMP-7、MMP-9、TIMP-1及TIMP-2在乳腺癌组织中的表达及意义

目的:探讨基质金属蛋白酶及其抑制剂在乳腺癌组织中的表达及其与肿瘤浸润转移的关系,为乳腺癌的临床治疗及预后预测提供基础。方法:选择我院2012年5月至2014年5月收治的乳腺癌患者80例,对所选病例的乳腺癌组织、癌旁组织及正常乳腺组织样本进行检测。观察并比较不同乳腺组织中MMP-2,MMP-7、MMP-9、TIMP-1及TIMP-2 m RNA的表达水平。结果:与正常乳腺组织相比较,乳腺癌组织和癌旁组织中MMP-2、MMP-7、MMP-9,TIMP-1及TIMP-2 m RNA的表达显著增加,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。乳腺癌组织中MMP-2、MMP-7、MMP-9、TIMP-1及TIMP-2 m RNA的表达显著高于癌旁组织和正常组织,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。随着肿瘤范围扩大,MMP-2、MMP-7和MMP-9 m RNA的表达水平显著增加(P0.05),而TIMP-1和TIMP-2 m RNA表达无显著变化(P0.05)。随着淋巴结转移进展,MMP-2、MMP-7和MMP-9 m RNA的表达显著增加(P0.05),而TIMP-1和TIMP-2 m RNA无显著变化(P0.05)。结论:MMP-2、MMP-7、MMP-9、TIMP-1和TIMP-2的m RNA在乳腺癌组织中呈高表达,这可能与乳腺癌的发生和发展有关,而MMP-2、MMP-7和MMP-9可能有助于预测乳腺癌的侵袭行为。     

A multi-scale perspective of water pulses in dryland ecosystems: climatology and ecohydrology of the western USA

In dryland ecosystems, the timing and magnitude of precipitation pulses drive many key ecological processes, notably soil water availability for plants and soil microbiota. Plant available water has frequently been viewed simply as incoming precipitation, yet processes at larger scales drive precipitation pulses, and the subsequent transformation of precipitation pulses to plant available water are complex. We provide an overview of the factors that influence the spatial and temporal availability of water to plants and soil biota using examples from western USA drylands. Large spatial- and temporal-scale drivers of regional precipitation patterns include the position of the jet streams and frontal boundaries, the North American Monsoon, El Niño Southern Oscillation events, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Topography and orography modify the patterns set up by the larger-scale drivers, resulting in regional patterns (10²–10⁶ km²) of precipitation magnitude, timing, and variation. Together, the large-scale and regional drivers impose important pulsed patterns on long-term precipitation trends at landscape scales, in which most site precipitation is received as small events (<5 mm) and with most of the intervals between events being short (<10 days). The drivers also influence the translation of precipitation events into available water via linkages between soil water content and components of the water budget, including interception, infiltration and runoff, soil evaporation, plant water use and hydraulic redistribution, and seepage below the rooting zone. Soil water content varies not only vertically with depth but also horizontally beneath versus between plants and/or soil crusts in ways that are ecologically important to different plant and crust types. We highlight the importance of considering larger-scale drivers, and their effects on regional patterns; small, frequent precipitation events; and spatio-temporal heterogeneity in soil water content in translating from climatology to precipitation pulses to the dryland ecohydrology of water availability for plants and soil biota.     

miR-125a-3p调控人结肠癌细胞浸润转移的作用及机制研究

目的:探讨miR-125a-3p在结肠癌细胞浸润与转移中的作用及其可能机制。方法:通过qRT-PCR方法检测miR-125a-3p在结肠癌细胞及组织样本中的表达;在结肠癌细胞过表达或沉默miR-125a-3p后,通过平板克隆实验、MTT实验、划痕实验、Transwell实验检测结肠癌细胞增殖、迁移及侵袭能力的变化;采用Western blot方法检测miR-125a-3p过表达后相关标志分子的表达水平变化情况。结果:miR-125a-3p在结肠癌细胞及组织呈现异常低表达;过表达miR-125a-3p抑制结肠癌细胞HCT116及SW480的增殖能力;过表达或沉默miR-125a-3p分别抑制或增强结肠癌细胞的迁移与侵袭能力;过表达miR-125a-3p在mRNA及蛋白水平均能够显著抑制Snail、N-cadherin及Vimentin的表达,而增加E-cadherin的表达。结论:miR-125a-3p参与调节结肠癌细胞浸润与转移,其机制可能是通过调控上皮间质转化途径介导的。     

脑胶质瘤间质免疫组织化学研究——脑瘤浸润和转移机制的探讨

探讨脑肿瘤的浸润转移机制,利用免疫组化技术对原发性脑胶质瘤间质组成进行观察。免疫组化结果显示,CollagenⅣ、Fibronection、Laminin（CollⅣ、FN、LM）三种抗原在正常脑组织及脑瘤组织的血管基底膜和其表面被覆软脑膜均有表达,以FN表达最强。CollⅣ表达稍次,LM表达最弱,在部分胶质瘤细胞外基质有FN阳性表达,胶质瘤细胞外基质FN阳性表达率与胶质瘤的分化程度无关。各型各级胶质瘤血管基底膜部分呈线状连续完整,部分呈分层网格状增厚。本研究结果显示：活体胶质瘤细胞自身合成的FN可能有助于瘤细胞的组织移行能力,在一定程度上促成了胶质瘤的浸润性生长;胶质瘤细胞与转移瘤细胞转移侵袭能力不同,为进一步探索脑瘤的转移机制,应重点分析瘤细胞表面大分子物质表达的特异性。     

多重定量PCR检测PDX模型小鼠细胞浸润比例的构建

摘要 目的：建立一种快速、灵敏的方法检测人源异种移植模型(Patient-Derived tumor Xenograft,PDX)中小鼠细胞的浸润比例,以确保PDX模型的保真性。方法：选择人和小鼠的特异性基因PSMB2、Ren 2的部分区段设计引物和探针,利用多重荧光定量PCR（TaqMan探针法）在单管中检测PDX模型中小鼠-人细胞的相对量。另外,构建了不同浸润比例的标准品作为阳性对照,根据标准曲线进行样本比例计算。结果：建立了一种多重荧光定量PCR检测PDX模型小鼠细胞浸润比例的检测方案,该方案显示,PDX模型中不同比例的人鼠混合样本与△Ct值（Ct（小鼠）-Ct（人））之间线性关系良好,相关系数r²为0.9998。利用该方法对14个样本进行检测,结果表明在绝大部分样本中小鼠细胞的比例低于30.00%,平均小鼠细胞比例为13.38%。结论：本研究建立的多重定量PCR检测PDX模型中小鼠细胞浸润比例的方法能够根据△Ct值快速、准确推断PDX模型中人、小鼠细胞的比例。该方法操作简单、耗时短、结果可靠,是一种快速、灵敏的PDX模型的质控方案。     

Improved infiltration of stem cells on electrospun nanofibers

Nanofibrous scaffolds have been recently used in the field of tissue engineering because of their nano-size structure which promotes cell attachment, function, proliferation and infiltration. In this study, nanofibrous polyethersulfone (PES) scaffolds was prepared via electrospinning. The scaffolds were surface modified by plasma treatment and collagen grafting. The surface changes then investigated by contact angle measurements and FTIR-ATR. The results proved grafting of the collagen on nanofibers surface and increased hydrophilicity after plasma treatment and collagen grafting. The cell interaction study was done using stem cells because of their ability to differentiate to different kinds of cell lines. The cells had normal morphology on nanofibers and showed very high infiltration through collagen grafted PES nanofibers. This infiltration capability is very useful and needed to make 3D scaffolds in tissue engineering.     

Membrane filter (pore size, 0.22-0.45 micro m; thickness, 150 micro m) passing-through activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other bacterial species with indigenous infiltration ability

Bacteria growing on MF-Millipore filters (thickness, 150 micro m) passed through the underlying membrane by their infiltration activity. Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli passed through a 0.45- micro m pore size filter within 48-96 h. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, and Listeria monocytogenes passed through a 0.3- micro m pore size filter. P. aeruginosa passed through a 0.22- micro m pore size filter. The membranes which allowed passing-through of bacteria showed normal bubble point values in the integrity test. Studies with isogenic S. marcescens mutants indicated that flagellum-dependent motility or surface-active exolipid were important in the passing-through. P. aeruginosa PAO1 C strain defective in twitching motility was unable to pass through the 0.22- micro m filter. Scanning electron microscopy showed bacteria passing-through the 0.22- micro m filter. Millipore membrane filters having well-defined reticulate structures will be useful in the study of infiltration activity of microbes.     

Development of a novel<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated transformation method to recover transgenic<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Brassica napus</Emphasis> plants

We report here an in planta method to produce transgenic Brassica napus plants. The procedure included Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation of plants at various development stages along with a vacuum infiltration step. The flowering stage appeared to be the most receptive stage for transformation and production of transgenic plants. In some cases, the flowering stage was induced either by cold treatment or by high density planting. Molecular and genetic analysis revealed that single and multiple copy events were generated and that the transgenes were transmitted to the T₁ and T₂ progeny in a Mendelian fashion.Abbreviations AFP Adult flowering plants - ELISA Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay - GS Germinating seedlings - GUS -Glucuronidase - ISFP Induced small flowering plants - MS Murashige and Skoog - PPO Protoporphyrinogen oxidase - TE Tris-EDTA buffer - YEP Yeast extract-peptone mediumCommunicated by W.A. Parrott