The endosomal trafficking regulator LITAF controls the cardiac Nav1.5 channel via the ubiquitin ligase NEDD4-2

The QT interval is a recording of cardiac electrical activity. Previous genome-wide association studies identified genetic variants that modify the QT interval upstream of LITAF (lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-α factor), a protein encoding a regulator of endosomal trafficking. However, it was not clear how LITAF might impact cardiac excitation. We investigated the effect of LITAF on the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.5, which is critical for cardiac depolarization. We show that overexpressed LITAF resulted in a significant increase in the density of Nav1.5-generated voltage-gated sodium current I_Na and Nav1.5 surface protein levels in rabbit cardiomyocytes and in HEK cells stably expressing Nav1.5. Proximity ligation assays showed co-localization of endogenous LITAF and Nav1.5 in cardiomyocytes, whereas co-immunoprecipitations confirmed they are in the same complex when overexpressed in HEK cells. In vitro data suggest that LITAF interacts with the ubiquitin ligase NEDD4-2, a regulator of Nav1.5. LITAF overexpression down-regulated NEDD4-2 in cardiomyocytes and HEK cells. In HEK cells, LITAF increased ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of co-expressed NEDD4-2 and significantly blunted the negative effect of NEDD4-2 on I_Na. We conclude that LITAF controls cardiac excitability by promoting degradation of NEDD4-2, which is essential for removal of surface Nav1.5. LITAF-knockout zebrafish showed increased variation in and a nonsignificant 15% prolongation of action potential duration. Computer simulations using a rabbit-cardiomyocyte model demonstrated that changes in Ca²⁺ and Na⁺ homeostasis are responsible for the surprisingly modest action potential duration shortening. These computational data thus corroborate findings from several genome-wide association studies that associated LITAF with QT interval variation.     

Molecular phylogeography and population structure of a mid-elevation montane frog Leptobrachium ailaonicum in a fragmented habitat of southwest China

Leptobrachium ailaonicum is a vulnerable anuran restricted to a patchy distribution associated with small mountain streams surrounded by forested slopes at mid-elevations (approximately 2000–2600 m) in the subtropical Mount Wuliang and Mount Ailao ranges in southwest China (Yunnan Province) and northern Vietnam. Given high habitat specificity and lack of suitable habitat in lower elevations between these ranges, we hypothesized limited gene flow between populations throughout its range. We used two mitochondrial genes to construct a phylogeographic pattern within this species in order to test our hypothesis. We also examined whether this phylogeographic pattern is a response to past geological events and/or climatic oscillations. A total of 1989 base pairs were obtained from 81 individuals of nine populations yielding 51 unique haplotypes. Both Bayesian and maximum parsimony phylogenetic analyses revealed four deeply divergent and reciprocally monophyletic mtDNA lineages that approximately correspond to four geographical regions separated by deep river valleys. These results suggest a long history of allopatric separation by vicariance. The distinct geographic distributions of four major clades and the estimated divergence time suggest spatial and temporal separations that coincide with climatic and paleogeographic changes following the orogeny and uplift of Mount Ailao during the late Miocene to mid Pliocene in southwest China. At the southern distribution, the presence of two sympatric yet differentiated clades in two areas are interpreted as a result of secondary contact between previously allopatric populations during cooler Pleistocene glacial cycles. Analysis of molecular variance indicates that most of the observed genetic variation occurs among the four regions implying long-term interruption of maternal gene flow, suggesting that L. ailaonicum may represent more than one distinct species and should at least be separated into four management units corresponding to these four geographic lineages for conservation.     

Potential effects of warmer worms and vectors on onchocerciasis transmission in West Africa

Development times of eggs, larvae and pupae of vectors of onchocerciasis (Simulium spp.) and of Onchocerca volvulus larvae within the adult females of the vectors decrease with increasing temperature. At and above 25°C, the parasite could reach its infective stage in less than 7 days when vectors could transmit after only two gonotrophic cycles. After incorporating exponential functions for vector development into a novel blackfly population model, it was predicted that fly numbers in Liberia and Ghana would peak at air temperatures of 29°C and 34°C, about 3°C and 7°C above current monthly averages, respectively; parous rates of forest flies (Liberia) would peak at 29°C and of savannah flies (Ghana) at 30°C. Small temperature increases (less than 2°C) might lead to changes in geographical distributions of different vector taxa. When the new model was linked to an existing framework for the population dynamics of onchocerciasis in humans and vectors, transmission rates and worm loads were projected to increase with temperature to at least 33°C. By contrast, analyses of field data on forest flies in Liberia and savannah flies in Ghana, in relation to regional climate change predictions, suggested, on the basis of simple regressions, that 13–41% decreases in fly numbers would be expected between the present and before 2040. Further research is needed to reconcile these conflicting conclusions.     

半夏属 (PINELLIA)的花粉粒和醇溶蛋白比较

继细胞学 〔1〕、形态学 〔2〕和比较解剖学 〔3〕的研究之后 ,我们又对半夏属的花粉粒和醇溶蛋白作了比较分析 ,旨在探讨这些性状的变异与分类学价值。1 　材料和方法1 .1　实验材料　实验材料采自华东 3省的不同地区。在南京栽植至少 1年后 ,在盛花季节 ( 5月 )选有花植株的花粉和地下块茎作实验分析。各材料的种名、群体编号和产地见表 1。表 1 　供实验用的半夏属 5种植物群体材料的来源Table1　 Sources of material for experiment of the populationsbelonging to5species of Pinellia种名Species群体编号No.of populations产地Lo…     

反复冻融对枯草芽孢杆菌St-zn-34抑制链格孢菌活性的影响北大核心CSCD

【目的】以从冬枣分离的内生枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis St-zn-34)为供试菌株,明确反复冻融对菌体形态及其发酵滤液抑制枣缩果病初侵染病菌(Alternaria alternata)活性的变化。【方法】对供试菌株分批发酵后进行反复冻融,采用梯度稀释计数法、滤纸片法分别测定活菌数量和芽孢含量、发酵滤液抑菌活性,对供试菌株的形态变化进行电镜观察。【结果】发酵培养中pH值、活菌量、芽孢量及抑菌活性随发酵时间的增加均呈先上升后下降的趋势,其中发酵60 h发酵滤液抑菌活性最大,对此时的发酵液反复冻融,冻融3次枯草芽孢杆菌活菌量和发酵滤液抑菌活性依次减少,以后再冻融差异不显著(P>0.05),电镜观察发现随冻融次数增加,菌体变小,表面凹陷、扭曲,胶状物流出。抑菌谱检测发现发酵滤液对12种植物病原菌具有抑菌能力。不同温度和蛋白酶处理发酵滤液表明,低于60℃以下,抑菌活性与对照相比差异不显著;80℃以上抑菌活性随温度上升而下降,与对照相比差异显著;蛋白酶K可降低抑菌活性。【结论】反复冻融影响细菌形态并降低发酵滤液的抑菌活性。     

国外城市绿地研究的理论与方法

回顾了近10年国外在城市绿地研究领域的进展,阐述了城市绿地效益、绿地美学、立体绿化、植物造景、景观生态学、信息技术应用、城市林业、植被培育、绿地规划设计等的研究理论及方法,指出了今后国外绿地研究的发展趋势。     

Predicting postmortem interval based on microbial community sequences and machine learning algorithms

Microbes play an essential role in the decomposition process but were poorly understood in their succession and behaviour. Previous researches have shown that microbes show predictable behaviour that starts at death and changes during the decomposition process. Research of such behaviour enhances the understanding of decomposition and benefits estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) in forensic investigations, which is critical but faces multiple challenges. In this study, we combined microbial community characterization, microbiome sequencing from different organs (i.e. brain, heart and cecum) and machine learning algorithms [random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN)] to investigate microbial succession pattern during corpse decomposition and estimate PMI in a mouse corpse system. Microbial communities exhibited significant differences between the death point and advanced decay stages. Enterococcus faecalis, Anaerosalibacter bizertensis, Lactobacillus reuteri, and so forth were identified as the most informative species in the decomposition process. Furthermore, the ANN model combined with the postmortem microbial data set from the cecum, which was the best combination among all candidates, yielded a mean absolute error of 1.5 ± 0.8 h within 24-h decomposition and 14.5 ± 4.4 h within 15-day decomposition. This integrated model can serve as a reliable and accurate technology in PMI estimation.     

Two-stage pH control combined with oxygen-enriched air strategies for the highly efficient production of EPA by Mortierella alpina CCFM698 with fed-batch fermentation

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Dissolved oxygen and pH are critical factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. In our previous work, we constructed the recombinant strain Mortierella...     

转基因植物标记基因的安全技术

转基因植物中抗性标记基因潜在的生态和食用安全性一直是颇有争论且悬而未决的问题。解决的途径有2条：一是选用安全性标记基因;二是开发、应用删除抗性标记基因新技术。综述了这两方面的研究进展。