Effect of anti-mosquito antibodies on the infectivity of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei to Anopheles farauti

The effect of mouse anti-mosquito antibodies, present in the bloodmeal, on the infectivity of Plasmodium berghei Vincke to Anopheles farauti Laveran was investigated. Significantly fewer oocysts developed in mosquitoes feeding on mice immunized with sugar-fed mosquito midgut antigens than in mosquitoes feeding on control mice. Mosquitoes feeding on mice immunized with the midgut antigens derived from sugar-fed mosquitoes also showed reduced mortality and had lower infection rates than those fed on unimmunized mice. Blood-fed midgut antigen was less effective in producing these effects than sugar-fed midgut antigen.     

蜚蠊灭菌肽的诱导及初步分离分析

昆虫经诱导盾产生灭菌肽的研究近年来已有很大进展,有关这方面的研究工作绝大多数都是以有翅亚纲内生翅类鳞翅目(主要是蚕类)昆虫和少数双翅目昆虫为材料.本文首次以有翅亚纲外生翅类蜚蠊目的美洲蜚蠊(Ptriplaneta americana L.)为实验昆虫,用Escherichia coil K₁₂ strain D₃₁作诱导源,对不同发育期、不同性别、不同成虫期的蜚蠊进行诱导后,采用含菌培养基平板测活方法,就存在个体数及能产生抗菌物质的个体数进行了初步的研究.发现成虫日龄在10天之内的雄性蜚蠊能够产生抗菌物质的个体百分比最高.抗菌物质出现的高峰期是在诱导后第三、四天.用滴滴涕和溴氰菊酯作诱导源对雄性蜚蠊的诱导实验表明,杀虫剂也能诱导蜚蠊产生抗菌物质,而且所诱导产生抗菌物质的活性强度(用抑菌圈直径表示)高于大肠杆菌所诱导的.滴滴涕和溴氰菊酯的重复诱导可提高蜚蠊产生抗菌物质个体百分比.蜚蠊经诱导后产生的抗菌物质具有广谱性,对苏云金杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、枯草杆菌及绿脓杆菌等有较强的抗菌活性,而对大肠杆菌D₃₁、大肠杆菌、粘质沙雷氏杆菌和溶壁微球菌等有较弱的抗菌活性.用肽类物质的指纹图谱法分离蜚蠊血淋巴抗菌物质,发现经诱导后血淋巴中确有新的肽类物质产生,该物质具抗菌活性,用DABITC法分析,其N-末端氨基酸为赖氨酸.     

Effects of Hydroxyurea and Deoxyadenosine on the Synthesis of Deoxycytidine Phosphate and on the Uptake of Nucleosides in Excised Root Tips of Vicia faba

The effects of hydroxyurea and deoxyadenosine on the synthesis of deoxycytidine phosphate was studied by measuring the incorporation of [¹⁴C]-cytidine into acid soluble deoxycytidine phosphate in root tips of Vicia faba. Hydroxyurea and deoxyadenosine both markedly depressed the incorporation of [¹⁴C]-cytidine. Deoxyadenosine had the additional effect of inhibiting the uptake of [¹⁴C]-cytidine. Furthermore, millimolar concentrations of deoxyadenosine inhibited the uptake of micromolar concentrations of adenosine, thymidine, and deoxycytidine. The incorporation of [¹⁴C]-cytidine into RNA was only slightly affected by hydroxyurea. Deoxyadenosine inhibited the incorporation into RNA to about the same extent as the uptake of [¹⁴C]-cytidine. It is suggested that hydroxyurea reduced the incorporation of radioactive cytidine into deoxycytidine phosphate mainly by interfering with ribonucleotide reduction. The depression of [¹⁴C]-cytidine incorporation into deoxycytidine phosphate in the presence of deoxyadenosine is believed to be the result of an inhibition of both ribonucleotide reduction and [¹⁴C]-cytidine uptake.     

fliY基因失活减弱沙福芽孢杆菌ST7菌株的锰氧化能力

【背景】沙福芽孢杆菌ST7菌株具有较强的锰氧化能力,但其分子机制不清楚。【目的】着重研究鞭毛马达开关蛋白基因(fliY)对沙福芽孢杆菌锰氧化能力的影响。【方法】根据同源重组原理,以沙福芽孢杆菌ST7菌株为起始菌株,构建fliY基因敲除的突变株ΔfliY,测定菌落迁徙、细菌生物膜和锰氧化率等,研究fliY基因突变后菌株的运动能力、生物膜生成和锰氧化能力是否发生变化。【结果】经克隆测序,证实突变株ΔfliY中fliY基因的后半段被卡纳霉素抗性基因取代,fliY基因失活;与野生型菌株ST7相比,突变株ΔfliY在全营养的LB培养基中生长变化不大,但在含锰的PYCM培养基中,突变株的生长速度减慢、菌落较小、生物膜生成量显著下降,运动性和锰氧化能力分别下降65%和20%。【结论】fliY基因不仅影响菌株的生长和运动,而且参与细菌的趋化和锰氧化等生物学过程。     

Reproductive success and risk of predation in normal and melanistic colour morphs of the adder, Vipera berus

In a population of adders (Vipera berus) in Southwest Sweden, melanistic males were heavier than normal coloured males of the same length. Victory in male-male sexual combats was positively related to size. Higher risk of predation in the black morph was inferred from experiments showing a high predator attack rate on models of the black morph. Even the bright colour in newly moulted basking males of the normal morph gives cryptic protection. In females, melanism probably also affects body size and risk of predation by visually searching predators. The thermoregulatory influence of black colour, the reproductive success and the maintenance of two colour morphs in the population are discussed.     

On the role of ß-carotene in the reaction center chlorophyll a antennae of photosystem I

Absorption and low temperature fluorescence emission spectra were measured on chloroplast thylakoids and on purified reaction center chlorophyll a-protein complexes of photosystem I, CP-a₁. A clear association between the presence of ß-carotene and the occurrence of far red absorbing and emitting chlorophyll a components of the reaction center antennae of photosystem I was demonstrated. For this study chloroplasts and CP-a₁ were obtained from normal and carotenoid deficient plant material of various sources. The experimental material included 1) lyophilized pea chloroplasts extracted with petroleum ether, 2) the carotenoid deficient mutant C-6E of Scenedesmus obliquus and 3) wheat chloroplasts derived from normal and SAN-9789 treated plants. Removal of carotenoids, most likely principally ß-carotene, caused a loss of long wavelength absorbing chlorophylls in chloroplasts and purified CP-a₁, and the loss or diminution of the long wavelength peak seen in the low temperature fluorescence emission spectrum. This association between ß-carotene and special chlorophyll a forms may explain both the photoprotective and antenna functions ascribed to ß-carotene. In the absence of carotenoids in wheat and in the Scenedesmus mutant, the chlorophyll a antenna of photosystem I was extremely photosensitive. A triplet-triplet resonance energy transfer from chlorophyll a to ß-carotene and a singlet-singlet energy transfer from excited ß-carotene to chlorophyll would explain the photoprotective and antenna functions, respectively. The role of this association in determining some of the fluorescence properties of photosystem I is also discussed.     

Morphology and taxonomic status of the grass snake, Natrix natrix (L.) (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae) on the island of Gotland, Sweden

The isolated population of grass snakes, Natrix natrix (L.), on the island of Gotland in die Baltic Sea is described and illustrated. Comparisons are made with the surrounding mainland grass snake. On the basis of morphological and ecological divergence, the conclusion is drawn that the Gotland population represents a new subspecies.     

甲状腺素对动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血大鼠脑缺氧诱导因子-1α表达的影响及其机制*

目的:探讨甲状腺素(T4)对动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血后大鼠脑缺氧诱导因子-1α(HIF-1α)表达的调节及其机制。方法:72只雄性成年SD大鼠随机分为以下4组:蛛网膜下腔出血模型组(SAH)(n=18)、蛛网膜下腔出血+甲状腺素组(SAH+T4)(n=18)、蛛网膜下腔出血+溶剂组(SAH+溶剂组)(n=18)、假手术组(n=18)。颈内动脉穿刺法建立蛛网膜下腔出血的模型,术后行颅脑CT平扫,建模后立即开始给药,按3 μg/100 g腹腔注射,每隔24 h一次,连续3 d,SAH+T4组予甲状腺素干预,SAH+溶剂组予等体积溶剂干预,均在建模后72 h处死;各组6只大鼠经多聚甲醛灌注处死后石蜡包埋切片行免疫组化染色检测HIF-1α及p-Akt蛋白、6只用TUNEL法检测凋亡,6只用干湿重法做脑水肿含量检测。结果:建模成功后SAH组及SAH+T4组、SAH+溶剂组大鼠的脑组织肿胀明显,蛛网膜下腔可见暗红色血凝块。SAH组神经行为学评分、脑含水量、凋亡率、HIF-1α蛋白、p-Akt蛋白均较假手术组明显增高(P＜0.05);SAH+T4组神经行为学评分、HIF-1α蛋白、p-Akt蛋白均较SAH组明显增高,其脑含水量、凋亡均较SAH组明显减少(P＜0.05)。结论:使用T4替代治疗可以上调动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血后大鼠脑HIF-1α蛋白表达水平,可能是通过激活三磷酸肌醇激酶／蛋白激酶B(PI3K/Akt)信号通路,使凋亡率减小,最终大鼠行为学得以改善,对大鼠脑产生保护作用。     

利用外源γ-氨基丁酸调控海洋绿藻亚心形四爿藻淀粉积累

微藻被看作第三代生物质能源的来源。微藻淀粉结构与高等植物的高度相似性使其可以作为粮食作物的替代,在生物能源领域有广泛的应用。γ-氨基丁酸(GABA)被认为是一种信号分子,可以调节植物细胞的生长代谢。本研究在缺氮培养条件下添加外源GABA调控海洋绿藻亚心形四爿藻生理代谢和淀粉积累。结果表明,添加外源GABA可以抑制细胞生长,降低光合作用效率;OJIP实验显示,GABA的添加增强了光合器官能量耗散,降低了光能利用效率,阻碍了电子传递,造成额外胁迫,从而促使细胞将碳流更多地分配到淀粉积累,导致藻细胞的淀粉含量、淀粉产量和淀粉产率提高。添加10 mmol/L GABA获得最大淀粉含量39%DW,比未添加GABA的对照组淀粉含量提高39%;同时获得最大淀粉产量和产率为1.72 g·L^-1和0.36 g·L^-1·d^-1,分别比未添加GABA的对照组提高39%和50%。以上结果表明在缺氮条件下添加外源GABA是一种调控亚心形四爿藻细胞代谢并提高其淀粉生产的有效方法。