Juvenile hormone biosynthesis in diapause and nondiapause females of the adult blow fly Protophormia terraenovae

In vitro synthetic activities of juvenile hormones (JH) were examined using a radiochemical assay in diapause females and reproductive females of the blow fly, Protophormia terraenovae. Thin layer chromatography showed that products of the corpus allatum (CA) comigrated with a synthetic sample of JH III bisepoxide but neither with JH III nor methylfarnesoate. JH synthetic activities increased in females reared under LD 18:6 at 25 degrees C, as the ovaries developed. The synthetic activities remained low in previtellogenic females reared under LD 12:12 at 20 degrees C. Removal of the pars intercerebralis completely prevented ovaries from development under reproductive conditions, and removal of the pars lateralis caused partial or full development of ovaries under diapause-inducing conditions. In these operated animals, the JH synthetic activities were not significantly different from those of the intact and sham-operated animals. The results indicate that the CA in P. terraenovae produces mainly JH III bisepoxide and a decrease in the JH production rate is a cause of diapause induction. PI neurons and PL neurons in the brain do not directly mediate changes in the JH production rate, but regulate ovarian development cooperatively with some unknown allatostatic and allatotropic factors.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of peptides in brain neurosecretory cells and neurohemal organs in the adult blowfly,Protophormia terraenovae

Neuropeptides in neurosecretory cells of the pars intercerebralis (PI) and pars lateralis (PL) in the brain, and those in the corpus cardiacum–hypocerebral ganglion complex (CC-HG) and corpus allatum (CA) were examined by mass spectrometry and immunocytochemistry in adult females of the blowfly, Protophormia terraenovae. By using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and electrospray ionization quadrupole orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-Q-Tof MS) and MS/MS, 4 peptides (including myosuppressin and SIFamide) were detected in the PI, 12 peptides (including [Arg⁷]-corazonin and [Arg⁷]-corazonin^3–11) in the PL, 13 peptides (including myosuppressin, [Arg⁷]-corazonin and [Arg⁷]-corazonin^3–11) in the CC-HG, and 6 peptides in the CA. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of each tissue or organ was made in about 20 flies under diapause-inducing (LD 12:12 at 20 °C) and diapause-averting conditions (LD 18:6 at 25 °C). These molecular ion peaks did not distinctively differ between diapause-inducing and diapause-averting conditions. A peptide with an m/z value at 1395.1 was purified from 240 brains and the 2nd–10th amino acids were sequenced as –YRKPPFNGS–, corresponding to a partial sequence of SIFamide. Only two pairs of somata in the PI were immunoreactive to antisera against SIFamide, which were local neurons widely extending fibers throughout the brain neuropils.     

Effects of ablation of the pars intercerebralis on ecdysteroid quantities and yolk protein expression in the blowfly Protophormia terraenovae

Quantities of ecdysteroid are compared in the haemolymph and ovaries of the blowfly Protophormia terraenovae Robineau‐Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) under reproductive (LD 18 : 6 h at 25 °C) and diapause (LD 12 : 12 h at 20 °C) conditions. The effects of ablation of the pars intercerebralis or ovaries on ecdysteroid quantities and of ablation of the pars intercerebralis on yolk protein expression are examined. Under reproductive conditions, the levels of ecdysteroid in vitellogenic females are high, although the levels in previtellogenic females and females with mature ovaries are low. Under diapause conditions, there are low quantities of ecdysteroid in both the haemolymph and ovaries. Ecdysteroid titres in the haemolymph are not significantly affected by the removal of the ovaries, suggesting that tissues other than the ovaries are also involved in the production of ecdysteroids. Reproductive females in which the pars intercerebralis of the brain is experimentally ablated have ecdysteroid levels that are not significantly different from sham‐operated or intact females. However, yolk protein expression in the fat body is suppressed after removal of the pars intercerebralis. These results suggest that the suppression of ecdysteroid levels in the haemolymph and ovaries is associated with reproductive diapause, and that the pars intercerebralis could play a role in yolk protein synthesis without mediating ecdysteroid production.     

Degradation of alpha and beta neo-endorphin by rat brain membrane peptidases

Fractionation of Triton-solubilized rat brain membranes on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose resolves two peptidases which hydrolyze beta-neo-endorphin. One of these peptidases was identified as Angiotensin Converting Enzyme by (a) its sensitivity to inhibition by the specific inhibitors MK422 and captopril, (b) by the identification of reaction products, and (c) by comparison to authentic angiotensin converting enzyme. In contrast, alpha-neo-endorphin hydrolysis by angiotensin converting enzyme could not be detected. The second enzyme active on beta-neo-endorphin was identified as an aminopeptidase. This aminopeptidase is identical to the previously described enkephalin-degrading aminopeptidase. The possible involvement of these enzymes in the metabolism of opioid peptides is discussed.     

Induction of reproductive diapause via perception of photoperiod through the compound eyes in the adult blow fly, Protophormia terraenovae

Covering and surgical removal of the compound eyes were performed to localize photoreceptors for photoperiodic responses in the blow fly Protophormia terraenovae (Diptera, Calliphoridae). Adult females showed a long-day photoperiodic response to control reproductive diapause. When the compound eyes were bilaterally covered with silver paint, diapause incidence increased under diapause-preventing conditions, i.e., a long-day photoperiod and constant light, as though flies were kept under constant darkness. Neither silver painting on a medial region of the head capsule nor control painting in which both compound eyes were painted in a clear solvent caused significant effects on diapause incidence. Unilateral painting of the compound eye caused an increment of diapause incidence under constant light but no effects under a long-day photoperiod. When the compound eyes were bilaterally removed, all the flies developed their ovaries both under a long-day and a short-day photoperiod. Unilateral removal of the compound eye also caused ovarian development under a short-day photoperiod, whereas removal of one antennal lobe or all ocelli caused no effects on diapause incidence. Since P. terraenovae completely lost responsiveness to photoperiod after blinding of the compound eyes, it is likely that this fly perceives photoperiod through its compound eyes. Accepted: 18 February 1997     

大花铁线莲单重被花的转录组差异分析

以即可开单被花又可开重被花的大花铁线莲重被品种"薇安"为研究对象,对"薇安"同一时期同一植株上的3种不同花瓣类型（单被、半重被、重被）采用高通量测序技术进行拼接及功能注释,筛选不同花被类型下表达量高度差异的关键基因后进行实时荧光定量PCR验证。结果显示：转录组测序共产生13.8GB原始数据,3个转录本文库两两比较共获得3 075条差异表达基因（DEG）,其中单被花与半重被样本对比（A vs B）包括649条上调DEG,605条下调DEG;半重被花与重被花对比（B vs C）包括上调DEG 1 046条和下调DEG 721条;单被花与重被花对比（A vs C）有上调DEG 1 129条和下调DEG 859条。3个不同花被下共存的差异表达基因有134条。根据基因功能注释从总DEG中筛选出26条可能与重瓣化性状相关的基因进行聚类分析,并随机挑选10个目的基因进行荧光定量PCR验证。PCR结果显示这些基因的表达量在铁线莲"薇安"同一时期同一植株的3种花被类型中均存在显著差异。最终筛选出与铁线莲重瓣化相关的关键基因有MADS-BOX类基因PMADS1、AP3、FRUITFULL、FLC;生长素反应蛋白IAA9、生长素输入载体、脱落酸8'羟化酶、吲哚乙酸诱导蛋白ARG7等。本研究为探究铁线莲重瓣花分子机制提供了基础数据和理论依据。     

Roles of the mushroom bodies in olfactory learning and photoperiodism in the blow fly Protophormia terraenovae

Mushroom bodies (MBs) in Protophormia terraenovae were ablated by hydroxyurea (HU) treatment to larvae just after hatching in order to examine roles of the MBs in olfactory learning and photoperiodism. In all individuals the structures of the alpha, beta, and gamma lobes, the pedunculi, and the calyces of the MB were not found after HU treatment. The other structures of the brain were not obviously damaged. The volumes of both the antennal lobes and the central complex, however, were smaller in the HU-treated flies than those in the control flies. The HU-treated and non-treated flies were tested for their appetitive olfactory learning ability and photoperiodism. In the olfactory learning paradigm, an odor of methylsalicylate or coumarin was paired with a reward of sucrose. The non-treated flies learned to associate both odors with the reward, but the HU-treated flies did not. In the test for photoperiodism, both the HU-treated and non-treated flies responded to photoperiod. Both groups of flies developed ovaries under long-day conditions but entered diapause under short-day conditions. The results imply that the MBs are indispensable for olfactory learning but not for photoperiodism, and that storage of daily cycles of photoperiodic information occurs by a neural system other than the MBs.     

The levels of renin-angiotensin related components are modified in the hippocampus of rats submitted to pilocarpine model of epilepsy

We previously showed that patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) present an increased expression of angiotensin II (AngII) AT1 and AT2 receptors in the hippocampus, supporting the idea of an upregulation of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in this disease. This study aimed to verify the relationship between the RAS and TLE during epileptogenesis. Levels of the peptides angiotensin I (AngI), angiotensin II (AngII) and angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7), were detected by HPLC assay. Angiotensin AT1 and AT2 receptors, Mas mRNA receptors and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), tonin and neutral endopeptidase (NEP) mRNA were also quantified at the hippocampus of Wistar rats by real time PCR, during acute (n=10), silent (n=10) and chronic (n=10) phases of pilocarpine-induced epilepsy. We observed an increased peptide level of Ang1-7 into acute and silent phases, decreasing importantly (p≤0.05) in the chronic phase, suggesting that AngI may be converted into Ang 1-7 by NEP, which is present in high levels in these periods. Our results also showed increased peptide level of AngII in the chronic phase of this model. In contraposition, the ACE expression is reduced in all periods. These data suggest that angiotensinogen or AngI may be cleaved to AngII by tonin, which showed increased expression in all phases. We found changes in AT1, AT2 and Mas mRNA receptors levels suggesting that Ang1-7 could act at Mas receptor during the silent period. Herein, we demonstrated for the first time, changes in angiotensin-related peptides, their receptors as well as the releasing enzymes in the hippocampus of rats during pilocarpine-induced epilepsy.     

Photoperiodic induction of prepupal diapause and its role in synchronization with host phenology in the hibiscus caterpillar,Xanthodes transversa

The hibiscus caterpillar, Xanthodes transversa (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a multivoltine insect that is an important pest of Malvaceae plants such as the okra, Abelmoschus esculentus, and the common rose mallow, Hibiscus mutabilis, in Japan. In the present study, the effects of photoperiod and temperature on the induction of prepupal diapause and the adaptive significance of this diapause were examined in a local population of X. transversa in Miyazaki, Kyushu, southwestern Japan. Larvae showed a long‐day photoperiodic response for controlling the induction of prepupal diapause with a critical day length between 13 and 14 h at 20 to 25°C. Under long‐day conditions larvae rapidly pupated from the sixth instar, but under short‐day conditions they entered diapause in the prepupal stage. Diapause occurrence in the field increased in late September, which was consistent with the laboratory results in terms of the photoperiodic response. Non‐diapause development after this time is maladaptive because most larvae of the next generation could not reach the critical stage (prepupae) before winter and died during early winter in outdoor experiments. Larvae suffered from a high rate of mortality when fed leaves collected late in autumn. The photoperiodic response for controlling the induction of diapause in this insect may play an important role in synchronizing the life cycle with the seasonal changes in food and temperature conditions.     

Sexual difference in the photoperiodic induction of pupal diapause in the flesh fly Sarcophaga similis

The flesh fly Sarcophaga similis enters pupal diapause in response to short days, but averts diapause under long days. This species shows a sexual difference in the photoperiodic induction of diapause, with females having shorter critical daylength than males. Here, we proposed two hypotheses to explain this sexual difference. First, we proposed a sexual difference in the qualitative evaluation of photoperiods. This hypothesis assumes under the external coincidence model that although the photoinducible phase of both sexes locates at late scotophase, in males, it locates at a slightly earlier phase. However, the results of night interruption experiments clearly ruled out this hypothesis. Because we verified that S. similis evaluated photoperiods quantitatively, we next proposed a sexual difference in the quantitative evaluation of photoperiods. This hypothesis incorporates concepts of a hypothetical substance accumulation that shows a diapause‐inducing effect and an internal threshold that serves as a reference to determine the diapause/nondiapause developmental program. In long‐day exposure experiments and night interruption experiments, females consistently showed a lower incidence of diapause than males. Thus, the present study data satisfactorily meet the second hypothesis, that is a sexual difference in the quantitative evaluation of photoperiods exists in S. similis.     

生物肽降压作用机制及定量构效关系的研究

高血压是心脑血管疾病的首要危险因素,严重威胁着人类的生命健康。生物肽能有效预防和治疗高血压,并且具有安全可靠、作用多靶点等特点。大量的研究表明生物肽存在多种降压作用机制,深入研究降压机制可为中药治疗高血压提供新思路。本文综述了近年来生物肽潜在的降压机制,并探索其定量构效关系,旨在为中药药效组分的研究以及相关药物设计和筛选提供理论指导。     

小鼠腹膜炎模型下血小板的生物学特征及其转录组变化

作为血液中最小的无核血细胞,血小板除具有经典的止凝血功能外,在调节固有免疫和适应性免疫方面也发挥着重要作用。但是,对于血小板参与免疫调节的分子机制,目前研究相对较少。通过给小鼠腹腔注射热灭活的大肠杆菌构建了急性炎症模型,并借助血常规、流式细胞术等实验方法检测了炎症条件下腹腔免疫细胞以及外周血细胞的动态变化。研究发现,在感染早期小鼠外周血中性粒细胞能快速迁移至腹腔参与炎症反应,同时,血小板的数目和大小在感染早期也会发生显著变化。进一步的RNA-Seq分析发现,小鼠血小板的转录组在感染后发生显著改变,其中,免疫反应相关基因显著上调,血小板表面黏附分子的表达也显著增强。研究结果揭示了急性炎症条件下血小板转录组的变化,为了解血小板免疫功能的潜在分子机制提供了新的角度。     

Clinical utility of diagnostic guidelines and putative biomarkers in lymphangioleiomyomatosis

Background

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare disease occurring almost exclusively in women. Diagnosis often requires surgical biopsy and the clinical course varies between patients with no predictors of progression. We evaluated recent diagnostic guidelines, clinical features and serum biomarkers as diagnostic and prognostic tools.

Methods

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor-D (VEGF-D), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) -2 and -9, clinical phenotype, thoracic and abdominal computerised tomography, lung function and quality of life were examined in a cohort of 58 patients. 32 healthy female controls had serum biomarkers measured.

Results

Serum VEGF-D, ACE and total MMP-2 levels were elevated in patients. VEGF-D was the strongest discriminator between patients and controls (median = 1174 vs. 332 pg/ml p < 0.0001 with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.967, 95% CI 0.93-1.01). Application of European Respiratory Society criteria allowed a definite diagnosis without biopsy in 69%. Adding VEGF-D measurement to ERS criteria further reduced the need for biopsy by 10%. VEGF-D was associated with lymphatic involvement (p = 0.017) but not the presence of angiomyolipomas.

Conclusions

Combining ERS criteria and serum VEGF-D reduces the need for lung biopsy in LAM. VEGF-D was associated with lymphatic disease but not lung function.