Effects of r—HuEPO on the biophysical characteristics of erythrocyte membrane in patients with anemia of chronic renal failure

Using electron spin resonance (ESR) spin labeling technique,we have studied the conformation of sulfhydryl groups(-SH) binding sites in membrane proteins and mem brane fluidity of red blood cells(RBCs) from two groups of patients with anemia of chronic renal failure(ACRF).One of the groups is composed of patients who were untreated with recombinant human erythropoietin(r-HuEPO),and the other is composed of patients who were treated with r-HuEPO.The results indicated:1)the conformation of SH group binding site in RBC membrane proteins from former group was different from those of healty people.2)the fluidity in the region near the surface of RBC membrane from former group was lower than those of healthy people.3)However,the above biophysical properties of RBC membrane from later group were normal.We concluded that RBC membrane in patients with ACRF was abnormal,and the treatment of r-HuEPO may promote the production of normal RBCs,thus ameliorate the biophysical properties of RBCs from the patients with ACRF.     

A Note from Editorial Board——for reviews of eukaryotic cell evolution

Last July, an old friend of Editor-in-Chief Dr. Zhen YAO, Dr. Jing Yan LI, who has been studying for years the origin of cell nucleus, visited Shanghai, and they made some discussion about his views on the importance of molecular biology approach to eukaryotic cell evolution and its possible bearing to the progress of contemporary     

Canada and China working together in the Nature Reserves of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

The environment and its natural resources are one of the richest treasures in the world. The lands, forests, lakes and rivers are not only beautiful spaces in the world, but these ecosystems are the basis of life for all the people and creatures who inhabit the earth. As inhabitants of the earth, we all have a responsibility to take care of these important resources-to protect our biological diversity-for ourselves, for future generations and for the many other creatures that we share the world with. Indeed, as stewards of the environment we must ensure that our actions, and those of the people around us, are not harmful or damaging to the earth.     

The Path to Enlightenment： Making Sense of Genomic and Proteomic Information

Whereas genomics describes the study of genome, mainly represented by its gene expression on the DNA or RNA level, the term proteomics denotes the study of the proteome, which is the protein complement encoded by the genome. In recent years, the number of proteomic experiments increased tremendously. While all fields of proteomics have made major technological advances, the biggest step was seen in bioinformatics. Biological information management relies on sequence and structure databases and powerful software tools to translate experimental results into meaningful biological hypotheses and answers. In this resource article, I provide a collection of databases and software available on the Internet that are useful to interpret genomic and proteomic data. The article is a toolbox for researchers who have genomic or proteomic datasets and need to put their findings into a biological context.     

Role of HLA DRB1*15 and HLA DRB1*16alleles in the genetic susceptibility to develop systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after Chikungunya and Zika viruses infection in México

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disease particularly prevalent in Mexico. Althoughits etiology is unknown, genetic factors strongly influence its presenceas well as triggering factors, such as viral infections, including Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus. Here,the study presents the appearance of de novoSLE (patients who did not present SLE before de virus infection, corroborated by serological analysis and negative for antinuclear antibodies) cases in Mexicans who live near the southern border of Mexico, who presented clinical symptoms of arthritic, hematological, mucocutaneous and renal SLE, after Zika and/ or Chikungunya virus infection. Low resolution class Ⅱ HLA typing was performed, which found a significantly increased frequency of HLA DRB1*02 (15 and 16)when compared to a group of 99 healthy individuals (P =0.001, OR=4.5, IC95% 1.8~11.0). All the patients were diagnosed with SLE 1 to 3 years after being confirmed with the Zika, and/or Chikungunya infection. At the point of acute viral infection, none of the patients presented clinical signs or symptoms of autoimmunity or were negative for antinuclear antibodies. In genetically susceptible individuals, Zika and Chikungunya viral infection can trigger SLE.     

SEQUENCES OF LLANDOVERIAN CHITINOZOANS IN YANGZl REGION

This paper is dedicated as a token of homage and gratitude to Prof. Mu. En-zhi, the nestor in the field of graptolite studies, who introduced us chitinozoan studies with constant supports in many ways, and who died on 8th April, 1987. The Palaeontological Society of China has decided to publish a specieal volume in memory of this outstanding scientist.     

Association of HLA classⅠand classⅡgenes with severe acute respiratory syndrome in the northern Chinese population

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was a major epidemic at the beginning of the 21^st century. This highly infectious disease is caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV), whose immune reaction is still not completely understood. This study described the genetic patterns of HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 loci in patients from Beijing who survived SARS, and examined whether an association between HLA genes and susceptibility/resistance to SARS exists. A total of 148 Chinese Han SARS survivors were recruited to donate convalescent plasma in 2003. HLA low-resolution genotyping was carried out using PCR-SSP. Allele frequencies were compared with published frequencies of HLA alleles from 11 755 unrelated northern Chinese Han bone marrow donors by Fisher''s exact test. In this cohort, 13, 25 and 13 alleles were observed at HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 loci respectively. Fisher''s exact tests revealed four alleles (A*26, DRB1*04, DRB1*09, and DRB1*16) that showed a nominal association significance with the SARS virus (P<0.05), yet none of these associations remained significant after correction. Our study suggests that HLA polymorphisms were unlikely to have contributed significantly to either the susceptibility or resistance to the SARS-Cov infection in patients who survived SARS in the Northern Chinese population, thus leaving an open question for future studies into a possible association HLA class Ⅰ and class Ⅱ genes with SARS in patients who were unable to survive the infection.     

What actually is the Münch hypothesis?A short history of assimilate transport by mass flow

In the 1920s,the German forestry scientist Ernst Münch postulated that photo-assimilate transport is a mass flow driven by osmotically induced pressure gradients between source organs(high turgor) and sink organs(lower turgor). Two crucial components of Münch's hypothesis,the translocation by mass flow from sources to sinks and the osmotic mechanism of pressure flow,were established notions at the time,but had been developed by two institutionally separated groups of scholars. A conceptual separation of whole-plant biology from cellular physiology had followed the institutional separation of forestry science from botany in German-speaking central Europe during the so-called Humboldtian reforms,and was reinforced by the delayed institutionalization of plant physiology as an academic discipline. Münch did not invent a novel concept,but accomplished an integration of the organism-focused and the cell-focused research traditions,reducing the polarization that had evolved when research universities emerged in central Europe. Post-Münch debates about the validity of his hypothesis focused increasingly on the suitability of available research methodologies,especially the electron microscope and the proper interpretation of the results it produced. The present work reconstructs the influence of the dynamic scientific and non-scientific context on the history of the Münch hypothesis.     

Changes of 5＇ Terminal Nucleotides of PCR Primers Causing Variable T-A Cloning Efficiency

T-A cloning takes advantage of the unpaired adenosyl residue added to the 3＇ terminus of amplified DNAs by Taq and other thermostable DNA polymerase and uses a Ilnearlzed plasmld vector with a protruding 3＇ thymldylate residue at each of Its 3＇ termini to clone polymerase chain reaction （PCR）-derived DNA fragments. It Is a simple, reliable, and efficient Ilgatlon-dependent cloning method for PCR products, but the drawback of variable cloning efficiency occurs during application. In the present work, the relationship between variable T-A cloning efficiency and the different 5＇ end nucleotlde base of primers used In PCR amplification was studied. The results showed that different cloning efficiency was obtained with different primer pairs containing A, T, C and G at the 5＇ terminus respectively. The data shows that when the 5＇ end base of primer pair was adenosyl, more white colonies could be obtained In cloning the corresponding PCR product In comparison with other bases. And the least white colonies were formed when using the primer pair with 5＇ cytldylate end. The gluanylate end primers resulted In almost the same cloning efficiency In the white colonies amount as the thymldylate end primer did, and this efficiency was much lower than that of adenosyl end primers. This presumably is a consequence of variability In 3＇dA addition to PCR products mediated by Taq polymerase. Our results offer instructions for primer design for researchers who choose T-A cloning to clone PCR products.     

Identification of EGFR kinase domain mutations among lung cancer patients in China： implication for targeted cancer therapy

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death with one of the lowest survival rates. However, a subset of lung cancer patients who are of Asian origin and carry somatic mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR have responded remarkable well to two tyrosine kinase inhibitors, gefitinib and erlotinib. While EGFR mutation profiles havebeen reported from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, there is no such report from mainland of China where the largest pool of patients reside. In this report, we identified ten somatic mutations from a total of 41 lung cancer patients in China. Among them, seven mutations were found in 17 adenocarcinomas. In contrast to previous reports, eight of these mutations are deletions in exon 19 and two of these deletions are homozygous. These results suggest that a large portion of Chinese adenocarcinoma patients could benefit from gefitinib or erlotinib. This unique mutation profile provides a rationale to develop the next generation of EGFR inhibitors more suitable for the Chinese population.     

2016 Reviewer Acknowledgment

正With the generous support of authors and reviewers,Virologica Sinica successfully completed the publishing plan of 2016,and has pushed its international influence onto a higher level.The Editors of Virologica Sinica wish to thank our reviewers who had served between December 1,2015 and November 30,2016.Your critical and constructive comments are highly     

Novel aspects of the apolipoprotein-E receptor family: regulation and functional role of their proteolytic processing

Studies related to the functional and regulatory aspects of proteolytic processing are of interest to cell biologists,developmental biologists and investigators who work on human diseases.Much of what ...     

Thoughts of a travelling ecologist 12.The plight of the monarch butterfly

<正>Nature conservation needs people who care about nature,and the efforts to convince people to care about the fate of nature has extensively relied on selected charismatic species,the"conservation icons".One famous example is the great panda,Ailuropoda melanoleuca,well known as the World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF)logo.When it comes to invertebrates,the     

Relationship Between the Photorespiration and Nitrate Reduction

Upwards of thirty years have passed sincethe discovery of photorespiration by Decker in1955 who observed the post-illumination CO_2burst in tobacco leaves. During the 1960'sand the early 1970's the research on physiologyand biochemistry of photorespiration increasedgreatly, and many basic facts were elucidated.     

“To live a meaningful life,be yourself and make yourself”:Haoyan Jen—a pioneer of China’s environmental microbiology

There is a man who improves our living and working envi-ronment by turning pesticide residues in the field into nutri-ents for the crops,turning such wastes as paper and sawdust into sugar,which is then converted into liquid alcohol fuel,or purifying malodorous and toxic industrial wastewater into clean and non-toxic water.He is Prof.Haoyan Jen(简浩然),a pioneer of China's environmental microbiology.     

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR VETERINARY EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS

This letter is to announce the sixth meeting of the International Society of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics which will be held in Ottawa,Canada,August 10-16th, 1991. We have chosen Carleton University as the physical location of the meeting. At that time of year, it provides very good meeting rooms,eating facilities and lodging for a price that will allow us to keep registration and related costs at reasonable levels. For those who