Studies on Physiological and Biochemical Properties of Female Specific Serum Protein and Its Immunocytochemical Localization in Carassius auratus cuvieri(Temminck & Schlegel)

Female-specific serum protein(FSSP)is normally present in the sera of female fish,but it is notfound in males.However,estradiol benzoate(EB)was found to induce the appearance of FSSP inmale fish and immature female fish.Massive doses of FSSP caused a rapid increase in FSSP.Ultrastructural examination of the liver indicated an extensive proliferation of the rough endoplasmicreticulum and a decrease in glycogen and lipid droplets after EB injection.A preparative PAGE for isolating highly purified FSSP from the serum of EB-treated fish,Carassiusauratus cuvieri(Temminck & Schlegel),is described.Purified FSSP obtained from EB-induced O-crucian fish has a molecular weight of 466,000±4,000(n=10),while that in mature female serumis 480,000±40,000(n=2).FSSP appears to be a dimer,with the size of the possible monomerbeing 240,000±8,000(n=6).SDS-PAGE on gradient gels indicated that sera from males given multiple(12)injections of EBcontain a main band with a molecular weight of 147,000±6,000(n=6).However,the same serumsamples provided three bands of protein on the PAGE gels.Antiserum was raised against the electrophoretically purified FSSP.The resulting antibody formeda single,continuous precipitation line with sera from EB-treated males and vitellogenic females,butnot with that from normal males.lmmunocytochemistry(PAP method)was used to locate FSSP in the liver and ovary of maturefemales and the liver of EB-treated males.Strongly positive particles were found clustered in groupsaround liver cell nuclei under light microscopy,and the yolk granules in the oocytes were also filledwith positive particles.     

A drug from poison: how the therapeutic effect of arsenic trioxide on acute promyelocytic leukemia was discovered

It is surprising that,while arsenic trioxide(ATO) is now considered as "the single most active agent in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia(APL)",the most important discoverer remains obscure and his original papers have not been cited by a single English paper.The discovery was made during the Cultural Revolution when most Chinese scientists and doctors struggled to survive.Beginning with recipes from a countryside practitioner that were vague in applicable diseases,Zhang TingDong and colleagues proposed in the 1970s that a single chemical in the recipe is most effective and that its target is APL.More than 20 years of work by Zhang and colleagues eliminated the confusions about whether and how ATO can be used effectively.Other researchers,first in China and then in the West,followed his lead.Retrospective analysis of data from his own group proved that APL was indeed the most sensitive target.Removal of a trace amount of mercury chloride from the recipe by another group in his hospital proved that only ATO was required.Publication of Western replication in 1998 made the therapy widely accepted,though neither Western,nor Chinese authors of English papers on ATO cited Zhang’s papers in the 1970s.This article focuses on the early papers of Zhang,but also suggests it worth further work to validate Chinese reports of ATO treatment of other cancers,and infers that some findings published in Chinese journals are of considerable value to patients and that doctors from other countries can benefit from the clinical experience of Chinese doctors with the largest population of patients.     

Profile of Prof. Ke-Qin Zhang

<正>Dr. Ke-Qin Zhang is a microbiologist who has spent more than 40 years on harnessing the natural existing nematophagous microorganisms to combat against plant-parasitic nematodes. Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. degree from China Agricultural University in 1998 and then joined as the director of the Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology and Fermentation Technology of Yunnan in Yunnan University.     

Cytotoxic T cell-induced apoptosis

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells protect us against a variety of pathogens, and are involved in autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection. Granzyme B plays a major role in the mechanism used by these cytolytic effectors to destroy the target cells. This proteinase is produced by the effectors and stored within cytoplasmic granules. Upon interaction with the pathogenic cell the granzyme is transferred from the CTL to the target via directed exocytosis and subsequent receptor mediated endocytosis. It is interesting that cells that are deficient in expression of the receptor for granzyme are also resistant to CTL-     

Molecular evolution of pancreatic ribonuclease gene(RNase1) in Rodentia

<正>Pancreatic ribonuclease,which is encoded by RNase1,is a digestive enzyme secreted by the pancreas of vertebrates,and has been recognized to be a classic example for molecular evolutionary studies due to the frequent occurrence of gene duplication and functional divergence in organisms(Zhang et al.,2002,2006;Yu and Zhang,2006;Yu et al.,2010;Xu et al.,2013;Liu et al.,2014).RNase1 has been extensively studied in many mammals,including     

The presence of ANP in rat peritoneal mast cells

Atrial natriuretic peptide （ANP） is an important component of the natriuretic peptide system. A great role in many regulatory systems is played by mast cells. Meanwhile involvement of these cells in ANP activity is poorly studied. In this work, we have shown the presence of ANP in rat peritoneal mast cells. Pure fraction of mast cells was obtained by separation of rat peritoneal cells on a Percoll density gradient. By Westem blotting, two ANP-immunoreactive proteins of molecular masses of 2.5 kDa and 16.9 kDa were detected in lysates from these mast cells. Electron microscope immunogold labeling has revealed the presence of ANP-immunoreactive material in storage, secreting and released granules of mast cells. Our findings indicate the rat peritoneal mast cells to contain both ANP prohormone and ANP. These both peptides are located in mast cell secretory granules and released by mechanism of degranulation. It is discussed that many mast cell functions might be due to production of natriuretic peptides by these cells.     

Control of flowering and inflorescence architecture in tomato by synergistic interactions between ALOG transcription factors

正Inflorescences are flower-bearing shoots that originate from pools of stem cells in shoot apical meristems (SAM).Inflorescence architecture is determined by a process of meristem maturation,during which stem cell fate switches from a vegetative to a reproductive growth program.A major factor in plant reproductive success in nature and yield in agriculture is the number of branches and flowers on inflorescences (Kobayashi and Weigel,2007;     

Developmental recording of the ghost-moth larvae after ex situ infection by Ophiocordyceps sinensis

正Dear Editor,Chinese cordyceps, a valuable Chinese traditional medicine, is a complex of mummified ghost moth caterpillars and fungal stroma of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Winkler, 2010). O. sinensis has been nominated as the national fungus of China and flagship species of the Tibetan Plateau (Cannon, 2010; Zhang et al., 2012). Due to a huge market demand and limited distribution only in an alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan     

Sperm dimorphism and spermatozeugmata in the commensal bivalve Pseudopythina macrophthalmensis (Galeommatoidea, Kelliidae)

The bivalve Pseudopythina macrophthalmensis (Galeommatoidea) is a commensal with the crab Macrophthalmus convexus (Ocypodidae) in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is a protandric hermaphrodite which incubates the 65-μm large ova in the suprabranchial cavity. The species produces two types of sperm, which were studied with the electron microscope. The euspermatozoon has an elongate 2.8-μm-long, pointed acrosome, a slender 12- to 13-μm-long nucleus and a middlepiece containing several closely packed mitochondria arranged as a 5.5- to 6.0-μm-long sheath around the basis of the flagellum. The paraspermato- zoon is vermiform, 220-μm-long and up to 5-μm-broad. Anteriorly there is a ca 7-μm-long bullet-shaped acrosome followed by a subcylindrical 3.0- to 4.7-μm-long nucleus. Adjacent to the nucleus occurs a bundle of 26–42 40-μm-long flagella. The cytoplasm is packed with spherical lipid droplets and ovoid granules of unknown composition. Sperm of both types aggregate to form spermatozeugmata, which were found in the posterior mantle cavity or in paired seminal receptacles. Within the receptacles the euspermatozoa dissociate themselves from the spermatozeugma and become attached to the epithelial lining of the receptacle whereas the paraspermatozoa presumably disintegrate. The possible significance of the two types of sperm is discussed in the light of their presumed functions in gastropods. Accepted: 9 November 2000     

Endothelial progenitor cells in debate

Adult stem/progenitor cells play important roles in tissue homeostasis and have important implications for regenerative medicine. It was once thought that formation of new blood vessels in adult only occurs through angiogenesis, a process whereby new vessels are formed from existing mature endothelial cells; while vasculogenesis, where new vessels are derived from differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells （EPCs）, was thought to occur exclusively in embryos. The discovery of adult EPCs a few years ago has changed this old paradigm; and subsequent studies showed that EPCs may be a promising tool for the treatment of vascular disorders. However, there have been conflicting reports on subtypes, surface markers, and functions of EPCs; and thus the exact origin and identity of EPCs remain to be defined. A common approach to obtain EPCs is to isolate and culture mononuclear cells from peripheral blood and to select adherent cells for further analyses. In the June issue of Cell Research, Zhang et al. attempted to isolate putative ＂EPCs＂ using this approach,     

Studies on the mitotic chromosome scaffold of Allium sativum

An argentophilic structure is present in the metaphase chromosomes of garlic(Allium sativum),Cytochemical studies indicate that the main component of the structure is non-histone proteins(NHPs).The results of light and electron microscopic observations reveal that the chromosme NHP scaffold is a network which is composed of fibres and granules and distributed throughout the chromosomes.In the NHP network,there are many condensed regions that are connected by redlatively looser regions.The distribution of the condensed regions varies in individual chromosomes.In some of the chromosomes the condensed regions are lognitudinally situsted in the central part of a chromatid while in others these regions appear as coillike transverse bands.At early metaphase.scaffolds of the sister chromatids of a chromosome are linked to each other in the centromeric region,meanwhile,they are connected by scafold materials along the whole length of the chromosome.At late metaphase,however,the connective scaffold materials between the two sister chromatids disappear gradually and the chromatids begin to separate from one another at their ends.but the chromatids are linked together in the centromeric region until anaphase.This connection seems to be related to the special structure of the NHP scaffold formed in the centromeric region.The morphological features and dynamic changes of the chromosome scaffold are discussed.     

FOSSIL TREE SHREWS FROM THE EOCENE HETAOYUAN FORMATION OF XICHUAN, HENAN

<正> Knowledge of definite fossil treeshrews is still restricted to several Miocene localities of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent and China (Chopra, Kaul and Vasishat, 1979; Chopra and Vasishat, 1979; Jacobs, 1980; Qiu Zhuding, 1986). Some Paleogene taxa which were considered closely related to, or members of TuPaiidae have been removed from this family. However, a few isolated teeth close to the extant Dendrogale in dental characters were collected from the Eocene Hetaoyuan Formation of the Liguanqiao Basin by means of screen-washing technique in 1986. The purpose of this paper is to report the material.     

Map-based cloning of the ALK gene, which controls the gelatinization temperature of rice

As a primary crop in China, rice provides the staple food for more than 50% population in the world. With the increasing grain yield and improvement of living conditions, grain quality has drawn more and more attention. Gelatinization temperature (GT), an important parameter for rice cooking quality, is the critical temperature at which the starch granules start to lose crystallinity and birefringence by irreversible expanding and to change the starch surface from polarized to soluble state c…     

Overexpression of CmSOS1 confers waterlogging tolerance in Chrysanthemum

正Plants experiencing hypoxia (a shortage of oxygen)are unable to maintain aerobic respiration, which leads to an energy and carbohydrate deficit. The pervasive and rapid accumulation of ethylene is an early and reliable response to hypoxic stress(Sasidharan and Voesenek 2015), producing an uptick in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).This in turn triggers apoptosis in root cortex cells,eventually leading to the formation of lysigenous aerenchyma, a tissue from which ethylene is readily     

Development and performance evaluation of a culture-independent nanopore amplicon-based sequencing method for accurate typing and antimicrobial resistance profiling in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

<正>Dear Editor,Bacterial antimicrobial resistance(AMR)poses a serious threat to global human health(Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators,2022).Comprehensive profiling of AMR and accurate molecular typing are important for tracking and controlling the emergence and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria(Yahara et al.,2021).We previously developed a multiplex amplicon sequencing-based method for directly sequencing AMR-related loci in N.gonorrhoeae from clinical samples(Zhang et al...     

巨蟹蛛一种畸形雄性触肢器记述

During examination of spider material in the Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences (IZCAS),one male specimen came to our attention,which showed a unique anomaly in its palp.The morphology of this specimen is documented and suggestions for further investigations are given.Material. 2 males,Zhangjiajie National Park (29 08°N,110.29°E)[reared to adult,leg.LI Shu Qiang];deposited in the Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing:Araneae,Sparassidae#89.One of the males has both palps intact and belongs to a Sinopoda species,which has yet to be determined.In the other specimen only the left palp is present in a deformed state.From size and color of both specimens,it could be possible that both are conspecific.Morphology. The anomalous morphology is limited to the palpal tarsus and to the retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA).All remaining parts of the palp show a normal expression of morphological characters(e.g.spination,size,shape).The RTA is deformed in a way as recorded for e.g.Erigone atra (Jaeger, 1995),i.e.its size is reduced and its shape is different in comparison with the intact specimen.The main anomaly refers to the bulb,on the ventral side of the male tarsus.Usually,the bulb of sparassids composed of two sclerotized parts,tegulum and subtegulum,both separated by membranous parts,the haematodochae(cf.Yin et al.,1983).The basal haematodocha connects the subtegulum to the cymbium,the dorsal part of the tarsus.The cymbium bears hairs and contains nerves,whereas the bulb does not.In Sinopoda spp.embolus and conductor arise from the tegulum (Jaeger, 1999).A sperm duct extends from a distal opening on the embolus to the inner part of tegulum and subtegulum.     

Resin foraging dynamics in Varroa destructor-infested hives: a case of medication of kin?

t Social insects have evolved colony behavioral, physiological, and organiza. tional adaptations (social immunity) to reduce the risks of parasitization and/or disease transmission. The collection of resin from various plants and its use in the hive as propolis is a clear example of behavioral defense. For Apis mellifera, an increased propolis content in the hive may correspond to variations in the microbial load of the colony and to a downregulation of an individual bee's immune response. However, many aspects of such antimicrobial mechanism still need to be clarified. Assuming that bacterial and fungal infection mechanisms differ from the action of a parasite, we studied the resin collection dynamics in Varroa destructor-infested honeybee colonies. Comparative experiments involving hives with different mite infestation levels were conducted in order to assess the amount of resin collected and propolis quality within the hive, over a 2-year period (2014 and 2015). Our study demonstrates that when A. mellifera colonies are under stress because of Varroa infestation, an increase in the number of resin foragers is recorded, even if a general intensification of the foraging activity is not observed. A reduction in the total polyphenolic content in propolis produced in infested versus uninfested hives was also noticed. Considering that different propolis types show varying levels of inhibition against a variety of honey bee pathogens in vitro, it would be very important to study the effects against Varroa of two diverse types of propolis: from Varroa-free and from Varroa-infested hives.     

Chia-Chen Tan and genetics in modern China

Chia-Chen Tan(谈家桢,1909-2008)was one of the most important founders of genetics in modern China and made great effort to the inter nation alization of Chinese gen etics(Fig.1).Chia-Chen Tan was born on September 15,1909 in Zhejiang Provinee.He studied in missionary middle school and public high school successively before being admitted to Soochow Un iversity without exami nation.He majored in biology in university and became interested in genetics.After graduating in 1930,he entered YenChing University and learnt from Ju-Chi Li(李汝祺)(Fig.2)who was the first Chinese student to receive a doctor's degree from American famous geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan and was the only genetics professor in YenChing University at that time(Zhang,2017).     

A New Species of Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804(Squamata: Viperidae) from Southwestern China,Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar

The pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 is one of the largest groups of Asian snakes, distributed from India to China and Indonesia. Recent surveys in Jiangcheng and Simao, Yunnan Province, China resulted in a new species previously allocated to T. albolabris. Combining morphological and molecular data, we describe it as Trimeresurus guoi sp. nov. The new species morphologically differs from T. albolabris in the yellow green ventral color; an indistinct ventrolateral line; the a bsence of a postocular stripe; the firebrickred iris; a dark red stripe on dorsal tail; hemipenes with relatively weak sparse papillae, reaching 23 rd subcaudal when unextruded. Molecularly, the new species forms a clearly divergent lineage(BPP 1.00/UFB 100). Uncorrected pairwise distances of mitochondrial gene Cyt b between the new species and other known species of the subgenus Trimeresurus range from 0.052(T. albolabris) to 0.071(T. insularis).     

中华蚱蜢卵子发生中花生凝集素受体的初步鉴定和发育表达

The distributions of PNA binding glycoconjugates in the plasma membrane of Acrida cinerea Thunberg germ cells were detected using biotin labeled PNA, for better understanding of the formation and changes of glycoconjugates during oogenesis. The ultrastructure of vitellogenesis also was observed by electron microscopy for detection of the origin and track of vitelline material. In the ovary, PNA receptors appeared in the oocyte cytoplasm of the second phases of oogenesis; positive granules gradually increased from the third phase to the fourth, and they exhibited a maximum expression before the vitellogennic stage in the cytoplasm of the oocyte. From the vitellogennic to chorionation stage, positive granules gradually declined. Binding sites on follicle cells were changed with their morphological variation in every stage of oogenesis. The vitelline of A. cinerea formed within the oocyte by degrees. The results suggest that PNA receptors and yolk materials are synthesized by the oocytc at an early period. With the development of the oocyte, some exogeous materials from two sources act as PNA receptors and others take part in vitelline synthesis. One is blood lymph that offers some useful materials to the oocyte directly through follicle cell gaps; the other are follicle cells that produce and transmit some materials to oocyte to support vitellogenesis. In addition, PNA receptors secreted by follicle cells participate in the formation of yolk membrane [ Acta Zoologica Sinica 5 l （5） ： 932 - 939, 2005 ].