与心脏发育相关的miRNA研究

microRNA（miRNA）是生物体内源长度约为20～23个核苷酸的非编码小RNA,在生物体发育、细胞增殖与分化等过程中扮演了重要角色。心脏是人体的重要器官之一,miRNA与心脏发育密切相关,很多分子生物学研究技术已经应用到对心脏发育的研究中,研究表明一些特异miRNA有可能为心脏疾病的诊断和治疗提供新的靶点和研发新的药物。     

ErbBs in mammary development

Members of the ErbB (epidermal growth factor receptor) family of receptor tyrosine kinases are important in etiology of human mammary carcinoma, and are rational targets for cancer therapy. The frequent selection of ErbB2/HER2/Neu, and, less often, the epidermal growth factor receptor, and ErbB3 for overexpression in breast cancer implies that these receptors have important functions in normal mammary development. Better understanding of ErbBs in mammary development may yield important dividends for development and deployment of cancer therapies. The roles of these receptors and their ligands in mammary development are discussed, with an emphasis on new insights from genetic analysis of the receptors in mice.     

Beyond genetics. Influence of dietary factors and gut microbiota on type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease ultimately leading to destruction of insulin secreting β-cells in the pancreas. Genetic susceptibility plays an important role in T1D etiology, but even mono-zygotic twins only have a concordance rate of around 50%, underlining that other factors than purely genetic are involved in disease development. Here we review the influence of dietary and environmental factors on T1D development in humans as well as animal models. Even though data are still inconclusive, there are strong indications that gut microbiota dysbiosis plays an important role in T1D development and evidence from animal models suggests that gut microbiota manipulation might prove valuable in future prevention of T1D in genetically susceptible individuals.     

昆虫学相关电子期刊资源简介

随着文献信息资源的数字化发展 ,网络文献信息以其多方面的优势正渐渐成为教学、科研所依赖的重要资源 ,了解和掌握与学科专业相关的电子资源分布状况是非常重要的。本文着重简述与昆虫学相关的国内外电子期刊资源。     

Research Progress and Application of Plant Branching

Plant branching development plays an important role in plant morphogenesis (aboveground plant type), the number and angle of branches are important agronomic characters that determine crop plant type. Effective branches determine the number of panicles or pods of crops and then control the yield of crops. With the rapid development of plant genomics and molecular genetics, great progress has been made in the study of branching development. In recent years, a series of important branching-related genes have been validated from Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, pea, tomato and maize mutants. It is reviewed that plant branching development is controlled by genetic elements and plant hormones, such as auxin, cytokinin and lactones (or lactone derivatives), as well as by environment and genetic elements. Meanwhile, shoot architecture in crop breeding was discussed in order to provide theoretical basis for the study of crop branching regulation.     

Unequal genetic redundancy of rice PISTILLATA orthologs, OsMADS2 and OsMADS4, in lodicule and stamen development

Two homologs of PISTILLATA have been identified in rice: OsMADS2 and OsMADS4. However, their roles in floral organ development are controversial. Here, we demonstrate that the genes show unequal redundancy of class B function. Although OsMADS2 plays an important role in lodicule development, OsMADS4 also supports the specification of lodicule identity. In contrast, the genes are roughly equally important in stamen development. Consistent with their redundant functions, both OsMADS2 and OsMADS4 interact with the unique rice AP3 ortholog SPW1.     

Evolution of microbial pathogens

Various genetic mechanisms including point mutations, genetic rearrangements and lateral gene transfer processes contribute to the evolution of microbes. Long-term processes leading to the development of new species or subspecies are termed macroevolution, and short-term developments, which occur during days or weeks, are considered as microevolution. Both processes, macro- and microevolution need horizontal gene transfer, which is particularly important for the development of pathogenic microorganisms. Plasmids, bacteriophages and so-called pathogenicity islands (PAIs) play a crucial role in the evolution of pathogens. During microevolution, genome variability of pathogenic microbes leads to new phenotypes, which play an important role in the acute development of an infectious disease. Infections due to Staphylococcus epidermidis, Candida albicans and Escherichia coli will be described with special emphasis on processes of microevolution. In contrast, the development of PAIs is a process involved in macroevolution. PAIs are especially important in processes leading to new pathotypes or even species. In this review, particular attention will be given to the fact that the evolution of pathogenic microbes can be considered as a specific example for microbial evolution in general.     

Artificial feeding of ixodid ticks

Ixodid ticks are economically important as they cause direct damage to livestock and are vectors of several pathogens that cause diseases in humans and animals. Some of the important tick-borne pathogens of livestock are Theileria parva, T. annulata, Babesia bigemina, B. bovis, Anaplasma marginale and Cowdria ruminantium. These pathogens are responsible for causing enormous losses in livestock. Identification of factors that influence transmission and development of these pathogens in ticks will greatly facilitate development of rational strategies for control of tick-borne diseases. This research has been hampered by the lack of suitable artificial feeding methods. In this paper, Sam Waladde, Aian Young and Subhash Morzaria review recent developments in the artificial feeding of ixodid ticks and evaluate how this method can potentially be exploited. They use an example the transmission of an important livestock pathogen, T. parva, by Rhipicephalus appendiculatus.     

能源生物技术

对生物技术在能源领域的应用包括燃料酒精、生物柴油、生物制氢及微生物采油技术等的国内外现状进行了综述,对其研究的意义和前景进行了分析。     

Protein kinase D as a potential new target for cancer therapy

Protein kinase D is a novel family of serine/threonine kinases and diacylglycerol receptors that belongs to the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase superfamily. Evidence has established that specific PKD isoforms are dysregulated in several cancer types, and PKD involvement has been documented in a variety of cellular processes important to cancer development, including cell growth, apoptosis, motility, and angiogenesis. In light of this, there has been a recent surge in the development of novel chemical inhibitors of PKD. This review focuses on the potential of PKD as a chemotherapeutic target in cancer treatment and highlights important recent advances in the development of PKD inhibitors.     

Determination of c-Abl tyrosine kinase and mTERT catalytic subunit of telomerase expression level during prenatal-postnatal mouse ovary-testis development

Expression levels of genes involved in the development of germ cells vary throughout the process from bipotential gonadal period to adult gonadal formation. In mice, developments of female and male reproductive system are regulated by germ cell-specific factors and hormones, and determinative days in this regulation are very important. c-Abl is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase with cellular functions including cell proliferation, growth and development. mTERT is involved in maintaining telomerase activity and proliferation of surviving cells. We suggested that c-Abl and mTERT might be important for the healthy development of prenatal and postnatal mouse ovary and testis. We aim to demonstrate localization and expressions of c-Abl and mTERT in crucial days of ovary and testis development in prenatal and postnatal period in mouse by immunofluorescence staining and qRT-PCR, respectively. The importance of c-Abl and mTERT expressions during the healthy gonadal development is indicated in the prenatal and postnatal gonadal development. Also, protein expression levels were detected by Western Blot in only postnatal ovary and testis. Determining the functions of the c-Abl and mTERT throughout the process will be important in terms of understanding the infertility cases in the female and male with future studies.     

受体蛋白激酶和植物发育

受体蛋白激酶是蛋白激酶家族中的重要一类。根据其胞外受体结构域的组成不同 ,植物受体蛋白激酶可划分为不同的类型。近些年的研究发现 ,蛋白激酶是植物发育和抗性反应中重要成分 ,是信号分子的重要受体 ,在信号传导过程中起着重要作用。随着对植物发育过程中信号传导机理认识的不断深入 ,人们有望通过操作植物发育过程向人们需要的方向发展 ,达到控制果实的大小和提高产量的目的。     

植物同源异型基因及同源异型盒基因的研究进展

植物同源异型基因及同源异型盒基因是涉及植物个体发育调节的两类重要转录因子编码基因.近10年来的研究表明,这两类基因及其产物的结构与功能具有明显的差异.深入研究这两类基因的结构与功能对揭示植物的发育机制具有重要意义.     

Wnt signaling pathway in rheumatoid arthritis,with special emphasis on the different roles in synovial inflammation and bone remodeling

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic symmetrical autoimmune disease of unknown etiology that affects primarily the diarthrodial joints. Characteristic features of RA pathogenesis are synovial inflammation and proliferation accompanied by cartilage erosion and bone loss. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) display an important role in the pathogenesis of RA. Several lines of evidence show that the Wnt signaling pathway significantly participates in the RA pathogenesis. The Wnt proteins are glycoproteins that bind to the Fz receptors on the cell surface, which leads to several important biological functions, such as cell differentiation, embryonic development, limb development and joint formation. Accumulated evidence has suggested that this signaling pathway plays a key role in the FLS activation, bone resorption and joint destruction during RA development. Greater knowledge of the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in RA could improve understanding of the RA pathogenesis and the differences in RA clinical presentation and prognosis. In this review, new advances of the Wnt signaling pathway in RA pathogenesis are discussed, with special emphasis on its different roles in synovial inflammation and bone remodeling. Further studies are needed to reveal the important role of the members of the Wnt signaling pathway in the RA pathogenesis and treatment.     

Manipulation of ovarian follicle development by injecting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene

The genetic and molecular mechanisms that control the development of capillary blood vessels during follicular development are beginning to be elucidated. Ovarian follicles contain and produce angiogenic factors that may act alone or in concert to regulate thecal angiogenesis. These factors are ultimately controlled by endocrine, paracrine and autocrine regulation in the ovary. Our recent study indicated that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in the thecal angiogenesis during follicular development. In this review, we focus on the vasculature and the expression of angiogenic factors during follicular development in a mammalian ovary.     

The Development of Pseudocapacitor Electrodes and Devices with High Active Mass Loading

Pseudocapacitive materials are used for supercapacitor applications due to their exceptionally high capacitance and low cost. Good capacitive performance of the pseudocapacitive materials at high active mass loadings is vital for the development of the next generation of supercapacitor devices. This review describes recent advances in materials and nanotechnologies, which allows the development of advanced pseudocapacitive devices with high active mass. An important breakthrough is the discovery of novel dispersing and capping agents for the colloidal processing of nanoparticles. Particularly important are novel co‐dispersants that exhibit enhanced adsorption on materials of different types, such as inorganic nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. Conceptually new strategies are designed to fabricate coated particles. Recent innovations pave the way for the development of multifunctional redox‐active dopants‐dispersants and dopants‐oxidants to manufacture conductive polymer composites. Among the most important advances in nanotechnology is the development of template methods and heterocoagulation techniques for composite manufacturing. The progress in the design of novel surface modification techniques and materials, discovery of advanced anchoring groups, and development of liquid–liquid extraction allows agglomerate‐free processing of nanomaterials and composites. This review describes fundamental aspects of novel technologies and their applications in the manufacturing of pseudocapacitive devices for energy storage.