Tandem duplication and divergence of a sea urchin protein belonging to the troponin C superfamily

The Spec1 and Spec2 proteins of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus are related to calmodulin, troponin C, and myosin light chains by sequence similarity in their four calcium binding domains. These domains, the EF-hands, are distinct helix-loop-helix structures of about 40 amino acids. The Spec1 and Spec2 genes are expressed specifically in aboral ectoderm cells of the developing embryo; however, the function of the Spec proteins in these cells is unknown. To find conserved regions of the proteins that might be important for structure and function, Spec homologues from Lytechinus pictus, a distantly related sea urchin, were sought. L. pictus embryos do not synthesize detectable amounts of the 14,000-17,000-Da Spec proteins as determined by two-dimensional gel electro-phoresis, but do synthesize three 34,000-Da proteins that cross-react with Spec1 antibodies and display a similar ontogenetic pattern of expression. cDNA clones were isolated by hybridization to a synthetic oligonucleotide corresponding to the EF-hand. One clone, LpS1, encodes an mRNA with developmental properties like those of the S. purpuratus Spec mRNAs. However, LpS1 contains an open reading frame for a protein of 34,000 Da rather than 17,000 Da, and antibodies raised against part of the LpS1 reading frame demonstrate that LpS1 encodes a 34,000-Da protein in L. pictus embryos. The sequence of LpS1 reveals the presence of eight EF-hand domains, which share structural homology with the Spec1 or Spec2 EF-hands; however, little else in the protein sequence is conserved. The results support the hypothesis that the LpS1 gene arose from a duplication of an ancestral Spec gene and that the overall structural features of the Spec family of proteins are more conserved than the amino acid sequences.     

Studies on atrophic change of soleus muscle and its countermeasures in suspended rat

In the environment of microgravity, the disused atrophy of skeletal muscle, especially leg's muscle, would occur. The three purposes of this study were: 1. To observe the dynamic changes of disused atrophy of skeletal muscle under simulated weightlessness; 2. To approach the mechanism of disused atrophy of muscle; 3. To approach the countermeasures for reducing the degree of atrophy of muscle.     

Loss of chloroplast-localized NAD kinase causes ROS stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

Journal of Plant Research - Chloroplast-localized NAD kinase (NADK2) is responsible for the production of NADP+, which is an electron acceptor in the linear electron flow of photosynthesis. The...     

Phospholipid surface density determines the partitioning and permeability of acetic acid in DMPC:cholesterol bilayers

Relationships between the permeability coefficient (P_HA) and partition coefficient (K _m/w) of acetic acid and the surface density of DMPC:cholesterol bilayers have been investigated. Permeability coefficients were measured in large unilamellar vesicles by NMR line broadening. Bilayer surface density, , was varied over a range of 0.5–0.9 by changing cholesterol concentration and temperature. The temperature dependence of P_HA for acetic acid exhibits Arrhenius behavior with an average apparent activation energy (E _a ) of 22±3 kcal/mole over a cholesterol mole fraction range of 0.00–0.40. This value is much greater than the enthalpy change for acetic acid partitioning between bulk decane and water (H° = 4.8±0.8 kcal/mole) and the calculated E _a (= 8.0 kcal/mole) assuming a bulk phase permeability model which includes the enthalpy of transfer from water to decane and the temperature dependence of acetic acid's diffusion coefficient in decane. These results suggest that dehydration, previously considered to be a dominant component, is a minor factor in determining E _a . Values of 1n P_HA decrease linearly with the normalized phospholipid surface density with a slope of = -12.4±1.1 (r = 0.90). Correction of P_HA for those temperature effects considered to be independent of lipid chain order (i.e., enthalpy of transfer from water to decane and activation energy for diffusion in bulk hydrocarbon) yielded an improved correlation ( = -11.7±0.5 (r = 0.96)). The temperature dependence of K_m/w is substantially smaller than that for P_HA and dependent on cholesterol composition. Values of 1n K_m/w decrease linearly with the surface density with a slope of = -4.6±0.3 (r = 0.95), which is 2.7-fold smaller than the slope of the plot of 1n P_HA vs. . Thus, chain ordering is a major determinant for molecular partitioning into and transport across lipid bilayers, regardless of whether it is varied by lipid composition or temperature.This work was supported by grants from Glaxo, INTERx/Merck, and University of Utah Research Committee.     

不同胃疾患胃内微生态变化的研究

本文对75例不同胃疾患胃液内的菌群及影响胃内微生态环境的因素进行了研究,发现健康胃内基本无菌或只有少量口腔细菌,未发现厌氧菌。而不同胃疾患胃内均分离到细菌(log10~n/ml),慢性萎缩性胃炎:3.89±0.99,残胃炎:4.45±0.16,胃癌:4.23,十二指肠球部溃疡治疗前(2.8±0.62)与抗酸治疗后(4.35±0.61)差别显著,慢性浅表性胃炎:3.39±0.98,胃溃疡:3.42±0.29。所分离到的细菌既有来自于口腔的细菌,也有来自于肠道的细菌。影响胃内细菌增殖的主要因素是胃液的PH值,幽门功能失调及幽门切除亦可使胃内细菌过度生长。本研究提示对胃病的治疗亦应进行生态防治。     

尺度整合视角下伊犁河谷地区生态安全格局构建——以昭苏县为例

构建生态安全格局是一种协调区域生态保护与经济发展关系的有效途径。由于生态系统服务供需差异,不同等级的行政区在生态安全格局构建中出现了空间结构错位脱节的问题。从整合视角出发,尝试整合伊犁河谷地区州级和县级两级尺度构建昭苏县生态安全格局。首先基于生态系统服务评价确定生态源地,再构建综合阻力面并采用电路理论模型识别生态廊道。研究结果显示,整合州级和县级两级尺度昭苏县共确定了24个生态源地,面积2504.47km²,主要分布于昭苏中部盆地以及北部、南部山区,土地利用类型主要为耕地、草地和林地;识别生态廊道50条,总长度200.17km。与单一尺度下生态安全格局构建相比,整合不同尺度构建生态安全格局能显著改善区域生境破碎化的问题,提高区域景观连通性。本研究提供了一种整合不同尺度下生态安全格局构建的技术框架,研究结果可为伊犁河谷地区国土空间格局优化提供有效参考。     

基于分布式水文模型的水源涵养不同功能评估方法——以渭河涵养区为例

为了实现水源涵养量计算和不同功能的综合评估,基于分布式水文模型(WEP-L)提出了一种新方法,即利用WEP-L模型计算次降水过程中降水量和地表产流、冠层截留量的差值作为水源涵养量,并分别评估削洪(地表径流量)、补枯(地下径流量)、维持植被生态系统用水(植被蒸腾量)等不同水源涵养功能的评估方法。为了验证该方法的合理性,以渭河流域咸阳站以上区域为例,对比了该方法和InVEST模型方法的计算结果,由于两种方法在评估内容和使用模型上都存在差异,为了保证计算结果的可比性,先对比了基于相同评价内容的WEP-L模型法I和InVEST模型方法,再对比了基于不同评价内容的WEP-L模型法I和WEP-L模型法II,结论如下:基于相同评价内容的WEP模型法I和InVEST模型法计算结果数值接近,研究区2000-2018年水源涵养量年均值分别为12.43 mm(5.76亿m³)和12.08 mm(5.6亿m³),两种方法所得结果空间分布特征相似,稍有差异之处与InVEST模型的参数没有经过本地化处理有关;基于不同评价内容的WEP-L模型法Ⅰ和WEP-L模型法II计算结果数值相差较大,研究区2000-2018年水源涵养量均值分别为12.43 mm和432.57 mm,空间分布特征上有差异的地方分布于研究区的北部、东部及东北部,主要与两种方法评价时是否考虑蒸散发有关。WEP-L模型法II评估结果中削洪、补枯、维持植被生态系统用水等功能多年变化趋势分别为:2006-2010年期间增加、2012年以后下降以及增加。2012年后补枯功能和维持植被生态系统用水功能之间可能存在权衡关系。通过不同方法计算结果差异原因分析,证明了基于WEP-L模型的不同涵养功能评估方法的合理性,其结果也可为渭河涵养区水资源和生态保护策略的制定提供更多依据。     

浙江黑麂栖息地评价及保护对策

运用地理信息系统技术,在分析黑麂栖息地的地形、植被、水系和人为干扰等地理特征的基础上,系统研究九龙山和古田山自然保护区黑麂栖息地分布、栖息地质量与空间格局。结果表明,在九龙山自然保护区有黑麂潜在栖息地3172．6hm^2,由于人类活动的影响导致栖息地丧失501．5hm^2,目前尚存的黑麂适宜栖息地2671．1hm^2。它们主要分布于上寮坑、九龙山、内北坪、外九龙和大岩前附近区域。古田山自然保护区有黑麂潜在栖息地4635．75hm^2,在人类活动影响下丧失栖息地1118．11hm^2,目前尚存的黑麂适宜栖息地3517．64hm^2。它们主要分布于青尖、古田山、巧观尖、催顶尖附近区域。目前九龙山和古田山自然保护区内的黑麂栖息地基本上处于多斑块破碎化状态。为了使黑麂能得到更好的保护,对这两个研究区域黑麂栖息地的恢复和重建工作亟待加强。     

Determination of cefazedone in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry: Application to a pharmacokinetic study on Chinese volunteers

A rapid, sensitive and simple high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) method was developed for determination of cefazedone in human plasma using metronidazole as internal standard (IS). The chromatographic separation was achieved on an Ultimate XB-CN column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm) with an isocratic mobile phase of acetonitrile and 20 mM ammonium acetate in 0.1% formic acid in water (15:85, v/v). Detection was performed using electrospray ionization in positive ion multiple reaction-monitoring mode (SRM), monitoring the transitions m/z 548.2 → 344.1 for cefazedone and m/z 172.2 → 128.1 for IS. Calibration curves were linear over a wide range of 0.20–401.12 μg/mL for cefazedone in plasma. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.20 μg/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 7.2%. The average recovery of cefazedone was 90.8–91.0%. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of cefazedone in Chinese healthy volunteers following intravenous (IV) administration of 500, 1000 and 2000 mg cefazedone injection.     

华北丽斑麻蜥食物同化和疾跑速的热依赖性

作者研究山西阳泉丽斑麻蜥(Eremias argus)成体的选择体温、热耐受性及食物同化和疾跑速的热依赖性。选择体温、临界低温和临界高温无显著的两性差异,分别为36·0℃、1·0℃和44·9℃。在实验温度范围内,体温显著影响食物通过时间、日摄食量、日粪尿排量、表观消化系数和同化效率。食物通过时间在26 -34℃范围内随体温升高而缩短,在更高的体温下则延长。蜥蜴在30、32、34和36℃体温下明显摄入较多的食物、排出明显较多的粪尿。34℃和36℃下的表观消化系数和同化效率大于其它更低或更高温度下的对应数值,但这两个变量未因体温变化而呈现清晰的规律性变化。疾跑速在18 -36℃范围内随体温升高而加快,在38℃体温下则减缓。36℃或附近体温最适合疾跑速。疾跑速最适体温接近蜥蜴的选择体温,表明蜥蜴疾跑速的最适温度可能与其选择体温密切相关[动物学报52 (2) : 256 -262 , 2006]。