Changes in biomarkers of estrogen receptor and growth factor signaling pathways in MCF-7 tumors after short- and long-term treatment with soy and flaxseed

Previously we have shown that MCF-7 human breast tumor growth is stimulated after prolonged treatment with dietary soy protein isolate (SPI). However, the effects are attenuated when SPI is combined with flaxseed (FS). This study determined the changes that occur in tumor growth biomarkers, after both short- and long-term treatment with SPI, FS or their combination, to help identify signaling pathways potentially involved in SPI-stimulated tumor growth. Ovariectomized mice with established MCF-7 tumors were fed basal diet (control), 20%SPI, 10%FS, or SPI+FS for 2 or 25 weeks. After 2 weeks, there were no differences in tumor size, however, compared with control, SPI-treated tumors had higher IGF-IR and cyclin D1 while FS and SPI+FS-fed mice had lower pMAPK expression. After 25 weeks, SPI-treated tumors were larger, had higher proliferation, ERalpha, cyclin D1, IGF-IR, and pMAPK and lower ERbeta and HER2 levels. When combined with FS, however, the effects on these tumor biomarkers induced by SPI were attenuated. This study demonstrates that SPI and FS differently modulate tumor biomarkers of estrogen and growth factor signaling pathways, after both short- and long-term treatment, which may indicate a role of these pathways in the tumor stimulatory effects of SPI and the tumor inhibitory effects of FS.     

海南坡鹿栖息地植被覆盖变化研究

根据不同时期的Landsat TM卫星遥感图像,分别提取海南坡鹿Cervus eldi hainanus栖息地海南大田国家级自然保护区及周边地区的归一化植被指数(Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI).1991年保护区和周边地区的NDVI平均值分别为0.2485和0.291,而2001年的NDVI平均值分别为0.1272和0.0827,表明海南大田国家级自然保护区和周边地区的植被覆盖均下降,且周边地区植被覆盖下降幅度较大.保护区植被覆盖的下降是植被改造的结果,有利于坡鹿及栖息地的保护与发展;保护区周边地区植被覆盖下降是垦荒和采伐等人为干扰所致,是导致坡鹿栖息地丧失或破坏的重要原因.人类活动是植被覆盖变化的主要因素.建议自然保护区的规划应为濒危物种保护的未来留下空间.     

小鼠脊髓重与颈膨大截面积QTL研究

应用近交系小鼠A/J和C5 7BL/ 6J以及其F2 代重组小鼠定位脊髓重与颈膨大截面积数量性状基因座(QuantitativeTraitLoci,QTL)。结果表明 13个QTL与脊髓重和截面积相关 ,这些QTL分别位于 2、4、8、14、15、17、18、19和X染色体上。其中 6个QTL与脊髓重相关 ;4个QTL与颈膨大截面积相关 ;3个QTL与二者均相关。在 13个QTL中 ,3个QTL (P <0 0 1)———SC1(位于D15Mit15 8附近 )、SC2 (DXMit14 0附近 )和SC3(DXMit6 4附近 )其表型变异的解释率分别为 2 4 %、19%和 15 % ;加性效应分别为 - 3 78、3 4 1和 2 0 6mg。其他QTL的P值在 0 0 1～ 0 0 5之间。在上述 3个QTL中 ,SC1是唯一与脊髓重和面积均相关的QTL     

QTL mapping of economically important traits in Silkworm (Bombyx mori)

The construction of linkage map is both a funda-mental research area and an important aspect of gene analyses in genetics. It provides the guidelines for breeding. A sound linkage map is also necessary for further genetic analysis. In recent years, great and rapid progress has been made in molecular biology, which enables fingerprinting of organisms at the ge-nomic level. Many molecular marker techniques have been well established. Heartening progress has been made in many organisms in the co…     

The screening and identification of endogenous retrovirus free CEMPs

The endogenous retrovirus (ERV) is one kind ofretroviruses that integrated in the genome in the formof provirus and replicates with the proliferation of hostcells. The ERV may play a significant role in the evo-lution, pathology and physiology of animals[1]. Now,proviral sequences of ERV have been found in the ge-nome of many vertebrates, and the release of virionshas also been detected both in vivo and in vitro. Porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) embeddedin the genome of pigs belo…     

mu-Calpain regulates receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-supported osteoclastogenesis via NF-kappaB activation in RAW 264.7 cells

To clarify the role of calpain in the receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-supported osteoclastogenesis, RANKL-induced calpain activation was examined by using murine RAW 264.7 cells and bone marrow-derived monocyte/macrophage progenitors. We found that calpain activity increased in response to RANKL in both cell types based on alpha-spectrinolysis and that mu-calpain, rather than m-calpain, was activated during RANKL-supported osteoclastogenesis in RAW 264.7 cells. Overexpression of mu-calpain clearly augmented RANKL-supported osteoclastogenesis in RAW 264.7 cells, thereby implicating its pivotal role in this process. Cell-permeable calpain inhibitors, including calpastatin and calpeptin, were sufficient to suppress RANKL-supported osteoclastogenesis based on decreased expression of the osteoclastogenic marker, matrix metalloproteinase 9, and the generation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleated cells in both cell types. Calpain inhibitors suppressed NF-kappaB activation via inhibition of the cleavage of inhibitor of NF-kappaB(IkappaBalpha)in RAW 264.7 cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that mu-calpain is essential to the regulation of RANKL-supported osteoclastogenesis via NF-kappaB activation.     

Nitrogenase switch-off by ammonium ions in Azospirillum brasilense requires the GlnB nitrogen signal-transducing protein

Nitrogenase activity in several diazotrophs is switched off by ammonium and reactivated after consumption. The signaling pathway to this system in Azospirillum brasilense is not understood. We show that ammonium-dependent switch-off through ADP-ribosylation of Fe protein was partial in a glnB mutant of A. brasilense but absent in a glnB glnZ double mutant. Triggering of inactivation by anaerobic conditions was not affected in either mutant. The results suggest that glnB is necessary for full ammonium-dependent nitrogenase switch-off in A. brasilense.     

Detection of deleterious genotypes in multigenerational studies. III. Estimation of selection components in highly selfing populations

New paradigms in genetics have increased the chance of finding genes that appear redundant but in fact may have been preserved due to a small level of positive selection potential acting during each generation. Monitoring changes in genotypic frequencies within and between generations allows the dissection of the fertility, viability and meiotic drive selection components acting on such genes in natural and experimental populations. Here, a formal maximum likelihood procedure is developed to identify and estimate these selection components in highly selfing populations by fitting the time-dependent solutions for genotypic frequencies to observed multigenerational counts. With adult census alone, we can not simultaneously estimate all three selection components considered. In such cases, we instead consider a hierarchy of 11 models with either fewer selection components, complete dominance, or multiplicative meiotic drive with a single parameter. We identify the best-fitting of these models by applying likelihood ratio tests to nested models and Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) to non-nested models. With seed census, fertility and viability selection are not distinguishable and thus can only be estimated jointly. A combination of joint seed and adult census data allows us to estimate all three selection components simultaneously. Simulated data validate the estimation procedure and provide some practical guidelines for experimental design. An application to Arabidopsis data establishes that viability selection is the major selective force acting on the ACT2 actin gene in laboratory-grown Arabidopsis populations.     

Arabidopsis actin gene ACT7 plays an essential role in germination and root growth

Arabidopsis contains eight actin genes. Of these ACT7 is the most strongly expressed in young plant tissues and shows the greatest response to physiological cues. Adult plants homozygous for the act7 mutant alleles show no obvious above-ground phenotypes, which suggests a high degree of functional redundancy among plant actins. However, act7-1 mutant plants are at a strong selective disadvantage when grown in competition with wild-type plants and therefore must have undetected physical defects. The act7-1 and act7-4 alleles contain T-DNA insertions just after the stop codon and within the first intron, respectively. Homozygous mutant seedlings of both alleles showed less than 7% of normal ACT7 protein levels. Mutants displayed delayed and less efficient germination, increased root twisting and waving, and retarded root growth. The act7-4 mutant showed the most dramatic reduction in root growth. The act7-4 root apical cells were not in straight files and contained oblique junctions between cells suggesting a possible role for ACT7 in determining cell polarity. Wild-type root growth was fully restored to the act7-1 mutant by the addition of an exogenous copy of the ACT7 gene. T-DNA insertions just downstream of the major polyadenylation sites (act7-2, act7-3) appeared fully wild type. The act7 mutant phenotypes demonstrate a significant requirement for functional ACT7 protein during root development and explain the strong negative selection component seen for the act7-1 mutant.