北长山岛森林乔木层碳储量及其影响因子

人工林是庙岛群岛典型的陆地生态系统的组成部分,对维护海岛地区生态环境具有重要作用。采用现有生物量相对生长方程和样地调查数据相结合的方法,以庙岛群岛中北长山岛为研究区,对海岛黑松纯林与黑松×刺槐混交林两种林型的碳储量进行了估算,并分析了土壤质地及其理化性质对海岛乔木层碳储量的影响。结果表明:黑松乔木层平均碳储量为84.00 t/hm²,接近于世界平均水平(86.00 t/hm²);黑松×刺槐混交林乔木层平均碳储量为29.60 t/hm²,高于山东省乔木层的平均碳储量(27.62 t/hm²)。应用因子分析法研究影响乔木层碳储量的主要因子,结果表明:土壤质地、pH值、含水量及含盐量是影响海岛乔木碳储量重要的影响因子。北长山岛土壤全氮、总磷、土壤有机质、碳氮比等其他理化性质对乔木层碳储量影响不是非常明显。     

亚临床甲亢和甲减发病的实验室调查

目的　探讨本地区亚临床甲状腺疾病的发病情况。　方法　随机抽样 2 550例健康体检者作甲状腺功能检测 ,以促甲状腺素 ( TSH)水平异常的检出率来判断亚临床甲状腺疾病的发病率。　结果　亚临床甲亢的检出率为5.4 5% ,亚临床甲减的检出率为 6 .98% ;两种疾病 T3、T4、FT3、 FT4 和 TSH的均数比较具有非常显著性差异 ( P <0 .0 1)。　结论　本地区具有亚临床甲状腺疾病的发病现象 ,亚临床甲减的发病率比亚临床甲亢稍高     

获取全长cDNA若干方法的比较

生物技术突飞猛进大大提高了人类认识自身及与人类息息相关的生命现象的能力。近几年内 ,人类 [1,2 ]、模式生物拟南芥 ( Arabidopsis thaliana) [3 5]及水稻的基因组测序 [6,7]的草图相继完成 ,给人类又提出了新的挑战 :如何鉴定这些序列的功能及如何解析生命现象的基因本质 ,这是一个更加庞大而又极富挑战性的课题 ,正促使一门新的学科即功能基因组学 ( Functional genomics)的产生与蓬勃发展。不论功能基因组学多么深奥 ,其认识基因功能的基本前提是获取可能有相关功能的基因之全长编码序列。其中 ,全长 c DNA序列的获取是正确地注释基…     

Targeting P2 receptors in purinergic signaling: a new strategy of active ingredients in traditional Chinese herbals for diseases treatment

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its metabolites adenosine diphosphate, adenosine monophosphate, and adenosine in purinergic signaling pathway play important roles in many diseases. Activation of P2 receptors (P2R) channels and subsequent membrane depolarization can induce accumulation of extracellular ATP, and furtherly cause kinds of diseases, such as pain- and immune-related diseases, cardiac dysfunction, and tumorigenesis. Active ingredients of traditional Chinese herbals which exhibit superior pharmacological activities on diversified P2R channels have been considered as an alternative strategy of disease treatment. Experimental evidence of potential ingredients in Chinese herbs targeting P2R and their pharmacological activities were outlined in the study.

     

circ_SEPT9, a newly identified circular RNA,promotes oral squamous cell carcinoma progression through miR‐1225/PKN2 axis

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a newly discovered class of endogenous non‐coding RNAs which are widely expressed and play important roles in disease progression. However, the function of circRNAs in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) still remains largely unknown. In this research, we found that circ_SEPT9 was highly expressed in OSCC cell lines and tumour tissues. Results showed that circ_SEPT9 promoted OSCC proliferation and tumour growth. And, circ_SEPT9 also enhanced the migration and invasion of OSCC cells. Mechanically, we found that circ_SEPT9 acted as a sponge for miR‐1225 to rescue PKN2 expression in OSCC cells. Inhibition of circ_SEPT9/miR‐1225/PKN2 pathway could effectively block the proliferation and metastasis of OSCC cells. Our study provides strong evidence that circ_SEPT9/miR‐1225/PKN2 axis is a promising target for OSCC treatment.     

Unique WSPA protein from terrestrial macroscopic cyanobacteria can confer resistance to osmotic stress in transgenic plants

The terrestrial macroscopic cyanobacterium Nostoc commune exhibits remarkable resistance to desiccation stress. This species synthesizes abundant acidic water stress protein (WSPA) in cells upon desiccation and secretes it into the extracellular polysaccharide sheath upon rehydration. However, our knowledge about its cellular role in stress resistance is still rather limited. In this paper, we first revealed that WSPA also occurred in two other macroscopic cyanobacteria Nostoc flagelliforme and Nostoc sphaeroides, but it is more abundant in N. commune. The N. commune wspa1 gene was then heterologously expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana. Phenotypic observation found that WSPA1 conferred increased tolerance to osmotic stress in transgenic plants. The physiological indexes such as relative electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde, proline accumulation and the maximal quantum efficiency of Photosystem II, were also improved in transgenic plants upon osmotic stress, compared to wild types. In addition, GFP fluorescence analysis of eGFP::wspa1 transgenic plant showed that WSPA1 was localized in the cytoplasm. Therefore, the role of WSPA revealed by this study mainly represented its intracellular function. In general, our research suggested that WSPA may act as a stress protein and involve cellular osmotic stress resistance.     

窝雏数处理对两种雀形目幼鸟生长的影响

基于 1 997～ 1 999年野外实验 ,对高寒草甸小云雀和黄嘴朱顶雀两种雀形目鸟的窝雏数进行增减处理。结果表明 ,对照组的幼鸟生长率和离巢体重都大于增加组 ,说明窝雏数增加后 ,幼鸟质量下降。随着窝雏数增加 ,这两种幼鸟生长率显著下降 (小云雀 :r =-0 965 ,P =0 0 3 5 <0 0 5 ;朱顶雀 :r =-0 82 8,P =0 0 2 2 <0 0 5 )。窝雏数改变对小云雀幼鸟出飞重影响不显著 (r =-0 41 8,P =0 5 2 8>0 0 5 ) ,而对黄嘴朱顶雀有显著的影响 (r=-0 90 1 ,P =0 0 1 4<0 0 5 )。     

GenomeFingerprinter: The Genome Fingerprint and the Universal Genome Fingerprint Analysis for Systematic Comparative Genomics

Background

No attention has been paid on comparing a set of genome sequences crossing genetic components and biological categories with far divergence over large size range. We define it as the systematic comparative genomics and aim to develop the methodology.

Results

First, we create a method, GenomeFingerprinter, to unambiguously produce a set of three-dimensional coordinates from a sequence, followed by one three-dimensional plot and six two-dimensional trajectory projections, to illustrate the genome fingerprint of a given genome sequence. Second, we develop a set of concepts and tools, and thereby establish a method called the universal genome fingerprint analysis (UGFA). Particularly, we define the total genetic component configuration (TGCC) (including chromosome, plasmid, and phage) for describing a strain as a systematic unit, the universal genome fingerprint map (UGFM) of TGCC for differentiating strains as a universal system, and the systematic comparative genomics (SCG) for comparing a set of genomes crossing genetic components and biological categories. Third, we construct a method of quantitative analysis to compare two genomes by using the outcome dataset of genome fingerprint analysis. Specifically, we define the geometric center and its geometric mean for a given genome fingerprint map, followed by the Euclidean distance, the differentiate rate, and the weighted differentiate rate to quantitatively describe the difference between two genomes of comparison. Moreover, we demonstrate the applications through case studies on various genome sequences, giving tremendous insights into the critical issues in microbial genomics and taxonomy.

Conclusions

We have created a method, GenomeFingerprinter, for rapidly computing, geometrically visualizing, intuitively comparing a set of genomes at genome fingerprint level, and hence established a method called the universal genome fingerprint analysis, as well as developed a method of quantitative analysis of the outcome dataset. These have set up the methodology of systematic comparative genomics based on the genome fingerprint analysis.     

Field survey of sex-reversals in the medaka, Oryzias latipes: genotypic sexing of wild populations

The medaka, Oryzias latipes, has an XX/XY sex determination mechanism. A Y-linked DM domain gene, DMY, has been isolated by positional cloning as a prime candidate for the sex-determining gene. Furthermore, the crucial role of DMY during male development was established by studying two wild-derived XY female mutants. In this study, to find new DMY and sex-determination related gene mutations, we conducted a broad survey of the genotypic sex (DMY-negative or DMY-positive) of wild fish. We examined 2274 wild-caught fish from 40 localities throughout Japan, and 730 fish from 69 wild stocks from Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. The phenotypic sex type agreed with the genotypic sex of most fish, while 26 DMY-positive (XY) females and 15 DMY-negative (XX) males were found from 13 and 8 localities, respectively. Sixteen XY sex-reversals from 11 localities were mated with XY males of inbred strains, and the genotypic and phenotypic sexes of the F(1) progeny were analyzed. All these XY sex-reversals produced XY females in the F(1) generation, and all F(1) XY females had the maternal Y chromosome. These results show that DMY is a common sex-determining gene in wild populations of O. latipes and that all XY sex-reversals investigated had a DMY or DMY-linked gene mutation.     

Transgenic Bt Rice Does Not Challenge Host Preference of the Target Pest of Rice Leaffolder,Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Background

Transgenic Bt rice line T2A-1 expresses a synthesized cry2A gene that shows high resistance to Lepidoptera pests, including Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Plant volatile orientation cues and the physical characteristics of the leaf surface play key roles in host location or host-plant acceptance of phytophagous insects. These volatile compounds and physical traits may become altered in Bt rice and it is not known whether this influences the behavior of C. medinalis when searching for oviposition sites.

Results

The results of electronic nose analysis showed that the Radar map of Bt rice cultivars was analogous to the non- Bt rice cultivars at each growing stage. PCA analysis was able to partly discriminate between some of the Bt vs. non-Bt rice sensors, but could not to separate Bt cultivars from non-Bt cultivars. The total ion chromatogram between Bt and non-Bt rice cultivars at the seedling, booting and tillering stages were similar and 25 main compounds were identified by GC-MS. For most compounds, there was no significant difference in compound quantities between Bt and non-Bt rice cultivars at equivalent growth stages. The densities of the tubercle papicles and the trichomes on the upper and lower surfaces were statistically equal in Bt and non-Bt rice. The target pest, C. medinalis, was attracted to host rice plants, but it could not distinguish between the transgenic and the isogenic rice lines.

Conclusions

There were no significant differences between the Bt rice line, T2A-1 and the non-Bt rice for volatiles produced or in its physical characteristics and there were no negative impacts on C. medinalis oviposition behavior. These results add to the mounting evidence that Bt rice has no negative impact on the target insect oviposition behavior.