农村聚落生态环境预警——以万州区茨竹乡茨竹五组为例

论述了农村聚落生态环境预警的概念,提出农村聚落生态环境预警评价指标体系和指标分级。运用加权平均模型进行环境评价,确立不良状态预警、负向演化趋势预警、恶化速度预警的数学模式与参数。选择三峡库区中低山石灰岩山地典型聚落作实例研究,对该聚落自然演替状态和必要调控状态的生态环境质量及演化趋势进行预测和预警分析。     

深圳市重要药用植物资源调查

经调查,深圳市共有重要药用植物资源124科211种,其中蕨类植物20科20种,裸子植物3科3种,被子植物88科174种,单子叶植物13科15种,其中只有桫椤等国家一级保护植物被很好的保护起来,大部分药用植物有待进一步开发利用。     

病毒毒饵法初探

"虫瘟一号"是我国首个登记应用在蔬菜上的昆虫病毒杀虫剂,是以斜纹夜蛾多角体病毒(Spodoptera litura Nucleopolyhedrovirus,简称SpltNPV)为主要有效成分的商品化杀虫剂,主要用于防治暴食性、多食性的斜纹夜蛾[1].     

基于SSR标记的紫花风铃木群体遗传多样性分析

为揭示紫花风铃木(Handroanthus impetiginosus)的群体遗传变异特征,对广东省6市12个群体72份种质材料进行遗传多样性和群体遗传结构分析。结果表明,9对引物共扩增出123个等位基因位点,引物的平均多态信息量为0.754,具有较高的多态性。12个群体均具有较高的遗传多样性,群体间平均有效等位基因数为3.272个,平均Shannon指数为1.159。AMOVA分析表明群体间遗传分化程度相对较低,群体内遗传分化程度较高。群体的总体遗传分化系数为0.077,处于中等程度。基于Structure分析、主坐标分析和NJ聚类分析均可将12个群体分为2大类群,分组结果具有一定相似性,表明供试紫花风铃木群体遗传结构较为简单。这为紫花风铃木优良种质资源的利用、遗传变异和科学育种提供了理论参考。     

甘蓝品种'争春'和'寒光2号'的DNA指纹图谱构建

用SDS法提取甘蓝（Brassfca oleraceavat．capitata）品种‘争春’、‘寒光2号’及其各自亲本的基因组DNA,通过SRAP、RAPD两种分子标记方法,构建其DNA指纹图谱,用于种子纯度鉴定。利用30对SRAP引物组合和200个RAPD随机引物,以各品种及其亲本的基因组DNA为模板组进行筛选,结果显示：多数SRAP引物组合对模板组的扩增带型一致,少数组合扩增出差异,但未能找到具有互补差异的引物组合;通过RAPD标记方法筛选出能鉴定2个品种纯度的引物分别为S42、S103、S193和S42、S89、S151,其中引物S42对2组材料均能扩增出特异的RAPD指纹图谱,并将RAPD指纹图谱转变为相应的数字指纹。     

The effect of intron location on the splicing of BmKK2 in 293T cells

Previously reported results showed that the BmKK2's intron could be recognized and spliced in cultured HEK 293T cells. At the same time, a cryptic splicing site of BmKK2 gene was found in the second exon. Moreover, replacing BmKK2's intron with BmP03's intron (an artificial BmKK2-BmP03 mosaic gene) did not affect the intron's recognition and splicing, but increased the expression level of the toxin-GFP fusion protein (Cao et al., J Biochem Mol Toxicol 2006;20:1-6). In this investigation, the BmKK2's intron with 79 nucleotides length was artificially shifted from the 49th nt (the 17th Gly codon between the first base and the second base) to the 100th nt (the 34th Gly codon between the first base and the second base). Based on the constructed intron-splicing system, the results of RT-PCR and the western blotting analysis showed that the BmKK2's shifted-intron (named BmKK2-s) was not recognized and spliced correctly, but the cryptic splicing site of BmKK2 gene was still spliced in the second exon, which possibly indicated that locations of introns were very important to the recognition and splicing of introns, and splicing of introns was very much associated with the corresponding upstream and downstream exons. This result possibly provides evidence for splice-site recognition across the exons.     

High-level expression and purification of human epidermal growth factor with SUMO fusion in Escherichia coli

Human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) can stimulate the division of various cell types and has potential clinical applications. However, the high expression of active hEGF in Escherichia coli has not been successful, as the protein contains three intra-molecular disulfide bonds that are difficult to form correctly in the bacterial intracellular environment. To solve this problem, we fused the hEGF gene with a small ubiquitin-related modifier gene (SUMO) by synthesizing an artificial SUMO-hEGF fusion gene that was highly expressed in Origami (DE3) strain. The optimal expression level of the soluble fusion protein, SUMO-hEGF, was up to 38.9% of the total cellular protein. The fusion protein was purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and cleaved by a SUMO-specific protease to obtain the native hEGF, which was further purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The result of the reverse-phase HPLC showed that the purity of the recombinant cleaved hEGF was greater than 98%. The primary structure of the purified hEGF was confirmed by N-terminal amino acid sequencing and MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy analysis. Using the method of methylthiazoletetrazolium, the mitogenic activity on Balb/c 3T3 cells of the purified hEGF was comparable to that of commercial hEGF.     

VP23R of Infectious Spleen and Kidney Necrosis Virus Mediates Formation of Virus-Mock Basement Membrane To Provide Attaching Sites for Lymphatic Endothelial Cells

Putative open reading frames (ORFs) encoding laminin-like proteins are found in all members of the genus Megalocytivirus, family Iridoviridae. This is the first study that identified the VP23R protein encoded by ORF23R of the infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), a member of these genes of megalocytiviruses. The VP23R mRNA covering the ISKNV genomic coordinates 19547 to 22273 was transcribed ahead of the major capsid protein. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that VP23R was expressed on the plasma membrane of the ISKNV-infected cells and could not be a viral envelope protein. Residues 292 to 576 of VP23R are homologous to the laminin γ1III2-6 fragment, which covers the nidogen-binding site. An immunoprecipitation assay showed that VP23R could interact with nidogen-1, and immunohistochemistry showed that nidogen-1 was localized on the outer membrane of the infected cells. Electron microscopy showed that a virus-mock basement membrane (VMBM) was formed on the surface of the infected cells and a layer of endothelial cells (ECs) was attached to the VMBM. The VMBM contained VP23R and nidogen-1 but not collagen IV. The attached ECs were identified as lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), which have unique feature of overlapping intercellular junctions and can be stained by immunohistochemistry using an antibody against a specific lymphatic marker, Prox-1. Such infection signs have never been described in viruses. Elucidating the functions of LECs attached to the surface of the infected cells may be useful for studies on the pathogenic mechanisms of megalocytiviruses and may also be important for studies on lymphangiogenesis and basement membrane functions.Basement membrane (BM), a dense and sheetlike structure that is always associated with cells, is a very important specialized form of extracellular matrix (31, 67). BMs mediate tissue compartmentalization and provide structural support to the epithelium, endothelium, peripheral nerve axons, fat cells, and muscle cells, as well as structural and functional foundations of the vasculature (25, 31, 52). BM is also an important regulator of cell behaviors, such as adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. BMs are highly cross-linked and insoluble materials. They are highly complex and are made up of more than 50 known components (31, 54). Although the molecular composition of BMs is unique in each tissue, their basic structures are similar. Even if many more isoforms exist in different species, the major BM proteins and their receptors are conserved from Caenorhabditis elegans to mammals. BM consists of a layer of laminin polymer, a layer of type IV collagen network, and the nidogen protein, which acts as a cross-linker of these two networks. Other BM components, such as perlecan and fibulin, interact with the laminin polymer and the type IV collagen network to organize a functional BM on the basolateral aspect of the cells (31, 45, 52).The components of BM are able to self-assemble and form a sheetlike structure, and laminin is the key molecule in this process (50). Laminin protein consists of three different chains (α, β, and γ), which comprise a cross-shaped molecular structure with three short amino-terminal arms and a long carboxyl-terminal triple-helical arm (58, 68). The three short arms of this cross-shaped structure can interact with each other in the presence of calcium. Through the binding of globular G domain at the carboxyl-terminal end of the α chain to the cell receptors (e.g., integrins and dystroglycans), laminin self-assembles into polygonal lattices on cell surfaces. This process initiates BM self-assembly (15, 21, 25, 38, 65, 66). To date, 17 laminin isoforms have been observed in different tissues (51). Among them, laminin-1, the crux of early embryonic BM assembly, has been well studied. Laminin-1 consists of α1, β1, and γ1 chains and can interact with nidogen-1 with high affinity through a laminin-type epidermal growth factor-like (LE) module, γ1III4, within the domain III of the γ1 chain (1, 42). The heptapeptide “NIDPNAV” within the γ1III4 motif of laminin-1 is essential for the interaction between laminin-1 and nidogen-1 (41, 46). Blocking the interactions between laminin-1 and nidogen-1 leads to the disruption of BMs. This indicates that the formation of laminin/nidogen complex is essential for BM assembly and stability (30, 61). Nidogen-1, also called entactin-1, is a dumbbell-shaped sulfated 150-kDa glycoprotein consisted of three domains (G1, G2, and G3) (12). By interacting with collagen IV through its G2 domain and binding with laminin γ1 chain through its G3 domain, nidogen-1 bridges the layers of the laminin network and the collagen IV network to construct the fundamental structure of BMs (48). Collagen IV is a triple-helical trimer composed of three α chains. Through the hexamer formation of the carboxyl-terminal globular non-collagenous-1 (NC1) domain of each α chain, two collagen IV proteins assemble into a dimer. Dimers of collagen IV connect with each other via their amino-terminal 7S domains and self-assemble into a network (24, 27, 31, 32). Six kinds of α chains of collagen IV have been identified in mammals. Among them, α1 and α2 chains are the most abundant forms of collagen IV found in all BMs (19, 23). They commonly form a collagen IV molecule with a α1 and α2 ratio of 2:1 (31, 35).Iridoviruses infect invertebrates and poikilothermic vertebrates, including insects, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. These viruses are a group of icosahedral cytoplasmic DNA viruses with circularly permuted and terminally redundant DNA genomes (6, 8, 9, 10, 57, 62). The family Iridoviridae has been subdivided into five genera: Iridovirus, Chloriridovirus, Ranavirus, Lymphocystisvirus, and Megalocystivirus (7). The genus Megalocystivirus, characterized by the ability to cause swelling of the infected cells, is one group of the most harmful viruses to cultured fish (7, 26, 29). Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), the causative agent of a disease that causes high mortality rates in farmed mandarin fish, Siniperca chuatsi, and large-mouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, is regarded as the type species of Megalocystivirus (7). Similar to infection caused by other members of the Megalocystivirus, fish ISKNV infection is characterized by cell hypertrophy in the spleen, kidney, cranial connective tissue, and endocardium (16, 17). Aside from mandarin fish and large-mouth bass, ISKNV-like virus can also be detected in the tissues of more than 60 marine and freshwater fishes (14, 28, 59, 64). The entire genome of ISKNV has been sequenced, and the organization of open reading frames (ORFs) of ISKNV was analyzed by using DNASTAR Omiga 2.0 and Genescan (18). The ISKNV genome is about 110 kbp and contains 125 putative ORFs (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"AF371960","term_id":"19773610","term_text":"AF371960"}}AF371960).Putative ORFs, encoding viral proteins containing a fragment homologous to laminin and a putative transmembrane fragment, were found in all of the sequenced genomes of the members of Megalocystivirus. These ORFs include ORF23R of ISKNV (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"AAL98747","term_id":"19773633","term_text":"AAL98747"}}AAL98747), laminin-like protein gene of olive flounder iridovirus (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"AAT76907","term_id":"50404491","term_text":"AAT76907"}}AAT76907), ORF2 of sea perch iridovirus (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"AAV51313","term_id":"55418187","term_text":"AAV51313"}}AAV51313), predicted laminin-type epidermal growth factor-like protein of large yellow croaker iridovirus (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"ABI32391","term_id":"113200502","term_text":"ABI32391"}}ABI32391), an unknown gene of red sea bream iridovirus (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"AAQ07956","term_id":"33324323","term_text":"AAQ07956"}}AAQ07956), ORF2 of rock bream iridovirus (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"AAN86692","term_id":"60458808","term_text":"AAN86692"}}AAN86692), and laminin-type epidermal growth factor-like protein of orange-spotted grouper iridovirus (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"AAX82335","term_id":"62421215","term_text":"AAX82335"}}AAX82335). These putative proteins are highly homologous to each other in amino acid sequence (65 to 99% identity). However, the functions of these proteins have never been identified. This is the first study to identify that the VP23R protein encoded by ORF23R of ISKNV is a plasma membrane-localized viral protein. In addition, we discovered a new function of VP23R in a unique pathological phenomenon of virus infection: the attachment of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) to the infected cells. Nidogen-1 assisted VP23R in the construction of a BM-like structure, providing an attachment site for LECs. This unique pathological phenomenon has never been found in viruses and is an attractive direction for studies of pathogenic mechanisms of megalocystiviruses. Moreover, studies on the unique profiles of the virus-mock BM can help us learn more about the functions of BM components and the mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in two mangroves in South China

The symbiosis between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and mangrove plant species was investigated in two mangrove swamps in south China. AMF were mostly found in the form of hyphae and were commonly associated with all the mangrove species we investigated. Six AMF species belonging to the genera Glomus or Acaulospora were identified. Multiple step-wise linear regression analyses showed that hydrological conditions and phosphorus levels in the rhizosphere were the main abiotic factors affecting the colonization of mangrove species by AMF. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of AMF inoculation on the growth and nutrient uptake of a true mangrove plant species, Sonneratia apetala B. Ham. The inoculated AMF significantly improved growth, resulting in greater plant height, diameter at ground level and plant biomass, as well as increased absorption of N, P and K. These findings suggest that AMF play important roles in mangrove ecosystems.     

Analysis of Synonymous Codon Usage Bias in 09H1N1

A novel subtype of influenza A virus 09H1N1 has rapidly spread across the world. Evolutionary analyses of this virus have revealed that 09H1N1 is a triple reassortant of segments from swine, avian and human influenza viruses. In this study, we investigated factors shaping the codon usage bias of 09H1N1 and carried out cluster analysis of 60 strains of influenza A virus from different subtypes based on their codon usage bias. We discovered that more preferentially used codons of 09H1N1 are A-ended or U-ended...