LTP inhibits LTD in the hippocampus via regulation of GSK3beta

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) has been implicated in major neurological disorders, but its role in normal neuronal function is largely unknown. Here we show that GSK3beta mediates an interaction between two major forms of synaptic plasticity in the brain, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) and NMDA receptor-dependent long-term depression (LTD). In rat hippocampal slices, GSK3beta inhibitors block the induction of LTD. Furthermore, the activity of GSK3beta is enhanced during LTD via activation of PP1. Conversely, following the induction of LTP, there is inhibition of GSK3beta activity. This regulation of GSK3beta during LTP involves activation of NMDA receptors and the PI3K-Akt pathway and disrupts the ability of synapses to undergo LTD for up to 1 hr. We conclude that the regulation of GSK3beta activity provides a powerful mechanism to preserve information encoded during LTP from erasure by subsequent LTD, perhaps thereby permitting the initial consolidation of learnt information.     

Synonymous Codon Usage Bias in Plant Mitochondrial Genes Is Associated with Intron Number and Mirrors Species Evolution

Synonymous codon usage bias (SCUB) is a common event that a non-uniform usage of codons often occurs in nearly all organisms. We previously found that SCUB is correlated with both intron number and exon position in the plant nuclear genome but not in the plastid genome; SCUB in both nuclear and plastid genome can mirror the evolutionary specialization. However, how about the rules in the mitochondrial genome has not been addressed. Here, we present an analysis of SCUB in the mitochondrial genome, based on 24 plant species ranging from algae to land plants. The frequencies of NNA and NNT (A- and T-ending codons) are higher than those of NNG and NNC, with the strongest preference in bryophytes and the weakest in land plants, suggesting an association between SCUB and plant evolution. The preference for NNA and NNT is more evident in genes harboring a greater number of introns in land plants, but the bias to NNA and NNT exhibits even among exons. The pattern of SCUB in the mitochondrial genome differs in some respects to that present in both the nuclear and plastid genomes.     

用于细胞核钙成像的新型钙指示剂的构建与鉴定

细胞核钙离子是基因转录等细胞核反应过程重要的调控因子.然而,细胞核内钙离子信号的调控机制尚不清楚.缺乏稳定的、敏感的细胞核钙指示剂,是导致其调控机制难以研究的重要原因之一.针对这一问题,设计了能够在细胞核内特异性表达的、具有核定位功能的钙指示剂.以基因编码钙指示剂（GECIs）家族成员GCaMP6为模板,首先融合了对钙离子不敏感的红色荧光蛋白tdTomato来对局部的钙信号进行量化,其次融合了核定位信号（NLS）,使GCaMP6能够特异定位于细胞核中.结果表明,NLS-GCaMP6-tdTomato能够在细胞核中有效发挥作用,并且在钙敏感性与动力学上,也与GCaMP6相当. 这一新型细胞核钙指示剂将为研究细胞核钙离子的功能及其调控机制提供新的方法与途径.     

胚胎干细胞移植治疗帕金森病

胚胎干细胞起源于植入前胚胎的内细胞团(inner cell mass,ICM),能够在体外进行增殖并能分化成三个胚层的所有细胞类型.如果能有效地将胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cell,ES细胞)诱导分化为特定的细胞类型,ES细胞将成为细胞替代治疗中供体细胞的一个理想来源,从而可以应用于帕金森病(Parkinson's disease,PD)、糖尿病、心脓死等的退行性病变疾病的治疗.近年来,将ES细胞来源的多巴胺能神经元用于PD治疗的研究越来越广泛.现对这些研究中有关基因表达调控、实验研究进展、临床应用以及所遇到的问题作一综述.虽然这些研究还没能最终大面积应用于临床.但为PD的治疗提供了一个广阔的应用前景.     

Surgical embryo transfer resulted in birth of live offspring in farmed blue fox

Finland blue fox (Alopex lagopus) has great reputation in pelt industry around the world for its large size and top-ranking fur quality; however, both the herd size and the average survival rate of purebred offspring are rather low in production systems in China. Surgical transfer of blue fox embryos was investigated as a means to increase the population fox and also as a possible means to conserve endangered canine species. The animals were chosen on the basis of synchrony in natural oestrus. During the reproductive season of blue fox, 59 embryos were flushed from 6 farmed donors 9-11 days after the first insemination, and 53 embryos were transferred surgically into the uteri of the 6 paired recipients with natural synchronized oestrous. Two of the recipients littered 46-49 days after embryo transfer; one gave birth to 7 pups and the other 1 pup. This report describes the first successful embryo transfer in the farmed blue fox in China.     

重组肾上腺髓质素表达载体的构建及在哺乳动物细胞中的表达

为探索通过体内表达肾上腺髓质素（adrenomedullin,AM）治疗高血压和慢性心衰的可能性,本实验构建了重组AM真核表达载体,并在无内源笥AM表达的K562细胞株上进行了体外表达实验。实验中采用RT－PCR技术扩增AM cDNA片段,并将扩增的cDNA片段插入pcDNA3.1真核表达质粒,构建成含AM cDNA的重组质料pcDNA3.1AM。用脂质体介导将该质粒转染培养的人白血病细腻K562株,在转染的细胞中,用RT－PCR检测证实有AM mRNA存在;用班点免疫分析方法检测转染细胞的培养液上清,证实有AM多肽存在,表明本实验中构建的重组pcDNA3.1AM载体能够在哺乳类细胞中表达AM。     

光钳操纵生物活体的动态监测技术的研究

采用摄像、录像和视屏监控系统及显色偏振装置与光钳系统耦合,从空间分辨、色分辨和时间分辨多方面改善系统品质,实现了光钳捕获与操纵生物活体的动态监测、实时记录、资料保存和屏幕再现的功能,并能测量光钳操纵细胞的位移量和由此计算操纵速度,提高了光钳的自我调整和光钳操纵细胞的精细度。本研究为激光光钳技术在细胞工程等方面的应用研究提供了行之有效的技术手段。     

Mutation mechanism of chlorophyll-less barley mutant <Emphasis Type="Italic">NYB</Emphasis>

NYB is chlorophyll-less barley mutant, which is controlled by a recessive nuclear gene. The mutation mechanism is revealed. The activities of enzymes transforming 5-aminolevulinic acid into protochlorophyllide were the same in both NYB and the wild type (WT), but the activity of the protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) in WT was much higher than that of NYB. Most of the photosystem 2 apoproteins were present in both WT and NYB, suggesting that the capability of protein synthesis was probably fully preserved in the mutant. Thus chlorophyll (Chl) biosynthesis in NYB was hampered at conversion form protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) into chlorophyllide. The open reading frame of porB gene in NYB was inserted with a 95 bp fragment, which included a stop codon. The NYB mutant is a very useful material for studies of Chl biosynthesis, chloroplast signalling, and structure of light-harvesting POR-Pchlide complex (LHPP).     

扁圆封印木（相似种）茎干的解剖特征

贵州省水城矿区晚二叠世煤核中扁圆封印木（相似种Ｓｉｇｉｌｌａｒｉａ ｃｆ．ｂｒａｒｄｉｉＢｒｏｎｇｎ．）茎干的主要解剖特征如下：管状中柱,具多边形薄壁细胞组成的髓。初生木质部成环带状,外缘呈规则的齿槽状,向心式发育。次生木质部显束状特征,横切面管胞为方圆至长方形,纵切面为梯状壁增厚,并具流苏纹。射线１—２列细胞宽,数个至十余个细胞高。叶迹起源于初生木质部外缘的槽中,中始式,但以向心发育为主。