原发性干燥综合征患者外周血EB病毒标志物检测及意义

目的:探讨原发性干燥综合征(primary Sjfigren's syndrome,pSS)患者外周血EB病毒(Epstein Barr virus,EBV)标志物的检测及意义.方法:应用实时荧光定量PCR技术检测29例原发性干燥综合征患者和44例正常对照组外周血单个核细胞(peripheral blood mononuclear cell,PBMC)EBV DNA,酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)检测患者和正常对照血清EBV衣壳抗原(viral capsid antigen,VCA)特异性IgM、IgG抗体以及EBV早期抗原(early antigen,EA)IgG抗体.结果:pSS患者组及正常对照组EBV DNA拷贝数分别为26.76±36.00 copiesd/μg DNA和7.41±12.02 copies/μg DNA,统计学分析表明pSS患者组EBV拷贝数明显高于正常对照组(r=3.603,P＜0.01).患者组血清VCA-IgM和EA-IgG阳性率分别为20.69%(6/29)和62.07%(18/29),正常对照组则均为2.27(1/44),两两比较均明显高于正常对照组(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).患者组血清VCA-IgM水平与正常对照组比较无显著性差异,而EA-IgG抗体水平明显高于正常对组(P＜0.01).结论:原发性干燥综合征患者存在EBV的激活感染,EBV激活感染是导致患者免疫功能异常的重要原因,潜伏EBV的激活与干燥综合征的发病有关.     

Cross-regulation of Ngn1 and Math1 coordinates the production of neurons and sensory hair cells during inner ear development

Temporal and spatial coordination of multiple cell fate decisions is essential for proper organogenesis. Here, we define gene interactions that transform the neurogenic epithelium of the developing inner ear into specialized mechanosensory receptors. By Cre-loxP fate mapping, we show that vestibular sensory hair cells derive from a previously neurogenic region of the inner ear. The related bHLH genes Ngn1 (Neurog1) and Math1 (Atoh1) are required, respectively, for neural and sensory epithelial development in this system. Our analysis of mouse mutants indicates that a mutual antagonism between Ngn1 and Math1 regulates the transition from neurogenesis to sensory cell production during ear development. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the transition to sensory cell production involves distinct autoregulatory behaviors of Ngn1 (negative) and Math1 (positive). We propose that Ngn1, as well as promoting neurogenesis, maintains an uncommitted progenitor cell population through Notch-mediated lateral inhibition, and Math1 irreversibly commits these progenitors to a hair-cell fate.     

Development of a Genetic System for the Chemolithoautotrophic Bacterium Thiobacillus denitrificans

Thiobacillus denitrificans is a widespread, chemolithoautotrophic bacterium with an unusual and environmentally relevant metabolic repertoire, which includes its ability to couple denitrification to sulfur compound oxidation; to catalyze anaerobic, nitrate-dependent oxidation of Fe(II) and U(IV); and to oxidize mineral electron donors. Recent analysis of its genome sequence also revealed the presence of genes encoding two [NiFe]hydrogenases, whose role in metabolism is unclear, as the sequenced strain does not appear to be able to grow on hydrogen as a sole electron donor under denitrifying conditions. In this study, we report the development of a genetic system for T. denitrificans, with which insertion mutations can be introduced by homologous recombination and complemented in trans. The antibiotic sensitivity of T. denitrificans was characterized, and a procedure for transformation with foreign DNA by electroporation was established. Insertion mutations were generated by in vitro transposition, the mutated genes were amplified by the PCR, and the amplicons were introduced into T. denitrificans by electroporation. The IncP plasmid pRR10 was found to be a useful vector for complementation. The effectiveness of the genetic system was demonstrated with the hynL gene, which encodes the large subunit of a [NiFe]hydrogenase. Interruption of hynL in a hynL::kan mutant resulted in a 75% decrease in specific hydrogenase activity relative to the wild type, whereas complementation of the hynL mutation resulted in activity that was 50% greater than that of the wild type. The availability of a genetic system in T. denitrificans will facilitate our understanding of the genetics and biochemistry underlying its unusual metabolism.     

某冶炼厂周围8种植物对重金属的吸收与富集作用

采用野外采样系统分析法,研究了沈阳冶炼厂的8种植物对重金属(Pb、Zn、Cu和Cd)的吸收与富集作用以及可能的耐性机制.结果表明,植物对重金属的吸收和富集,因植物种类、部位及重金属种类而不同.茼麻(Abutilon theophrasti)对Pb的吸收和富集能力较强,小白酒花(Conyza canadensis)、三裂叶豚草(Ambrosia trifida)、酸模叶蓼(Polygonum lapathifolium)、茼麻、龙葵(Solanum nigrum)、绿珠藜(Chenopodium acuminatum)和菊芋(Helianthus tuberosus)对Zn的吸收和富集效果较好,绿珠藜和茼麻对Cu的吸收和富集能力较强,龙葵、绿珠藜、茼麻、酸模叶蓼和小白酒花对Cd的吸收和富集能力较强.这些植物向地上部转移某些重金属的能力很强,转移系数大于1,可用于植物提取方式的污染土壤修复.其他转移系数小于1的植物,适合于重金属污染土壤的植物稳定.     

The conserved substrate binding site of mitochondrial carriers

Mitochondrial carriers transport nucleotides, co-factors and metabolic intermediates across the inner mitochondrial membrane permeability barrier. They belong to a family of transporters unique to eukaryotes and they differ in structure and transport mechanism from other secondary transporters. The main structural fold consists of a barrel of six transmembrane alpha-helices closed at the matrix side by a salt-bridge network at the bottom of the cavity. The significant sequence conservation in the mitochondrial carrier family suggests that specific recognition of substrates is coupled to a common mechanism of transport. We have identified a common substrate binding site comprising residues that are highly conserved and, as demonstrated by mutagenesis, are essential for function. The binding site explains substrate selectivity, ion coupling and the effects of the membrane potential on transport. The main contact points in the site are related by threefold symmetry like the common structural fold. The substrate is bound at the midpoint of the membrane and may function as a pivot point for the movements of the transmembrane alpha-helices as the carrier changes conformation. The trigger for the translocation event is likely to be the substrate-induced perturbation of the salt bridge network at the bottom of the cavity.     

A new class of bispecific antibodies to redirect T cells for cancer immunotherapy

Various constructs of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) to redirect effector T cells for the targeted killing of tumor cells have shown considerable promise in both preclinical and clinical studies. The single-chain variable fragment (scFv)-based formats, including bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) and dual-affinity re-targeting (DART), which provide monovalent binding to both CD3 on T cells and to the target antigen on tumor cells, can exhibit rapid blood clearance and neurological toxicity due to their small size (~55 kDa). Herein, we describe the generation, by the modular DOCK-AND-LOCK^TM (DNL^TM) method, of novel T-cell redirecting bispecific antibodies, each comprising a monovalent anti-CD3 scFv covalently conjugated to a stabilized dimer of different anti-tumor Fabs. The potential advantages of this design include bivalent binding to tumor cells, a larger size (~130 kDa) to preclude renal clearance and penetration of the blood-brain barrier, and potent T-cell mediated cytotoxicity. These prototypes were purified to near homogeneity, and representative constructs were shown to provoke the formation of immunological synapses between T cells and their target tumor cells in vitro, resulting in T-cell activation and proliferation, as well as potent T-cell mediated anti-tumor activity. In addition, in vivo studies in NOD/SCID mice bearing Raji Burkitt lymphoma or Capan-1 pancreatic carcinoma indicated statistically significant inhibition of tumor growth compared with untreated controls.     

苯酚降解菌ZJ-1的分离及降解特性研究

目的:筛选苯酚降解菌,用于降解苯酚提高氧化塘处理效率.方法:以苯酚为惟一碳源进行选择性培养.结果:从乌鲁木齐市某炼油厂污水池的活性污泥中分离出一株能以苯酚为惟一碳源培养基上生长的菌株,编号为ZJ-1,该菌株最高可耐受1000mg/L的苯酚.对该苯酚降解菌降解性能研究表明:该菌具有较强的降解能力,在32℃、pH 7左右、接种量1%时,摇床振荡速度120r/min的条件下,该菌株在48h内苯酚降解率可达81%以上.培养液中苯酚浓度在300mg/L、500mg/L时,该菌株的降解率比较明显.当苯酚浓度大于1000mg/L时,则元明显降解效果.结论:ZJ-1菌株对苯酚具有较强的降解能力,具有广阔的应用前景.     

Information encoding in the inferior temporal visual cortex: contributions of the firing rates and the correlations between the firing of neurons

The encoding of information by populations of neurons in the macaque inferior temporal cortex was analyzed using quantitative information-theoretic approaches. It was shown that almost all the information about which of 20 stimuli had been shown in a visual fixation task was present in the number of spikes emitted by each neuron, with stimulus-dependent cross-correlation effects adding for most sets of simultaneously recorded neurons almost no additional information. It was also found that the redundancy between the simultaneously recorded neurons was low, approximately 4% to 10%. Consistent with this, a decoding procedure applied to a population of neurons showed that the information increases approximately linearly with the number of cells in the population. AcknowledgementsThis research was supported by the Medical Research Council, grant PG9826105, by the Human Frontier Science Program, by the MRC Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, and by the Wellcome Trust.