Deletion of cytoplasmic sequences of the nerve growth factor receptor leads to loss of high affinity ligand binding

The nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor is a glycosylated transmembrane protein present on the cell surface as both high and low affinity forms, but biological responsiveness requires interactions of NGF with the high affinity site. We have tested the effects of mutations in the intracellular domain of the receptor upon its cell surface expression and equilibrium binding of 125I-NGF. Although mutant receptors lacking the entire cytoplasmic domain are processed and expressed at the cell surface and are capable of binding to NGF, the absence of cytoplasmic sequences leads to a loss of high affinity binding and to a lack of an appropriate cross-linking pattern as assessed by N-hydroxysuccinimidyl 4-azidobenzoate photoaffinity cross-linking. These results, taken together with the highly conserved nature of these cytoplasmic sequences, implies that the interaction of the receptor with an accessory molecule is necessary to form the high affinity receptor.     

The estradiol-stimulated lipoprotein receptor of rat liver. A binding site that membrane mediates the uptake of rat lipoproteins containing apoproteins B and E

Hepatic catabolism of lipoproteins containing apolipoproteins B or E is enhanced in rats treated with pharmacologic doses of 17 alpha-ethinyl estradiol. Liver membranes prepared from these rats exhibit an increased number of receptor sites that bind 125I-labeled human low density lipoproteins (LDL) in vitro. In the present studies, this estradiol-stimulated hepatic receptor was shown to recognize the following rat lipoproteins: LDL, very low density lipoproteins obtained from liver perfusates (hepatic VLDL), and VLDL-remnants prepared by intravenous injection of hepatic VLDL into functionally eviscerated rats. The receptor also recognized synthetic lamellar complexes of lecithin and rat apoprotein E as well as canine high density lipoproteins containing apoprotein E (apo E-HDLc). It did not recognize human HDL or rat HDL deficient in apoprotein E. Much smaller amounts of this high affinity binding site were also found on liver membranes from untreated rats, the number of such sites increasing more than 10-fold after the animals were treated with estradiol. Each of the rat lipoproteins recognized by this receptor was taken up more rapidly by perfused livers from estrogen-treated rats. In addition, enrichment of hepatic VLDL with C-apoproteins lowered the ability of these lipoproteins to bind to the estradiol-stimulated receptor and diminished their rate of uptake by the perfused liver of estrogen-treated rats, just as it did in normal rats. The current data indicate that under the influence of pharmacologic doses of estradiol the liver of the rat contains increased amounts of a functional lipoprotein receptor that binds lipoproteins containing apoproteins B and E. This hepatic lipoprotein receptor appears to mediate the uptake and degradation of lipoproteins by the normal liver as well as the liver of estradiol-treated rats. The hepatic receptor bears a close functional resemblance to the LDL receptor previously characterized on extrahepatic cells.     

DNA sequence directs placement of histone cores on restriction fragments during nucleosome formation.

Restriction fragments, 203 and 144 base pairs in length, bearing the Escherichia coli lac control region have been reconstituted with the core histones from calf thymus to form nucleosomes. By several criteria the reconstituted nucleosomes are similar to native nucleosomes obtained by micrococcal nuclease digestion of calf thymus nuclei. However, sensitive nuclease digestion studies reveal subtle and important differences between native monosomes and the lac reconstitutes. Each reconstitute consists mainly of nucleosomes containing histone cores placed nonrandomly with respect to the DNA sequence. The shorter reconstitute forms asymmetric nucleosomes as evidenced by the DNase I digestion pattern. Exonuclease III digestion followed by 5'-end analysis of the larger reconstitute suggests that, of the many possible arrangements of histone core with DNA sequence, only two are highly favored.     

英文教材Prescott's Microbiology的特点及其发展

Mc Graw-Hill Education出版的Prescott’s Microbiology从1990年第1版至今已有近26年,历经了两代作者更替,迄今已出版了10版。该书是在国际上使用较为广泛的微生物学教材,其内容和版本每三年更新一次,力求及时反映学科前沿水平的新知识、新技术。其内容丰富,精深广博;版式编排设计以读者(学生)需求为本;编排合理,结构灵活;图片精美,设计感强;配套教学资源系统完善。对该教材进行深入的研究,了解其体系、知识结构和内容等,对加强我国高校教材建设具有重要借鉴作用。     

东寨港红树林小型底栖动物丰度与Chla、有机质的相关性

于2015年4月(春季)、2015年6月(夏季)、2015年10月(秋季)、2016年1月(冬季),在海南东寨港红树林保护区潮间带进行多次采样,分选小型底栖动物,并测定沉积物中有机质和叶绿素a含量,分析不同季节东寨港红树林小型底栖动物丰度与有机质、Chla的相关性。研究结果,沉积物中小型底栖动物主要包括自由生活线虫、桡足类、涡虫、多毛类、寡毛类,线虫为优势类群;有机质含量为25.22%—93.41%,平均值为46.6%; Chla含量为0.188—6.303μg/g,平均值为1.731μg/g。相关性分析显示,春季小型底栖动物的丰度和Chla含量呈显著正相关(Pearson's r=0.684; P0.05),夏季小型底栖动物的丰度与有机质含量呈显著负相关(Pearson's r=-0.518; P0.05)。     

Caveolin-1 identified as a key mediator of acute lung injury using bioinformatics and functional research

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a potentially life-threatening, devastating disease with an extremely high rate of mortality. The underlying mechanism of ALI is currently unclear. In this study, we aimed to confirm the hub genes associated with ALI and explore their functions and molecular mechanisms using bioinformatics methods. Five microarray datasets available in GEO were used to perform Robust Rank Aggregation (RRA) to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and the key genes were identified via the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Lipopolysaccharide intraperitoneal injection was administered to establish an ALI model. Overall, 40 robust DEGs, which are mainly involved in the inflammatory response, protein catabolic process, and NF-κB signaling pathway were identified. Among these DEGs, we identified two genes associated with ALI, of which the CAV-1/NF-κB axis was significantly upregulated in ALI, and was identified as one of the most effective targets for ALI prevention. Subsequently, the expression of CAV-1 was knocked down using AAV-shCAV-1 or CAV-1-siRNA to study its effect on the pathogenesis of ALI in vivo and in vitro. The results of this study indicated that CAV-1/NF-κB axis levels were elevated in vivo and in vitro, accompanied by an increase in lung inflammation and autophagy. The knockdown of CAV-1 may improve ALI. Mechanistically, inflammation was reduced mainly by decreasing the expression levels of CD3 and F4/80, and activating autophagy by inhibiting AKT/mTOR and promoting the AMPK signaling pathway. Taken together, this study provides crucial evidence that CAV-1 knockdown inhibits the occurrence of ALI, suggesting that the CAV-1/NF-κB axis may be a promising therapeutic target for ALI treatment.Subject terms: Cell signalling, Respiratory tract diseases     

森林转换对地表径流可溶性有机碳输出浓度和通量的影响

米槠次生林转换成米槠人工幼林和米槠人工促进天然更新幼林(以下简称"人促幼林")后,以这三种森林类型为研究对象,连续监测每次降雨后地表径流量及径流水中可溶性有机碳(DOC)的含量及通量,比较不同森林类型观测结果的差异,并分析降雨对实验结果的影响。结果表明:米槠人工幼林单次产流量是米槠次生林的1.5—19.0倍,观测期间总径流量为5.9倍;米槠人促幼林单次径流量和总径流量均与米槠次生林无显著差异(P0.05)。观测期间米槠次生林、人工幼林、人促幼林径流水DOC浓度值范围为5.9—18.4 mg/L,4.3—13.5 mg/L和3.2—9.9 mg/L,米槠次生林径流水浓度均值(12.6 mg/L)分别是米槠人促幼林(7.6 mg/L)和米槠人工幼林(5.3 mg/L)的1.6和2.4倍。回归分析表明,径流水中DOC浓度与降雨前土壤含水率呈显著相关;降雨前土壤含水率20.8%是一个临界值,含水率低于20.8%时,径流水DOC浓度与降雨前含水率呈显著正相关(P0.05);高于20.8%时,径流水DOC浓度与降雨前土壤含水率呈显著负相关(P0.05)。米槠人工幼林地表径流DOC输出通量是米槠次生林的0.7—5.4倍,观测期间总输出通量为2.1倍;米槠人促林DOC单次通量和观测期间总通量均与米槠次生林差异不显著(P0.05)。三种森林类型DOC输出通量均与降雨量呈显著相关(P0.05)。可见,米槠次生林转变成米槠人工幼林后DOC输出浓度降低,但径流量显著增加,导致DOC输出通量增加;而转变成米槠人促幼林后DOC输出浓度也降低,但径流量并未增加,因而并未增加DOC输出通量。     

内质网膜复合亚基3调控内质网应激影响人畸胎瘤细胞的存活

内质网膜蛋白复合物(endoplasmic reticulum membrane complex,EMC)在跨膜蛋白质的生物发生和膜整合中发挥重要作用.内质网膜复合亚基3 (endoplasmic reticulum membrane complex 3,EMC3)是EMC的重要组成部分,但其在生殖细胞中发挥的作用未见...     

粤东柘林湾中肋骨条藻（Skeletonema costatum）种群生态学

于2000年5月~2004年12月对粤东大规模养殖区柘林湾的赤潮藻中肋骨条藻（Skeletonema costatum）种群的时空分布进行了长达5a的调查。结果表明,中肋骨条藻种群密度的周年变动模式基本为双峰型,平面分布没有显著的空间差异。调查期间,中肋骨条藻种群密度的站位实测值为0~1.4×10⁷ cells/dm³,总均值为3.3×10⁵ cells/dm³,占浮游植物总细胞数的67.1%,为调查海区第1优势种。在总共1045份样品中,有中肋骨条藻出现的样品数为1020份。其中,种群密度大于10⁶ cells/dm3的样品有65份,大于10⁷ cells/dm³则有4份。以大于10⁶ cells/dm³为中肋骨条藻的赤潮密度标准,在调查期间至少于2000年、2003年发生4次赤潮。运用灰关联理论对中肋骨条藻种群密度与13个环境因子的关系进行排序分析发现,水温、pH值和浮游动物是影响柘林湾中肋骨条藻种群时空分布的关键因子。水温还与中肋骨条藻种群密度的对数值具极显著意义的线性关系,而达到赤潮密度的样品均落在24.5~32.0℃区间,即每年的5~9月份高温季节。由于柘林湾浮游动物的年高峰期也出现在高温季节,说明浮游动物摄食压力的存在可能是柘林湾中肋骨条藻赤潮发生的重要抑制因子。2004年调查海区中肋骨条藻种群密度和在浮游植物群落中的优势度骤然降低,可能与水体营养盐结构和Fe含量的变化有关。因此,长期调查与监测对于研究海湾生态学和赤潮发生机制是极为重要的。