昆虫的化学感觉机理

昆虫是通过化学感觉器与其周围环境中的大量化学信息发生联系的。通过特定的化学感觉机制 ,昆虫可感知来自种内和种间 ,以及无机环境中的各种化学信息 ,并由此而作出相应的行为反应 ,从而为其自身寻找适宜的食物、配偶以及生存与繁殖场所 (如躲避天敌、避免或减少竞争等等 ) ,达到最大的繁殖成功。阐明昆虫的化学感觉机理 ,不仅可在理论上进一步加深对昆虫与植物、昆虫与昆虫相互关系的了解 ,而且可在实践上为开发害虫治理的新途径提供理论指导。本文将根据目前的最新研究成果 ,主要就昆虫的化学感觉机理 ,包括嗅觉和味觉机理作一综述 ,以期…     

Two new male contraceptives exert their effects by depleting germ cells prematurely from the testis

The three currently available male contraceptive approaches are 1) the barrier method such as the condom, 2) hormonal methods by disrupting the pituitary-testicular axis so as to impair spermatogenesis, and 3) immunological methods by preparing vaccines against male-specific antigens. We hereby describe an alternative approach in which attachments of developing germ cells onto the seminiferous epithelium are disrupted, thereby inducing their premature release into the tubular lumen. This in turn leads to infertility. A panel of analogues based on the core structure of 1-(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)-indazole-3-carboxylic acid was synthesized. These compounds were subjected to an in vivo screening assay assessing their effects in inducing the expression of testin, a testicular marker whose expression correlates with the integrity of Sertoli-germ cell junctions. An induction of testin expression in the testis signifies a disruption of Sertoli-germ cell junctions that is followed by depletion of germ cells from the seminiferous epithelium. Two compounds, namely 1-(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)-indazole-3-carbohydrazide (AF-2364) and 1-(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)-indazole-3-acrylic acid (AF-2785), were identified that caused detachment of germ cells, in particular round and elongated spermatids, from the epithelium inducing their premature release into the tubular lumen as confirmed by histological analysis. Adult rats receiving several oral doses of either one of these compounds became infertile within 3-7 wk after the epididymal sperm reserve was exhausted. Depending on the dosing of the administered compound, rats became infertile for 4-14 wk before their fertility gradually bounced back, illustrating the reversibility and efficacy of these new compounds. Also, these compounds did not appear to impair the hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular axis because the serum levels of LH, FSH, and testosterone of the treated animals did not change significantly when compared to control rats. In addition, results of serum microchemistry illustrate that liver and kidney function was not affected in animals treated with both compounds.     

Regulated secretion of YopN by the type III machinery of Yersinia enterocolitica

During infection, Yersinia enterocolitica exports Yop proteins via a type III secretion pathway. Secretion is activated when the environmental concentration of calcium ions is below 100 microM (low-calcium response). Yersiniae lacking yopN (lcrE), yscB, sycN, or tyeA do not inactivate the type III pathway even when the concentration of calcium is above 100 microM (calcium-blind phenotype). Purified YscB and SycN proteins form cytoplasmic complexes that bind a region including amino acids 16 to 100 of YopN, whereas TyeA binds YopN residues 101 to 294. Translational fusion of yopN gene sequences to the 5' end of the npt reporter generates hybrid proteins that are transported by the type III pathway. The signal necessary and sufficient for the type III secretion of hybrid proteins is located within the first 15 codons of yopN. Expression of plasmid-borne yopN, but not of yopN(1-294)-npt, complements the calcium-blind phenotype of yopN mutants. Surprisingly, yopN mutants respond to environmental changes in calcium concentration and secrete YopN(1-294)-Npt in the absence but not in the presence of calcium. tyeA is required for the low-calcium regulation of YopN(1-294)-Npt secretion, whereas sycN and yscB mutants fail to secrete YopN(1-294)-Npt in the presence of calcium. Experiments with yopN-npt fusions identified two other signals that regulate the secretion of YopN. yopN codons 16 to 100 prevent the entry of YopN into the type III pathway, a negative regulatory effect that is overcome by expression of yscB and sycN. The portion of YopN encoded by codons 101 to 294 prevents transport of the polypeptide across the bacterial double membrane envelope in the presence of functional tyeA. These data support a model whereby YopN transport may serve as a regulatory mechanism for the activity of the type III pathway. YscB/SycN binding facilitates the initiation of YopN into the type III pathway, whereas TyeA binding prevents transport of the polypeptide across the bacterial envelope. Changes in the environmental calcium concentration relieve the TyeA-mediated regulation, triggering YopN transport and activating the type III pathway.     

柚花头香化学成分的研究(一)

本文首次报道柚花的香气成分。作者利用憎水性树脂XAD-4吸附柚鲜花的头香,并以毛细管气相色谱和毛细管气相色谱-质谱-计算机联用方法研究头香的化学组分,分离鉴定了17个已知化学成分。它们是芳樟醇、β-蒎烯、β-水芹烯、橙花叔醇等。     

类脂过氧化对竹红菌甲素引起膜蛋白光敏交联的影响

本文研究了丙二醛与红细胞膜温育后所形成的交联。当丙二醛浓度在5×10~-4mol/L以上时,膜蛋白发生交联,并且在460nm处有荧光特征峰出现。而甲素光敏所致膜蛋白的交联,在460nm处没有荧光峰,光敏所产生的内源丙二醛量很少,不足以引起红细胞膜反应形成交联。我们还研究了BHT和Vit E两种抗氧化剂对甲素光敏作用的影响。BHT能抑制类脂过氧化,不能抑制膜蛋白巯基的变化和膜蛋白的交联。而Vit E仅不能抑制膜蛋白的交联。以上结果均说明甲素光敏所致膜类脂过氧化是不参与膜蛋白交联的。     

安徽黄缘闭壳龟（ Cuora flavomarginata） 野生种群的现状及其保护建议

安徽是濒危物种黄缘闭壳龟的重要分布区之一,由于人类活动使得该龟栖息地日益减少,生存空间被挤占。加之近年来日益频繁的黄缘闭壳龟贸易所带来的肆意滥捕以及缺乏有效的保护措施,导致其野生种群衰减严重,数量已经十分稀少,同时买卖和饲养也进一步加剧了黄缘闭壳龟的非自然扩散和引入。目前黄缘闭壳龟在安徽的具体产地一直缺乏一个较为科学的研究,而了解黄缘闭壳龟在安徽的具体分布状况,对于该龟的保护至关重要。2011年—2012年5月至10月间,采用市场和访问调查以及野外实地调查相结合的方法,对安徽黄缘闭壳龟野生种群现状进行了研究,并对调查结果进行了报道,同时针对保护管理中存在的问题,提出相应的保护建议。     

Development and characterization of microsatellite loci in Taihangia rupestris (Rosaceae), a rare cliff herb

? Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for the rare Taihangia rupestris (Rosaceae) to evaluate genetic diversity, population genetic structure, mating system, and demographic events of this species. ? Methods and Results: Ten primer sets were developed using an enriched genomic library and were successfully amplified in T. rupestris var. ciliata and T. rupestris var. rupestris. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 21; the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.300 to 0.950 and from 0.328 to 0.956, respectively, in the two varieties. ? Conclusions: The markers described here will be useful for studies of genetic variation, genetic structure, and mating systems of T. rupestris, which are important for the future conservation of this rare species.     

Multiple copies of 16s rRNA gene affect the restriction patterns and DGGE profile as revealed by analysis of genome database

The use of 16S rRNA gene has been a "golden" method to determine the diversity of microbial communities in environmental samples, phylogenetic relationships of prokaryotes and taxonomic position of newly isolated organisms. However due to the presence of multiple heterogeneous 16S rRNA gene copies in many strains, the interpretation of microbial ecology via 16S rRNA sequences is complicated. Purpose of present paper is to demonstrate the extent to which the multiple heterogeneous 16S rRNA gene copies affect RFLP patterns and DGG E profiles by using the genome database. In present genome database, there are 782 bacterial strains in total whose genomes have been completely sequenced and annotated. Among the total strains, 639 strains (82%) possess multiple 16S rRNA gene copies, 415 strains (53%) whose multiple copies are heterogeneous in sequences as revealed by alignment, 236 strains (30%) whose multiple copies show different restrict patterns by CSP61 + Hinfl, MspI + Rsal or HhaI as analyzed in silico. Polymorphisms of the multiple copies in certain strains were further characterized by G + C% and phylogentic distances based on the sequences of V3 region, which are linked to DGGE patters. Polymorphisms of a few strains were shown as examples. Using artificial communities, it is demonstrated that the presence of multiple heterogeneous 16S rRNA gene copies potentially leads to over-estimation of the diversity of a community. It is suggested that care must be taken when interpreting 16S rRNA-based RFLP and DGGE data and profiling an environmental community.     

Characterization of Salmonella enterica subspecies I genovars by use of microarrays

Subspecies 1 of Salmonella enterica is responsible for almost all Salmonella infections of warm-blooded animals. Within subspecies 1 there are over 2,300 known serovars that differ in their prevalence and the diseases that they cause in different hosts. Only a few of these serovars are responsible for most Salmonella infections in humans and domestic animals. The gene contents of 79 strains from the most prevalent serovars were profiled by microarray analysis. Strains within the same serovar often differed by the presence and absence of hundreds of genes. Gene contents sometimes differed more within a serovar than between serovars. Groups of strains that share a distinct profile of gene content can be referred to as "genovars" to distinguish them from serovars. Several misassignments within the Salmonella reference B collection were detected by genovar typing and were subsequently confirmed serologically. Just as serology has proved useful for understanding the host range and pathogenic manifestations of Salmonella, genovars are likely to further define previously unrecognized specific features of Salmonella infections.     

Monitoring of Gene Expression Profiles and Isolation of Candidate Genes Involved in Pollination and Fertilization in Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) with a 10K cDNA Microarray

To monitor gene expression profiles during pollination and fertilization in rice at a genome scale, we generated 73,424 high-quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs) derived from the green/etiolated shoot and pistil (0-5 h after pollination, 5hP) of rice, which were subsequently used to construct a cDNA microarray containing ca. 10 000 unique rice genes. This microarray was used to analyze gene expression in pistil unpollinated (UP), 5hP and 5DAP(5 days after pollination), anther, shoot, root, 10-day-old embryo (10EM) and 10-day-old endosperm (10EN). Clustering analysis revealed that the anther has a gene-expression profile more similar to root than to pistil and most pistil-preferentially expressed genes respond to pollination and/or fertilization. There are 253 ESTs exhibiting differential expression (e +/- 2-fold changes) during pollination and fertilization, and about 70% of them can be assigned a putative function. We also recovered 20 genes similar to pollination-related and/or fertility-related genes previously identified as well as genes that were not implicated previously. Microarray and real-time PCR analyses showed that the array sensitivity was estimated at 1-5 copies of mRNA per cell, and the differentially expressed genes showed a high correlation between the two methods. Our results indicated that this cDNA microarray constructed here is reliable and can be used for monitoring gene expression profiles in rice. In addition, the genes that differentially expressed during pollination represent candidate genes for dissecting molecular mechanism of this important biological process in rice.