Restoration of Shorebird‐Roosting Mudflats by Partial Removal of Estuarine Mangroves in Northern Taiwan

Expansion of the monospecific mangrove, Kandelia obovata, has converted intertidal mudflats and other habitats into mangrove forests, thus reducing estuarine biodiversity in the Danshuei River estuary, northern Taiwan. Dense mangrove vegetation was removed to create a small patchwork of mudflats and a tidal creek in February 2007. Subsequent changes in sediment properties and biodiversity of the macrobenthos and avian communities were examined. The results showed that the creation of different habitats led to changes in sediment properties and biodiversity. The water content and sorting degree of the sediments differed significantly among the restored mudflat, the tidal creek, and the mangrove control site. Silt/clay, organic carbon content, and chlorophyll a concentrations varied seasonally, but not among sites. The abundance of polychaetes in the creek was greater than that in the mudflat or the mangrove (12.5 vs. 5.3 and 2.2 individuals/m², respectively), suggesting preferential colonization of infaunal polychaetes in habitats with prolonged submersion. Crabs showed seasonal changes in density, with higher densities in summer than in autumn and winter. The species richness of wintering shorebirds on the created mudflat increased dramatically from 2002 to 2007. The transformation of a vegetated area into an open mudflat appeared to benefit shorebirds by providing roosting habitat. Our study demonstrated that controlling the spread of estuarine mangrove forests could increase biodiversity, and could particularly benefit the migratory shorebird community.     

Altered proteome turnover and remodeling by short‐term caloric restriction or rapamycin rejuvenate the aging heart

Chronic caloric restriction (CR) and rapamycin inhibit the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, thereby regulating metabolism and suppressing protein synthesis. Caloric restriction or rapamycin extends murine lifespan and ameliorates many aging‐associated disorders; however, the beneficial effects of shorter treatment on cardiac aging are not as well understood. Using a recently developed deuterated‐leucine labeling method, we investigated the effect of short‐term (10 weeks) CR or rapamycin on the proteomics turnover and remodeling of the aging mouse heart. Functionally, we observed that short‐term CR and rapamycin both reversed the pre‐existing age‐dependent cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. There was no significant change in the cardiac global proteome (823 proteins) turnover with age, with a median half‐life 9.1 days in the 5‐month‐old hearts and 8.8 days in the 27‐month‐old hearts. However, proteome half‐lives of old hearts significantly increased after short‐term CR (30%) or rapamycin (12%). This was accompanied by attenuation of age‐dependent protein oxidative damage and ubiquitination. Quantitative proteomics and pathway analysis revealed an age‐dependent decreased abundance of proteins involved in mitochondrial function, electron transport chain, citric acid cycle, and fatty acid metabolism as well as increased abundance of proteins involved in glycolysis and oxidative stress response. This age‐dependent cardiac proteome remodeling was significantly reversed by short‐term CR or rapamycin, demonstrating a concordance with the beneficial effect on cardiac physiology. The metabolic shift induced by rapamycin was confirmed by metabolomic analysis.     

中药郁金的挥发油成分研究

本文报道了对5种植物来源的中药郁金中挥发油的比较研究结果,测定了不同采收期以及不同加工方法郁金中挥发油含量,并采用GC-MS-DS法分析比较了郁金挥发油的组成及各组分含量。     

cDNA cloning of human oxysterol-binding protein and localization of the gene to human chromosome 11 and mouse chromosome 19

Cellular cholesterol metabolism is regulated primarily through sterol-mediated feedback suppression of the activity of the low-density lipoprotein receptor and several enzymes of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. We previously described the cloning of a rabbit cDNA for the oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP), a cytosolic protein of 809 amino acids that may participate in these regulatory events. We now use the rabbit OSBP cDNA to clone the human OSBP cDNA and 5' genomic region. Comparison of the human and rabbit OSBP sequences revealed a remarkably high degree of conservation. The cDNA sequence in the coding region showed 94% identity between the two species, and the predicted amino acid sequence showed 98% identity. The human cDNA was used to determine the chromosomal localization of the OSBP gene by Southern blot hybridization to panels of somatic cell hybrid clones containing subsets of human or mouse chromosomes and by RFLP analysis of recombinant inbred mouse strains. The OSBP locus mapped to the long arm of human chromosome 11 and the proximal end of mouse chromosome 19. Along with previously mapped genes including Ly-1 and CD20, OSBP defines a new conserved syntenic group on the long arm of chromosome 11 in the human and the proximal end of chromosome 19 in the mouse.     

从环境中分离培养微生物:培养基营养水平至关重要

根据目前的微生物学知识体系,利用现有的微生物培养技术仅仅能够分离和培养部分微生物,自然环境中绝大多数微生物暂不能培养。本文总结归纳了部分微生物培养技术和培养策略,包括采取生境隔离、延长培养时间以及模拟自然环境条件等方法,尤其是培养基的营养水平对可培养微生物数量及种类产生重要影响。简要总结了寡营养微生物及其生态意义,以及营养物浓度影响微生物生长的机理。提出可根据微生物的生态环境条件及细胞生理特性,设计合理的培养条件和培养方法,以及采用多种分离培养方法联合,以期最终提高环境微生物的可培养性。     

喜温嗜酸硫杆菌SM-1的ROS防护机制

【目的】从基因组水平探讨生物冶金微生物——喜温嗜酸硫杆菌(Acidithiobacillus caldus)的活性氧类物质(Reactive oxygen species,ROS)防护机制。【方法】采用罗氏454 GS FLX测序平台对喜温嗜酸硫杆菌SM-1进行全基因组测序,利用NCBI非冗余蛋白数据库、Uniport蛋白数据库对全基因组序列进行功能注释,并采用基因组百科全书数据库(KEGG)进行基因组代谢途径重构,通过比较基因组学方法分析SM-1基因组中参与ROS防护相关的基因及可能的分子机制。【结果】SM-1细胞内的酶促抗氧化系统可用于清除细胞内产生的ROS物质,而非酶促抗氧化系统可用于维持细胞内的还原性内环境;细胞内的DNA损伤修复系统可用于修复DNA的氧化损伤从而保持个体遗传物质的稳定性。此外,SM-1基因组中大量的转座元件可能会增加基因组的可塑性以适应极端冶金环境。【结论】SM-1基因组序列的获得为从整体水平揭示喜温嗜酸硫杆菌适应生物冶金环境ROS氧化损伤的防护机制提供了帮助,对于SM-1的ROS防护机制的认知也为进一步通过遗传改造、提升其在高浓度重金属离子冶金环境中的抗性、提高冶金效率提供了理论指导。