Proteomic profiling of the hypothalamus in two mouse models of narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a disabling neurological disorder of sleepiness linked to the loss of neurons producing orexin neuropeptides in the hypothalamus. Two well‐characterized phenotypic mouse models of narcolepsy, loss‐of‐function (orexin‐knockout), and progressive loss of orexin (orexin/ataxin‐3) exist. The open question is whether the proteomics signatures of the hypothalamus would be different between the two models. To address this gap, we utilized a label‐free proteomics approach and conducted a hypothalamic proteome analysis by comparing each disease model to that of wild type. Following data processing and statistical analysis, 14 484 peptides mapping to 2282 nonredundant proteins were identified, of which 39 proteins showed significant differences in protein expression across groups. Altered proteins in both models showed commonalties in pathways for mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal degeneration, as well as altered proteins related to inflammatory demyelination, insulin resistance, metabolic responses, and the dopaminergic and monoaminergic systems. Model‐specific alterations in insulin degraded enzyme (IDE) and synaptosomal‐associated protein‐25 were unique to orexin‐KO and orexin/ataxin‐3, respectively. For both models, proteomics not only identified clinically suspected consequences of orexin loss on energy homeostasis and neurotransmitter systems, but also identified commonalities in inflammation and degeneration despite the entirely different genetic basis of the two mouse models.     

干旱和臭氧浓度升高对元宝枫早生和晚生叶片色素和脱落酸含量的影响

臭氧和干旱是威胁我国北方城市植物生长的两大重要因素。于2012年利用开顶式气室,通过设置4个处理(AW-大气环境和水分充足;AW+60-大气增加60 nL/L臭氧+水分充足;AD-大气+干旱处理;AD+60-大气增加60 nL/L臭氧+干旱处理),开展了大气臭氧浓度升高(以下简称"臭氧")和干旱对元宝枫秋季变色期主要色素含量及脱落酸(ABA)含量的影响研究。结果表明:(1)早生叶在臭氧处理后,总叶绿素和类胡萝卜素分别下降了21%和29.6%、花青苷和类黄酮相对含量显著升高了34.1%和7.3%、脱落酸含量增加了19.8%。干旱处理后,早生叶总叶绿素显著下降了18.7%、花青苷和类黄酮相对含量分别显著升高了37%和7.4%、脱落酸含量显著升高了13%。叶片的上述生理变化将会导致叶片提前变红、叶片早衰和提前脱落。(2)晚生叶在干旱处理后总叶绿素含量减少了18.8%,脱落酸含量增加了33.4%,臭氧以及与干旱共同处理未对晚生叶产生显著影响。(3)臭氧和干旱共同处理后,早生叶总叶绿素含量、花青苷和叶片脱落酸含量存在显著交互作用,交互作用缓解了叶片总叶绿素的下降和花青苷的上升,但未缓解叶片脱落酸含量的增加。综上,早生叶和晚生叶对臭氧和干旱处理的响应不同,早生叶对臭氧处理响应大于晚生叶,而晚生叶对干旱更敏感。臭氧和干旱处理均加速了叶片衰老,二者共同处理后叶片脱落风险增加。     

Direct competitive chemiluminescence immunoassays based on gold‐coated magnetic particles for detection of chloramphenicol

Direct competitive chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIA) based on gold‐coated magnetic nanospheres (Au‐MNPs) were developed for rapid analysis of chloramphenicol (CAP). The Au‐MNPs were modified with carboxyl groups and amino groups by 11‐mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) and cysteamine respectively, and then were respectively conjugated with CAP base and CAP succinate via an activating reaction using 1‐ethyl‐3‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and N‐hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). NSP‐DMAE‐NHS, a new and effective luminescence reagent, was employed to label anti‐CAP antibody (mAb) as a tracer in direct CLIA for CAP detection using a ‘homemade’ luminescent measurement system that was set up with a photomultiplier tube (PMT) and a photon counting unit linked to a computer. The sensitivities and limits of detection (LODs) of the two methods were obtained and compared according to the inhibition curves. The 50% inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) values of the two methods were about 0.044 ng/mL and 0.072 ng/mL respectively and LODs were approximately 0.001 ng/mL and 0.006 ng/mL respectively. To our knowledge, they were much more sensitive than any traditional enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) ever reported. Moreover, the new luminescence reagent NSP‐DMAE‐NHS is much more sensitive and stable than luminol and its derivatives, contributing to the sensitivity enhancement. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

鱼类干扰素系统基因研究进展

干扰素是一类多基因家族诱导性细胞因子,可在脊椎动物细胞中诱导建立抗病毒状态,并在抗病毒防御中起重要作用。干扰素系统包括应答外界刺激(如病毒感染)而合成干扰素的细胞,和应答干扰素建立抗病毒状态的细胞。干扰素系统基因主要包括Ⅰ型干扰素、Ⅱ型干扰素、干扰素刺激基因以及组成干扰素信号传导系统的基因。鱼类干扰素类作用发现较早,而对其基因的克隆和鉴定较晚。随着哺乳类和鸟类中干扰素及其相关基因研究的开展和深入,近年来鱼类干扰素及其相关基因的研究也得到快速发展。综述了鱼类干扰素系统基因的克隆、鉴定,以及其功能方面的研究进展。     

人Leptin基因在大肠杆菌中的高效表达、纯化及其生物学活性研究

将人Leptin表达质粒pBV220-OB转化E.coliJM109,经热诱导获得了目的蛋白的表达。经SDS-PAGE鉴定分析,表达产物以包涵体形式存在,目的蛋白表达量占菌体总蛋白的40%以上。通过包涵体分离,Sephacryl S200HR凝胶和DEAE52离子交换层析及Hypersil C18柱反相色谱纯化,获得纯度在95%以上,内毒素含量小于10EU/mg的高纯度的重组人Leptin。Western-blot鉴定表明,纯化表达产物能和抗Leptin抗体特异性结合;蛋白质N端15个氨基酸序列分析结果和预期的序列一致。纯化产物经复性处理,其分子中Cys96和Cys146形成二硫键。体内活性检测显示,纯化和复性的rh-Leptin明显抑制BALB/c小鼠的进食和体重增长,提示其具有明显的生物学活性。     

棕色棉F3'H-羟化酶基因的克隆与生物信息学分析

根据葡萄的类黄酮3′-羟化酶(F3'H)基因全长cDNA序列Blast所得棉花的EST序列设计引物,以开花后16 d(DPA16)的新彩棉5号(xC-5)纤维为材料,利用RACE和RT-PCR技术分离得到了2个类黄酮3′-羟化酶基因cDNA序列,此2个序列编码区完全相同,仅在3'UTR区存在片段长短的差异,推测可能是基因转录后加工方式不同所造成.克隆所获得的棉花F3'H基因编码区全长1 533 bp,编码510个氨基酸,氨基酸序列分析预测表明,该基因所编码蛋白含有一个跨膜结构域,是一种分泌蛋白,定位于内质网上,并含有一段与细胞色素P450功能区相匹配的保守功能域;序列比对结果表明,棉花F3'H基因与其他多个物种的F3'H基因在氨基酸序列上有较高的同源性;聚类分析结果表明,棉花F3'H蛋白与双子叶植物大豆的F3'H亲缘关系较为接近,而与单子叶植物高梁等作物则较远.     

南海岛屿种子植物区系地理的研究

本文通过实地考察,广泛收集前人的研究资料,概述了南海岛屿地区的自然条件和植被,对南海岛屿种子植物的区系组成、特点、分布区类型、特有现象和替代现象等进行了较详细的分析,并与邻近植物区系进行了比较研究。同时,根据区内植物分布的特点和自然条件特征划分为５个植物区系小区,最后对南海岛屿地区植物区系的起源与演化进行了讨论。     

半连续灌注培养中杂交瘤细胞的生长和代谢

考察了在半连续灌注培养中WuT₃杂交瘤细胞在不同灌注速率下细胞生长的动态变化,培养基中主要基质的消耗和代谢物的生成。当灌注速率D从1.0/d升高到2.0/d时,乳酸得率系数Y_lac/glu降低18%,氨得率系数Y_amm/gln降低40%,丙氨酸得率系数Y_ala/gln升高58%,甘氨酸得率系数Y_gly/gln基本恒定。说明在灌注速率升高的条件下,细胞会调整代谢机制,丙酮酸和过量的谷氨酸通过转氨作用生成丙氨酸而非甘氨酸。     

Cryptic phenology in plants: Case studies,implications, and recommendations

Plant phenology—the timing of cyclic or recurrent biological events in plants—offers insight into the ecology, evolution, and seasonality of plant‐mediated ecosystem processes. Traditionally studied phenologies are readily apparent, such as flowering events, germination timing, and season‐initiating budbreak. However, a broad range of phenologies that are fundamental to the ecology and evolution of plants, and to global biogeochemical cycles and climate change predictions, have been neglected because they are “cryptic”—that is, hidden from view (e.g., root production) or difficult to distinguish and interpret based on common measurements at typical scales of examination (e.g., leaf turnover in evergreen forests). We illustrate how capturing cryptic phenology can advance scientific understanding with two case studies: wood phenology in a deciduous forest of the northeastern USA and leaf phenology in tropical evergreen forests of Amazonia. Drawing on these case studies and other literature, we argue that conceptualizing and characterizing cryptic plant phenology is needed for understanding and accurate prediction at many scales from organisms to ecosystems. We recommend avenues of empirical and modeling research to accelerate discovery of cryptic phenological patterns, to understand their causes and consequences, and to represent these processes in terrestrial biosphere models.