Ungulate bocaparvovirus 4 and rodent bocavirus are different genotypes of the same species of virus

Bocaviruses are associated with many human infectious diseases, such as respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis, and hepatitis. Rats are known to be reservoirs of bocaviruses, including rodent bocavirus and rat bocavirus. Recently, ungulate bocaparvovirus 4, a known porcine bocavirus, has also been found in rats. Thus, investigating bocaviruses in rats is important for determining the origin of the viruses and preventing and controlling their transmission. To the best of our knowledge, no study to date has investigated bocaviruses in the livers of rats. In this report, a total of 624 rats were trapped in southern China between 2014 and 2017. Liver and serum samples from rats were tested for the prevalence of bocaviruses using PCR. Sequences related to ungulate bocaparvovirus 4 and rodent bocavirus were detected in both liver and serum samples. Interestingly, the prevalence of ungulate bocaparvovirus 4 (reference strain:KJ622366.1) was higher than that of rodent bocavirus (reference strain:KY927868.1) in both liver (2.24% and 0.64%, respectively) and serum samples (2.19% and 0.44%, respectively). The NS1 regions of ungulate bocaparvovirus 4 and rodent bocavirus related sequences displayed over 84% and 88% identity at the nucleic acid and amino acid levels, respectively. Furthermore, these sequences had similar genomic structure, genomic features, and codon usage bias, and shared a common ancestor. These viruses also displayed greater adaptability to rats than pigs. Our results suggested that ungulate bocaparvovirus 4 and rodent bocavirus may originate from rats and may be different genotypes of the same bocavirus species.     

随机扩增多态性DNA原理及其在动物研究中的应用

RAPD(随机扩增多态性DNA)技术是一项应用日益广泛的遗传标记技术。与PCR和RFLP相比,该技术具有简便、快速、准确以及成本相对较低等特点,已成为众多分子标记技术中走向普及的先锋技术。阐述了RAPD的原理和方法,综述了RAPD目前在动物研究中的应用进展,并对RAPD技术应用前景作进一步阐述。     

Modeling activity patterns of wildlife using time‐series analysis

The study of wildlife activity patterns is an effective approach to understanding fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. However, traditional statistical approaches used to conduct quantitative analysis have thus far had limited success in revealing underlying mechanisms driving activity patterns. Here, we combine wavelet analysis, a type of frequency‐based time‐series analysis, with high‐resolution activity data from accelerometers embedded in GPS collars to explore the effects of internal states (e.g., pregnancy) and external factors (e.g., seasonal dynamics of resources and weather) on activity patterns of the endangered giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Giant pandas exhibited higher frequency cycles during the winter when resources (e.g., water and forage) were relatively poor, as well as during spring, which includes the giant panda's mating season. During the summer and autumn when resources were abundant, pandas exhibited a regular activity pattern with activity peaks every 24 hr. A pregnant individual showed distinct differences in her activity pattern from other giant pandas for several months following parturition. These results indicate that animals adjust activity cycles to adapt to seasonal variation of the resources and unique physiological periods. Wavelet coherency analysis also verified the synchronization of giant panda activity level with air temperature and solar radiation at the 24‐hr band. Our study also shows that wavelet analysis is an effective tool for analyzing high‐resolution activity pattern data and its relationship to internal and external states, an approach that has the potential to inform wildlife conservation and management across species.     

Stoichiometry and large-scale patterns of leaf carbon and nitrogen in the grassland biomes of China

Nitrogen (N) and carbon–nitrogen (C:N) ratio are key foliar traits with great ecological importance, but their patterns across biomes have only recently been explored. We conducted a systematic census of foliar C, N and C:N ratio for 213 species, from 41 families over 199 research sites across the grassland biomes of China following the same protocol, to explore how different environmental conditions and species composition affect leaf N and C:N stoichiometry. Leaf C:N stoichiometry is stable in three distinct climatic regions in Inner Mongolia, the Tibetan Plateau, and Xinjiang Autonomous Region, despite considerable variations among co-existing species and among different vegetation types. Our results also show that life form and genus identity explain more than 70% of total variations of foliar N and C:N ratio, while mean growing season temperature and growing season precipitation explained only less than 3%. This suggests that, at the biome scale, temperature affects leaf N mainly through a change in plant species composition rather than via temperature itself. When our data were pooled with a global dataset, the previously observed positive correlation between leaf N and mean annual temperature (MAT) at very low MATs, disappeared. Thus, our data do not support the previously proposed biogeochemical hypothesis that low temperature limitations on mineralization of organic matter and N availability in soils lead to low leaf N in cold environments.     

细胞核CaMK和Calcineurin 对大鼠心肌肥厚发生的作用

目的:研究大鼠心肌肥厚时,钙依赖的蛋白激酶和蛋白磷酸酶在心肌细胞膜、细胞浆和细胞核的分布规律,以探讨核钙信号与核反应在心肌肥厚发生过程中的病理生理意义.方法:制备腹主动脉缩窄大鼠心肌肥厚模型,同位素32P掺入法分别测定心肌细胞核、细胞浆和细胞膜的蛋白激酶活性及用无机磷生成显色法测定其蛋白磷酸酶活性.结果:腹主动脉缩窄术后4周大鼠心肌显著肥厚,伴有明显的血液动力学异常.与正常对照组相比较,腹主动脉缩窄心肌肥厚组心肌细胞核钙调素蛋白激酶(CaMK)活性增加101.1%(P＜0.01),其膜的酶活性升高40.2%(P＜0.01),而胞浆的酶活性不变(P＞0.05);心肌细胞核钙调神经磷酸酶(Calcineurin)活性增加43.6%(P＜0.05),膜和胞浆中其活性增加无显著性(P＞0.05).正常组和腹主动脉缩窄心肌肥厚组心肌细胞CaMK和Calcineurin活性分布为核＞膜＞胞浆(P＜0.01).结论:腹主动脉缩窄心肌肥厚时核内钙依赖的CaMK和Calcineurin活性增加,提示压力超负荷时细胞核内钙调节的蛋白磷酸化和去磷酸化水平增高,可能在介导心肌肥厚的发生中起重要作用.     

Below-canopy CO2 flux and its environmental response characteristics in a coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest in Dinghushan, China

Accurate estimation of below-canopy CO₂ flux (Fcb) in typical forest ecosystems is of great importance to validate terrestrial carbon balance models. Continuous eddy covariance measurements of Fcb were conducted in a coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest located in Dinghushan Nature Reserve of South China. Using year-round data, Fcb dynamics and its environmental response were analyzed, and the results mainly showed that: (1) Fcb decreased during daytime which indicated that the understory of the forest continued photosynthesis throughout the year; however, understory and soil acted as CO₂ source as a whole. (2) Using soil temperature (Ts) as a dependent variable, all of Van’t Hoff equation, Arrhenius equation and Lloyd-Taylor equation can explain a considerable variation of Fcb. Among those three equations Lloyd-Taylor equation is the best to reflect the relationship between soil respiration and temperature for its ability in revealing the variation of Q₁₀ with temperature. (3) Fcb derived from Lloyd-Taylor equation is utterly determined by Ts, while Fcb derived from the multiplicative model is driven by Ts and soil moisture (Ms). The multiplicative model can reflect the synthetic effect of Ts and Ms; therefore it explains more Fcb variations than Lloyd-Taylor equation does. (4)Fcb derived from the multiplicative model was higher than that from Lloyd-Taylor equation when Ms was relatively high; on the contrary, Fcb derived from the multiplicative model was lower than that from Lloyd-Taylor equation when Ms was low, indicating that Ms might be a main factor affecting Fcb when the ecosystem is stressed by low-moisture. (5) Annual Fcb of the forest in 2003 was estimated as (787.4±296.8) gCm^-2a^-1, which was 17% lower than soil respiration measured by statistic chamber method. CO₂ flux measured by eddy covariance is often underestimated, and further study therefore calls for emphasis on methods quantifying Fcb components of respiration of soil, as well as respiration and photosynthesis of understory vegetations.     

带内含子卡那霉素抗性基因双元载体构建及烟草转化

农杆菌介导法是植物基因转化的常用方法,然而由于筛选培养基中常用的抗生素头孢霉素和羧苄青霉素具有类植物激素活性,影响外植体的再生和转化频率。将一个植物的内含子插入卡那霉素抗性基因编码区的N端,合成了一个带内含子的卡那霉素抗性基因。构建带该基因的植物双元表达栽体pYP1202并转化烟草,受侵外植体在含卡那霉素50～200mg/L的选择培养基中抗性芽分化频率不受卡那霉素浓度影响,然而具有GUS活性的转化子占分化芽的比例却随着卡那霉素浓度的增加而升高。当培养基中加入500mg/L羧苄青霉素后受侵外植体产生的抗性芽频率比单一的卡那霉素筛选提高近1倍,高达91.4％,然而具GUS活性的转化子占抗性芽的比例仅有26.7％,在200m/L的卡那霉素筛选下,比例升至93.3％。用带内含子卡那霉素抗性基因构建的植物表达载体转化植物可以减少假抗性芽的产生。     

微乳体系中11β-羟基甲羟孕酮的C1,2生物脱氢

为改善过程传质,提高甾类药物中间体11β-羟基甲羟孕酮C1,2生物脱氢转化率,采用简单节杆菌Arthrobacter simplex UR016菌株在Tween-80/乙醇/食油/水构成的微乳体系中进行生物脱氢,并考察了微乳体系组成、转化温度、投料浓度对脱氢反应的影响。结果表明:以菌体培养液作为水相,食油作为油相构建微乳体系,食油最适加量为10g/L,表面活性剂Tween-80加量为4g/L;底物经醇溶后水析投料,乙醇最适加量为发酵液体积的7%(V/V);最适转化温度为33oC;当底物浓度为4g/L时,在构建的微乳体系中转化46h,脱氢转化率达88.6%,与水相转化工艺相比提高了66.2%。在该体系中疏水性11β-羟基甲羟孕酮底物得到了有效的增溶和扩散,生物脱氢转化率明显提高。     

伴刀豆球蛋白A和层粘连蛋白与膜受体结合下膜分子运动及微丝组装变化的比较

研究伴刀豆球蛋白A和层粘连蛋白分别与小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞膜受体结合下引起细胞膜分子运动的变化和对微丝组装的影响.结果表明,伴刀豆球蛋白A和层粘连蛋白作用下均导致膜表面蛋白分子的侧向扩散速率减慢,膜脂流动性降低,加快膜内微丝组装并使微丝含量增加.两配体作用下引起细胞上述反应有相似性.     

免疫刺激复合物疫苗制备及其对小鼠免疫功能的影响

确定了免疫刺激复合物(ISCOM)疫苗的安全有效剂量及其对小鼠免疫功能的影响。选取体重25 g左右的昆明小白鼠60只,分为12组,每组5只,腹腔分别注射不同剂量(5-200μg)的ISCOM疫苗,观察小鼠健康状态。选取体重28 g左右的昆明小白鼠60只,分为4组,分别在腹腔注射相同剂量的灭菌生理盐水,Lipase+生理盐水,空ISCOM,Lipase+ISCOM疫苗,利用间接ELISA检测血清中特异性抗体效价。结果表明,当注射剂量为5-25μg/只时,小鼠无任何异常症状。免疫后8 d,小鼠血清特异性抗体效价(log2)可以达到10.5,显著高于对照组。因此,ISCOM疫苗能有效引起小鼠的免疫反应。