Territorial song and song neighbourhoods in the Scarlet Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus

Throughout the range of the Scarlet Rosefinch, its territorial song consists of 3–9 (usually 4–5) elements, of which there are 5 different types. The differences lie in the way the pitch of the element changes in time (frequency "slope") and the width of the frequency band. Within a given type of song, the various elements can be present in almost any combination. Therefore, so many song types can be formed that the songs in even small parts of the species' area are clearly distinct from one another. Despite this capacity for variation, however, by chance identical songs may be sung in widely separated parts of the area, in some cases by different subspecies.
The species has not developed large-scale dialects or regiolects based on a song tradition acquired during an early imprinting phase. Scarlet Rosefinches tend to breed in small colonies, groups of up to about 15 pairs characterized by the same type of song (song neighbourhoods, formed by the development of a microlect).
Microlects develop by a founder effect. When males, near one-year old or older, join one another to form isolated colonies after arrival in the breeding region, they adopt ("learn") the song type that will eventually characterize the colony from the first male to arrive at the site. After the colony has been founded, in most cases each male uses only one type of song during a breeding season, with practically no variation of the temporal and frequency parameters.
Singing the same type of song, the members of a colony accept one another sufficiently to allow the breeding territories to be closely packed. It appears that a long-lasting capacity for acoustic learning, in combination with colony-like breeding and great ecological flexibility, has allowed the Scarlet Rosefinch to become the most successful species of the genus Carpodacus .     

米槠-木荷林优势种群的年龄结构及其更新策略

通过年轮分析,构建了浙江天童米槠-木荷林优势种木荷、米槠、石栎的年龄结构,分析了高生长和径向生长及萌枝策略随年龄的变化规律,探讨了干扰对群落动态的影响。研究结果表明:(1)3个物种的胸径、高度与年龄的关系均可用logistic曲线和线性模型拟合,但随年龄增加胸径、高度与年龄的关系显著下降。(2)随年龄增加3树种的DBH/H逐渐增加,米槠、石栎幼龄个体(1-20a)的有萌个体率和有萌个体萌枝数逐渐下降;米槠和石栎幼苗的主干较木荷细长、多萌枝,木荷和石栎成树主干较米槠细长;体现了米槠的更新策略具开拓性,木荷的具保守性,石栎在幼龄期具开拓性,成年期转为保守性。(3)米槠和石栎的年龄结构呈逆J型,幼龄个体充足,但中龄段(21-40a)存在更新断层,这与其高消耗的开拓性策略有关;木荷的年龄结构呈间歇型,各龄级均存有个体,这与其保守性策略有关;(4)3物种在大龄级上(52-60a)均存在更新高峰,与该地区的择伐干扰时间一致,高强度的干扰促生了次生演替,形成了以木荷为第一优势种的群落。(5)米槠、木荷、石栎的年龄结构是更新策略和干扰的综合表现,它不仅与径级结构一样可展现种群更新特征、预测种群发展动态,更能精确地反映群落动态事件的发生频次和发生时间。     

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3-stimulated mRNAs in rat small intestine

The technique of differential hybridization has been employed to study gene expression associated with vitamin D action on the mammalian intestine. A cDNA library consisting of 10(6) independent recombinants was constructed from poly(A)+ RNA extracted from vitamin D-deficient rats given 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. A survey of 20,000 clones resulted in identification of four distinct cDNAs whose corresponding mRNAs are significantly increased 12 h after an intrajugular dose of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 given to vitamin D-deficient rats. DNA sequence analysis identified these mRNAs as mitochondrial ATP synthetase, vitamin D-dependent calcium binding protein, cytochrome oxidase subunit I, and cytochrome oxidase subunit III. The time course of response of three of these mRNAs was similar, with maximum values at 12 h after dosing, while that of cytochrome oxidase subunit I showed two peaks at 6 and 18 h following a single dose of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. The levels of all four mRNAs were elevated in rats supplied with vitamin D when hypocalcemia was produced by dietary calcium restriction.     

上海四种常见树种单株固碳能力差异及其影响因子

城市树木的固碳能力是决定城市绿地碳汇大小的重要因素。为探究上海常见树种单株固碳能力的差异及影响因子,使用174个城市森林固定样地的长期观测数据,估算了香樟、水杉、银杏和雪松四个树种的单株固碳能力(即年固碳量),采用多元线性回归模型分析了各树种单株固碳能力与个体大小、植株密度和城市环境因子(温度、降水量和夜间灯光强度)的关系。结果表明:(1)香樟、水杉、银杏和雪松的单株固碳能力分别介于4.01-51.58 kg/a、1.04-13.47 kg/a、0.62-18.56 kg/a和1.48-8.47 kg/a之间,在各径组中香樟的固碳能力均显著高于其他树种。(2)个体大小是决定单株固碳能力的最主要因子,个体越大(胸径0-50 cm范围内)单株固碳能力越大;植株密度越大,香樟和水杉的单株固碳能力越小,银杏的单株固碳能力越大。(3)城市环境因子中,温度对树木单株固碳能力有显著负向影响,而降水量和夜间灯光强度对树木单株固碳能力的影响因树种而异。其中香樟和水杉分别与降水量呈显著负相关和正相关关系,但均与夜间灯光强度呈显著正相关关系。在上海未来城市森林建设和管理中,应根据不同树种单株固碳能力的差异及其对不同环境因子的敏感性,适地适树绿化造林,提升城市森林的固碳效益。     

Adult Polycystic Kidney Disease in a Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta)

Adult polycystic kidney disease was diagnosed at necropsy in a 16-year-old rhesus monkey dead from renal failure. Both kidneys were enlarged and contained multiple cysts ranging from 0.1 to 4.0 cm in diameter. The age of onset of the clinical signs, terminal uremia, and the gross and histologic findings in this macaque were consistent with adult (type III) polycystic kidney disease of man.     

PTMs in Conversation: Activity and Function of Deubiquitinating Enzymes Regulated via Post-Translational Modifications

Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) constitute a diverse protein family and their impact on numerous biological and pathological processes has now been widely appreciated. Many DUB functions have to be tightly controlled within the cell, and this can be achieved in several ways, such as substrate-induced conformational changes, binding to adaptor proteins, proteolytic cleavage, and post-translational modifications (PTMs). This review is focused on the role of PTMs including monoubiquitination, sumoylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation as characterized and putative regulative factors of DUB function. Although this aspect of DUB functionality has not been yet thoroughly studied, PTMs represent a versatile and reversible method of controlling the role of DUBs in biological processes. In several cases PTMs might constitute a feedback mechanism insuring proper functioning of the ubiquitin proteasome system and other DUB-related pathways.     

费氏链霉菌中子辐射诱变菌株对新霉素的生物转化

对新霉素产生菌费氏链霉菌进行中子辐射诱变和突变株筛选, 获得不产新霉素的突变株。以突变株为转化菌种, 以新霉素为底物, 对转化发酵液进行高效液相色谱分析, 研究了不同转化条件对新霉素转化的影响。结果表明, 底物浓度、底物添加时间、底物添加方式、接种量、培养基装量、转化时间、碳源、氮源、pH、温度对新霉素转化具有不同程度的影响。以转化条件优化参数进行转化大量培养, 转化液经4步离子交换层析进行分离纯化, 薄层层析检测纯化样品为单一斑点。采用薄层生物自显影对获得的4个转化产物分离样品做生物活性检测, 发现4个样品对金黄色葡萄球菌和姜青枯假单孢杆菌都具有抑制活性, 1个样品对大白菜软腐样品具有明显的抑制活性。     

Properties of Engineered Poly-3-Hydroxyalkanoates Produced in Recombinant Escherichia coli Strains

To prepare medium-chain-length poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) with altered physical properties, we generated recombinant Escherichia coli strains that synthesized PHAs with altered monomer compositions. Experiments with different substrates (fatty acids with different chain lengths) or different E. coli hosts failed to produce PHAs with altered physical properties. Therefore, we engineered a new potential PHA synthetic pathway, in which ketoacyl-coenzyme A (CoA) intermediates derived from the β-oxidation cycle are accumulated and led to the PHA polymerase precursor R-3-hydroxyalkanoates in E. coli hosts. By introducing the poly-3-hydroxybutyrate acetoacetyl-CoA reductase (PhbB) from Ralstonia eutropha and blocking the ketoacyl-CoA degradation step of the β-oxidation, the ketoacyl-CoA intermediate was accumulated and reduced to the PHA precursor. Introduction of the phbB gene not only caused significant changes in the monomer composition but also caused changes of the physical properties of the PHA, such as increase of polymer size and loss of the melting point. The present study demonstrates that pathway engineering can be a useful approach for producing PHAs with engineered physical properties.     

Tocopherol cyclase (VTE1) localization and vitamin E accumulation in chloroplast plastoglobule lipoprotein particles

Chloroplasts contain lipoprotein particles termed plastoglobules. Plastoglobules are generally believed to have little function beyond lipid storage. Here we report on the identification of plastoglobule proteins using mass spectrometry methods in Arabidopsis thaliana. We demonstrate specific plastoglobule association of members of the plastid lipid-associated proteins/fibrillin family as well as known metabolic enzymes, including the tocopherol cyclase (VTE1), a key enzyme of tocopherol (vitamin E) synthesis. Moreover, comparative analysis of chloroplast membrane fractions shows that plastoglobules are a site of vitamin E accumulation in chloroplasts. Thus, in addition to their lipid storage function, we propose that plastoglobules are metabolically active, taking part in tocopherol synthesis and likely other pathways.