The dietary basis for temporal partitioning: food habits of coexisting Acomys species

Two rodent species of the genus Acomys coexist on rocky terrain in the southern deserts of Israel. The common spiny mouse (A. cahirinus) is nocturnally active whereas the golden spiny mouse (A. russatus) is diurnally active. An early removal study suggested that competition accounts for this pattern of temporal partitioning: the golden spiny mouse is forced into diurnal activity by its congener. Theoretically, temporal segregation should facilitate coexistence if the shared limiting resources differ at different times (primarily among predators whose prey populations have activity rhythms), or if they are renewed within the period of the temporal segregation. We studied food preferences of the two Acomys species in a controlled cafeteria experiment in order to assess resource overlap and the potential for competition for food between the two species. We found no significant difference in food preferences between species. The dietary items preferred by both were arthropods. We also carried out a seasonal study of the percentage and identity of arthropods taken in the field by individuals of the two species. Individuals of both species took on annual average a high percentage of arthropods in their diets. Seasonal diet shifts reflect seasonal abundance of arthropods at Ein Gedi during day and night. Diurnal activity may also reduce interspecific interference competition between A. russatus and A. cahirinus. However, the strong interspecific dietary overlap in food preference, the heavy reliance on arthropods in spiny mouse diets, and the seasonal and circadian differences in arthropod consumption suggest that prey partitioning may be a viable mechanism of coexistence in this system. Received: 6 July 1998 / Accepted: 10 May 1999     

人轮状病毒NSP4蛋白的表达及其致小鼠腹泻作用的初步研究

研究人轮状病毒非结构蛋白NSP4在轮状病毒致病性中的作用.分离得到我国人轮状病毒97SZ8株,以谷胱甘肽S-转移酶融合蛋白的形式在大肠杆菌BL-21中表达NSP4蛋白C端86-175氨基酸并用GlutathioneSepharoseTM 4B亲和纯化.将纯化蛋白分别以0.4nmol和1.5nmol的剂量腹腔注射新生Balb/C乳鼠,记录腹泻发生和体重变化情况.当注射0.4nmol GST-NSP4T重组蛋白时,有1只小鼠发生一过性腹泻(1/6),给予1.5nmol重组蛋白时,实验组所有乳鼠都先后出现了腹泻,存在一定的剂量依赖性.本研究初步在新生小鼠建立了一种人轮状病毒腹泻动物模型,该模型有望在人轮状病毒的致腹泻机理、治疗和预防研究中发挥重要作用.     

B型流感病毒B/Guangxi-Jiangzhou/1352/2018毒株的遗传进化及其对小鼠的致病性分析北大核心CSCD

B型流感病毒(influenza B virus,IBV)比A型流感病毒(influenza A virus,IAV)更易引发并发症,在一定季节内造成的疾病负担甚至超过IAV,但目前人们对IBV的关注较少。为了分析IBV临床毒株B/Guangxi-Jiangzhou/1352/2018的遗传进化特点,本研究构建了系统进化树,并以世界卫生组织推荐的疫苗株为参考,对其血凝素(hemagglutinin,HA)和神经氨酸酶(neuraminidase,NA)进行了氨基酸序列同源性及突变位点分析。分析结果发现B/Guangxi-Jiangzhou/1352/2018毒株无谱系间重配现象,与同年疫苗株B/Colorado/06/2017匹配性较差。另外,测定了B/Guangxi-Jiangzhou/1352/2018毒株感染小鼠的半数致死量(median lethal dose,LD_(50))及其对小鼠的致病性。结果表明,B/Guangxi-Jiangzhou/1352/2018毒株感染小鼠的LD_(50)为10^(5.9) TCID_(50)(median tissue culture infective dose),小鼠肺脏中病毒滴度在感染后1 d达到高峰,炎性细胞因子的mRNA水平在感染后12 h达到高峰,且感染后肺脏中的肺泡损伤严重,有大量炎性细胞浸润。本研究证明了IBV临床毒株B/Guangxi-Jiangzhou/1352/2018可以感染小鼠并诱发典型的肺脏炎症,为研究IBV致病及传播机制奠定了基础,为评价新型流感疫苗、抗病毒和抗炎症药物提供了理想的动物模型。     

Seasonal thermogenic acclimation of diurnally and nocturnally active desert spiny mice

Diurnally active golden spiny mice (Acomys russatus) and nocturnal common spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus) coexist in hot rocky deserts of Israel. Diurnal and nocturnal activities expose these species to different climatic conditions. Nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) capacity of individuals of both species immediately upon removal from the field exhibited seasonal changes, with no significant interspecific difference. Colony-reared mice of either species transferred in the laboratory from long to short photoperiod increased NST capacity, though to a lesser extent than observed in the seasonal acclimatization. The underlying biochemical mechanisms of short photoperiod acclimation differed between the species. In both Cytochrome-c oxidase (Cox) activity was higher in short as compared to long photoperiod. In short-photoperiod-acclimated A. cahirinus uncoupling protein (UCP) content in brown adipose tissue (BAT) was significantly higher than in long photoperiod, while in A. russatus there was no significant change. In A. russatus there was a significant increase in lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in BAT in short-photoperiod-acclimated individuals, while in A. cahirinus LPL activity was high under both acclimations. The low LPL activity in brown adipose tissue of desert-adapted A. russatus may facilitate lipid uptake in white adipose tissue, an advantage in desert conditions where food is scarce and irregularly distributed in space and time.     

Are the polarization colors of Picrosirius red-stained collagen determined only by the diameter of the fibers?

Summary Polarization colors of various purified collagens were studied in fibers of similar thickness. Three different soluble collagens of type I, insoluble collagen type I, lathyritic collagen type I, two p-N-collagens type I, pepsin extract collagen type II, two soluble collagens type III, p-N-collagen type III, and soluble collagen type V were submitted to a routine histopathologic procedure of fixation, preparation of 5-m-thick sections, staining with Picrosirius red and examination under crossed polars. Polarization colors were determined for thin fibers (0.8 m or less) and thick fibers, (1.6–2.4 m). Most thin fibers of collagens and p-N-collagens showed green to yellowish-green polarization collors with no marked differences between the various samples. Thick fibers of all p-N-collagens, lathyritic and normal 0.15 M NaCl-soluble collagens showed green to greenish-yellow polarization colors, while in all other collagens, polarization colors of longer wavelengths (from yellowish-orange to red) were observed. These data suggested that fiber thickness was not the only factor involved in determining the polarization colors of Picrosirius red-stained collagens. Tightly packed and presumably, better aligned collagen molecules showed polarization colors of longer wavelengths. Thus, packing of collagen molecules and not only fiber thickness plays a role in the pattern of polarization colors of Picrosirius red-stained collagens.     

Involvement of facultative apomixis in inheritance of EPSPS gene amplification in glyphosate-resistant Amaranthus palmeri

The inheritance of glyphosate resistance in two Amaranthus palmeri populations (R1 and R2) was examined in reciprocal crosses (RC) and second reciprocal crosses (2RC) between glyphosate-resistant (R) and -susceptible (S) parents of this dioecious species. R populations and Female-R × Male-S crosses contain higher 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene copy numbers than the S population. EPSPS expression, EPSPS enzyme activity, EPSPS protein quantity, and level of resistance to glyphosate correlated positively with genomic EPSPS relative copy number. Transfer of resistance was more influenced by the female than the male parent in spite of the fact that the multiple copies of EPSPS are amplified in the nuclear genome. This led us to hypothesize that this perplexing pattern of inheritance may result from apomictic seed production in A. palmeri. We confirmed that reproductively isolated R and S female plants produced seeds, indicating that A. palmeri can produce seeds both sexually and apomictically (facultative apomixis). This apomictic trait accounts for the low copy number inheritance in the Female-S × Male-R offsprings. Apomixis may also enhance the stability of the glyphosate resistance trait in the R populations in the absence of reproductive partners.     

2013～2014年度中国H3N2亚型流感病毒病原学特征分析

为分析2013~2014流感监测年度中国大陆地区H3N2亚型流感病毒的抗原性和基因变异情况,本文选择了本监测年度中国分离的H3N2亚型流感病毒,利用标准雪貂抗血清进行抗原性分析,利用Sanger测序法进行病毒基因测序,采用邻位相临法(Neighbor-Joining,N-J)方法进行种系进化分析,分析我国H3N2亚型流感病毒的变异情况,进一步比较其与疫苗株的匹配性。抗原分析显示,本监测年度H3N2亚型流感病毒大部分为疫苗株A/Victoria/361/2011细胞株的类似株(99.6%),但以A/Texas/50/2012鸡胚株为参考抗原,只有15.1%为类似株,仅有11.9%与中国流行株的鸡胚分离株A/Shanghai-Changning/1507/2012抗原性类似。HA基因特性分析显示我国毒株均位于同一大分支,NA基因没有发现与耐药性相关的氨基酸位点突变。总之,2013~2014流感监测年度我国H3N2亚型流感病毒在流行过程中未发生明显变异,但病毒在鸡胚中传代会导致关键氨基酸位点变异。应及时分析并发现我国病毒的抗原性和基因特性变异情况,推选出更适合我国的疫苗株。     

同工酶与桑品种遗传变异的关系

通过以冬芽为材料,对７６８１桑进行过氧化物酶,细胞色素氧化酶酶谱分析,结果表明７６８１桑是亲本体细胞融合的真杂种;