植物类胡萝卜素提取与分析技术研究进展

类胡萝卜素是所有光合生物及一些非光合原核生物和真菌合成的亲脂性天然色素, 对植物、动物和人都具有广泛的生物学作用。随着现代分析技术的快速发展, 越来越多的类胡萝卜素得以发现和利用。该文通过对植物类胡萝卜素的提取、分离纯化、含量测定和结构鉴定等方面的最新研究进展进行系统阐述, 以期为植物类胡萝卜素的有效开发利用提供技术支撑。     

Molecular mapping of quantitative trait loci for three kernel-related traits in maize using a double haploid population

Kernel size and kernel weight are important factors possibly involved in the determination of grain yield in maize, so identifying the genetic basis of kernel-related traits provides insights into the breeding of high-yield maize varieties. Kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW) and hundred kernel weight (HKW) were evaluated in three various planting conditions for the 240 field-grown double haploid (DH) lines derived from the single-cross hybrid Xianyu335. Variations in KL, KW and HKW were observed among DH lines, and all three traits showed a broad sense heritability of 76%. A total of 964 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the MaizeSNP3072 chip was utilised to create a high-density genetic map of 1546.4 cM and to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Using composite interval mapping, a total of five, seven and five QTLs have been mapped for KL, KW and HKW, respectively. qkl1-2 and qkl4-1 explained 17.8% and 14.2% of the phenotypic variation in KL, respectively, and the other three QTLs contributed 3.2–4.0%. The phenotypic variation explained (PVE) of seven QTLs responsible for KW ranged from 3.3 to 9.5%. Three QTLs for HKW, qhkw1, qhkw5 and qhkw10 each explained more than 10% of the phenotypic variation, and qhkw4 and qhkw9 accounted for 3.0% and 6.0%, respectively. Due to their detection in multiple planting environments, the loci mapped here appear to be potential targets for the improvement of maize grain yield.     

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of major intrinsic protein gene in Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L from Antarctica

Extremophiles - Major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) form channels facilitating the passive transport of water and other small polar molecules across membranes. In this study, the complete open reading...     

Uncoupling associations of risk alleles with endophenotypes and phenotypes: insights from the ApoB locus and heart‐related traits

Traditionally, genomewide association studies (GWAS) have emphasized the benefits of large samples in the analyses of age‐related traits rather than their specific properties. We adopted a realistic concept of genetic susceptibility to inherently heterogeneous, age‐related traits driven by the elusive role of evolution in their properties. We analyzed in detail the associations of rs693 and rs562338 polymorphisms representing the Apolipoprotein B locus with endophenotypes (total cholesterol [TC] and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol) and phenotypes (myocardial infarction [MI] and survival) in four large‐scale studies, which include 20 748 individuals with 2357 MI events. We showed that a strong, robust predisposition of rs693 and rs562338 to TC (β = 0.72, P = 7.7 × 10^?30 for rs693 and β = ?1.08, P = 9.8 × 10^?42 for rs562338) is not translated into a predisposition to MI and survival. The rs693_A allele influences risks of MI and mortality after MI additively with lipids. This allele shows antagonistic effects—protecting against MI risks (β = ?0.18, P = 1.1 × 10^?5) or increasing MI risks (β = 0.15, P = 2.8 × 10^?3) and mortality after MI, in different populations. Paradoxically, increased TC concentrations can be protective against MI for the rs693_A allele carriers. Our results uncouple the influences of the same alleles on endophenotypes and phenotypes despite potential causal relationships among the latter. Our strategy reveals virtually genomewide significance for the associations of rs693 with MI (P = 5.5 × 10^?8) that is contrasted with a weak estimate following the traditional, sample‐size‐centered GWAS strategy (P = 0.16) in the same sample. These results caution against the use of the traditional GWAS strategy for gaining profound insights into genetic predisposition to healthspan and lifespan.     

Age-dependent acute interference with stem and progenitor cell proliferation in the hippocampus after exposure to 1800 MHz electromagnetic radiation

To investigate the effects of exposure to an 1800 MHz electromagnetic field on cell death and cell proliferation in the developing brain, postnatal day 7 (P7) and P21 healthy Kunming mice were randomly assigned into the experimental and control groups. The experimental groups were exposed to an 1800 MHz electromagnetic field for 8 h daily for three consecutive days. The thymidine analog 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was injected intraperitoneally 1 h before each exposure session, and all animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last exposure. Cell death and proliferation markers were detected by immunohistochemistry in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Electromagnetic exposure has no influence on cell death in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in P7 and P21 mice as indicated by active caspase-3 immunostaining and Fluoro-Jade labeling. The basal cell proliferation in the hippocampus was higher in P7 than in P21 mice as indicated by the number of cells labeled with BrdU and by immunohistochemical staining for phosphor-histone H3 (PHH3) and brain lipid-binding protein (BLBP). Electromagnetic exposure stimulated DNA synthesis in P7 neural stem and progenitor cells, but reduced cell division and the total number of stem cells in the hippocampus as indicated by increased BrdU labeling and reduced PHH3 and BLBP labeling compared to P7 control mice. There were no significant changes in cell proliferation in P21 mice after exposure to the electromagnetic field. These results indicate that interference with stem cell proliferation upon short-term exposure to an 1800 MHz electromagnetic field depends on the developmental stage of the brain.     

Strong Fluorescence Enhancement with Silica-Coated Au Nanoshell Dimers

Fluorescence intensity is vital for fluorescence sensing and imaging because it determines the sensing sensitivity and imaging brightness. This study reports plasmon-enhanced fluorescence by engineering plasmonic nanostructures, that are SiO₂-coated Au nanoshell dimers with a high yield exceeding 60 %. With this elaborately designed nanostructure, we show that the thin SiO₂ shell can conveniently distance the fluorophore from the underneath metal, thereby effectively avoiding fluorescence quenching. Meanwhile, the inner Au nanoshell dimers create abundant hot spots at particle-particle junctions and enable near-infrared fluorescence enhancement. The largest fluorescence enhancement achieved is 69 times for the design with a 9 nm external SiO₂ shell, as is also confirmed by three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations. This dramatically increased fluorescence has great significance in fluorescence-based sensing and imaging.