Growth hormone receptor is a target for presenilin-dependent gamma-secretase cleavage

Growth hormone receptor (GHR) is a cytokine receptor superfamily member that binds growth hormone (GH) via its extracellular domain and signals via interaction of its cytoplasmic domain with JAK2 and other signaling molecules. GHR is a target for inducible metalloprotease-mediated cleavage in its perimembranous extracellular domain, a process that liberates the extracellular domain as the soluble GH-binding protein and leaves behind a cell-associated GHR remnant protein containing the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. GHR metalloproteolysis can be catalyzed by tumor necrosis factor-alpha-converting enzyme (ADAM-17) and is associated with down-modulation of GH signaling. We now study the fate of the GHR remnant protein. By anti-GHR cytoplasmic domain immunoblotting, we observed that the remnant induced in response to phorbol ester or platelet-derived growth factor has a reliable pattern of appearance and disappearance in both mouse preadipocytes endogenously expressing GHR and transfected fibroblasts expressing rabbit GHR. Lactacystin, a specific proteasome inhibitor, did not appreciably change the time course of remnant appearance or clearance but allowed detection of the GHR stub, a receptor fragment slightly smaller than the remnant but containing the C terminus of the remnant (receptor cytoplasmic domain). In contrast, MG132, another (less specific) proteasome inhibitor, strongly inhibited remnant clearance and prevented stub appearance. Inhibitors of gamma-secretase, an aspartyl protease, also prevented the appearance of the stub, even in the presence of lactacystin, and concomitantly inhibited remnant clearance in the same fashion as MG132. In addition, mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from presenilin 1 and 2 (PS1/2) knockouts recapitulated the gamma-secretase inhibitor studies, as compared with their littermate controls (PS1/2 wild type). Confocal microscopy indicated that the GHR cytoplasmic domain became localized to the nucleus in a fashion dependent on PS1/2 activity. These data indicate that the GHR is subject to sequential proteolysis by metalloprotease and gamma-secretase activities and may suggest GH-independent roles for the GHR.     

不同性别类型黄瓜ACC合酶基因的单核苷酸多态性标记和酶切扩增长度多态性标记

黄瓜的性别分化与乙烯密切相关,1-氨基环丙烷-1-羧酸(ACC)合酶是乙烯生物合成过程中的关键酶.根据ACC合酶基因家族的保守序列设计PCR引物,从8个不同性别类型(雌雄同株、强雌性和全雌性)黄瓜品种中克隆了长度为1188bp的ACC合酶基因(CS-ACS2)片段(GenBank登记号为:DQ115884～DQ115886和DQ115875～DQ115879).经测序分析,3个雌雄同株性别类型品种的序列完全相同.与之相比,5个强雌性和全雌性品种中存在8个单核苷酸多态性(SNPs)标记,SNPs标记为4个A←→G和4个T←→C之间的转换.在8个SNPs中,有1个SNP位于内含子区域,其余7个SNPs都位于外显子区域.在7个位于外显子区域的SNPs中,有3个为非编码区的SNPs,4个为cSNPs.而在4个cSNPs中,有3个导致了编码的氨基酸序列改变.研究结果表明,与雌雄同株性别类型相比,雌性系中均存在单核苷酸的变异,这提示ACC合酶基因CS-ACS2的单核苷酸变异可能与黄瓜雌性系的发生形成有关.另一方面,根据SNP多态性还发展了一个酶切扩增长度多态性(CAPS)标记C-MT700.利用CAPS标记C-MT700能将强雌性优良品种MT-705与其他黄瓜品种相区别,该标记在黄瓜育种生产上具有一定的应用价值.此外,研究获得的SNPs标记和CAPS标记丰富了黄瓜的分子标记种类.     

促炎基因ALOX5AP基因多态性与脑卒中的相关性研究

白三烯是作用较强的促炎症因子,在动脉粥样硬化的发生发展中发挥着重要作用。5-脂氧合酶激活蛋白是白三烯合成的关键调控因素,通过全基因组扫描的连锁分析和关联分析发现编码5-脂氧合酶激活蛋白的基因ALOX5AP在白种人中与心肌梗塞和脑卒中的患病风险相关。然而,目前尚无关于该基因与亚洲人脑卒中患病风险的遗传学资料。本研究探讨了ALOX5AP基因多态与脑卒中及其亚型易感性的关系。采用PCR—RFLP方法,对来自7个临床中心的1713名对照和1773名脑卒中患者检测了ALOX5AP基因的4个SNPs：SG13S25、SG13S114、SG13S89和SG13S32。多元logistic回归方法校正传统危险因素后分析基因多态与脑卒中患病风险的独立相关性。结果表明,人群未发现SG13S25和SG13S32具有多态性;ALOX5AP基因多态SG13S114A等位基因频率在男性脑梗塞组显著高于对照组（33．6％VS29．2％;P=0．014）,SG13S114AA基因型增加男性脑梗塞1．62倍的发病风险（95％CI：1．1-2．35：P=0．012）。多态SG13S89G／A与脑梗塞的易感性不相关。单体型分析表明单体型频率在脑卒中患者和对照组间无显著的统计学差异。因此,本研究结果提示ALOX5AP基因多态的等位基因和基因型频率在东、西方人群存在种族差异,SG13S114AA基因型增加中国人群男性脑梗塞的易感性。     

Long-Term Prognostic Analysis after Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery for Olfactory Neuroblastoma: A Retrospective Study of 13 Cases

ObjectivesTo summarize the characteristics and long–term outcomes of olfactory neuroblastoma through the analysis of 13 cases in single institution, with the assessment of treatment modality, prognostic factors.MethodA retrospective study of thirteen cases diagnosed as olfactory neuroblastoma and underwent combined treatments during the period 2000–2010. Statistical analysis was performed to search for prognostic factors and compared different treatment modalities.Results13 patients were enrolled in this study, including 8 male and 5 female, ranging from 15 to 69 (median 43) years old. One patient at stage A was only treated with endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES). Seven patients were treated with preoperative radiotherapy and EES, two with EES and postoperative radiotherapy, and the other three with combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The range of follow-up time varied from 23 to 116 months (median 65 months). The 5-year overall survival rate was 46.2% (6/13). To date, these thirteen patients have not suffered local recurrences while two patients had lymph node recurrences and one had distant metastasis in the bone marrow. In 13 patients, 61.5% were diagnosed as late T stage (T3/4), 69.2% late Kadish stage (C/D) and 53.8% were high Hyams grade (I/ II), which indicated poor prognosis. Related prognostic factors were the TNM stage (T stage P = 0.028, N stage P = 0.000, M stage P = 0.007), Kadish stage (P = 0.025) and treatment modality (P = 0.015).ConclusionLate stage of TNM and Kadish staging system indicated a poor prognosis. Combined treatment modality, including endoscopic endonasal surgery, achieved a better outcome than non-surgical approach.     

The contrasting role of male relatedness in different mechanisms of sexual selection in red junglefowl

In structured populations, competition for reproductive opportunities should be relaxed among related males. The few tests of this prediction often neglect the fact that sexual selection acts through multiple mechanisms, both before and after mating. We performed experiments to study the role of within‐group male relatedness across pre‐ and postcopulatory mechanisms of sexual selection in social groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, in which two related males and one unrelated male competed over females unrelated to all the males. We confirm theoretical expectations that, after controlling for male social status, competition over mating was reduced among related males. However, this effect was contrasted by other sexual selection mechanisms. First, females biased male mating in favor of the unrelated male, and might also favor his inseminations after mating. Second, males invested more—rather than fewer—sperm in postcopulatory competition with relatives. A number of factors may contribute to explain this counterintuitive pattern of sperm allocation, including trade‐offs between male investment in pre‐ versus postcopulatory competition, differences in the relative relatedness of pre‐ versus postcopulatory competitors, and female bias in sperm utilization in response to male relatedness. Collectively, these results reveal that within‐group male relatedness may have contrasting effects in different mechanisms of sexual selection.     

陇中黄土高原春小麦光谱反射特征

通过田间小区试验,测定了3个春小麦品种(高原602、陇春8139和定西24)在不同生育期和不同种植密度的光谱反射率及对应叶面积指数(LAI)和地上生物量,分析了其光谱反射的一般特征和红边参数特征以及光谱变量与LAI和地上生物量的相关性.结果表明:在整个波段内,春小麦冠层光谱表现为高原602＞陇春8139＞定西24,其叶片光谱表现为定西24＞陇春8139＞高原602;春小麦冠层光谱在可见光波段和中红外波段成熟期明显大于孕穗期,而叶片光谱在近红外波段孕穗期明显大于成熟期;随着种植密度的提高,在近红外波段冠层和叶片的光谱反射率逐渐增加;冠层光谱的红边均具有"双峰"现象,从孕穗期到成熟期,冠层红边位置呈现"蓝移"现象;LAI和地上生物量与冠层光谱变量之间存在较好的相关性.     

Dynamic effects of predators on cyclic voles: field experimentation and model extrapolation

Mechanisms generating the well-known 3-5 year cyclic fluctuations in densities of northern small rodents (voles and lemmings) have remained an ecological puzzle for decades. The hypothesis that these fluctuations are caused by delayed density-dependent impacts of predators was tested by replicated field experimentation in western Finland. We reduced densities of all main mammalian and avian predators through a 3 year vole cycle and compared vole abundances between four reduction and four control areas (each 2.5-3 km(2)). The reduction of predator densities increased the autumn density of voles fourfold in the low phase, accelerated the increase twofold, increased the autumn density of voles twofold in the peak phase, and retarded the initiation of decline of the vole cycle. Extrapolating these experimental results to their expected long-term dynamic effects through a demographic model produces changes from regular multiannual cycles to annual fluctuations with declining densities of specialist predators. This supports the findings of the field experiment and is in agreement with the predation hypothesis. We conclude that predators may indeed generate the cyclic population fluctuations of voles observed in northern Europe.     

Aberrant Expression of Osteopontin and E-Cadherin Indicates Radiation Resistance and Poor Prognosis for Patients with Cervical Carcinoma

Radiotherapy is the first-line treatment for all stages of cervical cancer, whether it is used for radical or palliative therapy. However, radioresistance of cervical cancer remains a major therapeutic problem. Consequently, we explored if E-cadherin (a marker of epithelial-mesenchymal transition) and osteopontin could predict radioresistance in patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma (LACSCC). Patients were retrospectively reviewed and 111 patients divided into two groups (radiation-resistant and radiation-sensitive groups) according to progression-free survival (PFS). In pretreated paraffin-embedded tissues, we evaluated E-cadherin and osteopontin expression using immunohistochemical staining. The percentage of patients with high osteopontin but low E-cadherin expression in the radiation-resistant group was significantly higher than those in the radiation-sensitive group (p<0.001). These patients also had a lower 5-year PFS rate (p<0.001). Our research suggests that high osteopontin but low E-cadherin expression can be considered as a negative, independent prognostic factor in patients with LACSCC ([Hazard ratios (95% CI) 6.766 (2.940, 15.572)], p<0.001).     

大豆种质资源遗传多样性研究进展

我国拥有丰富的大豆种质资源,大豆种质资源遗传多样性研究也取得了较大进展。总结了近年来大豆种质资源组成、保存、研究、利用等几方面的研究进展,讨论了大豆遗传多样性的重要性和发展方向,以期为大豆优良品种培育相关研究提供参考。