北京西山侏罗纪大同锥叶蕨的研究

大同锥叶蕨Coniopteris tatungensis 是侏罗纪植物群常见的分子。由于对该植物特征认识的不同, 对其在分类上的归属有不同意见,或归入膜蕨型锥叶蕨C．hymenophylloides,或归入简单锥叶蕨C. simplex。通过对产自北京西山斋堂地区窑坡组下段的标本的深入研究,特别是用扫描电子显微镜对该 标本的孢子囊群和孢子囊的观察,确认大同锥叶蕨在锥叶蕨属的种级分类上的独立性。文中还初步讨论了其分类和地理分布。     

Analysis of variable sites between two complete South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) mitochondrial genomes

In order to investigate the mitochondrial genome of Panthera tigris amoyensis, two South China tigers (P25 and P27) were analyzed following 15 cymt-specific primer sets. The entire mtDNA sequence was found to be 16,957 bp and 17,001 bp long for P25 and P27 respectively, and this difference in length between P25 and P27 occurred in the number of tandem repeats in the RS-3 segment of the control region. The structural characteristics of complete P. t. amoyensis mitochondrial genomes were also highly similar to those of P. uncia. Additionally, the rate of point mutation was only 0.3% and a total of 59 variable sites between P25 and P27 were found. Out of the 59 variable sites, 6 were located in 6 different tRNA genes, 6 in the 2 rRNA genes, 7 in non-coding regions (one located between tRNA-Asn and tRNA-Tyr and six in the D-loop), and 40 in 10 protein-coding genes. COI held the largest amount of variable sites (9 sites) and Cytb contained the highest variable rate (0.7%) in the complete sequences. Moreover, out of the 40 variable sites located in 10 protein-coding genes, 12 sites were nonsynonymous.     

Prediction of potential drivers connecting different dysfunctional levels in lung adenocarcinoma via a protein–protein interaction network

Lung cancer is a serious disease that threatens an affected individual's life. Its pathogenesis has not yet to be fully described, thereby impeding the development of effective treatments and preventive measures. “Cancer driver” theory considers that tumor initiation can be associated with a number of specific mutations in genes called cancer driver genes. Four omics levels, namely, (1) methylation, (2) microRNA, (3) mutation, and (4) mRNA levels, are utilized to cluster cancer driver genes. In this study, the known dysfunctional genes of these four levels were used to identify novel driver genes of lung adenocarcinoma, a subtype of lung cancer. These genes could contribute to the initiation and progression of lung adenocarcinoma in at least two levels. First, random walk with restart algorithm was performed on a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network constructed with PPI information in STRING by using known dysfunctional genes as seed nodes for each level, thereby yielding four groups of possible genes. Second, these genes were further evaluated in a test strategy to exclude false positives and select the most important ones. Finally, after conducting an intersection operation in any two groups of genes, we obtained several inferred driver genes that contributed to the initiation of lung adenocarcinoma in at least two omics levels. Several genes from these groups could be confirmed according to recently published studies. The inferred genes reported in this study were also different from those described in a previous study, suggesting that they can be used as essential supplementary data for investigations on the initiation of lung adenocarcinoma. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Accelerating Precision Medicine through Genetic and Genomic Big Data Analysis edited by Yudong Cai & Tao Huang.     

含铬重组液激活部分缺失金属原子簇的钼铁蛋白的研究

棕色固氮菌（Ａｚｏｔｏｂａｃｔｅｒ ｖｉｎｅｌａｎｄｉｉ）固氮酶钼铁蛋白经邻菲口罗啉和Ｏ２ 处理后,变为部分缺失ＦｅＭｏｃｏ 和Ｐ－ｃｌｕｓｔｅｒ的失活蛋白。与由Ｋ２ＣｒＯ４、高柠檬酸铁、Ｎａ２Ｓ和二硫苏糖醇组成的重组液保温后,处理蛋白对乙炔和质子还原的活性都得以显著恢复;然而,它的吸收光谱和圆二色谱虽有明显恢复,但仍与还原钼铁蛋白有所不同。这表明,激活蛋白中也许存在功能与钼铁蛋白相似,而结构则有所差异的含铬（ＣｒＦｅ）蛋白     

Expression and purification of the catalytic domain of human vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 for inhibitor screening

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an endothelial cell-specific mitogen, can act in tumor-induced angiogenesis by binding to specific receptors on the surface of endothelial cells. One such receptor, VEGFR-2/KDR, plays a key role in VEGF-induced angiogenesis. Here, we expressed the catalytic domain of VEGFR-2 as a soluble active kinase using Bac-to-Bac expression system, and investigated correlations between VEGFR-2 activity and enzyme concentration, ATP concentration, substrate concentration and divalent cation type. We used these data to establish a convenient, effective and non-radioactive ELISA screening technique for the identification and evaluation of potential inhibitors for VEGFR-2 kinase. We screened 200 RTK target-based compounds and identified one (TKI-31) that potently inhibited VEGFR-2 kinase activity (IC50=0.596 microM). Treatment of NIH3T3/KDR cells with TKI-31 blocked VEGF-induced phosphorylation of KDR in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, TKI-31 dose-dependently suppressed HUVEC tube formation. Thus, we herein report a novel, efficient method for identifying VEGFR-2 kinase inhibitors and introduce one, TKI-31, that may prove to be a useful new angiogenesis inhibitor.     

啤酒废酵母中还原型谷胱甘肽的抽提新方法探讨

采用对羟基苯甲酸酯提取啤酒废酵母菌细胞中的谷胱甘肽（GSH）。研究表明,按菌体与破壁液比例1：2（W／V）加入0．5％的对羟基苯甲酸丙酯,30℃,pH5-pH6,搅拌3h能有效地从啤酒废酵母中提取谷胱甘肽（GSH）,溶液经离心后,上清液中谷胱甘肽（GSH）含量可达96．71mg/100mL。和现有的几种抽提方法比较,对羟基苯甲酸酯提取由于其提取含量高（96．71mg/100mL）、不需要复杂和贵重的仪器、易于放大、经济性强而明显优于其他抽提方法。     

粤北蚁狮生态学的初步研究

根据多年来对粤北蚁狮的调查和试验,研究了粤北自然界穴蚁蛉的生活史,蚁狮４种生境类型,５目数十种昆虫食物分布和坐等式的捕食方式．结果表明,在一定范围内,饲食量一定时,饲食频率增大１倍,蚁狮个体发育历期缩短２０％,３５天内幼虫结茧化蛹率提高４１．７５％．     

Attitudes in China about Crops and Foods Developed by Biotechnology

Transgenic Bt cotton has been planted in China since 1997 and, in 2009, biosafety certificates for the commercial production of Bt rice and phytase corn were issued by the Chinese government. The public attitude in China toward agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified (GM) crops and foods has received considerable attention worldwide. We investigated the attitudes of consumers, Bt cotton farmers and scientists in China regarding GM crops and foods and the factors influencing their attitudes. Data were collected using interview surveys of consumer households, farmer households and scientists. A discrete choice approach was used to elicit the purchase intentions of the respondents. Two separate probit models were developed to examine the effect of various factors on the choices of the respondents. Bt cotton farmers had a very positive attitude because Bt cotton provided them with significant economic benefits. Chinese consumers from developed regions had a higher acceptance and willingness to pay for GM foods than consumers in other regions. The positive attitude toward GM foods by the scientific community will help to promote biotechnology in China in the future. Our survey emphasized that educational efforts made by government officials, the media and scientists can facilitate the acceptance of GM technology in China. Further educational efforts will be critical for influencing consumer attitudes and decisions of government agencies in the future. More effective educational efforts by government agencies and public media concerning the scientific facts and safety of GM foods would enhance the acceptance of GM crops in China.     

云丘山地区灌木群落优势种数量关系

以68个灌木样方的重要值矩阵和2×2列联表为基础,结合实地调查,应用方差比率法、χ2检验、Pearson相关系数及Spearman秩相关系数法,对云丘山地区灌木群落的20个优势种、190个种对的关联性进行了定量研究。方差比率法结果表明,20个优势种总体间关联为显著正相关,云丘山地区的灌木群落处于较稳定的状态;χ2检验、Pearson相关系数、Spearman秩相个关系数结果表明,大部分种对的种间关联未达到显著程度,种间联结较为松散,群落结构及其种类组成将逐渐趋于完善和稳定;根据这20个优势种对环境的适应方式和主导生态因素辅助以PCA排序,可将它们划分为两种生态种组。以上结果揭示了该地区主要优势物种与环境的相互关系。     

Characterization of the carboxysomal carbonic anhydrase CsoSCA from Halothiobacillus neapolitanus

In cyanobacteria and many chemolithotrophic bacteria, the CO(2)-fixing enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) is sequestered into polyhedral protein bodies called carboxysomes. The carboxysome is believed to function as a microcompartment that enhances the catalytic efficacy of RubisCO by providing the enzyme with its substrate, CO(2), through the action of the shell protein CsoSCA, which is a novel carbonic anhydrase. In the work reported here, the biochemical properties of purified, recombinant CsoSCA were studied, and the catalytic characteristics of the carbonic anhydrase for the CO(2) hydration and bicarbonate dehydration reactions were compared with those of intact and ruptured carboxysomes. The low apparent catalytic rates measured for CsoSCA in intact carboxysomes suggest that the protein shell acts as a barrier for the CO(2) that has been produced by CsoSCA through directional dehydration of cytoplasmic bicarbonate. This CO(2) trap provides the sequestered RubisCO with ample substrate for efficient fixation and constitutes a means by which microcompartmentalization enhances the catalytic efficiency of this enzyme.