An ecologically mixed brachiopod fauna from Changhsingian deep-water basin of South China: consequence of end-Permian global warming

The Late Permian Shaiwa Group of the Ziyun area of Guizhou, South China is a deep-water facies succession characterized by deep-water assemblages of pelagic radiolarians, foraminifers, bivalves, ammonoids and brachiopods. Here we report 20 brachiopod species in 18 genera from the uppermost Shaiwa Group. This brachiopod fauna is latest Changhsingian in age and dominated by productides. The palaeoecologic and taphonomic analysis reveals that the brachiopod fauna is preserved in situ. The attachment modes and substratum preference demonstrate that the Shaiwa brachiopod fauna comprises admixed elements of deep-water and shallow-water assemblages. The presence of the shallow-water brachiopods in the Shaiwa faunas indicates the involuntary settlement of shallow-water brachiopods. The stressed ecologic pressure, triggered by warming surface waters, restricted ecospace and short food sources, may have forced some shallow-water elements to move to hospitable deep-water settings and others to modify their habiting behaviours and exploit new ecospace in deep-water environments. We infer that the end-Permian global warming and subsequent transgression event may have accounted for the stressed environmental pressure in the shallow-water communities prior to the end-Permian mass extinction.     

Gestation temperature affects sexual phenotype, morphology, locomotor performance, and growth of neonatal brown forest skinks, Sphenomorphus indicus

We maintained pregnant Sphenomorphus indicus under four thermal conditions for the whole gestation period to assess the effects of gestation temperature on offspring phenotypes. Parturition occurred between late June and early August, with females at high body temperatures giving birth earlier than those maintained at low body temperatures. Litter size, litter mass, and postpartum body mass did not differ among treatments, and females with relatively higher fecundity produced smaller offspring. Females gave birth to predominantly female offspring (85.7% of the 14 sexed offspring were females) at 24 °C and to predominantly male offspring (76.5% of the 17 sexed offspring were males) at 28 °C. Females with the opportunity to regulate body temperature produced a mix of sexes that did not differ from equality. Offspring produced in different treatments differed in head size, hind-limb length, and tympanum length, but not in snout-vent length, tail length, body mass, fore-limb length, and eye length. Offspring produced at 28 °C were not only smaller in head size, but also shorter in hind-limb length and tympanum length than those offspring produced at lower temperatures. Offspring produced at 28 °C performed more poorly in the racetrack and grew more slowly than offspring produced in the other three treatments. Taken together, our results show that S. indicus might be a temperature-dependent sex determination species and that offspring phenotypes are impaired at high gestation temperatures but maximized at relatively low gestation temperatures.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 88 , 453–463.     

联用SPME与GC-MS技术分析新鲜、萎蔫、干枯枫杨挥发性成分

运用SPME与GC/MS联用技术从新鲜枫杨叶挥发性物质中共检测出化合物52种,主要成分是橙花叔醇(15.54%)、吉马烯A(14.22%)、反式子丁香烯(10.19%)、7,8,9,10-四氢化-S-三氮唑(3,4-A)-呔嗪(8.59%)、十六酸(6.22%);萎蔫枫杨叶挥发性物质中共检测出化合物32种,主要成分是α-红没药烯(17.69%)、橙花叔醇(16.64%)、反式子丁香烯(14.26%)、α-桉叶烯(9.14%);干枯枫杨叶挥发性物质中共检测出化合物31种,主要成分是反式子丁香烯(23.30%)、α-红没药烯(17.75%)、α-桉叶烯(12.69%)、橙花叔醇(8.35%)、杜松烯(7.O%).随着枫杨萎蔫程度的变化,三者含有的化合物组分以及其相对含量都发生变化.本研究是首次报道枫杨的挥发性化学成分分析.     

一株Streptosporangium sp.的次生代谢产物的研究

通过对Streptosporangium sp.菌株发酵液的初步分离纯化,得到二个化合物,由波谱数据解析鉴定其结构分别为YXJE1(1),7,4′-二羟基黄酮(2)。其中化合物1是新化合物。活性实验证明化合物1,2具有一定的抑制乙酰胆碱酯酶活性。     

玉米幼苗抗氧化酶活性、脯氨酸含量变化及与其耐寒性的关系

研究了黄C（耐寒型）和Mo17（低温敏感型）两种耐寒性不同的玉米自交系幼苗在低温逆境（5 ℃,3 d）下,根、中胚轴和胚芽鞘3个部位过氧化氢酶（CAT）、过氧化物酶（POD）活性和脯氨酸（Pro）含量变化及与其耐寒性的关系.结果表明,低温期间,黄C的中胚轴、胚芽鞘相对生长率显著高于Mo17;黄C的根、中胚轴、胚芽鞘3个部位的CAT、POD活性和Pro含量变化率（其中,中胚轴分别为39.02%、-31.35%和86.86%）均高于Mo17（中胚轴变化率分别为1.86%、-48.67%和12.01%）;黄C 3个部位的质膜透性（中胚轴为22.05%）均低于Mo17（中胚轴为29.11%）.逐步回归分析表明黄C低温期间积累的干物质主要与Pro含量有关,而Mo17主要与POD活性有关,玉米幼苗中胚轴对低温反应最敏感,中胚轴Pro含量变化率与玉米耐寒性关系最密切.     

植物源调节剂对水稻的影响

植物源调节剂是利用艾蒿为主要原料,首次用提取的混合物研制成的一种植物生长调节剂,使用80mg/L的植物源调节剂混合物水溶液,分别在水稻苗期、拔节期、孕穗期叶面喷洒,清水对照。结果表明:植物源调节剂使水稻增产11.38%,千粒重增加11.45%。株干重增加了17.1%。在灌浆期连续测定表明:相对于CK,穗粒重增加10.9%,叶绿素含量提高14.41%。品质分析结果为:可溶性糖含量提高15.57%、游离氨基酸含量提高18.52%、淀粉含量提高1.59%,可溶性蛋白质降低22.17%、粗纤维降低1.95%、粗脂肪降低1.22%。该植物源调节剂对水稻的生长和产量都有显著的促进效应。     

毛乌素沙地半固定沙丘油蒿种群对土壤湿度空间异质性的响应

将统计学和地统计学方法相结合,探讨了毛乌素沙地半固定沙丘土壤湿度空间异质性与油蒿种群空间异质性之间的关系. 结果表明,在块尺度（80 m×80 m）上,油蒿密度和生物量的空间异质性受制于土壤湿度的空间异质性,尤其油蒿生物量的空间异质性与土壤湿度的空间异质性呈显著正相关关系.表明在半固定沙丘阶段,土壤湿度的空间异质性决定油蒿种群的空间异质性. 由于沙丘地形对降水量的再分配在土壤湿度分布中的作用,土壤湿度和油蒿种群空间异质性相互作用的结果为地形的缀块性→土壤湿度分布的缀块性→油蒿种群分布的缀块性→油蒿生物量和密度的缀块性.     

HBV X基因的表达及在真核细胞中对内质网压力的作用

运用PCR技术获得HBx基因,分别克隆到原核表达载体pET-his和真核表达载体pcDNA3.1(-)上。重组质粒pET-his-HBx转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)后,IPTG诱导表达,利用Ni柱纯化后的蛋白免疫家兔,获得特异性的抗-HBx兔抗血清。重组质粒pcDNA3.1(-)-HBx分别转染HepG2和Hep3B细胞系后,经RT-PCR和Westernblot检测,证明HBx可以在这两种细胞系中表达。通过报告基因的表达研究了HBx对XBP1和GRP78启动子的激活活性,结果表明瞬时转染HBx的细胞系中,XBP1和GRP78启动子介导的荧光素酶活性比相应的对照细胞增加了3～7倍。通过RT-PCR分析证明,转染了HBx的细胞中XBP1mRNA发生了剪切。因此,可以初步推断HBx在HepG2和Hep3B细胞中的表达可以引起内质网压力反应,为进一步阐明HBx表达对内质网的影响和肝脏病原发生机制奠定了基础。     

小飞蓬提取物除草活性的生物测定

以高粱(Sorghum vulgarePers.)、黄瓜(Cucum is sativusL.)、小麦(Triticum aestivumL.)和油菜(BrassicacampestrisL.)为供试对象,用种子萌发法测定了小飞蓬(Erigeron canadensisL.)全株的石油醚、乙酸乙酯和乙醇等3种溶剂提取物的除草活性。小飞蓬的乙酸乙酯与乙醇提取物对4种供试作物均显示出很强的抑制生长作用,浓度达100 mg.mL-1时对小麦和油菜幼苗生长的抑制率均为100%。小飞蓬乙酸乙酯提取物对高粱和油菜的幼根及黄瓜和油菜幼茎的生长有明显的抑制作用。低浓度乙醇提取物对小麦和高粱幼根及幼茎的生长有较强抑制作用,但高浓度时则对黄瓜和油菜的抑制作用较强;6.25 mg.mL-1乙醇提取物对黄瓜、油菜、小麦和高粱幼茎生长的抑制率分别为6.50%、8.58%、21.51%和26.98%;25 mg.mL-1乙醇提取物的抑制率则分别达到61.31%、77.45%、39.78%和46.34%。表明小飞蓬乙酸乙酯和乙醇提取物具有潜在的除草活性。     

NKT细胞在抗肿瘤免疫中的作用及其机制

NKT细胞是免疫细胞中一类具有NK细胞特定标志的T细胞亚群,经活化,既可直接作为抗肿瘤效应细胞发挥杀伤作用,又能通过激活其他免疫效应细胞,如NK细胞,间接实现抗肿瘤作用。NKT细胞在抗肿瘤免疫、获得性免疫应答及免疫调节中起着重要作用。