High prevalence of a point mutation in the porphobilinogen deaminase gene in Dutch patients with acute intermittent porphyria

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by a deficiency of porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD). Up to now 14 different mutations have been described. In an effort to investigate the molecular epidemiology of AIP we have undertaken a systematic study of different exons of the PBGD gene from a large number of unrelated patients. Here, exon 8 from 82 unrelated Dutch and French AIP patients was examined using single strand confirmation polymorphism analysis (SSCP) after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. A single base mutation, C to T, at position 346 of the sequence coding for PBGD was observed in 15 Dutch families but in only 1 French family. A simple PCR assay is described to facilitate the diagnosis of this common mutation at the DNA level.     

Elevated ozone decreases the multifunctionality of belowground ecosystems

Elevated tropospheric ozone (O₃) affects the allocation of biomass aboveground and belowground and influences terrestrial ecosystem functions. However, how belowground functions respond to elevated O₃ concentrations ([O₃]) remains unclear at the global scale. Here, we conducted a detailed synthesis of belowground functioning responses to elevated [O₃] by performing a meta-analysis of 2395 paired observations from 222 publications. We found that elevated [O₃] significantly reduced the primary productivity of roots by 19.8%, 16.3%, and 26.9% for crops, trees and grasses, respectively. Elevated [O₃] strongly decreased the root/shoot ratio by 11.3% for crops and by 4.9% for trees, which indicated that roots were highly sensitive to O₃. Elevated [O₃] impacted carbon and nitrogen cycling in croplands, as evidenced by decreased dissolved organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, total soil nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, microbial biomass nitrogen, and nitrification rates in association with increased nitrate nitrogen and denitrification rates. Elevated [O₃] significantly decreased fungal phospholipid fatty acids in croplands, which suggested that O₃ altered the microbial community and composition. The responses of belowground functions to elevated [O₃] were modified by experimental methods, root environments, and additional global change factors. Therefore, these factors should be considered to avoid the underestimation or overestimation of the impacts of elevated [O₃] on belowground functioning. The significant negative relationships between O₃-treated intensity and the multifunctionality index for croplands, forests, and grasslands implied that elevated [O₃] decreases belowground ecosystem multifunctionality.     

The ecosystem wilting point defines drought response and recovery of a Quercus-Carya forest

Soil and atmospheric droughts increasingly threaten plant survival and productivity around the world. Yet, conceptual gaps constrain our ability to predict ecosystem-scale drought impacts under climate change. Here, we introduce the ecosystem wilting point (Ψ_EWP), a property that integrates the drought response of an ecosystem's plant community across the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum. Specifically, Ψ_EWP defines a threshold below which the capacity of the root system to extract soil water and the ability of the leaves to maintain stomatal function are strongly diminished. We combined ecosystem flux and leaf water potential measurements to derive the Ψ_EWP of a Quercus-Carya forest from an “ecosystem pressure–volume (PV) curve,” which is analogous to the tissue-level technique. When community predawn leaf water potential (Ψ_pd) was above Ψ_EWP (=−2.0 MPa), the forest was highly responsive to environmental dynamics. When Ψ_pd fell below Ψ_EWP, the forest became insensitive to environmental variation and was a net source of carbon dioxide for nearly 2 months. Thus, Ψ_EWP is a threshold defining marked shifts in ecosystem functional state. Though there was rainfall-induced recovery of ecosystem gas exchange following soaking rains, a legacy of structural and physiological damage inhibited canopy photosynthetic capacity. Although over 16 growing seasons, only 10% of Ψ_pd observations fell below Ψ_EWP, the forest is commonly only 2–4 weeks of intense drought away from reaching Ψ_EWP, and thus highly reliant on frequent rainfall to replenish the soil water supply. We propose, based on a bottom-up analysis of root density profiles and soil moisture characteristic curves, that soil water acquisition capacity is the major determinant of Ψ_EWP, and species in an ecosystem require compatible leaf-level traits such as turgor loss point so that leaf wilting is coordinated with the inability to extract further water from the soil.     

卡介苗对枯否细胞生物特性影响的免疫细胞化学研究

卡介苗(BCG)是增强肝枯否细胞(KC)抗肝癌细胞作用的最佳免疫制剂之一。本实验是给大鼠BCG后,应用溶菌酶免疫细胞化学法显示KC,以图象分析系统测定KC的数量、分布和面积,以细胞分光光度计测定KC溶菌酶活性;分离KC体外受BCG作用后,用ELISA法测定RC的Fc受体表达。结果显示:BCG使KC数量增多一倍,尤以肝小叶周边带为显著;KC体积明显增大,细胞面积增大55.71％,周边带KC面积增大一倍上;细胞溶菌酶光密度增大64.35％;Fc受体表达增强64.82％。上述结果是BCG增强KC抗肝癌细胞作用有关细胞学机制。     

The gene coding for the α1 subunit of the skeletal dihydropyridine receptor (Cchl1a3=mdg) maps to mouse Chromosome 1 and human 1q32

Using both chromosomal in situ hybridization and molecular techniques, we report the genetic localization of the gene coding for the alpha 1 subunit of the skeletal slow Ca²⁺ current channel/DHP receptor gene (Cchl1a3) on human Chromosome (Chr) 1 (1q31–1q32 region) and on mouse Chr 1 region (F-G). On the basis of single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP-PCR) analysis in an interspecific backcross, we have determined that the Cchl1a3=mdg (muscular dysgenesis) locus is very closely linked to the myogenin (Myog) locus.     

生态梯度轴(EGA)用于林木生态遗传的研究——CA方法估算EGA(CA_1)和EGA(r~2)

应用典型相关的原理和技术,将多元地理坐标和生态因子降维成1元,研究提出2个生态梯度轴(EGA);EGA(CA_1)和EGA(r~2)。通过白榆20个种源的2个EGA估算,它们与6个环境因子平均相关系数为0.8551和0.8804,复相关系数0.9998和0.9985,很好地综合了诸环境因子在对群体7个性状分析结果,EGA能很好描述梯度变异,证明了白榆种群属于连续变异模式。     

QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF BIOECOLOGY DIFFERENTIAL SYSTEM

In this paper, the author studies the quartic bioecology differential system:Here n and q are positive constants, l、m and p are constants. The author also proves some theorems of existence and uniqueness of limit cycles of this differential system.     

环境温度影响蟾蜍卵母细胞成熟能力的机制之实验分析

长年饲养在高温(28—30℃)环境中雌性中华大蟾蜍,它们的卵母细胞可以长足,但经激素处理时,生发泡不破裂,仅显示成熟过程早期阶段的变化。值得注意的是,在孕酮刺激后的高温卵卵质中,出观了一种能诱发低温卵恢复减数分裂的物质,称作为“依赖冬眠因子的促成熟物质”(HF-MPS)。HF-MPS 与MPF 有不少相似之处,如孕酮处理后,它们在卵质中出现的时间相仿,它们的形成均不依赖于转录水平,而是依赖于翻译水平的蛋白质合成活动;但亦存在不同之处,如MPF 诱发低温卵GVBD 时程不受温度影响,而HF-MPS 在10℃环境中,诱发低温卵GVBD 的时间明显延缓;MPF 不仅能诱发低温卵GVBD,而且同样能诱发高温卵GVBD,然而,HF-MPS 只能诱发低温卵GVBD。由此表明,MPF 和HF-MPS 似乎是截然不同的两类活性蛋白质。高温卵缺少低温诱发产生的“冬眠因子”,所以不能恢复cdc 2基因的转录活动,不能实现MPF 自身催化扩增作用,不能保证孕酮处理后的卵母细胞完成正常成熟的全过程变化。足见,低温是中华大蟾蜍卵母细胞恢复减数分裂过程中的必要条件,是导致中华大蟾蜍现有区域分布的内在原因之一。