Top-down modulations from dorsal stream in lexical recognition: an effective connectivity FMRI study

Both the ventral and dorsal visual streams in the human brain are known to be involved in reading. However, the interaction of these two pathways and their responses to different cognitive demands remains unclear. In this study, activation of neural pathways during Chinese character reading was acquired by using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique. Visual-spatial analysis (mediated by the dorsal pathway) was disassociated from lexical recognition (mediated by the ventral pathway) via a spatial-based lexical decision task and effective connectivity analysis. Connectivity results revealed that, during spatial processing, the left superior parietal lobule (SPL) positively modulated the left fusiform gyrus (FG), while during lexical processing, the left SPL received positive modulatory input from the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and sent negative modulatory output to the left FG. These findings suggest that the dorsal stream is highly involved in lexical recognition and acts as a top-down modulator for lexical processing.     

Two mutations in LDLR gene were found in two Chinese families with familial hypercholesterolemia

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) (OMIM 143890) is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease mainly caused by mutations of the gene encoding the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and Apolipoprotein (Apo) B. First the common mutation R3500Q in ApoB gene was determined using PCR/RFLP method. Then the LDLR gene was screened for mutations using Touch-down PCR, SSCP and sequencing techniques. Furthermore, the secondary structure of the LDLR protein was predicted with ANTHEPROT5.0. The R3500Q mutation was absent in these two families. A heterozygous p.W483X mutation of LDLR gene was identified in family A which caused a premature stop codon, while a homozygous mutation p.A627T was found in family B. The predicted secondary structures of the mutant LDLR were altered. We identified two known mutations (p.W483X, p.A627T) of the LDLR gene in two Chinese FH families respectively.     

湖北地区宫颈癌组织中人乳头瘤病毒16型E7基因的分离、克隆和序列分析

采用加端聚合酶链反应技术,从湖北地区一宫颈癌患者癌组织ＤＮＡ中分离出人乳头瘤病毒１６型（ＨＰＶ１６）Ｅ７基因,并在ｐＵＣ１８载体中克隆。经限制性核酸内切酶分析和ＤＮＡ序列分析,确认了含ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ７重组克隆质粒,命名ｐＨＰＶ１６Ｅ７─ＨＢ。ＤＮＡ序列分析表明,ＨＰＶ１６Ｅ７─ＨＢ基因全长２９４ｂｐ（与报道的标准株基因长度相同）,但其核苷酸顺序中有两处发生了Ｃ→Ｔ突变,即第４３位密码子ＣＡＡ变为ＴＡＡ,第７６位ＣＧＴ变为ＴＧＴ;前者使谷氨酰胺密码子变为终止密码,即无义奕变（ｎｏｎｓｅｎｓｅｍｕｔａｔｉｏｎ）。这种突变发生在２９４个碱基的ＤＮＡ扩增产物之中,不像是ＰＣＲ本身的错配,而很可能是湖北株与标准株之间的结构差异。     

中国距水虻属四新种(双翅目,水虻科)(英文)

记述我国距水虻属Allognosta 4新种,基黑距水虻A.basinigra sp.nov.,彩旗距水虻A.caiqiana sp.nov.,大龙潭距水虻A.dalongtana sp.nov.,梁氏距水虻A.liangi sp.nov.。模式标本保存在中国农业大学昆虫博物馆。     

DNA methylation changes in photoperiod-thermo-sensitive male sterile rice PA64S under two different conditions

Epigenetic modification can occur at a high frequency in crop plants and might generate phenotypic variation without changes in DNA sequences. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that may contribute to environmentally-induced phenotypic variations by regulating gene expression. Rice Photoperiod-Thermo-Sensitive Genic Male Sterile (PTGMS) lines can transform from sterility to fertility under lower temperatures and short-day (SD) conditions during anther development. So far, little is known about the DNA methylation variation of PTGMS throughout the genome in rice. In this study, we investigated DNA cytosine methylation alterations in the young panicles of PTGMS line PA64S under two different conditions using methylation sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) method. Compared with the DNA methylation level of PA64S under lower temperatures and SD conditions (fertility), higher methylation was observed in PA64S (sterility). The sequences of 25 differentially amplified fragments were successfully obtained and annotated. Three methylated fragments, which are homologous to D2, NAD7 and psaA, were confirmed by bisulfite sequencing and their expression levels were also evaluated by qPCR. Real time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that five of the six selected methylated genes were downregulated in PA64S (sterility). These results suggested that DNA methylation may be involved in the sterility–fertility transition of PA64S under two different environmental conditions.     

Cyanidin-3-glucoside, a natural product derived from blackberry, exhibits chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity

Epidemiological data suggest that consumption of fruits and vegetables has been associated with a lower incidence of cancer. Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), a compound found in blackberry and other food products, was shown to possess chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity in the present study. In cultured JB6 cells, C3G was able to scavenge ultraviolet B-induced *OH and O2-* radicals. In vivo studies indicated that C3G treatment decreased the number of non-malignant and malignant skin tumors per mouse induced by 12-O-tetradecanolyphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-initiated mouse skin. Pretreatment of JB6 cells with C3G inhibited UVB- and TPA-induced transactivation of NF-kappaB and AP-1 and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. These inhibitory effects appear to be mediated through the inhibition of MAPK activity. C3G also blocked TPA-induced neoplastic transformation in JB6 cells. In addition, C3G inhibited proliferation of a human lung carcinoma cell line, A549. Animal studies showed that C3G reduced the size of A549 tumor xenograft growth and significantly inhibited metastasis in nude mice. Mechanistic studies indicated that C3G inhibited migration and invasion of A549 tumor cells. These finding demonstrate for the first time that a purified compound of anthocyanin inhibits tumor promoter-induced carcinogenesis and tumor metastasis in vivo.     

The role of the ubiquitin proteasome system in synapse remodeling and neurodegenerative diseases

The ubiquitin proteasome system is a potent regulatory mechanism used to control protein stability in numerous cellular processes, including neural development. Many neurodegenerative diseases are featured by the accumulation of UPS-associated proteins, suggesting the UPS dysfunction may be crucial for pathogenesis. Recent experiments have highlighted the UPS as a key player during synaptic development. Here we summarize recent discoveries centered on the role of the UPS in synapse remodeling and draw attention to the potential link between the synaptic UPS dysfunction and the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases.