Binding of B‐cell maturation antigen to B‐cell activating factor induces survival of multiple myeloma cells by activating Akt and JNK signaling pathways

B‐cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is expressed on normal and malignant plasma cells and represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention. In this study, we characterized the mechanism underlying the protein kinase B (Akt) and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) pathways and BCMA interactions in regulating multiple myeloma (MM) cell survival. It was found that the expression levels of B cell‐activating factor (BAFF) and BCMA were increased in MM cells as compared with those in normal controls. The proliferation of U266 cells was induced by recombinant human BAFF (rhBAFF) and could also be decreased by BCMA siRNA. The expression of Bcl‐2 protein was up‐regulated, and Bax protein was down‐regulated after rhBAFF treatment, which could be reversed by BCMA siRNA. Similarly, the protein p‐JNK and p‐Akt were activated by rhBAFF and could be changed by BCMA siRNA. In addition, the BCMA mRNA and protein expression levels were decreased after treatment with Akt and JNK pathway inhibitors. These results suggest that Akt and JNK pathways are involved in the regulation of BCMA. A novel BAFF/BCMA signalling pathway in MM may be a new therapeutic target for MM. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pollen size-number trade-off and pollen-pistil relationships in Pedicularis (Orobanchaceae)

Current patterns of floral design in Pedicularis must have undergone an evolutionary process of interacting among components of floral traits, and then formed internal relationships among these traits. To detect such correlations, which may provide insight to understand flower evolution, 40 Pedicularis species representing all corolla types of the genus were studied. Results show that, interspecifically, pollen size correlates negatively with pollen number, but positively with pistil length. This suggests that plants evolve an optimal pollen size, which balances the advantages of large pollen size for gametophytic competition against the fecundity disadvantages of fewer pollen grains. In contrast to sex allocation theory, this study does not find a trade-off, but an interspecific positive correlation between pollen and ovule number. This is consistent with the hypothesis that genetic variation for resource acquisition may in part be responsible for the lack of negative correlation between male and female function.This work was supported by the State Key Basic Research and Development Plan, China (Grant No. G2000046804) to YHG. The authors would like to thank Peter K. Endress and two anonymous reviewers for providing critical comments and helpful suggestions, Qing-Feng Wang, Jing-Yuan Wang and Jin-Ming Chen for their helpful suggestions. Shi-Guo Sun, Jing Xia, and Qian Yu are thanked for their assistance in both the field work and laboratory phases of the project.     

SOME REMARKS ON CHENJIAWO FAUNA──On the First Appearance of Peking Man Fauna

I.CORRELATIONBETWEENL0ESSSECTI0NAND0XYGENIS0TOPESTAGESIntheYuanloessarea,manyscientiststhinkthatthesedimentsarecontinuousandtheclimaticrecordsareperfect.Thisdoesnotappeartobeaccurate.Sedimentationwasdiscontinuousinmanysections.Forexample,manyscientistsarguethatS2corresp0ndstooxygenisot0peStage7(Liu,l985,KuklaandAn,l989;Dingetal.,l990).lnfact,S2includesthreelayersfS2SSl,S2LLlandS2SS2.Dingetal.(l990)reportedthatthereisathickunitofloessbetweenS2SSlandS2SS2intheBaicao…     

Modulation by polyelectrolytes of canine cardiac microsomal calcium uptake and the possible relationship to phospholamban

Calcium uptake and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity in canine cardiac microsomes were found to be stimulated by heparin and various other polyanions. Prior treatment of the microsomes with the ionophores alamethicin or A23187 produced no change in the extent of stimulation of the ATPase activity by heparin yet eliminated net calcium uptake. This finding and a lack of change in the stoichiometric ratio of mol of calcium transported/mol of ATP hydrolyzed (calcium:ATP) suggest that the effect of heparin is on the calcium pump rather than on a parallel calcium efflux pathway. Certain polycationic compounds including poly-L-arginine and histone inhibited both cardiac and fast skeletal muscle microsomal calcium uptake and also produced no change in the stoichiometric ratio of calcium to ATP. Several lines of evidence indicate that the polyanionic compounds tested stimulate calcium uptake by interacting with phospholamban, the putative phosphorylatable regulator of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump, whereas polycationic compounds appear to interact with the pump. (i) Heparin stimulated calcium uptake to the same extent as protein kinase A or trypsin, whereas prior phosphorylation or tryptic cleavage of phospholamban from the membrane abolished the stimulatory effect of heparin. (ii) Calcium uptake and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity in fast skeletal muscle microsomes, which lack phospholamban, were unaffected by heparin. (iii) Purified cardiac (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity was no longer stimulated by heparin yet was still inhibited by polycationic compounds. The heparin-induced stimulation of calcium uptake was dependent on the pH and ionic strength of the heparin-containing preincubation medium, hence electrostatic interactions appear to play a significant role in heparin's stimulatory action. The data are consistent with an inhibitory role of the positively charged cytoplasmic domain of phospholamban with respect to calcium pump activity and the relief of the inhibition upon reduction in phospholamban's positive charge by phosphorylation or binding of polyanions.     

From the Schnauzenorgan to the back: Morphological comparison of mormyromast electroreceptor organs at different skin regions of Gnathonemus petersii

The nocturnally active weakly electric fish Gnathonemus petersii is known to employ active electrolocation for the detection of objects and for orientation in its environment. The fish emits pulse‐type electric signals with an electric organ and perceives these signals with more than 3,000 epidermal electroreceptor organs, the mormyromasts, which are distributed over the animal's skin surface. In this study, we measured the metric dimensions of the mormyromasts from different body regions to find structural and functional specialization of the various body parts. We focused on the two foveal regions of G. petersii, which are located at the elongated and movable chin (the Schnauzenorgan; SO) and at the nasal region (NR), the skin region between the mouth and the nares. These two foveal regions were compared to the dorsal part (back) of the fish, which contains typical nonfoveal mormyromasts. While the gross anatomy of the mormyromasts from all skin regions is similar, the metric dimensions of the main substructures differed. The mormyromasts at the SO are the smallest and contain the smallest receptor cells. In addition, the number of receptor cells per organ is lowest at the SO. In contrast, at the back the biggest receptor organs with the highest amount of receptor cells per organ occur. The mormyromasts at the NR are in several respects intermediate between those from the back and the SO. However, mormyromasts at the NR are longer than those at all other skin regions, the canal leading from the receptor pore to the inner chambers were the longest and the overlaying epidermal layers are the thickest. These results show that mormyromasts and the epidermis they are embedded in at both foveal regions differ specifically from those found on the rest of the body. The morphological specializations lead to functional specialization of the two foveae. J. Morphol., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

野大豆(Glycine soja)叶绿体的光谱及其激子能量转移

野大豆叶绿体在低温(77K)时出现三条荧光发射谱带,它们来源于不同的色素蛋白复合体。 在纳秒脉冲激光激发下,捕光天线色素的相对荧光量子产额,随激光强度的增加有明显下降现象。用激子理论和动力学方程讨论和计算了激子扩散参量。指出激子转移是随机的,非相干的。     

Effect of microwave treatment on the shear bond strength of different types of commercial teeth to acrylic resin

doi:10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2009.00333.x
Effect of microwave treatment on the shear bond strength of different types of commercial teeth to acrylic resin Objective: The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of microwave treatment on the shear bond strength of commercial types of teeth to acrylic resin, when the glossy ridge laps were unmodified (groups 1 and 5), bur abraded (groups 2 and 6), bur grooved (groups 3 and 7) or etched by monomer (groups 4 and 8). Background: Controversial findings have shown that mechanical or chemical changes in ridge‐lap surface of the tooth increase or decrease the bond strength between tooth and acrylic resin, and the microwave disinfection may cause different changes on this bond strength. Materials and methods: Eighty specimens (n = 10) were made with the acrylic resin bonded to tooth glossy ridge lap, polymerised in water at 74°C for 9 h, and deflasked after flask cooling. Specimens of the groups 5, 6, 7 and 8 were individually immersed in 150 ml of water and submitted to microwave treatment in an oven at 650 W for 3 min. Control specimens (groups 1, 2, 3 and 4) were not microwave treated. Shear bond strength test was performed in an Instron machine with a cross‐speed of 1 mm/min. Collected data were submitted to anova and Tukey’s test (α = 0.05). Results: Microwave treatment decreased the shear bond strength values of the tooth/resin bond. In the microwaved and non‐microwaved procedures, mechanical retention improved the shear bond strength when compared with the control and monomer treatments. Conclusion: Shear bond strength of the tooth/resin bond was influenced by the microwave treatment and different commercial teeth association, and was lower for the Biotone tooth.     

Soil Properties,Nutrient Dynamics,and Soil Enzyme Activities Associated with Garlic Stalk Decomposition under Various Conditions

The garlic stalk is a byproduct of garlic production and normally abandoned or burned, both of which cause environmental pollution. It is therefore appropriate to determine the conditions of efficient decomposition, and equally appropriate to determine the impact of this decomposition on soil properties. In this study, the soil properties, enzyme activities and nutrient dynamics associated with the decomposition of garlic stalk at different temperatures, concentrations and durations were investigated. Stalk decomposition significantly increased the values of soil pH and electrical conductivity. In addition, total nitrogen and organic carbon concentration were significantly increased by decomposing stalks at 40°C, with a 5∶100 ratio and for 10 or 60 days. The highest activities of sucrase, urease and alkaline phosphatase in soil were detected when stalk decomposition was performed at the lowest temperature (10°C), highest concentration (5∶100), and shortest duration (10 or 20 days). The evidence presented here suggests that garlic stalk decomposition improves the quality of soil by altering the value of soil pH and electrical conductivity and by changing nutrient dynamics and soil enzyme activity, compared to the soil decomposition without garlic stalks.