40种蕨类植物matK基因的系统分类及分子进化研究

采用“放松分子钟”模型、氨基酸位点正选择模型和分子内共进化网络估算方法,对蕨类植物Ⅱ型内含子成熟酶蛋白K(Maturase K,MATK)编码基因matK的进化趋势进行研究。结果显示:matK基因在蕨类植物系统学研究中具有一定的应用价值,与rbcL基因和psaA基因联合后能显著提升系统发育树的可信度;蕨类植物MATK蛋白中存在少数曾经历正选择的位点;MATK蛋白内部有多对氨基酸位点共同构成共进化网络。在被子植物兴起环境改变后,MATK蛋白部分位点发生适应性进化,通过位点间共进化网络协同作用方式提升蕨类植物对新光合环境的适应能力。     

Selenium nanovirus and its cytotoxicity in selenite-exposed higher living organisms

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient in living organisms, having a narrow margin between essential and potentially toxic intake/exposure. Thus, the biochemistry of Se in living organisms must be studied in-depth to determine the underlying mechanism of Se cytotoxicity. In this study, we report the emergence of selenium nanovirus (SeNVs) in selenite-exposed fish (freshwater and saltwater) and plants (dryland) and its toxicity in them. SeNVs were found in both the abdomen and tail of Oryzias melastigma and saltwater Rhodeus ocellatus, which led to their death. The occurrence of the intracellular assembly of SeNVs was observed in the roots and leaves of corn Zea mays, but not in those of Limnobium laevigatum. SeNVs led to the death of Z. mays but caused chronic toxicity in L. laevigatum. SeNVs should be a system or structure that dissipates the intracellular redox gradients of the host cells, with simple information consisting Se–O, Se–N, or Se–S bond, that would ensure elemental Se ligand binding with nearly specific biomolecules in host cells, thereby maintaining their composition and stabilizing their structure. The multiple toxic effects of Se, therefore, could be the consequence of increase of entropy in the host cells caused by the intracellular assembly of SeNVs. This study may provide an insight into the underlying mechanism of Se in environmental toxicology and its applications in human health.     

Transcriptomic analyses reveal potential mechanisms of premature senescence in hexaploid Populus

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - The important role of polyploidy in plant evolution is widely recognized. However, many questions concerning how polyploidy affects the plant...     

Ecological and acoustic responses of bush crickets to anthropogenic and natural ecotones

Biodiversity and Conservation - Ecotones occur naturally throughout complex landscapes. Each ecotone has particular ecological conditions resulting in species-specific responses. Across...     

凝胶电泳微流控芯片提取外泌体及对人血浆外泌体中miRNA-21的测定

为了开发一种用于人体血浆中外泌体的高效快速提取和分离的新型微流控芯片,文中收集健康人体外周血液样本,自主设计并制备基于纳米多孔薄膜和琼脂糖凝胶电泳的微流芯片。提取的外泌体使用透射电镜、Nanosight和Western blotting等技术进行表征,鉴定并分析其形态、浓度和粒径分布。同时将超速离心法和微流芯片所提取的外泌体进行粒径和浓度的分析比较,探讨两种方法各自的提取效率。最后,利用RT-PCR技术分析外泌体中miRNA-21的相对表达量。凝胶电泳微流芯片可在1 h内快速的从血浆中高效率地提取出纯度高、大小完整、尺寸分布在30–200 nm之间的外泌体,满足后续下游分析的要求。通过与现有最普遍的超速离心法进行对比分析,当血浆样本量小于100μL时,凝胶电泳微流芯片提取外泌体的效率为超速离心法的3.80倍。凝胶电泳微流芯片提取外泌体的优化参数是:电场电压:100 V;琼脂糖凝胶浓度:1.0%;注射泵流速:0.1 mL/h。凝胶电泳微流芯片可快速高效地提取出外泌体,对外泌体与癌症生物标记物的相关研究具有潜在的巨大优势,也为基于外泌体的即时诊断技术提供了可能。     

2021-01期目录

为研究团头鲂(Megalobrama amblycephala) 5-甲基胞嘧啶(5-methylcytosine, 5mC)羟基化酶TET1(Ten eleven translocation 1)基因的功能及其表达特性, 采用整胚原位杂交、qRT-PCR技术进行了胚胎、组织表达分析及其在急性低氧胁迫下的基因响应研究。序列分析结果表明, 团头鲂TET1基因全长为5526 bp, 编码1841个氨基酸。qRT-PCR结果表明, 团头鲂TET1广泛表达于各个组织中, 并在脑组织中高度表达。在胚胎发育过程中, TET1基因从受精卵开始就有表达, 并在受精后20—44h (20—44 hpf)都维持在一个较高水平。原位杂交结果表明, TET1基因在12 hpf信号相对微弱, 在24和36 hpf信号逐渐增强, 并且都集中在头部表达。通过qRT-PCR检测急性缺氧处理TET1的表达量, 结果表明, TET1基因在鳃和脾等组织中表达显著升高(P<0.01), 在脑、皮肤、眼和肾脏中表达显著降低(P<0.01)。在胚胎中, TET1基因相对表达量明显高于对照组, 尤其在24 hpf低氧处理组的表达量显著地高于对照组(P<0.001)。结果表明TET1基因在低氧应答反应中发挥着重要的作用。该研究结果为TET1基因在低氧响应及功能的保守与分化方面提供了新的视角。     

Potential Applications in Sewage Bioremediation of the Highly Efficient Pyridine-Transforming Paenochrobactrum sp.

Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology - A pyridine-transforming strain P2 was isolated from sewage collected from Guangzhou oil stain field(China).According to the system analysis, it was...     

Angular Precision of Radical Pair Compass Magnetoreceptors

The light-dependent magnetic compass sense of night-migratory songbirds is thought to rely on magnetically sensitive chemical reactions of radical pairs in cryptochrome proteins located in the birds’ eyes. Recently, an information theory approach was developed that provides a strict lower bound on the precision with which a bird could estimate its head direction using only geomagnetic cues and a cryptochrome-based radical pair sensor. By means of this lower bound, we show here how the performance of the compass sense could be optimized by adjusting the orientation of cryptochrome molecules within photoreceptor cells, the distribution of cells around the retina, and the effects of the geomagnetic field on the photochemistry of the radical pair.