Polysaccharides derived from Balanophora polyandra significantly suppressed the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells through P53‐mediated pathway

Ovarian cancer (OC) is ranked the first among the cancers threatening women's health. It attracts tremendous attention of cancer researchers because of its extremely high mortality rate. Recent studies have indicated that traditional herbal medicines (THMs) can play a pivotal role in cancer prevention and treatment. THMs are gaining popularity as a source of anti‐cancer agents. The plant of Balanophora polyandra, which has been used as a traditional herbal medicine, has been known for exhibiting potential haemostatic, analgesic, anti‐inflammatory and anti‐cancer properties. However, few studies on inhibitory effect of B. polyandra on OC have been performed. In the present study, we found that B. polyandra polysaccharides (BPP) induced cell cycle arrest at S phase, triggered apoptosis and inhibited migration and invasion of OC cells. Furthermore, we also found that there was a potential and close relationship between BPP and P53‐mediated pathway. Overall, these findings suggest that BPP can be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of OC.     

中国县域碳汇时空格局及影响因素

以全国1300个县级行政单位作为研究对象,利用全国县域尺度土地利用数据和社会经济数据,核算了1990—2015年间中国县域碳汇总量,并结合标准差椭圆、空间自相关、冷热点分析和地理加权回归分析方法,探析中国县域碳汇的时空分异特征及影响因素,旨在为优化国土空间开发格局,实施差异化减排路径及推动生态文明建设提供参考。研究表明:(1)时空变化上,1990—2015年中国碳汇总量呈波动下降趋势,由13307.79×10⁴t下降至13198.27×10⁴t;林地为主要碳汇类型,其余碳汇类型比例结构基本不变;在空间分布上,中国县域碳汇呈现"西部>东北>南部>中部"的"西高东低"格局。(2)在空间分异和聚集上,碳汇空间分布中心向西南移动,分布范围呈收缩态势,西南地区对整体碳汇空间格局影响作用加强;1990—2015年中国县域碳汇总量的冷热点集聚程度呈现波动稳定特征,空间集聚程度呈现高值与低值聚集,高-低区域零星分布的特征。(3)从影响因素分析来看,2015年经济发展、产业结构、土地利用程度对碳汇产生影响并存在空间异质性。建议通过合理规划县域...     

Bisphenol A exposure at an environmentally relevant dose induces meiotic abnormalities in adult male rats

Whether environmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may induce reproductive disorders is still controversial but certain studies have reported that BPA may cause meiotic abnormalities in C. elegans and female mice. However, little is known about the effect of BPA on meiosis in adult males. To determine whether BPA exposure at an environmentally relevant dose could induce meiotic abnormalities in adult male rats, we exposed 9-week-old male Wistar rats to BPA by gavage at 20 μg/kg body weight (bw)/day for 60 consecutive days. We found that BPA significantly increased the proportion of stage VII seminiferous epithelium and decreased the proportion of stage VIII. Consequently, spermiation was inhibited and spermatogenesis was disrupted. Further investigation revealed that BPA exposure delayed meiosis initiation in the early meiotic stage and induced the accumulation of chromosomal abnormalities and meiotic DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the late meiotic stage. The latter event subsequently activated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related protein kinase (ATM). Our results suggest that long-term exposure to BPA may lead to continuous meiotic abnormalities and ultimately put mammalian reproductive health at risk.     

正常人与胃病患者的口腔白色念珠菌基因型的比较

目的观察并比较正常人群与胃病患者口腔携带白色念珠菌菌株ITS基因型的差异情况。方法对162例普通人群和104例有不适症状就诊的胃病患者进行口腔念珠菌的采样、培养并鉴定,对分离培养出的白色念珠菌菌株进行内含子转录间隔区(ITS)测序,并建立进化树比对分析序列同源性,分析两组人群口腔携带的白色念珠菌菌株ITS基因型及其进化分支情况。结果正常人群口腔标本检测出白色念珠菌36株(36/162,22.2%),胃病患者口腔分离培养出白色念珠菌38株(38/104,36.5%),经ITS序列检测,正常人群18个菌株和胃病患者17个菌株申请Gen Bank序列注册号,两组人群携带菌株建立的进化树呈各自集中趋势。结论胃病患者口腔念珠菌携带率高于正常人口腔念珠菌携带率。正常人与胃病患者口腔中分离到ITS基因型进化关系不同的念珠菌菌株,且基因型具有多态性。     

The Gut Bacterial Communities Associated with Lab-Raised and Field-Collected Ants of Camponotus fragilis (Formicidae: Formicinae)

Camponotus is the second largest ant genus and known to harbor the primary endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus Blochmannia. However, little is known about the effect of diet and environment changes on the gut bacterial communities of these ants. We investigated the intestinal bacterial communities in the lab-raised and field-collected ants of Camponotus fragilis which is found in the southwestern United States and northern reaches of Mexico. We determined the difference of gut bacterial composition and distribution among the crop, midgut, and hindgut of the two types of colonies. Number of bacterial species varied with the methods of detection and the source of the ants. Lab-raised ants yielded 12 and 11 species using classical microbial culture methods and small-subunit rRNA genes (16S rRNAs) polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis, respectively. Field-collected ants yielded just 4 and 1–3 species using the same methods. Most gut bacterial species from the lab-raised ants were unevenly distributed among the crop, midgut, and hindgut, and each section had its own dominant bacterial species. Acetobacter was the prominent bacteria group in crop, accounting for about 55 % of the crop clone library. Blochmannia was the dominant species in midgut, nearly reaching 90 % of the midgut clone library. Pseudomonas aeruginosa dominated the hindgut, accounting for over 98 % of the hindgut clone library. P. aeruginosa was the only species common to all three sections. A comparison between lab-raised and field-collected ants, and comparison with other species, shows that gut bacterial communities vary with local environment and diet. The bacterial species identified here were most likely commensals with little effect on their hosts or mild pathogens deleterious to colony health.     

The effect of replicate number and image analysis method on sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] cDNA microarray results

Microarray analysis makes it possible to determine the relative expression of thousands of genes simultaneously. It has gained popularity at a rapid rate, but many caveats remain. In an effort to establish reliable microarray protocols for sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.], we compared the effect of replication number and image analysis software with results obtained by quantitative rela-time PCR (Q-RT-PCR). Sweetpotato storage root development is the most economically important process in sweetpotato. In order to identify genes that may play a role in this process, RNA for microarray analysis was extracted from sweetpotato fibrous and storage roots. Four data sets, Spot4, Spot6, Finder4 and Finder6, were created using 4 or 6 replications, and the image analysis software of UCSF Spot or TIGR Spotfinder were used for spot detection and quantification. The ability of these methods to identify significant differential expression between treatments was investigated. The data sets with 6 replications were better at identifying genes with significant differential expression than the ones of 4 replications. Furthermore when using 6 replicates, UCSF Spot was superior to TIGR Spotfinder in identifying genes differentially expressed (18 out of 19) based on Q-RT-PCR. Our study shows the importance of proper replication number and image analysis for microarray studies.     

鄂西南香蒲科、黑三棱科、眼子菜科和茨藻科植物区系特征

本文在采集标本基础上,结合分析大量有关资料,讨论了鄂西南香蒲科等四科植物区系特征。结果表明:1.区系组成包括5属20种2变种1杂种。其中有1新种1新变种和3个湖北分布新记录。2.区系种类丰富,起源古老,对湖北同类区系具有代表性。3.有一定比例的特有成分(8.70%)。4.区系地理成分复杂多样,但主要具有东亚亚热带一温带分布(26.09%)和世界性分布(26.09%)的性质。5.本区四科植物区系主要与处于我国地貌第三级阶梯上的省区发生密切联系。其区系分区,在亚区的划分上与陆生种子植物相同。