Integrating Horizontal Gene Transfer and Common Descent to Depict Evolution and Contrast It with “Common Design”1

ABSTRACT. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and common descent interact in space and time. Because events of HGT co‐occur with phylogenetic evolution, it is difficult to depict evolutionary patterns graphically. Tree‐like representations of life's diversification are useful, but they ignore the significance of HGT in evolutionary history, particularly of unicellular organisms, ancestors of multicellular life. Here we integrate the reticulated‐tree model, ring of life, symbiogenesis whole‐organism model, and eliminative pattern pluralism to represent evolution. Using Entamoeba histolytica alcohol dehydrogenase 2 (EhADH2), a bifunctional enzyme in the glycolytic pathway of amoeba, we illustrate how EhADH2 could be the product of both horizontally acquired features from ancestral prokaryotes (i.e. aldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH] and alcohol dehydrogenase [ADH]), and subsequent functional integration of these enzymes into EhADH2, which is now inherited by amoeba via common descent. Natural selection has driven the evolution of EhADH2 active sites, which require specific amino acids (cysteine 252 in the ALDH domain; histidine 754 in the ADH domain), iron‐ and NAD⁺ as cofactors, and the substrates acetyl‐CoA for ALDH and acetaldehyde for ADH. Alternative views invoking “common design” (i.e. the non‐naturalistic emergence of major taxa independent from ancestry) to explain the interaction between horizontal and vertical evolution are unfounded.     

牛磺酸及微量营养素对大鼠视网膜NOS表达及cGMP含量影响的研究

目的：探讨大鼠补充一定剂量牛磺酸及微量营养素后,能否通过影响视感受器或视中枢ＮＯ合成酶（ＮＯＳ）表达及第二信使（ｃＧＭＰ）合成,影响视觉信号传导。方法：Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠随机分为三组,即对照组（正常饲料组）、实验１组（５倍需要量组）和实验２组（１０倍需要量组）,喂养３周后,每组动物再随机分为光照组和暗适应组（平均照度为３．０３ＬＸ）,以正常饲料喂养７２ｈ,大鼠活杀取样,以放射免疫方法分析ｃＧＭＰ含量     

肝包虫病的诊断现状及进展

肝包虫病是畜牧地区常见的寄生虫病,是一种人畜共患病,非牧地区偶尔也可以见到,可以通过与狗等动物密切接触直接感染,还可以通过呼吸道吸入虫卵或经消化道误食含有虫卵感染的食物或水源等方式感染使人患病,并且可以寄生于人体内各个部位,但以肝脏最为多见,严重危害人体健康和畜牧业的发展。加强肝包虫病的诊断是防控本疾病的重要措施之一,在不能排除肝包虫病的情况下,应结合病史、化验室检查、B超、CT等影像学检查、免疫学检查进行综合分析,给出明确诊断,以防止误诊、漏诊。近年来随着分子生物学以及病原学等技术的发展,为包虫病的诊断提供更多的方法和信息,本文将从肝包虫病的病史及临床表现、影像学检查、免疫学检查、分子生物学检查及病原学检查等方面对其诊断现状及进展做一综述。     

挂榜山小鲵早期胚胎发育初步观察

2005年1～2月,在Nikon体视镜下对挂榜山小鲵的早期胚胎发育过程进行了观察,对不同发育时期进行了数码拍照。根据胚胎发育的外部形态及典型特征将挂榜山小鲵早期胚胎发育过程分为21个时期。在水温6．5～10℃的条件下,受精卵历时1134h孵化出膜,初孵幼鲵全长约16．50mm。     

荷叶离褶伞子实体化学成分

本文对祁连山野生荷叶离褶伞Lyophyllum decastes子实体的化学成分和生物活性进行研究。采用硅胶色谱、高效液相色谱等多种方法进行分离纯化得到8个化合物,通过MS、NMR和电子圆二色谱 （ECD）等方法确定了化学结构,其中有4个为聚炔类化合物。化合物1作为天然产物系首次报道,其相绝对构型是通过比较ECD的方法确定。对所得聚炔类化合物应用细胞模型进行抗氧化活性（CAA）指标检测,化合物1-4均呈现一定抗氧化活性,其中化合物1的抗氧化活性最强,其EC₅₀为(24.73±6.12)μmol/L。聚炔类化合物1-4为荷叶离褶伞首次报道成分,可作为祁连山野生荷叶离褶伞HPLC-DAD化学表征参考化合物。     

微生物发酵法生产S-腺苷甲硫氨酸的研究进展

S-腺苷甲硫氨酸(S-adenosyl-l-methionine, SAM)广泛存在于生物体内,主要参与生物体内的转甲基过程、转硫过程及转氨丙基过程,具有重要的生理功能,其生产备受重视。目前SAM生产的研究主要集中于微生物发酵法,该方法与化学合成法和酶催化法相比,成本较低且更容易实现工业化生产。随着需求量的迅速增加,通过菌种改良提高SAM产量备受关注。当前SAM生产菌种改良的主要策略包括常规育种和代谢工程。本文综述了提高微生物生产SAM能力的近期研究进展并探讨了SAM生产中的瓶颈问题及解决方法,以期为进一步提高SAM产量提供思路。     

Soil inorganic carbon storage pattern in China

Soils with pedogenic carbonate cover about 30% (3.44 × 10⁶ km²) of China, mainly across its arid and semiarid regions in the Northwest. Based on the second national soil survey (1979–1992), total soil inorganic carbon (SIC) storage in China was estimated to be 53.3±6.3 PgC (1 Pg=10¹⁵ g) to the depth investigated to 2 m. Soil inorganic carbon storages were 4.6, 10.6, 11.1, and 20.8 Pg for the depth ranges of 0–0.1, 0.1–0.3, 0.3–0.5, and 0.5–1 m, respectively. Stocks for 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 m of depth accounted for 8.7%, 28.7%, 49.6%, and 88.9% of total SIC, respectively. In contrast with soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, which is highest under 500–800 mm yr⁻¹ of mean precipitation, SIC storage peaks where mean precipitation is <400 mm yr⁻¹. The amount and vertical distribution of SIC was related to climate and land cover type. Content of SIC in each incremental horizon was positively related with mean annual temperature and negatively related with mean annual precipitation, with the magnitude of SIC content across land cover types showing the following order: desert, grassland >shrubland, cropland >marsh, forest, meadow. Densities of SIC increased generally with depth in all ecosystem types with the exception of deserts and marshes where it peaked in intermediate layers (0.1–0.3 m for first and 0.3–0.5 m for latter). Being an abundant component of soil carbon stocks in China, SIC dynamics and the process involved in its accumulation or loss from soils require a better understanding.     

Experimentelle Untersuchungen anEuplotes crassus

Molecular Genetics and Genomics -     

植被格局对砒砂岩坡地降雨侵蚀的影响

为进一步研究砒砂岩区不同雨型下植被格局对坡面土壤侵蚀特征的影响,基于野外径流小区原位观测试验与景观生态学相结合的方法,通过对比分析不同坡面的植被斑块格局指数与产流产沙之间的相关关系,阐明植被格局对砒砂岩坡地降雨侵蚀的影响。结果表明:(1)该地区降雨可划分为3类,根据各植被坡面产流产沙能力,得出降雨侵蚀力表现为:雨型II(长历时、大雨量、大雨强) ＞ 雨型III(短历时、小雨量、中雨强) ＞ 雨型I(中历时、中雨量、小雨强)。降雨量和最大30min雨强与产流产沙量呈显著或极显著关系,相关系数0.695以上,是预测该区域水土流失的主要降雨因子。(2)各坡面水土保持能力与降雨类型有关,不同雨型下3种植被坡面减流减沙率分别达0.42%、20.8%以上,不同植被格局坡面减沙效益优于减流效益,3种植被坡面的减流能力为:雨型I ＞ 雨型III ＞ 雨型II。(3)3种植被坡面的径流泥沙模数由小到大依次为:均匀分布 ＜ 聚集分布 ＜ 随机分布,对比区域多年平均径流泥沙模数,3种植被坡面能够减少侵蚀达21.33%以上。(4)景观形状指数和分离度指数是影响坡面产流产沙的主要格局因子,相关系数分别达0.884和0.825以上。产流、产沙量与坡面植被斑块分离度呈显著正相关,与景观形状指数呈显著负相关。坡面产流量(Y₁)与斑块分离度(SPLIT)和景观形状指数(LSI)的关系式为Y₁=8.247SPLIT-6.605LSI+38.928,R²=0.905。以上结果表明植被斑块间的分离度越小,形状越复杂,坡面阻力增大,抗侵蚀能力越强。研究成果可为生态恢复过程中植被斑块格局的优化提供理论依据和数据支撑。