橙花瑞香的繁殖特性研究

瑞香属植物具有重要的药用和观赏价值,在中国资源丰富,但自然条件下低坐果率限制了该属植物的进一步开发和利用。该研究以橙花瑞香为对象,通过对其有性繁殖及传粉特性的研究,探索其自然坐果率低的原因,内容包括花部特征的测量分析,MTT染色法测定花粉活性,联苯胺-过氧化氢法测定柱头可授性,扫描电镜观察柱头、花粉的形态,传粉者观察,通过花粉胚珠比(P/O)和人工授粉实验推测橙花瑞香的繁育系统类型。结果表明:橙花瑞香的花部结构特殊,管状小花,花药两轮,雌雄蕊分离。花开后的花粉具有活性,柱头具有可授性,扫描电镜下,柱头和花粉的结构没有发育异常,且柱头上有花粉落置。橙花瑞香的传粉者主要是夜间访花的蛾类,访花频率低。P/O及人工授粉实验表明橙花瑞香的繁育系统为专性异交。橙花瑞香的坐果率非常低,自然坐果率为1.4%,人工异花授粉为23.3%,低坐果率可能是受其开花量大、异花花粉限制、资源限制以及花部结构等因素的影响。     

Aggregation-dependent turnover of flagellar adhesion molecules in chlamydomonas gametes

Previous studies on flagellar adhesion in chlamydomonas (Snell, W. and S. Roseman. 1979. J. Biol. Chem. 254:10820-10829.) have shown that as gametes adhere to flagella isolated from gametes of the opposite mating type, the adhsiveness of the added flagella but not of the gametes is lost. The studies reported here show that the addition of protein synthesis inhibitors (cycloheximide [CH] or anisomycin) to the medium of such cell- flagella mixtures causes the cells to lose their adhesiveness. This loss, however, occurs only after the cells have interacted with 4-8 flagella/cell and does not occur if the cells are kept in CH (7 h) without aggregating. The availability of an impotent (imp) mating type plus (MT(+)) mutant (provided by U.W. Goodenough), which adheres but is unable to undergo the fusion that normally follows adhesion, made it possible to determine whether a similar loss of adhesiveness occurs in mixtures of matting type minus (mt(-)) and imp mt(+) gametes. In the absence of inhibitor, mt(-) and imp mt(+) gametes adhered to each other (without fusing) for several hours; however, in the presence of CH or anisomycin, the gametes began to de-adhere 35 min after mixing, and, by 90 min, 100 percent of the cells were single again. This effect was reversible, and the rapid turnover of cells were single again. This effect was reversible, and the rapid turnover of molecules involved in adhesion occurred only during adhesion inasmuch as gametes pretreated for 4 h with CH were able to aggregate in CH for the same length of time as nonpretreated cells aggregated in CH. By the addition of CH at various times after the mt(-) and imp mt(+) gametes were mixed, measurements were made of the “pool size” of the molecules involved in adhesion. The pool reached a minimum after 25 min of aggregation, rapidly increased for the next 25 min, and then leveled off at the premixing level. These results suggest that flagellar adhesion in chlamydomonas causes modification of surface molecules (receptors, ligands), which brings about their inactivation and stimulates their replacement.     

Morphology,ontogeny and molecular phylogeny of a new brackish water ciliate Bakuella subtropica sp. n. (Ciliophora,Hypotricha) from southern China

This paper investigates the morphology, ontogenesis and small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene-based phylogeny of a new urostylid ciliate, Bakuella subtropica sp. n., discovered from the estuary of the Pearl River in Guangzhou, southern China. The new species is diagnosed by its elongate body, one buccal and one parabuccal cirrus, midventral complex comprised of 9–23 midventral pairs and one or two midventral rows extending to four fifths of body length, yellow-brown to yellow-greenish cortical granules and an estuary habitat. Its main ontogenetic features are: (1) in the proter, the parental adoral zone of membranelles is completely renewed by new structures and old midventral pairs join the formation of frontal-midventral-transverse cirral anlagen (FVT-anlagen); (2) in the opisthe, the oral primordium originates apokinetally, FVT-anlagen are formed besides and some old midventral cirri join the formation; (3) the anlagen for marginal rows and dorsal kineties develop intrakinetally; and (4) the numerous macronuclear nodules fuse into a single mass before dividing. Based on the SSU rDNA sequences, phylogenetic analyses show a close relationship between Bakuella subtropica sp. n., Apobakuella and Neobakuella, forming a clade separated from the other genera in the family Bakuellidae. Available morphological and ontogenetic data challenge the monophyly of Bakuellidae.     

Comprehensive annotation of microRNA expression profiles

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many biological processes by post-translational gene silencing. Analysis of miRNA expression profiles is a reliable method for investigating particular biological processes due to the stability of miRNA and the development of advanced sequencing methods. However, this approach is limited by the broad specificity of miRNAs, which may target several mRNAs.

Result

In this study, we developed a method for comprehensive annotation of miRNA array or deep sequencing data for investigation of cellular biological effects. Using this method, the specific pathways and biological processes involved in Alzheimer’s disease were predicted with high correlation in four independent samples. Furthermore, this method was validated for evaluation of cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanomaterial cytotoxicity. As a result, apoptosis pathways were selected as the top pathways associated with CdTe nanoparticle exposure, which is consistent with previous studies.

Conclusions

Our findings contribute to the validation of miRNA microarray or deep sequencing results for early diagnosis of disease and evaluation of the biological safety of new materials and drugs.

     

生物技术在传统药材生产中的应用前景

生物技术在传统药材生产中的应用前景刘涤胡之璧（上海中医药大学中药生物工程研究室,上海２０００３２）我国的中药材是一个具有数千年历史的医药宝库,至今仍在中国和许多国家和地区广为使用。传统药材中,８０％为野生资源,但由于盲目挖掘,不仅使野生资源日益减少,而且严重破坏了自然界的生态平衡;人工种植又面临品质退化,农药污染和种子带病等问题。而且,人工种植的药材,活性成分的种类和数量往往因地区及气候不同...     

南极菲尔德斯半岛南部植被类型,群落物种多样性及其保护

根据群落的种类组成、外貌和结构、生态因素将菲尔德斯半岛南部(包括阿德雷岛)的植被划分为冻原、草甸、沼泽、水生植被四大类型。对下属的群系和群丛进行了描述。这些群落的形成与分布主要依赖于水分状况和基质的稳定与否。论述了从海边到内陆的山顶群落的分布规律、植被特点,并对不同群系、生境进行了群落植物的丰富度(物种数)、均匀度和多样性对比。从对比结果提出对保护工作的建议。     

Effects of cloprostenol sodium and clenbuterol HCl on reproductive performance in postpartum anestrous cows

Two experiments were conducted to study effects of cloprostenol sodium (cloprostenol) and clenbuterol HCl (clenbuterol) during postpartum anestrus on subsequent reproductive performance in cows. In Experiment I, 96 cows received either 0.5 mg cloprostenol (PGF, n = 25), 364 mg clenbuterol (CLEN, n = 24), 0.5 mg cloprostenol and 364 mg clenbuterol (CLEN+PGF, n = 21) or no treatment (Control, n = 26) on Day 20 post partum. Treatments failed to influence postpartum interval, pregnancy rate or the incidence of short estrous cycles preceding the first normal estrous cycle. In Experiment II, anestrous cows were administered cloprostenol (0.5 mg) on either Day 20 (PGF20, n = 27) or Day 35 post partum (PGF35, n = 25), or served as untreated controls (Control, n = 26). Neither postpartum interval nor pregnancy rate were affected by cloprostenol treatment. In conclusion, treatment of postpartum cows with PGF did not alter the resumption of normal estrous cycles following parturition.     

An active piggyBac-like element in Macdunnoughia crassisigna

In this paper, a highly conservedpiggyBac-like sequence, designated as McrPLE was cloned from a lepidopteran insect, Macdunnoughia crassisigna. It is 2 472 bp long in full length with a single open reading frame and encodes a 595 amino acid transposase. It shares identical terminal and sub-terminal repeats with T. ni IFP2 and is flanked by the typical TTAA target-site duplications. Alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed that McrPLE had greater than 99.5% identity and appeared to be the closest one in phylogeny to IFP2 among the PLEs so far found in various species. Plasmid-based excision and transposition assay proved it was mobile in cell culture. Otherwise, McrPLE element and all other highly conserved IFP2 sequences reported previously were found to share three common nucleotide substitutions. This suggests that the original IFP2 may be a related variant of a predecessor element that became widespread. The existence of nearly identical piggyBac sequence in reproductively isolated species was thought also a strong indication of horizontal transmission, which raises important considerations for the stability and practical use ofpiggyBac transformation vectors.     

Vitamin K supplementation in postmenopausal women with osteopenia (ECKO trial): a randomized controlled trial

Background

Vitamin K has been widely promoted as a supplement for decreasing bone loss in postmenopausal women, but the long-term benefits and potential harms are unknown. This study was conducted to determine whether daily high-dose vitamin K1 supplementation safely reduces bone loss, bone turnover, and fractures.

Methods and Findings

This single-center study was designed as a 2-y randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, extended for earlier participants for up to an additional 2 y because of interest in long-term safety and fractures. A total of 440 postmenopausal women with osteopenia were randomized to either 5 mg of vitamin K1 or placebo daily. Primary outcomes were changes in BMD at the lumbar spine and total hip at 2 y. Secondary outcomes included changes in BMD at other sites and other time points, bone turnover markers, height, fractures, adverse effects, and health-related quality of life. This study has a power of 90% to detect 3% differences in BMD between the two groups. The women in this study were vitamin D replete, with a mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 77 nmol/l at baseline. Over 2 y, BMD decreased by −1.28% and −1.22% (p = 0.84) (difference of −0.06%; 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.67% to 0.54%) at the lumbar spine and −0.69% and −0.88% (p = 0.51) (difference of 0.19%; 95% CI −0.37% to 0.75%) at the total hip in the vitamin K and placebo groups, respectively. There were no significant differences in changes in BMD at any site between the two groups over the 2- to 4-y period. Daily vitamin K1 supplementation increased serum vitamin K1 levels by 10-fold, and decreased the percentage of undercarboxylated osteocalcin and total osteocalcin levels (bone formation marker). However, C-telopeptide levels (bone resorption marker) were not significantly different between the two groups. Fewer women in the vitamin K group had clinical fractures (nine versus 20, p = 0.04) and fewer had cancers (three versus 12, p = 0.02). Vitamin K supplements were well-tolerated over the 4-y period. There were no significant differences in adverse effects or health-related quality of life between the two groups. The study was not powered to examine fractures or cancers, and their numbers were small.

Conclusions

Daily 5 mg of vitamin K1 supplementation for 2 to 4 y does not protect against age-related decline in BMD, but may protect against fractures and cancers in postmenopausal women with osteopenia. More studies are needed to further examine the effect of vitamin K on fractures and cancers. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (#{"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00150969","term_id":"NCT00150969"}}NCT00150969) and Current Controlled Trials (#ISRCTN61708241)