银杏外种皮的双黄酮成分

从银杏外种皮的乙酸乙酯提取中分离得到６个化合物,其中５个经物理常数及光谱分析鉴定为金松双黄酮、银杏素、奶杏素、１－５’－甲氧基白果素及白果素。这些化合物均首次从银杏外种皮分离。     

戊肝病毒活性肽的选择,合成与应用

对戊型肝炎病毒（ＨＥＶ）编码蛋白序列进行了亲水性分析及二级结构预测,选择亲水性强、具有β－转角与β－折叠的区段,采用多肽固相合成法合成了ＨＥＶ基因组３个开读框架（ＯＲＦ１,ＯＲＦ２和ＯＲＦ３）中可能的抗原表位,以免疫学方法进行鉴定并选出了分别来自ＨＥＶ３个ＯＲＦ的、具有重要生物活性与应用前景的３段肽（ＥＨ１７４、ＥＨ２６５、ＥＨ３６２）。在此基础上,进行了抗ＨＥＶＥＬＩＳＡ新型检测试剂盒的实验室研究及临床试用。结果表明,所研究的戊肝抗体检测试剂盒特异性高、临床符合性好、具有可重复性,在戊肝辅助诊断及流行病学调查中具有重要意义。     

新疆呼图壁盐化草甸群落的DCA, CCA及DCCA分析

 本文应用DCA、CCA及DCCA排序技术对新疆呼图壁盐化草甸群落进行了分析。分析中选取了地下水位、粘土层出现深度、粘土层厚度、地下水pH值及地下水矿化度5个环境因子;同时为了分析空间格局对植被分异影响的大小,建立了样地空间坐标矩阵。结果表明：地下水位和地下水的pH值是引起植被分异的两个主要因素,空间格局对植被分异的影响大于环境因子对植被分异的影响。     

In vitro viability and ultrastructural changes in bovine oocytes treated with a vitrification solution

Abattoir-derived oocytes were exposed to a concentrated cryoprotectant solution (DAP213: 2 M DMSO, 1 M acetamide, 3 M propanediol, and 10% FCS in TCM199) for 1.5 or 5 min at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage or after maturation in vitro (IVM). Their viability was assessed by in vitro fertilization (IVF) and culture (IVC) to blastocysts. To investigate the effect of DAP213 on the ultrastructure, GV and IVM oocytes were processed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) before (control) or after exposure to the cryoprotectant. DAP213 induced profound ultrastructural modifications to the microvilli and mitochondria, resulted in large vesicle formation, and, most significantly, caused the premature release of the cortical granules (CG). In IVM oocytes exposed to the cryoproteclant for 5 min, exocytosis of CG into the perivitelline space was common and the IVF rate was reduced (P <.05). After exposure for 5 min, GV oocytes displayed clusters of CG comparable to controls, but after IVM-IVF, polyspermy rate was increased (P <.05). Furthermore, treated GV oocytes showed a reduced rate of cleavage and blastocyst formation and an increased percentage of oocytes exhibiting alterations in organelles, whereas the viability and ultrastructure of IVM oocytes treated for 1.5 min was not different from controls. These observations demonstrate that (1) cortical granule kinetics is one of the key elements controlling fertilizability of bovine oocytes treated with cryoprotectant, and (2) GV oocytes are more sensitive to the cryoprotectant than those that have already been matured in vitro.     

Differential effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone on central dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) has been shown to be a central mediator for most, if not all, stress-induced responses. Since stressful stimuli may decrease hypothalamic tuberoinfundibular and tuberohypophysial dopaminergic neuronal activities, we aimed to determine whether CRH is involved. Using central administration of various doses of ovine CRH (oCRH; 1, 3 and 10 µg/rat) into the lateral cerebroventricle of either male or female rats, the neurochemical changes in various parts of the central nervous system, including the hypothalamus, were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography at various times after the injection (30, 60, 120 and 240 min). The concentrations of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylethyleneglycol (MHPG), two major metabolites of dopamine and norepinephrine, respectively, in discrete brain regions were used as indices for catecholaminergic neuron activity. Plasma corticosterone levels increased significantly after all doses of oCRH and at all time points studied. oCRH also exerted significant stimulatory effects on noradrenergic neuron terminals in the frontal cortex, and on dopaminergic neuron terminals in the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamic paraventricular and periventricular nuclei, and intermediate pituitary lobe. Dopaminergic neuron terminals in the median eminence and the neural lobe of the pituitary, however, were not affected. There was no major difference in the responses between male and female rats. We conclude that CRH has a differential effect on central catecholaminergic neurons.     

A novel inhibitor of cyclin-Cdk activity detected in transforming growth factor beta-arrested epithelial cells.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a potent inhibitor of epithelial cell growth. Cyclins E and A in association with Cdk2 have been shown to play a role in the G1-to-S phase transition in mammalian cells. We have studied the effects of TGF-beta-mediated growth arrest on G1/S cyclins E and A. Inhibition of cyclin A-associated kinase by TGF-beta is primarily due to a decrease in cyclin A mRNA and protein. By contrast, while TGF-beta inhibits accumulation of cyclin E mRNA, the reduction in cyclin E protein is minimal. Instead, we find that the activation of cyclin E-associated kinase that normally accompanies the G1-to-S phase transition is inhibited. A novel inhibitor of cyclin-Cdk complexes was detected in TGF-beta-treated cell lysates. Inhibition is mediated by a heat-stable protein that targets both Cdk2 and Cdc2 kinases. In G0-arrested cells, a similar inhibitor of Cdk2 kinase was detected. These data suggest the existence of an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases induced under different conditions to mediate antiproliferative responses.     

RFLP tagging of a new semidwarfing gene in rice

A new rice semidwarfing gene which is not allelic tosd1, temporarily designated assdg, might be of use as a new source of semidwarfism in rice breeding programs. We report here the identification of a DNA marker closely linked to this gene. The DNA marker was identified by testing 120 mapped rice RFLP makers as hybridization probes for Southern analysis of a pair of nearly isogenic lines with or withoutsdg. Linkage association of the marker with the gene was verified using a F₂ population segregating for semidwarfism. RFLP analysis showed thatsdg is closely linked to a single-copy DNA clone RZ182 on chromosome 5, with a distance of 4.3 centiMorgans between them. This marker may facilitate early selection for the semidwarfing gene in rice breeding programs     

Expression of mouse metallothionein-I gene confers cadmium resistance in transgenic tobacco plants

Transgenic tobacco plants containing a mouse metallothionein-I (MT-I) gene fused to the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (CaMV 35S) promoter and nopaline synthase (nos) polyadenylation site were obtained by transforming tobacco leaf discs with an Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain carrying the chimaeric gene. Transformants were directly selected and rooted on medium containing cadmium and kanamycin. A total of 49 individual transgenic tobacco plants were regenerated. Among them 20% showed a very high expression level and their growth was unaffected by up to 200 M cadmium, whereas the growth of control plants was severely affected leaf chlorosis occurred on medium containing only 10 M cadmium. The concentration of MT-I in leaves of control and transgenic tobacco was determined with Cd/haemoglobin saturation assay, a polarographic method and western blotting. In addition, seeds from self-fertilized transgenic plants were germinated on medium containing toxic levels of cadmium and scored for tolerance/susceptibility to this heavy metal. The ratio of tolerant to susceptible plants was 3:1 indicating that the metallothionein gene is inherited as a single locus.     

Systematic classification of Asian colobines

In order to study the differentiation of Asian colobines, fourteen variables were analysed in one way, on 123 skulls, includingRhinopithecus, Presbytis, Presbytiscus, Pygathrix, andNasalis with both cluster and differentiated functions tests. Information on paleoenvironment changes in China and South-East Asia since late Tertiary have been used to examine the influences of migratory habits and the distribution range in Asian colobines. The cladogram among different Asian colobines genera was made from the results of various analysis. Some new points or revisions were suggested: 1. Following the second migratory way, ancient species of Asian colobines perhaps passed through Xizang along the northern bank of Tethis sea and Heng-Duan Shan regions, across Yunnan into Vietnam, since the ancient continent between Yunnan and Xizang was already located in on eastern bank of Tethis sea. Thus, during the evolution, Asian colobines must have had two original centres, i.e. “Sundaland” and Heng-Duan Shan Chinese regions; 2. Pygatrix possesses a lot of cranial features more similar toPresbytiscus than toRhinopithecus. The small difference from the modification combinesPygatrix with other two genera as shown by Groves (1970), but it is better to putPygatrix andPresbytiscus together as one genus; 3.Nasalis (2n=48) may be the most primitive genus within Asian colobines. Some features shared withRhinopithecus, for example body size, terrestrial activities, limb proportion etc. ...seem to be considered as a common inheritance of symlesiomorphus characters; 4.Rhinopithecus, with reference to cranioface and cranium or to its origin, is a special genus of Asian colobine. It may represent the highest level of evolutionary position within various genera (Peng et al., 1985).