成年野生黄山短尾猴的个性特征类型及其性别差异

社会性动物的个性特征是对环境和社群的适应性结果,对个性的研究是探究群居动物复杂社会关系及其差异的重要内容。相对于个性特征评级法和行为编码法,自然观察法是分析判断野生动物个性特征较为理想的方法之一,最大限度地突出了野生动物的自然属性及个性特征类型。本研究以栖息于安徽黄山的野生短尾猴投食群体鱼鳞坑A1群为研究对象,采用目标动物取样法和全事件记录法,于2015年7月至2016年6月期间采集成年个体自然发生的行为数据,并采用主成分分析方法判断成年个体的个性特征及类型,并分析性别差异。结果表明：成年雄性个体具有5种个性特征,即领导型、内向型、社交型、孤僻型以及受欺凌型,成年雌性个体具有6种个性特征,即领导型、孤僻型、内向型、不安型、神经质型以及友好型。研究结果与已有结果一致,说明自然观察法可能是分析野生动物个性类型的较好 选择,同时,不同性别之间个性类型的差异性进一步显示了野生动物自然属性。本研究为深入理解动物个体水平上的差异性及适应性提供了科学依据。     

Application of a novel thermostable NAD(P)H oxidase from hyperthermophilic archaeon for the regeneration of both NAD⁺ and NADP⁺

A novel thermostable NAD(P)H oxidase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 (TkNOX) catalyzes oxidation of NADH and NADPH with oxygen from atmospheric air as an electron acceptor. Although the optimal temperature of TkNOX is >90°C, it also shows activity at 30°C. This enzyme was used for the regeneration of both NADP(+) and NAD(+) in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-catalyzed enantioselective oxidation of racemic 1-phenylethanol. NADP(+) regeneration at 30°C was performed by TkNOX coupled with (R)-specific ADH from Lactobacillus kefir, resulting in successful acquisition of optically pure (S)-1-phenylethanol. The use of TkNOX with moderately thermostable (S)-specific ADH from Rhodococcus erythropolis enabled us to operate the enantioselective bioconversion accompanying NAD(+) regeneration at high temperatures. Optically pure (R)-1-phenylethanol was successfully obtained by this system after a shorter reaction time at 45-60°C than that at 30°C, demonstrating an advantage of the combination of thermostable enzymes. The ability of TkNOX to oxidize both NADH and NADPH with remarkable thermostability renders this enzyme a versatile tool for regeneration of the oxidized nicotinamide cofactors without the need for extra substrates other than dissolved oxygen from air.     

MicroRNA-30a sensitizes tumor cells to cis-platinum via suppressing beclin 1-mediated autophagy

Autophagy is activated in cancer cells during chemotherapy and often contributes to tumor chemotherapy resistance. In this study, we characterized the role of microRNA-30a (miR-30a) in the coordination of cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy, which determines the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy. First, the autophagy activity in cancer cells increased after cis-dichloro-diamine platinum (cis-DDP) or Taxol treatment, as indicated by the enhanced expression of beclin 1, a key regulator of autophagy, and increased number of LC3-positive autophagosomes. Second, miRNA screening using a TaqMan probe-based quantitative RT-PCR assay identified that miR-30a, a miRNA that targets beclin 1, was significantly reduced in tumor cells by cis-DDP treatment. Forced expression of miR-30a significantly reduced beclin 1 and the autophagy activity of tumor cells induced by cis-DDP. Third, the blockade of tumor cell autophagy activity by miR-30a expression or 3-methyladenine significantly increased tumor cell apoptosis induced by cis-DDP treatment. Finally, an in vivo tumor implantation mouse model clearly showed that elevation of miR-30a in implanted tumor cells by administration of the recombinant lentivirus expressing miR-30a strongly enhanced cis-DDP-induced apoptosis of tumor cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrate for the first time that miR-30a can sensitize tumor cells to cis-DDP via reducing beclin 1-mediated autophagy and that increasing miR-30a level in tumor cells represents a novel approach to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy during cancer treatment.     

抗菌肽对细菌杀伤作用的分子机制

抗菌肽是一类新型的抗菌物质,从最低等的生物病毒、细菌到高等的动植物都有广泛分布. 以往的研究主要集中于抗菌肽对细菌细胞膜的作用机制,已经构建了三种作用模式. 但近几年的研究表明,很多抗菌肽都能有效地穿过细菌的细胞膜,直接与胞内分子相互作用,并不引起膜的破裂. 抗菌肽根据其结构特点有着多种杀菌穿膜的机制,其后分别与胞内的靶分子如核酸,蛋白质,信号转导通路等互相作用,最终实现对细菌的杀伤作用.     

土壤水分时间稳定性研究进展

土壤水分是陆地生态系统中不可或缺的组成部分,在地表水文过程中起着关键作用,连接着一系列的水文、生态、气候和地质学过程,是陆地生态系统健康运行的关键。以土壤水分时间稳定性概念为主线,从时间稳定性概念、研究方法、应用和影响因素等方面,系统阐述了土壤水分时间稳定性近年来的研究进展,探讨了代表性测点的选取标准以及土壤水分时间稳定性的影响因素。结合目前的研究进展,提出了未来的研究重点:加强多因素综合作用对土壤水分时间稳定性的研究;结合"3S"技术、计算机模拟和野外实测来研究时间稳定性的尺度问题;如何高效选择代表性测点;探讨时间稳定性概念在植被恢复区和气候敏感区的研究与应用。     

Golden bananas in the field: elevated fruit pro‐vitamin A from the expression of a single banana transgene

Vitamin A deficiency remains one of the world's major public health problems despite food fortification and supplements strategies. Biofortification of staple crops with enhanced levels of pro‐vitamin A (PVA) offers a sustainable alternative strategy to both food fortification and supplementation. As a proof of concept, PVA‐biofortified transgenic Cavendish bananas were generated and field trialed in Australia with the aim of achieving a target level of 20 μg/g of dry weight (dw) β‐carotene equivalent (β‐CE) in the fruit. Expression of a Fe'i banana‐derived phytoene synthase 2a (MtPsy2a) gene resulted in the generation of lines with PVA levels exceeding the target level with one line reaching 55 μg/g dw β‐CE . Expression of the maize phytoene synthase 1 (ZmPsy1) gene, used to develop ‘Golden Rice 2’, also resulted in increased fruit PVA levels although many lines displayed undesirable phenotypes. Constitutive expression of either transgene with the maize polyubiquitin promoter increased PVA accumulation from the earliest stage of fruit development. In contrast, PVA accumulation was restricted to the late stages of fruit development when either the banana 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate oxidase or the expansin 1 promoters were used to drive the same transgenes. Wild‐type plants with the longest fruit development time had also the highest fruit PVA concentrations. The results from this study suggest that early activation of the rate‐limiting enzyme in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway and extended fruit maturation time are essential factors to achieve optimal PVA concentrations in banana fruit.     

Novel Rhizosphere Soil Alleles for the Enzyme 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate Deaminase Queried for Function with an In Vivo Competition Assay

Metagenomes derived from environmental microbiota encode a vast diversity of protein homologs. How this diversity impacts protein function can be explored through selection assays aimed to optimize function. While artificially generated gene sequence pools are typically used in selection assays, their usage may be limited because of technical or ethical reasons. Here, we investigate an alternative strategy, the use of soil microbial DNA as a starting point. We demonstrate this approach by optimizing the function of a widely occurring soil bacterial enzyme, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase. We identified a specific ACC deaminase domain region (ACCD-DR) that, when PCR amplified from the soil, produced a variant pool that we could swap into functional plasmids carrying ACC deaminase-encoding genes. Functional clones of ACC deaminase were selected for in a competition assay based on their capacity to provide nitrogen to Escherichia coli in vitro. The most successful ACCD-DR variants were identified after multiple rounds of selection by sequence analysis. We observed that previously identified essential active-site residues were fixed in the original unselected library and that additional residues went to fixation after selection. We identified a divergent essential residue whose presence hints at the possible use of alternative substrates and a cluster of neutral residues that did not influence ACCD performance. Using an artificial ACCD-DR variant library generated by DNA oligomer synthesis, we validated the same fixation patterns. Our study demonstrates that soil metagenomes are useful starting pools of protein-coding-gene diversity that can be utilized for protein optimization and functional characterization when synthetic libraries are not appropriate.     

黔中喀斯特山地不同森林类型的地表径流及影响因素

采用固定样地定位监测方法,于2001-2005年研究了黔中喀斯特山地不同森林类型对地表径流的影响。结果表明,不同林分类型的年地表径流量均值为11.108mm、林分类型间变幅为1.765-22.934mm、年际间变幅为10.553-11.699mm,退耕还林幼林(22.934mm)>针叶林(17.236mm)>针阔混交林(10.770mm)>阔叶林(8.876mm)。不同森林类型年地表径流量的季节变化为夏季>春季>秋季>冬季,同降雨量的季节变化趋势相一致。与同生物气候带、不同生物气候带森林相近类型的径流量规律相似,反映出黔中喀斯特山地森林与其它森林地表径流量规律的相似性。其中喀斯特山地森林中灌木林地表径流量与其它地带性和非地带性森林中灌木林地表径流量变化的相异性又反映出黔中喀斯特山地森林地表径流的特殊性,这种特殊性主要是成土母岩造成的。地表径流系数的季节变化趋势中,退耕还林幼林为夏季>春季>秋季>冬季,针叶林和针阔混交林为夏季>春季>冬季>秋季,灌木林和阔叶林为春季>夏季>冬季>秋季,这种差异与不同林分类型组成树种的生活型有关。旬地表径流量与反映温度和水分的气象指标间的单相关性达显著水平,多元回归方程模拟表明衡量温度的相关指标对地表径流量的贡献率高于降水,这反映了温度对近地气团的控制作用,进而影响区域降水和林地径流量。森林不同层片特征对地表径流量的影响具有互补性和抑制性,受森林群落组成、结构和发育的共同影响。年地表径流量受小生境和林地表层土壤特性的综合影响,地表径流量随坡度的增大而增加、随海拔的升高而降低,与毛管孔隙度和总孔隙度的负相关性达显著水平,多元回归方程模拟发现容重的贡献率达-96.54%。