Cryptic phenology in plants: Case studies,implications, and recommendations

Plant phenology—the timing of cyclic or recurrent biological events in plants—offers insight into the ecology, evolution, and seasonality of plant‐mediated ecosystem processes. Traditionally studied phenologies are readily apparent, such as flowering events, germination timing, and season‐initiating budbreak. However, a broad range of phenologies that are fundamental to the ecology and evolution of plants, and to global biogeochemical cycles and climate change predictions, have been neglected because they are “cryptic”—that is, hidden from view (e.g., root production) or difficult to distinguish and interpret based on common measurements at typical scales of examination (e.g., leaf turnover in evergreen forests). We illustrate how capturing cryptic phenology can advance scientific understanding with two case studies: wood phenology in a deciduous forest of the northeastern USA and leaf phenology in tropical evergreen forests of Amazonia. Drawing on these case studies and other literature, we argue that conceptualizing and characterizing cryptic plant phenology is needed for understanding and accurate prediction at many scales from organisms to ecosystems. We recommend avenues of empirical and modeling research to accelerate discovery of cryptic phenological patterns, to understand their causes and consequences, and to represent these processes in terrestrial biosphere models.     

嘌呤拟似物对豚鼠胃窦环行肌自发性收缩及电活动的影响

为探讨非肾上腺素能非胆碱能神经递质对胃窦环行肌功能的调节作用,在离体胃平滑肌上观察了嘌呤拟似物对胃窦环行肌自发性收缩活动和电活动的影响。电活动用传统的细胞内微电极记录,并和收缩活动同步描记于多道生理记录仪。结果表明,嘌呤能P2Y受体激动剂,三磷酸腺苷(ATP)和2-methylthio ATP(2-MeSATP)均增强胃窦平滑肌的收缩活动,但不影响电活动,而且ATP和2-MeSATP对胃平滑肌收缩活动的增强作用可被嘌呤能P2Y受体阻断剂,reactive blue-2和苏拉明(suramin)所阻断。用100μmol／L α,β-MeATP引起的脱敏感使P2X受体被阻断,ATP增强胃窦平滑肌收缩活动的效应不受影响。嘌呤能P2X受体激动剂,α,β-MeATP明显抑制胃窦环行肌自发性收缩活动,同时使膜电位明显超极化。ATP对胃窦平滑肌的收缩作用不被L型钙通道阻断剂尼卡地平(nicardipine)阻断,但细胞外用无钙液灌流时这种效应则完全被阻断。用前列腺素合成抑制剂消炎痛预先处理20min后,ATP和2-MeSATP仍能增强胃窦平滑肌的自发性收缩活动。以上结果提示：(1)ATP和2-MeSATP通过嘌呤能P2Y受体增强胃窦平滑肌的自发性收缩活动,而α,β-MeATP或β,γ-MeATP通过嘌呤能P2X受体使膜电位超极化,引起胃窦平滑肌的舒张;(2)ATP和2-MeSATP增强胃窦平滑肌自发性收缩活动的效应依赖于细胞外钙,但钙离子进入细胞的途径并不是电压依赖性钙通道;(3)ATP和2-MeSATP增强胃窦平滑肌自发性收缩活动的效应不通过前列腺素介导。     

The discovery of anthranilic acid-based MMP inhibitors. Part 3: incorporation of basic amines.

Anthranilic acid derivatives bearing basic amines were prepared and evaluated in vitro and in vivo as inhibitors of MMP-1, MMP-9, MMP-13, and TACE. Piperazine 4u has been identified as a potent, selective, orally active inhibitor of MMP-9 and MMP-13.     

抗禽流感病毒多表位DNA疫苗的构建及其免疫效力研究

多表位DNA疫苗是建立在常规DNA疫苗基础上的一种新型疫苗。它是用表位作免疫原,这样就比较容易在一个表达载体上克隆病原体的多个抗原基因中具有免疫活性的部分。本试验以H5N1亚型禽流感病毒的HA和NP基因及其表位为基础构建了4个重组质粒：1 pIRES/HA（表达全长的HA基因）;2 pIRES/tHA（只表达HA基因的主要抗原表位区）;3 pIRES/tHANpep（融合表达HA基因的抗原表位区和NP基因的3个CTL表位）;4 pIRES/tHANpep-IFN-γ（用鸡的IFN-γ基因取代质粒pIRES/tHANpep中的neo基因）。分别用这4个重组质粒和空载体质粒pIRES1neo肌注免疫30日龄SPF鸡。免疫3次,间隔为2周,每次每只鸡的剂量为200μg。第3次免疫后两周以高致病性禽流感病毒H5N1强毒攻击,免疫及攻毒前后均采血检测HI抗体效价和外周血CD4⁺、CD8⁺T细胞的变化。结果发现,攻毒前各质粒免疫组均检测不到HI抗体,攻毒后1周存活鸡HI抗体效价迅速升高到64～256。流式细胞仪检测显示外周血CD4⁺、CD8⁺T细胞在疫苗免疫后都有不同程度的升高。空载体质粒对照组鸡（10只）在攻毒后3～8 d内全部死亡,其他各重组质粒免疫组鸡都获得了部分保护,保护率分别是：pIRES/HA组为545%（6/11）,pIRES/tHA组为30%（3/10）,pIRES/tHANPep组为36.3%（4/11）, pIRES/tHANPepIFNγ组为50%（5/10）。这些结果表明我们构建的多表位DNA疫苗能够诱导机体产生特异性免疫应答,并在同型禽流感强毒攻击时对鸡只提供了一定的保护。     

电针诱导心肌缺血大鼠延髓头端腹外侧区nNOS和iNOS差异表达

许多研究表明,延髓头端腹外侧区(rostral ventrolateml medulla,RVLM)的NO/NOS系统参与心血管活动的中枢调节.本实验以结扎Wistar大鼠左冠状动脉前降支法建立急性心肌缺血(acute myocardial ischemia,AMI)动物模型,观察针刺"内关"穴改善AMI大鼠的心功能作用,同时检测大鼠RVLM区神经元型一氧化氮合酶(neuronal nitric oxide synthase,nNOS)和诱导型一氧化氮合酶(inducible nitric oxide synthase,iNOS)表达的变化,进而探讨针刺治疗AMI的中枢机制.实验观察显示,AMI大鼠心功能各项指标减弱,伴随外周血去甲肾上腺素(norepinephrine,NE)和脑钠肽(brain natriuretic peptide,BNP)水平显著升高,同时RVLM区nNOS阳性神经元数和nNOS mRNA表达升高,而iNOS水平则降低.针刺"内关"穴(Pe 6)(每天30 min,连续5天)改善心功能,降低AMI大鼠血清中NE和BNP的水平,同时升高iNOS并降低nNOS在RVLM的表达.以上结果提示,针刺治疗心肌缺血的同时可以调节iNOS/NO和nNOS/NO在RVLM的变化,这可能与针刺通过调节RVLM区的NO含量进而降低交感传出,从而改善AMI大鼠的心功能有关.     

哺乳动物营养代谢的时间生物学研究进展

时间生物学主要是研究生物体内生理和行为的时间机制的学科,而这种机制主要是由生物钟调控的。研究表明,营养代谢的各个方面如葡萄糖转运、糖原异生、脂质合成及降解、氧化磷酸化等作用都受到生物钟核心转录机制的调控,并具有时间敏感性;相反,代谢信号也可以反馈调节生物钟系统,包括生物钟基因表达和行为活动。生物钟的紊乱会造成诸如心血管疾病、肥胖、糖尿病等多种疾病。本文从代谢与生物钟的相互关系、各类营养信号和营养素对生物钟的作用以及生物钟与营养代谢相关疾病的关系等多方面综述了哺乳动物营养代谢的时间生物学研究进展。     

Shotgun cross-linking analysis for studying quaternary and tertiary protein structures

We developed a new approach that employs a novel computer algorithm for the sensitive and high-throughput analysis of tertiary and quaternary interaction sites from chemically cross-linked proteins or multi-protein complexes. First, we directly analyze the digests of the chemically cross-linked proteins using only high-accuracy LC-MS/MS data. We analyze these data using a computer algorithm, we term X!Link, to find cross-links between two peptides. Our algorithm is rapid, taking only a few seconds to analyze approximately 5000 MS/MS spectra. We applied this algorithm to analyze cross-linked sites generated chemically using the amino specific reagent, BS3, in both cytochrome c and the mitochondrial division dynamin mutant, Dnm1G385D, which exists as a stable homodimer. From cytochrome c, a well-established test protein, we identified a total of 31 cross-links, 21 interpeptide and 10 intrapeptide cross-links, in 257 MS/MS spectra from a single LC-MS/MS data set. The high sensitivity of this technique is indicated by the fact that all 19 lysines in cytochrome c were detected as a cross-link product and 33% of all the Lys pairs within 20 A were also observed as a cross-link. Analysis of the cross-linked dimeric form of Dnm1G385D identified a total of 46 cross-links, 38 interpeptide and 8 intrapeptide cross-links, in 98 MS/MS spectra in a single LC-MS/MS data set. These results represent the most abundant cross-links identified in a single protein or protein dimer to date. Statistical analysis suggests a 1% false discovery rate after optimization of filtering parameters. Further analysis of the cross-links identified using our approach indicates that careful manual inspection is important for the correct assignment of cross-linking sites when multiple cross-linkable sites or several similar sequences exist. In summary, we have developed a sensitive MS-based approach to identify peptide-peptide cross-links that does not require isotopic labeling or comparison with non-cross-linked controls, making it faster and simpler than current methodologies.     

人胸腺上皮细胞培养及其分泌产物

本文通过降低培养基中血清含量,向RPMI 1640培养基中补加三碘甲腺原氨酸而获得一种人胸腺网状上皮细胞占优势生长的培养物。在此培养基中细胞经传代培养长达90天,仍维持正常形态特征。胸腺组织在培养14天后,新生细胞的突起形成网状结构,细胞化学检查和电镜观察表明具有丰富的分泌颗粒,囊泡及张力原纤维束和桥粒等上皮细胞特征。收集合并细胞培养液,经部分纯化后检查其生物活性,表现出具有促进玫瑰花结形成和降低胸腺细胞TdT活性的作用,说明培养细胞的分泌产物具有胸腺激素活性。根据形态学,细胞化学和生物活性检测结果,我们倾向于认为该培养物主要为网状上皮细胞。     

Molecular Requirement for Sterols in Herpes Simplex Virus Entry and Infectivity

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) required cholesterol or desmosterol for virion-induced membrane fusion. HSV successfully entered DHCR24^−/− cells, which lack a desmosterol-to-cholesterol conversion enzyme, indicating that entry can occur independently of cholesterol. Depletion of desmosterol from these cells resulted in diminished HSV-1 entry, suggesting a general sterol requirement for HSV-1 entry and that desmosterol can operate in virus entry. Cholesterol functioned more effectively than desmosterol, suggesting that the hydrocarbon tail of cholesterol influences viral entry.     

Involvement of Annexin A2 in p53 induced apoptosis in lung cancer

Tumor suppressor p53 plays important roles in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis and DNA repair in different cell types including lung cancer. There are different p53 apoptotic pathways in high and low metastatic ability lung cancer cells. However, the exactly mechanism in the pathway is still unclear. Here we found that Annexin A2, a Ca²⁺-dependent phospholipid-binding protein, is involved in p53-mediated apoptosis. First, by using mRNA differential display technique, down-regulated Annexin A2 expression was found in all cell lines transfected of Ad-p53 (adenoviral expression construct encoding wild type p53 gene) especially in highly metastatic Anip973 lung cancer cells. Then, decreased expression of Annexin A2 was further confirmed by Northern blot and Western blot analysis. At last, knock down of Annexin A2 by siRNA inhibited cellular proliferation in BE1 cell line with highly metastatic ability. Taken together, our results suggested that Annexin A2 may play roles in p53 induced apoptosis and it is also involved in regulation of cell proliferation. The authors Yun Huang, Yan Jin and Cheng-hui Yan contributed equally to this work.