基于孢子形态和分子证据探讨鳞盖蕨属(碗蕨科)系统分类

孢粉学是解决植物分类中疑难类群物种微形态分化的重要方法, 随着分子系统学的发展, 结合这两门学科的优势可以更加有效地解决疑难类群的分类学问题。鳞盖蕨属(Microlepia)是一个分类困难的疑难类群, 采用孢粉学与分子系统学一一对应的方法, 以及居群取样方式, 选取280份样本, 联合4个叶绿体片段(rbcL、trnL-F、psbA-trnH和rps4), 采用最大似然法和贝叶斯法构建该属的系统发生关系, 在此基础上对凭证标本中100份材料的孢子进行观察和分析。综合分子系统学和孢粉学的研究结果, 得出结论: (1) 在形态学研究中广泛被接受的15个物种得到了单系支持, 并厘清了分类困难的复合群; (2) 发现边缘鳞盖蕨(M. marginata)可能存在隐性种; (3) 建议恢复过去归并处理为异名的瑶山鳞盖蕨(M. yaoshanica)、罗浮鳞盖蕨(M. lofoushanensis)、四川鳞盖蕨(M. szechuanica)以及滇西鳞盖蕨(M. subspeluncae); (4) 提出鳞盖蕨属可能存在杂交现象; (5) 提出鳞盖蕨属完整的属下分类建议。     

秦巴山区野生多鳞白甲鱼的营养成分分析与评价

选取不同体质量的秦巴山区野生多鳞白甲鱼(Onychostoma macrolepis)20尾,对其肌肉中的常规营养成分、氨基酸和脂肪酸以及微量元素硒的含量进行检测和分析,以期对多鳞白甲鱼的营养价值进行评估。研究结果显示:秦巴山区野生多鳞白甲鱼的粗蛋白和粗脂肪含量分别为17. 37%和1. 76%。谷氨酸含量最高,天冬氨酸和赖氨酸次之,蛋氨酸含量最低,鲜味氨基酸和必需氨基酸分别占氨基酸总量的38. 46%和37. 10%,氨基酸评价指数(EAAI)为77. 00%。野生多鳞白甲鱼二十二碳六烯酸(DHA)和二十碳五烯酸(EPA)的总量为6. 32%,饱和脂肪酸(SFA)和不饱和脂肪酸的比值约为1∶1。肌肉中硒的含量为(0. 058±0. 017)mg/kg。研究结果表明,秦巴山区野生多鳞白甲鱼的营养价值较高,硒含量适中,可以在当地进行进一步产业化开发和推广。     

沙棘籽渣多糖对正常及糖尿病模型动物血糖的影响

本文研究了沙棘籽渣多糖(Polysaccharides from seed residue of Hippophae rhamnoide L.,PSH)对正常小鼠及实验性2型糖尿病大鼠血糖、血脂代谢的影响.以100、200和400 mg/kg剂量的PSH连续灌胃正常小鼠20d;以50和100 mg/kg剂量的PSH连续灌胃由烟酰胺联合链脲佐菌素诱导的类似2型糖尿病大鼠3周,测定血糖、糖基化血清蛋白、血清胰岛素、血清总胆固醇、甘油三酯及肝糖原含量.结果显示:PSH对正常小鼠的血糖和血脂代谢没有明显影响;但能明显降低2型糖尿病大鼠的血清葡萄糖、总胆固醇和糖基化血清蛋白水平,同时显著增加糖尿病大鼠的血清胰岛素含量.上述结果表明:PSH在实验性2型糖尿病大鼠模型上具有降血糖和降胆固醇的活性.     

土地类芽胞杆菌(Paenibacillus terrae)NK3-4 EsxA结构与系统发育分析

前期研究在植物根际促生菌土地类芽胞杆菌(Paenibacillus terrae )NK3-4中发现一个EsxA编码基因,为明确该基因编码的蛋白的性质、结构及系统发生关系,对该基因进行了生物信息学分析。分析表明,该EsxA含有91个氨基酸,分子质量10 276.53 Da,理论pI 5.29,分子式为C₄₄₅H₇₁₁N₁₂₅O₁₄₆S₄,弱酸性,亲水,具有WEG保守基序,属于WXG超级家族成员;建模预测表明,自然状态下EsxA 形成不对称的同源二聚体,其中每个亚基都由一个β折叠连接两个α螺旋组成,两个α螺旋反向平行排列;二聚体中两个亚基的肽链呈反向排列,所有N末端和C末端均暴露在外,形成棒状表面形态,其中一个亚基的N端的不规则卷曲形成与棒状二聚体垂直的短柱形凸起;系统发育分析显示,EsxA在种内及种间进化关系虽是不保守的,但类芽胞杆菌源的EsxA与病原细菌的EsxA同源性较低,暗示类芽胞杆菌源EsxA可能与病原微生物的EsxA具有截然不同的功能。结果为包括NK3-4菌株在内的类芽胞杆菌属EsxA外源分泌表达条件,活性保持及功能的深入研究提供了理论依据。     

Activity of the 5′ regulatory regions of the rice polyubiquitin <Emphasis Type="Italic">rubi3</Emphasis> gene in transgenic rice plants as analyzed by both <Emphasis Type="Italic">GUS</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">GFP</Emphasis> reporter genes

Ubiquitin is an abundant protein involved in protein degradation and cell cycle control in plants and rubi3 is a polyubiquitin gene isolated from rice (Oryza sativa L.). Using both GFP and GUS as reporter genes, we analyzed the expression pattern of the rubi3 promoter as well as the effects of the rubi3 5'-UTR (5' untranslated region) intron and the 5' terminal 27 bp of the rubi3 coding sequence on the activity of the promoter in transgenic rice plants. The rubi3 promoter with the 5'-UTR intron was active in all the tissue and cell types examined and supported more constitutive expression of reporter genes than the maize Ubi-1 promoter. The rubi3 5'-UTR intron mediated enhancement on the activity of its promoter in a tissue-specific manner but did not alter its overall expression pattern. The enhancement was particularly intense in roots, pollen grains, inner tissue of ovaries, and embryos and aleurone layers in maturing seeds. The translational fusion of the first 27 bp of the rubi3 coding sequence to GUS gene further enhanced GUS expression directed by the rubi3 promoter in all the tissues examined. The rubi3 promoter should be an important addition to the arsenal of strong and constitutive promoters for monocot transformation and biotechnology.     

MazF cleaves cellular mRNAs specifically at ACA to block protein synthesis in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli contains operons called "addiction modules," encoding toxin and antitoxin, which are responsible for growth arrest and cell death. Here, we demonstrate that MazF toxin encoded by "mazEF addiction module" is a sequence-specific (ACA) endoribonuclease functional only for single-stranded RNA. MazF works as a ribonuclease independent of ribosomes, and is, therefore, functionally distinct from RelE, another E. coli toxin, which assists mRNA cleavage at the A site on ribosomes. Upon induction, MazF cleaves whole cellular mRNAs to efficiently block protein synthesis. Purified MazF inhibited protein synthesis in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell-free systems. This inhibition was released by MazE, the labile antitoxin against MazF. Thus, MazF functions as a toxic endoribonuclease to interfere with the function of cellular mRNAs by cleaving them at specific sequences leading to rapid cell growth arrest and cell death. The role of such endoribonucleases may have broad implication in cell physiology under various growth conditions.     

Combined sacB-based negative selection and cre-lox antibiotic marker recycling for efficient gene deletion in pseudomonas aeruginosa

The complete genome of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has now been sequenced, allowing gene deletion, one of the most frequently used methods in gene function study, to be fully exploited. In this study, we combine the sacB-based negative selection system with a cre-lox antibiotic marker recycling method. This methodology allows allelic exchange between a target gene and a gentamicin cassette flanked by the two lox sequences. A tetracycline plasmid expressing the cre recombinase is then introduced in the mutant strain to catalyze the excision of the lox-flanked resistance marker. We demonstrate here the efficiency of the combination of these two methods in P. aeruginosa by successively deleting ExoS and ExoT, which are two genetically independent toxins of the type-three secretion system (TTSS). This functional cre-lox recycling antibiotic marker system can create P. aeruginosa strains with multiple mutations without modifying the antibiotic resistance profile when compared to the parental strain.     

黄瓜钝绥螨对茶黄螨雌成螨和腐食酪卵的功能反应

研究黄瓜钝绥螨Amblyseius cucumeris 对茶黄螨Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks)雌成螨和腐食酪螨Tyrophagus putrescentiae卵的功能反应。结果表明,黄瓜钝绥螨的第1若螨,第2若螨,雌成螨捕食茶黄螨雌成螨和腐食酪螨卵的功能反应均属于Holling II型,其中,雌成螨的捕食能力最强,对腐食酪螨卵和对茶黄螨雌成螨的攻击系数a大,处理时间th短,第2若螨也具有较强的捕食能力,对静态的腐食酪螨卵比对动态的茶黄螨捕食能力强,黄瓜钝绥螨对茶黄螨雌成螨具有很强的捕食能力。     

Activated PAK4 regulates cell adhesion and anchorage-independent growth

The serine/threonine kinase PAK4 is an effector molecule for the Rho GTPase Cdc42. PAK4 differs from other members of the PAK family in both sequence and function. Previously we have shown that an important function of this kinase is to mediate the induction of filopodia in response to activated Cdc42. Since previous characterization of PAK4 was carried out only with the wild-type kinase, we have generated a constitutively active mutant of the kinase to determine whether it has other functions. Expression of activated PAK4 in fibroblasts led to a transient induction of filopodia, which is consistent with its role as an effector for Cdc42. In addition, use of the activated mutant revealed a number of other important functions of this kinase that were not revealed by studying the wild-type kinase. For example, activated PAK4 led to the dissolution of stress fibers and loss of focal adhesions. Consequently, cells expressing activated PAK4 had a defect in cell spreading onto fibronectin-coated surfaces. Most importantly, fibroblasts expressing activated PAK4 had a morphology that was characteristic of oncogenic transformation. These cells were anchorage independent and formed colonies in soft agar, similar to what has been observed previously in cells expressing activated Cdc42. Consistent with this, dominant-negative PAK4 mutants inhibited focus formation by oncogenic Dbl, an exchange factor for Rho family GTPases. These results provide the first demonstration that a PAK family member can transform cells and indicate that PAK4 may play an essential role in oncogenic transformation by the GTPases. We propose that the morphological changes and changes in cell adhesion induced by PAK4 may play a direct role in oncogenic transformation by Rho family GTPases and their exchange factors.