Effect of laser pretreatment on germination and membrane lipid peroxidation of Chinese pine seeds under drought stress

The germination of laser-irradiated Chinese pine seeds was carried out under drought stress.The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD),and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined.Results showed notably increased germination percentage,root length,vitality index and fresh weight.The SOD and POD protective enzyme system activity of the Chinese pine seedlings obviously rose.It can be concluded that the germination and juvenile resistance of Chinese pine seeds under drought stress are enhanced after laser processing.     

PACSIN1, a Tau-interacting Protein,Regulates Axonal Elongation and Branching by Facilitating Microtubule Instability

Tau is a major member of the neuronal microtubule-associated proteins. It promotes tubulin assembly and stabilizes axonal microtubules. Previous studies have demonstrated that Tau forms cross-bridges between microtubules, with some particles located on cross-bridges, suggesting that some proteins interact with Tau and might be involved in regulating Tau-related microtubule dynamics. This study reports that PACSIN1 interacts with Tau in axon. PACSIN1 blockade results in impaired axonal elongation and a higher number of primary axonal branches in mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons, which is induced by increasing the binding ability of Tau to microtubules. In PACSIN1-blocked dorsal root ganglia neurons, a greater amount of Tau is inclined to accumulate in the central domain of growth cones, and it promotes the stability of the microtubule network. Taken together, these results suggest that PACSIN1 is an important Tau binding partner in regulating microtubule dynamics and forming axonal plasticity.     

COP1 Jointly Modulates Cytoskeletal Processes and Electrophysiological Responses Required for Stomatal Closure

Reorganization of the cortical microtubule cytoskeleton is critical for guard cell function. Here, we investigate how environmental and hormonal signals cause these rearrangements and find that COP1, a RING-finger-type ubiquitin E3 ligase, is required for degradation of tubulin, likely by the 26S proteasome. This degradation is required for stomatal closing. In addition to regulating the cytoskeleton, we show that cop1 mutation impaired the activity of S-type anion channels, which are critical for stomatal closure. Thus, COP1 is revealed as a potential coordinator of cytoskeletal and electrophysiological activities required for guard cell function.     

LincRNA AC027700.1在小鼠蜕膜化中的表达研究

长链非编码RNA(long non-coding RNA,lncRNA)是一类长度大于200 nt、不具有蛋白编码潜能的RNA分子.在细胞生长发育、物质代谢以及疾病等的发生发展过程中起关键调控作用,但在蜕膜化相关领域研究报道较少.为了探究lincRNA AC027700.1在早孕小鼠子宫内膜中的表达规律,初步探讨AC0...     

小鼠丝氨酸消旋酶的克隆、表达与纯化

丝氨酸消旋酶(Serine Racemase,SR)是一种磷酸吡多醛依赖酶,在ATP和Mg2+的辅助下,催化L型丝氨酸转变为D型丝氨酸,D-丝氨酸通过结合在NMDA受体的Gly结合位点,调节其生理功能。本文将小鼠来源的丝氨酸消旋酶基因克隆至原核表达载体pMAL-C2上,构建重组质粒pMAL-C2-SR。将重组质粒转入E.coil BL21(DE3)宿主菌中,经IPTG诱导,获得重组表达。重组蛋白带有MBP标签,经Amylose亲合柱和Sephacryl S-200纯化,获得电泳纯的目的蛋白。     

A non-viral vector for potential DMD gene therapy study by targeting a minidystrophin-GFP fusion gene into the hrDNA locus

Gene therapy has emerged as a promising approach for the lethal disorder of Duchenne muscular dystrophy （DMD）. Using a novel non-viral delivery system, the human ribosomal DNA （hrDNA） targeting vector, we tar- geted a minidystrophin-GFP fusion gene into the hrDNA locus of HT1080 cells with a high site-specific integrated efficiency of 10-s, in which the transgene could express efficiently and continuously. The minidystrophin-GFP fusion protein was easily found to localize on the plasma membrane of HT1080 cells, indicating its possible physiologic performance. Our findings showed that the hrDNAtargeting vector might be highly useful for DMD gene therapy study.     

Effect of laser pretreatment on germination and membrane lipid peroxidation of Chinese pine seeds under drought stress

The germination of laser-irradiated Chinese pine seeds was carried out under drought stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD), and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined. Results showed notably increased germination percentage, root length, vitality index and fresh weight. The SOD and POD protective enzyme system activity of the Chinese pine seedlings obviously rose. It can be concluded that the germination and juvenile resistance of Chinese pine seeds under drought stress are enhanced after laser processing. Translated from Journal of Shaanxi Normal University (Natural Science Edition), 2006, 34(2): 40–43 [译自: 陕西师范大学学报 (自然科学版)]     

Decreased autophagy was implicated in the decreased apoptosis during decidualization in early pregnant mice

Folate deficiency is a major risk factor of birth defects. Mechanistic studies on folate deficiency resulting in birth defects have mainly focused on fetal development. There have been few studies on folate deficiency from the point of view of the mother’s uterus. In our previous study, we demonstrated that folate deficiency inhibits apoptosis of decidual cells, thereby restraining decidualization of the endometrium and impairing pregnancy. In this study, we further investigated the potential mechanism by which folate deficiency decreases endometrial apoptosis during decidualization. To investigate whether endometrium autophagy was inhibited under folate deficiency during decidualization, we performed real-time PCR for endometrial LC3 and P62 on day 6 (D6) to D8 of pregnancy in mice, and both were significantly changed compared to non-folate-deficient mice. Western blots showed that LC3-II and P62 were also changed in folate-deficient mice. Compared with control mice, a few punctuate LC3-II structures were detected in the folate deficiency group by immunofluorescence. Transmission electron micrographs of decidual cells on D8 showed that there were no evident autophagosomes in the folate deficiency group. In addition, apoptosis-related protein analysis by western blotting, TUNEL staining and flow cytometry showed that decreased endometrial apoptosis on D8 of pregnancy under folate deficiency was reversed after treatment with rapamycin, an autophagy inducer. ROS measurement showed that the endometrium ROS level was reduced by folate deficiency and that rapamycin reversed this effect on day 8 of pregnancy. All the results suggest that inhibiting endometrial autophagy may be implicated in the decreased endometrial apoptosis under folate deficiency during decidualization.     

Propynyl groups in duplex DNA: stability of base pairs incorporating 7-substituted 8-aza-7-deazapurines or 5-substituted pyrimidines

Oligonucleotides incorporating the 7-propynyl derivatives of 8-aza-7-deaza-2′-deoxyguanosine (3b) and 8-aza-7-deaza-2′-deoxyadenosine (4b) were synthesized and their duplex stability was compared with those containing the 5-propynyl derivatives of 2′-deoxycytidine (1) and 2′-deoxyuridine (2). For this purpose phosphoramidites of the 8-aza- 7-deazapurine (pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine) nucleosides were prepared and employed in solid-phase synthesis. All propynyl nucleosides exert a positive effect on the DNA duplex stability because of the increased polarizability of the nucleobase and the hydrophobic character of the propynyl group. The propynyl residues introduced into the 7-position of the 8-aza-7-deazapurines are generally more stabilizing than those at the 5-position of the pyrimidine bases. The duplex stabilization of the propynyl derivative 4b was higher than for the bromo nucleoside 4c. The extraordinary stability of duplexes containing the 7-propynyl derivative of 8-aza-7- deazapurin-2,6-diamine (5b) is attributed to the formation of a third hydrogen bond, which is apparently not present in the base pair of the purin-2,6-diamine 2′-deoxyribonucleoside with dT.     

Both temperature fluctuations and East Asian monsoons have driven plant diversification in the karst ecosystems from southern China

Karst ecosystems in southern China are species‐rich and have high levels of endemism, yet little is known regarding the evolutionary processes responsible for the origin and diversification of karst biodiversity. The genus Primulina (Gesneriaceae) comprises ca. 170 species endemic to southern China with high levels of ecological (edaphic) specialization, providing an exceptional model to study the plant diversification in karsts. We used molecular data from nine chloroplast and 11 nuclear regions and macroevolutionary analyses to assess the origin and cause of species diversification due to palaeoenvironmental changes and edaphic specialization in Primulina. We found that speciation was positively associated with changes in past temperatures and East Asian monsoons through the evolutionary history of Primulina. Climatic change around the mid‐Miocene triggered an early burst followed by a slowdown of diversification rate towards the present with the climate cooling. We detected different speciation rates among edaphic types, and transitions among soil types were infrequently and did not impact the overall speciation rate. Our findings suggest that both global temperature changes and East Asian monsoons have played crucial roles in floristic diversification within the karst ecosystems in southern China, such that speciation was higher when climate was warmer and wetter. This is the first study to directly demonstrate that past monsoon activity is positively correlated with speciation rate in East Asia. This case study could motivate further investigations to assess the impacts of past environmental changes on the origin and diversification of biodiversity in global karst ecosystems, most of which are under threat.