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11.
Surveys were distributed to New Zealand land users in 1998 and 2008 to acquire information about New Zealand frogs with the aim of compiling and mapping their distribution and inferred population trends without costly and time-consuming field surveys. The overall frog population trend was reported as declining, with possible causes reported as an increase in agriculture, an increase in the distribution of predatory fish and disease. The resultant maps could be used for four main purposes: 1) to identify regions where Litoria populations are known to occur, which can be eliminated when considering suitable regions for translocation of Leiopelma; 2) to identify growing or stable populations of Litoria species, which may assist future disease surveys, population monitoring and to identify sources of genetic material that may serve as an Ark for declining Australian populations; 3) to highlight populations that are in decline to enable effective targeting of detailed disease studies; and 4) to approximate the stability of amphibian populations in the absence of more accurate, but costly, scientific monitoring. 相似文献
12.
Recent progress in bioinformatics research has led to the accumulation of huge quantities of biological data at various data sources.
The DNA microarray technology makes it possible to simultaneously analyze large number of genes across different samples.
Clustering of microarray data can reveal the hidden gene expression patterns from large quantities of expression data that in turn
offers tremendous possibilities in functional genomics, comparative genomics, disease diagnosis and drug development. The k-
¬means clustering algorithm is widely used for many practical applications. But the original k-¬means algorithm has several
drawbacks. It is computationally expensive and generates locally optimal solutions based on the random choice of the initial
centroids. Several methods have been proposed in the literature for improving the performance of the k-¬means algorithm. A
meta-heuristic optimization algorithm named harmony search helps find out near-global optimal solutions by searching the entire
solution space. Low clustering accuracy of the existing algorithms limits their use in many crucial applications of life sciences. In
this paper we propose a novel Harmony Search-K means Hybrid (HSKH) algorithm for clustering the gene expression data.
Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm produces clusters with better accuracy in comparison with the existing
algorithms. 相似文献
13.
Justicia-Leon SD Ritalahti KM Mack EE Löffler FE 《Applied and environmental microbiology》2012,78(4):1288-1291
Dichloromethane (DCM) as the sole substrate supported growth of a Dehalobacter sp. in an enrichment culture derived from noncontaminated river sediment. DCM was not reductively dechlorinated, and acetate was produced, indicating DCM fermentation and further suggesting Dehalobacter growth is not limited to organohalide respiration. 相似文献
14.
Magnetic separation technology, using magnetic particles, is quick and easy method for sensitive and reliable capture of specific proteins, genetic material and other biomolecules. The technique offers an advantage in terms of subjecting the analyte to very little mechanical stress compared to other methods. Secondly, these methods are non-laborious, cheap and often highly scalable. Moreover, techniques employing magnetism are more amenable to automation and miniaturization. Now that the human genome is sequenced and about 30,000 genes are annotated, the next step is to identify the function of these individual genes, carrying out genotyping studies for allelic variation and SNP analysis, ultimately leading to identification of novel drug targets. In this post-genomic era, technologies based on magnetic separation are becoming an integral part of todays biology laboratory. This article briefly reviews the selected applications of magnetic separation techniques in the field of biotechnology, biomedicine and drug discovery. 相似文献
15.
Wei Ching Khor Suat Moi Puah Jin Ai Mary Anne Tan SD Puthucheary Kek Heng Chua 《PloS one》2015,10(12)
Gram-negative bacilli of the genus Aeromonas are primarily inhabitants of the aquatic environment. Humans acquire this organism from a wide range of food and water sources as well as during aquatic recreational activities. In the present study, the diversity and distribution of Aeromonas species from freshwater lakes in Malaysia was investigated using glycerophospholipid-cholesterol acyltransferase (GCAT) and RNA polymerase sigma-factor (rpoD) genes for speciation. A total of 122 possible Aeromonas strains were isolated and confirmed to genus level using the API20E system. The clonality of the isolates was investigated using ERIC-PCR and 20 duplicate isolates were excluded from the study. The specific GCAT-PCR identified all isolates as belonging to the genus Aeromonas, in agreement with the biochemical identification. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the rpoD gene sequence and all 102 isolates were identified as: A. veronii 43%, A. jandaei 37%, A. hydrophila 6%, A. caviae 4%, A. salmonicida 2%, A. media 2%, A. allosaccharophila 1%, A. dhakensis 1% and Aeromonas spp. 4%. Twelve virulence genes were present in the following proportions—exu 96%, ser 93%, aer 87%, fla 83%, enolase 70%, ela 62%, act 54%, aexT 33%, lip 16%, dam 16%, alt 8% and ast 4%, and at least 2 of these genes were present in all 102 strains. The ascV, aexU and hlyA genes were not detected among the isolates. A. hydrophila was the main species containing virulence genes alt and ast either present alone or in combination. It is possible that different mechanisms may be used by each genospecies to demonstrate virulence. In summary, with the use of GCAT and rpoD genes, unambiguous identification of Aeromonas species is possible and provides valuable data on the phylogenetic diversity of the organism. 相似文献
16.
Isolation of two populations of sperm cells and microelectrophoresis of pairs of sperm cells from pollen tubes of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) 总被引:1,自引:1,他引:0
Prior research has indicated that the two sperm cells of Nicotiana tabacum are dimorphic, suggesting that they may participate in preferential fertilization during in vivo fusion with the egg and
central cells. To probe the mechanism of potential preferential fertilization in this plant, it will be necessary to use modern
sensitive molecular techniques. For this purpose, two individual populations of two sperm cells, constituting the Svn (associated
with the vegetative nucleus) and Sua (unassociated with the vegetative nucleus), were isolated in the thousands from tobacco
pollen tubes with a micromanipulator as a preliminary step toward research on gametic recognition using molecular techniques.
Microelectrophoresis of paired sperm cells from a single pollen tube was conducted at different developmental stages. Sperm
cells isolated from 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-cm stylar lengths migrated to the negative pole, with the Sua displaying significantly
greater electrophoretic mobility than the Svn, reflecting a more positively charged cell surface on the Sua. The sperm cells
isolated from 1-cm style are very sensitive to electron potential in an electrophoretic field, presumably reflecting that
they are still in a young state. Differences in cell surface charge between the Sua and Svn may be related with cell fate
during fertilization.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of CHINA (30170060) 相似文献
17.
MH Bowie J Klimaszewski CJ Vink S Hodge SD Wratten 《New Zealand journal of zoology.》2013,40(4):268-284
Pitfall traps were used to monitor predatory arthropod numbers along two types of field boundary, a post and wire fence line and a Cupressus macrocarpa hedge, along the same paddock margin in Canterbury, New Zealand, over 24 months. The seven most abundant predator groups recorded were: Araneae > Phalangiidae > Staphylinidae > Coccinellidae > Chilopoda > Hemerobiidae > Carabidae. Araneae, Phalangiidae, Staphylinidae, Chilopoda and Hemerobiidae were found in larger numbers at the wire fence than at the hedge site, whereas the numbers of Carabidae and Coccinellidae adults exhibited no field margin preference. However, more species of Araneae and Staphylinidae were caught at the hedge site, whereas species richness of carabid beetles was greatest at the wire fence. Principal component analysis clearly separated the samples collected from the two habitats based on the assemblages of Araneae, Staphylinidae and Carabidae, and certain species in each of these taxonomic groups appeared to be particularly associated with one boundary type or the other. All the main taxonomic groups exhibited clear seasonal patterns, with distinct peaks in abundance occurring at certain times of the year. The results of the study reinforce the idea that management of field boundaries can be used to manipulate the type and abundance of particular groups of predatory arthropods, and that seasonal patterns should be taken into account in schemes of integrated pest management so that any adverse effects of biocide application on these beneficial species may be minimised. 相似文献
18.
Karim M ElSawy Chandra S Verma David P Lane Leo SD Caves 《Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.)》2013,12(24):3727-3735
The stereoselective affinity of small-molecule binding to proteins is typically broadly explained in terms of the thermodynamics of the final bound complex. Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we show that the preferential binding of the MDM2 protein to the geometrical isomers of Nutlin-3, an effective anticancer lead that works by inhibiting the interaction between the proteins p53 and MDM2, can be explained by kinetic arguments related to the formation of the MDM2:Nutlin-3 encounter complex. This is a diffusively bound state that forms prior to the final bound complex. We find that the MDM2 protein stereoselectivity for the Nutlin-3a enantiomer stems largely from the destabilization of the encounter complex of its mirror image enantiomer Nutlin-3b, by the K70 residue that is located away from the binding site. On the other hand, the trans-Nutlin-3a diastereoisomer exhibits a shorter residence time in the vicinity of MDM2 compared with Nutlin-3a due to destabilization of its encounter complex by the collective interaction of pairs of charged residues on either side of the binding site: Glu25 and Lys51 on one side, and Lys94 and Arg97 on the other side. This destabilization is largely due to the electrostatic potential of the trans-Nutlin-3a isomer being largely positive over extended continuous regions around its structure, which are otherwise well-identified into positive and negative regions in the case of the Nutlin-3a isomer. Such rich insight into the binding processes underlying biological selectivity complements the static view derived from the traditional thermodynamic analysis of the final bound complex. This approach, based on an explicit consideration of the dynamics of molecular association, suggests new avenues for kinetics-based anticancer drug development and discovery. 相似文献
19.
Classic MIKC-type MADS-box genes (MIKCc) play diverse and crucial roles in angiosperm development, the most studied and best understood of which is the specification of floral organ identities. To shed light on how the flower evolved, phylogenetic and functional analyses of genes involved in its ontogeny, such as the MIKCc genes, must be undertaken in as broad a selection as possible of plants with disparate ancestries. Since little is known about the functions of these genes in non-seed plants, we investigated the developmental roles of a subset of the MIKCc genes present in the moss, Physcomitrella patens, which is positioned informatively near the base of the land plant evolutionary tree. We observed that transgenic lines possessing an antisense copy of a MIKCc gene characteristically displayed knocked-down expression of the corresponding native MIKCc gene as well as multiple diverse phenotypic alterations to the haploid gametophytic and diploid sporophytic generations of the life cycle.1 In this addendum, we re-examine our findings in the light of recent pertinent literature and provide additional data concerning the effects of simultaneously knocking out multiple MIKCc genes in this moss.Key words: Physcomitrella, moss, MADS-box gene functions, gene knock-down, gene knockout, gene expression, evo-devoThe moss, Physcomitrella patens, is the only non-seed plant that is amenable to an investigation of MADS-box gene function comparable to that achieved in angiosperms. P. patens possesses six MIKCc genes which cluster into two distinct phylogenetic clades.2 We recently reported a functional genetic analysis of the three genes (PPM1, PPM2 and PpMADS1) within the PPM2-like clade as an initial contribution towards gaining an understanding of the role(s) of MIKCc genes in this moss.1By fusing the respective MIKCc promoters to a GUS reporter gene, we found that both PPM1 and PpMADS1 exhibited fairly ubiquitous expression patterns in both gametophytic and sporophytic tissues. The levels of PPM1 expression were generally higher than those of PpMADS1, and PpMADS1 was not expressed in antheridia, suggesting subtle differences in the functions of these genes. The observed patterns of widespread expression resemble those characterising the majority of vascular, non-seed plant MIKCc genes3–7 and accord with RT-PCR results of Quodt and coworkers.2 Our in situ GUS expression and RT-PCR results1 showed that PPM2 was not expressed or was expressed at levels too low to be detected by these methods. Conversely, the original isolation of PPM2 cDNA8 and data from more recent expression studies2 indicated that PPM2 is expressed (albeit inconsistently and weakly) ubiquitously with elevated levels of expression sometimes observed in gametangia, sporophytic feet and basal portions of sporophytic setae.2 The contradictory expression data for PPM2 may derive from differences between the PPM2-reporter gene constructs used by the respective research groups1,2 or perhaps from variations in moss culture conditions.We also employed an antisense approach designed to knock down expression of PPM1, and perhaps closely related MIKCc genes, in order to discern MADS-box gene function in P. patens. Knocked-down strains displayed a complex mutant phenotype comprising delayed gametangia formation and sporophyte production, diminished sporophyte yields, and morphological abnormalities in both leaves and sporophytes, findings that are generally consistent with the ubiquitous expression pattern of PPM11 and PPM2''s expression as described by Quodt et al.2The phenotypes of strains with single gene knockouts of PPM1, PPM2 or PpMADS1 appeared to be perfectly normal, not displaying any of the phenotypic alterations observed in PPM1 gene knock-down mutants. While it is possible that subtle, transient or conditional phenotypic changes went unnoticed, it seems more probable that genetic redundancy is responsible for these results since the PPM2-like genes exhibit a very high level of sequence similarity. In an effort to circumvent the problem of functional redundancy, we generated all double knockout combinations for PPM1, PPM2 and PpMADS1. However, the double mutants were also phenotypically unchanged. Finally we attempted to produce triple mutants by co-transforming single PPM2 knockout lines with PPM1 and PpMADS1 linear knockout constructs. Of the 31 stable transformants from two transformation experiments, 55% were shown to be double mutants in which the original PPM2 knockout was accompanied by a second gene knockout in either PPM1 or PpMADS1. However, no triple knockouts were obtained. Given the knockout frequencies generally observed in batch transformation experiments in our laboratory and those of others,9 between two and five of the transformants had been expected to be triple mutants. These preliminary data, albeit involving a relatively small sample of transformants, suggest that PPM1, PPM2 and PpMADS1 triple knockouts may be lethal.We have related compelling evidence that functionally redundant PPM2-like MIKCc genes are involved in several aspects of the moss developmental program. It has been argued that broad expression patterns like theirs represent the ancestral state of MADS-box genes in land plants, and that the sporophytic- and organ-specific expression patterns that characterise many MIKCc genes in extant spermatophytes, including those that specify floral organ identity, correspond to a derived condition that evolved in the spermatophyte lineage following its separation from lineages that led to bryophytes and ferns and fern allies.10 Nevertheless, it is the apparent participation of PPM2-like genes in the formation of gametangia (the differentiation of reproductive organs from non-reproductive tissues at the gametophore apex) that is particularly interesting and assumes a special significance because of its analogy to the proposed role for ancestors of seed plant C-function MADS-box genes (identifying those regions of the vegetative SAM that will become reproductive organs).11 Furthermore, expression studies of MIKCc genes in two charophycean algae, the presumed progenitors of all terrestrial plants,12–14 suggest that they too are involved in haploid reproductive cell differentiation.15 While these functional similarities do not infer orthology and may be coincidental, we should not discount yet the admittedly controversial hypothesis that some MIKCc genes in non-seed plants, for example PPM2-like genes of Physcomitrella, are homologous to spermatophyte class C genes and that the ancient role proposed for ancestral class C genes11 has been conserved, in some form, in all major terrestrial plant taxa. 相似文献
20.
Baruch MC Warburton DE Bredin SS Cote A Gerdt DW Adkins CM 《Nonlinear biomedical physics》2011,5(1):1-15