岷江上游不同树种林地客土混合对土壤生物化学性质和枯落叶分解的影响

人工纯林的长期经营会引发连栽障碍,影响森林的可持续发展,解决途径是引进更新树种形成混交林。为了指导四川岷江上游人工纯林更新树种和混交比例的选择,尝试通过针阔叶树种林地腐殖质土壤及其枯落物的客置和混合原位培养试验,探讨不同树种种间关系的协调性。结果表明:(1)连香树、云南松和云杉林地经过各种客土混合后酶活性普遍都有所提高,而在糙皮桦林地,经云南松土壤客土混合后酶活性普遍有所下降,经云杉土壤客土混合后脲酶和过氧化氢酶活性有不同程度的提高,蔗糖酶活性却有所下降;(2)连香树和云南松林地经过各种客土混合后,加速了C和N由枯落物进入土壤,而在糙皮桦和云杉林地经过各种客土混合后,促进了N从枯落物和有机质矿化分解进入土壤的过程,但却会对有机C进入土壤产生抑制作用;(3)所有不同针阔叶树种林地经土壤客土混合后,对原有土壤的酸碱性起到中和的作用,即原来的阔叶林地土壤向偏酸性方向发展,而原来的针叶林地土壤向偏碱性方向发展;(4)所有不同树种林地的客土混合对枯落叶分解均具有明显的促进作用;(5)连香树林地的LM0.15~0.50和LY0.15~0.35、糙皮桦林地的HM0.15和HY0.15~0.50、云南松林地的ML0.15~0.50和MH0.35~0.50、云杉林地的YL0.35~0.50和YH0.35类型是相对较好的选择,可作为确定更新树种和混交比例的参考。     

Rapid and efficient production of cecropin A antibacterial peptide in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> by fusion with a self-aggregating protein

Background

Cecropin A (CeA), a natural cationic antimicrobial peptide, exerts potent antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, making it an attractive candidate substitute for antimicrobials. However, the low production rate and cumbersome, expensive processes required for both its recombinant and chemical synthesis have seriously hindered the exploitation and application of CeA. Here, we utilized a short β-structured self-aggregating protein, ELK16, as a fusion partner of CeA, which allowed the efficient production of high-purity CeA antibacterial peptide with a simple inexpensive process.

Results

In this study, three different approaches to the production of CeA peptide were investigated: an affinity tag (His-tag)-fused protein expression system (AT-HIS system), a cell-free protein expression system (CF system), and a self-assembling peptide (ELK16)-fused protein expression system (SA-ELK16 system). In the AT-HIS and CF systems, the CeA peptide was obtained with purities of 92.1% and 90.4%, respectively, using one or more affinity-chromatographic purification steps. The procedures were tedious and costly, with CeA yields of only 0.41 and 0.93 μg/mg wet cell weight, respectively. Surprisingly, in the SA-ELK16 system, about 6.2 μg/mg wet cell weight of high-purity (approximately 99.8%) CeA peptide was obtained with a simple low-cost process including steps such as centrifugation and acetic acid treatment. An antimicrobial test showed that the high-purity CeA produced in this study had the same antimicrobial activity as synthetic CeA peptide.

Conclusions

In this study, we designed a suitable expression system (SA-ELK16 system) for the production of the antibacterial peptide CeA and compared it with two other protein expression systems. A high yield of high-purity CeA peptide was obtained with the SA-ELK16 system, which greatly reduced the cost and time required for downstream processing. This system may provide a platform for the laboratory scale production of the CeA antibacterial peptide.

     

The Role of Hydrogen from ALD‐Al2O3 in Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 Solar Cells: Grain Surface Passivation

In this research, a new route of surface passivation is reported by introducing hydrogen from the atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al₂O₃ layer into pure sulfide Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) solar cells. Different amounts of hydrogen are incorporated into the Cu₂ZnSnS₄/CdS interface through controlling the thickness of the ALD‐Al₂O₃ layer. The device with three cycles of ALD‐Al₂O₃ yields the highest efficiency of 8.08% (without antireflection coating) with improved open‐circuit voltage of up to 70 mV. With closer examination on the passivation route of ALD‐Al₂O₃, it is revealed by the surface chemisty study that the Al₂O₃ can be etched away by ammonium hydroxide in the CdS buffer deposition process. Instead, the hydrogen is detected within a shallow depth from the CZTS surface, and makes a significant difference in the measured distribution of contact potential difference and device performance. This may be interpreted by the effect of hydrogen passivation of the CZTS surface by curing dangling bonds at the surface of CZTS grains. This work may provide a new direction of further improving the performance of kesterite solar cells.     

Structural analysis of the full-length human LRRK2

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The Suppressive Role and Aberrent Promoter Methylation of BTG3 in the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

BTG3 (B-cell translocation gene 3) has been identified as a tumor suppressor and hypermethylation contributes to its down-regulation in some tumors, but its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unknown. This study aimed to detect the expression and methylation status of BTG3 in HCC cell lines or tissues, and determine its function in HCC progression.

Methodology

The expression of BTG3 was detected in HCC cell lines and HCC tissue by real-time RT-PCR, Western blot or immunohistochemistry. The promoter methylation status of BTG3 was measured by using methylation-specific PCR in HCC cell lines. A series of assays were performed to evaluate the effect of BTG3 on proliferation, invasion and cell cycle transition in vitro.

Results

BTG3 expression was lower in HCC cell lines than in hepatocyte cell line LO2 (P<0.05). BTG3 was also down-regulated in HCC tissues. Its expression was positively correlated with differentiation and distant metastasis (P<0.05). Patients with lower BTG3 expression had shorter overall survival time (P=0.029). DNA methylation directed repression of BTG3 mRNA expression in HCC cell lines. BTG3 suppressed proliferation, invasion and induces G1/S cycle arrest of HCC cells in vitro.

Conclusion

Down-regulation of BTG3 due to the promoter hypermethylation is closely associated with proliferation, invasion and cell cycle arrest of HCC cells. It may be a novel prognostic biomarker for HCC patients.