盐胁迫对蓝蓟种子萌发及早期幼苗的影响

研究了不同浓度盐(NaCl)处理对蓝蓟种子发芽势、发芽率及幼苗生长的影响。结果表明:(1)不同盐胁迫处理对蓝蓟种子的萌发具有显著影响。随着盐处理浓度的增加,发芽率呈下降趋势,蓝蓟在无盐环境(蒸馏水)和低盐环境中(0.05 mol/L)长势最好、发芽率最高、发芽速度最快。(2)将不同盐溶液处理5 d的未萌发种子转移到蒸馏水后,蓝蓟种子的萌发能力均可恢复,原来较高盐浓度(0.3 mol/L～0.5 mol/L)下的种子在恢复后,其萌发恢复率均在75%以上,发芽率基本上随着原浓度的升高呈上升的趋势。研究表明,NaCl处理对蓟种子没有造成伤害,其抑制萌发是通过渗透效应而不是离子毒害。     

基于GWR模型的东江水质空间分异与水生态功能分区验证

流域水生态功能分区研究是我国正在开展的一项重要工作,如何验证分区结果的合理性,是当前亟待解决的问题。采用地理加权回归(GWR)模型评估流域特征对东江水质的影响,验证水质及流域影响空间差异是否与一二级水生态功能分区结果吻合,并对比了GWR模型与普通最小二乘(OLS)模型性能,讨论了GWR在分区验证方面的应用价值及不足。结果显示:1)水质指标以及GWR模型局部解释率(Local R~2)均在一二级水生态功能分区间存在显著差异;2)相比OLS模型,GWR模型校正R~2更高,残差空间自相关指数Moran′s I更低。研究表明东江水生态功能分区结果能合理反映水陆耦合关系,有效解释水质空间差异。此外建议选择总氮(TN)而非溶解氧(DO)和总磷(TP)作为分区验证指标。GWR模型在分区结果验证中具有广泛应用前景。降低数据空间自相关影响及改善距离测度方法是未来GWR模型研究的难点问题。     

High glucose upregulates connective tissue growth factor expression in human vascular smooth muscle cells

Background  

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a potent profibrotic factor, which is implicated in fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis and extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis. It is a downstream mediator of some of the effects of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and is potentially induced by hyperglycemia in human renal mesangial cells. However, whether high glucose could induce the CTGF expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) remains unknown. Therefore, this study was designed to test whether high glucose could regulate CTGF expression in human VSMC. The effect of modulating CTGF expression on VSMC proliferation and migration was further investigated.     

云南省把边江流域不同土地利用方式对大型底栖动物群落的影响

研究土地利用对大型底栖动物群落的影响,对流域土地利用规划修编和河流生态修复等有重要意义。以红河上游的把边江流域为研究区,调查大型底栖动物群落现状,计算37个样点上游集水区土地利用组分、配置、多样性和水文距离4个方面20个土地利用指标,分析不同土地利用方式对大型底栖动物群落的影响。本次调查共鉴定出25个大型底栖动物分类单元,其中水生昆虫最多,占分类单元总数的72%;摄食功能群以捕食者（PR）、刮食者（SC）和直接收集者（GC）为主。把边江流域城镇用地和林地对大型底栖动物群落的影响占主导地位,而耕地对大型底栖动物群落的影响较小。影响把边江流域大型底栖动物群落的关键土地利用指标为城镇用地面积比（3PLA）、城镇用地最大斑块指数（3LPI）、城镇用地聚合指数（3AI）、城镇用地水流长度（3FLOW）、林地最大斑块指数（1LPI）和林地形状指数（1LSI）。土地利用组分、配置和水文距离是影响把边江流域大型底栖动物群落的主要方面,而土地利用多样性对大型底栖动物群落的影响较小。大型底栖动物物种密度和物种多样性与3PLA、3LPI、3AI、3FLOW和1LSI呈负相关,与1LPI呈正相关。1LPI与浮游目（如小蜉科、扁蜉科）为代表的清洁物种呈现较明显的正相关关系。城镇用地指标与SC和SH（撕食者）密度具有显著的负相关关系,与GC密度有较弱的正相关关系,而与其他功能群没有明显的相关关系。SC和SH对水质和环境条件敏感,而GC对人类干扰耐受性较强。1LPI与SC和FC（滤食收集者密度）正相关,而与PR和GC密度负相关。SC和FC对生境的完整性要求较高,而GC和PR对人为干扰和较为破碎的生境更为适应。一方面,随着城镇用地的规模、边界复杂性和聚集程度增加,研究区大型底栖动物密度和多样性降低;另一方面,随着林地完整性降低,大型底栖动物物种均匀度降低。土地利用与大型底栖动物物种多样性和功能群多样性的关系不完全一致,1LSI和3FLOW与物种多样性负相关,而与功能群多样性呈正相关关系,土地利用对物种-功能群-群落不同尺度上的影响差异还需要更深入的研究。     

CT23 knockdown attenuating malignant behaviors of hepatocellular carcinoma cell is associated with upregulation of metallothionein 1

The cancer-testis antigen 23 (CT23) gene has been reported in association with the pathogenesis and progress of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the alterations of gene expression profiling induced by CT23 knockdown in HCC cells remains largely unknown. In this study, the RNA interfering (RNAi) method was used to silence CT23 expression in BEL-7404 cells. Microarray analysis was performed on mRNA extracted from the CT23 knockdown cells and the control cells to determine the alterations of gene expression profiles. The result showed a total of 1051 genes expressed differentially (two-fold change), including 470 genes upregulated and 581 gene downregulated in the CT23 knockdown cells. A bioinformatic analysis showed that the functional differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were linked to cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis, and metallothionein 1 (MT1) attained the maximum enrichment scores in functional annotation, classification, and pathway analysis of DEGs. Furthermore, Western blot analysis and cell behaviors assays verified that CT23 modulates cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis by regulating MT1 expression in HCC cells and non-neoplastic hepatocytes. In summary, downregulated CT23 gene in BEL-7404 cells might change the expressions of carcinogenesis and progression related genes in HCC by upregulating MT1 expression, which would provide insight into searching for a novel therapeutic target for HCC.     

The Central Element Protein ZEP1 of the Synaptonemal Complex Regulates the Number of Crossovers during Meiosis in Rice

ZEP1, a transverse filament (TF) protein, is the rice (Oryza sativa) homolog of Arabidopsis thaliana ZYP1. In the Tos17-insertional zep1 mutants, homologous chromosomes align along the entire length of the chromosome, but the synaptonemal complex is not assembled in early prophase I. Crossovers are well formed, and 12 bivalents could be detected from diakinesis to metaphase I, which leads to equal chromosomal segregation in anaphase I. Moreover, the number of crossovers has a tendency to be increased compared with that in the wild type. These phenomena are different from the TF mutants identified so far in other organisms. Chiasma terminalization of the bivalent, which occurs frequently in the wild type, seldom occurred in zep1. Transmission electron micrographs and immunodetection using an antibody against ZEP1 showed that ZEP1 is the central element of the synaptonemal complex. Although PAIR2 and MER3 were loaded normally in zep1, their dissociation was delayed severely compared with the wild type. In addition, ZEP1 is reloaded onto chromosomes in early microspores as the chromosome decondense, suggesting that ZEP1 might have other biological functions during this process.