Gram-Chromotrope: a New Technique that Enhances Detection of Microsporidial Spores in Clinical Samples

We have developed a new staining procedure that combines the traditional Gram staining for bacteria and the Weber's chromotrope staining method, the standard technique for the detection of microsporidia spores in clinical Specimens. This “Gram-chromotrope” staining technique enhances the staining characteristics of microsporidia spores and facilitates the easy detection and differentiation of spores from other microorganisms that are found in clinical specimens, especially stool samples. This new technique is fast, reliable, and simple to perform, and can be easily adapted for use in clinical laboratories.     

栲树不同生长发育阶段的枝系特征分析

对浙江天童国家森林公园内常绿阔叶优势树种栲树(Castanopsis fargesii)不同发育阶段植冠内的分枝式样特征进行了统计分析。结果表明：栲树在不同发育阶段的总体分枝率和逐步分枝率有显著变化,幼苗和幼树阶段的分枝率较低,而成株阶段的分枝率较高;幼树阶段的枝条长度、枝倾角和叶倾角明显大于幼苗和成株阶段,表现为明显的高生长对策;叶片配置在不同枝系上有较大差异,叶片主要集中于植冠内一级枝和二级枝上;叶片的大小从幼苗、幼树到成株阶段逐渐增大。研究结果表明栲树在生活史的不同生长发育阶段,分枝式样表现出一定的可塑性,反映了不同的适应对策。     

Phylogenetic relationships among marsupial frog genera (Anura: Hylidae: Hemiphractinae) based on evidence from morphology and natural history

We reassess the phylogenetic relationships of genera of hemiphractine hylid frogs (Marsupial Treefrogs) and discuss the evolution of several distinctive characters within this group using parsimony analysis. Fifty-one morphological and life-history characters were sampled from two species of Cryptobatrachus , three species of Flectonotus , 17 species of Gastrotheca , all five species of Hemiphractus , and one species of Stefania as the ingroup and three hyline, one phyllomedusine, and one pelodryadine species as outgroups. Our results support the mon-ophyly of Flectonotus, Cryptobatrachus , and Hemiphractus. Gastrotheca is paraphyletic with respect to Hemiphractus , dorsal pouches were lost in the ancestor of Hemiphractus. Direct development is a synapomorphy for Hemiphractinae and tadpoles were regained independently several times. These results stand in stark contrast to the prevailing paradigm regarding marsupial frog relationships.     

High-affinity inhibitors of human NAD-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase: mechanisms of inhibition and structure-activity relationships

Background

15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH, EC 1.1.1.141) is the key enzyme for the inactivation of prostaglandins, regulating processes such as inflammation or proliferation. The anabolic pathways of prostaglandins, especially with respect to regulation of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes have been studied in detail; however, little is known about downstream events including functional interaction of prostaglandin-processing and -metabolizing enzymes. High-affinity probes for 15-PGDH will, therefore, represent important tools for further studies.

Principal Findings

To identify novel high-affinity inhibitors of 15-PGDH we performed a quantitative high-throughput screen (qHTS) by testing >160 thousand compounds in a concentration-response format and identified compounds that act as noncompetitive inhibitors as well as a competitive inhibitor, with nanomolar affinity. Both types of inhibitors caused strong thermal stabilization of the enzyme, with cofactor dependencies correlating with their mechanism of action. We solved the structure of human 15-PGDH and explored the binding modes of the inhibitors to the enzyme in silico. We found binding modes that are consistent with the observed mechanisms of action.

Conclusions

Low cross-reactivity in screens of over 320 targets, including three other human dehydrogenases/reductases, suggest selectivity of the present inhibitors for 15-PGDH. The high potencies and different mechanisms of action of these chemotypes make them a useful set of complementary chemical probes for functional studies of prostaglandin-signaling pathways.

Enhanced version

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河西走廊酒泉地区盐碱土未培养放线菌多样性

采用免培养技术对河西走廊酒泉地区的原生盐碱土、次生盐碱土和农田土中的放线菌群落结构及其多样性进行分析.结果表明: 河西走廊酒泉地区原生盐碱土克隆文库分归于19个OTUs,分属于微球菌亚目、丙酸杆菌亚目、棒状杆菌亚目、弗兰克氏菌亚目、假诺卡氏菌亚目和放线菌目未知类群;次生盐碱土克隆文库分归于14个OTUs,分属于微球菌亚目、丙酸杆菌亚目和放线菌目未知类群;农田土克隆文库分归于7个OTUs,分属于微球菌亚目和棒状杆菌亚目;微球菌亚目是3种不同类型土壤中的共有种群,是原生盐碱土和农田土中的优势种群.多样性指数和稀释性曲线分析结果显示,3种不同类型土壤中放线菌种群丰富度为原生盐碱土>次生盐碱土>农田土;原生盐碱土、次生盐碱土的稀释性曲线均未趋于平稳,说明盐碱土中放线菌多样性比实际更加丰富.     

用RACE技术扩增并克隆牛BMP4基因3'端序列

RACE技术是一项扩增基因末端序列的新技术。该研究从牛BMP4基因出发,以牛软骨的RNA为模板,按照不同物种BMP4基因的相似性设计特异引物,运用PCR和RACE技术扩增并获得了特异片段,该片段经PCR、酶切和测序验证,证实所克隆序列为牛BMP4的3′端序列,包含有1170bp组成的开放读码框(ORF),编码389个氨基酸,3′非编码区121bp个核苷酸和poly(A)15。同源性分析结果表明,牛BMP4 cDNA最大开放读码框所推测的氨基酸序列与已知人、小鼠、大鼠、狗、羊和鸡等真核生物BMP4氨基酸序列进行比较,分别有94.5%、93.1%、91.9%、87.4%、94.2%、79%的同源性。这为克隆其他物种的BMP4基因提供了依据,同时牛骨形态发生蛋白的测序为我们更好的理解牛的生骨机理提供帮助。     

甘肃蝴蝶名录

基于近几年的野外工作,结合前人对甘肃省蝶类的研究,对甘肃省蝴蝶名录进行了整理,并对各分类阶元进行了统计。截至2013年,甘肃省共记录蝶类12科210属614种,科、属、种的数量分别占中国总数量的100%、57.22%和28.52%。按照中国动物地理区划,古北种285种,东洋种233种,广布种95种。甘肃省境内分布有各类珍稀濒危蝶类37种,其中国家Ⅱ级重点保护野生动物2种(凤蝶科的三尾凤蝶和绢蝶科的阿波罗绢蝶),列入《国家保护的有益的或者有重要经济、科学研究价值的野生动物名录》的有11属33种,列入《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》的有4种,列入《世界濒危物种红色名录》的有5种。     

东祁连山高寒草甸不同退化阶段植被/土壤磷素特征及其与生物量的关系

磷素是高寒草地生态系统的重要支持元素,高寒草甸退化导致较为严重的生态和生产问题,同时也引起了生态系统物质循环的变化。为揭示高寒草甸退化中土壤磷素特征及其对植被特征的效应,以东祁连山轻度(LD)、中度(MD)、重度退化(SD)高寒草甸退化阶段为研究对象,以多年围封高寒草甸(FG)为对照,在春季和夏季分别对不同高寒草甸阶段样地不同土层深度土壤全磷、有效磷、微生物量磷含量及碱性磷酸酶活性等磷素特征进行了研究,并对夏季植被地上生物量和磷素含量等植被特征进行了调查。结果表明：东祁连山高寒草甸退化导致植被地上生物量和磷含量急剧下降,重度退化高寒草甸地上生物量干重仅是围封草地的35.93%,退化高寒草甸地上部磷含量仅为围封草地的60%,且不同退化阶段地上部磷含量没有明显差异。退化导致高寒草甸表层土壤的全磷、有效磷含量升高,相比FG,土壤有效磷含量春季LD、MD和SD分别升高了16.67%、36.67%和3.33%,夏季分别升高了4.35%、26.09%和4.35%,且有效磷含量具有夏季低于春季的季节差异性。退化导致土壤微生物量磷含量明显降低,而对碱性磷酸酶活性影响没有明显的规律性,但围封草地夏季碱性...     

甜瓜幼苗叶片光合变化特性

为探讨甜瓜光响应变化特性与环境因子的关系,选择光响应曲线适宜测定的时段,以甜瓜幼苗为试材,将1 d分为3个时段:10:00-12:00、12:00-15:00和15:00-17:00,每个叶位叶片测定1 d,并采用直角双曲线修正模型拟合光响应曲线,研究不同时段下甜瓜叶片光响应曲线、光响应参数的变化趋势和不同叶位叶片光响应参数特性。结果表明:当环境中光合有效辐射增强,叶面温度(Tl)升高,空气相对湿度(RH)降低;当环境中光合有效辐射减弱,Tl降低,RH升高。10:00-12:00光响应曲线和12:00-15:00的第1-4叶光响应曲线呈双曲线,在强光下趋向饱和状况,12:00-15:00的第5叶光合速率和15:00-17:00光合速率在强光下出现明显的光抑制现象。1 d的不同时段均表现为10:00-12:00最大净光合速率(P_max)和光饱和点(LSP)最高,12:00-17:00降低;12:00-15:00光补偿点(LCP)和暗呼吸速率(R_d)较高,其它两个时段较低,10:00-17:00光补偿点量子效率(φ_c)、气孔导度(G_s)和胞间CO₂浓度(C_i)总体呈降低趋势,气孔限制值(L_s)升高。10:00-15:00相同时段测得的不同叶位叶片光响应参数,以第4-5叶光合性能较好,15:00-17:00以第3叶P_max最高,第5叶次之;10:00-17:00 G_s和C_i以第5叶较低,第1叶较高,L_s以第5叶较高,第1叶较低。RH为影响P_max的主要决策因子,测定时段、叶面饱和蒸汽压亏缺(Vpdl)和Tl为主要限制因子。10:00-12:00适宜进行光响应曲线测定,气孔限制为不同时段光合作用不同的主要因素,非气孔限制为影响不同叶位叶片光合作用的主要因素。     

Phylogenetic and phenotypic originality and abundance in a cerrado plant community

The originality of a species is how much that species contributes to the rarity of traits in a community. Here we tested the relation between abundance and both phylogenetic and phenotypic originality. We measured nine traits associated with defence against herbivory, as well as phylogenetic information and abundance for woody plant species in a woodland cerrado in southeastern Brazil. About 90% of the species accounted for about 50% of the phylogenetic and phenotypic originality: most woody species had low originality. Abundance was related to tougher leaves, lower specific leaf area and lower originality based on nutritional quality. Our results suggest that herbivory may reduce the abundance of species with low resistance to herbivory and with different nutritional quality. Nevertheless, abundance was not related to either phylogenetic or phenotypic originality, so extinction of rare species may not endanger overall community function as long as more abundant species are retained. We argue that this is a consequence of the low complementarity of a large number of woody species.