水分和温度对春玉米出苗速度和出苗率的影响

在东北地区中部开展春玉米春季水分胁迫和分期播种试验。试验在人工防雨棚内进行,设4个水分处理和3个播种期处理。结果表明,春玉米(Zea mays )播种出苗期间土壤含水量与出苗期和出苗率的关系均呈显著的二次函数关系。在田间持水量以下,耕层土壤湿度越大,玉米出苗越快,出苗率越高;干旱推迟出苗期,降低出苗率。气温低出苗慢,但温度对出苗率无明显影响。播种出苗期间0～20cm深平均土壤湿度（S）、土壤有效水量（H）和平均气温(T)对出苗速度的组合影响指标是：25 %>S>21%（或70mm >H>45mm）、T>18℃玉米出苗快;21% >S>18%(或45mm >H>35mm)、18℃>T>16.5℃ 玉米出苗比较快;18%>S>16%（或35mm >H>25mm）、16.5℃>T>15.5℃玉米出苗较慢;S<16%（或H< 25）、T<15.5℃出苗很慢,出苗期明显推迟。玉米出苗率主要取决于水分,0～20cm深土壤相对湿度在85%以上（或H>50mm）出苗率最高（95%以上）;相对湿度80%左右（或50>H>40mm）出苗率较高（90% 左右）;相对湿度70%以下(或H<40mm)出苗率明显降低, 60%以下(或H<30mm)为严重干旱,出苗率低至65%以下。     

Combination Therapy Using Chimeric Monoclonal Antibodies Protects Mice from Lethal H5N1 Infection and Prevents Formation of Escape Mutants

Background

Given that there is a possibility of a human H5N1 pandemic and the fact that the recent H5N1 viruses are resistant to the anti-viral drugs, newer strategies for effective therapy are warranted. Previous studies show that single mAbs in immune prophylaxis can be protective against H5N1 infection. But a single mAb may not be effective in neutralization of a broad range of different strains of H5N1 and control of potential neutralization escape mutants.

Methods/Principal Findings

We selected two mAbs which recognized different epitopes on the hemagglutinin molecule. These two mAbs could each neutralize in vitro escape mutants to the other and in combination could effectively neutralize viruses from clades 0, 1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 4, 7 and 8 of influenza A H5N1 viruses. This combination of chimeric mAbs when administered passively, pre or post challenge with 10 MLD50 (50% mouse lethal dose) HPAI H5N1 influenza A viruses could protect 100% of the mice from two different clades of viruses (clades 1 and 2.1). We also tested the efficacy of a single dose of the combination of mAbs versus two doses. Two doses of the combination therapy not only affected early clearance of the virus from the lung but could completely prevent lung pathology of the H5N1 infected mice. No escape variants were detected after therapy.

Conclusions/Significance

Our studies provide proof of concept that the synergistic action of two or more mAbs in combination is required for preventing the generation of escape mutants and also to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of passive therapy against H5N1 infection. Combination therapy may allow for a lower dose of antibody to be administered for passive therapy of influenza infection and hence can be made available at reduced economic costs during an outbreak.     

高压氧在放射性核素治疗大鼠种植癌后乏氧研究

目的:研究大鼠种植癌在高压氧(HBO)干预及放射治疗前后99mTc-HL91乏氧显像的变化,并探讨其与病理学改变之间的关系,为HBO联合放射性药物对恶性肿瘤治疗效果提供实验支持。方法:建立肿瘤株walker-256细胞大鼠皮下种植癌的动物模型,60只荷瘤大鼠随机分为四组:对照组,高压氧(HBO)组、胶体磷[32P]酸铬和HBO+胶体磷[32P]酸铬组。尾静脉注射99mTc-HL91 37MBq(0.1 mL),4 h后利用SPECT显像,计算肿瘤组织与对侧相应部位放射性计数比值(T/NT),显像当日游标卡尺测量肿瘤最大长径(a)和最大垂直横径(b),计算肿瘤体积以及治疗后不同时间的肿瘤生长率(f)。最后一次显像结束后处死全部模型大鼠,取肿瘤组织制成病理切片,观察各组大鼠肿瘤细胞的凋亡情况。比较实验各组T/NT与肿瘤生长率(f)以及凋亡的关系。结果:肿瘤99mTc-HL91显像良好,肿瘤部位与对侧相应部位具有较高的放射性计数比。治疗后大鼠肿瘤的乏氧区域及肿瘤体积均减少,以HBO+胶体磷[32P]酸铬组为著,T/NT与f呈正相关;大鼠肿瘤的细胞凋亡数明显高于对照组,以HBO+胶体磷[32P]酸铬组增加明显,治疗后T/NT与大鼠肿瘤细胞的凋亡数呈负相关。结论:HBO在放射性核素治疗大鼠种植癌中起到协同作用,通过99mTc-HL91乏氧显像观察HBO干预后胶体磷[32P]酸铬治疗肿瘤效果,从而为二者联合在肿瘤治疗的应用提供依据。     

Influence of wolbachia infection on the fitness of the stored-product pest Liposcelis tricolor (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae)

Wolbachia are maternally inherited intracellular bacteria (Rickettsiaceae) that infect a wide range of arthropods and nematodes and that are associated with various reproductive abnormalities in their hosts. In this study, the effects of removal of Wolbachia infection on development, survival, and reproduction of Liposcelis tricolor Badonnel (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae) were investigated in laboratory. The Wolbachia-free strain was obtained by the removal of Wolbachia infection by using 1% rifampicin treatment on the Wolbachia-infected strain (control) for 4 wk, and no Wolbachia gene product was detected in this strain throughout the experiment. The results showed that the removal of Wolbachia infection had negative effects on the fitness of L. tricolor. Compared with the control strain, the Wolbachia-free strain (both in the first [F1] and second [F2] generation) had prolonged developmental times, reduced survivorship of immature stages, and reduced fecundity and longevity, resulting in much smaller rm values. Using rm values, the fitness for Wolbachia-free F1 and F2 relative to the control were calculated as 0.45 and 0.27, respectively. The results of this study further confirmed our previous conclusion that Wolbachia infection have positive effects on fecundity and fertility of L. tricolor, and for optimal reproduction of L. tricolor, Wolbachia must be present in psocids.     

Development of protein biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis using selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (SRM-MS)

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). It involves damage to the myelin sheath surrounding axons and to the axons themselves. MS most often presents with a series of relapses and remissions but then evolves over a variable period of time into a slowly progressive form of neurological dysfunction termed secondary progressive MS (SPMS). The reasons for this change in clinical presentation are unclear. The absence of a diagnostic marker means that there is a lag time of several years before the diagnosis of SPMS can be established. At the same time, understanding the mechanisms that underlie SPMS is critical to the development of rational therapies for this untreatable stage of the disease. RESULTS: Using LC coupled mass spectrometry; we have established a highly specific and sensitive multiplex selected reaction monitoring (SRM) assay. Our SRM assay has facilitated the simultaneous detection of surrogate peptides originating from 28 proteins present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Protein levels in CSF are generally ~200-fold lower than that in human sera. A limit of detection (LOD) was determined to be as low as one femtomole per uL. We processed and analysed CSF samples from a total of 22 patients with SPMS, 12 patients with non-inflammatory neurological disorders (NIND) and 10 age-matched healthy controls in parallel for the levels of 28 selected potential protein biomarkers, followed by principal component analysis (PCA) for clustering protein biomarkers. Our SRM data suggested different levels of agrin, kallikrein and putative myosin-XVB in SPMS patients as compared to healthy controls. PCA reveals that these proteins are correlated, can be grouped into four principal components. Overall, we established an efficient platform to verify protein biomarkers in CSF, which can be easily adapted to other proteins of interest related to neurodegenerative diseases. CONCLUSIONS: A highly specific and sensitive multiplex SRM-MS assay was established for verifying CSF protein biomarkers in SPMS. Three proteins were found to be expressed significantly differently in SPMS patients as compared to health controls, which will help further our current understanding of SPMS disease pathology and/or therapeutic intervention.     

甘薯品种营养成份与抗小象虫的相关性研究

通过田间和网室测定结果,抗小象虫较好的甘薯品种有抗虫1号、台农26、Tis2534、Ricin和鸡蛋黄;抗小象虫较弱的品种有新种花、惠红早、“329”、广薯15等。甘薯品种的营养成份与抗小象虫相关性分析结果表明,抗、感品种与粗纤维、粗脂肪含量无明显相关,与粗淀粉有显负相关,R1=-0．9935,而与粗蛋白和18种氨基酸总量有显正相关,R2=0．9741,R3=0．9621。表现粗淀粉含量高的品种,其虫害指敦较低,抗虫性强;而粗蛋白含量和18种氨基酸总量高的品种,其虫害指数较高,抗虫性则表现较弱。测定分析说明了甘薯品种营养成份与抗虫性存在一定的相关性。     

Changes in bacterial communities during two agricultural solid wastes’ co-composting processes

Microbes perform an important role in the solid-state fermentation (SSF) process, and bacterial communities are more or less abundant depending on the starting materials and the composting procedure. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the changes in bacterial communities in different composting piles containing spent pig litter and distiller grains in five dry weight ratios, i.e., 100% distiller grains (treatment 1), 75% distillers grains/25% spent pig litter (treatment 2), 50% distillers grains/50% spent pig litter (treatment 3), 25% distillers grains/75% spent pig litter (treatment 4), and 100% spent pig litter (treatment 5). The results showed that the fermentation time of the thermophilic stage was prolonged with an appropriate content of distiller grains. The alpha-diversity analysis showed that the variation in bacterial richness and diversity in the various treatments (except treatment 5) was greater in the high-temperature stage than in the inception stage and then was slightly lower in the stabilization stage than in the thermophilic stage. The relative abundance of the predominant bacterial communities differed during different composting stages except in treatment 5. The abundant bacterial communities were similar among the treatments with different proportions of distiller grains (treatments 2, 3, and 4) during the high-temperature stage but differed during the stabilization stage, as increasing proportions of distiller grains increased the relative abundance of the phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, and decreased that of Actinobacteria. Additionally, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that the bacterial communities in treatments 1, 2, 3, and 4 during the initial stage (day 0) were different from those observed during two other stages (day 10 and day 53), while treatment 5 showed only slight variations in the bacterial community structure in response to changes in the composting process. The results indicated that spent pig litter is not suitable for single-material composting and the addition of an appropriate amount of distiller grains can improve the fermentation process. The understanding of the microbial community diversity at molecular level provided a theoretical basis for the optimization of spent pig litter and/or distiller grain fermentation.     

Calmodulin-dependent activation of calcineurin by chlorogenic acid

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) has been proved to be an activator of calcineurin (CN) in our previous research. In this study, the activation mechanism of CN by CGA was further explored. The results showed that although the purified CN was inactive in vitro if only Ca(2+)/calmodulin (CaM) existed without Mn(2+)/Ni(2+), CGA activated the inactive CN potently. It was found that CN's activity increased as the concentration of CGA increased and reached a plateau of 4- to 6-fold higher activity using p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) or phosphopeptide (32)P-RII as substrate. And the activation was CaM-dependent. Moreover, the fluorescent emission of CN had a 17 nm red shift in the presence of 128 muM CGA, and the quenching constant was 1.21x10(12) M(-1) . s(-1), which indicated that CGA bound to CN statically and changed its conformation. According to the kinetic analysis, CGA preferred to activate CN in a substrate noncompetitive manner. When Mn(2+) or Ni(2+) presented, CGA also activated CN with CaM-dependency by improving CN's affinity for Mn(2+) or Ni(2+). In addition, the inhibition of CN by Zn(2+) was partially eliminated by CGA chelation. Our findings suggested the activation of CN by CGA was in a CaM-dependent and substrate noncompetitive manner. This might provide the basis for the further study of CN-targeted activators.     

Characterising the morphological characters and carbohydrate metabolism of oat culms and their association with lodging resistance

• Lodging resistance can be improved by enhancing the mechanical strength of culms, and culm carbohydrates could improve this mechanical strength. Culm carbohydrates can regulate development of the culm and affect its toughness.
• The present study determines the relationship between lodging and carbohydrate content in oat culms. Field experiments were conducted in alpine regions in 2017 and 2018 using three oat varieties with different lodging resistance. Lodging‐related morphological characteristics were directly determined and culm carbohydrate content and enzyme activity related to cellulose synthesis and sucrose metabolism were evaluated with ultraviolet spectrophotometry.
• Results showed that the lower the gravity height or the lower ratio of gravity height to plant height, the stronger the lodging resistance of the varieties. Higher culm nonstructural (NSC) and structural (SC) carbohydrate content contributed to the ability of culms to resist lodging, especially the content of cellulose and sucrose. PCA showed that sucrose metabolism and SC content were closely related to lodging resistance. Correlation analysis showed that the lodging index (LI) was significantly negatively correlated with NSC. Sucrose content was highly and significantly positively correlated with NSC. Additionally, the activities of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose synthase (SS) were highly and significantly positively correlated with sucrose and cellulose content.
• The relationship between field characters and oat lodging, as well as the regulatory mechanism of carbohydrate content on lodging resistance of the culm are discussed.