尼罗罗非鱼品系间形态差异分析

通过传统形态学测定和框架测定相结合,用三种多元分析方法,比较了尼罗罗非鱼五个品系的形态差异。可数性状分析结果表明,这几种罗非鱼品系在可数性状上无显著差异。     

新疆10种藜科植物叶片和同化枝的旱生和盐生结构的研究

 本文应用扫描电镜和光学显微镜对生长在新疆荒漠地区10种藜科植物中亚滨藜(Atriplex centralasiatica),心叶驼绒藜(Ceratoides ewersmanniana),驼绒藜(Ceratoides latens),盐节木(Halocnemum strobilaceum),盐穗木(Halostachys caspica),梭梭(Haloxylon ammodendron),圆叶盐爪爪(Kalidium schrenkianum),绒藜(Londesia eriantha),费尔干猪毛菜(Salsola ferganica),浆果猪毛菜(Salsola foliosa)的叶和同化枝进行了形态解剖学研究。结果表明,它们是通过以下结构来适应旱生和盐生环境的：叶片及角质膜厚,气孔器下陷,具表皮毛;栅栏组织发达,多为等面叶;部分植物叶片退化成鳞片状,而由同化枝执行光合功能;多数植物叶片和同化枝内部具有粘液和含晶细胞,贮水组织发达。根据盐分是否排出体外,又划分出聚盐和泌盐植物。在泌盐植物中,盐腺具有单细胞和多细胞及分泌孔类型,并对其聚盐和泌盐机理作了初步探讨。     

不同月龄大鼠空肠粘膜上皮细胞的形态、增殖及凋亡

为研究雄性大鼠空肠在发生、发育和衰老过程中上皮细胞增殖与凋亡形态学的变化,本实验采用增殖细胞核抗原(PCNA)免疫细胞化学染色、原位末端标记(TUNEL)法检测了不同生长发育阶段SD大鼠空肠绒毛粘膜上皮及小肠腺上皮的细胞增殖、凋亡的变化情况,并统计测量了不同发育阶段大鼠空肠绒毛的高度、肌层厚度及绒毛杯形细胞、肠腺杯形细胞的数量变化。观察到大鼠空肠肠腺隐窝增殖细胞的阳性着色表达从出生后开始增强,到3月龄时达最高峰,12月龄时增殖细胞阳性染色又减弱;凋亡细胞主要分布于固有层,凋亡阳性细胞数在3月龄最多;大鼠空肠绒毛的高度从初生后开始增加,到3月龄达顶峰,而后开始变矮;空肠肌层在3周龄、12月龄较厚;杯形细胞数量于生后3周迅速增长,不同发育阶段的大鼠空肠肠腺隐窝的杯形细胞数量与年龄呈正相关。     

Purification and characterization of the rat liver gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase

The biosynthesis of carnitine from lysine and methionine involves five enzymatic reactions. -butyrobetaine hydroxylase (BBH; EC 1.14.11.1) is the last enzyme of this pathway. It catalyzes the reaction of hydroxylation of -butyrobetaine to carnitine. This enzyme had never been purified to homogeneity from rat tissue. This paper describes the purification and characterization of the rat liver BBH. This protein has been purified some 413 fold by ion exchange, affinity and gel-filtration chromatographies and appears as a dimere of 43,000 Daltons subunits by PAGE. The affinity chromatography column used in the purification process utilizes 3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium)propionate (THP), a BBH inhibitor, as the ligand. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against the liver enzyme. They were able to precipitate BBH activity in either a crude liver extract or a purified fraction of the enzyme. Furthermore, it crossreacts with a 43 kDa protein in the liver. No evidence for extra hepatic enzyme was found.     

The role of IL-6 in bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) proliferation and chondrogenesis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common degenerative arthritic cartilage and represents a disease where the prospect of stem cell therapy offers considerable hope. Currently, bone marrow (BM) represents the major source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for cell therapy. In the pathology of RA, the pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) play a pivotal role. To investigate the direct role of IL-6 in the chondrogenic differentiation of murine MSCs (mMSCs), we isolate MSCs from the murine bone marrow, and induce MSCs chondrogenesis with different concentrations of IL-6 in vitro. Through detecting the histological and histochemical qualities of the aggregates, we demonstrate that IL-6 inhibited the differentiation of MSCs into chondrocytes in the dose-dependence manner. These findings suggest that possible strategies for improving the clinical outcome of cartilage repair procedures.     

长江中下游岸带(宜昌-铜陵段)湿生植物的群落构建机制研究

沿长江中下游（宜昌-铜陵段）13座城市共37个位点,分别于丰水期和枯水期对岸带的湿生植物进行调查,从物种和系统发育2个维度研究群落的构建机制,并结合环境和空间因子探讨其驱动因素。结果显示：（1）丰水期湿生植物群落的α多样性高于枯水期,且丰水期α多样性主要与水分条件呈正相关,而枯水期则主要与温度和土壤总氮含量有关。（2）丰水期的系统发育结构指数呈聚集趋势,暗示生境过滤起着主导作用,而枯水期的NRI（net relatedness index）和NTI（nearest taxon index）呈不同趋势,暗示存在近期的群落分化。（3）群落的α多样性在物种层面和系统发育层面存在显著关联性,其多样性水平可在一定程度上互为表征。（4）长江中下游沿岸湿生植物群落的构建机制在不同时期存在差异,丰水期的群落构建是环境筛选和扩散限制共同作用的结果,且以环境筛选作用占主导,而枯水期的群落构建仅在物种层面受一定程度环境筛选作用的影响。（5）大生境的温度变化、微生境的土壤水分和养分条件是影响长江中下游岸带湿生植物群落差异的主要驱动因素。该研究结果可为长江中下游岸带湿地生态系统的管理和保护提供科学支持。     

A non-structural protein encoded by Rice Dwarf Virus targets to the nucleus and chloroplast and inhibits local RNA silencing

RNA silencing is a potent antiviral mechanism in plants and animals. As a counter-defense, many viruses studied to date encode one or more viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSR). In the latter case, how different VSRs encoded by a virus function in silencing remains to be fully understood. We previously showed that the nonstructural protein Pns10 of a Phytoreovirus, Rice dwarf virus (RDV), functions as a VSR. Here we present evidence that another nonstructural protein, Pns11, also functions as a VSR. While Pns10 was localized in the cytoplasm, Pns11 was localized both in the nucleus and chloroplasts. Pns11 has two bipartite nuclear localization signals (NLSs), which were required for nuclear as well as chloroplastic localization. The NLSs were also required for the silencing activities of Pns11. This is the first report that multiple VSRs encoded by a virus are localized in different subcellular compartments, and that a viral protein can be targeted to both the nucleus and chloroplast. These findings may have broad significance in studying the subcellular targeting of VSRs and other viral proteins in viral-host interactions.

     

ERK/Drp1‐dependent mitochondrial fission contributes to HMGB1‐induced autophagy in pulmonary arterial hypertension

ObjectivesHigh‐mobility group box‐1 (HMGB1) and aberrant mitochondrial fission mediated by excessive activation of GTPase dynamin‐related protein 1 (Drp1) have been found to be elevated in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and critically implicated in PAH pathogenesis. However, it remains unknown whether Drp1‐mediated mitochondrial fission and which downstream targets of mitochondrial fission mediate HMGB1‐induced pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) proliferation and migration leading to vascular remodelling in PAH. This study aims to address these issues.MethodsPrimary cultured PASMCs were obtained from male Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats. We detected RNA levels by qRT‐PCR, protein levels by Western blotting, cell proliferation by Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8) and EdU incorporation assays, migration by wound healing and transwell assays. SD rats were injected with monocrotaline (MCT) to establish PAH. Hemodynamic parameters were measured by closed‐chest right heart catheterization.ResultsHMGB1 increased Drp1 phosphorylation and Drp1‐dependent mitochondrial fragmentation through extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) signalling activation, and subsequently triggered autophagy activation, which further led to bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) lysosomal degradation and inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (Id1) downregulation, and eventually promoted PASMCs proliferation/migration. Inhibition of ERK1/2 cascade, knockdown of Drp1 or suppression of autophagy restored HMGB1‐induced reductions of BMPR2 and Id1, and diminished HMGB1‐induced PASMCs proliferation/migration. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of HMGB1 by glycyrrhizin, suppression of mitochondrial fission by Mdivi‐1 or blockage of autophagy by chloroquine prevented PAH development in MCT‐induced rats PAH model.ConclusionsHMGB1 promotes PASMCs proliferation/migration and pulmonary vascular remodelling by activating ERK1/2/Drp1/Autophagy/BMPR2/Id1 axis, suggesting that this cascade might be a potential novel target for management of PAH.     

Tolerance of young allis shad Alosa alosa (Clupeidae) to oxy-thermic stress

The ecology of the young stages of allis shad Alosa alosa is poorly documented, although they can be exposed to many pressures during their freshwater phase and their downstream migration. When passing through systems such as the Gironde-Garonne-Dordogne watershed (GGD, SW France), they can be subjected to high temperatures and low levels of oxygen (hypoxia). The aim of this work is to assess the tolerance of young Alosa alosa at four ages (c. 10, 30, 60 and 85 days old) by challenging them to different temperatures (18, 22, 26 and 28°C) together with decreasing oxygen saturation levels (from 100% to 30%). Survival of the 10-day-old individuals was not influenced by oxy-thermic conditions, but high stress levels were detected and perhaps this age class was too fragile regarding the constraint of the experimental design. Survival at 30 and at 60 days old was negatively influenced by the highest temperatures tested alone (from 26°C and from 28°C, respectively) but no effect was detected at 85 days old up to 28°C. A combined effect of temperature and oxygen level was highlighted, with heat accelerating survival decrease when associated with oxygen level depletion: essentially, survival was critical (<50%) at 30 days old at temperature ≥22°C together with 30% O₂; at 60 days old, at temperature = 28°C with 30% O₂; at 85 days old, at temperature ≥26°C with ≤40% O₂. Tolerance to oxy-thermic pressures appeared to be greater among the migratory ages (60 and 85 days old) than among the 30-day-old group. Based on environmental data recorded in the GGD system and on our experimental results, an exploratory analysis allowed a discussion of the possible impact of past oxy-thermic conditions on the local population dynamics between 2005 and 2018. The oxy-thermic conditions that may affect Alosa alosa at ages when they migrate downstream (60 and 85 days old) were not frequently recorded in this period, except in cases of extreme episodes of heat together with hypoxia that occurred in some years, in summertime in the turbidity maximum zone of the Gironde estuary (particularly in the year 2006). Interestingly, oxy-thermic conditions that are likely to threaten the 30-day-old individuals occurred more frequently in the lower freshwater parts of the GGD system between the years 2005 and 2018. In the context of climate change, a general increase in temperature is predicted, as well as more frequent and severe hypoxic events, therefore we suggest that local Alosa alosa population recruitment could encounter critical oxy-thermic conditions more frequently in the future if no adaptive management of water resources occurs.     

Uropathogenic E. coli induces DNA damage in the bladder

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common outpatient infections, with a lifetime incidence of around 60% in women. We analysed urine samples from 223 patients with community-acquired UTIs and report the presence of the cleavage product released during the synthesis of colibactin, a bacterial genotoxin, in 55 of the samples examined. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from these patients, as well as the archetypal E. coli strain UTI89, were found to produce colibactin. In a murine model of UTI, the machinery producing colibactin was expressed during the early hours of the infection, when intracellular bacterial communities form. We observed extensive DNA damage both in umbrella and bladder progenitor cells. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of colibactin production in UTIs in humans and its genotoxicity in bladder cells.