Transformation of Gynostermma pentaphyllum by Agrobacterium rhizogenes and Saponin Production in Hairy Root Cultures

Authors report here the establishment of an efficient transformation system for Gynosternrna pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino using Agrobacteriurn rhizogenes R1600. Hairy roots appeared on leaf explants 10 days after inoculation with the bacteria . Frequency of the explants transformed by R1600 was up to 94%. Transformation was confirmed by Southern analysis. Biomass of hairy root cultures suspended in hormone-free MS medium increased 9 times after 20 days of incubation. There was no callus formation on the hairy roots during suspension culture. Saponin content in the hairy root cultures was about 2 times as much as in the natural roots, saponins of the hairy root cultures were also released into growth medium as well.     

The Impact of Genetic Removal of GFAP and/or Vimentin on Glutamine Levels and Transport of Glucose and Ascorbate in Astrocytes

The importance of the intermediate filament (IF) proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin for astrocyte function was studied by investigating astrocytes prepared from GFAP-/-and/or vimentin-/- mice. The rate of glucose uptake through facilitative hexose transporters was not affected by depletion of GFAP or vimentin. Similarly, the absence of these IF proteins did not affect ascorbate uptake, under control or cyclic AMP-stimulated conditions, or ascorbate efflux through volume-sensitive organic anion channels. However, compared with wild-type astrocytes, glutamine concentrations were increased up to 200% in GFAP-/- astrocytes and up to 150% in GFAP+/-astrocytes and this increase was not dependent on the presence of vimentin. GFAP-/- astrocytes in culture still contain IFs (made of vimentin and nestin), whereas GFAP-/-vim-/- cultured astrocytes lack IFs. Thus, glutamine levels appear to correlate inversely with GFAP, rather than depend on the presence of IFs per se. Furthermore, the effect of GFAP is dose-dependent since the glutamine concentration in GFAP+/- astrocytes falls between those in wild-type and GFAP-/-astrocytes.     

土壤水分含量的理论分析及预测模型

本文应用物理学中的电介质和电磁理论,分析和研究土壤的组成成分,得到了反映土壤水分含量的理论表达式,并在自行研制的测试仪器上,对相关变量进行测量,由此建立了土壤水分含量的预测模型,统计检验和国代结果显示了理论模型和预测模型的合理性．     

侵染西番莲属(Passiflora)植物的五个黄瓜花叶病毒分离物的特性比较

从紫果西番莲（Ｐａｓｉｆｌｏｒａｅｄｕｌｉｓ）、杂交种西番莲（Ｐ．ｅｄｕｌｉｓＸＰ．ｅｄｕｌｉｓｖａｒ．ｆｌａｖｉｃａｒｐａ）、黄果西番莲（Ｐ．ｅｄｕｌｉｓｖａｒ．ｆｌａｖｉｃａｒｐａ）、转心莲（Ｐ．ｃａｅｒｕｌｅａ）及龙珠果（Ｐ．ｆｏｅｔｉｄａ）分离到的５个黄瓜花叶病毒（ＣＭＶ）分离物（ＰＥ、ＰＥ２、ＰＥｆ、ＰＣ、ＰＦ）所作的生物学性质、理化特性和血清学关系的比较研究结果表明,５个分离物在寄主反应及血清学性质上存在不同,而在病毒粒体形态、体外抗性、蚜虫传毒和病毒外壳蛋白分子量方面无明显差异。根据５个分离物的寄主反应和血清学关系,可将其区分为ＣＭＶ的两个亚组,其中ＰＥ、ＰＥ２、ＰＣ和ＰＦ属ＣＭＶ亚组Ｉ,ＰＥｆ属ＣＭＶ亚组Ｉ。     

人红细胞生成素乳腺特异性表达载体构建及其可行性检验方法的建立

将大鼠乳清酸蛋白（ＷＡＰ）基因的上游调控序列与人红细胞生成素基因组ＤＮＡ融合,构建了ｐＷＡＰ－ＥＰＯ－ＷＡＰ３乳腺特异性表达载体,该载体经脂质体包裹后,通过显微外科技术,经乳腺导管注入妊娠中后期大鼠乳腺中进行表达。经ＥＬＩＳＡ检测,大鼠乳汁中有ＥＰＯ表达,外周血网织红细胞计数法测定表达的ＥＰＯ具有体内生物活性,说明乳腺导管注入法是一种较理想的评价乳腺特异性表达载体可行性方法     

Broadening the reach and investigating the potential of prime editors through fully viral gene-deleted adenoviral vector delivery

Prime editing is a recent precision genome editing modality whose versatility offers the prospect for a wide range of applications, including the development of targeted genetic therapies. Yet, an outstanding bottleneck for its optimization and use concerns the difficulty in delivering large prime editing complexes into cells. Here, we demonstrate that packaging prime editing constructs in adenoviral capsids overcomes this constrain resulting in robust genome editing in both transformed and non-transformed human cells with up to 90% efficiencies. Using this cell cycle-independent delivery platform, we found a direct correlation between prime editing activity and cellular replication and disclose that the proportions between accurate prime editing events and unwanted byproducts can be influenced by the target-cell context. Hence, adenovector particles permit the efficacious delivery and testing of prime editing reagents in human cells independently of their transformation and replication statuses. The herein integrated gene delivery and gene editing technologies are expected to aid investigating the potential and limitations of prime editing in numerous experimental settings and, eventually, in ex vivo or in vivo therapeutic contexts.     

High‐altitude adaptation in vertebrates as revealed by mitochondrial genome analyses

The high‐altitude environment may drive vertebrate evolution in a certain way, and vertebrates living in different altitude environments might have different energy requirements. We hypothesized that the high‐altitude environment might impose different influences on vertebrate mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA). We used selection pressure analyses and PIC (phylogenetic independent contrasts) analysis to detect the evolutionary rate of vertebrate mtDNA protein‐coding genes (PCGs) from different altitudes. The results showed that the ratio of nonsynonymous/synonymous substitutions (dN/dS) in the mtDNA PCGs was significantly higher in high‐altitude vertebrates than in low‐altitude vertebrates. The seven rapidly evolving genes were shared by the high‐altitude vertebrates, and only one positive selection gene (ND5 gene) was detected in the high‐altitude vertebrates. Our results suggest the mtDNA evolutionary rate in high‐altitude vertebrates was higher than in low‐altitude vertebrates as their evolution requires more energy in a high‐altitude environment. Our study demonstrates the high‐altitude environment (low atmospheric O₂ levels) drives vertebrate evolution in mtDNA PCGs.     

施用污泥对土壤重金属形态分布和生物有效性的影响

采用盆栽技术和BCR连续浸提法研究了污泥的添加对土壤Cd、Pb、Cu和Zn形态分布的影响及重金属在黑麦草-施污泥土壤中迁移转化规律.结果表明:污泥的添加使土壤中生物有效态的Cd和Zn含量显著增加,生物有效态Pb含量显著降低,残渣态Pb的比例较CK增加了33.3％～74.5％,而可交换态和可还原态Cu含量在污泥与土壤添加比为1∶1时,仅占总量的0.7％和0.2％.污泥的添加能促进黑麦草对Cd、Cu和Zn的吸收,抑制对Pb的吸收.多元线性回归分析结果表明,黑麦草体内Cd、Zn和Cu含量分别与土壤中可还原态Cd、Zn和可氧化态Cu含量存在正相关,草体中Pb的含量则受土壤中可交换态和可氧化态Pb含量共同影响.种植黑麦草后根际土中可氧化态Cd和Cu分别向可交换态Cd和残渣态Cu转化,可交换态和可还原态Zn向可氧化态Zn转化,Pb的生物有效性基本未受影响.     

The first baleen whale marine protected area proposed for Bryde's whales in the Beibu Gulf,China

The establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) for cetaceans is an important strategy to mitigate human disturbance and protect biodiversity. Despite abundant cetacean species, there are only a few MPAs dedicated to cetacean conservation in China, all of which are for inshore dolphins. Bryde's whales, the only nearshore baleen whale population in mainland China, are conflicting with intensive human activities, yet an effective conservation strategy is lacking. This study used species distribution models to analyze distribution patterns and suitable habitats of Bryde's whales in the Beibu Gulf and proposes the first baleen whale MPA in China. Our results showed Bryde's whales have a seasonal distribution pattern in the Beibu Gulf, and that the waters around Weizhou Island and the southeastern coast of Vietnam were their core habitats. The seasonal nighttime light data indicated a negative relationship between the number of ship lights and Bryde's whale sightings and suggest that Bryde's whales might be threatened by fisheries. We proposed an MPA based on the results, suggesting that the waters within 20 km around Weizhou Island should be declared a protected area. Furthermore, we recommend that anthropogenic activities in the waters around Weizhou Island are better managed to reduce negative impacts on marine life.