Changes in the Chlorophyll Content and Cytokinin Levels in the Top Three Leaves of New Plant Type Rice During Grain Filling

This paper reports the ways that the differences in leaf senescence are related to grain filling, grain yield, and the dynamics of cytokinins (CKs) in the top three leaves of four field-grown new plant type (NPT) rice, a tropical japonica developed at the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines, to increase the yield potential of rice. The chlorophyll content in leaves decreased from flowering to maturity in all the NPT lines, whereas the grain filling percentage was higher in the fast-senescing NPT line than in slow-senescing NPT line. Grain yield was positively correlated with senescence in the flag leaf. Rapid changes in the CK levels were recorded in the leaves of the fast-senescing line, whereas the CK levels were relatively stable in leaves of the slow-senescing line, suggesting that the dynamics of CKs in the fast-senescing line are vital for fast senescence. There were no significant changes in bioactive CKs, CK O-glucosides (storage CKs), and cis-zeatin derivatives in different leaves of the slow-senescing NPT line between 0 and 3 weeks after flowering, suggesting that the content of these CKs is relatively stable during grain filling. A progressive increase in levels of bioactive CKs was positively correlated with gradual accumulation of CK N-glucosides (inactive CKs) in the top three leaves of the slow-senescing NPT line, whereas the decrease of bioactive CKs in the flag leaf of the fast-senescing line was accompanied by accumulation of CK O-glucosides. These results suggest that there is a higher rate of biosynthesis and/or import of bioactive CKs as well as their turnover which may favor delay of leaf senescence in the slow-senescing NPT line.     

不结球白菜优异种质对小菜蛾抗性的遗传分析

以不结球白菜抗小菜蛾材料508为母本(P1)、以感虫材料114为父本(P2)构建了包括P1、P2、F1、F2、BC1P1和BC1P2的6个世代群体,通过人工网室鏊定各世代群体的抗虫性,利用主基因+多基因混合遗传模型联合分析法分析了不结球白菜抗虫遗传规律.结果表明:在508×114组合中,感虫对抗虫表现部分显性,抗虫性遗传符合一对加性-显性主基因+加性-显性多基因遗传模型,在BC1P1、BC1P2和F2群体中的主基因遗传率分别为57.21%、25.87%和76.05%,为有效利用抗虫资源和挖掘抗虫基因奠定了基础.     

Analysis of ribosomal DNA restriction patterns in the genusKluyveromyces

Riboprinting was used to determine the relationships among strains belonging to 15 species of the genusKluyveromyces. The small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) was amplified using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and subjected to a battery of nine restriction enzymes. Similarity coefficients between strains were calculated based on shared and unique restriction fragments. Cluster analysis revealed three major groups that generally correlated with previously reported relationships based on other molecular data. Variations in SSU rDNA restriction fragments may be used for differentiation of theKluyveromyces strains included in this study.The U.S. Government right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

刺五加皂苷合成关键酶基因表达的半定量RT-PCR分析

根据已克隆的刺五加鲨烯合酶(squalene synthase,SS)、鲨烯环氧酶(squalene epoxidase,SE)和β-香树酯醇合成酶(β-amyrin synthase,bAS)基因序列信息设计引物,通过半定量RT-PCR分析了SS、SE和bAS基因在刺五加不同生长发育时期和不同器官中表达量的变化.结果表明,SS、SE和bAS基因在各生长发育时期和各器官中均有表达,但表达量差异显著(P<0.05),三者均在盛花期表达量最高,之后降低,进入果实成熟期后SS和bAS的表达量迅速回升,SE无显著变化.SS和bAS在叶片和根中的表达量较高,SE表达量的最大值出现在叶片和幼茎中.刺五加SS、SE和bAS基因的表达间存在显著的正相关关系(P<0.05).研究结果为进一步分析关键酶基因对刺五加三萜皂苷生物合成的影响奠定了基础.     

Aromatic‐interaction‐mediated inhibition of β‐amyloid assembly structures and cytotoxicity

Abnormal aggregation of β‐amyloid (Aβ) peptide plays an important role in the onset and progress of Alzheimer's disease (AD); hence, targeting Aβ aggregation is considered as an effective therapeutic strategy. Here, we studied the aromatic‐interaction‐mediated inhibitory effect of oligomeric polypeptides (K8Y8, K4Y8, K8W8) on Aβ42 fibrillization process. The polypeptides containing lysine as well as representative aromatic amino acids of tryptophan or tyrosine were found to greatly suppress the aggregation as evaluated by thioflavin T assay. Circular dichroism spectra showed that the β‐sheet formation of Aβ42 peptides decreased with the polypeptide additives. Molecular docking studies revealed that the oligomeric polypeptides could preferentially bind to Aβ42 through π–π stacking between aromatic amino acids and Phe19, together with hydrogen bonding. The cell viability assay confirmed that the toxicity of Aβ42 to SH‐SY5Y cells was markedly reduced in the presence of polypeptides. This study could be beneficial for developing peptide‐based inhibitory agents for amyloidoses. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pro-Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone Processing by Recombinant PC1

Abstract: Pro-thyrotropin-releasing hormone (proTRH) is the precursor to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH; pGlu-His-Pro-NH₂), the hypothalamic releasing factor that stimulates synthesis and release of thyrotropin from the pituitary gland. Five copies of the TRH progenitor sequence (Gln-His-Pro-Gly) and seven cryptic peptides are formed following posttranslational proteolytic cleavage of the 26-kDa rat proTRH precursor. The endopeptidase(s) responsible for the physiological conversion of proTRH to the TRH progenitor form is currently unknown. We examined the in vitro processing of [³H]leucine-labeled or unlabeled proTRH by partially purified recombinant PC1. Recombinant PC1 processed the 26-kDa TRH precursor by initially cleaving the prohormone after the basic amino acid at either position 153 or 159. Based on the use of our well-established antibodies, we propose that the initial cleavage gave rise to the formation of a 15-kDa N-terminal peptide (preproTRH_25–152 or preproTRH_25–158) and a 10-kDa C-terminal peptide (preproTRH_154–255 or preproTRH_160–255). Some initial cleavage occurred after amino acid 108 to generate a 16.5-kDa C-terminal peptide. The 15-kDa N-terminal intermediate was further processed to a 6-kDa peptide (preproTRH_25–76 or preproTRH_25–82) and a 3.8-kDa peptide (preproTRH_83–108), whereas the 10-kDa C-terminal intermediate was processed to a 5.4-kDa peptide (preproTRH_206–255). The optimal pH for these cleavages was 5.5. ZnCl₂, EDTA, EGTA, and the omission of Ca²⁺ inhibited the formation of pYE₂₇ (preproTRH_25–50), one of the proTRH N-terminal products, by 48, 82, 72, and 45%, respectively. This study provides evidence, for the first time, that recombinant PC 1 enzyme can process proTRH to its predicted peptide intermediates.     

Determination of genetic relationships among five indigenous Chinese goat breeds with six microsatellite markers

Microsatellite variation was analyzed in five Chinese indigenous goat breeds, which include four Cashmere breeds (Tibetan, Neimonggol, Liaoning, Taihang) and one Hubei local breed (Matou) used for meat production. Five ovine and one bovine microsatellites, selected from eight ovine microsatellites and five bovine microsatellites were suitable for use in this study. With these six microsatellites, allele frequencies, heterozygosity, polymorphism information content (PIC) and effective allele number were calculated. A neighbor-joining tree was constructed using Nei's standard genetic distance (1978). In the tree, Neimonggol and Liaoning were grouped together, then with Taihang; while Tibetan and Matou individually had their own branch. The genetic relationship of five breeds corresponds to their history and geographic origins.     

微生态制剂在胃肠道疾病中的临床应用

微生态制剂(microbial ecological agents, MEA)是利用益生菌及其代谢产物而制成的一种药物制剂。MEA主要是通过补充有益的微生物来重建人体肠道内的菌群平衡,以治疗多种胃肠道疾病。现就近年来MEA在胃肠道中的作用机制,以及在防治炎症性肠病、与抗生素相关的腹泻、幽门螺杆菌感染和慢性肝病等疾病中的临床应用作一概述,为更好地开发和利用MEA治疗疾病奠定基础。     

苦瓜MAP30蛋白基因克隆、表达及其抗肿瘤活性研究

通过PCR技术,从苦瓜总DNA中扩增出编码MAP30成熟蛋白的基因,经测序鉴定后亚克隆到原核表达载体pET30a中,构建成带有N端6Histag的融合表达载体。表达载体用CaCl2介导的化学转化法转化E.coliBL21(DE3),然后利用PCR筛选阳性克隆。工程菌经1mmol/LIPTG诱导4h实现高效表达,而且在30℃时融合蛋白表达量最高,约占菌体总蛋白56%。可溶性分析表明,该融合蛋白在大肠杆菌中主要以可溶的形式存在。重组蛋白通过Ni2+鏊合亲和层析进行纯化,纯化蛋白占上清总蛋白37.2%,发酵液产率为250mg/L。Westernblot分析表明,重组蛋白可与兔抗histag多克隆抗体发生特异性反应。利用MTT法分析重组MAP30的细胞毒性,结果表明其对小鼠3T3和S180肿瘤细胞株具有明显的抑制作用,ID50分别约为50μg/ml和30mg/ml,而对人正常胚肺二倍体WI38细胞株的毒性极小。