Maintenance of transposable element copy number in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans

To investigate the main forces controlling the containment of transposable elements (TE) in natural populations, we analyzed the copia, mdg1, and 412 elements in various populations of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans. A lower proportion of insertion sites on the X chromosome in comparison with the autosomes suggests that selection against the detrimental effects of TE insertions is the major force containing TE copies in populations of Drosophila. This selection effect hypothesis is strengthened by the absence of the negative correlation between recombination rate and TE copy number along the chromosomes, which was expected under the alternative ectopic exchange model (selection against the deleterious rearrangements promoted by recombination between TE insertions). A cline in 412 copy number in relation to latitude was observed among the natural populations of D. simulans, with very high numbers existing in some local populations (around 60 copies in a sample from Canberra, Australia). An apparent absence of selection effects in this Canberra sample and a value of transposition rate equal to 1–2 × 10^-3 whatever the population and its copy number agree with the idea of recent but temporarily drastic TE movements in local populations. The high values of transposition rate in D. simulans clearly disfavor the hypothesis that the low amount of transposable elements in this species could result from a low transposition rate. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

四川省鱼类寄生粘孢子虫两新种（粘孢子纲：双壳目）

本四川省鱼类寄生粘孢子虫两新种：寄生墨头鱼的宜宾两极虫,新种Ｍｙｘｉｄｉｕｍ ｙｉｂｉｎｅｎｓｅ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．和寄生鳙Ａｒｉｓｔｉｃｈｔｈｙｓ ｎｋｂｉｌｉｓ的鳙单尾虫,新种Ｕｎｉｃａｕｄａ ａｒｉｓｔｉｃｈｔｈｙｄｉｓ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ。     

丁酸钠和pH值对离体蚕豆花药中小孢子有丝分裂的影响

含单核中后期至后期花粉的蚕豆离体花药,经过2mM丁酸钠24小时预处理后,再漂浮培养于pH5.8或7.0的液体培养基。以不经预处理的作为对照。结果如下: 1.培养后9天内,丁酸钠预处理和培养基pH值并不明显影响花粉退化百分率。2.培养初期,pH7.0显著促进小孢子不等分裂。3.丁酸钠预处理抑制培养初期的小孢子有丝分裂,而后又显著增加小孢子均等分裂百分率。4.丁酸钠预处理导致小孢子有丝分裂类型的趋向改变。本文还对丁酸钠导致有丝分裂类型趋向改变的可能原因,进行了讨论。     

家兔晶状体纤维的超微结构:纤维细胞的间隙连接

本文报道晶状体纤维细胞间间隙连接的形态结构。我们利用冰冻断裂技术,在不同部位的球-和-凹连结的头部以及在纤维细胞和纤维细胞之间都观察到间隙连接的存在。通过极其丰富的上述连接,可实现细胞间代谢物和离子的传递。作者认为:对正常晶状体纤维细胞之间的间隙连接的深入了解,将会为晶状体发病机制的研究提供新的线索。     

猫尾核头部前区对三叉神经尾端脊束核的抑制作用及其方式

在清醒麻痹状态下的55只猫上,观察了电刺激尾核头部前区(Cd)对三叉神经尾端脊束核(cST)中了齿槽神经(AI)伤害性刺激所诱发的放电的影响。刺激 Cd 可以抑制大多数 cST 神经元的伤害性反应,抑制持续约100—500ms。抑制时程可为静脉注射戊巴比妥钠和安定而延长,注射印防己毒素可使其缩短。马钱子素使抑制时程稍有延长。这些结果提示,Cd 对 cST神经元的抑制作用是通过突触前抑制的方式实现的。     

人工补充寄主卵对松林内卵蜂种群消长的影响

在不同生境的松林中,人工补充寄主卵都能提高寄生效果。但林地生境不同,寄生率有明显差异。在松阔混交林中补充寄主,其寄生率比对照提高5.5—16.2倍。植被稀疏的纯松林效果较差,补充的寄生率比对照提高3.0倍。 卵蜂种群消长随季节温度而变化,全年以5月中旬至6月下旬和9月中旬至10月中旬为两个寄生高峰。卵蜂种群与松毛虫种群的消长存在较明显的相依关系,卵蜂种群随着松毛虫种群的消长而消长。施药对卵蜂种群有较大影响,施药区比对照区的寄生率约降低一倍。在混交林中填充寄主卵,能促进卵蜂种群世代延续。在逐步改善林地生境的基础上,利用人工补充寄主,可以代替人工繁蜂放蜂。     

Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft valve: Hemodynamic evaluation and early clinical follow-up of 326 patients

Dissatisfaction with the hemodynamic characteristics of available porcine valves prompted a clinical trial of the Ionescu-Shiley percardial xenograft (ISPX) valve. Three hundred fifty-six ISPX valves were implanted consecutively in 326 patients. Operative mortality was 2.6% (2/75) for aortic valve replacement alone and 7.7% (12/155) for aortic valve replacements that included reoperations and combined procedures such as mitral commissurotomy, annuloplasty, and coronary artery bypass. Operative mortality for all patients who underwent mitral valve replacement was 9.5% (14/147). The mean peak systolic gradient pressure in the aortic position was 5.4 mm Hg overall and 4.27 mm Hg with the size 19 mm valve. There were no embolic episodes in patients who received the ISPX valve in the aortic position. The available data indicate that the rate of peripheral embolism with the ISPX valve compares favorably with that of porcine valves. Considering its hemodynamic advantage, if the longterm durability of the full-orifice Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft valve continues to be confirmed by follow-up studies, it is our opinion that it is the biologic valve of choice.     

The isolation and characteristics of plasmids derived from the insertion of MupAp1 into pML2: their behavior during transposition

Three independent insertions of the phage Mu variant MupAp1 into the ColE1 derivative pML2 have been isolated. From one of these hybrid plasmids (pSU1), two mini-Mu plasmids have been generated. These have lost internal regions of the Mu genome but retain the ends of the prophage. In pSU17 all but one kilobase pair of the early region and most of the late region have been deleted whereas in pSU123 most of the early region is still present but the deletion covers nearly all the late region. Mu immunity, host killing, and transposition functions are located in the DNA present in pSU123 but absent from pSU17. Transposition of Mu and the mini-Mu from the hybrid plasmids to the sex factor R388 is usually associated with the formation of cointegrates between the two parental plasmids.