The role of vocal self-stimulation in female responses to males: implications for state-reading

As research neurobiologists, we pursue specific questions, and the answers rendered are also correspondingly specific. Our goal, however, is to understand an entire system or the whole organism. To that end, it is not only useful, but sometimes also necessary, that we periodically reappraise a body of specific data in light of current knowledge of the field at large. In this spirit, the present paper reviews my work on the neural and hormonal mechanisms underlying the reproductive system of ring doves and others' studies of songbirds. By integrating these fields I then advance the concept that inherent in the avian breeding system is the mechanism of "state-reading" (a term fashioned after "mindreading", which was coined by cognitive neuroscientists). State-reading helps to coordinate a sequence of endocrine and behavioral events to realize a desired objective, in this case, successful reproduction.     

A simple and efficient method for generating Nurr1-positive neuronal stem cells from human wisdom teeth (tNSC) and the potential of tNSC for stroke therapy

Background aimsWe have isolated human neuronal stem cells from exfoliated third molars (wisdom teeth) using a simple and efficient method. The cultured neuronal stem cells (designated tNSC) expressed embryonic and adult stem cell markers, markers for chemotatic factor and its corresponding ligand, as well as neuron proteins. The tNSC expressed genes of Nurr1, NF-M and nestin. They were used to treat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery-inflicted Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats to assess their therapeutic potential for stroke therapy.MethodsFor each tNSC cell line, a normal human impacted wisdom tooth was collected from a donor with consent. The tooth was cleaned thoroughly with normal saline. The molar was vigorously shaken or vortexed for 30 min in a 50-mL conical tube with 15–20 mL normal saline. The mixture of dental pulp was collected by centrifugation and cultured in a 25-cm² tissue culture flask with 4–5 mL Medium 199 supplemented with 5–10% fetal calf serum. The tNSC harvested from tissue culture, at a concentration of 1–2 × 10⁵, were suspended in 3 µL saline solution and injected into the right dorsolateral striatum of experimental animals inflicted with MCAO.ResultsBehavioral measurements of the tNSC-treated SD rats showed a significant recovery from neurologic dysfunction after MCAO treatment. In contrast, a sham group of SD rats failed to recover from the surgery. Immunohistochemistry analysis of brain sections of the tNSC-treated SD rats showed survival of the transplanted cells.ConclusionsThese results suggest that adult neuronal stem cells may be procured from third molars, and tNSC thus cultivated have potential for treatment of stroke-inflicted rats.     

前体饲喂、诱导子和光照联合使用对葡萄细胞培养合成花青素的影响

苯丙氨酸前体饲喂分别和环糊精、葡聚糖、茉莉酸甲酯、黑曲霉和直喙镰孢菌提取液五种诱导子联合作用,其中以与茉莉酸甲酯的联合作用对葡萄细胞培养生产花青素的影响最大,可使单位鲜细胞花青素含量提高2.7倍,花青素产量提高3.4倍,实验证明两者在培养后第4天加入效果最好。在30μmol/L苯丙氨酸、218μmol/L茉莉酸甲酯和3000~4000lx光照条件下,不同花青素产量的细胞株都能显著提高花青素产量,但低产株VV06比高产株VV05具有更大的产率提高潜力。该条件下VV05和VV06花青素产量分别达到2975和4090CV/L,是对照组的2.5倍和5.2倍。     

继代周期和接种量对葡萄细胞培养的影响

在每种不同的继代周期和接种量条件下,葡萄细胞在连续10次继代培养过程中的生物量、花青素含量、胞内糖、胞内蛋白及胞内总磷均表现出不同程度的波动。不同接种量对培养不稳定性的影响比不同继代周期大;在所考察的条件中,7d继代周期与1.60g接种量组合的继代条件下花青素合成相对稳定;花青素合成与胞内蔗糖或胞内总磷水平呈负相关。     

马氏珠母贝雌雄同体和自体受精的研究

对马氏珠母贝(Pinctada martensiiDunker)成体的性腺进行外观和切片观察,可把马氏珠母贝雌雄同体的个体分为2种类型,其中A类型可以从性腺外观特征上辨别,而B类型需性腺穿刺或组织切片来确认。对试验群体的性腺的类型进行的初步统计表明,雌雄同体个体比例A类型为4.6%,B类型为3.4%,其中雌雄生殖细胞均接近成熟的个体分别约为1.8%和2.1%。通过解剖、0.07‰的氨海水处理,对雌雄同体个体的自体授精及其早期胚胎发育进行了研究,发现自体授精的受精率低于异体授精,同时在发育过程中有较多的卵裂球解体,但仍有部分胚胎可以发育成D型幼虫。     

虎纹蛙消化道肥大细胞类胰蛋白酶免疫组化研究

研究采用小鼠抗人肥大细胞类胰蛋白酶单克隆抗体AA1,应用ElivisionTM plus免疫组化染色法对虎纹蛙(Rana tigrina rugulosa)消化道组织中类胰蛋白酶阳性肥大细胞存在的可能性进行研究。研究发现单克隆抗体AAl可与中性缓冲福马林液固定的虎纹蛙组织的肥大细胞获得良好的交叉反应,类胰蛋白酶阳性细胞胞浆染成棕黄色,证实虎纹蛙肥大细胞胞浆颗粒中也存在类胰蛋白酶。虎纹蛙组织中AA1免疫染色阳性细胞的分布,与AB/SO和改良甲苯胺兰染色阳性细胞的分布存在较大的差异:虎纹蛙类胰蛋白酶阳性细胞数量很少,且阳性反应比人胃癌间质肥大细胞弱,主要见于黏膜型肥大细胞(MMC)分布区域,如消化道黏膜上皮下方和固有层,少量分布于肠绒毛基底部及食管腺和胃腺周围。而在结缔组织型肥大细胞(CTMC)分布区域,如消化道黏膜下层结缔组织中却未见类胰蛋白酶阳性细胞。AB/SO和改良甲苯胺兰染色阳性细胞数量多,广泛分布于消化道黏膜固有层、黏膜下层、腺体之间、肌间及外膜结缔组织,说明并不是所有的虎纹蛙肥大细胞都含有类胰蛋白酶。很有可能是虎纹蛙MMC中含有类胰蛋白酶,而CTMC中不含类胰蛋白酶。虎纹蛙类胰蛋白酶阳性细胞数量很少,且阳性反应比人胃癌间质肥大细胞弱,说明虎纹蛙肥大细胞胞浆颗粒类胰蛋白酶含量较少,虎纹蛙属于低等脊椎动物,可能与生物进化水平较低有关,有待进一步研究。       

Newborn GnRH neurons in the adult forebrain of the ring dove

The preoptic area of the hypothalamus is a key area that produces gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH). In birds, the chicken GnRH-I-form neurons are responsible for the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal system, which controls reproduction. In the ring dove, electrolytic lesion in the adult hypothalamus induces neurogenesis. In this study, we determined whether adult neurogenesis is involved in repairing GnRH neurons, specifically by generating newborn cells exhibiting GnRH-I immunoreactive properties. We selectively applied electrolytic lesions to three different regions of the diencephalon, including the preoptic area, which contains GnRH-I neurons, and identified new cells (BrdU-positive cells) that co-labeled with GnRH-I-immunoreactive cells. The BrdU⁺/GnRH⁺ double labeled cells were then confirmed with confocal laser analysis. In brains of both male and female ring doves we found new neurons at the lesion site of the preoptic region that were GnRH-I immunoreactive. However, the total number of GnRH neurons in the lesioned brains was less than that of sham-lesioned brains. When two other regions of the diencephalon that contain GnRH-I neurons were damaged, no recruitment of new GnRH-I neurons was detected. The rate of neurogenesis depends on the bird's reproductive phase when the lesion was applied. We found BrdU⁺/GnRH⁺ double-labeled cells almost exclusively during the pre-laying phase when birds are engaged in active courtship that leads to egg laying. Our observations suggest that recruitment of GnRH immunoreactive new neurons is restricted to the hypothalamic region and is sensitive to the reproductive stage of the birds.     

疏浚后杭州西湖浮游动物群落的变化

2003年1-12月调查了疏浚后杭州两湖(小型、浅水、富营养化湖泊)四个采样站(Ⅰ-Ⅳ)浮游动物群落的变化。研究包括优势种组成、密度和生物量,以及浮游动物生物量与水体叶绿素a、有机物耗氧量、总氮和总磷含量之间的相关分析。疏浚后,Ⅲ-Ⅳ站原生动物第一优势种由似铃壳虫(Tintinnopsis sp.)变为筒壳虫(Tintinnidium sp.);Ⅲ-Ⅳ站轮虫第一优势种由暗小异尾轮虫(Trichocerca pusilla)变为针簇多肢轮虫(Polyarthra trigla);Ⅰ站的长额象鼻溞(Bosmina longirostris)和Ⅲ站的微型裸腹溞(Moina micrura)分别取代了长肢秀体溞(Diaphanosoma leuchtenbergianum)第一优势种的地位;桡足类中,剑水蚤优势种为粗壮温剑水蚤(Thermocyclops dybowskii),哲水蚤优势种为汤匙华哲水蚤(Sinocalanus dorrii)。疏浚后,西湖浮游动物平均密度增加了80.5%,其中原生动物密度增量贡献57.3%。平均生物量增加了49.7%,其中轮虫生物量增量贡献36.5%。西湖浮游动物生物量与水体叶绿素a、有机物耗氧量和总磷含量之间均呈垃著的正相关关系。不同采样站中,以Ⅳ站环境生态因子与浮游动物生物量之间的相关程度最高,其次为Ⅲ站、Ⅰ站和Ⅱ站,水体环境生态因子对浮游动物的影响程度与其优势利演变的体现相一致。在不同浮游动物类群中,枝角类生物量与水质生态因子之间的相关程度最高,其次为轮虫、桡足类和原生动物。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Terrabacter ginsengisoli</Emphasis> sp. nov., isolated from ginseng cultivating soil

A Gram-positive, strictly aerobic, nonmotile, yellowish, coccus-rod-shaped bacterium (designated Gsoil 653^T) isolated from ginseng cultivating soil was characterized using a polyphasic approach to clarify its taxonomic position. The strain Gsoil 653^T exhibited optimal growth at pH 7.0 on R2A agar medium at 30°C. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, indicated that Gsoil 653^T belongs to the genus Terrabacter of the family Humibacillus, and was closely related to Terrabacter tumescens DSM 20308^T (98.9%), Terrabacter carboxydivorans PY2^T (98.9%), Terrabacter terrigena ON10^T (98.8%), Terrabacter terrae PPLB^T (98.6%), and Terrabacter lapilli LR-26^T (98.6%). The DNA G + C content was 70.5 mol%. The major quinone was MK-8(H₄). The primary polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyl-ethanolamine. The predominant fatty acids were iso-C_15:0, iso-C_16:0, iso-C_14:0, and anteiso-C_15:0, as in the case of genus Terrabacter, thereby supporting the categorization of strain Gsoil 653^T. However, the DNA-DNA relatedness between Gsoil 653^T and closely related strains of Terrabacter species was low at less than 31%. Moreover, strain Gsoil 653^T could be both genotypically and phenotypically distinguished from the recognized species of the genus Terrabacter. This isolate, therefore, represents a novel species, for which the name Terrabacter ginsengisoli sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain Gsoil 653^T (= KACC 19444^T = LMG 30325^T).     

环脂肽类生物表面活性剂结构、功能及生物合成

环脂肽是由微生物产生的一类生物表面活性剂,由亲水的肽环和亲油的脂肪烃链两部分组成,具有独特的化学结构和生理功能。除具表面活性外,环脂肽还具有抗真菌、抗细菌、抗病毒、抗肿瘤等生物活性,具有广阔的应用前景,但我国对这一领域的研究却刚刚起步。本文介绍了目前已知环脂肽的结构类型、结构与功能的关系、相关功能特点等,着重介绍了环脂肽生物合成的非核糖体多酶体系及合成酶基因操纵子,并对环脂肽的应用前景进行了展望。