Comparison of Nitrogen Fixation for North- and South-facing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Robinia pseudoacacia</Emphasis> Stands in Central Korea

The nitrogenase activity, root nodule biomass, and rates of nitrogen (N) fixation were measured in 25-year-old pure north- and south-facing Robinia pseudoacacia stands in an urban forest of Seoul (Kkachisan Mountain) in central Korea. The nitrogenase activity was estimated using an acetylene reduction (AR) assay, which showed an increasing trend during the early growing season, with sustained high rates from June through to September with a decrease thereafter. July had the highest nitrogenase activity rate (micromoles C₂H₄ per gram dry nodule per hour), averaging 95.8 and 115.1 for the north- and south-facing stands, respectively. The maximum root nodule biomass (kilograms per hectare) was 45.7 and 9.1 for the north- and south-facing stands in July, respectively. The AR rate appeared to be strongly correlated to the soil temperature (r ² = 0.68, P < 0.001) and soil pH (r ² = 0.59, P < 0.001) while root nodule biomass was correlated to the soil temperature (r ² = 0.36, P < 0.01) and water content (r ² = 0.35, P < 0.05). The soil temperature showed clear differences between seasons, while there was a significant difference in soil pH, organic matter, total N concentrations, and available phosphorus between the north- and south-facing stands. The N₂ fixation rates during the growing season varied from 0.1 to 37.5 kg N ha⁻¹ month⁻¹ depending on the sampling location and time. The annual N₂ fixation rate (kg N per hectare per year) was 112.3 and 23.2 for the north- and south-facing stands, respectively. The differences in N₂ fixation rate between the two stands were due mainly to the differences in total nodule biomass.     

Relationship Between β-Amyloid and Mitochondrial Dynamics

Mitochondria as dynamic organelles undergo morphological changes through the processes of fission and fusion which are major factors regulating their functions. A disruption in the balance of mitochondrial dynamics induces functional disorders in mitochondria such as failed energy production and the generation of reactive oxygen species, which are closely related to pathophysiological changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between abnormalities in mitochondrial dynamics and impaired mitochondrial function, clarifying the effects of morphofunctional aberrations which promote neuronal cell death in AD. Several possible signaling pathways have been suggested for a better understanding of the mechanism behind the key molecules regulating mitochondrial morphologies. However, the exact machinery involved in mitochondrial dynamics still has yet to be elucidated. This paper reviews the current knowledge on signaling mechanisms involved in mitochondrial dynamics and the significance of mitochondrial dynamics in controlling associated functions in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly in AD.     

红茶菌抗菌蛋白提取与纯化

红茶菌液经过滤、离心、减压浓缩 ,丙酮加盐沉淀 ,Sephadex G-50柱层析后 ,得到两个分子量部分 ,其中小分子量部分有抗菌活性 ,采用尿素— SDS—PAGE测定抗菌蛋白分子量未获成功     

A Proteomic Analysis of Placental Trophoblastic Cells in Preeclampsia–Eclampsia

To explore the proteomic changes of placental trophoblastic cells in preeclampsia–eclampsia (PE), placental trophoblastic cells from normally pregnant women and women with hypertension during gestational period were prepared by laser capture microdissection (LCM), and proteins isolated from these cells were subjected to labeling and proteolysis with isotope-coded affinity tag reagent. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the proteome expression of placental trophoblastic cells was made using two-dimensional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (2D LC–MS/MS). A total of 831 proteins in placental trophoblastic cells were identified by combined use of LCM technique and 2D LC–MS/MS. The result was superior to that of conventional two-dimensional electrophoresis method. There were marked differences in 169 proteins of placental trophoblastic cells between normally pregnant women and women with PE. Of 70 (41.4 %) proteins with more than twofold differences, 31 proteins were down-regulated, and 39 were up-regulated in placental trophoblastic cells of the woman with PE. Laminin expression in placenta trophoblastic cells of women with PE was significantly down-regulated as confirmed by Western blot analysis. These findings provide insights into the proteomic changes in placental trophoblastic cells in response to PE and may identify novel protein targets associated with the pathogenesis of PE.     

pBV220/hIL-4优化表达及其包涵体复性研究

旨在对人白细胞介素-4(hIL-4)上、下游序列进行优化设计,提高在原核系统中的表达量,并对表达的包涵体进行复性研究提高复性率.利用BioSun的RNA二级结构预测模块辅助设计hIL-4起始密码子(AuG)上、下游的序列,使局部二级结构的自由能满足高表达要求;根据pBV220栽体和原核系统的特点优化引物序列提高hIL-4原核表达量.优化hIL-4包涵体复性条件和方法,提高复性率和生物活性.结果显示,成功构建了pBV220/hIL-4高效表达栽体,原核表达的重组人IL-4占细茵总蛋白的35%以上,明显高于优化前表达量;经过复性研究hIL-4包涵体复性率可达到15%以上,生物活性鉴定发现,纯化的hhIL-4蛋白的比活等同或高于国外同类产品.影响原核表达的条件较多,对表达序列的优化设计可以大大提高蛋白的表达量.针对人IL-4基因序列的优化设计提高了人IL-4基因的表达,复性方法的改良提高了复性率和生物活性.     

Arabidopsis DEMETER-LIKE proteins DML2 and DML3 are required for appropriate distribution of DNA methylation marks

Cytosine DNA methylation is a stable epigenetic mark for maintenance of gene silencing across cellular divisions, but it is a reversible modification. Genetic and biochemical studies have revealed that the Arabidopsis DNA glycosylase domain-containing proteins ROS1 (REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1) and DME (DEMETER) initiate erasure of 5-methylcytosine through a base excision repair process. The Arabidopsis genome encodes two paralogs of ROS1 and DME, referred to as DEMETER-LIKE proteins DML2 and DML3. We have found that DML2 and DML3 are 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylases that are expressed in a wide range of plant organs. We analyzed the distribution of methylation marks at two methylated loci in wild-type and dml mutant plants. Mutations in DML2 and/or DML3 lead to hypermethylation of cytosine residues that are unmethylated or weakly methylated in wild-type plants. In contrast, sites that are heavily methylated in wild-type plants are hypomethylated in mutants. These results suggest that DML2 and DML3 are required not only for removing DNA methylation marks from improperly-methylated cytosines, but also for maintenance of high methylation levels in properly targeted sites.     

Abnormal Pelage Color in an Isolated Population of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alouatta guariba clamitans</Emphasis> Cabrera, 1940 in South Brazil

We located 4 brown howlers (1 adult male, 2 adult females, and 1 juvenile male) showing abnormally lighter pelage in 3 social groups comprising 5, 6, and 9 individuals in a 20 ha-forest fragment in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Two additional groups composed only of normally colored individuals also live in the fragment, which is isolated from nearby fragments by 267–1009 m. They were the only brown howlers with abnormal pelage color out of a total of 386 individuals belonging to 67 groups in 21 fragments in the 5876-ha study area. The isolation of the forest fragment, its high howler density (2.2 individuals⁄ha), and large group size (8.8 ± 2.4 individuals) may decrease the likelihood of successful immigration into the population, leading to an increased probability of inbreeding that may facilitate the expression of rare alleles.