Cloning, purification, and characterization of thermostable hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT, EC 2.4.2.8) from a newly characterized thermophile Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Analytical gel filtration suggested that the enzyme exist as a homotetramer in solution. The optimal pH for the forward reaction was found to be 8.0 and the optimal temperature 70 degrees C. The steady-state kinetic characteristics suggest that hypoxanthine is the most effective substrate. This enzyme showed a half-life of 75min at 50 degrees C and no apparent loss of activity after 3 months at 4 degrees C.     

跟骨强度指数与影响因素相关性分析

目的：探讨跟骨强度指数与其影响因素的相关性。方法：共入选1024例体检人员。（1）通过Achilles定量超声（QUS）系统测量左跟骨强度指数;（2）使用RGC-120型体重秤测量身高、体重并计算体重指数;（3）通过问卷调查收集体检人员年龄、膳食、运动、吸烟、饮酒等影响因素的相关资料;（4）将各影响因素与跟骨强度指数进行相关分析和多元逐步回归分析。结果：（1）直线相关分析结果显示,跟骨强度指数与身高、体重、体重指数、饮用牛奶年数、运动年数呈正相关（;2）多因素逐步回归分析显示,跟骨强度指数仅与体重指数、运动年数具有显著的回归效果。结论：体重指数与运动年数是跟骨强度指数的独立影响因素,对骨质疏松的诊断与预防具有重要的意义。     

转基因植物环境安全评价策略

构建完善的转基因植物环境安全评价技术体系是保障转基因生物产业健康发展的重要组成部分。本文综述了转基因植物环境安全评价技术发展历程与趋势,归纳了转基因植物环境安全评价的思路与内容。转基因植物环境安全评价应分为潜在风险分析、风险假设验证、风险特征描述等3个步骤,并采用逐层评价模式;安全评价应贯穿转基因植物新品种研发与产业化全程,包括应用前预测、研发中筛选、推广前评价、推广后监测。此外,基于科学性和个案分析原则,本文对复合性状、非生物胁迫抗性等新型转基因植物环境安全评价策略进行了探讨。     

Quantitative profiling of the detergent-resistant membrane proteome of iota-b toxin induced vero cells

Enzyme-mediated 18O/16O differential labeling of proteome samples often suffers from incomplete exchange of the carboxy-terminus oxygen atoms, resulting in ambiguity in the measurable abundance differences. In this study, an 18O/16O labeling strategy was optimized for and applied to the solution-based comparative analysis of the detergent-resistant membrane proteome (DRMP) of untreated and Iota-b (Ib)-induced Vero cells. Solubilization and tryptic digestion of the DRMP was conducted in a buffer containing 60% methanol. Unfortunately, the activity of trypsin is attenuated at this methanol concentration hampering the ability to obtain complete oxygen atom turnover. Therefore, the incorporation of the 18O atoms was decoupled from the protein digestion step by carrying out the trypsin-mediated heavy atom incorporation in a buffer containing 20% methanol; a concentration at which trypsin activity is enhanced compared to purely aqueous conditions. After isotopic labeling, the samples were combined, fractionated by strong cation exchange and analyzed by microcapillary reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled on-line with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. In total, over 1400 unique peptides, corresponding to almost 600 proteins, were identified and quantitated, including all known caveolar and lipid raft marker proteins. The quantitative profiling of Ib-induced DRMP from Vero cells revealed several proteins with altered expression levels suggesting their possible role in Ib binding/uptake.     

武汉东湖浮游病毒的丰度及多样性

运用透射电镜及荧光显微技术 ,对富营养化的武汉东湖中浮游病毒丰度及多样性进行了研究。电镜观察和计数结果显示 ,东湖中浮游病毒的丰度达到 10 8个 /mL。荧光显微镜计数结果约是电镜计数结果的 2 72倍 ,差异极显著 (P <0 0 1)。在东湖超富营养区的水样中观察到了多种与各种病毒形态类似的颗粒 ,其中大部分与噬菌体和噬藻体类似 ,具多种形态的尾部和六边形头部。还有一些线状、杆状、子弹形等形态的病毒粒子。研究结果显示东湖水环境中的浮游病毒不仅丰度极高 ,而且种类丰富。提示浮游病毒在东湖水环境和水生态系统中可能扮演重要角色。     

Temperature-dependent development and population growth of Tetraneura nigriabdominalis (Homoptera: Pemphigidae) on three host plants

The root aphid Tetraneura nigriabdominalis (Sasaki) (Homoptera: Pemphigidae) is a pest of many Gramineae species; however, little is known about its biology and relationships with host plants. The objectives of this study were to quantify the effects of temperature on development, longevity, fecundity, and population growth of T. nigriabdominalis and to assess the effects of host plant on development of T. nigriabdominalis. The effects of temperature on performance of this root aphid were determined at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 +/- 1 degrees C on rice roots, Oryza sativa L. Nymphal stages from birth to adult decreased from 46.3 d at 10 degrees C to 8.5 d at 30 degrees C. Aphid survival and development were lowest at 35 degrees C, and no aphid produced progeny at this temperature. Average adult longevity decreased from 23.3 d at 15 degrees C to 8.2 d at temperatures up to 35 degrees C. Average number of nymphs produced per female was highest at 25 degrees C; averaging near 30 nymphs per female, but it dropped to near zero at both 10 and 35 degrees C. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r(m)) was 0.241 at 30 degrees C. Net reproductive rate (R(0)) ranged from 29.8 at 25 degrees C to 0.2 at 10 degrees C. The generation time (GT) decreased with increasing temperatures from 60.3 d at 10 degrees C to 13.8 d at 30 degrees C. In addition, root aphids reared at 30 degrees C on three host plants [O. sativa, Zea mays L. and Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] revealed that the developmental time of the nymphal stages averaged 6.9 d when reared on O. sativa and 10.7 d when reared on Z. mays. Comparison of the nitrogen content of the three host plants indicated that the root nitrogen content was highest in O. sativa. The effect of nitrogen content on aphid performance, however, is still not clear. Other factors, such as plant secondary chemistry, may play a role in affecting aphid performance.     

The Drosophila caspase Ice is important for many apoptotic cell deaths and for spermatid individualization, a nonapoptotic process

Caspase family proteases play important roles in the regulation of apoptotic cell death. Initiator caspases are activated in response to death stimuli, and they transduce and amplify these signals by cleaving and thereby activating effector caspases. In Drosophila, the initiator caspase Nc (previously Dronc) cleaves and activates two short-prodomain caspases, Dcp-1 and Ice (previously Drice), suggesting these as candidate effectors of Nc killing activity. dcp-1-null mutants are healthy and possess few defects in normally occurring cell death. To explore roles for Ice in cell death, we generated and characterized an Ice null mutant. Animals lacking Ice show a number of defects in cell death, including those that occur during embryonic development, as well as during formation of adult eyes, arista and wings. Ice mutants exhibit subtle defects in the destruction of larval tissues, and do not prevent destruction of salivary glands during metamorphosis. Cells from Ice animals are also markedly resistant to several stresses, including X-irradiation and inhibition of protein synthesis. Mutations in Ice also suppress cell death that is induced by expression of Rpr, Wrinkled (previously Hid) and Grim. These observations demonstrate that Ice plays an important non-redundant role as a cell death effector. Finally, we demonstrate that Ice participates in, but is not absolutely required for, the non-apoptotic process of spermatid differentiation.     

The nuclear localization signal and the C-terminal region of FHY1 are required for transmission of phytochrome A signals

Plants use the family of phytochrome photoreceptors to sense their light environment in the red/far-red region of the spectrum. Phytochrome A (phyA) is the primary photoreceptor that regulates germination and early seedling development. This phytochrome mediates seedling de-etiolation for the developmental transition from heterotrophic to photoauxotrophic growth. High intensity far-red light provides a way to specifically assess the role of phyA in this process and was used to isolate phyA-signaling intermediates. fhy1 and pat3 (renamed fhy1-3) are independently isolated alleles of a gene encoding a phyA signal transduction component. FHY1 is a small 24 kDa protein that shows no homology to known functional motifs, besides a small conserved septin-related domain at the C-terminus, a putative nuclear localization signal (NLS) and a putative nuclear exclusion signal (NES). Here we demonstrate that the septin-related domain is important for FHY1 to transmit phyA signals. Moreover, the putative NLS and NES of FHY1 are indeed involved in its nuclear localization and exclusion. Nuclear localization of FHY1 is needed for it to execute responses downstream of phyA. Together with the results from global expression analysis, our findings point to an important role of FHY1 in phyA signaling through its nuclear translocation and induction of gene expression.     

粳稻SRAP分子标记遗传群的构建与分析

用超级稻品种‘沈农606’和普通粳稻‘丽江新团黑谷’为亲本杂交获得的102份F_2代单株,通过SRAP分子标记遗传分析,构建了包含14个连锁群,由129个多态性位点组成的水稻连锁图谱,此图谱覆盖基因组长度1671.5 cM,平均图距13.0 cM。连锁群上有17.2%的多态性位点表现偏分离,偏分离标记在连锁群上存在热点区域。     

植物糖信号与激素信号之间的联系

植物激素与糖作为信号分子,调控植物生长发育过程中的种子萌发、幼苗生长、根和叶的分化、花芽形成、果实成熟、胚形成和衰老等.拟南芥糖信号转导突变体与激素信号转导突变体的表型、遗传、生理与分子生物学的研究表明,糖与各种植物激素之间存在复杂的关系.文章介绍葡萄糖与ABA、乙烯、IAA、CTK、GA等激素之间的联系.