Costs of receipt and donation of ejaculates in a simultaneous hermaphrodite

Background  

Sexual conflicts between mating partners can strongly impact the evolutionary trajectories of species. This impact is determined by the balance between the costs and benefits of mating. However, due to sex-specific costs it is unclear how costs compare between males and females. Simultaneous hermaphrodites offer a unique opportunity to determine such costs, since both genders are expressed concurrently. By limiting copulation of focal individuals in pairs of pond snails (Lymnaea stagnalis) to either the male role or the female role, we were able to compare the fecundity of single sex individuals with paired hermaphrodites and non-copulants. Additionally, we examined the investment in sperm and seminal fluid of donors towards feminized snails and hermaphrodites.     

云南草蔻和长柄山姜挥发油的化学成分分析

云南草蔻（Alpinia blepharocalyx K．Schum．）和长柄山姜（A．kwangsiensis T．L．Wu et Senjen）均为姜科山姜属多年生草本植物。云南草蔻,又名小草蔻,产自云南南部及西部,生于海拔100～1000m的疏林中;长柄山姜主要分布在广东、广西、贵州和云南,生于山谷中林下阴湿处,海拔580～680m。云南草蔻是傣药品种之一,种子以草豆蔻之名入药,根茎则用于治疗腹胀、腹部冷痛;长柄山姜根茎可治脘腹冷痛、胃寒呕吐。到目前为止,有关云南草蔻和长柄山姜根茎挥发油成分的研究尚未见报道。     

Dynamics of a truncated prion protein,PrP(113–231), from 15N NMR relaxation: Order parameters calculated and slow conformational fluctuations localized to a distinct region

Prion diseases are associated with the misfolding of the prion protein (PrP^C) from a largely α‐helical isoform to a β‐sheet rich oligomer (PrP^Sc). Flexibility of the polypeptide could contribute to the ability of PrP^C to undergo the conformational rearrangement during PrP^C–PrP^Sc interactions, which then leads to the misfolded isoform. We have therefore examined the molecular motions of mouse PrP^C, residues 113–231, in solution, using ¹⁵N NMR relaxation measurements. A truncated fragment has been used to eliminate the effect of the 90‐residue unstructured tail of PrP^C so the dynamics of the structured domain can be studied in isolation. ¹⁵N longitudinal (T₁) and transverse relaxation (T₂) times as well as the proton‐nitrogen nuclear Overhauser effects have been used to calculate the spectral density at three frequencies, 0, ω_N, and 0.87ω_H. Spectral densities at each residue indicate various time‐scale motions of the main‐chain. Even within the structured domain of PrP^C, a diverse range of motions are observed. We find that removal of the tail increases T₂ relaxation times significantly indicating that the tail is responsible for shortening of T₂ times in full‐length PrP^C. The truncated fragment of PrP has facilitated the determination of meaningful order parameters (S²) from the relaxation data and shows for the first time that all three helices in PrP^C have similar rigidity. Slow conformational fluctuations of mouse PrP^C are localized to a distinct region that involves residues 171 and 172. Interestingly, residues 170–175 have been identified as a segment within PrP that will form a steric zipper, believed to be the fundamental amyloid unit. The flexibility within these residues could facilitate the PrP^C–PrP^Sc recognition process during fibril elongation.     

人-禽双价流感新型DNA疫苗构建及免疫保护实验研究

流感病毒是威胁人类和动物健康的重要病原. 研究表明, 流感大流行株的形成与人流感和禽流感毒株基因重配密切相关. 因此在目前流感流行趋势下, 在人流感和禽流感疫苗开发中考虑对人流感和禽流感流行亚型进行共预防具有重要意义. 本研究针对人-禽多价流感疫苗进行了尝试, 构建了共表达H5亚型HA和H3亚型主要抗原区HA1的DNA疫苗pVAX1-H5/H3, 并进行了小鼠免疫攻毒研究. 结果表明, 攻毒前pVAX1-H5/H3有效诱导小鼠产生了针对 H5HA和H3HA1的体液抗体和细胞免疫应答. 当采用H5亚型和H3亚型流感病毒攻击时, pVAX1-H5/H3实验组小鼠对病毒攻击产生了抵抗作用, 显示了更快的体重回复及肺部病毒清除速度. 在H3亚型流感保护方面, pVAX1-H5/H3作用显著优于单表达H3HA1的pVAX1-H3. 结果证实, 共表达双亚型HA策略可对相关流感病毒攻击产生保护, 不同HA间未发现免疫干扰现象, 同时存在潜在的增益效果. 本研究为人-禽多价流感疫苗的研发奠定了基础.     

西伯利亚蓼PsGRX基因的克隆及其在NaHCO_3胁迫下的表达

采用cDNA末端快速扩增（RACE）技术从西伯利亚蓼叶cDNA文库中克隆到谷氧还蛋白基因（PsGRX）的完整编码区cDNA序列（GenBank注册号为GU139794）,长度为465bp,编码106个氨基酸。根据与其他植物谷氧还蛋白的氨基酸序列的比对以及系统进化分析的结果,初步确定此基因为谷氧还蛋白基因家族成员。实时定量PCR的结果显示,PsGRX在西伯利亚蓼的叶、茎、地下茎中均有表达,叶中表达量最高,地下茎和茎中较低。在NaHCO3胁迫的过程中,此基因在叶、茎和地下茎中的表达模式也有较明显的差异。     

昆虫的听觉器官

昆虫的听器是一类对声波具有特异感受作用的器官,对其生存具有非常重要的意义。昆虫的听器主要有听觉毛、江氏器和鼓膜听器3种类型。本文主要介绍了昆虫3种听器的结构和功能特点,并从系统发生和个体发育角度介绍了鼓膜听器的演化过程。     

蜂毒肽抑杀病原菌的超微结构观察

本研究比较了蜂毒肽对4种不同病原菌生长的影响及其抑杀菌作用的差异,并利用电子显微镜观察了蜂毒肽抑杀菌过程中超微结构的变化.结果表明,蜂毒肽对白菜软腐病菌的杀菌作用最强,而且速效;对酵母菌和番茄叶霉病菌孢子同样具有很强的杀灭作用,但作用时间延长;对金黄葡萄球菌为低浓度抑菌,高浓度杀菌作用.实验中观察到,蜂毒肽在抑杀菌过程中超微结构的变化有3种方式致死细胞：一是膜孔洞式,即蜂毒肽作用后在细胞膜区形成小空泡,随之由内向外扩展穿透细胞壁形成孔洞,引起菌体内容物泄漏死亡,显示了膜孔洞的形成过程;二是质壁分离式,小空泡以横向扩展使细胞产生类似质壁分离样空腔,最后细胞裂解死亡;三是细胞质空腔式,蜂毒肽进入细胞后与细胞质中的类膜系统的膜结合引起解体,细胞质固缩,出现空腔,细胞死亡.值得注意的是蜂毒肽抑杀菌作用的强弱及速效性与其不同杀菌方式相关.综上结果,蜂毒肽各种抑杀菌方式的共同点是蜂毒肽与膜磷脂分子结合相互作用所致.     

Effects of pO2 on the activation of skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors by NO: a cautionary note

Eu et al., reported that O2 dynamically controls the redox state of 6-8 out of 50 thiols per skeletal ryanodine receptor (RyR1) subunit and thereby tunes the response of Ca2+-release channels to authentic nitric oxide (NO) [J.P. Eu, J. Sun, L. Xu, J.S. Stamler, G. Meissner, The skeletal muscle calcium release channel: coupled O2 sensor and NO signaling functions, Cell 102 (2000) 499-509]. A role for O2 was based on the observation that RyR1 can be activated by submicromolar NO at physiological ( approximately 10 mmHg) but not ambient (approximately 150 mmHg) pO2. At ambient pO2, these critical thiols were oxidized but incubation at low pO2 reset the redox state of these thiols, closed RyR1 channels and made these thiols available for nitrosation by low NO concentrations. Eu et al., postulated the existence of a redox/O2sensor that couples channel activity to NO and pO2 and explained that "the nature of the 'redox/O2 sensor' that couples channel activity to intracellular redox chemistry is a mystery". Here, we re-examined the effect of pO2 on RyR1 and find that incubation of RyR1 at low pO2 did not alter channel activity and NO (0.5-50 microM) failed to activate RyR1 despite a wide range of pO2 pre-incubation conditions. We show that low levels of NO do not activate RyR1, do not reverse the inhibition of RyR1 by calmodulin (CaM) even at physiological pO2. Similarly, the pre-incubation of SR vesicles in low pO2 (for 10-80 min) did not inhibit channel activity or sensitization of RyR1 to NO. We discuss the significance of these findings and propose that caution should be taken when considering a role for pO2 and nitrosation by NO as mechanisms that tune RyRs in striated muscles.     

14种菊科植物提取物对菜青虫的杀虫活性

用胜红蓟、黄花蒿、青蒿、艾蒿、鬼针草、三叶鬼针草、鱼眼草、小鱼眼草、紫茎泽兰、千里光、希签草、万寿菊、肿柄菊、苍耳等１４种菊科植物的石油醚、氯仿、丙酮、乙醇、甲醇和水提取物对菜青虫５龄幼虫的生测结果表明,黄花蒿、青蒿、艾蒿、鱼眼草、小鱼眼草、紫茎泽兰、万寿菊等７种菊科植物甲醇和乙醇提取物具有较高的杀虫活性。此结果为进一步从菊科植物中提取,分离和筛选高活性杀虫活性成分奠定了基础。     

濒危植物蒙古扁桃花粉活力和柱头可授性研究

用过氧化氢酶法测定蒙古扁桃花粉的活力和寿命,用联苯胺-过氧化氢法测定柱头可授性。结果表明,蒙古扁桃花粉活力在散粉后第2天最高,3d后活力迅速下降,三种类型的植株的花粉活力下降速度存在差异,其活力可持续30d左右。短柱头植株柱头在开花后1d可分泌黏液,长柱头和中柱头花植株的柱头在开花后2d才分泌黏液,短柱头分泌黏液的持续时间较后者长。柱头可授性持续时间同种之间也存在差异,长柱头和中柱头植株可达6d,而短柱头花植株可持续10d左右。