Zooplankton community structure along a pollution gradient at fine geographical scales in river ecosystems: The importance of species sorting over dispersal

The release of anthropogenic pollution into freshwater ecosystems has largely transformed biodiversity and its geographical distribution patterns globally. However, for many communities including ecologically crucial ones such as zooplankton, it is largely unknown how different communities respond to environmental pollution. Collectively, dispersal and species sorting are two competing processes in determining the structure and geographical distribution of zooplankton communities in running water ecosystems such as rivers. At fine geographical scales, dispersal is usually considered as the dominant factor; however, the relative role of species sorting has not been evaluated well, mainly because significant environmental gradients rarely exist along continuously flowing rivers. The Chaobai River in northern China represents a rare system, where a significant environmental gradient exists at fine scales. Here, we employed high‐throughput sequencing to characterize complex zooplankton communities collected from the Chaobai River, and tested the relative roles of dispersal and species sorting in determining zooplankton community structure along the pollution gradient. Our results showed distinct patterns of zooplankton communities along the environmental gradient, and chemical pollutant‐related factors such as total phosphorus and chlorophyll‐a were identified as the major drivers for the observed patterns. Further partial redundancy analyses showed that species sorting overrode the effect of dispersal to shape local zooplankton community structure. Thus, our results reject the dispersal hypothesis and support the concept that species sorting caused by local pollution can largely determine the zooplankton community structure when significant environmental gradients exist at fine geographical scales in highly polluted running water ecosystems.     

白蚁及其共生菌来源的4种木质纤维素酶的共表达

天然的木质纤维素材料含有纤维素、半纤维素和木质素等成分。降解天然木质纤维素底物时,需要木质纤维素酶共同作用。近年在木质纤维素酶的相互协同作用方面的研究引起人们的关注,成为一个新的研究热点,文中使用两个不同的共表达载体pETDuet-1和pRSFDuet-1,在大肠杆菌中共表达了白蚁及其肠道微生物来源的β-葡萄糖苷酶、内切β-1,4-葡聚糖酶、漆酶和木聚糖酶这4种木质纤维素酶,经过SDS-PAGE分析得到了与理论值一致的蛋白条带,同时经过酶活验证,这4种蛋白都具有酶活性。以磷酸处理的微晶纤维素(PASC)为底物,测定了共表达酶粗酶液与单独表达酶混合液的协同作用因子,从还原糖的产量上经计算共表达的粗酶液比单独表达酶的混合液对PASC的降解协同作用提高44%;以滤纸和磷酸处理的玉米芯为底物,测定降解协同作用,分别提高了34%和20%。结果表明,共表达酶的降解效率要高于混合的单组分酶液降解效率的总和。     

EDNRB基因编码区点突变及多态性在浙江地区散发性先天性巨结肠症中的检测与分析

本实验应用聚合酶链反应-单链构象多态性(single strand confbrmation polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reaction products,PCR-SSCP)和DNA直接测序技术,对75例浙江地区散发性先天性巨结肠病例EDNRB基因编码区的全部7个外显子,进行了点突变与单核苷酸多态性的检测与分析,探讨浙江地区先天性巨结肠患者EDNRB基因的突变特征,阐明EDNRB基因与散发性先天性巨结肠症发病之间可能存在的关系。结果有6例患者在第4外显子上检测到密码子277位点 CTG→CTA的置换,导致亮氨酸的同义突变(L277L),属于单核苷酸多态性,发生率为8％(6/75)。有 2例患者在第2外显子上检测到密码子185位点GTG→ATG的置换,导致缬氨酸到蛋氨酸的错义突变(V185M),此突变型未在国内外文献中报道过,认为是新的基因突变型,突变率2．7％(2/75)。研究结果表明,浙江地区先天性巨结肠群体可发生EDNRB基因的杂合性突变,提示EDNRB基因与先天性巨结肠症的发病存在一定程度的关联。     

宫腔镜下甲氨蝶呤注入输卵管保守治疗非破裂型输卵管妊娠的疗效观察

目的探讨宫腔镜下甲氨蝶呤注入输卵管保守治疗非破裂型输卵管妊娠的临床疗效。方法对34例确诊为非破裂型输卵管妊娠,且包块直径≤4 cm,血β-HCG〈2 000 IU,无腹腔积液的病例,行宫腔镜下将MTX 40 mg注入输卵管;动态观察患者血HCG变化,定期复查彩超,观察包块变化情况。结果32例治愈,治愈率94.12%。其中有1例疗程结束后1周复查血β-HCG〉1000 u/L,追加用药后成功;失败2例,均因治疗期间腹痛加剧出现内出血征象而转行手术治疗,内出血分别为700 ml、480 ml,转腹腔镜手术,恢复良好。结论宫腔镜下甲氨蝶呤注入输卵管保守治疗非破裂型输卵管妊娠具有损伤小、避免开腹手术等优点,值得临床推广。     

Structural changes of vegetation and its association with microclimate in a successional gradient of low thorn forest in northeastern Mexico

Understanding how microclimate and vegetation are associated during secondary succession is of primary importance for plant conservation in the face of the increasing land cover modification. However, these patterns are still unstudied for many plant communities. This study aimed to evaluate the structure (species richness, Shannon's diversity index, Simpson´s dominance index, abundance of each species, average height of species, species cover (%), species composition, and indicator values) of a low thorn forest fragment and to analyze its relation with microclimate along a successional gradient. Four stages of succession were delimited by the analysis of Landsat images, in the state of Tamaulipas, northeast Mexico. Statistical models incorporated species richness, diversity indices, abundance, height, and cover, as variables for searching differences between stages, or to evaluate microclimate associations. A total of 70 species, 54 genera, and 27 families were determined. Height of tree layer was the most important variable for discrimination of the successional stages. Conserved areas differed floristically from other stages, associated mainly with the lowest values of wind speed originated by tree layer characteristics. A significant association between species and microclimate was found, being wind speed and relative humidity the most important variables. Some species, due to their high importance values and their patterns of association with microclimate, may be considered as key taxa for low thorn forest, which is a threatened semitropical community in northeast Mexico. Conserved and late successional areas account for climatic regulation of this plant community, and the importance of these forest patches may be considered when establishing biodiversity protection areas.

     

复合氨基酸治疗眼角膜溃疡的研究

复合氨基酸在临床上的应用越来越被人们重视,我们利用水解猪血粉的方法得到含１７种氨基酸的复合液,配制成滴眼剂用于多种原因引起的眼角膜溃疡疾病的治疗研究取得了较好的效果。     

鼎湖山南亚热带常绿阔叶林植物功能性状变异与不同垂直层次个体生长的关联

建立植物功能性状与群落动态之间的关联是功能生态学的核心问题之一。本文基于鼎湖山1.44 ha塔吊样地的两次调查数据, 通过采集样地内所有4,142株个体的6种植物功能性状, 对比分析了个体水平植物功能性状和物种水平功能性状均值对不同垂直层次(灌木层、亚冠层和林冠层)个体生长的影响差异。首先, 分析了不同垂直层次下各植物功能性状的变化趋势; 其次, 计算了不同垂直层次下各植物功能性状的种内和种间变异水平; 最后, 运用结构方程模型探讨了植物功能性状、光竞争以及地下竞争对不同垂直层次树木生长的影响。结果表明: (1)不同垂直层次下的植物功能性状表现出明显的分异, 由灌木层至林冠层, 叶面积、比叶面积和能量供求关系指数显著降低, 而叶片厚度和叶片干物质含量显著升高; (2)不同垂直层次下植物功能性状的种间变异均大于种内变异, 且林冠层的种内功能性状变异均大于灌木层和亚冠层; (3)基于个体水平植物功能性状的结构方程模型较物种水平功能性状均值对生长具有更高的解释程度, 且个体水平植物功能性状的引入更有利于提高对灌木层个体生长的预测能力; (4)光竞争和地下竞争主要通过影响功能性状间接影响植物生长。由灌木层至林冠层, 同种间的相互作用逐渐减弱, 异种间的相互作用逐渐增强。综上, 将个体水平植物功能性状纳入分析有助于更好地理解群落的结构和动态。     

Impaired thymic export and apoptosis contribute to regulatory T-cell defects in patients with chronic heart failure

Objective

Animal studies suggest that regulatory T (T_reg) cells play a beneficial role in ventricular remodeling and our previous data have demonstrated defects of T_reg cells in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, the mechanisms behind T_reg-cell defects remained unknown. We here sought to elucidate the mechanism of T_reg-cell defects in CHF patients.

Methods and Results

We performed flow cytometry analysis and demonstrated reduced numbers of peripheral blood CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺CD45RO⁻CD45RA⁺ naïve T_reg (nT_reg) cells and CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺CD45RO⁺CD45RA⁻ memory T_reg (mT_reg) cells in CHF patients as compared with non-CHF controls. Moreover, the nT_reg/mT_reg ratio (p<0.01), CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺CD45RO⁻ CD45RA⁺CD31⁺ recent thymic emigrant T_reg cell (RTE-T_reg) frequency (p<0.01), and T-cell receptor excision circle levels in T_reg cells (p<0.01) were lower in CHF patients than in non-CHF controls. Combined annexin-V and 7-AAD staining showed that peripheral T_reg cells from CHF patients exhibited increased spontaneous apoptosis and were more prone to interleukin (IL)-2 deprivation- and CD95 ligand-mediated apoptosis than those from non-CHF individuals. Furthermore, analyses by both flow cytometry and real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that T_reg-cell frequency in the mediastinal lymph nodes or Foxp3 expression in hearts of CHF patients was no higher than that of the non-CHF controls.

Conclusion

Our data suggested that the T_reg-cell defects of CHF patients were likely caused by decreased thymic output of nascent T_reg cells and increased susceptibility to apoptosis in the periphery.     

Polymorphism attribution of cSNPs in cancer-related genes located in loss regions with a high frequency of HCC between HBV and health groups

Cancer-related genes harbored in the loss regions containing a high frequency of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were selected.Related information was gathered and the coding single nucleotide polymorphism (cSNP) sequences were obtained from the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) database.The appropriate primers and oligonucleotide probes were then designed in accordance with the SNP sites,and subsequently,the gene chips for detecting SNPs were constructed.Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples of healthy controls and from patients with HBV infection.The sequences,including the SNPs,were amplified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and labeled using digoxigenin deoxyuridine tri-phosphate (Dig-dUTP).The labeled products were then hybridized with the SNP chips.Results confirmed that the differences in allele frequencies of three SNPs EGFL3 (rs947345),Caspase9 (rs2308950),and E2F2 (rs3218171) were distinct between HBV-infected patients and controls,suggesting that these SNPs ocuring in high frequency in HBV-infected individuals may be associated with susceptibility to HCC.     

Silencing of a lipase maturation factor 2‐like gene by wheat‐mediated RNAi reduces the survivability and reproductive capacity of the grain aphid,Sitobion avenae

Lipase maturation factor (LMF) family proteins are required for the maturation and transport of active lipoprotein lipases. However, the specific roles of LMF2 remain unknown. In this study, a grain aphid lmf2‐like gene fragment was cloned and was highly similar in sequence to a homologous gene in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. An RNAi vector was constructed with this fragment and used for wheat transformation. The expression of the lmf2‐like gene in aphid, as well as the growth and reproduction of the aphids, was analyzed after feeding on the transgenic wheat. There were no significant differences in the expression of the lmf2‐like gene over development. The expression of the lmf2‐like gene was significantly reduced by 27.6% on the fifth day, and 57.6% on the 10th day after feeding. The total number of aphids produced on the transgenic plants was less than the number produced on control plants, and the difference became significant or after 2 weeks. The molting numbers were also reduced in the aphids reared on the transgenic plants. Our findings indicate that lmf2‐like genes may have potential as a target gene for the control of grain aphids and show that feeding aphids with wheat expressing lmf2‐like RNAi resulted in significant reductions in survival and reproduction.