Apoptosis and lipoapoptosis in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Yeasts being simple eukaryotes are established genetic systems that are often employed to solve important biological questions. Recently, it has become evident that certain cell death programs exist in these unicellular organisms. For example, it has been shown recently that strains of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe deficient in triacylglycerol synthesis undergo cell death with prominent apoptotic markers. This minireview is intended to discuss key developments that have rendered fission yeast useful both as a tool and as a model for apoptosis and lipoapoptosis research. It is attempted to delineate a putative signaling pathway leading to the execution of lipoapoptosis in the fission yeast. Although in its infancy, apoptosis research in the fission yeast promises exciting breakthroughs in the near future.     

Identification and Severity Determination of Wheat Stripe Rust and Wheat Leaf Rust Based on Hyperspectral Data Acquired Using a Black-Paper-Based Measuring Method

It is important to implement detection and assessment of plant diseases based on remotely sensed data for disease monitoring and control. Hyperspectral data of healthy leaves, leaves in incubation period and leaves in diseased period of wheat stripe rust and wheat leaf rust were collected under in-field conditions using a black-paper-based measuring method developed in this study. After data preprocessing, the models to identify the diseases were built using distinguished partial least squares (DPLS) and support vector machine (SVM), and the disease severity inversion models of stripe rust and the disease severity inversion models of leaf rust were built using quantitative partial least squares (QPLS) and support vector regression (SVR). All the models were validated by using leave-one-out cross validation and external validation. The diseases could be discriminated using both distinguished partial least squares and support vector machine with the accuracies of more than 99%. For each wheat rust, disease severity levels were accurately retrieved using both the optimal QPLS models and the optimal SVR models with the coefficients of determination (R²) of more than 0.90 and the root mean square errors (RMSE) of less than 0.15. The results demonstrated that identification and severity evaluation of stripe rust and leaf rust at the leaf level could be implemented based on the hyperspectral data acquired using the developed method. A scientific basis was provided for implementing disease monitoring by using aerial and space remote sensing technologies.     

FRIL蛋白体外维持脐血造血干/祖细胞的作用及细胞周期调控基因的表达

为探讨新的豆类凝集素(Flt3 receptor-interacting lectin,FRIL)体外维持脐血CD34^ 细胞的作用以及维持过程中细胞周期调控基因HTm4及HTm4S mRNA的表达及意义,我们利用FRIL维持培养脐血CD34^ 细胞,对其增殖曲线、细胞周期及集落形成能力进行常规分析,并用半定量RT—PCR法分别测定FRIL体外维持不同时间后脐血CD34^ 细胞中周期调控基因HTm4及HTm4S mRNA的表达变化。结果显示,FRIL培养的CD34^ 造血干／祖细胞的增殖趋势平缓,整个培养期间细胞增殖倍数不超过起始的3倍：14d之前,FRIL培养细胞的高增殖潜能集落形成细胞(HPP—CFC)形成集落数与FL组无差别,其后则维持高于FL的情况。细胞周期分析则显示,在28d的培养过程内,利用FRIL培养的细胞始终有80％以上维持在G0期;而周期调控基因HTm4及HTm4S在刚分离的脐血CD34^ 细胞中的表达水平较高;但培养1d后,几乎检测不到HTm4基因的表达;培养3～14d,该基因的表达回升并持续维持在高水平。而HTm4S基因的表达在第7d达最高水平,其余时间基本呈稳定表达。转染HTm4和HTm4S,亚细胞定位结果显示HTm4主要定位于核周围,而HTm4S则定位于整个胞浆,由此可能导致它们功能的区别。以上结果提示,长期培养体现出FRIL在维持造血干／祖细胞多能性上的优势;细胞周期调控基因HTm4及其新剪接子参与了FRIL体外长期维持脐血造血干／祖细胞处于静息状态的过程。     

HTm4基因在造血细胞周期调控中的作用

为了研究HTm4基因在造血细胞细胞周期调控中的作用,以佛波酯(phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate,PMA)诱导K562细胞分化为模型,利用流式细胞术(FACS)及半定量RT-PCR对分化过程中细胞周期的变化及HTm4基因的表达进行了分析,并利用Tet-Off调控表达系统,将HTm4基因以及C端功能域缺失的HTm4-ct转染K562细胞,观察对细胞周期的影响。结果表明,PMA同时引起了K562细胞的增殖和分化,G0／G1期细胞的比例以及HTm4基因的表达均呈现出波浪形的变化趋势,说明HTm4基因可能参与了细胞退出细胞周期的过程。HTm4基因转染后引起K562细胞滞留于G0／G1期,但C端功能域缺失的HTm4-ct没有此作用,说明C端功能域在HTm4基因调控细胞周期的功能中发挥重要作用。     

啤酒抗日光嗅味的研究

啤酒中的３－甲基－２－丁烯－１－硫醇是由光照产生的。减少光照或减少其胶驱物质的产生是降低啤酒日光嗅味的有效途径。酵母和核黄素在ＭＢＴ的形成过程中起到关键作用同,还原酒花苦味物质能从根本上解决啤酒的日光嗅味。     

多肽抗体检测原发性肝癌血清标志物ELISA方法的建立及应用

血清多肽是癌症诊断信息的重要来源,建立、优化了检测多肽标志物的直接ELISA法,并应用于肝癌血清中的多肽标志物的检测。制备及纯化针对多肽标志物Pep5的单克隆抗体并进行辣根过氧化物酶标记,用其建立检测相应抗原的直接ELISA法。方法线性范围为1.5-20 ng/mL,检测限为1.24 ng/mL;标准品批内及批间CV分别小于3.66%及4.89%,血清样本批内及批间CV分别小于11.69%及18.18%;线性范围内(9、12和15 ng/mL)的回收率分别为98.98%,99.61%和101.58%。应用该方法共检测160例正常血清、104例肝硬化及156例肝癌患者血清,正常组与肝硬化组及肝癌组间差异显著(P<0.001),Pep5诊断肝癌的敏感性和特异性分别为80.8%和96.2%。同时检测94例HCC血清中的AFP和Pep5,AFP检出率为63.8%,Pep5检出率为90.4%,AFP联合Pep5检测时,能将HCC的检出率提高至94.7%。     

Diterpenoids from Wedelia prostrata and Their Derivatives and Cytotoxic Activities

One new ent‐kaurane diterpenoid, 11β,16α‐dihydroxy‐ent‐kauran‐19‐oic acid ( 1 ), together with eight known analogues 2 – 9 were isolated from the aerial parts of Wedelia prostrata. One of the acidic diterpenoids, kaurenoic acid ( 3 ), was converted to seven derivatives, 10 – 16 . All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity in vitro against human leukemia (K562), liver (HepG‐2), and stomach (SGC‐7901) cancer cell lines. Only four kaurenoic acid derivatives, 13 – 16 , with 15‐keto and substitutions at C(19) position, exhibited notable cytotoxic activities on these tumor cell lines with IC₅₀ value ranging from 0.05 to 3.71 μm . Compounds 10 – 12 , with oxime on C(15) showed moderate inhibitory effects and compounds 1 – 9 showed no cytotoxicities on them. Structure–activity relationships were also discussed based on the experimental data obtained. The known derivative, 15‐oxokaurenoic acid 4‐piperdin‐1‐ylbutyl ester ( 17 ), induced typical apoptotic cell death in colon SW480 cells upon evaluation of the apoptosis‐inducing activity by flow‐cytometric analysis.     

湖南湖北两省H6亚型禽流感病毒表面基因的序列分析

2008年至2009年间,在湖南和湖北两省的活禽市场中分离到了14株H6亚型禽流感病毒,为了解这14株病毒之间的分子特征和差异,我们运用PCR和测序鉴定对这14株病毒的NA基因进行了分型,并对其表面基因HA和NA进行序列测定及序列分析.14株H6亚型病毒中,H6N2亚型12株,H6N6亚型2株.序列测定和进化分析结果显示:DK/HN/284的HA基因与其它13株的HA差异性较大,差异性达到19.4%～20.2%,其余13株毒同源性在94.2%～99.9%;N2亚型NA基因的同源性在91.1%～99.9%,差异性比较大;两株N6亚型NA基因同源性为89.5%,差异明显.这些数据表明:不同毒株呈现一定的地域性差异.与我国周边其它地区的H6亚型禽流感毒株序列进行比较发现,只有DK/HN/284的HA基因与香港早期的毒株可能有着共同的来源,其余都与香港和韩国等的毒株有着较大的差异性,并且各个毒株的HA基因上潜在的糖基化位点和受体结合位点也有所不同,这些数据表明,这些毒株表现出明显的异源性.     

Characterizing the structural diversity of a bacterial community associated with filter materials in recirculating aquaculture systems of Scortum barcoo

The bacterial community structure associated with filter materials in the recirculating aquaculture system of Scortum barcoo was investigated using the 16S rRNA gene clone library method. Preliminary results showed that the clone library constructed from the initial operation condition was characterized by 31 taxa of bacteria belonging to eight phyla including Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Sphingobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobiae, and Actinobacteria. There were 14 taxa of bacteria belonging to four phyla including Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetacia, and Nitrospirae from the stable operation condition where the water quality was well maintained. Nitrospirae was only found under the stable operation condition in this study. Our results further indicated that Nitrospira was dominated by members of the Nitrospira sp. lineages, with a minor fraction related to Nitrospira moscoviensis and an unknown Nitrospira cluster. These great differences of both diversity and composition between two operation conditions suggested that the composition of the microbial community varied with the degree of water quality in the recirculating aquaculture system of S.?barcoo.