Prostaglandin dehydrogenase activity of purified rat liver 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase

Homogeneous 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 alpha-HSD) from rat liver cytosol displays 9, 11, and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase activity. Using [14C]-PGF2 alpha as substrate the products of this reaction were separated by TLC and identified by autoradiography as PGE2 and PGB2. The purified enzyme catalyzes this reaction at a rate 200 times faster than cytosol. This corresponds to the rate enhancement observed when the enzyme is purified from cytosol using androsterone (a 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid) as substrate and suggests that it may represent a major 9-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase in this tissue. Although the 3 alpha-HSD has many properties in common with the 9-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase of rat kidney, rat kidney contains no protein that is immunodetectable with polyclonal antibody raised against the purified 3 alpha-HSD.     

若尔盖人-狼冲突现状与管理研究

大中型食肉动物肇事事件导致人类与野生动物关系恶化,给生物多样性保护工作带来巨大的挑战。若尔盖湿地是我国三大湿地之一,湿地、草原分布广泛,生物多样性丰富,畜牧业发达,但近年来狼(Canis lupus)捕杀牲畜的肇事事件时有发生。为了解若尔盖野生狼肇事件的空间分布以及牧民对人-狼冲突管理的看法,本研究于2022年对若尔盖县13个乡镇83个行政村进行走访调查。结果表明：(1)多数受访者(66.0%)认为在过去5年内,若尔盖县野生狼数量有所增加;(2)狼肇事事件具有明显的空间分异性,最严重的是包座乡。包座乡临近山区,该区域牧场面积广阔、牧民饲养牲畜数量多等原因导致该镇发生狼肇事事件较多;(3)对于狼肇事,绝大多数牧民(85.0%)更希望采取经济补偿或者驱赶措施,只有少数牧民(9.4%)希望采取捕杀的措施;(4)影响牧民对狼肇事管理措施的偏好因子中,受教育程度、年龄、民族以及被杀牲畜数量有显著影响。建议加强狼种群监测管理,采取措施减少狼捕杀牲畜,优化补偿机制,缓解当地牧民与狼之间的矛盾。本研究为当前若尔盖县野生动物保护和管理决策提供了依据,对其他地区大型食肉动物与当地居民冲突管理具有借鉴意义。     

Using persuasive messages to encourage hunters to support regulation of lead shot

Lead shot from hunting adds the toxic metal to environments worldwide. The United States banned lead shot for hunting waterfowl in 1991 and 26 states have lead shot restrictions beyond those mandated for waterfowl hunting. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) was interested in studying hunter attitudes about expanded restrictions on the use of lead shot for hunting small game to understand what communication strategies might increase public support for potential restrictions on lead shot. We mailed messages about lead shot, including 1,200 control messages and 400 of each of 9 treatment messages, and surveys to 4,800 resident small game hunters. We compared attitudes and intentions related to a possible ban among control and treatment groups. Compared to the control message, all treatment messages elicited more positive attitudes and intentions to support a ban. A basic factual message, messages with references to Ducks Unlimited, and a first-person narrative message generated the strongest support for a ban. Results also demonstrated a substantial relationship between the use of lead shot and response to persuasive messages supporting a ban. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

Classifying aquatic macrophytes as indicators of eutrophication in European lakes

Aquatic macrophytes are one of the biological quality elements in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) for which status assessments must be defined. We tested two methods to classify macrophyte species and their response to eutrophication pressure: one based on percentiles of occurrence along a phosphorous gradient and another based on trophic ranking of species using Canonical Correspondence Analyses in the ranking procedure. The methods were tested at Europe-wide, regional and national scale as well as by alkalinity category, using 1,147 lakes from 12 European states. The grouping of species as sensitive, tolerant or indifferent to eutrophication was evaluated for some taxa, such as the sensitive Chara spp. and the large isoetids, by analysing the (non-linear) response curve along a phosphorous gradient. These thresholds revealed in these response curves can be used to set boundaries among different ecological status classes. In total 48 taxa out of 114 taxa were classified identically regardless of dataset or classification method. These taxa can be considered the most consistent and reliable indicators of sensitivity or tolerance to eutrophication at European scale. Although the general response of well known indicator species seems to hold, there are many species that were evaluated differently according to the database selection and classification methods. This hampers a Europe-wide comparison of classified species lists as used for the status assessment within the WFD implementation process.     

细叶香茶菜中两个新的对映—贝壳杉烷二萜化合物

从云南中甸产细叶香茶菜 (Isodontenuifolia (W .W .Smith)Kudo)的地上部分分离得到 6个化合物 ,它们的结构通过波谱方法得到鉴定。其中化合物 1和 2为新的对映_贝壳杉烷二萜化合物 ,即细叶香茶菜甲素 (3β ,6α ,15 β_trihydroxy_1α ,7β_diacetoxy_11β ,16 β_epoxy_ent_kaurane) (1)和细叶香茶菜乙素 (1α,6α ,11β_trihydroxy_3β,7β_diacetoxy_ent_kaur_16_en_15_one) (2 )。     

内蒙古草原人类福祉与生态系统服务及其动态变化——以锡林郭勒草原为例

以锡林郭勒盟为研究区域,建立人类福祉评价指标体系,通过牧户问卷调查了解牧户对草原生态系统服务和福祉变化的认识,结合当地的自然环境、生态环境和社会经济等多方面的多年统计数据,采用专家打分法对牧民各福祉指标打分,对2001年和2010年牧民福祉变化进行了评估和分析。结果表明:收入、道路覆盖率、农村合作医疗保险和文化教育方面对牧民福祉变化贡献最大;生产资料持续供给能力下降是导致收入减少的主要方面;旗县的犯罪率,环境空气质量,饮食结构,离婚率等是导致牧民福祉下降的主要方面。有关研究结果为提高锡林郭勒盟人类福祉、生态保护和区域可持续发展政策制定提供科学依据。     

鸡脚参中一个新木脂素

从鸡脚参[Orthosiphon wulfenioides (Diels)Hand.-Marzz.]根中提取分离了一个新的木脂素,命名为鸡脚参木脂素。其结构由NMR、MS等波谱分析确定。初步活性实验显示该化合物不具备抗真菌和抗肿瘤活性。     

Multiple steps determine the overall rate of the reduction of 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone catalyzed by human type 3 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: implications for the elimination of androgens

Human type 3 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, or aldo-keto reductase (AKR) 1C2, eliminates the androgen signal in human prostate by reducing 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT, potent androgen) to form 3alpha-androstanediol (inactive androgen), thereby depriving the androgen receptor of its ligand. The k(cat) for the NADPH-dependent reduction of DHT catalyzed by AKR1C2 is 0.033 s(-1). We employed transient kinetics and kinetic isotope effects to dissect the contribution of discrete steps to this low k(cat) value. Stopped-flow experiments to measure the formation of the AKR1C2.NADP(H) binary complex indicated that two slow isomerization events occur to yield a tight complex. A small primary deuterium isotope effect on k(cat) (1.5) and a slightly larger effect on k(cat)/K(m) (2.1) were observed in the steady state. In the transient state, the maximum rate constant for the single turnover of DHT (k(trans)) was determined to be 0.11 s(-1) for the NADPH-dependent reaction, which was approximately 4-fold greater than the corresponding k(cat) x k(trans) was significantly reduced when NADPD was substituted for NADPH, resulting in an apparent (D)k(trans) of 3.5. Thus, the effects of isotopic substitution on the hydride transfer step were masked by slow events that follow or precede the chemical transformation. Transient multiple-turnover reactions generated curvilinear reaction traces, consistent with the product formation and release occurring at comparable rates. Global fitting analysis of the transient kinetic data enabled the estimate of the rate constants for the three-step cofactor binding/release model and for the minimal ordered bi-bi turnover mechanism. Results were consistent with a kinetic mechanism in which a series of slow events, including the chemical step (0.12 s(-1)), the release of the steroid product (0.081 s(-1)), and the release of the cofactor product (0.21 s(-1)), combine to yield the overall observed low turnover number.     

Affinity labeling of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase with 3 alpha-bromoacetoxyandrosterone and 11 alpha-bromoacetoxyprogesterone. Isolation and sequence of active site peptides containing reactive cysteines; sequence confirmation using nucleotide sequence from a cDNA clone

Homogeneous 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 alpha-HSD, EC 1.1.1.50) of rat liver cytosol is potently inhibited at its active site by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Using 3 alpha-bromoacetoxy-5 alpha-androstan-17-one (BrAnd, a substrate analog) and 11 alpha-bromoacetoxyprogesterone (Br11P, a glucocorticoid analog) as affinity-labeling agents, kinetic evidence was obtained that these agents alkylate this site. Inactivation of 3 alpha-HSD with either [14C]BrAnd or [14C] Br11P led to the incorporation of 1 mol of affinity-labeling agent per enzyme monomer. Complete acid hydrolysis of 3 alpha-HSD radiolabeled with either agent followed by amino acid analysis led to the identification of [14C]carboxymethylcysteine indicating that [14C]BrAnd and [14C]Br11P covalently tag discrete reactive cysteine(s) at the enzyme active site. Trypsin digestion of [14C]BrAnd-inactivated 3 alpha-HSD followed by peptide mapping led to the purification of a single radiolabeled peptide (3A1) which gave the following sequence: H2N-Ser-Ile-Gly-Val-Ser-Asn-Phe-Asn-X-Arg-CO2H. Identical experiments on [14C] Br11P-inactivated 3 alpha-HSD led to the purification of three radiolabeled peptides (11P1-11P3). The major radiolabeled peptide (11P1) had an identical sequence to 3A1 which was tagged with [14C]BrAnd. The minor radiolabeled peptides had the following sequences: H2N-Ser-Lys-Asp-Ile-Ile-Leu-Val-Ser-Tyr-X-Thr-Leu-Gly-Ser-Ser-Arg-CO2H (11P2) and H2N-Ser-Pro-Val-Leu-Leu-Asp-Asp-Pro-Val-Leu-X-Ala-Ile-Ala-Lys-CO2H (11P3). In each peptide group X was identified as carboxymethylcysteine. Alignment of the peptide sequences with the primary structure of 3 alpha-HSD, deduced from its cDNA clone, assigned peptide 11P1 to residues 162-171, peptide 11P2 to residues 208-223, and peptide 11P3 to residues 232-246 of the amino acid sequence. The reactive cysteines correspond to Cys170, Cys217, and Cys242. We propose that Cys170 labeled by BrAnd may lie within the catalytic pocket of the enzyme. By contrast the 11 alpha-bromoacetoxy group in Br11P labeled several reactive cysteines which may be involved in the binding of glucocorticoids and NSAIDs.