大鼠肝癌中α_2-巨球蛋白等几种分泌性蛋白基因表达的变化

用Northern blot方法对二乙基亚硝胺所诱发的大鼠肝癌中内源性蛋白酶抑制因子α_2-巨球蛋白(α_2-M)、非特异性免疫抑制剂α_1-酸性糖蛋白(α_1-AGP)及雄性激素正调控的α-2u球蛋白(α-2u)三种分泌性蛋白基因表达情况进行了分析。结果表明在大部分(14/16)肝癌样品中α_2-M RNA水平显著降低;而α_1-AGP RNA水平显著高于正常对照水平;α-2u RNA水平明显下降,但在某些雄性大鼠肝癌样品中该基因却有一定程度的表达。这些结果说明,一些肿瘤宿主血浆中α_2-M水平的显著下降及α_1-AGP水平的明显升高分别是由于基因表达活性的下降及升高所致。α-2u基因表达的异常提示,在癌变过程中机体的内分泌功能发生了某些变化。     

Accelerated organic matter decomposition in thermokarst lakes upon carbon and phosphorus inputs

Mineralization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in thermokarst lakes plays a non-negligible role in the permafrost carbon (C) cycle, but remains poorly understood due to its complex interactions with external C and nutrient inputs (i.e., aquatic priming and nutrient effects). Based on large-scale lake sampling and laboratory incubations, in combination with ¹³C-stable-isotope labeling, optical spectroscopy, and high-throughput sequencing, we examined large-scale patterns and dominant drivers of priming and nutrient effects of DOM biodegradation across 30 thermokarst lakes along a 1100-km transect on the Tibetan Plateau. We observed that labile C and phosphorus (P) rather than nitrogen (N) inputs stimulated DOM biodegradation, with the priming and P effects being 172% and 451% over unamended control, respectively. We also detected significant interactive effects of labile C and nutrient supply on DOM biodegradation, with the combined labile C and nutrient additions inducing stronger microbial mineralization than C or nutrient treatment alone, illustrating that microbial activity in alpine thermokarst lakes is co-limited by both C and nutrients. We further found that the aquatic priming was mainly driven by DOM quality, with the priming intensity increasing with DOM recalcitrance, reflecting the limitation of external C as energy sources for microbial activity. Greater priming intensity was also associated with higher community-level ribosomal RNA gene operon (rrn) copy number and bacterial diversity as well as increased background soluble reactive P concentration. In contrast, the P effect decreased with DOM recalcitrance as well as with background soluble reactive P and ammonium concentrations, revealing the declining importance of P availability in mediating DOM biodegradation with enhanced C limitation but reduced nutrient limitation. Overall, the stimulation of external C and P inputs on DOM biodegradation in thermokarst lakes would amplify C-climate feedback in this alpine permafrost region.     

Prevalence of neural tube defects in South Australia, 1966-91: effectiveness and impact of prenatal diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE--To determine trends in total prevalence of neural tube defects in South Australia during 1966-91, the impact of prenatal diagnosis on birth prevalence, and the effectiveness of prenatal screening for neural tube defects in 1986-91. DESIGN--All births and terminations of pregnancy affected by neural tube defects and information on prenatal screening were ascertained from multiple sources including the South Australian perinatal and abortion statistics collections, birth defects register, and state maternal serum alpha fetoprotein screening programme. SETTING--Southern Australia. SUBJECTS--All 1058 births and terminations of pregnancy affected by neural tube defects in 1966-91. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Total prevalence and birth prevalence of individual and all neural tube defects. The proportion of screened cases detected prenatally. RESULTS--Total prevalence of neural tube defects during 1966-91 was 2.01/1000 births with no upward or downward trend. However, birth prevalence fell significantly (by 5.1% a year), with an 84% reduction from 2.29/1000 births in 1966 to 0.35/1000 in 1991 (relative risk = 0.16, 95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.34). The fall was 96% for anencephaly and 82% for spina bifida. 85% of defects, both open and closed, were detected before 28 weeks'' gestation in women screened by serum alpha fetoprotein or mid-trimester ultrasonography, or both, in 1986-91 (99.0% for anencephaly and 75.7% for spina bifida). CONCLUSIONS--While the total prevalence of neural tube defects in South Australia remained stable, prenatal diagnosis and termination of pregnancy resulted in an 84% fall in birth prevalence during 1966-91. Screening detected over four fifths of cases in 1986-91.     

A novel strategy for the isolation of luxl homologues: evidence for the widespread distribution of a LuxR:Luxl superfamily in enteric bacteria

The pheromone N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (OHHL) regulates expression of bioluminescence in the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri, the production of carbapenem antibiotic in Erwinia carotovora and exoenzymes in both E. carotovora and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A characteristic feature of this regulatory mechanism in V. fischeri is that it is cell density-dependent, reflecting the need to accumulate sufficient pheromone to trigger the induction of gene expression. Using a lux plasmid-based bioluminescent sensor for OHHL, pheromone production by E. carotovora, Enterobacter agglomerans, Hafnia alvei, Rahnella aquatilis and Serratia marcescens has been demonstrated and shown also to be cell density-dependent. Production of OHHL implies the presence in these bacteria of a gene equivalent to luxl. Chromosomal banks from all five enteric bacteria have yielded clones capable of eliciting OHHL production when expressed in Escherichia coli. The luxl homologue from both E. carotovora (carl) and E. agglomerans (eagl) were characterized at the DNA sequence level and the deduced protein sequences have only 25% identity with the V. fischeri Luxl. Despite this, carl, eagl and luxl are shown to be biologically equivalent. An insertion mutant of eagl demonstrates that this gene is essential for OHHL production in E. agglomerans.     

LDL的氧化修饰和氧化修饰LDL的组成和结构变化

与低密度脂蛋白(LDL)相比,氧化修饰LDL(O-LDL)的组成、结构和生物学特性发生了深刻的变化,而组成和结构的改变是生物学特性改变的基础.本文根据最近文献资料.结合我们实验室的工作.对LDL的氧化修饰、O-LDL的组成、结构改变,以及它们的机理作一简要综述.     

鼠兔核质杂交胚胎早期发育的研究

细胞核移植技术已被证明是研究发育中核质相互关系的非常重要的手段之一,电融合技术也是近十年发展起来的新型细胞融合技术。本实验运用这两项技术,进行了鼠、兔目间核质杂交实验,小鼠8-细胞核在激活的兔去核卵母细胞中,发生了染色体超前凝聚及核膨胀,融合卵移植到小鼠输卵管4.5天后,冲洗出,有5.4%的重构卵发育到囊胚期,通过染色体检查,囊胚细胞中均为小鼠染色体,其中一个囊胚为正常小鼠核型(2 n=40,XX)。通过本实验,我们认为:鼠兔远缘核质杂交胚胎的早期发育是可能的。