象山港春、夏季大中型浮游动物空间异质性

为探明象山港大中型浮游动物空间分布特征及主要影响因素,分别于2010年4月、7月大、小潮期对浮游动物群落和相关环境因子进行调查。四个航次共检出浮游动物成体14大类64种、浮游幼体10大类14种,春、夏季群落结构差异极显著(P=0.001),物种更替率为66.7%,优势种差异明显,共同优势种仅有短尾类溞状幼虫(Brachyura zoea)和仔鱼(Fish larvae)两类幼体;同一季节大、小潮物种相似度约为60%,群落结构差异较小(P=0.031);春季生物量和丰度高于夏季,但物种多样性低于夏季。温度是浮游动物群落季节变化的主导因素。方差分析、聚类和多维尺度分析显示:浮游动物群落空间异质性分布方式受潮流影响,群落结构在大潮期梯度分布特征明显,小潮期通常呈斑块性分布;生物量、丰度和多样性等参数的空间分布取决于群落的分布特征,并受影响于该参数在狭湾口内外的差异。典范对应分析及环境参数统计分析表明:梯度分布主要由盐度、悬浮物的梯度性特征决定;主导斑块性分布的因素多样,不同情况下可能为水深、叶绿素a、营养盐和内外水团相互作用;梯度性和斑块性分布均受到潮流影响。总体来看,象山港浮游动物空间分布主要受水文因素控制,受化学和生物因素影响较弱,其中叶绿素a浓度仅在春季与浮游动物丰度有一定相关性,溶解氧、酸碱度和营养盐等水质参数对浮游动物空间分布几乎无直接影响。     

Identification of Novel miRNAs and miRNA Expression Profiling in Wheat Hybrid Necrosis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in a vast array of biological processes, including growth and development, defense against viral infection, and responses to environmental changes in plant. Wheat hybrid necrosis is an interesting genetic phenomenon observed frequency and it is lethal or semi lethal, resulting in gradual death or loss of productivity. However, the molecular basis and mechanisms associated with hybrid necrosis in wheat are still not well understood. Here, we report the population and expression profiles of miRNAs in wheat hybrid necrosis. We identified a total of 57 conserved miRNA families as well as 182 putative novel miRNAs. Expression profiling revealed that expression of 49 known miRNAs and 165 novel miRNAs was changed in hybrid necrosis. And the expression levels of some miRNAs and their predicated targets have been confirmed by qRT-PCR. These results indicate that these miRNAs, especially miR159, miR166, miR167 and miR5072 could be involved in the extensive regulation of gene expression in response to hybrid necrosis.     

抗siRNA的GFP-Plk1同义突变表达载体及其稳定细胞系的构建

目的:构建GFP-Plk1同义突变表达载体及其稳定转染细胞系。方法:设计Polo样激酶1(Plk1)si RNA序列及相对应的同义突变引物,并利用二次PCR方法扩增Plk1基因,定向克隆到p Rex-EGFP-IRES-Hygro载体中,构建p Rex-EGFP-r Plk1-IRES-Hygro表达载体;利用逆转录病毒感染的方法,构建He La/GFP-r Plk1稳定细胞系;利用免疫印迹及激光共聚焦显微镜,验证Plk1 si RNA的干扰效果及稳定细胞系的构建。结果:双酶切鉴定和测序结果表明构建的p Rex-EGFP-r Plk1-IRES-Hygro正确;免疫印迹实验证明Plk1 si RNA序列可以有效抑制He La/GFP-r Plk1细胞中内源性Plk1蛋白的表达,但不能干扰掉外源GFP-r Plk1蛋白;在荧光共聚焦显微镜下,观察到有丝分裂的前中期和末期,GFP-r Plk1分别定位于着丝粒和中间体上。结论:构建了Plk1同义突变表达载体p Rex-EGFP-r Plk1-IRES-Hygro和He La/GFP-r Plk1稳定细胞系,为下一步研究Plk1在有丝分裂期的调控机制提供了模型。     

Systematically Constructing Kinetic Transition Network in Polypeptide from Top to Down: Trajectory Mapping

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is an important tool for understanding bio-molecules in microscopic temporal/spatial scales. Besides the demand in improving simulation techniques to approach experimental scales, it becomes more and more crucial to develop robust methodology for precisely and objectively interpreting massive MD simulation data. In our previous work [J Phys Chem B 114, 10266 (2010)], the trajectory mapping (TM) method was presented to analyze simulation trajectories then to construct a kinetic transition network of metastable states. In this work, we further present a top-down implementation of TM to systematically detect complicate features of conformational space. We first look at longer MD trajectory pieces to get a coarse picture of transition network at larger time scale, and then we gradually cut the trajectory pieces in shorter for more details. A robust clustering algorithm is designed to more effectively identify the metastable states and transition events. We applied this TM method to detect the hierarchical structure in the conformational space of alanine-dodeca-peptide from microsecond to nanosecond time scales. The results show a downhill folding process of the peptide through multiple pathways. Even in this simple system, we found that single common-used order parameter is not sufficient either in distinguishing the metastable states or predicting the transition kinetics among these states.     

Evaluation of Follicular Synchronization Caused by Estrogen Administration and Its Reproductive Outcome

To evaluate multiple follicular development synchronization after estrogen stimulation in prepubertal mice, follicular responsiveness to gonadotropin superovulation, the prospective reproductive potential and ovarian polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)-like symptoms at adulthood, prepubertal mice were intraperitoneally injected with estrogen to establish an animal model with solvent as control. When synchronized tertiary follicles in ovaries, in vitro oocyte maturation and fertilization rates, blastocyst formation rate, developmental potential into offspring by embryo transfer, adult fertility and PCOS-like symptoms, and involved molecular mechanisms were focused, it was found that estrogen stimulation (10μg/gBW) leads to follicular development synchronization at the early tertiary stage in prepubertal mice; reproduction from oocytes to offspring could be realized by means of the artificial reproductive technology though the model mice lost their natural fertility when they were reared to adulthood; and typical symptoms of PCOS, except changes in inflammatory pathways, were not remained up to adulthood. So in conclusion, estrogen can lead to synchronization in follicular development in prepubertal mice, but does not affect reproductive outcome of oocytes, and no typical symptoms of PCOS remained at adulthood despite changes related to inflammation.     

Phytantriol-Based In Situ Liquid Crystals with Long-Term Release for Intra-articular Administration

The purpose of this study was to develop an injectable in situ liquid crystal formulation for intra-articular (IA) administration, and in situ forming a viscous liquid crystalline gel with long-term release of sinomenine hydrochloride (SMH) upon water absorption. The pseudo-ternary phase diagram of phytantriol (PT)-ethanol (ET)-water was constructed, and isotropic solutions were chosen for further optimization. The physicochemical properties of isotropic solutions were evaluated, and the phase structures of liquid crystalline gels formed by isotropic solutions in excess water were confirmed by crossed polarized light microscopy (CPLM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). In vitro drug release studies were conducted by using a dialysis membrane diffusion method. The optimal in situ cubic liquid crystal (ISV₂) (PT/ET/water, 64:16:20, w/w/w) loaded with 6 mg/g of SMH showed a suitable pH, showed to be injectable, and formed a cubic liquid crystalline gel in situ with minimum water absorption within the shortest time. The optimal ISV₂ was able to sustain the drug release for 6 days. An in situ hexagonal liquid crystal (ISH₂) system was prepared by addition of 5% vitamin E acetate (VitEA) into PT in the optimal ISV₂ system to improve the sustained release of SMH. This ISH₂ (PT/VitEA/ET/water, 60.8:3.2:16:20, w/w/w/w) was an injectable isotropic solution with a suitable pH range. The developed ISH₂ was found to be able to sustain the drug release for more than 10 days and was suitable for IA injection for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).KEY WORDS: in situ cubic liquid crystal, in situ hexagonal liquid crystal, phytantriol, sinomenine hydrochloride, sustained drug release     

Loss of Core 1-derived O-Glycans Decreases Breast Cancer Development in Mice

Mucin-type core 1-derived O-glycans, one of the major types of O-glycans, are highly expressed in mammary gland epithelium. Abnormal O-glycans such as Tn antigen are found in over 90% of breast cancers; however, the in vivo role of these aberrant O-glycans in the etiology of breast cancer is unclear. We generated mice with mammary epithelial specific deletion of core 1-derived O-glycans. By crossing with two spontaneous mouse breast cancer models, we determined that loss of core 1-derived O-glycans delays the onset and progression of breast cancer development. Deficiency of core 1 O-glycosylation impaired the localization of Muc1, a major O-glycoprotein, on the apical surfaces of mammary epithelium. Signaling mediated by Muc1, which is critical for breast cancer development, was also defective in the absence of core 1 O-glycans. This study reveals an unexpected role of core 1-derived O-glycans in breast cancer development in mice.