金乌贼繁殖行为与交配策略

2014年6月于室内大型水槽使用摄像系统对金乌贼繁殖过程进行连续观察与记录,通过定性和定量比较分析,解析其繁殖过程中游泳、捕食、求偶、争斗、交配及产卵等行为特征。结果显示:金乌贼游泳主要依靠漏斗喷水的反作用力,持续游泳能力较弱;繁殖期的金乌贼继续摄食,能发现周围20—38 cm范围内的凡纳滨对虾,攻击距离为7—24 cm,能在2.1—6.1 s内完成对对虾的捕获且成功率极高,外源营养为卵(精)巢不同步发育、分批产卵和复杂的繁殖行为继续提供能量支持;金乌贼具明显的求偶行为,规格差异是影响求偶的重要因素,其中雄性亲本更倾向选择与自身规格相当或略小的雌性,而雌性亲本则更倾向于选择大规格(较大规格争斗易获胜)的雄性;金乌贼一次交配持续125—398 s,雄性有明显的精子移除行为和领域性,交配后雄性伴游在雌性周围3—24 cm范围内,不允许其他乌贼靠近,平均伴游61 min后会再次交配。精子移除、伴游以及多次交配是雄性金乌贼有效提高父权贡献率的关键行为基础;研究结果表明,金乌贼采取"多夫多妻"的混交婚配策略,两性亲本均存在多次交配现象,这能有效提高雌雄的生殖成功率和受精卵的遗传多样性。     

艾比湖湿地自然保护区鹅喉羚生境适宜性评价

鹅喉羚是易危物种之一,利用现代空间分析技术快速准确评价其生境质量具有方法学意义和动物保护实际价值。以新疆艾比湖湿地自然保护区为评价区,通过全年不同季节多点野外调查,结合GIS空间分析技术,对鹅喉羚的生境影响因素进行分析并进行了适宜性评价。主要结果与结论如下:1)构建了适宜于研究区的基于植被类型和水源地为主要评价因子的鹅喉羚生境适宜性评价指标;2)通过空间数据统计分析认为水源和植被是影响保护区鹅喉羚生境质量的重要因素,距水源地2000 m以内的胡杨、梭梭、柽柳群落最适合鹅喉羚的生存,距水源2000—5500 m的区域为水源的中度适合区域,距水源5500 m以外植被稀少的地区不适宜鹅喉羚的生存;3)研究区域鹅喉羚生境面积春季为2339 km2,夏季为2880 km2,秋季为2728 km2,冬季为2862 km2,分别占研究区域总面积的61.5%、75.6%、71.7%和75.2%;4)目前在保护区内活动的人群主要为保护区的管理人员,人类活动地区与鹅喉羚生存环境空间上具有重叠性,但人类活动强度尚没有显著影响到鹅喉羚的生存,保护区的存在为鹅喉羚的生存起到了重要保护作用;5)由于保护区上中游人类的生产与开发,保护区水资源不断减少,主要表现为地表水减少,地下水位下降,这可能成为影响鹅喉羚生境质量的主要因素。今后需要优化保护区内水资源的配置,尽量减少人类活动对鹅喉羚的干扰,以有利于鹅喉羚的生存繁衍。     

一株抑真菌、对甜菜夜蛾高效的苏云金芽胞杆菌菌株

为了扩大苏云金芽胞杆菌的杀虫谱及生防范围,通过抑真菌和杀虫生物活性测定,筛选到一株抑真菌并对甜菜夜蛾高效的菌株Bt519-1.此菌株对所测试的小麦赤霉、黄瓜灰霉等8种真菌都有不同程度的抑制作用,且完全抑制这些真菌孢子的萌发.通过室内生物测定发现该菌株对甜菜夜蛾具有很高的杀虫活性,半致死浓度(LC50>)仅为5.5 μg/mL.经特异引物检测,证明该菌株含有6种杀虫蛋白基因:crylAa、crylAb、crylAc、cry1I、cry2和vip3A.经SDS-PAGE分析,Bt519-1菌株分别产生分子量大约为135 kD～130 kD、95 kD、80 kD、70 kD和65 kD～60 kD的几种杀虫晶体蛋白.在有无几丁质的培养基中都能产生较高活性的几丁质酶.试验证明苏云金芽胞杆菌Bt519-1是一株既杀虫又拮抗真菌的多功能生防菌株.     

高效产氢菌株Enterococcus sp. LG1的分离及产氢特性

采用Hungate厌氧培养技术分别从厌氧污泥、好氧污泥及河底泥中分离出12株厌氧产氢细菌,并对其中的Enterococcus sp.LG1(注册号:EU258743)进行了研究.结果表明,该株细菌为专性厌氧菌,经革兰氏染色结果为阴性.通过16S rDNA碱基测序和比对证实,该菌株是目前尚未报道过的1个新菌种,初步确定其细菌学上的分类地位.同时,以灭菌预处理的污泥为底物培养基,对该菌的产氢能力及污泥发酵过程中底物性质变化(SCOD、可溶性蛋白质、总糖和pH值等)进行了探讨.实验结果显示,产氢茵Enterococcus sp.LG1的发酵过程中只有H2和CO2产生,无CH4产生.产气量最高为36.48 mL/g TCOD,氢气含量高达73.5%,为已报道文献中以污泥为底物发酵制氢中之最高.根据污泥发酵产物分析得知,该菌的发酵类行为典型的丁酸型发酵.     

应用规模缩小方法的鸟苷发酵过程放大*

利用鸟苷生产菌株枯草芽孢杆菌(B.subtilis)754#,在50L发酵罐成功优化的基础上,分别在12M^3的中试规模和100M^3的生产规模进行了放大,产苷分别达到29．4g/L和21．4g/L;进而通过过程缩小(scale down)方法,从代谢流动态变化的角度研究了放大过程中存在的问题,发现DO是限制过程放大的另一重要因素,据此将50L规模克服代谢流迁移的优化工艺成功放大到生产规模,使产苦水平进一步提高了18％,达25．2g/L。     

mTORC1-independent translation control in mammalian cells by methionine adenosyltransferase 2A and S-adenosylmethionine

Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) catalyzes the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). As the sole methyl-donor for methylation of DNA, RNA, and proteins, SAM levels affect gene expression by changing methylation patterns. Expression of MAT2A, the catalytic subunit of isozyme MAT2, is positively correlated with proliferation of cancer cells; however, how MAT2A promotes cell proliferation is largely unknown. Given that the protein synthesis is induced in proliferating cells and that RNA and protein components of translation machinery are methylated, we tested here whether MAT2 and SAM are coupled with protein synthesis. By measuring ongoing protein translation via puromycin labeling, we revealed that MAT2A depletion or chemical inhibition reduced protein synthesis in HeLa and Hepa1 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of MAT2A enhanced protein synthesis, indicating that SAM is limiting under normal culture conditions. In addition, MAT2 inhibition did not accompany reduction in mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 activity but nevertheless reduced polysome formation. Polysome-bound RNA sequencing revealed that MAT2 inhibition decreased translation efficiency of some fraction of mRNAs. MAT2A was also found to interact with the proteins involved in rRNA processing and ribosome biogenesis; depletion or inhibition of MAT2 reduced 18S rRNA processing. Finally, quantitative mass spectrometry revealed that some translation factors were dynamically methylated in response to the activity of MAT2A. These observations suggest that cells possess an mTOR-independent regulatory mechanism that tunes translation in response to the levels of SAM. Such a system may acclimate cells for survival when SAM synthesis is reduced, whereas it may support proliferation when SAM is sufficient.     

Cross-seeding of WT amyloid-β with Arctic but not Italian familial mutants accelerates fibril formation in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) involves the neurotoxic self-assembly of a 40 and 42 residue peptide, Amyloid-β (Aβ). Inherited early-onset AD can be caused by single point mutations within the Aβ sequence, including Arctic (E22G) and Italian (E22K) familial mutants. These mutations are heterozygous, resulting in an equal proportion of the WT and mutant Aβ isoform expression. It is therefore important to understand how these mixtures of Aβ isoforms interact with each other and influence the kinetics and morphology of their assembly into oligomers and fibrils. Using small amounts of nucleating fibril seeds, here, we systematically monitored the kinetics of fibril formation, comparing self-seeding with cross-seeding behavior of a range of isoform mixtures of Aβ42 and Aβ40. We confirm that Aβ40(WT) does not readily cross-seed Aβ42(WT) fibril formation. In contrast, fibril formation of Aβ40(Arctic) is hugely accelerated by Aβ42(WT) fibrils, causing an eight-fold reduction in the lag-time to fibrillization. We propose that cross-seeding between the more abundant Aβ40(Arctic) and Aβ42(WT) may be important for driving early-onset AD and will propagate fibril morphology as indicated by fibril twist periodicity. This kinetic behavior is not emulated by the Italian mutant, where minimal cross-seeding is observed. In addition, we studied the cross-seeding behavior of a C-terminal-amidated Aβ42 analog to probe the coulombic charge interplay between Glu22/Asp23/Lys28 and the C-terminal carboxylate. Overall, these studies highlight the role of cross-seeding between WT and mutant Aβ40/42 isoforms, which can impact the rate and structure of fibril assembly.     

潮棕壤线虫群落对土地利用方式的响应

作者对潮棕壤不同土地利用方式(旱田、撂荒地和林地)下土壤线虫群落时空分布特征进行了研究, 结果表明, 不同土地利用方式能够影响线虫群落及其优势属的时空分布。线虫优势属对不同土地利用方式的响应不同, 撂荒地和林地处理中板唇属(Chiloplacus)线虫主要分布在5–30 cm土层, 而其他线虫优势属则主要分布在0–20 cm土层; 在旱田处理中, 短体属(Pratylenchus)线虫均匀分布在各个土层。由于土地利用方式的改变而引起的土壤环境因素的变化能够对土壤线虫产生影响, 研究发现土壤孔隙度、土壤有机碳、全氮和碳氮比与土壤线虫优势属的数量具有显著的正相关关系。线虫区系分析结果表明, 撂荒地和林地处理中土壤环境相对稳定, 土壤食物网向较成熟的阶段演替。线虫区系分析方法可用来揭示不同土地利用方式下土壤食物网的变化, 为进一步研究土壤生态过程对土地利用方式的响应提供了有效的工具。     

Amazonian Anthrosols Support Similar Microbial Communities that Differ Distinctly from Those Extant in Adjacent, Unmodified Soils of the Same Mineralogy

We compared the microbial community composition in soils from the Brazilian Amazon with two contrasting histories; anthrosols and their adjacent non-anthrosol soils of the same mineralogy. The anthrosols, also known as the Amazonian Dark Earths or terra preta, were managed by the indigenous pre-Colombian Indians between 500 and 8,700 years before present and are characterized by unusually high cation exchange capacity, phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca) contents, and soil carbon pools that contain a high proportion of incompletely combusted biomass as biochar or black carbon (BC). We sampled paired anthrosol and unmodified soils from four locations in the Manaus, Brazil, region that differed in their current land use and soil type. Community DNA was extracted from sampled soils and characterized by use of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. DNA bands of interest from Bacteria and Archaea DGGE gels were cloned and sequenced. In cluster analyses of the DNA fingerprints, microbial communities from the anthrosols grouped together regardless of current land use or soil type and were distinct from those in their respective, paired adjacent soils. For the Archaea, the anthrosol communities diverged from the adjacent soils by over 90%. A greater overall richness was observed for Bacteria sequences as compared with those of the Archaea. Most of the sequences obtained were novel and matched those in databases at less than 98% similarity. Several sequences obtained only from the anthrosols grouped at 93% similarity with the Verrucomicrobia, a genus commonly found in rice paddies in the tropics. Sequences closely related to Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria sp. were recovered only from adjacent soil samples. Sequences related to Pseudomonas, Acidobacteria, and Flexibacter sp. were recovered from both anthrosols and adjacent soils. The strong similarities among the microbial communities present in the anthrosols for both the Bacteria and Archaea suggests that the microbial community composition in these soils is controlled more strongly by their historical soil management than by soil type or current land use. The anthrosols had consistently higher concentrations of incompletely combusted organic black carbon material (BC), higher soil pH, and higher concentrations of P and Ca compared to their respective adjacent soils. Such characteristics may help to explain the longevity and distinctiveness of the anthrosols in the Amazonian landscape and guide us in recreating soils with sustained high fertility in otherwise nutrient-poor soils in modern times.     

利用SpyTag/SpyCatcher构建胞内自组装多酶复合体实现高效生物合成

SpyTagr和SpyCatche可通过自发反应形成共价键,产生稳定的分子自组装体。酶分子自组装体因具有高效有序的催化特性在合成生物学和纳米技术领域具有重要的应用价值。为探索SpyTag/SpyCatcher在大肠杆菌胞内多酶复合体系形成有序自组装分子能力,将SpyTagr和SpyCatche分别与P450BM3m单加氧酶和葡萄糖脱氢酶GDH进行融合表达,以期产生具有辅酶再生循环系统、高效生物合成靛蓝分子的SpyTag/SpyCatcher双酶自组装复合体。首先,通过电泳及质谱对重组工程菌表达蛋白进行分析,证实SpyCatcher-P450BM3m与SpyTag-GDH在胞内成功形成了自组装多酶复合体;然后,系统分析不同培养条件下组装体合成靛蓝的能力。结果发现,经0.5mmol/L IPTG诱导后,菌体在16℃继续培养18h后,工程菌对吲哚(2mmol/L)与葡萄糖(4mmol/L)的全细胞催化能力最强,靛蓝产量最高达258mg/L,是未组装多酶系统的1.9倍,比P450BM3m单酶表达系统高约2.4倍;反应70min后达到反应平衡,转化率为52%。成功实现了SpyTag/SpyCatcher介导的多酶体系在大肠杆菌细胞中的自组装和高效转化体系,为胞内多酶复合物组装体的设计提供了新思路。