The intrinsic mechanisms underlying the maturation of programming sequential spikes at cerebellar Purkinje cells

Cerebellum is involved in the motion coordination and working memory, to which the programming of sequential spikes at Purkinje cells is essential. It is not clear about the intrinsic mechanisms underlying spike capacity and timing precision as well as their postnatal maturation. We investigated the programming and intrinsic property of sequential spikes at Purkinje neurons during postnatal development by whole-cell recording in cerebellar slices. Cerebellar Purkinje neurons demonstrate the increasing of spike capacity and timing precision, as well as the lowering of refractory periods and threshold potentials during the postnatal maturation. In addition, the correlation between spike parameters and intrinsic properties converts to be more linear. This postnatal plasticity of neuronal intrinsic properties improves the timing precision and capacity of spike programming at cerebellar Purkinje neurons.     

一个α,β地中海贫血复合家系β珠蛋白基因的进一步研究

 前文~[1]曾报道广西一个α,β地中海贫血复合家系的血红蛋白组成及α珠蛋白基因分析结果,并讨论了各成员可能的β珠蛋白基因结构情况。本文利用先进的PCR即基因扩增技术,结合特异寡核苷酸探针斑点杂交及扩增后直接测定DNA序列的技术,进一步研究并彻底搞请了该家系各成员的β珠蛋白基因结构情况。结果显示:母亲及两个弟弟都是编码子41—42TTCT四个碱基缺失造成框架位移所致β地中海贫血的杂合子。父亲与先证者的β基因均属正常。前三个成员均为α地贫复合β地贫,其α与β珠蛋白链合成的不均衡状态得到改善,贫血症状也明显轻。     

苏云金芽孢杆菌S1478-1分离株的特性鉴定及cry1Ac同源基因克隆

本研究对从海南岛尖峰岭热带雨林自然保护区的土壤样品中分离出的Bt菌株S1478-1进行了特性鉴定,研究表明S1478-1分离株菌落形态和生长特征和Bt参照菌株HD73极其相似.16S rDNA序列分析表明,S1478-1分离株与其它B.thuringiensis、B.cereus和B.anthracis的16S rDNA序列相似性达到99%.分离株能产菱形伴胞晶体,SDS-PAGE蛋白电泳分析表明,菌株在生长后期,形成芽孢同时分泌130 kD大小的晶体蛋白.生物测定表明S1478-1分离株对小菜蛾具有很高的毒杀活性,LC50卯值高达5.159 ×108cfu/mL.初步显示S1478-1分离株可作为防治鳞翅目害虫的生物农药菌株.利用PCR-RFLP方法鉴定S1478-1分离株含有cry1Ac同源基因,以PCR粘性端克隆方法扩增全长基因,序列测定表明该基因ORF为3 537bp,编码1178个氨基酸,推定的编码蛋白分子量为133.3 kD,与其它cry1Ac基因序列最高达到99%同源,因此,该基因可作为杀虫工程菌及培育转基因抗虫作物的候选基因.     

Ageing related thyroid deficiency increases brain-targeted transport of liver-derived ApoE4-laden exosomes leading to cognitive impairment

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the prevalent cause of dementia in the ageing world population. Apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) allele is the key genetic risk factor for AD, although the mechanisms linking ApoE4 with neurocognitive impairments and aberrant metabolism remains to be fully characterised. We discovered a significant increase in the ApoE4 content of serum exosomes in old healthy subjects and AD patients carrying ApoE4 allele as compared with healthy adults. Elevated exosomal ApoE4 demonstrated significant inverse correlation with serum level of thyroid hormones and cognitive function. We analysed effects of ApoE4-containing peripheral exosomes on neural cells and neurological outputs in aged or thyroidectomised young mice. Ageing-associated hypothyroidism as well as acute thyroidectomy augmented transport of liver-derived ApoE4 reach exosomes into the brain, where ApoE4 activated nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome by increasing cholesterol level in neural cells. This, in turn, affected cognition, locomotion and mood. Our study reveals pathological potential of exosomes-mediated relocation of ApoE4 from the periphery to the brain, this process can represent potential therapeutic target.Subject terms: Cognitive neuroscience, Alzheimer''s disease, Cellular neuroscience     

Molecular epidemiology of scrub typhus in Taiwan during 2006–2016

Scrub typhus is the most common endemic vector-borne disease in Taiwan. We identified a total of 4,857 laboratory-confirmed cases during 2006–2016 with hyperendemic foci on offshore islands, including Penghu (778 cases, 16.0%) and Kinmen (716 cases, 14.7%), and eastern Taiwan, including Taitung (628 cases, 12.9%) and Hualien (508 cases, 10.5%). Scrub typhus cases occur year-round throughout Taiwan, with a summer peak in June and July. A total of 545 O. tsutsugamushi isolates were successfully obtained from patients infected in diverse geographic areas, including Taiwan and three offshore islands, and the complete open reading frame of the 56 kDa type-specific antigen gene (tsa56) sequence of these isolates was examined. High phylogenetic diversity was found in these isolates, which could be grouped into 36 distinct sequence types. Most isolates belonged to the Karp (49.9%; 272/545), followed by the TW-22 (17.8%; 97/454) and Kawasaki (14.7%; 80/545) genotypes. In conclusion, our data indicate the widespread presence of tsa56 genotypes closely related to Thailand and Korean strains and the presence of the unique endemic strains TW-12, TW-22, TW-29, and TW-36 in Taiwan.     

Genetic differentiation and phylogeography of rotifer Polyarthra dolichoptera and P. vulgaris populations between Southeastern China and eastern North America: High intercontinental differences

Genetic differentiations and phylogeographical patterns of small organisms may be shaped by spatial isolation, environmental gradients, and gene flow. However, knowledge about genetic differentiation of rotifers at the intercontinental scale is still limited. Polyarthra dolichoptera and P. vulgaris are cosmopolitan rotifers that are tolerant to environmental changes, offering an excellent model to address the research gap. Here, we investigated the populations in Southeastern China and eastern North America and evaluated the phylogeographical patterns from their geographical range sizes, geographic–genetic distance relationships and their responses to spatial‐environmental factors. Using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene as the DNA marker, we analyzed a total of 170 individuals. Our results showed that some putative cryptic species, also known as entities were widely distributed, but most of them were limited to single areas. The divergence of P. dolichoptera and P. vulgaris indicated that gene flow between continents was limited while that within each continent was stronger. Oceanographic barriers do affect the phylogeographic pattern of rotifers in continental waters and serve to maintain genetic diversity in nature. The genetic distance of P. dolichoptera and P. vulgaris populations showed significant positive correlation with geographic distance. This might be due to the combined effects of habitat heterogeneity, long‐distance colonization, and oceanographic barriers. Furthermore, at the intercontinental scale, spatial distance had a stronger influence than environmental variables on the genetic differentiations of both populations. Wind‐ and animal‐mediated transport and even historical events of continental plate tectonics are potential factors for phylogeography of cosmopolitan rotifers.