Variability in several ecologic-physiologic traits of different populations of the Asiatic Arctic suslik Citellus parryi]

In several geographic populations of the Arctic ground squirrel C. parryi, studies have been made on changes in oxygen consumption during decrease of the ambient temperature from 25 to 3-4 degrees, thermal preference, hemoglobin content of the blood and composition of the adipose tissue (both brown and white, subcutaneous and visceral). Significant shifts of these indices were found. In animals from various parts of the species area, different sensitivity to cooling was found, as indicated by determinations of oxygen consumption at different temperatures and the prefered temperature: different hemoglobin content of the blood was also found together with differences in the level of two unsaturated fatty acids - the oleic and linoleic ones. Comparison of these data with similar results obtained on various populations of the Siberian ground squirrel C. undulatus revealed obvious differences between these close species with respect to the indices studied.     

Microbiological and production characteristics of the high-temperature Kongdian bed revealed during field trial of biotechnology for the enhancement of oil recovery

Microbiological technology for the enhancement of oil recovery based on the activation of the stratal microflora was tested in the high-temperature horizons of the Kongdian bed (60 degrees C) of the Dagang oil field (China). This biotechnology consists in the pumping of a water-air mixture and nitrogen and phosphorus mineral salts into the oil stratum through injection wells in order to stimulate the activity of the stratal microflora which produce oil-releasing metabolites. Monitoring of the physicochemical, microbiological, and production characteristics of the test site has revealed large changes in the ecosystem as a result of the application of biotechnology. The cell numbers of thermophilic hydrocarbon-oxidizing, fermentative, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic microorganisms increased 10-10 000-fold. The rates of methanogenesis and sulfate reduction increased in the near-bottom zone of the injection wells and of some production wells. The microbial oil transformation was accompanied by the accumulation of bicarbonate ions, volatile fatty acids, and biosurfactants in the formation waters, as well as of CH4 and CO2 both in the gas phase and in the oil. Microbial metabolites promoted the additional recovery of oil. As a result of the application of biotechnology, the water content in the production liquid from the test site decreased, and the oil content increased. This allowed the recovery of more than 14000 tons of additional oil over 3.5 years.     

Plantlet Regeneration from Protoplasts lsolated from an Embryogenic Suspension Cultureof Cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Protoplasts were isolated from an embryogenic suspension culture of commercial cotton cv. The protoplasts were released enzymatically and isolated by centrifugation on a sucrose cushion. The isolated protoplasts were initially cultured in a liquid medium with K3 mineral salts and modified Km8p organic compositions, supplemented with 0.05–0.1 mg/l 2,4-D, 0.2–0.5 mg/l 2ip in the dark. The regenerated plantlets from protoplasts of coker312 and coker 201 cv. were obtained. Embryogenesis from protoplast of Jin4 cv. and microcolonies form protoplasts of JiHe321 and Lul cv. were observed.     

玉米rRNA基因的组织和表达模式

玉米（Zea mays）只有1对45S rDNA位点并在分裂期染色体形成次缢痕,是研究植物细胞rRNA基因组织和表达模式的简单模型。采用荧光原位杂交（fluorescence in situ hybridization,FISH）、CPD（PI与DAPI组合）染色和银染技术,分析了玉米根尖分生细胞rRNA基因的组织和表达模式。45S rDNA探针在所有间期细胞核中显示2种杂交信号：荧光强烈地位于核仁周边的纽,而相对较弱地分布于核仁内的点。在部分细胞中可观察到点与纽相连或从纽发出;点的数目越多,纽变得越小;点的数目多少与细胞的活性呈正相关。研究结果表明,纽代表了处于凝缩状态的非活性的rDNA染色质,纽解凝缩形成的点是rRNA基因活跃转录的细胞学表现;不同阶段间期核的点的数目变化反映了被活化的rRNA基因数目不同。间期和前期细胞的CPD染色和相继的银染结果显示,大部分rDNA染色质没有参与核仁的形成。rDNA FISH显示,同一间期细胞的2个同源rDNA位点的表达水平存在差异,同源染色体次缢痕的长度差异以及Ag-NOR和银染核仁的异态性进一步证实了这种差异的存在。FISH结果显示,早中期细胞的rDNA染色质相对解凝缩,银染在所有早中期细胞和部分中期细胞显示了明显的核仁,表明玉米的rRNA基因在有丝分裂早中期有较活跃的转录,其转录在晚中期才停止。     

Comparative study of different variants of Actinomyces roseoflavus producing the polyene antibiotic roseofungin

The respiration chain in the membranes of whole Actinomyces roseoflavus (var. roseofungini) cells from the parent and secondary cultures is sensitive to KCN, non-sensitive to Triton X-100 treatment removing the antibiotic roseofungin from the cells, and has a very high for the bacteria respiration control. When the cells are in contact with atomic tritium at the temperature of liquid nitrogen, roseofungin is tritiated and binds to A. roseoflavus isolated membranes and whole cells, mostly to those of the parent culture as compared to the secondary culture. A fraction of membranes which lost NADH dehydrogenase in the course++ of purification was isolated from the cells disintegrated in the frozen state.     

Fine-mapping of the type 1 diabetes locus (IDDM4) on chromosome 11q and evaluation of two candidate genes (FADD and GALN) by affected sibpair and linkage-disequilibrium analyses

Previous studies have identified a susceptibility region for insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes mellitus on chromosome 11q13 (IDDM4). In this study, 15 polymorphic markers were analyzed for 382 affected sibpair (ASP) families with type 1 diabetes. Our analyses provided additional evidence for linkage for IDDM4 (a peak LOD score of 3.4 at D11S913). The markers with strong linkage evidence are located within an interval of approximately 6 cM between D11S4205 and GALN. We also identified polymorphisms in two candidate genes, Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD) and galanin (GALN). Analyses of the data by transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) and extended TDT (ETDT) did not provide any evidence for association/linkage with these candidate genes. However, ETDT did reveal significant association/linkage with the marker D11S987 (P=0.0004) within the IDDM4 interval defined by ASP analyses, suggesting that IDDM4 may be in the close proximity of D11S987.     

2D differential in-gel electrophoresis for the identification of esophageal scans cell cancer-specific protein markers

The reproducibility of conventional two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis can be improved using differential in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE), a new emerging technology for proteomic analysis. In DIGE, two pools of proteins are labeled with 1-(5-carboxypentyl)-1'-propylindocarbocyanine halide (Cy3) N-hydroxy-succinimidyl ester and 1-(5-carboxypentyl)-1'-methylindodi-carbocyanine halide (Cy5) N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester fluorescent dyes, respectively. The labeled proteins are mixed and separated in the same 2D gel. 2D DIGE was applied to quantify the differences in protein expression between laser capture microdissection-procured esophageal carcinoma cells and normal epithelial cells and to define cancer-specific and normal-specific protein markers. Analysis of the 2D images from protein lysates of approximately 250,000 cancer cells and normal cells identified 1038 protein spots in cancer cell lysates and 1088 protein spots in normal cell lysates. Of the detected proteins, 58 spots were up-regulated by >3-fold and 107 were down-regulated by >3-fold in cancer cells. In addition to previously identified down-regulated protein annexin I, tumor rejection antigen (gp96) was found up-regulated in esophageal squamous cell cancer. Global quantification of protein expression between laser capture-microdissected patient-matched cancer cells and normal cells using 2D DIGE in combination with mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for the molecular characterization of cancer progression and identification of cancer-specific protein markers.