喀斯特断陷盆地区不同恢复阶段群落物种组成与多样性特征

研究自然植被恢复过程中的物种组成、群落结构及生物多样性的变化,能够为人工促进植被恢复的树种选择与群落结构的优化配置提供重要依据。本研究以空间代替时间对喀斯特断陷盆地典型区云南省建水县不同天然植被(草丛、灌丛、乔木林)进行群落学调查,对不同恢复阶段的植物群落按乔木、灌木、草本进行分层,分析各恢复阶段植物群落的物种组成、水平和垂直结构、生物多样性。结果表明:在总面积为3200 m²的12个样地中,共记录43科72属94种维管束植物,优势种以壳斗科(Fagaceae)、鼠李科(Rhamnaceae)、紫金牛科(Myrsinaceae)、蔷薇科(Rosaceae)、木犀科(Oleaceae)等科的植物为主;在草丛→灌丛→乔木林的恢复过程中,群落物种组成中的科数、属数、种数逐渐增加,低矮和小径级植物个体数所占比例逐渐减少,但整体仍以低矮的小径级植物为主。草本植物的丰富度和Shannon指数在植被恢复的初期即草丛阶段最大,而均匀度指数则以灌丛阶段最大;木本植物的丰富度和Shannon指数随着植被的恢复逐渐增大,但均匀度指数随着植被的恢复逐渐下降;随着植被的恢复,草本层和乔木层...     

质粒超螺旋比例对其细胞转染效率及表达的影响

检测质粒开环、闭环比例不同时对其细胞转染效率及表达的影响。构建携带人肝细胞生长因子基因的质粒(pcDNA3-HGF)及携带LacZ报告基因的质粒(pcDNA3-LacZ),用核酸纯化试剂盒提取开环、闭环比例不同的质粒,然后用LipofectAMINE介导它们分别转染NIH3T3细胞,采用X-Gal染色和ELISA法分别观察转染效率和表达活性。结果表明,用超螺旋比例分别为85.45%和48.44%的质粒pcDNA3-LacZ转染生长旺盛的NIH3T3细胞,48h检测转染效率分别为23.4%±3.8%和9.3%±2.5%,前者约是后者的2.5倍。用超螺旋比例分别为93.28%和40.53%的质粒pcDNA3-HGF转染1×106NIH3T3细胞,ELISA法检测48h细胞培养上清中HGF的表达量分别为46.5±6.3ng和25.6±4.2ng,前者是后者的1.8倍。初步认为质粒开环、闭环比例不同对其细胞转染效率及表达有一定影响,超螺旋比例高时其转染效率及表达量较高。     

海拔高度对2型糖尿病患者循环内皮祖细胞及低氧诱导因子的影响*

目的: 探讨不同海拔地区2型糖尿病患者循环内皮祖细胞数量及相关检测指标的变化情况,为2型糖尿病血管并发症的研究和治疗提供依据。方法: 选取386 m低海拔地区(咸阳市)和1 520 m高海拔地区(兰州市)各一家医院内被诊断的2型糖尿病患者(25人/29人)和健康体检者(20人/20人)。用全自动生化分析仪检测两组人群的血脂、血糖和糖化血红蛋白指标,用酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测低氧诱导因子-1α(HIF-1α)的浓度,用流式细胞仪测定外周血循环内皮祖细胞(EPCs)的数量。结果: 无论在低海拔还是高海拔地区,糖尿病组较健康组循环EPCs数量降低(P＜0.01),体质指数(BMI)、腰臀比(WHR)、甘油三酯(TG)、空腹血糖(FBG)及糖化血红蛋白含量(HbAlc)增高(P＜0.05);与低海拔组相比,无论高海拔的糖尿病患者还是健康者,HIF-1α的表达水平均明显增加(P＜0.05),而循环EPCs数量明显降低(P＜0.05),且有循环EPCs数量健康者高于2型糖尿病无血管并发症者高于2型糖尿病伴血管并发症者的表现(P＜0.05)。结论: 海拔高度增加,2型糖尿病(T2DM)患者体内HIF-1α表达水平增加,循环EPCs数量降低,且与其血管病变程度密切相关。因此有望通过对高海拔地区T2DM患者进行EPCs的移植来实现对糖尿病血管并发症的预防和改善。     

Heparin and its derivatives bind to HIV-1 recombinant envelope glycoproteins, rather than to recombinant HIV-1 receptor, CD4

We have employed a direct radiolabel binding assay to investigate the interaction between3H-heparin and recombinant envelope glycoproteins, rgp120s, derived from several different isolates of HIV-1. Comparable dose-dependent binding is exhibited by rgp120s from isolates IIIB, GB8, MN and SF-2. Under identical experimental conditions the binding of3H- heparin to a recombinant soluble form of the cellular receptor for gp120, CD4, is negligible. The binding of3H-heparin to rgp120 is competed for by excess unlabeled heparin and certain other, but not all, glycosaminoglycan and chemically modified heparins. Of a range of such polysaccharides tested, ability to compete with3H-heparin for binding was strictly correlated with inhibition of HIV-1 replication in vitro. Those possessing potent anti-HIV-1 activity were effective competitors, whereas those having no or little anti-HIV-1 activity were poor competitors. Scatchard analysis indicates that the K d of the interaction between heparin and rgp120 is 10 nM. Binding studies conducted in increasing salt concentrations confirm that the interaction is ionic in nature. Synthetic 33-35 amino acid peptides based on the sequence of the V3 loop of gp120 also bind to heparin with high affinity. V3 loop peptides that are cyclized due to terminal cysteine residues show more selective binding than their uncyclized counterparts. Overall, these data demonstrate further that heparin exerts its anti-HIV-1 activity by binding to the envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1, rather than its cellular receptor, CD4. This study confirms that the V3 loop of gp120 is the site at which heparin exerts its anti- HIV-1 activity. Moreover, it reveals that high affinity binding to heparin is shared by all four rgp120s examined, despite amino acid substitutions within the V3 loop.      

Double intratibial injection of human tonsil-derived mesenchymal stromal cells recovers postmenopausal osteoporotic bone mass

Background and aims

Osteoporosis, which is a disease characterized by weakening of the bone, affects a large portion of the senior population. The current therapeutic options for osteoporosis have side effects, and there is no effective treatment for severe osteoporosis. Thus, we urgently need new treatment strategies, such as topical therapies and/or safe and effective stem cell therapies.

Major element chemistry,weathering and element yields for the Caura River drainage,Venezuela

The Caura River, a major tributary of the Orinoco River, was sampled at bi-weekly intervals for two years. Because the watershed is covered with undisturbed forest overlying a Precambrian shield, the water of the Caura River has low conductivity (mean, 15 uS/cm), contains small amounts of particulate material (mean, 11 mg/1), and is slightly acidic (median pH, 6.8). Concentrations of total dissolved solids vary less than two-fold in response to the seasonal ten-fold variation in discharge; concentrations of particulate material vary more (ten-fold) and are lowest at the time of peak discharge. Seasonal changes in concentrations of Si, major metal cations, and hydrogen ion are complementary to each other and indicate regular seasonal changes in weathering rates. Measurements of bulk atmospheric deposition and the observed runoff yield of Cl and S were used in estimating the basin-wide atmospheric deposition of major elements, which were as follows (kg/ha/yr): Ca, 1.3; Mg, 0.29; Na, 8.2; K, 1.0; Cl, 12; S, 2.8; P, 0.14. Element ratios show that terrestrial sources contribute strongly to the atmospheric deposition of Ca, K, S, and P. From the atmospheric contributions and runoff yields, watershed retention was computed for major elements with reference to Si. The watershed accumulates Al, Fe, and P, whereas losses of Ca, Mg, Na, K, and S originating from non-atmospheric sources exceed the relative loss rates of Si. The rock weathering rate based on Si is 1.8 cm/ 1,000 years. Although significant amounts of Ca, Mg, Na, and K are found in atmospheric deposition, the dominant influence on the mass balances of these elements is weathering rather than deposition. Weathering has a trivial influence on the cycles of Cl and S. Both atmospheric deposition and weathering are important in the mass balance of P. The ecosystem does not effectively conserve most biologically active elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K). The ecosystem conserves significant amounts of phosphorus (31% of total input), but probably by abiotic mechanisms.     

Inhibition of germination of dormant barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grains by blue light as related to oxygen and hormonal regulation

Germination of primary dormant barley grains is promoted by darkness and temperatures below 20 °C, but is strongly inhibited by blue light. Exposure under blue light at 10 °C for periods longer than five days, results in a progressive inability to germinate in the dark, considered as secondary dormancy. We demonstrate that the inhibitory effect of blue light is reinforced in hypoxia. The inhibitory effect of blue light is associated with an increase in embryo abscisic acid (ABA) content (by 3.5‐ to 3.8‐fold) and embryo sensitivity to both ABA and hypoxia. Analysis of expression of ABA metabolism genes shows that increase in ABA mainly results in a strong increase in HvNCED1 and HvNCED2 expression, and a slight decrease in HvABA8′OH‐1. Among the gibberellins (GA) metabolism genes examined, blue light decreases the expression of HvGA3ox2, involved in GA synthesis, increases that of GA2ox3 and GA2ox5, involved in GA catabolism, and reduces the GA signalling evaluated by the HvExpA11 expression. Expression of secondary dormancy is associated with maintenance of high embryo ABA content and a low HvExpA11 expression. The partial reversion of the inhibitory effect of blue light by green light also suggests that cryptochrome might be involved in this hormonal regulation.     

Abnormal differentiation of dopaminergic neurons in zebrafish trpm7 mutant larvae impairs development of the motor pattern

Transient receptor potential, melastatin-like 7 (Trpm7) is a combined ion channel and kinase implicated in the differentiation or function of many cell types. Early lethality in mice and frogs depleted of the corresponding gene impedes investigation of the functions of this protein particularly during later stages of development. By contrast, zebrafish trpm7 mutant larvae undergo early morphogenesis normally and thus do not have this limitation. The mutant larvae are characterized by multiple defects including melanocyte cell death, transient paralysis, and an ion imbalance that leads to the development of kidney stones. Here we report a requirement for Trpm7 in differentiation or function of dopaminergic neurons in vivo. First, trpm7 mutant larvae are hypomotile and fail to make a dopamine-dependent developmental transition in swim-bout length. Both of these deficits are partially rescued by the application of levodopa or dopamine. Second, histological analysis reveals that in trpm7 mutants a significant fraction of dopaminergic neurons lack expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis. Third, trpm7 mutants are unusually sensitive to the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, an oxidative stressor, and their motility is partially rescued by application of the iron chelator deferoxamine, an anti-oxidant. Finally, in SH-SY5Y cells, which model aspects of human dopaminergic neurons, forced expression of a channel-dead variant of TRPM7 causes cell death. In summary, a forward genetic screen in zebrafish has revealed that both melanocytes and dopaminergic neurons depend on the ion channel Trpm7. The mechanistic underpinning of this dependence requires further investigation.     

RevSex duplication-induced and sex-related differences in the SOX9 regulatory region chromatin landscape in human fibroblasts

It was recently shown that duplications of the RevSex element, located 0.5 Mb upstream of SOX9, cause XX-disorder of sex development (DSD), and that deletions cause XY-DSD. To explore how a 148 kb RevSex duplication could have turned on gonadal SOX9 expression in the absence of SRY in an XX-male, we examined the chromatin landscape in primary skin fibroblast cultures from the index, his RevSex duplication-carrier father and six controls. The ENCODE project supports the notion that chromatin state maps show overlap between different cell types, i.e., that our study of fibroblasts could be of biological relevance. We examined the SOX9 regulatory region by high-resolution ChIP-on-chip experiments (a kind of “chromatin-CGH”) and DNA methylation investigations. The RevSex duplication was associated with chromatin changes predicting better accessibility of the SRY-responsive TESCO enhancer region 14–15 kb upstream of SOX9. Four kb downstream of the TESCO evolutionary conserved region, a peak of the enhancer/promoter-associated H3K4me3 mark was found together with a major dip of the repressive H3K9me3 chromatin mark. Similar differences were also found when three control males were compared with three control females. A marked male/female difference was a more open chromatin signature in males starting ~400 kb upstream of SOX9 and increasing toward the SOX9 promoter. In the RevSex duplication-carrier father, two positions of DNA hypomethylation were also found, one corresponding to the H3K4me3 peak mentioned above. Our results suggest that the RevSex duplication could operate by inducing long-range epigenetic changes. Furthermore, the differences in chromatin state maps between males and females suggest that the Y chromosome or X chromosome dosage may affect chromatin conformation, i.e., that sex-dependent gene regulation may take place by chromatin modification.     

Complex temporal decay: a complete analysis

Relaxation dynamics is universal in science and engineering; its study serves to parameterize a system's response and to help identify a microscopic model of the processes involved. When measured data for a phenomenon cannot be fitted using one exponential, the choice of an alternative function to describe the decay becomes nontrivial. Here, we contrast two different, but fundamentally related approaches to fitting nontrivial decay curves; exponential decomposition and the gamma probability density function. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.