高寒草甸植物物种丧失对草原毛虫的影响

植物多样性是调控食物网结构和生态系统功能最重要的生物因素, 植物多样性丧失深刻影响食草动物, 但由于小型食草动物种群数量波动明显、统计随机性较大等困难, 我们对植物多样性丧失如何影响小型食草动物依然知之甚少。基于在青藏高原高寒草甸设置的长期植物物种剔除试验, 本研究于2016-2020年7-8月连续调查了植物物种剔除各处理中草原毛虫(Gynaephora alpherakiif)的数量, 分析了植物物种及功能群丧失对草原毛虫的影响。结果表明, 虽然时空差异及统计随机性是影响草原毛虫数量变化的主要因素, 但植物物种剔除介导的群落差异对草原毛虫数量的影响依然显著: (1)在各观测时段, 优势种线叶嵩草(Kobresia capillifolia)的丧失导致群落中草原毛虫数量显著减少; 禾草类物种丧失也会减少草原毛虫数量, 但其影响仅在8月显著; (2)杂类草物种丧失通过增加群落中禾草物种多度, 可增加草原毛虫数量; 豆科物种丧失使莎草增多, 也会增加草原毛虫数量; (3)各植物功能群部分物种剔除并未显著影响草原毛虫数量。本研究证实了高寒草甸中草原毛虫数量会因优势植物嵩草和禾草的多度减少或禾草物种丧失而显著减少, 但群落总生物量、个体数和物种丰富度、豆科多度以及各功能群植物同比减少, 都对草原毛虫数量没有明显影响。这些结果说明在随机作用主导下, 植物群落中的特定功能群相对多度(而非物种多样性)变化深刻影响草原毛虫适合度, 进而影响生态系功能及服务; 未来生物多样性研究及草地虫害生物防控中应更多考虑统计随机性及植物功能多样性对小型食草动物的影响。     

心梗大鼠通过有氧运动激活PI3K-Akt-PKG-1/p-PLN-SERCA2a通路抑制心肌细胞凋亡改善心功能

为探讨有氧运动对心梗大鼠心功能的影响,将3月龄SD雄性大鼠适应性喂养1周后随机分为正常组(C组)、假手术组(S组)、心梗安静组(MI组)、正常+运动组(CE组)、心梗+运动组(ME组),每组8只. MI组结扎左冠状动脉前降支制备心梗模型;S组只穿线不结扎;CE组与ME组术后1周开始有氧训练,运动方式为依次以10 m/min×10 min,13 m/min×10 min,16 m/min×40 min进行跑台训练,60 min/d,每周5 d,连续4周.训练结束后次日,采用血流动力学检测左室收缩压(left ventricular systolic pressure,LVSP)、左室舒张末压(left ventricular end-diastolic pressure,LVEDP)和收缩/舒张速率(±dp/dtmax)等心功能相关指标,单细胞可视化动缘探测系统(IonOptix)测定[Ca²⁺]i变化百分数([Ca²⁺]iamplitude)、[Ca²⁺]i荧光比率(ratio)、达峰速率(departure veloc...     

Liquid–liquid phase separation of amyloid-β oligomers modulates amyloid fibrils formation

Soluble amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs) are proposed to instigate and mediate the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, but the mechanisms involved are not clear. In this study, we reported that AβOs can undergo liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) to form liquid-like droplets in vitro. We determined that AβOs exhibited an α-helix conformation in a membrane-mimicking environment of SDS. Importantly, SDS is capable of reconfiguring the assembly of different AβOs to induce their LLPS. Moreover, we found that the droplet formation of AβOs was promoted by strong hydrated anions and weak hydrated cations, suggesting that hydrophobic interactions play a key role in mediating phase separation of AβOs. Finally, we observed that LLPS of AβOs can further promote Aβ to form amyloid fibrils, which can be modulated by (−)-epigallocatechin gallate. Our study highlights amyloid oligomers as an important entity involved in protein liquid-to-solid phase transition and reveals the regulatory role of LLPS underlying amyloid protein aggregation, which may be relevant to the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease.     

Regulation of progesterone during follicular development by FSH and LH in sheep

Progesterone (P4) can participate in the development of female mammalian antral follicles through nuclear receptor (PGR). In this experiment, the differences of P4 synthesis and PGR expression in different developmental stages of sheep antral follicles (large > 5mm, medium 2-5mm, small < 2mm) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Secondly, sheep follicular granulosa cells were cultured in vitro. The effects of different concentrations of FSH and LH on P4 synthesis and PGR expression were studied. The results showed that acute steroid regulatory protein (StAR), cholesterol side chain lyase (P450scc) and 3β Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and PGR were expressed in antral follicles, and with the development of antral follicles in sheep, StAR, P450scc and the expression of 3β-HSD and PGR increased significantly. In vitro experiments showed that FSH and LH alone or together treatment could regulate P4 secretion and PGR expression in sheep follicular granulosa cells to varying degrees, hint P4 and PGR by FSH and LH, and LH was the main factor. Our results supplement the effects of FSH and LH on the regulation of P4 synthesis during follicular development, which provides new data for further study of steroid synthesis and function in follicular development.     

生态环境脆弱带ECOTONE的基础判定

ECOTONE为国际生态界最近重新定义的基本概念之一。本文在诠释生态环境脆弱带的定义之后,对其实质及其空间属性作了较全面的逻辑归纳。在进一步研究的基础上,对于生态环境脆弱带作出了独立的函数表达,并且就生态环境脆弱带的宽度指标、重迭度指标、脆弱度指标、综合性指标,提出了较严格的表述形式。它们吸收了生态界面理论,并把系统生态学中的非稳定性理论,广延为辨识“全球变化”的基本手段,从而在生态学理论与应用两个方面,体现了研究的意义和价值。     

一株泰乐菌素高效降解菌的分离鉴定及其降解特性

【目的】从长期堆放泰乐菌素药渣附近的土壤中分离出泰乐菌素降解菌,并考察其对泰乐菌素的降解特性。【方法】采用梯度驯化、划线分离法筛选出泰乐菌素优势降解菌,通过形态观察、生理生化特征和16S rRNA基因序列分析方法对其进行系统发育分析及菌种鉴定,并考察菌株对泰乐菌素的降解特性。【结果】从长期堆放泰乐菌素药渣的土壤中分离得到1株泰乐菌素高效降解菌,命名为TS1,其为革兰氏阴性杆菌,菌落形态呈圆形,乳白色,表面光滑,不透明,边缘整齐,鉴定为越南伯克霍尔德氏菌(Burkholderia vietnamiensis)。该菌株在温度35°C、pH 7.0的条件下培养72 h,对初始浓度为300 mg/L泰乐菌素的降解率可达99%以上。【结论】说明菌株TS1对泰乐菌素具有良好的降解特性,可用于生物修复被泰乐菌素废渣废水污染的生态环境。     

Oxidative stress-resistance assay for screening yeast strains overproducing heterologous proteins

Many natural proteins have been developed into drugs and produced for direct application. Identifying improved hosts to achieve high-level heterologous protein production is a challenge in the study of heterologous protein expression in recombinant yeast. In this study, a novel high-throughput assay to screen such overproducing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains was systematically developed. The protocol designed was based on screening host strain derivatives with increased superoxide dismutase dependent resistance to oxidative stress. Yeast cells transformed with recombinant plasmid carrying SOD1 gene as a reporter responded exquisitely to oxidative stress induced by elevated concentrations of paraquat. Improved yeast strains resulting from screening clones subjected to genome shuffling through selective pressure argue for a more effective screening system compared with traditonal selection. Moreover, this approach can be employed in general biochemical analysis without utilization of flow cytometry or well plate reader. Therefore, it is expected that the high-throughput assay would make superior strains producing heterologous proteins.     

Development and application of photoautotrophic micropropagation plant system

Research has revealed that most chlorophyllous explants/plants in vitro have the ability to grow photoautotrophically (without sugar in the culture medium), and that the low or negative net photosynthetic rate of plants in vitro is not due to poor photosynthetic ability, but to the low CO₂ concentration in the air-tight culture vessel during the photoperiod. Moreover, numerous studies have been conducted on improving the in vitro environment and investigating its effects on growth and development of cultures/plantlets on nearly 50 species since the concept of photoautotrophic micropropagation was developed more than two decades ago. These studies indicate that the photoautotrophic growth in vitro of many plant species can be significantly promoted by increasing the CO₂ concentration and light intensity in the vessel, by decreasing the relative humidity in the vessel, and by using a fibrous or porous supporting material with high air porosity instead of gelling agents such as agar. This paper reviews the development and characteristics of photoautotrophic micropropagation systems and the effects of environmental conditions on the growth and development of the plantlets. The commercial applications and the perspective of photoautotrophic micropropagation systems are discussed.     

Data-Driven Modeling to Assess Receptivity for Rift Valley Fever Virus

Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) is an enzootic virus that causes extensive morbidity and mortality in domestic ruminants in Africa, and it has shown the potential to invade other areas such as the Arabian Peninsula. Here, we develop methods for linking mathematical models to real-world data that could be used for continent-scale risk assessment given adequate data on local host and vector populations. We have applied the methods to a well-studied agricultural region of California with 1 million dairy cattle, abundant and competent mosquito vectors, and a permissive climate that has enabled consistent transmission of West Nile virus and historically other arboviruses. Our results suggest that RVFV outbreaks could occur from February–November, but would progress slowly during winter–early spring or early fall and be limited spatially to areas with early increases in vector abundance. Risk was greatest in summer, when the areas at risk broadened to include most of the dairy farms in the study region, indicating the potential for considerable economic losses if an introduction were to occur. To assess the threat that RVFV poses to North America, including what-if scenarios for introduction and control strategies, models such as this one should be an integral part of the process; however, modeling must be paralleled by efforts to address the numerous remaining gaps in data and knowledge for this system.