Single-cell transcriptomic atlas of primate cardiopulmonary aging

Aging is a major risk factor for many diseases,especially in highly prevalent cardiopulmonary comorbidities and infectious diseases including Coronavirus Diseas...     

转Bt水稻土壤跳虫群落组成及其数量变化

以转Bt水稻恢复系"克螟稻"(Cry1Ab纯合基因型)和"华恢1号"(Cry1Ab+Cry1Ac融合基因型)以及融合基因型转Bt水稻杂交系"Bt汕忧63",及其对照亲本水稻"秀水11"、"明恢63"和"汕优63"稻田土壤跳虫类群为对象,系统研究转Bt水稻种植下土壤跳虫群落组成及其数量动态变化,以评价不同基因型和不同育种品系转Bt水稻种植下稻田土壤生态安全性。结果表明,转Bt水稻种植导致土壤跳虫个别稀有类群的消失,并显著影响半土生和真土生类群以及土壤跳虫总量,但对群落多样性、均匀度和种类丰富度等影响不显著。与对照亲本相比,Cry1Ab转Bt稻田半土生类群和土壤跳虫总量及其种类丰富度指标显著增加了54.7%、44.4%和26.7%;Cry1Ab+Cry1Ac转Bt杂交稻田球角跳属百分比和真土生跳虫数量显著增加了212.3%和180.4%。就恢复系处理而言,与Cry1Ab转Bt水稻相比,Cry1Ab+Cry1Ac转Bt水稻种植导致棘跳属、球角跳属和原等跳属百分比以及半土生跳虫数量分别显著降低了62.1%、56.7%、61.8%和43.4%,同时,显著提高了裔符跳属百分比达88.2%。就Cry1Ab+Cry1Ac融合基因型转Bt水稻而言,与恢复系相比,转Bt杂交稻种植导致球角跳属和原等跳属百分比,半土生类群和土壤跳虫总量及其种类丰富度和群落多样性显著增加了312.9%和171.6%,302.4%和233.2%,以及54.0%和26.7%,同时,显著降低了裔符跳属百分比达65.5%。     

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.     

Functional comparison of metallothioneins MTT1 and MTT2 from Tetrahymena thermophila

Metallothioneins MTT1 and MTT2 from Tetrahymena thermophila have been characterized. The MTT1 contains mainly characteristic Cys-Cys-Cys and Cys-Cys clusters, but MTT2 contains mainly Cys-X-Cys cluster. Cd₁₆-MTT1 mainly consists of α-helix and β-turns, in contrast, Cd₁₁-MTT2 mainly consists of random coils. Reaction of Cd₁₆-MTT1 and Cd₁₁-MTT2 with nitric oxide leads to intramolecular disulfide bond formation, respectively. Binding stabilities of Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺ and Zn²⁺ to MTT1 are stronger than those to MTT2. Cu²⁺ can not replace Cd²⁺ from Cd₁₆-MTT1 complex, but can replace Cd²⁺ from Cd₁₁-MTT2 complex. The analysis of qRT-PCR revealed MTT2 mRNA levels were 31-fold higher than those of MTT1 under basal conditions. These results further suggest MTT1 possibly play a role in the detoxification of heavy metal ions, and MTT2 may be involved in the homeostasis of copper ions.     

窝雏数处理对两种雀形目幼鸟生长的影响

基于 1 997～ 1 999年野外实验 ,对高寒草甸小云雀和黄嘴朱顶雀两种雀形目鸟的窝雏数进行增减处理。结果表明 ,对照组的幼鸟生长率和离巢体重都大于增加组 ,说明窝雏数增加后 ,幼鸟质量下降。随着窝雏数增加 ,这两种幼鸟生长率显著下降 (小云雀 :r =-0 965 ,P =0 0 3 5 <0 0 5 ;朱顶雀 :r =-0 82 8,P =0 0 2 2 <0 0 5 )。窝雏数改变对小云雀幼鸟出飞重影响不显著 (r =-0 41 8,P =0 5 2 8>0 0 5 ) ,而对黄嘴朱顶雀有显著的影响 (r=-0 90 1 ,P =0 0 1 4<0 0 5 )。