中国紫花苜蓿地方品种随机扩增多态DNA的研究

运用ＲＡＰＤ技术,对１１个样本紫花苜蓿（Ｍｅｄｉｃａｇｏ ｓａｔｉｖａ）的遗传多样性进行了研究。计算了１１个样本之间的遗传相似度和遗传距离,并进行了聚类分析,探讨了它们之间的亲缘关系。结果如下：１．用４３个随机引物对紫花苜蓿的１１个样本的核ＤＮＡ进行了ＲＡＰＤ扩增,共检出４４０条扩增片段,多态性片段３３１条,占７０．６８％。反映了１１个样本之间的遗传变异;２．４３个随机引物对１１个样本扩增出２～１     

池蝶蚌线粒体基因组全序列分析

采用普通PCR扩增、SHOT-GUN测序、软件拼接首次获得了池蝶蚌（Hyriopsis schlegelii）线粒体基因组全序列。线粒体基因组全长为15939 bp,由13个蛋白质编码基因、22个tRNA基因、2个SrRNA基因和28个长度为1393 bp的非编码区组成;除ND3-ND5、ND4L、ATP6、ATP8、COX1-COX3、tRNA-D、tRNA-H之外,其他大多数基因在L链编码。池蝶蚌线粒体全基因组序列、蛋白编码基因、tRNA基因、rRNA基因及非编码区的A+T含量分别为60.36%、59.84%、61.7%、60.23%及62.5%,与其他淡水蚌类一致,均表现出A+T偏好性,淡水蚌类线粒体基因组长度的差异主要表现在非编码区长度的差异。池蝶蚌mtDNA的COX2-12SrRNA区域基因排列存在差异,是ND3、tRNAHis、tRNAAla、tRNASer1、tRNASer2、tRNAGlu、ND2、tRNAMet 8个基因发生重组造成。22个tRNA基因都具有典型的三叶草二级结构,tRNA-E与 tRNA-W间的非编码区含有一个ORF区,而控制区并未发现。从GenBank上下载的14种双壳纲贝类的mtDNA序列构建的系统进化树,显示池蝶蚌与三角帆蚌亲缘关系最近。研究结果为淡水珍珠蚌线粒体基因重排及进化特征提供理论依据。       

Effects of mammalian CYP3A inducers on CYP3A-related enzyme activities in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus): Possible implications for the establishment of a fish CYP3A induction model

Unexpected drug-drug interactions in fish are generally associated with the induction of CYP3A activity and may lead to the formation of drug residues and thus threaten the safety of fishery products. However, little information is available about CYP3A induction in fish. In the present study, we determined the in vivo and in vitro effects of typical mammalian CYP3A inducers (rifampicin, phenobarbital and dexamethasone) on CYP3A-related enzyme activities in a freshwater teleost, the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus). Our results showed that the response to rifampicin was similar for grass carp liver cell line (GCL), liver microsomes and the primary hepatocytes of grass carp, as indicated by the activity of aminopyrine N-demethylase (APND). When erythromycin N-demethylase (ERND) and 6beta-testosterone hydroxylase (6beta-TOH) were taken into consideration, the GCL displayed a greater capacity for conducting CYP3A metabolism and induction than the C. idellus kidney cell line (CIK). Using erythromycin and testosterone as substrates, we demonstrated that CYP3A catalysis exhibited non-Michaelis-Menten kinetics in GCL cells, and that V(max)/K(m) values were significantly increased due to rifampicin-treatment. Overall, this study may have implications for the use of GCL as a CYP3A induction model to identify physiological changes in fish as well as the similarities or differences between fish and mammals.     

池蝶蚌CyPA的应激表达及对Hela细胞生长的影响

研究分析了池蝶蚌(Hyriopsis schlegelii)亲环蛋白A(Cyclophilin A, CyPA)诱导的应激反应和对Hela细胞生长的影响。采用嗜水气单胞杆菌诱导刺激池蝶蚌, 并利用Real-time PCR技术对其肝脏、性腺和血淋巴中CyPA基因mRNA的表达量进行分析, 应激实验表明, 在嗜水气单胞杆菌刺激后血淋巴、肝脏和性腺中的CyPA在诱导4h出现一个表达峰, 8h后开始下降, 说明池蝶蚌HsCyPA基因参与免疫防御应答反应; 利用pET-32a(+)表达载体, 根据HsCyPA基因cDNA的序列, 构建了含有完整开放阅读框(ORF)的表达载体并在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中进行原核表达, 优化诱导条件后, 通过亲和层析获得了含量较高的上清可溶性蛋白; 采用MTT法, 将原核表达的重组CyPA蛋白稀释到相应(50、100、200、400和800 ng/mL)浓度, 刺激Hela细胞系后发现, 重组池蝶蚌CyPA蛋白能促进Hela细胞生长, 刺激浓度为100 ng/mL时, 达到最大增殖率18.5%。结果初步表明, 池蝶蚌CyPA是一个既参与免疫应激又对细胞的生长发育具有影响的功能广泛的蛋白质。       

Disappearance of a spring cohort in a population of the dragonet,Repomucenus valenciennei, with spring and autumn spawning peaks in Tokyo Bay, Japan

The occurrence of eggs, pelagic larvae and juveniles, and settled juveniles of the dragonetRepomucenus valenciennei in Tokyo Bay, Japan, were investigated by plankton net and bottom trawl surveys between September 1990 and September 1991. Eggs, and pelagic larvae and juveniles appeared from April to November (spring to autumn), peaking in both spring and autumn. From the temporal pattern of egg and pelagic fish occurrence, and pelagic duration reported elsewhere (ca. one month), settlement could be predicted as occurring from late spring to autumn. However, settled juveniles appeared from August to December, with an abrupt peak in November. Aging from daily increments in the otoliths of settled recruits in 1990 indicated that the latter comprised individuals which had hatched between mid-September and early November (i.e. autumn cohort), implying that individuals which had hatched in spring to summer (April to August) were not recruited. Benthic hypoxia occurs widely in Tokyo Bay, from June to October each year, particularly in the northern part, which is the main nursery area ofR. valenciennei. The timing of dissolved oxygen recovery, and appearance of settled fish coincided closely (i.e. November), indicating that summer hypoxic conditions prevented the settlement of the spring cohort and hence recruitment to the population.     

A genetic study of two calcium-independent cytosolic PLA2 genes in schizophrenia

The present study detected 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the PLA2G4C and PLA2G6 loci among 240 Chinese parent-offspring trios of Han descent. Of these 9 SNPs, 5 showed highly polymorphic in the Chinese population. They were then applied as genetic markers to test the genetic association of these two calcium-independent cytosolic PLA2 genes with schizophrenia. The transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) showed that rs1549637 at the PLA2G4C locus was the only SNP associated with the illness (chi(2) = 5.63, P = 0.018). The global P-value was 0.082 for 1000 permutations with the TDT analysis. Neither the conditional on allele test nor the conditional on genotype test showed a disease association for the combination of these two genes. Because the PLA2G4C association is so weak, this initial finding should be interpreted with caution.     

Mechanical Wounding Caused by Inoculation Influences the Photosynthetic Response of Nicotiana benthamiana Plants to Plum Pox Potyvirus

Plants of Nicotiana benthamiana (Gray) (60 d old) were mechanically inoculated by a spreading of the fourth and fifth leaves with inoculum with or without plum pox potyvirus (PPV). Changes in growth parameters and selected photosynthetic characteristics were followed in control and inoculated plants in the locally affected leaves (LA) during 11 d after inoculation (DAI), in systemically affected leaves immature at time of inoculation (SAI) during 14–25 DAI, and in systemically affected leaves developed after the inoculation (SAD) during 28–39 DAI. The pure mechanical damage caused by inoculation induced a decrease in the net photosynthetic rate (P _N) in LA and SAD leaves, and an increase in the steady-state value of the non-photochemical chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence quenching q_N. The q_N increase appeared in certain time intervals in all measured leaves on plants, so it could be regarded as indication of a systemic reaction of plant to the local mechanical injury. The viral infection developed in LA leaves and spread to SAI and SAD leaves was documented by the ELISA-DASI method. The plant height and area of SAI and SAD leaves were lower in infected plants. The combined effect of mechanical damage and viral infection caused a decrease in P _N only in LA and SAD leaves. In SAD leaves, an increased relative height of the J step (V_J) in the O-J-I-P Chl fluorescence transient together with a lower B/A band ratio of thermoluminescence glow curves reflected a damage to the acceptor side of photosystem 2 (PS2) caused by the viral infection, and a faster kinetics of the induction of the photochemical quenching coefficient q_P of Chl fluorescence indicated a faster Q_A ^– re-oxidation in the remaining undamaged centres of PS2.     

Leucine-rich repeat region of decorin binds to filamin-A

Decorin is a member of the family of small leucine-rich proteoglycans found in the extracellular matrix and has an important role in promoting fiber formation and in controlling cell proliferation. Here, we have investigated whether the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) region of decorin interacts with proteins from human lung fibroblasts by using a yeast two-hybrid assay. We report that the LRR region of decorin interacts with the cytoskeletal protein, filamin-A (ABP-280), a peripheral cytoplasmic protein. This interaction is dependent on the 288 carboxyl-terminal amino acids of filamin-A, which correspond to repeats 22-24 of its conserved beta-sheet structure. We also show that the recombinant LRR region of decorin binds to filamin-A in vitro, and that the deglycosylated core protein of decorin coprecipitates with filamin-A, whereas intact decorin does not. Together, these results suggest that proteins containing the LRR motif that interact with filamin-A may be present in the cytoplasm or at the plasma membrane.     

Lysophosphatidic acid and receptor-mediated activation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase

Both lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are platelet-derived phospholipids that elicit diverse biological responses. In endothelial cells, S1P stimulates the EDG-1 receptor-mediated activation of the endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), but the role of LPA in eNOS regulation is less well understood. We now report that LPA treatment of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) activates eNOS enzyme activity in a pathway that involves phosphorylation of eNOS on serine 1179 by protein kinase Akt. In contrast to the cellular responses elicited by S1P in COS-7 cells, LPA can stimulate the activation of eNOS and Akt independently of EDG-1 receptor transfection. LPA-stimulated enzyme activation was significantly attenuated in an eNOS mutant lacking the site that is phosphorylated by kinase Akt (eNOS S1179A). In BAEC, activation of eNOS by LPA is completely blocked by pertussis toxin, by the intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA (1,2-bis(aminophenoxy) ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid), and by the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K) inhibitor wortmannin, but is unaffected by U0126, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways. Analysis of the LPA dose response for eNOS activation reveals an EC(50) of approximately 40 nM, a concentration well below the potency of LPA at the EDG-1 receptor. Taken together, these results indicate that LPA potently activates eNOS in BAEC in a pathway distinct from the EDG-1 receptor, but mediated by a similar receptor-mediated pathway dependent on pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins and involving activation of the PI3-K/Akt pathway. These studies have identified a role for the phospholipid LPA in eNOS activation, and point out the complementary role of distinct platelet-derived lipids in endothelial signaling pathways.     

Dephosphorylation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase by vascular endothelial growth factor. Implications for the vascular responses to cyclosporin A

The endothelial isoform of nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) is a key determinant of vascular tone. eNOS, a Ca(2+)/camodulin-dependent enzyme, is also regulated by a variety of agonist-activated protein kinases, but the role and regulation of the protein phosphatase pathways involved in eNOS dephosphorylation are much less well understood. Treatment of endothelial cells with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent eNOS agonist, leads to the activation of calcineurin, a Ca(2+)/camodulin-dependent protein phosphatase. In these studies, we used a phosphorylation state-specific antibody to show that VEGF promotes dephosphorylation of eNOS at serine residue 116 in cultured endothelial cells. Cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of calcineurin, completely blocks VEGF-induced eNOS dephosphorylation; under identical conditions, cyclosporin A also inhibits VEGF-induced eNOS activation. VEGF-induced eNOS dephosphorylation shows an EC(50) of 2 ng/ml and is maximal 30 min after agonist addition. eNOS phosphorylation at serine 116 is completely blocked by the protein kinase C inhibitor calphostin but is blocked by neither wortmannin (an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase) nor the MAP kinase pathway inhibitor U0126. A phosphorylation-deficient mutant of eNOS in which serine 116 is changed to an alanine residue (S116A) shows significantly enhanced enzyme activity compared with the wild-type enzyme. Taken together, these findings indicated that VEGF-induced eNOS dephosphorylation at serine 116 leads to enzyme activation. Cyclosporin A is widely used as an immunosuppressive drug for which hypertension is an important dose-limiting side effect. Our results suggest that cyclosporin A-induced hypertension may involve, at least in part, the attenuation of endothelium-derived NO production through a calcineurin-sensitive pathway regulating eNOS dephosphorylation.