Molecular cloning and expression analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bmrbp1</Emphasis>, the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bombyx mori</Emphasis> homologue of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis> gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">rbp1</Emphasis>

RBP1 is an important splicing factor involved in alternative splicing of the pre-mRNA of Drosophila sex-determining gene dsx. In this work, the Bombyx mori homologue of the rbp1 gene, Bmrbp1, was cloned. The pre-mRNA of Bmrbp1 gene is alternatively spliced to produce four mature mRNAs, named Bmrbp1-PA, Bmrbp1-PB, Bmrbp1-PC and Bmrbp1-PD, with nucleotide lengths of 799 nt, 1,316 nt, 894 nt and 724 nt, coding for 142 aa, 159 aa, 91 aa and 117 aa, respectively. BmRBP1-PA and BmRBP1-PD contain a N terminal RNA recognization motif (RRM) and a C terminal arginine/serine-rich domain, while BmRBP1-PB and BmRBP1-PC only share a RRM. Amino acid sequence alignments showed that BmRBP1 is conserved with its homologues in other insects and with other SR family proteins. The RT-PCR showed that Bmrbp1-PA was strongly expressed in all examined tissues and development stages, but Bmrbp1-PB was weakly expressed in these tissues and stages. The expression of both Bmrbp1-PA and Bmrbp1-PB showed no obvious sex difference. While the Bmrbp1-PC and Bmrbp1-PD were beyond detection by RT-PCR very likely due to their tissue/stage specificity. These results suggested that Bmrbp1 should be a member of SR family splicing factors, whether it is involved in the sex-specific splicing of Bmdsx pre-mRNA needs further research.     

Asymmetric hybridization in Rhododendron agastum: a hybrid taxon comprising mainly F1s in Yunnan, China

Background and Aims

Rhododendron (Ericaceae) is a large woody genus in which hybridization is thought to play an important role in evolution and speciation, particularly in the Sino-Himalaya region where many interfertile species often occur sympatrically. Rhododendron agastum, a putative hybrid species, occurs in China, western Yunnan Province, in mixed populations with R. irroratum and R. delavayi.

Methods

Material of these taxa from two sites 400 km apart (ZhuJianYuan, ZJY and HuaDianBa, HDB) was examined using cpDNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) loci, to test the possibility that R. agastum was in fact a hybrid between two of the other species. Chloroplast trnL-F and trnS-trnG sequences together distinguished R. irroratum, R. delavayi and some material of R. decorum, which is also considered a putative parent of R. agastum.

Key Results

All 14 R. agastum plants from the HDB site had the delavayi cpDNA haplotype, whereas at the ZJY site 17 R. agastum plants had this haplotype and four had the R. irroratum haplotype. R. irroratum and R. delavayi are distinguished by five unequivocal point mutations in their ITS sequences; every R. agastum accession had an additive pattern (double peaks) at each of these sites. Data from AFLP loci were acquired for between ten and 21 plants of each taxon from each site, and were analysed using a Bayesian approach implemented by the program NewHybrids. The program confirmed the identity of all accessions of R. delavayi, and all R. irroratum except one, which was probably a backcross. All R. agastum from HDB and 19 of 21 from ZJY were classified as F₁ hybrids; the other two could not be assigned a class.

Conclusions

Rhododendron agastum represents populations of hybrids between R. irroratum and R. delavayi, which comprise mostly or only F₁s, at the two sites examined. The sites differ in that at HDB there was no detected variation in cpDNA type or hybrid class, whereas at ZJY there was variation in both.     

二氧化硫对小麦的氧化胁迫及其某些信号分子的调节

通过在密闭的培养箱中一次性通入不同体积浓度的SO₂气体,研究了小麦幼苗超氧自由基O2-含量和3种抗氧化酶活性的变化,探讨了信号分子水杨酸、乙烯和过氧化氢对SO₂氧化胁迫的调节作用.结果表明,当通入10和40 μl·L^-1 SO₂时,小麦叶片中O2-含量递增,过氧化物酶(POD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性增强,但超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性降低.当SO₂浓度达到50 μl·L^-1时,POD和CAT活性也开始降低,此时叶片尖端出现坏死,叶片绿色部位滋生大量真菌.用1 mmol·L^-1水杨酸(SA)(pH6.5)浸泡小麦干种子6 h,或用10 mmol·L^-1 H₂O₂浸泡幼苗,O2-含量低于对照植株,而3种酶的活性高于对照植株,均可有效地减轻SO₂的氧化胁迫.在SO₂熏蒸下,乙烯显著抑制3种酶的活力,提高O2-的形成速率.SA与乙烯同时使用时,SA几乎完全消除了乙烯的负面作用.     

保障国家公园体制试点区社区居民利益分享的公平与可持续性——基于社会-生态系统意义认知的研究

建立国家公园旨在保护生态系统完整性并为民众提供多样化的使用机会,保障利益相关者利益分享的公平与可持续性。对国家公园社区居民的资源使用而言,需要他们认可保护地管理中的利益分享规则,从而规范行为,促进系统的稳健性。影响规则认可与相应行为的关键在于各个资源使用者如何评估资源价值,以及如何形成价值共识。基于社会-生态系统理论,研究利用一个界定资源价值与形成使用规则的分析框架,通过对资源价值界定的情境认知、对生态系统的意义认知和对可能规则的态度进行分析,研究武夷山国家公园体制试点建设进程中社区对"利益"的动态认知与形成原因、潜在行为变动对系统"稳健性"的影响和促进利益分享规则形成的路径。分析发现,①在保护地管理发展过程中,社区认为其以往存在和国家公园的出现有利于资源的生计带动;②武夷山生态系统的意义首先在于其多样化的物质供给,其次是作为文化遗产和商品所带来精神满足,同时具有生态保护价值;③社区对利益分享规则的态度取决于规则在时空上的应用是否影响他们对生态系统意义所认定的优先次序。因此,研究提出一个用于规则形成的协商空间,从不同资源使用者利益认知角度引导其认知趋同,最终提高社区对规则的接受程度与行为规范,保证社会-生态系统的稳健性。     

Isolation and characterization of a novel linear-plasmid phage from the sediment of the Mariana Trench

Highlights
1. HMP1 is the first bacteriophage that was isolated from hadal sediment, the water depth at which HMP1 was isolated is the highest on record up to now.
2. The isolation of HMP1 extends the habitat of linear plasmid phages from the surface to the deep ocean.
3. The genomic and morphological features of HMP1 provide hints with regard to the vertical exchange of viral communities in the ocean.
4. HMP1 and Halomonas sp. MT08-1 contribute a useful phage-host system for in-depth analysis of the life strategy of viruses and their interactions with bacterial hosts in extreme hadal environments.     

康宁木霉QF-02纤维素酶酶学性质的研究

对康宁木霉QF-02生产的纤维素酶的一般酶学性质进行了研究。该纤维素酶系中滤纸酶、羧甲基纤维素酶、微晶纤维素酶、β-葡萄糖苷酶的最适作用温度分别为55℃、65℃、50℃和70℃,最适作用pH为4.0-5.0;在40-50℃范围内热稳定性较好,24 h保温后的残留酶活在48.5%以上;在pH3.0-8.0范围内比较稳定,4℃保存24h后的残留酶活在75.7%以上。与几种商品纤维素酶相比,该纤维素酶对未处理和碱预处理稻草都表现出较强的糖化能力。     

密度制约对宝天曼落叶阔叶林锐齿栎死亡前后分布格局的影响

为了在温带和亚热带的过渡带中验证森林树木死亡是否受密度制约的影响, 我们在宝天曼国家级自然保护区选择1个100 m×100 m的暖温带落叶阔叶林样地, 用双变量函数g(r)(the pair-correlation function)研究了锐齿栎(Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata)死亡前(活树和枯木统称为死亡前树木)和死亡后(活树为死亡后树木)的分布格局。把样地中的锐齿栎分为幼树(1 cm ≤ DBH<10 cm)、小树(10 cm ≤ DBH<20 cm)和成年树(DBH≥20 cm)3个不同的生长阶段来研究密度制约对空间分布格局的影响机制。结果表明: (1)死亡前锐齿栎在r>5 m尺度呈聚集分布, 死亡后幼树(1 cm≤DBH<10 cm)和成年树(DBH≥20 cm)在1-25 m尺度呈现随机分布, 死亡后小树(10 cm≤DBH< 20 cm)在r<1.5 m和2.5-4.5 m的尺度为随机分布, 在r>5 m的尺度呈聚集分布; (2)采用随机标签零模型和案例-对照设计的方法, 排除生境异质性影响后, 将幼树和小树的分布格局作为案例, 将成年树的分布格局作为对照, 并代表生境异质性的作用, 通过小径级树木与成年树分布格局的对比发现, 密度制约效应对死亡前后的锐齿栎分布格局均具有影响; (3)幼树和小树在成年树周围的分布死亡前为显著聚集分布格局, 死亡后剩余树木的聚集强度下降; 随着与成年树之间距离的增加, 死亡后的幼树(仅包括现存的活树)逐渐向随机分布格局演替。本研究初步表明锐齿栎空间格局受生境异质性的影响并呈现出显著的聚集效应, 排除生境异质性影响后, 锐齿栎死亡前后的空间格局受到密度制约的影响, 这一结果为Janzen-Connell假说提供了支持。     

Cardiomyocyte overexpression of miR-27b induces cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction in mice

Recent studies have begun to reveal critical roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction. In this study, we tested whether a transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-regulated miRNA played a pivotal role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure (HF). We observed that miR-27b was upregulated in hearts of cardiomyocyte-specific Smad4 knockout mice, which developed cardiac hypertrophy. In vitro experiments showed that the miR-27b expression could be inhibited by TGF-β1 and that its overexpression promoted hypertrophic cell growth, while the miR-27b suppression led to inhibition of the hypertrophic cell growth caused by phenylephrine (PE) treatment. Furthermore, the analysis of transgenic mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of miR-27b revealed that miR-27b overexpression was sufficient to induce cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction. We validated the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) as a direct target of miR-27b in cardiomyocyte. Consistently, the miR-27b transgenic mice displayed significantly lower levels of PPAR-γ than the control mice. Furthermore, in vivo silencing of miR-27b using a specific antagomir in a pressure-overload-induced mouse model of HF increased cardiac PPAR-γ expression, attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction. The results of our study demonstrate that TGF-β1-regulated miR-27b is involved in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy, and validate miR-27b as an efficient therapeutic target for cardiac diseases.     

The Role of DACT Family Members in Tumorigenesis and Tumor Progression

Disheveled-associated antagonist of β-catenin (DACT), which ubiquitously expressed in human tissue, is critical for regulating cell proliferation and several developmental processes in different cellular contexts. In addition, DACT is essential for some other cellular processes, such as cell apoptosis, migration and differentiation. Given the importance of DACT in these cellular processes, many scientists are gradually interested in studying the role of DACT in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. This review article focuses on the latest research regarding the essential functions and potential DACT mechanisms in the occurrence and progression of tumors. Our study indicates that DACT may act as a tumor biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as a promising therapeutic target in cancers.