Potassium currents in cultured rabbit retinal pigment epithelial cells

Membrane potential and ionic currents were studied in cultured rabbit retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells using whole-cell patch clamp and perforated-patch recording techniques. RPE cells exhibited both outward and inward voltage-dependent currents and had a mean membrane capacitance of 26±12 pF (sd, n=92). The resting membrane potential averaged ?31±15 mV (n=37), but it was as high as ?60 mV in some cells. When K⁺ was the principal cation in the recording electrode, depolarization-activated outward currents were apparent in 91% of cells studied. Tail current analysis revealed that the outward currents were primarily K⁺ selective. The most frequently observed outward K⁺ current was a voltage- and time-dependent outward current (I _K) which resembled the delayed rectifier K⁺ current described in other cells. I _K was blocked by tetraethylammonium ions (TEA) and barium (Ba²⁺) and reduced by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP). In a few cells (3–4%), depolarization to ?50 mV or more negative potentials evoked an outwardly rectifying K⁺ current (I _Kt) which showed more rapid inactivation at depolarized potentials. Inwardly rectifying K⁺ current (I _KI) was also present in 41% of cells. I _KI was blocked by extracellular Ba²⁺ or Cs⁺ and exhibited time-dependent decay, due to Na⁺ blockade, at negative potentials. We conclude that cultured rabbit RPE cells exhibit at least three voltage-dependent K⁺ currents. The K⁺ conductances reported here may provide conductive pathways important in maintaining ion and fluid homeostasis in the subretinal space.     

Rapid screening of an SH2-containing gene using PCR amplification method

Summary To isolate a novel gene that contains an SH2 domain, we devised a rapid and nonradioactive cDNA library screening method using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For PCR amplification, we designed degenerate oligonucleotide primers from the multialigned DNA sequences of SH2 domains. This method offers an inexpensive and efficient approach for the isolation of clones of interest from cDNA libraries.     

云南阿昌族的红细胞血型分布

调查了１０２名云南阿昌族的ＡＢＯ,ＮＮＳｓ,Ｒｈ和Ｐ系统的红细胞血型,结果表明,阿昌族的基因频率ｐ（０．３８７４）是迄今国内调查过人群中的最高值,Ｅ（０．２４５９）和ＣＤｅ（０．６９３６）基因或染色体频率较高,而Ｓ（０．０６８６）和Ｐ１（０．１０８９）频率较低;Ｍｓ（０．５９５０）连锁率高于Ｎｓ（０．３３５３）;未发现ＳＳ和Ｒｈ（－Ｄ）阴性表现型。     

西藏割舌树植物(楝科)的订正

西藏割舌树Walsura xizangensis是吴征镒和李恒于1980建立的。近年来多位学者相继来函借阅该种命名模式标本(青藏队74—4540)进行研究,均认为该号模式标本不属楝科,但不知是什么植物。笔者经研究发现它原来是Glycosmis motuoensis D.D.Tao,的     

黑龙江依兰早第三纪植物群的古气候分析

对黑龙江依兰煤矿煤层间的大量植物叶痕化石研究表明：依兰植物群有蕨类植物２ 种,裸子植物１０ 种,被子植物５８ 种,分属３４ 科４６属。植物群可分为两个植物组合：一个是下煤层上顶板的矿页岩层化石的组合,称Ａ 段组合,时代为早始新世。植物种类丰富,含有较多常绿阔叶成分,属北亚热带的常绿阔叶和落叶阔叶、针阔叶混生林。通过植物叶相特征分析,其全缘叶比例为３８％ 。用气候诺模图得出其古气候为年均温１３．２℃,年温差２０℃;另一个植物组合是煤系地层之上,即上煤层顶部的油页岩层中的Ｂ段化石组合,时代为早渐新世。植物以落叶成分为主,属暖温带落叶阔叶林和针阔叶混生林。全缘叶比例为３０％ 。古气候年均温为１１℃,年温差２５℃。表明植物区系组成完全不同,显示出气候随时代发生了演变,而使区系逐渐发展到今日的寒温带气候和植被     

Cloning of the blasticidin S deaminase gene (BSD) from Aspergillus terreus and its use as a selectable marker for Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Pyricularia oryzae

Aspergillus terreus produces a unique enzyme, blasticidin S deaminase, which catalyzes the deamination of blasticidin S (BS), and in consequence confers high resistance to the antibiotic. A cDNA clone derived from the structural gene for BS deaminase (BSD) was isolated by transforming Escherichia coli with an Aspergillus cDNA expression library and directly selecting for the ability to grow in the presence of the antibiotic. The complete nucleotide sequene of BSD was determined and proved to contain an open reading frame of 393 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 130 amino acids. Comparison of its nulceotide sequence with that of bsr, the BS deaminase gene isolated from Bacillus cereus, indicated no homology and a large difference in codon usage. The activity of BSD expressed in E. coli was easily quantified by an assay based on spectrophotometric recording. The BSD gene was placed in a shuttle vector for Schizosaccharomyces pombe, downstream of the SV40 early region promoter, and this allowed direct selection with BS at high frequency, following transformation into the yeast. The BSD gene was also employed as a selectable marker for Pyricularia oryzae, which could not be transformed to BS resistance by bsr. These results promise that the BSD gene will be useful as a new dominant selectable marker for eukaryotes.     

利用马尾松年轮资料重建江苏暖湿地区气候的初步研究

利用树木年轮气候学方法,根据马尾松生长对气候变量具非线性响应,尝试重建江苏暖湿地区过去１１６年（１８７４～１９９０）的年平均气温和降水量。温度的重建效果优于降水量,实测值与重建值两者的缩减误差（ＲＥ）分别为０．１２和０．１０,两者的平均偏差百分率分别为２．３％和２０％。绝大部分重建结果可从观测记录和历史文献中得到验证,但在温度较高或降水量较多的若干年份,实测值与重建值有较大偏差。     

喹诺酮类药物抗乙型肝炎病毒体外实验研究

本文以２．２．１５细胞株为模型,以ＨＢｓＡｇ、ＨＢｅＡｇ、ＨＢＶＤＮＡ、细胞存活率为观察指标,综合评价了喹诺酮类药物吡哌酸（ＰｉｐｅｍｉｄｉｃＡｃｉｄ）、氟哌酸（Ｎｏｒｆｌｏｘａｃｉｎ）、环丙氟哌酸（Ｃｉｐｒｏｆｌｏｓｘａｃｉｎ）、氟嗪酸（Ｏｆｌｏｘａｃｉｎ）体外抗ＨＢＶ效果。结果表明：吡哌酸、氟哌酸、环丙氟哌酸、氟嗪酸对ＨＢｓＡｇ、ＨＢｅＡｇ５０％抑制浓度（ＩＤ＿（５０））分别为１１μｇ／ｍｌ、６４μｇ／ｍｌ、９３μｇ／ｍｌ、１０５μｇ／ｍｌ和１９９μｇ／ｍｌ、１１１μｇ／ｍｌ、２４μｇ／ｍｌ、２１７μｇ／ｍｌ,细胞存活率为５０％时的药物浓度（ＣＤ＿（５０））分别为２１９μｇ／ｍｌ、９０μｇ／ｍｌ、１８１μｇ／ｍｌ、１６９μｇ／ｍｌ,在所选定的用药浓度范围内不同程度抑制培养上清液及细胞内ＨＢＶＤＮＡ及其复制中间体的产生。尤其对超螺旋结构ＤＮＡ（ｓｃＤＮＡ）有不完全抑制作用。     

MsmE, a lipoprotein involved in sugar transport in Streptococcus mutans.

Metabolic labelling by [14C]palmitic acid showed that growth of Streptococcus mutans LT11 in raffinose, an inducer of the msm operon, resulted in increased production of a 45-kDa lipoprotein corresponding to MsmE, which is believed to be a sugar-binding protein. MsmE was also labelled when an msmE clone was expressed in Escherichia coli. The presence of a lipid anchor on MsmE provides a likely explanation of how the sugar-binding protein component of the msm binding protein-dependent multiple sugar transport system is retained at the cell surface.     

Hindered diffusion of high molecular weight compounds in brain extracellular microenvironment measured with integrative optical imaging.

This paper describes the theory of an integrative optical imaging system and its application to the analysis of the diffusion of 3-, 10-, 40-, and 70-kDa fluorescent dextran molecules in agarose gel and brain extracellular microenvironment. The method uses a precisely defined source of fluorescent molecules pressure ejected from a micropipette, and a detailed theory of the intensity contributions from out-of-focus molecules in a three-dimensional medium to a two-dimensional image. Dextrans tagged with either tetramethylrhodamine or Texas Red were ejected into 0.3% agarose gel or rat cortical slices maintained in a perfused chamber at 34 degrees C and imaged using a compound epifluorescent microscope with a 10 x water-immersion objective. About 20 images were taken at 2-10-s intervals, recorded with a cooled CCD camera, then transferred to a 486 PC for quantitative analysis. The diffusion coefficient in agarose gel, D, and the apparent diffusion coefficient, D*, in brain tissue were determined by fitting an integral expression relating the measured two-dimensional image intensity to the theoretical three-dimensional dextran concentration. The measurements in dilute agarose gel provided a reference value of D and validated the method. Values of the tortuosity, lambda = (D/D*)1/2, for the 3- and 10-kDa dextrans were 1.70 and 1.63, respectively, which were consistent with previous values derived from tetramethylammonium measurements in cortex. Tortuosities for the 40- and 70-kDa dextrans had significantly larger values of 2.16 and 2.25, respectively. This suggests that the extracellular space may have local constrictions that hinder the diffusion of molecules above a critical size that lies in the range of many neurotrophic compounds.