Fluorescence studies of rat cellular retinol binding protein II produced in Escherichia coli: an analysis of four tryptophan substitution mutants.

Rat intestinal cellular retinol binding protein II (CRBP II) is an abundant 134-residue protein that binds all-trans-retinol which contains 4 tryptophans in positions 9, 89, 107, and 110. Our ability to express CRBP II in Escherichia coli and to construct individual tryptophan substitution mutants by site-directed mutagenesis has provided a useful model system for studying the fluorescence of a multi-tryptophan protein. Each of the four mutant proteins binds all-trans-retinol with high affinity, although their affinities are less than that of the wild-type protein. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence analyses of these proteins indicate that W107 is at the hydrophobic binding site, W110 is in a polar environment, and the remaining two tryptophans are in a hydrophobic environment. Time-resolved fluorescence study indicates that excited-state energy transfer occurs from the hydrophobic tryptophans to W110. The Stern-Volmer analysis with acrylamide of these proteins reveals that static quenching occurs in the W9F mutant protein while others do not. The fluorescence of rat intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP), a related protein of known X-ray structure, was also studied for comparison. The results of these findings, coupled with those derived from NMR studies and molecular graphics, suggest that CRBP II undergoes minor structural changes in all of the mutant proteins. Since these effects may be cumulative on the protein structure and function, any conclusions derived from higher mutants in this family of proteins must be treated with caution.     

细菌信号分子N-酰基高丝氨酸内酯调控植物抗性的研究进展

自然界中植物与细菌长期共存,共同进化,二者之间形成由不同信号分子介导的复杂的相互作用网络。N-酰基高丝氨酸内酯（AHLs）是革兰氏阴性细菌胞间通讯的信号分子,可被植物感知,并能调控植物多种生理行为,包括植物的天然免疫、生长发育、耐逆性等。本文综述近年来的相关研究进展,有助于全面了解植物与细菌间的信息交流机制,并对农业生产提供理论指导。     

颈内动脉支架置入术对颈动脉狭窄患者认知功能影响的研究

目的：研究颈动脉狭窄对认知功能的影响,探讨颈动脉支架置入术（CAS）患者术后不同时期认知功能的变化及其可能的机制。方法：选取2010年1月至2012年12月我院神经内科收住的急性脑梗死（前循环）患者75例,按颈内动脉狭窄程度,分成无狭窄组,轻度狭窄组（狭窄程度〈30％）,中度狭窄组（30-69％）和治疗组（70．99％）,前三组给予药物治疗,治疗组同时给予颈内动脉支架置入术,应用蒙特利尔认知评估量表（MoCA）、简易精神状态检查表（MMSE）、搭火柴测验（stickTest）,对患者进行认知功能评估,比较术前、术后不同时期认知功能的变化,同时利用SPECT／CT对治疗组20例患者术后局部脑血流改善状况进行评价。结果：治疗组和对照组在术前比较MoCA总分、MMSE评分、StickTest评分,发现治疗组评分低于对照组,且随着颈动脉狭窄程度的加重,认知功能受损越明显;治疗组在术后1周与术前比较,评分反而降低,差异有统计学意义;术后3个月、术后6个月与术前比较,评分均有所提高,差异有统计学意义;通过SPECT／CT对治疗组术前感兴趣区血流量与同侧小脑平均脑血流量比较,术后再与同侧小脑比较,结果显示术后脑灌注明显改善。结论：颈动脉狭窄与血管性认知功能障碍有关,而且认知功能障碍的程度与颈动脉狭窄程度呈正相关,颈内动脉支架置入术可最终改善认知功能,尤其表现在视空间／执行能力,延迟回忆能力,注意力等方面。     

链状亚历山大藻共附生细菌多样性

采用非分离培养分析方法,直接提取链状亚历山大藻（Alexandrium catenella）共附生细菌总DNA,以之为模板进行PCR扩增获得细菌16S rDNA基因片段,并构建16S rDNA克隆文库。通过16S rDNA限制性酶切片段长度多态性（restriction fragment length polymorphism,RFLP）和测序方法对链状亚历山大藻共附生细菌的多样性进行了研究。84个16S rDNA克隆片段经限制性内切酶HaeⅢ酶切分析,得到30种不同的酶切指纹类型。挑选50个克隆子进行测序获得其16S rDNA部分序列,并对16S rDNA序列进行聚类分析构建了系统进化树。结果表明,链状亚历山大藻共附生的细菌多样性较强,优势细菌类群为变形菌α亚群（α-Proteobacteria）和拟杆菌（Bacteroidetes）,其中玫瑰杆菌（Roseobacter sp.）在α-Proteobacteria中占绝对优势。     

Mussaenda yunnanensis sp. nov. (Rubiaceae), a new functionally dioecious species from Yunnan,China

Mussaenda yunnanensis, a new dioecious species of Rubiaceae from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated. The new species can be recognized by its slender stem, congested‐cymose inflorescences and long corolla tubes. Differences between M. yunnanensis and two morphologically similar species (M. pubescens and M. antiloga) are presented. We also provide a key to all dioecious species of Mussaenda in China. The delimitation of the new species is further supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses based on eight plastid loci.     

Sensitivity and specificity amplification in signal transduction

Intracellular signal transduction pathways transmit signals from the cell surface to various intracellular destinations, such as cytoskeleton and nucleus through a cascade of protein-protein interactions and activation events, leading to phenotypic changes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. Over the past two decades, numerous signaling proteins and signal transduction pathways have been discovered and characterized. There are two major classes of signaling proteins: phosphoproteins (e.g., mitogen-activated protein kinases) and guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases; e.g., Ras and G proteins). They both function as molecular switches by addition and removal of one or more high-energy phosphate groups. This review discusses developments that seek to quantify the signal transduction processes with kinetic analysis and mathematical modeling of the signaling phosphoproteins and GTPases. These studies have provided insights into the sensitivity and specificity amplification of biological signals in integrated systems.     

河南鼠尾草抑制体内外α-糖苷酶活性研究

本文采用96微孔板法,首次对河南鼠尾草抑制酵母和大鼠小肠α-葡萄糖苷酶活性进行研究。河南鼠尾草乙酸乙酯提取物(IC50=28.73μg/mL)和正丁醇提取物(IC50=73.90μg/mL)抑制酵母α-葡萄糖苷酶活性远高于阳性对照Acarbose(IC50=1081.27μg/mL),但只有乙酸乙酯提取物(IC50=366.79μg/mL)具有抑制大鼠小肠α-葡萄糖苷酶活性,阳性对照Acarbose未检测出其IC50。结果表明,河南鼠尾草乙酸乙酯提取物和正丁醇提取物均具有较好的酵母α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制活性,但只有乙酸乙酯提取物具有良好的大鼠小肠α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制活性。     

水流对团头鲂(Megalobrama amblycephala)幼鱼游泳行为的影响

为探讨团头鲂幼鱼(Megalobrama amblycephala)游泳行为对水流的响应规律,该文通过特制鱼类游泳行为测定装置,测定了团头鲂幼鱼在25℃,0、0.1、0.2、0.3、0.4m/s流速条件下的游速、游距、转角、至中心点的距离及游泳轨迹。结果表明:随着流速的增大,个体游速、游距及转角值均相应增大。0、0.1及0.2m/s流速组间的游速、游距及转角差异均不显著(P>0.05),但显著小于0.3和0.4m/s组别,且0.3和0.4m/s流速组之间差异均不显著(P>0.05);整个时间段内,个体至中心点的距离随流速增大并未呈现明显规律性,各流速间差异不显著(P>0.05),游速与游距呈显著线性正相关,而与转角呈显著线性负相关,与至中心点的距离则无相关性;游泳轨迹随水流增大趋向复杂化。     

UV-B辐射方向对白三叶克隆整合的影响

增强UV-B辐射会对植物生长和生理生化过程产生有害效应。克隆植物中,相连的克隆分株对经常共享资源和激素,然而鲜有关于异质性UV-B辐射下UV-B辐射方向对克隆整合的影响及克隆植物形态结构变化的报道。模拟同质(克隆分株片段均处于自然背景辐射)和异质(克隆分株一端处于自然背景辐射,另一端处于补加的UV-B辐射)UV-B辐射,以克隆植物白三叶为材料,进行连接和隔断处理,研究UV-B辐射方向对克隆整合强度变化、叶片形态结构特化及生理可塑性的影响。结果表明:异质性UV-B辐射下,15N同位素标记端保留的15N百分比高于同质UV-B辐射处理,转移到无标记相连端的15N含量则降低,紫外辐射处理和同位素标记是否处于同一分株端对结果无显著性影响,说明克隆植物白三叶生理整合存在但整合强度降低,辐射方向与克隆整合强度无关;隔断处理组气孔长度增加,栅栏组织增厚,但连接处理组却无此变化,表明生理整合在白三叶叶片形态结构特化中发挥作用。UV-B辐射下,最小荧光、电子传递速率及光化学淬灭系数降低但非光化学淬灭系数升高,而生理整合却使结果相反;叶绿素和紫外吸收物可在异质性UV-B辐射相连的两端运输分享。以上均表明异质UV-B辐射环境中,UV-B辐射胁迫端克隆分株通过生理整合从非胁迫端获益,并以此提高胁迫环境中克隆植物对资源的利用效率。     

低氧及酸化胁迫对大黄鱼幼鱼离子调节与鳃组织结构的影响

为探讨大黄鱼幼鱼在低氧及酸化胁迫下机体离子调节情况,本研究探讨了低氧(溶解氧量DO 3.5 mg·L-1,pH 8.1)、酸化(DO 7.0 mg·L-1,pH 7.35)以及低氧酸化协同胁迫(DO3.5 mg·L-1,pH 7.35)对大黄鱼幼鱼鳃组织结构以及离子调节相关生理指标的影响.结果 表明:低氧胁迫下,大黄鱼...