苔藓植物孢子形态的研究(一)——几种泥炭藓(Sphagnum)孢子的光学研究和电子显微镜观察

泥炭藓(Sphagnum)是水湿或沼泽地区丛生藓类。其植物体形态和构造分化简单,孢子体仅具由配子体组织发育的假蒴柄;孢蒴球形,盖裂,无蒴轴及蒴齿分化,因而为鲜纲中一个独立的亚纲,在苔藓系统排列中,列为原始的类型之一。     

The cell cycle related apoptotic susceptibility to arsenic trioxide is associated with the level of reactive oxygen species

Double staining flow cytometry was performed using 7-amino actinomycin D and 6-carboxy-2‘,7‘-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, to detect the level fluctuation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the cell cycle of normal NB4 cells. Our results showed that NB4 cells possessed higher level of ROS in G2/M phase than in G1 and S phases. Double staining flow cytometry, with TdT mediated dUTP nick end labeling (Tunel) and propidium iodide(PI), indicated that As2O3 (2μM) could induce apoptosis in NB4 cells prevailingly from G2/M phase, and this efficacy was enhanced upon co-administration of 2, 3-dimethoxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone (DMNQ) (2.5μM) which could produce the endogenous ROS. These results suggested that different ROS level in different cell cycle phases of NB4 cells might determin the selective induction of G2/M apoptosis and the cells‘ susceptibility to apoptosis by As2O3.     

Cloning, sequencing and expression of a recA gene from Amycolatopsis mediterranei

The 3.5 kb nucleotide fragment, including the recA gene and its downstream recX-like gene, has been isolated from a genomic library by dot-blot hybridization with the Mycobacterium smegmatis recA gene. The recA gene, consisting of 1047 base pairs (bp), encodes a polypeptide of 348 amino acids while the recX-like gene, consisting of 450 bp, encodes a shorter polypeptide of 149 amino acids. Both the deduced amino acid sequences of recA and recX resemble those of the recA and recX genes from other bacteria. The cloned Amycolatopsis mediterranei U32 recA gene conferred partial resistance to ethyl methane sulfonate when expressed in E. coli with the lacZ promoter.     

Effect of Alkylsilyl Side‐Chain Structure on Photovoltaic Properties of Conjugated Polymer Donors

Side‐chain engineering is an important strategy for optimizing photovoltaic properties of organic photovoltaic materials. In this work, the effect of alkylsilyl side‐chain structure on the photovoltaic properties of medium bandgap conjugated polymer donors is studied by synthesizing four new polymers J70 , J72 , J73 , and J74 on the basis of highly efficient polymer donor J71 by changing alkyl substituents of the alkylsilyl side chains of the polymers. And the photovoltaic properties of the five polymers are studied by fabricating polymer solar cells (PSCs) with the polymers as donor and an n‐type organic semiconductor (n‐OS) m‐ITIC as acceptor. It is found that the shorter and linear alkylsilyl side chain could afford ordered molecular packing, stronger absorption coefficient, higher charge carrier mobility, thus results in higher J_sc and fill factor values in the corresponding PSCs. While the polymers with longer or branched alkyl substituents in the trialkylsilyl group show lower‐lying highest occupied molecular orbital energy levels which leads to higher V_oc of the PSCs. The PSCs based on J70 :m‐ITIC and J71 :m‐ITIC achieve power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 11.62 and 12.05%, respectively, which are among the top values of the PSCs reported in the literatures so far.     

Single Domain Antibody Multimers Confer Protection against Rabies Infection

Post-exposure prophylactic (PEP) neutralizing antibodies against Rabies are the most effective way to prevent infection-related fatality. The outer envelope glycoprotein of the Rabies virus (RABV) is the most significant surface antigen for generating virus-neutralizing antibodies. The small size and uncompromised functional specificity of single domain antibodies (sdAbs) can be exploited in the fields of experimental therapeutic applications for infectious diseases through formatting flexibilities to increase their avidity towards target antigens. In this study, we used phage display technique to select and identify sdAbs that were specific for the RABV glycoprotein from a naïve llama-derived antibody library. To increase their neutralizing potencies, the sdAbs were fused with a coiled-coil peptide derived from the human cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP48) to form homogenous pentavalent multimers, known as combodies. Compared to monovalent sdAbs, the combodies, namely 26424 and 26434, exhibited high avidity and were able to neutralize 85-fold higher input of RABV (CVS-11 strain) pseudotypes in vitro, as a result of multimerization, while retaining their specificities for target antigen. 26424 and 26434 were capable of neutralizing CVS-11 pseudotypes in vitro by 90–95% as compared to human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG), currently used for PEP in Rabies. The multimeric sdAbs were also demonstrated to be partially protective for mice that were infected with lethal doses of rabies virus in vivo. The results demonstrate that the combodies could be valuable tools in understanding viral mechanisms, diagnosis and possible anti-viral candidate for RABV infection.     

Identification of AHBA Biosynthetic Genes Related to Geldanamycin Biosynthesis in Streptomyces hygroscopicus 17997

To clone and study the geldanamycin biosynthetic gene cluster in Streptomyces hygroscopicus 17997, we designed degenerate primers based on the conserved sequence of the ansamycin 3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoic acid (AHBA) synthase gene. A 755-bp polymerase chain reaction product was obtained from S. hygroscopicus 17997 genomic DNA, which showed high similarity to ansamycin AHBA synthase genes. Through screening the cosmid library of S. hygroscopicus 17997, two loci of separated AHBA biosynthetic gene clusters were discovered. Comparisons of sequence homology and gene organization indicated that the two AHBA biosynthetic gene clusters could be divided into a benzenic and a naphthalenic subgroup. Gene disruption demonstrated that the benzenic AHBA gene cluster is involved in the biosynthesis of geldanamycin. However, the naphthalenic AHBA genes in the genome of Streptomyces hygroscopicus 17997 could not complement the deficiency of the benzenic AHBA genes. This is the first report on the AHBA biosynthetic gene cluster in a geldanamycin-producing strain. W. He and L. Wu contributed equally to this work.     

The RHD variants in Chinese population

The Rhesus (Rh) blood group system is the most important blood group system in hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). In clinical transfusions, the D antigen in the Rh blood group system comes third, behind antigens A and B which from ABO blood group system. Over the past decade, molecular technologies have been used to investigate the RHD allele in different ethnic groups. This review first introduces the basic structure of RhD protein and coding genes, then focuses on D-negative, weak D, partial D, DEL, RhD_null variants reported in the Chinese population. To date, more than 460 RHD variants have been reported around the world, but less than 70 RHD variants have been reported in the Chinese population. Further research is needed to identify more RHD polymorphism and establish criteria for blood detection and transfusion guidelines for RHD variants. Only in this way can we better guarantee the safety of blood transfusion and prevent the occurrence of HDFN. With the accumulation of research and clinical data, we should be clearer which RHD variants are to be regarded as RhD negative and which need to be regarded as RhD positive.     

Structure of the Type VI Effector-Immunity Complex (Tae4-Tai4) Provides Novel Insights into the Inhibition Mechanism of the Effector by Its Immunity Protein

The type VI secretion system (T6SS), a multisubunit needle-like apparatus, has recently been found to play a role in interspecies interactions. The Gram-negative bacteria harboring T6SS (donor) deliver the effectors into their neighboring cells (recipient) to kill them. Meanwhile, the cognate immunity proteins were employed to protect the donor cells against the toxic effectors. Tae4 (type VI amidase effector 4) and Tai4 (type VI amidase immunity 4) are newly identified T6SS effector-immunity pairs. Here, we report the crystal structures of Tae4 from Enterobacter cloacae and Tae4-Tai4 complexes from both E. cloacae and Salmonella typhimurium. Tae4 acts as a dl-endopeptidase and displays a typical N1pC/P60 domain. Unlike Tsi1 (type VI secretion immunity 1), Tai4 is an all-helical protein and forms a dimer in solution. The small angle x-ray scattering study combined with the analytical ultracentrifugation reveal that the Tae4-Tai4 complex is a compact heterotetramer that consists of a Tai4 dimer and two Tae4 molecules in solution. Structure-based mutational analysis of the Tae4-Tai4 interface shows that a helix (α3) of one subunit in dimeric Tai4 plays a major role in binding of Tae4, whereas a protruding loop (L4) in the other subunit is mainly responsible for inhibiting Tae4 activity. The inhibition process requires collaboration between the Tai4 dimer. These results reveal a novel and unique inhibition mechanism in effector-immunity pairs and suggest a new strategy to develop antipathogen drugs.