贵阳孟关早三叠世安顺组的两个新遗迹属

记述２个新遗迹属──Ｂｉｃｏｎｃａｖｉｃｈｎｕｓ和Ｆａｓｃｉａｒｉｃｈｎｕｓ，并讨论了它们的形成方式和形成环境。化石产于贵阳市南约２０ｋｍ的孟关附近的下三叠统安顺组上部。     

Synthesis and characterization of three group 10 complexes containing nido-carborane diphosphine: [MCl(PPh3){7,8-(PPh2)2-7,8-C2B9H10}] (M = Ni, Pd, Pt)

Three group 10 complexes containing nido-carborane diphosphine, [NiCl(PPh₃){7,8-(PPh₂)₂-7,8-C₂B₉H₁₀}] (1), [PdCl(PPh₃){7,8-(PPh₂)₂-7,8-C₂B₉H₁₀}] · 1.25CH₂Cl₂ (2) and [PtCl(PPh₃){7,8-(PPh₂)₂-7,8-C₂B₉H₁₀}] · 2.5CH₂Cl₂ (3) have been synthesized by the reactions of [M(PPh₃)₂Cl₂] (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) with closo carborane diphosphine 1,2-(PPh₂)₂-1,2-C₂B₁₀H₁₀ in ethanol. For complex 3, it could also be obtained under solvothermal condition. All three complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and X-ray structure determination. Single crystal structures show that their structures are similar to each other. In each complex, the nido [7,8-(PPh₂)₂-7,8-C₂B₉H₁₀]⁻, which resulted from the degradation of the initial closo ligand 1,2-(PPh₂)₂-1,2-C₂B₁₀H₁₀ during the reaction process, was coordinated bidentately through the P atoms to M(II) ion, and this resulted in a stable five-membered chelating ring between the bis-diphosphine ligand and the metal. The coordination mode of the metal can be described as a slightly distorted square-planar, in which the remaining two positions were occupied by one Cl⁻ and one PPh₃ group.     

Gene Expression of Neuropilin-1 and Its Receptors,VEGF/Semaphorin 3a,in Normal and Cancer Cells

Extracellular domains of the transmembrane glycoprotein, neuropilin-1 (Np1), specifically bind an array of factors and co-receptors including class-3 semaphorins (Sema3a), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor BB, transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β1), and fibroblast growth factor2 (FGF2). Np1 may have a role in immune response, tumor cell growth, and angiogenesis, but its relative expression in comparison to its co-primary receptors, VEGF and Sema3a, is not known. In this study we determined the mRNA expression of Np1 and its co-receptors, VEGF and Sema3a, and the ratio of VEGF/Sema3a in different human and rodent cell lines. Expression of Np1, VEGF and Sema3a is very low in cells derived from normal tissues, but these proteins are highly expressed in tumor-derived cells. Furthermore, the ratio of VEGF/Sema3a is highly variable in different tumor cells. The elevated mRNA expression of Np1 and its putative receptors in tumor cells suggests a role for these proteins in tumor cell migration and angiogenesis. As different tumor cells exhibit varying VEGF/Sema3a ratios, it appears that cancer cells show differential response to angiogenic factors. These results bring to light the individual variation among the cancer-related genes, Np1, VEGF, and Sema3a, and provide an important impetus for the possible personalized therapeutic approaches for cancer patients.     

Genome-wide expression analysis of roxarsone-stimulated growth of broiler chickens (Gallus gallus)

Roxarsone is a commonly used additive in chicken (Gallus gallus) industry. However, little is known on the intrinsic molecular mechanism via which the growth performance of birds improves. This study was therefore performed to investigate the expression profiles of genes induced by roxarsone. Fifty-six broiler chickens were divided into two groups, namely treated and untreated with roxarsone. The treated group was provided a diet of 45.4 mg/kg roxarsone medication and the other group acted as control. Data analysis showed that roxarsone consistently and significantly (P < 0.05) increased chicken growth performance. In addition to this a significant (P < 0.05) increase of arsenic residue in liver has been seen. Microarray expression analysis of 8935 genes in liver showed that 22 genes (10 up- and 12 down-regulated) had altered expression throughout the experimental periods. Two novel genes (GenBank accession no. GU724343 and GU724344) were cloned through rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Gene GU724343 was predicted to encode an unidentified protein and the second gene GU724344 was presumed to encode a new member of immunoglobulin-like receptor (CHIR) family. Our results suggested for the first time that the role of roxarsone could be mainly to modify the expression levels of cell growth, immunity/defense and energy metabolism associated genes, as a result promoting animal growth. Further research on these genes should help to increase the knowledge of improving animal productivity safely and effectively.     

Effects of a HP0859 (rfaD) knockout mutation on lipopolysaccharide structure of Helicobacter pylori 26695 and the bacterial adhesion on AGS cells

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered as an important virulence factor of Helicobacter pylori, and contributes to infection persistence and disease severity. ADP-l-glycero-d-manno-heptose-6-epimerase is an enzyme essential for LPS synthesis and understanding of its biochemistry is critical for drug development. We cloned one putative ortholog of Escherichia colirfaD, HP0859, from H. pylori 26695. Determination of the native molecular weight of the recombinant HP0859 protein suggests that the protein is likely a hexamer. NADP⁺, instead of NAD⁺, was proved to be the physiological cofactor for HP0859 protein. Circular dichroism spectrum analysis demonstrated that the secondary structure of this protein is significantly altered when the cofactor is removed. We also constructed an HP0859 knockout mutant and examined its phenotypic properties. The HP0859 knockout mutant exhibited a severe truncation of LPS, a decreased growth rate, and a higher susceptibility to novobiocin. Disruption of HP0859 also reduced the adhesive capacity of H. pylori to AGS cells, and the infected cells failed to display the classic hummingbird phenotype. Complementation of the HP0859 knockout mutation restored these phenotypes completely. In conclusion, we demonstrate that HP0859 codes for a protein essential for the LPS inner core biosynthesis in H. pylori and an intact LPS structure contributes to the adherence ability of this bacterium.     

PHB3 Maintains Root Stem Cell Niche Identity through ROS-Responsive AP2/ERF Transcription Factors in Arabidopsis

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A Hematogenous Route for Medulloblastoma Leptomeningeal Metastases

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Retrospective and perspective of rice breeding in China

Breeding is the art and science of selecting and changing crop traits for the benefit of human beings. For several decades, tremendous efforts have been made by Chinese scientists in rice breeding in improving grain yield, nutrition quality, and environmental performance, achieving substantial progress for global food security. Several generations of crop breeding technologies have been developed, for example, selection of better performance in the field among variants (conventional breeding), application of molecular markers for precise selection (molecular marker assisted breeding), and development of molecular design (molecular breeding by rational design). In this review, we briefly summarize the advances in conventional breeding, functional genomics for genes and networks in rice that regulate important agronomic traits, and molecular breeding in China with focuses on high yield, good quality, stress tolerance, and high nutrient-use efficiency. These findings have paved a new avenue for rational design of crops to develop ideal varieties with super performance and productivity.     

Calcium carbonate-methylene blue nanohybrids for photodynamic therapy and ultrasound imaging

Photodynamic therapy plays an important role in cancer treatment. In this work, methylene blue (MB)-embedded calcium carbonate nanorods (CaCO₃-MB NRs) have been synthesized for pH-responsive photodynamic therapy and ultrasound imaging. The morphology of CaCO₃-MB NRs can be controlled by modulating the concentration of Na₂CO₃ aqueous solution. The generation of effective reactive oxygen species (ROS) were confirmed by 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF) probe. Both photodynamic therapy performance and echogenic performance of CaCO₃-MB NRs were investigated to confirm the feasibility of CaCO₃-MB nanohybrids for ultrasound image-guided photodynamic therapy.