云南省外来入侵植物的区系成分及多样性分析

【目的】弄清云南省外来入侵植物的区系成分及多样性成因,为减少外来入侵植物对云南省生物多样性的影响提供理论依据。【方法】在已知云南省外来入侵植物种类组成的基础上,对其科、属、种的分布区类型进行了分析,并从生态指标(种子植物数、气候类型数、地表水总量、年均最高温)及社会经济指标(10年总进口额,10年总入境游客数) 2方面,将云南省与其他入侵植物多样性最高的9个省市进行比较,以探讨外来入侵植物多样性的成因。【结果】在区系组成上,云南省外来入侵植物的热带成分占绝对优势,其比例在科、属、种水平上分别为50.85%、63.16%和63.39%。入侵种所在科、属,常广域分布,但入侵种原产地分布范围却不大,并倾向于集中在某些特定区域(如热带美洲、狭义地中海区)。入侵植物所在科的入侵种数与该科包含的世界种数存在显著性正相关。省市级行政区域内入侵植物种数与该省市国际贸易额、入境游客数等指标没有相关性,而与各省市的种子植物数、气候类型数存在显著性关系,与地表水总量和年均温度存在一定的关系。【结论】云南省的自然生境适宜外来入侵植物的生存和扩散。需要对具有热带性质,所在分类单元为大科、大属,且地理分布距离与云...     

Pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy and brain edema in acute liver failure: role of glutamine redefined

Acute liver failure (ALF) is characterized neuropathologically by cytotoxic brain edema and biochemically by increased brain ammonia and its detoxification product, glutamine. The osmotic actions of increased glutamine synthesis in astrocytes are considered to be causally related to brain edema and its complications (intracranial hypertension, brain herniation) in ALF. However studies using multinuclear (1)H- and (13)C-NMR spectroscopy demonstrate that neither brain glutamine concentrations per se nor brain glutamine synthesis rates correlate with encephalopathy grade or the presence of brain edema in ALF. An alternative mechanism is now proposed whereby the newly synthesized glutamine is trapped within the astrocyte as a consequence of down-regulation of its high affinity glutamine transporter SNAT5 in ALF. Restricted transfer out of the cell rather than increased synthesis within the cell could potentially explain the cell swelling/brain edema in ALF. Moreover, the restricted transfer of glutamine from the astrocyte to the adjacent glutamatergic nerve terminal (where glutamine serves as immediate precursor for the releasable/transmitter pool of glutamate) could result in decreased excitatory transmission and excessive neuroinhibition that is characteristic of encephalopathy in ALF. Paradoxically, in spite of renewed interest in arterial ammonia as a predictor of raised intracranial pressure and brain herniation in ALF, ammonia-lowering agents aimed at reduction of ammonia production in the gut have so far been shown to be of limited value in the prevention of these cerebral consequences. Mild hypothermia, shown to prevent brain edema and intracranial hypertension in both experimental and human ALF, does so independent of effects on brain glutamine synthesis; whether or not hypothermia restores expression levels of SNAT5 in ALF awaits further studies. While inhibitors of brain glutamine synthesis such as methionine sulfoximine, have been proposed for the prevention of brain edema in ALF, potential adverse effects have so far limited their applicability.     

Sorbitol can fuel mouse sperm motility and protein tyrosine phosphorylation via sorbitol dehydrogenase

Energy sources that can be metabolized to yield ATP are essential for normal sperm functions such as motility. Two major monosaccharides, sorbitol and fructose, are present in semen. Furthermore, sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD) can convert sorbitol to fructose, which can then be metabolized via the glycolytic pathway in sperm to make ATP. Here we characterize Sord mRNA and SORD expression during mouse spermatogenesis and examine the ability of sorbitol to support epididymal sperm motility and tyrosine phosphorylation. Sord mRNA levels increased during the course of spermatogenic differentiation. SORD protein, however, was first detected at the condensing spermatid stage. By indirect immunofluorescence, SORD was present along the length of the flagella of caudal epididymal sperm. Furthermore, immunoelectron microscopy showed that SORD was associated with mitochondria and the plasma membranes of sperm. Sperm incubated with sorbitol maintained motility, indicating that sorbitol was utilized as an energy source. Sorbitol, as well as glucose and fructose, were not essential to induce hyperactive motility. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation increased in a similar manner when sorbitol was substituted for glucose in the incubation medium used for sperm capacitation. These results indicate that sorbitol can serve as an alternative energy source for sperm motility and protein tyrosine phosphorylation.     

Genotypic probabilities for pairs of inbred relatives

Expressions for the joint genotypic probabilities of two related individuals are used in many population and quantitative genetic analyses. These expressions, resting on a set of 15 probabilities of patterns of identity by descent among the four alleles at a locus carried by the relatives, are generally well known. There has been recent interest in special cases where the two individuals are both related and inbred, although there have been differences among published results. Here, we return to the original 15-probability treatment and show appropriate reductions for relatives when they are drawn from a population that itself is inbred or when the relatives have parents who are related. These results have application in affected-relative tests for linkage, and in methods for interpreting forensic genetic profiles.     

The impact of missing and erroneous genotypes on tagging SNP selection and power of subsequent association tests

OBJECTIVE: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) serve as effective markers for localizing disease susceptibility genes, but current genotyping technologies are inadequate for genotyping all available SNP markers in a typical linkage/association study. Much attention has recently been paid to methods for selecting the minimal informative subset of SNPs in identifying haplotypes, but there has been little investigation of the effect of missing or erroneous genotypes on the performance of these SNP selection algorithms and subsequent association tests using the selected tagging SNPs. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of missing genotype or genotyping error on tagging SNP selection and subsequent single marker and haplotype association tests using the selected tagging SNPs. METHODS: Through two sets of simulations, we evaluated the performance of three tagging SNP selection programs in the presence of missing or erroneous genotypes: Clayton's diversity based program htstep, Carlson's linkage disequilibrium (LD) based program ldSelect, and Stram's coefficient of determination based program tagsnp.exe. RESULTS: When randomly selected known loci were relabeled as 'missing', we found that the average number of tagging SNPs selected by all three algorithms changed very little and the power of subsequent single marker and haplotype association tests using the selected tagging SNPs remained close to the power of these tests in the absence of missing genotype. When random genotyping errors were introduced, we found that the average number of tagging SNPs selected by all three algorithms increased. In data sets simulated according to the haplotype frequecies in the CYP19 region, Stram's program had larger increase than Carlson's and Clayton's programs. In data sets simulated under the coalescent model, Carlson's program had the largest increase and Clayton's program had the smallest increase. In both sets of simulations, with the presence of genotyping errors, the power of the haplotype tests from all three programs decreased quickly, but there was not much reduction in power of the single marker tests. CONCLUSIONS: Missing genotypes do not seem to have much impact on tagging SNP selection and subsequent single marker and haplotype association tests. In contrast, genotyping errors could have severe impact on tagging SNP selection and haplotype tests, but not on single marker tests.     

拟南芥Leafy Cotyledon 2的表达提高了小球藻Chlorella sorokiniana的油脂含量

油脂含量是影响微藻产业化生产生物柴油的因素之一。基因工程的方法是培育高产藻株的一个重要手段。Leafy Cotyledon 2(LEC2)在拟南芥中是调节种子成熟及油脂积累的重要转录因子,在藻类植物中尚无相关的报道。本研究从拟南芥中获取LEC2基因,构建表达载体p CIMBIA1300-35s-GFP-ATLEC2,通过基因枪介导法转入小球藻C.sorokiniana。经过PCR、RT-PCR、Western blotting分析,筛选出一株转ATLEC2基因藻株。对总脂肪酸含量的分析发现,转ATLEC2基因藻株的脂肪酸含量比原始藻株提高了1倍且没有明显影响生长。以上结果表明,ATLEC2能促进小球藻油脂的积累。     

Genome-wide association studies demonstrate that TASP1 contributes to increased muscle fiber diameter

Muscle fiber diameter is an economically important trait because it affects meat yield and quality. However, the genetic basis underlying muscle fiber diameter has not been determined. In this study, we collected THREE muscular histological phenotypes in 479 ducks from an F₂ segregating population generated by mallard × Pekin duck crosses. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) significantly associated with muscle fiber diameter on chromosome 3. Then, we discovered the selection signatures using the fixation index among 40 mallards and 30 Pekin ducks in this QTL region. Furthermore, we characterized the recombination event in this QTL region and identified a 6-kb block located on TASP1 that was significantly associated with muscle fiber diameter. Finally, five SNPs were screened as potential causative mutations within the 6-kb block. In conclusion, we demonstrated that TASP1 contributes to an increase in muscle fiber diameter, which helps to characterize muscle development and contributes to the genetic improvement of meat yield and quality in livestock.Subject terms: Genome-wide association studies, Gene expression