Sequence variation and genetic diversity in the giant panda

About 336–444 bp mitochondrial D-loop region and tRNA gene were sequenced for 40 individuals of the giant panda which were collected from Mabian, Meigu, Yuexi, Baoxing, Pingwu, Qingchuan, Nanping and Baishuijiang, respectively. 9 haplotypes were found in 21 founders. The results showed that the giant panda has low genetic variations, and that there is no notable genetic isolation among geographical populations. The ancestor of the living giant panda population perhaps appeared in the late Pleistocene, and unfortunately, might have suffered bottleneck attacks. Afterwards, its genetic diversity seemed to recover to some extent. Project supported by the “8.5” Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chairman Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, K. C. Wang Education Foundation, the Applied Basic Research Foundation of Yunnan, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Special Foundation for Returned Chinese Scientists, and Zoological Society of San Diego.     

Human T-cell receptor V beta gene polymorphism and multiple sclerosis.

Population-based genetic associations have been reported between RFLPs detected with probes corresponding to the genes encoding the beta chain of the T-cell receptor for antigen (TCRB) and a variety of autoimmune disorders. In the case of multiple sclerosis (MS), these studies have localized a putative disease-associated gene to a region of approximately 110 kb in length, located within the TCRB locus. In the current study, all 14 known TCRBV (variable region) genes within the region of localization were mapped and identified. The nucleotide sequences of these genes were determined in a panel of six MS patients and six healthy controls, who were human-leukocyte antigen and TCRB-RFLP haplotype matched. Nine of the 14 TCRBV genes studied showed evidence of polymorphism. PCR-based assays for each of these polymorphic genes were developed, and allele and genotype frequencies were determined in a panel of DNA samples from 48 MS patients and 60 control individuals. No significant differences in allele, genotype, or phenotype frequencies were observed between the MS patients and controls for any of the 14 TCRBV-gene polymorphisms studied. In light of the extensive linkage disequilibrium across the region studied, the saturating numbers of polymorphisms examined, and the direct sequence analysis of all BV genes in the region, these results suggest that it is unlikely that germ-line polymorphism in the TCRBV locus makes a major contribution to MS susceptibility.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Genome- and species-specific markers and genome relationships of diploid perennial species in Triticeae based on RAPD analyses.

Eight different genomes (E, H, I, P, R, St, W, and Ns) represented by 22 diploid species of the tribe Triticeae were analyzed using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. The genome relationships were obtained based on 371 RAPD fragments produced with 30 primers. The four species of the genus Psathyrostachys (having various Ns genomes) were closely related. The genomes Ee and Eb had a similarly close relationship and were distinct from all other genomes analyzed. Genomes P, R, and St were grouped in one cluster and genomes H and I in another. Genome W had a distant relationship with all other genomes. These results agree with the conclusions from studies of chromosome pairing and isozyme and DNA sequence analyses. Twenty-nine and 11 RAPD fragments are considered to be genome- and species-specific markers, respectively. One to six genome-specific markers were identified for each genome. These RAPD markers are useful in studies of genome evolution, analysis of genome composition, and genome identification.     

一种免受乙醇干扰的GOD的酶电极

将酶电极应用于发酵糖的测定时。与糖共存的乙醇常常会影响测糖的准确性,通过对葡萄糖氧化酶(GOD)电极的研究,探讨了乙醇对测糖酶电极测定影响,进而研制出抗干扰的GOD酶电极,若是GOD电极的酶膜通过夹心法制备．在乙醇含量为0．1％(V／V)时·即产生显著的影响,使测定结果偏大4．3%,且乙醇的影响随浓度的升高而增大,若用尼龙网固定GOD膜,GOD电极在测定20mmol／L和5mm01／L左右的葡萄糖溶液时,含量高达9％的乙醇仍未对测定产生显著的影响．表现出良好的不受乙醇干扰的特性,并且,该尼龙网GOD电极具有良好的重复性、稳定的响应活性及较长的保存期．     

催产素在脊髓水平对电针镇痛的影响

采用玻璃微电极胞外记录和脊髓表面给药的方法观察了催产素（ＯＴ）、抗催产素血清（ＡＯＴＳ）以及电针穴位对背角神经元伤害性诱发放电的影响。结果表明：电针穴位或脊髓表面施加ＯＴ可部分抑制脊髓背角神经元的伤害性诱发放电;在电针的基础上施加ＯＴ则明显加强电针的抑制效应;相反,用ＡＯＴＳ预处理后,电针的抑制作用放取消。提示ＯＴ在脊髓水平参与了对痛觉信息的调制,并与一定频率的针刺镇痛有关。     

Substrate selectivity of squalene synthetase.

Six 1-3H-labeled analogues of farnesyl pyrophosphate have been studied as potential substrates for yeast and rat liver squalene synthetases: 2-methylfarnesyl pyrophosphate (4), 3-demethylfarnesyl pyrophosphate (5), 7,11-dimethyl-3-ethyl-2,6,10-dodecatrienyl pyrophosphate (6), 6,7,10,11-tetrahydrofarnesyl pyrophosphate (7), 4-methylthiofarnesyl pyrophosphate (8), and 4-fluorofarnesyl pyrophosphate (9). Analogues 4 and 5 are enzymatically incorporated into 11-methylsqualene (10) and 10-demethylsqualene (11), respectively, even if no farnesyl pyrophosphate is added to the incubations. None of the other analogues gives nonpolar products with either the yeast or liver enzymes. No tritium is enzymatically released to the medium from any of the analogues, indicating that they are not accepted at the first (proton exchanging) site. The data rule out formation of dead-end presqualene pyrophosphate products with analogues as first, but not as second, substrates. Implications of these results for the enzyme active-site topology and mechanism are discussed.     

Production of antibody against T-2 toxin.

Antibody against T-2 toxin was obtained after immunization of rabbits with bovine serum albumin-T-2 hemisuccinate conjugate. The antibody had greatest binding efficiency for T-2 toxin, less efficiency for HT-2, and least for T-2 triol. Cross-reaction of antibody with neosolaniol, T-2 tetraol, and 8-acetyl-neosolaniol was very weak. Diacetoxyscirpenol, trichodermin, vomitoxin, and verrucarin A essentially gave no cross-reaction with the antibody. The sensitivity of the binding assay for T-2 toxin detection was in the range of 1 to 20 ng per assay. Detailed methods for the preparation of the conjugate and the production of immune serum and methods for antibody determination are described.     

The use of rotating disk voltammetry for the determination of homogeneous small molecule--redox protein reaction rates

Rotating disk voltammetry was used in this work to study the rates of reaction of ferricytochrome c with two very strong reductants, methyl and benzyl viologen. The rates of reaction for these reductants were found to be 4.0 × 10⁷ and 5.4 × 10⁷m^?1s^?1 at 24°C for benzyl and methyl viologen, respectively. The versatility of this method was demonstrated by the ease with which the activation parameters were obtained. The ΔH^≠ and ΔS^≠ were found to be 4.0 kcal/mol and ?10.6 cal/mol-K, respectively, for benzyl viologen. All the observed reaction rates were corrected for coulombic effects by the method of Wherland and Gray, and the electrostatically corrected rate constants were compared with the Marcus and Hopfield theories for electron transfer. The agreement was excellent for the tunneling theory but there were some discrepancies with the absolute Marcus theory. The relative Marcus approach worked quite well and, by taking into account the nonadiabaticity of the electron transfer, reasonable values were obtained for the absolute Marcus theory when realistic values of the self-exchange constants were used.     

火龙果转录组测序、基因表达与功能分析

利用高通量测序技术对火龙果（Hylocereus undulatus Britt）红肉品种‘大红二号’的花芽、果实和枝条不同发育阶段的基因表达进行研究。结果显示,转录组测序共获得468.68 Gb原始数据（Raw data）,从头组装获得239 152条转录本和162 519条unigene,约53.74%的unigene得到注释。分别在43 506条和16 251条unigene中检测到600 283个SNP位点和56 147个SSR位点。基因表达分析结果表明,在火龙果不同组织Fl510、Fl513、Fl514、Fl518、F711、F715、S513、S419中分别有31、7、5、152、17、63、17、8个特异表达的unigene。通过GO和KEGG富集分析,发现了一些组织特异的GO条目和代谢通路,如在Fl510中富集的类萜骨架生物合成代谢通路等。本研究还对参与花发育的候选基因进行了鉴定和表达分析,他们包括COL基因、FT-like基因、分生组织决定基因和器官决定基因等。     

稀土元素Pr~(3+)、Nd~(3+)对蚕豆(Vicia feba)叶片原生质膜上Ca~(2+)·Mg~(2+)-ATPase活性的影响

本文介绍用二相分配法制备蚕豆叶片原生质膜上的Ca~(2+)·Mg~(2+)-ATPase,用以研究镧系,稀土离子对此酶活性的影响。初步证实Pr~(3+)、Nd~(3+)对依赖于CaM的以及不依赖于CaM的蚕豆叶片原生质膜上Ca~(2+)·Mg~(2+)-ATPase活性的抑制不是CaM专一的。