Knockout of Nr2e3 prevents rod photoreceptor differentiation and leads to selective L-/M-cone photoreceptor degeneration in zebrafish

Mutations in the photoreceptor cell-specific nuclear receptor gene Nr2e3 increased the number of S-cone photoreceptors in human and murine retinas and led to retinal degeneration that involved photoreceptor and non-photoreceptor cells. The mechanisms underlying these complex phenotypes remain unclear. In the hope of understanding the precise role of Nr2e3 in photoreceptor cell fate determination and differentiation, we generated a line of Nr2e3 knockout zebrafish using CRISPR technology. In these Nr2e3-null animals, rod precursors undergo terminal mitoses but fail to differentiate as rods. Rod-specific genes are not expressed and the outer segment (OS) fails to form. Formation and differentiation of cone photoreceptors is normal. Specifically, there is no increase in the number of UV-cone or S-cone photoreceptors. Laminated retinal structure is maintained. After normal development, L-/M-cones selectively degenerate, with progressive shortening of OS that starts at age 1 month. The amount of cone phototransduction proteins is concomitantly reduced, whereas UV- and S-cones have normal OS lengths even at age 10 months. In vitro studies show Nr2e3 synergizes with Crx and Nrl to enhance rhodopsin gene expression. Nr2e3 does not affect cone opsin expression. Our results extend the knowledge of Nr2e3's roles and have specific implications for the interpretation of the phenotypes observed in human and murine retinas. Furthermore, our model may offer new opportunities in finding treatments for enhanced S-cone syndrome (ESCS) and other retinal degenerative diseases.     

羊肚菌种袋栽培研究

羊肚菌的大田栽培已在我国进行了十余年,生产规模已超过10万亩,在不断高产出现的同时,区域性连作障碍、病虫害、较高的成本已成为制约产业发展的重要因素.以六妹羊肚菌菌株YAASMJNLM1-25和YAASMJNLM 1-31为材料,研究了1种羊肚菌栽培的新方法——种袋栽培技术,以常见的营养袋栽培方法为对照,进行了直接种袋栽...     

广东紫珠中的萜类化合物及其抗炎活性

对岭南药材广东紫珠(Callicarpa kwangtungensis)地上部分进行化学成分研究,得到11个萜类化合物,分别鉴定为sambucunlin A(1)、2α-羟基羽扇豆醇(2)、swinhoeic acid(3)、3β-羟基-乌苏烷-11-烯-13β,28-内酯(4)、蔷薇酸(5)、2α,3β,6β,18β,23-pentahydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid(6)、rel-5-(3S,8S-dihydroxy-1R,5S-dimethyl-7-oxa-6-oxobicyclo-oct-8-yl)-3-methyl-2Z,4E-pentadienoic acid(7)、salvionoside B(8)、齐墩果酸(9)、白桦脂酸(10)和α-香树脂醇(11)。其中,化合物1～4和6～8为首次从该属植物中分离得到。在化学成分分离基础上,进一步选择脂多糖(LPS)诱导的RAW 264.7小鼠巨噬细胞炎症模型进行萜类化合物抗炎活性测试。结果表明:化合物3和9具有显著的抗炎活性,对比结构发现,三萜类化合物(3～6、9和11)抗炎活性优于倍半萜类化合物(7和...     

Piezoelectric Pump Used in Bionic Underwater Propulsion Unit

A new piezoelectric pump can pump liquid either forward or backward and adjust the flow rate. Thus an object can be driven forward or backward at different speeds. The driver of the pump, a circular piezoelectric plate, is modelled by Finite Element Method （FEM） in ANSYS and its performance is simulated and analyzed. The pump gives the best performance when the driving signals of the inlet and outlet valves have a bigger duty cycle and the plate has a higher voltage applied.     

Targeting ASCT2-mediated glutamine metabolism inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells

Some tumor cells have a high rate of glutamine uptake and exhibit glutamine addiction. Alanine-serine cysteine-preferring transporter 2 (ASCT2) is a major mediator of glutamine supply in many tumor cells, but the underlying effects and mechanisms of ASCT2 in pancreatic cancer (PC) are largely unknown. Our results show that ASCT2 expression is significantly higher in PC than in normal pancreatic duct cells and pancreas. Utilizing the Kaplan–Meier Plotter database, a high expression of SLC1A5 mRNA was significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS) in patients with PC. shRNA-mediated inhibition of ASCT2 function in vitro can significantly decrease glutamine consumption, α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) production and ATP generation and increase the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Moreover, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine partially attenuated the increase in the ROS levels and reduced ATP generation. These data suggest that ASCT2 mediates glutamine metabolism and maintains redox homeostasis in PC. To further investigate whether ASCT2 is involved in PC cell growth, we blocked ASCT2 activity with the ASCT2 inhibitor l-γ-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide (GPNA) and silenced the expression of ASCT2 with specific shRNAs. We found that the growth of PC cells was significantly inhibited. Additionally, knockdown of ASCT2 induced apoptosis through the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Furthermore, the loss of ASCT2 in BxPC-3 cell xenografts significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo, and this effect was associated with an increase in cleaved caspase-3 expression and a decrease in Ki67 staining. Taken together, our results show that ASCT2 may be utilized as a putative therapeutic target for PC.