Light-regulated and cell-specific expression of tomato rbcS-gusA and rice rbcS-gusA fusion genes in transgenic rice.

A previously isolated rice (Oryza sativa) rbcS gene was further characterized. This analysis revealed specific sequences in the 5' regulatory region of the rice rbcS gene that are conserved in rbcS genes of other monocotyledonous species. In transgenic rice plants, we examined the expression of the beta-glucuronidase (gusA) reporter gene directed by the 2.8-kb promoter region of the rice rbcS gene. To examine differences in the regulation of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous rbcS promoters, the activity of a tomato rbcS promoter was also investigated in transgenic rice plants. Our results indicated that both rice and tomato rbcS promoters confer mesophyll-specific expression of the gusA reporter gene in transgenic rice plants and that this expression is induced by light. However, the expression level of the rice rbcS-gusA gene was higher than that of the tomato rbcS-gusA gene, suggesting the presence of quantitative differences in the activity of these particular monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous rbcS promoters in transgenic rice. Histochemical analysis of rbcS-gusA gene expression showed that the observed light induction was only found in mesophyll cells. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the light regulation of rice rbcS-gusA gene expression was primarily at the level of mRNA accumulation. We show that the rice rbcS gene promoter should be useful for expression of agronomically important genes for genetic engineering of monocotyledonous species.     

血清岩藻糖测定方法学研究

本文对血清岩藻糖测定方法进行了系统研究。血清用量由200μL减至50μL,显色反应4h内稳定。吸收峰在396nm。岩藻糖浓度40μg/mL内线性良好,批间CV=2.1％。以Sephadex-G200层析,血清岩藻糖主要存在于分子量为500kD的组分中。以本法测得30例健康人血清岩藻糖浓度为588.1±172.0μmol/L。     

红毛五加多糖对腹腔巨噬细胞作用的定量细胞化学研究

中药红毛五加(Acanthopanax giraldii Harms)属五加科植物,本文通过细胞化学定性、定位、定量研究探讨红毛五加多糖(AGPS)对腹腔巨噬细胞的作用及机理。实验证明AGPS能使巨噬细胞数量明显增多,细胞体积增大,伪足增多,吞噬能力增强,细胞内醣类、酸性磷酸酶、三磷酸腺昔酶、酸性酯酶和琥珀酸脱氢酶活性显著增强。用显微分光光度计对上述单个细胞的化学成分进行定量测定。实验组和对照组结果有显著差异。提示红毛五加的扶正固本作用十分明显,本研究为AGPS的应用和作用机理提供了一定的实验依据。     

Genomic insights into selection for heterozygous alleles and woody traits in Populus tomentosa

Heterozygous alleles are widespread in outcrossing and clonally propagated woody plants. The variation in heterozygosity that underlies population adaptive evolution and phenotypic variation, however, remains largely unknown. Here, we describe a de novo chromosome-level genome assembly of Populus tomentosa, an economic and ecologically important native tree in northern China. By resequencing 302 natural accessions, we determined that the South subpopulation (Pop_S) encompasses the ancestral strains of P. tomentosa, while the Northwest subpopulation (Pop_NW) and Northeast subpopulation (Pop_NE) experienced different selection pressures during population evolution, resulting in significant population differentiation and a decrease in the extent of heterozygosity. Analysis of heterozygous selective sweep regions (HSSR) suggested that selection for lower heterozygosity contributed to the local adaptation of P. tomentosa by dwindling gene expression and genetic load in the Pop_NW and Pop_NE subpopulations. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) revealed that 88 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 63 genes are associated with nine wood composition traits. Among them, the selection for the homozygous AA allele in PtoARF8 is associated with reductions in cellulose and hemicellulose contents by attenuating PtoARF8 expression, and the increase in lignin content is attributable to the selection for decreases in exon heterozygosity in PtoLOX3 during adaptive evolution of natural populations. This study provides novel insights into allelic variations in heterozygosity associated with adaptive evolution of P. tomentosa in response to the local environment and identifies a series of key genes for wood component traits, thereby facilitating genomic-based breeding of important traits in perennial woody plants.     

Multistimuli-responsive fluorescence behaviours of aggregation-induced emission small-molecule and electrospun nanofibre films for acid–base vapour sensing

Multistimuli-responsive fluorescent materials have garnered great research interest benefited from their practical applications. Two twisted-structure compounds containing tetraphenylethylene (TPE) as the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) group and a pyridine unit as the acid reaction site to obtain new multistimuli-responsive fluorescent compounds (namely, TPECNPy: TPECNPy-2 and TPECNPy-3) were successfully synthesized through a one-step Knoevenagel condensation reaction. The multiple-stimuli response process of TPECNPy was investigated by means of photoluminescence (PL) spectra and emission colour. The results showed that both TPECNPy compounds with excellent AIE abilities displayed reversible emission wavelength and colour changes in response to multiple external stimuli, including grinding–fuming by CH₂Cl₂ or annealing and HCl-NH₃ vapour fuming. More importantly, fluorescent nanofibre films were prepared by electrospinning a solution of TPECNPy mixed with cellulose acetate (CA), and these exhibited reversible acid-induced discolouration, even with only 1 wt% TPECNPy. The results of this study may inspire strategies for designing multistimuli-responsive materials and preparing fluorescent sensing nanofibre films.     

Surface imprinted bio-nanocomposites for affinity separation of a cellular DNA repair protein

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) is a multifunctional DNA repair protein localized in different subcellular compartments. The mechanisms responsible for the highly regulated subcellular localization and “interactomes” of this protein are not fully understood but have been closely correlated to the posttranslational modifications in different biological context. In this work, we attempted to develop a bio-nanocomposite with antibody-like properties that could capture APE1 from cellular matrices to enable the comprehensive study of this protein. By fixing the template APE1 on the avidin-modified surface of silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles, we first added 3-aminophenylboronic acid to react with the glycosyl residues of avidin, followed by addition of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid as the second functional monomer to perform the first step imprinting reaction. To further enhance the affinity and selectivity of the binding sites, we carried out the second step imprinting reaction with dopamine as the functional monomer. After the polymerization, we modified the nonimprinted sites with methoxypoly (ethylene glycol) amine (mPEG-NH₂). The resulting molecularly imprinted polymer-based bio-nanocomposite showed high affinity, specificity, and capacity for template APE1. It allowed for the extraction of APE1 from the cell lysates with high recovery and purity. Moreover, the bound protein could be effectively released from the bio-nanocomposite with high activity. The bio-nanocomposite offers a very useful tool for the separation of APE1 from various complex biological samples.