Improved Cardiac Contractility of Human Recombinant Growth Hormone on the Congestive Heart Failure of Pig

1Introduction Congestiveheartfailureisamultipleaetiology,high prevalence,cardiovasculardisorderwithpoorprognosis. Medicaltreatmentofdilatedcardiomyopathyisaimedat alleviatingthesymptomsofheartfailure.Diuretics,ACE inhibitorsandbeta blockershavefavourableeffectson symptoms,exercisecapacityandmortality[1-3].Growth hormone(GH)andinsulin likegrowthfactor(IGF) 1 areinvolvedinseveralphysiologicalprocessessuchas thecontrolofmusclemassandfunction,bodycomposi tionandtheregulationofnutrientmetaboli…     

SV40灭活疫苗的制备及其对小鼠免疫的研究

猿猴空泡病毒40(Simian vacuolating virus 40,SV40) 属于乳多空病毒科,是一种DNA肿瘤病毒。亚洲猿类特别是恒河猴是SV40的天然宿主。感染SV40病毒可导致猴体急性病变或呈长期带毒状态,此外能诱使幼鼠产生肿瘤,并能使多种培养细胞发生转化。本研究初步建立了SV40 病毒在Vero细胞中的增殖培养方法,并且初步建立了β丙内脂灭活病毒的方法和纯化工艺。使用SV40病毒灭活疫苗对Balb/c小鼠进行了免疫,结果表明该疫苗具有较好的免疫原性。随后对SV40 病毒DNA在免疫小鼠的重要脏器中的整合情况进行了调查,结果表明SV40病毒DNA未在小鼠重要脏器中整合。本研究为SV40病毒灭活疫苗的研制和进一步开展猴体抗SV40 感染实验奠定了良好的基础。     

Identification and characterization of NARROW AND ROLLED LEAF 1, a novel gene regulating leaf morphology and plant architecture in rice

Leaf morphology is an important agronomic trait in rice breeding. We isolated three allelic mutants of NARROW AND ROLLED LEAF 1 (nrl1) which showed phenotypes of reduced leaf width and semi-rolled leaves and different degrees of dwarfism. Microscopic analysis indicated that the nrl1-1 mutant had fewer longitudinal veins and smaller adaxial bulliform cells compared with the wild-type. The NRL1 gene was mapped to the chromosome 12 and encodes the cellulose synthase-like protein D4 (OsCslD4). Sequence analyses revealed single base substitutions in the three allelic mutants. Genetic complementation and over-expression of the OsCslD4 gene confirmed the identity of NRL1. The gene was expressed in all tested organs of rice at the heading stage and expression level was higher in vigorously growing organs, such as roots, sheaths and panicles than in elsewhere. In the mutant leaves, however, the expression level was lower than that in the wild-type. We conclude that OsCslD4 encoded by NRL1 plays a critical role in leaf morphogenesis and vegetative development in rice.     

A platform to standardize,store, and visualize proteomics experimental data

With the development of functional genomics research, large-scale proteomics studies are now widespread, presenting significant challenges for data storage, exchange, and analysis. Here we present the Integrated Proteomics Exploring Database （IPED） as a platform for managing proteomics experimental data （both process and result data）. IPED is based on the schema of the Proteome Experimental Data Repository （PEDRo）, and complies with the General Proteomics Standard （GPS） drafted by the Proteomics Standards Committee of the Human Proteome Organization. In our work, we developed three components for the IPED platform： the IPED client editor, IPED server software, and IPED web interface. The client editor collects experimental data and generates an extensible markup language （XML） data file compliant with PEDRo and GPS; the server software parses the XML data file and loads information into a core database; and the web interface displays experimental results, to provide a convenient graphic representation of data. Given software convenience and data abundance, IPED is a powerful platform for data exchange and presents an important resource for the proteomics community. In its current release, IPED is available at http：//www. biosino.org/iped2.     

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) seed essential oil induces Candida albicans apoptosis in a metacaspase-dependent manner

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) has been used in traditional Uighur medicine for its various pharmacological activities. Previous studies have suggested that dill seed essential oil (DSEO) has anti-Candida potential and the mechanism of its action also has been studied. Our study examined whether DSEO induces apoptosis in the human pathogen Candida albicans ATCC 64550. Our results indicate that C. albicans ATCC 64550 cells treated with DSEO show some typical apoptosis characters, such as decrease in adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity, chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation, and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure. The DSEO promoted cytochrome c (cyt c) release and metacaspase activation, which resulted in C. albicans ATCC 64550 apoptosis. l-cysteine prevented the DSEO-induced nuclear fragmentation, PS externalization, and metacaspase activation, thus indicating that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an important mediator of DSEO-induced apoptosis. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report the induction of apoptosis of this pathogen with concomitant metacaspase activation by DSEO.     

Genotype-environment interaction for quantitative trait loci affecting life span in Drosophila melanogaster

The nature of genetic variation for Drosophila longevity in a population of recombinant inbred lines was investigated by estimating quantitative genetic parameters and mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) for adult life span in five environments: standard culture conditions, high and low temperature, and heat-shock and starvation stress. There was highly significant genetic variation for life span within each sex and environment. In the analysis of variance of life span pooled over sexes and environments, however, the significant genetic variation appeared in the genotype x sex and genotype x environment interaction terms. The genetic correlation of longevity across the sexes and environments was not significantly different from zero in these lines. We estimated map positions and effects of QTL affecting life span by linkage to highly polymorphic roo transposable element markers, using a multiple-trait composite interval mapping procedure. A minimum of 17 QTL were detected; all were sex and/or environment-specific. Ten of the QTL had sexually antagonistic or antagonistic pleiotropic effects in different environments. These data provide support for the pleiotropy theory of senescence and the hypothesis that variation for longevity might be maintained by opposing selection pressures in males and females and variable environments. Further work is necessary to assess the generality of these results, using different strains, to determine heterozygous effects and to map the life span QTL to the level of genetic loci.     

Vertical distribution of bacterial community structure in the sediments of two eutrophic lakes revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and multivariate analysis techniques

Vertical distribution of bacterial community structure was investigated in the sediments of two eutrophic lakes of China, Lake Taihu and Lake Xuanwu. Profiles of bacterial communities were generated using a molecular fingerprinting technique, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) followed by DNA sequence analysis, and the results were interpreted with multivariate statistical analysis. To assess changes in the genetic diversity of bacterial communities with changing depth, DGGE banding patterns were analysed by cluster analysis. Distinct clusters were recognized in different sampling stations of Lake Taihu. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was carried out to infer the relationship between environmental variables and bacterial community structure. DGGE samples collected at the same sampling site clustered together in both lakes. Total phosphorus, organic matter and pH were considered to be the key factors driving the changes in bacterial community composition.     

Genetic variation and differentiation of Gekko gecko from different populations based on mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences and karyotypes

Black-spotted and red-spotted tokay geckos are distributed in different regions and have significant differences in morphological appearance, but have been regarded as the same species, Gekko gecko, in taxonomy. To determine whether black-spotted and red-spotted tokay geckos are genetically differentiated, we sequenced the entire mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1147 bp) from 110 individuals of Gekko gecko collected in 11 areas including Guangxi China, Yunnan China, Vietnam, and Laos. In addition, we performed karyotypic analyses of black-spotted tokay geckos from Guangxi China and red-spotted tokay geckos from Laos. These phylogenetic analyses showed that black-spotted and red-spotted tokay geckos are divided into two branches in molecular phylogenetic trees. The average genetic distances are as follows: 0.12-0.47% among six haplotypes in the black-spotted tokay gecko group, 0.12-1.66% among five haplotypes in the red-spotted tokay gecko group, and 8.76-9.18% between the black-spotted and red-spotted tokay geckos, respectively. The karyotypic analyses showed that the karyotype formula is 2n = 38 = 8m + 2sm + 2st + 26t in red-spotted tokay geckos from Laos compared with 2n = 38 = 8m + 2sm + 28t in black-spotted tokay geckos from Guangxi China. The differences in these two kinds of karyotypes were detected on the 15th chromosome. The clear differences in genetic levels between black-spotted and red-spotted tokay geckos suggest a significant level of genetic differentiation between the two.