Hydrological regulation drives regime shifts: evidence from paleolimnology and ecosystem modeling of a large shallow Chinese lake

Quantitative evidence of sudden shifts in ecological structure and function in large shallow lakes is rare, even though they provide essential benefits to society. Such ‘regime shifts’ can be driven by human activities which degrade ecological stability including water level control (WLC) and nutrient loading. Interactions between WLC and nutrient loading on the long‐term dynamics of shallow lake ecosystems are, however, often overlooked and largely underestimated, which has hampered the effectiveness of lake management. Here, we focus on a large shallow lake (Lake Chaohu) located in one of the most densely populated areas in China, the lower Yangtze River floodplain, which has undergone both WLC and increasing nutrient loading over the last several decades. We applied a novel methodology that combines consistent evidence from both paleolimnological records and ecosystem modeling to overcome the hurdle of data insufficiency and to unravel the drivers and underlying mechanisms in ecosystem dynamics. We identified the occurrence of two regime shifts: one in 1963, characterized by the abrupt disappearance of submerged vegetation, and another around 1980, with strong algal blooms being observed thereafter. Using model scenarios, we further disentangled the roles of WLC and nutrient loading, showing that the 1963 shift was predominantly triggered by WLC, whereas the shift ca. 1980 was attributed to aggravated nutrient loading. Our analysis also shows interactions between these two stressors. Compared to the dynamics driven by nutrient loading alone, WLC reduced the critical P loading and resulted in earlier disappearance of submerged vegetation and emergence of algal blooms by approximately 26 and 10 years, respectively. Overall, our study reveals the significant role of hydrological regulation in driving shallow lake ecosystem dynamics, and it highlights the urgency of using multi‐objective management criteria that includes ecological sustainability perspectives when implementing hydrological regulation for aquatic ecosystems around the globe.     

铁介导的羟自由基对生物分子的损伤机理

活性氧在生物分子如ＤＮＡ,蛋白质及脂质等氧化性损伤中起着非常重要的作用,弱反应生的超氧阴离子自由基和过氧化氢转主为高反应活性的中间体如羟自由基时,过渡金属特别是铁的参与。本文综述了铁介导下羟自由基对生物化学及有关病理学机理具有一定的理论和应用意义。     

潜在性缺铁条件下大豆根系质外体铁库的积累与利用

用营养液培养方法研究了在不同供铁条件下,大豆根系质外体铁库的积累与活化利用。结果表明：1、供应难溶性Fe（OH）3,大豆根系质外体铁库呈现出积累与亏缺的节律性变化。与之相应出现根系还原力的降低与升高的节律性变化,但地上部总铁含量和新叶叶绿素含量均无变化。说明了根系质外体铁库的利用,维持了大豆正常生长需铁。2、对缺铁植株脉冲供铁后,大豆根系质外体铁库首先出现明显积累,随后一直处于下降状态,与此同时根系还原力表现出相应的变化,前期下降,后期有波动。地上部总铁含量与新叶叶绿素含量的变化与前两者密切联系,出现升高、降低不同趋势的变化。     

MicroRNA研究进展

在多细胞生物的基因组中都存在一类非编码RNA基因,能够产生长度约为22个核苷酸的小分子RNA,称为microRNA(miRNA),具有调节其他基因表达活性的功能。miRNA的发现,为我们理解复杂的基因调节网络开辟了新的空间。本文概述了miRNA的产生过程、转录抑制机理、研究并预测miRNA的方法等。     

Quantitative analyses of the abundance and composition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and ammonia-oxidizing archaea of a Chinese upland red soil under long-term fertilization practices

The abundance and composition of soil ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were investigated by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, cloning and sequencing approaches based on amoA genes. The soil, classified as agri-udic ferrosols with pH (H(2)O) ranging from 3.7 to 6.0, was sampled in summer and winter from long-term field experimental plots which had received 16 years continuous fertilization treatments, including fallow (CK0), control without fertilizers (CK) and those with combinations of fertilizer nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K): N, NP, NK, PK, NPK and NPK plus organic manure (OM). Population sizes of AOB and AOA changed greatly in response to the different fertilization treatments. The NPK + OM treatment had the highest copy numbers of AOB and AOA amoA genes among the treatments that received mineral fertilizers, whereas the lowest copy numbers were recorded in the N treatment. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea were more abundant than AOB in all the corresponding treatments, with AOA to AOB ratios ranging from 1.02 to 12.36. Significant positive correlations were observed among the population sizes of AOB and AOA, soil pH and potential nitrification rates, indicating that both AOB and AOA played an important role in ammonia oxidation in the soil. Phylogenetic analyses of the amoA gene fragments showed that all AOB sequences from different treatments were affiliated with Nitrosospira or Nitrosospira-like species and grouped into cluster 3, and little difference in AOB community composition was recorded among different treatments. All AOA sequences fell within cluster S (soil origin) and cluster M (marine and sediment origin). Cluster M dominated exclusively in the N, NP, NK and PK treatments, indicating a pronounced difference in the community composition of AOA in response to the long-term fertilization treatments. These findings could be fundamental to improve our understanding of the importance of both AOB and AOA in the cycling of nitrogen and other nutrients in terrestrial ecosystems.     

可溶性肿瘤坏死因子受体II-脂联素球部融合蛋白的真核表达及生物学活性检测

本研究设计和构建了一种人肿瘤坏死因子受体II胞外区与人脂联素球部的融合基因sTNFRII-gAD,且相应的融合蛋白在哺乳动物细胞BHK-21S的无血清培养体系中实现了表达,并对该融合蛋白进行了初步鉴定。首先,用RT-PCR方法从人的外周血淋巴细胞总RNA中扩增人肿瘤坏死因子II型受体胞外区基因片段,与脂联素球部基因片段融合,克隆至pAAV2neo表达载体中,构建成pAAV2neo-sTNFRII-gAD。随后,用pAAV2neo-sTNFRII-gAD转染BHK-21S细胞获得G418抗性细胞BHK-21S/pAAV2neo-sTNFRII-gAD;然后,将原来含有血清的培养液换成无血清的化学成分限定的培养液,细胞从贴壁培养方式转换成悬浮培养方式;最后,收集BHK-21S/pAAV2neo-sTNFRII-gAD无血清悬浮培养24h后的培养上清,进行sTNFRII-gAD融合蛋白的鉴定分析。酶切鉴定和测序结果显示,所构建的pAAV2neo-sTNFRII-gAD质粒结构正确,sTNFRII-gAD序列与预期一致;分别用抗人肿瘤坏死因子受体II和抗人脂联素球部的单克隆抗体检测pAAV2neo-sTNFRII-gAD瞬时转染的BHK-21S细胞,免疫荧光呈现阳性;免疫印迹分析在pAAV2neo-sTNFRII-gAD稳定转染的BHK-21S细胞上清中检测到sTNFRII-gAD融合蛋白的表达,并以单体、三聚体和三聚体以上的多聚体形式存在。活性测定结果表明,sTNFRII-gAD融合蛋白具有显著抑制TNFα杀伤L929细胞的活性。因此,本研究为下一步大量制备sTNFRII-gAD融合蛋白用于体内外功能研究提供了良好基础。     

Graphene for improved femtosecond laser based pluripotent stem cell transfection

Pluripotent stem cells are hugely attractive in the tissue engineering research field as they can self‐renew and be selectively differentiated into various cell types. For stem cell and tissue engineering research it is important to develop new, biocompatible scaffold materials and graphene has emerged as a promising material in this area as it does not compromise cell proliferation and accelerates specific cell differentiation. Previous studies have shown a non‐invasive optical technique for mouse embryonic stem (mES) cell differentiation and transfection using femtosecond (fs) laser pulses. To investigate cellular responses to the influence of graphene and laser irradiation, here we present for the first time a study of mES cell fs laser transfection on graphene coated substrates. First we studied the impact of graphene on Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO‐K1) cell viability and cell cytotoxicity in the absence of laser exposure. These were tested via evaluating the mitochondrial activity through adenosine triphosphates (ATP) luminescence and breakages on the cell plasma membrane assessed using cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) screening. Secondly, the effects of fs laser irradiation on cell viability and cytotoxicity at 1064 and 532 nm for cells plated and grown on graphene and pure glass were assessed. Finally, optical transfection of CHO‐K1 and mES cells was performed on graphene coated versus plain glass substrates. Our results show graphene stimulated cell viability whilst triggering a mild release of intracellular LDH. We also observed that compared to pure glass substrates; laser irradiation at 1064 nm on graphene plates was less cytotoxic. Finally, in mES cells efficient optical transfection at 1064 (82%) and 532 (25%) nm was obtained due to the presence of a graphene support as compared to pristine glass. Here we hypothesize an up‐regulation of cell adhesion promoting peptides or laminin‐related receptors of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in cell samples grown and irradiated on graphene substrates. By bringing together advances in optics and nanomaterial sciences we demonstrate pathways for enhancement of pluripotent stem cell biology. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Improved genome assembly of Chinese shrimp (Fenneropenaeus chinensis) suggests adaptation to the environment during evolution and domestication

A high-quality reference genome is necessary to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying important biological phenomena; therefore, in the present study, a chromosome-level genome assembly of the Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis was performed. Muscle of a male shrimp was sequenced using PacBio platform, and assembled by Hi-C technology. The assembled F. chinensis genome was 1.47 Gb with contig N50 of 472.84 Kb, including 57.73% repetitive sequences, and was anchored to 43 pseudochromosomes, with scaffold N50 of 36.87 Mb. In total, 25,026 protein-coding genes were predicted. The genome size of F. chinensis showed significant contraction in comparison with that of other penaeid species, which is likely related to migration observed in this species. However, the F. chinensis genome included several expanded gene families related to cellular processes and metabolic processes, and the contracted gene families were associated with virus infection process. The findings signify the adaptation of F. chinensis to the selection pressure of migration and cold environment. Furthermore, the selection signature analysis identified genes associated with metabolism, phototransduction, and nervous system in cultured shrimps when compared with wild population, indicating targeted, artificial selection of growth, vision, and behavior during domestication. The construction of the genome of F. chinensis provided valuable information for the further genetic mechanism analysis of important biological processes, and will facilitate the research of genetic changes during evolution.