蛋白质粉对小鼠免疫功能的影响

目的探讨蛋白质粉对正常小鼠免疫调节作用。方法将BALB/c小鼠随机分为3批,每批分为4组,分别进行了小鼠免疫器官/体质量比值测定和小鼠碳廓清实验;绵羊红细胞诱导小鼠DTH、抗体生成细胞检测和血清凝血素测定（HC50）;ConA诱导的小鼠脾淋巴细胞转化实验和乳酸锂脱氢酶法（LDH）测定NK细胞活性;小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞吞噬鸡红细胞实验。结果10.00 g/kg剂量的蛋白质粉可增强绵羊红细胞诱导小鼠DTH能力（P〈0.05）,促进抗体生成细胞数的生成（P〈0.01）。3.33 g/kg和10.00 g/kg剂量组能促进ConA诱导的小鼠脾淋巴细胞转化能力（P〈0.05或P〈0.01）和血清凝血素的生成（P〈0.05）;三个剂量组均能提高小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞吞噬鸡红细胞能力（P〈0.05或P〈0.01）;3.33 g/kg和10.00 g/kg剂量组能提高NK细胞活性（P〈0.05）;但对小鼠碳廓清能力和免疫器官/体重比值无明显影响。结论蛋白质粉对正常小鼠的细胞、体液免疫和单核-巨噬细胞功能和NK功能有促进作用,即具有增强免疫力功能。     

A new species of Pliopithecus Gervais, 1849 (Primates: Pliopithecidae) from the Middle Miocene (MN8) of Abocador de Can Mata (els Hostalets de Pierola,Catalonia, Spain)

Pliopithecus (Pliopithecus) canmatensis sp. nov. is described from several Late Aragonian localities from Abocador de Can Mata (ACM) in els Hostalets de Pierola (Vallès‐Penedès Basin, Catalonia, Spain), spanning from ～11.7 to 11.6 Ma (C5r.3r subchron), and being correlated to the MN8 (reference locality La Grive L3). The ACM remains display a pliopithecine dental morphology with well‐developed pliopithecine triangles on M/2 and M/3. This, together with other occlusal details, negates an attribution to the subgenus Epipliopithecus. Although slightly smaller, the ACM remains are most similar in size to comparable elements of P. piveteaui and P. antiquus. Several occlusal details (such as the greater development of the buccal cingulid in lower molars) and dental proportions (M/3 much longer than M/2), however, indicate greater similarities with P. antiquus from Sansan and La Grive. The ACM remains, however, differ from P. antiquus in dental proportions as well as occlusal morphology of the lower molars (including the less peripheral position of the protoconid and more medial position of the hypoconulid, the more mesial position of the buccal cuspids as compared to the lingual ones, the narrower but distinct mesial fovea, the higher trigonid, and the more extensive buccal cingulid, among others). These differences justify a taxonomic distinction at the species level of the ACM pliopithecid remains with respect to P. antiquus. Previous pliopithecid findings from the Vallès‐Penedès Basin, previously attributed to P. antiquus, are neither attributable to the latter species nor to the newly erected one. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

松嫩盐碱草地植物种群的土壤营养位季节动态

针对松嫩盐碱草地的特点,综合评价了18项土壤因子,以植物的相对地上生物量为土壤营养位效能,分析了松嫩盐碱草地植物种群的土壤营养位季节动态。伴随季节的更替,碱蓬等强耐盐碱植物的土壤营养位中心点逐渐向土壤盐碱程度严重的一侧移动,土壤营养位体积也逐月增加,土壤营养位宽度的扩大是土壤营养位体积增加的主要原因。虎尾草(Chloris virgata)和羊草(Aneurolepidium chinense)的土壤营养位中心点数值和土壤营养位体积7月份时最大。7月份时虎尾草的土壤营养位效能峰值明显高于其它月份的,使得虎尾草此月份的土壤营养位体积在整个生长季内最大,而羊草7月份的土壤营养位宽度和土壤营养位效能峰值都较大,共同决定了该月份羊草的土壤营养位体积最大。除上述植物外,其他轻度耐盐碱植物的土壤营养位中心点随季节更替的变化趋势与碱蓬等强耐盐碱植物的刚好相反,是向土壤盐碱程度越轻的方向。其他轻度耐盐碱植物的土壤营养位宽度8月份时最小,但因为此时土壤营养位效能峰值明显高于其它月份的,它们8月份的土壤营养位体积仍是整个生长季内最大的。松嫩盐碱草地植物种群土壤营养位重叠也存在着明显的季节变化。     

Four New C19-Diterpenoid Alkaloids from Aconitum nagarum Stapf

Four new aconitine-type C₁₉-diterpenoid alkaloids, were isolated from the roots of Aconitum nagarum Stapf which were named as nagarutines A–D ( 1–4 ), together with eleven known compounds ( 5–15 ). The structures of the compounds were identified by IR, HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectra. All compounds were tested for the inhibitory effect on LPS induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages, compound 7 showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity effect and Inhibition rate is about 44.50%.     

Host-Parasite Interactions and Purifying Selection in a Microsporidian Parasite of Honey Bees

To clarify the mechanisms of Nosema ceranae parasitism, we deep-sequenced both honey bee host and parasite mRNAs throughout a complete 6-day infection cycle. By time-series analysis, 1122 parasite genes were significantly differently expressed during the reproduction cycle, clustering into 4 expression patterns. We found reactive mitochondrial oxygen species modulator 1 of the host to be significantly down regulated during the entire infection period. Our data support the hypothesis that apoptosis of honey bee cells was suppressed during infection. We further analyzed genome-wide genetic diversity of this parasite by comparing samples collected from the same site in 2007 and 2013. The number of SNP positions per gene and the proportion of non-synonymous substitutions per gene were significantly reduced over this time period, suggesting purifying selection on the parasite genome and supporting the hypothesis that a subset of N. ceranae strains might be dominating infection.     

AtNHX5 and AtNHX6 Are Required for the Subcellular Localization of the SNARE Complex That Mediates the Trafficking of Seed Storage Proteins in Arabidopsis

The SNARE complex composed of VAMP727, SYP22, VTI11 and SYP51 is critical for protein trafficking and PSV biogenesis in Arabidopsis. This SNARE complex directs the fusion between the prevacuolar compartment (PVC) and the vacuole, and thus mediates protein trafficking to the vacuole. In this study, we examined the role of AtNHX5 and AtNHX6 in regulating this SNARE complex and its function in protein trafficking. We found that AtNHX5 and AtNHX6 were required for seed production, protein trafficking and PSV biogenesis. We further found that the nhx5 nhx6 syp22 triple mutant showed severe defects in seedling growth and seed development. The triple mutant had short siliques and reduced seed sets, but larger seeds. In addition, the triple mutant had numerous smaller protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) and accumulated precursors of the seed storage proteins in seeds. The PVC localization of SYP22 and VAMP727 was repressed in nhx5 nhx6, while a significant amount of SYP22 and VAMP727 was trapped in the Golgi or TGN in nhx5 nhx6. AtNHX5 and AtNHX6 were co-localized with SYP22 and VAMP727. Three conserved acidic residues, D164, E188, and D193 in AtNHX5 and D165, E189, and D194 in AtNHX6, were essential for the transport of the storage proteins, indicating the importance of exchange activity in protein transport. AtNHX5 or AtNHX6 did not interact physically with the SNARE complex. Taken together, AtNHX5 and AtNHX6 are required for the PVC localization of the SNARE complex and hence its function in protein transport. AtNHX5 and AtNHX6 may regulate the subcellular localization of the SNARE complex by their transport activity.     

Alterations of Dermal Connective Tissue Collagen in Diabetes: Molecular Basis of Aged-Appearing Skin

Alterations of the collagen, the major structural protein in skin, contribute significantly to human skin connective tissue aging. As aged-appearing skin is more common in diabetes, here we investigated the molecular basis of aged-appearing skin in diabetes. Among all known human matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), diabetic skin shows elevated levels of MMP-1 and MMP-2. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) coupled real-time PCR indicated that elevated MMPs in diabetic skin were primarily expressed in the dermis. Furthermore, diabetic skin shows increased lysyl oxidase (LOX) expression and higher cross-linked collagens. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) further indicated that collagen fibrils were fragmented/disorganized, and key mechanical properties of traction force and tensile strength were increased in diabetic skin, compared to intact/well-organized collagen fibrils in non-diabetic skin. In in vitro tissue culture system, multiple MMPs including MMP-1 and MM-2 were induced by high glucose (25 mM) exposure to isolated primary human skin dermal fibroblasts, the major cells responsible for collagen homeostasis in skin. The elevation of MMPs and LOX over the years is thought to result in the accumulation of fragmented and cross-linked collagen, and thus impairs dermal collagen structural integrity and mechanical properties in diabetes. Our data partially explain why old-looking skin is more common in diabetic patients.     

Climatic patterns in the establishment of wintering areas by North American migratory birds

Long‐distance migration in birds is relatively well studied in nature; however, one aspect of this phenomenon that remains poorly understood is the pattern of distribution presented by species during arrival to and establishment of wintering areas. Some studies suggest that the selection of areas in winter is somehow determined by climate, given its influence on both the distribution of bird species and their resources. We analyzed whether different migrant passerine species of North America present climatic preferences during arrival to and departure from their wintering areas. We used ecological niche modeling to generate monthly potential climatic distributions for 13 migratory bird species during the winter season by combining the locations recorded per month with four environmental layers. We calculated monthly coefficients of climate variation and then compared two GLM (generalized linear models), evaluated with the AIC (Akaike information criterion), to describe how these coefficients varied over the course of the season, as a measure of the patterns of establishment in the wintering areas. For 11 species, the sites show nonlinear patterns of variation in climatic preferences, with low coefficients of variation at the beginning and end of the season and higher values found in the intermediate months. The remaining two species analyzed showed a different climatic pattern of selective establishment of wintering areas, probably due to taxonomic discrepancy, which would affect their modeled winter distribution. Patterns of establishment of wintering areas in the species showed a climatic preference at the macroscale, suggesting that individuals of several species actively select wintering areas that meet specific climatic conditions. This probably gives them an advantage over the winter and during the return to breeding areas. As these areas become full of migrants, alternative suboptimal sites are occupied. Nonrandom winter area selection may also have consequences for the conservation of migratory bird species, particularly under a scenario of climate change.     

Lipidomic profiling analysis reveals the dynamics of phospholipid molecules in Arabidopsis thaliana seedling growth

High-throughput lipidomic profiling provides a sensitive approach for discovering minor lipid species. By using an advance in electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, a large set of phospholipid molecular species(126 species)with high resolution were identified from Arabidopsis seedling;of them 31 species are newly identified(16 are unique in plants),including 13 species of phosphatidic acid(PA), nine phosphatidylcholine, six phosphatidylinositol and three phosphatidylserine. Further analysis of the lipidomic profile reveals dynamics of phospholipids and distinct species alterations during seedling development. PA molecules are found at the lowest levels in imbibition and follow an increasing trend during seedling growth, while phosphatidylethanolamine(PE) molecules show the opposite pattern with highest levels at imbibition and a general decreasing trend at later stages. Of PA molecular species, 34:2-, 34:3-, 36:4-, 36:5-, 38:3- and 38:4-PA increase during radicle emergence, and 34:2- and 34:3-PA reach highest levels during hypocotyl and cotyledon emergence from the seed coat. Conversely, molecular species of PE show higher levels in imbibition and decrease in later stages. These results suggest the crucial roles of specific molecular species and homeostasis of phospholipid molecules in seedling growth and provide insights into the mechanisms of how phospholipid molecules are involved in regulating plant development.     

Nanozymes: an emerging field bridging nanotechnology and biology

正Enzymes are biological catalysts that can convert substrates into products in biochemical reactions.In 1926,the first enzyme,urease,was determined to be a protein by James B.Sumner who won the Nobel Prize in 1946.Since then,enzymes have been considered to be proteins,which allows them to achieve their high catalytic activity with high specific activity under mild conditions.However,in general,the enzyme activity of proteins is lost after exposure to extremes of p H and high temperature,and proteins are also susceptible to digestion by proteases in the environment,which dramatically hinders their practical applications in