Effects of nanomolar concentration dihydroouabain on calcium current and intracellular calcium in guinea pig ventricular myocytes

The effects of nanomolar concentration of dihydroouabain (DHO) on L-type calcium current (ICa-L), TTX-sensitive calcium current (ICa(TTX)), and intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) were investigated in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to record ICa-L and ICa(TTX); [Ca2+]i was detected and recorded with the confocal microscopy. The nanomolar concentration of DHO increased the ICa-L, ICa(TTX), and [Ca2+]i, which could be partially inhibited by nisoldipine or TTX, but still appeared in the absence of extracellular K+ and Na+. These data suggest that DHO could increase [Ca2+]i in non-beating myocytes via stimulating the ICa-L and ICa(TTX), or perhaps triggering directly a release of intracellular calcium.     

Spontaneous and induced chromosomal damage and mutations in Bloom Syndrome mice

Bloom Syndrome (BS) is characterized by both cancer and genomic instability, including chromosomal aberrations, sister chromosome exchanges, and mutations. Since BS heterozygotes are much more frequent than homozygotes, the issue of the sensitivity of heterozygotes to cancer is an important one. This and many other questions concerning the effects of BLM (the gene responsible for the BS) are more easily studied in mice than in humans. To gain insight into genomic instability associated with loss of function of BLM, which codes for a DNA helicase, we compared frequencies of micronuclei, somatic mutations, and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in Blmtm3Brd homozygous, heterozygous, and wild-type mice carrying a cII transgenic reporter gene. It should be noted that the Blmtm3Brd is inserted into the endogenous locus with a partial duplication of the gene, so some function of the locus may be retained. The cII reporter gene was introduced from the Big Blue mouse by crossing them with Blmtm3Brd mice. All measurements were made on F2 mice from this cross. The reticulocytes of Blmtm3Brd homozygous mice had more micronuclei than heterozygous or wild-type mice (4.5, 2.7, and 2.5 per thousand, respectively; P < 0.01) but heterozygotes did not differ significantly from wild-type. Unlike spontaneous chromosome damage, spontaneous mutant frequencies did not differ significantly among homozygous, heterozygous, and wild-type mice (3.2 x 10(-5), 3.1 x 10(-5), and 3.1 x 10(-5), respectively; P > 0.05). Mutation measurements were also made on mice that had been treated with ethyl-nitrosourea (ENU) because Bloom Syndrome cells are sensitive to ethylating agents. The ENU-induced mutation frequency in Blmtm3Brd homozygous, heterozygous, and wild mice were 54 x 10(-5), 35 x 10(-5), and 25 x 10(-5) mutants/plaques, respectively. ENU induced more mutations in Blmtm3Brd homozygous mice than in wild-type mice (P < 0.01), but not significantly more in heterozygous mice (P = 0.06). Spontaneous LOH did not differ significantly among the genotypes, but ENU treatment induced much more LOH in Blmtm3Brd homozygous mice, as measured by means of the Dlb-1 test of Vomiero-Highton and Heddle. Hence, these Blmtm3Brd mice resemble Bloom Syndrome except that they have normal frequencies of spontaneous mutation. The fact that these mice have elevated rates of both cancer and chromosomal aberrations (as shown by more micronuclei and LOH) but normal rates of spontaneous mutation, shows the greater importance of chromosomal events than mutations in the origin of their cancers.     

长江中游地区野生百合资源调查及利用前景

通过对长江中游地区野生百合资源进行调查,发现长江中游地区有野生百合资源14个种和3个变种即野百合(Lilium brownii F. E. Brown ex Miellez var. brownii)、百合(L. brownii F. E. Brown ex Miellez var. viridulum Baker)、宜昌百合(L. leucanthum (Baker) Baker)、渥丹(L. concolor Salisb. var. concolor)、有斑百合(L. concolor Sali sb. var. pulchellum (Fisch.)Regel)、滇百合(L. baberianum Coll.et Hemsl)、大理百合(L.taliense Franch.)、药百合(L.speciosum Thunb. var. gloriosoides Baker)、湖北百合(L.henryi Baker)、南川百合(L. rosthornii Diels)、宝兴百合(L. duchartrei Franch.)、山丹(L. pumilum DC.)、川百合(L. davidii Duchartre)、条叶百合(L. callosum Sieb. et Zucc.)、乳头百合(L. papilliferum Franch.)、绿花百合(L. fargesii Franch.)和卷丹(L. tigrinum Ker Gawler)。对野生百合在长江中游地区分布现状、观赏特性及开发利用价值进行了分析,为百合新品种培育奠定基础。同时对长江中游地区野生百合资源的保护和合理开发利用提出建议。     

Weighing risk factors associated with bee colony collapse disorder by classification and regression tree analysis

Colony collapse disorder (CCD), a syndrome whose defining trait is the rapid loss of adult worker honey bees, Apis mellifera L., is thought to be responsible for a minority of the large overwintering losses experienced by U.S. beekeepers since the winter 2006-2007. Using the same data set developed to perform a monofactorial analysis (PloS ONE 4: e6481, 2009), we conducted a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis in an attempt to better understand the relative importance and interrelations among different risk variables in explaining CCD. Fifty-five exploratory variables were used to construct two CART models: one model with and one model without a cost of misclassifying a CCD-diagnosed colony as a non-CCD colony. The resulting model tree that permitted for misclassification had a sensitivity and specificity of 85 and 74%, respectively. Although factors measuring colony stress (e.g., adult bee physiological measures, such as fluctuating asymmetry or mass of head) were important discriminating values, six of the 19 variables having the greatest discriminatory value were pesticide levels in different hive matrices. Notably, coumaphos levels in brood (a miticide commonly used by beekeepers) had the highest discriminatory value and were highest in control (healthy) colonies. Our CART analysis provides evidence that CCD is probably the result of several factors acting in concert, making afflicted colonies more susceptible to disease. This analysis highlights several areas that warrant further attention, including the effect of sublethal pesticide exposure on pathogen prevalence and the role of variability in bee tolerance to pesticides on colony survivorship.     

Horizontal and vertical transmission of viruses in the honey bee, Apis mellifera

The most crucial stage in the dynamics of virus infections is the mode of virus transmission. In general, transmission of viruses can occur through two pathways: horizontal and vertical transmission. In horizontal transmission, viruses are transmitted among individuals of the same generation, while vertical transmission occurs from mothers to their offspring. Because of its highly organized social structure and crowded population density, the honey bee colony represents a risky environment for the spread of disease infection. Like other plant and animal viruses, bee viruses use different survival strategies, including utilization of both horizontal and vertical routes, to transmit and maintain levels in a host population. In this review, we explore the current knowledge about the honey bee viruses and transmission routes of bee viruses. In addition, different transmission strategies on the persistence and dynamics of host-pathogen interactions are also discussed.     

Novel role of Zn(II)-curcumin in enhancing cell proliferation and adjusting proinflammatory cytokine-mediated oxidative damage of ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcers

Alcohol consumption can induce gastric ulcers and zinc deficiency. Zinc complexes were reported to have anti-ulcer activity as it acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Zn(II)-curcumin complex and its solid dispersions (SDs) were synthesized and evaluated for its gastroprotective activity and mechanism against ethanol-induced ulcer. The Swiss murine fibroblast cell line (3T3) was used as an alternative in vitro model to evaluate the effects of Zn(II)-curcumin on cell proliferation. Zn(II)-curcumin were administered orally for seven consecutive days prior to induction of ulcers using ethanol. Gross and microscopic lesions, immunological and biochemical parameters were taken into consideration. The results showed that solid dispersions (SDs) of Zn(II)-curcumin (2.5-20 μM) enhanced the proliferation of 3T3 cells more significantly than curcumin at the same concentrations (P<0.01). Oral administration of Zn(II)-curcumin (12, 24 and 48 mg/kg) SDs dose-dependently prevented formation of ulcer lesions induced by ethanol. The levels of proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and oxidative stress superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX-Px), malonaldehyde (MDA) and H(+)-K(+)-ATPase were in the rats exposed to ethanol in ulceration have been altered. Zn(II)-curcumin prevented formation of ulcer lesions, significantly inhibited TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA expression, increased the activity of SOD and GSH-Px, reduced MDA levels and H(+)-K(+)-ATPase in mucosa of rats compared to controls (P<0.05). These findings suggest that the gastroprotective activity of Zn(II)-curcumin complex might contribute in stimulating cell proliferation and adjusting the proinflammatory cytokine-mediated oxidative damage to the gastric mucosa.     

Molecular cloning, expression profile, polymorphism and the genetic effects of the dopamine D1 receptor gene on duck reproductive traits

The dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1), a member of the dopamine receptor (DR) gene family, participates in the regulation of reproductive behaviors in birds. In this study, a 1,390 bp fragment covering the complete coding region (CDS) of duck DRD1 gene was obtained. The cDNA (GenBank: JQ346726) contains a 1,353 bp CDS and a 37 bp 3'- UTR including a TGA termination codon (nucleotides 1,354-1,356 bp). The duck DRD1 shares about 76-96 % nucleic acid identity and 82-98 % amino acid identity with their counterparts in other species. A phylogenetic tree based on amino acid sequences displays that duck DRD1 protein is closely related with those of chicken and zebra finch. The quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicates that the DRD1 mRNA is widely expressed in all examined tissues. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (c.189A > T, c.507C > T, c.681C > T, c.765A > T, c.1044A > G) in the CDS of duck DRD1 gene were indentified, c.681C > T and c.765A > T were genotyped and analyzed in a two generations duck population by using of PCR-RFLP. Association analysis demonstrated that the c.681C > T genotypes were significantly associated with body weight at sexual maturity (when laying their first egg) (P < 0.01), egg production within 360 days (P < 0.05) and 420 days (P < 0.01); the c.765A > T genotypes were significantly associated with egg shape index and egg shell strength (P < 0.05). Those results suggest that the DRD1 gene may be a potential genetic marker to improve some reproductive traits in ducks.