家蚕分子连锁图谱的构建及分子标记育种研究进展

国际蚕分子育种计划(International Silkworm Project)是Rhode Island大学的M.R.Goldsmith在1991年提出来的,也叫基因标记育种计划[1].该计划主要包括两步工作:第一步是制作蚕的分子基因图, 第二步是数量性状定位分析(简称QTL分析,也叫数量性状定位作图:QTL Mapping).最后利用分子标记直接在DNA水平进行重要经济性状(数量性状)的选择、固定,即实施"分子育种",用很短时间育成兼具高抗、强健、丝多、质优、易繁等特性的新蚕品种,本文对此进行简要介绍.     

Recent technical strategies to identify diagnostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among North American women. Regrettably, there is currently no reliable circulating biomarker that can detect ovarian cancer in its early stages. The CA125 biomarker is very useful for treatment response monitoring, but its sensitivity is very low for early detection. Thus, there is an urgent need for the identification of new circulating biomarkers/panel of biomarkers that could be used to diagnose ovarian cancer before it becomes clinically detectable and advanced. Unfortunately, the strategies used in the past years to identify such biomarkers have not led to any outstanding candidate. This review summarizes the different approaches used in the last decade and suggests which strategies should be adopted in the near future in order to lead to the successful identification of new ovarian cancer diagnostic biomarkers.     

酵母细胞自然衰老分子作用机理的研究进展

衰老是任何生物都无法避免的生理现象,它由多种因素引起,其过程极其复杂.酵母细胞是目前衰老研究领域公认的模式生物,一系列影响衰老的分子作用机理及调控因素的发现均源自于对酵母细胞的研究.自然衰老是酵母细胞的衰老模式之一,由于该衰老过程与其他高等真核细胞(特别是哺乳动物细胞)极为相似,近年来受到广泛关注.全面比较酵母细胞衰老的两种模式,详细介绍自然衰老过程中分子作用机理的研究进展,重点阐述其复杂的自然寿命调控通路,包括卡路里限制以及药物添加对Ras/PKA、Sch9、Tor等营养依赖型调控通路的影响,并展望未来该领域需要解决的重要科学问题,为全面深入了解高等生物,特别是人类自身的衰老机理提供参考.     

DH10B菌株高效电转化条件探究

以pUC19、pECBAC1、pCLD04541DNA以及3个不同大小的BACDNA为材料,研究了E.coli DH10B菌株在5个不同脉冲电场下的转化效率。研究发现,随着DNA片段大小的增加,最高转化效率和最适场强迅速减小。利用DH10B细胞转化pUC19 DNA的最适场强是21kV/cm,而190kb BAC DNA仅为13kV/cm;在最适场强下,40kb BAC DNA的转化效率约是190kb BAC DNA的50倍。通过大量数据绘制了不同因素影响下转化效率的变化曲线,优化了E.coli DH10B菌株电转化条件,为质粒的重组转化以及大片段基因组文库的构建奠定了基础。     

固态混合发酵提高木聚糖酶和纤维素酶活力的研究

研究了接种比例、接种时间、碳源、氮源等因素对木霉和黑曲霉混合发酵产木聚糖酶和纤维素酶的影响。试验结果表明,当木霉和黑曲霉按4:6同时接种,以玉米芯3．75g、麸皮3．75g、葡萄糖37．5mg为混合碳源,Mandels营养盐11．5mL、添加NH_4NO_37．5mg为氮源,在84h产纤维素酶活力达到230IU/g干物质,木聚糖酶活力达到1308IU/g干物质,与两菌纯培养相比,纤维素酶活力提高163％,木聚糖酶活力提高79．5％。     

Mining relational paths in integrated biomedical data

Much life science and biology research requires an understanding of complex relationships between biological entities (genes, compounds, pathways, diseases, and so on). There is a wealth of data on such relationships in publicly available datasets and publications, but these sources are overlapped and distributed so that finding pertinent relational data is increasingly difficult. Whilst most public datasets have associated tools for searching, there is a lack of searching methods that can cross data sources and that in particular search not only based on the biological entities themselves but also on the relationships between them. In this paper, we demonstrate how graph-theoretic algorithms for mining relational paths can be used together with a previous integrative data resource we developed called Chem2Bio2RDF to extract new biological insights about the relationships between such entities. In particular, we use these methods to investigate the genetic basis of side-effects of thiazolinedione drugs, and in particular make a hypothesis for the recently discovered cardiac side-effects of Rosiglitazone (Avandia) and a prediction for Pioglitazone which is backed up by recent clinical studies.     

Characterization of 9-nitrocamptothecin liposomes: anticancer properties and mechanisms on hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer related mortality worldwide. 9-Nitrocamptothecin (9NC) is a potent topoisomerase-I inhibitor with strong anticancer effect. To increase the solubility and stability, we synthesized a novel 9NC loaded liposomes (9NC-LP) via incorporating 9NC into liposomes. In the present study, we determined the effects of 9NC and 9NC-LP on in vitro and in vivo, and the underlying mechanisms.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We first analyzed the characteristics of 9NC-LP. Then we compared the effects of 9NC and 9NC-LP on the proliferation and apoptosis of HepG2, Bel-7402, Hep3B and L02 cells in vitro. We also investigated their anticancer properties in nude mice bearing HCC xenograft in vivo. 9NC-LP has a uniform size (around 190 nm) and zeta potential (∼−11 mV), and exhibited a steady sustained-release pattern profile in vitro. Both 9NC and 9NC-LP could cause cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a dose-dependent and p53-dependent manner. However, this effect was not ubiquitous in all cell lines. Exposure to 9NC-LP led to increased expression of p53, p21, p27, Bax, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 and apoptosis-inducing factor, mitochondrion-associated 1 and decreased expression of Bcl-2, cyclin E, cyclin A, Cdk2 and cyclin D1. Furthermore, 9NC-LP exhibited a more potent antiproliferative effect and less side effects in vivo. Western blot analysis of the xenograft tumors in nude mice showed similar changes in protein expression in vivo.

Conclusions/Significance

In conclusion, 9NC and 9NC-LP can inhibit HCC growth via cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis. 9NC-LP has a more potent anti-tumor effect and fewer side effects in vivo, which means it is a promising reagent for cancer therapy via intravenous administration.     

钾离子对长柄扁桃不定芽诱导的影响

研究了钾离子对长柄扁桃不定芽诱导的影响,结果表明,在MS基本培养基中添加800～1200mg·L-1钾离子有利于长柄扁桃不定芽的形成和生长,不定芽的诱导率和数量分别比对照提高了17％和84％,不定芽的平均高度提高了64％;高浓度钾离子（〉1600mg·L。）可导致长柄扁桃不定芽严重褐化。生理指标测定结果表明,适当浓度的钾离子提高了抗氧化酶（SODPOD）的活性和不定芽的组织细胞活力;高剂量的钾离子（〉1600mg·L-1）显著增加了不定芽中MDA的含量。