Mechanism of random integration of foreign DNA in transgenic mice

Little is known about how foreign DNA is randomly integrated into chromosomes in transgenic animals. In the current study, the insertion sites of 36 transgenic mice were mapped by thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR, and 38 junction sequences were obtained from 30 samples. Analysis of the 38 sequences revealed that 44.7 % of integration events occurred within host gene regions, including 13.2 % (5/38) in exonic regions and 31.6 % (12/38) in intronic regions. The results also revealed that all non-end side integrations of foreign DNA were mediated by short sequence homologies (microhomologies) and that the end side integrations occurred in the presence or absence of microhomologies. In addition, microhomology-mediated mechanisms were also confirmed in four transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines. The results indicate that foreign DNA is easily integrated into host gene regions. These results also suggest that the integration of both ends of foreign DNA follows the above-mentioned mechanism in many transgenic/transformed organisms.     

琥珀酸脱氢酶或琥珀酰辅酶A合成酶缺失促进大肠杆菌积累5-氨基乙酰丙酸

5-氨基乙酰丙酸 (ALA) 是生物体内四吡咯类化合物的合成前体,在农业及医药领域应用广泛,是极具开发价值的高附加值生物基化学品。目前利用外源C4途径的重组大肠杆菌发酵生产ALA的研究主要利用LB培养基并添加葡萄糖和琥珀酸、甘氨酸等合成前体,成本较高。琥珀酸在C4途径中以琥珀酰辅酶A的形式直接参与ALA的合成。文中在以葡萄糖为主要碳源的无机盐培养基中研究了琥珀酰辅酶A下游代谢途径琥珀酸脱氢酶编码基因sdhAB和琥珀酰辅酶A合成酶编码基因sucCD缺失对ALA积累的影响。与仅表达异源ALA合成酶的对照菌株相比,sdhAB和sucCD缺失菌株ALA的产量分别提高了25.59%和12.40%,且ALA的积累不依赖于琥珀酸的添加和LB培养基的使用,从而大幅降低了生产成本,显示出良好的工业应用前景。     

基于线粒体ND4基因和核c-mos基因初步探讨广西拟水龟和艾氏拟水龟的系统发生

广西拟水龟和艾氏拟水龟的分类和系统发生多年来存在争议。通过测定广西拟水龟、艾氏拟水龟和黄喉拟水龟线粒体ND4基因和核c-mos基因部分序列,合并GenBank中拟水龟属其他物种的ND4基因和c-mos基因部分序列进行分析,从分子水平探讨广西拟水龟和艾氏拟水龟的系统发生。ND4基因数据分析发现NJ、MP和BI树中广西拟水龟与安南拟水龟的聚类分支相互交织聚为一支,二者种内遗传距离均为0.002～0.017,种间遗传距离为0.000～0.035,种间遗传距离明显小于同属内其他种间0.056～0.109的遗传距离,表明广西拟水龟与安南拟水龟可能为同一物种,可能是安南拟水龟的同种异名,或是作为安南拟水龟的一个亚种;NJ树、MP树和BI树均显示,艾氏拟水龟与黄喉拟水龟的位置和关系最为相近,二者间的遗传距离为0.020～0.035,明显小于拟水龟属其他物种间遗传距离,而明显大于同属各物种内遗传距离,艾氏拟水龟与黄喉拟水龟之间系统分类关系是介于种内与种间之间;乌龟、中华花龟、安南拟水龟等物种都是与拟水龟属中其他物种先聚成一支后再与同科的地龟属的地龟形成姐妹支,支持将乌龟属、花龟属和安南龟属并入拟水龟属的分类。c-mos基因数据分析发现,拟水龟属各物种间不存在明显的遗传距离,NJ树和MP树也未能对属中各物种的分子系统发生位置进行有效的界定,但在属及属以上阶元的分子分类系统中c-mos基因可以作为分类依据,并与线粒体基因数据有较好的一致性。     

海南特有种东方琼楠种群结构特征

为探讨海南特有种东方琼楠(Beilschmiedia tungfangensis)种群结构特征,在海南尖峰岭林区设置20.4hm2样地,从种群径级结构、静态生命表、存活曲线、空间分布格局等方面进行分析。结果表明:1)东方琼楠种群径级分布呈倒"J"型,为增长型种群;2)在第Ⅲ级(DBH:10～15cm)时生命期望值最高,向大龄级和小龄级呈递减趋势;3)存活曲线接近DeeveyⅢ型,呈凹型;死亡率曲线和消失率曲线呈"V"型;4)不同分析方法均表明该种群呈聚集分布,且聚群强度较大;5)聚块性指数随径级呈"正余弦"变化。     

两种玻璃化胚胎冷冻方法对不同品系小鼠胚胎冷冻效果比较

目的探讨EFS和DAP两种玻璃化冷冻方法对不同品系小鼠胚胎冷冻的效果。方法6个品系小鼠（KM、ICR、BALB／c、C57BL／6J、OB／OB、LAP／~TAOF59）的2-cell胚胎分别用EFS和DAP两种玻璃化冷冻方法进行冷冻和复苏,比较两种冷冻方法的胚胎复苏率和着床率。结果6个品系小鼠冷冻胚胎EFS方法的平均复苏率为69．97％（47．9％～83．6％）,DAP方法的平均复苏率47．23％（26．3％-76．7％）,EFS方法明显优于DAP方法。其中KM、ICR和BALB／c小鼠EFS方法的冷冻复苏率显著高于DAP方法（P〈0．01）;冻融胚胎移植后EFS方法的平均着床率27．23％（1．75％一45．0％）,DAP方法的平均着床率31．43％（7．0％一46．3％）。除KM、ICR小鼠外,其他4个品系小鼠的着床率DAP方法高于EFS方法。结论KM和ICR远交群小鼠胚胎适合用EFS方法冷冻保存;C57BL／6J、OB／OB、LAP／aTAOF59三个品系小鼠DAP方法优于EFS方法,但差异不大;BALB／c小鼠两种玻璃化冷冻方法的冻融胚胎着床率均较低,需进一步研究。     

Enhanced phenol bioavailability by means of photocatalysis

Phenol was investigated for the ability of TiO₂ photocatalysis to increase its bioavailability as an electron donor for denitrification. The rate of nitrate removal by denitrification was increased by up to 2.6-fold by exposing phenol to photocatalysis for 30 min, although the rate decreased with increasing photocatalysis. The increased denitrification rate appeared to be associated with the photocatalytic production of carboxylic acids, but the slow down correlated to the production of catechol and hydroquinone.     

Occurrence of 4-tert-butylphenol (4-t-BP) biodegradation in an aquatic sample caused by the presence of Spirodela polyrrhiza and isolation of a 4-t-BP-utilizing bacterium

Although 4-tert-butylphenol (4-t-BP) is a serious aquatic pollutant, its biodegradation in aquatic environments has not been well documented. In this study, 4-t-BP was obviously and repeatedly removed from water from four different environments in the presence of Spirodela polyrrhiza, giant duckweed, but 4-t-BP persisted in the environmental waters in the absence of S. polyrrhiza. Also, 4-t-BP was not removed from autoclaved pond water with sterilized S. polyrrhiza. These results suggest that the 4-t-BP removal from the environmental waters was caused by biodegradation stimulated by the presence of S. polyrrhiza rather than by uptake by the plant. Moreover, Sphingobium fuliginis OMI capable of utilizing 4-t-BP as a sole carbon and energy source was isolated from the S. polyrrhiza rhizosphere. Strain OMI degraded 4-t-BP via a meta-cleavage pathway, and also degraded a broad range of alkylphenols with linear or branched alkyl side chains containing two to nine carbon atoms. Root exudates of S. polyrrhiza stimulated 4-t-BP degradation and cell growth of strain OMI. Thus, the stimulating effects of S. polyrrhiza root exudates on 4-t-BP-degrading bacteria might have contributed to 4-t-BP removal in the environmental waters with S. polyrrhiza. These results demonstrate that the S. polyrrhiza–bacteria association may be applicable to the removal of highly persistent 4-t-BP from wastewaters or polluted aquatic environments.     

Pro-inflammatory cytokines modulate iron regulatory protein 1 expression and iron transportation through reactive oxygen/nitrogen species production in ventral mesencephalic neurons

Both inflammatory processes associated with microglia activation and abnormal iron deposit in dopaminergic neurons are involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the relationship between neuroinflammation and iron accumulation was not fully elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) released by microglia, could affect cellular iron transportation in primary cultured ventral mesencephalic (VM) neurons. The results showed that IL-1β or TNF-α treatment led to increased ferrous iron influx and decreased iron efflux in these cells, due to the upregulation of divalent metal transporter 1 with the iron response element (DMT1 + IRE) and downregulation of ferroportin1 (FPN1). Increased levels of iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1), transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) and hepcidin were also observed in IL-1β or TNF-α treated VM neurons. IRP1 upregulation could be fully abolished by co-administration of radical scavenger N-acetyl-l-cysteine and inducible NO synthetase inhibitor N_ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride. Further experiments demonstrated that IL-1β and TNF-α release was remarkably enhanced by iron load in activated microglia triggered by lipopolysaccharide or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺). In 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-intoxicated mice, salicylate application could not block DMT1 + IRE upregulation in dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra. These results suggested that IL-1β and TNF-α released by microglia, especially under the condition of iron load, might contribute to iron accumulation in VM neurons by upregulating IRP1 and hepcidin levels through reactive oxygen/nitrogen species production. This might provide a new insight into unraveling that microglia might aggravate this iron mediated neuropathologies in PD.     

衡阳紫色土丘陵坡地不同恢复阶段土壤基础呼吸及代谢熵的变化

采用空间序列代替时间序列的方法,对衡阳紫色土丘陵坡地不同过程中的不同土层、根际(Rhizosphere,R)与非根际(Non-rhizosphere,S)的土壤基础呼吸(Soil basal respiration,SBR)及代谢熵(Metabolic quotient,qCO2)的变化特征以及它们与土壤理化性质的关系进行研究。结果表明：(1)不同恢复阶段SBR与qCO2存在明显差异,从裸地(Ⅰ)、草本群落(Ⅱ)、灌木群落(Ⅲ)至乔木群落阶段(Ⅳ),SBR显著增强,qCO2显著减小,反映土地质量正在逐渐恢复;(2)不同恢复阶段SBR与qCO2存在垂直变化特征,从0～20cm、20～40cm至40～60cm土层, SBR显著减弱,qCO2显著增加;(3)从Ⅱ→Ⅳ,R与S变化明显,R与S的SBR均显著增强, R/S显著减小,表现出R＞S的特点,R与S的qCO2的逐渐减小, R/S逐渐上升,也表现出R＞S的特点,因此,创造更好的土壤条件有利于该区域植被恢复。