Shewanella oneidensis MR-1-Induced Fe(III) Reduction Facilitates Roxarsone Transformation

Although microbial activity and associated iron (oxy)hydroxides are known in general to affect the environmental dynamics of 4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic acid (roxarsone), the mechanistic understanding of the underlying biophysico-chemical processes remains unclear due to limited experimental information. We studied how Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 –a widely distributed metal-reducing bacterium, in the presence of dissolved Fe(III), affects roxarsone transformations and biogeochemical cycling in a model aqueous system. The results showed that the MR-1 strain was able to anaerobically use roxarsone as a terminal electron acceptor and to convert it to a single product, 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzene arsonic acid (AHBAA). The presence of Fe(III) stimulated roxarsone transformation via MR-1-induced Fe(III) reduction, whereby the resulting Fe(II) acted as an efficient reductant for roxarsone transformation. In addition, the subsequent secondary Fe(III)/Fe(II) mineralization created conditions for adsorption of organoarsenic compounds to the yielded precipitates and thereby led to arsenic immobilization. The study provided direct evidence of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1-induced direct and Fe(II)-associated roxarsone transformation. Quantitative estimations revealed a candidate mechanism for the early-stage environmental dynamics of roxarsone in nature, which is essential for understanding the environmental dynamics of roxarsone and successful risk assessment.     

Super-Resolution Microscopy Reveals the Native Ultrastructure of the Erythrocyte Cytoskeleton

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Characterization of novel components of the baculovirus per os infectivity factor complex

Baculovirus occlusion-derived virus (ODV) infects insect midgut cells under alkaline conditions, a process mediated by highly conserved per os infectivity factors (PIFs), P74 (PIF0), PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, PIF4, and PIF5 (ODV-E56). Previously, a multimolecular complex composed of PIF1, PIF2, PIF3, and P74 was identified which was proposed to play an essential role during ODV entry. Recently, more proteins have been identified that play important roles in ODV oral infectivity, including PIF4, PIF5, and SF58, which might work in concert with previously known PIFs to facilitate ODV infection. In order to understand the ODV entry mechanism, the identification of all components of the PIF complex is crucial. Hence, the aim of this study was to identify additional components of the PIF complex. Coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP) combined with proteomic analysis was used to identify the components of the Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) PIF complex. PIF4 and P95 (AC83) were identified as components of the PIF complex while PIF5 was not, and this was confirmed with blue native PAGE and a second CoIP. Deletion of the pif4 gene impaired complex formation, but deletion of pif5 did not. Differentially denaturing SDS-PAGE further revealed that PIF4 forms a stable complex with PIF1, PIF2, and PIF3. P95 and P74 are more loosely associated with this complex. Three other proteins, AC5, AC68, and AC108 (homologue of SF58), were also found by the proteomic analysis to be associated with the PIF complex. Finally the functional significance of the PIF protein interactions is discussed.     

Copy number variations of 11 macronuclear chromosomes and their gene expression in Oxytricha trifallax

Genome-wide methylation studies frequently lack adequate controls to estimate proportions of background reads in the resulting datasets. To generate appropriate control pools, we developed technique termed nMETR (non-methylated tag recovery) based on digestion of genomic DNA with methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme, ligation of adapter oligonucleotide and PCR amplification of non-methylated sites associated with genomic repetitive elements. The protocol takes only two working days to generate amplicons for deep sequencing. We applied nMETR for human DNA using BspFNI enzyme and retrotransposon Alu-specific primers. 454-sequencing enabled identification of 1113 nMETR tag sites, of them ~65% were parts of CpG islands. Representation of reads inversely correlated with methylation levels, thus confirming nMETR fidelity. We created software that eliminates background reads and enables to map and annotate individual tags on human genome. nMETR tags may serve as the controls for large-scale epigenetic studies and for identifying unmethylated transposable elements located close to genomic CpG islands.     

心房利钠肽样免疫反应神经元在大鼠中脑和脑桥中某些锥体外系神经核内的分布

采用PAP免疫组织化学方法对大鼠中脑和脑桥内心房利钠肽(ANP)样免疫反应神经元的分布进行了研究,结果显示阳性神经元除存在于其他作者报导过的导水管周围灰质、Edinger-Westphal核、中缝核、脚间核和蓝斑核外,还存在于属于锥体外系的红核、黑质和脑桥核内,因此,推测脑内的ANP可能在锥外系对躯体运动的调节中起着一种神经递质或神经调质的作用。这为脑内ANP可能具有与液体和电解质平衡以及心血管功能的调节无关的其它作用提供了部分形态学证据。     

特定频谱波对水电导率影响的研究

目的:为了研究特定频谱波引起的水中离子浓度的变化以及电导率与频谱波间相互作用的规律,用特定频谱波对理化特性略有不同的纯净水、自来水、海水进行影响,研究其电导率的变化。方法:采用一元线性回归分析的方法对数据散点进行拟和,用方差分析来评价其拟合效果,以期发现其中的规律。结果:经过频谱波的影响各种水的电导率都有明显的提高,并且随着处理次数的增加,纯净水的电导率呈阶越式方式增加;自来水呈对数形式增加;而海水则表现为变化幅度微小。结论:造成这个现象的原因可能是由于水分子吸收了频谱波的能量,分子的平均动能增大造成的。这一过程使化学平衡(H2O)n≒xH2O (H2O)n-x和H2O≒ H OH-均向分解的方向运动,水中带电离子的浓度提高,因此电导率发生变化。而电导率提高方式的差异,则是水样在理化特性上的差异导致的。     

不同代次牛肾原代细胞培养轮状病毒的比较研究

口服轮状病毒活疫苗(LLR株)生产用细胞基质为新生小牛肾原代细胞。原始的初代细胞(P0)产量小,一对牛肾平均生产7瓶细胞。将原始的初代细胞传代可使细胞产量显著增加,传代后(P2代)细胞产量可由7瓶增加为96~112瓶,细胞核型检查传至P5代的细胞染色体数目与初代细胞一致。细胞培养物均一性提高。P0代与P2代细胞病毒培养物滴度分别在6.2±1.5和6.5±0.5lgCCID50/ml,使用P2代细胞培养病毒,产量增加10~15倍。提高了疫苗生产的可控性和质量,生产规模显著放大,经济效益明显。