从全血中提取基因组DNA方法的对比研究

目的:建立从全血中提取基因组DNA的方法,并评价提取DNA的产量和质量.方法:分别采用传统酚-氯仿抽提法和试剂盒法制备基因组DNA,比较这两种方法提取DNA的产量、纯度、稳定性以及方法本身的优缺点、费用等.结果:试剂盒法简单快速,但其制备的DNA产率、纯度、稳定性低于酚-氯仿抽提法.结论:采用酚-氯仿抽提法可以提取较高质量的基因组DNA,适用于下游的分子生物学实验.     

Structure of the alamethicin pore reconstructed by x-ray diffraction analysis

We reconstructed the electron density profile of the alamethicin-induced transmembrane pore by x-ray diffraction. We prepared fully hydrated multiple bilayers of alamethicin-lipid mixtures in a condition where pores were present, as established previously by neutron in-plane scattering in correlation with oriented circular dichroism. At dehydrated conditions, the interbilayer distance shortened and the interactions between bilayers caused the membrane pores to become long-ranged correlated and form a periodically ordered lattice of rhombohedral symmetry. To resolve the phase problem of diffraction, we used a brominated lipid and performed multiwavelength anomalous diffraction at the bromine K edge. The result unambiguously shows that the alamethicin pore is of the barrel-stave type consisting of eight alamethicin helices. This pore structure corresponds to the stable pores detected by neutron in-plane scattering in fully hydrated fluid bilayers at high peptide/lipid ratios, which are the conditions at which alamethicin was tested for its antibacterial activity.     

一种双歧杆菌胞外多糖免疫调节功能研究

根据保健食品功能评价规范?功能学评价程序研究一种双歧杆菌胞外多糖(Bifidobacterium spp. exopolysaccharide, EPS)的免疫调节功能。通过脾淋巴细胞增殖反应、绵羊红细胞诱导小鼠迟发型变态反应(DTH)、血清溶血素测定以及巨噬细胞吞噬实验探讨该EPS的免疫调节活性。EPS分别以高、中、低剂量组连续口服给药10天, 结果发现低剂量的EPS[100 mg/(kg·d)]可以促进脾淋巴细胞增殖; 高、中、低剂量对绵羊红细胞诱导的小鼠迟发型变态反应均无促进作用; 但是, EPS 高、中、低剂量组均能明显提高小鼠血清半数溶血值HC50以及增强小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞吞噬鸡红细胞的吞噬能力。根据规范可知, 该双歧杆菌EPS 具有一定的免疫调节活性。     

Development of software for human muscle force estimation

Muscle force estimation (MFE) has become more and more important in exploring principles of pathological movement, studying functions of artificial muscles, making surgery plan for artificial joint replacement, improving the biomechanical effects of treatments and so on. At present, existing software are complex for professionals, so we have developed a new software named as concise MFE (CMFE). CMFE which provides us a platform to analyse muscle force in various actions includes two MFE methods (static optimisation method and electromyographic-based method). Common features between these two methods have been found and used to improve CMFE. A case studying the major muscles of lower limb of a healthy subject walking at normal speed has been presented. The results are well explained from the effect of the motion produced by muscles during movement. The development of this software can improve the accuracy of the motion simulations and can provide a more extensive and deeper insight in to muscle study.     

Changes of soil organic and inorganic carbon in relation to grassland degradation in Northern Tibet

The effect of livestock grazing on grassland degradation and the resulting impact on soil carbon concentration is an important factor in carbon estimation. We addressed this issue using field observations and laboratory analysis of samples from Tibetan grassland. Based on the field measurements, we investigated the soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) under two contrasting degradation states: lightly or non-degraded grasslands (LDG) and heavily degraded grasslands (HDG). We assessed their relationships with environmental factors using data collected from 99 sites across Northern Tibet during 2011–2012. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model and one-way ANOVA. The results showed that: (1) SOC concentration decreased and SIC concentration increased following grassland degradation, especially at soil depths in the range of 0–10 cm (P < 0.05); (2) the major environmental factors affecting SOC and SIC were soil pH and plant biomass; (3) spatially, the SOC density increased with the mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation, whereas SIC exhibited the opposite trend; (4) the SOC density increased at first and then decreased with increasing grazing intensity, with an opposite trend in SIC; and (5) soil carbon storage in this region was 0.14 Pg smaller in the HDG than in the LDG. This study suggests that grassland degradation can significantly affect the vertical distribution and storage of SOC and SIC. The carbon sequestration capacity of the top 100 cm of soil in Northern Tibet was estimated as 0.14 Pg.     

液体悬浮培养条件下发菜细胞的光合速率与呼吸速率

用液相氧电极测定离体悬浮生长发菜细胞的光合速率和呼吸速率的结果表明,发菜细胞的光补偿点为15￣16μmol·m-2·s-1,光饱和点为90μmol·m-2·s-1,光抑制点为190μmol·m-2·s-1。25℃下发菜细胞光合速率最高,呼吸速率则在10￣50℃范围内随温度升高而增强。发菜细胞光合作用的最适pH值为7.0￣7.5,呼吸作用最适pH值为9.0。BG110无氮培养基中添加30mmol·L-1NaNO3,发菜细胞的光合速率增加约20%。培养基中Na2HPO4浓度为1.75mmol·L-1时,细胞光合速率和呼吸速率最大,随后保持稳定。钾盐浓度变化对发菜细胞光合速率和呼吸速率的影响不显著。     

不同浓度IBA、NAA对紫萼龙吐珠扦插生根的影响

以紫萼龙吐珠Clerodendrum speciosum为试材,采用单因素完全随机设计,研究不同浓度IBA、NAA混合溶液对紫萼龙吐珠扦插生根的影响。结果表明,当NAA为50 mg·L-1,IBA为150或200 mg·L-1时,紫萼龙吐珠插穗成活率和生根率最高,可达100%;根系数量、根长最大值分别是对照组的9.4倍和4.9倍;当NAA、IBA分别为50、150 mg·L-1时,根系效果指数在9、11月均较高,最高可达6.42。运用隶属函数法对9、11月扦插各处理组合的生根效果进行综合评价,认为NAA 50 mg·L-1、IBA 150或200 mg·L-1混合溶液处理紫萼龙吐珠插条均最有利于生根,可得到较高的生根质量。     

Identification of pathogens in culture-negative infective endocarditis cases by metagenomic analysis

Background

Pathogens identification is critical for the proper diagnosis and precise treatment of infective endocarditis (IE). Although blood and valve cultures are the gold standard for IE pathogens detection, many cases are culture-negative, especially in patients who had received long-term antibiotic treatment, and precise diagnosis has therefore become a major challenge in the clinic. Metagenomic sequencing can provide both information on the pathogenic strain and the antibiotic susceptibility profile of patient samples without culturing, offering a powerful method to deal with culture-negative cases.

Methods

To assess the feasibility of a metagenomic approach to detect the causative pathogens in resected valves from IE patients, we employed both next-generation sequencing and Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION nanopore sequencing for pathogens and antimicrobial resistance detection in seven culture-negative IE patients. Using our in-house developed bioinformatics pipeline, we analyzed the sequencing results generated from both platforms for the direct identification of pathogens from the resected valves of seven clinically culture-negative IE patients according to the modified Duke criteria.

Results

Our results showed both metagenomics methods can be applied for the causative pathogen detection in all IE samples. Moreover, we were able to simultaneously characterize respective antimicrobial resistance features.

Conclusion

Metagenomic methods for IE detection can provide clinicians with valuable information to diagnose and treat IE patients after valve replacement surgery. However, more efforts should be made to optimize protocols for sample processing, sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.

     

The retinoblastoma gene product regulates progression through the G1 phase of the cell cycle.

The RB gene product is a nuclear phosphoprotein that undergoes cell cycle-dependent changes in its phosphorylation status. To test whether RB regulates cell cycle progression, purified RB proteins, either full-length or a truncated form containing the T antigen-binding region, were injected into cells. Injection of either protein early in G1 inhibits progression into S phase. Co-injection of anti-RB antibodies antagonizes this effect. Injection of RB into cells arrested at G1/S or late in G1 has no effect on BrdU incorporation, suggesting that RB does not inhibit DNA synthesis in S phase. These results indicate that RB regulates cell proliferation by restricting cell cycle progression at a specific point in G1 and establish a biological assay for RB activity. Neither co-injection of RB with a T antigen peptide nor injection into cells expressing T antigen prevents cells from progressing into S phase, which supports the hypothesis that T antigen binding has functional consequences for RB.     

转基因白桦中GUS基因表达的定量分析

以转基因白桦（Betula platyphylla）为材料,采用单酶切结合Southern杂交的方法揭示不同转基因植株中GUS基因的整合拷贝数为1—4个。采用组织化学染色法定性分析不同整合方式转基因白桦植株中GUS基因的表达。结果表明,11个转基因植株中有2株出现了GUS基因沉默,其余植株均有不同水平的GUS表达。在此基础上应用分光光度法定量分析不同拷贝数的GUS转基因白桦中β-葡萄糖醛酸酶活性。结果表明,在11个转基因尢性系中除2个株系的GUS基因沉默外,其它9个转基因植株中GUS酶活力差异明显,但这种差异与GUS基因的拷贝数没有必然联系。