磷脂酶Dδ参与植物的低温驯化过程

对经低温驯化和未经低温驯化的磷脂酶Dδ (PLDδ)基因敲除突变体与野生型植株进行冻害胁迫处理后, 比较2种基因型植株的抗冻性。结果发现, 经低温驯化的PLDδ敲除突变体的抗冻性明显低于野生型, 而未经低温驯化的PLDδ敲除突变体与野生型的抗冻性没有显著差异, 表明PLDδ参与植物的低温驯化过程。对PLDδ的作用途径进行分析, 发现PLDδ在低温驯化过程中不参与抗氧化酶活性的调节, 对脯氨酸和可溶性糖的积累起负调节作用, 但是参与低温信号转导物质ABA诱导抗冻性的过程。     

桃园节肢动物群落的多样性、均匀度和相对稳定性季节动态

对桃园节肢动物群落进行了系统调查,并对数据进行了数学分析．结果表明,群落与植食动物亚群落的多样性指数相关系数为0．9480,两者极显著相关;群落与捕食动物亚群落的多样性指数相关系数为0．7855,两者极显著相关;两个亚群落的多样性均与群落多样性有关,两个亚群落多样性指数间相关系数为0．6741,两者显著相关;群落多样性指数与群落均匀度指数问相关系数为0．7870,两者极显著相关;群落多样性指数与两个亚群落均匀度指数之间均不相关．群落多样性指数(H’),与捕食性动物个体数(Sd)和植食性动物个体数(Sz)之比值(Sd／Sz)相关系数为0．8112,两者极显著相关;与群落物种数(Sz)和个体数(Si)之比值(Sz／Si)相关系数为0．9188,两者极显著相关;与捕食动物类群(科)数(Spl)和植食动物类群(科)数(Szl)之比值(Spl／Szl)不相关。     

Biogeographic Patterns of Structural Traits and C:N:P Stoichiometry of Tree Twigs in China’s Forests

There have been a number of studies on biogeographic patterns of plant leaf functional traits; however, the variations in traits of other plant organs such as twigs are rarely investigated. In this study, we sampled current-year twigs of 335 tree species from 12 forest sites across a latitudinal span of 32 degrees in China, and measured twig specific density (TSD), twig dry matter content (TDMC), and carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) contents, to explore the latitudinal and environmental patterns of these twig traits. The overall mean of TSD and TDMC was 0.37 g cm⁻³ and 41%, respectively; mean twig C, N and P was 472 mg g⁻¹, 9.8 mg g⁻¹ and 1.15 mg g⁻¹, respectively, and mean N:P mass ratio was 10.6. TSD was positively correlated with TDMC which was positively associated with twig C but negatively with twig N and P. There were no significant differences in TSD between conifer, deciduous-broadleaf and evergreen-broadleaf plants, but evergreen-broadleaf plants had the lowest and conifers the highest TDMC. Conifer twigs were lowest in C, N, P and N:P, whereas deciduous-plant twigs were highest in N and P and evergreen-plant twigs were highest in C and N:P. As latitude increased or temperature/precipitation dropped, TDMC and P increased, but N:P ratio decreased. Our results also showed that the patterns of twig P and N:P stoichiometry were consistent with those reported for leaves, but no significant trends in twig N were observed along the gradient of latitude, climate and soils. This study provides the first large-scale patterns of the twig traits and will improve our understanding of the biogeochemistry of carbon and other key nutrients in forest ecosystems.     

不同去趋势方法的新疆东天山高低海拔雪岭云杉树轮宽度年表对气候的响应

利用新疆东天山高低海拔雪岭云杉(Picea schrenkiana Fisch.et Mey.)年轮样本,采用样条函数法、负指数函数法和区域曲线法3种去趋势方法研制树轮宽度标准化年表,通过分析不同去趋势方法的新疆东天山高低海拔云杉树轮宽度标准化年表特征、年表与气候响应的关系和年表间在不同频域互相关,及其与其它资料对比发现:(1)3种去趋势法对东天山年表质量影响较小,低海拔树轮年表含有更多可靠的气候变化信息。(2)高海拔的雪岭云杉树木径向生长与6—9月平均气温均呈显著正相关,其中标准化树轮年表与7月平均气温相关系数达0.553(P0.01,n=58),夏季温度可能是东天山高海拔雪岭云杉径向生长的主要限制因子;低海拔雪岭云杉树木径向生长与春季降水显著正相关,同时与春季平均气温显著负相关,春季高温和缺水共同作用的春旱可能是影响低海拔雪岭云杉径向生长的主导因子,且负指数函数年表对气候响应更敏感。(3)区域曲线法能够保留树轮标准化年表中更多低频信息,但优势不明显。高低海拔标准化年表在低频域相关系数较大,并和历史干旱事件有很好的对应。在东天山高低海拔雪岭云杉的去趋势方法研究中,负指数函数法比样条函数法和区域曲线法更适合。     

Efficient display of active lipase LipB52 with a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis> cell surface display system and comparison with the LipB52 displayed on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> cell surface

Background  

For industrial bioconversion processes, the utilization of surface-displayed lipase in the form of whole-cell biocatalysts is more advantageous, because the enzymes are displayed on the cell surface spontaneously, regarded as immobilized enzymes.     

A novel psychrophilic lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens with unique property in chiral resolution and biodiesel production via transesterification

A lipase-producing bacterium strain B68 screened from soil samples of China was identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens. With GenomeWalker, the open reading frame of lipase gene lipB68, encoding 476 amino acids, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). By affinity chromatography, the recombinant LipB68 protein was purified to the purity of 95%. As a member of lipase subfamily I.3, LipB68 has a unique optimum temperature of 20 °C, which was the lowest in this subfamily. In chiral resolution, LipB68 effectively catalyzed the transesterification of both α-phenylethanol and α-phenylpropanol at 20 °C, achieving E values greater than 100 and 60 after 120 h, respectively. Among all the known catalysts in biodiesel production, LipB68 produced biodiesel with a yield of 92% after 12 h, at the lowest temperature of 20 °C, and is the first one of the I.3 lipase subfamily reported to be capable of catalyzing the transesterification reaction of biodiesel production. Since lipase-mediated biodiesel production is normally carried out at 35–50 °C, the availability of a highly active lipase with a low optimal temperature can provide substantial savings in energy consumption. Thus, this novel psychrophilic lipase (LipB68) may represent a highly competitive energy-saving biocatalyst.     

MicroRNA-452 promotes tumorigenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B

Rare genetic mutations in the DJ-1 and Parkin genes cause recessive Parkinsonism, however, the relationship between these two genes is not fully elucidated. Current emerging evidence suggests that these genes are involved in mitochondrial homeostasis, and that a deficiency in either of these two genes is associated with damages in mitochondrial function and morphology. In this study, we demonstrated that knockdown of DJ-1 expression or the overexpression of the DJ-1 L166P mutation results in a damaged phenotype in mitochondria and a hypersensitivity to H₂O₂-induced cell apoptosis. These phenotypes result from increased levels of endogenous oxidative stress. However, overexpression of wild-type Parkin rescued the phenotypes observed in the mitochondria of DJ-1 knockdown and DJ-1 L166P mutant cells. We also determined that there were differences between the two cell models. Furthermore, both H₂O₂ treatment and the DJ-1 L166P mutation weakened the interaction between DJ-1 and Parkin. Taken together, these findings suggested that DJ-1 and Parkin were linked through oxidative stress, and that overexpression of Parkin protects DJ-1 protein-deficient and DJ-1 L166P mutant-expressing cells via inhibition of oxidative stress.     

Genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae for one-step fermentation of bioalcohol using corncob as sole carbon source

The corncob is an important biomass for bioalcohol production. However, there is a minor but complicated pretreatment process before it is used for bioalcohol fermentation. In this study, three genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y33 strains containing endoglucanase (EG), cellobiohydrolase (CBH), and β-glucosidase (BG) genes were constructed. A one-step fermentation process was carried out with the recombinants using corncob as the sole carbon source. In a 3-L fermentation system, the concentration of alcohol reached 2.02 g/L and the concentration of glycerine reached 0.85 g/L after 96 h. The results prove that corncob powder can be utilized effectively by genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae without any chemical pretreatment. The mixed recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells show effective synergism in the one-step fermentation system. It is feasible that corncob can be used as the sole carbon source in bioalcohol production with a one-step fermentation process.     

Oral Administration of a Fusion Protein between the Cholera Toxin B Subunit and the 42-Amino Acid Isoform of Amyloid-β Peptide Produced in Silkworm Pupae Protects against Alzheimer's Disease in Mice

A key molecule in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer''s disease (AD) is a 42-amino acid isoform of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ42), which is the most toxic element of senile plaques. In this study, to develop an edible, safe, low-cost vaccine for AD, a cholera toxin B subunit (CTB)-Aβ42 fusion protein was successfully expressed in silkworm pupae. We tested the silkworm pupae-derived oral vaccination containing CTB-Aβ42 in a transgenic mouse model of AD. Anti-Aβ42 antibodies were induced in these mice, leading to a decreased Aβ deposition in the brain. We also found that the oral administration of the silk worm pupae vaccine improved the memory and cognition of mice, as assessed using a water maze test. These results suggest that the new edible CTB-Aβ42 silkworm pupae-derived vaccine has potential clinical application in the prevention of AD.