Chromium isotopic composition of core‐top planktonic foraminifera

The chromium isotope system (⁵³Cr/⁵²Cr expressed as δ⁵³Cr relative to NIST SRM 979) is potentially a powerful proxy for the redox state of the ocean–atmosphere system, but a lack of temporally continuous, well‐calibrated archives has limited its application to date. Marine carbonates could potentially serve as a common and continuous Cr isotope archive. Here, we present the first evaluation of planktonic foraminiferal calcite as an archive of seawater δ⁵³Cr. We show that single foraminiferal species from globally distributed core tops yielded variable δ⁵³Cr, ranging from 0.1‰ to 2.5‰. These values do not match with the existing measurements of seawater δ⁵³Cr. Further, within a single core‐top, species with similar water column distributions (i.e., depth habitats) yielded variable δ⁵³Cr values. In addition, mixed layer and thermocline species do not consistently exhibit decreasing trends in δ⁵³Cr as expected based on current understanding of Cr cycling in the ocean. These observations suggest that either seawater δ⁵³Cr is more heterogeneous than previously thought or that there is significant and species‐dependent Cr isotope fractionation during foraminiferal calcification. Given that the δ⁵³Cr variability is comparable to that observed in geological samples throughout Earth's history, interpreting planktonic foraminiferal δ⁵³Cr without calibrating modern foraminifera further, and without additional seawater measurements, would lead to erroneous conclusions. Our core‐top survey clearly indicates that planktonic foraminifera are not a straightforward δ⁵³Cr archive and should not be used to study marine redox evolution without additional study. It likewise cautions against the use of δ⁵³Cr in bulk carbonate or other biogenic archives pending further work on vital effects and the geographic heterogeneity of the Cr isotope composition of seawater.     

Activation of apoptosis by ethyl acetate fraction of ethanol extract of Dianthus superbus in HepG2 cell line

Dianthus superbus L. is commonly used as a traditional Chinese medicine. We recently showed that ethyl acetate fraction (EE-DS) from ethanol extract of D. superbus exhibited the strongest antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. In this study, we examined apoptosis of HepG2 cells induced by EE-DS, and the mechanism underlying apoptosis was also investigated. Treatment of HepG2 cells with EE-DS (20-80 μg/ml) for 48 h led to a significant dose-dependent increase in the percentage of cells in sub-G1 phase by analysis of the content of DNA in cells, and a large number of apoptotic bodies containing nuclear fragments were observed in cells treated with 80 μg/ml of EE-DS for 24 h by using Hoechst 33258 staining. These data show that EE-DS can induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Immunoblot analysis showed that EE-DS significantly suppressed the expressions of Bcl-2 and NF-κB. Treatment of cells with EE-DS (80 μg/ml) for 48 h resulted in significant increase of cytochrome c in the cytosol, which indicated cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Activation of caspase-9 and -3 were also determined when the cells treated with EE-DS. The results suggest that apoptosis of HepG2 cells induced by EE-DS could be through the mitochondrial intrinsic pathway. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data showed that the composition of EE-DS is complicated. Further studies are needed to find the effective constituents of EE-DS.     

Differential incision of bulky carcinogen-DNA adducts by the UvrABC nuclease: comparison of incision rates and the interactions of Uvr subunits with lesions of different structures

The UvrABC nuclease system from Escherichia coli removes DNA damages induced by a wide range of chemical carcinogens with variable efficiencies. The interactions with UvrABC proteins of the following three lesions site-specifically positioned in DNA, and of known conformations, were investigated: (i) adducts derived from the binding of the (-)-(7S,8R,9R,10S) enantiomer of 7,8-dihydroxy-9, 10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene [(-)-anti-BPDE] by cis-covalent addition to N(2)-2'-deoxyguanosine [(-)-cis-anti-BP-N(2)-dG], (ii) an adduct derived from the binding of the (+)-(1R,2S,3S,4R) enantiomer of 1,2-dihydroxy-3,4-epoxy-1,2,3, 4-tetrahydro-5-methylchrysene [(+)-anti-5-MeCDE] by trans addition to N(2)-2'-deoxyguanosine [(+)-trans-anti-MC-N(2)-dG], and (iii) a C8-2'-deoxyguanosine adduct (C8-AP-dG) formed by reductively activated 1-nitropyrene (1-NP). The influence of these three different adducts on UvrA binding affinities, formation of UvrB-DNA complexes by quantitative gel mobility shift analyses, and the rates of UvrABC incision were investigated. The binding affinities of UvrA varied among the three adducts. UvrA bound to the DNA adduct (+)-trans-anti-MC-N(2)-dG with the highest affinity (K(d) = 17 +/- 2 nM) and to the DNA containing C8-AP-dG with the least affinity (K(d) = 28 +/- 1 nM). The extent of complex formation with UvrB was also the lowest with the C8-AP-dG adduct. 5' Incisions occurred at the eighth phosphate from the modified guanine. The major 3' incision site corresponded to the fifth phosphodiester bond for all three adducts. However, additional 3' incisions were observed at the fourth and sixth phosphates in the case of the C8-AP-dG adduct, whereas in the case of the (-)-cis-anti-BP-N(2)-dG and (+)-trans-anti-MC-N(2)-dG lesions additional 3' cleavage occurred at the sixth and seventh phosphodiester bonds. Both the initial rate and the extent of 5' and 3' incisions revealed that C8-AP-dG was repaired less efficiently in comparison to the (-)-cis-anti-BP-N(2)-dG and (+)-trans-anti-MC-N(2)-dG containing DNA adducts. Our study showed that UvrA recognizes conformational changes induced by structurally different lesions and that in certain cases the binding affinities of UvrA and UvrB can be correlated with the incision rates. The size of the bubble formed around the damaged site with mismatched bases also appears to influence the incision rates. A particularly noteworthy finding in this study is that UvrABC repair of a substrate with no base opposite C8-AP-dG was quite inefficient as compared to the same adduct with a C opposite it. These findings are discussed in terms of the available NMR solution structures.     

中国盲蝽科两新种六新纪录(半翅目:盲蝽科)

本文共记述盲蝽科叶盲蝽亚科(Phylinae)新种两个,计为:宽束盲蝽 Pilophorus latus sp.nov.和黄平盲蝽 Zanchius vitellinus sp.nov.。两新种的模式产地均为云南。并记录了6个中国新纪录种,计为:棕二带束盲蝽 Pilophorus alstoni Schuh、长黑束盲蝽 Pilophorus dailahn Schuh、细毛束盲蝽 Pilophorus setulosus Horvath、朝束盲蝽 Pilophorus koreanus Josifov、褐束盲蝽 Pilophorusgallicus Remane、亮束盲椿 Pilophorus lucidus Linnavuori。     

hrpD6基因决定白叶枯病菌在烟草上的过敏反应和在水稻上的致病性

【目的】白叶枯病菌hrp基因簇由包括hrpD6在内的26个hpa-hrp-hrc基因组成,与植物互作后形成Ⅲ型分泌系统(T3S),将T3S效应分子注入寄主细胞中从而决定在非寄主上的过敏反应(HR)和在水稻上的致病性。但hrpD6基因是否参与了白叶枯病菌在非寄主上的过敏反应(HR)和在水稻上的致病性(pathogenicity)还不清楚。【方法】借助同源重组方法,本研究对白叶枯病菌hrpD6基因进行了突变。【结果】PCR和Southern杂交结果显示,hrpD6基因被成功敲除。烟草上测定结果显示,hrpD6突变体ΔPhrpD6丧失了HR激发能力。致病性测定发现,ΔPhrpD6在水稻苗期不能形成水渍症状,在成株期水稻上不具有致病性,并且细菌生长能力显著下降。功能互补结果显示,hrpD6基因可恢复ΔPhrpD6在烟草上激发HR和在水稻上的致病性以及在水稻组织中的生长能力。RT-PCR结果显示,hrpD6基因的转录表达不仅受水稻诱导,而且受hrpG和hrpX基因调控。不仅如此,hrpD6基因突变还影响T3S效应分子hpa1基因的转录表达和Hpa1蛋白的分泌,暗示hrpD6基因对hpa1基因转录表达具有调控作用。【结论】hrpD6基因的缺失导致白叶枯病菌不能激发烟草产生HR和和丧失在水稻上的致病性,主要是HrpD6对hpa1基因转录表达具有调控作用,并影响T3S效应分子Hpa1的分泌。这些结果为进一步分析hrpD6是否参与T3S分泌装置的形成和调控其它hrp基因的转录表达从而决定病菌在非寄主上的HR和在水稻上的致病性,提供了科学线索。     

Diversity patterns of ground beetles and understory vegetation in mature,secondary, and plantation forest regions of temperate northern China

Plantation and secondary forests form increasingly important components of the global forest cover, but our current knowledge about their potential contribution to biodiversity conservation is limited. We surveyed understory plant and carabid species assemblages at three distinct regions in temperate northeastern China, dominated by mature forest (Changbaishan Nature Reserve, sampled in 2011 and 2012), secondary forest (Dongling Mountain, sampled in 2011 and 2012), and forest plantation habitats (Bashang Plateau, sampled in 2006 and 2007), respectively. The α‐diversity of both taxonomic groups was highest in plantation forests of the Bashang Plateau. Beetle α‐diversity was lowest, but plant and beetle species turnover peaked in the secondary forests of Dongling Mountain, while habitats in the Changbaishan Nature Reserve showed the lowest turnover rates for both taxa. Changbaishan Nature Reserve harbored the highest proportion of forest specialists. Our results suggest that in temperate regions of northern China, the protected larch plantation forest established over extensive areas might play a considerable role in maintaining a high biodiversity in relation to understory herbaceous plant species and carabid assemblages, which can be seen as indicators of forest disturbance. The high proportion of phytophagous carabids and the rarity of forest specialists reflect the relatively homogenous, immature status of the forest ecosystems on the Bashang Plateau. China's last remaining large old‐growth forests like the ones on Changbaishan represent stable, mature ecosystems which require particular conservation attention.     

Integrated Analysis Reveals together miR-182, miR-200c and miR-221 Can Help in the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer

Research has shown that microRNAs are promising biomarkers that can be used to promote a more accurate diagnosis of cancer. In this study, we developed an integrated multi-step selection process to analyze available high-throughput datasets to obtain information on microRNAs as cancer biomarkers. Applying this approach to the microRNA expression profiles of prostate cancer and the datasets in The Cancer Genome Atlas Data Portal, we identified miRNA-182, miRNA-200c and miRNA-221 as possible biomarkers for prostate cancer. The associations between the expressions of these three microRNAs with clinical parameters as well as their diagnostic capability were studied. Several online databases were used to predict the target genes of these three microRNAs, and the results were confirmed by significant statistical correlations. Comparing with the other 18 types of cancers listed in The Cancer Genome Atlas Data Portal, we found that the combination of both miRNA-182 and miRNA-200c being up-regulated and miRNA-221 being down-regulated only happens in prostate cancer. This provides a unique biological characteristic for prostate cancer that can potentially be used for diagnosis based on tissue testing. In addition, our study also revealed that these three microRNAs are associated with the pathological status of prostate cancer.     

Stimulation of artemisinin synthesis by combined cerebroside and nitric oxide elicitation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Artemisia annua</Emphasis> hairy roots

This work examined the accumulation of artemisinin and related secondary metabolism pathways in hairy root cultures of Artemisia annua L. induced by a fungal-derived cerebroside (2S,2′R,3R,3′E,4E,8E)-1-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-2-N-(2′-hydroxy-3′-octadecenoyl)-3-hydroxy-9-methyl-4,8-sphingadienine. The presence of the cerebroside induced nitric oxide (NO) burst and artemisinin biosynthesis in the hairy roots. The endogenous NO generation was examined to be involved in the cerebroside-induced biosynthesis of artemisinin by using NO inhibitors, N _ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide. The gene expression and activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase and 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase were stimulated by the cerebroside, but more strongly by the potentiation of NO. While the mevalonate pathway inhibitor, mevinolin, only partially inhibited the induced artemisinin accumulation, the plastidic 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway inhibitor, fosmidomycin, nearly arrested artemisinin accumulation induced by cerebroside and the combination elicitation with an NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP). With the potentiation by SNP at 10 μM, the cerebroside elicitor stimulated artemisinin production in 20-day-old hairy root cultures up to 22.4 mg/l, a 2.3-fold increase over the control. These results suggest that cerebroside plays as a novel elicitor and the involvement of NO in the signaling pathway of the elicitor activity for artemisinin biosynthesis.     

Deep phylogeographic divergence of a migratory passerine in Sino‐Himalayan and Siberian forests: the Red‐flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus) complex

Enormous mountainous forests in Sino‐Himalayans and Siberia harbor important avian biodiversity in the Northern Hemisphere. Numerous studies in last two decades have been contributed to systematics and taxonomy of passerines birds in these regions and have revealed various and complex phylogeographic patterns. A passerine species Red‐flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus provided a good system to manifest such evolutionary complexity. The subspecies T. c. cyanurus and T. c. rufilatus (or/and T. c. pallidior), divergent in morphology, acoustics, and migratory strategies are allopatric in Siberia and Sino‐Himalayan forests, respectively. The two taxa most likely deserve full species status but rigorous genetic analysis is missing. In this study, multilocus phylogeography based on mitochondrial DNA and Z‐linked DNA reveals that T. c. cyanurus and T. c. rufilatus are reciprocally monophyletic with significant statistical support and differ with a large number of diagnostic nucleotide sites resulting substantial genetic divergence. Our finding supports the proposed split of Tarsiger cyanurus s.l. that T. cyanurus and T. rufilatus should be treated as two full species. Whether “pallidior” is a subspecies or geographical form of T. rufilatus is still uncertain. Additionally, these two forest passerine species may have diverged 1.88 (3.25–1.30) Mya, which might be shaped by geographical vicariance due to grassland and desert steppe on the central Loess Plateau during the Pliocene. Taken together, this study and further suggests another independent example of North Palearctic–Sino‐Himalayan phylogeographic pattern in Palearctic birds.     

大豆异黄酮对大鼠乳腺癌细胞内cAMP/PKA信号途径的影响

本实验研究了大豆异黄酮对SHZ-88大鼠乳腺癌细胞内cAMP／PKA信号途径的影响。实验设3组：空白对照组、50μg／ml大豆黄酮及15μg／ml染料木素组。采用放射免疫测定法（RIA）检测了胞内cAMP的浓度、腺苷酸环化酶（adenylate cyclase,AC）和磷酸二酯酶（phosphodiesterase,PDE）的活性,用（γ-^32P）ATP掺入法测定cAMP依赖性PKA的活性,半定量RT-PCR法分析cAMP反应元件结合蛋白（cAMP response element binding protein,CREB）mRNA表达的变化。结果表明：在处理后5min,大豆黄酮组和染料木素组细胞的cAMP浓度分别比对照组升高了9．5％和11．0％（P〈0．05）：10min时,分别比对照组升高31．0％和40.3％（P〈0．01）。3组细胞的AC活性在处理时间内没有明显变化。但在处理后5min,大豆黄酮组和染料木素组细胞的PDE活性分别降至对照组的71．8％和71．6％（P〈0．05）。处理后20min,大豆黄酮组和染料木素组细胞PKA活性分别上升到对照组的125．8％和122．3％（P〈0．05）;到40min时仍维持在高水平。大豆黄酮组和染料木素组细胞CREB mRNA的表达量在处理后3h分别比对照组增加31．6％和51．1％（P〈0．05）;6h后开始下降。这些结果提示,大豆异黄酮能够激活大鼠乳腺癌细胞内cAMP／PKA信号途径;而且是通过抑制磷酸二酯酶的活性,导致胞内cAMP浓度升高而实现的。