小地老虎雄蛾中胚层生殖腺缢缩瓣膜结构和功能

该文通过光镜、电镜和生化分析等方法,详细观察了小地老虎雄蛾中胚层生殖腺缢缩的形态、数目、位置和细胞特化的瓣膜结构,并研究了缢缩的瓣膜结构和隔离中胚层生殖腺分泌物的功能。结果表明：缢缩是雄蛾中胚层生殖腺上显著收缩段,有7个,分别在雄性附腺—贮精囊、贮精囊—精包腺1段、精包腺1～5各段之间,精包腺5段—C形管;缢缩自内向外为4层,即瓣膜细胞、底膜、肌肉和围膜,肌肉层发达;缢缩瓣膜结构是细胞极度伸长特化形成的,其特点是：多数细胞伸长超过原长度的一倍以上,顶区膨大呈蘑菇突,纵横交错堵塞管腔,其顶段的微绒毛致密而细长,稠密的粗面内质网和稀疏的高尔基体环绕在核的四周,细胞间隙发达;缢缩瓣膜结构具有隔离相邻区段中胚层生殖腺分泌物的功能,致使各区段分泌物在蛋白质电泳谱带数和迁移率,以及经PAS染色后在腺腔横切面上的构象存在显著差异。     

The photosynthetic characteristics of differently shaped leaves in Populus euphratica Olivier

There is a distinct leaf shape polymorphism within a single plant of P. euphratica Olivier. The anatomical structure, carbon isotope discrimination (Δ¹³C), and stomatal and photosynthetic behaviour were investigated in broad-ovate (BOL) and lanceolate (LL) leaves, located at the top and bottom in crown, respectively, of a mature Euphrates poplar growing in its native habitat. Both types of leaves had a non-Kranz anatomy and low Δ¹³C values. However, Δ¹³C of a LL was in average 3.2‰ larger than that of a BOL. In comparison with the LL, the BOL had a smaller stomatal conductance, causing subsequent decreases in transpiration rate and ratio of CO₂ concentrations in intercellular spaces to air. Carbon assimilation rate and water use efficiency were higher in the BOLs than in the LLs. The BOL exhibited C₄-like enzymological features, the activity of glycollate oxidase, and the ratio of activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC) to phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) was lower in BOL than in LL throughout the whole growing season. The lowered ratio of RuBPC/PEPC in BOL was mainly associated with a marked decline in the activity of RuBPC, and only a slight increase in the activity of PEPC. These differences might contribute to microclimate adaptation in both types of leaves.     

Pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein that supports vitellogenin uptake by promoting patency

Ovarian follicles of Hyalophora cecropia stopped accumulating [³⁵S]vitellogenin when incubated in pertussis toxin, a G_i protein inactivator. At a cellular level, the responses to pertussis toxin resembled those described earlier to cell-permeant analogs of cyclic AMP. They included accelerated ³⁶Cl^– exchange, ⁸⁶Rb⁺ uptake, and follicle cell swelling, which in turn resulted in a loss of epithelial patency. A 34% rise in follicular cAMP content accompanied these changes. In particulate fractions of follicle homogenates, pertussis toxin catalyzed the ADP-ribosylation of a polypeptide that resolved at 39 kDa in SDS-PAGE; rabbit antibodies to a C-terminal decapeptide common to 39 kDa mammalian G_iα-3 and G_oα were bound in immunoblots at this same location. The findings suggest that a pertussis toxin-sensitive Gα facilitates epithelial patency during vitellogenesis by suppressing cAMP levels. When follicles are released from this restraint, either experimentally with pertussis toxin or by progressing to the next phase in their normal program of development, cAMP levels rise and vitellogenesis terminates. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 39:36–45, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

胡杨PeNAC121基因启动子的分离鉴定和胁迫应答模式分析

为了探究NAC转录因子家族成员在胡杨（Populus euphratica）逆境胁迫中的响应和调控机制,利用PCR技术从胡杨中克隆了PeNAC121基因的启动子序列,并采用生物信息学工具对该启动子的结构特征进行了分析,最后利用该启动子驱动GUS报告基因在三倍体毛白杨（Populus tomentosa）中表达,并对获得的转基因植株采用不同胁迫处理后进行了GUS染色和酶活性定量分析。结果表明,克隆获得的PeNAC121基因的启动子长度为1 997 bp（起始密码子ATG上游）,启动序列中除了含有大量的光响应元件,还含有多个与非生物逆境胁迫和激素响应相关的元件,如低温响应元件LTR、干旱响应元件MBS、防卫和胁迫响应元件TC-rich repeats、脱落酸（ABA）响应元件、以及赤霉素（GA）响应元件等。基因的组织表达模式检测结果显示,PeNAC121基因主要在茎中表达,在根和叶中的表达较少。GUS组织化学染色和酶活性检测结果表明,胡杨PeNAC121启动子显著受到NaCl、甘露醇、ABA和4 ℃低温的诱导表达。由上述结果推测PeNAC121基因与胡杨的逆境胁迫应答密切相关,表明该基因的启动子是一个能够应答多种逆境胁迫的诱导型启动子。本研究为阐明PeNAC121基因在胡杨逆境响应和调控中的作用机制提供理论参考。     

miR-637 Prevents Glioblastoma Progression by Interrupting ZEB2/WNT/β-catenin Cascades

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most frequent primary malignancies in the central nervous system. Aberrant activation of WNT/β-catenin signaling pathways is critical for GBM malignancy. However, the regulation of WNT/β-catenin signaling cascades remains unclear. Presently, we observed the increased expression of ZEB2 and the decreased expression of miR-637 in GBM. The expression of miR-637 was negatively correlated with ZEB2 expression. miR-637 overexpression overcame the ZEB2-enhanced cell proliferation and G1/S phase transition. Besides, miR-637 suppressed the canonical WNT/β-catenin pathways by targeting WNT7A directly. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments with U251 mice demonstrated that miR-637 inhibited cell proliferation and arrested the G1/S phase transition, leading to tumor growth suppression. The collective findings suggest that ZEB2 and WNT/β-catenin cascades merge at miR-637, and the ectopic expression of miR-637 disturbs ZEB2/WNT/β-catenin-mediated GBM growth. The findings provide new clues for improving β-catenin-targeted therapy against GBM.

     

Oplopane Sesquiterpenes from Ligularia knorringiana and Their Anti‐Complementary Activity

Three new oplopane sesquiterpenes, knorringianalarins D – F ( 1 – 3 , respectively), and five known analogues ( 4 – 8 , respectively), were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Ligularia knorringiana. The structures of three new compounds were identified as 4‐acetoxy‐11α,12‐epoxy‐2β‐hydroxy‐3β‐(2‐methylbutyryloxy)‐9α‐(4‐methylsenecioyloxy)oplop‐10(14)‐ene ( 1 ), 3β,4‐diacetoxy‐9α‐(4‐acetoxy‐4‐methylsenecioyloxy)‐11α,12‐epoxy‐8α‐(2‐methylbutyryloxy)oplop‐10(14)‐ene ( 2 ), and (1R,5R,6R,7R,9R)‐5,9,11‐trihydroxy‐4,15‐dinoroplop‐10(14)‐en‐3‐one ( 3 ) based on spectroscopic methods including 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, mass spectrometry, and CD spectroscopy techniques. All compounds were evaluated for their anti‐complementary activity on the classical pathway of the complement system in vitro. Among which, three oplopane sesquiterpenes ( 3 , 7 , and 8 ) exhibited better anti‐complementary effects with CH₅₀ values ranging from 0.33 to 0.89 mm , which are plausible candidates for developing potent anti‐complementary agents.     

iTRAQ-based proteomics analysis of autophagy-mediated immune responses against the vascular fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae in Arabidopsis

The mechanisms underlying the functional link between autophagy and plant innate immunity remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the autophagy-mediated plant defense responses against Verticillium dahliae (V. dahliae) infection by comparative proteomics and cellular analyses. An assessment of the autophagy activity and disease development showed that autophagic processes were tightly related to the tolerance of Arabidopsis plant to Verticillium wilt. An isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ)-based proteomics analysis was performed, and we identified a total of 780 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) between wild-type and mutant atg10-1 Arabidopsis plants upon V. dahliae infection, of which, 193 ATG8-family-interacting proteins were identified in silico and their associations with autophagy were verified for several selected proteins. Three important aspects of autophagy-mediated defense against V. dahliae infection were revealed: 1) autophagy is required for the activation of upstream defense responses; 2) autophagy-mediated mitochondrial degradation (mitophagy) occurs and is an important player in the defense process; and 3) autophagy promotes the transdifferentiation of perivascular cells and the formation of xylem hyperplasia, which are crucial for protection against this vascular disease. Together, our results provide several novel insights for understanding the functional association between autophagy and plant immune responses.     

DNA barcoding of economically important freshwater fish species from north‐central Nigeria uncovers cryptic diversity

This study examines the utility of morphology and DNA barcoding in species identification of freshwater fishes from north‐central Nigeria. We compared molecular data (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences) of 136 de novo samples from 53 morphologically identified species alongside others in GenBank and BOLD databases. Using DNA sequence similarity‐based (≥97% cutoff) identification technique, 50 (94.30%) and 24 (45.30%) species were identified to species level using GenBank and BOLD databases, respectively. Furthermore, we identified cases of taxonomic problems in 26 (49.00%) morphologically identified species. There were also four (7.10%) cases of mismatch in DNA barcoding in which our query sequence in GenBank and BOLD showed a sequence match with different species names. Using DNA barcode reference data, we also identified four unknown fish samples collected from fishermen to species level. Our Neighbor‐joining (NJ) tree analysis recovers several intraspecific species clusters with strong bootstrap support (≥95%). Analysis uncovers two well‐supported lineages within Schilbe intermedius. The Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of Nigerian S. intermedius with others from GenBank recover four lineages. Evidence of genetic structuring is consistent with geographic regions of sub‐Saharan Africa. Thus, cryptic lineage diversity may illustrate species’ adaptive responses to local environmental conditions. Finally, our study underscores the importance of incorporating morphology and DNA barcoding in species identification. Although developing a complete DNA barcode reference library for Nigerian ichthyofauna will facilitate species identification and diversity studies, taxonomic revisions of DNA sequences submitted in databases alongside voucher specimens are necessary for a reliable taxonomic and diversity inventory.     

LncRNA-135528 inhibits tumor progression by up-regulating CXCL10 through the JAK/STAT pathway

Spontaneous tumor regression can be observed in many tumors, however, studies related to the altered expression of lncRNA in spontaneous glioma regression are limited, and the potential contributions of lncRNAs to spontaneous glioma regression remain unknown. To investigate the biological roles of lncRNA-135528 in spontaneous glioma regression. The cDNA fragment of lncRNA-135528 was obtained by rapid-amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technology and cloned into the plvx-mcmv-zsgreen-puro vector. Additionally, we stably silenced or overexpressed lncRNA-135528 in G422 cells by transfecting with siRNA against lncRNA-135528 or lncRNA-135528 overexpression plasmid. Then, we examined lncRNA-135528 overexpressing and lncRNA-135528 silencing on glioma cells and its effects on CXCL10 and JAK/STAT pathways. The main findings indicated that lncRNA-135528 promoted glioma cell apoptosis, inhibited cell proliferation and arrested cell cycle progression; the up-regulation of lncRNA135528 led to significantly increased CXCL10 levels and the differential expression of mRNA associated with JAK/STAT pathway in glioma cells. lncRNA-135528 can inhibit tumor progression by up-regulating CXCL10 through the JAK/STAT pathway.     

Hydrogen sulfide is involved in the regulation of ascorbate and glutathione metabolism by jasmonic acid in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis>

This study investigated the role of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in the regulation of the ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) metabolism by jasmonic acid (JA) in the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana by using H₂S scavenger hypotaurine (HT) and H₂S synthetic mutant (SALK_041918, designated Atl-cdes). The results showed that JA significantly increased the H₂S content, the activities of L-cysteine desulfhydrase (L-CDes), D-cysteine desulfhydrase (D-CDes), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GalLDH) and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-ECS), the ratio of AsA to dehydroascorbate (DHA), and decreased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H₂O₂ in the wild type of A. thaliana, compared to control. The above effects of JA except the increased activities of L-CDes and D-CDes were suppressed by addition of HT. However, JA and HT+JA had no significant effects on the ratio of reduced GSH to oxidized GSH (GSSG) in the wild type of A. thaliana. Application of HT to the control decreased H₂S content, AsA/DHA ratio, and activities of APX, GR, DHAR, MDHAR, γ-ECS, and GalLDH, but had no effects on MDA content, activities of L-CDes and D-CDes, and GSH/GSSG ratio. In the H₂S synthetic mutant, JA had no obvious effects on above mentioned parameters except the D-CDes activity compared with the control. Our results suggest that JA-induced H₂S, which is a signal that leads to the up-regulation of the AsA and GSH metabolism.