罗氏沼虾MrLc3a基因cDNA的克隆及在副溶血弧菌胁迫下的表达分析

虾类和果蝇同属节肢动物.果蝇的相关研究表明自噬与免疫关系密切,而虾类自噬机制研究鲜少.微管相关蛋白1轻链3 (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3,Lc3)与自噬基因Atg8同源,其与自噬体的形成密切相关,是自噬活性的标志分子.本研究利用RACE技术克隆了罗氏沼虾的MrLc3a基因的全长cDNA,用RT-qPCR检测了该基因在罗氏沼虾主要组织中的表达量;并研究了正常和副溶血弧菌感染两种情况下MrLc3a基因和免疫基因Relish的表达变化情况,为其在病害防御方面的应用提供了前期数据.试验结果表明:MrLc3a基因全长653 bp,其中包括195 bp的5'-UTR、378 bp的ORF开放阅读框和80 bp的3'-UTR,共编码126个氨基酸;序列比对结果显示,其编码的氨基酸序列和南美白对虾Lc3a编码的氨基酸序列具有较高的同源性,并在系统发育树上聚为一支;RT-qPCR结果显示,MrLc3a基因在罗氏沼虾各个组织均有表达,其中在脑、鳃、胃中的表达量较高,在肝胰腺和性腺中的表达量较少;副溶血弧菌感染罗氏沼虾后显著影响了MrLc3a和Relish基因在罗氏沼虾肝胰腺组织中的转录情况,MrLc3a和Relish基因随时间变化都呈现出先上升后下降的趋势,表明MrLc3a基因通过参与细胞自噬过程而参与了免疫反应.     

A whole-genome association approach for large-scale interspecies traits

Science China Life Sciences -     

ALPK2 acts as tumor promotor in development of bladder cancer through targeting DEPDC1A

Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the urinary system. The development and improvement of treatment efficiency require the deepening of the understanding of its molecular mechanism. This study investigated the role of ALPK2, which is rarely studied in malignant tumors, in the development of bladder cancer. Our results showed the upregulation of ALPK2 in bladder cancer, and data mining of TCGA database showed the association between ALPK2 and pathological parameters of patients with bladder cancer. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that knockdown of ALPK2 could inhibit bladder cancer development through regulating cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and cell migration. Additionally, DEPDC1A is identified as a potential downstream of ALPK2 with direct interaction, whose overexpression/downregulation can inhibit/promote the malignant behavioral of bladder cancer cells. Moreover, the overexpression of DEPDC1A can rescue the inhibitory effects of ALPK2 knockdown on bladder cancer. In conclusion, ALPK2 exerts a cancer-promoting role in the development of bladder cancer by regulating DEPDC1A, which may become a promising target to improve the treatment strategy of bladder cancer.Subject terms: Cancer models, Bladder cancer     

Polymorphisms of the Myostatin Gene and Its Relationship with Reproduction Traits in the Bian Chicken

Myostatin, or growth and differentiation factor 8, is a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily; it functions as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development and growth in mammals. In this study, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the 5′ regulatory region and exon 1 of the myostatin gene were detected by PCR–SSCP in the Bian, Jinghai, Youxi, and Arbor Acre chickens, and the associations of the polymorphisms with reproduction traits were analyzed. Seven SNPs (A326G, C334G, C1346T, G1375A, A1473G, G1491A, and G2283A) were found in the myostatin gene. Association analysis showed that the G2283A were significantly associated with reproduction traits. Bian chickens of the GG genotype had a greater age at first egg than those of the GA and AA genotypes (P < 0.01). Correspondingly, Bian chickens of the GA and AA genotypes had larger egg number at 300 days than those of the GG genotype (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Bian chickens of the AA genotype had significantly higher body weight at 300 days than those of the GG genotype (P < 0.05). These results suggested that the myostatin gene may have certain effects on reproduction traits other than merely as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development and growth in mammals previously reported.     

蕨菜乙醇提取物的Ames试验研究

目的：研究蕨菜乙醇提取物的致突变作用,为蕨菜的开发利用提供一定依据;方法：制备蕨菜乙醇提取物,采用Ames试验方法,以50μg/皿敌克松作为诱变剂,分别添加提取物50、100、200、400、800μg/皿,统计回变菌落数;结果：受试物各剂量组回变菌落数均未超过自发回变菌落数的2倍,且无剂量-反应关系;结论：在本实验条件下,蕨菜乙醇提取物无致突变作用.     

A semi-automated method for hexahedral mesh construction of human vertebrae from CT scans

Generation of finite element (FE) meshes of vertebrae from computed tomography (CT) scans is labour intensive due to their geometric complexity. As such, techniques that simplify creation of meshes of vertebrae are needed to make FE analysis feasible for large studies and clinical applications. Techniques to obtain a geometric representation of bone contours from CT scans of vertebrae and construct a hexahedral mesh from the contours were developed. An automated edge detection technique was developed to identify surface contours of the vertebrae, followed by atlas based B-spline curve fitting to construct curves from the edge points. The method was automatic and robust to missing data, with a controllable degree of smoothing and interpolation. Parametric mapping was then used to generate nodes for each CT slice, which were connected between slices to obtain a hexahedral mesh. This method could be adapted for modelling a variety of orthopaedic structures.     

Stochastic modelling of wall stresses in abdominal aortic aneurysms treated by a gene therapy

A stochastic mechanical model using the membrane theory was used to simulate the in vivo mechanical behaviour of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in order to compute the wall stresses after stabilisation by gene therapy. For that, both length and diameter of AAAs rats were measured during their expansion. Four groups of animals, control and treated by an endovascular gene therapy during 3 or 28 days were included. The mechanical problem was solved analytically using the geometric parameters and assuming the shape of aneurysms by a ‘parabolic–exponential curve’. When compared to controls, stress variations in the wall of AAAs for treated arteries during 28 days decreased, while they were nearly constant at day 3. The measured geometric parameters of AAAs were then investigated using probability density functions (pdf) attributed to every random variable. Different trials were useful to define a reliable confidence region in which the probability to have a realisation is equal to 99%. The results demonstrated that the error in the estimation of the stresses can be greater than 28% when parameters uncertainties are not considered in the modelling. The relevance of the proposed approach for the study of AAA growth may be studied further and extended to other treatments aimed at stabilisation AAAs, using biotherapies and pharmacological approaches.