鸭疫里默氏杆菌RecA作为一种内参蛋白的评价

由于缺少适合的内参蛋白,所以用Western blot的方法来研究鸭疫里默氏杆菌蛋白表达的调节尚未见报道。以鸭疫里默氏杆菌基因组为模板,PCR扩增含有组氨酸标签His-tag的rec A基因和截段的rec AP基因,并分别将其克隆于原核表达载体p ET32a。将重组质粒转化到表达菌Rosetta中,经1mmol/L的IPTG诱导进行蛋白质表达。用组氨酸标签亲和试剂镍-琼脂糖进行重组蛋白质的纯化。用纯化的重组蛋白对4周龄的昆明鼠进行免疫,制备多克隆抗体。Western blot实验表明,截段表达的Rec AP的多克隆抗体血清比全长Rec A蛋白的多克隆抗体血清与鸭疫里默氏杆菌总蛋白反应更特异;在铁离子限制性环境和血红素丰富环境中培养的鸭疫里默氏杆菌的Rec A蛋白表达量一致。因此,鸭疫里默氏杆菌的Rec A蛋白可以在铁离子和血红素代谢等研究中作为Western blot的内参蛋白。     

Two-dimensional electrophoresis on the layers of cellulose acetate membrane

A new type of two-dimensional electrophoresis for analysis of protein using cellulose acetate membrane has been developed. Prior to the separation, proteins in a sample are concentrated to a narrow zone on a strip of cellulose acetate according to “steady-state stacking” of isotachophoresis. Electroendosmotic counterflow on cellulose acetate membranes is advantageous for the isotachophoretic concentration of large sample volumes. The concentrated protein zone is then subjected to electrophoretic separation on the same strip. This first-dimensional separation including the concentrating process is named “concentrating electrophoresis.” Iso-electric focusing on several layers of cellulose acetate membrane is performed in the second-dimensional step. Many kinds of detection methods can be applied to the layers among which proteins are distributed. The novel two-dimensional electrophoresis takes only 5 h to perform.     

Characteristics of the nuclear translocation of progesterone receptor in fetal guinea pig uterus "in vivo", "in vitro" and in organ culture

The translocation of progesterone receptor from the cytosol into the nucleus was studied under "in vivo" and "in vitro" conditions in the uteri of guinea pig fetuses exposed to progesterone or a synthetic progestin, R5020. Progesterone treatment of estrogen-primed fetuses leads to a rapid (before 1h) transfer of cytosol progesterone receptor into the nucleus which is, however, short-lived (less than 3h). A rapid decrease in the retention of the estrogen receptor in the nucleus also occurs. In the "in vitro" incubations of whole fetal uteri, translocation of progesterone receptor is temperature-dependent and specific for progesterone and R5020; estradiol and cortisol have no effect. Putative progesterone receptors can also be induced in explants of fetal guinea pig uteri in organ culture which translocate from the cytosol into the nucleus under the same "in vitro" conditions as in whole uteri. Fetal uterine progesterone receptor, either stimulated "in vivo" by estrogen-priming or induced in organ culture, translocates from the cytosol into the nucleus and this process seems to be accompanied by a decrease in retention of the estrogen receptor in the nucleus which appears to be the mechanism by which progesterone antagonises estrogen action in fetal guinea pig uterus.     

Mesenchyme cells degrade epithelial basal lamina glycosaminoglycan

We investigated whether turnover of basal lamina glycosaminoglycan (GAG), an active process during epithelial morphogenesis, involves the mesenchyme. Fixed, prelabeled, isolated mouse embryo submandibular epithelia were prepared retaining radioactive surface components, as determined by autoradiographic and enzymatic studies, and a basal lamina, as assessed by electron microscopy. Recombination of mouse embryo submandibular mesenchyme with these epithelia stimulates the release of epithelial radioactivity when the labeled precursor is glucosamine or glucose but not when it is amino acid. The release is linear with time during 150 min incubation. Augmented release of epithelial label requires living mesenchyme which must be close proximity with the epithelia. Although heterologous mesenchymes, including lung, trachea, and jaw, stimulate the release of submandibular epithelial label, epithelial tissues do not. The label released by intact submandibular mesenchyme from prelabeled epithelia is in GAG and in two unique fractions: heterogeneous materials of tetrasaccharide or smaller size and N-acetylglucosamine. Enzymatic treatment of the heterogeneous materials revealed the presence of glycosaminoglycan-derived oligosaccharides. These unique products were not obtained by incubating prelabeled epithelia with a mesenchymal cell extract, suggesting that intact mesenchymal cells are required. N-Acetylglucosamine was also released when mesenchyme was recombined with living prelabeled epithelia which contained labeled basal laminar GAG. Our results establish that submandibular epithelial basal lamina GAGs are degraded by submandibular mesenchyme. We propose that one mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal interaction is the degradation of epithelial basal laminar GAG by mesenchyme.     

Quantifying multiple pressure interactions affecting populations of a recreationally and commercially important freshwater fish

The expanding human global footprint and growing demand for freshwater have placed tremendous stress on inland aquatic ecosystems. Aichi Target 10 of the Convention on Biological Diversity aims to minimize anthropogenic pressures affecting vulnerable ecosystems, and pressure interactions are increasingly being incorporated into environmental management and climate change adaptation strategies. In this study, we explore how climate change, overfishing, forest disturbance, and invasive species pressures interact to affect inland lake walleye (Sander vitreus) populations. Walleye support subsistence, recreational, and commercial fisheries and are one of most sought‐after freshwater fish species in North America. Using data from 444 lakes situated across an area of 475 000 km² in Ontario, Canada, we apply a novel statistical tool, R‐INLA, to determine how walleye biomass deficit (carrying capacity—observed biomass) is impacted by multiple pressures. Individually, angling activity and the presence of invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) were positively related to biomass deficits. In combination, zebra mussel presence interacted negatively and antagonistically with angling activity and percentage decrease in watershed mature forest cover. Velocity of climate change in growing degree days above 5°C and decrease in mature forest cover interacted to negatively affect walleye populations. Our study demonstrates how multiple pressure evaluations can be conducted for hundreds of populations to identify influential pressures and vulnerable ecosystems. Understanding pressure interactions is necessary to guide management and climate change adaptation strategies, and achieve global biodiversity targets.     

Improving phosphorus sustainability of sugarcane production in Brazil

Phosphorus (P) use in global food and bioenergy production needs to become more efficient and sustainable to reduce environmental impacts and conserve a finite and critical resource (Carpenter & Bennett, Environmental Research Letters, 2011, 6, 014009; Springmann et al., Nature, 2018, 562, 519). Sugarcane is one crop with a large P footprint because production is centered on P‐fixing soils with low P availability (Roy et al., Nature Plants, 2016, 2, 16043; Withers et al., Scientific Reports, 2018, 8, 2537). As global demand for processed sugar and bioethanol continues to increase, we advocate that improving P efficiency could become a key sustainability goal for the sugarcane industry. Here, we applied the 5R global P stewardship framework (Withers et al., Ambio, 2015, 44, 193) to identify more sustainable options to manage P in Brazilian sugarcane production. We show that current inputs of P fertilizer to the current crop area could be reduced by over 305 Gg, or 63%, over the next three decades by reducing unnecessary P fertilizer use, better utilization of recyclable bioresources and redesigning recommendation systems. Adoption of these 5R options would save the sugarcane industry in Brazil 528 US$ million and help safeguard global food and energy security.     

Oxysterol-induced toxicity in R28 and ARPE-19 cells

Studies have shown an intimate relationship between cholesterol and retinal diseases; we examined the effects of cholesterol oxides on cultured cells. Using the rat retinal precursor cell line R28 and the human RPE cell line ARPE-19, we investigated the potential cytotoxicity of cholesterol oxides. Cultured R28 and ARPE-19 cells were treated with either 25-hydroxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol (0–50 µg/ml). Cell viability was determined by the WST-1 colorimetric assay. Production of reactive oxygen intermediate (ROI) was assessed by a fluorescent probe–based assay (2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate [H₂DCFDA]). To detect the presence of apoptosis, DNA fragmentation gel analysis and Hoescht nuclear staining were performed. Both cholesterol oxides tested were toxic in a time- and dose-dependent fashion to the two cell lines used in this study. Treatment of R28 cells with either 25-hydroxycholesterol or 7-ketocholesterol at a concentration of 25 µg/ml resulted in greater than 50% loss of cell viability after 24 h. ARPE-19 cells were slightly less affected, with a loss of cell viability of approximately 20% and 40% after 24 h-exposure of 25-hydroxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol, respectively. DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation demonstrated apoptotic events occurring in 7-ketocholesterol–treated cells. The fluorescent assay for ROI production showed that after an hour of exposure to 7-ketocholesterol, R28 cells responded with increased levels of ROIs, whereas no immediate production of ROIs were detected with treated ARPE-19 cells. These in vitro findings provide evidence that cholesterol oxides can directly damage cultured retinal and RPE cells. The oxysterol-induced oxidative stress in these cells may be a factor in the pathology of retinal degenerative diseases.     

Variation in DNA-ploidy Levels of Reynoutria Taxa in the Czech Republic

The genus Reynoutria is represented by four taxa in the Czech Republic: Reynoutria japonica var. japonica, R. japonica var. compacta, R. sachalinensis and R. xbohemica. By using flow cytometry, cytological variability within the genus is described based on 257 Reynoutria samples. The varieties of R. japonica are cytologically uniform, var. japonica is exclusively octoploid (2n = 8x = 88) and var. compacta occurs only as a tetraploid (2n = 4x = 44), but R. sachalinensis and R. xbohemica exhibit some variation in chromosome numbers. Reynoutria sachalinensis is predominantly tetraploid (2n = 4 x = 44), but also occurs occasionally as hexaploid and octoploid cytotypes. The most common ploidy level in R. xbohemica is hexaploid (2n = 6x = 66), but tetraploid and octoploid clones were also found. The four taxa occurring in the Czech Republic are described briefly and the possible origins of the cytotypes discussed.     

肥沃耕层构建对东北黑土区旱地土壤肥力和玉米产量的影响

有机物料还田是提高土壤肥力、改善土壤结构和增加作物产量的重要农艺措施之一。本研究通过分析有机物料深混还田构建肥沃耕层后土壤的有机质、速效养分含量和玉米产量,明确了黑土区不同土壤类型旱地土壤肥力指标和玉米产量对肥沃耕层构建方式的响应特征,以期为实现东北黑土区旱地保护性利用和农业可持续发展提供科学依据。采用小区试验与大区示范相结合的方式,在黑龙江省、吉林省和辽宁省选取9个生态类型区作为试验点,土壤类型包括黑土(中厚黑土和薄层黑土)、草甸土、黑钙土、白浆土、棕壤、暗棕壤和褐土。每个试验点均设置了玉米秸秆深混构建肥沃耕层(CF_Ⅰ)、秸秆配合有机肥深混构建肥沃耕层(CF_Ⅱ)和无有机物料还田(CK)3个处理。其中,CF_Ⅰ、CF_Ⅱ处理的小区试验和大区示范的秸秆还田量分别为10000 kg·hm^-2和全量还田,CF_Ⅱ处理的有机肥施用量为30000 t·hm^-2;CF_Ⅰ和CF_Ⅱ处理中有机物料的还田深度均为0~35 cm。结果表明: 不同土壤类型旱地的土壤肥力差异较大,不同土层表现为亚耕层土壤肥力小于耕层土壤,其中暗棕壤和白浆土尤为突出;棕壤、褐土耕层和亚耕层的土壤肥力均偏低;黑土和草甸土的质地比较黏重和犁底层较厚。在试验时间为两年以上的5个试验点中,与CK相比,CF_Ⅰ和CF_Ⅱ处理耕层的土壤有机质、碱解氮、速效磷和速效钾含量平均增加1.85 g·kg^-1、20.16 mg·kg^-1、1.56 mg·kg^-1和17.2 mg·kg^-1,亚耕层较耕层增加了2.09 g·kg^-1、12.06 mg·kg^-1、2.18 mg·kg^-1和3.84 mg·kg^-1。与CK相比,CF_Ⅰ处理显著增加了耕作层和亚耕层土壤有机质和速效磷含量,CF_Ⅱ处理显著增加了耕作层和亚耕层的全部土壤肥力指标,说明肥沃耕层构建是提高土壤肥力的重要途径,其中玉米秸秆配施有机肥是快速提升土壤肥力的有效方法。受不同地区水热条件和土壤类型等的影响,不同试验区的玉米产量差异较大;不同处理间差异显著,表现为CF_Ⅱ>CF_Ⅰ>CK,说明肥沃耕层构建方式在不同生态类型区均能有效提高玉米产量。采用玉米秸秆或者玉米秸秆配合有机肥深混的肥沃耕层构建方式能够同步培肥耕层和亚耕层土壤,提高玉米产量。不同生态类型区应根据土壤类型、有机物料来源等采取相应的肥沃耕层构建方式,建议在有机肥源充足的区域,优先采用秸秆配合有机肥深混构建肥沃耕层。