动物线粒体核质基因互作的研究进展

线粒体是重要的细胞器,为细胞的生命活动提供能量,线粒体的正常功能是核基因和线粒体基因共同作用维持的结果。线粒体DNA是动物细胞内唯一存在的核外遗传物质,线粒体DNA与核基因的相互作用维持着线粒体和线粒体内膜呼吸链氧化磷酸化的正常功能状态。本文就线粒体核质基因互作在人类疾病、衰老、细胞凋亡、氯霉素抗性、ANT、MnSOD、mtTFA的研究进展进行了综述。 Abstract：Mitochondria is the essential element for a cell,in which generates energy.The normal functions of a mitochondria are controlled by both mitochondrial genome and nuclear genome.Mitochondrial DNA is the only genome in the cytoplasmy of a cell,it encodes essential components of oxidative phosphorylation(OXPHOS)in mitochondrial inner membrane,generating cellular energy in the main form of adenosine triphosphate(ATP).In this paper,we reviewed the research development on interactions of nuclear and mitochondrial genes,including human disease and aging,apoptosis,chloromycetin resistance,ANT,MnSOD and mtTFA.     

杉木解酚菌的研究

从杉木林土壤中筛选到5株高效解酚菌(F2、F3、F4、F7、F15),结果表明,F4、F33d,F2、F155d能将600rng     

热带次生林林窗干热季光照特征初步分析

利用西双版纳干热季 ( 3～ 4月 )次生林林窗光照观测资料 ,探讨了林窗光照的时空变化特征。结果表明 :由于天气现象 (雾 )、太阳高度和林窗树木的共同影响 ,使得林窗区域光照强度在时空上均存在明显的差异 ;上午光照强度的时间变化不明显 ,光强高值区在林窗西南侧边缘 ;中午受太阳辐射的影响 ,各测点光强均迅速上升 ,尤以林窗偏东侧林缘最为突出 ,实际林窗边缘的光强远远大于扩展林窗边缘 ;平均光强最大区域由林窗西南侧向东北侧林缘移动 ,而林窗偏西侧受树木遮蔽影响 ,光强虽有增加 ,但由于实际林窗边缘的高光强维持时间较短 ,平均光强较小 ,特别是偏西侧的扩展林窗边缘 ,遮蔽影响较大 ,各时刻的光强均不大 ,形成平均光强的低值区 ;使得中午林窗区域光照强度不对称性更加显著 ,光强水平梯度增大 ;下午由于太阳西进 ,林窗区域均受到树木遮蔽影响 ,光强降低 ,水平梯度变化趋于和缓。在西双版纳干热季作为林窗主要热力作用面之一的林窗地表面 ,在不同时段其最大光强的数值和出现区域以及高光强维持时期均存在较大差异 ;使得林窗区域的光强分布存在时间差异和空间不对称性 ,如此的光强分布势必造成林窗不同区域热力作用的不同 ,进而导致林窗区域热量传输和热量储存的不同 ,产生不同的热力效应。本研究结果?     

Escherichia coli engineered to produce eicosapentaenoic acid becomes resistant against oxidative damages

The colony-forming ability of Escherichia coli genetically engineered to produce eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) grown in 3mM hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) was similar to that of untreated cells. It was rapidly lost in the absence of EPA. H(2)O(2)-induced protein carbonylation was enhanced in cells lacking EPA. The fatty acid composition of the transformants was unaffected by H(2)O(2) treatment, but the amount of fatty acids decreased in cultures of cells lacking EPA and increased in cultures of cells producing EPA, suggesting that cellular EPA is stable in the presence of H(2)O(2) in vivo and may protect cells directly against oxidative damage. We discuss the possible role of EPA in partially blocking the penetration of H(2)O(2) into cells through membranes containing EPA.     

Effect of pH on the structure and stability of Bacillus circulans ssp. alkalophilus phosphoserine aminotransferase: thermodynamic and crystallographic studies

pH is one of the key parameters that affect the stability and function of proteins. We have studied the effect of pH on the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme phosphoserine aminotransferase produced by the facultative alkaliphile Bacillus circulans ssp. alkalophilus using thermodynamic and crystallographic analysis. Enzymatic activity assay showed that the enzyme has maximum activity at pH 9.0 and relative activity less than 10% at pH 7.0. Differential scanning calorimetry and circular dichroism experiments revealed variations in the stability and denaturation profiles of the enzyme at different pHs. Most importantly, release of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate and protein thermal denaturation were found to occur simultaneously at pH 6.0 in contrast to pH 8.5 where denaturation preceded cofactor's release by approximately 3 degrees C. To correlate the observed differences in thermal denaturation with structural features, the crystal structure of phosphoserine aminotransferase was determined at 1.2 and 1.5 A resolution at two different pHs (8.5 and 4.6, respectively). Analysis of the two structures revealed changes in the vicinity of the active site and in surface residues. A conformational change in a loop involved in substrate binding at the entrance of the active site has been identified upon pH change. Moreover, the number of intramolecular ion pairs was found reduced in the pH 4.6 structure. Taken together, the presented kinetics, thermal denaturation, and crystallographic data demonstrate a potential role of the active site in unfolding and suggest that subtle but structurally significant conformational rearrangements are involved in the stability and integrity of phosphoserine aminotransferase in response to pH changes.     

黑河中游荒漠绿洲过渡带土壤水分与植被空间变异

荒漠绿洲过渡带是绿洲生态系统的重要组成部分,对维持绿洲稳定具有重要作用。过渡带土壤湿度和植被之间的相互关系是了解荒漠绿洲过渡带的重要科学问题,从而开始受到重视。研究是在黑河中游荒漠绿洲过渡带,选择一条1700m×200m的样带（包括3条平行样线）,在对土壤湿度、植被高度、盖度等调查的基础上,应用统计分析和地统计的方法,研究了荒漠绿洲过渡带土壤水分和植被的空间变异性特征。结果表明：在荒漠绿洲过渡带上,0～200cm土层中土壤平均湿度介于1．45％～3．85％,变异系数在27．7％～83．2％;植被盖度介于9％～80％,变异系数为80％。植被盖度、冠幅与0～20、20～40cm两层土壤湿度显著负相关（p〈0．05）,与120～140、140～160cm两层土壤湿度显著正相关（p〈0．01）。土壤水分和植被空间分布在样带上存在明显的空间异质性,表现在小于100m的尺度上随机分布,而在100～3110m的尺度上呈聚集分布格局。     

Recovery of Flavobacterium psychrophilum viable cells using a charcoal-based solid medium

AIMS: Flavobacterium psychrophilum is the etiological agent of the cold-water disease in salmonids. This micro-organism is somewhat fastidious being difficult to isolate and culture. The aim of this study was to develop a new solid medium which improves the recovery of viable cells from a sample. METHODS AND RESULTS: Six different media [nutrient agar (NA), NA + charcoal (NAC), enriched Anacker Ordal serum (EAOS), EAOS supplemented with aromatic compounds (EAOSa), EAOS with activated charcoal (EAOC) and EAOC supplemented with aromatic compounds (EAOCa)], three of them containing activated charcoal, were used to recover isolated colonies from a diluted sample of Fl. psychrophilum THC02-90. Pair wise comparisons between different media were carried out using the test of bootstrap to determine the best solid medium and if the presence of activated charcoal increased the number of colonies. The results showed that activated charcoal improved the recovery of viable cells in all the cases and NAC was slightly better than EAOCa but more variable. CONCLUSIONS: Activated charcoal has a great capacity of absorption of toxic compounds and it has no nutritional value, so the problems to culture and isolate Fl. psychrophilum are in part due to an inhibition phenomenon. The use of EAOCa can overcome some of these problems. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The improvement in Fl. psychrophilum cultivation will facilitate physiological, biochemical and genetic studies with this bacterium.     

A rice dihydrosphingosine C4 hydroxylase (DSH1) gene, which is abundantly expressed in the stigmas, vascular cells and apical meristem, may be involved in fertility

Dihydrosphingosine C4 hydroxylase is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of phytosphingosine, a major constituent of sphingolipids in plants and yeasts. The rice genome contains five homologue genes for dihydrosphingosine C4 hydroxylase, DSH1-DSH5, whose gene products show high degrees of homology to the yeast counterpart, SUR2. Among them, expression of DSH1, DSH2 and DSH4 was detected, and DSH1 and DSH4 complement the yeast sur2 mutation. The DSH1 gene was specifically and abundantly expressed in vascular bundles and apical meristems. In particular, very strong expression was detected in the stigmas of flowers. Repression of DSH1 expression by the antisense gene or RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in a severe reduction of fertility. In the transformants in which DSH1 expression was suppressed, significantly increased expression of DSH2 was found in leaves but not in pistils, suggesting that there was tissue-specific correlation between DSH1 and DSH2 expression. Our results indicate that the product of DSH1 may be involved in plant viability or reproductive processes, and that the phenotype of sterility is apparently caused by loss of function of DSH1 in the stigma. It is also suggested that there is a complex mechanism controlling the tissue-specific expression of the DSH1 gene.     

Stereology meets electron tomography: towards quantitative 3D electron microscopy

Stereological tools are the gold standard for accurate (i.e., unbiased) and precise quantification of any microscopic sample. The past decades have provided a broad spectrum of tools to estimate a variety of parameters such as volumes, surfaces, lengths, and numbers. Some of them require pairs of parallel sections that can be produced by either physical or optical sectioning, with optical sectioning being much more efficient when applicable. Unfortunately, transmission electron microscopy could not fully profit from these riches, mainly because of the large depth of field. Hence, optical sectioning was a long-time desire for electron microscopists. This desire was fulfilled with the development of electron tomography that yield stacks of slices from electron microscopic sections. Now, parallel optical slices of a previously unimagined small thickness (2-5 nm axial resolution) can be produced. These optical slices minimize problems related to overprojection effects, and allow for direct stereological analysis, e.g., volume estimation with the Cavalieri principle and number estimation with the optical disector method. Here, we demonstrate that the symbiosis of stereology and electron tomography is an easy and efficient way for quantitative analysis at the electron microscopic level. We call this approach quantitative 3D electron microscopy.