Immuno-electron microscopy of atrial natriuretic factor secretory pathways in atria and ventricles of control and cardiomyopathic hamsters with heart failure

Summary The secretory pathways of atrial natriuretic factor have been investigated in atrial and ventricular cardiocytes of control and cardiomyopathic Syrian hamsters in severe congestive heart failure with four antibodies: a monoclonal antibody (2H2) against rat synthetic atrial natriuretic factor (101–126), which is directed against region 101–103 of rat atrial natriuretic factor (99–126), and polyclonal, affinity-purified antibodies produced in rabbits against synthetic C-terminal atrial natriuretic factor (101–126), synthetic N-terminal atrial natriuretic factor (11–37) or the putative cleavage site of atrial natriuretic factor (98–99): atrial natriuretic factor (94–103). Application of the immunogold technique on thin frozen sections (immunocryoultramicrotomy) revealed an identical picture with the four antibodies. In atria of both control and cardiomyopathic hamsters where atrial natriuretic factor secretion is regulated, the atrial natriuretic factor propeptide travels, uncleaved, from the Golgi complex to immature and mature secretory granules. In ventricles of control hamsters, where secretion is constitutive, the atrial natriuretic factor propeptide travels from the Golgi complex to secretory vesicles. In the ventricles of hamsters with severe congestive heart failure, the Golgi complex is larger, secretory vesicles more abundant and a few secretory granules are present in 20% of cardiocytes. Here again, the peptide travels uncleaved in all these pathways. These results reveal the pathways of secretion of atrial natriuretic factor in atrial and ventricular cardiocytes and indicate that the propeptide is not cleaved intracellularly.Supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council of Canada to the Multidisciplinary Research Group on Hypertension, by the Canadian Heart Foundation and the Pfizer Company (England)     

Synthetic biology tools for engineering Yarrowia lipolytica

The non-conventional oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica shows great industrial promise. It naturally produces certain compounds of interest but can also artificially generate non-native metabolites, thanks to an engineering process made possible by the significant expansion of a dedicated genetic toolbox. In this review, we present recently developed synthetic biology tools that facilitate the manipulation of Y. lipolytica, including 1) DNA assembly techniques, 2) DNA parts for constructing expression cassettes, 3) genome-editing techniques, and 4) computational tools.     

氯胺酮对川金丝猴的麻醉效应

本研究单独使用氯胺酮对24只神农架川金丝猴（Rhinopithecus roxellana）进行麻醉,比较其在诱导期、麻醉期及恢复期的持续时间和行为反应差异,探讨氯胺酮对不同性别、不同年龄川金丝猴的麻醉效果。结果显示：24例受试动物注射氯胺酮（剂量5.90-15.71mg/kg）后,镇痛、镇静和肌松效果良好,无意外死亡。其中,诱导期表现四肢逐渐无力,流涎,身体逐渐倒下,偶有嘴空嚼;麻醉期表现肌松良好,呼吸通畅,伴有嘴空嚼;恢复期表现以手指和躯干振动,开始恢复意识,嘴空嚼情况增多,尝试坐立和行走,最后恢复正常;诱导期、麻醉期和恢复期持续平均持续时间分别为(4.00 ± 1.77)min、(21.67 ± 5.03)min和(31.79 ± 6.07)min。本研究首次监测到川金丝猴在麻醉过程中出现嘴空嚼行为（没有进食的情况下嘴上下及左右咀嚼）。数据分析表明,在麻醉过程中雄性个体恢复期时长明显大于雌性,雄性个体在恢复期空嚼行为的次数明显小于雌性;而性别对诱导期、麻醉期,年龄对诱导期、麻醉期和恢复期的时长及行为影响均无明显差异。     

基于栖息地风险评价模型的海岸带滩涂湿地风险评价——以闽三角为例

海岸带湿地是生物多样性最丰富、生产力最高、最具价值的生态系统之一。然而近年来,随着城市化和工业化进程的加快,我国海岸带地区的土地利用正发生深刻变化,生态风险凸显。利用2000、2005、2010和2015年的Landsat TM/ETM+和Landsat 8 OLI遥感影像,融合行政区划图与地形图,并引入一个评价多元海洋、海岸带利用对栖息地造成风险的模型,即Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs(In VEST)模型中的栖息地风险评价(Habitat Risk Assessment,HRA),模型评价闽三角海岸带滩涂湿地的生态风险。结果表明:(1)闽三角海岸带滩涂湿地风险以低风险为主;(2)泉州地区的风险面积最大(约4389.91 hm~2),漳州地区最小(约4630.73 hm~2);(3)修正面积影响的情况下,其他建设用地造成的暴露和影响较大,耕地造成的暴露和影响最小。不同区域滩涂湿地风险程度的可视化表达,可以揭示滩涂湿地高风险地区以及高风险的产生原因,便于管理者对滩涂湿地采取精准的保育措施。     

The fine structure of testicular interstitial cells in the adult golden hamster with special reference to seasonal changes

Summary The fine structure of the testicular interstitium was studied in normal adult golden hamsters sacrificed in the reproductive season (spring and summer) and in the winter. The Leydig cells in the reproductively active testes contain abundant endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and numerous mitochondria. The ER occurs in the form of flattened cisternae and tubules, the former prevailing. The cisternae are extremely extensive and are partly granular and partly agranular, their ends being continuous with the tubular reticulum. Mitochondria intervening between the cisternae are closely associated with the agranular portions of the latter. Adjacent to the Golgi complex and continuous with the centrosome a unique filamentous body with a dense laminar core is often observed. In the regressive testes, the Leydig cells show a great reduction of cytoplasmic volume and a remarkable decline of the organelles, especially agranular tubules. The possible functional significance of the tubular and cisternal ER with the associated mitochondria is discussed in relation to the biosynthesis of androgens. Macrophages appear to constitute another important population of the interstitial cell clusters.This study was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Council, the Republic of China     

Impact of European red mite on Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur apples in Israel

To develop a damage threshold for the European red mite (ERM), Panonychus ulmi (Koch), the effect of ERM injury on fruit weight and return crop in the apple cultivars (CVs) Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur were studied in the Upper Galilee of Israel for two consecutive seasons. The ERM significantly affected the leaf colour, chlorophyll content, fruit weight and return harvest in both CVs. High population levels of 450 adult female cumulative mite days (ACMDs) reduced the fruit weight on Golden Delicious but not on Oregon Spur. Population levels above approximately 600 and 900 ACMDs in Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur, respectively, caused a substantial reduction in the return harvest. Because no damage was observed at low population levels, an action threshold of 150 ACMDs is recommended.     

关山林区勺鸡生态的初步研究

关山林区的勺鸡栖息于海拔１６００－２０００ｍ的密林中。繁殖期为４月中下旬至６月上旬。巢营于地面,呈碗形,外径２５０ｍｍ×２７０ｍｍ,内径２１０ｍｍ×２３０ｍｍ,深５２ｍｍ,多分布于林下阳坡上。每巢产卵６－９枚,平均卵重３６．２ｇ,卵径平均为３４．２ｍｍ×４７．２ｍｍ。卵色浅棕,具栗褐色斑点。勺鸡食性分析表明,勺鸡为杂食性,但以植物性食物为主。主要天敌有鹰、蛇、狐、猫、鼬等。野外采卵进行孵化试验,孵     

Structural insights into the non-additivity effects in the sequence-to-reactivity algorithm for serine peptidases and their inhibitors

Sequence-to-reactivity algorithms (SRAs) for proteins have the potential of being broadly applied in molecular design. Recently, Laskowski et al. have reported an additivity-based SRA that accurately predicts most of the standard free energy changes of association for variants of turkey ovomucoid third domain (OMTKY3) with six serine peptidases, one of which is streptogrisin B (commonly known as Streptomyces griseus peptidase B, SGPB). Non-additivity effects for residues 18I and 32I, and for residues 20I and 32I of OMTKY3 occurred when the associations with SGPB were predicted using the SRA. To elucidate precisely the mechanics of these non-additivity effects in structural terms, we have determined the crystal structures of the unbound OMTKY3 (with Gly32I as in the wild-type amino acid sequence) at a resolution of 1.16 A, the unbound Ala32I variant of OMTKY3 at a resolution of 1.23 A, and the SGPB:OMTKY3-Ala32I complex (equilibrium association constant K(a)=7.1x10(9) M(-1) at 21(+/-2) C degrees, pH 8.3) at a resolution of 1.70 A. Extensive comparisons with the crystal structure of the unbound OMTKY3 confirm our understanding of some previously addressed non-additivity effects. Unexpectedly, SGPB and OMTKY3-Ala32I form a 1:2 complex in the crystal. Comparison with the SGPB:OMTKY3 complex shows a conformational change in the SGPB:OMTKY3-Ala32I complex, resulting from a hinged rigid-body rotation of the inhibitor caused by the steric hindrance between the methyl group of Ala32IA of the inhibitor and Pro192BE of the peptidase. This perturbs the interactions among residues 18I, 20I, 32I and 36I of the inhibitor, probably resulting in the above non-additivity effects. This conformational change also introduces residue 10I as an additional hyper-variable contact residue to the SRA.     

Ultrastructure and elemental composition of the eggshell of Reeve’s pheasant ( Syrmaticus reevesii )

The eggshell of Reeve’s pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) collected from the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve in Henan Province, China was studied. By using scanning electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometry, the ultrastructure and elemental composition of the eggshell was determined. The study showed that the average thickness of the surface layer of crystals, the palisade and cone layer, and the eggshell membrane were 20.8, 220.8 and 62.5 μm, respectively, accounting for 6.8%, 72.6% and 20.6% of the total thickness of the eggshell. There were many vesicular holes in the palisade layer with an average diameter of 0.32 ± 0.08 μm (n = 30). The function of these holes might be significant to air exchange. The shape of the eggshell pore on the surface layer of crystals is round or elliptical. The fracture surface of the pore is funnel-shaped. Some granules filled the upper part of the eggshell pores. The content of 21 elements in the eggshell of wild and captive Reeve’s pheasants was compared and presented. It indicated that among the elements that made up the eggshell of the wild pheasant, the content of Ca, Mg, P and S was much higher, ω > 1 mg/g, with ω (Ca) being higher than 40% of the eggshell. The contents of Na, Si, Sr, K and Al were ω = 0.1–1 mg/g, while Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, V and Ti had lower concentrations (ω = 1–100 μg/g). The ω of Ni, Cr, Co, Se, Cd were lower than 1 μg/g. The elemental composition in the eggshell of the captive Reeve’s pheasant kept in the Dongzhai National Natural Reserve was significantly different from that of the wild species, with a difference of over 20% on S, Cu, Fe, Al, Mn, Si, Sr, Se and Cr. The lower intake of Fe, Mn, Si and Sr on the one hand and the higher intake of S, Cu, Al and Cr on the other hand might be responsible for the low fertility of captive Reeve’s pheasants in the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve. In order to ensure that the pheasants are receiving the proper amount of nutrition and to improve their breeding success, the amount of certain elements in the food should be adjusted. Translated from Journal of Beijing Normal University (Natural Science), 2006, 42(1): 78–82 [译自: 北京师范大学学报 (自然科学版)]