Studies on the development of the air pores and air chambers ofMarchantia paleacea

Summary The preprophase-prophase initial aperture (IA) cells ofMarchantia paleacea undergo a particular sequence of protoplasmic changes, which reflects the establishment of an unusual premitotic polarization. The marking feature of preprophase-prophase thallus cells is the shape of the nucleus which becomes spindle-shaped. This phenomenon accompanies the organization of an extranuclear microtubule (MT) sheath, nucleated and/or organized by distinct polar MT organizing centres (MTOCs).The interphase MTs disappear after activation of polar MTOCs. In preprophase IA cells incomplete preprophase MT bands (PMBs) are organized. They consist of PMB portions which traverse only small portions of the cell cortex at the level of the future cytokinesis and do not form a complete ring. In the same cells other MT bundles, independent of the incomplete PMBs terminate in the cortical cytoplasm abutting on the lower part of the intercellular spaces (ISs) or the surface cavities (SCs). Almost complete or complete PMBs are organized in IA cells in which the plane of PMB formation coincides with that passing through ISs of the same growth.The observations suggest that in preprophase-prophase IA cells ofMarchantia paleacea cortical MTOCs function in regions distant from each other: One region is the PMB cortical cytoplasm, probably that covering the wall edges, and the other is the one adjacent to the lower part of the wall facing the IS(s) or that underlying the SCs. The competition between the cortical MTOCs as well as between them and the polar ones may be responsible for the organization of incomplete PMBs.     

Achieving zT > 2 in p‐Type AgSbTe2−xSex Alloys via Exploring the Extra Light Valence Band and Introducing Dense Stacking Faults

Through simultaneously enhancing the power factor by engineering the extra light band and enhancing phonon scatterings by introducing a high density of stacking faults, a record figure‐of‐merit over 2.0 is achieved in p‐type AgSbTe_2?xSe_x alloys. Density functional theory calculations confirm the presence of the light valence band with large degeneracy in AgSbTe₂, and that alloying with Se decreases the energy offset between the light valence band and the valence band maximum. Therefore, a significantly enhanced power factor is realized in p‐type AgSbTe_2?xSe_x alloys. In addition, transmission electron microscopy studies indicate the appearance of stacking faults and grain boundaries, which together with grain boundaries and point defects significantly strengthen phonon scatterings, leading to an ultralow thermal conductivity. The synergetic strategy of simultaneously enhancing power factor and strengthening phonon scattering developed in this study opens up a robust pathway to tailor thermoelectric performance.     

Kinetics and pathway of biodegradation of dibutyl phthalate by Pleurotus ostreatus

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a plasticizer, whose presence in the environment as a pollutant has attained a great deal of attention due to its reported association with endocrine system disturbances on animals. Growth parameters, glucose uptake, percentage of removal efficiency (%E) of DBP, biodegradation constant of DBP (k) and half-life of DBP biodegradation (t_1/2) were evaluated for Pleurotus ostreatus grown on media containing glucose and different concentrations of DBP (0, 500 and 1000 mg l^?1). P. ostreatus degraded 99.6 % and 94 % of 500 and 1000 mg of DBP l^?1 after 312 h and 504 h, respectively. The k was 0.0155 h^?1 and 0.0043 h^?1 for 500 and 1000 mg of DBP l^?1, respectively. t_1/2 was 44.7 h and 161 h for 500 and 1000 mg of DBP l^?1, respectively. Intermediate compounds of biodegraded DBP were identified by GC-MS and a DBP biodegradation pathway was proposed using quantum chemical calculation. DBP might be metabolized to benzene and acetyl acetate, the first would be oxidated to muconic acid and the latter would enter into the Krebs cycle. P. ostreatus has the ability to degrade DBP and utilizes it as source of carbon and energy.     

红细胞内翻外囊泡带3蛋白活性测试方法的研究

从人血中提取红细胞膜,用注射器加压推打的方法首次获得了包含80mmol/L吡啶二羧酸(DPA)的封闭完好的内翻外囊泡(IOVs).离心除去囊泡外DPA,即可按Newton法测其阴离子转运活性.此法在红细胞膜内翻外囊泡体系上成功地建立了带3蛋白(Band 3)测活方法,具有简便迅速,重复性好等优点.     

Monoclonal antibodies that react with human band 3 residues 542–555 recognize different conformations of this protein in uninfected andPlasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes

A monoclonal antibody generated against synthetic peptides patterned on amino acids 542–555 of human band 3, designated 1F4, specifically immunostainedPlasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes and inhibited the cytoadherence ofP. falciparum-infected erythrocytes to C32 amelanotic melanoma cells. 1F4 did not recognize intact band 3 protein on immunoblots, however it was reactive towards proteolytic fragments of band 3.The binding region of another murine monoclonal antibody previously reported to recognize the membrane spanning domain of human band 3, designated B6, was found to also recognize residues 542–555, however its properties differed from 1F4. Mab B6 recognized both infected and uninfected red cells, and reacted only with intact band 3 on immunoblots. Mab B6 was without effect on cytoadherence.These results demonstrate that monoclonal antibodies reactive against a common peptide sequence may bind to different conformations of the peptide sequence and suggest that the adherent competency ofP. falciparum-infected erythrocytes may result from a change in the surface topography of human band 3 protein.Abbreviations ELISA Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - KLH Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin - PBS Phosphate Buffered Saline - Mab Monoclonal Antibody - PMSF Phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride - i.p. intraperitoneum - TBS Tris Buffered Saline - H₂DIDS dihydro 4,4-diisothocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid - DIDS 4,4-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid     

Mitotic cyclin distribution during maize cell division: Implications for the sequence diversity and function of cyclins in plants

Summary Cyclin proteins are components of the regulatory system that controls the orderly progression of the events of cell division. Their sub-cellular location, as well as their fluctuating abundance and their affinities for the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) to which they bind, determine their successive roles during the cell cycle. Here we employ species-specific antibodies to monitor changes in quantity and location of four maize cyclins and maize Cdc2-kinase in dividing maize root tip cells. Maize cyclin Ia occurs in the nuclear matrix and is released when the nuclear envelope breaks down. In contrast, cyclin Ib is cytoplasmic until prophase; it associates transiently with the nuclear envelope and preprophase band (PPB) just before these structures break down and then associates with the condensed chromosomes and spindle region before declining at anaphase. Cyclin II and Cdc2 also occur in the PPB. Occurrence of cyclin Ib and Cdc2 at the PPB concurrent with initiation of breakdown is consistent with previous studies in which microinjection of cyclin-dependent protein kinase indicated that removal of the PPB at the time of nuclear-envelope breakdown is catalysed by a CDK. While cyclins Ia and III are predominantly nuclear prior to mitosis, cyclins Ib and II are predominantly cytoplasmic until prophase then become nuclear. The initial cytoplasmic retention of cyclins Ib and II correlates with their possession of a sequence similar to the cytoplasmic-retention signal of animal cyclin B1. Cyclin II binds to all microtubule arrays during the cell cycle, becoming markedly concentrated in the phragmoplast, and cyclin III associates with the spindle and then the phragmoplast. Cdc2 also occurs in the phragmoplast. Persistence of mitotic cyclins and CDK after mitosis into the cytokinetic stage, as seen in maize, is not paralleled in animal cells, where the cytokinetic mid-body is not so labelled, presumably reflecting the key role of the phragmoplast apparatus in plant cell division.Abbreviations CDK cyclin-dependent kinase - CRS cytoplasmicretention signal - NE nuclear envelope - NEB nuclear-envelope breakdown - NLS nuclear-location signal - PPB preprophase band - FITC fluorescein isothiocyanate - TRITC tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate     

Identification of Sequence Motifs Causing Band Compressions on Human cDNA Sequencing

In order to characterize DNA sequences leadingto band compressionsin an automated dideoxy-DNA sequencing system which uses fluorescentdye primers, we compiled DNA sequences at compression sitesfrom accumulated sequence data of human cDNAs (about 205 kbin total length). The results clearly showed that almost allthe 3'-end regions at the compression sites (> 98%) carriedtwo types of common sequence motifs. The predominant one (about68%) contained a sequence of 5'-Y'GN_1–2AR'-3' (Y' andR': pyrimidine and purine residues capable of base pairing).The remainder (about 32%) carried a hairpin motif with a relativelystable GC-rich stem ( 3 bp) connected by a loop consistingof3 or 4 nucleotides. The occurrence of compressions at thesemotif sites was further confirmed by using synthetic DNAs withrandom sequences (about 58 kb in total length). Since DNA sequencesat compression sites analyzed so far shared either of the typeof motifs in the sequencing system employed here, it was possibleto predict the nucleotide residue to be located at a compressionsite by carefully checking the sequence preceding the site.     

用人染色体14q24.3区带探针池直接分离表达顺序

本文报道了从显微切割的人染色体区带直接分离区带专一性表达序列的方法和结果。以区带探针池为基础构建了单拷贝DNA分子库,并以该库和人骨髓细胞cDNA分子库为主要研究材料,从5×10~5个DNA克隆中筛选到68个初级阳性克隆,复筛得到了32个次级阳性克隆,分别命名为cFD14-1～32。再经14q24.3 DNA、17q11-12 DNA和人基因组总DNA作dot blot DNA杂交验证,最终得到24个14q24.3区带专一性表达顺序。测定了其中13个片段的部分序列,在NCBI数据库查新,均为新的cDNA片段,并与某些已知基因有一定的同源性。其中cFD14-1的初步表达谱分析提示了本实验所得cDNA片段均有可能用来进一步筛选位于14q24.3区带内的尚未克隆的基因。     

小麦品种电泳分类鉴定技术的标准化研究

在甘氨酸-乙酸缓冲系统(pH 3.10)下采用9％聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳,比较研究了小麦(Triticumaestivum L.)“烟农15”、“济南13”、“莱州95”和“Marquis”品种的醇溶蛋白图谱误差变化及其有关控制方法。在每个凝胶板上误差呈规律性变化,迁移距离越大,谱带误差越大。同2.05cm谱带相比,9.25cm谱带标准误为0.0332,增大2倍;极差由1.5mm增大到4.5mm。国内3个小麦品种“莱州953”、“济南13”和“烟农15”群体内不存在电泳生物型。“莱州953”由于深色谱带多、分布合理,可作为基本电泳参照品种;“济南13”则由于总带数和特有谱带多,可作辅助参照品种。根据筛选的2.05、3.15、6.05和9.25cm标志带及其实际迁移大小,计算各电泳道谱带的矫正系数和矫正迁移距离。这种移动矫正法能使图谱误差降低约2/3。     

Mixed Valence Tin Oxides as Novel van der Waals Materials: Theoretical Predictions and Potential Applications

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, which can be assembled by combining 2D atomic crystals in a precisely chosen sequence, enable a wide range of potential applications in optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and photocatalysis. However, the difficulty of peeling isolated atomic planes and the lattice mismatch between different materials is the main obstacle to hinder vdW materials from more practical applications. In this work, the mixed valence tin oxides, Sn_xO_y (0.5 < x/y < 1), are proposed as a new member of vdW materials and these mixed valence tin oxides show promise to overcome the above‐mentioned obstacle. Density‐functional theory calculations are combined with an evolutionary algorithm to predict the crystal structures of a series of previously reported tin oxides (Sn₂O₃, Sn₃O₄, Sn₄O₅, and Sn₅O₆), unreported compositions (Sn₇O₈, Sn₉O₁₀, and Sn₁₁O₁₂), and a new β ‐ SnO phase. These structures consist of β‐SnO, Sn₂O₃, and Sn₃O₄ monolayers. Their band gaps can be engineered in the 1.56–3.25 eV range by stacking the monolayers appropriately. The band gap depends linearly on the interlayer distance, as understood from interlayer Sn²⁺–Sn²⁺ and intralayer Sn²⁺–O interactions. Sn_xO_y structures exhibit high photoabsorption coefficients and suitable band‐edge positions for photoexcited H₂ evolution; this indicates potential for environmentally benign solar energy conversion in photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications.