江苏野生藤本植物多样性初探

通过野外调查和文献资料查阅,初步统计出江苏野生藤本植物共有35科74属153种,其中蕨类植物有1科1属1种,单子叶植物有3科4属12种,双子叶植物有31科69属140种。该区藤本植物以寡种科(属)、单种科(属)为主;地理成分复杂,具有明显的热带亲缘性,并受温带成分的影响。生长型以木质藤本为主(56.58%),草质藤本次之,其中,共有17科全为木质藤本,如木通科(Lardizabalaceae)以及防己科(Menispermaceae);共有13科全为草质藤本,如百部科(Stemonaceae)以及萝藦科(Asclepiadaceae)等;共有4科含木质与草质藤本植物,如百合科(Liliaceae)以及葡萄科(Vitaceae)等。高位芽植物最多(56.58%),地面芽植物(20.39%)、一年生植物(11.19%)、地下芽植物(8.55%)及地上芽植物(3.29%)的数量依次减少。该区藤本植物攀援类型可以分为4大类,以缠绕类居多(40.13%),其他依次是卷曲类(30.26%)、搭靠类(22.37%)以及吸固类(7.24%)。有性繁育系统以两性花最多(76.97%),单性花次之(19.74%),杂性花最少(3.29%);花序组成丰富,以无限花序占有绝对优势(71.05%)。     

暗示性运动加工的认知神经机制

暗示性运动是指个体观看静止图片时从中知觉到的运动.研究者采用高低认知水平两类暗示性运动刺激材料,借助"冻结帧"、直接观看、运动后效和f MRI适应等任务范式,探讨了注意和意识在暗示性运动加工中的作用及其记忆特点;并借助脑成像等技术,考察了颞中区、颞上皮层区、颞上沟、镜像神经元系统等脑区在暗示性运动加工中的作用.但由于暗示性运动加工涉及"视觉腹侧通路与背侧通路功能的分离与整合"问题,目前对相关研究结果和解释还存在争议,暗示性运动加工的认知神经机制仍有待于进一步研究.     

A simple FRET system using two‐color CdTe quantum dots assisted by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and its application to Hg(II) detection

In this study, we developed a novel simple fluorescence resonance‐energy transfer (FRET) system between two‐color CdTe quantum dots (QDs) assisted by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Mercaptopropionic (MPA)‐capped CdTe QDs serving as both donors and acceptors were successfully synthesized by changing the refluxing time in aqueous solution. CTAB micelles formed in water and minimized the distance between the donors and acceptors significantly by electrostatic interactions, improving FRET efficiency. Several factors that affected the fluorescence spectra of the FRET system were investigated. The prepared FRET system was feasible as an effective fluorescent probe to detect Hg(II) in aqueous solution. At pH 7.0, a linear relationship between the quenched fluorescence intensity of orange‐emitting acceptors (QDs_(A)) and Hg(II) concentration was acquired in the range 5–250 nmol/L with a detection limit of 1.95 nmol/L. The developed method showed excellent analytical performance for Hg(II) with high sensitivity and acceptable selectivity, reproducibility and stability. This finding indicated that the method has a promising potential application for environmental monitoring. This study demonstrated the great promise of QDs for expedient, low‐cost and high‐sensitivity detection of Hg(II).     

鸢尾属1新变型——白花宽柱鸢尾

描述了鸢尾科鸢尾属宽柱鸢尾(Iris latistyla Y.T.Zhao)的1个新变型——白花宽柱鸢尾(I.latistyla Y.T.Zhao f.albifloraJ.Luo)。原变型的花被为蓝紫色,而新变型花被为白色。并对其潜在的药用研究价值进行了讨论。     

杭州湾潮滩表层沉积物中磷的分布、赋存形态及生态意义

对杭州湾潮滩表层沉积物样品中的磷进行了总量、形态分级提取及生物有效性分析.结果表明:沉积物中总磷的含量为595.5～1268.8μg·g-1,空间分布特征总体表现为杭州湾北岸＞钱塘江杭州河段＞杭州湾南岸.总磷中有89.3%以无机磷形式存在,钙磷、残留无机态磷、有机磷和铁铝结合态磷是沉积物中磷的主要赋存形态,平均分别占总磷的68.3%、14.6%、10.7%和5.3%.钙磷的分布受到盐度变化影响,自钱塘江河口向外海方向明显增加;铁铝结合态磷则相反,分布朝外海逐步递减.沉积物中的潜在生物有效磷(BAP)含量为43.62～177.84 μg·g-1,平均含量为94.13 μg·g-1.该地区与国内典型的河口和滨岸带潮滩比较,总磷处于相对较高水平.强烈的水动力作用及咸淡水交汇使得环境因子频繁变化,加大了沉积物中磷作为内源向上覆水体释放及造成水体富营养化的可能性.     

Type XVII collagen (BP180) can function as a cell−matrix adhesion molecule via binding to laminin 332

Collagen XVII (COL17) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is expressed on the basal surface of basal epidermal keratinocytes. Previous observations have led to the hypothesis that an interaction between COL17 and laminin 332, an extracellular matrix protein, contributes to the attachment of the basal keratinocyte to the basement membrane. In order to isolate and manipulate COL17 interactions with ECM components, we induced COL17 expression in two cells lines, SK-MEL1 and K562, that exhibit little or no capacity to attach to our test substrates, including laminin 332, types I and IV collagen, and fibronectin. Cells expressing high levels of COL17 preferentially adhered to a laminin 332 matrix, and, to a lesser extent, type IV collagen, while showing little or no binding to type I collagen or fibronectin. A quantitative analysis of cell adhesive forces revealed that, compared with COL17-negative cells, COL17-positive cells required over 7-fold greater force to achieve 50% detachment from a laminin 332 substrate. When a cell preparation (either K562 or SK-MEL1) with heterogeneous COL17 expression levels was allowed to attach to a laminin 332 matrix, the COL17-positive and COL17-negative cells differentially sorted to the bound and unbound cell fractions, respectively. COL17-dependent attachment to laminin 332 could be reduced or abolished by siRNA-mediated knock-down of COL17 expression or by adding to the assay wells specific antibodies against COL17 or laminin 332. These findings provide strong support for the hypothesis that cell surface COL17 can interact with laminin 332 and, together, participate in the adherence of a cell to the extracellular matrix.     

Biomass allocation and nutrient use in fast-growing woody and herbaceous perennials used for phytoremediation

This study assessed the suitability of two deciduous woody perennials (Salix spp. and Populus spp.) and two summer green herbaceous perennials (Phragmites australis and Urtica dioica) for purification of nutrient enriched wastewater. The main hypothesis tested was that species with a particular trait combination of high relative growth rate (RGR), low nutrient productivity (A) and high mean residence time (MRT) of nutrients would be most effective in accumulating nutrients. The nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency at the whole plant level was analysed. Four treatments comprising two possible phytoremediation substrates (municipal wastewater and landfill leachate) and two control plant nutrition situations (balanced nutrient solution and pure water) were applied in four replications to the four plant species. Generally, all four species studied showed a high RGR and a low P productivity in the balanced nutrient solution treatment, while the opposite (low RGR and high P productivity) was seen in the phytoremediation substrate and pure water treatments. The general conclusion is that if P is present in marginal proportions in the wastewater, a vegetation filter with Phragmites would have an advantage since biomass and nutrient accumulation in Phragmites does not decrease as much during phytoremediation as that in deciduous woody perennials.     

Verdoheme formation in Proteus mirabilis catalase

Background

Heme oxidative degradation has been extensively investigated in peroxidases but not in catalases. The verdoheme formation, a product of heme oxidation which inactivates the enzyme, was studied in Proteus mirabilis catalase.

Methods

The verdoheme was generated by adding peracetic acid and analyzed by mass spectrometry and spectrophotometry.

Results

Kinetics follow-up of different catalase reactional intermediates shows that i) the formation of compound I always precedes that of verdoheme, ii) compound III is never observed, iii) the rate of compound II decomposition is not compatible with that of verdoheme formation, and iv) dithiothreitol prevents the verdoheme formation but not that of compound II, whereas NADPH prevents both of them. The formation of verdoheme is strongly inhibited by EDTA but not increased by Fe³⁺ or Cu²⁺ salts. The generation of verdoheme is facilitated by the presence of protein radicals as observed in the F194Y mutated catalase. The inability of the inactive variant (H54F) to form verdoheme, indicates that the heme oxidation is fully associated to the enzyme catalysis.

Conclusion

These data, taken together, strongly suggest that the verdoheme formation pathway originates from compound I rather than from compound II.

General significance

The autocatalytic verdoheme formation is likely to occur in vivo.     

HIV/AIDS in Asia: The shape of epidemics and their molecular epidemiology

The Asia-Pacific region is a home to 60% of the population in the world and to approximately one quarter of people with HIV/AIDS. Close to a million of people has been infected and a half million people died of AIDS annually in Asia, becoming the second largest epicenter of global AIDS epidemic. Molecular epidemiology has been useful tool to track a course of HIV spread. In-depth knowledge from the studies on molecular epidemiology elucidates the dynamics of HIV spread and the interrelationship of epidemics in the different regions in Asia. Foundation items: Grant support from Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Japan; Japanese Foundation for AIDS Prevention.