Enhanced absorption of millimeter wave energy in murine subcutaneous blood vessels

The aim of the present study was to determine millimeter wave (MMW) absorption by blood vessels traversing the subcutaneous fat layer of murine skin. Most calculations were performed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique. We used two types of models: (1) a rectangular block of multilayer tissue with blood vessels traversing the fat layer and (2) cylindrical models with circular and elliptical cross-sections simulating the real geometry of murine limbs. We found that the specific absorption rate (SAR) in blood vessels normally traversing the fat layer achieved its maximal value at the parallel orientation of the E-field to the vessel axis. At 42 GHz exposure, the maximal SAR in small blood vessels could be more than 30 times greater than that in the skin. The SAR increased with decreasing the blood vessel diameter and increasing the fat thickness. The SAR decreased with increasing the exposure frequency. When the cylindrical or elliptical models of murine limbs were exposed to plane MMW, the greatest absorption of MMW energy occurred in blood vessels located on the lateral areas of the limb model. At these areas the maximal SAR values were comparable with or were greater than the maximal SAR on the front surface of the skin. Enhanced absorption of MMW energy by blood vessels traversing the fat layer may play a primary role in initiating MMW effects on blood cells and vasodilatation of cutaneous blood vessels.     

Actin cytoskeleton in intact and wounded coenocytic green algae

Summary The subcellular distribution of actin was investigated in two related species of coenocytic green algae, with immunofluorescence microscopy. Either no, or fine punctate fluorescence was detected in intact cells of Ernodesmis verticillata (Kützing) Børgesen and Boergesenia forbesii (Harvey) Feldmann. A reticulate pattern of fluorescence appears throughout the cortical cytoplasm of Ernodesmis cells shortly after wounding; this silhouettes chloroplasts and small vacuoles. Slender, longitudinal bundles of actin become evident in contracting regions of the cell, superimposed over the reticulum. Thicker portions of the bundles were observed in well-contracted regions, and the highly-convoluted appearance of nearby cortical microtubules indicates contraction of the bundles in these thicker areas. Bundles are no longer evident after healing; only the reticulum remains. In Boergesenia, a wider-mesh reticulum of actin develops in the cortex of wounded cells, which widens further as contractions continue. Cells wounded in Ca²⁺-free medium do not contract, and although the actin reticulum is apparent, no actin bundles were ever observed in these cells. Exogenously applied cytochalasins have no effect on contractions of cut cells or extruded cytoplasm, and normal actin-bundle formation occurs in treated cells. In contrast, erythro-9-[3-(2-hydroxynonyl)]adenine (EHNA) completely inhibits longitudinal contractions in wounded cells, and few uniformly slender actin bundles develop in inhibited cells. These results indicate that wounding stimulates a Ca²⁺-dependent, hierarchical assembly of actin into bundles, whose assembly and functioning are inhibited by EHNA. Contraction of the bundles and concomitant wound healing are followed by cessation of motility and disassembly of the bundles. The spatial and temporal association of the bundles with regions of cytoplasmic contraction, indicates that the actin bundles are directly involved in wound-induced cytoplasmic motility in these algae.Abbreviations EHNA erythro-9-[3-(2-hydroxynonyl)]adenine - MT(s) microtubule(s)     

A broad spectrum monoclonal antibody to alpha-tubulin does not recognize all protozoan tubulins

Summary Monoclonal antibodies able to recognize single antigenic determinants are a powerful tool for the study of immunological heterogeneity of antigens. In this paper we have used a monoclonal antibody against the -subunit of pig brain tubulin (TU-01) to investigate the immunoreactivity of tubulins from mammals, avians, amphibia, echinodermata, plathelmints, slime moulds and protozoa. Immunoreactivity was detected using immunoblotting and indirect immunofluorescence of isolated cells. Our results show that the antigenic determinant recognized by the TU-01 antibody is present in all metazoan tubulin tested and among the eukaryotic microorganisms only in the flagellateTrichomonas vaginalis. Indirect immunofluorescence also reveals that not allTrichomonas microtubules are stained by TU-01 antibody indicating the presence of different tubulins within a single cell. This results are consistent with the multitubulin hypothesis (Fulton andSimpson 1976).     

Influence of spatial structure on effective nutrient diffusion in bacterial biofilms

The main contribution of this paper is to use homogenization techniques to compute diffusion coefficients from experimental images of microbial biofilms. Our approach requires the analysis of several experimental spatial structures of biofilms in order to derive from them a Representative Volume Element (RVE). Then, we apply a suitable numerical procedure to the RVE to derive the diffusion coefficients. We show that diffusion coefficients significantly vary with the biofilm structure. These results suggest that microbial biofilm structures can favour nutrient access in some cases.     

The Rothmund-Thomson gene product RECQL4 localizes to the nucleolus in response to oxidative stress

Mutations in the RECQL4 helicase gene have been linked to Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS), which is characterized by poikiloderma, growth deficiency, and a predisposition to cancer. Examination of RECQL4 subcellular localization in live cells demonstrated a nucleoplasmic pattern and, to a lesser degree, staining in nucleoli. Analysis of RECQL4-GFP deletion mutants revealed two nuclear localization regions in the N-terminal region of RECQL4 and a nucleolar localization signal at amino acids 376-386. RECQL4 localization did not change after treatment with the DNA-damaging agents bleomycin, etoposide, UV irradiation and gamma irradiation, in contrast to the Bloom and Werner syndrome helicases that relocate to distinct nuclear foci after damage. However, in a significant number of cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide or streptonigrin, RECQL4 accumulated in nucleoli. Using a T7 phage display screen, we determined that RECQL4 interacts with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a nuclear enzyme that promotes genomic integrity through its involvement in DNA repair and signaling pathways. The RECQL4 nucleolar localization was inhibited by pretreatment with a PARP-1 inhibitor. The C-terminal portion of RECQL4 was found to be an in vitro substrate for PARP-1. These results demonstrate changes in the intracellular localization of RECQL4 in response to oxidative stress and identify an interaction between RECQL4 and PARP-1.     

芒果畸形病病原菌Fusarium mangiferae的快速分子检测

芒果畸形病是芒果上的重要病害之一,由镰孢菌侵染引起,其中以Fusarium mangiferae为主要致病菌.该病害诊断困难,且难于有效控制,因此,一旦发生则对芒果生产造成严重威胁.研究基于ISSR分子标记技术,从50条已知引物中筛选得到一条目的引物UBC 888,该引物可稳定扩增出大小为479bp的F. mangiferae特异性条带(GenBank Accession No. KJ526382).根据获得的特异性片段序列设计引物,成功地将ISSR标记转化为SCAR标记,并获得一对SCAR特异性引物(W342,W1772)和一段大小为1 376bp的特异性扩增片段(GenBank Accession No. KJ526383).通过优化特异性引物扩增条件,获得最适退火温度,构建芒果畸形病病原菌F. mangiferae的快速分子检测技术.此技术操作简单,特异性强,可检测真菌DNA的含量最低为10pg,适用于F. mangiferae和田间带菌芒果组织高灵敏度快速检测,为芒果畸形病的早期诊断和及时预防提供可靠理论依据和技术方法.     

Induction of colony initiation by Japanese native bumble bees using cocoons of the exotic bumblebee Bombus terrestris

The colony initiation rates of Bombus hypocrita (a native Japanese bumblebee) and Bombus terrestris (a European species) foundresses were compared after 4 weeks of exposure to B. terrestris cocoons. The B. terrestris cocoons, when replaced weekly, were effective for inducing oviposition by foundresses of both species. There were no significant differences in the colony initiation rates of B. terrestris and B. hypocrita, either with the control treatment or with the cocoons. The cocoon method was also tested for five species and two subspecies of native Japanese bumblebees. The colony initiation rate was higher for foundresses of the subgenus Bombus s. str. than for foundresses of the subgenera Pyrobombus, Diversobombus, and Thoracobombus. When replaced weekly, the cocoons of B. terrestris are effective inducers of colony foundation in three Japanese native species, namely B. ignitus, B. hypocrita hypocrita, and B. h. sapporoensis.     

The distribution of the DEK protein in mammalian chromatin

DEK is an abundant and ubiquitous chromatin protein. Here we investigate whether DEK is regularly distributed in the chromatin of human HeLa cells. We show that DEK appears to be excluded from the heterochromatic compartment. However, DEK seems to colocalize with a subfraction of chromatin bearing acetylated histone H4. We examined certain DNA sequences in specifically immunoprecipitated chromatin for four selected human genes. We found that most of the investigated gene sequences were moderately enriched in immunoprecipitated chromatin. In contrast, a promoter-proximal element of the human TOP1 gene was highly enriched in the chromatin immunoprecipitates. This enrichment was lost when cells were treated with alpha-amanitin showing that DEK binds to this particular site only when the TOP1 gene is actively expressed. Our conclusion is that DEK could serve as an architectural protein at the promoter or enhancer sites of a subfraction of human genes.     

自然湿地土壤产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌多样性的分子检测

自然湿地是CH4排放的重要来源之一。产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌是介导自然湿地甲烷循环的重要功能菌群。开展产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌多样性的检测研究有助于揭示微生物介导的甲烷循环以及自然湿地甲烷排放的时空异质性。传统基于培养的检测方法已被证实无法充分描述产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌的多样性,而分子检测方法为自然湿地土壤产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌的多样性检测提供了一种更准确和科学的工具。本文综述了自然湿地土壤产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌的定性和定量分子检测方法,包括末端限制性片段长度多态性（T-RFLP）、变性梯度凝胶电泳（DGGE）、荧光原位杂交（FISH）和实时定量PCR（real-time qPCR）,重点分析了分子检测中两类重要的标记基因,总结了不同类型自然湿地产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌群落多样性的最新成果,提出了我国在该领域今后应深入研究探讨的一些问题及建议。