碱性成纤维细胞生长因子对激光烧伤大兔皮肤愈合的影响分析

摘要 目的：探讨碱性成纤维细胞生长因子对激光烧伤大兔皮肤愈合的影响分析。方法：通过热辐射仪激光灼烧对大兔耳朵进行烧伤处理,根据实验需求,将其随机分为三组：对照组,bFGF组,bFGF + DAPT组。通过ImageJ软件测量伤口面积和疤痕组织的厚度,并定期计算残余伤口面积率和疤痕指数。通过组织学分析大兔伤口愈合的新血管生成量。通过蛋白印迹分析Notch1、Jagged1和Hes1的蛋白表达。通过免疫荧光分析愈合后的皮肤中α-SMA,Col I和Col III的相对蛋白水平。结果：bFGF组较对照组的疤痕指数降低（P<0.05）,bFGF+DAPT组较bFGF组疤痕指数升高（P<0.05）。bFGF组较对照组的愈合面积增加（P<0.05）,bFGF + DAPT组较bFGF组愈合面积降低（P<0.05）。与对照组相比,bFGF组的愈合时间明显缩短,较低的残余伤口面积和较低的疤痕指数（P<0.05）,而bFGF + DAPT组表现出明显的愈合延迟和较高的疤痕指数（P<0.05）。bFGF组较对照组的新血管生成量增加（P<0.05）,bFGF + DAPT组较bFGF组心血管生成量减少（P<0.05）。bFGF组较对照组的肉芽组织平均厚度增加,表皮间隙的闭合百分比升高（P<0.05）,bFGF + DAPT组较bFGF组肉芽组织平均厚度增加、表皮间隙的闭合百分比减少（P<0.05）。H＆E染色进行组织学分析发现,与对照组和bFGF + DAPT组相比,bFGF组出现明显的再上皮化和新血管形成,愈合效率较高（P<0.05）。bFGF组较对照组Notch1、Jagged1和Hes1的蛋白表达升高（P<0.05）,bFGF + DAPT组较bFGF组Notch1、Jagged1和Hes1的蛋白表达降低（P<0.05）。bFGF组较对照组?琢-SMA,Col I和Col III的蛋白表达降低（P<0.05）,bFGF + DAPT组较bFGF组表达升高（P<0.05）。结论：bFGF可以通过促进ESC的增殖并通过激活Notch1 / Jagged1途径抑制其向肌成纤维细胞（Myofibroblasts,MFB）的分化加快伤口愈合,减少疤痕形成。     

Widespread phenotypic and genetic divergence along altitudinal gradients in animals

Altitudinal gradients offer valuable study systems to investigate how adaptive genetic diversity is distributed within and between natural populations and which factors promote or prevent adaptive differentiation. The environmental clines along altitudinal gradients tend to be steep relative to the dispersal distance of many organisms, providing an opportunity to study the joint effects of divergent natural selection and gene flow. Temperature is one variable showing consistent altitudinal changes, and altitudinal gradients can therefore provide spatial surrogates for some of the changes anticipated under climate change. Here, we investigate the extent and patterns of adaptive divergence in animal populations along altitudinal gradients by surveying the literature for (i) studies on phenotypic variation assessed under common garden or reciprocal transplant designs and (ii) studies looking for signatures of divergent selection at the molecular level. Phenotypic data show that significant between‐population differences are common and taxonomically widespread, involving traits such as mass, wing size, tolerance to thermal extremes and melanization. Several lines of evidence suggest that some of the observed differences are adaptively relevant, but rigorous tests of local adaptation or the link between specific phenotypes and fitness are sorely lacking. Evidence for a role of altitudinal adaptation also exists for a number of candidate genes, most prominently haemoglobin, and for anonymous molecular markers. Novel genomic approaches may provide valuable tools for studying adaptive diversity, also in species that are not amenable to experimentation.     

Laser Microdissection (LM): Applications to plant materials

Abstract

In recent years, Laser Microdissection (LM), which has been widely used in animal biology, has been adapted to plant tissues. This short paper focuses on some technical aspects concerning plant sample preparation for LM technology, with particular attention to the application of gene expression and proteomics studies. Examples derived from the use of different LM methods are reported and their applications to plant–microbe interactions are explored.     

Paired inspiratory-expiratory chest CT scans to assess for small airways disease in COPD

Background

Gas trapping quantified on chest CT scans has been proposed as a surrogate for small airway disease in COPD. We sought to determine if measurements using paired inspiratory and expiratory CT scans may be better able to separate gas trapping due to emphysema from gas trapping due to small airway disease.

Methods

Smokers with and without COPD from the COPDGene Study underwent inspiratory and expiratory chest CT scans. Emphysema was quantified by the percent of lung with attenuation < −950HU on inspiratory CT. Four gas trapping measures were defined: (1) Exp₋₈₅₆, the percent of lung < −856HU on expiratory imaging; (2) E/I MLA, the ratio of expiratory to inspiratory mean lung attenuation; (3) RVC_856-950, the difference between expiratory and inspiratory lung volumes with attenuation between −856 and −950 HU; and (4) Residuals from the regression of Exp₋₈₅₆ on percent emphysema.

Results

In 8517 subjects with complete data, Exp₋₈₅₆ was highly correlated with emphysema. The measures based on paired inspiratory and expiratory CT scans were less strongly correlated with emphysema. Exp₋₈₅₆, E/I MLA and RVC_856-950 were predictive of spirometry, exercise capacity and quality of life in all subjects and in subjects without emphysema. In subjects with severe emphysema, E/I MLA and RVC_856-950 showed the highest correlations with clinical variables.

Conclusions

Quantitative measures based on paired inspiratory and expiratory chest CT scans can be used as markers of small airway disease in smokers with and without COPD, but this will require that future studies acquire both inspiratory and expiratory CT scans.     

Peculiar tooth renewal in a Jurassic ray-finned fish (Lepisosteiformes, †Scheenstia sp.)

Tooth replacement in vertebrates is extremely diverse, and its study in extinct taxa gives insights into the evolution of the different dental renewal modes. Based on μ-CT scans of a left lower jaw of the extinct fish †Scheenstia (Actinopterygii, Lepisosteiformes), we describe in detail a peculiar tooth replacement mode that is, as far as we could ascertain from the literature, unique among vertebrates. The formation of the replacement teeth comprises a 180° rotation of their acrodin cap that occurs intraosseously within bony crypts, and their setting up appears to be synchronous. We propose a model for the dental renewal process and identify complementary anatomical features visible in the tomography such as the junction between the different tooth-bearing bones (prearticular–coronoid and dentary), as well as cavities corresponding to intraosseous crypts, nervous and/or vascular canals. The location of the cavities and their subsequent identification (e.g. Meckel's cavity, mandibular sensory canal) help us to identify the function of pores visible on the bone surface and understand their relation to internal anatomical features. Finally, recognition of this tooth replacement mode raises the question of whether it is specific to †Scheenstia or related to a particular dentition type and thus potentially occurs in other lineages.     

A comparison of lipid storage in Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Tetraselmis suecica using laser scanning confocal microscopy

Microalgae contain lipid bodies (LBs) composed of triacylglycerols, which can be converted to biodiesel. Here we demonstrate a method to study the accumulation patterns of LBs in different microalgae strains and culture conditions utilizing laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) with BODIPY 505/515 (4,4-difluoro-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene) staining, in parallel with Nile Red (9-diethylamino-5H-benzo-a-phenoxazine-5-one) fluorescence analysis of intracellular lipids in microplates. Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Tetraselmis suecica were selected as model organisms and monitored throughout the growth phases in standard and nitrogen-deficient growth conditions. Utilizing image quantification techniques, the number and morphology of LBs suggest that P. tricornutum accumulates lipids by merging with existing LBs, while T. suecica synthesizes new LBs. We observed that T. suecica accumulates a higher number of LBs and total volume of lipids per cell, while P. tricornutum accumulates only 1–2 LBs with a larger volume per LB. LSCM analysis complements Nile Red (NR) methods because LSCM provides three-dimensional images of lipid accumulation at a cellular level, while NR analysis can quickly monitor the total levels of intracellular lipids for phenotypic screening. Using NR analysis, we have observed that the optimal harvest date for P. tricornutum and T. suecica in standard cultivation conditions is 24 and 42 days, respectively. Comparison with nitrogen-deficient growth conditions is utilized as a model to confirm that LSCM and NR analysis can be used to study lipid storage and productivity for diverse growth conditions and various strains of microalgae.     

Detecting Signatures of Selection Through Haplotype Differentiation Among Hierarchically Structured Populations

The detection of molecular signatures of selection is one of the major concerns of modern population genetics. A widely used strategy in this context is to compare samples from several populations and to look for genomic regions with outstanding genetic differentiation between these populations. Genetic differentiation is generally based on allele frequency differences between populations, which are measured by F_ST or related statistics. Here we introduce a new statistic, denoted hapFLK, which focuses instead on the differences of haplotype frequencies between populations. In contrast to most existing statistics, hapFLK accounts for the hierarchical structure of the sampled populations. Using computer simulations, we show that each of these two features—the use of haplotype information and of the hierarchical structure of populations—significantly improves the detection power of selected loci and that combining them in the hapFLK statistic provides even greater power. We also show that hapFLK is robust with respect to bottlenecks and migration and improves over existing approaches in many situations. Finally, we apply hapFLK to a set of six sheep breeds from Northern Europe and identify seven regions under selection, which include already reported regions but also several new ones. We propose a method to help identifying the population(s) under selection in a detected region, which reveals that in many of these regions selection most likely occurred in more than one population. Furthermore, several of the detected regions correspond to incomplete sweeps, where the favorable haplotype is only at intermediate frequency in the population(s) under selection.     

Molecular signatures of lineage‐specific adaptive evolution in a unique sea basin: the example of an anadromous goby Leucopsarion petersii

Climate changes on various time scales often shape genetic novelty and adaptive variation in many biotas. We explored molecular signatures of directional selection in populations of the ice goby Leucopsarion petersii inhabiting a unique sea basin, the Sea of Japan, where a wide variety of environments existed in the Pleistocene in relation to shifts in sea level by repeated glaciations. This species consisted of two historically allopatric lineages, the Japan Sea (JS) and Pacific Ocean (PO) lineages, and these have lived under contrasting marine environments that are expected to have imposed different selection regimes caused by past climatic and current oceanographic factors. We applied a limited genome‐scan approach using seven candidate genes for phenotypic differences between two lineages in combination with 100 anonymous microsatellite loci. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene, which is an important regulator of food intake and potent orexigenic agent, and three anonymous microsatellites were identified as robust outliers, that is, candidate loci potentially under directional selection, by multiple divergence‐ and diversity‐based outlier tests in comparisons focused on multiple populations of the JS vs. PO lineages. For these outlier loci, populations of the JS lineage had putative signals of selective sweeps. Additionally, real‐time quantitative PCR analysis using fish reared in a common environment showed a higher expression level for NPY gene in the JS lineage. Thus, this study succeeded in identifying candidate genomic regions under selection across populations of the JS lineage and provided evidence for lineage‐specific adaptive evolution in this unique sea basin.     

Is local selection so widespread in river organisms? Fractal geometry of river networks leads to high bias in outlier detection

Identifying local adaptation is crucial in conservation biology to define ecotypes and establish management guidelines. Local adaptation is often inferred from the detection of loci showing a high differentiation between populations, the so‐called F_ST outliers. Methods of detection of loci under selection are reputed to be robust in most spatial population models. However, using simulations we showed that F_ST outlier tests provided a high rate of false‐positives (up to 60%) in fractal environments such as river networks. Surprisingly, the number of sampled demes was correlated with parameters of population genetic structure, such as the variance of F_STs, and hence strongly influenced the rate of outliers. This unappreciated property of river networks therefore needs to be accounted for in genetic studies on adaptation and conservation of river organisms.     

Fungal genes related to calcium homeostasis and signalling are upregulated in symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhiza interactions

Fluctuations in intracellular calcium levels generate signalling events and regulate different cellular processes. Whilst the implication of Ca²⁺ in plant responses during arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) interactions is well documented, nothing is known about the regulation or role of this secondary messenger in the fungal symbiont. The spatio-temporal expression pattern of putatively Ca²⁺-related genes of Glomus intraradices BEG141 encoding five proteins involved in membrane transport and one nuclear protein kinase, was investigated during the AM symbiosis. Expression profiles related to successful colonization of host roots were observed in interactions of G. intraradices with roots of wild-type Medicago truncatula (line J5) compared to the mycorrhiza-defective mutant dmi3/Mtsym13. Symbiotic fungal activity was monitored using stearoyl-CoA desaturase and phosphate transporter genes. Laser microdissection based-mapping of fungal gene expression in mycorrhizal root tissues indicated that the Ca²⁺-related genes were differentially upregulated in arbuscules and/or in intercellular hyphae. The spatio-temporal variations in gene expression suggest that the encoded proteins may have different functions in fungal development or function during symbiosis development. Full-length cDNA obtained for two genes with interesting expression profiles confirmed a close similarity with an endoplasmic reticulum P-type ATPase and a Vcx1-like vacuolar Ca²⁺ ion transporter functionally characterized in other fungi and involved in the regulation of cell calcium pools. Possible mechanisms are discussed in which Ca²⁺-related proteins G. intraradices BEG141 may play a role in mobilization and perception of the intracellular messenger by the AM fungus during symbiotic interactions with host roots.