Growth and reproduction of Arabidopsis thaliana in relation to storage of starch and nitrate in the wild-type and in starch-deficient and nitrate-uptake-deficient mutants

We have investigated the interactions between resource assimilation and storage in rosette leaves, and their impact on the growth and reproduction of the annual species Arabidopsis thaliana. The resource balance was experimentally perturbed by changing (i) the external nutrition, by varying the nitrogen supply; (ii) the assimilation and reallocation of resources from rosette leaves to reproductive organs, by cutting or covering rosette leaves at the time of early flower bud formation, and (iii) the internal carbon and nitrogen balance of the plants, by using isogenic mutants either lacking starch formation (PGM mutant) or with reduced nitrate uptake (NU mutant). When plants were grown on high nitrogen, they had higher concentrations of carbohydrates and nitrate in their leaves during the rosette phase than during flowering. However, these storage pools did not significantly contribute to the bulk flow of resources to seeds. The pool size of stored resources in rosette leaves at the onset of seed filling was very low compared to the total amount of carbon and nitrogen needed for seed formation. Instead, the rosette leaves had an important function in the continued assimilation of resources during seed ripening, as shown by the low seed yield of plants whose leaves were covered or cut off. When a key resource became limiting, such as nitrogen in the NU mutants and in plants grown on a low nitrogen supply, stored resources in the rosette leaves (e.g. nitrogen) were remobilized, and made a larger contribution to seed biomass. A change in nutrition resulted in a complete reversal of the plant response: plants shifted from high to low nutrition exhibited a seed yield similar to that of plants grown continuously on a low nitrogen supply, and vice versa. This demonstrates that resource assimilation during the reproductive phase determines seed production. The PGM mutant had a reduced growth rate and a smaller biomass during the rosette phase as a result of changes in respiration caused by a high turnover of soluble sugars ( Caspar et al. 1986 ; W. Schulze et al. 1991 ). During flowering, however, the vegetative growth rate in the PGM mutant increased, and exceeded that of the wild-type. By the end of the flowering stage, the biomass of the PGM mutant did not differ from that of the wild-type. However, in contrast to the wild-type, the PGM mutant maintained a high vegetative growth rate during seed formation, but had a low rate of seed production. These differences in allocation in the PGM mutant result in a significantly lower seed yield in the starchless mutants. This indicates that starch formation is not only an important factor during growth in the rosette phase, but is also important for whole plant allocation during seed formation. The NU mutant resembled the wild-type grown on a low nitrogen supply, except that it unexpectedly showed symptoms of carbohydrate shortage as well as nitrogen deficiency. In all genotypes and treatments, there was a striking correlation between the concentrations of nitrate and organic nitrogen and shoot growth on the one hand, and sucrose concentration and root growth on the other. In addition, nitrate reductase activity (NRA) was correlated with the total carbohydrate concentration: low carbohydrate levels in starchless mutants led to low NRA even at high nitrate supply. Thus the concentrations of stored carbohydrates and nitrate are directly or indirectly involved in regulating allocation.     

玉蜀黍赤霉(Gibberella zeae)对多菌灵的室内抗药突变体的诱导及其抗药性遗传分析

通过紫外线照射和药剂驯化的方法均获得了玉蜀黍赤霉野生敏感菌株对多菌灵(carbendazim,MBC)的室内抗药突变体。这些抗药突变体一部分表现低抗(low resistance．LR),即能在临界致死剂量1．4μg／mL多菌灵浓度下生长,但不能在10μg／mL浓度以上生长,且对二氯苯胺甲酸甲酯(N-3,5-dichlorophenyl carbamate,MDPC)不表现负交互抗药性;另一部分表现高抗(high resistance．HR)．即能在100μg／mL多菌灵浓度下生长,并与田间高抗菌株一样,对MDPC表现负交互抗药性;没有获得类似田间的中抗(moderate resistance,MR)菌株,即能在10μg／mL多菌灵浓度下快速生长,在100μg／mL浓度以上被完全抑制的突变体。通过药剂驯化的方法还获得了田间中抗(MR)菌株的高抗(HR)突变体,但这些突变体与MR一样对MDPC仍然不表现负交互抗药性。抗药性遗传研究表明。在所研究的抗药突变体中,抗药性在自交和无性繁殖后代中能稳定遗传;室内抗药突变体和田间抗药菌株对多菌灵的抗药性由同一个主效基因控制,但它们发生突变的位点不同或者同一碱基位点发生了不同的突变;对MDPC的敏感性也是由单个基因控制的,该基因与控制多菌灵抗性的基因是等位基因,当该基因发生对MDPC的敏感性增加的突变时会使病菌对多菌灵产生高水平抗性。     

乳酸菌对高脂小鼠降胆固醇作用的研究

目的探讨乳酸菌对高脂小鼠降胆固醇的作用。方法对昆明小鼠饲喂高脂饲料14 d建立高脂小鼠模型,确定模型建立成功后用1株经体外实验证实具有降胆固醇效果的乳酸菌对小鼠灌胃,测定小鼠经灌胃14、28 d的脏器指数、血清胆固醇含量和肝脏胆固醇含量。结果灌胃组小鼠脏器指数明显低于高脂组小鼠,且对于血清和肝脏胆固醇含量具有明显的降低作用。结论该菌株具有降低血清胆固醇,抑制肝脏胆固醇堆积的功能,为将来利用该菌株制作出降胆固醇功能的食品或药品提供实验基础。     

正常小鼠骨髓血红蛋白含量的测定

小鼠骨髓血红蛋白含量的变化可以间接地反映骨髓微循环系统形态和功能的状况。按Burger and Knyszynski(1969)方法操作繁复,限制了它的推广应用及正常值的问世。最近,我们建立的简易测定方法,为成批标本的测定和正常值的确定创造了条件。 正常小鼠骨髓血红蛋白含量测定的目的:1)在较大量标本的测定中进一步验证该方法的可靠性;2)确定青、成年小鼠骨髓血红蛋白的正常值范围;3)分析其可能的影响因素,以便更好地控制实验条件和判断骨髓微循环障碍的程度。     

气雾攻击法感染结核病小鼠模型的建立及其综合评价

目的 模拟自然感染方式建立结核病小鼠模型,并对其病理变化进行综合评价.方法 通过气雾攻击方式将结核分枝杆菌H37Rv接种至C57BL/6J小鼠体内.在感染后的4周、6周、8周对小鼠进行micro-CT活体动态扫描,无菌分离肺脏和脾脏,肉眼观察病变情况,活菌菌落计数,组织病理检测(HE和抗酸染色).结果 肉眼观察和micro-CT扫描发现,不同时间小鼠肺部感染情况逐渐加重,至感染后第8周时病变弥漫至整个肺部;HE染色肺组织出现弥漫性肉芽肿样实变;抗酸染色可见结核分枝杆菌.结论 通过大体病变、病理、影像、菌落计数几个方面对建立的小鼠模型进行综合分析,证明利用气雾攻击法感染的结核病小鼠模型建立成功;该模型在形成病变时与结核患者的情况存在一定差异,对其完善的综合评价有助于在相关研究中对该小鼠模型的合理应用.     

Uptake of 1-Methyl-4-Phenylpyridinium and Dopamine in the Mouse Brain Cell Nuclei

Abstract: The neurotoxin N -methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) causes, via its metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺), parkinsonism in humans, monkeys, and mice but not in rats. When incubated with mouse brain homogenates, [³H]-MPP⁺ is recovered in relatively large concentrations in the brain cell nucleus. Although isolated cell nuclei from rat and mouse brain contain uptake systems for dopamine (DA), only brain cell nuclei from mice avidly take up [³H]MPP⁺. This nuclear uptake is ATP dependent and can be blocked by ouabain and Nethylmaleimide. It is not, however, affected by neuronal and vesicular blockers such as benztropine. mazindol, and reserpine. Selective uptake of MPP⁺ into brain cell nuclei may provide a new avenue for future investigation into the complex modes of action of the neurotoxin MPTP.     

Survivin as a target for new anticancer interventions

Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, that has been implicated in both control of cell division and inhibition of apoptosis. Specifically, its anti-apoptotic function seems to be related to the ability to directly or indirectly inhibit caspases. Survivin is selectively expressed in the most common human neoplasms and appears to be involved in tumor cell resistance to some anticancer agents and ionizing radiation. On the basis of these findings survivin has been proposed as an attractive target for new anticancer interventions. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated that down-regulation of survivin expression/function, accomplished through the use of antisense oligonucleotides, dominant negative mutants, ribozymes, small interfering RNAs and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, increased the apoptotic rate, reduced tumor-growth potential and sensitized tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drugs with different action mechanisms and gamma-irradiation in in vitro and in vivo models of different human tumor types.     

Patterns of circulating hepatitis B surface antigen variants among vaccinated children born to hepatitis B surface antigen carrier and non-carrier mothers

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants that possessed missense mutation within the neutralization epitope of the major S antigen as defined by amino acid residues (aa#) 124–147, termed the a determinant variants, were identified through a population-based serosurvey of 2,305 children of the vaccinated birth cohorts born after 1986. Data on the 678 nucleotides encoding the S antigen of HBV were available for 75 HBV strains that were collected from 63 vaccinated children and 12 unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated children, and 21 HBV strains from 25 unvaccinated adults. Among the diverse patterns of one to three amino acid substitutions within the a determinant, 145-Arg occurred most frequently (5/14); other variants were: 126-Ala, 127-Thr, 126-Ser/131-Asn/133-Thr, 129-His, 129-Arg, 123-Asn/131-Ile, 133-Leu, 141-Glu, and 141-Arg/144-Ala. Only one of these variants occurred in the 16 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-carrier children born to HBsAg-negative mothers, whereas 12 of these variants occurred in the 20 (50%) children born to HBsAg-positive mothers. In addition, early administration of HBV vaccine within the noenatal period increased the likelihood of the emergence of these variants to 64.7% (11/17). Five of the 21 (23.8%) unvaccinated HBsAg-carrier adults harbored the a determinant variants possessing mutations within aa# 125–136, i.e. the putative first loop formed by the cysteine disulfide bonds. Vaccinated children were likely to harbor HBV variants possessing mutations involving altered charge of side chains and/or its hydrophobicity of amino acid residues within the putative second loop between aa#140 and 146. Our data suggest that emergence of these HBV S gene mutants in the phase of HBV vaccination program would be most common among populations in whom perinatal/vertical transmission of HBV is most common, i.e. southeast Asian and the Taiwanese.     

不同方法建立多重耐药铜绿假单胞菌肠道感染动物模型的比较和评价

目的探讨建立肠道多重耐药细菌感染动物模型的方法,为实验研究和治疗因耐药菌引起的感染提供良好的模型。方法 24只6周龄SPF级雄性BALB/c小鼠分成4组:正常对照组、MDR-PA组、MDR-PA+抗生素组和MDR-PA+禁食组,6只/组。分别给予生理盐水灌胃、PA悬液灌胃、自由饮用含头孢曲松钠水后PA悬液灌胃和禁食后PA悬液灌胃。实验结束后对结肠组织进行病理学观察和炎症评分;检测炎症因子TNF-α和INF-γ浓度。结果结肠组织病理表现出不同程度的炎症变化;炎症因子TNF-α和INF-γ浓度较对照组均明显增加,有显著统计学意义。结论三种方法均可成功建立肠道多重耐药铜绿假单孢菌感染的动物模型,可根据不同实验目的选择不同的建立模型方法。     

Tight junction biogenesis during early development

The tight junction (TJ) is an essential component of the differentiated epithelial cell required for polarised transport and intercellular integrity and signalling. Whilst much can be learnt about how the TJ is constructed and maintained and how it functions using a wide range of cellular systems, the mechanisms of TJ biogenesis within developmental models must be studied to gain insight into this process as an integral part of epithelial differentiation. Here, we review TJ biogenesis in the early mammalian embryo, mainly considering the mouse but also including the human and other species, and, briefly, within the amphibian embryo. We relate TJ biogenesis to inherent mechanisms of cell differentiation and biosynthesis occurring during cleavage of the egg and the formation of the first epithelium. We also evaluate a wide range of exogenous cues, including cell-cell interactions, protein kinase C signalling, gap junctional communication, Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and cellular energy status, that may contribute to TJ biogenesis in the embryo and how these may shape the pattern of early morphogenesis.