间伐对落叶松人工林内草本植物多样性及其组成的影响

通过对落叶松人工林间伐林分和未间伐林分林下草本植物的调查以及林下光照条件的测定,分析间伐对林下草本植物多样性、组成的影响及其与光照条件的关系。结果表明,除均匀度指数在春、秋季表现不同外,间伐林分的丰富度指数、多样性指数均高于未间伐林分,说明间伐后草本植物多样性明显增加。依据草本物种在间伐前后出现与否和密度变化情况将其划分为正反应种(间伐后密度明显增加和间伐后新出现的种)、中性反应种(间伐后密度变化不明显或没有变化的种)和负反应种(间伐后密度明显减小和间伐后消失的种),间伐后出现大量新的草本种类,同时在间伐和未间伐林分的共有种中有许多表现为负反应种。在间伐林分中,间伐行和未间伐行的共有种春季有11个、秋季有10个,分别占间伐林分草本总种数的17.74%和15.15%,表明各行草本植物组成差异较大;各指数均呈现了从间伐行到未间伐行逐渐减小的趋势。主要的正反应种、中性反应种和负反应种均表现出与光照具有一定的相关性,且这种相关性与间伐和非间伐林分之间各草本物种与光照的相关性基本一致。     

The platelet P2Y12 receptor under normal and pathological conditions. Assessment with the radiolabeled selective antagonist [3H]PSB-0413

Various radioligands have been used to characterize and quantify the platelet P2Y₁₂ receptor, which share several weaknesses: (a) they are metabolically unstable and substrates for ectoenzymes, (b) they are agonists, and (c) they do not discriminate between P2Y₁ and P2Y₁₂. We used the [³H]PSB-0413 selective P2Y₁₂ receptor antagonist radioligand to reevaluate the number of P2Y₁₂ receptors in intact platelets and in membrane preparations. Studies in humans showed that: (1) [³H]PSB-0413 bound to 425 ± 50 sites/platelet (K_D = 3.3 ± 0.6 nM), (2) 0.5 ± 0.2 pmol [³H]PSB-0413 bound to 1 mg protein of platelet membranes (K_D = 6.5 ± 3.6 nM), and (3) competition studies confirmed the known features of P2Y₁₂, with the expected rank order of potency: AR-C69931MX > 2MeSADP ≫ ADPβS > ADP, while the P2Y₁ ligand MRS2179 and the P2X₁ ligand α,β-Met-ATP did not displace [³H]PSB-0413 binding. Patients with severe P2Y₁₂ deficiency displayed virtually no binding of [³H]PSB-0413 to intact platelets, while a patient with a dysfunctional P2Y₁₂ receptor had normal binding. Studies in mice showed that: (1) [³H]PSB-0413 bound to 634 ± 87 sites/platelet (K_D = 14 ± 4.5 nM) and (2) 0.7 pmol ± 0.3 [³H]PSB-0413 bound to 1 mg protein of platelet membranes (K_D = 9.1 ± 5.3 nM). Clopidogrel and other thiol reagents like pCMBS or DTT abolished the binding both to intact platelets and membrane preparations. Therefore, [³H]PSB-0413 is an accurate and selective tool for radioligand binding studies aimed at quantifying P2Y₁₂ receptors, to identify patients with P2Y₁₂ deficiencies or quantify the effect of P2Y₁₂ targeting drugs.     

基于间隔二肽组分和递归特征消除法的DNA结合蛋白的鉴定

DNA结合蛋白(DNA-binding proteins,DBPs)的鉴定在原核和真核生物的基因和蛋白质功能注释研究中具有十分重要的意义.本研究首次运用间隔二肽组分(gapped-dipeptide composition,Gap DPC)结合递归特征消除法(recursive feature elimination,RFE)鉴定DBPs.首先获得待测蛋白质氨基酸序列的位置特异性得分矩阵(position specific scoring matrix,PSSM),在此基础上提取蛋白质的Gap DPC特征,通过RFE法选择最优特征,然后利用支持向量机(support vector machine,SVM)作为分类器,在蛋白质序列数据集PDB396和LB1068中进行夹克刀交叉验证(jackknife cross validation test).研究结果显示,基于PDB396和LB1068数据集,DBPs预测的准确率、Matthews相关系数、敏感性和特异性分别达到93.43%、0.86、89.04%和96.00%,以及86.33%、0.73、86.49%和86.18%,明显优于文献报道中的相关方法,为DBPs的鉴定提供了新的模型.     

Species composition and structure characteristics of the major montane shrub communities in the west slope of Helan Mountains,Nei Mongol,China北大核心CSCD

Scrubland is the most important vegetation component in Helan Mountains, Nei Mongol, but remians very poorly studied. In order to understand the distribution and growth status of the scrubland resources in this area, the shrub communities in the National Nature Reserve of Helan Mountains were sampled. Using the community data, the characteristics of the community structure were quantitatively analyzed. The results show that the shrub communities along an altitudinal gradient in the National Nature Reserve of Helan Mountains include the following formations: Form. Cotoneaster soongoricus, Form. Syringa oblata, Form. Potentilla parvifolia, Form. Ostryopsis davidiana, Form. Lonicera microphylla, Form. Potentilla glabra, Form. Salix oritrepha and Form. Caragana jubata. Furthermore, we also provide the data on species composition and structures of these montane shrub communities, which could provide insight for the conservation and management of these valuable communities. © 2018 Editorial Office of Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology. All Rights Reserved.     

Chaos game representation of coding regions of human globin genes and alcohol dehydrogenase genes of phylogenetically divergent species

Summary Chaos game representation (CGR) is a novel holistic approach that provides a visual image of a DNA sequence quite different from the traditional linear arrangement of nucleotides. Although it is known that CGR patterns depict base composition and sequentiality, the biological significance of the specific features of each pattern is not understood. To systematically examine these features, we have examined the coding sequences of 7 human globin genes and 29 relatively conserved alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) genes from phylogenetically divergent species. The CGRs of human globin cDNAs were similar to one another and to the entire human globin gene complex. Interestingly, human globin CGRs were also strikingly similar to human Adh CGRs. Adh CGRs were similar for genes of the same or closely related species but were different for relatively conserved Adh genes from distantly related species. Dinucleotide frequencies may account for the self-similar pattern that is characteristic of vertebrate CGRs and the genome-specific features of CGR patterns. Mutational frequencies of dinucleotides may vary among genome types. The special features of CG dinucleotides of vertebrates represent such an example. The CGR patterns examined thus far suggest that the evolution of a gene and its coding sequence should not be examined in isolation. Consideration should be given to genome-specific differential mutation rates for different dinucleotides or specific oligonucleotides. Offprint requests to: S. M. Singh     

Sequence,proposed secondary structure,and phylogenetic analysis of the chloroplast 5S rRNA gene of the brown alga Pylaiella littoralis (L.) Kjellm

Summary The chloroplast 5S rRNA gene of the brown alga Pylaiella littoralis (L.) Kjellm has been cloned and sequenced. The gene is located 23 bp downstream from the 3 end of the 23S rRNA gene. The sequence of the gene is as follows: GGTCTTG GTGTTTAAAGGATAGTGGAACCACATTGAT CCATATCGAACTCAATGGTGAAACATTATT ACAGTAACAATACTTAAGGAGGAGTCCTTT GGGAAGATAGCTTATGCCTAAGAC. A secondary structure model is proposed, and compared to those for the chloroplast 5S rRNAs of spinach and the red alga Porphyra umbilicalis. Cladograms based on chloroplast and bacterial 5S rRNA and rRNA gene sequences were constructed using the MacClade program with a user-defined character transformation in which transitions and transversions were assigned unequal step values. The topology of the resulting cladogram indicates a polyphyletic origin for photosynthetic organelles.Offprint requests to: S. Loiseaux-de Goër     

Liverwort genomes display extensive structural variations

PIKE, L. M., HU, A., RENZAGLIA, K. S. & MUSICH, P. R., 1992. Liverwort genomes display extensive structural variations. Analyses of the total genomic DNA of eight species of liverworts and two species of green algae by thermal denaturation and CsCl buoyant density gradient centrifugation reveal a high degree of structural complexity and interspecific heterogeneity. The hepatic taxa exhibit two or more DNA components of varying base composition. Average G4-C contents of total cellular DNA calculated from melting profiles are similarly variable, ranging from 38% to 53% G + C. The green alga Chara , a member of the ancestral line to land plants, shows similarities with liverworts in possessing multiple DNA components of comparable complexity, whereas Hydrodiciyon DNA displays a single component. Detailed hybridization analyses of individual density gradient fractions using α-tubulin, rRNA and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit (rbcL) gene probes were performed to locate the low-copy number and moderately repetitive nuclear genes, and the chloroplast chromosome, respectively. The location of each gene within the density gradient is highly variable among the organisms examined; a-tubulin occurs in fractions ranging from 44–64% G + C, rDNA in 50–64% G + C fractions, and the RbcL gene is located in fractions from 30–59% G + C. For a given species, the two nuclear genes normally overlap in their distributions within the gradient. In most instances, neither gene occurs in the major DNA components, indicating that these components may contain repetitive DNAs. The observed variation in the density of the rbcL gene implies substantial reorganization of the chloroplast genome. The overall differences in the genomic components within and between taxa provide insight into the dynamics of DNA structure that have occurred during the extended evolutionary history of these organisms.     

微红梢斑螟蛀道节肢动物种群结构及生态位

选择我国江苏、安徽和广东7个不同林型的松树林地,对微红梢斑螟(Dioryctria rubella)蛀道节肢动物种群结构及生态位进行调查研究。结果表明:微红梢斑螟蛀道节肢动物种群隶属2纲9目13科,分别为蛛形纲蜘蛛目、蜱螨目,昆虫纲弹尾目、革翅目、啮虫目、半翅目、缨翅目、鞘翅目、膜翅目;利用相对优势指标判别微红梢斑螟蛀道节肢动物优势种有螨科和隐翅虫科,丰盛种有跳虫科,常见种有啮虫科、蠼螋科、蚁科、锯谷盗科、象甲科、蓟马科和茧蜂科,偶见种有小蠹科、蝽科和微蛛科;利用Levins生态位宽度和Pianka生态位重叠对各种群生态位计算表明,隐翅虫科与微红梢斑螟的时间和空间生态位重叠值最大,说明在各种群中隐翅虫科与微红梢斑螟的跟随关系最为紧密;利用聚集度指标法判别优势种群隐翅虫的空间分布属于聚集型分布,用零频率方法计算隐翅虫种群的空间格局为聚集型,种群类型为聚集度逆零频率制约型。     

The evolution of vocabulary

Human language is unique among the communication systems of the natural world. The vocabulary of human language is unique in being both culturally transmitted and symbolic. In this paper I present an investigation into the factors involved in the evolution of such vocabulary systems. I investigate both the cultural evolution of vocabulary systems and the biological evolution of learning rules for vocabulary acquisition. Firstly, vocabularies are shown to evolve on a cultural time-scale so as to fit the expectations of learners-a population's vocabulary adapts to the biases of the learners in that population. A learning bias in favour of one-to-one mappings between meanings and words leads to the cultural evolution of communicatively optimal vocabulary systems, even in the absence of any explicit pressure for communication. Furthermore, the pressure to conform to the biases of learners is shown to outweigh natural selection acting on cultural transmission. Human language learners appear to bring a one-to-one bias to the acquisition of vocabulary systems. The functionality of human vocabulary may therefore be a consequence of the biases of human language learners. Secondly, the evolutionary stability of genetically transmitted vocabulary learning biases is investigated using both static and dynamic models. A one-to-one learning bias, which leads to the cultural evolution of optimal communication, is shown to be evolutionarily stable. However, the evolution de novo of this bias is complicated by the cumulative nature of the cultural evolution of vocabulary systems. This suggests that the biases of human language learners may not have evolved specifically and exclusively for the acquisition of communicatively functional vocabulary.     

Structural studies on cyanobacterial photosystem I

The cyanobacterial photosystem, I complex from Synechococcus sp. PCC6301 contains polypeptides of apparent M_r of 70,000, 18,000, 17,700, 16,000 and 10,000. Procedures were developed for the purification of the M_r 17,700 and 10,000 polypeptides. Amino acid analyses showed the absence of cystine and cysteine from these polypeptides. Amino-terminal sequences of 98 residues for the M_r 17,700 polypeptide and of 42 residues for the M_r 10,000 polypeptide were determined. Studies of pigment distribution within the photosystem I complex indicated that the binding of chlorophyll a and -carotene is in part dependent on the presence of these polypeptides.Abbreviations PSI photosystem I - P700 reaction center of PSI - SDS sodium dodecylsulfate - TBS tris-buffered saline - TTBS TBS containing Tween-20