蚁蛉生物学研究进展

蚁蛉科Myrmeleontidae昆虫的幼虫俗称蚁狮,我国古人很早就将其入药,是一种具有良好开发利用前景的药用昆虫。文章对蚁蛉分类学、生物学、人工饲养、药用价值和杀虫活性物质分离等方面的研究进行综述,以期较全面了解蚁蛉的研究进展,为进一步研究、开发和利用蚁蛉提供参考。     

传染性软疣病毒（MCV）的电镜观察

传染性软疣病毒（ＭＣＶ）的电镜观察李德忠,肖同浩,武晓华（广州军区武汉总医院电镜室,武汉４３００７０）吴宁（广州军区武汉总医院皮肤科,武汉４３００７０）关键词传染性软疣病毒,病毒形态,电镜观察曾有研究描述ＭＣＶ的发育周期中有８种形态,也有按发育过程将...     

Impact of ivermectin on the ultrastructure of the testis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Argas (Persicargas) persicus</Emphasis> (Ixodoidea: Argasidae)

Mated male Argas persicus were dissected 1 and 2 weeks after feeding on untreated and ivermectin (IVM)-treated pigeons. One week after feeding, testes of untreated ticks were filled with rounded spermatids with subplasmalemmal vesicles and cytoplasmic organelles, but lacking in treated ticks. Two weeks after feeding, testes were crowded with elongated spermatozoa supported by double-walled cisternal tubes. The tubes consisted of two opposite walls, each with outer-fringed processes and inner elongated cisternae. Both were supported with electron dense striated plates in the middle of the spermatozoon. Internally, the cisternal tubes contained mitochondria and vacuoles. The nuclei were elongated dense masses between the tubes and the cell membranes. Subcutaneous inoculation of IVM at the dose 400 μg/kg pigeon resulted in extensive alterations in the testis of A. persicus. IVM prevented the development of new spermatids. There was a break down of cell membranes and cytoplasmic organelles of spermatozoa. Multivesicular bodies and numerous vacuoles were noticed in their cytoplasm. Double membranes of elongated cisternae and striation of electron dense plates became indistinct. IVM caused granulation and vacuolization of the nucleus as well as injury of mitochondrial cristae. The results suggest that IVM may bind to the neurotransmitter or the hormone involved in the process of sperm development or may be toxic to the germinal cells of A. persicus testis.     

广西苦丁茶的生产现状及无公害栽培技术探讨

广西苦丁茶生产区主要在大新县和天等县,种植面积约3 000 hm2,年产茶叶约700 t。生产过程中存在对农药和化肥的过份依赖、产品的重金属和农药超标等问题,需要通过无公害栽培来提高产品质量。该文从茶园选择、种植、土壤管理和施肥、茶树修剪和茶叶采摘、病虫害防治等方面对苦丁茶的无公害栽培技术进行了初步探讨。     

藻红蛋白亚基光敏剂对小鼠移植瘤作用的超微结构研究

目的：从形态学角度探讨藻红蛋白(R-PE)β亚基光动力学抗肿瘤效果及其作用机理。方法：用不同密度的波长为496nm的氩离子激光对S180小鼠移植瘤进行β亚基光动力学治疗,并对治疗后的瘤体进行透射电镜的形态学观察。结果：用100μg／m1的β亚基,在200J/cm2激光照射剂量条件下治愈了瘤体直径为0．5cm-0．7cm大小的小鼠移植瘤,发现瘤组织中引起细胞死亡的途经有差异,被PDT抑制的肿瘤内部细胞表现出典型的凋亡细胞特征。结论：R-PE β亚基具较强的光动力学抗肿瘤效果,光动力治疗机理可能涉及肿瘤内部细胞死亡主要是凋亡途径而瘤周为坏死,且与血管系统破坏及白细胞参与的抗炎症反应相关。     

Chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry for protein structural modeling

The growth of gene and protein sequence information is currently so rapid that three-dimensional structural information is lacking for the overwhelming majority of known proteins. In this review, efforts towards rapid and sensitive methods for protein structural characterization are described, complementing existing technologies. Based on chemical cross-linking and offering the analytical speed and sensitivity of mass spectrometry these methodologies are thought to contribute valuable tools towards future high throughput protein structure elucidation.     

Selective blockade of tumor angiogenesis

Blocking tumor angiogenesis is an important goal of cancer therapy, but clinically approved anti-angiogenic agents suffer from limited efficacy and adverse side effects, fueling the need to identify alternative angiogenesis regulators. Tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) is a highly conserved cell surface receptor overexpressed on human tumor vasculature. Genetic disruption of Tem8 in mice revealed that TEM8 is important for promoting tumor angiogenesis and tumor growth but dispensable for normal development and wound healing. The induction of TEM8 in cultured endothelial cells by nutrient or growth factor deprivation suggests that TEM8 may be part of a survival response pathway that is activated by tumor microenvironmental stress. In preclinical studies, antibodies targeted against the extracellular domain of TEM8 inhibited tumor angiogenesis and blocked the growth of multiple human tumor xenografts. Anti-TEM8 antibodies augmented the activity of other anti-angiogenic agents, vascular targeting agents and conventional chemotherapeutic agents and displayed no detectable toxicity. Thus, anti-TEM8 antibodies provide a promising new tool for selective blockade of neovascularization associated with cancer and possibly other angiogenesis-dependent diseases.     

Strategies for rapid assessment of fungal diversity

The problems of estimating fungal diversity are considerable, due especially to the large numbers of species even in small study sites, only a small proportion of which are adequately characterized, and the lack of trained staff and appropriate identification manuals. These difficulties are multiplied in the tropics. Strategies for providing preliminary assessments of fungal diversity which can be carried out within short time-frames are discussed, which will allow initial site valuations to be made for conservation purposes. The necessity of identifying all species discovered is considered, and the need emphasized for strictly defined sampling protocols which allow proper comparison between sites. The advantages and disadvantages of preliminary diversity analyses involving different taxonomic and ecological groups, fungus/plant associations, spatial sampling, soil and litter analysis, molecular methods and indirect assessment are considered.     

Detecting cadmium during ultrastructural characterization of hepatotoxicity

BackgroundThe threat of cadmium (Cd), which is the cause of itai-itai disease in Japan, is still complicated and confusing, especially for digestive system, such as liver disease. One of the most keys of this problem is demonstrating that the hepatotoxicity is indeed induced by Cd. Therefore, we attempt detecting Cd at microscale during ultrastructural imaging of liver tissue.Methods12 rats were divided randomly into two experimental groups: control and Cd-treated. Treated rats were intraperitoneal injected with 1 mg/kg body weight cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) for 4 weeks (5 P.M each day for 6 days/week). At the end of the exposure period, liver tissue samples were processed into ultrathin sections for analysis of advanced analytical transmission electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (TEM/X-EDS) investigations. Ultrastructural images and X-ray energy dispersive spectrum were acquired at microscale.ResultsCd can cause changes in the structure of the organelle, including the collapse of the membrane structure in the cell, the destruction of the internal structure of the organelle, the mitochondrial swelling, the expansion of the endoplasmic reticulum, and the appearance of inclusions. Cadmium bioaccumulation is detected in the mitochondria at microscale by TEM/X-EDS, which is the visual evidence of morphological changes of mitochondria related to Cd.ConclusionThe combination of detailed ultrastructure and microscale X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (X-EDS) characterization of cadmium hepatotoxicity demonstrate that cadmium indeed leads to mitochondrial damage, which is helpful for further investigation of the pathological mechanism of cadmium hepatotoxicity.     

Review: Recent advances in bovine in vitro embryo production: reproductive biotechnology history and methods

In vitro production (IVP) of embryos and associated technologies in cattle have shown significant progress in recent years, in part driven by a better understanding of the full potential of these tools by end users. The combination of IVP with sexed semen (SS) and genomic selection (GS) is being successfully and widely used in North America, South America and Europe. The main advantages offered by these technologies include a higher number of embryos and pregnancies per unit of time, and a wider range of potential female donors from which to retrieve oocytes (including open cyclic females and ones up to 3 months pregnant), including high index genomic calves, a reduced number of sperm required to produce embryos and increased chances of obtaining the desired sex of offspring. However, there are still unresolved aspects of IVP of embryos that limit a wider implementation of the technology, including potentially reduced fertility from the use of SS, reduced oocyte quality after in vitro oocyte maturation and lower embryo cryotolerance, resulting in reduced pregnancy rates compared to in vivo–produced embryos. Nevertheless, promising research results have been reported, and work is in progress to address current deficiencies. The combination of GS, IVP and SS has proven successful in the commercial field in several countries assisting practitioners and cattle producers to improve reproductive performance, efficiency and genetic gain.