Studies on the interaction of the food colorant tartrazine with double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid

Interaction of the food additive tartrazine with double-stranded DNA was studied by spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques. Absorbance studies revealed that tartrazine exhibited hypochromism in the presence of DNA without any bathochromic effects. Minor groove displacement assay of DAPI and Hoechst 33258 suggested that tartrazine binds in the minor groove of DNA. The complexation was predominantly entropy driven with a smaller but favorable enthalpic contribution to the standard molar Gibbs energy. The equilibrium constant was evaluated to be (3.68?±?.08)?×?10⁴?M^?1 at 298.15?K. The negative standard molar heat capacity value along with an enthalpy–entropy compensation phenomenon proposed the involvement of dominant hydrophobic forces in the binding process. Tartrazine enhanced the thermal stability of DNA by 7.53?K under saturation conditions.     

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the study of paternity and population structure in the little penguin Eudyptula minor

We isolated and characterized eight novel microsatellite loci in the little penguin Eudyptula minor, using nonradioactive polymerase chain reaction‐based techniques to screen GA and GAAA repeats from enriched genomic DNA libraries. All eight loci were polymorphic and seven were variable in our main study population (mean H_E = 0.613, mean N_A = 7.14). Cross‐amplification using a microsatellite primer developed in Spheniscus demersus (African penguin) yielded one additional polymorphic locus. This locus combined with six of the little penguin loci is suitable for paternity assignment in little penguins (exclusion probability for seven unlinked loci = 0.993).     

Real-time in vivo visualization of oxidative stress in duckweed (Lemna minor L.)

An experimental set-up which enabled non-invasive, real-time reactive oxygen species (ROS) visualization on a whole plant level was constructed. In the test organism, Lemna minor L. (common duckweed), apoplastic and symplastic oxidative stress was evaluated by exposure to menadione (50 μM), menadione (50 μM) + ascorbate (100 μM) or neither for control. Menadione (50 μM) caused a statistically significant increase in H₂DCFDA fluorescence in the apoplast after 60 minutes of exposure. The addition of ascorbate (100 μM) in the test medium significantly decreased apoplastic oxidative stress. 50 μM menadione caused an increase in symplastic H₂DCFDA fluorescence in 57% of fronds. The exposure of L. minor plants to both menadione and ascorbate decreased the rate of fluorescence intensity accumulation in the symplast to control levels. The method has proven to be quick and straightforward and could be applied to a range of chemicals in various physiological and toxicological plant studies. The advantages of the set-up and different possible artefacts are discussed.     

海南岛红树林湿地的水鸟多样性

从2015年10月至2016年6月,调查了海南岛17个沿海红树林湿地春、夏、秋、冬四季的湿地鸟类。共记录水鸟74种,隶属5目12科,其中,翘鼻麻鸭（Tadorna tadorna）为海南鸟类分布新记录种。位于海南省儋州市白马井镇洋浦湾的新英作为黑脸琵鹭（Platalea minor）新的越冬点被发现。全岛水鸟数量较多的地点在万宁小海、海口东寨港和乐东莺歌海,种类较多的地点在东寨港、东方四更和莺歌海。Jaccard指数分析表明,栖息地具有相似适合度的地方,水鸟种类相似性更高,人工湿地之间的水鸟相似性高,人工湿地与天然湿地之间的水鸟相似性低。海南岛沿海红树林湿地的鸟类种类和数量随季节变化,秋、冬季种类多、数量丰富,春、夏季的种类和数量均较少。鸻鹬类在春、冬季种类和数量占比均为最大,秋、夏季数量最多的为鹭类。Shannon-Wiener指数、Pielou均匀度指数分析得出东寨港的多样性指数最高,东寨港和莺歌海的均匀度指数表现较高。研究表明,海南岛的沿海红树林湿地是很多水鸟的重要栖息地,保护红树林是保护湿地水鸟多样性的关键。     

p53-Independent caspase-mediated apoptosis in human leukaemic cells is induced by a DNA minor groove binder with antineoplastic activity

Treatment of HL60 and Jurkat leukaemic cell lines, both not expressing p53, with the new non-covalent DNA minor groove binder -bromoacryloyl-distamycin (PNU 151807), induces apoptosis as shown either morphologically or by DNA laddering formation. We evaluated the p53-independent mechanisms of activation of apoptosis in these cell systems, by determining the levels of different caspases at different times after treatment with PNU 151807. Through Western blotting analysis we could measure the cleavage of the 110 Kd form of PARP in both HL60 and Jurkat cells and correspondingly the activation of CPP32-caspase 3. The levels of caspase-1 did not change at any time after drug treatment. By using the tetrapeptidic sequence recognized by caspase-3 (DEVD-AMC) or by caspase-1 (YVAD-AMC) linked to fluorogenic substrate, we also demonstrated that only the DEVD sequence was recognized and cleaved after drug treatment, while no significant changes were found for YVAD peptides. PNU 151807-induced DNA fragmentation and DEVD-cleavage were both inhibited by concomitant treatment with the specific inhibitor DEVD-CHO, but not by YVAD-CHO, clearly demonstrating the direct activation of caspase-3-like caspases in the induction of programmed cell death in these cell lines after minor groove binder exposure.     

Comparative thermodynamics for monomer and dimer sequence-dependent binding of a heterocyclic dication in the DNA minor groove

Phenylamidine cationic groups linked by a furan ring (furamidine) and related symmetric diamidine compounds bind as monomers in the minor groove of AT sequences of DNA. DB293, an unsymmetric derivative with one of the phenyl rings of furamidine replaced with a benzimidazole, can bind to AT sequences as a monomer but binds more strongly to GC-containing minor-groove DNA sites as a stacked dimer. The dimer-binding mode has high affinity, is highly cooperative and sequence selective. In order to develop a better understanding of the correlation between structural and thermodynamic aspects of DNA molecular recognition, DB293 was used as a model to compare the binding of minor-groove agents with AT and mixed sequence DNA sites. Isothermal titration calorimetry and surface plasmon resonance results clearly show that the binding of DB293 and other related compounds into the minor groove of AT sequences is largely entropy-driven while the binding of DB293 as a dimer into the minor groove of GC-containing sequences is largely enthalpy-driven. At 25 degrees C, for example, the AT binding has DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees and TDeltaS degrees values of -9.6, -3.6 and 6.0 kcal/mol while the values for dimer binding to a GC-containing site are -9.0, -10.9 and -1.9 kcal/mol (per mol of bound compound), respectively. These results show that the thermodynamic components for binding of compounds of this type to DNA are very dependent on the structure, solvation and sequence of the DNA binding site.     

瓦屋山国家森林公园锄足蟾科6种的繁殖鸣声特性

在地处四川省洪雅县的瓦屋山国家森林公园录取了锄足蟾科 6种的繁殖期求偶鸣叫声。它们分隶 4属 ,即角蟾属 (Megophrys)、齿蟾属 (Oreolalax)、齿突蟾属 (Scutiger)和掌突蟾属 (Leptolalax)。在IBMPC上用“SIGNAL”软件 (EngineeringDesign ,USA)对获取的鸣声资料进行分析 ,分析的频率范围设置为 0～ 10kHz。声学分析结果表明 :峨山掌突蟾 (L oshanensi) ,小角蟾 (M minorr) ,角蟾 1种 (M sp) ,金顶齿突蟾[S (S )chintingensis],峨眉齿蟾 (O omeimontis)和无蹼齿蟾 (O schmidti)的主能峰频率平均值分别是45 2 1 9、 34 5 6 4、 2 2 93 8、 10 76 5、 10 71 0和 1849 4Hz ,每声持续时间的平均值分别是 46 2、 90 8、 99 6、72 2、 78 8和 110 3ms ,声距的平均值分别是 140 4、 2 5 3 0、 6 81 4、 15 17 7、 46 1 3和 6 19 5ms。单因子方差分析结果表明主能峰频率、每声持续时间和各声距在 6个种间差异极显著 (P <0 0 1)。LSD法多重比较的结果指出金顶齿突蟾和峨眉齿蟾间的主能峰频率无显著差异 (P =0 917>0 0 5 ) ;在每声持续时间上 ,只有峨山掌突蟾与小角蟾、角蟾 1种、峨眉齿蟾、无蹼齿蟾间差异极显著 (P <0 0 1) ;在声距上 ,峨山掌突蟾与小角蟾间无显著差异 ,角蟾 1种与无蹼齿蟾之间、峨     

Functionalization of the Oligonucleotides Containing an Internucleotide Phosphoramidate Bond

A new method for functionalization of oligonucleotides by addition of aminoalkyl derivatives to the intermolecular phosphorus atom of the oligonucleotide N3"–P5" phosphoramidate bond in the presence of triphenylphosphine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine, and 2,2"-dipyridyl disulfide was suggested. The reaction proceeded with both low-molecular alkylamines (1,6-diaminohexane or N,N-dimethyl-1,3-diaminopropane) and a minor groove binder containing an aminoalkyl group.     

基于Maxent的大洋臀纹粉蚧和南洋臀纹粉蚧在中国的适生区分析

大洋臀纹粉蚧Planococcus minor Maskell和南洋臀纹粉蚧P.lilacinus Cockerell是我国有重要检疫意义的有害生物。这两种粉蚧从东盟进口水果口岸检疫中频繁截获,且已在广东、海南、云南等地发现大洋臀纹粉蚧入侵,这对我国热带、亚热带的水果和观赏植物等已构成严重威胁。本研究以大洋臀纹粉蚧和南洋臀纹粉蚧在国内外的分布数据为基础,利用Maxent生态位模型和Arc GIS对两种粉蚧在中国的潜在适生区进行预测。预测结果表明,大洋臀纹粉蚧和南洋臀纹粉蚧的适生区主要分布在长江流域以南地区,其适生区面积分别占全国面积的22.14%、18.17%,其中高度适生区域集中分布在广西、广东、云南、福建、四川、台湾、海南等地区,与我国热带水果的主要种植区域具有高度的一致性。大洋臀纹粉蚧已成功入侵,一旦南洋臀纹粉蚧传入便可迅速扩散蔓延,并对我国热带水果生产造成严重危害。因此,各口岸应加强对东盟进口水果的检验检疫,预防其新的进入和扩散。     

Long‐term livestock exclusion facilitates native woody plant encroachment in a sandy semiarid rangeland

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