Cloning, Expression, and Purification of the Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Invasin DraD

In this study we presented a very efficient expression system, based on pET30LIC/Ek vector, for producing DraD invasin of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli and a one-step chromatography purification procedure for obtaining pure recombinant protein (DraD-C-His₆). This protein has a molecular weight of 14,818 and calculated pI of 6.6. It contains a polyhistidine tag at the C-terminus (13 additional amino acids) that allowed single-step isolation by Ni affinity chromatography. Also, we obtained specific antibodies against DraD invasin to develop tools for characterizing the expression and biological function of this protein. The amount and quality of DraD-C-His₆ fusion protein purified from E. coli overexpression system seems to be fully appropriate for crystallographic studies (soluble form), and for establishing role of the protein in bacterium (cultured cell line interaction and in the internalization process) and for obtaining rabbit polyclonal antisera (insoluble form).     

Preparation, characterization, and functions of rabbit lymph node populations. III. Antigen-induced uptake of thymidine and dibutyryl cyclic AMP: inhibition of thymidine uptake by cholera toxin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP.

Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH)-primed lymph node cell (LNC) populations were incubated with various amounts of KLH and the cellular incorporation of tritiated thymidine ([³H]TdR) or tritiated N⁶, O^2′ dibutyryl cyclic AMP ([³H]DbcAMP) was determined. T LNC responded more vigorously than did complement receptor lymphocytes (CRL), i.e., B cells, at all KLH concentrations, during all time intervals examined, and in the presence or absence of normal rabbit serum (NRS). The depletion of adherent cells from KLH-primed LNC resulted in no significant decrease in KLH-induced incorporation of either [³H]TdR or [³H]DbcAMP in any of the LNC populations. Thus it appeared that variation among LNC populations in the incidence of macrophages did not account for the marked variation in their responses. Cultures containing equal numbers of T and CRL were induced to incorporate more [³H]TdR or [³H]DbcAMP than either population cultured separately or the sum of their individual responses. It was concluded that KLH-induced incorporation of these substances into primed, isolated LNC, was primarily manifested in the T-cell population. The synergism seen in cultures containing mixtures of T and CRL suggested that B cells are induced to incorporate [³H]TdR or [³H]DbcAMP in the presence of antigen and T-cell product(s). KLH-induced incorporation of [³H]TdR into KLH-primed LNC was inhibited by cholera enterotoxin (CT) and DbcAMP as previously reported. However, CT or DbcAMP inhibited this incorporation into T LNC to a greater extent than into CRL or unfractionated LNC.     

牛血清中27kDa蛋白的免疫学特性研究

为探讨牛血清中存在的HBsAg样蛋白的性质,给HBV的发病机制、治疗、预防等研究提供依据,我们采集93份牛血清,以SDS-PAGE、Westem Blot对血清中HBsAg样蛋白进行研究,发现其分子量约为27kDa：以SDS-PAGE分离牛血清中的HBsAg样蛋白,经皮下多点免疫小鼠,可产生与人HBV编码蛋白HBsAg反应的抗体。表明该27kDa蛋白可能存在与HBsAg相似的免疫学特性。     

Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA sequences corroborate taxonomic designations based on cuticular hydrocarbons in subterranean termites

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are valuable characters for the analysis of cryptic insect species with few discernible morphological characters. Yet, their use in insect systematics, specifically in subterranean termites in the genus Reticulitermes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), remains controversial. In this paper, we show that taxonomic designations in Reticulitermes from California (USA) suggested in light of differences among CHC phenotypes are corroborated by phylogenetic analyses using mtDNA sequences. Analyses based on CHC phenotypes and supported, in part, by behavioral and ecological differences have suggested the presence of more species than the two currently recognized: R. hesperus Banks and R. tibialis Banks. We analyze a 680 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase (COII) gene from 45 new (21 collection localities) and two previously recorded samples of Reticulitermes from California using parsimony and maximum likelihood methods. Both methods result in trees with highly similar topologies. Bootstrapping indicates support for six clades of Reticulitermes, and corroborates groupings based on cuticular hydrocarbons. One of the clades, R. hesperus, is already recognized in California, while four clades appear to be previously undescribed taxa. Although identification of the final clade is inconclusive, it includes a sample putatively identified as R. tibialis. Therefore, using phylogenetic analyses we corroborate chemical characters used to identify taxa, associate a chemical phenotype with a previously described species, and provide additional support for undescribed taxa of Reticulitermes.     

珍稀濒危植物珙桐过氧化物酶活性和丙二醛含量

采用比色法测定了不同年龄级、部位和叶位珙桐叶的过氧化物酶(POD)活性和丙二醛（MDA）含量,以探讨珙桐的生理生态适应性。结果表明：不同年龄级同一生长时期珙桐叶的POD活性和MDA含量不同,同年龄级同层的POD活性随叶位增大先升后降,MDA含量随叶位增大逐渐升高;同叶位不同层及同层不同叶位的珙桐叶的POD活性和MDA含量不同。珙桐叶POD活性和MDA含量对生长期敏感,同年龄级同叶位的珙桐叶随叶片的生长、衰老,POD活性和MDA含量逐渐升高,即珙桐叶POD活性和MDA含量受生物和非生物因子影响显著,且不同年龄级、叶位、层次存在差异。     

Fine-scale comparative phylogeography of a sympatric sister species triplet of subterranean diving beetles from a single calcrete aquifer in Western Australia

Calcrete aquifers in the arid Yilgarn region of central Western Australia are a biodiversity hotspot for stygofauna. A distinct pattern of interspecific size class variation among subterranean dytiscid beetle species has been observed in 29 of these aquifers where either two or three small, medium and/or large sympatric species are found that are in some cases sister species. We used a 3.5 km² grid of bores to sample dytiscids on a fine-scale and employed a comparative phylogeographical and population genetic approach to investigate the origins of a sympatric sister species triplet of diving beetles from a single aquifer. Mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the Cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene revealed that all three species have high levels of haplotype diversity with ancient (∼1 million years ago) intra-specific coalescence of haplotypes, but low levels of nucleotide diversity. Population analyses provide evidence for multiple expansion events within each species. There was spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of genetic variation and abundance both within and among the three taxa. Population analyses revealed significant fine-scale differentiation with isolation by distance for Paroster macrosturtensis and P. mesosturtensis , but not the smallest species P. microsturtensis . Haplotype network analyses provided limited or no evidence for past population fragmentation within the large and small species, but substantial historical divergence was observed in P. mesosturtensis that was not spatially structured. A patchy population structure with contemporaneous and historical isolation by distance in the three species is likely to have been a significant isolating and diversifying force, preventing us from ruling out a potential role for allopatric divergence during speciation of this beetle sister triplet.     

水稻矮缩病毒最外层外壳蛋白基因(S_2)cDNA克隆、序列分析及其在大肠杆菌中的表达

从水稻矮缩病毒（Ｒｉｃｅｄｗａｒｆｖｉｒｕｓ,ＲＤＶ）中国福建分离物中克隆分离了最外层外壳蛋白基因（Ｓ２）全长ｃＤＮＡ,并对其进行了序列分析,结果表明ＲＤＶＳ２ｃＤＮＡ全长３５１２ｂｐ,仅含一个３３４８ｂｐ的阅读框架,编码一个含有１１１６个氨基酸的蛋白（Ｐ２）。与基因库中已知基因序列比较,发现它与日本ＲＤＶＨ株系相应片段的核苷酸和氨基酸同源率分别为９４６％和９５４％,与轮状病毒ＶＰ２氨基酸序列有一定的同源性。Ｓ２核苷酸序列二级结构预测结果表明,５’端５０个核苷酸的二级结构为一个发夹结构和一个茎环结构。Ｐ２有４个富含亮氨酸的区域,位于Ｎ端亲水区域的１０个氨基酸（ＡＡ６９～７８）残基形成一个α螺旋,这些特点均与轮状病毒ＶＰ２的结构特征相似。ＳＤＳＰＡＧＥ和Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ印迹分析表明在大肠杆菌中分段高效表达了Ｓ２编码蛋白的Ｎ端和Ｃ端。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lysmata rafa</Emphasis>, a new species of peppermint shrimp (Crustacea,Caridea, Hippolytidae) from the subtropical western Atlantic

Lysmata rafa n. sp. is described from freshly collected specimens from the Keys West Lakes, Florida Keys, and from a museum specimen collected at Bear Cut, Biscayne Bay, Florida. The new species is morphologically most similar to the western Atlantic Lysmata rathbunae Chace, 1970 and the eastern Pacific Lysmata gracilirostris Wicksten, 2000, but can be distinguished from them by the number of carpal segments in the second pereiopod; the length and dentition of the rostrum; the shape and number of spines on the dactylus of the third to fifth pereiopods; and the absence of a tooth on the pterygostomial margin of the carapace. Despite being a shallow-water species, L. rafa n. sp. has extremely elongate walking legs and third maxilliped that are more typical to deep-water or cave dwelling carideans.     

Purification method directly influences effectiveness of an epidermal growth factor-coupled targeting agent for noninvasive tumor detection in mice

Receptor targeting is an effective method of enhancing fluorescence signal in tumors for optical imaging. We previously used epidermal growth factor (EGF) conjugated to IRDye 800CW to detect and track orthotopic prostate tumors in mice. In this study, our goal was to identify a reliable assay for targeting agent integrity in vitro that correlated with signal strength in vivo. Binding of IRDye 800CW EGF to intact A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells was quantified in a microplate assay. Specificity was confirmed by competition with unlabeled EGF or monoclonal antibody blocking. Biological activity of intact and damaged targeting agents relative to unlabeled EGF was determined by binding and stimulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation. Both assays indicated a reduction of up to 60% of the fluorescence intensity with damaged agents. Using a research prototype imaging system optimized for IRDye 800CW detection, we compared the efficacy of intact and damaged targeting agents for imaging subcutaneous tumors in mice. In live animal images and in sections of the excised tumors, damaged targeting agents consistently yielded diminished fluorescence signals corresponding to the reduction observed in microplate assays. This is the first study to directly correlate targeting agent signal strength in whole cell binding, In-Cell Western, and in vivo near-infrared imaging.     

生后早期听觉剥夺、经验改变大鼠听皮层NMDA受体NR2B蛋白表达

应用蛋白质印迹检测技术,研究早期听觉剥夺、经验对大鼠听皮层NMDA受体NR2B蛋白表达的影响.结果表明,听觉剥夺使生后14天龄组和28天龄组动物听皮层NR2B蛋白表达水平明显下降(P<0.05,P<0.01),听觉剥夺7天后再给予纯音暴露则又使NR2B表达水平明显提高(P<0.05),呈现双向调节趋势.听觉剥夺和纯音暴露对生后42天龄组大鼠听皮层NR2B表达不再产生明显调节作用(P>0.05).结果提示,在大鼠生后发育关键期,听觉剥夺、经验可改变听皮层NMDA受体NR2B蛋白表达水平.研究结果为研究感觉功能发育可塑性的机制提供了重要实验资料.