云南野生稻资源及其保护

云南野生稻生态类型丰富,且具有抗白叶枯病、抗稻瘟病、耐旱、耐寒等栽培稻不具有或已经消失的遗传基因,是水稻品种改良的优良基因库。然而,随着人类社会经济活动对生态环境影响的加剧,这一宝贵的战略性生物资源正面临着快速消失的危险。为了加强云南野生稻资源的保护,近年来,我们对云南野生稻资源开展了原生境保护(物理隔离方式和主流化方式)及非原生境保护(种质库、种质圃、细胞库和DNA库)等保护技术研究,明确了各种保护方法的优缺点和适用性,保护了云南野生稻的多样性和丰富度,为改良栽培稻储备了丰富的基因源。     

Mitochondrial function and bioenergetic trade‐offs during lactation in the house mouse (Mus musculus)

Energy allocation theory predicts that a lactating female should alter the energetic demands of its organ systems in a manner that maximizes nutrient allocation to reproduction while reducing nutrient use for tasks that are not vital to immediate survival. We posit that organ‐specific plasticity in the function of mitochondria plays a key role in mediating these energetic trade‐offs. The goal of this project was to evaluate mitochondrial changes that occur in response to lactation in two of the most energetically demanding organs in the body of a rodent, the liver and skeletal muscle. This work was conducted in wild‐derived house mice (Mus musculus) kept in seminatural enclosures that allow the mice to maintain a natural social structure and move within a home range size typical of wild mice. Tissues were collected from females at peak lactation and from age‐matched nonreproductive females. Mitochondrial respiration, oxidative damage, antioxidant, PGC‐1α, and uncoupling protein levels were compared between lactating and nonreproductive females. Our findings suggest that both liver and skeletal muscle downregulate specific antioxidant proteins during lactation. The liver, but not skeletal muscle, of lactating females displayed higher oxidative damage than nonreproductive females. The liver mass of lactating females increased, but the liver displayed no change in mitochondrial respiratory control ratio. Skeletal muscle mass and mitochondrial respiratory control ratio were not different between groups. However, the respiratory function of skeletal muscle did vary among lactating females as a function of stage of concurrent pregnancy, litter size, and mass of the mammary glands. The observed changes are predicted to increase the efficiency of skeletal muscle mitochondria, reducing the substrate demands of skeletal muscle during lactation. Differences between our results and prior studies highlight the role that an animals’ social and physical environment could play in how it adapts to the energetic demands of reproduction.     

阿霉素损伤心肌细胞miRNA378与网腔钙结合蛋白、内质网应激的关系

目的：研究阿霉素损伤心肌细胞miRNA378与网腔钙结合蛋白（calumenin）、内质网应激相关性。方法：原代培养乳鼠心肌细胞分为6组：对照组、阿霉素组、miRNA378过表达对照组、miRNA378过表达组、miRNA378沉默对照组、miRNA378沉默组,采用免疫组化法检测细胞α-SMA蛋白;慢病毒质粒转染心室肌细胞,实时荧光定量PCR技术检测各组心肌细胞miRNA378、calumenin及葡萄糖调节蛋白78（GRP78） mRNA表达。结果：与阿霉素组相比较,miRNA378过表达组心肌细胞calumenin mRNA表达增加（P<0.01）,而GRP78 mRNA表达减少（P<0.01）;与阿霉素组相比较,miRNA378沉默组calumenin及GRP78 mRNA表达无统计学差异。结论：阿霉素损伤乳鼠心肌细胞是通过减少calumenin蛋白表达进而引起内质网应激,该作用通过上调miRNA378得到缓解。     

小鼠毛色遗传的控制机制及其在遗传学教学中的应用

小鼠是最常用的哺乳动物模式生物,其毛色有白色、灰色、黄色、黑色等,是典型的孟德尔遗传性状。但在本科遗传学教学中,一般只在介绍隐性致死基因的时候才提到小鼠毛色遗传的例子。作者深入挖掘和整理了小鼠毛色遗传的分子机制,并把这个例子贯穿于讲解孟德尔遗传以及介绍分子遗传学的基因结构、基因功能、基因调控、基因互作、基因的表观遗传学修饰和数量性状遗传等,尝试用同一个案例贯穿本科遗传学教学,培养学生建立由表及里的系统分析能力,既凸显遗传学研究的前沿性和完整性,又吸引了学生的注意力,激发了学生的学习兴趣,收到了很好的教学效果。     

Variability and structure of natural populations of Elymus caninus (L.) L. and their possible relationship with Hordelymus europaeus (L.) Jess. ex Harz as revealed by AFLP analysis

The AFLP method was used to study the inter-population variability of eight populations of Elymus caninus (L.) L. as well as three populations of Hordelymus europaeus (L.) Jess. ex Harz. In these studies a clear distinction was found between two phenotypes of E. caninus collected in the same locality. It also appeared that two populations of E. caninus representing the “pauciflorum” morphotype were clustered together, similarly as two populations of E. caninus exhibiting morphotype “caninus”. Additionally, the populations of the “pauciflorum” type were clustered together with all samples of H. europaeus. Furthermore, the same approach was applied to analyze the intra-population variability of E. caninus. The populations ranged from nearly uniform to as diverse as the samples collected from different localities. In some populations of this species the presence of off-type plants was revealed. Our data indicate the predominantly self-pollinating character of E. caninus and the possible genetic relationship between of E. caninus and H. europaeus. It is the second paper from the series: Biodiversity of wild Triticeae (Poaceae) in Poland, the first is: Mizianty M. 2005. Variability and structure of natural populations of Elymus caninus (l.) L. based on morphology. Pl. Syst. Evol. 251: 199–216.     

The distribution, natural habitats and availability of wild cereals in relation to their domestication in the Near East: multiple events, multiple centres

In this article we examine the natural habitats and distribution of the six wild cereals: Triticum urartu (wild urartu wheat), T. boeoticum aegilopoides (single-grained wild einkorn), T. boeoticum thaoudar (two-grained wild einkorn), T. dicoccoides (wild emmer wheat), Secale spp. (wild ryes) and Hordeum spontaneum (wild barley). A comparison of late Pleistocene/early Holocene archaeobotanical assemblages in the Near East with present-day distributions of wild cereals shows a good correlation. The regional variation in the archaeobotanical cereal assemblages and the ensuing domestication provide evidence that different cereal species were domesticated independently in different areas. Some sites were not situated near wild cereal habitats and a few were located outside the limits of distribution, even accounting for moister climatic conditions. I argue here that current models which try to explain the shift to farming have tended to over-emphasize the effect of the Younger Dryas climatic change. First, it would have had only a minor effect on cereal availability. Secondly, agriculture appears to have been established after the Younger Dryas. Thirdly, there is no evidence for a single centre of origin; agriculture arose in widely separated geographic and climatic regions. And fourthly, agriculture depends on stable climatic conditions which were not established until after the Younger Dryas.     

Linking political and scientifically derived targets for global biodiversity conservation: implications for the expansion of the global network of protected areas

Despite the global network of protected areas covers 12% of the world's land surface, its performance is still unsatisfactory. Although political and scientifically sound conservation targets usually portray different pictures of the task ahead, we show that in terms of priority areas for expanding the global network of reserves, there is much agreement between the political targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the scientifically derived goals endorsed by international conservation organizations. Here we analyse four global databases to identify priority areas for fulfilling the CBD target of representing 10% of every ecological region within protected areas, and compare the distribution of priority regions for fulfilling that political target, with the distribution of the priority areas for global biodiversity conservation identified by Conservation International, the WWF, and the Wildlife Conservation Society on scientific basis. For 63% (549) of the world's terrestrial ecoregions the CBD 10% target is still not met; fulfilling it requires protecting another 4.6% of the Earth's land surface (6,239,894 km²). Yet, at least 78% of the priority regions for fulfilling that target lay within priority regions for the main global conservation strategies. By pursuing the political target set by the CBD much ancillary gains in terms of other global conservation objectives can be obtained.     

Lack of adaptive response of gamma radiation for protection against neutron-induced teratogenesis

BACKGROUND: Although there are some reports on neutron teratology, there is little information on the adaptive response of gamma radiation for protection against neutron‐induced teratogenesis. This study examined whether or not a low dose of gamma radiation can induce an adaptive response in mouse fetuses exposed to a subsequent dose of neutrons in vivo. METHODS: Pregnant ICR mice were exposed to a priming dose of 0.3 Gy (0.9 Gy/min) of gamma rays on day 10.5 of gestation and challenged with 0.8 Gy (0.94 Gy/minute) of neutrons 24 hlater. The mice were sacrificed on day 18.5 of gestation. The fetuses were examined for mortality, growth retardation, and other morphologic abnormalities. RESULTS: The tail length in the 0.3 Gy of gamma rays + 0.8 Gy of neutrons group was significantly shorter than in the 0.8 Gy of neutrons group. Although there was no significant difference compared with the 0.8 Gy of neutrons group, the number of live fetuses in the 0.3 Gy of gamma rays +0.8 Gy of neutrons group was lower. There was no evidence of primed exposure‐related reductions in the malformed fetuses. Although there was no significant difference compared with the unprimed group, the number of malformed offspring in the primed group was higher. Furthermore, the incidence of kinked tail and adactyly was significantly higher in the primed mice than in the unprimed mice. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study shows that exposure to 0.3 Gy of gamma rays failed to induce an adaptive response of fetogenesis to a neutron challenge dose. Birth Defects Res (Part B) 83:502‐506, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Temporally controlled prostate epithelium-specific gene alterations

Employing the Hprt locus as the site for targeted transgenesis we have developed mice expressing the tamoxifen-inducible Cre-ER(T2) fusion protein under the control of the ARR2-rat probasin promoter. This system enables external control over the timing of prostate epithelial cell-specific gene alterations. Using both the ROSA26-lacZ and ROSA26-EYFP reporter strains to monitor recombinase activity, Cre-ER(T2) was found to be specifically expressed in the prostatic epithelium and was strictly tamoxifen dependent. This strain thus allows precise control over the timing of gene alterations in the mouse prostate, enabling analyses of the phenotypic consequences of gene alterations in mice of any age. It also provides an ideal platform to study the impact of environmental, hormonal, and age-related factors on prostate tumorigenesis. This latter feature will be of particular value given the paucity of murine models that accurately mimic the late onset and prolonged natural history of human prostate cancer.