Kunitz型丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂研究进展

Kunitz型丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂是一类普遍存在的蛋白酶抑制剂,在体内各项生命活动中扮演着重要角色。这类抑制剂结构稳定且富有特色,通常具有一个或几个串联存在的Kunitz结构域,能够以类似底物的方式与丝氨酸蛋白酶结合,从而抑制酶的活性。在功能方面,Kunitz型丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂参与凝血和纤维蛋白溶解、肿瘤免疫、炎症调节以及抵抗细菌、真菌感染等过程。文中就Kunitz型丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂研究进展作一综述,为新型Kunitz型丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂的开发提供研究思路。     

A detailed model and Monte Carlo simulation for predicting DIP genome length distribution in baculovirus infection of insect cells

Baculoviruses have enormous potential for use as biopesticides to control insect pest populations without the adverse environmental effects posed by the widespread use of chemical pesticides. However, continuous baculovirus production is susceptible to DNA mutation and the subsequent production of defective interfering particles (DIPs). The amount of DIPs produced and their genome length distribution are of great interest not only for baculoviruses but for many other DNA and RNA viruses. In this study, we elucidate this aspect of virus replication using baculovirus as an example system and both experimental and modeling studies. The existing mathematical models for the virus replication process consider DIPs as a lumped quantity and do not consider the genome length distribution of the DIPs. In this study, a detailed population balance model for the cell‐virus culture is presented, which predicts the genome length distribution of the DIP population along with their relative proportion. The model is simulated using the kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm, and the results agree well with the experimental results. Using this model, a practical strategy to maintain the DIP fraction to near to its maximum and minimum limits has been demonstrated.     

Distribution of Competition Potential Between Native Ungulates and Free-Roaming Equids on Western Rangelands

Free-roaming equids (i.e., feral horses [Equus caballus] and burros [Equus asinus]) are widely distributed and locally abundant across the rangelands of the western United States. The 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act (WFRHBA) gave the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Service (USFS) the legal authority to manage these animals on designated public lands. To fulfill this responsibility, federal agencies established an Appropriate Management Level (AML), defined as the number of horses or burros that can be sustained on a given management unit under prevailing environmental conditions and land uses. Although the WFRHBA specifies that feral equids must be managed in ecological balance with other land uses, including conservation of native wildlife, population control measures such as gathers, contraception, and adoptions have failed to keep pace with intrinsic growth rates. Over 80% of federally managed herds currently exceed prescribed population levels, making the potential for competition between native ungulates and feral equids a growing concern among state wildlife agencies. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), elk (Cervus canadensis), and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are of ecological and economic value to the states where they occur, and all exhibit some degree of distributional, habitat, or dietary overlap with horses or burros. Notwithstanding the scale of the problem, to date there have been no range-wide assessments of competition potential among native and feral ungulates for space, forage, or water. To address this need, we compiled demographic, jurisdictional, and species occurrence data collected from 2010–2019 by federal and state agencies. We used these data to map the distributions of 4 native ungulate species across federal equid management units (FEMUS) in 10 western states (n = 174). We then made within-state rankings of the 50 units that were ≥2 times over AML and encompassed ≥3 native ungulates. Collectively, FEMUs covered approximately 225,000 km², representing 18% of all BLM and USFS lands in affected states. Each FEMU supported ≥1 native ungulate and 14% contained all 4. The degree of overlap between native and feral species varied by state, ranging from <1% for mule deer in Montana, to 40% for bighorn sheep in Nevada. Oregon had the largest proportion of units that supported all 4 native ungulates (58%), whereas Montana and New Mexico had the fewest equids, but all populations were over target densities. Despite the perception that the problem of equid abundance is limited to the Great Basin states, high intrinsic growth rates and social constraints on management practices suggest all affected states should monitor range conditions and native ungulate demography in areas where forage and water resources are limited and expanding equid populations are a concern. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

限水减氮对关中平原冬小麦氮素利用和氮素表观平衡的影响

研究限水减氮对冬小麦产量、氮素利用率和氮素表观平衡的影响,探讨限水减氮管理模式在关中平原冬小麦生产中的可行性,可为实现关中平原灌区冬小麦生产的稳产高效和环境友好发展提供科学依据。本研究于2017—2018和2018—2019年连续2年在陕西杨凌地区进行小麦田间裂区试验,灌水量为主处理,设置两个灌溉水平,1200 m³·hm^-2(常规灌溉,在越冬期和拔节期灌溉, W₂)和600 m³·hm^-2(限水灌溉,仅在越冬期灌溉, W₁);施氮量为副处理,设置4个施氮水平,300 kg·hm^-2(关中地区常规施氮量,N₃₀₀)、225 kg·hm^-2(减量施氮25%,N₂₂₅)、150 kg·hm^-2(减量施氮50%,N₁₅₀)和0 kg·hm^-2(不施氮,N₀),分析冬小麦产量、氮素利用效率、收获后土壤硝态氮积累量和氮素表观平衡。结果表明: 限水减氮能显著增加冬小麦植株和籽粒氮素含量,提升产量和氮素携出量,提高氮素利用效率、氮素收获指数、氮肥表观利用率和氮肥农学效率,减少硝态氮的淋失,降低氮素盈余量,维持氮素平衡。2017—2019年在W₁N₁₅₀处理基础上增加了灌溉量和施氮量,冬小麦产量和氮素携出量不会显著增加。2017—2018年和2018—2019年,与W₂N₃₀₀相比,W₁N₁₅₀同时期植株氮素含量分别提高0.1%～25.5%和14.0%～31.6%,籽粒氮素含量分别提高0.1%和4.6%。氮素利用效率、氮素收获指数、氮肥表观利用率和氮肥农学效率平均提高95.3%、4.2%、81.7%和33.0%,氮素盈余量分别减少97.2%和95.1%,有效减少了土壤硝态氮的淋失。综合各项指标,越冬期灌溉600 m³·hm^-2配合施氮量150 kg·hm^-2的限水减氮组合能够保证关中平原冬小麦高产、高效和环境友好发展。     

A guide to metabolic flux analysis in metabolic engineering: Methods,tools and applications

The field of metabolic engineering is primarily concerned with improving the biological production of value-added chemicals, fuels and pharmaceuticals through the design, construction and optimization of metabolic pathways, redirection of intracellular fluxes, and refinement of cellular properties relevant for industrial bioprocess implementation. Metabolic network models and metabolic fluxes are central concepts in metabolic engineering, as was emphasized in the first paper published in this journal, “Metabolic fluxes and metabolic engineering” (Metabolic Engineering, 1: 1–11, 1999). In the past two decades, a wide range of computational, analytical and experimental approaches have been developed to interrogate the capabilities of biological systems through analysis of metabolic network models using techniques such as flux balance analysis (FBA), and quantify metabolic fluxes using constrained-based modeling approaches such as metabolic flux analysis (MFA) and more advanced experimental techniques based on the use of stable-isotope tracers, i.e. ¹³C-metabolic flux analysis (¹³C-MFA). In this review, we describe the basic principles of metabolic flux analysis, discuss current best practices in flux quantification, highlight potential pitfalls and alternative approaches in the application of these tools, and give a broad overview of pragmatic applications of flux analysis in metabolic engineering practice.     

畜禽钙磷和微量元素营养研究进展

矿物元素在畜禽生长发育、新陈代谢、神经活动、免疫功能、内分泌等几乎所有的生命活动过程中都发挥着重要的生理作用,分为钙、磷、钠、镁等常量元素和铁、锰、钴、铜等微量元素。某种矿物元素摄入不足或在体内过量蓄积、矿物元素间比例失调,都将引起严重后果。随着畜禽养殖业的集约化规模化发展,饲用矿物元素用量迅速增加,但存在不合理使用的情况,造成了资源浪费和环境污染。因此,在满足畜禽营养需要量的前提下,合理地使用矿物元素剂型及剂量,实现降低矿物元素经畜禽粪污向环境中的排放量,不仅利于集约化畜禽养殖业的发展,同时也能有效降低畜禽粪污中的重金属含量,为种植业提供优良的有机肥来源,维护生态系统的平衡,促进种植业和养殖业的可持续健康发展。基于此,以畜禽体内含量最高的常量元素钙磷和微量元素为切入点,介绍了饲用矿物元素的应用现状、畜禽矿物元素基础需要量及合适的添加范围,着重综述了新型饲用微量元素的开发与应用进展,并探讨了矿物元素动态饲喂模式的可行性及有效性,以期为合理利用矿物元素资源及进一步解决全球生态农业研究的畜禽矿物元素导致的环境污染提供参考。     

Intersession reliability of a posturo-stabilometric test,using a force platform

Aim of the studyTo evaluate the intersession reliability of a posturo-stabilometric examination.MethodsSingle blind clinical trial conducted in two sessions over two weeks.44 healthy volunteers free from postural and temporomandibular disorders. All the subjects complied with the criteria for completing the study.All the subjects underwent two sessions of posturo-stabilometric examinations in different visual and mandibular conditions.Sway area, sway length and the coordinates of the center of pressure were evaluated and statistically analyzed using the Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).ResultsAll the posturo-stabilometric parameters seemed to have an excellent reproducibility with overall ICCs higher than 70% and good confidence intervals except for the sway area (ICC 0.422 with CI 0.283–0.560 with open eyes and ICC 0.554 with CI 0.424–0.683 with closed eyes).ConclusionsThe posturo-stabilometric examination carried out using a force platform has a good intrasession and intersession reliability, especially considering sway velocity, COP X and COP Y parameters. The force platform usefulness in analyzing static posture is confirmed in any medical field.     

Quantifying the effects of migration and mutation on adaptation and demography in spatially heterogeneous environments

How do mutation and gene flow influence population persistence, niche expansion and local adaptation in spatially heterogeneous environments? In this article, we analyse a demographic and evolutionary model of adaptation to an environment containing two habitats in equal frequencies, and we bridge the gap between different theoretical frameworks. Qualitatively, our model yields four qualitative types of outcomes: (i) global extinction of the population, (ii) adaptation to one habitat only, but also adaptation to both habitats with, (iii) specialized phenotypes or (iv) with generalized phenotypes, and we determine the conditions under which each equilibrium is reached. We derive new analytical approximations for the local densities and the distributions of traits in each habitat under a migration–selection–mutation balance, compute the equilibrium values of the means, variances and asymmetries of the local distributions of phenotypes, and contrast the effects of migration and mutation on the evolutionary outcome. We then check our analytical results by solving our model numerically, and also assess their robustness in the presence of demographic stochasticity. Although increased migration results in a decrease in local adaptation, mutation in our model does not influence the values of the local mean traits. Yet, both migration and mutation can have dramatic effects on population size and even lead to metapopulation extinction when selection is strong. Niche expansion, the ability for the population to adapt to both habitats, can also be prevented by small migration rates and a reduced evolutionary potential characterized by rare mutation events of small effects; however, niche expansion is otherwise the most likely outcome. Although our results are derived under the assumption of clonal reproduction, we finally show and discuss the links between our model and previous quantitative genetics models.