乙型肝炎病毒核心启动子下游克隆入Teto序列后其在不同细胞系中转录活性的变化

目的:探讨将Teto序列克隆入乙型肝炎病毒核心启动子(Cp)下游后对该启动子在不同细胞系中转录活性的影响。方法:利用PCR从质粒pTL-8中扩增7个Teto序列,并将其克隆入T载体pMD19-T/Simple中,测序正确后将7个Teto序列亚克隆入pGL3-Basic/Cp萤光素酶报告基因质粒中Cp启动子的下游,以构建质粒pGL3-Basic/Cp/x7t。将能表达TetR的质粒pTL-8的萤光素酶编码基因切除后,与pGL3-Basic/Cp/x7t共转染肝癌细胞系HepG2、宫颈癌细胞系HeLa、绿猴肾细胞系COS-7、乳腺癌细胞系MDA-MB-231和结肠癌细胞系HT-29,通过双萤光素酶检测系统检测萤光素酶在这些不同细胞系中的活性,以分析将Teto序列克隆入乙型肝炎病毒核心启动子下游后对Cp在不同细胞系中转录活性的影响。结果:构建了质粒pGL3-Basic/Cp/x7t,将其转染HeLa、COS-7、HepG2、MDA-MB-231和HT-29细胞后其相对萤光素酶活性分别为56.14、171.52、211.03、6.11和34.24。结论:将Teto序列克隆入Cp下游并不能明显提高Cp的转录活性,而且破坏了Cp的组织特异性转录活性。     

Crystal Structures of Nucleosome Core Particles Containing the ‘601’ Strong Positioning Sequence

Nucleosome positioning plays a key role in genomic regulation by defining histone-DNA context and by modulating access to specific sites. Moreover, the histone-DNA register influences the double-helix structure, which in turn can affect the association of small molecules and protein factors. Analysis of genomic and synthetic DNA has revealed sequence motifs that direct nucleosome positioning in vitro; thus, establishing the basis for the DNA sequence dependence of positioning would shed light on the mechanics of the double helix and its contribution to chromatin structure in vivo. However, acquisition of well-diffracting nucleosome core particle (NCP) crystals is extremely dependent on the DNA fragment used for assembly, and all previous NCP crystal structures have been based on human α-satellite sequences. Here, we describe the crystal structures of Xenopus NCPs containing one of the strongest known histone octamer binding and positioning sequences, the so-called ‘601’ DNA.Two distinct 145-bp 601 crystal forms display the same histone-DNA register, which coincides with the occurrence of DNA stretching-overtwisting in both halves of the particle around five double-helical turns from the nucleosome center, giving the DNA an ‘effective length’ of 147 bp. As we have found previously with stretching around two turns from the nucleosome center for a centromere-based sequence, the terminal stretching observed in the 601 constructs is associated with extreme kinking into the minor groove at purine-purine (pyrimidine-pyrimidine) dinucleotide steps. In other contexts, these step types display an overall nonflexible behavior, which raises the possibility that DNA stretching in the nucleosome or extreme distortions in general have unique sequence dependency characteristics. Our findings indicate that DNA stretching is an intrinsically predisposed site-specific property of the nucleosome and suggest how NCP crystal structures with diverse DNA sequences can be obtained.     

西北油松叶片δ13C特征与环境因子和叶片矿质元素的关系

选取甘肃、宁夏及内蒙古油松(Pinus tabulaeformis)10个天然种群, 通过测定油松叶片稳定碳同位素组成(δ¹³C)和元素含量等特征, 分析了油松叶片δ¹³C特征及其与环境气候因子和叶片矿质元素含量之间的关系。研究结果表明, 油松叶片δ¹³C的变化范围在-28.68‰ - -25.02‰之间, 平均值为-26.82‰; 油松叶片δ¹³C值与海拔、经度之间相关性不显著, 与纬度之间呈显著正相关, 与年降水量、年平均温度之间均呈显著负相关, 说明年平均温度和年降水量是决定油松¹³C分馏能力差别及生长的主要限制因子; 叶片元素N、P、K、Si、Ca、Fe含量与δ¹³C值有明显的相关性, 其中叶片N、P、K含量与δ¹³C值显著负相关, Si、Ca、Fe含量与δ¹³C值显著正相关, 可见不同种群间δ¹³C组成差异可反映植物营养元素含量的变化状况。不同生境条件下环境气候因子和矿质元素含量的这种响应模式在一定程度上反映和影响了以油松为建群种和优势种的生态系统的δ¹³C变化特性。     

Inhibitory effect of presenilin inhibitor LY411575 on maturation of hepatitis C virus core protein,production of the viral particle and expression of host proteins involved in pathogenicity

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is responsible for the formation of infectious viral particles and induction of pathogenicity. The C‐terminal transmembrane region of the immature core protein is cleaved by signal peptide peptidase (SPP) for maturation of the core protein. SPP belongs to the family of presenilin‐like aspartic proteases. Some presenilin inhibitors are expected to suppress HCV infection and production; however, this anti‐HCV effect has not been investigated in detail. In this study, presenilin inhibitors were screened to identify anti‐HCV compounds. Of the 13 presenilin inhibitors tested, LY411575 was the most potent inhibitor of SPP‐dependent cleavage of HCV core protein. Production of intracellular core protein and supernatant infectious viral particles from HCV‐infected cells was significantly impaired by LY411575 in a dose‐dependent manner (half maximum inhibitory concentration = 0.27 μM, cytotoxic concentration of the extracts to cause death to 50% of viable cells > 10 μM). No effect of LY411575 on intracellular HCV RNA in the subgenomic replicon cells was detected. LY411575 synergistically promoted daclatasvir‐dependent inhibition of viral production, but not that of viral replication. Furthermore, LY411575 inhibited HCV‐related production of reactive oxygen species and expression of NADPH oxidases and vascular endothelial growth factor. Taken together, our data suggest that LY411575 suppresses HCV propagation through SPP inhibition and impairs host gene expressions related to HCV pathogenicity.     

胸径、构件和季节对南方红豆杉中紫杉醇和10-DAB含量的影响

系统采集了12个不同胸径的南方红豆杉当年生针叶和树皮样品,用超高效液相色谱(UPLC)测定其紫杉醇(taxol)和10-去乙酰基巴卡亭Ⅲ(10-deacetylbaccatin Ⅲ,10-DAB)含量,结果显示针叶的两种被测试物质含量的平均值分别为0.0127mg·g-1和0.0805mg·g-1,树皮的这两种物质含量平均值分别为0.1164mg·g-1和0.4842mg·g-1。当年生针叶、树皮中紫杉醇含量与胸径相关性不显著。对植株不同构件(枝条、针叶、树皮和根)中紫杉醇和10-DAB含量的测定表明,根中紫杉醇和10-DAB含量最高,当年生针叶紫杉醇含量最低。天然和人工栽培南方红豆杉当年生针叶中紫杉醇和10-DAB含量呈明显的季节变化,各月份间含量差异显著,人工栽培和天然植株针叶在生长速度明显减缓的10月份,紫杉醇和10-DAB含量均出现一个明显的峰值。     

淀粉体发育过程中淀粉核心、晶体结构与淀粉体DNA的关系

在马铃薯块茎、百合鳞茎淀粉体DNA的研究中,使用了3种DNA染色方法,都比较一致地反映了淀粉体DNA的分布和形态。又系统观察了在不同发育时期淀粉体及淀粉体DNA的变化,揭示了淀粉体DNA与淀粉核心、晶体结构的关系。实验证明,淀粉核心是淀粉体DNA最先出现的地方。DNA复制形成了晶体结构(晶体核)以及辐射状的晶体结构,这是淀粉体DNA随着发育时期的增长而不断复制的结果。     

Comparative floral structure and systematics in Chrysobalanaceae s.l. (Chrysobalanaceae, Dichapetalaceae, Euphroniaceae, Trigoniaceae; Malpighiales)

Chrysobalanaceae s.l. , one of the few suprafamilial subclades of Malpighiales that is supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses, and containing Chrysobalanaceae, Dichapetalaceae, Euphroniaceae, and Trigoniaceae, was comparatively studied with regard to floral structure. The subclade is well supported by floral structure. Potential synapomorphies for Chrysobalanaceae s.l. are the following shared features: floral cup; flowers obliquely monosymmetric; sepals congenitally united at base; sepals of unequal size (outer two shorter); fertile stamens concentrated on the anterior side of the flower and sometimes united into a strap; staminodes absent in the posteriormost antepetalous position; anthers extremely introrse, with thecae almost in one plane; endothecium continuous over the dorsal side of the connective; dorsal anther pit; gynoecium completely syncarpous up to the stigma; carpel flanks slightly bulged out transversely and thus carpels demarcated from each other by a longitudinal furrow; flowers with dense unicellular, non-lignified hairs, especially on the gynoecium; light-coloured, dense indumentum on young shoots and inflorescences. Potential synapomorphies for Chrysobalanaceae + Euphroniaceae include: spur in floral cup; clawed petals; lignified hairs on petals; nectary without lobes or scales and mostly annular. Potential synapomorphies for Dichapetalaceae + Trigoniaceae include: special mucilage cells in sepals in mesophyll (in addition to epidermis); anthers almost basifixed; gynoecium synascidiate up to lower style; nectary with lobes or scales and semi-annular.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 157 , 249–309.     

迎春花植物茎叶中黄酮类物质初步研究

采用硝酸铝——亚硝酸钠比色法对迎春花茎叶内的黄酮类物质含量进行了初步测定,确定了总黄酮含量提取的适宜溶剂浓度和提取的适宜时间。结果表明,用60％甲醇溶剂提取5h总黄酮含量最高,茎杆中的含量为10．42mg/g DW,叶片中的含量为18．31mg／g DW。此外,还对迎春花叶提取液进行了各种黄酮定性颜色反应,初步确定其中的黄酮类物质主要为双氢黄酮类及查尔酮类。     

Diet composition and food consumption rate of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the western Baltic Sea

Stomach content composition and prey‐specific consumption rates of juvenile and adult harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were estimated from a data set including 339 stomachs collected over a 32 yr period (1980–2011) in the western Baltic Sea. The stomach contents were mainly hard parts of fish prey and in particular otoliths. The bias originating from differential residence time of otoliths in the stomachs was addressed by use of a recently developed approach. Atlantic cod and herring were the main prey of adults, constituting on average 70% of the diet mass. Juvenile porpoises also frequently consumed gobies. Here, the mass contribution by gobies was on average 25%, which was as much as cod. Other species such as whiting, sprat, eelpout, and sandeels were of minor importance for both juveniles and adults. The diet composition differed between years, quarters, and porpoise acquisition method. Yearly consumption rates for porpoises in the western Baltic Sea were obtained in three scenarios on the daily energy requirements of a porpoise in combination with an estimate including the 95% CLs of the porpoise population size. Cod of age groups 1 and 2 and intermediate‐sized herring suffered the highest predation from porpoises.     

三种棕榈植物的热值及灰分含量比较研究

通过测定厦门的三种棕榈植物布迪椰子、油棕和沼地棕的不同组分的热值和灰分含量。结果表明,布迪椰子各组分干重热值和去灰分热值由大到小的顺序为成熟叶>细根>幼叶>粗根>根茎>叶柄;油棕的为成熟叶>粗根>细根>幼叶>叶柄>根茎;沼地棕的为成熟叶>粗根>细根>幼叶>叶柄。布迪椰子的灰分含量高低顺序为细根>粗根>根茎>幼叶>叶柄>成熟叶,油棕的为成熟叶>幼叶>细根>粗根>叶柄>根茎;沼地棕的为幼叶>成熟叶>细根>粗根>叶柄。布迪椰子和沼地棕成熟叶的热值显著高于油棕,并且布迪椰子的成熟叶热值略低于沼地棕,但布迪椰子幼叶的热值显著高于沼地棕和油棕,布迪椰子的叶柄的热值显著低于沼地棕和油棕,说明耐寒性强的布迪椰子热值和灰分比耐寒性弱的油棕的分配策略更加合理,有利于提高其对低温的适应性,对植物引种具有重要的指导意义。