A Stochastic Analysis of a Brownian Ratchet Model for Actin-Based Motility

In recent single-particle tracking (SPT) measurements on Listeria monocytogenes motility in cells [Kuo and McGrath (2000)], the actin-based stochastic dynamics of the bacterium movement has been analyzed statistically in terms of the mean-square displacement (MSD) of the trajectory. We present a stochastic analysis of a simplified polymerization Brownian ratchet (BR) model in which motions are limited by the bacterium movement. Analytical results are obtained and statistical data analyses are investigated. It is shown that the MSD of the stochastic bacterium movement is a monotonic quadratic function while the MSD for detrended trajectories is linear. Both the short-time relaxation and the long-time kinetics in terms the mean velocity and effective diffusion constant of the propelled bacterium are obtained from the MSD analysis. The MSD of the gap between actin tip and the bacterium exhibits an oscillatory behavior when there is a large resistant force from the bacterium. For comparison, a continuous diffusion formalism of the BR model with great analytical simplicity is also studied.     

C3和C4植物寄主对华北地区棉铃虫越冬代和第一代的影响

确定华北越冬代棉铃虫虫源及其对第一代棉铃虫种群的影响是制定棉铃虫防治策略的基础。以越冬代棉铃虫蛾翅的稳定同位素δ¹³C为天然标记直接判定这些成虫的幼虫期寄主类型,并将雌虫接到春小麦植株上,调查其产卵、孵化、幼虫发育至化蛹、羽化等特征。结果表明,越冬代来自C₃植物(主要为棉花)的成虫个体数量占全部越冬羽化种群的53.1%,所产生的下一代老熟幼虫也较C₄来源的多(55.1%);雌蛾受精率都比较高;卵孵化率较高(52.9%>41.6%);幼虫发育在低龄阶段较比后者快,存活率低,但在高龄幼虫阶段相对后者慢,存活率高;与C₄植物(主要玉米)的来源个体后代的幼虫发育总历期接近,总存活率也相近。显示寄主植物小麦提供的营养条件在第一代棉铃虫的幼虫发育中具有决定性意义,即小麦只在特定阶段才适合幼虫的发育;而且不论是C₃还是C₄寄主来源的越冬代棉铃虫已经适应了这一限制。有效地评价了玉米和棉花等寄主植物对华北地区越冬代和次年第一代棉铃虫的影响,对于分析越冬代棉铃虫的虫源性质和第一代棉铃虫的防治及Bt抗性的治理有重要参考价值。     

阿特拉津降解菌株的分离、鉴定和工业废水生物处理试验

用液体无机盐培养基富集培养法和无机盐平板直接分离法, 从生产阿特拉津的农药厂的废水和污泥混合物中分离到13个能以阿特拉津为唯一氮源生长的细菌菌株。通过16S rRNA基因序列分析, 11个菌株被鉴定为Arthrobacter spp., 2个菌株被鉴定为Pseudomonas spp.。对阿特拉津降解活力最高的Arthrobacter sp. AD30和Pseudomonas sp. AD39的降解基因组成和降解特性进行了详细研究。降解基因的PCR扩增表明, AD30和AD39都含有trzN-atzBC基因, 能将有毒的阿特拉津降解成无毒的氰尿酸。降解实验表明, 向阿特拉津浓度为200 mg/L的无机盐培养基中分别接种等量的AD30、AD39和这两个菌株的混合菌液, 30°C振荡培养48 h以后, 阿特拉津去除率分别为92.5%、97.9%和99.6%, 表明混合菌的降解效果好于单菌。用AD30和AD39的混合菌液接种阿特拉津浓度为176 mg/L的工业废水, 30°C振荡培养72 h以后, 99.1%的阿特拉津被去除, 表明混合菌株在阿特拉津工业废水的生物处理中有很好的应用潜力。     

亚热带典型树种对模拟酸雨胁迫的高光谱响应

对亚热带地区6种典型树种幼苗在不同模拟酸雨梯度下的光谱响应特征进行了研究。结果表明,针叶树种和阔叶树种对酸雨敏感性具有明显差异。针叶树种马尾松、杉木和香榧对酸雨敏感性高于阔叶树种刨花楠、香樟和杨梅。针叶树种内部,马尾松和杉木叶绿素含量随酸雨浓度变化的幅度明显高于香榧;而阔叶树种内部,刨花楠、香樟和杨梅三者之间无显著差别。马尾松、香樟和香榧不能承受长时间高浓度酸雨胁迫,叶绿素含量呈先增加后减少趋势,杉木则先减少后增加,杨梅能承受长时间高浓度酸雨胁迫,pH值2.5处理下叶绿素含量高于pH值5.6处理。刨花楠4期试验中叶绿素含量变化无明显规律。各受试植物光谱反射率红边位置与其叶绿素含量变化规律基本一致。针叶树种马尾松和香榧主要表现为"蓝移",杉木则先"蓝移"后"红移",表现出对高浓度酸雨长时间的抗性;阔叶树种香樟先"红移"后"蓝移",对高浓度模拟酸雨表现出先促进后抑制现象,杨梅光谱反射率一阶导数曲线比较平缓,无明显"红移"和"蓝移"现象,刨花楠则"红移"和"蓝移"交替出现,与其叶绿素含量变化相一致,对酸雨敏感性不明显。     

模拟降雨变化对古尔班通古特沙漠土壤养分及酶活性的影响

土壤酶参与土壤系统的养分循环过程,是联系植物和土壤养分的关键纽带。土壤酶活性对降水格局变化响应敏感,这种响应对于缺水且养分贫瘠的荒漠生态系统显得尤为重要。然而,早春积雪完全融化后首次降雨时间及降雨量如何影响土壤养分及土壤酶活性还鲜见相关报道。以新疆古尔班通古特沙漠为研究区,在早春积雪完全融化后,设置3个首次降雨时间(积雪完全融化后第10天、20天和30天)和3个降雨梯度(5 mm、10 mm和15 mm),于植物生长旺季采集土壤样品,研究土壤养分含量和土壤酶活性的响应特征。结果表明：积雪完全融化后不同首次降雨时间下5mm降雨处理以及积雪完全融化后第30天下各降雨量处理对土壤养分和酶活性影响不显著。积雪完全融化后第10天,随降雨量增加,土壤全碳呈显著先下降后增加趋势,全钾呈显著增加趋势,而土壤微生物量碳呈显著降低趋势;积雪完全融化后第20天,随降雨量增加,速效氮、土壤蔗糖酶活性、土壤微生物量碳氮呈先下降后增加趋势,土壤全碳和多酚氧化酶活性显著下降,土壤全钾和碱性磷酸酶活性显著增加。模拟10 mm降雨,随首次降雨时间推迟,土壤全氮、速效氮、速效磷、土壤蔗糖酶活性和土壤微生物量碳呈增加趋势;...     

天蚕素AD在毕赤酵母中的多拷贝整合表达及表达条件优化

【背景】天蚕素抗菌肽是目前研究最清楚、效果最显著的抗菌肽,实现工业化生产为其在农业、养殖业中的应用奠定了基础。【目的】获得一株高效生产天蚕素AD的基因工程菌株。【方法】构建重组载体pGAPZαA-CAD通过电击转化至PichiapastorisX33中,表达天蚕素AD基因并获得X33/GCAD菌株;构建重组载体pUCGAP-CAD导入至X33/GCAD菌株中。pGAPZαA-CAD是以博来霉素为抗性筛选标签被整合到P. pastoris X33的GAPDH启动子区域,pUCGAP-CAD是以遗传霉素为抗性筛选标签被整合到P. pastoris X33的非翻译rDNA区域,最终获得一株高效表达天蚕素AD的酵母菌株X33/GUCAD。【结果】通过质谱分析鉴定X33/GUCAD表达的抑菌物质为天蚕素AD,通过发酵条件的优化,表明X33/GUCAD菌株在以甘油为碳源和以蛋白胨、酵母提取物为有机氮源的情况下具有较强表达天蚕素AD的能力。【结论】较高的拷贝数更有利于提高天蚕素AD的产量,此工程菌株在后期发酵过程中稳定性较好,适于工业化生产。     

Structural variation in human apolipoprotein E3 and E4: secondary structure, tertiary structure, and size distribution

Human apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a 299-amino-acid protein with a molecular weight of 34 kDa. The difference between the apoE3 and apoE4 isoforms is a single residue substitution involving a Cys-Arg replacement at residue 112. ApoE4 is positively associated with atherosclerosis and late-onset and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). ApoE4 and its C-terminal truncated fragments have been found in the senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain of AD patients. However, detail structural information regarding isoform and domain interaction remains poorly understood. We prepared full-length, N-, and C-terminal truncated apoE3 and apoE4 proteins and studied their structural variation. Sedimentation velocity and continuous size distribution analysis using analytical ultracentrifugation revealed apoE3(72-299) as consisting of a major species with a sedimentation coefficient of 5.9. ApoE4(72-299) showed a wider and more complicated species distribution. Both apoE3 and E4 N-terminal domain (1-191) existed with monomers as the major component together with some tetramer. The oligomerization and aggregation of apoE protein increased when the C-terminal domain (192-271) was incorporated. The structural influence of the C-terminal domain on apoE is to assist self-association with no significant isoform preference. Circular dichroism and fluorescence studies demonstrated that apoE4(72-299) possessed a more alpha-helical structure with more hydrophobic residue exposure. The structural variation of the N-terminal truncated apoE3 and apoE4 protein provides useful information that helps to explain the greater aggregation of the apoE4 isoform and thus has implication for the involvement of apoE4 in AD.     

辅助病毒依赖型腺病毒载体转基因的体外表达效率

构建可表达增强型绿色荧光蛋白 (Enhanced green fluorescent protein,EGFP) 的辅助病毒依赖型腺病毒载体 (Helper-dependent adenoviral vector,HDAd),并完成大量制备、纯化和体外表达鉴定。荧光显微镜证实HDAd/EGFP可表达,电镜下观察到经CsCl纯化后的腺病毒的典型形态。分光光度计法测定病毒的浓度为4.0×1012 颗粒数 (Virus particle,vp) /mL。与可表达EGFP的第一代腺病毒载体 (First generation adenoviral vector,FGAd) FGAd/EGFP进行了体外感染和转基因表达效率的比较研究,分别用约2 000 vp/细胞的HDAd/EGFP和FGAd/EGFP感染A549细胞,流式细胞仪检测EGFP的表达情况。通过相同时间点流式细胞仪分析EGFP的表达情况,可见HDAd/EGFP感染早期的A549细胞较FGAd/EGFP有更高的荧光表达率及更高的表达强度,显示HDAd载体具有转基因瞬时高表达的特性,是一种更有价值的疫苗载体。