30 nm染色质的体外组装和电镜分析

真核生物的基因组以染色质的形式存在,染色质在真核生物的基因表达调控及胚胎发育过程中起重要作用,为表观遗传提供一个重要的信息整合平台．染色质的高级结构,特别是 30 nm染色质的动态变化在基因转录沉默和激活过程中起着重要的调控功能．但是目前对30 nm 染色质纤维的组装及其精细结构的认识还十分有限．本文通过体外表达系统,表达未经修饰的组蛋白,并利用克隆构建的601DNA均一重复序列,通过逐步降低盐离子浓度并加入组蛋白H1或镁离子的方法,体外重组均一的30 nm染色质纤维．并利用镀金属、负染色制样和冷冻电镜制样等手段通过透射式电子显微镜(TEM)对30 nm纤维结构的形成原因、组蛋白H1的作用和核小体重复单位(nucleosome repeat lengths,NRLs)长度对30 nm染色质纤维的影响进行研究．研究结果显示在组蛋白H1或二价镁离子存在的情况下,均可形成30 nm染色质纤维．其形成的染色质拓扑结构有所不同．统计分析表明,不同长度核小体重复单位(NRLs)形成的染色质纤维直径有所不同(P < 0.05)．同时,我们得到了较为均一的冷冻电镜样品,为进一步研究30 nm染色质纤维的高级结构及理解体内染色质存在的形式及动态过程打下了较好的基础．     

蓖麻毒蛋白A链基因RNAi转化研究

通过基因沉默技术调控蓖麻毒蛋白A链基因的表达,以期获得低毒蓖麻新材料.利用基因克隆技术获得蓖麻毒蛋白A链基因762 bp片段,命名为RTA基因.进一步利用该基因构建了植物RNAi表达载体pBI-RTA-S-AS,通过农杆菌介导法转化蓖麻子叶节,用卡那抗性筛选转化再生植株,PCR进一步鉴定转基因植株.结果表明:克隆得到目的基因长762 bp,与预期结果一致;卡那抗性筛选和PCR鉴定结果显示,获得了3株转基因阳性植株.     

植物木质部压力探针测定技术与方法

木质部压力探针技术是目前直接测定植物木质部导管负压的唯一手段。在结构上,木质部压力探针测定系统由精密操作装置、压力探针系统和信号采集—传输一显示系统三大部分组成。其测定原理是将毛细管探针刺入木质部导管,通过传导介质将木质部导管负压传至压力传感器,压力传感器感应压力并将压力信号输出。本文从玻璃毛细管探针的制作、去气泡水的制备以及压力探针的校准、安装、测定等方面详细介绍了木质部压力探针的使用方法和注意事项。     

光照强度对大花旋蒴苣苔叶形态和生理指标的影响

以复苏植物大花旋蒴苣苔(Boea clarkeana)为盆栽实验材料,通过梯度遮光处理,研究不同光照强度(100%、80%、60%、40%和20%透光率)和不同处理时间(30、60、90、120和150d)对大花旋蒴苣苔叶生长指标和生理指标的影响。结果表明:随着光照强度的减弱,大花旋蒴苣苔叶的各生长指标(叶片长、叶片宽、叶柄长、叶柄直径以及叶面积)呈现先增大后减小的趋势,透光率为60%时达到最大值;全光照(100%透光率)时,大花旋蒴苣苔表现出明显的外伤症状,透光率为80%和20%时,分别表现出中度伤害和轻度伤害,透光率为40%和60%时,未出现明显的外伤症状;过氧化氢酶(CAT)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和过氧化物酶(POD)3种抗氧化酶活性均较低且随着光强减弱呈现先降低后升高的趋势,随着处理时间的延长呈先上升后下降的趋势,全光照时抗氧化酶的活性最大,透光率60%处理下酶活性相对较低;丙二醛(MDA)含量、脯氨酸(Pro)含量和质膜透性随着光强减弱呈先降低后升高的趋势,随着处理时间的延长显著升高;叶绿素含量随着光强减弱呈逐渐上升的趋势,随着处理时间的延长先降低后升高。分析表明,40%～60%的透光率有利于大花旋蒴苣苔的生长,强光和弱光对大花旋蒴苣苔的生长均不利。     

Role of mitochondrial quality control in exercise-induced health adaptation

Long-term endurance training or physical activity has been confirmed not only to improve physical performance, but to bring about an obvious beneficial effect on human health; however, the mechanism of this effect is not clear. The most studied health adaptations in skeletal muscle response to endurance exercise are increased muscle glycogen level and insulin sensitivity, fiber type transformation toward oxi- dative myofibers, and increased mitochondrial content/function. Mitochondria are dynamic organelles in eukaryotic cells critical in physical performance and disease occurrence. The mitochondrial life cycle spans biogenesis, maintenance, and clearance. Exercise training may promote each of these processes and confer positive impacts on skeletal muscle contractile and metabolic functions. This review focused on the regula- tion of these processes by endurance exercise and discussed its potential benefits in health and disease. We presented evidence suggesting that exercise training potentiates not only the biogenesis of mitochondria but also the removal of old and unhealthy mitochondria through mitochondrial quality control.     

土壤干旱胁迫对九头狮子草和圆苞金足草幼苗形态和生理特性的影响

采用称重控水法控制土壤相对含水量分别为(85.0±2.5)％(对照)、(67.5±2.5)％(轻度干旱)、(50.0±2.5)％(中度干旱)和(32.5±2.5)％(重度干旱),对土壤干旱胁迫条件下九头狮子草[Peristrophe japonica (Thunb.)Bremek.]和圆苞金足草(Goldfussia pentstemonoides Nees)2年生苗的植株形态及生理特性变化进行了研究.结果表明:经土壤干旱胁迫处理30 d后供试2种植物的外部形态均有一定变化,其中九头狮子草主要变化为叶片失绿、变薄且萎蔫、枝条下垂;圆苞金足草主要变化为茎干倒伏、叶片变软且叶柄低垂.随土壤干旱胁迫程度的增加,供试2种植物叶片的自然饱和亏、临界饱和亏、需水程度、束缚水含量、束缚水与自由水的含量比值、脯氨酸含量和可溶性糖含量均呈逐渐增加的趋势且均高于对照,而自由水含量、最高水势、最低水势和可溶性蛋白质含量均逐渐降低且总体上低于对照.总体上看,在重度干旱胁迫条件下供试2种植物各生理特性均与对照有极显著或显著差异,而在轻度或中度干旱胁迫条件下部分指标与对照无显著差异.供试2种植物各生理指标的变化幅度有明显差异,在同一干旱胁迫条件下九头狮子草叶片的自然饱和亏、需水程度、自由水含量、最高水势和最低水势的降幅、脯氨酸含量和可溶性蛋白质含量的降幅均高于圆苞金足草,其临界饱和亏、束缚水含量、束缚水与自由水的含量比值和可溶性糖含量均低于圆苞金足草.综合分析结果表明:供试2种植物对土壤干旱胁迫均具有一定的耐性,但圆苞金足草具有更强的抵御干旱的生理机制.     

Contribution of lead in soil to children’s lead burden,an update

Abstract

Blood lead levels in children in the USA have dropped dramatically since lead in food, air and drinking water was reduced. In inner cities and older residential areas, increased lead exposure may still be a problem because of dilapidated housing with high lead paint levels. In these areas, at mining sites and around smelters lead levels in soil may be very high. A review of many studies indicates that lead in soil or mine tailings does not make a meaningful contribution to lead absorption by children. The contribution of lead in soil to overall exposure, if any, lies within the variation of the analytical method for blood lead measurements. The results of exposure studies in the pediatric population reviewed in this article do not support exposure predictions for children under 6 years of age based on the US EPA Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model (using default parameters or using results obtained with in vitro digestion models). They also do not support predictions based on the percent of solubility of lead in soil (accessibility studies).     

Determination of nitrite in lake sediments

Abstract

An evaluation of nitrite determination in marine lake sediments has shown that spectrophotometric measurements can be in error due to light scattering by colloidal (<0.2 μm) matter in extract solutions and incomplete nitrite recovery. The scatter error can be minimised by using uncoloured extract in the reference beam but precision at low levels remains poor (RSD 25 to 100%). Recovery tests on ‘spiked’ sediment indicated that optimum retrieval (～85%) occurred with 30 minute mixing with 0.2 M NH₄Cl, using a sediment to extractant ratio of 1:30. To counter this variable, calibration based on standard addition to sample suspensions is recommended. Modified procedure proposed is suitable for measuring up to 10 μg g^?1 of nitrite N; the lake sediments tested contained <100 ng g^?1     

Studies on the Flavor of Green Tea

With an assumption that the laver-like odor of green tea is due to dimethyl sulfide, an attempt to isolate dimethyl sulfide from commercial green tea was made, and the identification of dimethyl sulfide was successful by making the co-ordinated compound with mercuric chloride, 2 (CH₃) ₂S·3HgCl₂. In addition, the presence of methylmethionine sulfonium salt in tea extract as a precursor of dimethyl sulfide was examined.     

Application of Nitrate Reductase for the Determination of Nitrate in Meat and Fishery Products

A rapid and specific method is described for the determination of nitrate in meat and fishery products.

Nitrate separated from foods by extraction with 1/50Ν sodium hydroxide and ultrafiltration was readily reduced to nitrite by the use of respiratory nitrate reductase (NR) from Escherichia coli K-12. The nitrite so obtained can be determined by the specific diazotation-coupling reaction method.

The use of an enzymatic reaction resulted in quantitative reduction of nitrate, and the method was relatively free of interferences. Recoveries of 10 and 100 ppm of nitrate from 5 samples of meat and fishery products ranged from 92.8 to 97.8% for 10 ppm and 97.8 to 99.4% for 100 ppm with a detection limit of 0.5 ppm.