利用合成的基因回路实现细胞水平上尿酸稳态控制的实验研究

目的:利用合成生物学方法构建尿酸介导的基因回路,在细胞水平上研究回路对尿酸稳态的调控作用。方法:以耐辐射异常球菌R1基因组中转录抑制物基因hucR及其结合位点基因hucO为基础,化学合成具有转录抑制功能的基因mUTs及其结合位点的8串联结构hucO8,构建基因回路;转染HeLa细胞,通过检测分泌型碱性磷酸酶(SEAP)的表达量来验证回路的作用原理和对尿酸的感应作用;在此基础上,用优化的黄曲霉菌尿酸氧化酶(Uox)基因smUox替换SEAP基因,转染HeLa细胞,通过检测转染前后培养基中尿酸浓度的变化,验证回路对尿酸的调节作用。结果:分别构建了优化的转录抑制物表达载体pcDNA3.1/V5-mUTs、报告基因表达载体pSEAP-hucO8、优化的黄曲霉菌Uox表达载体phucO8-smUox、pBudCE4.1-smUox,双向共表达载体pBudCE4.1-SEAP-mUTs、pBudCE4.1-mUTs-smUox;单独转染pBudCE4.1-SEAP-mUTs或共转染pSEAP-hucO8和pcDNA3.1/V5-mUTs,通过检测培养基中SEAP的表达量,证明双载体及单载体回路对尿酸的感应作用;用smUox替换SAEP基因后,通过检测转染48 h后培养基中尿酸含量的变化,证明双载体及单载体基因回路均具有一定的尿酸调节能力。结论:在细胞水平上,构建的双载体基因回路(phucO8-smUox、pcDNA3.1/V5-mUTs)和单载体基因回路(pBudCE4.1-mUTs-smUox)均可实现对尿酸的感应及调控作用,在一定范围内通过增加mUTs与hucO8的摩尔比,可以改变回路对尿酸的调控范围及调节程度。     

Perovskite Solar Cells on the Way to Their Radiative Efficiency Limit – Insights Into a Success Story of High Open‐Circuit Voltage and Low Recombination

Inorganic‐organic lead‐halide perovskite solar cells have reached efficiencies above 22% within a few years of research. Achieved photovoltages of >1.2 V are outstanding for a material with a bandgap of 1.6 eV – in particular considering that it is solution processed. Such values demand for low non‐radiative recombination rates and come along with high luminescence yields when the solar cell is operated as a light emitting diode. This progress report summarizes the developments on material composition and device architecture, which allowed for such high photovoltages. It critically assesses the term “lifetime”, the theories and experiments behind it, and the different recombination mechanisms present. It attempts to condense reported explanations for the extraordinary optoelectronic properties of the material. Amongst those are an outstanding defect tolerance due to antibonding valence states and the capability of bandgap tuning, which might make the dream of low‐cost highly efficient solution‐processed thin film solar cells come true. Beyond that, the presence of photon recycling will open new opportunities for photonic device design.     

Activity-dependent local protection and lateral inhibition control synaptic competition in developing mitral cells in mice

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Gestational changes in electrolyte transport,electrical activity,and permeability of the porcine placenta

Summary 1. The electrolyte transport capacities of the porcine placenta and fetal membranes (amnion, chorion, and allantois) during gestation (47–112 days) were assessed in vitro and in the absence of electrochemical, osmotic, or hydrostatic driving forces. Net transmural transport of ²²Na and ³⁶Cl across sections of porcine allantochorion-endometrium (ALCE), amniochorionendometrium (AMCE), and allantoamnion (AA) mounted in Ussing chambers could not be detected at any stage of gestation. 2. These tissues were characterised throughout gestation by low electrical potential difference (PD; <5 mV, fetal side positive with respect to maternal side) and short circuit current (SCC; <16 A · cm^-1) which were amiloride and iodoacetate sensitive. 3. A periparturitent reversal in the polarity of PD to fetal side negative and a change in the direction of the SCC was observed in tissues obtained from sows (n=3) at 111–112 day gestation. These changes were accompanied by a 73% increase in electrical resistance (R) and a 2–10-fold decrease in the permeability of tissues to Na and Cl. 4. Morphological studies revealed a decrease in the thickness of allantoamnion and a decrease in the height of epithelia from ALCE, AMCE, and AA during gestation, indicating a decrease in activity. These morphological changes only partly explained the pre-term electrophysiological changes in these tissues.Abbreviations AA allantoamnion - ALCE allantochorionendometrium - AMCE Amniochorion-endometrium - fm feto-maternal - mf materno-fetal - PD electrical potential difference - PVP polyvinyl pyrrolidone - R resistance - SCC short circuit current     

基于生态系统服务供需匹配的深圳市生态安全格局构建

构建基于生态系统服务供需匹配的生态安全格局对于深圳市实现中国特色社会主义先行示范区中的可持续发展先锋和民生幸福标杆的战略定位具有重要意义。选取水源供给、碳固持和游憩服务,通过InVEST模型、生态供需比、手机信令数据分析以及电路理论等方法,识别深圳市生态系统服务综合供需状态,构建耦合生态系统服务供需的生态安全格局,并探讨了不同划定界限对生态源地面积和个数的影响。结果表明: 深圳市综合生态供需比大体呈现东部充裕、西部不足的分布状态,其中,水源供给服务在数量和空间分布上均基本满足需求,碳固持服务则相反,而游憩服务虽然数量上可以满足需求,但空间分布极度不均;识别出总面积为347.62 km²的25块生态源地以及总长度为346.06 km的34条生态廊道,其中,生态源地面积呈现东多西少的分布状态,廊道长度呈现相反的分布趋势;不同的划定界限对生态源地面积和个数的影响不同,一级、二级和三级生态源地面积分别为347.62、520.84和557.58 km²,呈逐步增加趋势,源地个数分别为25、35和32个,呈现出先增后减的变化趋势;深圳市存在未纳入生态管控的重要生态斑块且生态控制线内部分斑块生态可持续性较差,可据此制定针对性的保护和管理政策。研究结果可以为深圳市生态管控单元的划定提供空间指引。     

Energetics and Energy Loss in 2D Ruddlesden–Popper Perovskite Solar Cells

2D Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites (RPPs) are emerging as potential challengers to their 3D counterpart due to superior stability and competitive efficiency. However, the fundamental questions on energetics of the 2D RPPs are not well understood. Here, the energetics at (PEA)₂(MA)_n?1Pb_nI_3n+1/[6,6]‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) interfaces with varying n values of 1, 3, 5, 40, and ∞ are systematically investigated. It is found that n–n junctions form at the 2D RPP interfaces (n = 3, 5, and 40), instead of p–n junctions in the pure 2D and 3D scenarios (n = 1 and ∞). The potential gradient across phenethylammonium iodide ligands that significantly decreases surface work function, promotes separation of the photogenerated charge carriers with electron transferring from perovskite crystal to ligand at the interface, reducing charge recombination, which contributes to the smallest energy loss and the highest open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) in the perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on the 2D RPP (n = 5)/PCBM. The mechanism is further verified by inserting a thin 2D RPP capping layer between pure 3D perovskite and PCBM in PSCs, causing the V_oc to evidently increase by 94 mV. Capacitance–voltage measurements with Mott–Schottky analysis demonstrate that such V_oc improvement is attributed to the enhanced potential at the interface.     

基于空间连续小波变换和电路模型的宁夏沿黄河城市带生态安全格局构建

生态安全格局的构建有助于减缓生态系统退化和生物多样性丧失,对生物多样性保护具有重要意义。现有研究中生态源地识别的主观性较强且源地边界破碎,生态廊道对景观连通性的贡献程度也有待明确。因此,以宁夏沿黄河城市带为例,首先利用空间连续小波变换识别综合生态系统服务突变点,获取生态源地,进而基于电路模型评估功能连通性以提取生态廊道,最后量化生态廊道的连通贡献。结果显示,生态源地占研究区总面积的41.51%,其中草地占比83.27%。相比于直接提取综合生态系统服务高值区,基于空间连续小波变换识别的生态源地能较好的反映局地生态系统特征,并将景观形状指数和分形维数分别降低67.20%和8.06%,减少生态源地边缘长度从而受到外界干扰的可能性更小。生态廊道占研究区总面积的7.42%,是物种迁徙等生态过程的关键通道,有效地增强了区域景观连通性,将等效可能连通性指数和等效整体连通性指数分别提升41.76%和68.68%。生态安全格局主要位于研究区边界地段,整体呈两带分布,为宁夏沿黄河城市带阻挡周围的沙漠,保障中部的城市发展和粮食安全。然而,研究区范围内自然保护区仍存在较为严重的生态系统服务和功能连通的保护缺口。各区域的生态安全格局具备不同的生态功能,需要有针对性的差异化保护、修复与管理。     

Discovery and Characterization of Cas9 Inhibitors Disseminated across Seven Bacterial Phyla

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