3D cryo-EM imaging of bacterial flagella: Novel structural and mechanistic insights into cell motility

Bacterial flagella are nanomachines that enable cells to move at high speeds. Comprising 25 and more different types of proteins, the flagellum is a large supramolecular assembly organized into three widely conserved substructures: a basal body including the rotary motor, a connecting hook, and a long filament. The whole flagellum from Escherichia coli weighs ∼20 MDa, without considering its filament portion, which is by itself a ∼1.6 GDa structure arranged as a multimer of ∼30,000 flagellin protomers. Breakthroughs regarding flagellar structure and function have been achieved in the last few years, mainly because of the revolutionary improvements in 3D cryo-EM methods. This review discusses novel structures and mechanistic insights derived from such high-resolution studies, advancing our understanding of each one of the three major flagellar segments. The rotation mechanism of the motor has been unveiled with unprecedented detail, showing a two-cogwheel machine propelled by a Brownian ratchet device. In addition, by imaging the flagellin-like protomers that make up the hook in its native bent configuration, their unexpected conformational plasticity challenges the paradigm of a two-state conformational rearrangement mechanism for flagellin-fold proteins. Finally, imaging of the filaments of periplasmic flagella, which endow Spirochete bacteria with their singular motility style, uncovered a strikingly asymmetric protein sheath that coats the flagellin core, challenging the view of filaments as simple homopolymeric structures that work as freely whirling whips. Further research will shed more light on the functional details of this amazing nanomachine, but our current understanding has definitely come a long way.     

环境科学国际合作的理论机制研究

迄今科学界尚无形成系统的国际科学合作理论,也鲜有就环境科学国际合作进行理论研究。首次从全球资源配置的角度来看待环境科学国际合作。通过国际合作,环境科学在内在科学动力和外在社会动力的驱动下,促使全球科学资源和社会资源向有利于环境学科自身发展的方向流动和积聚。其中,配置科学资源遵循"最优要素选择原则",配置社会资源遵循"最小省力原则",两种内在动力和两个调节手段共同构成了环境科学国际合作的理论机制。     

天山东部西伯利亚落叶松树轮生长对气候要素的响应分析

天山东部西伯利亚落叶松的树木年轮学研究可以看出：森林上限树轮宽度年表之间相关性较高而下限年表间相关稍低,表明下限小生境要素对树木生长干扰较大。森林上下限树轮年表中样本的总解释量（ESP）和信噪比（SNR）都比较高,说明树木中都含有较多的环境信息;但标准年表中平均敏感度（M．S．）和轮宽指数的标准差（S．D．）都是森林上限数值低于下限,这表明森林上限树木生长对环境变化响应的敏感性降低;相关分析和响应分析也发现森林下限生长的树木对气候因子的响应较为显著。就温度而言,森林上限和下限表现基本一致,树木生长多与温度负相关,其中下限树木生长与春季均温和3．6月份均温显著负相关;降水表现出一定的差别,上限树木生长与春季、夏季及年降水量有较高的负相关,而对下限树木生长影响最大的则是冬季和3—6月份降水。湿润指数与降水基本一致即上限呈负相关而下限正相关,温暖指数全为负相关,寒冷指数下限负相关显著;显然该地区森林上下限树木生长的生态模式存在着一定的差异。研究发现,冬春季节的不同水热组合则是形成树木年轮宽窄的限制因素;同时,前期生长的滞后效应对年轮形成有重要的影响。     

1990-2011年三峡库区生态系统服务价值演变及驱动力

作为我国西南部重要的生态屏障和生态走廊,三峡库区具有重要的战略意义,其生态问题非常值得关注。研究以覆盖三峡库区的4期Landsat TM遥感影像为数据源,通过人机交互解译分别获得1990、1998、2006、2011年的土地利用/覆盖,参照中国陆地生态系统单位面积生态服务价值当量表,采用研究区单位面积产量与全国农田粮食单位面积产量的比值作为地区修订系数,计算库区生态系统单位面积生态服务价值当量表,同时利用生物量对林地的生态系统服务价值作进一步的修订。然后结合土地利用结构和生态敏感性指数,定量分析土地利用变化引起的生态服系统务价值变化及其驱动因子。结果显示:1990—2011年间,三峡库区生态系统服务价值主要由林地支撑(占76.75%),其次是水域、耕地(共23.19%),草地的贡献率最小(0.22%),总生态系统服务价值从1990年的479.55亿元增加到2011年的680.83亿元;各项服务功能价值中,食物生产功能价值下降,其他各项功能价值上升,以土壤形成与保护功能上升幅度最大,达36.61亿元,其次是气体调节(33.10亿元);驱动力分析表明,库区生态系统服务价值变化的主要原因是人类活动,特别是自1998年实施退耕还林工程以来,各自然生态系统的面积发生较大变化,同时,自然生态系统的健康程度和社会政策对生态系统服务价值变化的影响也不忽可视。研究表明,加强林地、草地和水域等生态系统服价值高的土地利用/覆盖类型保护,是维持库区生态系统稳定性的有效措施。     

岷江上游干旱河谷景观变化及驱动力分析

基于遥感和地理信息系统,应用景观格局分析软件,研究了岷江上游干旱河谷1974-2000年的景观变化,并对其驱动因子进行了分析.结果表明,岷江上游干旱河谷的面积在不断扩大,灌木林地面积占景观面积的60%以上,为景观基质.在景观类型面积比例的变化中,耕地的变幅最大.干旱河谷的整体形状较简单,1974-1995年破碎化程度和异质性程度持续增加,1995-2000年表现为降低趋势,而斑块内部的连通性先降低后增加,具体表现为斑块密度、多样性指数先增大后减小,蔓延度指数先减小后增大,而边界密度和分维数持续减小.人口增长和国家政策是导致岷江上游干旱河谷景观变化的主要驱动力.     

兴隆山地区景观格局变化及驱动因子

基于遥感、地理信息系统(GIS)技术和景观生态学方法,以兴隆山区研究区域,在1995年～2000年的土地利用图基础上,对景观格局特征及其动态变化进行研究分析,结果表明:1995年到2000年期间,耕地、林地、城乡建设草地和耕地面积有增加的趋势;林地和水域面积有减少的趋势。针对景观指数的空间分布,采用统计分析方法得出:景观指数SHDI和SHAPE-MN相关性较差;选用代表性指数SHDI,利用TAPES-G、SRAD和WET3个计算地形、太阳辐射和土壤水参数的栅格程序和统计软件SPSS来分析影响景观格局的驱动因子,最后得出:在不考虑人为因子的条件下,由WET产生的土壤水(SOILWATER),稳定湿度(STEADYWET)对SHDI指标的空间分布影响最大。因此,土壤水分的空间分布对黄土高原丘陵区生态环境的研究非常重要。     

用原子力显微镜观察人类精子的表面结构

目的:探讨用原子力显微镜观察精子表面结构的方法。方法:经常规洗涤正常人精液后进一步除去精子表面和生理溶液中的蛋白质,直接用原子力显微镜观察人类精子的表面形态。结果:获得了人类精子表面的细微结构和精子头的三维数据。精子全长约47μm,精子头约4.6μm,顶体位于精子头前端1/2~2/3,顶体前端扁平。精子赤道区有两圈环形凸起。结论:不需特殊处理,用原子力显微镜能直接观察精子表面的超微结构,并获得量化的三维数据。     

Nanostructure and force spectroscopy analysis of human peripheral blood CD4+ T cells using atomic force microscopy

To date, nanoscale imaging of the morphological changes and adhesion force of CD4⁺ T cells during in vitro activation remains largely unreported. In this study, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the morphological changes and specific binding forces in resting and activated human peripheral blood CD4⁺ T cells. The AFM images revealed that the volume of activated CD4⁺ T cells increased and the ultrastructure of these cells also became complex. Using a functionalized AFM tip, the strength of the specific binding force of the CD4 antigen-antibody interaction was found to be approximately three times that of the unspecific force. The adhesion forces were not randomly distributed over the surface of a single activated CD4⁺ T cell, indicated that the CD4 molecules concentrated into nanodomains. The magnitude of the adhesion force of the CD4 antigen-antibody interaction did not change markedly with the activation time. Multiple bonds involved in the CD4 antigen-antibody interaction were measured at different activation times. These results suggest that the adhesion force involved in the CD4 antigen-antibody interaction is highly selective and of high affinity.     

Oxidation of trimethylamine to the level of formaldehyde by Methanosarcina barkeri is dependent on the protonmotive force

The conversion of trimethylamine to methane, carbon dioxide and ammonia as catalyzed by cell suspensions of Methanosarcina barkeri was coupled to the generation of a protonmotive force and to the synthesis of ATP. Methanogenesis as well as ATP formation and protonmotive force generation was abolished by the uncoupler tetrachloro-salicylanilide (TCS). Inhibition of methane formation was reversed by addition of formaldehyde, which was predominantly oxidized to carbon dioxide, whereas trimethylamine was predominantly reduced to methane and ammonia under these conditions. Cell extracts of M. barkeri were unable to convert trimethylamine to methane, carbon dioxide and ammonia independent from the presence or absence of ATP.     

深圳市1988—2007年间湿地景观动态变化及成因分析

城市湿地是城市生态安全体系构成的重要组成部分。以深圳地区为工作区,利用多时段遥感资料和土地利用变更调查数据,进行1988—2007年期间工作区内湿地景观动态变化特征分析,探讨快速城市化背景下湿地景观动态变化的成因。结果表明,研究时段内深圳市湿地总面积损失了35.7%,不同湿地类型及不同行政单元内湿地的动态变化表现出明显差异。建设用地扩张是工作区内湿地损失的主要原因并且其影响表现为一种非均匀过程;功能差异是导致不同湿地类型之间动态变化差异的主要成因;区域社会经济和自然环境条件差异是导致不同行政单元之间湿地动态变化差异的主要影响因素。