Crystal structure of the carbon monoxide complex of human cytoglobin

Cytoglobin (Cgb) is a vertebrate heme‐containing globin‐protein expressed in a broad range of mammalian tissues. Unlike myoglobin, Cgb displays a hexa‐coordinated (bis‐hystidyl) heme iron atom, having the heme distal His81(E7) residue as the endogenous sixth ligand. In the present study, we crystallized human Cgb in the presence of a reductant Na₂S₂O₄ under a carbon monoxide (CO) atmosphere, and determined the crystal structure at 2.6 Å resolution. The CO ligand occupies the sixth axial position of the heme ferrous iron. Eventually, the imidazole group of His81(E7) is expelled from the sixth position and swings out of the distal heme pocket. The flipping motion of the His81 imidazole group accompanies structural readjustments of some residues (Gln62, Phe63, Gln72, and Ser75) in both the CD‐corner and D‐helix regions of Cgb. On the other hand, no significant structural changes were observed in other Cgb regions, for example, on the proximal side. These structural alterations that occurred as a result of exogenous ligand (CO) binding are clearly different from those observed in other vertebrate hexa‐coordinated globins (mouse neuroglobin, Drosophila melanogaster hemoglobin) and penta‐coordinated sperm whale myoglobin. The present study provides the structural basis for further discussion of the unique ligand‐binding properties of Cgb. Proteins 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

厦门市三个产业土地利用变化的敏感性

沿海城市人类生存和发展依赖于海岸带生态系统所提供的各类生态系统服务。伴随城市化进程的加快和开发利用程度的提高,沿海城市生态系统受到自然和人类活动越来越大的压力,正面临着剧烈的环境问题,如气候变化、海平面上升、海岸侵蚀等,各种尺度的海岸带脆弱性研究日益引起诸多学者的关注。敏感性是脆弱性分析中的主要因素之一,敏感性指在系统内部、系统与系统之间、复合系统之间相互作用的关系中,用来表征某个系统应对其内部或外部因素变化的响应程度。土地利用变化是城市化过程的集中体现,沿海城市土地利用变化深刻影响了区域生态系统服务的供给、需求和空间配置,进而影响依赖于这些服务的社会产业部门。以厦门市为例,识别沿海城市3个主要产业——渔业、港口航运业、滨海旅游业依赖的主要生态系统服务,构建沿海城市产业部门的土地利用变化敏感性指数,利用生态系统服务价值变化率与土地利用强度变化率的比值对产业部门在土地利用变化背景下的敏感性响应灵敏程度进行表征。计算结果表明,渔业的生态系统服务价值由1987年的1.52610^9元,减小为1992年的1.48510^9元,增加为2002年的2.61410^9元,再下降为2007年的1.11310^9元;港口航运业的生态系统服务价值由1987年的2.13810^9元下降为1992年的1.96310^9元,增加为2002年的2.18710^9元,再减小为2007年的1.85410^9元;滨海旅游业的生态系统服务价值由1987年的2.05610^9元下降为1997年的1.92510^9元,增加为2002年的2.07310^9元,再减小为2007年的2.03810^9元。以1987年为基准年,1992年、1997年、2002年和2007年厦门市渔业敏感性指数分别为0.377、2.692、7.815、3.211,呈现增加-减小的变化;港口航运业敏感性指数分别为1.169、0.474、0.251、1.578,呈现减小-增加的变化;滨海旅游业敏感性指数分别为0.814、0.743、0.091、0.101,呈现减小-增加的变化。在研究结果基础上,探讨了各个产业部门的土地利用变化敏感性响应机制,并且提出未来研究的方向。     

Main changes in the new edition of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature——the “Vienna Code”

The rules that govern scientific naming in botany (including phycology and mycology) are revised at Nomenclature Section meetings at successive International Botanical Congresses. The most recent edition of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Vienna Code) embodies the decisions of the XVII International Botanical Congress held in Vienna in 2005 and supersedes the Saint Louis Code. This paper presents an account of the main differences between the two Codes, including those related with starting points, effective publication, valid publication, fossil plants, pleomorphic fungi, orthography, and the Appendices.     

Thermodynamic stability of ribonuclease A in alkylurea solutions and preferential solvation changes accompanying its thermal denaturation: a calorimetric and spectroscopic study

The effect of methylurea, N,N'-dimethylurea, ethylurea, and butylurea as well as guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl), urea and pH on the thermal stability, structural properties, and preferential solvation changes accompanying the thermal unfolding of ribonuclease A (RNase A) has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), UV, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The results show that the thermal stability of RNase A decreases with increasing concentration of denaturants and the size of the hydrophobic group substituted on the urea molecule. From CD measurements in the near- and far-UV range, it has been observed that the tertiary structure of RNase A melts at about 3 degrees C lower temperature than its secondary structure, which means that the hierarchy in structural building blocks exists for RNase A even at conditions at which according to DSC and UV measurements the RNase A unfolding can be interpreted in terms of a two-state approximation. The far-UV CD spectra also show that the final denatured states of RNase A at high temperatures in the presence of different denaturants including 4.5 M GuHCl are similar to each other but different from the one obtained in 4.5 M GuHCl at 25 degrees C. The concentration dependence of the preferential solvation change delta r23, expressed as the number of cosolvent molecules entering or leaving the solvation shell of the protein upon denaturation and calculated from DSC data, shows the same relative denaturation efficiency of alkylureas as other methods.     

猪链球菌2型感染仔猪致脑炎模型的建立

【背景】猪链球菌2型(Streptococcus suis type 2)是危害养猪业重要的病原,给我国养猪业造成了重大的损失,迄今为止仍缺乏猪链球菌2型感染仔猪致脑炎模型,建立合适的模型用于临床药物研发及机制研究为防控该病奠定基础。【目的】构建猪链球菌2型感染仔猪致脑炎模型,通过观察感染仔猪的临床变化、病理学变化、病原分离及PCR鉴定证实模型构建成功。【方法】选取6头健康的三元杂交猪仔猪,随机均分为A、B两组。A组仔猪接种猪链球菌,B组接种生理盐水作为空白对照,观察A组仔猪的临床症状、剖检变化、病理组织学变化。【结果】A组仔猪出现体温升高、精神沉郁、嗜睡以及严重的神经症状,甚至死亡;器官出现严重病变,如脊髓和大脑的神经元细胞的肿胀、坏死、溶解,小脑灰质区浦肯野细胞层和颗粒层见细胞灶状坏死并形成坏死后空腔。【结论】成功构建出猪链球菌2型感染仔猪的脑炎模型。     

Aeolian process effects on vegetation communities in an arid grassland ecosystem

Many arid grassland communities are changing from grass dominance to shrub dominance, but the mechanisms involved in this conversion process are not completely understood. Aeolian processes likely contribute to this conversion from grassland to shrubland. The purpose of this research is to provide information regarding how vegetation changes occur in an arid grassland as a result of aeolian sediment transport. The experimental design included three treatment blocks, each with a 25 × 50 m area where all grasses, semi-shrubs, and perennial forbs were hand removed, a 25 × 50 m control area with no manipulation of vegetation cover, and two 10 × 25 m plots immediately downwind of the grass-removal and control areas in the prevailing wind direction, 19° north of east, for measuring vegetation cover. Aeolian sediment flux, soil nutrients, and soil seed bank were monitored on each treatment area and downwind plot. Grass and shrub cover were measured on each grass-removal, control, and downwind plot along continuous line transects as well as on 5 × 10 m subplots within each downwind area over four years following grass removal. On grass-removal areas, sediment flux increased significantly, soil nutrients and seed bank were depleted, and Prosopis glandulosa shrub cover increased compared to controls. Additionally, differential changes for grass and shrub cover were observed for plots downwind of vegetation-removal and control areas. Grass cover on plots downwind of vegetation-removal areas decreased over time (2004-2007) despite above average rainfall throughout the period of observation, while grass cover increased downwind of control areas; P. glandulosa cover increased on plots downwind of vegetation-removal areas, while decreasing on plots downwind of control areas. The relationships between vegetation changes and aeolian sediment flux were significant and were best described by a logarithmic function, with decreases in grass cover and increases in shrub cover occurring with small increases in aeolian sediment flux.     

Temporal variation in responses of species to four decades of climate warming

Many species are expanding at their leading‐edge range boundaries in response to climate warming. Species are known to respond individualistically to climate change, but there has been little consideration of whether responses are consistent over time. We compared responses of 37 southerly distributed British butterflies over two study periods, first between 1970–1982 and 1995–1999 and then between 1995–1999 and 2005–2009, when mean annual temperature increased regionally by 0.03 °C yr^?1 (a significant rate of increase) and 0.01 °C yr^?1(a nonsignificant increase) respectively. Our study species might be expected to benefit from climate warming. We measured three responses to climate to investigate this; changes in range margin, distribution area and abundance. In general, the responses of species were inconsistent over time. Species that increased their distribution areas during the first period tended to do so again during the second period, but the relationship was weak. Changes in range margins and abundance were not consistent. In addition, only 5/37 species showed qualitatively similar responses in all three response variables over time (three species increased and two species declined in all variables in both periods). Overall rates of range expansion and distribution area change were significantly greater in the second study period, despite the lower rate of warming, perhaps due to species exploiting climate‐distribution lags remaining from the earlier, warmer period. However, there was a significantly greater decline in abundance during the second study period, so range expansions northwards were not necessarily accompanied by increases in distribution area and/or abundance. Hence, species ranges have been thinning as they have expanded northwards. The idiosyncratic responses of these species likely reflect the balance of climatic and habitat drivers of species distribution and abundance changes.     

淮河流域蒸散发时空变化与归因分析

蒸散发（Evapotranspiration,ET）是联结土壤-植被-大气过程的纽带,对理解地表水热平衡至关重要。因此,量化分析ET时空变化特征、揭示其主要控制因子对区域用水管理和农业生产十分重要。利用遥感数据和气象数据,基于BEPS模型估算了1981-2019年的淮河流域ET,分析了该区域ET时空分布特征,并通过敏感度系数和贡献率方法对该区域的ET多年变化特征进行了归因分析,最后借助数值实验方法深入探究影响特湿润年（2003年）ET较低的主要原因。结果表明：（1）1981-2019年淮河流域多年平均ET为549.83 mm,其中夏季ET占全年ET的比值达到47.63%;1981年以来区域ET整体呈极显著上升趋势（4.41 mm/a,P<0.01）;季节上,除冬季外,其他三个季节的ET增幅均呈显著性增加（P<0.05）,四季增幅速率大小依次为：夏季>春季>秋季>冬季;空间上,中东部和南部ET较高,重心模型显示ET高值区域呈显著的由北向南的移动趋势;（2）归因分析结果表明,淮河流域ET对气温变化最敏感,其次为相对湿度、太阳总辐射、叶面积指数（LAI）和降水,但ET对LAI的正敏感性逐渐增强导致LAI的显著升高对流域ET年际变化贡献最大（44.5%）,其次是气温的升高（25.93%）;同时,LAI是春、夏、秋三季ET变化的主导因素,气温是冬季ET变化的主导因素;（3）数值实验显示高相对湿度是引起特湿润年（2003年）ET明显偏低的最主要因素,这与导致长时间序列ET变化的原因不同。因此,建议今后加强极端气候条件下ET变化的归因分析,为更有效地应对全球气候变化提供决策服务。研究结果能够为认识淮河流域环境变化对水循环影响及合理分配区域水资源提供科学参考。