Chroococcopsis epiphytica n. sp., eine neue Cyanophycee aus dem Gebiet des Neusiedler Sees

The morphology and life history ofChroococcopsis epiphytica nova spec. is described, a German and Latin diagnosis is added. Cultivated plants display some differences in comparison with plants in their natural habitat: calcification occurs only in the natural medium, endosporangia are developed only by cultivated plants. At the basis, where single cells and thalli are attached, a special sort of jelly is produced; it is discernible only by elective staining with methylene blue. The systematic position of the new species is discussed.

     

A fluorescently labeled undecapeptide derived from a protein in royal jelly of the honeybee—royalisin—for specific detection of oxidized low‐density lipoprotein

The probes for detection of oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL) in plasma and in atherosclerotic plaques are expected to facilitate the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of atherosclerosis. Recently, we have reported that a heptapeptide (Lys‐Trp‐Tyr‐Lys‐Asp‐Gly‐Asp, KP6) coupled through the ε‐amino group of N‐terminal Lys to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), (FITC)KP6, can be useful as a fluorescent probe for specific detection of ox‐LDL. In the present study, to develop a novel fluorescent peptide for specific detection of ox‐LDL, we investigated the interaction (with ox‐LDL) of an undecapeptide corresponding to positions 41 to 51 of a potent antimicrobial protein (royalisin, which consists of 51 residues; from royal jelly of honeybees), conjugated at the N‐terminus to FITC in the presence of 6‐amino‐n‐caproic acid (AC) linker, (FITC‐AC)‐royalisin P11, which contains both sequences, Phe‐Lys‐Asp and Asp‐Lys‐Tyr, similar to Tyr‐Lys‐Asp in (FITC)KP6. The (FITC‐AC)‐royalisin P11 bound with high specificity to ox‐LDL in a dose‐dependent manner, through the binding to major lipid components in ox‐LDL (lysophosphatidylcholine and oxidized phosphatidylcholine). In contrast, a (FITC‐AC)‐shuffled royalisin P11 peptide, in which sequences Phe‐Lys‐Asp and Asp‐Lys‐Tyr were modified to Lys‐Phe‐Asp and Asp‐Tyr‐Lys, respectively, hardly bound to LDL and ox‐LDL. These findings strongly suggest that (FITC‐AC)‐royalisin P11 may be an effective fluorescent probe for specific detection of ox‐LDL and that royalisin from the royal jelly of honeybees may play a role in the treatment of atherosclerosis through the specific binding of the region at positions 41 to 51 to ox‐LDL.     

清代北京皇家园林植物景观与园林经营体系研究

园林的管理与经营是清代皇家园林存续的重要支撑。本研究结合清代宫廷文献,以记录内务府规章制度的《钦定总管内务府现行则例》为主要依据,探讨清代管理机构职责、收入来源与经营方式、支出与盈余管理,归纳出一个以种植生产为核心的管理经营框架。认为清代皇家园林在多次改革基础上,逐渐形成了管理范围清晰的部门划分。各部门除对园林进行日常维护外,主要承担各园以植物生产为核心的经营任务。通过对资源的精细利用以及种植—租赁相结合的土地管理模式,基本实现皇家园林“以园养园”的收支平衡体系。而这种经营方式造就了园林沿水源布局的大面积的作物景观背景以及园林中点缀的生产性植物景观。最终得出结论,认为清代皇家园林植物景观不仅具有观赏功能,更是支持园林存续的物质基础。     

Distribution of Lectin Binding Sites in Xenopus laevis Egg Jelly

Eggs from the anuran Xenopus laevis are surrounded by a thick jelly coat that is required during fertilization. The jelly coat contains three morphologically distinct layers, designated J1, J2, and J3. We examined the lectin binding properties of the individual jelly coat layers as a step in identifying jelly glycoproteins that may be essential in fertilization. The reactivity of 31 lectins with isolated jelly coat layers was examined with enzyme-linked lectin-assays (ELLAs). Using ELLA we found that most of the lectins tested showed some reactivity to all three jelly layers; however, two lectins showed jelly layer selectivity. The lectin Maackia amurensis (MAA) reacted only with J1 and J2, while the lectin Trichosanthes kirilowii (TKA) reacted only with J2 and J3. Some lectins were localized in the jelly coat using confocal microscopy, which revealed substantial heterogeneity in lectin binding site distribution among and within jelly coat layers. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) bound only to the outermost region of J3 and produced a thin, but very intense, band of fluorescence at the J1/J2 interface while the remainder of J2 stained lightly. The lectin MAA produced an intense fluorescence-staining pattern only at the J1/J2 interface. Several lectins were also tested for the ability to inhibit fertilization. WGA, MAA, and concanavalin A significantly inhibited fertilization and WGA was found to block fertilization by preventing sperm from penetrating the jelly. Using Western blotting, we identified high-molecular-weight components in J1 and J2 that may be important in fertilization.     

蜂王浆蛋白生物学功能的研究

蜂王浆是哺育蜂咽下腺与上颚腺分泌的供3日龄以内蜜蜂幼虫和蜂王食用的浆状物质,具有多种生物活性。王浆含有丰富的蛋白质,通过直接分离纯化王浆中的蛋白质分子,或通过王浆蛋白基因克隆表达以获得表达产物,进而研究王浆蛋白的功能。研究发现王浆中含有多种具有特定功能的蛋白质,如MRJP3具有免疫调节作用,Jelleine-I-IV及Royalisin具有抗菌作用,MRJP1具有抗肿瘤功能及可能的蜜蜂行为调节功能,57kDa蛋白及Apisimin的促细胞生长功能,57kDa蛋白具有抗疲劳功能等。随着王浆蛋白组分分离、基因克隆表达及其功能研究的深入,王浆蛋白将被应用到生物医药、细胞培养、组织工程等更多的研究领域。     

西方蜜蜂产浆量的动态遗传研究

应用条件和非条件遗传效应分析方法对3个西方蜜蜂(Apis mellifera L.)品种的蜂群产浆量、台浆量和台基接受率进行了发育遗传研究。结果表明：蜂群产浆量、台浆量在各个时期均存在显著或极显著的基因型方差,台基接受率在大部分时期存在显著或极显著的基因型方差,说明这3个性状主要由遗传因素决定。条件遗传分析发现,在某些无法检测到非条件方差的时期存在显著水平的条件方差,证明在产浆期的不同阶段,3个性状都有基因的新表达。同一性状不同时期的遗传相关分析表明：蜂群产浆量以及台浆量在各个时期均检测到显著或极显著的基因型相关,台基接受率在大多时期存在显著的基因型相关,表明控制产浆量和台浆量早期表现的遗传效应总是以相同的方式调节后期的表现,而台基接受率则不然。成对性状之间的相关研究表明：蜂群产浆量和台浆量之间在各个时期存在显著或极显著的遗传相关,说明2性状基因效应之间的协同作用是一致的,而蜂群产浆量和台基接受率之间在大多时期存在显著的遗传相关,但在一些时期没有相关,2性状之间的基因效应协同作用较差。     

Mouse sperm exhibit chemotaxis to allurin, a truncated member of the cysteine-rich secretory protein family

Allurin, a 21 kDa protein isolated from egg jelly of the frog Xenopus laevis, has previously been demonstrated to attract frog sperm in two-chamber and microscopic assays. cDNA cloning and sequencing has shown that allurin is a truncated member of the Cysteine-Rich Secretory Protein (CRISP) family, whose members include mammalian sperm-binding proteins that have been postulated to play roles in spermatogenesis, sperm capacitation and sperm–egg binding in mammals. Here, we show that allurin is a chemoattractant for mouse sperm, as determined by a 2.5-fold stimulation of sperm passage across a porous membrane and by analysis of sperm trajectories within an allurin gradient as observed by time-lapse microscopy. Chemotaxis was accompanied by an overall change in trajectory from circular to linear thereby increasing sperm movement along the gradient axis. Allurin did not increase sperm velocity although it did produce a modest increase in flagellar beat frequency. Oregon Green 488-conjugated allurin was observed to bind to the sub-equatorial region of the mouse sperm head and to the midpiece of the flagellum. These findings demonstrate that sperm have retained the ability to bind and respond to truncated Crisp proteins over 300 million years of vertebrate evolution.     

意蜂蜂王浆超氧化物歧化酶的分离纯化及部分性质

以意蜂Apis mellifera蜂王浆为材料,经过硫酸铵分段盐析,DEAE-Sepharose 柱层析和Sephacryl S-200凝胶过滤,得到纯化的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD),纯化倍数104.00,比活力53.05 U/mg。该SOD经SDS-PAGE显示单一蛋白带。温度对该酶活力的影响较小。Cu、Zn、Fe和Mn等元素含量测定发现该酶只含有Cu和Zn。酶经圆二色谱测定后,其α螺旋、β折叠和无规则卷曲蛋白构型的含量分别为26.1%、53.8%和22.0%。等电聚焦电泳测得酶的等电点为4.69、4.85和5.01。NR/R单向和双向SDS-PAGE表明该酶含有链内二硫键。氨基酸组成分析发现该酶由约402个氨基酸残基组成,其中Asp、Gly、Leu、Ala、Glu和Val的含量较高。脲可抑制SOD活性,并使其紫外光谱发生变化,荧光发射峰强度变小。溴乙酸（BrAc）抑制酶的活力,使其紫外光谱发生变化,荧光发射峰强度变小。二巯基苏糖醇（DTT）使酶的活力发生变化,紫外吸收峰增大,荧光发射峰变小。     

蜜蜂属六蜂种间MRJP2基因C-端重复序列的比较分析

构建了中华蜜蜂（Apis cerana cerana,中蜂）8日龄工蜂头部cDNA文库,获得了中蜂王浆主蛋白2（major royal jelly protein 2,MRJP2）的全长cDNA序列,该序列长1 605bp,包含一个编码468个氨基酸的开放阅读框（open reading frame,ORF）。在中蜂MRJP2的cDNA序列的C-端,首次发现存在串联重复片段长度多态性（variable numbers of tandem repeat,VNTR）。克隆并测定了蜜蜂属Apis内其他5个种的MRJP2基因的C-端重复序列,结果表明: 在蜜蜂属的其他5个种中,C-端重复片段的核心序列是以碱基高度突变方式而表现出个体之间的多态性,而重复片段长度基本一致。中蜂与西方蜜蜂A. mellifera,大蜜蜂A. dorsata与黑大蜜蜂A. laboriosa,以及小蜜蜂A. florea与黑小蜜蜂A. andreniformis分别形成3个进化枝。中蜂和西方蜜蜂与大蜜蜂和黑大蜜蜂之间的亲缘关系较近,而与小蜜蜂和黑小蜜蜂的亲缘关系较远。