Evidence for nuclear internalization of exogenous DNA into mammalian sperm cells

Mature sperm cells have the spontaneous capacity to take up exogenous DNA. Such DNA specifically interacts with the subacrosomal segment of the sperm head corresponding to the nuclear area. Part of the sperm-bound foreign DNA is further internalized into nuclei. Using end-labelled plasmid DNA we have found that 15–22% of the total sperm bound DNA is associated with nuclei as determined on isolated nuclei. On the basis of autoradiographic analysis, nuclear permeability to exogenous DNA seems to be a wide phenomenon involving the majority of the sperm nuclei. In fact, the foreign DNA, incubated with sperm cells for different lengths of time, is found in 45% (10 min) to 65% (2 hr) of the sperm nuclei. Ultrastructural autoradiography on thin sections of mammalian spermatozoa, preincubated with end-labelled plasmid DNA, shows that the exogenous DNA is internalized into the nucleus. This conclusion is further supported by ultrastructural autoradiographic analysis on thin sections of nuclei isolated from spermatozoa preincubated with end-labelled DNA. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

肠绒毛消化法所得仔猪小肠上皮细胞的培养与鉴定

小肠上皮细胞作为肠道的主要功能细胞,在多种肠道疾病和上皮间质转化的研究中发挥着重要的作用。采取组织块消化和肠绒毛消化两种方法对新生仔猪小肠上皮细胞进行分离培养,传代后通过细胞形态学及免疫荧光等方法对其进行鉴定,结果表明:肠绒毛消化法所获得的小肠上皮细胞要远好于组织块消化法所得细胞,细胞在24～48h贴壁,呈现出典型的三角形或多角形样,10～12d细胞汇合成片、单层生长、互不重叠;细胞角蛋白18(cytokeratin-18)和尾型同源盒基因2(Cdx2)阳性,碱性磷酸酶检测阴性,扫描电镜下可以清楚地看到均匀分布的肠绒毛。以上结果表明,该实验成功建立出可连续传代并符合小肠上皮细胞鉴定标准的仔猪小肠上皮细胞。     

Sex-specific behavioural symptoms of viral gut infection and Wolbachia in Drosophila melanogaster

All organisms are infected with a range of symbionts spanning the spectrum of beneficial mutualists to detrimental parasites. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a good example, as both endosymbiotic Wolbachia, and pathogenic Drosophila C Virus (DCV) commonly infect it. While the pathophysiology and immune responses against both symbionts are the focus of intense study, the behavioural effects of these infections have received less attention. Here we report sex-specific behavioural responses to these infections in D. melanogaster. DCV infection caused increased sleep in female flies, but had no detectable effect in male flies. The presence of Wolbachia did not reduce this behavioural response to viral infection. We also found evidence for a sex-specific cost of Wolbachia, as male flies infected with the endosymbiont became more lethargic when awake. We discuss these behavioural symptoms as potentially adaptive sickness behaviours.     

Behavior of bonobos (Pan paniscus) following their capture of monkeys in Zaire

For the first time, three cases of capture and forced interaction were observed between bonobos (Pan paniscus)and two other species of primates (Colobus angolensisand Cercopithecus ascanius)in the Lilungu (Ikela) region, Republic of Zaire. The bonobos interacted with the captured primates as if they were dealing with individuals of their own species. They sought cooperation in their interactions with the captured young primates without scccess. There is no evidence that they ate the captives.     

Effects of elevated CO2 and plant genotype on interactions among cotton,aphids and parasitoids

Abstract Effects of CO₂ level (ambient vs. elevated) on the interactions among three cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) genotypes, the cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover), and its hymenoptera parasitoid (Lysiphlebia japonica Ashrnead) were quantified. It was hypothesized that aphid‐parasitoid interactions in crop systems may be altered by elevated CO₂, and that the degree of change is influenced by plant genotype. The cotton genotypes had high (M9101), medium (HZ401) and low (ZMS13) gossypol contents, and the response to elevated CO₂ was genotype‐specific. Elevated CO₂ increased the ratio of total non‐structural carbohydrates to nitrogen (TNC: N) in the high‐gossypol genotype and the medium‐gossypol genotype. For all three genotypes, elevated CO₂ had no effect on concentrations of gossypol and condensed tannins. A. gossypii fitness declined when aphids were reared on the high‐gossypol genotype versus the low‐gossypol genotype under elevated CO₂. Furthermore, elevated CO₂ decreased the developmental time of L. japonica associated with the high‐gossypol genotype and the low‐gossypol genotype, but did not affect parasitism or emergence rates. Our study suggests that the abundance of A. gossypii on cotton will not be directly affected by increases in atmospheric CO₂. We speculate that A. gossypii may diminish in pest status in elevated CO₂ and high‐gossypol genotype environments because of reduced fitness to the high‐gossypol genotype and shorter developmental time of L. japonica.     

Apical membrane localization of the adenomatous polyposis coli tumor suppressor protein and subcellular distribution of the beta-catenin destruction complex in polarized epithelial cells

The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) protein is implicated in the majority of hereditary and sporadic colon cancers. APC is known to function as a tumor suppressor through downregulation of beta-catenin as part of a high molecular weight complex known as the beta-catenin destruction complex. The molecular composition of the intact complex and its site of action in the cell are still not well understood. Reports on the subcellular localization of APC in various cell systems have differed significantly and have been consistent with an association with a cytosolic complex, with microtubules, with the nucleus, or with the cortical actin cytoskeleton. To better understand the role of APC and the destruction complex in colorectal cancer, we have begun to characterize and isolate these complexes from confluent polarized human colon epithelial cell monolayers and other epithelial cell types. Subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence microscopy reveal that a predominant fraction of APC associates tightly with the apical plasma membrane in a variety of epithelial cell types. This apical membrane association is not dependent on the mutational status of either APC or beta-catenin. An additional pool of APC is cytosolic and fractionates into two distinct high molecular weight complexes, 20S and 60S in size. Only the 20S fraction contains an appreciable portion of the cellular axin and small but detectable amounts of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta and beta-catenin. Therefore, it is likely to correspond to the previously characterized beta-catenin destruction complex. Dishevelled is almost entirely cytosolic, but does not significantly cofractionate with the 20S complex. The disproportionate amount of APC in the apical membrane and the lack of other destruction complex components in the 60S fraction of APC raise questions about whether these pools of APC take part in the degradation of beta-catenin, or alternatively, whether they could be involved in other functions of the protein that still must be determined.     

利用系统作图(Systems mapping)研究大肠埃希菌和金黄色葡萄球菌的互作遗传机制

【背景】物种间相互作用是物种进化的重要推动力,然而如何将基因型和表型关联以及确定在物种相互作用过程中起重要作用的基因均面临挑战。【目的】通过系统作图(Systems mapping)得到两种微生物在相互作用过程中起重要作用的SNPs (Single nucleotide polymorphism),以及随着时间的变化,这些SNPs是如何相互联系进而影响大肠埃希菌和金黄色葡萄球菌的相互作用。【方法】分别对45株大肠埃希菌、45株金黄色葡萄球菌进行单独培养和混合共培养,通过实时荧光定量PCR(Real-time quantitative PCR,qPCR)进行绝对定量,得到一定时间内各个菌株的生长量,比较相同菌株在不同培养条件下生长情况,以各个菌株重测序结果为基础,结合系统作图得到在相互作用过程中起重要作用的显著SNPs及其相互联系。【结果】通过系统作图分析,获得具有54对显著SNPs组合的三维曼哈顿图,这些组合中41个显著SNPs来自大肠埃希菌,12个显著SNPs来自金黄色葡萄球菌。在上述SNPs中已有6个SNPs所在的候选基因都可以直接或者间接影响微生物的生长量变化,从而影响两种微生物相互作用方式。它们分别是nhaR(E19056)参与生物膜的形成,rhlE(E832164)与核糖体的组装有关,csiD (E2789300)的表达可以使细胞面对恶劣环境,alk B (E2309274)可以参与DNA的损伤修复,sucA(E759230)和yjjW(E4614704)都参与细胞的代谢过程。【结论】系统作图可以检测到物种在相互作用过程中显著SNPs;物种相互作用过程中不同SNPs遗传效应随着时间变化;细菌的相互作用过程是直接遗传效应、间接遗传效应和上位性效应共同产生的结果。     

Establishment and characterization of a cell line (SS78) from a human renal cell carcinoma

Summary A new cell line, SS78, was established from a primary renal cell carcinoma of a Caucasian male. The tissue was dispersed with collagenase, and viable cells were separated by flotation on a Ficoll-Hypaque gradient. In culture, the SS78 cells retained a distinct epithelial morphology, and no fibroblastlike cells were seen. The cultured cells were aneuploid with a modal chromosome number of 80 and had several marker chromosomes. Inoculation of the cultured cells into athymic nude mice caused tumors at the sites of inoculation. This research was supported in part by Grants CA 15972 and CA 14930 from the National Cancer Institute through the National Bladder Cancer Project and by the Medical Research Service of the Veterans Administration.     

The calcium-sensing receptor and its interacting proteins

Seven membrane-spanning, or G protein-coupled receptors were originally thought to act through het-erotrimeric G proteins that in turn activate intracellular enzymes or ion channels, creating relatively simple, linear signalling pathways. Although this basic model remains true in that this family does act via a relatively small number of G proteins, these signalling systems are considerably more complex because the receptors interact with or are located near additional proteins that are often unique to a receptor or subset of receptors. These additional proteins give receptors their unique signalling personalities. The extracellular Ca-sensing receptor (CaR) signals via Galpha(i), Galpha(q) and Galpha(12/13), but its effects in vivo demonstrate that the signalling pathways controlled by these subunits are not sufficient to explain all its biologic effects. Additional structural or signalling proteins that interact with the CaR may explain its behaviour more fully. Although the CaR is less well studied in this respect than other receptors, several CaR-interacting proteins such as filamin, a potential scaffolding protein, receptor activity modifying proteins (RAMPs) and potassium channels may contribute to the unique characteristics of the CaR. The CaR also appears to interact with additional proteins common to other G protein-coupled receptors such as arrestins, G protein receptor kinases, protein kinase C, caveolin and proteins in the ubiquitination pathway. These proteins probably represent a few initial members of CaR-based signalling complex. These and other proteins may not all be associated with the CaR in all tissues, but they form the basis for understanding the complete nature of CaR signalling.     

柄杆菌对固氮蓝藻生物量及色素的影响

柄杆菌对固氮蓝藻生物量和色素的影响研究结果表明:多态柄杆菌(Caulobacter polymorphus)017-41或新月柄杆菌(Caulobacter creseentus)CB_2的活菌、死菌及破碎细胞悬液分别与鱼腥藻(Anabaena)、念珠藻(Nostoc)不同藻珠混合培养时,试验组生长量均优于对照组;对衰老黄化的藻培养物的生长刺激作用尤为显著;试验组藻培养物的藻蓝或藻红素含量亦明显高于对照组。其作用机理尚待进一步阐明。