Effect of mineral oil on Potato virus Y acquisition by Rhopalosiphum padi

Seed potato crops are currently sprayed weekly with mineral oil to prevent transmission of the Potato virus Y (PVY; Potyviridae: Potyvirus), one of the most prevalent and important non‐persistent viruses affecting potato production. In spite of its wide usage as inhibitor of virus transmission, the mode of action for mineral oil is poorly known. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of dosage and time from application of mineral oil on the inhibition of PVY acquisition. The bird cherry‐oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), known as vector of PVY, was used in all the experiments. The results indicated that mineral oil efficiently decreased PVY acquisition by 75 and 70% 1 day after application of 5 and 10 l ha^?1, respectively. The inhibition effect decreased with time from application; mineral oil inhibits acquisition for less than 4 days at 5 l ha^?1 and between 8 and 12 days at 10 l ha^?1. As mineral oil was detected in the body of fewer aphids when they fed on plants 1 day after oil application, a change in the aphid probing behaviour on mineral oil‐treated plants was deduced. These results support the hypothesis that mineral oil physically inhibits the binding of the virus at the tip of the stylets.     

Lentiviral-mediated transfer of CDNF promotes nerve regeneration and functional recovery after sciatic nerve injury in adult rats

Peripheral nerve injury is often followed by incomplete and unsatisfactory functional recovery and may be associated with sensory and motor impairment of the affected limb. Therefore, a novel method is needed to improve the speed of recovery and the final functional outcome after peripheral nerve injuries. This report investigates the effect of lentiviral-mediated transfer of conserved dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) on regeneration of the rat peripheral nerve in a transection model in vivo. We observed notable overexpression of CDNF protein in the distal sciatic nerve after recombinant CDNF lentiviral vector application. We evaluated sciatic nerve regeneration after surgery using light and electron microscopy and the functional recovery using the sciatic functional index and target muscle weight. HE staining revealed better ordered structured in the CDNF-treated group at 8 weeks post-surgery. Quantitative analysis of immunohistochemistry of NF200 and S-100 in the CDNF group revealed significant improvement of axonal and Schwann cell regeneration compared with the control groups at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after injury. The thickness of the myelination around the axons in the CDNF group was significantly higher than in the control groups at 8 weeks post-surgery. The CDNF group displayed higher muscle weights and significantly increased sciatic nerve index values. Our findings suggest that CDNF gene therapy could provide durable and stable CDNF protein concentration and has the potential to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration, morphological and functional recovery following nerve injury, which suggests a promising strategy for peripheral nerve repair.     

Alg-g-PEI/pVEGF复合物体内促血管生成作用

研究氧化海藻酸——低分子量聚乙烯亚胺两性刷型共聚物 (Algin-a-te-graft-PEI, Alg-g-PEI) 与血管内皮生长因子质粒 (pVEGF) 复合后对体内血管生成的影响。采用细胞和斑马鱼实验检测了Alg-g-PEI/pVEGF复合物的毒性;通过凝胶电泳实验评价了Alg-g-PEI对DNA的保护作用;利用鸡胚绒毛尿囊膜 (CAM) 和斑马鱼模型,选用PEI 25K/pVEGF作为阳性对照、生理盐水为空白对照,观察复合物对血管新生的促进作用。结果发现：Alg-g-PEI对质粒有较好的保护作用;Alg-g-PEI/pVEGF复合物具有较低的细胞、斑马鱼毒性,能显著促进CAM和斑马鱼的血管生成,且具有剂量依赖性,当pVEGF用量等于2.4 μg/CAM时,复合物对CAM血管生成的促进作用最明显,血管面积和CAM面积比 (VA/CAM) 为44.04％,高于阳性对照组 (35.90％) 和空白对照组 (24.03％) (**P＜0.01)。复合物对斑马鱼血管新生的促进作用随氮磷比 (N/P) 的增加而增强,其中N/P=110时,血管新生最明显：肠下血管总长度和面积分别为1.11 mm和1.70×103像素,高于空白对照组 (0.69 mm和0.95×103像素) (**P＜0.01) 和阳性对照组 (0.82 mm和1.11×103像素) (**P＜0.01) 。综上所述,Alg-g-PEI/pVEGF能于体内促进血管生成,该载体有望用于临床缺血性疾病的治疗。     

多顺反子质粒重编程人脂肪干细胞为诱导多能干细胞

为建立多顺反子质粒载体转染技术获得人脂肪干细胞(adipose stem cells,ASCs)来源的诱导多能干细胞(induced pluripotency stem cells,iPSCs),应用2A元件连接Oct4/Sox2/KLF4/c-Myc四因子基因,构建为单一开放阅读框的多顺反子质粒载体．使用该质粒对ASCs进行转染及重编程为iPSC．采用形态学观察、特异性抗体免疫荧光鉴定、体外拟胚体诱导分化和体内畸胎瘤形成等方法进行鉴定．结果显示,ASCs成功重编程为iPSCs,具有与人胚胎干细胞相似的形态学及多向分化潜能;通过拟胚体和畸胎瘤实验证实iPSCs能在体内外分化成三胚层细胞;DNA印迹实验显示质粒载体序列未整合至iPSCs基因组中．因此,通过多顺反子质粒载体重编程技术成功建立的人iPSCs具有多向分化潜能,可减免发生插入突变和免疫排斥问题,为iPSCs在遗传性或退行性疾病的治疗奠定了实验基础．     

蓖麻毒蛋白A链基因RNAi转化研究

通过基因沉默技术调控蓖麻毒蛋白A链基因的表达,以期获得低毒蓖麻新材料.利用基因克隆技术获得蓖麻毒蛋白A链基因762 bp片段,命名为RTA基因.进一步利用该基因构建了植物RNAi表达载体pBI-RTA-S-AS,通过农杆菌介导法转化蓖麻子叶节,用卡那抗性筛选转化再生植株,PCR进一步鉴定转基因植株.结果表明:克隆得到目的基因长762 bp,与预期结果一致;卡那抗性筛选和PCR鉴定结果显示,获得了3株转基因阳性植株.     

Increased Activity of Liver Xanthine Oxidase in Rats from Increasing Dietary Calcium

A new binary vector, pZT4B, containing the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine: dolichol phosphate N-acetylglucosamine-1-P transferase (GPT) gene as a selection marker, was constructed. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was inserted into pZT4B, and the resulting plasmid was used in the transformation of Arabidopsis. All of six independent transformants obtained after selection with 0.3 mg/l tunicamycin contained the transgene and showed GFP fluorescence.     

Development of R4 Gateway Binary Vectors (R4pGWB) Enabling High-Throughput Promoter Swapping for Plant Research

We developed a new series of Gateway binary vectors, R4pGWBs, that are plant transformation vectors designed for one-step construction of chimeric genes between any promoter and any cDNA. The structure of R4pGWBs is almost the same as the promoterless type of improved pGWBs (ImpGWBs), except that the attR1 site is replaced with attR4, which enables tripartite recombination of these vectors with promoter- and cDNA-entry clones. While ImpGWBs are suitable for promoter analysis and constitutive expression of cDNAs in higher plants, R4pGWBs have a great advantage in expressing a cDNA under the regulation of desired promoters.     

Degradation of L-Ascorbic Acid and Mechanism of Non-enzymic Browning Reaction

In the presence of oxygen, L-ascorbic acid sol ution (0.05 M) browned more intense1 y than dehydro-L-ascorbic acid solution (0.05 M) during storage for longer period.

The mixed solution of L-ascorbic acid (ASA) and dehydro-L-ascorbic acid (DHA) with the ratio of 1:1 or 1:3 in concentration gave more intense browning than DHA solution during storage at 38°C for about 3 weeks. Essentially the same type of browning was observed in case of the mixture of ASA and DHA with D-glucose. Browning of partially oxidized ASA solution also showed substantially the same results as those mentioned above.     

Secretion of Hen Egg White Lysozyme from Kluyveromyces lactis

Hen egg white (HEW) lysozyme was correctly processed and efficiently secreted from an alternative yeast, Kluyveromyces lactis. We constructed secretion vectors using PHO5, PGK, and LAC4 promoters, and found that the highest secretion was obtained under the direction of the PGK promoter in non-selective rich medium. K. lactis secreted HEW lysozyme with two-fold higher efficiency than S. cerevisiae, estimated by using a K. lactis-S. cerevisiae shuttle vector.