海湾扇贝血细胞的表面结构及超微结构

通过光镜、扫描电镜和透射电镜的观察对海湾扇贝血细胞的形态、表面结构及超微结构进行了研究。根据细胞的大小、形态结构可将血细胞分成四种类型:Ⅰ型小透明细胞,大小约(2·38±0·08)μm,约占比例30%-35%;Ⅰ型大透明细胞,大小约(4·41±0·33)μm,约占比例15%-25%;Ⅱ型小颗粒细胞,大小约(4·15±0·26)μm,约占比例20%-25%;Ⅱ型大颗粒细胞,大小约(8·26±0·52)μm,约占比例25%-30%。血细胞在血淋巴中的平均密度为(3·75±0·65)×107cell/ml。其中Ⅰ型透明细胞占55·3%,Ⅱ型颗粒细胞占44·7%。表面结构观察结果显示有5种形态:圆形血细胞,梨形或梭形血细胞,松果形血细胞,阿米巴样细胞,大型细胞,表面结构与功能密切相关。透射电镜观察结果表明血细胞主要归属于两大类型:Ⅰ型透明细胞和Ⅱ型颗粒细胞。超微结构显示颗粒细胞的细胞质颗粒可区分成三种类型:Ⅰ型高电子密度颗粒,Ⅱ型低电子密度颗粒和Ⅲ型中等电子密度颗粒,并推测Ⅰ型高电子密度颗粒是细胞吞噬的异物(微生物等)或细胞内的废物(沉积颗粒,衰老的胞器或碎片);Ⅱ型低电子密度颗粒是溶酶体类的胞内分泌颗粒,来源于高尔基复合体或内质网;Ⅲ型中等电子密度颗粒可能是次级溶酶体,由Ⅰ型颗粒向Ⅱ型颗粒融合并注入裂解酶类而形成[动物学报51(3):486-494,2005]。     

不同坡向人工油松幼林下地表苔藓植物层片的物种多样性与结构特征

调查和分析了岷江上游大沟流域的 4个坡向 (偏东坡N -E80°、偏西坡N -W 85°、偏南坡S -E10°、偏北坡N-W2 0°)人工油松 (Pinustabuliformis)林下地表苔藓植物的物种多样性、组成和结构特征。在 4个坡向的油松林下共发现 13种苔藓 ,各林下苔藓物种组成数量在 6 - 13种之间 ,并且具有较高的相似性。冰川青藓 (Brachytheci um glacile)、大羽藓 (Thuidiumcymbifolium)、厚角绢藓 (Entodonconcinnus)、密叶美喙藓 (Eurhynchiumsavatieri)、小酸土藓 (Oxysteguscuspidatus)和光萼苔 (Porellapinnata)为这 4个坡向油松林下的共有种 ,其中冰川青藓、大羽藓为优势物种。 4个坡向人工油松幼林下地表苔藓植物出现频率分别为 10 0 % (偏西、偏北油松林 )和 96 .7% (偏东、偏南油松林 ) ,其平均盖度、平均密度、平均厚度分别在 5 .5 0 %± 0 .90 %至 2 5 .6 6 %± 2 .76 %、4 80 .6 7± 133.6 5至 2 72 4 .80± 4 19.72株 /m2 和 4 .73± 0 .31至 6 .83± 0 .73mm之间。无论是苔藓植物层片的多样性指数还是结构参数 ,均以偏东坡向的油松林下为最低 ;而偏西坡向的油松林下除厚度略低于偏南坡向外 ,其他指标均最高。综合研究结果表明 ,坡向是形成苔藓植物物种多样性组成和结构差异的重要环境因素 ,对苔藓植物的生存     

探讨rDNA ITS区作为果蝇Drosophila nasuta分子系统发育研究的价值

测定了果蝇ｎａｓｕｔａ亚群７个分类元和外群Ｄ．ｉｍｍｉｇｒａｎｓ的核糖体基因转录间隔区（ＩＴＳ,ｉｎｔｅｒａｎｓｃｒｉｂｅｄ ｓｐａｃｅｒ）,包括５．８ＳｒＤＮＡ和２ＳｒＤＮＡ长约１．１ｋｂ的ＤＮＡ片段序列。结果表明：Ｄ．ｐａｌｌｉｄｉｆｒｏｎｓ、Ｔａｘｏｎ Ｉ、Ｔａｘｏｎ Ｊ享有共同的序列;Ｄ．ａｌｂｏｍｉｃａｎｓ则与Ｄ．ｓ．ｎｅｏｎａｓｕｔａ共享１个序列。序列之间存在少量的插入缺失和碱基替代。     

Structural insight into the dioxygenation of nitroarene compounds: the crystal structure of nitrobenzene dioxygenase

Nitroaromatic compounds are used extensively in many industrial processes and have been released into the environment where they are considered environmental pollutants. Nitroaromatic compounds, in general, are resistant to oxidative attack due to the electron-withdrawing nature of the nitro groups and the stability of the benzene ring. However, the bacterium Comamonas sp. strain JS765 can grow with nitrobenzene as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy. Biodegradation is initiated by the nitrobenzene dioxygenase (NBDO) system. We have determined the structure of NBDO, which has a hetero-hexameric structure similar to that of several other Rieske non-heme iron dioxygenases. The catalytic subunit contains a Rieske iron-sulfur center and an active-site mononuclear iron atom. The structures of complexes with substrates nitrobenzene and 3-nitrotoluene reveal the structural basis for its activity with nitroarenes. The substrate pocket contains an asparagine residue that forms a hydrogen bond to the nitro-group of the substrate, and orients the substrate in relation to the active-site mononuclear iron atom, positioning the molecule for oxidation at the nitro-substituted carbon.     

Lactoferrin-melanin interaction and its possible implications in melanin polymerization: crystal structure of the complex formed between mare lactoferrin and melanin monomers at 2.7-A resolution

The concentration of melanin determines the intensity of colors of the skin and hair of animals. Melanin pigments are tyrosine-based polymers formed in melanocytes within specialized organelles called melanosomes. In order to understand the mechanism of melanin polymerization, lactoferrin, a basic protein with a pI value of 9.0, has been used to produce melanin. Lactoferrin is a monomeric iron-binding protein with a molecular weight of 80 kDa. The crystals of lactoferrin were soaked in a solution containing dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and tyrosinase enzyme. These crystals were used for X-ray intensity data collection. The intensity data were collected to 2.7-A resolution to an overall completeness of 91% with an R(sym) of 0.071. The crystals belong to orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with cell dimensions: a = 85.0 A, b = 99.8 A, c = 103.4 A. The structure was determined by molecular replacement method, using the model of diferric mare lactoferrin, and refined to an R-factor 0.215 (R(free) = 0.287) for all the data to 2.7-A resolution. The final model comprises 5,281 protein atoms from 689 amino acids, 2Fe(3+), 2CO(2-)(3) ions, 2 indole-5,6-quinone molecules (IQ), and 73 water molecules. Two IQ molecules, one in each lobe, bind to lactoferrin. In the C-lobe, the IQ binds in the iron-binding cleft, whereas in the N-lobe, it is located in the side pocket between two alpha-helices, filled with solvent molecules in the native iron-saturated mare lactoferrin. The IQ molecules interact with protein molecule mainly through glutamic acid in both lobes, without significant perturbation to the protein structure. The orientation of N- and C-lobes in the present structure is similar to that observed in the native iron-saturated protein. However, as a result of the binding of IQ molecules, the orientations of the domains N1, N2 and C1, C2 in the two cases differ slightly.     

Crystal structure determination of the β-cyclodextrin-p-aminobenzoic acid inclusion complex from powder X-ray diffraction data

The 1:1 inclusion complex of β-cyclodextrin and p-aminobenzoic acid was prepared and characterized by TG-DTA. The crystal structure of the complex was solved directly from powder X-ray diffraction data using the direct space approach and refined using Rietveld refinement techniques. The complex crystallizes in monoclinic P2₁ space group, with unit cell parameters a = 20.7890 ?, b = 10.2084 ?, c = 15.1091 ?, β = 110.825°, V = 2997 ?³. The amino group is located at the wide side of the β-cyclodextrin cavity, forming hydrogen bonds with β-cyclodextrin, and the carboxyl group is located at the narrow side. The crystallographic data obtained from powder diffraction data were compared with the single crystallographic data, and the result shows that solving crystal structure of cyclodextrins inclusion complexes of such complexity is accessible to powder diffractionists to some extent.     

Surfing parameter hyperspaces under climate change scenarios to design future rice ideotypes

Growing food crops to meet global demand and the search for more sustainable cropping systems are increasing the need for new cultivars in key production areas. This study presents the identification of rice traits putatively producing the largest yield benefits in five areas that markedly differ in terms of environmental conditions in the Philippines, India, China, Japan and Italy. The ecophysiological model WARM and sensitivity analysis techniques were used to evaluate phenotypic traits involved with light interception, photosynthetic efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stressors, resistance to fungal pathogens and grain quality. The analysis involved only model parameters that have a close relationship with phenotypic traits breeders are working on, to increase the in vivo feasibility of selected ideotypes. Current climate and future projections were considered, in the light of the resources required by breeding programs and of the role of weather variables in the identification of promising traits. Results suggest that breeding for traits involved with disease resistance, and tolerance to cold‐ and heat‐induced spikelet sterility could provide benefits similar to those obtained from the improvement of traits involved with canopy structure and photosynthetic efficiency. In contrast, potential benefits deriving from improved grain quality traits are restricted by weather variability and markedly affected by G × E interactions. For this reason, district‐specific ideotypes were identified using a new index accounting for both their productivity and feasibility.     

Identification of the HIV-1 gp41 core-binding motif--HXXNPF

The HIV-1 gp41 core, a six-helix bundle formed between the N- and C-terminal heptad repeats, plays a critical role in fusion between the viral and target cell membranes. Using N36(L8)C34 as a model of the gp41 core to screen phage display peptide libraries, we identified a common motif, HXXNPF (X is any of the 20 natural amino acid residues). A selected positive phage clone L7.8 specifically bound to N36(L8)C34 and this binding could be blocked by a gp41 core-specific monoclonal antibody (NC-1). JCH-4, a peptide containing HXXNPF motif, effectively inhibited HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated syncytium-formation. The epitope of JCH-4 was proven to be linear and might locate in the NHR regions of the gp41 core. These data suggest that HXXNPF motif may be a gp41 core-binding sequence and HXXNPF motif-containing molecules can be used as probes for studying the role of the HIV-1 gp41 core in membrane fusion process.     

分化抑制蛋白N端保守域结构预测及其基因突变体的构建

目的：对分化抑制蛋白（Id）家族的N端序列进行保守性结构分析,并构建其基因突变体。方法：用ClustalX（1.81）软件对Id蛋白家族中的3个成员（Id1～Id3）的N端序列进行同源性分析,用Swiss-PdbViewer3.7（SP5）软件模拟高同源区域中关键性氨基酸突变前后的三维结构模型;用PCR方法将突变点引入Id序列,再通过重叠PCR方法扩增出全长编码序列,酶切与测序确证突变序列的准确性。结果：Id1～Id3蛋白的N端存在一个由11个氨基酸残基形成的高度保守的环-螺旋（Loop-Helix）结构,将其中最保守的丝氨酸与亮氨酸分别突变为甘氨酸与缬氨酸,将突变后的Id基因序列重组到pGEX原核表达载体中。结论：在Id1～Id3蛋白N端识别了一个保守的Loop-Helix结构,为深入研究其协同的功能特征提供了结构依据;突变其中的丝氨酸为研究Id蛋白潜在的磷酸化修饰及相应功能特征的改变奠定了基础。     

Relations Between River Plant Richness in the Portuguese Floodplains and the Widespread Water Knotgrass <Emphasis Type="Italic">(Paspalum Paspalodes</Emphasis>)

We examined the variability of macroinvertebrate assemblage structure, species identities, and functional feeding group composition in relation to stream size, tributary position, and in-stream factors in a boreal watershed in Finland. Our study included three riffle sites in each of three stream sections in each of three stream size classes. Multi-response permutation procedure, indicator value method, and canonical correspondence analysis revealed clear differences in assemblage structure among the stream size classes, with a gradual increase of species richness as the stream size increased. Significant differences in assemblage structure were also found among the tributary river systems. The functional feeding group composition broadly followed the river continuum concept, i.e., headwaters were dominated by shredders, gatherers, or filterers, whereas scrapers increased in relative abundance with stream size. There was, however, considerable variation in the functional feeding group composition both among and within the headwater stream sections. Our findings refer to a strong influence of stream size on macroinvertebrate assemblages, but also factors prevailing at the scale of individual riffles should be considered in biodiversity conservation of lotic ecosystems.