Solid-phase microextraction and cuticular hydrocarbon differences related to reproductive activity in juniper bark borer Semanotus bifasciatus Motschulsky

Cuticular hydrocarbons of Cerambycidae species can function as signals for sex recognition. Little is known about the copulatory signals of the juniper bark borer Semanotus bifasciatus, a major economic threat to Platycladus orientalis Franco in China. Here, we investigated the cuticular hydrocarbons of both sexes of S. bifasciatus to determine the chemically mediated mating signals using the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique with carbowax/divinylbenzene fibers (CAR/DVB) and then analyzed by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A series of aliphatic saturated straight-chain n-alkanes (n-C₂₃ to n-C₂₈), internally branched monomethylalkanes at carbons 3, 11, or 13, and dimethylalkanes were identified, which showed no qualitative differences in either sex and were similar in the samples with SPME fiber extraction and those with hexane extraction. The bioassay showed that 11-methylpentacosane (11-MeC₂₅), 11-methylhexacosane (11-MeC₂₆), and 11-methylheptacosane (11-MeC₂₇) have sex-specific recognition functions that triggered more mating attempts at a female-specific ratio of 100:4:60 than at a male-specific ratio of 100:85:50. In addition, the female-specific ratio of 11-methylalkanes can elicit about 70% of male mating attempts within about 60 s, whereas live females elicit about 98% of male mating attempts within 25 s. The discrepancy in the initiation of mating attempts by synthetic mixtures and live females suggests that the methyl isomers 3-MeC₂₅, 3-MeC₂₇, and/or 11,15-diMeC₂₇ may also be involved in the mating behavior of S. bifasciatus. These results suggest that 11-MeC₂₅, 11-MeC₂₆, and 11-MeC₂₇ constitute the contact sex pheromone of S. bifasciatus, with the presence or absence of 11-MeC₂₆ in particular playing an important role in mate recognition by males.     

为中国科技工作者建设交流平台，将论文写在祖国的大地上——庆祝《中国生物化学与分子生物学报》创刊35周年

2020年,《中国生物化学与分子生物学报》（原刊名《生物化学杂志》,以下简称《学报》）将迎来创刊35周年纪念日。时光荏苒如白驹过隙,《学报》承载着诸位生化前辈的期待与信任、智慧与思考,记录着无数生化人的探索与追求、成果与经验,也见证着青年学者的兴奋与喜悦、收获与成长。时至今日,《学报》也已成为国内具有重要影响和良好口碑的优秀中文学术期刊。 记得我回国后不久,时任《学报》主编的贾弘禔教授和两位前主编张昌颖先生、张廼蘅先生都分别向我讲述了《学报》所承载的生化前辈的愿望,表达了他们对《学报》发展的期待。2006年,在探望生化前辈郑集先生时,96岁高龄的老先生告诉我们,他一直都在关注《学报》的发展,他注意到《学报》的改版等一系列变化,也为我们提出了“坚持《学报》创刊初衷”的要求。也正是秉承着“为广大的中国科技工作者服务,为中国科技工作者建立科学与技术交流平台”这样的初衷,历经35年的发展,《学报》由双月刊改为单月刊,除综述和研究论文栏目外,扩展了特约综述、要文聚焦、青年论坛、术语商榷等栏目,增加了网刊,开通了微信服务号,成为国家生物学类/基础医学类核心期刊。 为响应、落实习近平总书记在2016年5月30日全国科技创新大会提出的“科学研究既要追求知识和真理,也要服务于经济社会发展和广大人民群众。广大科技工作者要把论文写在祖国的大地上……”的指示和任务,作为中国生物化学与分子生物学会刊登研究论文的核心学术期刊,《学报》目前正在为双语双向、增强出版、扩大影响努力工作,争取为作者、读者提供更多的信息与体验。“牢记初心、不忘使命,栉风沐雨、砥砺前行”。我们深知路途遥远,困难重重。但我们也有信心迎接挑战,走向未来！ 至此《学报》创刊35周年之际,谨向为《学报》创建和发展做出突出贡献的生化界前辈致敬,向所有关爱、支持《学报》建设和发展的作者、读者,以及历届编委和编辑部工作人员表示衷心的感谢！     

长江中游鱼类资源量的估算

为了解长江中游的鱼类资源现状,于2018年5和6月以及9和10月在宜昌、石首、洪湖、武汉和湖口5个江段进行了渔获物调查工作。通过统计各江段的渔业捕捞情况,计算年捕捞量。用体长股分析方法,对铜鱼(Coreius heterodon)、鳊(Parabramis pekinensis)和瓦氏黄颡鱼(Tachysurus vachelli)的资源量进行估算,并以此推算各江段的鱼类总资源量。结果显示,宜昌江段的鱼类年总资源量1077.36 t,其中,铜鱼为623.25 t;石首江段的年总资源量为2190.74 t,铜鱼为698.19 t;洪湖江段的鱼类年总资源量为58.57 t,其中,瓦氏黄颡鱼为0.41 t;武汉江段的鱼类年总资源量1010.54 t,其中,鳊为148.65 t;湖口江段的年鱼类总资源量14.55 t,瓦氏黄颡鱼为0.032 t。估算结果可以为长江中游鱼类资源保护措施的制定提供数据参考。     

8种绿化树种光合特性及叶片解剖结构比较

城市绿化不仅包含了园林绿化的美化作用,还具有重要的生态功能,其生态功能是通过植物的生理活动实现的。光合能力在种间和基因型间的变化很大,这些差异通常与代谢和(或)叶片的解剖结构的性质有关。本研究选择8种哈尔滨常见树种,采用Li-6400便携式光合测定系统对叶净光合速率(P_n)、呼吸速率(R_d)、蒸腾速率(T_r)、气孔导度(G_s)、胞间CO_2浓度(C_i)等进行测定,并利用显微镜观察测定叶片厚度、表皮厚度、栅栏组织厚度、海绵组织厚度,从而探讨叶片结构对光合生理的影响。结果表明:8个树种间叶片最大光合速率、气孔导度、胞间CO_2浓度、蒸腾速率、光饱和点差异显著(P <0.05);表皮厚度、栅栏组织厚度、上表皮气孔密度和下表皮气孔密度差异显著(P <0.05)。虽然8个树种间光合能力和叶片解剖结构的差异较大,但分析发现其间也存在一定的相关性。其中,光饱和点与叶表皮厚度显著正相关(P <0.01),相关系数为0.78。胞间CO_2浓度与上表皮气孔密度显著负相关(P <0.05),相关系数为-0.65。而最大光合速率、呼吸速率、蒸腾速率和光补偿点与表皮厚度、栅栏组织厚度、海绵组织厚度、上表皮气孔密度和下表皮气孔密度相关均不显著(P> 0.05)。胞间CO_2浓度与表皮厚度、栅栏组织厚度、海绵组织厚度和下表皮气孔密度相关均不显著(P> 0.05)。光饱和点与栅栏组织厚度、海绵组织厚度、上表皮气孔密度和下表皮气孔密度相关均不显著(P> 0.05)。虽然对叶片结构对生理过程的影响的机理还需要进一步研究,但是我们认为叶片解剖结构的研究可以更好地理解生理指标的变化。     

基因前定点敲入FLAG标签表达的FLAG-SND1蛋白参与胞内应激颗粒的形成

CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas9 nuclease) 基因编辑技术是近年来新兴的一种可以实现基因特异性敲除和敲入的技术。本文利用CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑系统,将3×FLAG标签定点敲入HeLa细胞SND1基因前方,使细胞内源性表达的SND1蛋白带有3×FLAG标签,并观察SND1与应激颗粒及加工体的定位情况。设计针对SND1基因起始密码子ATG附近的sgRNA,以px459为表达载体,构建出重组真核表达质粒。设计含有3×FLAG及待插入位置上下游150 bp同源臂的序列,经公司合成获得重组质粒。将2个质粒共同转染HeLa细胞,使用嘌呤霉素筛选阳性细胞,挑取单克隆后培养。Western 印迹表明,细胞表达3×FLAG-SND1融合蛋白质。提取细胞基因组DNA进行测序。测序无误获得稳定株后,用流式细胞术检测细胞周期和凋亡,发现与WT细胞相比无显著性差异。同时,使用0.5 mmol/L亚砷酸钠处理,细胞发生氧化应激,eIF2α蛋白磷酸化增加,胞浆中出现应激颗粒,SND1与应激颗粒标志蛋白TIAR存在共定位现象,但不存在与加工体蛋白DCP1α的共定位。     

利用大面积无人机航拍影像研究松材线虫病病死树林间分布规律

本研究使用固定翼无人机拍摄4 200 ha林地,从中选取了广东省河源市和平县阳明镇、紫金县紫城镇、东源县义合镇共3个样地的3 500 ha林地的航拍影像进行分析,用以探究松材线虫Bursaphelenchus xylophilus病死树的空间分布情况,及不同立地因子对疫情的影响,为松材线虫病监测预报提供解决途径。通过Pix4Dmapper软件对航拍的图像进行拼接生成正射影像图(DOM)等成果,然后使用eCognition(易康)软件对影像成果进行分割、分类和信息提取,最后借助ArcGIS平台进行病死树数量统计并获取方位、坡向、坡度、海拔等立地因子信息。结果表明,松材线虫病死树分布均呈聚集分布。使用双对角线法、平行线法、“Z”字法、五点法等不同抽样方法调查发现,仅五点法所得平均数与总体平均数无明显差异(P<0.05)。松材线虫病死树在不同立地因子下均有差异：主要分布在西坡、南坡和东南坡,西坡最多为25.94%,其次是南坡23.57%;主要分布在半阳坡和阳坡,半阳坡占36.54%,阳坡占34.09%;主要分布在凸坡,但随着疫情的发展,凹坡病死树数量逐渐超过凸坡;主要分布海拔区间在30...     

BDNF-TrkB Pathway Mediates Neuroprotection of Hydrogen Sulfide against Formaldehyde-Induced Toxicity to PC12 Cells

Formaldehyde (FA) is a common environmental contaminant that has toxic effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Our previous data demonstrated that hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), the third endogenous gaseous mediator, has protective effects against FA-induced neurotoxicity. As is known to all, Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin gene family, mediates its neuroprotective properties via various intracellular signaling pathways triggered by activating the tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB). Intriguingly, our previous data have illustrated the upregulatory role of H₂S on BDNF protein expression in the hippocampus of rats. Therefore, in this study, we hypothesized that H₂S provides neuroprotection against FA toxicity by regulating BDNF-TrkB pathway. In the present study, we found that NaHS, a donor of H₂S, upregulated the level of BDNF protein in PC12 cells, and significantly rescued FA-induced downregulation of BDNF levels. Furthermore, we found that pretreatment of PC12 cells with K252a, an inhibitor of the BDNF receptor TrkB, markedly reversed the inhibition of NaHS on FA-induced cytotoxicity and ablated the protective effects of NaHS on FA-induced oxidative stress, including the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), 4-hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal (4-HNE), and malondialdehyde (MDA). We also showed that K252a abolished the inhibition of NaHS on FA-induced apoptosis, as well as the activation of caspase-3 in PC12 cells. In addition, K252a reversed the protection of H₂S against FA-induced downregulation of Bcl-2 protein expression and upregulation of Bax protein expression in PC12 cells. These data indicate that the BDNF-TrkB pathway mediates the neuroprotection of H₂S against FA-induced cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and apoptosis in PC12 cells. These findings provide a novel mechanism underlying the protection of H₂S against FA-induced neurotoxicity.     

Higher LRRFIP1 expression in glioblastoma multiforme is associated with better response to teniposide,a type II topoisomerase inhibitor

Previous studies from this laboratory indicated that microRNA-21 (miR-21) contributes to chemoresistance of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells to teniposide, a type II topoisomerase inhibitor. We also showed that LRRFIP1 is a target of miR-21. In this study, we found that higher baseline LRRFIP1 expression in human GBM tissue (n = 60) is associated with better prognosis upon later treatment with teniposide. Experiments in cultured U373MG cells showed enhanced toxicity of teniposide against U373MG cells transfected with a vector that resulted in LRRFIP1 overexpression (vs. cells transfected with control vector). Experiments in nude mice demonstrated better response of LRRFIP1 overexpressing xenografts to teniposide. These findings indicate that high baseline LRRFIP1 expression in GBM is associated with better response to teniposide, and encourage exploring LRRFIP1 as a target for GBM treatment.