α‐ketoglutarate delays age‐related fertility decline in mammals

The fecundity reduction with aging is referred as the reproductive aging which comes earlier than that of chronological aging. Since humans have postponed their childbearing age, to prolong the reproductive age becomes urgent agenda for reproductive biologists. In the current study, we examined the potential associations of α‐ketoglutarate (α‐KG) and reproductive aging in mammals including mice, swine, and humans. There is a clear tendency of reduced α‐KG level with aging in the follicle fluids of human. To explore the mechanisms, mice were selected as the convenient animal model. It is observed that a long term of α‐KG administration preserves the ovarian function, the quality and quantity of oocytes as well as the telomere maintaining system in mice. α‐KG suppresses ATP synthase and alterations of the energy metabolism trigger the nutritional sensors to down‐regulate mTOR pathway. These events not only benefit the general aging process but also maintain ovarian function and delay the reproductive decline. Considering the safety of the α‐KG as a naturally occurring molecule in energy metabolism, its utility in reproduction of large mammals including humans deserves further investigation.     

旅游生态学—生态学应用的一个新领域

旅游生态学──生态学应用的一个新领域刘鸿雁（北京大学城市与环境学系,１００８７１）ＲｅｃｒｅａｔｉｏｎＥｃｏｌｏｇｙ─—ＡＮｅｗＡｒｅａｏｆＡｐｐｌｉｅｄＥｃｏｌｏｇｙ．￥ＬｉｕＨｏｎｇｙａｎ（ＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＵｒｂａｎａｎｄＥｎｖｉｒｏｎｍ...     

高产杀粉蝶菌素的链霉菌鉴定及其拮抗水稻白叶枯菌活性研究

【目的】为保证农业生产可持续性发展,研发和使用环境友好的生物农药受到全社会的高度重视。微生物代谢产物农药是我国目前应用最广的生物农药,也是未来发展绿色农药的一个重要方向。【方法】利用包含水稻白叶枯菌(Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, Xoo) PXO99A的NA培养基琼脂平板,从水稻根际土壤中筛选能抑制Xoo生长的链霉菌。通过高效液相色谱和质谱分析活性代谢产物的化学结构;采用剪叶法接种Xoo到水稻叶片后,再喷施杀粉蝶菌素溶液(0.1 g/L),2周后测定叶枯症状;采用响应面分析法优化高产杀粉蝶菌素的发酵培养基;采用PacBio SMRT测序平台+Illumina HiSeq X Ten平台开展全基因组测序。平均核苷酸一致性(average nucleotide identity,ANI)用于比较HSW2009与其他链霉菌在全基因组水平的亲缘关系。【结果】分离到一株对Xoo生长有强抑制活性的链霉菌HSW2009,其活性代谢产物为杀粉蝶菌素A1(piericidin A1,简称PIE);喷施PIE可以减轻Xoo在水稻叶片内的侵染;优化HSW2009高产PIE的发...     

Genomic insights into selection for heterozygous alleles and woody traits in Populus tomentosa

Heterozygous alleles are widespread in outcrossing and clonally propagated woody plants. The variation in heterozygosity that underlies population adaptive evolution and phenotypic variation, however, remains largely unknown. Here, we describe a de novo chromosome-level genome assembly of Populus tomentosa, an economic and ecologically important native tree in northern China. By resequencing 302 natural accessions, we determined that the South subpopulation (Pop_S) encompasses the ancestral strains of P. tomentosa, while the Northwest subpopulation (Pop_NW) and Northeast subpopulation (Pop_NE) experienced different selection pressures during population evolution, resulting in significant population differentiation and a decrease in the extent of heterozygosity. Analysis of heterozygous selective sweep regions (HSSR) suggested that selection for lower heterozygosity contributed to the local adaptation of P. tomentosa by dwindling gene expression and genetic load in the Pop_NW and Pop_NE subpopulations. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) revealed that 88 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 63 genes are associated with nine wood composition traits. Among them, the selection for the homozygous AA allele in PtoARF8 is associated with reductions in cellulose and hemicellulose contents by attenuating PtoARF8 expression, and the increase in lignin content is attributable to the selection for decreases in exon heterozygosity in PtoLOX3 during adaptive evolution of natural populations. This study provides novel insights into allelic variations in heterozygosity associated with adaptive evolution of P. tomentosa in response to the local environment and identifies a series of key genes for wood component traits, thereby facilitating genomic-based breeding of important traits in perennial woody plants.     

家鸽血管活性肠肽阳性神经元在顶盖和峡核中的分布及形态特征

用免疫细胞化学技术研究了血管活性肠肽(VIP)阳性神经元在家鸽(Columba livia)视顶盖和峡核中的分布,实验结果表明.在顶盖中VIP阳性神经元主要分布在Ⅱ_1层.并有少数VIP阳性神经元位于Ⅱ_1和Ⅲ层,在峡核大细胞部(Ime)和峡核小细胞部(Ipc),VIP阳性神经元基本呈均匀分布,在Imc和Ipc内分别占细胞总数的80%和50%.