Identification of the peptides of the crystals of Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis involved in the mosquito larvicidal activity

Tryptic digestion of the proteins from the purified crystals of B.thuringiensis var israelensis resulted in the decline of high molecular weight peptides without the loss of mosquito larvicidal activity, measured after immobilization of the digests with DEAE- Sephadex A 50 beads. Amongst the peptides generated (less than 44 kDa), a 21 kDa peptide was immunoreactive to the crystal antiserum. Analysis of the peptides released from spores of the toxic (Cry+) and non-toxic (Cry-) strains has revealed a pattern in which only the 26kDa peptide was missing in the Cry-strain. Sporulation and crystal formation were dissociated by the addition of the antibiotic netropsin, which could also inhibit the crystal assembly, without considerable decrease of the larvicidal activity and retention of the 26kDa peptide. These results implicate the 26kDa peptide in the larvicidal action.     

微生物发酵法生产S-腺苷甲硫氨酸的研究进展

S-腺苷甲硫氨酸(S-adenosyl-l-methionine, SAM)广泛存在于生物体内,主要参与生物体内的转甲基过程、转硫过程及转氨丙基过程,具有重要的生理功能,其生产备受重视。目前SAM生产的研究主要集中于微生物发酵法,该方法与化学合成法和酶催化法相比,成本较低且更容易实现工业化生产。随着需求量的迅速增加,通过菌种改良提高SAM产量备受关注。当前SAM生产菌种改良的主要策略包括常规育种和代谢工程。本文综述了提高微生物生产SAM能力的近期研究进展并探讨了SAM生产中的瓶颈问题及解决方法,以期为进一步提高SAM产量提供思路。     

Molecular structure of antitumor drug steffimycin and modelling of its binding to DNA.

The molecular and crystal structure of steffimycin have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction to 0.9 angstrom resolution. The triclinic crystals are in the space group P1, with the unit cell dimensions of a = 8.606(3) angstrom, b = 22.168(7) angstrom, c = 8.448(2) angstrom, alpha = 97.56(3) degrees, beta = 95.97(2) degrees, gamma = 87.94(3) degrees, Z = 2. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by the full-matrix least-squares method to a final R value of 0.065 with 3405 (Inet greater than 2.0 sigma (Inet] observed reflections using the NRCVAX software package. The crystal lattice includes 2 independent steffimycin, 3 water and one 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol molecules. The conformation of steffimycin is grossly similar to other anthracycline antibiotics including daunorubicin. The crystal packing interactions of steffimycin suggest a preferred stacking of the aglycone chromophore of the antibiotic which resembles the intercalative interactions seen in the daunorubicin-d(CGTACG) (Wang et al., Biochemistry 26, 1152 (1987] and nogalamycin-d(CGT(pS)ACG) (Liaw et al., Biochemistry 28, 9913 (1989] complexes. The atomic coordinates data from these complexes were used to model the intercalative binding of steffimycin to DNA. The models were then stereochemically idealized by the constraint refinement program NUCLSQ. Subsequently XPLOR software package was used for energy minimization of these models in vacuo. The model building studies suggest that steffimycin has a higher CpG base sequence specificity over the TpA step, similar to that of daunorubicin and nogalamycin.     

Influenza viruses: transmission between species

The only direct evidence for transmission of influenza viruses between species comes from studies on swine influenza viruses. Antigenically and genetically identical Hsw1N1 influenza viruses were isolated from pigs and man on the same farm in Wisconsin, U.S.A. The isolation of H3N2 influenza viruses from a wide range of lower animals and birds suggests that influenza viruses of man can spread to the lower orders. Under some conditions the H3N2 viruses can persist for a number of years in some species. The isolation, from aquatic birds, of a large number of influenza A viruses that possess surface proteins antigenically similar to the viruses isolated from man, pigs and horses provides indirect evidence for inter-species transmission. There is now a considerable body of evidence which suggests that influenza viruses of lower animals and birds may play a role in the origin of some of the pandemic strains of influenza A viruses. There is no direct evidence that the influenza viruses in aquatic birds are transmitted to man, but they may serve as a genetic pool from which some genes may be introduced into humans by recombination. Preliminary evidence suggests that the molecular basis of host range and virulence may be related to the RNA segments coding for one of the polymerase proteins (P3) and for the nucleoprotein (NP).     

粪肠球菌噬菌体vB_E. faecalis_IME196的生物学特性及其全基因组分析

【目的】从医院污水中分离一株能裂解多耐药粪肠球菌的噬菌体,分析该噬菌体的生物学特性,并进行全基因组测序和分析,为治疗和控制多耐药粪肠球菌感染提供基础。【方法】以耐药粪肠球菌为宿主,从医院污水分离噬菌体,双层平板法检测噬菌体效价、最佳感染复数(MOI)和一步生长曲线,纯化后负染法电镜观察噬菌体形态;蛋白酶K/SDS法提取噬菌体全基因组,酶切处理后琼脂糖凝胶电泳分析,使用Ion Torrent测序平台进行噬菌体全基因组测序,测序后进行噬菌体全基因组序列组装、注释、进化分析和比较分析。【结果】分离到一株粪肠球菌噬菌体,命名为v B_E.faecalis_IME196(IME196);其最佳感染复数为0.01,一步生长曲线显示IME196的潜伏期为30 min,暴发量为50 PFU,电镜观察该噬菌体为长尾噬菌体,结合BLASTp分析确定其属于尾病毒目长尾噬菌体科,基因测序表明,噬菌体IME196核酸类型为DNA,基因组全长为38 895 bp,G+C含量为33.9%。【结论】分离鉴定一株粪肠球菌噬菌体,进行了全基因组测序和分析,为以后预防和控制粪肠球菌的感染提供了一个新的途径,为噬菌体治疗多重耐药细菌奠定了基础。     

鸭疫里默氏杆菌Mtan对底物SAH的催化活性

【目的】分析鸭疫里默氏杆菌(Riemerella anatipestifer,RA)不同血清型pfs基因的序列差异,并开展其编码蛋白S-腺苷高半胱氨酸核苷酶(Mtan,又称Pfs)的催化活性研究。【方法】PCR扩增9株不同血清型RA的pfs基因,分析其核苷酸序列的同源性;构建该基因的重组表达载体p Cold-RA-pfs,表达、纯化RA的重组蛋白Mtan(RA-Mtan);测定RA-Mtan对底物S-腺苷同型半胱氨酸(S-adenosylhomocysteine,SAH)的催化活性,运用哈维弧菌报告菌株BB170检测催化底物的自诱导物2(Autoinducer-2,AI-2)活性。【结果】对RA的pfs序列分析结果表明,不同血清型RA的核苷酸一致性在93.9%-100%之间;SDS-PAGE检测结果表明,RA-Mtan呈可溶性表达;酶活测定表明RA-Mtan和禽致病性大肠杆菌(Avain pathogenic Escherichia coli,APEC)的Lux S蛋白共同作用于底物时,可产生浓度为176.7μmol/L的同型半胱氨酸(Homocysteine,HCY);AI-2活性检测结果表明,产生的AI-2具有生物学活性。【结论】RA不同血清型的pfs高度保守,RA pfs基因的编码产物RA-Mtan在体外具有催化SAH的活性,RA-Mtan和禽致病性大肠杆菌的Lux S蛋白共同作用于底物SAH时,能产生有活性的AI-2,为进一步研究pfs对RA的调控作用提供参考。     

左右半结肠癌多组学分子特征差异的研究进展

结肠癌(colon cancer,CC)是一种常见的恶性肿瘤,其发病率和死亡率均占癌症前列.根据解剖学位置,CC可分为左半结肠癌(left-sided colon cancer,LCC)和右半结肠癌(right-sided colon cancer,RCC),两者在临床特征上表现出较大的差异.近些年来,随着生物学技术和...     

大气颗粒物污染对土地覆盖变化的响应

土地利用-覆盖变化(LUCC)直接或间接影响颗粒物污染。了解颗粒物污染对LUCC的响应,对维护和改善生态环境具有重要的意义。基于卫星遥感技术,从广域的空间尺度分析颗粒物污染对LUCC的响应。使用MODIS数据分别提取与颗粒物污染相关性较高的城市用地、林地等土地利用类型,确定土地利用类型的变化趋势,利用长时间序列MODIS气溶胶光学厚度(AOD,Aerosol optical depth)产品分析颗粒物污染与土地利用类型的变化的相关性。以山东省青岛市、淄博市、济南市3个典型城市为例,研究了AOD随土地利用类型的变化趋势。同时,考虑并分析了颗粒物污染对土地利用变化响应的敏感性,以及城市区域变化对环境的影响。研究结果表明,不同的城市类型,由于决定环境变化主导因素的差异,颗粒物污染对LUCC的响应具有明显的差异。青岛市地区,由于受海洋影响显著,大气颗粒物污染与LUCC的相关性较低,如中度污染天气与林地的相关系数为-0.451;而淄博市和济南市的相关系数分别为-0.473、-0.507。     

可持续生计框架下连片特困区发展机理——以宁夏限制开发生态区为例

生计资本与农户收支有着密切关系,决定农户的生计策略,影响区域的发展机理与发展模式.基于参与式农村评估和数理统计方法,分民族、地形、农户类型对宁夏限制开发生态区农户生计资本与农户收支状况进行定量评估,创建农户非农性指数,揭示生计资本与农户收支和非农性指数的关系,结合研究区实际对农户可持续生计进行研究,探讨区域发展机理.结果表明: 研究区农户生计资本量整体偏低,其中,回族略高于汉族、川道农户高于山地农户、兼业户和非农业户显著高于农业户;区域发展与非农性指数和人力、物质等资本显著正相关,与自然资本显著负相关,需着力提升农户的非农性指数和人力、物质等资本量,同时引导农户对农业生产资料进行流转,促进自然资本两极分化.     

硝酸盐供应对玉米侧根生长的影响

以两个玉米(Zea mays L.)自交系478和Wu312为研究材料,采用琼脂培养方法,研究不同浓度NO-3对侧根生长的影响.结果表明,在外部浓度0.01～1.0mmol/L范围内,NO-3供应能显著增加侧根的长度及根生物量.但当NO-3供应超过1.0 mmo1/L后,侧根长度开始下降.当NO-3供应分别在超过5.0(Wu312)与10(478)mmol/L后,侧根密度显著下降.在10 mmol/LNO-3下,Wu312的侧根生长几乎完全被抑制.而478在20 mmol/L时,侧根密度仍可达到其最大值的30%(主根)～50%(胚根).植株地上部全氮及硝酸盐含量随NO-3供应的增加而升高,二者与侧根长度、侧根密度及冠根比的数学函数关系相同.