Winter food availability limits winter survival of Mongolian gerbils (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Meriones unguiculatus</Emphasis>)

Food availability is important to the dynamics of animal social organizations or populations. However, the role of winter food availability in animal population dynamics is still controversial. We carried out an experimental study to test Lack’s hypothesis that reduced food in winter limits survival and spring numbers of breeding individuals of social groups, using the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) as model species. We established 24 gerbil social groups in 24, 10 × 10 m, pens in September 2008. We provided wheat seeds as supplemental food in 12 enclosures from September 2008 to March 2009; the other 12 enclosures, not provided with supplemental food, served as controls. We live-trapped gerbils at a 2-week interval from September to April. Supplemental food during winter increased biweekly survival by 10% relative to that in control groups. Only four control social groups survived to the end of our study whereas all 12 food-supplemented social groups survived through our study period. Supplemental food also increased cumulative numbers of recruits and group sizes of gerbils. We conclude that winter food availability limits winter survival and spring social groups or population sizes of Mongolian gerbils.     

电针镇痛时人脑脊液中β-内啡肽样免疫活性物质的含量与痛阈的关系

用β-内啡肽放射免疫分析法测定10例无疼痛主诉的患者电针前后侧脑室脑脊液中B-内啡肽样免疫活性物质(B-EPIS)的含量,其中6例用弹簧棒测定了痛阈和耐痛阈。结果表明,每 ml 脑脊液中β-EPIS 的含量比针前增加126.7 fmol/ml(P<0.02),病人的痛阈比针前升高29.5%,耐痛阈升高28.1%(P<0.05)。β-EPIS 含量的增加量与痛阈、耐痛阈的升高值呈直线相关,r_1=0.776,r_2=0.741(P<0.05)。表明电针能促使脑内释放β-内啡肽,释放增加的β-内啡肽参与镇痛作用,这可能是电针镇痛机制的重要环节之一。     

The Cold Box stem-loop proximal to the 5'-end of the Escherichia coli cspA gene stabilizes its mRNA at low temperature.

The 5'-end region of cspA mRNA contains a Cold Box sequence conserved among several cold-shock mRNAs. This region forms a stable stem-loop structure followed by an AU-rich sequence. Here we show that the Cold Box region is essential for the normal scale of cspA mRNA induction after cold shock because a deletion of the stem-loop significantly destabilizes the mRNA and reduces the cold shock-induced cspA mRNA amount by approximately 50%. The AU-rich track, however, slightly destabilizes the mRNA. The integrity of the stem is essential for the stabilizing function, whereas that of the loop sequence is less important. Overexpression of a mutant cspA mRNA devoid of both the AUG initiation codon and the coding sequence results in a severe growth inhibition at low temperature along with a derepression of the chromosomal cspA expression. Furthermore, the overexpressed RNA is stably associated with the 30 S and 70 S ribosomes. Our results demonstrate that the AUG initiation codon and the coding region containing the downstream box are not required for cspA mRNA to bind ribosomes and that the 5'-untranslated region by itself has a remarkable affinity to ribosomes at low temperature.     

U-Shape Suppressive Effect of Phenol Red on the Epileptiform Burst Activity via Activation of Estrogen Receptors in Primary Hippocampal Culture

Phenol red is widely used in cell culture as a pH indicator. Recently, it also has been reported to have estrogen-like bioactivity and be capable of promoting cell proliferation in different cell lines. However, the effect of phenol red on primary neuronal culture has never been investigated. By using patch clamp technique, we demonstrated that hippocampal pyramidal neurons cultured in neurobasal medium containing no phenol red had large depolarization-associated epileptiform bursting activities, which were rarely seen in neurons cultured in phenol red-containing medium. Further experiment data indicate that the suppressive effect of the phenol red on the abnormal epileptiform burst neuronal activities was U-shape dose related, with the most effective concentration at 28 µM. In addition, this concentration related inhibitory effect of phenol red on the epileptiform neuronal discharges was mimicked by 17-β-estradiol, an estrogen receptor agonist, and inhibited by ICI-182,780, an estrogen receptor antagonist. Our results suggest that estrogen receptor activation by phenol red in the culture medium prevents formation of abnormal, epileptiform burst activity. These studies highlight the importance of phenol red as estrogen receptor stimulator and cautions of careful use of phenol red in cell culture media.