Pattern analysis of stem cell differentiation during <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro Arabidopsis</Emphasis> organogenesis

Plant somatic cells have the capability to switch their cell fates from differentiated to undifferentiated status under proper culture conditions, which is designated as totipotency. As a result, plant cells can easily regenerate new tissues or organs from a wide variety of explants. However, the mechanism by which plant cells have such remarkable regeneration ability is still largely unknown. In this study, we used a set of meristem-specific marker genes to analyze the patterns of stem cell differentiation in the processes of somatic embryogenesis as well as shoot or root organogenesis in vitro. Our studies furnish preliminary and important information on the patterns of the de novo stem cell differentiation during various types of in vitro organogenesis.     

“绿色革命”新进展:赤霉素与氮营养双重调控的表观修饰助力水稻高产高效育种

以半矮秆育种为代表的“绿色革命”极大地提高了作物产量,但也带来氮营养利用效率降低的严重问题。“绿色革命”主要基于调控赤霉素的代谢和信号转导而实现。前期的研究发现,赤霉素信号转导关键因子DELLA蛋白通过调控GRF4而负调控氮素的吸收利用,为半矮秆品系氮利用效率低的问题提供了解决方案。最近的一项研究进一步揭示了GA信号途径与氮响应交叉互作的新机制。该研究发现水稻(Oryza sativa)NGR5是氮素调控分蘖数目的一个关键基因,其表达受氮诱导。通过招募PRC2,NGR5对D14和OsSPL14等分蘖抑制基因所在位点进行H3K27me3甲基化修饰,从而抑制其表达。而在半矮秆背景下超表达NGR5可以提高低氮水平下的水稻产量。NGR5同时也被发现为赤霉素受体GID1的一个新靶标,受到其负调控。该研究发现了调控赤霉素信号通路的新机制,并对高产高效的新一代“绿色革命”育种实践具有重要启示。     

Relationship between postabsorptive respiratory exchange ratio and plasma free fatty acid concentrations

The relationship between overnight postabsorptive (fasting) respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and plasma FFA concentrations was addressed using data from three separate protocols, each of which involved careful control of the antecedent diet. Protocol 1 examined the relationship between fasting RER and the previous daytime RER. In Protocol 2 fasting, RER and plasma palmitate concentrations were measured in 29 women and 31 men (body mass index <30 kg·m⁻²). Protocol 3 analyzed data from Nielsen et al. (Nielsen, S., Z. K. Guo, J. B. Albu, S. Klein, P. C. O''Brien, M. D. Jensen. 2003. Energy expenditure, sex and endogenous fuel availability in humans. J. Clin. Invest. 111: 981-988.) to understand how fasting RER and palmitate concentrations relate within individuals during four consecutive measurements. The results were as follows: 1) Fasting RER was correlated (r = 0.74, P < 0.001) with the previous day''s average RER, and less so with RER variability. 2) Fasting RER was correlated (r = −0.39, P = 0.007) with fasting plasma palmitate concentrations. 3) The pattern of the RER/palmitate relationship was similar within individuals and between individuals; a negative slope was observed significantly more often than a positive slope (χ² test; P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that, despite a fixed food quotient, the slight departures from energy equilibrium in a controlled General Clinical Research Center environment can effect plasma FFA concentrations. We suggest that including indirect calorimetry as part of FFA metabolism studies may aid in data interpretation.     

Fast, efficient and selective deprotection of the tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) group using HCl/dioxane (4 m).

Fast, efficient and selective deprotection of the tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc) group of various amino acids and peptides was achieved by using hydrogen chloride (4 m) in anhydrous dioxane solution for 30 min at room temperature. In the cases studied in our laboratory, this protocol provided superior selectivity to deprotect Nalpha-Boc groups in the presence of tert-butyl esters and tert-butyl ethers, including thio-tert-butyl ethers, but not phenolic tert-butyl ethers.     

Primate stem cells: bridge the translation from basic research to clinic application

A growing body of literature has shown that stem cells are very effective for the treatment of degenerative diseases in rodents but these exciting results have not translated to clinical practice. The difference results from the divergence in genetic, metabolic, and physiological phenotypes between rodents and humans. The high degree of similarity between non-human primates(NHPs) and humans provides the most accurate models for preclinical studies of stem cell therapy. Using a NHP model to understand the following key issues, which cannot be addressed in humans or rodents, will be helpful for extending stem cell applications in the basic science and the clinic. These issues include pluripotency of primate stem cells, the safety and efficiency of stem cell therapy, and transplantation procedures of stem cells suitable for clinical translation. Here we review studies of the above issues in NHPs and current challenges of stem cell applications in both basic science and clinical therapies. We propose that the use of NHP models, in particular combining the serial production and transplantation procedures of stem cells is the most useful for preclinical studies designed to overcome these challenges.     

Composition and peptide maps of cross-linked human choriogonadotropin-receptor complexes on porcine granulosa cells

Radioiodinated human choriogonadotropin was affinity-cross-linked with a cleavable (nondisulfide) homobifunctional reagent to the hormone receptor on porcine granulosa cells and the solubilized sample was electrophoresed. Cross-linked samples revealed four additional bands of slower electrophoretic mobility in addition to the hormone alpha, beta, and alpha beta dimer bands. The four bands corresponded to masses of 68, 74, 102, and 136 kDa whereas the alpha beta dimer band corresponded to 50 kDa. Formation of the four bands requires the 125I-hormone to bind specifically to the receptor with subsequent cross-linking. Binding can be prevented by excess of native hormone but not by follitropin. A monofunctional analog of the cross-linking reagent failed to produce the four bands. They were also produced by cross-linking Triton X-100-solubilized hormone-receptor complexes. Reagent concentration-dependent cross-linking revealed that their formation was sequential; smaller complexes formed first and then larger ones. When gels of the cross-linked sample were treated with reagents that cleave covalent cross-links and then electrophoresed in a second dimension gel, 18-, 24-, 28-, and 34-kDa components were released, in addition to the alpha and beta subunits of the native hormone. Simultaneous peptide mapping of the cross-linked complexes in the gel matrix with Staphylococcus V8 protease or papain revealed progressive proteolysis to generate terminal fragments of 30 or 27 kDa, respectively. These fragments were unique to and commonly present in the 74-, 102-, and 136-kDa hormone-receptor complexes but were not produced by proteolysis of the cross-linked human choriogonadotropin (hCG) alpha beta dimer or the hCG alpha subunit. Apparently, the radioactively labeled segment(s) of the alpha subunit of 125I-hCG was cross-linked to the 24-kDa component. The results demonstrate the protein nature of the receptor and suggest that 125I-hCG was initially cross-linked to the 24-kDa component to generate the 74-kDa complex, then the 28- and 34-kDa components were sequentially cross-linked to the 24-kDa component in the 74-kDa complex to generate the 102- and 134-kDa complexes.     

A study on giant panda recognition based on images of a large proportion of captive pandas

1. As a highly endangered species, the giant panda (panda) has attracted significant attention in the past decades. Considerable efforts have been put on panda conservation and reproduction, offering the promising outcome of maintaining the population size of pandas. To evaluate the effectiveness of conservation and management strategies, recognizing individual pandas is critical. However, it remains a challenging task because the existing methods, such as traditional tracking method, discrimination method based on footprint identification, and molecular biology method, are invasive, inaccurate, expensive, or challenging to perform. The advances of imaging technologies have led to the wide applications of digital images and videos in panda conservation and management, which makes it possible for individual panda recognition in a noninvasive manner by using image‐based panda face recognition method.
2. In recent years, deep learning has achieved great success in the field of computer vision and pattern recognition. For panda face recognition, a fully automatic deep learning algorithm which consists of a sequence of deep neural networks (DNNs) used for panda face detection, segmentation, alignment, and identity prediction is developed in this study. To develop and evaluate the algorithm, the largest panda image dataset containing 6,441 images from 218 different pandas, which is 39.78% of captive pandas in the world, is established.
3. The algorithm achieved 96.27% accuracy in panda recognition and 100% accuracy in detection.
4. This study shows that panda faces can be used for panda recognition. It enables the use of the cameras installed in their habitat for monitoring their population and behavior. This noninvasive approach is much more cost‐effective than the approaches used in the previous panda surveys.