黄芪复合体Astragalus penduliflorus Lam. complex (Leguminosae)的物种生物学研究

本文对黄芪复合体（Astragalus penduliflorus）复合体进行了物种生物学研究，主要内容包括如下： 1、形态学与物种生物学证据支持目前承认的黄芪复合体5种4变种应分为1种5亚种（其中新亚种一个）。它们是A. penduliflorus subsp. penduliflorus, A. penduliflorus subsp. seiceocanus, A. penduliflorus subsp. mongholicus, A. penduliflorus subsp. qinhaiensis（新亚种）和A. penduliflorus subsp. pallidipurpureus等5个分类实体。 2、讨论了分类群间的形态演化关系。黄芪复合体的进化趋势可能为：A. penduliflorus subsp. pallidipurpurous A. penduliflorus subsp. Qinhaiensis → A. penduliflorus subsp. Mongholius → A. penduliflorus subsp. Sericeocanus → A. penduliflorus subsp. pendulifloras。 3、分析了黄芪复合体3个亚种10个居群的染色体核型，它们的染色体2n=16，各居群间的核型呈现连续的变异式样。 4、分析了黄芪复合体5个亚种13个居群和两个近缘种的种子蛋白，并进行了聚类分析，认为种子蛋白性状在黄芪复合体的居群内比较稳定，且同一居群内的不同个体间无明显差异。同时，种子蛋白分析说明了复合体内居群也呈现连续变异。 5、应用最大同步分支分类法及最小平行进化分支分类法分析了黄芪复合体的谱系分支发生，确认复黄芪复合体为一自然复合种是比较客观的。

A new anti-HIV lupane acid from Gleditsia sinensis Lam.

A new lupane acid, 2 beta-carboxyl, 3 beta-hydroxyl-norlupA (1)-20 (29)-en-28-oic acid (1), together with five known lupane acid derivatives (2-6), were isolated from the stings of Gleditsia sinensis Lam.. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of

PREPARATION, CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE, AND VIBRATIONAL-SPECTRA OF PEROVSKITE-TYPE MIXED OXIDES LAM(Y)M'(1-Y)O(3) (M,M'=MN, FE, CO)

Three series of samples LaMnyCo1-yO3+/-lambda, LaFeyMn1-yO3+/-lambda, and LaFeyCo1-yO3+/-lambda (y = 0.0 to 1.0) with Perovskite structure were prepared by an explosion method different from the generally used ceramic techniques. The variation of crystal

常绿阔叶林恢复生态学研究初报

生物多样性的维持、监测、保育与恢复是生物多样性科学的核心研究内容( DIVERSITAS)。作为世界上典型的植被类型，常绿阔叶林以其丰富的生物多样性而倍受世人关注。我国的常绿阔叶林是全球分布面积最大，发育最为典型的常绿阔叶林，其分布区多为农业区，与长江流域的生态安全密切相关：伴随着人们的生产活动，生境的岛屿化与破碎化问题越来越突出，常绿阔叶林的合理保育问题和生态恢复问题已成为大家关注的焦点。本研究“常绿阔叶林恢复生态学研究初报”正是在这种背景下开展的，主要实验研究工作与结果如下： 1．系统综述了生态系统退化程度的诊断指标体系、途径与方法，绘制了生态系 统退化程度的概念模型，为恢复生态学研究和生态恢复实践提供参考。 2．固定样地的建立：为深入开展生物多样性与恢复生态学研究，本研究建立了一系列固定样地（常绿阔叶林固定样地、常绿落叶阔叶林固定样地、退化生态系统恢复与重建实验样地等），这些样地的建立为进一步深化研究奠定了坚实基础。 3．种群大小级结构特征：对栲树Castanopsis fargesii和油茶Camellia oleifera种 群大小级结构特征研究表明，栲树种群大小级结构（高度级和胸围级）呈弱双峰型分布，油茶种群大小级结构呈倒“J”型分布。对树木大小级划分标 准的比较研究表明划分标准的选择应基于研究目的和物种性质。作者认为应深入研究干扰特别是生境的岛屿化与破碎化对常绿阔叶林稳定性的影响。 4．种子扩散与种群维持：种子扩散是种群维持的一个关键阶段，而建群种的维持机制可在一定程度上反映群落的维持机理。对都江堰常绿阔叶林固定样地的主要建群种栲树种子扩散的研究表明，种子雨密度、种子在地上保留密度以及种子丢失状况是个动态过程，种子雨在2001年持续了约3个月的时间，种子年产量达到每平方米73.37个正常种子;研究发现栲树种子下落后能在地上保留一段相当长的时间（捕食者饱和现象“predator satiation"），这为种子萌发提供了更多的时间和机会，从而使得栲树种群能通过大年(the mast year)的高种子产量与捕食者饱和现象顺利完成自然更新;捕食者饱和现象有助于解释栲树的优势种群地位和稳定机制，以及对整个生态系统稳定性的贡献;作者提出了一个描述栲树种子扩散命运的概念模型，该模型表明种子雨与种子丢失的不同阶段是在不同程度上以不同方式贡献于栲树的自然更新。总之，栲树自然更新伴随着一个复杂的种子扩散过程。 5．光因子调控与生态恢复：光是影响植物生长的一个重要生态因子。研究了三种不同遮荫处理（100% PAR、40% PAR和22% PAR）对青冈Cyclobalanopsis glauca幼苗在亚热带弃耕地上的影响作用，两年的研究结果显示：青冈幼苗 可以在弃耕地上正常生长：两种遮荫处理(40% PAR和22% PAR)对青冈的萌芽和幼苗生长有正效应，并且22% PAR遮荫处理有明显的促进作用;本研究也说明了植物在不同的遮荫处理作用下有不同的生长策略。关于在生态恢复中如何利用光因素对植物生长的影响以及遮荫的复合效应问题值得深入研究。 6．种间关系与生态恢复：杂草竞争是植被恢复中的一个重要问题。对两种常绿阔叶树种（青冈和石栎Lithocarpus glaber）在不同坡位（坡上位、中位、下位）和有无地上杂草竞争的情况下的对比研究表明：不同物种在不同坡位，其幼苗生长对杂草竞争的反应是不同的;在坡上位和下位，除草处理能显著地提高青冈幼苗的田间保存率、苗高、基径和冠幅的生长，而在中位，除草处理的效果不显著;但是对于石栎来说，除草处理仅能显著地提高坡中位幼苗基径的生长量;研究说明了（地上）杂草竞争对植物生长的影响（程度）因物种而异，因而除草处理并不是对所有常绿阔叶树种的幼苗生长有促进作用，杂草竞争也不是一切常绿阔叶树种在弃耕地上建立与定居的障碍因子。作者建议在生态恢复实践中应根据具体情况选择除草与否，关于杂草竞争／除草在植被恢复中的作用值得进一步研究。

Association of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 gene polymorphisms with asthma and atopy in Chinese children

Background: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) plays essential roles in inflammation. Previous studies have suggested associations between prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) polymorphisms and prostaglandins production in asthma. Objective: We have invest

Association of pro staglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) polymorphisms and Alzheimer's disease in Chinese

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2, encoded by the gene prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2, PTGS2) is a key enzyme in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. The prostaglandins produced by COX-2 are involved in inflammation and pain response in diff

Association of early growth response-1 gene polymorphisms with total IgE and atopy in asthmatic children

Early growth response-1 (Egr-1) is expressed in human airways and found to modulate tumor necrosis factor, immunoglobulin E (IgE), airway responsiveness, and interleukin-13-induced inflammation in mice. We investigated the effects of Chinese-tagging singl

Polymorphisms of the estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) gene and the risk of Alzheimer's disease in a southern Chinese community

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with a higher prevalence in women. Expression of estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) gene has been identified throughout the brain. Owing to the putative neuroprotective effects of estrogen, estro

The sequence and de novo assembly of the giant panda genome

Using next-generation sequencing technology alone, we have successfully generated and assembled a draft sequence of the giant panda genome. The assembled contigs (2.25 gigabases (Gb)) cover approximately 94% of the whole genome, and the remaining gaps (0.05 Gb) seem to contain carnivore-specific repeats and tandem repeats. Comparisons with the dog and human showed that the panda genome has a lower divergence rate. The assessment of panda genes potentially underlying some of its unique traits indicated that its bamboo diet might be more dependent on its gut microbiome than its own genetic composition. We also identified more than 2.7 million heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms in the diploid genome. Our data and analyses provide a foundation for promoting mammalian genetic research, and demonstrate the feasibility for using next-generation sequencing technologies for accurate, cost-effective and rapid de novo assembly of large eukaryotic genomes.

Waterborne exposure to fluorotelomer alcohol 6:2 FTOH alters plasma sex hormone and gene transcription in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis of zebrafish

Fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) have shown estrogenic activity in vitro and in vivo, but the mechanism of this activity is not known. In this study, 18-week-old zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to 0, 0.03, 0.3 and 3.0 mg/l 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctan-1-ol (6:2 ETCH) for 7 days, and the effects on plasma sex hormone levels were measured followed by use of real-time PCR to examine selected gene expression in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and liver. Exposure to 6:2 FTOH significantly increased plasma estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) levels in both males and females. Furthermore, the ratio of T/E2 was reduced in females while increased in males. In females, the increase of E2 was accompanied by up-regulated hepatic estrogenic receptor alpha (ER alpha) and vitellogenin (VTG1 and VTG3) expression. In males, the elevation of the T level is consistent with the up-regulation of cytochrome P450 c17 alpha-hydroxylase, 17, 20-lase (CYP17) and the down-regulation of cytochrome P450 aromatase A (CYP19A). The present study demonstrated that waterborne exposure to 6:2 FTOH alter plasma sex hormone levels and the ratio of T/E2, as well as the transcriptional profiles of some genes in the HPG axis and liver. The results suggested that FTOHs may disturb fish reproduction through endocrine disrupted activity. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Protein Profiles in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos Exposed to Perfluorooctane Sulfonate

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is widely distributed and persistent in the environment and in wildlife, and it has the potential for developmental toxicity. However, the molecular mechanisms that lead to these toxic effects are not well known. In the present study, proteomic analysis has been performed to investigate the proteins that are differentially expressed in zebrafish embryos exposed to 0.5 mg/l PFOS until 192 h postfertilization. Two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry was employed to detect and identify the protein profiles. The analysis revealed that 69 proteins showed altered expression in the treatment group compared to the control group with either increase or decrease in expression levels (more than twofold difference). Of the 69 spots corresponding to the proteins with altered expression, 38 were selected and subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF/TOF) analysis; 18 proteins were identified in this analysis. These proteins can be categorized into diverse functional classes such as detoxification, energy metabolism, lipid transport/steroid metabolic process, cell structure, signal transduction, and apoptosis. Overall, proteomic analysis using zebrafish embryos serves as an in vivo model in environmental risk assessment and provides insight into the molecular events in PFOS-induced developmental toxicity.