Gene structure and transcription of IRF-1 and IRF-7 in the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi

The genes of IRF-1 and IRF-7 have been cloned from the mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi). The IRF-1 gene has 4919 nucleotides (nt) and contains 10exons and 9introns, with an open reading frame (ORF) of 903 ntencoding301 aa. The IRF-7 gene has 6057 nt and also contains 10exons and 9introns, with an ORF of 1308 nt encoding 436 aa. The IRF-1 and IRF-7 genes have only one copy each in the genome. The transcription of IRF-1 and IRF-7 in different organs was analyzed by real-time PCR, and both molecules were constitutively expressed. The IRF-I and IRF-7 mRNAs were abundant in gill, spleen, kidney and pronephros. The temporal transcriptional changes for IRF-1, IRF-7 and Mx were investigated within 48 h after poly I: C stimulation in liver, gill, spleen and pronephros. An increased transcription was detected for IRF-1 and IRF-7 12 h post-stimulation, being earlier than the transcription of Mx protein; however, IRF-1 and IRF-7 transcription decreased while the Mx protein was stable at 48 h post-stimulation. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and benzo[a]pyrene on modulating vitellogenin expression in primary culture of crucian carp (Carassius auratus) hepatocytes

Vitellogenin (Vtg) is the precursor of yolk protein. Its expression and secretion are estrogen-regulated and are crucial for oocyte maturation. An in vitro xenoestrogen screening model was established by measuring Vtg induction in cultured primary hepatocytes from crucian carp. Vtg production was detected by biotin-avidin sandwich ELISA method while Vtg and cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) mRNA induction were measured by semi- quantitative PCR-primer dropping technique. Vtg and Vtg mRNA were dose-dependently induced by diethylstilbestrol (DES, 0.2-200 ng/mL) in hepatocytes of crucian carp. Co-treatment of the DES-induced hepatocytes with either 2,3,7,8-TCDD (TCDD, 0.1-4 pg/mL) or benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P, 5-1000 ng/mL) resulted in a reduction of Vtg production and an increment of CYP1A1 mRNA expression both in a dose dependent manner, indicating the anti-estrogenic effects of the compounds. However, at lower tested concentrations, TCDD (0.1, 0.2 pg/mL), B[a]P (5 ng/mL) seemed to have a potentiating effect on Vtg expression and secretion, although by their own these compounds had no observable estrogenic effect on Vtg induction. Tamoxifen (a selective estrogen receptor modulators, 1 nmol/L-1 mumol/L), and P-naphtho-flavone (beta-NF, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor inducing compounds, 2.5-1000 ng/mL) also were employed to study the possible interactions in DES-induced Vtg expression. In co-treatment of the DES-induced hepatocytes with beta-NF or tamoxifen, the decrease in Vtg production did parallel induction of CYP1A1 for beta-NF, but tamoxifen inhibited Vtg induction did not parallel induced CYP1A1 expression in all test concentrations. On the contrary, it was found that in co-treatment of the TCDD-induced hepatocytes with DES, TCDD induced CYP1A1 mRNA production was inhibited by DES also. These results implicated a possible cross talk between estrogen receptor- and aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated pathways in the hepatocytes.

Evaluation of Clonorchis sinensis recombinant 7-kilodalton antigen for serodiagnosis of clonorchiasis

The diagnostic applicability of the Clonorchis sinensis recombinant 7-kDa protein was evaluated. In enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunoblots, the protein showed high sensitivities (81.3 and 71.9%, respectively) and specificities (92.6 and 89.7%, respectively) for sera obtained from various helminthic infections. Some paragonimiasis sera showed cross-reactions. The antigen might be valuable in the serodiagnosis of human clonorchiasis.

Molecular cloning and characterization of crucian carp (Carassius auratus L.) interferon regulatory factor 7

Interferon (IFN) can induce an antiviral state via interferon-regulatory transcription factors (IRFs), which bind to and control genes directed by the interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE). Here we describe a fish IRF, termed CaIRF7, cloned from a subtractive cDNA library which is constructed with mRNAs obtained from crucian carp (Carassius auratus L.) blastulae embryonic (CAB) cells infected by UV-inactivated GCHV and mock-infected cells. CaIRF7 cDNA was found to be 1816 bp in length, with a 42 bp 5' UTR and a 508 bp 3' UTR. The open reading frame translates into 421 amino acids in which a DNA-binding domain (DBD) containing the repeated tryptophan motif and IRFs association domain have been identified. Like chicken GgIRF3, CaIRF7 was most similar to mammalian IRF7 with 27 to 30% identity overall and some 37% identity in their DBDs. A single transcript of 1.9 kb was detected in virally induced CAB cells by virtual Northern blotting. RT-PCR analysis revealed a wide tissue distribution of CaIRF7 constitutive expression, with detectable transcript in non-infected CAB cells and various tissues of healthy crucian carp. In addition, CaIRF7 expression was differentially increased by stimulation of the CAB cells with active GCHV, UV-inactivated GCHV or CAB IFN, indicating that the activation of CaIRF7 was directly regulated by IFN. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Long-term toxic impact of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on the reproduction, sexual differentiation, and development of different life stages of Gobiocypris rarus and Daphnia magna

The sexual ratio of Gobiocypris rarus exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and 17 beta -estradiol from embryo to sexually mature revealed feminization and overdevelopment of connective tissue in male fish gonad in 2-30 pg/L TCDD concentration range. Daphnia magna was not sensitive to the high dose of TCDD (0.1-1000 ng/ml), but the reproduction of D. magna treated with TCDD decreased after the 8th day. 7-Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activities in newly fertilized eggs of G. rarus exposed to TCDD dosage groups (1000-100,000 pg/L) were significantly induced and increased with TCDD concentrations at the early life stage, while no difference was found between low TCDD dosage groups (<100 pg/L), but a good relationship between the EROD activity and the TCDD concentration was observed during a long-term developmental stage. There was a pericardial edema formed in a 2-week yolk-sac at the concentration of 1000 pg/L TCDD. But in the exposure group (2 pg/L TCDD for 120 days), the cell nuclei of hepatocytes was far from the center and packed toward the cell membrane; the cristae of most mitochondria in the cell dropped and collapsed; the rough endoplasmic reticulum broke into fragments; and numerous lipid droplets formed in the cell. (C) 2001 Academic Press.

InAs0.3Sb0.7 films grown on (100) GaSb substrates with a buffer layer by liquid-phase epitaxy

The growth of InAsxSb1-x films on (100) GaSb substrates by liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) has been investigated and epitaxial InAs0.3Sb0.7 films with InAs0.9Sb0.09 buffer layers have been successfully obtained. The low X-ray rocking curve FHWM values of InAs0.3Sb0.7 layer shows the high quality of crystal-orientation structure. Hall measurements show that the highest electron mobility in the samples obtained is 2.9 x 10(4) cm(2) V-1 s(-1) and the carrier density is 2.78 x 10(16)cm(-3) at room temperature (RT). The In As0.3Sb0.7 films grown on (10 0) GaSb substrates exhibit excellent optical performance with a cut-off wavelength of 12 mu m. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-threshold high-temperature operation of lambda similar to 7.4 mu m quantum cascade lasers

We report low-threshold high-temperature operation of 7.4 mu m strain-compensated InGaAs/InAlAs quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). For an uncoated 22-mu m-wide and 2-mm-long laser, the low-threshold current densities, i.e. 0.33 kA/cm(2) at 81 K in pulsed mode and 0.64 kA/cm(2) at 84 K in cw mode, are realized. High-temperature operation of uncoated devices, with a high value of 223 K, is achieved in cw mode.

Magnetron sputtering growth of InAs0.3Sb0.7 films on (100) GaAs substrates: Strong effect of growth conditions on film structure

The growth of highly lattice-mismatched InAs0.3Sb0.7 films on (100) GaAs Substrates by magnetron Sputtering has been investigated and even epitaxial lnAs(0.3)Sb(0.7) films have been successfully obtained. A strong effect of the growth conditions on the film structure was observed, revealing that there was a growth mechanism transition from three-dimensional nucleation growth to epitaxial layer-by-layer growth mode when increasing the substrate temperature. A qualitative explanation for that transition was proposed and the critical conditions for the epitaxial layer-by-layer growth mode were also discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural study of YSi1.7 layers formed by channeled ion beam synthesis

High quality YSi1.7 layers (chi(min) of Y is 3.5%) have been formed by 60 keV Y ion implantation in Si (111) substrates to a dose of 1.0 x 10(17)/cm(2) at 450 degrees C using channeled ion beam synthesis (CIBS). It shows that, compared to the conventional nonchanneled ion beam synthesis, CIBS is beneficial in forming YSi1.7 layers with better quality due to the lower defect density created in the implanted layer. Rutherford backscattering/channeling and x-ray diffraction have been used to study the structure and the strain of the YSi1.7 layers. The perpendicular and parallel elastic strains of the YSi1.7 epilayer are e(perpendicular to) = -0.67% +/- 0.02% and e(parallel to) = +1.04% +/- 0.08%. The phenomenon that a nearly zero mismatch of the YSi1.7/Si (111) system results in a nonpseudomorphic epilayer with a rather large parallel strain relative to the Si substrate (epsilon(parallel to) = +1.09%) is explained, and the model is further used to explain the elastic strain of epitaxial ErSi1.7 and GdSi1.7 rare-earth silicides. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society.

高产抗旱优质谷子新品种辐谷7号的选育与推广利

利用400Gy 60Co γ射线处理87070谷子品系干种子,选育出辐谷7号新品种。该品种具有株型紧凑、茎秆矮、高产抗旱优质并且适应种植地区广等特点。2002年2月通过陕西省农作物品种审定委员会审定,截止2008年在黄土高原地区累计推广10.8万hm2。

I：新型稀土永磁材料Nd-Fe-B氧化过程及抗氧化新体系研究II：CuO、Y_2Cu_2O_5、BaCuO_2和RBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ)超导体磁化率及Cu价态研究

本论文由两大部分组成。第一部分是新型稀土永磁材料Nd-Fe-B氧化过程及抗氧化新体系的研究。Nd-Fe-B永磁体是1983年问世的新型稀土永磁材料。和原有的铁氧体及Sm-Co体系相比，具有磁能积高（50MGOe）。价廉源广，制备简单等三大优点；也有居里温度低（310℃），温度系数大（－0.126%/K），易氧化等三大缺点，我们对Nd-Fe-B合金的氧化过程进行研究，发现该材料热稳定性差，容易发生氧化反应，氧化使材料的结构受到破坏，并给材料的磁性造成不可恢复的损失，整个氧化过程是分阶段的。在室温和干燥的空气中材料基本是稳定的。150℃以下材料磁性受到破坏的主要原因是体系中Nd的氧化。230℃以上材料主体成分Fe也开始氧化，温度升高使反应进程大大加快。到800℃左右反应基本结束，最终产物主要为Fe_2O_3, Nd_2O_3·FeNdO_3和NdBO_3。增加体系中B的相对含量和添加某些新的元素均能提高材料的抗氧化能力，新研制的Nd-Fe-B-Si四元体系和原来的Nd-Fe-B体系相比具有下列显著优点：新体系的抗氧化能力大大提高，经过150℃的长期恒温试验，材料的结构，磁性均未受到破坏，某些体系甚至能在更高的温度下使用，另外，新体系的居里温度Tc也大为提高。比原有Nd-Fe-B磁体高40℃左右。因此该体系是一种大有发展前途的新材料。此外，我们用动态热重法研究了Nd-Fe-B合金的氧化动力学过程，但由于我们新合成的体系构相较为复杂，未能达到预期效果。第二部分是CuO，Y_2Cu_2O_5，BaCuO_2和RBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ)超导体（R稀土元素）磁化率及铜价态研究，铜的氧化物具有复杂的化学计量关系和磁学性质。在对CuO的磁化率研究中，我们发现在低温区（77K－110K）和一定磁场下，CuO由顺磁突变为抗磁。这种转变与磁场强度有很大关系。这一结果与前人的工作有较大的出入。而与超导体的形为极为相似。所不同的是，转变温度与样品的重量也有关系。实验结果重复。由于铜氧性质在R-Ba-Cu-O超导体中起决定作用，因此有必要对CuO的低温磁性作进一步研究。此外，我们对文献尚未报道的Y_2Cu_2O_5的磁化率在77－300K温度区间进行了测量，发现它是顺磁性物质，室温有效磁矩μ_(eff) = 2.13μB。高于Cu~(2+)的理论有效磁矩（1.73μB）。经过碘量法价态分析，发现Y_2Cu_2O_5中有部分Cu~(3+)，这与磁化率的测定相符合。Tc在90K左右的Y-Ba-Cu-O体系是近期才发现的具有超高温超导材料。该体系有着独特的结构和性质。在对R-Ba-Cu-O及R-Ba-Cu-O-Ag超导体的研究中，我们发现此类超导体属II类超导体，在临界温附近该超导体由顺磁转变为抗磁，此种变化与磁场强度有很大关系，当场强大于一定值后，则观察不到这种转变。在对RBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ) (R = Y, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm)超导体和具有相同配比但由于合成工艺条件不同而不超导的R'Ba_2Cu_3O_(7-δ) (R' = Y, Sm, Eu, Gd)非超导体的铜价态分析中，我们发现此两类化合物中均含有一定量的Cu~(3+)。且超导体中Cu~(3+)的含量高于非超导体中Cu~(3+)的含量（同样比例）。我们还发现Cu~(3+)对水极为敏感，将RBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ) (除R = Gd, Dy, Er)超导体在未干燥容器中测出的Cu~(3+)量远远低于干燥容器中所测得的值。我们认为这可能是引起超导体不稳定的重要原因。由于尚缺乏用其它手段检测到超导体中Cu~(3+)存在的例证。故对此问题还有待于今后继续作进一步的研究。