Microarray Analyses of Gene Expression during the Tetrahymena thermophila Life Cycle

Background: The model eukaryote, Tetrahymena thermophila, is the first ciliated protozoan whose genome has been sequenced, enabling genome-wide analysis of gene expression. Methodology/Principal Findings: A genome-wide microarray platform containing the predicted coding sequences (putative genes) for T. thermophila is described, validated and used to study gene expression during the three major stages of the organism's life cycle: growth, starvation and conjugation. Conclusions/Significance: Of the,27,000 predicted open reading frames, transcripts homologous to only,5900 are not detectable in any of these life cycle stages, indicating that this single-celled organism does indeed contain a large number of functional genes. Transcripts from over 5000 predicted genes are expressed at levels >5x corrected background and 95 genes are expressed at >250x corrected background in all stages. Transcripts homologous to 91 predicted genes are specifically expressed and 155 more are highly up-regulated in growing cells, while 90 are specifically expressed and 616 are up-regulated during starvation. Strikingly, transcripts homologous to 1068 predicted genes are specifically expressed and 1753 are significantly up-regulated during conjugation. The patterns of gene expression during conjugation correlate well with the developmental stages of meiosis, nuclear differentiation and DNA elimination. The relationship between gene expression and chromosome fragmentation is analyzed. Genes encoding proteins known to interact or to function in complexes show similar expression patterns, indicating that co-ordinate expression with putative genes of known function can identify genes with related functions. New candidate genes associated with the RNAi-like process of DNA elimination and with meiosis are identified and the late stages of conjugation are shown to be characterized by specific expression of an unexpectedly large and diverse number of genes not involved in nuclear functions.

双包层光纤梯形微棱镜侧面耦合技术

提出了一种新型的双包层光纤激光器侧面耦合技术--梯形微棱镜侧面耦合技术,能高效且方便地将激光二极管,特别是高功率激光二极管阵列抽运光耦合进双包层光纤中.该技术采用一个与双包层光纤内包层折射宰相同的材料加工而成的具有特殊角度的梯形棱柱,其中一个表面镀以特定角度的高反射率光学薄膜,通过梯形微棱镜该镀膜表面的反射,将抽运光耦合到内包层中.详细阐述了微棱镜反射式耦合技术的基本原理和具体使用方法,理论计算所得耦合效率超过90%.通过计算对激光二极管抽运源的线宽、发散角以及梯形微棱镜的具体参数进行了分析,并对该技术的适用范围,包括激光二极管、尾纤输出的激光二极管、激光二极管阵列、各种形状内包层结构等做了进一步讨论.

P-选择素CR结构域功能的模拟预测

<正>选择素(selectin)与其配体间相互作用介导的细胞粘附在炎症级联反应、肿瘤转移和淋巴细胞归巢等病理、生理过程中起重要作用。其结构组成从远离细胞表面的N-末端到胞内C-末端,依次为:钙型凝集素功能区(Calcium-type lectin domain,Lec),类上皮生长因子功能区(Epidermal Growth Factor-like module,EGF),具有粘附补体蛋白作用的多个重复序列(Consensus Repeats,CRs),跨膜区(Transmembrane,TM)和胞内区