Identification, expression, function and localization of a DUF985 domain-containing hypothetical gene from amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri

The progress in genome sequencing has led to an increasing submission of uncharacterized hypothetical genes with the domain of unknown function, DUF985, in GenBank, and none of these genes is related to a known protein. We therefore underwent an experimental study to identify the function of a DUF985 domain-containing hypothetical gene BbDUF985 (GenBank Accession No. AY273818) isolated from amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri (B. belcheri). BbDUF985 was successfully expressed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, and its recombinant proteins expressed in both systems definitely exhibited an activity of phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI). Both tissue-section in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that BbDUF985 was expressed in a tissue-specific manner, with most abundant levels in the hepatic caecum and ovary. In CHO cells transfected with the expression plasmid pEGFP-N1/BbDUF985, the fusion protein was targeted in the cytoplasm of CHO cells, suggesting that BbDUF985 is a cytosolic protein. In contrast, Western blotting indicated that BbDUF985 was also present in amphioxus humoral fluids, suggesting that it exists as a secreted protein as well. Our study provided a framework for further understanding the biochemical properties and physiological function of DUF985-containing hypothetical proteins in other species. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

普通话重音的知觉及其声学表现

This research, mainly by using perceptual experiment and relating its results to the acoustic correlates, investigated the acoustic correlates of mandarin prominences of prosodic word、prosodic phrase、sentence and their mutual influences. The results are as follow: (1) for the prominence of prosodic word, according the order of the extents to which these acoustic correlates contribute to the perception of the prominence, its acoustic correlates are duration、pitch、spectral tilt、energy and pitch-change, the results also have showed that the perception of the prominence is influenced by some non-acoustic factors; (2) for the prominence of prosodic phrase, baseing on the experimental results, the existing of prosodic phrase prominence in mandarian has been proposed, and the experiments proved that the prosodic phrase prominence fall on the semantic focus of the phrase typically; (3) for the prominence of sentence, the experimental results show that, the lengthening of duration, similar with the pitch-change, mainly localised on the prosodic head of the domain on which the sentence prominence emphisize, and this lengthening would, in different levels, spread on other syllables in the phonetic constituents which contain the prosodic head, and this pattern of lengthening of duration does not vary with changing of domain of sentence prominence, that means, in mandarin sentence, there is generally no acoustic cues which can been used in the perception of the domain of sentnece prominence; (4) for the acoustic cues of mutual influences of the prominences of different levels, the experiment have proved that, not only the pitch-change but also the lengthening of duration are subjective to melodic grid law. In the last part of the dissertation, I have tried to given an explantion about the above experimental results from psylogical view point.