Lycojapodine A, a Novel Alkaloid from Lycopodium japonicum

Lycojapodine A, a novel C16N-type Lycopodium alkaloid with an unprecedented 6/6/6/7 tetracyclic ring system, was isolated from the club moss Lycopodium japonicum. The structure and relative stereochemistry were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic dat

Anti-HIV Activities of the Compounds Isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum and Polygonum multiflorum

The 70% EtOH extract of Polygonum cuspidatum showed inhibitory action against HIV-1-induced syncytium formation at non-cytotoxic concentrations in vitro with a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 13.94 +/- 3.41 mu g/mL. Through bioactivity-guided fractionation, 20 phenolic compounds, including eight stilbenoids, were isolated from the roots of Polygonum cuspidatum, and their anti-HIV-1 activities were evaluated. Results showed that compounds 1, 13, 14, and 16 demonstrated fairly strong antiviral activity against HIV-1-induced cytopathic effects in C8166 lymphocytes at non-cytotoxic concentrations, with EC50 values of 4.37 +/- 1.96 mu g/mL, 19.97 +/- 5.09, 14.4 +/- 1.34 mu g/mL, and 11.29 +/- 6.26 mu g/mL and therapeutic index (TI) values of 8.12, > 10.02, > 13.89, and > 17.71, respectively. Other compounds showed either weak or no effects. Compound 6 also showed weak inhibition (153.42 +/- 19.25 mu g/mL); however, it possesses very good water solubility and showed almost no cytotoxicity (> 2000 mu g/mL), therefore achieving a fairly good TI (13.04). The activities of the two compounds (3 and 18) from Polygonum multiflorum were also assayed. The relationship between molecular structures and their bioactivities was also discussed.

The Effects of Visual Object Size in The Depth Perception in KM Mouse

Whether mice perceive the depth of space dependent on the visual size of object targets was explored when visual cues such as perspective and partial occlusion in space were excluded. A mouse was placed on a platform the height of which is adjustable. The platform located inside a box in which all other walls were dark exception its bottom through that light was projected as a sole visual cue. The visual object cue was composed of 4x4 grids to allow a mouse estimating the distance of the platform relative to the grids. Three sizes of grids reduced in a proportion of 2/3 and seven distances with an equal interval between the platform and the grids at the bottom were applied in the experiments. The duration of a mouse staying on the platform at each height was recorded when the different sizes of the grids were presented randomly to test whether the Judgment of the mouse for the depth of the platform from the bottom was affected by the size information of the visual target. The results from all conditions of three object sizes show that time of mice staying on the platform became longer with the increase in height. In distance of 20 similar to 30 cm, the mice did not use the size information of a target to judge the depth, while mainly used the information of binocular disparity. In distance less than 20 cm or more than 30 cm, however, especially in much higher distance 50 cm, 60 cm and 70 cm, the mice were able to use the size information to do so in order to compensate the lack of binocular disparity information from both eyes. Because the mice have only 1/3 of the visual field that is binocular. This behavioral paradigm established in the current study is a useful model and can be applied to the experiments using transgenic mouse as an animal model to investigate the relationships between behaviors and gene functions.

Non-monophyly of Rhacophorus rhodopus,Theloderma and Philautus albopunctatus Inferred from Mitochondrial 16S rRNA Gene Sequences

测定了4个种(红蹼树蛙、黑蹼树蛙、白斑小树蛙和红吸盘小树蛙)共11个种群的16S rRNA基因片段.双斑树蛙、马来棱皮树蛙、越南棱皮树蛙以及日本溪树蛙的同源序列通过GenBank检索获得.去除所有插入、缺失及模糊位点后,比对序列长度为500 bp,其中变异位点115个,简约信息位点92个.以日本溪树蛙为外群,运用Bayesian法、MP法和ML法构建了系统发育树.结果表明红蹼树蛙和白斑小树蛙在种级水平上均不是单系.红蹼树蛙海南种群与双斑树蛙亲缘关系更近,并且来自云南不同地理种群的红蹼树蛙可以分为两大支系;越南棱皮树蛙与红吸盘小树蛙聚为一支,马来棱皮树蛙嵌套在白斑小树蛙不同地理种群中.进而认为白斑小树蛙是马来棱皮树蛙的同物异名,建议将红吸盘小树蛙并入棱皮树蛙属.

A New Species of the Genus Garra from Nujiang River Basin, Yunnan, China (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

2003年4月,于怒江二级支流镇康县境内的大叉河中采获一批墨头鱼属(Garra)鱼类标本,经鉴定为一新种,命名为怒江墨头鱼(G.nujiangensis Chen and Yang,sp.nov.).该新种主要鉴别特征:围尾柄鳞12～14:侧线鳞48～50:在小个体中有一对微小的吻须;背鳍分支鳍条8～9;侧线上鳞5～6,侧线下鳞3～4;体高小于头长;臀鳍起点处的小于眼后至吻端的距离;腹鳍前长为体长的50.0%～53.7%;肛门前长为体长的58.9%～63.9%:体宽为体长的16.7%～19.6%:体高为体长的19.2%～22.6%.本研究证实,在缺须的墨头鱼属的一些物种中,如高体墨头鱼(G.alticorpora)和怒江墨头鱼(G.nujiangensis),其幼体中往往具有一对很小的吻须.

Morphine induces Beclin 1-and ATG5-dependent autophagy in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and in the rat hippocampus

Chronic exposure to morphine can induce drug addiction and neural injury, but the exact mechanism is not fully understood. Here we show that morphine induces autophagy in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and in the rat hippocampus. Pharmacological approach shows that this effect appears to be mediated by PTX-sensitive G protein-coupled receptors signaling cascade. Morphine increases Beclin 1 expression and reduces the interaction between Beclin 1 and Bcl-2, thus releasing Beclin 1 for its pro-autophagic activity. Bcl-2 overexpression inhibits morphine-induced autophagy, whereas knockdown of Beclin 1 or knockout of ATG5 prevents morphine-induced autophagy. In addition, chronic treatment with morphine induces cell death, which is increased by autophagy inhibition through Beclin 1 RNAi. Our data are the first to reveal that Beclin 1 and ATG5 play key roles in morphine-induced autophagy, which may contribute to morphine-induced neuronal injury.

Nest site selection by Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis in the Ruoergai Wetland, China

From 5 May 2003 to early June 2005, nest site selection of Black-necked Cranes Grits nigricollis was studied at the Ruoergai Wetland Nature Reserve (RWNR), an important breeding area for the species in China. Results showed that the crane nests only in we

A new species of genus Pseudogyrinocheilus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Guangxi, China

A new species, Pseudogyrinocheilus longisulcus, was discovered from a tributary of Pearl River in Jingxi Co., Guangxi, China, The new species can be distinguished from other species of Pseudogyrinocheilus by the following combination of characteristics: prolonged post-labial grooves, and extended antero-medially close to anterior end of middle lower lip, but not meeting with its counterpart; posterior margin of lower lip free; scales of abdomen from thorax to pectoral-fin base embedded under skin; lateral-line scales 40-42; dark stripe longitudinal along lateral line on flank. The key to the species of Pseudogyrinocheilus is provided.

Redescription of Balantidium polyvacuolum Li 1963 (Class: Litostomatea) inhabiting the intestines of Xenocyprinae fishes in Hubei, China

Redescription of Balantidium polyvacuolum Li 1963, collected from the hindgut of Xenocypris davidi and Xenocypris argentea, from Niushan Lake Fishery (30A degrees 19' N, 114A degrees 31' E) in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in April and June 2007 is presented in this paper to complete Li's description at both light and scanning electronic microscopic levels. The unique body shape of B. polyvacuolum-highly arched dorsal side and flattened ventral surface-as well as its remarkable concave platelet present in the centroventral were well described and compared with other close Balantidium species. Besides, two types of vestibulum shape are observed in our present work, which may suggest the existence of two subspecies or genotype species of these balantidia.

Determinations of MC-LR and [Dha(7)] MC-LR Concentrations and Physicochemical Properties by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A liquid chromatography electrospray mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS) method working in multiple reactions monitoring mode for the determination of trace amounts of microcystin variants (MC-LR and [Dha(7)] MC-LR) in waters was developed. The limit of quantification was 0.05 mu g/L and the limit of detection was 0.015 mu g/L for MC-LR and [Dha(7)] MC-LR, respectively. Recoveries for MCs were in the range of 68%-81%. MC-LR and [Dha(7)] MC-LR were chemically stable with similar physiochemical behavior.

Determination of microcystin-LR and its metabolites in snail (Bellamya aeruginosa), shrimp (Macrobrachium nipponensis) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) from Lake Taihu, China

This paper describes seasonal changes of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and its glutathione (MC-LR-GSH) and cysteine conjugates (MC-LR-Cys) in three aquatic animals - snail (Bellamya aeruginosa), shrimp (fMacrobrachium nipponensis) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) collected from Lake Taihu, China. MC-LR, MC-LR-GSH, and MC-LR-Cys were determined by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrum (LC-ESI-MS). The mean MC-LR concentrations in the hepatopancreas of snail and shrimp and liver of silver carp were 6.61, 0.24, and 0.027 mu g g(-1) dry weight (DW), respectively: while the average MC-LR-Cys concentrations were 0.50, 0.97, and 5.72 mu g g(-1) DW, respectively. MC-LR-GSH was usually not detectable in these samples. The above results suggest that: (1) in aquatic animals, especially fish, the main excretion form of MC-LR could be MC-LR-Cys, but not MC-LR-GSH, whereas MC-LR-Cys might play an important role in detoxication of MC-LR and (2) that efficiency of MC-LR-Cys formation differs among species. The main detoxication pathway of MC-LR in aquatic animals is suggested as follows: when MC-LR enters into liver/hepatopancreas, it firstly conjugates with polypeptide or protein (including GSH, PP-1 and 2A) containing Cys residues, perhaps also some free cysteine; subsequently, MC-LR-Cys is degraded from these polypeptide or protein; and finally is excreted from animals by the compound of MC-LR-Cys. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of topography and land use on water quality of Xiangxi River in Three Gorges Reservoir region

A self-organizing map (SOM) was used to cluster the water quality data of Xiangxi River in the Three Gorges Reservoir region. The results showed that 81 sampling sites could be divided into several groups representing different land use types. The forest dominated region had low concentrations of most nutrient variables except COD, whereas the agricultural region had high concentrations of NO3N, TN, Alkalinity, and Hardness. The sites downstream of an urban area were high in NH3N, NO2N, PO4P and TP. Redundancy analysis was used to identify the individual effects of topography and land use on river water quality. The results revealed that the watershed factors accounted for 61.7% variations of water quality in the Xiangxi River. Specifically, topographical characteristics explained 26.0% variations of water quality, land use explained 10.2%, and topography and land use together explained 25.5%. More than 50% of the variation in most water quality variables was explained by watershed characteristics. However, water quality variables which are strongly influenced by urban and industrial point source pollution (NH3N, NO2N, PO4P and TP) were not as well correlated with watershed characteristics.

Characterization of the porcine differentially expressed PDK4 gene and association with meat quality

To investigate the differential expression of genes in the skeletal muscle between Yorkshire and Chinese indigenous breed Meishan pigs, suppression subtractive hybridization was carried out and many genes were proved to be expressed significantly different in the two breeds. One gene highly expressed in Meishan but lowly expressed in Yorkshire specific library, shared strong homology with human pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4). Using semi-quantity and quantity PCR, We confirmed its differential expression between the two breeds. Temporal and spatial expression analysis indicated that porcine PDK4 gene is highly expressed in skeletal muscle and the highest in neonatal pigs. Complete cDNA cloning and sequence analysis revealed that porcine PDK4 gene contains an open reading frame of 1,221 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence showed conservation in evolution. A G/A mutation in intron 9 was identified and association analysis showed that it was significantly associated with intramuscular fat, muscle water content.

Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis of two Saprolegnia sp (Oomycetes) isolated from silver crucian carp and zebra fish

Two Saprolegnia isolates, JY isolated from silver crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio Bloch) and BMY isolated from zebra fish (Brachydanio rerio Hamilton) came from infections occurring concurrently in different locations in China. To confirm whether the two isolates were from the same Saprolegnia clone, comparative studies have been carried out based on their morphological, physiological and molecular characteristics. Observations showed that morphologically (both asexual and sexual organs) the two isolates were broadly similar and both isolates under-went repeated zoospore emergence. Comparing 704 base pairs of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the 5.8S rDNA, we found isolates JY and BMY shared an identical ITS sequence with a minor variation (99.6 % similarity). Forty available sequences for representatives Saprolegnia spp. belonged to four phylogenetically separate clades. The two studied isolates fell within clade I that comprised a group of isolates which showed almost an identical ITS sequence but had been identified as a number of different morphological species. our findings suggest that isolates JY and BMY appear to belong to the S. ferax clade and this clade (1) contains a number of closely related phylogenetic species. This is distinct from the more common fish pathogenic isolates, which belong to the S. parasitica clade (III) and are characterized by having cysts decorated by bundles of long hooked hairs and two further clades (II and IV) containing largely saprotrophic or soil born species. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The British Mycological Society.

First description of a novel Weissella species as an opportunistic pathogen for rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) in China

Six strains of Gram-positive, catalase-negative, non-motile, irregular short rod-shaped Weissella bacteria, with width and length of 0.5-0.6 and 1.2-2.7 mu m were isolated from diseased rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) in winter of 2007 at a commercial fishery in Jingmen, Hubei province, China. The diseased rainbow trout exhibited hemorrhage in eyes, anal region, intestine and abdomen wall, petechia of liver, some fish with hydrocele in stomach. Six isolates had identical biochemical reactions, phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences, amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), enzymatic profile analysis and antimicrobial susceptibility results, indicating as a single clonal outbreak. But all were different from any other validated twelve Weissella species in the term of physiological and biochemical characters. It is indicated that isolates are phylogenetically closer to Weissella halotolerans, Weissella viridescens and Weissella minor on 16S rDNA phylogenetic analysis result, than to W halotolerans and W viridescens on the result of ARDRA study and enzymatic profile analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was used to scan effective drugs for the therapy of this disease. Experimental infection assays with one isolate were conducted and pathogenicity (by intraperitoneal injection) was demonstrated in rainbow trout O. mykiss (Walbaum) and crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) fingerlings. Because no Weissella was detected in fish feedstuffs and pond water, the source of this pathogen remains unknown, and Weissella isolates were regarded as an opportunistic pathogen for rainbow trout. This is the first report of Weissella strains which can cause disease of cultured fish in the world. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.