低磷胁迫对高等植物中膜脂含量及分布影响的研究

　磷脂酰甘油(PG)是类囊体膜中唯一的磷脂, 并具有独特的结构。其甘油的sn-2位上总是连接着一个棕榈酸 (16:0) 或反式十六碳烯酸 (16:1tans)。很多研究表明, PG在维持类囊体膜的结构与功能方面具有重要的作用。然而，一些研究表明，在缺磷培养条件下，蓝藻、衣藻和拟南芥中PG含量下降，同时双半乳糖甘油二酯(DGDG)和硫代异鼠李糖甘油二酯(SQDG)含量上升，这一现象似乎表明在缺磷条件下，DGDG和SQDG可以取代PG。在本工作中，我们在叶片、类囊体膜和光系统II水平上研究了缺磷对小麦和黄瓜膜脂组成和含量的影响，特别是缺磷对PG含量影响的机理，以阐明PG与其它甘油脂的关系和其在类囊体膜中的功能。 　　通过对生长在不同磷营养水平条件下9天龄和16天龄小麦叶片中光合膜脂含量的分析，发现在磷缺失培养条件下，小麦光合膜脂的相对含量发生了很大变化，这种变化与小麦叶龄密切相关。在16天龄小麦植株中，第一片叶为老叶，第二片叶为较老叶，而第三片叶为新叶，PG和单半乳糖甘油二酯(MGDG)在叶片中的相对含量从新叶到老叶逐渐下降，而DGDG和SQDG含量逐渐上升;在磷缺失条件下，16天龄小麦第一叶片中PG的含量(2.5%)远远低于其在9天龄小麦第一叶片中的含量(5.5%)。这些结果说明，磷缺失引起小麦叶片中脂含量的变化不仅与脂合成有关，而且与PG的降解有关：新生叶片中PG含量减少的主要原因是由于磷供应不足, 从而影响了PG的合成;而PG的降解则是老叶中PG含量下降的主要原因。 　　由于植物叶片中有部分PG并不分布于类囊体膜中，并且PG是类囊体膜中唯一的磷脂，为了阐明缺磷对类囊体膜脂含量的影响，利用黄瓜作为实验材料， 提取了缺磷和对照条件下黄瓜叶片中的类囊体膜和PSII颗粒，并对其中的脂进行了分析，以期在叶片、类囊体膜和PSII颗粒三个不同层次上来分析缺磷对黄瓜膜脂的影响。结果表明： 1. 黄瓜幼苗的缺磷培养可显著改变叶片中膜脂的组成, 表现为所有磷脂含量的下降和DGDG、SQDG含量上升。 2. 对不同叶位中脂含量的分析表明，在缺磷条件下，随着叶片年龄的增加，叶片中磷脂的含量是逐渐下降的并且低磷处理使新生叶中PC和PE的下降幅度明显高于PG，而PG含量的下降只有在老叶中才明显表现出来。由于PC和PE是质膜、内质网膜和线粒体膜等膜系统的主要组成成分，而叶片中PG主要存在于类囊体膜中。这说明，在新生叶中，缺磷对于其类囊体膜外其他膜系统中磷脂的影响要大于类囊体膜;并且在磷缺失条件下，老叶磷脂中的磷可以运送到新叶中被重新利用。 3. 缺磷引起叶片类囊体膜脂含量的变化与叶片类似, 即PG含量的降低伴随着DGDG和SQDG含量的升高。然而，与叶片中不同的是，缺磷使类囊体膜中MGDG含量轻微下降。在植株生长过程中，缺磷导致老叶类囊体膜中PG含量的下降幅度远远大于新生叶中的下降幅度，而伴随着PG含量的下降，老叶类囊体膜中SQDG和DGDG的含量要远远高于新叶中两种脂的含量。这说明，在叶片生长过程中，缺磷条件下类囊体膜脂中DGDG和SQDG含量的上升可以弥补PG含量的下降。 4. 尽管缺磷使类囊体膜中的PG含量有较大幅度的下降, 但是叶绿素荧光动力学和PSII光合放氧活性都没有受到显著的影响。这些结果说明缺磷胁迫并没有对PSII的功能产生显著的影响。进一步研究发现, 在缺磷黄瓜植株中, PSII中PG的含量仍然维持在一个较高的水平。这些结果表明, 缺磷可以导致类囊体膜中某些区域中的PG大幅度降低, 但是对分布在PSII中的PG含量则影响较小。缺磷对类囊体膜脂组成及分布在不同区域PG的影响说明了类囊体膜中的PG可能存在着两种类型: 一些PG分子在类囊体膜中仅仅起结构作用, 当这些PG分子缺少时, 其它脂特别是SQDG可以替代PG; 而另一些PG分子在PSII的结构和功能中起重要的作用, 具有其它脂类分子不可取代的功能。

Effect of paradoxical sleep deprivation and stress on passive avoidance behavior

Previous studies have shown that several types of stress can induce memory impairment. However, the memory effects of paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD), a stressor in itself, are unclear. We therefore compared passive avoidance behavior of rats undergoing PSD and PSD stress yoked-control (PSC) using the "reversed flowerpot method." When rats were kept isolated on a PSC platform for 24 It immediately after criterion training, retention trials showed impaired aversive memory storage. When delayed for 24 h after criterion training, PSC stress did not disrupt retention performance. In rats subjected to PSD, either immediately or 24 It after criterion training, there was no disruption of aversive memory consolidation. These results suggest that, during stress, paradoxical sleep plays a role in erasing aversive memory traces, in line with the theory that we "dream in order to forget." (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Serum-free culture of rhesus monkey embryonic stem cells

Previous studies have shown that the maintenance and proliferation of undifferentiated rhesus monkey embryonic stem (rES) cells requires medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS). Due to the uncharacterized composition and variation in serum nature, the present study aimed to replace the serum-containing medium with a serum-free medium in the rES cell culture. The results showed that after the initial 48-h culture in the routinely used serum-containing medium, rES cells can grow and proliferate for a prolonged period in the serum-free medium composed of DMEM supplemented with a cocktail of BSA, IGF-1, TGF-alpha, bFGF, aFGF, estradiol, and progesterone. rES cells cultured in the serum-free medium maintained high level of alkaline phosphatase activity and OCT4 level. There was no indication of differentiation as judged by the marker gene expression of all three embryonic germ layers and trophoblast. In addition, serum-free culture would not affect the passage capacity and differentiation potential of rES cells. This work will facilitate the future study of induced differentiation of rES cells and other applications.

Investigation of the influence on conformational transition of DNA induced by cationic lipid vesicles

Recent studies have focused on the structural features of DNA-lipid assemblies. In this paper we take nile blue A (NBA) as a probe molecule to study the influence of the conformational transition of DNA induced by didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) cationic vesicles to the interaction between DNA and the probe molecules. We find that upon binding to DNA, a secondary conformational transition of DNA induced by the cationic liposome from the native B-form to the C-form resulted in the change of binding modes of NBA to DNA and different complexes are formed between DNA, DDAB and NBA.

Liposome-mediated conformation transition of DNA detected by molecular probe: methyl green

Recent studies have focused on the structural features of DNA-lipid assemblies. In this paper, we take methyl green (MG) as a probe molecule to detect the conformational change of DNA molecule induced by dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDAB) liposomes before the condensation process of DNA begins. DDAB-induced DNA topology changes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), circular dichroism (CD) and UV-VIS spectrometry. We find that upon binding to DNA, positively charged liposomes induce a conformational transition of DNA molecules from the native B-form to the C motif. Conformational transition in DNA results in the binding modes of MG to DNA, changing and being isolated from DNA to the solution. More stable complexes are formed between DNA and DDAB. That is also proved by the melting study of DNA.