Characterization of TRPC2, an Essential Genetic Component of VNS Chemoreception, Provides Insights into the Evolution of Pheromonal Olfaction in Secondary-Adapted Marine Mammals

Pheromones are chemical cues released and sensed by individuals of the same species, which are of major importance in regulating reproductive and social behaviors of mammals. Generally, they are detected by the vomeronasal system (VNS). Here, we first investigated and compared an essential genetic component of vomeronasal chemoreception, that is, TRPC2 gene, of four marine mammals varying the degree of aquatic specialization and related terrestrial species in order to provide insights into the evolution of pheromonal olfaction in the mammalian transition from land to water. Our results based on sequence characterizations and evolutionary analyses, for the first time, show the evidence for the ancestral impairment of vomeronasal pheromone signal transduction pathway in fully aquatic cetaceans, supporting a reduced or absent dependence on olfaction as a result of the complete adaptation to the marine habitat, whereas the amphibious California sea lion was found to have a putatively functional TRPC2 gene, which is still under strong selective pressures, reflecting the reliance of terrestrial environment on chemical recognition among the semiadapted marine mammals. Interestingly, our study found that, unlike that of the California sea lion, TRPC2 genes of the harbor seal and the river otter, both of which are also semiaquatic, are pseudogenes. Our data suggest that other unknown selective pressures or sensory modalities might have promoted the independent absence of a functional VNS in these two species. In this respect, the evolution of pheromonal olfaction in marine mammals appears to be more complex and confusing than has been previously thought. Our study makes a useful contribution to the current understanding of the evolution of pheromone perception of mammals in response to selective pressures from an aquatic environment.

重离子蚀刻径迹中金属纳米线阵列的研制

本论文主要进行了核孔膜的蚀刻和紫外光辐照效应研究，以及在核孔膜模板内进行Cu、CO金属纳米线阵列的制备研究。在UNILAC（GSI，Darmstadt）加速器上真空和室温条件下对30μm厚的聚碳酸酯（PC）薄膜进行快重离子辐照，照射离子为11． 4 MeV／u的Au离子，辐照剂量在lion／cm，-3X109i0ns／cm，之间。重离子辐照导致在PC中产生潜径迹，通过化学蚀刻的方法将潜径迹放大而形成孔道。蚀刻速率与蚀刻温度、蚀刻液浓度、紫外光辐照敏化等参数密切相关。结果表明随着温度的升高蚀刻液浓度的增加、紫外光辐照时间的增长径迹蚀刻速率剧烈增加。此外，通过紫外可见光谱和力学性能测试发现，紫外光辐照会使Pc膜的光学性能和力学性能发生显著的变化。在能量密度为16mw／cm2的紫外光下，当膜两侧分别经过17．5小时的光照以后，392 nm处的吸收峰消失，而且其断裂伸长率大大减小。作为紫外光辐照效应的一个应用，我们利用“紫外光辐照＋液氮冷冻”的方法成功制备出了核孔膜断面的扫描电子显微镜样品，此方法能使样品的断面含有较少的残余应力从而使膜在断裂过程中没有发生明显的变形，使断面很好显现了膜和孔道的原始信息，如孔密度、形状、尺寸等。利用PC核孔膜作为模板用电化学沉积方法制备出了金属纳米线阵列。用磁控溅射的方法在PC膜模板的一面沉积一层Pt金属薄膜在电沉积过程中用作阴极。在自制的电沉积系统中用直流沉积的方法在PC核孔膜模板中成功制备出了Cu和Co金属纳米线，并运用SEM、xRD、VSM等手段对纳米线进行分析。结果表明，制备出的Cu纳米线长度约为30μm，直径从nm到协m量级，具有面心立方（fcc）结构，且纯度很高没有发现杂质。对Co纳米线阵列的xRD结果进行分析可以看出，制备出的c。纳米线阵列具有两种晶体结构：单相hcp结构和hcp、fcc共存结构。从vsM测量结果可以看出，Co纳米线阵列存在磁各向异性，即平行于纳米线轴向和垂直于纳米线轴向的剩余磁化强度和矫顽力存在明显差异，这主要是由于纳米线的形状各向异性和纳米线之间的磁相互作用引起的。