Distribution of rDNA in the nucleus of Giardia lamblia - Detection by Ag-I silver stain

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether rDNA of Giardia lamblia forms a nucleolus organizer region (NOR)-like structure and is in a very primitive state. STUDY DESIGN: G lamblia was used as the experimental animal, with Euglena gracilis as the control. The distribution was demonstrated indirectly by the modified Ag-I silver technique, which can specifically indicate the NOR under both light and electron microscopes. RESULTS: In the ultrathin sections of silver-stained Euglena cells, all the silver grains were concentrated in the fibrosa of the nucleolus, while no grains found in the cytoplasm, nucleoplasm, condensed chromosomes or pars granulosa of the nucleus. In the silver-stained Giardia cells, no nucleolus was found; a few silver grains were scattered in the nucleus but were not concentrated in any specific region. CONCLUSION: The distribution of silver grains in G lamblia showed that the transcription of rDNA occurs inside the nucleus, though no nucleolus is present. It is possible that chromosomes are in a very primitive state in diplomonad cells; as each chromosome has few prRNA genes, the transcription is independent of a nucleolus. These results imply that the rDNA of Giardia does not form a NOR-like structure and seems to represent a very primitive state in the evolution of the nucleolus.

The giant panda (Ailurapoda melanoleuca) somatic nucleus can dedifferentiate in rabbit ooplasm and support early development of the reconstructed egg

The giant panda skeletal muscle cells, uterus epithelial cells and mammary gland cells from an adult individual were cultured and used as nucleus donor for the construction of interspecies embryos by transferring them into enucleated rabbit eggs. All the three kinds of somatic cells were able to reprogram in rabbit ooplasm and support early embryo development, of which mammary gland cells were proven to be the Lest, followed by uterus epithelial cells and skeletal muscle cells. The experiments showed that direct injection of mammary gland cell into enucleated rabbit ooplasm, combined with in vivo development in ligated rabbit oviduct, achieved higher blastocyst development than in vitro culture after the somatic cell was injected into the perivitelline space and fused with the enucleated egg by electrical stimulation. The chromosome analysis demonstrated that the genetic materials in reconstructed blastocyst cells were the same as that in panda somatic cells. In addition, giant panda mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was shown to exist in the interspecies reconstructed blastocyst. The data suggest that (i) the ability of ooplasm to dedifferentiate somatic cells is not species-specific; (ii) there is compatibility between interspecies somatic nucleus and ooplasm during early development of the reconstructed egg.

Microsatellite DNA analysis proves nucleus of interspecies reconstructed blastocyst coming from that of donor giant panda

A method for DNA isolation from early development of blastocyst and further analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA was developed in present study. Total DNA was prepared from interspecies reconstructed blastocyst and a giant panda specific microsatellite locus g(010) was successfully amplified. DNA sequencing of the PCR product showed that two sequences of reconstructed blastocysts are the same as that of positive control giant panda. Our results prove that the nucleus of interspecies reconstructed blastocyst comes from somatic nucleus of donor giant panda.

Morphine conditioned place preference depends on glucocorticoid receptors in both hippocampus and nucleus accumbens

Learned association between drugs of abuse and context is essential for the formation of drug conditioned place preference (CPP), which is believed to engage many brain regions including hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens (NAc). The underlying mechanisms

Opiate withdrawal modifies synaptic plasticity in subicular-nucleus accumbens pathway in vivo

Subiculum receives output of hippocampal CAI neurons and projects glutamatergic synapses onto nucleus accumbens (NAc), the subicular-NAc pathway linking memory and reward system. It is unknown whether morphine withdrawal influences synaptic plasticity in

一篇探索真核细胞核起源的力作——读李靖炎先生的长篇近作“The primitive nucleus model and the origin of the cell nucleus”

《胞内共生与细胞研究》( 《Endocytobiosis and Cell Research》)是由国际胞内共生学会(International Society of Endocytobiology, ISE)主办的期刊, 它主要发表有关内共生物(endosy mbioses)和真核细胞的起源、发展、分化、进化和系统发育的研究论文. 在胞内共生和真核细胞的起源进化研究领域享有声誉. 去年该杂志发表了我国学者李靖炎先生的长篇论著“The primitive nucleus model and the origin of the cell nucleus(原始细胞核的模型与细胞核的起源)”(见1999, 13(1-3):1-86). 国外一家 SCI 收录的专业性刊物为中国学者发表一篇长达86页的 Review, 实不多见, 是我国学者在此领域的殊荣。

Waterborne exposure to fluorotelomer alcohol 6:2 FTOH alters plasma sex hormone and gene transcription in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis of zebrafish

Fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) have shown estrogenic activity in vitro and in vivo, but the mechanism of this activity is not known. In this study, 18-week-old zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to 0, 0.03, 0.3 and 3.0 mg/l 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctan-1-ol (6:2 ETCH) for 7 days, and the effects on plasma sex hormone levels were measured followed by use of real-time PCR to examine selected gene expression in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and liver. Exposure to 6:2 FTOH significantly increased plasma estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) levels in both males and females. Furthermore, the ratio of T/E2 was reduced in females while increased in males. In females, the increase of E2 was accompanied by up-regulated hepatic estrogenic receptor alpha (ER alpha) and vitellogenin (VTG1 and VTG3) expression. In males, the elevation of the T level is consistent with the up-regulation of cytochrome P450 c17 alpha-hydroxylase, 17, 20-lase (CYP17) and the down-regulation of cytochrome P450 aromatase A (CYP19A). The present study demonstrated that waterborne exposure to 6:2 FTOH alter plasma sex hormone levels and the ratio of T/E2, as well as the transcriptional profiles of some genes in the HPG axis and liver. The results suggested that FTOHs may disturb fish reproduction through endocrine disrupted activity. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Residual plastids of bleached mutants of Euglena gracilis and their effects on the expression of nucleus-encoded genes

Bleached mutants of Euglena gracilis were obtained by treatment with ofloxacin (Ofl) and streptomycin (Sm) respectively. As shown by electron microscopy, the residual plastids contain prothylakoids in an Ofl mutant, and the highly developed and tightly stacked membranous structure found in cells of two Sm, mutants. Nine genes of the plastid genome were examined with PCR, showing that ribosomal protein genes and most other plastid genes were lost in all but one Sm mutant. Using differential display and RT-PCR, it was shown that chloroplast degeneration could cause changes in transcription of certain nucleus-encoded genes during heterotrophic growth in darkness.

Properties of the rotational bands in the transitional nucleus 189Pt

High-spin states in 189Pt have been studied experimentally using the 176Yb(18O,5n) reaction at beam energies of 88 and 95 MeV. The level scheme of189Pt has been revised significantly and extended to high-spin states.Rotational bands have been analyzed in the framework of triaxial particle-rotor model, and a γ ≈−30◦triaxial shape and a near-prolate shape have been proposed to the νi−113/2 and νf5/2(p3/2) bands, respectively. Two ΔI = 2 transition sequences with similar energies have been observed, and they have been proposed to be associated with the νi−213/2νf5/2(p3/2) configuration. The structure built on the νi−213/2νf5/2(p3/2) configuration could be interpreted theoretical calculations of the triaxial particle-rotor model if a near-oblate shape is assumed.