Characterization of complete genome sequence of the spring viremia of carp virus isolated from common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in China

The complete genome of spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV) strain A-1 isolated from cultured common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in China was sequenced and characterized. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) derived clones were constructed and the DNA was sequenced. It showed that the entire genome of SVCV A-1 consists of 11,100 nucleotide base pairs, the predicted size of the viral RNA of rhabdoviruses. However, the additional insertions in bp 4633-4676 and bp 4684-4724 of SVCV A-1 were different from the other two published SVCV complete genomes. Five open reading frames (ORFs) of SVCV A-1 were identified and further confirmed by RT-PCR and DNA sequencing of their respective RT-PCR products. The 5 structural proteins encoded by the viral RNA were ordered 3'-N-P-M-G-L-5'. This is the first report of a complete genome sequence of SVCV isolated from cultured carp in China. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that SVCV A-1 is closely related to the members of the genus Vesiculovirus, family Rhabdoviridae.

Phylogenetic relationships of the Chinese cyprinid genus Rhinogobio Bleeker (Teleostei : Cyprinidae) based on sequences of the mitochondrial DNA control region, with comments on character adaptations

Rhinogobio is a cyprinid genus restricted to the river drainages of China. Sequences of the mitochondrial DNA control region were determined for four Rhinogohio species and one outgroup species, Coreius heterodon, to investigate the phylogenetic relationships within the genus. The control region of the Rhinogobio species ranges from 922 to 930 base pairs and comprises 930 base pairs in Coreius. Our phylogenetic analysis indicates two distinct lineages in the genus Rhinogobio. The first includes only R. ventralis. In the second lineage there are three species, two closely related species R. cylindricus and R. hunanensis, and their sister species R. typus. An analysis of character adaptations suggests an evolutionary trend in this genus towards a relatively lower body and caudal peduncle depth, a shorter dorsal fin, and a more anterior anus. In addition, there is a trend towards shorter barbels and relatively larger eyes. Some or all of these traits may be associated with a habitat shift from fast-flowing turbid rivers to slower-flowing clear river habitats.

Phylogeny of the East Asian cyprinids inferred from sequences of the mitochondrial DNA control region

With 210 genera and 2010 species, Cyprinidae is the largest freshwater fish family in the world. Several papers, based on morphological and molecular data, have been published and have led to some solid conclusions, such as the close relationships between North American phoxinins and European leuciscins. However, the relationships among major subgroups of this family are still not well resolved, especially for those East Asian groups. In the present paper, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region, 896-956 base pairs, of 17 representative species of East Asian cyprinids was sequenced and compared with those of 21 other cyprinids to study their phylogenetic relationships. After alignment, there were 1051 sites. The comparison between pairwise substitutions and HKY distances showed that the mtDNA control region was suitable for phylogenetic study. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that there are two principal lineages in Cyprinidae: Cyprinine and Leuciscine. In Cyprinine, the relationships could be a basal Labeoinae, an intermediate Cyprininae, and a diversified Barbinae (including Schizothroaxinae). In Leuciscine, Rasborinae is at the basal position; Gobioninae and Leuciscinae are sister groups; the East Asian cultrin-xenocyprinin taxa form a large monophyletic group with some small affiliated groups; and the positions of Acheilognathinae and Tincinae are still uncertain.

Structure-function analysis of the inverted terminal repeats of the Sleeping Beauty transposon

Translocation of Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon requires specific binding of SB transposase to inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) of about 230 bp at each end of the transposon, which is followed by a cut-and-paste transfer of the transposon into a target DNA sequence. The ITRs contain two imperfect direct repeats (DRs) of about 32 bp. The outer DRs are at the extreme ends of the transposon whereas the inner DRs are located inside the transposon, 165-166 bp from the outer DRs. Here we investigated the roles of the DR elements in transposition. Although there is a core transposase-binding sequence common to all of the DRs, additional adjacent sequences are required for transposition and these sequences vary in the different DRs. As a result, SB transposase binds less tightly to the outer DRs than to the inner DRs. Two DRs are required in each ITR for transposition but they are not interchangeable for efficient transposition. Each DR appears to have a distinctive role in transposition. The spacing and sequence between the DR elements in an ITR affect transposition rates, suggesting a constrained geometry is involved in the interactions of SB transposase molecules in order to achieve precise mobilization. Transposons are flanked by TA dinucleotide base-pairs that are important for excision; elimination of the TA motif on one side of the transposon significantly reduces transposition while loss of TAs on both flanks of the transposon abolishes transposition. These findings have led to the construction of a more advanced transposon that should be useful in gene transfer and insertional mutagenesis in vertebrates. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

A study of the suppression of the high-temperature helium embrittlement in an oxide-particle dispersion strengthened alloy

In this paper, an investigation on the micro-structure of an Fe-base oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloy irradiated with high-energy Ne-20 ions to different doses at a temperature around 0.5T(m) (T-m is the melting point of the alloy) is presented. Investigation with the transmission electron microscopy found that the accelerated growth of voids at grain-boundaries, which is usually a concern in conventional Fe-base alloys under conditions of inert-gas implantation, was not observed in the ODS alloy irradiated even to the highest dose (12000 at.ppm Ne). The reason is ascribed to the enhanced recombination of point defects and strong trapping of Ne atoms at the interfaces of the nano-scale oxide particles in grains. The study showed that ODS alloys have good resistance to the high-temperature inter-granular embrittlement due to inert-gas accumulation, exhibiting prominence of application in harsh situations of considerable helium production at elevated temperatures like in a fusion reactor.

Preliminary results of the updated LECR2 source-LECR2M

The Latest developed LECR2M (Lanzhou ECR No. 2 Modified) source is the updated one of LECR2 (Lanzhou ECR No. 2) source at IMP. It has been assembled on the low energy ion beam experimental platform to produce MCI beams for atomic physics and material physics experimental research. In our updating program, the structure of injection and extraction components has been modified to make the source structure more simple and effective. The hexapole magnet has also been replaced by a new hexapole magnet with higher radial field and larger inner diameter. With this updating, stronger magnetic field confinement of the ECR plasma is possible and better base vacuum condition is also achieved. LECR2M was designed to be operated at 14.5GHz. During the preliminary test, 1.3emA O6+ beam was extracted with the injected rf power of 1.1kW. The source has been used to deliver intense MCI beams for different experiments. After some discussion of the main features of this newly updated source, some of the typical commissioning test results of LECR2M will be presented.

Activated carbons chemically modified by concentrated H2SO4 for the adsorption of the pollutants from wastewater and the dibenzothiophene from fuel oils

The surface properties, porosities, and adsorption capacities of activated carbons (AC) are modified by the oxidation treatment using concentrated H2SO4 at temperatures 150-270 degreesC. The modified AC was characterized by N-2 adsorption, base titration, FTIR, and the adsorption of iodine, chlorophenol, methylene blue, and dibenzothiophene. The treatment of AC with concentrated H2SO4 at 250 degreesC greatly increases the mesoporous volume from 0.243 mL/g to 0.452 mL/g, specific surface areas from 393 m(2)/g to 745 m(2)/g, and acidic surface oxygen complexes from 0.071 meq/g to 1.986 meq/g as compared with the unmodified AC. The base titration results indicate that the amount of acidic surface oxygen groups on the modified AC increases with increasing the treatment temperatures and carboxyls and phenols are the most abundant carbon-oxygen functional groups. The carboxyl groups, COO- species, and hydroxyl groups are detected mainly for the sample treated at 250 degreesC. The mesoporous properties of the AC modified by concentrated H2SO4 were further tested by the adsorption of methylene blue and dibenzothiophene. The AC modified by concentrated H2SO4 at 250 degreesC has much higher adsorption capacities for large molecules (e.g., methylene blue and dibenzothiophene) than the unmodified AC but less adsorption capacities for small molecules (e.g., iodine). The adsorption results from aqueous solutions have been interpreted using Freundlich adsorption models.

Synthesis and characteristics of the human serum albumin-triazine chiral stationary phase

Human serum albumin (HSA) was successfully bonded to silica with s-triazine as activator. The coupling reaction by this method was rapid and effective. The triazine-activated silica is relatively stable and can be installed for at least 1 month without obvious loss of reactivity when stored below 30 degreesC, pH below 7. It was observed that the amount of bound HSA reached 120 mg/g silica calculated from the UV absorbance difference of the HSA solution. d,l-tryptophan was selected as the probe solute to characterize the properties of HSA bonded s-triazine chiral stationary phase, and separation factor of 9.4 was obtained for d,l-tryptophan. Furthermore, the amount of effective HSA on silica was measured by high-performance frontal analysis, and only 16.8 mg/g silica was responsible for the resolution of d,l-tryptophan. These results indicate that the amount of both the bound and effective HSA on silica with triazine as activator was much higher than those by the Schiff base coupling method. Different kinds of enantiomers were resolved successfully on the aminopropylsilica-bonded HSA s-triazine chiral stationary phase. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Hybrid metal-base transistor with base of sulfonated polyaniline and fullerene emitter

We demonstrate hybrid vertical architecture transistors that operate like metal-base transistors, using n-type silicon as the collector, sulfonated polyaniline as the base, and C-60 fullerene as the emitter. Electrical measurements suggest that the sulfonated polyaniline base effectively screens the emitter from electric field variations occurring in the collector leading to the metal-base transistor behavior.

Structural features of the L-argininamide-binding DNA aptamer studied with ESI-FTMS

The 24-mer DNA aptamer of Harada and Frankel ( Harada, K.; Frankel, A. D. EMBO J. 1995, 14, 5798-5811) that binds L-argininamide (L-Arm) was studied by electrospray ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (ESI-FTMS). This DNA folds into a stem and loop such that the loop is able to engulf L-Arm. As controls, two derivatives of the same base composition, one with the same stem but a scrambled loop and the other with no ability to form a secondary structure, were studied. The two DNAs that could fold into stem-loop structures showed a more negatively charged distribution of ions than the linear control. This tendency was preserved in the presence of ligand; complexes expected to have more secondary structure had ions with more negative charges. Distinct species corresponding to no, one, and two bound L-Arm molecules were observed for each DNA. The fractional peak intensities were fit to a straightforward binding model and binding constants were obtained. Thus, ESI-FTMS can provide both qualitative and quantitative data regarding the structure of DNA and its interactions with noncovalent ligands.

Interactions of the human telomeric DNA with terbium-amino acid complexes

The human telomeric DNA can form four-stranded structures: the G-rich strand adopts a G-quadruplex conformation stabilized by G-quartets and the C-rich strand may fold into an I-motif based on intercalated C (.) C+ base pairs. There is intense interests in the design and synthesis of compounds which can target telomeric DNA and inhibit the telomerase activity. Here we report the thermodynamic studies of the two newly synthesized terbium-amino acid complexes bound to the human telomeric G-quadruplex and I-motif DNA which were studied by means of UV-Visible, DNA meltings, fluorescence and circular dichroism. These two complexes can bind to the human telomeric DNA and have shown different features on DNA stability, binding stoichiometry, and sequence-dependent fluorescence enhancement. To our knowledge, this is the first report to show terbium-amino acid complexes can interact with the human telomeric DNA.

Determination of the interfacial acidity of the functional alkanethiols self-assembly membrane by capacitance measurement

The acid-base equilibrium of self-assembly monolayer(SAM) of mercaptopropionic acid on gold electrode was studied by capacitance titration. The change of capacitance was due to protonation and deprotonation of the modified electrode surface. This method can be used to measure pH value in solution and capacitance of solid/liquid on SAMs surface synchronously. The shift of pK(a) was observed during the experiment as previous reports. The factors that affect the capacitance measurement were discussed in detail.

Synthesis, structure characterization and transesterification of the complexes of beta-alkoxycarbonylethyltin trichlorides

Thirteen title complexes ROCOCH2CH2SnCl3 . L(R = C(1 similar to 5)alkyl;L = DBSO,HMPA) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR,H-1 NMR. The crystal structure of n -PrOCOCH2CH2SnCl3 . DBSO was determined by the X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal belongs to orthorhombic system,space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 1.062, b = 1.427, c = 1.635nm; Z = 4. The complex exists as a discrete molecule, and the tin atom attains a distorted octahedral geometry via the coordination of intramolecular carbonyl oxygen and the Lewis base donor atom. The transesterification of CH3OCOCH2CH2SnCl3 . L with alcohol was studied, and the intramolecular Lewis acid catalytic mechanism was suggested.

Crystal and molecular structure of the complex of methoxycarbonylethyltin trichloride with salicylidene-m-toluidine

The synthesis and properties of the title complex CH3OCOCH2CH2SnCl3.2-HOC6H4CH=NC6H4-3'-CH3 are described. It crystallizes from benzene in the monoclinic space group P2(1/n) with unit cell dimensions a=10.326 (C),b=6.815(8), c=12.931(6) Angstrom, beta =111.52(3,)degrees, V=2088.7(1) Angstrom (3), Z=4, F(000) =1040, mu =16.31 cm(-1), Dc=1. 67g/cm(3) final R factor is 0.037 for 3177 observed reflections, 1 greater than or equal to3 sigma (1(0)). The tin atom in the structure of the complex exists in a distored octahedral geometry defined by three Cl atoms, the C and O atoms of a chelating methoxycarbonylethyl. group as well as an O atom derived from the Schiff base ligand.

THE CLEAVAGE REACTION OF THE MO-MO TRIPLE BOND - THE CRYSTAL-STRUCTURES OF MOLYBDENUM COMPLEXES [CPMO(CO)(2)(C(5)H(4)NS)], [CPMO(CO)(2)(C(9)H(6)NS)]O=PPH(3) AND [CPMO(CO)(2)(S(2)CNME(2)]

The reactions of [Cp2Mo2(CO)4] (1) with 2,2'-dipyridyl disulphide (C5H4NS-)2, 8,8'-diquinolyl disulphide (C9H6NS-)2 and tetramethyl thiuram disulphide (Me2NC(S)S-)2 in toluene solution resulted in the cleavage of the Mo-Mo triple bond to yield molybdenum complexes [CpMo(CO)2(C5H4NS)] (2), [CpMo(CO)2(C9H6NS)] (3) and [CpMo(CO)2(S2CNMe2)] (4), respectively. The molecular structures of 2, 3 . O=PPh3 and 4 were determined by X-ray diffraction studies. Crystals of 2 are monoclinic, space group P2(1)/n, with Z = 4, in a unit cell of dimensions a = 6.448(1), b = 12.616(2), c = 14.772(2) angstrom, beta = 92.85(1)-degrees. The structure was refined to R = 0.028 and R(w) = 0.039 for 1357 observed reflections. Crystals of 3 . O=PPh3 are triclinic, space group P1BAR, with Z = 2, in a unit cell of dimensions a = 11.351(3), b = 13.409(3), c = 9.895(2) angstrom, alpha = 94.59(2), beta = 90.35(2), gamma = 78.07(2)-degrees. The structure was refined to R = 0.033 and R(w) = 0.037 for 3260 observed reflections. Crystals of 4 are monoclinic, space group P2(1)/a and Z = 4 with a = 12.468(5), b = 7.637(2), c = 13.135(4) angstrom, beta = 96.62(3). The structure was refined to R = 0.032 and R(w) = 0.042 for 1698 observed reflections. Each of complexes 2-4 contains a cyclopentadienyl ligand, a cis pair of carbonyls and a chelate ligand (S,N donor or S,S donor). All the compounds have distorted square-pyramid structures.