The Acquisition of an Inheritable 50-bp Deletion in the Human mtDNA Control Region Does Not Affect the mtDNA Copy Number in Peripheral Blood Cells

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region is believed to play an important biological role in mtDNA replication. Large deletions in this region are rarely found, but when they do occur they might be expected to interfere with the replication of the molecule, thus leading to a reduction of mtDNA copy number. During a survey for mtDNA sequence variations in 5,559 individuals from the general Chinese population and 2,538 individuals with medical disorders, we identified a 50-bp deletion (m.298_347del50) in the mtDNA control region in a member of a healthy Han Chinese family belonging to haplogroup B4c1b2, as suggested by complete mtDNA genome sequencing. This deletion removes the conserved sequence block II (CSBII; region 299-315) and the replication primer location (region 317-321). However, quantification of the mtDNA copy number in this subject showed a value within a range that was observed in 20 healthy subjects without the deletion. The deletion was detected in the hair samples of the maternal relatives of the subject and exhibited variable heteroplasmy. Our current observation, together with a recent report for a benign 154-bp deletion in the mtDNA control region, suggests that the control of mtDNA replication may be more complex than we had thought. Hum Mutat 31:538-543, 2010. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Species diversification in coastal aquaculture: production potentials of shrimp (Penaeus monodon) with mono and mixed sex tilapia

An experiment of 120 days of culture was conducted in brackishwater earthen ponds having an area of 0.2ha each. The hatchery produced shrimp (Penaeus monodon) post larvae were stocked in the 40m² fine meshed nylon net nursery enclosures were fed with commercial pellet feed. After two weeks of nursing, juveniles were allowed to spread in cultural pond by opening the fence. Fingerlings of three different strain of tilapia were stocked as shrimp and Strain-1 all male (monosex) (T1), shrimp and Strain-2 all male (T2), shrimp and Strain-3 mixed sex population (T3) @ 20.000/ha and 10.000/ha, respectively and shrimp only (monoculture) (T4) @ 20.000/ha. The shrimp and fish were fed with farm made feed consisting of a mixture of fishmeal 29%, MOC 15%, rice bran 30%, soybean meal 16%, wheat flour 9% and vitamin premix 0.1%. The average final weight of shrimp was 24.9±1.13g, 23.41±3.26g and 26.67±1.89g that stocked with tilapia in treatments T1, T2, and T3 respectively. The final average weight of shrimp in monoculture (T4) was 27.41±0.76g, apparently higher but insignificant in treatments. The survival of shrimp was 42.17%, 32.38%, 39.45% and 61.98% in treatments T1 T2, T3 and T4 respectively. The production of shrimp in concurrent culture was 193.67, 154.26 and 210.41kg/ha in T1, T2 and T3, respectively, while in monoculture (T4) was 339.77 kg/ha. The growth and survival of tilapia among the treatments was insignificant. The growth of monosex tilapia ranged 225.29 and 291.31g and survival 62.77 and 72.20% in T1 and T2, respectively, in mixed sex was 193.0g and 83.20% (T3). The production of tilapia monosex strains was 1676.69kg/ha (Strain-2 all male) and 1668.98 kg/ha (Strain-1 all male) while that of Strain-3 mixed sex population was 1622.92 kg/ha.

Genetic diversity and origin of Chinese cattle revealed by mtDNA D-loop sequence variation

To determine the origin and genetic diversity of Chinese cattle, we analyzed the complete mtDNA D-loop sequences of 84 cattle from 14 breeds/populations from southwest and west China, together with the available cattle sequences in GenBank. Our results sh

Current composition, distribution and relative abundance of the fish stocks of Lake Victoria, Uganda

An experimental bottom trawl survey was carried out in the Uganda sector of Lake Victoria during the period May 1993 through May 1995 with the aim of establishing the current composition, distribution and abundance of the fish stocks. A total of 205 successful one-hour hauls were taken using the 25.4mm mesh size codend trawl net during the 19 cruises. Fourteen fish taxa (excluding the haplochromines) were recorded with Lates niloticus constituting the bulk (97 %) of the fish retained. Haplochromines and L. nilolicus were encountered in all areas sampled while Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and other tilapiines were restricted to waters less than 20 metres deep. An average catch of 154 kg/hr was obtained in waters less than 30 metres deep. Species diversity and relative abundance varied with depth. Only two of the fifteen fish taxa (haplochromines and L.niloticus) were recorded in waters deeper than 30 metres and the bulk of the fish by weight (92 %) was obtained in waters less than 30 metres.

Min-Max Moving Horizon Estimation for a Class of Hybrid Systems

In this paper, a strategy for min-max Moving Horizon Estimation (MHE) of a class of uncertain hybrid systems is proposed. The class of hybrid systems being considered are Piecewise Affine systems (PWA) with both continuous valued and logic components. Furthermore, we consider the case when there is a (possibly structured) norm bounded uncertainty in each subsystem. Sufficient conditions on the time horizon and the penalties on the state at the beginning of the estimation horizon to guarantee convergence of the MHE scheme will be provided. The MHE scheme will be implemented as a mixed integer semidefinite optimisation for which an efficient algorithm was recently introduced.

高黎贡山地区公众保护意识教育

云南西部高黎贡山地区生物多样性既丰富又受威胁。当地公众不珍惜自然、无保护常识。为拯救该地区生物资源，笔者深入基层山区村户、不拘形式或小型非正式座谈讨论方式，对１０００余人进行了公众保护意识教育，使他们懂得了生物资源的保护与持续利用益在自身和长久，控制狩猎和择猎以确保野生动物种群稳定，改变“刀耕火种”、以计划限量采伐维护森林环境等。文中对未来公众保护教育提出了建议

灵长类Nomascus亚属的长臂猿

Nomascus亚属有3个有效种附8个亚种。白颊长臂猿H. leucogenys, 为单型种。红颊长臂猿H. gabriellae有2个亚种; 黑冠长臂猿H. concolor有6个亚种。并介绍了种的分布地。图1表3参10

双齿果蝇物种群Lordiphosa denticeps group的分类地位及四新种记述(双翅目: 果蝇科)

根据雄性前足跗节具似性梳状的鬃、肛板下缘具粗黑色齿、抱器具方向向上的簇鬃、后阳基侧突屋脊状、导卵器有许多散生的盘齿等双齿果蝇物种群的特有的特性, 认为双齿果蝇物种群有效, 应作为拱背果蝇属独立的物种群。并记述了4新种: 刀形拱背果蝇L. cultrata, 德钦拱背果蝇L. deqenensis, 双叉拱背果蝇L. ramula和拟双叉拱背果蝇L. falsiramula。连同已知种列成检索表以资区别。模式标本存作者单位。图15参7

小分子对大分子反应的控制作用

生物体系中各种大分子的反应无一例外地都涉及多种小分子的参与. 这些小分子, 如小肽、有机小分子和无机离子等, 在大分子的反应中是不可缺的, 有些对反应的进程起着关键性作用. 小分子究竟从哪些方面影响或控制大分子的反应进程?