Genetic variation in the New World: Ancient teeth,bone, and tissue as sources of DNA

Examination of ancient and contemporary Native American mtDNA variation via diagnostic restriction sites and the 9-pb Region V deletion suggests a single wave of migration into the New World. This is in contrast to data from Torroni et al.³⁴ which suggested two waves of migration into the New World (the NaDene and Amerind). All four founding lineage types are present in populations in North, Central, and South America suggesting that all four lineages came over together and spead throughout the New World. Ancient Native American DNA shows that all four lineages were present before European contact in North America, and at least two were present in South America. The presence of all four lineages in the NaDene and the Amerinds argues against separate migrations founding these two groups, although admixture between the groups is still a viable explanation for the presence of all four types in the NaDene.     

Missense mutations interfere with VEGFR-3 signalling in primary lymphoedema

Primary lymphoedema is a rare, autosomal dominant disorder that leads to a disabling and disfiguring swelling of the extremities and, when untreated, tends to worsen with time. Here we link primary human lymphoedema to the FLT4 locus, encoding vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), in several families. All disease-associated alleles analysed had missense mutations and encoded proteins with an inactive tyrosine kinase, preventing downstream gene activation. Our study establishes that VEGFR-3 is important for normal lymphatic vascular function and that mutations interfering with VEGFR-3 signal transduction are a cause of primary lymphoedema.     

The impact of HIV-1 on neurogenesis: implications for HAND

HIV-1 infection, in addition to its destructive effects on the immune system, plays a role in the development of neurocognitive deficits. Indeed up to 50 % of long-term HIV infected patients suffer from HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). These deficits have been well characterized and defined clinically according to a number of cognitive parameters. HAND is often accompanied by atrophy of the brain including inhibition of neurogenesis, especially in the hippocampus.  Many mechanisms have been proposed as contributing factors to HAND including induction of oxidative stress in the central nervous system (CNS), chronic microglial-mediated neuroinflammation, amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition, hyperphosphorylated tau protein, and toxic effects of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). In these review we focus solely on recent experimental evidence suggesting that disturbance by HIV-1 results in impairment of neurogenesis as one contributing factor to HAND. Impaired neurogenesis has been linked to cognitive deficits and other neurodegenerative disorders. This article will highlight recently identified pathological mechanisms which potentially contribute to the development of impaired neurogenesis by HIV-1 or HIV-1-associated proteins from both animal and human studies.     

苯酚-硫酸法测定藏木香中多糖含量

采用传统的水煮醇沉法从藏木香中提取可溶性多糖,通过Sevag法脱蛋白后,以葡萄糖为对照品,使用苯酚-硫酸法测定多糖含量.结果表明,在波长486nm处测定吸光度,10-100μg/mL范围内吸光度与被测含量之间具有良好的线性关系,藏木香中多糖的含量为64.37%.     

Genetic variation in human NPY expression affects stress response and emotion

Understanding inter-individual differences in stress response requires the explanation of genetic influences at multiple phenotypic levels, including complex behaviours and the metabolic responses of brain regions to emotional stimuli. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is anxiolytic and its release is induced by stress. NPY is abundantly expressed in regions of the limbic system that are implicated in arousal and in the assignment of emotional valences to stimuli and memories. Here we show that haplotype-driven NPY expression predicts brain responses to emotional and stress challenges and also inversely correlates with trait anxiety. NPY haplotypes predicted levels of NPY messenger RNA in post-mortem brain and lymphoblasts, and levels of plasma NPY. Lower haplotype-driven NPY expression predicted higher emotion-induced activation of the amygdala, as well as diminished resiliency as assessed by pain/stress-induced activations of endogenous opioid neurotransmission in various brain regions. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP rs16147) located in the promoter region alters NPY expression in vitro and seems to account for more than half of the variation in expression in vivo. These convergent findings are consistent with the function of NPY as an anxiolytic peptide and help to explain inter-individual variation in resiliency to stress, a risk factor for many diseases.     

甘青青兰挥发性成分GC/MS分析

目的：分离鉴定出甘青青兰（Dracocephalum tanguticum Maxim.）挥发油的化学成分.方法：用气相色谱-质谱（GC/MS）联用技术及峰面积归一化法测定各组分的相对含量.结果：共鉴定出23种化合物,占总色谱峰总面积的87.46%.结论：甘青青兰挥发油中的化学成分主要为[-]-反-松香芹乙酯和桉油精,两者分别占总挥发油中化学成分的60.30%和9.31%.