影响双向电泳分离效果的若干实验条件比较研究

对第一向为载体两性电解质pH梯度等电聚焦双向电泳(ISO-DALT)中若干影响分离效果的实验条件进行了研究.结果发现,琼脂糖和尿素的纯度明显影响分离效果;加丙烯酰胺或碘乙酰胺保护经二硫苏糖醇还原的样品中的巯基,可以显著减少假斑点;厚度较薄的分离胶的分离效果较好;以琼脂糖为两性电解质载体代替聚丙烯酰胺的第一向等电聚焦电泳使分子量105Da以上蛋白质得以分离.     

Nuclear cataract caused by a lack of DNA degradation in the mouse eye lens

The eye lens is composed of fibre cells, which develop from the epithelial cells on the anterior surface of the lens. Differentiation into a lens fibre cell is accompanied by changes in cell shape, the expression of crystallins and the degradation of cellular organelles. The loss of organelles is believed to ensure the transparency of the lens, but the molecular mechanism behind this process is not known. Here we show that DLAD ('DNase II-like acid DNase', also called DNase IIbeta) is expressed in human and murine lens cells, and that mice deficient in the DLAD gene are incapable of degrading DNA during lens cell differentiation--the undigested DNA accumulates in the fibre cells. The DLAD-/- mice develop cataracts of the nucleus lentis, and their response to light on electroretinograms is severely reduced. These results indicate that DLAD is responsible for the degradation of nuclear DNA during lens cell differentiation, and that if DNA is left undigested in the lens, it causes cataracts of the nucleus lentis, blocking the light path.     

Species-specific differences in the mitogenic activity of heparin-binding growth factors in the sera of various mammals

Sera from different mammalian species displayed great differences in mitogenic activity, as measured by stimulation of DNA synthesis in BALB/c 3T3 cells (3T3 cells). Among the sera examined, fetal bovine serum was least active, and increasing activity was detected in calf serum, human serum, rat serum and mouse serum, in that order. Rat and mouse sera exhibited extremely high mitogenic activity with 3T3 cells, but when TIG-1 human fetal lung fibroblasts were used for the DNA assay instead, the activity levels of all of the sera were lower, and the differences between them were smaller. To determine the reasons for these differences, the heparin-binding growth factors in each serum were separated on a heparin affinity column. Five peaks of DNA-stimulating activity were obtained. Three of these were found in all sera examined, with both 3T3 cells and TIG-1 cells. Two other peaks were found only with 3T3 cells; one was peculiar to rat and mouse sera, with extremely high activity in the rat, and the other was specific to fetal serum. The dependence of the activity of these peaks on the cells used for the test was confirmed using normal rat lung fibroblasts and immortalized rat kidney cells. These findings adequately explain the species-specific differences in mitogenic activity of whole sera, and the variation in activity depending on the cells used for assay of DNA synthesis.     

短双歧杆菌(Bifidobacterium breve 203)α-D-半乳糖苷酶的诱导合成及部分酶性质研究

研究发现 2 5株所试肠道细菌中只有 6株双歧杆菌可以利用棉子糖良好生长 ,并且在棉子糖的诱导下产生α D 半乳糖苷酶 .9种不同糖中 ,Bifidobacter iumbreve 2 0 3可以利用葡萄糖、半乳糖、果糖、麦芽糖、乳糖、蜜二糖、棉子糖良好生长 ,但只有蜜二糖和棉子糖诱导α D 半乳糖苷酶的产生 .1 0mmol/L的棉子糖和蜜二糖对于α D 半乳糖苷酶的诱导合成是最佳浓度的 ,且此浓度下 ,棉子糖的诱导能力 (比活 7.1 3units/mg)是蜜二糖 (比活 3 .4 0units/mg)的 2倍以上 .B .breve 2 0 3菌株α D 半乳糖苷酶专一性水解α D 半乳糖苷键 ,不水解β D 半乳糖苷键 .酶反应的最适温度是 3 7℃ ,酶在 4 0℃以下稳定 ,60℃时剩余 80 %的酶活 ,65℃时剩余 2 0 %的酶活 ,70℃时失去所有的酶活 .酶在 pH5.5～ 9.5稳定 ,酶反应的最适pH是 5.5～ 6.5.Hg 、Cu2 、Ag 和PCMB强烈抑制酶的活性 ,而Co2 、Mg2 、Ca2 、Mn2 、Zn2 、EDTA和DTT对酶活性没有抑制 .     

Demonstration of a quantum teleportation network for continuous variables

Quantum teleportation involves the transportation of an unknown quantum state from one location to another, without physical transfer of the information carrier. Although quantum teleportation is a naturally bipartite process, it can be extended to a multipartite protocol known as a quantum teleportation network. In such a network, entanglement is shared between three or more parties. For the case of three parties (a tripartite network), teleportation of a quantum state can occur between any pair, but only with the assistance of the third party. Multipartite quantum protocols are expected to form fundamental components for larger-scale quantum communication and computation. Here we report the experimental realization of a tripartite quantum teleportation network for quantum states of continuous variables (electromagnetic field modes). We demonstrate teleportation of a coherent state between three different pairs in the network, unambiguously demonstrating its tripartite character.     

Haematopoietic stem cells do not transdifferentiate into cardiac myocytes in myocardial infarcts

The mammalian heart has a very limited regenerative capacity and, hence, heals by scar formation. Recent reports suggest that haematopoietic stem cells can transdifferentiate into unexpected phenotypes such as skeletal muscle, hepatocytes, epithelial cells, neurons, endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes, in response to tissue injury or placement in a new environment. Furthermore, transplanted human hearts contain myocytes derived from extra-cardiac progenitor cells, which may have originated from bone marrow. Although most studies suggest that transdifferentiation is extremely rare under physiological conditions, extensive regeneration of myocardial infarcts was reported recently after direct stem cell injection, prompting several clinical trials. Here, we used both cardiomyocyte-restricted and ubiquitously expressed reporter transgenes to track the fate of haematopoietic stem cells after 145 transplants into normal and injured adult mouse hearts. No transdifferentiation into cardiomyocytes was detectable when using these genetic techniques to follow cell fate, and stem-cell-engrafted hearts showed no overt increase in cardiomyocytes compared to sham-engrafted hearts. These results indicate that haematopoietic stem cells do not readily acquire a cardiac phenotype, and raise a cautionary note for clinical studies of infarct repair.     

Mantle superplasticity and its self-made demise

The unusual capability of solid crystalline materials to deform plastically, known as superplasticity, has been found in metals and even in ceramics. Such superplastic behaviour has been speculated for decades to take place in geological materials, ranging from surface ice sheets to the Earth's lower mantle. In materials science, superplasticity is confirmed when the material deforms with large tensile strain without failure; however, no experimental studies have yet shown this characteristic in geomaterials. Here we show that polycrystalline forsterite + periclase (9:1) and forsterite + enstatite + diopside (7:2.5:0.5), which are good analogues for Earth's mantle, undergo homogeneous elongation of up to 500 per cent under subsolidus conditions. Such superplastic deformation is accompanied by strain hardening, which is well explained by the grain size sensitivity of superplasticity and grain growth under grain switching conditions (that is, grain boundary sliding); grain boundary sliding is the main deformation mechanism for superplasticity. We apply the observed strain-grain size-viscosity relationship to portions of the mantle where superplasticity has been presumed to take place, such as localized shear zones in the upper mantle and within subducting slabs penetrating into the transition zone and lower mantle after a phase transformation. Calculations show that superplastic flow in the mantle is inevitably accompanied by significant grain growth that can bring fine grained (≤1?μm) rocks to coarse-grained (1-10?mm) aggregates, resulting in increasing mantle viscosity and finally termination of superplastic flow.     

Memory CD4<Superscript>+</Superscript> T Cells: fate determination,positive feedback and plasticity

Naïve CD4⁺ T cells undergo massive cell proliferation upon encountering their cognate ligand. This proliferation depends upon appropriate cues from the antigen-presenting cells that have processed the antigen and present the peptide to the T cells, and requires the establishment of a cytokine environment that can support such proliferation. Expansion of antigen-specific CD4⁺ T cells needs to be coupled with differentiation into one of several effector/regulatory phenotypes if the priming event is to result in cells that can initially act to control the particular pathogen that elicited the response, and later to serve as memory cells to insure an appropriate response upon reintroduction of the pathogen. Here, we discuss the initiation of T helper lineage commitment, the positive feedback regulation by the cytokine environment to enhance and stabilize the differentiation into distinct T helper subsets, and the biological significance of CD4⁺ T cell plasticity and long-term CD4⁺ T cell memory.     

The yak genome and adaptation to life at high altitude

Domestic yaks (Bos grunniens) provide meat and other necessities for Tibetans living at high altitude on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and in adjacent regions. Comparison between yak and the closely related low-altitude cattle (Bos taurus) is informative in studying animal adaptation to high altitude. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of a female domestic yak generated using Illumina-based technology at 65-fold coverage. Genomic comparisons between yak and cattle identify an expansion in yak of gene families related to sensory perception and energy metabolism, as well as an enrichment of protein domains involved in sensing the extracellular environment and hypoxic stress. Positively selected and rapidly evolving genes in the yak lineage are also found to be significantly enriched in functional categories and pathways related to hypoxia and nutrition metabolism. These findings may have important implications for understanding adaptation to high altitude in other animal species and for hypoxia-related diseases in humans.     

Species-specific differences in the mitogenic activity of heparin-binding growth factors in the sera of various mammals.

Sera from different mammalian species displayed great differences in mitogenic activity, as measured by stimulation of DNA synthesis in BALB/c 3T3 cells (3T3 cells). Among the sera examined, fetal bovine serum was least active, and increasing activity was detected in calf serum, human serum, rat serum and mouse serum, in that order. Rat and mouse sera exhibited extremely high mitogenic activity with 3T3 cells, but when TIG-1 human fetal lung fibroblasts were used for the DNA assay instead, the activity levels of all of the sera were lower, and the differences between them were smaller. To determine the reasons for these differences, the heparin-binding growth factors in each serum were separated on a heparin affinity column. Five peaks of DNA-stimulating activity were obtained. Three of these were found in all sera examined, with both 3T3 cells and TIG-1 cells. Two other peaks were found only with 3T3 cells; one was peculiar to rat and mouse sera, with extremely high activity in the rat, and the other was specific to fetal serum. The dependence of the activity of these peaks on the cells used for the test was confirmed using normal rat lung fibroblasts and immortalized rat kidney cells. These findings adequately explain the species-specific differences in mitogenic activity of whole sera, and the variation in activity depending on the cells used for assay of DNA synthesis.