Cyclin-dependent kinases prevent DNA re-replication through multiple mechanisms.

The stable propagation of genetic information requires that the entire genome of an organism be faithfully replicated once and only once each cell cycle. In eukaryotes, this replication is initiated at hundreds to thousands of replication origins distributed over the genome, each of which must be prohibited from re-initiating DNA replication within every cell cycle. How cells prevent re-initiation has been a long-standing question in cell biology. In several eukaryotes, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) have been implicated in promoting the block to re-initiation, but exactly how they perform this function is unclear. Here we show that B-type CDKs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae prevent re-initiation through multiple overlapping mechanisms, including phosphorylation of the origin recognition complex (ORC), downregulation of Cdc6 activity, and nuclear exclusion of the Mcm2-7 complex. Only when all three inhibitory pathways are disrupted do origins re-initiate DNA replication in G2/M cells. These studies show that each of these three independent mechanisms of regulation is functionally important.     

甘油发酵生产1,3-丙二醇的菌种筛选

本实验室从上海地区的活性污泥中分离得到能使甘油转化产生1,3-丙二醇的细菌,经过初步筛选和GC-MS分析鉴定,得到一株转化率较高的菌株,随后对其发酵条件和培养基成分进行初步的探索,确定了较为优化的培养基配方．此菌株的甘油转化率达到47．3％．     

Peripheral education of the immune system by colonic commensal microbiota

The instruction of the immune system to be tolerant of self, thereby preventing autoimmunity, is facilitated by the education of T cells in a specialized organ, the thymus, in which self-reactive cells are either eliminated or differentiated into tolerogenic Foxp3(+) regulatory T (T(reg)) cells. However, it is unknown whether T cells are also educated to be tolerant of foreign antigens, such as those from commensal bacteria, to prevent immunopathology such as inflammatory bowel disease. Here we show that encounter with commensal microbiota results in the peripheral generation of T(reg) cells rather than pathogenic effectors. We observed that colonic T(reg) cells used T-cell antigen receptors (TCRs) different from those used by T(reg) cells in other locations, implying an important role for local antigens in shaping the colonic T(reg)-cell population. Many of the local antigens seemed to be derived from commensal bacteria, on the basis of the in vitro reactivity of common colon T(reg) TCRs. These TCRs did not facilitate thymic T(reg)-cell development, implying that many colonic T(reg) cells arise instead by means of antigen-driven peripheral T(reg)-cell development. Further analysis of two of these TCRs by the creation of retroviral bone marrow chimaeras and a TCR transgenic line revealed that microbiota indigenous to our mouse colony was required for the generation of colonic T(reg) cells from otherwise naive T cells. If T cells expressing these TCRs fail to undergo T(reg)-cell development and instead become effector cells, they have the potential to induce colitis, as evidenced by adoptive transfer studies. These results suggest that the efficient peripheral generation of antigen-specific populations of T(reg) cells in response to an individual's microbiota provides important post-thymic education of the immune system to foreign antigens, thereby providing tolerance to commensal microbiota.     

基于虚拟领航者的多艘船舶协调路径跟踪控制

针对多艘船舶的协调路径跟踪问题,提出了基于虚拟领航者的分布式协调策略.该策略假定一个虚拟体作为领航者,每艘船与该领航者的相对位置作为闭环系统的反馈信息,通过对每艘船进行控制器设计,使多船形成一定的队形,实现协调路径跟踪.同时引入自适应反步法来设计每艘船的控制器,以抵消海流的干扰,增强系统的鲁棒性,并用李雅普诺夫理论证明了所设计控制器的稳定性.最后通过仿真验证了所提出的协调策略和控制方法的有效性.     

Local destabilisation of a DNA double helix by a T--T wobble pair.

Nuclear magnetic resonance is a technique which permits direct observation of the Waton--Click hydrogen-bonded ring imino protons (guanine N1H and thymine N3H). As the formation and disruption of hydrogen bonds of double-helical RNA and DNA structures are key events during various biological processes, NMR thus provides a useful tool for studying the fluctuational mobility of the individual base pairs. Indeed, several NMR studies of oligo- and polynucleotides have been carried out to probe the structure and dynamics of nucleic acids in solution (for a review see ref. 1). The present study constitutes the first part of our attempt to assess the influence of non-complementary base pairs on the stability of nucleic acid double helices. We report the spectral assignment and temperature-dependent NMR profiles of the hydrogen-bonded imino protons of the two DNA fragments shown in Fig. 1. The assignment is based solely on experimental grounds using the principle of chemical modification. It will be demonstrated that the introduction of a non-complementary (wobble) base pair in a DNA duplex introduces an extra melting site in addition to the sequential melting which starts with the terminal base pairs in the double helix structure.     

多量子点接触中声表面波驱动下的电子输运

本文研究了多量子点接触中声表面波驱动下的电子输运的声电电流特性.改变每个量子点接触的栅电压用以实现不同高度的静态势垒,从而调节声电电流.并用电子泵模型解释了不同势垒之间的耦合对于电流的影响,根据此模型得到的模拟结果与实验吻合.     

微生物降解金针菇栽培袋料中的棉酚研究

通过单菌种,多菌种的复合固态发酵筛选,建立了一种高效降解金针菇栽培袋料中棉酚的方法:以酿酒酵母(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)单菌种发酵.通过单因素试验初步确定金针菇栽培袋料发酵脱毒的工艺条件,单因素最佳条件为:接种量15%,含水量60%,培养温度40℃.通过响应面法优化脱毒条件,响应面分析结果为三个因素两两之间的交互影响作用并不显著,一个因素对棉酚脱毒率的影响不会随着另一因素的改变而有明显变化,并得出金针菇栽培袋料发酵脱毒的最优条件为接种量14.85%,含水量60.70%,培养温度40.15℃,金针菇栽培袋料中的棉酚从287.563mg/kg降至33.685mg/kg,脱毒率达到88.286%.     

产木聚糖酶海洋微生物的筛选与诱变育种

以自制木聚糖为初筛培养基的唯一碳源,从多个海洋来源样品中一共筛到60株有透明圈且形态各异的菌株,摇瓶发酵结果显示,38株具有产木聚糖酶能力,其中B659菌株产酶能力最高,酶活力为525.3 U·m L-1.结合B659菌株的形态特征和16S r DNA序列分析鉴定该菌株属于Bacillus属.对B659菌株进行紫外诱变,筛选得到酶活提高13.9%且稳定遗传的突变菌株G3-17;对G3-17菌株进一步进行微波诱变得到酶活较G3-17菌株高出11.6%且稳定遗传的突变菌株W1-40.对B659菌株和W1-40突变菌株进行发酵试验,72 h时W1-40菌株的酶活力达到645.2 U·m L-1,比B659菌株(517.9 U·m L-1)提高24.6%.     

DNA protection by stress-induced biocrystallization.

The crystalline state is considered to be incompatible with life. However, in living systems exposed to severe environmental assaults, the sequestration of vital macromolecules in intracellular crystalline assemblies may provide an efficient means for protection. Here we report a generic defence strategy found in Escherichia coli, involving co-crystallization of its DNA with the stress-induced protein Dps. We show that when purified Dps and DNA interact, extremely stable crystals form almost instantaneously, within which DNA is sequestered and effectively protected against varied assaults. Crystalline structures with similar lattice spacings are formed in E. coli in which Dps is slightly over expressed, as well as in starved wild-type bacteria. Hence, DNA-Dps co-crystallization is proposed to represent a binding mode that provides wide-range protection of DNA by sequestration. The rapid induction and large-scale production of Dps in response to stress, as well as the presence of Dps homologues in many distantly related bacteria, indicate that DNA protection by biocrystallization may be crucial and widespread in prokaryotes.     

ATP-dependent recognition of eukaryotic origins of DNA replication by a multiprotein complex.

A multiprotein complex that specifically recognizes cellular origins of DNA replication has been identified and purified from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We observe a strong correlation between origin function and origin recognition by this activity. Interestingly, specific DNA binding by the origin recognition complex is dependent upon the addition of ATP. We propose that the origin recognition complex acts as the initiator protein for S. cerevisiae origins of DNA replication.     

Identification and nucleotide sequence of a diversity DNA segment (D) of immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes

A putative diversity segment of immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes (D segments) has been identified 700 base pairs 5' to JH1 DNA on the germ-line genome of the mouse. This 10-base pair D segment is flanked by two sets of sequences related to (SEE FORMULAR IN TEXT) which are possible recognition sites for a recombinase. The spacer separating the heptamer and the nonamer is 12 base pairs long on both sides of the D segment. As the space separating the two signal sequences in VH DNAs and JH DNAs is 23 +/- 1 base pairs long, the two recombinations required for creation of a complete immunoglobulin VH gene, a VH--D joining and a D--JH joining, follow a 12/23-base pair spacer rule. Allelic exclusion is discussed with respect to D segments.     

Error-prone replication of oxidatively damaged DNA by a high-fidelity DNA polymerase

Aerobic respiration generates reactive oxygen species that can damage guanine residues and lead to the production of 8-oxoguanine (8oxoG), the major mutagenic oxidative lesion in the genome. Oxidative damage is implicated in ageing and cancer, and its prevalence presents a constant challenge to DNA polymerases that ensure accurate transmission of genomic information. When these polymerases encounter 8oxoG, they frequently catalyse misincorporation of adenine in preference to accurate incorporation of cytosine. This results in the propagation of G to T transversions, which are commonly observed somatic mutations associated with human cancers. Here, we present sequential snapshots of a high-fidelity DNA polymerase during both accurate and mutagenic replication of 8oxoG. Comparison of these crystal structures reveals that 8oxoG induces an inversion of the mismatch recognition mechanisms that normally proofread DNA, such that the 8oxoG.adenine mismatch mimics a cognate base pair whereas the 8oxoG.cytosine base pair behaves as a mismatch. These studies reveal a fundamental mechanism of error-prone replication and show how 8oxoG, and DNA lesions in general, can form mismatches that evade polymerase error-detection mechanisms, potentially leading to the stable incorporation of lethal mutations.     

Aligning DNA on Si surface and cutting off by tips of atomic force microscope

DNA is a kind of promising molecule as nano-lead to build or connect nano-devices due to its stable linear structure and certain conductivity. Many methods have been applied to constructing nano-patterns by using DNA molecule. In this report it is presented that λ-DNA was aligned on Si substrate by using the free-flowing method and then imaged by an atomic force microscope (AFM). After the second liquid flow, a catenary-like pattern and a crossed network of λ-DNA were formed. In addition, the aligned λ-DNA was successfully cut off by tips of AFM.