Assignment of circadian function for the Neurospora clock gene frequency.

Circadian clocks consist of three elements: entrainment pathways (inputs), the mechanism generating the rhythmicity (oscillator), and the output pathways that control the circadian rhythms. It is difficult to assign molecular clock components to any one of these elements. Experiments show that inputs can be circadianly regulated and outputs can feed back on the oscillator. Mathematical simulations indicate that under- or overexpression of a gene product can result in arrhythmicity, whether the protein is part of the oscillator or substantially part of a rhythmically expressed input pathway. To distinguish between these two possibilities, we used traditional circadian entrainment protocols on a genetic model system, Neurospora crassa.     

Independent transfer of mitochondrial plasmids in Neurospora crassa

In the ascomycete fungus Neurospora, the distribution of homologous mitochondrial plasmid DNAs in different species and among mitochondrial types of N. crassa suggests that these molecules have moved between lineages of clonally propagated mtDNA. Here we report direct evidence for independent inheritance of mitochondrial plasmids by sexual reproduction which may help explain the distribution of these molecules among mitochondrial lineages.     

Impaired type II glucocorticoid-receptor function in mice bearing antisense RNA transgene.

Glucocorticoids, in conjunction with their cognate receptors, exert negative-feedback effects on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, suppressing adrenal steroid secretions. Two types of corticosteroid receptor, distinguishable by their ability to bind corticosterone, have been identified as classical mineralocorticoid (type I) and glucocorticoid (type II) receptors by cloning their complementary DNAs. The type I receptor controls the basal circadian rhythm of corticosteroid secretion. Both receptor types are involved in negative feedback, but the type II receptor may be more important for terminating the stress response as it is the only one to be increased in animals rendered more sensitive to corticosteroid negative-feedback effects. Here we create a transgenic mouse with impaired corticosteroid-receptor function by partially knocking out gene expression with type II glucocorticoid receptor antisense RNA. We use this animal to study the glucocorticoid feedback effect on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis.     

产纤维素酶粗糙脉孢菌1602产酶条件优化

通过优化设计,确定纤维素高产菌株Neurosporacrassa1602摇瓶发酵最佳产酶条件为:培养液初始pH值为5.5,培养温度为28℃,摇瓶转速为150rpm,培养96h;300玉米芯粉、0.500麸皮酸水解液(0.6mol/L)能够促进产酶,最适宜的有机氮源为黄豆粉;最适宜的无机氮源为NH4HSO4.在最适发酵条件下,其纤维酶的活力CMCase为10.34IU/ml,FPase为0.71IU/ml.     

粗糙脉孢菌及其在发酵工业中的应用研究

粗糙脉孢菌（Neurospora crassa）是一种多细胞丝状真菌,也是一种重要的真核模式生物,它在现代遗传学、生物化学和分子生物学研究领域具有重要的地位。本文介绍了粗糙脉孢菌的生理特性及其分子生物学研究概况,重点阐述了粗糙脉孢菌在发酵工业生产应用中的研究进展。     

Creatine accelerates the circadian clock in a unicellular alga

The circadian clock is considered to be a universal feature of eucaryotic organisms, controlling the occurrence and rates of many different aspects of life, ranging from single enzymatic reactions and metabolism to complex behaviours such as activity and rest. Although the nature of the underlying cellular/biochemical oscillator is still unknown, many substances are known to influence either phase or period of circadian rhythms in different organisms. These include D2O, electrolytes and ion channel inhibitors, small organic molecules such as alcohols and aldehydes, inhibitors of protein synthesis and amino-acid analogues. Certain transmitter and neurochemical drugs also influence the circadian clock in higher animals. We report here that the period of free-running circadian rhythms in the unicellular marine alga Gonyaulax polyedra is shortened by extracts from mammalian cells. The effect is dose-dependent, accelerating the circadian clock by as much as 4 hours per day. The substance responsible for this effect has been isolated from bovine muscle and identified as creatine. Authentic creatine has identical biological effects at micromolar concentrations and is known in animal systems for its involvement in cellular energy metabolism. A period shortening substance with similar chemical properties is also present in extracts of Gonyaulax itself.     

Stochastic gene expression out-of-steady-state in the cyanobacterial circadian clock

Recent advances in measuring gene expression at the single-cell level have highlighted the stochastic nature of messenger RNA and protein synthesis. Stochastic gene expression creates a source of variability in the abundance of cellular components, even among isogenic cells exposed to an identical environment. Recent integrated experimental and modelling studies have shed light on the molecular sources of this variability. However, many of these studies focus on systems that have reached a steady state and therefore do not address a large class of dynamic phenomena including oscillatory gene expression. Here we develop a general protocol for analysing and predicting stochastic gene expression in systems that never reach steady states. We use this framework to analyse experimentally stochastic expression of genes driven by the Synechococcus elongatus circadian clock. We find that, although the average expression at two points in the circadian cycle separated by 12 hours is identical, the variability at these two time points can be different. We show that this is a general feature of out-of-steady-state systems. We demonstrate how intrinsic noise sources, owing to random births and deaths of mRNAs and proteins, or extrinsic noise sources, which introduce fluctuations in rate constants, affect the cell-to-cell variability. To distinguish experimentally between these sources, we measured how the correlation between expression fluctuations of two identical genes is modulated during the circadian cycle. This quantitative framework is generally applicable to any out-of-steady-state system and will be necessary for understanding the fidelity of dynamic cellular systems.     

粗糙脉孢菌中几丁质合酶1缺失突变体的构建及表型分析

在丝状真菌中,几丁质是真菌细胞壁的主要成分之一,对维持细胞形态和结构起到了重要的作用.几丁质是由几丁质合酶(chitin synthase,CHS)催化合成的,几丁质合酶参与生物钟调节的生理活动.本文以丝状真菌粗糙脉孢菌几丁质合酶1(CHS-1)为研究对象,通过同源重组基因敲除技术、电转化、分生孢子过膜以及PCR鉴定的方法,获得了chs-1缺失突变菌株CHS-1KO.通过竞争性生长管(racetube)培养分析发现:对照Ku70RIP和突变菌株CHS-1KO(Ku70RIP背景)均具有明显的分生孢子带,但分生孢子带昼夜节律周期缩短,直线生长速率显著减慢,ku70RIP菌丝生长长度是3.4±0.31 cm/24 h,而突变菌株CHS-1KO(Ku70RIP背景)菌丝生长长度是2.07±0.19 cm/24 h.并进一步结合细胞壁染色对细胞形态分析发现:变菌株CHS-1KO菌丝沿生长方向膨胀、分支变短.这些结果表明:几丁质合酶1在粗糙脉孢菌分生孢子带昼夜节律形成和菌丝生长中发挥重要的作用.