一个美国人类学家的中国情结

人类学在聚焦世界各地人们的生活及其方式的过程中,一直致力于成为一门客观性的科学。最近,女性人类学者们的一些活动则为表达主观观点,传达个人情感及检验人类学者和研究群体间的关系开辟了道路。这篇文章审视了我个人一生对中国的美好情感,而我的这种情感于 2000 年参加在北京举行的IUAES(国际人类学民族学联合会中期会议)时达到高潮。     

Microbial starch-binding domains are superior to granule-bound starch synthase I for anchoring luciferase to potato starch granules

Microbial starch-binding domains (SBD) and granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) are proteins which are accumulated in potato starch granules. The efficiency of SBD and GBSSI for targeting active luciferase reporter proteins to granules during starch biosynthesis was compared. GBSSI or SBD sequences were fused to the N- or C-terminus of the luciferase (LUC) gene, via an artificial Pro-Thr encoding linker sequence. The genes were introduced into an amylose-free (amf) potato mutant. It appeared that SBD was superior to GBSSI as a targeting sequence, mainly because the luciferase retained higher activity in the SBD-containing fusion proteins than in the GBSSI-containing ones.     

Towards genetic genome projects: genomic library screening and gene-targeting vector construction in a single step.

We have developed technologies that simplify genomic library construction and screening, substantially reducing both the time and the cost associated with traditional library screening methods and facilitating the generation of gene-targeting constructs. By taking advantage of homologous recombination in Escherichia coli, we were able to use as little as 80 bp of total sequence homology to screen for a specific gene from a genomic library in plasmid or phage form. This method, called recombination cloning (REC), takes only a few days instead of the several weeks required for traditional plaque-lift methods. In addition, because every clone in the mouse genomic library we have constructed has a negative selection marker adjacent to the genomic insert, REC screening can generate gene-targeting vectors in one step, from library screening to finished construct. Conditional targeting constructs can be generated easily with minimal additional manipulation.     

The extent of linkage disequilibrium in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Linkage disequilibrium (LD), the nonrandom occurrence of alleles in haplotypes, has long been of interest to population geneticists. Recently, the rapidly increasing availability of genomic polymorphism data has fueled interest in LD as a tool for fine-scale mapping, in particular for human disease loci. The chromosomal extent of LD is crucial in this context, because it determines how dense a map must be for associations to be detected and, conversely, limits how finely loci may be mapped. Arabidopsis thaliana is expected to harbor unusually extensive LD because of its high degree of selfing. Several polymorphism studies have found very strong LD within individual loci, but also evidence of some recombination. Here we investigate the pattern of LD on a genomic scale and show that in global samples, LD decays within approximately 1 cM, or 250 kb. We also show that LD in local populations may be much stronger than that of global populations, presumably as a result of founder events. The combination of a relatively high level of polymorphism and extensive haplotype structure bodes well for developing a genome-wide LD map in A. thaliana.     

Palaeolake and palaeoenvironment between 42 and 18 kaBP in tengger desert, NW China

Comprehensive field investigations and laboratory analyses show that palaeolakes, including fresh- mesohaline water Megalake Tengger and other semi-con- nected, isolated water bodies, during late Pleistocene covered an area of more than 20000 km², which is more than half of the Tengger Desert in NW China. Stratigraphic correlation and chronological evidence indicate that before ca. 42000 aBP the area was more arid. The palaeolakes started to develop around 40000 uncal. ¹⁴C aBP but until 37000 ¹⁴C aBP their scope was limited. High water levels established from 35000 ¹⁴C aBP lasted until 22000 ¹⁴CaBP. Lake levels regressed between 22000 and 20000 ¹⁴C aBP but transgressed from 20000 to 18600 ¹⁴C aBP. Subsequently, water level declined further and the Megalake Tengger finally desiccated at around 18000 ¹⁴C aBP. Megalake Tengger possessed a fresh-mesohaline water property, implying that the regional precipitation increased significantly. During the period of Megalake Tengger, the climate was warmer-humid than present. The annual rainfall was 250 to 350 mm more than that of today and the temperature was 1.5 to 3.0℃ higher.     

Mass march of termites into the deadly trap.

Carnivorous pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes are not usually very selective about their prey, catching anything that is careless enough to walk on their slippery peristome, but Nepenthes albomarginata is an exception. We show here that this plant uses a fringe of edible white hairs to lure and then trap its prey, which consists exclusively of termites in enormous numbers. This singular feature accounts for the specialization of N. albomarginata for one prey taxon, unique so far among carnivorous plants.     

Superoxide activates mitochondrial uncoupling proteins.

Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) diverts energy from ATP synthesis to thermogenesis in the mitochondria of brown adipose tissue by catalysing a regulated leak of protons across the inner membrane. The functions of its homologues, UCP2 and UCP3, in other tissues are debated. UCP2 and UCP3 are present at much lower abundance than UCP1, and the uncoupling with which they are associated is not significantly thermogenic. Mild uncoupling would, however, decrease the mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species, which are important mediators of oxidative damage. Here we show that superoxide increases mitochondrial proton conductance through effects on UCP1, UCP2 and UCP3. Superoxide-induced uncoupling requires fatty acids and is inhibited by purine nucleotides. It correlates with the tissue expression of UCPs, appears in mitochondria from yeast expressing UCP1, and is absent in skeletal muscle mitochondria from UCP3 knockout mice. Our findings indicate that the interaction of superoxide with UCPs may be a mechanism for decreasing the concentrations of reactive oxygen species inside mitochondria.     

Rutile U-Pb age for the ultra-high pressure eclogite from the dabie Mountains,central China:Evideence for rapid cooling

The U-Pb isotope compositions of rutile, omphacite and garnet in the eclogite from the Jinheqiao area in the Southern Dabie ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic zone were analyzed. The consistent high precision U-Pb age (218 ±(1.2) Ma of rutile in eclogite from the Dabie Mountains was obtained by two ways of isochron and common Pb correction based on the composition of omphacite. This proves that the omphacite in eclogite has a U/Pb ratio (μ = 2.8) low enough to be used for common Pb correction in the analyses of rutile. Under the rapid cooling condition (40℃/Ma) the closure temperature for U-Pb diffusion in rutile is about 470℃. Thus, this U-Pb age of rutile proves that 218 Ma should be the cooling age of eclogite at 470℃ instead of the peak metamorphic age.     

Deconstructing maize population structure.

Association studies have rarely been used in plant genetics, in part because of the risk of false positives caused by population structure. A study of flowering time in maize makes the first use of recent 'structured association' methods-statistical approaches that use independent loci to control for the effects of structure and admixture.