The origin of spontaneous activity in the developing auditory system

Spontaneous activity in the developing auditory system is required for neuronal survival as well as the refinement and maintenance of tonotopic maps in the brain. However, the mechanisms responsible for initiating auditory nerve firing in the absence of sound have not been determined. Here we show that supporting cells in the developing rat cochlea spontaneously release ATP, which causes nearby inner hair cells to depolarize and release glutamate, triggering discrete bursts of action potentials in primary auditory neurons. This endogenous, ATP-mediated signalling synchronizes the output of neighbouring inner hair cells, which may help refine tonotopic maps in the brain. Spontaneous ATP-dependent signalling rapidly subsides after the onset of hearing, thereby preventing this experience-independent activity from interfering with accurate encoding of sound. These data indicate that supporting cells in the organ of Corti initiate electrical activity in auditory nerves before hearing, pointing to an essential role for peripheral, non-sensory cells in the development of central auditory pathways.     

Drosophila TCTP is essential for growth and proliferation through regulation of dRheb GTPase

Cellular growth and proliferation are coordinated during organogenesis. Misregulation of these processes leads to pathological conditions such as cancer. Tuberous sclerosis (TSC) is a benign tumour syndrome caused by mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2 tumour suppressor genes. Studies in Drosophila and other organisms have identified TSC signalling as a conserved pathway for growth control. Activation of the TSC pathway is mediated by Rheb (Ras homologue enriched in brain), a Ras superfamily GTPase. Rheb is a direct target of TSC2 and is negatively regulated by its GTPase-activating protein activity. However, molecules required for positive regulation of Rheb have not been identified. Here we show that a conserved protein, translationally controlled tumour protein (TCTP), is an essential new component of the TSC-Rheb pathway. Reducing Drosophila TCTP (dTCTP) levels reduces cell size, cell number and organ size, which mimics Drosophila Rheb (dRheb) mutant phenotypes. dTCTP is genetically epistatic to Tsc1 and dRheb, but acts upstream of dS6k, a downstream target of dRheb. dTCTP directly associates with dRheb and displays guanine nucleotide exchange activity with it in vivo and in vitro. Human TCTP (hTCTP) shows similar biochemical properties compared to dTCTP and can rescue dTCTP mutant phenotypes, suggesting that the function of TCTP in the TSC pathway is evolutionarily conserved. Our studies identify TCTP as a direct regulator of Rheb and a potential therapeutic target for TSC disease.     

A second generation human haplotype map of over 3.1 million SNPs

We describe the Phase II HapMap, which characterizes over 3.1 million human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped in 270 individuals from four geographically diverse populations and includes 25-35% of common SNP variation in the populations surveyed. The map is estimated to capture untyped common variation with an average maximum r2 of between 0.9 and 0.96 depending on population. We demonstrate that the current generation of commercial genome-wide genotyping products captures common Phase II SNPs with an average maximum r2 of up to 0.8 in African and up to 0.95 in non-African populations, and that potential gains in power in association studies can be obtained through imputation. These data also reveal novel aspects of the structure of linkage disequilibrium. We show that 10-30% of pairs of individuals within a population share at least one region of extended genetic identity arising from recent ancestry and that up to 1% of all common variants are untaggable, primarily because they lie within recombination hotspots. We show that recombination rates vary systematically around genes and between genes of different function. Finally, we demonstrate increased differentiation at non-synonymous, compared to synonymous, SNPs, resulting from systematic differences in the strength or efficacy of natural selection between populations.     

Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations

With the advent of dense maps of human genetic variation, it is now possible to detect positive natural selection across the human genome. Here we report an analysis of over 3 million polymorphisms from the International HapMap Project Phase 2 (HapMap2). We used 'long-range haplotype' methods, which were developed to identify alleles segregating in a population that have undergone recent selection, and we also developed new methods that are based on cross-population comparisons to discover alleles that have swept to near-fixation within a population. The analysis reveals more than 300 strong candidate regions. Focusing on the strongest 22 regions, we develop a heuristic for scrutinizing these regions to identify candidate targets of selection. In a complementary analysis, we identify 26 non-synonymous, coding, single nucleotide polymorphisms showing regional evidence of positive selection. Examination of these candidates highlights three cases in which two genes in a common biological process have apparently undergone positive selection in the same population:LARGE and DMD, both related to infection by the Lassa virus, in West Africa;SLC24A5 and SLC45A2, both involved in skin pigmentation, in Europe; and EDAR and EDA2R, both involved in development of hair follicles, in Asia.     

多毛纲(Polychaeta)动物系统学的研究进展

多毛纲动物以海洋底栖分布为主,在长期的进化过程中,产生了形形色色适应不同环境的形态特征和生活史策略.对其系统学的研究,有助于理解自然界生物多样性的保持机制及其在生物系统进化过程中所发挥的作用.从目前的研究结果来看,多毛纲动物为并系发生,但它们在环节动物系统发生树中的基部类群以及大部分并系群之间的相互关系仍有待确定.今后应该增加各类群有代表性的物种的取样数量,开展形态学特征、生活史策略以及分子遗传标记的综合研究,以期完善多毛纲动物的系统学.     

微束X射线荧光分析谱仪及其对松针中元素的分布分析

介绍了一种小型的微束X射线荧光分析谱仪,它是由导管X光透镜和能量色散X射线荧光分析谱仪组成.谱仪具有较高的空间分辨率和能量分辨率.使用本谱仪对松树针叶进行了微区分析,得出各种元素沿松针长度方向和横切面径向的分布规律.结果表明使用X光透镜的微束X射线荧光分析方法可以实现植物样品的微区分析,有助于进一步了解植物的生长与元素迁移的关系.     

河北省御道口牧场气候生产潜力估算

御道口牧场位于河北省围场县北部坝上地区,是河北省畜牧业生产的重要产区.根据牧场多年降水和气温等气象观测资料,同时考虑地形因素和最小面积的限制,对御道口牧场的气候生产潜力进行了估算.得出牧场的气候生产潜力在3.75～5 t·hm-2·a-1之间,牧场内适合发展人工草地的平地和缓坡(＜5°)约占总土地面积的76.5%.     

Al熔体与非晶SiO2的扩散反应动力学

利用SiO2玻璃尺寸大的特点,研究了Al与SiO2玻璃反应组织和反应动力学.实验发现,长时间反应可以得到Al/Al2O3复合组织,在Al熔体和Al/Al2O3复合组织间存在扩散过渡层.测定了扩散过渡层和Al/Al2O3复合层的生长动力学.分析了扩散过渡层的动力学规律.讨论了Si对扩散过渡层和复合层形成动力学的影响, 发现Al/Al2O3复合层形成的抛物线动力学特征.     

国际贸易与FDI的技术溢出

用16个国家11年的面板数据,对国际贸易和外商直接投资的技术溢出进行了实证分析。结果发现外商直接投资（FDI）对中国技术进步的促进作用并不明显,而国外R＆D溢出通过国际贸易这一渠道对中国的技术进步起着显著的促进作用,但是这种促进作用是有条件的,即吸收国外R＆D技术溢出必须与一定的国内研发水平相结合。