Pineal body and urinary sodium excretion in the rat

Zusammenfassung Ein salinischer Extrakt desCorpus pineale erzeugt bei normalen, nicht aber bei adrenalektomierten Ratten eine starke Retention von Natrium. Auf Grund der besonderen anatomischen Verhältnisse des Corpus pineale der Ratte vertreten wir die Auffassung, dass die wirksame Substanz, wahrscheinlich Adrenoglomerulotropin, in der Zirbeldrüse selbst erzeugt wird und nicht aus der Nachbarschaft dort angereichert wird.     

Centrosome localization determines neuronal polarity

Neuronal polarization occurs shortly after mitosis. In neurons differentiating in vitro, axon formation follows the segregation of growth-promoting activities to only one of the multiple neurites that form after mitosis. It is unresolved whether such spatial restriction makes use of an intrinsic program, like during C. elegans embryo polarization, or is extrinsic and cue-mediated, as in migratory cells. Here we show that in hippocampal neurons in vitro, the axon consistently arises from the neurite that develops first after mitosis. Centrosomes, the Golgi apparatus and endosomes cluster together close to the area where the first neurite will form, which is in turn opposite from the plane of the last mitotic division. We show that the polarized activities of these organelles are necessary and sufficient for neuronal polarization: (1) polarized microtubule polymerization and membrane transport precedes first neurite formation, (2) neurons with more than one centrosome sprout more than one axon and (3) suppression of centrosome-mediated functions precludes polarization. We conclude that asymmetric centrosome-mediated dynamics in the early post-mitotic stage instruct neuronal polarity, implying that pre-mitotic mechanisms with a role in division orientation may in turn participate in this event.     

A resource for large-scale RNA-interference-based screens in mammals

Gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) in mammalian cells using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) has become a valuable genetic tool. Here, we report the construction and application of a shRNA expression library targeting 9,610 human and 5,563 mouse genes. This library is presently composed of about 28,000 sequence-verified shRNA expression cassettes contained within multi-functional vectors, which permit shRNA cassettes to be packaged in retroviruses, tracked in mixed cell populations by means of DNA 'bar codes', and shuttled to customized vectors by bacterial mating. In order to validate the library, we used a genetic screen designed to report defects in human proteasome function. Our results suggest that our large-scale RNAi library can be used in specific, genetic applications in mammals, and will become a valuable resource for gene analysis and discovery.     

论建立具有稳定预期机制和渠道的人民币汇率制度

根据我国汇率制度改革的渐进性原则和房地产价格与汇率的基本关系，分析了房地产市场尤其是房价受到汇率改革的预期时点、汇率预期上升幅度等因素的影响，提出了加快建设具有稳定预期机制和渠道的人民币汇率制度的对策和建议。     

Genetic basis of total colourblindness among the Pingelapese islanders

Complete achromatopsia is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by photophobia, low visual acuity, nystagmus and a total inability to distinguish colours. In this disease, cone photoreceptors, the retinal sensory neurons mediating colour vision, seem viable but fail to generate an electrical response to light. Achromatopsia, or rod monochromatism, was first mapped to 2p11-2q12 (MIM 216900; ref. 3), where it is associated with missense mutations in CNGA3 (ref. 4). CNGA3 encodes the alpha-subunit of the cone cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel, which generates the light-evoked electrical responses of cone photoreceptors. A second locus at 8q21-q22 has been identified among the Pingelapese islanders of Micronesia, who have a high incidence of recessive achromatopsia (MIM 262300). Here we narrow the achromatopsia locus to 1.4 cM and show that Pingelapese achromatopsia segregates with a missense mutation at a highly conserved site in CNGB3, a new gene that encodes the beta-subunit of the cone cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel. Two independent frameshift deletions establish that achromatopsia is the null phenotype of CNGB3. Combined with earlier findings, our results demonstrate that both alpha- and beta-subunits of the cGMP-gated channel are essential for phototransduction in all three classes of cones.     

测井油气地质异常及其属性数据地质意义的数学地质研究

应用地质异常分析理论的复杂系数 (C值 )和组合熵 (H值 )数值计算方法 ,对实际探测的测井数据 (如自然电位、声波时差、自然伽马和视电阻率等数据 )进行新方法探索式计算 ,结果可以很好地区分油气层中的含油和含水的差异程度。用因子分析和聚类分析对测井地质异常参数地质意义进行研究 ,揭示了其实际地质意义