The genome sequence of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa

Neurospora crassa is a central organism in the history of twentieth-century genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology. Here, we report a high-quality draft sequence of the N. crassa genome. The approximately 40-megabase genome encodes about 10,000 protein-coding genes--more than twice as many as in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and only about 25% fewer than in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. Analysis of the gene set yields insights into unexpected aspects of Neurospora biology including the identification of genes potentially associated with red light photobiology, genes implicated in secondary metabolism, and important differences in Ca2+ signalling as compared with plants and animals. Neurospora possesses the widest array of genome defence mechanisms known for any eukaryotic organism, including a process unique to fungi called repeat-induced point mutation (RIP). Genome analysis suggests that RIP has had a profound impact on genome evolution, greatly slowing the creation of new genes through genomic duplication and resulting in a genome with an unusually low proportion of closely related genes.     

Viewpoints on the proinflammation state of leukemia

Proinflammation represents a pathophysiological state on the early stage of a number of diseases, especially the infectious and immunological ones. In recent years, proinflammation has attracted much attention, and the term 損roinflammation factors?appears frequently in the literature. While investigating leukemia and leukemic cells from the angle of 損roinflammation state? we got some intriguing findings, e.g. we detected the significantly elevated expression of proinflammation factor IL-18 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which could up-regulate matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and specific tissue inhibitors (TIMPs). The increased MMP may play a role in the aggressiveness of myeloid leukemic cells, and be associated with a poor prognosis. This phenomenon reflects an ignored aspect of leukemia. Investigations from the angle of 損roinflammation state?have broaden the fields of tumor and leukemia study.     

Cardiac protective role of a novel erythrocyte-derived depressing factor on rats and its Ca^2＋ mechanism

The cardiac protective role of a novel erythro-cyte-derived depressing factor (EDDF) on spontaneous hy-pertensive rats (SHR), calcium overload (CaO) rats and Wistar rats and its mechanism was evaluated. Mean artery pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and LVdp/dtmax were measured by physiological recorder. The effect of EDDF on the Ca2+-ATPase activity in myocardial sarcoplasmic reticu-lum (SR) of CaO rats was determined by inorganic phos-phate assay. Calcium transport in myocytes was measured by 45Ca2+ radioactive isotope measurement. The phosphoryla-tion levels of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK1/2) in myocardial tissue of SHR and CaO rats were measured by Western blot method. And the ultrastructures of cardiac muscle cells were observed with the transmission electron microscope. The results indicated that EDDF could significantly decrease MAP, HR and LVdp/dtmax in a dose dependent manner (P < 0.05). It seems that the mechanism might relate with activating the Ca2+-APTase, enhancing the uptake and release of Ca2+ from SR (P < 0.05), decreasing the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 of myocytes (P < 0.01) and lightening the ultrastructural lesion of cardiac muscle cells. In CaO rats, the Ca2+-ATPase activity decreased clearly com-pared to control (64.99 7.16 vs 94.48 7.68 nmol·min-1 ·mg-1 protein, P < 0.01), while EDDF (100 mg/mL) could significantly increase the activity (87.93 ?9.54 vs 64.99 ?7.16, P < 0.05, n = 7). Both uptake and release rate of Ca2+ (祄ol 45Ca2+/g protein/min) from myocardial SR of CaO rats re-markably decreased compared to control (32.40 ?2.70 and 15.46 ?1.49 vs 61.09 ?10.89 and 25.47 ?4.29, P < 0.05); EDDF (100 mg/mL) could significantly stimulate their activi-ties (50.48 6.76 and 21.76 2.75 vs 32.40 2.70 and 15.46 1.49, P < 0.05). EDDF could evidently down-regulate the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in myocardial tissue from SHR and CaO rats (P < 0.01), lighten the ultrastructural lesion of cardiac muscle cells of SHR as well. It is concluded that EDDF seems to play protective roles on both structure and function of heart, which closely related with amelioration of Ca2+ transport and inhibition of Ca2+-MAP kinase pathway.     

Msx2 deficiency in mice causes pleiotropic defects in bone growth and ectodermal organ formation

The composite structure of the mammalian skull, which forms predominantly via intramembranous ossification, requires precise pre- and post-natal growth regulation of individual calvarial elements. Disturbances of this process frequently cause severe clinical manifestations in humans. Enhanced DNA binding by a mutant MSX2 homeodomain results in a gain of function and produces craniosynostosis in humans. Here we show that Msx2-deficient mice have defects of skull ossification and persistent calvarial foramen. This phenotype results from defective proliferation of osteoprogenitors at the osteogenic front during calvarial morphogenesis, and closely resembles that associated with human MSX2 haploinsufficiency in parietal foramina (PFM). Msx2-/- mice also have defects in endochondral bone formation. In the axial and appendicular skeleton, post-natal deficits in Pth/Pthrp receptor (Pthr) signalling and in expression of marker genes for bone differentiation indicate that Msx2 is required for both chondrogenesis and osteogenesis. Consistent with phenotypes associated with PFM, Msx2-mutant mice also display defective tooth, hair follicle and mammary gland development, and seizures, the latter accompanied by abnormal development of the cerebellum. Most Msx2-mutant phenotypes, including calvarial defects, are enhanced by genetic combination with Msx1 loss of function, indicating that Msx gene dosage can modify expression of the PFM phenotype. Our results provide a developmental basis for PFM and demonstrate that Msx2 is essential at multiple sites during organogenesis.     

浅谈对电梯检验的认识

分析了电梯的控制系统及安全部件在检验中的注意事项以及澄清电梯检验中容易混淆的概念。     

工业园区规划理念与功能布局研究

通过对临汾段店工业园区控制性详细规划设计理念和功能布局的论述,提出以中、高技术产业为主,集科、工、贸于一体,多功能、综合性的现代化、花园式的城市功能区是工业园区发展的方向。     

Hardware system design for UHF surface velocities radar

UHF surface velocities radar is developed based on the successful ocean state measuring and analyzing radar system. The design method for UHF radar system is presented. It is designed to operate at UHF channel, and the transmit power is under 5W. Maximum range of field test over fresh water can be a kilometer. The field tests at Tangsun River and at Majiatan and Gaohazhou proved that USVR System can be used successfully.     

Kinematics analysis of a robotic rock grinder

With the aim to discover water, life and resources in other planets, robotic sampling instrument is a crucial part of the space exploration robot. To remove dusty and weathered surfaces and expose the fresh rock underneath the planetary surface, a robotic rock grinder is considered to replace the geolo- gist’s rock hammer to carry out the geological investigation. A primary prototype of the robotic rock grinder with three degrees of freedom has been developed in this paper. Planetary transmission system is used in the grinding driving system with two inputs (rotation motor and revolution motor) and two outputs (grinding wheel and cutting brush). The grinding wheel with two teeth has been used to abrade the rock. The cutting brush is used to sweep the debris. The third actuator is to feed the grinding sys- tem. Kinematics of the grinding system has been analyzed. To get a continuous and smooth fresh face over the rock, grinding trajectory of the grinding wheel has been discussed and planned. Lastly, abra- sion experiments have been made to testify the feasibility and the basic function of this system.     

Construction of an electronic physical map of Magnaporthe oryzae using genomic position-ready SSR markers

Magnaporthe oryzae is a model for plant pathogenic filamentous fungi. We have assembled a simple sequence repeat (SSR)-based physical map of the species, using in silico sequence data. A set of 120 SSR markers was developed from the genomic sequence of the reference isolate 70-15. These markers were readily amplified from the genomic DNA of other isolates, and high levels of allelic variation characterised the parental isolates of the two crosses tested. All the markers were locatable to one of the seven M. oryzae chromosomes. An SSR-based physical in silico map was constructed, and pre-existing SSR and RFLP loci were integrated into the map, along with 23 Avr (avirulence) genes and two other genes of importance to the plant/pathogen interaction. This map provides a platform for population genetics and functional genomics studies in the model pathogen, and even in other evolu- tionally related pathogens.     

Morphology of polar ionospheric O^＋ ion upflow： FAST observations during quiet time

With energetic ion measurements on FAST satellite, the morphologic features of quiet-time ionospheric O ion upflowing at altitudes of 2000 to 4000 km are drawn out for the first time. The pre-noon cusp/cleft is the predominant region of upflowing occurrence for O with lower energy. Meanwhile the pre-dawn sector near the equatorward edge of the plasma convection dominates the occurrence for the higher energy O ions. No matter whether the energy is lower or higher, the upflows occur often over a wide MLT range of lower latitudes outside the auroral oval. The upflowing within the pre-midnight (21:00― 22:00 MLT) auroral oval carrys larger energy fluxes, with extremely large fluxes for higher energy O appearing near the polar cap boundary. For altitudes of 2000―4200 km under observation, the ion conics occur much more frequently than ion beams. Ion beams are rarely found below 3000 km, while the conics occur uniformly over the observed altitudes.