A population-specific HTR2B stop codon predisposes to severe impulsivity

Impulsivity, describing action without foresight, is an important feature of several psychiatric diseases, suicidality and violent behaviour. The complex origins of impulsivity hinder identification of the genes influencing it and the diseases with which it is associated. Here we perform exon-focused sequencing of impulsive individuals in a founder population, targeting fourteen genes belonging to the serotonin and dopamine domain. A stop codon in HTR2B was identified that is common (minor allele frequency >?1%) but exclusive to Finnish people. Expression of the gene in the human brain was assessed, as well as the molecular functionality of the stop codon, which was associated with psychiatric diseases marked by impulsivity in both population and family-based analyses. Knockout of Htr2b increased impulsive behaviours in mice, indicative of predictive validity. Our study shows the potential for identifying and tracing effects of rare alleles in complex behavioural phenotypes using founder populations, and indicates a role for HTR2B in impulsivity.     

含编码类铁氧还双亲性蛋白ap1基因的转基因水稻植株的获得

利用基因枪法将含有潮霉素抗性基因（hpt),gusA报告基因和ap1基因的2个质粒（pJIMB15和pBiSAP1)共同转化同转化由粳稻品种鄂宜105号种 子在胚诱导的愈伤组织（2－3周龄）。ap1基因编码一种双亲性的蛋白。该蛋白能延缓因假单孢菌感染所引起的非寄主植物中的过敏反应。经过2轮潮霉素（30mg/L)筛选,抗性愈伤组织被转入含30mg/L潮霉素的再生培养基中再生植株。从轰击的186块愈伤组织中共再生出32株独立的转基因水稻植株（转化率为17．2％）,PCR／Southern blot分析显示84％的转基因植株含有所有3个基因。     

Tunable nanowire nonlinear optical probe

One crucial challenge for subwavelength optics has been the development of a tunable source of coherent laser radiation for use in the physical, information and biological sciences that is stable at room temperature and physiological conditions. Current advanced near-field imaging techniques using fibre-optic scattering probes have already achieved spatial resolution down to the 20-nm range. Recently reported far-field approaches for optical microscopy, including stimulated emission depletion, structured illumination, and photoactivated localization microscopy, have enabled impressive, theoretically unlimited spatial resolution of fluorescent biomolecular complexes. Previous work with laser tweezers has suggested that optical traps could be used to create novel spatial probes and sensors. Inorganic nanowires have diameters substantially below the wavelength of visible light and have electronic and optical properties that make them ideal for subwavelength laser and imaging technology. Here we report the development of an electrode-free, continuously tunable coherent visible light source compatible with physiological environments, from individual potassium niobate (KNbO3) nanowires. These wires exhibit efficient second harmonic generation, and act as frequency converters, allowing the local synthesis of a wide range of colours via sum and difference frequency generation. We use this tunable nanometric light source to implement a novel form of subwavelength microscopy, in which an infrared laser is used to optically trap and scan a nanowire over a sample, suggesting a wide range of potential applications in physics, chemistry, materials science and biology.     

精密干切削淬硬零件表面完整性试验分析

试验分析了聚晶立方氮化硼(PCBN)刀具在锋利无润滑状态下精密车削硬度为HRC62轴承钢GCr15时,切削参数(切削深度、切削速度和进给量)对表面粗糙度、残余应力和表面变质层的影响规律.在选择的切削用量范围内,以零件表面完整性为目标函数,采用正交试验法对切削参数进行优选,并对优选参数进行验证试验.结果表明,淬硬零件在高精度数控机床上进行精密干切削加工,能获得优越的表面完整性,即优异的表面精度、深度约为0.1 mm的表面残余压应力、热损伤层完全消失的表面物理性能.     

Recessive LAMC3 mutations cause malformations of occipital cortical development

The biological basis for regional and inter-species differences in cerebral cortical morphology is poorly understood. We focused on consanguineous Turkish families with a single affected member with complex bilateral occipital cortical gyration abnormalities. By using whole-exome sequencing, we initially identified a homozygous 2-bp deletion in LAMC3, the laminin γ3 gene, leading to an immediate premature termination codon. In two other affected individuals with nearly identical phenotypes, we identified a homozygous nonsense mutation and a compound heterozygous mutation. In human but not mouse fetal brain, LAMC3 is enriched in postmitotic cortical plate neurons, localizing primarily to the somatodendritic compartment. LAMC3 expression peaks between late gestation and late infancy, paralleling the expression of molecules that are important in dendritogenesis and synapse formation. The discovery of the molecular basis of this unusual occipital malformation furthers our understanding of the complex biology underlying the formation of cortical gyrations.