Cloning and characterization of a gene encoding cysteine proteases from senescent leaves of Gossypium hirsutum

A gene encoding a cysteine proteinase was isolated from senescent leave of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) cv liaomian No. 9 by utilizing rapid amplification of cDNA end spolymerase chain reaction (RACE-PCR), and a set of consensus oligonucleotide primers was designed to anneal the conserved sequences of plant cysteine protease genes. The cDNA, which designated Ghcysp gene, contained 1368 bp terminating in a poly(A)^ trail, and included a putative 5‘(98 bp) and a 3‘(235 bp) non-coding region. The opening reading frame (ORF) encodes polypeptide 344 amino acids with the predicted molecular mass of 37.88 kD and theoretical pl of 4.80. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with the sequence in the GenBank database has shown considerable sequence similarity to a novel family of plant cysteine proteases. This putative cotton Ghcysp protein shows from 67% to 82% identity to the other plants. All of them share catalytic triad of residues, which are highly conserved in three regions. Hydropaths analysis of the amino acid sequence shows that the Ghcysp is a potential membrane protein and localizes to the vacuole, which has a transmembrane helix between resides 7-25. A characteristic feature of Ghcysp is the presence of a putative vacuole-targeting signal peptide of 19-amino acid residues at the N-terminal region. The expression of Ghcysp gene was determined using northern blot analysis. The Ghcysp mRNA levels are high in development senescent leaf but below the limit of detection in senescent root, hypocotyl, faded flower, 6 d post anthesis ovule, and young leaf.     

可编程时间控制器的设计

本文采用小规模数字集成电路和存储器ＲＡＭ２１１４组成可实现２４小时制,控制时间可以任意设定,控制精度为一分钟的可编程时间控制器,该控制器具有廉价,可靠性高,实用性广泛等优点。     

The BAG proteins: a ubiquitous family of chaperone regulators

The BAG (Bcl-2 associated athanogene) family is a multifunctional group of proteins that perform diverse functions ranging from apoptosis to tumorigenesis. An evolutionarily conserved group, these proteins are distinguished by a common conserved region known as the BAG domain. BAG genes have been found in yeasts, plants, and animals, and are believed to function as adapter proteins forming complexes with signaling molecules and molecular chaperones. In humans, a role for BAG proteins has been suggested in carcinogenesis, HIV infection, and Parkinson’s disease. These proteins are therefore potential therapeutic targets, and their expression in cells may serve as a predictive tool for such diseases. In plants, the Arabidopsis thaliana genome contains seven homologs of the BAG family, including four with domain organization similar to animal BAGs. Three members contain a calmodulin-binding domain possibly reflecting differences between plant and animal programmed cell death. This review summarizes current understanding of BAG proteins in both animals and plants. Received 21 November 2007; received after revision 17 December 2007; accepted 2 January 2008     

The Penicillium chrysogenum antifungal protein PAF, a promising tool for the development of new antifungal therapies and fungal cell biology studies

In recent years the interest in antimicrobial proteins and peptides and their mode of action has been rapidly increasing due to their potential to prevent and combat microbial infections in all areas of life. A detailed knowledge about the function of such proteins is the most important requirement to consider them for future application. Our research in recent years has been focused on the low molecular weight, cysteine-rich and cationic antifungal protein PAF from Penicillium chrysogenum, which inhibits the growth of opportunistic zoo-pathogens including Aspergillus fumigatus, numerous plant-pathogenic fungi and the model organism Aspergillus nidulans. So far, the experimental results indicate that PAF elicits hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane and the activation of ion channels, followed by an increase in reactive oxygen species in the cell and the induction of an apoptosis-like phenotype. Detailed knowledge about the molecular mechanism of action of antifungal proteins such as PAF contributes to the development of new antimicrobial strategies that are urgently needed. Received 09 August 2007; received after revision 17 September 2007; accepted 19 September 2007     

自由生活线虫的研究进展

近年来自由生活线虫作为生物学研究的模式动物日益受到重视,尤其是新新华美小杆线虫因其易保存、生活周期短、基因组小等原因被广泛应用于生物学研究的各个领域.本文就新华美小杆线虫在发育生物学、基因和分子生物学方面与其它后生物的相似性和同源性以及转基因线虫在毒力学方面的应用进行综述,旨在表明新华美小杆线虫将成为理想的模式动物为生命科学研究开辟一个广阔的前景.     

Study on the enzymatic activity of Caspase-3 in response to alginic acid decomposing bacteria in Laminaria japonica Aresch.（Phaeophyta）

Caspase-3 is the major factor in apoptosis triggered by various stimuli, and plays a critical role during the apoptosis process. By using CaspGLOWTM fluorescein active caspase-3 staining method, caspase-3 enzymatic activities were detected in response to alginic acid bacteria in Laminaria japonica sporophytic tissues. Results showed that caspase-3 enzymatic activities were observed at 5 min after the infection. Caspase-3 enzymatic activity increased with the infection time, and had a tendency of moving from the infection site to outside. By applying caspase-specific peptide inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK, caspase-3 activation could be effectively abolished in the infected tissues. Our results indicate that programmed cell death (PCD) may be involved in the infected Laminaria japonica sporophytic tissues, and provide the evidence that defense mechanisms in algae may have similar caspase cascade events in animals.     

用于煤自然发火期预测的神经网络模型和实验技术

根据煤的硫分、灰分以及煤自燃过程中的耗氧速率、CO和CO2产生率等随温度变化的序列值与煤自然发火期之间存在的密切对应关系，建立了前向多层人工神经网络模型，用已有的煤自然发火实验数据对网络进行训练，得到了神经元间的联结强度，从而准确地表征这种对应关系．设计了一套油浴程序升温实验装置，确定了实验试管的尺寸和实验条件，从而能够准确测定煤自燃在不同温度下的耗氧速率及气体产生率．将煤样油浴程序升温实验数据及煤质分析数据代入人工神经网络，可算出煤的自然发火期．与煤自然发火实验相比，该方法测定煤样的自然发火期用煤量减少了99％以上，实验耗时缩短了90％以上，二者测试结果的偏差小于3d．     

A位置换对LnMnO_3体系氧的吸附-脱附特性影响的研究

采用醋酸盐共沉淀法合成了Ln_(1-x)Sr_xMnO_3(Ln=La,Pr,Nd,Sm,Gd;x=0,0.2,0.4,0.6,0.8,1.0)系列共26个试样,对其中17个试样通过X射线衍射(XRD)的测定证实均为钙钛矿型复合氧化物(ABO_3)结构。同时用氧的程度升温脱附(TPD)装置测定了全部试样氧的吸附—脱附特性,结果表明:Ln_(1-x)Sr_xMnO_3系列试样氧的吸附-脱附特性与La_(-x)Sr_xMnO_3相似,它们均属于阳离子空位型复合氧化物,具有与其相似的变化特点。     

轴类零件通用CAD程序式参数化绘图研究

为提高绘图效率,本文对轴类零件为例,研究了通用CAD程序式参数化绘图的接口软件,充分利用了脚本文件和数据文件,将计算模块与绘图模块一体化,可由设计计算模块直接导入绘图模块自动绘出所需的工程图纸,实现了轴类零件的程序式参数化绘图。