Cooperative inhibitory effect of follicular fluid and cAMP on hamster oocyte maturation

Summary Porcine or human follicular fluid inhibited the spontaneous maturation of isolated hamster oocytes in vitro during the first 1.5 h of culture. Moreover, the presence of 50% follicular fluid combined with 100 M dbcAMP cooperatively reduced the incidence of germinal vesicle breakdown. The addition of FSH also inhibited the resumption of meiosis, and the presence of LH did not overcome the inhibitory effects of follicular fluid and tended to impede isolated hamster oocyte maturation in vitro.     

ITPKC functional polymorphism associated with Kawasaki disease susceptibility and formation of coronary artery aneurysms

Kawasaki disease is a pediatric systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology for which a genetic influence is suspected. We identified a functional SNP (itpkc_3) in the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase C (ITPKC) gene on chromosome 19q13.2 that is significantly associated with Kawasaki disease susceptibility and also with an increased risk of coronary artery lesions in both Japanese and US children. Transfection experiments showed that the C allele of itpkc_3 reduces splicing efficiency of the ITPKC mRNA. ITPKC acts as a negative regulator of T-cell activation through the Ca2+/NFAT signaling pathway, and the C allele may contribute to immune hyper-reactivity in Kawasaki disease. This finding provides new insights into the mechanisms of immune activation in Kawasaki disease and emphasizes the importance of activated T cells in the pathogenesis of this vasculitis.     

The role of Epac in the heart

As one of the most important second messengers, 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) mediates various extracellular signals including hormones and neurotransmitters, and induces appropriate responses in diverse types of cells. Since cAMP was formerly believed to transmit signals through only two direct target molecules, protein kinase A and the cyclic nucleotide-gated channel, the sensational discovery in 1998 of another novel direct effecter of cAMP [exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (Epac)] attracted a great deal of scientific interest in cAMP signaling. Numerous studies on Epac have since disclosed its important functions in various tissues in the body. Recently, observations of genetically manipulated mice in various pathogenic models have begun to reveal the in vivo significance of previous in vitro or cellular-level findings. Here, we focused on the function of Epac in the heart. Accumulating evidence has revealed that both Epac1 and Epac2 play important roles in the structure and function of the heart under physiological and pathological conditions. Accordingly, developing the ability to regulate cAMP-mediated signaling through Epac may lead to remarkable new therapies for the treatment of cardiac diseases.     

HPLC结合APIMS/MS法研究屏边三七的皂甙成分

应用HPLC与API－MS／MS相结合，分析了屏边三七95％乙醇提取物的三萜皂甙成分，结果表明，屏边三节除含有屏边三七皂甙R1,R2，还含有少量人参皂甙Rb,Rc,Rb3和Rd。     

Free fatty acids regulate insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells through GPR40

Diabetes, a disease in which carbohydrate and lipid metabolism are regulated improperly by insulin, is a serious worldwide health issue. Insulin is secreted from pancreatic beta cells in response to elevated plasma glucose, with various factors modifying its secretion. Free fatty acids (FFAs) provide an important energy source as nutrients, and they also act as signalling molecules in various cellular processes, including insulin secretion. Although FFAs are thought to promote insulin secretion in an acute phase, this mechanism is not clearly understood. Here we show that a G-protein-coupled receptor, GPR40, which is abundantly expressed in the pancreas, functions as a receptor for long-chain FFAs. Furthermore, we show that long-chain FFAs amplify glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells by activating GPR40. Our results indicate that GPR40 agonists and/or antagonists show potential for the development of new anti-diabetic drugs.     

High-Q photonic nanocavity in a two-dimensional photonic crystal

Photonic cavities that strongly confine light are finding applications in many areas of physics and engineering, including coherent electron-photon interactions, ultra-small filters, low-threshold lasers, photonic chips, nonlinear optics and quantum information processing. Critical for these applications is the realization of a cavity with both high quality factor, Q, and small modal volume, V. The ratio Q/V determines the strength of the various cavity interactions, and an ultra-small cavity enables large-scale integration and single-mode operation for a broad range of wavelengths. However, a high-Q cavity of optical wavelength size is difficult to fabricate, as radiation loss increases in inverse proportion to cavity size. With the exception of a few recent theoretical studies, definitive theories and experiments for creating high-Q nanocavities have not been extensively investigated. Here we use a silicon-based two-dimensional photonic-crystal slab to fabricate a nanocavity with Q = 45,000 and V = 7.0 x 10(-14) cm3; the value of Q/V is 10-100 times larger than in previous studies. Underlying this development is the realization that light should be confined gently in order to be confined strongly. Integration with other photonic elements is straightforward, and a large free spectral range of 100 nm has been demonstrated.     

Water isotope variations in the snow pack and summer precipitation at July 1 Glacier, Qilian Mountains in northwest China

This paper presents the stable isotope data of the snow pack and summer precipitation collected at the July 1 Glacier, Qilian Mountains in northwest China and analyses their relationships with meteorologi- cal factors. On an event scale, there is no temperature effect on the δ 18O values in the summer pre- cipitation, whereas the amount effect is shown to be clear. By tracing the moisture transport history and comparing the precipitation with its isotopic composition, it is shown that this amount effect not only reflects the change in moisture trajectory, which is related to the monsoon activities, but is also associated with the cooling degree of vapor in the cloud, the evaporation of falling raindrops and the isotopic exchange between the falling drops and the atmospheric vapor. As very little precipitation occurs in winter, the snow pack profile mainly represents the precipitation in the other three seasons. There are low precipitation δ 18O ratios in summer and high ratios in spring and autumn. The Meteoric Water Line (MLW) for the summer precipitation is δ D = 7.6 δ 18O 13.3, which is similar to that at Delingha, located in the south rim of the Qilian Mountains. The MWL for the snow pack is δ D = 10.4 δ 18O 41.4, showing a large slope and intercept. The deuterium excess (d) of the snow pack is positively correlated with δ 18O, indicating that both d and δ 18O decrease from spring to summer and increase from early autumn to early spring. This then results in the high slope and intercept of the MWL. Sea- sonal fluctuations of d in the snow pack indicate the change of moisture source and trajectory. During spring and autumn, the moisture originates from continental recycling or rapid evaporation over rela- tively warm water bodies like Black, Caspian and Aral Seas when the dry westerly air masses pass over them, hence very high d values in precipitation are formed. During summer, the monsoon is responsi- ble for the low d values. This indicates that the monsoon can reach the western part of the Qilian Mountains.     

陈国达矿(Ag9FeTe2S4): 胶东地区金矿床中发现的硫碲化物新矿物

陈国达矿(Ag9FeTe₂S₄), 产于中国胶东金矿区埠南金矿的含金-银的黄铜矿-石英脉中, 呈5~70 μm的半自形-他形粒状与方铅矿、黄铜矿、碲银矿、银金矿、自然银、未定名的Ag₆TeS₂, Ag₁₆FeBiTe₃S₈共生, 并被自然银和螺状硫银矿包围交代. 其平均化学成分(16个EPMA分析值)为Ag_8.97Fe_1.00Te_1.99S_4.04, 理想化学式Ag₉FeTe₂S₄. 利用甘多菲照相及同步辐射迴摆照相技术, 获得陈国达矿的67个衍射线, 主要衍射强线的d值和相对强度(括号中)为: 6.742(69), 6.416(39), 5.951(33), 3.265(100), 2.981(24), 2.649(22), 2.25(24), 2.188(71), 2.142(22), 2.123(31), 2.044(23), 1.949(33). 该衍射数据指标化为斜方晶系, a = 12.769 (2) Å, b = 14.814(2) Å, c = 16.233 (1) Å, V = 3070.6 ų, Z = 9, d_cal = 6.85 g/cm³. 反光显微镜下, 陈国达矿的光学性质与硫银锡矿接近, 浅灰色, 无明显非均质性, 摩氏硬度2~3, 颜色指数: x = 0.3027, y = 0.3076, Y = 25.78%, λ_d = 474 nm, Pe = 3.68%. 该矿物以中国地质学家、地洼学说的创立人陈国达教授的姓名命名. 该矿物及命名经IMA-CNMMN于2004年投票通过. 2005年作者补充数据后, 由CNMMN主席正式公布, 批准号2004-042a.     

Cloning and analysis of [NiFe]-hydrogenase genes from Arthrospira platensis FACHB341

0IntroductionHydrogenase(H2ase)has beeninvestigatedin a va-riety of bacterial groups since it was firstly reported in1931[1-3].Cyanobacteria contain two different types ofH2ase,uptake H2ase(EC1.12.7.2)and bidirectional orreversible H2ase(EC1.12.1.12).Uptake H2ase is in-duced under N2-fixing situation,mainly confinedin hete-rocysts.Bidirectional H2ase is constitutively synthesized,active in both heterocysts and vegetative cells present inboth N2-fixing and non-N2-fixing conditions.This en…