饥饿对方斑东风螺形态和组织生化成分的影响

以室内实验测定了方斑东风螺（Babylonia areolata）在饥饿120d过程中形态、组织生化成分及RNA/DNA比值的连续变化.结果显示,饥饿前期幼螺体重变幅较小,肝体比与体壳比下降迅速,三者分别于饥饿80、40、20d时显著地低于对照组,至饥饿120d时其降幅分别为22.33%、44.02%、30.39%.方斑东风螺在饥饿过程中,螺足肌与肝胰脏的水分含量分别从80.19%、48.44%上升至89.68%、63.97%;灰分含量分别从11.35%、8.92%增加至22.80%、16.52%;肝胰脏蛋白质含量从53.18%上升至56.65%.饥饿40d时,其足肌、肝胰脏脂肪含量均显著低于对照组,糖原含量在其饥饿20、40d时也显著地下降.饥饿120d时,其足肌的脂肪和糖原含量相应降幅分别为32.22%、44.64%,而肝胰脏的脂肪和糖原含量相应降幅则分别为26.87%、47.17%.足肌蛋白质含量在其饥饿80d前较稳定,后期迅速下降,实验结束时降幅为8.61%.这2种组织的RNA/DNA比值也呈逐渐下降趋势.上述结果表明,在饥饿状态下幼螺主要消耗这2种组织中脂肪与糖原的供能,当禁食长达80d后则加大对足肌蛋白质的动用,而相对保留肝胰脏蛋白质.组织含水量、RNA/DNA比值均可作为方斑东风螺饥饿状态下的营养预测指标.     

Phylogenetic analysis of epibacterial communities on the surfaces of four red macroalgae

Macroalgal surfaces are prone to being attached by bacteria. Epibacterial community structures on marine macroalgae are host-specific but temporally and spatially variable. In this study, we investigated the structure of epibacterial communities on the surfaces of four red macroalgae, Gracilaria lemaneiformis, Gloiopeltis furcata, Mazzaella sp. and Porphyra yezoensis, by analyzing the sequences of 16 S r RNA gene libraries. Healthy individuals of all macroalgae species were collected in winter from a farm at Dalian, China. The results showed that the epibacterial communities were mainly dominated by α-Proteobacteria, γ-Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Deinococcus-Thermus, Spirochaetes and ε-Proteobacteria were also found. The majority of cloned sequences shared the greatest similarity to those of culturable organisms. A large portion of sequences from the α-Proteobacteria homed in Roseobacter clade, i.e., genera Ahrensia, Roseovarius, Litoreibacter, Octadecabacter, Thaiassobacter and Sulfitobacter, while members of Bacteroidetes mainly belonged to family Flavobacteriaceae. The cloned sequences could be separated into 66 OTUs at 0.01 distance value, and rare common OTUs were found among libraries. At genus level, Pseudoalteromonas dominated Gr. lemaneiformis and Gl. furcata libraries, accounting for 72.2% and 47.3%, respectively. Sulfitobacter dominated P. yezoensis library, accounting for 35.4%. A previously undefined cluster within Deinococcus-Thermus dominated Mazzaella sp. library, accounting for 24.6% of the all. These results indicated that a broad range of bacteria inhabited the surfaces of these macroalgae.     

杂色龙虾线粒体基因组全序列的测定与分析

为了解杂色龙虾(Panulirus versicolor)线粒体基因组多态位点及遗传变异,对龙虾类的分类研究奠定基础,作者通过常规PCR步移扩增法获得杂色龙虾线的线粒体基因组全序列,分析了其线粒体基因组的基本特征以及基因排列情况,并结合中国龙虾(Panulirus stimposni)、波纹龙虾(Panulirus homarus)线粒体基因组全序列,综合分析了龙虾属线粒体编码基因多态位点及基因变异状况。结果表明:杂色龙虾线粒体基因组全序列为15 700 bp,由13个蛋白质编码基因、22个t RNA基因、2个r RNA基因和D-loop区组成,保持了泛甲壳动物线粒体基因组的原始排列。杂色龙虾线粒体DNA的碱基组成具有AT偏好性,A+T含量为67%,4种碱基的含量分别为(A=34.6%,T=32.1%,C=20.5%,G=12.8%)。预测了杂色龙虾18个t RNA以及2个r RNA的二级结构。龙虾属线粒体基因组中的nad 2、nad 5基因以及D-loop区的多态位点比例较高,适合作为分子标记用于龙虾类系统进化关系、种内多态性以及遗传分化等方面的研究。     

Changes in the Chemical Components of Light Crude Off During Simulated Short Term Weathering

To unambiguously identify spilled oils and to link them to the known sources are extremely important in settling questions of environmental impact and legal liability. The fate and behavior of spilled oils in the environment depend on a number of physicochemical and biological factors. This paper presents the results regarding changes in chemical composition of light crude oil during simulated short-term weathering based on natural environmental conditions. The results show that the saturated hydrocarbons of the light crude oil mainly distribute between n-C8 and n-C23 and the most abundant n-alkanes are found in the n-C10 to n-C16. The main chemical components of the light crude oil are n-alkanes and isoprenoids. The aromatic compounds are subordinate chemical components. Under the conditions of the weathering simulation experiment,n-alkanes less than n-C12,toluene and 1,3-dimethyl benzene are lost after 1 d weathering,the n-C13,n-C14,naphthalene and 2-methyl-naphthalene are lost on the fifth day of weathering,and n-C15 alkane components show certain weatherproof capability. The ratios n-C17/pristane and n-C18/phytane are unaltered and can be used to identify the source of the light crude oil during the first 8 d of weathering. After 21 d,the ratio pristine/phytane can not provide much information on the source of the spilled light crude oil. Triterpanes（m/z 191） as biomarker compounds of light crude oil are more valuable.     

Effects of N:P ratio of Artemisia ordosica on growth influenced by soil calcium carbonate

Soil calcium carbonate(CaCO_3) has a strong solid phosphorus effect, and high content of CaCO_3 can significantly reduce the effectiveness of soil phosphorus. To reveal the limiting effect of soil CaCO_3 on the growth of plants on sand land and its mechanism of plant physiology, we performed pot experiments with a two-factor randomized block design and a three-factor orthogonal design for different soil CaCO_3 content treatments using Artemisia ordosica seedlings. In the experiments, we surveyed plant height, aboveground biomass, root length and root weight and analyzed N, P concentrations and RNA content of the seedlings, and discussed the relationships between relative growth rate(RGR) of the seedlings and N:P ratio as well as RNA. Results show that, the RGRs of plant height and above-ground biomass of the seedlings decreased significantly with the increase of soil CaCO_3 content, and those for root length and root weight decreased. The RGRs of plant height and above-ground biomass of the seedlings were significantly negatively correlated with leaf N:P ratios, but significantly positively correlated with leaf RNA content and leaf P concentrations. It can be seen that soil CaCO_3 is a stress factor for the growth of A. ordosica seedlings, and the growth response of the seedlings under the influence of soil CaCO_3 is in line with the Growth Rate Hypothesis.     

真核生物mRNA折叠结构与生物功能的理论研究

简要介绍和评述了预测ＲＮＡ折叠结构（主要是ＲＮＡ二级结构）的理论方法,对以ＲＮＡ二级结构为基础的ＲＮＡ三级结构的构建方法和分子力学进行了初步探索和研究。真核细胞前体ｍＲＮＡ中内含子的剪接过程涉及剪接位点（内含子的５′、３′剪接位点和分枝点）的核苷序列与一些小蛋白质分子之间特定的专一相互作用。对大量内含子、外显子－内含子－外显子以及外显子－外显子的核苷酸片段二级结构的分析表明,剪接位点大多位于二级结构的环区。剪接位点的这种结构分布特征与剪接过程的化学反应机制相符合,并可以作为识别剪接位点的一种结构信号。对ｍＲＮＡ和由其编码的蛋白质折叠结构进行比较研究后发现,两者之间存在着相关性：两者的二级结构单元（即ｍＲＮＡ二级结构的发夹,蛋白质中α－螺旋和β－折叠片）数基本上相同;蛋白质转角区域与ｍＲＮＡ二级结构的环区对应;两者的结构元素在空间上的排布相一致等。详细分析密码子在ｍＲＮＡ二级结构中的分布还发现,密码子在ＲＮＡ二级结构中的分布规律与氨基酸的构象性质有一定联系。这些结果提示,ｍＲＮＡ与蛋白质之间除了存在一维线性遗传关系外,很可能还存在着某种三维结构的遗传关系     

Variability in the speciation of iron in the northern North Sea

Variations in the speciation of iron in the northern North Sea were investigated in an area covering at least two different water masses and an algal bloom, using a combination of techniques. Catalytic cathodic stripping voltammetry was used to measure the concentrations of reactive iron (Fe_R) and total iron (Fe_T) in unfiltered samples, while dissolved iron (Fe_D) was measured by GFAAS after extraction of filtered sea water. Fe_R was defined by the amount of iron that complexed with 20 μM 1-nitroso-2-napthol (NN) at pH 6.9. Fe_T was determined after UV-digestion at pH 2.4. Concentrations of natural organic iron complexing ligands and values for conditional stability constants, were determined in unfiltered samples by titration. Mean concentrations of 1.3 nM for Fe_R, 10.0 nM for Fe_T and 1.7 nM for Fe_D were obtained for the area sampled. Fe_R concentrations increased towards the south of the area investigated, as a result of the increased influence of continental run off. Fe_R concentrations were found to be enhanced below the nutricline (below 40 m) as a result of the remineralisation of organic material. Enhanced levels of Fe_T were observed in some surface samples and in samples collected below 30 m at stations in the south of the area studied, thought to be a result of high concentrations of biogenic particulate material and the resuspended sediments respectively. Fe_D concentrations varied between values similar to those of Fe_T in samples from the north of the area to values similar to those of Fe_R in the south. The bloom was thought to have influenced the distribution of both Fe_R and Fe_T, but less evidence was observed for any influence on Fe_R and Fe_D. The concentration of organic complexing ligands, which could possibly include a contribution from adsorption sites on particulate material, increased slightly in the bloom area and in North Sea waters. Iron was found to be fully (99.9%) complexed by the organic complexing ligands at a pH of 6.9 and largely complexed (82–96%) at pH 8. The ligands were almost saturated with iron suggesting that the ligand concentration could limit the concentration of iron occurring as dissolved species.     

Production of methyl bromide and methyl chloride in laboratory cultures of marine phytoplankton II

Methyl halides (monohalomethanes), especially methyl bromide, are known to contribute significantly to ozone destruction in the stratosphere. Budgets of natural and anthropogenic methyl bromide suggest that marine organisms may be the source of a significant proportion of the total global production. Since phytoplankton are abundant in surface waters, they are obvious candidates. Cultures of nine phytoplankton species were grown in CO₂-enriched, nitrate-limited medium in sealed glass vessels. Species tested include Chaetoceros calcitrans, Isochrysis sp., Porphyridium sp., Synechococcus sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Tetraselmis sp., Prorocentrum sp., Emiliania huxleyi and Phaeocystis sp. Methyl bromide (CH₃Br) and methyl chloride (CH₃Cl) concentrations were determined by bubbling the cultures with high-purity air, cryotrapping the effluent and analyzing it on a gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector. The Phaeocystis sp. samples were monitored with GCMS. Cell population, bacterial population, Chl a, pH, and nitrate concentration were monitored for periods of at least two weeks. CH₃Cl was produced by all cultures. CH₃Br was absent in Tetraselmis sp. and Isochrysis sp. cultures, but present in all the others. Methyl iodide (CH₃I) was present in most cultures but could not be quantified due to analytical limitations. CH₃I and CH₃Br production was fastest in stationary phase and continued long after cell division had ceased. Axeic cultures of Phaeocystis sp. achieved almost identical production rates of CH₃Cl and CH₃Br as xenic cultures of the same species. Species from tropical waters had faster CH₃Cl and CH₃Br production rates than temperate species. Scaling the observed production rates using global standing stock estimates for Chl a and particulate nitrogen indicate that phytoplankton can account for only a fraction of the CH₃Cl and CH₃Br believed to be produced in the ocean. Calculations based on the estimated global biomass of Phaeocystis sp. and E. huxleyi blooms show that their contribution is insignificantly small.     

A Comparison of Growth Biomarkers for Assessing Sublethal Effects of Cadmium on a Marine Gastropod, Nassarius festivus

The effect of cadmium on the growth of an intertidal marine gastropod, Nassarius festivus, was investigated using a number of biomarkers namely conventional measurements in terms of increase in shell length or body weight, scope for growth (SfG) and RNA/DNA ratio. After eight days of cadmium exposure, the no observable effect concentration (NOEC) and lowest observable effect concentration (LOEC) for the rate of increase in wet weight were 1.00 and 1.38 mg/l, respectively, while those for shell length did not show any significant difference from the control until day 16. After 16 days of cadmium exposure, the LOEC for both shell length and wet weight measurements was 0.22 mg/l. The 8-day SfG test was sensitive to cadmium stress, showing a significant decrease at 0.16 mg/l cadmium when compared to the control. The NOEC and LOEC of RNA/DNA ratio determination were 0.52 and 0.93 mg/l, respectively. An assessment based on sensitivity and technical complexity suggests that Scope for Growth is the most sensitive growth biomarker, followed by the RNA/DNA ratio, and then the conventional growth measurement based on shell size and body weight.