Identification of novel juvenile-hormone signaling activators via high-throughput screening with a chemical library

Juvenile hormone (JH) is an insect-specific hormone that regulates molting and metamorphosis. Hence, JH signaling inhibitors (JHSIs) and activators (JHSAs) can be used as effective insect growth regulators (IGRs) for pest management. In our previous study, we established a high-throughput screening (HTS) system for exploration of novel JHSIs and JHSAs using a Bombyx mori cell line (BmN_JF&AR cells) and succeeded in identifying novel JHSIs from a chemical library. Here, we searched for novel JHSAs using this system. The four-step HTS yielded 10 compounds as candidate JHSAs; some of these compounds showed novel basic structures, whereas the others were composed of a 4-phenoxyphenoxymethyl skeleton, the basic structure of several existing JH analogs (pyriproxyfen and fenoxycarb). Topical application of seven compounds to B. mori larvae significantly prolonged the larval period, suggesting that the identified JHSAs may be promising IGRs targeting the JH signaling pathway.     

桉树不同成熟度叶片营养元素内循环特征

揭示桉树人工林不同成熟度的叶片器官所需营养元素变化以及土壤肥力对其影响,对于桉树营林和科学施肥具有重要的生产指导意义。选取广西隆安县小林镇和田东县思林镇的桉树2代萌芽林作为研究对象,测定两个人工林嫩叶、成熟叶、黄叶的C、N、P、K、B、Ca、Mg以及土壤C、N、P、K、Ca、Mg元素含量,并进行相关分析。结果表明,植物叶片的N、P、K、Mg营养元素转移规律是黄叶向成熟叶和嫩叶转移,但C、Ca、B营养元素则是随着叶片的生长发育逐渐积累,黄叶中含量最高,说明施肥时应关注Ca、B元素的持续和有效供给。两片人工林都表现出类似的规律,说明土壤肥力的差异不影响桉树人工林叶片营养元素的内循环规律。桉树嫩叶营养元素含量及其生态化学计量比学特征具有与成熟叶和黄叶不同的表征,在营养物质研究中应予以足够重视。     

New ways and new hopes for IGR development

Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) represent advanced, bio-rational insecticides. This Special Issue reflects progress in IGR development that has been enabled by insight into the molecular principles of biosynthetic or hormone signaling pathways. The unifying principle is aiming at processes and molecular targets that are unique to arthropods and ideally to narrower insect taxa representing pests or disease vectors. While some strategies of obtaining the desired compounds for chemical intervention rely on rational, structure-based design or computational power, others exploit technologies allowing automated, high-throughput screening of large chemical libraries. All avenues leading to selective and environmentally safe pest control are valid as we face the imminent threat of the declining world insect population.     

海参加工业清洁生产评价指标体系的构建

海参加工业是我国北方重要的水产品加工行业之一。近年来,随着市场需求的不断增大,海参加工产品产量逐年增加,海参加工业面临的环境问题日益凸显。为了促进我国海参加工业的清洁生产,保证产业的可持续发展,本研究基于我国清洁生产技术体系及海参加工行业的特点,构建了由生产工艺及装备等6个一级指标和加工工艺等24个二级指标组成的海参加工业清洁生产评价指标体系,并选择两家案例企业进行清洁生产水平的评价。研究结果表明,案例企业的清洁生产水平均为Ⅱ级:国内清洁生产先进水平;通过案例分析结果与企业生产现状的对比,证明本指标体系具有一定的科学性、可操作性和适用性。根据评价结果对两家案例企业提出了改变能源类型、提高废弃物资源利用率的清洁生产改进措施,为我国水产品加工行业的清洁生产提供了借鉴与参考。     

3种水质调控方式下参池沉积物酶活性的比较研究

2015年10月至2016年9月对自然纳潮、微孔曝气、养水机3种水质调控方式下海参池塘沉积物中淀粉酶、蛋白酶、碱性磷酸酶、脱氢酶的活性进行了跟踪比较研究。研究结果显示,3种水质调控方式下池塘沉积物中的淀粉酶活性年变化为0.126~0.880 mg/g,年均值(0.410±0.180) mg/g,蛋白酶活性年变化为0.024~0.472 mg/g,年均值(0.190±0.103) mg/g,碱性磷酸酶活性年变化为0.068~1.042 mg/g,年均值(0.340±0.196) mg/g,脱氢酶活性年变化为12.092~52.794 mL/g,年均值(26.980±8.295) mL/g。3种水质调控方式下池塘沉积物中蛋白酶、碱性磷酸酶及脱氢酶活性均在自然纳潮池塘中均值最高,变化幅度最大;淀粉酶活性均值则在自然纳潮池塘中最低,养水机池塘最高,这与养水机池塘有机质最低,自然纳潮池塘最高,养水机池塘沉积物的细菌多样性最高,真菌数量最多有关。表明养水机能够快速去除沉积物中氮、磷有机化合物,有利于池塘的正常物质循环。本研究从沉积物酶活性的角度,探讨了养水机的作用效果与其他两种水质调控方式产生差异的机理。     

盐度对珍珠龙胆石斑鱼幼鱼渗透调节与耗氧率的影响

为研究盐度对珍珠龙胆石斑鱼（）渗透调节与耗氧率的影响，设计实验一，将（162.5±12.1）g珍珠龙胆石斑鱼置于不同盐度（6、12、18、24、30）下养殖10 d，测定血清渗透压及Na⁺、Cl^-、K⁺离子浓度。实验结果表明，随盐度的升高血清渗透压及Na⁺、Cl^-、K⁺离子浓度也随着升高，各组[Na⁺]：[Cl^-]比值无显著差异（>0.05）；经回归分析得到血清等渗点渗透压为365.95 mOsm/kg，所对应盐度为12.75。实验二，将（26.4±2.7）g幼鱼置于不同盐度（6、12、18、24、30）下养殖30 d，测定在开始暴露后0 h、3 h、24 h、72 h鳃Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase活性及表达和第30天耗氧率，结果表明鳃Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase活性随盐度的增大呈“U”形变化；鳃Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase α1基因表达量波动较大，在72 h后随盐度增大先降低后增加，变化趋势与酶活性一致；第30天耗氧率随盐度的增加先降低后增加又降低。综上所述，珍珠龙胆石斑鱼幼鱼10 d内能够完全适应6~30盐度急性变化，耗氧率除了受离子渗透调节的影响，还可能与其生活史阶段有关。     

Met基因在黏虫生殖中的功能分析

保幼激素(juvenile hormone, JH)是由咽侧体分泌的倍半萜类化合物,可以调控昆虫的很多生理过程,如发育、变态、生殖等。作为bHLH-PAS(helix-loop-helix-Per-ARNT-Sim)转录因子家族成员之一的methoprene-tolerant (Met)是JH的受体,在JH的信号传导过程中有非常重要的作用。本研究通过实时荧光定量PCR结合RNAi技术测定了沉默Met基因后黏虫Mythimna separata的Vg基因表达、卵巢发育和生殖行为,旨在探究Met基因在黏虫生殖过程中的功能。结果表明当Met基因沉默后,与卵巢发育密切相关的卵黄原蛋白(vitellogenin, Vg)基因表达量下调了50%,从而显著抑制了卵巢发育,并导致产卵显著延迟、产卵历期显著缩短,产卵量显著下降。结果表明Met基因是黏虫生殖发育过程中的关键受体基因,它通过调节后续Vg的表达和沉积,来达到控制卵巢发育,从而调控生殖作用。     

Breaking the ice: the introduction of biofouling organisms to Antarctica on vessel hulls

1. Few reports exist that describe marine non‐native species in the Southern Ocean and near‐shore waters around the Antarctic continent. Nevertheless, Antarctica's isolated marine communities, which show high levels of endemism, may be vulnerable to invasion by anthropogenically introduced species from outside Antarctica via vessel hull biofouling.
2. Hull surveys of the British Antarctic Survey's RRS James Clark Ross were undertaken between 2007 and 2014 at Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula (Lat. 67°34'S; Long. 68°07'W) to investigate levels of biofouling. In each case, following transit through scouring sea‐ice, over 99% of the vessel hull was free of macroscopic fouling communities. However, in some surveys microbial/algal biofilms, balanomorph barnacles and live individuals of the cosmopolitan pelagic barnacle, Conchoderma auritum were found in the vicinity of intake ports, demonstrating the potential for non‐native species to be transported to Antarctica on vessel hulls.
3. Increasing ship traffic volumes and declining duration of sea ice in waters to the north and west of the Antarctic Peninsula mean the region may be at increased risk of non‐native species introductions. Locations at particular risk may include the waters around popular visitor sites, such as Goudier Island, Neko Harbour, Whalers Bay, Cuverville Island and Half Moon Island, and around northern peninsula research stations.
4. Simple and cost‐effective mitigation measures, such as intentionally moving transiting ships briefly through available offshore sea ice to scour off accessible biofouling communities, may substantially reduce hull‐borne propagule pressure to the region. Better quantification of the risk of marine non‐native species introductions posed by vessel hulls to both Arctic and Antarctic environments, as sea ice patterns and shipping traffic volumes change, will inform the development of appropriate regional and international management responses.

Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cloning and expression analysis of innate immune genes from red sea bream to assess different susceptibility to megalocytivirus infection

As suggested by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), fishes belonging to the genus Oplegnathus are more sensitive to megalocytivirus infection than other fish species including red sea bream (Pagrus major). To assess the roles of the innate immune response to these different susceptibilities, we cloned the genes encoding inflammatory factors including IL‐8 and COX‐2, and the antiviral factor like Mx from red sea bream for the first time and performed phylogenetic and structural analysis. Analysed expression levels of IL‐1β, IL‐8 and COX‐2 and the antiviral factor like Mx genes performed with in vivo challenge experiment showed no difference in inflammatory gene expression or respiratory burst activity between red sea bream and rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus). However, the Mx gene expression levels in red sea bream were markedly higher than those in rock bream, suggesting the importance of type I interferon (IFN)‐induced proteins, particularly Mx, during megalocytivirus infection, rather than inflammation‐related genes. The in vitro challenge experiments using embryonic primary cultures derived from both fish species showed no difference in cytopathic effects (CPE), viral replication profiles, and inflammatory and Mx gene expression pattern between the two fish species.     

幼龄期压砂地枸杞产量和品质多指标耦合灌溉制度优化

为提高宁夏中部干旱带幼龄期压砂地枸杞灌水效率,保障枸杞产量和品质,进行了3水平灌水定额(300、225 m~3·hm~(-2)和150 m~3·hm~(-2))的田间对比试验,采用综合指标增量最优方法对灌溉制度进行了优化。研究发现:枸杞5月上旬萌芽期耗水以土壤蒸发为主,日耗水量0.6～1.2 mm,6月中旬进入夏果花期耗水量增大,日耗水量2.5～3.7 mm,7月中旬枸杞夏果期耗水量继续增大,达2.4～4.3 mm,7月下旬日耗水量最大,为3.2～4.7 mm,8月中旬耗水量下降,日耗水量3.0～4.2 mm。灌水定额对枸杞产量影响显著(P0.05),灌水定额300 m~3·hm~(-2)时产量最高,为1 402.65 kg·hm~(-2);灌水定额225 m~3·hm~(-2)时枸杞多糖、β-胡萝卜素和黄酮较高,含量分别为4.56%、0.15%和0.41%;灌水定额150 m~3·hm~(-2)时枸杞甜菜碱含量较高,为0.77%。进一步通过综合指标增量最优方法进行优化,结果表明β-胡萝卜素含量最高时得到综合指标增量最大,为-5.4%,总耗水量为450 mm。枸杞夏果花期进入需水关键期,阶段耗水量达70 mm以上,进入6月中旬枸杞需水量增大,旬耗水量达29 mm以上。可见,幼龄期压砂地枸杞产量及品质指标均达到最优的耗水量较难获得,但是在β-胡萝卜素含量最高时可以获得产量和品质多指标耦合的最优耗水量,据此进行灌溉制度优化,可以一定程度上实现幼龄期压砂地枸杞优质高产。