Mutagenic processing of ribonucleotides in DNA by yeast topoisomerase I

The ribonuclease (RNase) H class of enzymes degrades the RNA component of RNA:DNA hybrids and is important in nucleic acid metabolism. RNase H2 is specialized to remove single ribonucleotides [ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs)] from duplex DNA, and its absence in budding yeast has been associated with the accumulation of deletions within short tandem repeats. Here, we demonstrate that rNMP-associated deletion formation requires the activity of Top1, a topoisomerase that relaxes supercoils by reversibly nicking duplex DNA. The reported studies extend the role of Top1 to include the processing of rNMPs in genomic DNA into irreversible single-strand breaks, an activity that can have distinct mutagenic consequences and may be relevant to human disease.     

The infrared spectrum of Al2H6 in solid hydrogen

Although many volatile binary boron hydride compounds are known, binary aluminum hydride chemistry is limited to the polymeric (AlH3)(n) solid. The reaction of laser-ablated aluminum atoms and pure H2 during codeposition at 3.5 kelvin, followed by ultraviolet irradiation and annealing to 6.5 kelvin, allows dimerization of the intermediate AlH3 photolysis product to form Al2H6. The Al2H6 molecule is identified by seven new infrared absorptions that are accurately predicted by quantum chemical calculations for dibridged Al2H6, a molecule that is isostructural with diborane.     

Dinitrogen Cleavage by a Three-Coordinate Molybdenum(III) Complex

Cleavage of the relatively inert dinitrogen (N(2)) molecule, with its extremely strong N identical withN triple bond, has represented a major challenge to the development of N(2) chemistry. This report describes the reductive cleavage of N(2) to two nitrido (N(3-)) ligands in its reaction with Mo(NRAr)(3), where R is C(CD(3))(2)CH(3) and Ar is 3,5-C(6)H(3)(CH(3))(2'), a synthetic three-coordinate molybdenum(III) complex of known structure. The formation of an intermediate complex was observed spectroscopically, and its conversion (with N identical withN bond cleavage) to the nitrido molybdenum(VI) product N identical withMo(NRAr)(3) followed first-order kinetics at 30 degrees C. It is proposed that the cleavage reaction proceeds by way of an intermediate complex in which N(2) bridges two molybdenum centers.     

Activation of alkanes with organotransition metal complexes

Alkanes, although plentiful enough to be considered for use as feedstocks in large-scale chemical processes, are so unreactive that relatively few chemical reagents have been developed to convert them to molecules having useful functional groups. However, a recently synthesized iridium (lr) complex successfully converts alkanes into hydridoalkylmetal complexes (M + R-H --> R-M-H). This is a dihydride having the formula Cp(*)(L)lrH(2), where Cp(*) and L are abbreviations for the ligands (CH(3))(5)C(5) and (CH(3))(3)P, respectively. Irradiation with ultraviolet light causes the dihydride to lose H(2), generating the reactive intermediate Cp(*)lrL. This intermediate reacts rapidly with C-H bonds in every molecule so far tested (including alkanes) and leads to hydridoalkyliridium complexes Cp(*)(L)lr(R)(H). Evidence has been obtained that this C-H insertion, or oxidative addition, reaction proceeds through a simple three-center transition state and does not involve organic free radicals as intermediates. Thus the intermediate Cp(*)lrL reacts most rapidly with C-H bonds having relatively high bond energies, such as those at primary carbon centers, in small organic rings, and in aromatic rings. This contrasts directly with the type of hydrogen-abstraction selectivity that is characteristic of organic radicals. The hydridoalkyliridium products of the insertion reactions can be converted into functionalized organic molecules-alkyl halides-by treatment with mercuric chloride followed by halogens. Expulsion (reductive elimination) of the hydrocarbon from the hydridoalkyliridium complexes can be induced by Lewis acids or heat, regenerating the reactive intermediate Cp(*)lrL. Oxidative addition of the corresponding rhodium complexes Cp(*)RhL to alkane C-H bonds has also been observed, although the products formed in this case are much less stable and undergo reductive elimination at -20 degrees C. These and other recent observations provide an incentive for reexamining the factors that have been assumed to control the rate of reaction of transition metal complexes with C-H bonds-notably the need for electron-rich metals and the proximity of reacting centers.     

外源水杨酸对机械损伤胁迫下合作杨活性氧代谢的影响

以1年生合作杨扦插苗为材料,研究了叶面喷施水杨酸（SA）预处理对机械损伤胁迫下叶片中抗氧化酶活性、过氧化氢（H2O2）含量以及氧自由基（O2-）.产生速率的影响。研究结果表明：SA能明显促进合作杨损伤叶片中O2-.产生速率和H2O2含量的增加,并对合作杨损伤叶片中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶（APX）和过氧化物酶（POD）活性具有抑制作用。因此,SA可能是通过抑制抗氧化酶的活性,使伤害信号分子H2O2获得积累,并由H2O2传递伤害信号,诱导了合作杨的伤害防御反应。     

用有限元FEMⅡ程序分析槽箱受力状态

运用综合性有限元结构分析程序FEMⅡ,以洛河渡槽槽箱为例,建立力学模型,对槽箱进行了各种荷载组合作用下的结构内力、应力及变位分析。搞清了槽箱各个部位在各种荷载组合作用下的受力状态,预测了结构可能出现裂缝的部位及方向,对于结构尺寸的选择及配筋设计具有重要意义。此外,还将有限元分析成果与常规设计结果进行了比较。     

抚育间伐对森林生物量与生产力影响研究进展

森林生物量与生产力在一定程度上是衡量森林质量的重要指标,充裕的生物量同时也会促进生态系统功能的优化,是生态系统稳定的基础,而抚育间伐与森林生物量及生产力存在着密切的关系。针对国内外森林抚育间伐对生物量与生产力影响的研究进行了综述,同时针对我国森林尤其是人工林质量低的现状,提出2点建议:(1)把森林生物量与生产力作为评价森林质量的一项重要指标;(2)对森林抚育对森林生物量与生产力的影响进行长期定位研究。     

Ultrafast x-ray diffraction of transient molecular structures in solution

We report direct structural evidence of the bridged radical (CH2ICH2.) in a polar solution, obtained using time-resolved liquid-phase x-ray diffraction. This transient intermediate has long been hypothesized to explain stereo-chemical control in many association and/or dissociation reactions involving haloalkanes. Ultrashort optical pulses were used to dissociate an iodine atom from the haloethane molecule (C2H4I2) dissolved in methanol, and the diffraction of picosecond x-ray pulses from a synchrotron supports the following structural dynamics, with approximately 0.01 angstrom spatial resolution and approximately 100 picosecond time resolution: The loss of one iodine atom from C2H4I2 leads to the C-I-C triangular geometry of CH2ICH2.. This transient C2H4I then binds to an iodine atom to form a new species, the C2H4I-I isomer, which eventually decays into C2H4 + I2. Solvent dynamics were also extracted from the data, revealing a change in the solvent cage geometry, heating, and thermal expansion.     

Revealing the angular symmetry of chemical bonds by atomic force microscopy

We have measured the angular dependence of chemical bonding forces between a carbon monoxide molecule that is adsorbed to a copper surface and the terminal atom of the metallic tip of a combined scanning tunneling microscope and atomic force microscope. We provide tomographic maps of force and current as a function of distance that revealed the emergence of strongly directional chemical bonds as tip and sample approach. The force maps show pronounced single, dual, or triple minima depending on the orientation of the tip atom, whereas tunneling current maps showed a single minimum for all three tip conditions. We introduce an angular dependent model for the bonding energy that maps the observed experimental data for all observed orientations and distances.     

Magnetic susceptibility of molecular carbon: nanotubes and fullerite

Elemental carbon can be synthesized in a variety of geometrical forms, from three-dimensional extended structures (diamond) to finite molecules (C(60) fullerite). Results are presented here on the magnetic susceptibility of the least well-understood members of this family, nanotubes and C(60) fullerite. (i) Nanotubes represent the cylindrical form of carbon, intermediate between graphite and fullerite. They are found to have significantly larger orientation-averaged susceptibility, on a per carbon basis, than any other form of elemental carbon. This susceptibility implies an average band structure among nanotubes similar to that of graphite. (ii) High-resolution magnetic susceptibility data on C(60) fullerite near the molecular orientational-ordering transition at 259 K show a sharp jump corresponding to 2.5 centimeter-gram-second parts per million per mole of C(60). This jump directly demonstrates the effect of an intermolecular cooperative transition on an intramolecular electronic property, where the susceptibility jump may be ascribed to a change in the shape of the molecule due to lattice forces.     

质膜ATP酶介导机械伤害诱导豌豆叶片的防御反应

【目的】研究质膜ATP酶(H+-ATPase)在机械胁迫诱导植物防御反应形成中的作用。【方法】通过酶活性生化测定、Western blot检测和电镜细胞化学观测方法,研究机械伤害对豌豆幼苗质膜H+-ATPase活性的影响;同时结合药理学实验,进一步探讨了质膜H+-ATPase与活性氧积累在伤害防御反应中的关系。【结果】机械胁迫能诱导质膜H+-ATPase活性提高,但并未改变该酶蛋白含量;抑制质膜H+-ATPase活性,伤诱导的H2O2累积和苯丙氨酸解氨酶活性提高随之被抑制,活性氧清除剂处理对伤诱导质膜H+-ATPase活性提高没有影响。【结论】质膜H+-ATPase参与机械胁迫诱导防御反应相关的信号传递,该酶可能作用于活性氧信号上游,并通过蛋白磷酸化调节来诱导下游防御反应形成。     

Dissociation of individual molecules with electrons from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope

The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) can be used to select a particular adsorbed molecule, probe its electronic structure, dissociate the molecule by using electrons from the STM tip, and then examine the dissociation products. These capabilities are demonstrated for decaborane(14) (B(10)H(14)) molecules adsorbed on a silicon(111)-(7 x 7) surface. In addition to basic studies, such selective dissociation processes can be used in a variety of applications to control surface chemistry on the molecular scale.     

Functional characterization of caffeic acid O-methyltransferase in internode lignification of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a crucial enzyme that mainly methylates phenylpropanoid meta-hydroxyl of C₅ in the biosynthesis of syringyl lignin in angiosperms. A putative COMT, named as PvCOMT1, was isolated from switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a C₄ warm-season dual-purpose forage and bioenergy crop. Our results showed that recombinant PvCOMT1 enzyme protein catalyzed the methylation of 5-OH coniferyl alcohol, 5-OH coniferaldehyde (CAld5H) and 5-OH ferulic acid. Further in vitro studies indicate that CAld5H can dominate COMT-mediated reactions by inhibiting the methylation of the other substrates. Transgenic switchgrass plants generated by an RNAi approach were further employed to study the function of COMT in internode lignification. A dramatic decrease in syringyl lignin units coupled with an obvious incorporation in 5-OH guaiacyl lignin units were observed in the COMT-RNAi transgenic plants. However, the constitutive suppression of COMT in switchgrass plants altered neither the pattern of lignin deposition along the stem nor the anatomical structure of internodes. Consistent with the biochemical characterization of PvCOMT1, a significant decrease in sinapaldehyde was found in the COMT-RNAi transgenic switchgrass plants, suggesting that CAld5H could be the optimal intermediate in the biosynthesis syringyl lignin.     

Seemingly anomalous angular distributions in H + D₂ reactive scattering

When a hydrogen (H) atom approaches a deuterium (D(2)) molecule, the minimum-energy path is for the three nuclei to line up. Consequently, nearly collinear collisions cause HD reaction products to be backscattered with low rotational excitation, whereas more glancing collisions yield sideways-scattered HD products with higher rotational excitation. Here we report that measured cross sections for the H + D(2) → HD(v' = 4, j') + D reaction at a collision energy of 1.97 electron volts contradict this behavior. The anomalous angular distributions match closely fully quantum mechanical calculations, and for the most part quasiclassical trajectory calculations. As the energy available in product recoil is reduced, a rotational barrier to reaction cuts off contributions from glancing collisions, causing high-j' HD products to become backward scattered.     

Coherent sensing of a mechanical resonator with a single-spin qubit

Mechanical systems can be influenced by a wide variety of small forces, ranging from gravitational to optical, electrical, and magnetic. When mechanical resonators are scaled down to nanometer-scale dimensions, these forces can be harnessed to enable coupling to individual quantum systems. We demonstrate that the coherent evolution of a single electronic spin associated with a nitrogen vacancy center in diamond can be coupled to the motion of a magnetized mechanical resonator. Coherent manipulation of the spin is used to sense driven and Brownian motion of the resonator under ambient conditions with a precision below 6 picometers. With future improvements, this technique could be used to detect mechanical zero-point fluctuations, realize strong spin-phonon coupling at a single quantum level, and implement quantum spin transducers.     

普通大麦(4x)与球茎大麦(4x)种间F_1杂种形态学和细胞遗传学的研究

普通大麦(Hordeum vulgare L.2n=4x=28)与球茎大麦(H.bulbosum L.2n=4x=28)的种同杂交试验结果如下:无论是以普通大麦为母本,还是以球茎大麦为母本。在F_1杂种中都出现了三种类型植株,即似普通大麦的双单倍体,中间类型的混倍体和似球茎大麦的四倍体杂种。 F_1杂种根尖细胞染色体数目大多数为14～28条。在减数分裂期,双单倍体植株中所有球茎大麦染色体都已消失;混倍体和四倍体杂种植株在减数分裂期的染色体行为则表明普通大麦与球茎大麦染色体之间有高度的亲和性。因此,把有用的球茎大麦基因导入普通大麦是可能的。     

As_2H、AsH和As_2分子的结构与势能函数

采用Gaussian09程序,运用密度泛函B3LYP方法,在6-311＋＋g（3df,3pd）基组水平下,对As2、AsH与As2H分子的结构进行优化和频率计算,得到了它的平衡几何构型和力常数,理论计算结果与实验值接近。As2H（X2A′）分子的最稳定结构为三角形的Cs结构,离解能是8.9 eV。在AsH（X3∑-）和As2（X1∑g＋）的Murrell-Sor-bie势能函数基础上,并采用多体项展式理论导出了基态As2H（X2A′）分子的解析势能函数,其等值势能图准确再现了基态As2H（X2A′）分子的结构特征及势阱深度与位置。     

Antibody catalysis of the oxidation of water

Recently we reported that antibodies can generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from singlet molecular oxygen (1O2*). We now show that this process is catalytic, and we identify the electron source for a quasi-unlimited generation of H2O2. Antibodies produce up to 500 mole equivalents of H2O2 from 1O2*, without a reduction in rate, and we have excluded metals or Cl- as the electron source. On the basis of isotope incorporation experiments and kinetic data, we propose that antibodies use H2O as an electron source, facilitating its addition to 1O2* to form H2O3 as the first intermediate in a reaction cascade that eventually leads to H2O2. X-ray crystallographic studies with xenon point to putative conserved oxygen binding sites within the antibody fold where this chemistry could be initiated. Our findings suggest a protective function of immunoglobulins against 1O2* and raise the question of whether the need to detoxify 1O2* has played a decisive role in the evolution of the immunoglobulin fold.     

Identifying kinetic barriers to mechanical unfolding of the T. thermophila ribozyme

Mechanical unfolding trajectories for single molecules of the Tetrahymena thermophila ribozyme display eight intermediates corresponding to discrete kinetic barriers that oppose mechanical unfolding with lifetimes of seconds and rupture forces between 10 and 30 piconewtons. Barriers are magnesium dependent and correspond to known intra- and interdomain interactions. Several barrier structures are "brittle," breakage requiring high forces but small (1 to 3 nanometers) deformations. Barrier crossing is stochastic, leading to variable unfolding paths. The response of complex RNA structures to locally applied mechanical forces may be analogous to the responses of RNA during translation, messenger RNA export from the nucleus, and viral replication.