Effects of marine fungal metabolites 1386A from the South China Sea on proliferation,apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential in gastric cancer cell line MCG-803

AIM: To investigate the effects of marine fungal metabolites 1386A from the South China Sea(1386A) on gastric cancer cell line MCG-803.METHODS: The effects of 1386A on cell viability and cell growth were detected by MTT method and colony-forming assay, respectively. The changes of cell cycle, cell apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential were determined by flow cytometry.RESULTS: The IC₅₀ of cell viability on MCG-803 cells after treated with 1386A for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h was 29.70 μmol/L, 14.07 μmol/L or 13.47 μmol/L, respectively. The IC₅₀ of the cell growth on MCG-803 cells after treated with 1386A for 48 h was 3.27 μmol/L. After treated with 1386A for 48 h, the MCG-803 cells in S stage was increased from 25.6% to 56.8%. After treated with 1386A for 24 h, the early apoptosis of MCG-803 cells was increased from 3.34% to 8.39%, and the mitochondrial membrane potential of MCG-803 cells was decreased by 56.26%.CONCLUSION: 1386A has an inhibitory effect on the cell growth in MCG-803 cells through the mitochondrial pathway.     

Comparison of avian diversity between urban parks adjacent to mountain and river in the largest megacity Guangzhou,South China

Urban parks can provide a resource for maintaining and increasing bird biodiversity. However, little research has been conducted to show the differences in bird community diversity between parks adjacent to mountains and rivers in the city center of highly urbanized areas. This study analysed whether the bird composition and species diversity differed between parks adjacent to Baiyun Mountain (hillside parks) and Pearl River (riverside parks) in Guangzhou, South China. From January 2018 to December 2020, 137927 birds representing 206 species were recorded. The results indicated that the number of species and individuals of birds were higher in hillside parks than in riverside parks in each season. The number of species and individuals was also higher in hillside parks than in riverside parks in different functional groups according to bird food type, residential type, and ecological type. The number of species shared by the two types of parks was 120. The unique birds' species number in hillside and riverside parks were 67 and 19, respectively. Bird diversity in terms of richness and Shannon index was higher significantly in hillside parks than in riverside parks in summer. Principal component analysis of environmental traits of 18 parks showed that plant traits in parks have relatively high and positive contribution. Correlation analysis indicated that bird diversity was positively affected by water area, the highest altitude, habitats diversity and tree evenness in park, while negatively regulated by building coverage around each park. The top 20 most abundant bird species accounted for 87.5% of the total birds in the study period. Nycticorax nycticorax, Urocissa erythroryncha and Podiceps ruficollis were observed more frequently in hillside parks, while Pycnonotus aurigaster, Passer montanus, Acridotheres cristatellus were observed more frequently in riverside parks. Principal coordinates analysis also indicated that bird communities significantly differed between hillside parks and riverside parks. In conclusion, our findings highlight the importance of conserving mountains and rivers as buffer zones for serious anthropogenic disturbance in the city center. We propose that the conservation of hillside parks is a priority strategy for enhancing urban birds biodiversity.     

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of the gene encoding sedoheptulose-1, 7-bisphosphatase from Cucumis sativus

Sedoheptulose-1, 7-bisphosphatase (SBPase; EC 3.1.3.37) is a key enzyme in the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle (Calvin cycle). In the present study, a full-length cDNA encoding SBPase (designated as CsSBP, GenBank accession no. FJ911553) was isolated from cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. ‘Jinyou 3’) grown in solar-greenhouse by RT-PCR and RACE. The cDNA contained 1452 nucleotides with a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 1167 nucleotides, which was deduced for encoding a peptide of 388 amino acids whose molecular mass was inferred to be 42 kDa with its isoelectric point at 6.17. Sequence comparison analysis showed that the deduced amino acid of SBPase from cucumber leaves had high homology to that from other species. Expression analysis by real-time PCR and Western blot revealed that CsSBP mRNA and protein was most abundant in leaves, detectable in stems and fruits, but invisible in roots. A similar difference was found in SBPase activity among leaves, stems, fruits and roots. CsSBP expression at the mRNA and protein level was the highest in mid-position leaves (4th–8th apical expanded leaves) of plants, medium in base position leaves (12th), and the lowest in upper position leaves (1st). However, SBPase activity decreased successively as leaf position declined. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of mid-position leaves was also found to be the highest, but that of base-position leaves was lower than upper-position leaves. The diurnal variations of gene expression and SBPase activity in optimal functional leaf (6th leaf) was a single-peak pattern curve, which was similar to that of Pn, and the peak appeared at 12:00. These data indicate that CsSBP expresses only in green tissues of cucumber plants and there are close positive correlations between SBPase activity and gene expression at the mRNA and protein levels, and between SBPase activity and Pn in leaves of cucumber plants.     

十株野生猴头菌菌株的栽培性状及麦角甾醇含量

考查采自黑龙江省不同地区的10个猴头菌(Hericium erinaceus)野生菌株的液体培养性状和栽培农艺性状,同时测定了菌丝体、子实体中麦角甾醇含量,为猴头菌育种筛选亲本材料。结果表明:液体培养中,5号和10号菌株菌丝产量较高,分别为2.23g/100 mL、2.39g/100 mL,麦角甾醇含量分别为0.92 mg/g、0.90mg/g;栽培中,5号和10号菌株子实体产量高,菇型圆整、商品性状好;4、6和9号菌株子实体中麦角甾醇含量相对较高。