应用双倍PCR技术快速检测大豆胞囊线虫

描述了一种基于双倍PCR技术，用种特异性引物快速鉴定大一啼胞囊线虫方法。应用两组引物扩增胞囊线虫的rDNA。第一组引物含有2个通用引物D3A和D3B，用于扩增大亚基核糖体基因（28S rDNAgene）的D3扩展区；第二组引物包括大豆胞囊线虫特异性引物GlyF1和一个通用引物rDNA2，用于扩增ITS2区的片断和部分28S基因，用此双倍PCR扩增技术检测了来自中国、俄罗斯、美国和巴西的53个大豆胞囊线虫群体，结果表明，用两组引物进行双倍PCR扩增，所有53个大豆胞囊线虫群体都产生两个明显的片断（181bp and 345 bp），其中181bp片断是SCN特异性引物GlyF1和rDNA2扩增出大豆胞囊线虫中特异性片断，在所测试的其它胞囊线虫群体，仅仅扩增出345bp的片断，而不能扩增出大豆胞囊线虫的特异性片断，用该项技术能从大豆胞囊经一虫的胞囊或单头二龄幼虫的微量DNA中，扩增出大豆胞囊线虫的特异性片断，该技术的敏感性达到单条二龄幼虫的水平。     

Epithelial wound healing enhanced by transforming growth factor-alpha and vaccinia growth factor

Epidermal regeneration following middermal injuries to skin requires both proliferation and migration of keratinocytes. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates the proliferation of keratinocytes in culture, and topical administration of EGF accelerates epidermal regeneration of partial thickness burns or split-thickness incisions in vivo. Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) and vaccinia growth factor (VGF) have substantial sequence homology with EGF, and all appear to bind to the same receptor protein. Whether TGF-alpha or VGF can affect epidermal wound healing in vivo is not known. The present studies show that topical administration of TGF-alpha or VGF in antibiotic cream to partial thickness burns (second degree) accelerated epidermal regeneration in comparison with untreated or vehicle-treated burns. Low levels of both TGF-alpha and VGF (0.1 microgram per milliliter) appeared to be more effective than EGF in stimulating epidermal regeneration. Regenerated epithelium from burns treated with TGF-alpha or VGF appeared normal histologically. This finding suggests that topical application of selected growth factors may be useful in accelerating healing of partial thickness injuries.     

Mercury compounds reduce photosynthesis by plankton

Concentrations of organomercurial fungicides as low as 0.1 part per billion in water reduced photosynthesis and growth in laboratory cultures of one species of marine diatom and several natural phytoplankton communities from Florida lakes. The acute toxicity of mercury compounds to phytoplankton is dependent on the chemical nature of the mercury compound and on cell concentrations.     

Microbial genes in the human genome: lateral transfer or gene loss?

The human genome was analyzed for evidence that genes had been laterally transferred into the genome from prokaryotic organisms. Protein sequence comparisons of the proteomes of human, fruit fly, nematode worm, yeast, mustard weed, eukaryotic parasites, and all completed prokaryote genomes were performed, and all genes shared between human and each of the other groups of organisms were collected. About 40 genes were found to be exclusively shared by humans and bacteria and are candidate examples of horizontal transfer from bacteria to vertebrates. Gene loss combined with sample size effects and evolutionary rate variation provide an alternative, more biologically plausible explanation.     

Modified superheating of purified water

Purified water, intensively redistilled and allowed to overflow so as to shed residual adsorbate from the container, acquires a limiting thermal sensitivity to additions of long-chain fatty acids and alcohols. Thus two to three molecules of cis-13-docosenoic acid supplied for each 1000 molecules of exposed surface of water held quietly at the normal boiling point increases the superheat, Deltatg, by 10 percent.