东莞石马河沿岸土壤重金属污染及生态毒性研究

为研究河水-地下水交互作用对河流沿岸土壤环境质量的影响,以东莞石马河沿岸土壤为研究对象,采集沿岸距离河道不等的6个土壤剖面共31个土样,测定土壤重金属(As、Cd、Cr、Cu、Fe、Mn、Ni、Pb和Zn)含量和土壤水提取液对发光菌的抑制率。结果表明,Cd、Cu、Ni和Zn的含量分别为2.80~11.2mg kg-1、9.70~298mg kg-1、11.4~69.7mg kg-1和40.4~465mg kg-1;Cd的地累积系数为6.06,达到极度污染水平;土壤重金属污染的地累积系数排序为CdZnCuNiCrMnAsPbFe;重金属含量差异与土壤有机质(SOM)含量和土壤微粒组分(63μm)有关,Cr、Cu、Ni、Zn、Mn和Cr、Ni与SOM含量和微粒组分分别呈显著正相关(p0.05或p0.01);土壤剖面毒性单位(∑TU)评价结果为剖面S3S2SbS1S4Sa,其中剖面S3的值最大,为5.51,属于中毒;土壤水提取液对发光菌的抑制率为2.45%~16.5%,为无毒或低毒。     

First isolation of rose yellow mosaic virus in Japan

Rose yellow mosaic virus, which belongs to the Roymovirus genus in the Potyviridae family, was isolated here in Japan from a rose cultivar, Irish Mist. The full-length genomic sequence was similar to a strain in Minnesota, United States, which was the first ever isolated, with 85% nucleotide and 94% amino acid sequence similarities. Unlike the Minnesota strain, which lacks 220 nt including the 6K1 protein region, the Japanese isolate contains this coding region, which is commonly found in those of the Potyviridae.

     

Pneumocystis Pneumonia in a Thoroughbred Racehorse

Pneumocystis pneumonia is an opportunistic respiratory infection that occurs in immunocompromised animals. In horses, pneumocystic pneumonia is observed mostly in foals and often progresses rapidly. Here, we report pneumocystic pneumonia in a Thoroughbred racehorse. A 3-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse colt had marked respiratory symptoms for 3 weeks and was unresponsive to antibiotic treatment. At necropsy, firm, tan, patchy lesions were scattered diffusely in the lungs. Microscopically, alveolar septa thickened by proliferation of collagen fibers and infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed. In the alveolar spaces, many brown-black yeast-like organisms similar to cystic forms of Pneumocystis carinii were recognized by staining with Gomori's methenamine silver. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) obtained before necropsy included macrophages engulfing the fungus bodies. Amplified products were obtained from BALF and lung tissue samples by Pneumocystis-specific nested PCR. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 18S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the P. carinii organism from BALF was related to the Pneumocystis spp. detected in other animals and was especially close to P. carinii derived from ferrets. This is a rare case of pneumocystic pneumonia in a colt with chronic pulmonary lesions.     

Spatiotemporal distribution of Flavobacterium psychrophilum and ayu Plecoglossus altivelis in rivers revealed by environmental DNA analysis

Outbreaks of bacterial cold-water disease (BCWD), caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum, are widespread in Japan, especially among ayu Plecoglossus altivelis. There are few investigations of F. psychrophilum in river water, and its seasonal distribution has not been clarified. We aimed to identify the spatiotemporal dynamics of F. psychrophilum and ayu to provide information that is useful for establishing a countermeasure for BCWD. Quantitative analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) was used to clarify the year-round dynamics of ayu and F. psychrophilum. We sampled river water from the Nagara and Ibi rivers in Japan, and conducted monthly water sampling and eDNA quantification. Changes in the eDNA concentration of ayu were consistent with the known life histories of the fish. There was a strong negative correlation between the eDNA concentration of F. psychrophilum and water temperature, suggesting a strong dependence of F. psychrophilum dynamics in the river on water temperature. Furthermore, relatively high eDNA concentrations were recorded for both organisms in early summer and fall, suggesting that ayu is infected with F. psychrophilum during these seasons when experiencing up- and downmigration, respectively.

     

The dorsal aorta initiates a molecular cascade that instructs sympatho-adrenal specification

The autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic neurons and adrenal medulla, originates from the neural crest. Combining avian blood vessel-specific gene manipulation and mouse genetics, we addressed a long-standing question of how neural crest cells (NCCs) generate sympathetic and medullary lineages during embryogenesis. We found that the dorsal aorta acts as a morphogenetic signaling center that coordinates NCC migration and cell lineage segregation. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) produced by the dorsal aorta are critical for the production of the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF -1) and Neuregulin 1 in the para-aortic region, which act as chemoattractants for early migration. Later, BMP signaling is directly involved in the sympatho-medullary segregation. This study provides insights into the complex developmental signaling cascade that instructs one of the earliest events of neurovascular interactions guiding embryonic development.     

气相色谱-质谱法测定小鼠血浆的尼古丁和可替宁

建立了一种同时测定小鼠血浆中尼古丁和可替宁含量的气相色谱-质谱方法.以二苯胺为内标,采用HPDB-225毛细管色谱柱(30 m×0.25 mm i.d.,膜厚0.25μm)和选择离子监测.该方法尼古丁和可替宁的线性范围均为40～1 000 ng/mL,线性相关系数分别为0.998 9和0.999 7,检出限均为2 ng/mL.平均回收率尼古丁为83.2%～94.6%,可替宁为79.3%～101.6%.该方法简便、特异、灵敏、重现性好.     

First Identification of 5,11-Dideoxytetrodotoxin in Marine Animals,and Characterization of Major Fragment Ions of Tetrodotoxin and Its Analogs by High Resolution ESI-MS/MS

Even though tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a widespread toxin in marine and terrestrial organisms, very little is known about the biosynthetic pathway used to produce it. By describing chemical structures of natural analogs of TTX, we can start to identify some of the precursors that might be important for TTX biosynthesis. In the present study, an analog of TTX, 5,11-dideoxyTTX, was identified for the first time in natural sources, the ovary of the pufferfish and the pharynx of a flatworm (planocerid sp. 1), by comparison with totally synthesized (−)-5,11-dideoxyTTX, using high resolution ESI-LC-MS. Based on the presence of 5,11-dideoxyTTX together with a series of known deoxy analogs, 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX, 6,11-dideoxyTTX, 11-deoxyTTX, and 5-deoxyTTX, in these animals, we predicted two routes of stepwise oxidation pathways in the late stages of biosynthesis of TTX. Furthermore, high resolution masses of the major fragment ions of TTX, 6,11-dideoxyTTX, and 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX were also measured, and their molecular formulas and structures were predicted to compare them with each other. Although both TTX and 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX give major fragment ions that are very close, m/z 162.0660 and 162.1020, respectively, they are distinguishable and predicted to be different molecular formulas. These data will be useful for identification of TTXs using high resolution LC-MS/MS.