Search

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features of renal leukocyte chemokine type 2 amyloidosis (ALECT2). Methods: The prevalence, clinical characteristics, renal histopathological features, and renal outcome of 15 patients with ALECT2 by kidney biopsy were collected in the Department of Kidney Pathology, Shanxi Medical University Second Hospital, Taiyuan, China from January 1993 to December 2023. Immunohistochemistry and mass spectrometry for amyloid proteins were carried out. Results: Fifteen patients with ALECT2 were included in the study, representing 12.93% (15/116) of the renal biopsy-proven amyloidosis cases. There were 5 males and 10 females. The median age at diagnosis was 61 years. All patients had various degrees of proteinuria; 7 patients had nephrotic syndrome; 3 patients had renal insufficiency; 7 patients had microscopic hematuria. Renal biopsy showed that strongly orangophilic amyloid proteins distributed mainly in the renal cortical interstitium, vascular walls, the glomerular mesangium and/or glomerular basement membrane. Eight cases were diagnosed with ALECT2 alone and 7 cases combined with other renal diseases, including 4 cases with membranous nephropathy, 2 cases with IgA nephropathy, and 1 case with subacute tubular interstitial nephropathy. ALECT2 patients with concurrent renal disease showed a higher proteinuria level than those without (3.48 g/24 h versus 4.58 g/24 h). All patients were corroborated by immunohistochemistry to exhibit the specific location of LECT2 in the amyloid fibrils. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed LECT2 polypeptide in 9 patients. Except two patients with worsening renal function, the others showed stable renal function during the mean follow-up period of 12.5 months. Conclusions: ALECT2 is the second common type of renal amyloidosis in our center. The majority of ALECT2 patients show concurrent renal diseases, with a high rate of membranous nephropathy. Amyloid deposits distribute mainly in the cortical interstitium of the kidney, the glomerular mesangium and vascular walls. Mass spectrometry is the most sensitive and specific method for detecting LECT2 amyloidosis.

Trade-offs exist for xerophytic shrubs between functional traits, involving in water loss and assimilate accumulation, can contribute to its survival and growth rate regulation in arid environments. However, growth analysis based on plant functional traits has been focused on the study of herbs and woody species. It is still unclear how the functional traits of xerophytic shrubs regulate their growth rate. In this study, we selectedeight xerophytic shrubs as samples to analyze the regulation process of the functional traits of shrubs on growth rate. Plants were cultivated for three years, and three harvests (every one year) were carried out. Factors explaining between-species differences in relative growth rate (RGR) varied, depending on whether different ages were considered. The results showed that RGR was positively correlated with net assimilation rate, but there was a significant negative correlation with leaf area ration (LAR), specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf biomass ratio in the age 1. However, in the age 2, RGR showed a significant positive correlation with the morphological traits (i.e., leaf area ration and specific leaf area), but not with physiological traits (i.e., net assimilation rate) and leaf biomass allocation. Our results suggested that the fluctuation of environmental factors affects the regulation path of the plant functional traits on RGR of xerophytic shrubs. However, the analysis of causality model showed that no matter in which age, net assimilation rate and leaf area ration principally drive the variation in RGR among xerophytic shrubs., (© 2021 German Society for Plant Sciences, Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.)

To establish reference intervals for thyroid functional indicators in early (T1), mid-term (T2), and late stage (T3) pregnancy in a population of women in Northwestern China. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 620 pregnant women. Subjects were recruited through a questionnaire where apparently healthy women were selected. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH3), total triiodothyronine (TT3), total thyroid hormone (TT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroid hormone (FT4) were detected using the Beckman Unicel DXI 800 automatic chemiluminescence analyzer (the third-generation TSH detection reagent for TSH3),and the reference intervals of different gestation periods were established. The results showed that the reference intervals of TSH3 in T1, T2, and T3 were 0.05-4.59, 0.61-6.01, and 0.63-4.78 mIU/L, respectively; TT3 were 1.62-2.97 nmol/L, 1.59-2.95 nmol/L, and 1.45-2.70 nmol/L, respectively; TT4 were 95.49-185.00 nmol/L, 92.70-181.54 nmol/L, and 77.93-155.09 nmol/L, respectively; FT3 were 3.18-5.22 pmol/L, 2.78-4.67 pmol/L, and 2.51-4.18 pmol/L, respectively; and FT4 were 7.72-12.97 pmol/L, 6.90-1.09 pmol/L, and 5.63-9.85 pmol/L, respectively. All thyroid function indexes had statistically significant differences between the three stages of pregnancy (TSH: H =30.879, P <0.01;FT3: H =153.827, P <0.01;FT4: H =229.967, P <0.01;TT3: H =36.484, P <0.01;TT4: H =58.531, P <0.01). 20 independent samples were collected to verify the reference intervals of TSH, FT3, FT4, TT3 and TT4 for three trimesters of pregnancy, and all of them passed.

Objective: To observe the radial artery thrombosis (RAT) during transradial coronary angiography (CAG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and to investigate the risk factors of RAT during the CAG and/or PCI. Methods: In this retrospective study, we consecutively reviewed the radial artery OCT examination results of the patients who underwent OCT guided transradial CAG and/or PCI for acute coronary syndrome in heart center of Beijing Luhe hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2017 to July 2018. The incidence of RAT was observed. The patients were divided into the RAT group and non-RAT group, clinical data were collected and compared. Moreover, the types and distributions of thrombus in radial artery as well as the acute radial artery injuries under OCT were observed. Univariate analysis followed by multivariate analysis were performed to identify potential risk factors. The radial artery patency and ischemic symptoms of the involved limb were followed up at the 24-hour and the 1-month after procedure. Results: A total of 107 patients were included, the age was (58.1±12.5), and 78.5% were male ( n =84). The incidence of RAT was 26.2% ( n =28, 95% CI 17.9%-34.5%), and the main type of thrombus was white thrombus ( n =15, 53.6%). The commonest position of RAT was the proximal portion of radial artery ( n =17, 60.7%). The median thrombus volume was 0.05(0.03, 0.38) mm 3 , and the median thrombus score was 6.5 (3.3, 13.8). In univariate analysis, the frequency of acute radial artery injury and use of bivalirudin were significantly higher and the procedure time was significantly longer in RAT group than those in non-RAT group (all P <0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the radial artery acute injury ( OR= 5.82, 95% CI: 2.09-16.20, P =0.001) and the procedure time ( OR= 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06, P =0.006) were independent risk factors of RAT. Rate of radial artery occlusion at 24 hours follow-up was similar between RAT and non-RAT group (7.14%(2/28), vs. 10.13%(8/79), P =1.000). None of the patients complicated severe ischemic symptom of the operative limb. Conclusions: RAT is a high frequency access complication during transradial coronary intervention. This phenomenon can be accurately observed by OCT. Acute radial artery injury and prolonged procedure time are risk factors of RAT during transradial coronary intervention.

Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient that can restrict plant growth. However, the influence of P deficiency on elemental homeostasis and application of the growth rate hypothesis in higher plants remain to be assessed. Two shrubs, Zygophyllum xanthoxylum and Nitraria tangutorum, were used as experiment material and subjected to five P addition treatments: 0, 17.5, 35.0, 52.5 and 70.0 mg P·kg -1 soil. The biomass and relative growth rate of Z. xanthoxylum did not change with altered P supply. There was no significant difference in P concentration among the treatments for Z. xanthoxylum, but N. tangutorum showed an upward trend. The P stoichiometric homeostasis of Z. xanthoxylum was higher than that of N. tangutorum. For Z. xanthoxylum, available P in the rhizosphere improved significantly under extreme P deficiency conditions, and P concentrations in all treatments were lower than in N. tangutorum, showing that Z. xanthoxylum had stronger P absorption and P utilization capacity. No relationships between growth rate and C:N:P ratios were found in Z. xanthoxylum. The strong P efficiency, and high and stable dry matter accumulation, are likely contributors in maintaining stoichiometric homeostasis. In addition, the relatively high biomass accumulation and high P utilization efficiency for Z. xanthoxylum does not support the growth rate hypothesis for this species., (© 2020 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.)

Objective: Glioma including glioblastoma is the main type of primary brain tumors worldwide. LncRNAs have participated in glioma formation. This study aims to investigate the underlying mechanism for VIM-AS1/miR-105-5p/WEE1 signaling in glioma., Patients and Methods: The clinical tumors and adjacent tissues were collected from 24 patients with glioma in the Shang Luo Central Hospital. Then, the clinical samples were subjected to hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E). VIM-AS1, miR-105-5p, and WEE1 levels were measured using real-time PCR. The protein levels of WEE1, Cyclin A1, PCNA, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Bcl-2, E-cadherin, and Bax were analyzed using Western blot. The overall survival of glioma patients was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. The interaction between VIM-AS1 and miR-105-5p was determined using RIP assay and Dual-Luciferase reporter assay, and the binding between miR-105-5p and WEE1 was also detected by Dual-Luciferase reporter assay. Cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and migration were confirmed using CCK-8, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assay, respectively., Results: VIM-AS1 was elevated in cancer tissues, and high level of VIM-AS1 was positively correlated with poor overall survival. Then, VIM-AS1 could bind to and downregulate miR-105-5p. Furthermore, the knockdown of VIM-AS1 significantly suppressed tumor growth in vivo. The knockdown of VIM-AS1/overexpression of miR-105-5p inhibited glioma cell growth, colony formation, and migration, and enhanced the cell apoptosis by inhibiting expression of Cyclin A1, PCNA, Vimentin, N-cadherin, and Bcl-2, and by increasing the expression of Bax and E-cadherin. Interestingly, the overexpression of VIM-AS1 reversed the tumor-suppressing role of miR-105-5p in glioma cells. Besides, the expression of WEE1 was synergistically regulated by VIM-AS1 and miR-105-5p. Consequently, VIM-AS1 promoted glioma progression via upregulating WEE1 or downregulating miR-105-5p., Conclusions: VIM-AS1/miR-105-5p/WEE1 signaling may be a promising target for glioma treatment.

In photonics and emerging fields of quantum and topological materials, increasing demands are placed upon the state and control of electromagnetic fields. Dielectric multilayer materials may be designed and optimized to possess extremely sharp spectral and angular photonic resonances allowing for the creation of fields orders of magnitude larger than the exciting field. With enhancements of 10 4 and higher, the extreme nature of these resonances places high constraints on the statistical properties of the physical and optical characteristics of the materials. To what extent the spectral and angular shifts occur as a result of fluctuations in the refractive indices and morphologies of the involved low-loss subdomains have not been considered previously. Here, we present how parameter variations such as those caused by fluctuations in deposition rate, yielding bias, random and compensated errors, may affect the resonance properties of low-loss all-dielectric stacks.

Based on the elemental composition of major biochemical molecules associated with different biological functions, the 'growth rate hypothesis' proposed that organisms with a higher growth rate would be coupled to lower C:N, especially lower C:P and N:P ratios. However, the applicability of the growth rate hypothesis for plants is unclear, especially for shrubs growing under different water supply. We performed an experiment with eight soil moisture levels (soil water content: 4%, 6%, 8%, 13%, 18%, 23%, 26% and 28%) to evaluate the effects of water availability on leaf C:N:P stoichiometry in the shrub Zygophyllum xanthoxylum. We found that leaves grew slowly and favored accumulation of P over C and N under both high and low water supply. Thus, leaf C:P and N:P ratios were unimodally related to soil water content, in parallel with individual leaf area and mass. As a result, there were significant positive correlations between leaf C:P and N:P with leaf growth (u). Our result that slower-growing leaves had lower C:P and N:P ratios does not support the growth rate hypothesis, which predicted a negative association of N:P ratio with growth rate, but it is consistent with recent theoretical derivations of growth-stoichiometry relations in plants, where N:P ratio is predicted to increase with increasing growth for very low growth rates, suggesting leaf growth limitation by C and N rather than P for drought and water saturation., (© 2018 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.)

High-speed electric multiple unit (EMU) trains generate high-frequency electric fields, low-frequency magnetic fields, and high-frequency wideband electromagnetic emissions when running. Potential human health concerns arise because the electromagnetic disturbances are transmitted mainly into the car body from windows, and from there to passengers and train staff. The transmission amount and amplitude distribution characteristics that dominate electromagnetic field emission need to be studied, and the exposure level of electromagnetic field emission to humans should be measured. We conducted a series of tests of the on board electromagnetic field distribution on several high-speed railway lines. While results showed that exposure was within permitted levels, the possibility of long-term health effects should be investigated.

Recovery of both latent heat and condensate from boiler flue gas is significant for improving boiler efficiency and water conservation. The condensation experiments are carried out to investigate the simultaneous heat and mass transfer across the nanoporous ceramic membranes (NPCMs) which are treated to be hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces using the semicontinuous supercritical reactions. The effects of typical parameters including coolant flow rate, vapor/nitrogen gas mixture temperature, water vapor volume fraction and transmembrane pressure on heat and mass transfer performance are studied. The experimental results show that the hydrophilic NPCM exhibits higher performances of condensation heat transfer and condensate recovery. However, the hydrophobic modification results in remarkable degradation of heat and condensate recovery from the mixture. Molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to establish a hydrophilic/hydrophobic nanopore/water liquid system, and the infiltration characteristics of the single hydrophilic/hydrophobic nanopore is revealed.

The effect of surface wettability on condensation heat transfer in a nanochannel is studied with the molecular dynamics simulations. Different from the conventional size, the results show that the filmwise mode leads to more efficient heat transfer than the dropwise mode, which is attributed to a lower interfacial thermal resistance between the hydrophilic surface and the condensed water compared with the hydrophobic case. The observed temperature jump at the solid-liquid surface confirms that the hydrophilic properties of the solid surface can suppress the interfacial thermal resistance and improve the condensation heat transfer performance effectively.

Ovarian activity not only influences fertility, but is also involved with the regulation of division of labour between reproductive and behavioural castes of female honey bees. In order to identify candidate genes associated with ovarian activity, we compared the gene expression patterns between inactivated and activated ovaries of queens and workers by means of high-throughput RNA-sequencing technology. A total of 1615 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was detected between ovaries of virgin and mated queens, and more than 5300 DEGs were detected between inactivated and activated worker ovaries. Intersection analysis of DEGs amongst five libraries revealed that a similar set of genes (824) participated in the ovary activation of both queens and workers. A large number of these DEGs were predominantly related to cellular, cell and cell part, binding, biological regulation and metabolic processes. In addition, over 1000 DEGs were linked to more than 230 components of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, including 25 signalling pathways. The reliability of the RNA-sequencing results was confirmed by means of quantitative real-time PCR. Our results provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in ovary activation and reproductive division of labour., (© 2014 The Royal Entomological Society.)

The tumor suppressor p53 has defined roles in varied cellular processes including apoptosis and DNA repair. While conventional genomic approaches have suggested a large number of p53 targets, there is a need for a systematic approach to validate these putative genes. We developed a method to identify and validate p53's transcriptional behavior by utilizing 16 non-synonymous p53 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants. Five SNPs located within the DNA-binding domain of p53 were found to be functionally null, whereas the other 11 SNPs were p53WT-like in behavior. By integrating p53 ChIP-seq analysis with transcriptome data from the p53 SNP variants, 592 genes were identified as novel p53 targets. Many of these genes mapped to previously less well-characterized aspects of p53 function, such as cell signalling, metabolism, central nervous system, and immune system. These data provide pivotal insights into the involvement of p53 in diverse pathways of normal physiological processes and open new avenues for investigation of p53 function.

Abundance of duck adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP) mRNA was detected in this study by quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that duck A-FABP gene was expressed in muscular tissues and many organs, except pancreas, lung, and kidney, and highly expressed in adipose tissues, especially in sebum. The expression of A-FABP and adipocyte differentiation-related genes was upregulated by oleic acid, and the A-FABP knockdown suppressed the oleic acid-stimulated expression of these genes in the cultured duck adipocytes, indicating A-FABP might play an important role in duck adipocyte differentiation.

1. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of perilla extract, a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, on lipid metabolism and expression of lipid-related genes in livers of Shaoxing ducks. 2. Two hundred and forty 28-week-old laying ducks received a commercial diet with perilla extract added at 0 (control) or 200 mg/kg of feed. 3. Ducks fed on a diet with perilla extract had increased laying rates compared with control ducks. 4. Serum concentrations of triglycerides were reduced by perilla extract, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total serum cholesterol increased. 5. The expression of genes involved in hepatic lipogenesis, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1, acetyl CoA carboxylase, stearoyl CoA desaturase, fatty acid synthase, apolipoprotein B, and apolipoprotein very low density lipoprotein, were decreased in the perilla group. 6. The mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor alpha and acyl-coenzyme A oxidase was enhanced following treatment with perilla extract, and a similar tendency was observed in the expression of liver fatty acid-binding protein. 7. The results show that a diet with 200 mg/kg perilla extract regulated fat metabolism of Shaoxing ducks by improving egg laying, altering serum lipid profiles, stimulating lipid catabolic gene expression and inhibiting lipogenic gene expression in the liver.

Background: Stem cell differentiation is controlled by extracellular cues from the environment and by intrinsic genetic programs within the stem cell. The present study aimed to explore whether mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) could improve hyperglycemia and insulin production in the diabetic microenvironment., Methods: We transplanted male porcine bone marrow-derived EGFP-expressing MSC directly into female diabetic porcine pancreas by multi-point injection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and fluorescent immunohistochemistry were used to analyze recipients' sera and pancreas tissues for assessment of the therapeutic effect., Results: Blood glucose levels decreased gradually in MSC-treated recipients from 15 days after the transplantation compared with untreated diabetic controls (15.94+/-0.31 mmol/L versus 16.66+/-0.11 mmol/L; P=0.01). Blood insulin increased and glucagons decreased notably in recipients from 2 weeks post-transplantation compared with untreated diabetic controls (0.049+/-0.004 microg/L versus 0.037+/-0.02 microg/L and 392.9+/-20.3 ng/L versus 433.1+/-27.6 ng/L). Hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained sections demonstrated that the number of islets from each section was markedly increased in recipients compared with that of diabetic controls (10.9+/-2.2 versus 4.6+/-1.4; P<0.05) and similar to that of normal controls (10.9+/-2.2 versus 12.6+/-2.6; P>0.05). The newly formed islets were smaller than normal islets (47.2+/-19.6 microm versus 119.6+/-27.7 microm; P<0.05). Analysis of pancreatic sections for EGFP in recipients indicated that the transplanted MSC survived within the pancreas. Insulin immunoreactivity of pancreatic islets showed that the newly formed islets expressed insulin., Discussion: MSC could improve diabetes upon pancreatic microenvironment without obvious immune rejections. This has theoretical and clinical applications.

Background: Extracellular microenvironment and intrinsic genetic programs determine the fate of stem cells. We observed whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) contributed to insulin-producing cells in a manipulated microenvironment., Methods: We delivered pancreatic pieces into Niobium-Coated Dynamatrix to construct a simulated pancreatic microenvironment, upon which soluble cytokine exchange and direct cell-cell contact between MSCs and pancreatic cells could occur. Bone marrow-derived MSCs were cultured upon the microenvironment. Differentiated isletlike cells were observed under an inverted microscope. Insulin in supernates was measurement by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Insulin and c-peptide expression were verified by fluorescent immunocytochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Apoptosis of isletlike masses in high-glucose DMEM was detected by FACS., Results: After 3 to 4 weeks in culture, typical isletlike masses were observed. Insulin secreted by differentiated cells (414.47+/-30.30 mIU/L) was much greater than that of undifferentiated cells (4.89+/-1.01 mIU/L; P<.05). Insulin and c-peptide expression were positive both in protein and mRNA levels. The transdifferentiated isletlike mass did not undergo apoptosis after another 3 weeks of culture in high-glucose DMEM., Conclusion: This simulated injury microenvironment without induction guided MSCs to functional isletlike cells hopefully to replace beta cells.

The mature region of Xianju chicken inhibin alpha-subunit was amplified from the total RNA of follicle granulosa cells by RT-PCR using the primer pair designed according to the reported cDNA sequence of chicken inhibin alpha-subunit, and this fragment of alpha-subunit was cloned and sequenced subsequently. The results revealed that the mature alpha-subunit of Xianju chicken was a fragment of 113 amino acids containing one glycosylation site and seven cysteine residues. It was approximately 98% and 61.4%-68.7% identical in nucleotide sequence, 97.3% and 64.6%-69% similar in deduced amino acid sequence, respectively, in the mature region to the chicken and mammalian inhibin alpha-subunit cDNA clone. As for the mature chicken inhibin alpha-subunit, the number of potential glycosylation site and cysteine residues was the same, and their corresponding positions in the amino acid sequences were almost identical as compared to chicken and mammalian inhibin alpha-subunit, which indicated that the inhibin alpha-subunit was highly conserved among different species, implying an important role of inhibin alpha-subunit in various animals. The quantitative analysis of competitive RT-PCR for inhibin alpha-subunit revealed that the expression of alpha-subunit decreased with further follicle maturity from SYF to F1 follicle. The highest level of inhibin alpha-subunit mRNA was found in the SYF and F6-8 follicles, which indicated that inhibin alpha-subunit played an important role during the course of follicular recruitment, selection and dominance.

A total of 539 bases fragment of mitochondrial DNA D-loop region of six domestic chicken breeds (30 individuals) were sequenced and compared to that of red junglefowl, grey junglefowl, green junglefowl and Lafayette's junglefowl issued in GenBank, and the phylogenetic trees for the chickens constructed based on the D-loop sequences. The results indicated that the four species of genus Gallus had great differences between each other, the G. g. domesticus was the next of kin to red junglefowl in Thailand and its adjacent regions, and near of kin to red junglefowl in Indonesian, Lafayette's junglefowl, grey junglefowl and green junglefowl one by one in proper order, suggesting that the red junglefowl in Thailand and its neighbour areas sufficed as the matriarchic ancestor of Chinese domestic fowls. It was also discovered that the two subspecies of Thailand i.e. G. g. gallus and G. g. spadiceus should belong to one subspecies because of their far lower differentiation compared to that among the domestic breeds.

The first entirely stereoselective total synthesis of (-)-quinine is reported.

A total of 539 bases of mitochondrial DNA D-loop region of five native chicken breeds of Zhejiang province and the white leghorn chicken (as the control) were sequenced by DNA sequencing technique, and the phylogenetic trees of the chicken breeds were constructed. The results showed that 24 variation sites i.e. 4.45% sequence divergence were detected among the 30 DNA sequences, and the six breeds belonged to two different maternal lineage, one included Xianju chicken and White Leghorn chicken which had the same maternal origin, the other included Lingkun chicken, Baiyiner chicken, Wugu chicken and Xiaoshan chicken which had the same matriarchic ancestor. Among the latter lineage, Lingkun chicken, Baiyiner chicken and Wugu chicken had a closer relationship to each other than to Xiaoshan chicken.

Follistatin and inhibin/activin were closely related glycoprotein hormones. The quantitative competitive RT-PCR was used to investigate the expression of follistatin and inhibin/activin beta B-subunit mRNA in the developing ovarian follicles, immature and mature testes. The results revealed all samples showed the expression of mRNA for the two proteins, and the expression is more abundantly in the small follicles than in the large preovulatory follicles. Competitive RT-PCR revealed that the expression of follistatin is the highest in small yellow follicles (SYF), the mean relative content for the F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6-8, LWF (large white follicle), TI(immature testes), and TM(mature testes) was 0.011 +/- 0.004, 0.019 +/- 0.006, 0.021 +/- 0.009, 0.028 +/- 0.007, 0.075 +/- 0.023, 0.15 +/- 0.072, 0.29 +/- 0.068, 0.037 +/- 0.011, and 0.012 +/- 0.004, respectively, compared to a mean relative content of 1.00 for the SYF. The highest level of inhibin/activin beta B mRNA was also found in the SYF, the mean relative content for the F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6-8, LWF, TI, and TM was 0.009 +/- 0.003, 0.013 +/- 0.005, 0.019 +/- 0.007, 0.023 +/- 0.006, 0.29 +/- 0.084, 0.84 +/- 0.093, 0.031 +/- 0.008, 0.38 +/- 0.072, and 0.046 +/- 0.013, respectively, compared to a mean relative content of 1.00 for the SYF. Our data suggested that the expression pattern of mRNA for follistatin and inhibin/activin beta B-subunit was quite similar during follicular and testicular development. The great co-expression of mRNA for the two proteins in small follicles indicated that activin B(beta B-beta B) availability was tightly regulated by follistatin, and the two proteins might both play important roles in early follicular development.

The very sensitive quantitative competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to investigate the expression of mRNA for the inhibin alpha and inhibin/activin beta A subunit in the developing ovarian follicles of the duck. The results indicated all follicles showed the expression of mRNA for the inhibin alpha and inhibin/activin beta A. The inhibin alpha subunit mRNA is expressed more abundantly than the beta A subunit in the large preovulatory follicles. Competitive RT-PCR revealed that the expression of inhibin alpha subunit is the highest in small yellow follicles (SYF), the mean relative content for the F1, F2, F3, F4/5 and LWF (large white follicle) was 0.26 +/- 0.05, 0.28 +/- 0.07, 0.57 +/- 0.12, 0.98 +/- 0.09 and 0.026 +/- 0.006, respectively, compared to a mean relative content of 1.00 for the SYF. The highest level of inhibin/activin beta A mRNA was found in the F1 follicle, the mean relative content for the F2, F3, F4/5, SYF and LWF was 0.218 +/- 0.09, 0.111 +/- 0.03, 0.058 +/- 0.011, 0.053 +/- 0.013 and 0.005 +/- 0.002, respectively, compared to a mean relative content of 1.00 for the F1 follicle. Our data suggest that the expression of the alpha subunit is reduced with follicular development whereas beta A subunit expression is dramatically enhanced, which indicates the expression of inhibin alpha and inhibin/activin beta A subunit is differentially regulated during follicular development. In addition, the highest level of beta A mRNA in F1 follicle indicates the production of dimeric inhibin and/or activin primarily occurred in the largest F1 follicle.

The aim of this study was to investigate the action of activin and follistatin either alone or in combination on FSH receptor mRNA expression. The results showed that activin alone increased FSH receptor mRNA level in the presence or absence of FSH in cultured granulosa cells, and the stimulating effect of activin on FSH receptor level was dose-dependent. This effect of activin was inhibited by FSP treatment which alone had no effect on FSH receptor expression. From the results, it can be concluded that activin and follistatin both exert autocrine actions on granulosa cells, and the two factors, possibly by regulating FSH receptor expression, may play important roles in follicular development.

A new subdivision with distinctive morphological and functional attributes has been identified at the caudomedial margin of the neostriatum and surrounding the rostrolateral border of the globus pallidus in the brains of the rat, cat, monkey, and human. The subdivision is termed marginal division (MrD) based on its location. It is readily distinguishable from the rest of striatum by consisting of spindle-shaped neurons, special connections, and intensely expressed immunoreactivities of many neuropeptides and some monoamines in the fibers, terminals, and neuronal somata. Three-dimensional reconstruction from Nissl-stained sections of the rat brain revealed that the MrD is a flat, pan-shaped zone between the neostriatum and globus pallidus. Functional neuronal connections were delineated by chemical-induced c-Fos expression between the MrD and hippocampus, amygdala, as well as the basal nucleus of Meynert. In rats with chemical lesions of bilateral MrD, learning and memory functions were severely impaired as demonstrated by double blind Y-maze test. Our results thus suggested that the MrD is a distinct part and a universal structure in the neostriatum of the mammalian brain and might play an important role in the mechanism of learning and memory., (Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

A simple and effective system for the transformation and regeneration of Lycium barbarum L. has been developed. Young stem segments from Lycium barbarum L. were infected by Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring a vector containing neomycin phosphotransferase II (npt-II) gene derived from non-oncogenic Ti plasmid. Calli originating from young stem segments on selective induction medium could differentiate into buds on selective differentiation medium rapidly and finally developed into whole plants. NPT-II enzyme activity assay and DNA hybridization indicated that the foreign gene had been integrated into the genome of Lycium barbarum L. and could be expressed in plants.