Intriguing olfactory proteins from the yellow fever mosquito,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Aedes aegypti</Emphasis>

Four antennae-specific proteins (AaegOBP1, AaegOBP2, AaegOBP3, and AaegASP1) were isolated from the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti and their full-length cDNAs were cloned. RT-PCR indicated that they are expressed in female and, to a lesser extent, in male antennae, but not in control tissues (legs). AaegOBP1 and AaegOBP3 showed significant similarity to previously identified mosquito odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) in cysteine spacing pattern and sequence. Two of the isolated proteins have a total of eight cysteine residues. The similarity of the spacing pattern of the cysteine residues and amino acid sequence to those of previously identified olfactory proteins suggests that one of the cysteine-rich proteins (AaegOBP2) is an OBP. The other (AaegASP1) did not belong to any group of known OBPs. Structural analyses indicate that six of the cysteine residues in AaegOBP2 are linked in a similar pattern to the previously known cysteine pairing in OBPs, i.e., Cys-24–Cys-55, Cys-51–Cys-104, Cys-95–Cys-113. The additional disulfide bridge, Cys-38–Cys-125, knits the extended C-terminal segment of the protein to a predicted 2-helix. As indicated by circular dichroism (CD) spectra, the extra rigidity seems to prevent the predicted formation of a C-terminal -helix at low pH.Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available for this article if you access the article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

基于数据库的农业非点源污染最佳管理措施效率评估工具构建

针对流域非点源污染的关键源区,配置最佳管理措施（BMPs,Best Management Practices）是非点源污染控制的有效途径.然而,受限于研究成本和不同地区自然地理条件的差异性,通过实地监测对BMPs削减效率进行评估的研究案例还不多见.多数相关研究仅关注单一类型BMPs的效率评估,使得研究成果仅仅适用于某些特定区域.对BMPs的潜在效益进行评估,可通过收集不同区域内BMPs的削减效率信息来实现.本文采用基于文献的BMPs效率评估方法,通过整理国内154篇关于BMPs研究的文献信息,建立适用于农业流域非点源污染控制的BMPs数据库.在此基础上,采用VBA（Visual Basic for Applications）和SQL（Structured Query Language）程序语言构建BMPs削减效率评估工具箱.该工具箱适用于非点源污染控制措施削减效率的评估,能够根据不同研究区特征,给出目标BMPs的污染负荷削减量,从而为BMPs的优选提供定量依据.以密云水库上游蛇鱼川小流域为案例研究区,根据该流域的非点源污染特征,对拟采用的BMPs进行评估,结果表明：草型植物篱、25 m河岸缓冲带、河岸带畜禽活动护栏以及集中放牧等措施控制效率最高.     

Latest precambrian (Cadomian) zircon ages, Nd isotopic systematics and P-T evolution of granitoid orthogneisses of the Erzgebirge, Saxony and Czech Republic

Single zircons from two orthogneiss complexes, the Grey Gneiss and Red Gneiss, the lowermost tectonic units in the Erzgebirge, were dated. The grey Freiberg Gneiss is of igneous origin and has a ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb emplacement age of 550±7 Ma. A quartz monzonite from Lauenstein contains idiomorphic zircons with a mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 555±7 Ma as well as xenocrysts ranging in age between 850 and 1910 Ma. Red gneisses from the central Erzgebirge contain complex zircon populations, including numerous xenocrysts up to 2464 Ma in age. The youngest, idiomorphic, zircons in all samples yielded uniform ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages between 550±9 and 554±10 Ma. Nd isotopic data support the interpretation of crustal anatexis for the origin of both units. _Nd(t) values for the grey gneisses are –7.5 and –6.0 respectively, (mean crustal residence ages of 1.7–1.8 Ga). The red gneisses have a wider range in _Nd(t) values from –7.7 to –2.8 (T _DM ages of 1.4–1.8 Ga). The zircon ages document a distinct late Proterozoic phase of granitoid magmatism, similar in age to granitoids in the Lusatian block farther north-east. However, Palaeozoic deformation as well as medium pressure metamorphism ( 8 kbar/600–650° C) are identical in both gneiss units and distinguish these rocks from the Lusatian granitoids. The grey and red gneisses were overthrust by units with abundant high-pressure relicts and a contrasting P-T evolution. Zircon xenocryst and Nd model ages in the range 1000–1700 Ma are similar to those in granitoid rocks of Lusatia and the West-Sudetes, and document a pre-Cadomian basement in parts of east-central Europe that, chronologically, has similarities with the Sveconorwegian domain in the Baltic Shield.     

Bulk carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen stable isotope composition of recent resins from amber-producing Hymenaea

Resins of Hymenaea, an angiosperm tree genus known to be a copious resin producer and a major source of amber since the Oligo-Miocene, were collected from a wide range of tropical environments from Latin America and Africa, and analyzed for their carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen stable isotope composition. The average value for ¹³C in the resins was found to be –27.0±1.3, which is very similar to the values reported for resins in other studies. ¹⁸ values for the Hymenaea resins averaged +11.2±1.6, or about 20 more depleted than normal plant cellulose. D values of the resins ranged from –196 to –319, with an average of –243±30. Rough estimates suggest a fractionation of –200 to –210 between the resins and the environmental water. This value is similar to the –200 value observed for the fractionation between other plant lipids and environmental water. The present study suggests that the stable isotope composition of fossil resins (amber) has the potential to provide information on ancient environmental waters.     

Carbon Offset Potentials of Four Alternative Forest Management Strategies in Canada: A Simulation Study

Using an Integrated TerrestrialEcosystem C-budget model (InTEC), we simulated thecarbon (C) offset potentials of four alternativeforest management strategies in Canada: afforestation,reforestation, nitrogen (N) fertilization, andsubstitution of fossil fuel with wood, under differentclimatic and disturbance scenarios. C offset potentialis defined as additional C uptake by forest ecosystemsor reduced fossil C emissions when a strategy isimplemented to the theoretical maximum possibleextent. The simulations provided the followingestimated gains from management: (1) Afforesting allthe estimated 7.2 Mha of marginal agricultural landand urban areas in 1999 would create an average Coffset potential of 8 Tg C y^-1 during 1999–2100,at a cost of 3.4 Tg fossil C emission in 1999. (2)Prompt reforestation of all forest lands disturbed inthe previous year during 1999–2100 would produce anaverage C offset potential of 57 Tg C y^-1 forthis period, at a cost of 1.33 Tg C y^-1. (3)Application of N fertilization (at the low rate of 5kg N ha^-1 y^-1) to the 125 Mha ofsemi-mature forest during 1999–2100 would create anaverage C offset of 58 Tg C y^-1 for this period,at a cost of 0.24 Tg C y^-1. (4) Increasingforest harvesting by 20% above current average ratesduring 1999–2100, and using the extra wood products tosubstitute for fossil energy would reduce averageemissions by 11 Tg C y^-1, at a cost of 0.54 TgC y^-1. If implemented to the maximum extent, thecombined C offset potential of all four strategieswould be 2–7 times the GHG emission reductionsprojected for the National Action Plan for ClimateChange (NAPCC) initiatives during 2000–2020, and anorder of magnitude larger than the projected increasein C uptake by Canada's agricultural soils due toimproved agricultural practices during 2000–2010.     

Early human development: new data raise important embryological and ethical questions relevant for stem cell research

Recent research has considerably changed our views about the developmental biology of early mammalian embryos compared with the ideas that were predominant throughout the previous 30 years or so. New data obtained recently suggest that the mammalian embryo uses traits of axes determination mechanisms that are not too different from the modes used by other vertebrates. In particular, it appears that asymmetry cues derived from the oocyte cytoplasm and modified/specified during sperm penetration appear to be crucial in normal embryogenesis, rather than the environmental influences exerted, e.g. at embryo implantation in the uterus. On the other hand, recent advances in research on the equivalents of a Spemann-Mangold organizer in species other than amphibia (including mammals) provide a background for new discussions of early embryonic patterning (axis formation) processes in the embryonic disc. In combination, these new views appear to be of considerable interest in the debate on the developmental properties and the ethical status of embryonic stem cells. The present review focuses specifically on the new aspects of axis determination and pattern formation processes in early mammalian embryos and relates this to questions about the developmental potential of embryonic stem cells (totipotency vs pluripotency/omnipotency), i.e. facts that appear to be worth considering in the recent debate about the ontological status of the early human embryo as well as of human embryonic stem cells.     

The oldest European fossil songbird from the early Oligocene of Germany

We report on the oldest European songbird (Passeriformes), from the early Oligocene (30–34 million years ago) of Frauenweiler in Germany. The specimen represents the earliest associated remains of an early Tertiary passerine described so far. It ties the first appearance of Passeriformes in Europe to a minimum age of 30 million years. Passeriform birds are absent in Eocene deposits that yielded abundant remains of small land birds and apparently dispersed into Europe around the Eocene/Oligocene boundary (about 34 million years ago), not at the Oligocene/Miocene boundary (about 24 mya) as hitherto thought. This possibly relates the appearance of songbirds in Europe to a well-known major faunistic break at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, called the grande coupure. The Frauenweiler songbird most notably differs from extant Passeriformes in having a larger processus procoracoideus on the coracoid and appears to be outside Eupasseres, the taxon which includes Oscines (all modern European and most Old World songbirds) and Suboscines (most South and Central American songbirds). It shows that there were earlier dispersal events of non-oscine songbirds into Europe before the arrival of Oscines from the Australian continental plate towards the late Oligocene.     

Prenatal analysis of the insulin receptor gene in a family with leprechaunism

Leprechaunism is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by intrauterine and postnatal growth restriction, loss of glucose homeostasis, and severe insulin resistance. This disease is caused by a failure of function of the insulin receptor and is lethal early in life. Here we report the prenatal diagnosis of leprechaunism in one consanguineous family, Atl-1, in which two homozygous-affected siblings died with leprechaunism. The mutation in their insulin receptor impaired insulin binding and altered receptor signalling. Prenatal diagnosis could not be accomplished using insulin binding to cultured amniocytes, but was possible using mutational analysis of the insulin receptor gene in DNA from amniotic cells.     

The eyes of oilbirds (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Steatornis caripensis</Emphasis>): pushing at the limits of sensitivity

An extreme example of a low light-level lifestyle among flying birds is provided by the oilbird, Steatornis caripensis (Steatornithidae, Caprimulgiformes). Oilbirds breed and roost in caves, often at sufficient depth that no daylight can penetrate, and forage for fruits at night. Using standard microscopy techniques we investigated the retinal structure of oilbird eyes and used an ophthalmoscopic reflex technique to determine the parameters of these birds visual fields. The retina is dominated by small rod receptors (diameter 1.3±0.2 m; length 18.6±0.6 m) arranged in a banked structure that is unique among terrestrial vertebrates. This arrangement achieves a photoreceptor density that is the highest so far recorded (1,000,000 rods mm^–2) in any vertebrate eye. Cone photoreceptors are, however, present in low numbers. The eye is relatively small (axial length 16.1±0.2 mm) with a maximum pupil diameter of 9.0±0.0 mm, achieving a light-gathering capacity that is the highest recorded in a bird (f-number 1.07). The binocular field has a maximum width of 38° and extends vertically through 100° with the bill projecting towards the lower periphery; a topography that suggests that vision is not used to control bill position. We propose that oilbird eyes are at one end of the continuum that juxtaposes the conflicting fundamental visual capacities of sensitivity and resolution. Thus, while oilbird visual sensitivity may be close to a maximum, visual resolution must be low. This explains why these birds employ other sensory cues, including olfaction and echolocation, in the control of their behaviour in low-light-level environments.     

Evaluation of non-point source pollution reduction by applying Best Management Practices using a SWAT model and QuickBird high resolution satellite imagery

This study evaluated the reduction e ect of non-point source pollution by applying best management practices (BMPs) to a 1.21 km2 small agricultural watershed using a SWAT (Soil andWater Assessment Tool) model. Two meter QuickBird land use data were prepared for the watershed. The SWAT was calibrated and validated using daily streamflow and monthly water quality (total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and suspended solids (SS)) records from 1999 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2002. The average Nash and Sutcli e model e ciency was 0.63 for the streamflow and the coe cients of determination were 0.88, 0.72, and 0.68 for SS, TN, and TP, respectively. Four BMP scenarios viz. the application of vegetation filter strip and riparian bu er system, the regulation of Universal Soil Loss Equation P factor, and the fertilizing control amount for crops were applied and analyzed.     

Brain mechanisms that control sleep and waking

This review paper presents a brief historical survey of the technological and early research that laid the groundwork for recent advances in sleep–waking research. A major advance in this field occurred shortly after the end of World War II with the discovery of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) as the neural source in the brain stem of the waking state. Subsequent research showed that the brain stem activating system produced cortical arousal via two pathways: a dorsal route through the thalamus and a ventral route through the hypothalamus and basal forebrain. The nuclei, pathways, and neurotransmitters that comprise the multiple components of these arousal systems are described. Sleep is now recognized as being composed of two very different states: rapid eye movements (REMs) sleep and non-REM sleep. The major findings on the neural mechanisms that control these two sleep states are presented. This review ends with a discussion of two current views on the function of sleep: to maintain the integrity of the immune system and to enhance memory consolidation.This article is based in part on material in the book The neural control of sleep and waking (J. Siegel, 2002).     

Circadian consequences of social organization in the ant species<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Camponotus compressus</Emphasis>

The locomotor activity rhythm of different castes of the ant species Camponotus compressus was monitored individually under laboratory light/dark (LD) cycles, and under continuous darkness (DD). The colony of this ant species comprises two sexual castes, the queens and the males, and three worker castes, namely the major, media, and minor workers. The virgin males and virgin queens display rhythmic activity patterns, but the mated queens were arrhythmic while laying eggs, with the rhythmicity resuming soon after egg-laying. Under the LD regime, major workers showed nocturnal patterns, while about 75% of the media workers displayed nocturnal patterns and about 25% showed diurnal patterns. Under the DD regime, most major workers exhibited circadian rhythm of activity with a single steady state, whereas media workers displayed two types of activity patterns, with activity patterns changing after 6–9 days in DD (turn-arounds). The pre-turn-around of the ants that showed nocturnal activity patterns during LD entrainment was <24 h after release into DD, which then became >24 h, after 6–9 days. On the other hand, the pre-turn-around of those ants that exhibited diurnal patterns during LD entrainment was first >24 h after release into DD, and then became <24 h, after 6–9 days. The activity of the minor workers neither entrained to LD cycles nor showed any sign of free-run in DD. It appears that the circadian clocks of the ant species C. compressus are flexible, and may perhaps depend upon the tasks assigned to them in the colony.     

The dinosaurian origin of feathers: perspectives from dolphin (Cetacea) collagen fibers

The early origin of birds is a hotly disputed debate and may be broadly framed as a conflict between paleontologists and ornithologists. The paleontological emphasis has shifted from Archaeopteryx and its origins to recent finds of Cretaceous birds and feathered dinosaurs from China. The identification of alleged feathers has, however, relied principally on the visual image. Some workers have interpreted these integumentary structures as collagen fibers. To test the latter hypothesis, using light microscopy, collagen from the hypodermis (blubber) and subdermal connective tissue sheath was examined from a dolphin that had been buried for a year as part of an experiment. Within the blubber, toward the central thicker parts of the material, the collagen fibers had compacted and the three-dimensional latticework of normal blubber had more or less collapsed. Chromatographic analysis of the blubber revealed pronounced oxidation of the unsaturated lipids, probably accounting for the collapse of the latticework. Fibers normally bound together in bundles became separated into individual fibers or smaller bundles by degradation of the glue-like substance binding them together. These degraded collagen fibers show, in many instances, feather-like patterns, strikingly reminiscent of many of those identified as either protofeathers or modern feathers in dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. The findings throw serious doubt on the virtually complete reliance on visual image by supporters of the feathered dinosaur thesis and emphasize the need for more rigorous methods of identification using modern feathers as a frame of reference. Since collagen is the main fiber type found in most supporting tissues, the results have wide implications regarding the degradation and fossilization of vertebrate integument, such as that of the ichthyosaurs, dinosaurs and birds.     

A cost of alarm pheromone production in cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii

The sesquiterpene, (E)--farnesene, is used by many aphid species as an alarm pheromone to warn related individuals of predation. Disturbed cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover, released (E)--farnesene into the air as detected by solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Solvent extracts of cotton aphids of various life stages and weights also were analyzed by GC–MS for sums of ions 69 and 93, which discriminated (E)--farnesene from coeluting compounds. Aphids of all life stages and sizes reared on cotton plants in both an environmental chamber and glasshouse contained (E)--farnesene in amounts ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 ng per individual. The quantities of (E)--farnesene in aphids increased in relation to increasing body weight, and variation in individual weights explained about 82% of the variation in alarm pheromone. However, the concentrations (ng/mg fresh weight) declined exponentially with increasing body weight. These findings indicate that aphid nymphs try to compensate for their smaller size by producing relatively more pheromone per weight than adults but still cannot approach an evolutionary optimal load, as assumed in adults with the greatest total amounts. This suggests that young aphids need to balance costs of growth and maturation with costs of producing the alarm pheromone.     

丹江口水库流域非点源污染的最佳管理措施优选

研究运用SWAT模型模拟了非点源污染最佳管理措施在丹江口水库流域的减排效果.在综合考虑了各项措施的成本、占用耕地程度、控制效果等因素后,在不同等级坡度区域下运用基于信息熵的多属性决策方法对措施进行综合评价优选.根据优选结果,提出建议:在25°区域以退耕还林措施为主.研究为丹江口水库流域非点源污染最佳管理措施的实施提供了明确实际的决策支持.     

妊娠小鼠子宫对2,3,7,8-四氯苯二噁英毒性的敏感性研究

对妊娠早期小鼠用不同剂量的TCDD进行处理，妊娠第9天采集血清、肝、肾、脑、脂肪、子宫和胎儿等样品，利用酵母报道基因系统进行组织中TCDD含量检测，结果发现脂肪中TCDD含量最高，其次是肝脏、子宫和胎儿．由于TCDD的毒性需通过体内包括细胞色素P4501A2在内的代谢酶的活化，采用免疫组化的方法对TCDD诱导的该酶的表达水平进行了检测，发现肝脏和子宫的阳性反应最强，并且所需剂量很低，肾脏和脂肪组织在较高剂量出现阳性反应，而脑组织则仅在更大剂量时出现微弱的阳性信号．此现象说明子宫和肝脏一样，可以通过芳香烃类受体诱导细胞色素P4501A2酶的产生，活化TCDD，引起对细胞的毒性并产生对胚胎的毒性．在低剂量时观察到的强烈的生殖毒性应该和TCDD在子宫的蓄积和子宫内敏感的细胞色素P4501A诱导能力有关．     

Restoration of Some Parameters in the Development of Benthos After Reduction of Anthropogenous Loading in the Ecosystem of the Sevastopol Bay in the Black Sea

Research on benthic communities have been carried out in the Sevastopol Bay of the Black Sea for a hundred years. The anthropogenous influence began to have an effect already in the 20–30^th. In this period, all oyster-banks were lost and the mussel-silt and mellina-silt communities have begun to degrade and were not found during almost seventy years in the Bay. The worst state of benthic communities was observed in the 60–90^th, when species of bottom animals were not found over some parts of the sea. In this period, only 10 macrozoobenthic species were registered in the Bay. Mollusks: Nassarius reticulatus, Bittium reticulatum, Cerastoderma glaucum and polychaetes: Nephtys hombergii, Neanthes succinea have proved the most enduring at high anthropogenous loadings The faunistic complex of benthic species registered in 1913 had the greatest similarity to the benthic species complex of 2002. Return of mussel, Melinna palmata polychaete and Ascidiella aspersa sea squirt in benthic communities of the Sevastopol Bay are responsible for the similarity between these faunistic complexes. The restoration of local populations of these benthic species has followed the significant decrease of the anthropogenous loading on the sea ecosystems as a result of the significant reduction of the military naval base in the Bay during the last five to ten years.     

Field test of best management practice pollutant removal efficiencies in Shenzhen, China

This paper presents a study on the use of best management practices (BMPs) for controlling nonpoint pollution in the Xikeng Reservoir watershed located in Shenzhen, China. A BMP treatment train design, including a pond, a wetland, and a buffer strip placed in series was implemented at the reservoir location. A separate grass swale was also constructed at the site. Low impact development (LID) BMPs, namely a planter box and bioboxes, were used at the parking lot of the reservoir’s Administration Building. Samples were collected during storm events and were analyzed for total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N), and total phosphorus (TP). The removal efficiencies of both BMP systems were evaluated using the Efficiency Ratio (ER) method based on the event mean concentration (EMC) data. In summary, the pond/wetland treatment train removed 70%–90% of TSS, 20%–50% of BOD₅, and 30%–70% of TP and NH₃-N. The swale removed 50%–90% of TSS, 30%–55% of BOD₅, − 10%–35% of NH₃-N, and 25%–70% of TP. For the planter box and biobox, the ranges of removal rates were 70%–90%, 20%–50%, and 30%–70% for TSS, BOD₅, and ammonia and phosphorus, respectively.     

Stationary Spiraling Eddies and Self-Cleaning Processes in the White Sea in Presence of Climate Change and Their Relationship with Ecology of the Greenland Seal: Results of Airborne-Satellite-In Situ Study

Pollution of the marginal Arctic seas and rising of toxic contaminants are extremely dangerous for marine and coastal ecosystems and for marine mammals as representatives of a high level of fodder chains in the ocean. Ecology of ice-associated forms of marine mammals, population health and animal welfare are strongly depended from the different environmental processes and phenomena. Operational assessment of the level of this impact is very important for marine biology, marine fisheries and other. Many new problems create a global warming. In order to investigate ice covered Arctic Ocean and charting the number of seals were performed annual inspections onboard research aircraft PINRO Arktika. Multi-spectral airborne and satellite observations were fulfilled regularly from Barents and White Sea to the Bering and Okhotsk Sea. A contemporary status of different group of sea mammals was evaluated, where number and health of adults and pups were checked separately. In situ observations were provided with using helicopter and icebreaker for gathering a water samples, ice cores and specimens of meat and fatty matter (with following biochemical and toxicological analysis in laboratory). A prevailing part of life cycle of Greenland seals (Pagophillus groenladicus) is strongly depended from winter hydrology (water masses arrangement and water exchange, stable currents, meandering fronts, stationary spiraling eddies) and closely connected with type of ice (pack, fast ice) and other parameters of ice (age, origin, salinity, ice edge). First-year ice floes which has a specific properties and distinctive features are used by harp seals for pupping, lactation, molting, pairing and resting. Ringed seals, inversely, use for corresponding purposes only fast-ice. Different aspects of ecology, and migration features of harp seals were analyzed in frame of verification study. It was revealed a scale of influence of winter severity and wind regime (even a cases of ecological catastrophe of harp seal were fixed), but stationary eddies in the White Sea is most effective governing factor (novelty). The results of study of the following relationship of the problem eddies – self-cleaning processes – climate change – ecology of Greenland seal White Sea population will be presented: A) regularities of eddies formation and their spatial arrangement, temporal (seasonal and annual) modification; B) stationary eddy as zone of concentration of polluted waters and toxically hazard, self-cleaning processes and climate change; C) eddies displacement and parameters modification (type of eddy, intensity and sign of rotation) as result of climate change; D) relationship between eddies location and whelping rookeries arrangement, climate change and variety of the type of migration E) spiraling eddies and pollution dynamics, forecast of future modification of marine animal welfare. A further develop a strategy of multi-level ecomonitoring of the polluted Arctic should be discussed and recommendations for conservation and management of ice-associated forms of seals in presence of global warming will be done.     

Approaches to semi-synthetic minimal cells: a review

Following is a synthetic review on the minimal living cell, defined as an artificial or a semi-artificial cell having the minimal and sufficient number of components to be considered alive. We describe concepts and experiments based on these constructions, and we point out that an operational definition of minimal cell does not define a single species, but rather a broad family of interrelated cell-like structures. The relevance of these researches, considering that the minimal cell should also correspond to the early simple cell in the origin of life and early evolution, is also explained. In addition, we present detailed data in relation to minimal genome, with observations cited by several authors who agree on setting the theoretical full-fledged minimal genome to a figure between 200 and 300 genes. However, further theoretical assumptions may significantly reduce this number (i.e. by eliminating ribosomal proteins and by limiting DNA and RNA polymerases to only a few, less specific molecular species). Generally, the experimental approach to minimal cells consists in utilizing liposomes as cell models and in filling them with genes/enzymes corresponding to minimal cellular functions. To date, a few research groups have successfully induced the expression of single proteins, such as the green fluorescence protein, inside liposomes. Here, different approaches are described and compared. Present constructs are still rather far from the minimal cell, and experimental as well as theoretical difficulties opposing further reduction of complexity are discussed. While most of these minimal cell constructions may represent relatively poor imitations of a modern full-fledged cell, further studies will begin precisely from these constructs. In conclusion, we give a brief outline of the next possible steps on the road map to the minimal cell.

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