Soil-mediated prion transmission: is local soil-type a key determinant of prion disease incidence?

Prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie, can be transmitted via indirect environmental routes. Animals habitually ingest soil, and results from laboratory experiments demonstrate prions can bind to a wide range of soils and soil minerals, retain the ability to replicate, and remain infectious, indicating soil could serve as a reservoir for natural prion transmission and a potential prion exposure route for humans. Preliminary epidemiological modeling suggests soil texture may influence the incidence of prion disease. These results are supported by experimental work demonstrating variance in prion interactions with soil, including variance in prion soil adsorption and soil-bound prion replication with respect to soil type. Thus, local soil type may be a key determinant of prion incidence. Further experimental and epidemiological work is required to fully elucidate the dynamics of soil-mediated prion transmission, an effort that should lead to effective disease management and mitigation strategies.     

Tumor promoting effects of cyanobacterial extracts are potentiated by anthropogenic contaminants--evidence from in vitro study

Inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is affiliated with tumor promotion process and it has been employed as an in vitro biomarker for evaluation of tumor promoting effects of chemicals. In the present study we investigated combined effects of anthropogenic environmental contaminants 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153) and fluoranthene, cyanotoxins microcystin-LR and cylindrospermopsin, and extracts of laboratory cultures of cyanobacteria Aphanizomenon gracile and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, on GJIC in the rat liver epithelial cell line WB-F344. Binary mixtures of PCB 153 with fluoranthene and the mixtures of the two cyanobacterial strains elicited simple additive effects on GJIC after 30 min exposure, whereas microcystin-LR and cylindrospermopsin neither inhibited GJIC nor altered effects of PCB 153 or fluoranthene. However, synergistic effects were observed in the cells exposed to binary mixtures of anthropogenic contaminants (PCB 153 or fluoranthene) and cyanobacterial extracts. The synergistic effects were especially pronounced after prolonged (6-24 h) co-exposure to fluoranthene and A. gracile extract, when mixture caused nearly complete GJIC inhibition, while none of the individual components caused any downregulation of GJIC at the same concentration and exposure time. The effects of cyanobacterial extracts were independent of microcystin-LR or cylindrospermopsin, which were not detected in cyanobacterial biomass. It provides further evidence on the presence of unknown tumor promoting metabolites in cyanobacteria. Clear potentiation of the GJIC inhibition observed in the mixtures of two anthropogenic contaminants and cyanobacteria highlight the importance of combined toxic effects of chemicals in complex environmental mixtures.     

转Bt基因水稻残留秸秆对农田底栖动物的影响

为研究转Bt基因水稻秸秆残留对稻田内底栖动物的潜在影响,利用转Bt基因水稻“华恢1号”及其亲本“明恢63”的秸秆进行稻田填埋试验,分析转Bt基因水稻秸秆中Bt蛋白对秸秆分解和底栖动物多样性的影响. 结果表明:①在填埋的水稻秸秆上共发现223个底栖动物,分属9个科,其中,在转Bt基因和非转基因水稻秸秆上均发现7个科. ②秸秆种类和秸秆填埋时间对底栖动物丰度、物种数、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、辛普森优势集中性指数(Simpson diversity index)和Pielou均匀度指数均无明显影响. ③转Bt基因和非转基因水稻秸秆剩余率均随着填埋时间的延长而逐渐降低,填埋7周后,两种类型秸秆剩余率平均值均为44.0%,二者之间无明显差异. ④在填埋的7周内,转Bt基因水稻秸秆中w(Bt蛋白)平均值为1.99~3.04 μg/g,7周后为2.04 μg/g. 研究显示,稻田残留的转Bt基因水稻秸秆对底栖动物多样性无显著影响.      

好氧颗粒污泥形成过程中群感效应的作用研究

通过观察污泥颗粒化过程中胞外聚合物和水解氨基酸的变化情况,同时监测在好氧颗粒污泥形成过程中不同种类酰化高丝氨酸内酯类化合物（AHLs）在AGS形成过程的变化规律,协同研究群感效应对胞外聚合物产生的影响,进而揭示颗粒化过程中污泥变化特征.结果表明,絮状污泥颗粒化过程中,AGS最终平均粒径约为150 μm,胞外聚合物中蛋白质增幅较大且以紧密结合型胞外聚合物及Pellet层胞外聚合物增加为主.污泥胞外聚合物中芳香族类物质及酪氨酸蛋白物质的生成是AGS形成的物质基础;丙氨酸、甲硫氨酸等疏水性物质可促进AGS的生成并维持其稳定.在AGS形成过程中,群感效应整体呈现为加强趋势,其中C4-HSL呈现明显浓度下降趋势,C6-HSL,3OC6-HSL及C8-HSL与胞外聚合物,蛋白质及多糖均呈现正相关趋势,其中C6-HSL和C8-HSL与紧密结合型胞外聚合物中的蛋白质及多糖呈现极显著正相关.     

锯齿新米虾对Cu2+和毒死蜱毒性的生理响应

为研究水生生物对水体中重金属和有机磷农药毒性的生理响应,以锯齿新米虾为试验生物,采用半静止毒性试验方法,分别研究了Cu2+和毒死蜱5 d暴露时间对锯齿新米虾肌肉组织生理指标的影响.结果表明,锯齿新米虾暴露在不同浓度Cu2+和毒死蜱溶液下,随着暴露时间的延长,肌肉组织蛋白浓度均有不同程度的降低.Cu2+溶液较低浓度组(0.086 mg·L-1和0.172 mg·L-1)和毒死蜱较高浓度组(0.006 0μg·L-1和0.012 0μg·L-1)中,总SOD活性表现抑制效应;Cu2+溶液较高浓度组(0.344 mg·L-1和0.688 mg·L-1)表现为"抑制-诱导-抑制"的变化趋势,而毒死蜱较低浓度组(0.001 5μg·L-1和0.003 0μg·L-1)表现为"抑制-诱导"的变化趋势;暴露在Cu2+和毒死蜱溶液下,MDA含量变化相似,且在一定浓度范围内,随着Cu2+和毒死蜱浓度增加,MDA含量呈逐渐上升的趋势,说明Cu2+和毒死蜱加快了锯齿新米虾肌肉组织脂质过氧化作用;ACh E活性在Cu2+和毒死蜱溶液中表现为抑制效应,且在Cu2+和毒死蜱溶液的较高浓度组中,其活性随浓度的增加而呈逐渐降低的趋势,说明Cu2+和毒死蜱对锯齿新米虾肌肉组织的正常生理功能产生了影响,其浓度越高,产生的损伤效应越大.研究表明,鉴于不同浓度的Cu2+和毒死蜱溶液对锯齿新米虾肌肉组织的损伤程度不同,总SOD、MDA和ACh E可以作为评价重金属和有机磷农药对锯齿新米虾急性毒性效应的生理指标.     

塔玛亚历山大藻对栉孔扇贝胚胎和早期幼虫的影响

塔玛亚历山大藻Alexandrium tamarense(藻株ATHK）能抑制栉孔扇贝Chlamys farreri受精卵的孵化和早期D型幼虫的存活。实验发现，暴露于密度为100和500cells/mL的塔玛亚历山大藻中，36h后，扇贝受精卵的孵化率分别为对照组的30%和5%，在实验范围内，三角褐指藻和赤潮异弯藻对受精卵孵化无影响，而另一塔玛亚历山大藻灌株ATCI02对受精卵孵 化有显著影响，指数生长前期时的藻对受精卵的毒性最大，原肠期之前各阶段的胚胎对塔玛亚历山大藻毒性最敏感，在密度为3000cells/mL以上的塔玛亚历山大藻中，早期D型幼虫存活和活力开始显著下降，在密度为5000cells/mL藻中暴露20d或10000cells/mL藻中暴露14d后，D型连续剧虫的存活率为0。塔玛亚历山大藻产生的毒性物质为非PSP毒素的一类未知毒素。     

油菜籽粕中蛋白质的提取与分离研究

油菜籽粕中含有丰富的蛋白质，提取的方法也多种多样。比较了不同萃取剂以及同一萃取剂在不同条件下对油菜籽粕中蛋白质萃取率的影响，得出其最佳提取条件是：pH值为11．5、料液比为1：30、温度45℃、提取时间为2h。     

Modulation of the DNA repair system and ATR-p53 mediated apoptosis is relevant for tributyltininduced genotoxic effects in human hepatoma G2 cells

The toxic effects of tributyltin (TBT) have been extensively documented in several types of cells, but the molecular mechanisms related to the genotoxic effects of TBT have still not been fully elucidated. Our study showed that exposure of human hepatoma G2 cells to 1-4 μmol/L TBT for 3 hr caused severe DNA damage in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the expression levels of key DNA damage sensor genes such as the replication factor C, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 were inhabited in a concentration-dependent manner. We further demonstrated that TBT induced cell apoptosis via the p53-mediated pathway, which was most likely activated by the ataxia telangiectasia mutated and rad-3 related (ATR) protein kinase. The results also showed that cytochrome c, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, and the B-cell lymphoma 2 were involved in this process. Taken together, we demonstrated for the first time that the inhibition of the DNA repair system might be more responsible for TBT-induced genotoxic effects in cells. Then the generated DNA damage induced by TBT initiated ATR-p53-mediated apoptosis.     

好氧颗粒污泥胞外聚合物（EPS）的生化性研究

将人工培养的好氧颗粒污泥进行饥饿试验,研究EPS的可生化性.结果表明,好氧颗粒污泥EPS是由40%可生物降解EPS和60%不可生物降解EPS组成的,其中可生物降解EPS可作为颗粒污泥自身的能源,而不可生物降解EPS则不行,但其对颗粒污泥的立体结构有巨大作用.将从新鲜好氧颗粒污泥中提取的EPS投加到好氧颗粒污泥和活性污泥中,提取的EPS均可被两者作为碳源利用,且活性污泥对EPS的利用速率是好氧颗粒污泥的1.5倍;而从饥饿好氧颗粒中提取的EPS作为两者碳源时,均没有明显的利用效果,说明不可生物降解的EPS不能作为两者的能源.     

重金属Pb~(2+)与蛋白质多组份体系的结合反应机制研究

滴涂法制备壳聚糖修饰电极(Chitosan/Glassy Carbon Electrode,CTS/GCE),并通过循环伏安法和电化学交流阻抗法表征修饰电极;利用修饰电极研究Pb2+离子与血清蛋白质混合体系及单组分体系的结合反应机理,并进行分析比较。结果表明,CTS/GCE修饰电极测定Pb2+-蛋白质分子相互作用时显现良好的线性响应关系,利用建议的理论方程计算了Pb2+与蛋白质的结合参数;分析实验数据表明混合组分体系中蛋白质分子间也存在相互作用,从而影响Pb2+与单组分蛋白质分子相互作用,Pb2+与多组分蛋白质溶液体系的相互作用参数不等于Pb2+与单组分蛋白质分子相互作用参数之和;同时,文章提出了一个蛋白质-蛋白质分子相互作用的计算公式,以此定量衡量多组分蛋白质混合体系中蛋白质分子间的相互作用。研究结果可为研究重金属离子与蛋白质组的相互作用提供前期基础,并为蛋白质-蛋白质分子间相互作用研究提供新方法。