Genotoxic effects of Ag2S and CdS nanoparticles in blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) haemocytes

The use of functionalised metal sulphide nanoparticles (NPs) for nanoremediation and biomedical application is rapidly increasing, which could lead to significant inputs into the marine environment. The potential impact of some NPs on marine organisms is still poorly understood. In the present paper the genotoxic potential of Ag₂S and CdS NPs on Mytilus edulis haemocytes was assessed. MPEG-SH (thiol-terminated methyl polyethylene glycol), was used as capping agent to avoid NPs agglomeration. TEM analysis showed that the Ag₂S NPs size was 13±7 nm, whereas CdS quantum dots had an average diameter of 4±1 nm. DNA integrity was evaluated by Comet assay following exposure to increasing concentration series (0.01–10 mg/L). Both silver and cadmium NPs showed genotoxic effects at the highest dose. MPEG-SH was also found to exert a weak genotoxic activity, suggesting that at least part of the genotoxic potential of functionalised NPs on mussel cells might be attributable to the capping agent. These results confirm the genotoxic potential of Ag₂S NPs for mussel cells and demonstrated, for the first time, that CdS NPs is genotoxic in a marine organism.     

环境砷中毒人群皮肤损害与DNA氧化损伤的关联性

选择内蒙古自治区某县长期暴露于高砷饮用水的人群中有皮肤损害者199人(病例组)和无皮肤损害者91人(对照组)作为研究对象,检测饮用水砷、尿砷和DNA氧化损伤的主要标志物8-羟基脱氧鸟苷(8-OHdG)水平,以分析慢性砷中毒人群DNA氧化损伤与皮肤损害的相关性.结果表明,砷性皮肤损害组和无皮肤损害组人群尿中8-OHdG水平的中位数(四分位间距)分别为4.9(3.5~6.3)μg/g和5.3(4.1~7.2)μg/g,2组对象尿中8-OHdG水平间差异无统计学意义(P=0.074);多元Logistic回归分析结果显示,在校正了年龄、体质指数(BMI)、吸烟、饮酒和饮用高砷水时间等可能的混杂因素后,皮肤损害组人群尿中8-OHdG水平升高的比值比(OR)为1.1(95%CI:0.6,1.9),提示在砷暴露人群中,有无皮肤损害与8-OHdG水平的差异无统计学意义(P=0.863).慢性砷中毒人群皮肤损害与体内的DNA氧化损伤之间无显著的关联性,无皮肤损害人群同样有DNA氧化损伤的风险.     

太湖背角无齿蚌组织中8-羟基脱氧鸟苷的含量及在水体污染评价中的初步应用

对2003--2008年闯采集自太湖不同水域的9个背角无齿蚌（Anodontawoodiana）样品组织中的DNA损伤产物-8-羟基脱氧鸟苷（8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine,8-OHdG）的水平进行了分析,同时研究了蚌体组织中重金属cd2＋和有机污染物PCBs的蓄积残留量,以探明水体污染和DNA损伤的相关性。研究结果显示,9个样本中的8-OHdG的含量在1．021-8．886ng．g-1之间,尤其以无锡三山岛和宜兴大浦这2个水域的样本最为突出,差异显著,表明上述水域已受到较严重的污染。PCBs在9个样本中有7个检出,但含量无明显差异（P〉0．05）,表明PCBs并非引起背角无齿蚌体内DNA损伤的主要污染因素。而背角无齿蚌组织中的cd2＋残留量与8-OHdG水平间存在显著的剂量一效应关系,呈正相关。这一结果与实验室内的模拟试验相吻合,提示重金属cd2＋是引起水体中背角无齿蚌DNA受损的主要污染因素。研究显示,背角无齿蚌机体组织中的8-OHdG具有稳定性强、测定方法简单快速、在一定的范围内具有显著的剂量—效应关系、实验室与野外分析相吻合等特点,因此可作为分子生物标志物来评价生物体受水环境持久性污染物污染而导致的DNA损伤效应。     

Use of carrion fly iDNA metabarcoding to monitor invasive and native mammals

Severely fragmented habitats increase the risk of extirpation of native mammal populations through isolation, increased edge effects, and predation. Therefore, monitoring the movement of mammal populations through anthropogenically altered landscapes can inform conservation. We used metabarcoding of invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) from carrion flies (Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae) to track mammal populations in the wheat belt of southwestern Australia, where widespread clearing for agriculture has removed most of the native perennial vegetation and replaced it with an agricultural system. We investigated whether the localization of the iDNA signal reflected the predicted distribution of 4 native species—echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), woylie (Bettongia penicillata), and chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii)—and 2 non-native, invasive mammal species—fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus). We collected bulk iDNA samples (n = 150 samples from 3428 carrion flies) at 3 time points from 3 conservation reserves and 35 road edges between them. We detected 14 of the 40 mammal species known from the region, including our target species. Most detections of target taxa were in conservation reserves. There were a few detections from road edges. We detected foxes and feral cats throughout the study area, including all conservation reserves. There was a significant difference between the diversity (F_3, 98 = 5.91, p < 0.001) and composition (F_3, 43 = 1.72, p < 0.01) of taxa detections on road edges and conservation reserves. Conservation reserves hosted more native biodiversity than road edges. Our results suggest that the signals from iDNA reflect the known distribution of target mammals in this region. The development of iDNA methods shows promise for future noninvasive monitoring of mammals. With further development, iDNA metabarcoding could inform decision-making related to conservation of endangered taxa, invasive species management, and impacts of habitat fragmentation.     

《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性框架》下的生物多样性监测

生物多样性监测是执行和评估《昆明-蒙特利尔全球生物多样性保护框架》（简称《昆-蒙框架》）长期目标和行动指标所需要的关键数据的主要来源。简要介绍了《昆-蒙框架》下的全球生物多样性观测网络（The global biodiversity observation network,GEO BON）概况、中国已有的生物多样性监测/观测网络,构建全球生物多样性观测系统（A global biodiversity observation system,GBiOS）的目的和核心监测指标,分析了生物多样性监测网络建设的一般步骤和GEO BON建议的4种生物多样性监测新方法。提出,地理空间单元与生物类群的全覆盖监测是建设生物多样性监测网络的主要目标,传统监测方法和新监测技术的互补是当前生物多样性监测的重点工作内容。     

略论古代埃及书吏的德育教育

书吏是古代埃及具有良好道德修养的一个阶层.培养书吏的教师们通过让学生抄录教谕文献达到德育教育的目的.其中涉及到谦虚、忍耐、敬神忠君、公正和不贪婪等传统道德以及对长者、对上级、对弱者和其他人的一些日常行为规范.     

用于分子生态学研究的堆肥DNA提取方法

分子生态学为堆肥微生物的研究提供了新的技术手段,DNA的提取是该技术的基础,但由于腐殖酸类物质的污染,增加了堆肥微生物总DNA的提取难度.采用了3种不同的方法(溶菌酶法、超声波破碎法和蛋白酶K-CTAB法)从堆肥中提取微生物的总DNA,使用核酸和蛋白质分析仪检测后表明3种提取方法获得的DNA产量均较高;琼脂糖凝胶电泳结果表明其长度约为23 kb;使用细菌16S rRNA基因通用引物(27F和1 495R)对总DNA进行PCR扩增,都获得了几乎全长的16S rDNA序列(约1.5 kb);利用限制性内切酶(Hae Ⅲ和AluⅠ)对纯化后的PCR产物进行RFLP分析,结果表明3种方法提取的DNA反映了比较一致的微生物多样性.虽然3种方法各有优缺点,但其提取的DNA都可以用于堆肥微生物的分子生态学研究,可以根据实际需要选用某一种方法用于提取堆肥总DNA.     

催化铁内电解法预处理对后续生物过程的影响

本文研究了催化铁内电解预处理对后续生物反应器中活性污泥以及微生物的影响。经催化铁内电解处理后的污水带有大量的Fe^2＋和Fe^3＋进入生物处理阶段,EPS中蛋白质与多糖的比值提高,活性污泥的沉降性能也得以改善,沉降速度比对照组提高4．2倍;Fe^3＋使微生物物种多样性增加,与EPS的结合形式,改善了菌体之间的连接,增强了污泥对污染物的吸附和絮凝,EPS中吸咐污染物比对照组多约12．5mgTOC／gVSS。     

Cadmium-induced DNA damage and mutations in Arabidopsis plantlet shoots identified by DNA fingerprinting

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) test is a feasible method to evaluate the toxicity of environmental pollutants on vegetal organisms. Herein, Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) plantlets following Cadmium (Cd) treatment for 26 d were screened for DNA genetic alterations by DNA fingerprinting. Four primers amplified 20-23 mutated RAPD fragments in 0.125-3.0 mg L⁻¹ Cd-treated Arabidopsis plantlets, respectively. Cloning and sequencing analysis of eight randomly selected mutated fragments revealed 99-100% homology with the genes of VARICOSE-Related, SLEEPY1 F-box, 40S ribosomal protein S3, phosphoglucomutase, and noncoding regions in Arabidopsis genome correspondingly. The results show the ability of RAPD analysis to detect significant genetic alterations in Cd-exposed seedlings. Although the exact functional importance of the other mutated bands is unknown, the presence of mutated loci in Cd-treated seedlings, prior to the onset of significant physiological effects, suggests that these altered loci are the early events in Cd-treated Arabidopsis seedlings and would greatly improve environmental risk assessment.     

The adsorption of short single-stranded DNA oligomers to mineral surfaces

We studied the adsorption of short single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) oligomers, of approximately 30 nucleotides (nt) in length, of varying sequence, adenine + guanine + cytosine (AGC) content, and propensity to form secondary structure, to equal surface area samples of olivine, pyrite, calcite, hematite, and rutile in 0.1 M NaCl, 0.05 M pH 8.1 KHCO₃ buffer. Although the mineral surfaces have widely varying points of zero charge, under these conditions they show remarkably similar adsorption of ssDNA regardless of oligomer characteristics. Mineral surfaces appear to accommodate ssDNA comparably, or ssDNA oligomers of this length are able to find binding sites of comparable strength and density due to their flexibility, despite the disparate surface properties of the different minerals. This may partially be due charge shielding by the ionic strength of the solutions tested, which are typical of many natural environments. These results may have some bearing on the adsorption and accumulation of biologically derived nucleic acids in sediments as well as the abiotic synthesis of nucleic acids before the origin of life.