Development of a Molecular Marker for Fruiting Body Pattern in Auricularia auricula-judae

The fruiting body pattern is an important agronomic trait of the edible fungus Auricularia auricula-judae, and an important breeding target. There are two types of fruiting body pattern: the cluster type and the chrysanthemum type. We identified the fruiting body pattern of 26 test strains, and then constructed two different near-isogenic pools. Then, we developed sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) molecular markers associated with the fruiting body pattern based on sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. Ten different bands (189–522 bp) were amplified using 153 pairs of SRAP primers. The SCAR marker “SCL-18” consisted of a single 522-bp band amplified from the cluster-type strains, but not the chrysanthemum strains. This SCAR marker was closely associated with the cluster-type fruiting body trait of A. auricula-judae. These results lay the foundation for further research to locate and clone genes controlling the fruiting body pattern of A. auricula-judae.

Effect of Acorus tatarinowii Schott on the amino acid neurotransmitters in the striatum focal cerebral ischemia in rat / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To research the change of concentration of the amino acid neurotransmitters in the striatum focal cerebral ischemia in rat and the effect of Acorus tatarinowii Schott, one of inducing resuscitation drugs, for 4 of amino acid neurotransmitters.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty four rats were divided into four groups (n = 6): control group, cerebral ischemia group, sham operation group and Acorns tatarinowii Schott treated group. Rats were established into models of cerebral ischemia by occluding bilateral thread cork method. Formation sampling were performed in a striatum area using microdialysis and the detection of biological sample including aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine and gamma-aminobutyric acid by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) electrochemical detector system.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control, the all contents of 4 kinds of the amino acids were significantly increased during cerebral ischemia (P < 0.01). Compared with the cerebral ischemia group, the contents of aspartic acid, glutamic acid that were excitatory amino acids were remarkably decreased in the striatum for Acorus tatarinowii Schott treated group (P < 0.01), It was no significant influence on gamma-aminobutyric acid and glycine that belonged to inhibitory amino acid in a nascent condition but with a elevating in the later period of microdialysis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acorus tatarinowii Schott can enter the cerebral parenchyma through blood brain barrier and cut down glutamic acid,aspartic acid increased during cerebral ischemia. As a result, the neurotoxicity attributed to the excitatory amino acid has been released in excessive amounts declined so as to avoid the secondary impairment of neurons caused by excitatory amino acids pernicious effects after ischemia. It may be one of the protective mechanism of drugs for inducing resuscitation resembling EAA receptor antagonists to ischemi brain.</p>

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and its metabolite single-ethylhexyl phthalate affect TGF-beta 1 expression and telomerase activity in the testis of young male rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the influences of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolite single-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) on the expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) and telomerase activity in young male Wistar</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety-six 2-week-old male Wistar rats were equally randomized into a normal control (NC) group, a positive control (PC) group, and six experimental groups. Those of the NC group were intragastrically administered 0.9% normal saline at a dose of 0.2 ml per kg per d for 3 weeks, those in the PC group cyclophosphamide (CTX) at 100 mg per kg per d for 1 week, and those of the experimental groups DEHP and MEHP, respectively, at a low dose (100 mg per kg per d) for 3 weeks, a moderate dose (200 mg per kg per d) for 2 weeks, and a high dose (300 mg per kg per d) for 1 week. Then we observed the morphological changes of the testicular sperm and counted the sperm heads and their abnormity rate at different doses and times. We detected the expression of TGF-beta1 in the testis tissue using immunohistochemical SABC and RT-PCR, measured the area density, and determined telomerase activity by ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the NC group, the experimental groups showed an obvious reduction in the total sperm count and number of sperm heads (P < 0.05) and a significant increase in the rate of teratosperm (P < 0.05), such as decapitated, hookless, and double-tailed sperm. And there were no significant differences between the high-dose short-term and low-dose long-term medication groups (P > 0.05). The expression of TGF-beta1 was low in the NC group, high in the PC group, and obviously increased in the membrane and cytoplasm of spermatogenic cells of the experimental groups. The area density and TGF-beta1 mRNA expression were 0.156 0 +/- 0.003 5 and 1.51 +/- 0.20 in the NC group, 0.534 0 +/- 0.003 1 and 8.43 +/- 1.75 in the PC group, 0.289 0 +/- 0.003 6 and 3.83 +/- 1.57 in the DEHP groups, and 0.284 0 +/- 0.003 1 and 3.51 +/- 1.41 in the MEHP groups. There were significant differences between the experimental and the other two groups (P < 0.01), but not between the high-dose short-term and low-dose long-term medication groups (P > 0.05). Telomerase activity was remarkably reduced in the experimental groups as compared with the NC group (P < 0.05), but with no significant difference between the high-dose short-term and low-dose long-term medication groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DEHP and its metabolite MEHP can evidently induce spermatogenic injury in young male rats, which may be associated with their induction of increased TGF-beta1 expression and decreased telomerase activity in the rat testis.</p>