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ningkeqing

木虫 (正式写手)

[交流] Nature Contents 12 October 2006 (pp608-722)

[自然要览]

(选自英国Nature杂志,2006年10月12日出版)


封面故事:埃塞俄比亚的狼
Low-coverage vaccination strategies for the conservation of endangered
species
埃塞俄比亚狼Canis simensis是一种专门的食肉动物,只见于埃塞俄比亚7个孤
立的山坳中,以啮齿动物为食。它们过着群居生活,有复杂的社会组织。1992年
和2003年曾经爆发过狂犬病,使Bale山区这种狼的种群数量大大减少,现存个体
少于500只。在当地进行的、作为“埃塞俄比亚狼保护计划”
http://www.ethiopianwolf.org)组成部分的研究工作,其内容包括采用接种
免疫的办法来保护狼群,该策略有可能成为其他保护项目的一个重要模式。该策
略的目的是,仅利用覆盖面较低的接种免疫方法来控制通过各分种群之间的生境
走廊进行的疾病传播。该方法可降低狂犬病的爆发程度,并且应能明显增加种群
的长期存活机会。(Letter p. 692)封面摄影:Martin Harvey
http://www.wildimagesonline.com


两个Bcl-2家族成员的新作用(Apoptosis reprogrammed)
Role of Bax and Bak in mitochondrial morphogenesis
Bcl-2家族成员是怎样调控细胞程序死亡(细胞凋亡)的是一个受到深入研究的
课题。Karbowski等人发现,两个Bcl-2家族成员在健康细胞中有一个新的、未曾
料到的作用。Bax 和 Bak在正常细胞中是线粒体向伸长的细管中融合所必需的。
这一发现对了解Bax 和 Bak在细胞凋亡过程中所起作用有参考意义,在该过程
中,它们与线粒体融合调控因子Mfn2 和 Drp1处在同一位置。(Article p.
658, News and Views)


真菌独有伸长因子eEF3的晶体结构(Ribosomes: the third site)
Structure of eEF3 and the mechanism of transfer RNA release from the
E-site
核糖体含有三个与tRNA结合的点。A点接待前来的、酰化的tRNA;P点含有生长的
氨基酸肽链要附着在其上的tRNA;去酰化的tRNA在与核糖体分离前处在E点上。
对真菌来说,需要第三个伸长因子eEF3来帮助E点tRNA的释放,并允许tRNA 在A
点的结合。这个现象是真菌独有的。由于eEF3是真菌独有的,它被认为是杀菌剂
的一个绝好的攻击目标。Andersen等人已经确定了酵母eEF3单独存在时和在核糖
体上时的晶体结构,并且分别获得了它们的冷电子显微重建结果。该成果为了解
eEF3的功能提供了线索,并且为基于结构的抗菌药物的设计提供了一个出发点。
(Article p. 663)


“土卫六”上为什么没有乙烷海洋?(Need smust on Titan)
The sequestration of ethane on Titan in smog particles
在“卡西尼-惠更斯”探测器造访之前,行星科学家曾期望会在土星的卫星“土
卫六”上找到一个由液体乙烷构成的巨大的海洋。由于在太阳系的整个生命期间
都暴露于太阳紫外线下,所以“土卫六”应该能从甲烷的分解产生数量足够多的
乙烷,从而形成一个范围大至整个卫星、深度达1公里的海洋。但事实上并未发
现海洋,只在“土卫六”南极发现一个乙烷云和几个湖泊。Donald Hunten对
“土卫六”上缺少液体乙烷这一神秘现象的解释是,乙烷在“土卫六”上丰富的
烟雾颗粒上发生了冷凝,而不是在低温下冷凝成了液滴。由烟雾和甲烷构成的这
种尘埃状组合(或称为smust),可能会在“土卫六”表面上形成几公里厚的沉
积层。(Letter p. 669)


早期宇宙的演化不存在真正的相变(A universal transition)
The order of the quantum chromodynamics transition predicted by the
standard model of particle physics
粒子物理学的标准模型预测,有两个相变与早期宇宙的演化有关。第一个是量子
色动力学转变,涉及将夸克结合成质子和中子的强力。尽管科学家在理论上做出
了巨大的努力,这种相变的性质仍然不清楚。现在,Aoki等人报告了在演算上难
度很大的计算结果,这些结果表明,不存在真正的相变;相反,实际发生的是一
个分析过渡(analytic crossover),涉及快速、连续的温度变化,而不是突
变。这意味着,我们将难以从天文观测结果找到关于相变的实验证据。(Letter
p. 675; News and Views)


有氧光合作用与大气中氧含量(Waiting for oxygen)
Bistability of atmospheric oxygen and the Great Oxidation
地球上大气氧水平首次显著增加(被称为Great Oxidation)被认为发生在有氧
光合作用出现之后至少3亿年,但关于这一时间延迟的原因仍然不确定。
Goldblatt等人利用一个关于全球氧化-还原体系的新的概念模型发现,在有氧光
合作用出现之后,大气氧水平有可能保持在一个较低的或较高的稳定状态。
Great Oxidation可能是由一个较小的环境变化诱发的这些状态之间的一个转
变。该模型表明,单独有氧光合作用一个因素不足以造成一个氧含量丰富的大气
层。所以,在没有其他因素的情况下,地球的大气层也许只含有几个ppm的氧,
不到我们今天所习惯的大气氧含量的21%。同样,我们可以比较有把握地认为,
有氧光合作用是有可能在大气中氧含量较低的行星上出现的。(Letter p. 683;
News and Views)


哺乳动物的定数(Your time is up)
Long-period astronomical forcing of mammal turnover
哺乳动物物种在这个地球上似乎有一个定数,即存在大约250万年后就会灭绝。
物种为什么具有这样一个特征的预期寿命是一个令人困惑的事情。对来自西班牙
的一个非常长(2200万年)的、详细的啮齿类动物化石序列所做的研究表明,物
种的出现与消失集中在所谓的“周转事件”(turnover events)中,这些事件
以大约100万至240万年的固定周期发生。这些周期的持续时间和发生时间,相应
于地球-太阳距离变化周期的持续时间和发生时间、以及被认为造成
Milankovitch气候周期的地轴倾斜度变化周期的持续时间和发生时间。将物种灭
绝周期与气候联系起来的结果,与1985年由耶鲁大学古生物学家Elisabeth Vrba
提出的“周转脉冲”假说是一致的,该假说是通过假设在环境变化诱发迅速的物
种灭绝和物种形成之前物种保持稳定来解释物种存活时间的。(Letter p.
687)


与昆虫眼睛演化有关的基因(An eye for an eye)
Transforming the architecture of compound eyes
Kevin Moses在一篇“News and Views”文章中说,我们并不能经常看到演化是
怎样发挥作用的。他所指的是,从古代苍蝇和如蜜蜂及甲虫等一些现代昆虫的复
眼(在这种复眼中,感光细胞或称感杆是融合在一起、作为一个整体发挥作用
的)向果蝇和家蝇眼睛中那种类型的结构(其中的感杆是分开的、独立发挥作用
的,所以晶状体的每个面感觉到的是七个点的光,而不是一个点的光)的转变。
Zelhof等人识别出了感杆组合体中所涉及的三个基因。其中一个名叫spacemaker
的基因的丢失,可将果蝇的开放体系转变成一个封闭的或融合的感杆体系。
(Letter p. 696; News and Views)


控制脑部血流量的另一机制(Brain imaging: seeing red)
Bidirectional control of CNS capillary diameter by pericytes
非入侵性成像技术是通过探测向活跃的神经细胞供应额外的葡萄糖和氧的血流量
的增加来显示大脑中活跃部分的。此前,人们一直假设,血流量是由被称为细动
脉(arteriole)的大血管周围的平滑肌的收缩来控制的。现在,研究人员发现
了另一层次的血流量控制,是在细动脉的下游进行的。这种控制是由被称为“周
围细胞”的小细胞施加的,它们包裹在靠近活跃神经细胞的毛细管周围。“周围
细胞”是通过挤压毛细管以减少通过它们的血流量来发挥作用的,它们很可能与
在脑成像技术中所探测到的信号有关,并且还可能为脑血流疾病的治疗提供一个
目标。(Letter p. 700)


与食欲有关的分子(Enough is enough)
Identification of nesfatin-1 as a satiety molecule in the hypothalamus
食欲至少部分是在视丘下部调控的,这个部位是大脑中将神经系统和内分泌系统
联系起来的区域。现在,对调控食欲的分子所进行的一次筛选工作,发现蛋白
nucleobindin 2的一部分(被称为nesfatin-1)是在视丘下部生成的一种饱度分
子。当将nesfatin-1注射进脑中时,大鼠的进食量就会减少,体重就会下降。当
将nesfatin-1阻断时,动物就会吃得更多。因此,nesfatin-1是减肥药物的一个
可能的作用目标。(Letter p. 709)


Aprataxin蛋白在DNA修复中的作用(DNA degeneration)
The neurodegenerative disease protein aprataxin resolves abortive DNA
ligation intermediates
罕见的神经退化疾病“共济失调性眼球运动功能丧失症-1”是由aprataxin蛋白
的突变引起的。以前的研究工作表明,aprataxin与RNA修复蛋白有关,但它在
DNA修复中是直接还是间接发挥作用的却不知道。现在,用含有正常和突变
aprataxin蛋白的纯化的提取物所做的实验表明,aprataxin的作用是帮助将由活
性氧分子或自由基诱导的DNA中的单链缺口连接在一起。具体来说,它是将腺苷
酸(adenylate)从DNA其中一端去掉,并允许其再缝合回去。这表明,“共济失
调性眼球运动功能丧失症-1”中所出现的神经退化,可能是由神经细胞的DNA中
未修复的损伤的逐渐积累造成的。(Letter p. 713)
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ningkeqing

木虫 (正式写手)

----------------------
NEWS AND VIEWS
----------------------
Particle physics: Did the Big Bang boil?
Standard theories tell us that, at some point in the Universe's
evolution, free quarks and gluons must have become bound together into
the hadronic matter we see today. But was this transition abrupt or
smooth?
Frank Wilczek
10.1038/443637a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443637a.html

Evolutionary biology: Fly eyes get the whole picture
The compound eyes of ancestral flies picked up only one picture point
in each facet. The evolution of a means to split up the
light-sensitive cells increased this number to seven, boosting the
eye's resolution greatly.
Kevin Moses
10.1038/nature05209
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05209.html

50 & 100 years ago
10.1038/443639a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443639a.html

Physical chemistry: Seeds of phase change
An effective but counter-intuitive trick to obtain highly ordered
protein crystals is to 'seed' particles on disordered, porous
surfaces. Computer simulations provide an explanation for the success
of this strategy.
Daan Frenkel
10.1038/443641a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443641a.html

Neuroscience: Controlled capillaries
The finest scale of blood flow through the brain occurs in
capillaries. Suspicions that capillary flow is regulated by cells that
put the squeeze on these vessels are now borne out by detailed
experiments.
Brian A. MacVicar and Michael W. Salter
10.1038/443642a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443642a.html

Developmental biology: A change of heart
Helen Dell
10.1038/443642b
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443642b.html

Earth sciences: Ups and downs of ancient oxygen
The latest models suggest that atmospheric oxygen could have
fluctuated between high and low concentrations once photosynthesis had
evolved. But does the geological evidence really support this?
James F. Kasting
10.1038/443643a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443643a.html

Ecology: Moving to the ideal free home
Pike move between two basins of a British lake to maximize their
evolutionary fitness. This adaptive behaviour suggests that habitat
selection is more significant in population dynamics than was thought.
Douglas W. Morris
10.1038/443645a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443645a.html

Cell biology: Mitochondria shape up
Mitochondria are central to the process of programmed cell death that
kills damaged or superfluous cells. Surprisingly, components of the
death machinery turn out to be essential for keeping these organelles
in shape.
Barbara Conradt
10.1038/443646a
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443646a.html

----------------------
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
----------------------
An accessory chromophore in red vision
The rods in salamanders' retinas can co-opt a molecule derived from
chlorophyll to detect red light.
T. Isayama et al.
10.1038/443649a
Abstract: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/abs/443649a.
html
Article: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443649a.
html

Corrigendum
10.1038/443649b
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v443/n7112/full/443649b.html

----------------------
REVIEW
----------------------
Phosphoinositides in cell regulation and membrane dynamics
Gilbert Di Paolo and Pietro De Camilli
10.1038/nature05185
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05185.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05185.html

----------------------
ARTICLES
----------------------
Role of Bax and Bak in mitochondrial morphogenesis
Mariusz Karbowski et al.
10.1038/nature05111
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05111.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05111.html

Structure of eEF3 and the mechanism of transfer RNA release from the
E-site
The crystal structures and cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions of
eEF3 on its own and attached to the ribosome are resolved, providing
an insight into how eEF3 functions as a translation factor on the A
and E sites on a ribosome.
Christian B. F. Andersen et al.
10.1038/nature05126
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05126.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05126.html

----------------------
LETTERS
----------------------
The sequestration of ethane on Titan in smog particles
The mysterious absence or rarity of liquid ethane on Titan is
explained by its condensation onto the smog particles in the
atmosphere at the cold temperatures.  This dusty combination of smog
and ethane forms deposits several kilometres thick on the surface,
named 'smust'.
D. M. Hunten
10.1038/nature05157
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05157.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05157.html

Observation of strong coupling between one atom and a monolithic
microresonator
Experiments investigating strong interactions of light and matter at
the single-photon level usually involve single atoms in mirrored
cavities, but these are technically complex. This paper reports an
alternative approach, demonstrating strong coupling between individual
caesium atoms and the fields of a high-quality toroidal
microresonator.
Takao Aoki et al.
10.1038/nature05147
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05147.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05147.html

The order of the quantum chromodynamics transition predicted by the
standard model of particle physics
The standard model of particle physics predicts two transitions that
are relevant for the evolution of the early Universe. Computationally
demanding calculations now reveal that a real phase transition did not
occur, but rather an analytic crossover, involving a rapid change (as
opposed to a jump) as the temperature varies.
Y. Aoki et al.
10.1038/nature05120
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05120.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05120.html

Origin of the dielectric dead layer in nanoscale capacitors
New theoretical work nails down the microscopic origin of 'dead
layers' in nanometre-scale capacitors and demonstrates that it is an
intrinsic effect. The results provide practical guidelines for
minimizing the deleterious effects of the dielectric dead layer, for
example regarding the choice of electrode.
Massimiliano Stengel and Nicola A. Spaldin
10.1038/nature05148
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05148.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05148.html

Bistability of atmospheric oxygen and the Great Oxidation
Colin Goldblatt, Timothy M. Lenton and Andrew J. Watson
10.1038/nature05169
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05169.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05169.html

Long-period astronomical forcing of mammal turnover
Jan A. van Dam et al.
10.1038/nature05163
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05163.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05163.html

Low-coverage vaccination strategies for the conservation of endangered
species
A vaccination strategy against rabies in the endangered Ethiopian wolf
aims to control the spread of disease through habitat corridors
between subpopulations using only low vaccination coverage. This
approach reduces the extent of rabies outbreaks, and should
significantly enhance the long-term persistence of the population.
D. T. Haydon et al.
10.1038/nature05177
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05177.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05177.html

Transforming the architecture of compound eyes
Andrew C. Zelhof, Robert W. Hardy, Ann Becker and Charles S. Zuker
10.1038/nature05128
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05128.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05128.html

Bidirectional control of CNS capillary diameter by pericytes
Claire M. Peppiatt, Clare Howarth, Peter Mobbs and David Attwell
10.1038/nature05193
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05193.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05193.html

Fast neurotransmitter release triggered by Ca influx through AMPA-type
glutamate receptors
Andres E. Chavez, Joshua H. Singer and Jeffrey S. Diamond
10.1038/nature05123
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05123.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05123.html

Identification of nesfatin-1 as a satiety molecule in the hypothalamus
A secreted protein, nesfatin-1, is expressed in the hypothalamus and
induces the feeling of being full. In rats, its injection into the
brain decreases food intake, but blocking its action stimulates
appetite.
Shinsuke Oh-I et al.
10.1038/nature05162
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05162.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05162.html

The neurodegenerative disease protein aprataxin resolves abortive DNA
ligation intermediates
Aprataxin cleans up unfinished DNA ligation intermediates. By cleaving
off an adenylate group at the site of a ligatable nick, aprataxin
generates ends that can then be re-ligated. This suggests that
neurodegeneration results from the accumulation of these intermediates
in post-mitotic neuronal cells.
Ivan Ahel et al.
10.1038/nature05164
Abstract:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... bs/nature05164.html
Article:
http://www.nature.com/nature/jou ... ll/nature05164.html
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