Assessment of bone structure and acoustic impedance in C3H and BL6 mice using high resolution scanning acoustic microscopy

Two hundred-MHz time-resolved scanning acoustic microscopy was applied for the investigation of acoustic and structural bone properties of mice from two inbred strains. Transverse sections of femur taken from 5 C57BL/6J@Ico and 5 C3H/HeJ@Ico mice were explored. Both strains had the same bone diameter, but the C3H/HeJ@Ico mice had greater cortical thickness, smaller cancellous diameter, and greater acoustic impedance values than C57BL/6J@Ico mice. The strong differences in the measured acoustic impedances among the two inbred strains indicate that the impedance is a good parameter to detect genetic variations of the skeletal phenotype in small animal models.     

Genomic regulation of natural variation in cortical and noncortical brain volume

Background  

The relative growth of the neocortex parallels the emergence of complex cognitive functions across species. To determine the regions of the mammalian genome responsible for natural variations in cortical volume, we conducted a complex trait analysis using 34 strains of recombinant inbred (Rl) strains of mice (BXD), as well as their two parental strains (C57BL/6J and DBA/2J). We measured both neocortical volume and total brain volume in 155 coronally sectioned mouse brains that were Nissl stained and embedded in celloidin. After correction for shrinkage, the measured cortical and noncortical brain volumes were entered into a multiple regression analysis, which removed the effects of body size and age from the measurements. Marker regression and interval mapping were computed using WebQTL.     

Pattern of BOLD signal in auditory cortex relates acoustic response to perceptual streaming

Background

The ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) of courting male mice are known to possess a phonetic structure with a complex combination of several syllables. The genetic mechanisms underlying the syllable sequence organization were investigated.

Results

This study compared syllable sequence organization in two inbred strains of mice, 129S4/SvJae (129) and C57BL6J (B6), and demonstrated that they possessed two mutually exclusive phenotypes. The 129S4/SvJae (129) strain frequently exhibited a "chevron-wave" USV pattern, which was characterized by the repetition of chevron-type syllables. The C57BL/6J strain produced a "staccato" USV pattern, which was characterized by the repetition of short-type syllables. An F1 strain obtained by crossing the 129S4/SvJae and C57BL/6J strains produced only the staccato phenotype. The chevron-wave and staccato phenotypes reappeared in the F2 generations, following the Mendelian law of independent assortment.

Conclusions

These results suggest that two genetic loci control the organization of syllable sequences. These loci were occupied by the staccato and chevron-wave alleles in the B6 and 129 mouse strains, respectively. Recombination of these alleles might lead to the diversity of USV patterns produced by mice.     

Genetic analysis of posterior medial barrel subfield (PMBSF) size in somatosensory cortex (SI) in recombinant inbred strains of mice

Background  

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping is an important tool for identifying potential candidate genes linked to complex traits. QTL mapping has been used to identify genes associated with cytoarchitecture, cell number, brain size, and brain volume. Previously, QTL mapping was utilized to examine variation of barrel field size in the somatosensory cortex in a limited number of recombinant inbred (RI) strains of mice. In order to further elucidate the underlying natural variation in mouse primary somatosensory cortex, we measured the size of the posterior medial barrel subfield (PMBSF), associated with the representation of the large mystacial vibrissae, in an expanded sample set that included 42 BXD RI strains, two parental strains (C57BL/6J and DBA/2J), and one F1 strain (B6D2F1). Cytochrome oxidase labeling was used to visualize barrels within the PMBSF.     

Recording long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission by three-dimensional multi-electrode arrays

Background  

Multi-electrode arrays (MEAs) have become popular tools for recording spontaneous and evoked electrical activity of excitable tissues. The majority of previous studies of synaptic transmission in brain slices employed MEAs with planar electrodes that had limited ability to detect signals coming from deeper, healthier layers of the slice. To overcome this limitation, we used three-dimensional (3D) MEAs with tip-shaped electrodes to probe plasticity of field excitatory synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in the CA1 area of hippocampal slices of 129S5/SvEvBrd and C57BL/6J-Tyr^C-Brd mice.     

Genetically-increased taste cell population with Gα-gustducin-coupled sweet receptors is associated with increase of gurmarin-sensitive taste nerve fibers in mice

Background  

The peptide gurmarin is a selective sweet response inhibitor for rodents. In mice, gurmarin sensitivity differs among strains with gurmarin-sensitive C57BL and gurmarin-poorly-sensitive BALB strains. In C57BL mice, sweet-responsive fibers of the chorda tympani (CT) nerve can be divided into two distinct populations, gurmarin-sensitive (GS) and gurmarin-insensitive (GI) types, suggesting the existence of two distinct reception pathways for sweet taste responses. By using the dpa congenic strain (dpa CG) whose genetic background is identical to BALB except that the gene(s) controlling gurmarin sensitivity are derived from C57BL, we previously found that genetically-elevated gurmarin sensitivity in dpa CG mice, confirmed by using behavioral response and whole CT nerve response analyses, was linked to a greater taste cell population co-expressing sweet taste receptors and a Gα protein, Gα-gustducin. However, the formation of neural pathways from the increased taste cell population to nerve fibers has not yet been examined.     

Region-Specific Susceptibilities to Cuprizone-Induced Demyelination of C57BL/6 Mouse: In vivo T2WI and DTI Studies at 7.0T

The cuprizone (CPZ) mouse model of demyelination was recognized and used to explore multiple sclerosis (MS)-like brain lesions. In this study, we assessed CPZ-treated mice using T₂-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). C57BL/6 mice treated with 2 weeks of 0.2 % CPZ-containing diet (n = 10) and regular chow diet (n = 10) were scanned with a 7.0 T MRI scanner (Agilent, USA), respectively, using fast spin-echo and fast spin-echo DTI sequences. The normalized T₂ signal intensity (normalized to the cerebrospinal fluid) was calculated and fractional anisotropy (FA value), mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity were measured in the brain region of the cerebral cortex (CTX), caudate putamen (CP), hippocampus (HP) and thalamus (TH). Compared with controls, increased normalized T₂ signal intensities and reduced FA values (p < 0.05) were observed in the CTX, HP and CP (p < 0.01), but not in TH in cuprizone-fed mice. In the regions of reduced FA values, an increase in mean diffusivity (p < 0.05) and radial diffusivity (p < 0.05) was also found. Significant decreased axial diffusivity was only observed in CTX (p < 0.05). DTI is sensitive to detecting cuprizone-induced demyelination of C57BL/6 mice. This study suggests that CTX, HP and CP are more susceptible to cuprizone-induced demyelination than TH. Our results also indicate that the decrease of FA value may be more likely due to increased radial diffusivity.     

Scanning transmission X-ray microscopic analysis of purified melanosomes of the mouse iris

Melanosomes are specialized intracellular membrane bound organelles that produce and store melanin pigment. The composition of melanin and distribution of melanosomes determine the color of many mammalian tissues, including the hair, skin, and iris. However, the presence of melanosomes within a tissue carries potentially detrimental risks related to the cytotoxic indole–quinone intermediates produced during melanin synthesis. In order to study melanosomal molecules, including melanin and melanin-related intermediates, we have refined methods allowing spectromicroscopic analysis of purified melanosomes using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. Here, we present for the first time absorption data for melanosomes at the carbon absorption edge ranging from 284 to 290 eV. High-resolution images of melanosomes at discrete energies demonstrate that fully melanized mature melanosomes are internally non-homogeneous, suggesting the presence of an organized internal sub-structure. Spectra of purified melanosomes are complex, partially described by a predominating absorption band at 288.4 eV with additional contributions from several minor bands. Differences in these spectra were detectable between samples from two strains of inbred mice known to harbor genetically determined melanosomal differences, DBA/2J and C57BL/6J, and are likely to represent signatures arising from biologically relevant and tractable phenomena.     

内吞金纳米粒子的鼻咽癌细胞SERS光谱

采用内吞方法将金纳米粒子引入细胞内,测试分析单个活性CNE-1鼻咽癌细胞的常规拉曼光谱和SERS光谱,并对其进行初步谱峰归属。CNE-1细胞的常规拉曼光谱有6个主要的拉曼峰:718,1001,1123,1336,1446和1660cm-1;沉积于细胞内的金纳米粒子强烈地增强了细胞内生化物质拉曼信号,在内吞金纳米粒子的CNE-1细胞的拉曼光谱中出现了20多个SERS拉曼信号,主要拉曼峰的强度明显高于常规拉曼信号。DNA骨架振动(1026,1097,1336和1585cm-1)证明金纳米粒子通过内吞作用而进入细胞核内。结果表明,基于胶体金SERS技术可能为活性鼻咽癌细胞内生化物质的探测提供一种高灵敏的方法。     

Vibrational properties of levulinic acid and furan derivatives: Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations

In this work, the Raman spectra of furan, furfuryl alcohol (FA), furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and levulinic acid were obtained in the 500 to 4000 cm⁻¹ spectral region at room temperature. Vibrational wavenumbers were calculated for these compounds with the B3LYP method using the 6‐31 + G(2df,p) basis set. The experimentally determined CC and C C wavenumbers for furan and furan derivatives were in good agreement with the calculated wavenumbers without scaling factor, while the calculated CO and C H wavenumbers at ∼1660 and 3000 cm⁻¹, respectively, showed larger deviations from the measured ones. The Raman spectra for furan and furan derivatives showed intense CC bands, whereas the levulinic acid spectrum showed intense C H vibrations with broad doublet CO bands. We also found that an empirical method based on the chemical structure similarities is able to predict the HMF Raman spectrum from the combined furfural and FA spectra. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

生地当归药队煎剂的表面增强拉曼散射光谱

为揭示单味煎剂与方剂间的关系,分别测试分析了生地当归药队、单味药生地和单味药当归煎剂的表面增强拉曼散射(surface-enhanced Raman scattering, SERS)光谱,并对其进行谱峰归属。本文主要针对存在于三种煎剂中的17个拉曼信号(538,622,732,761,835,876,959,1 145,1 245,1 276,1 326,1 402, 1 456,1 470,1 518,1 546和1 605 cm-1)进行讨论。生地当归药队煎剂SERS光谱在538,732,761,835,876,959,1 145,1 245,1 276,1 326,1 402,1 456,1 470,1 518和1 605 cm-1处,出现15个明显的拉曼信号;生地煎剂SERS光谱在538,761,835,876,959,1 145,1 245,1 276,1 326,1 402,1 470,1 518和1 546 cm-1处,出现13个明显的拉曼信号;当归煎剂SERS光谱在538,622,732,761,835,876,959,1 245,1 326和1 402 cm-1处,出现10个明显的拉曼信号。生地当归药队煎剂SERS光谱保留了和未观察到生地和当归单味煎剂的某些拉曼峰,且产生了生地和当归单味煎剂中所没有的拉曼信号(1 456和1 605 cm-1),即产生新药物成分。生地当归药队煎剂所包含的药物成分并非是生地和当归单味药物煎剂所含药物成分的简单相加。结果表明,SERS光谱可能为方剂研究提供一种高灵敏度、快速准确和操作简单的检测方法。     

Raman spectroscopic characterization of cinnabarin produced by the fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus (Fr.) Murr.

Raman spectroscopy with 1064 nm laser excitation is used here to identify the chemical composition of the extracts obtained from Pycnoporus sanguineus fungus, in comparison with the data produced from the red fungus itself. Polar and non‐polar solvents were used to separate cinnabarin and ergosterol, respectively, the main components of each extract. The Raman spectra of the extracts are dominated by specific vibrational modes that can be related to these components; in the case of ergosterol the main bands are those assignable to CH stretching and deformation along with bands related to the aryl skeletal rings. The cinnabarin fraction, on the other hand, gives a Raman spectrum where the most important bands are those related to NH₂ bending (1510 cm⁻¹) and C quinonoid stretching (1647 cm⁻¹) modes. The Raman spectrum obtained directly from the fungus shows similarity with the cinnabarin fraction, in agreement with the literature information from extracts that cinnabarin is the most significant component present in the red fungus. This result highlights the potential of Raman spectroscopic techniques for the monitoring of the fungus extraction process undertaken in small industries. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spectrum characteristics of multichannel water Raman lidar signals and principal component analysis

Using a multichannel full Raman lidar, water Raman signals composed of 32 different Raman wavelengths were obtained, and the time and cloud-height dependences of each spectrum on clear and cloudy days were determined. Although the Raman signals of winter cloud have a higher intensity at short wavelengths than those of summer cloud, these two types of clouds have large overlapping regions in wavelength space. However, in eigenvector space, winter and summer clouds are located at different points and have no overlapping regions. We have suggested that, as a cloud Raman lidar, a multiple-wavelength Raman lidar must be used, and the principal component analysis (PCA) method should be applied to determine the relative amount of each water phase.     

12C6+离子辐照小鼠Lewis肿瘤的研究

研究了HIRFL提供的12C6+离子辐照C57BL/6J小鼠右后腿移植的Lewis肿瘤的生长延迟和碳离子辐照对Lewis肿瘤小鼠寿命的延长.结果表明,碳离子照射的小鼠肿瘤生长体积明显地小于对照的体积.在剂量相同、分次数辐照越多时,肿瘤生长就越缓慢,肿瘤抑制就越高.在辐照分次数相同时,不同剂量对受照肿瘤生长体积未产生差异.在4Gy×3,8Gy×3和12Gy×2组3种辐照剂量下,小鼠寿命的P值小于0.05;可知小鼠的寿命延长具有统计学意义. Growth delay of the transplantable Lewis tumors growing in right hind legs of C(57) BL/6J mice and life prolongation of the mice with Lewis tumors were investigated after()~(12)C~(6+) ion radiation at HIRFL. The results show that growth volumes of the mouse tumors following carbon radiation are distinctly less than control during 21 days; the more fractions of radiation with same doses, the slower growth of tumors and the higher inhibition of tumors; different doses with the same fractions of radiation ...     

姜科植物长柄山姜及茴香砂仁精油原位拉曼光谱研究

常温下，将制备好的长柄山姜及茴香砂仁的水装片放在显微拉曼光谱仪的载物台上，寻找油细胞，并分析其中精油。长柄山姜油细胞上获得的拉曼光谱，较强峰出现在1 638，1 600，1 555，1 203和1 001 cm-1，次强峰出现在1 716，1 577，1 496，1 407，1 346，1 307，1 273，1 181，1 156，1 029，958，618和218 cm-1共获得26条光谱线，与肉桂酸甲酯拉曼光谱的29条谱线比较，长柄山姜油细胞有22条谱线与之有对应关系；茴香砂仁油细胞上获得的拉曼光谱较强峰出现在1 648，1 639，1 607，1 174，842和836 cm-1，次强峰出现在1 292，1 244，1 235，1 204和631 cm-1共获得24条光谱线，与4-烯丙基苯甲醚的拉曼光谱在300～1 700 cm-1区间内的29条谱线比较，茴香砂仁油细胞有23条谱峰与之有对应关系。说明长柄山姜挥发油的主要成分是肉桂酸甲酯，茴香砂仁挥发油的主要成分为4-烯丙基苯甲醚。用密度泛函理论计算了肉桂酸甲酯、4-烯丙基苯甲醚的拉曼光谱，并对谱线进行了初步的归属。姜科植物油细胞中精油不需提取就可直接快速的检测，用此方法可对姜科植物精油的提取进行质量控制及开发研究。     

Geometric morphometrics defines shape differences in the cortical area map of C57BL/6J and DBA/2J inbred mice

Background  

We previously described planar areal differences in adult mouse visual, somatosensory, and neocortex that collectively discriminated C57BL/6J and DBA/2J inbred strain identity. Here we use a novel application of established methods of two-dimensional geometric morphometrics to examine shape differences in the cortical area maps of these inbred strains.     

Raman and surface enhanced Raman scattering of a black dyed silk

The Raman and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of a black dyed silk sample (BDS) were registered. The spectral analysis was performed on the basis of Raman and SERS spectral data of isolated samples of Bombyx mori silk fibroin, its motif peptide component (GAGAGS) and the synthetic reactive black 5 dye (RB5). The macro FT‐Raman spectrum of the silk sample is consistent with a silk II‐Cp crystalline fraction of Bombyx mori silk fibroin; the SERS spectrum is highly consistent with conformational modifications of the fibroin due to the interactions with the Ag nanoparticles. The GAGAGS peptide sequence dominates the Raman spectrum of the silk. The SERS spectrum of the peptide suggests a random coil conformation imposed by the surface interaction; the serine residue in the new conformation is exposed to the surface. Quantum chemical calculations for a model of the GAGAGS–Ag surface predict a nearly extended conformation at the Ag surface. The Raman spectrum of the dye was analysed, and a complete band assignment was proposed; it was not possible to propose a preferential orientation or organization of the molecule on the metal surface. Quantum chemical calculations for a model of the dye interacting with a silver surface predict a rather coplanar orientation of the RB5 on the Ag metal surface. The Raman spectrum of the BDS sample is dominated by signals from the dye; the general spectral behaviour indicates that the dye mainly interacts with the silk through the sulphone (–SO₂–) and sulphonate (–SO₂–O–) groups. Besides the presence of dye signals, mainly ascribed to the sulphone and sulphonate bands, the SERS spectrum of the BDS sample also displays bands belonging to the amino acids alanine, glycine, serine and particularly tyrosine. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

应用光镊子拉曼光谱鉴别阴道毛滴虫和口腔毛滴虫的研究

应用激光镊子拉曼光谱技术比较分析阴道毛滴虫和口腔毛滴虫的拉曼吸收峰,寻找具有分类学鉴别价值的特征拉曼峰。通过光镊随机俘获单个大小一致、有活力的虫体,记录其拉曼光谱,收集数据并做主成分分析。在937cm-1、1002cm-1和1446cm-1谱峰的强度和谱型上有差异,根据1002cm-1峰的信号强度,并结合937cm-1和1002cm-1峰强度比值(I937/I1002)以及1002cm-1和1446cm-1峰强度比值(I1002/I1446)可以作为区分阴道毛滴虫和口腔毛滴虫的量化指标。该法是简便、快捷、有效地鉴别两种人体毛滴虫的新方法。