The skull and mandible of a Late Miocene fossil pig,Chleuastochoerus,are compared morphologically with those of extant pigs and peccaries,and subjected to a functional analysis.The presence of a rostral bone in the sk...The skull and mandible of a Late Miocene fossil pig,Chleuastochoerus,are compared morphologically with those of extant pigs and peccaries,and subjected to a functional analysis.The presence of a rostral bone in the skull and relatively strong rostral muscles indicates that Chleuastochoerus possessed considerable digging ability,though the relatively narrow occipital surface and the shortness of the skull would have restricted the range of motion through which the skull could be swung.The distinctive pre-zygomatic plate and over-canine arch-niche may have played a role in protecting the skull and canines during digging.The massive masticatory muscles,reconstructed based on well-developed parietal and zygomatic crests,would have enabled the mouth to close quickly and contributed to moving the mandible both longitudinally and laterally.The configuration of the cranio-mandibular joint and its relatively high position show clearly that Chleuastochoerus was capable of both crushing and grinding movements during mastication.The comparatively simple structure of the crown surfaces of the cheek teeth suggests that the food of Chleuastochoerus may have been softer than that of extant suids.The diet of Chleuastochoerus is postulated to fall between those of true forest pigs and open habitat pigs,and the habitat of Chleuastochoerus to be relatively humid forest edge or nearby areas of open steppe.展开更多
Bone morphogenetic proteins(BMPs) play a critical role in the growth and steroidogenesis of granulosa cells(GCs).BMP signals act through membrane-bound heteromeric serine/threonine kinase receptors.Upon ligand binding...Bone morphogenetic proteins(BMPs) play a critical role in the growth and steroidogenesis of granulosa cells(GCs).BMP signals act through membrane-bound heteromeric serine/threonine kinase receptors.Upon ligand binding,BMPs activate intracellular Smad proteins and regulate growth and apoptosis in various cell types.The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effects of BMP/Smad signal on growth and steroidogenesis of porcine GCs.A strategy of RNA interference(RNAi)-mediated 'gene silencing' of Smad4,a core molecule mediating the intracellular BMP/Smad signal transduction pathways,was used to interrupt endogenous BMP/Smad signaling.Results indicate that Smad4-small interfering RNA(siRNA) caused specific inhibition of Smad4 mRNA and protein expression after transfection.Interrupted endogenous BMP/Smad signaling significantly inhibited growth,and induced apoptosis of porcine GCs,while decreasing estradiol production.In addition,interrupted BMP/Smad signaling significantly(P<0.05) changed the expression of Cyclin D2,CDK4,Bcl-2,and Cyp19a1.These findings provide new insights into how BMP/Smad signaling regulates the growth and steroidogenesis of porcine GCs.展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41202002, 40730210)Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB03020104)+1 种基金Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2012CB821906)Key Deployment Project of Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘The skull and mandible of a Late Miocene fossil pig,Chleuastochoerus,are compared morphologically with those of extant pigs and peccaries,and subjected to a functional analysis.The presence of a rostral bone in the skull and relatively strong rostral muscles indicates that Chleuastochoerus possessed considerable digging ability,though the relatively narrow occipital surface and the shortness of the skull would have restricted the range of motion through which the skull could be swung.The distinctive pre-zygomatic plate and over-canine arch-niche may have played a role in protecting the skull and canines during digging.The massive masticatory muscles,reconstructed based on well-developed parietal and zygomatic crests,would have enabled the mouth to close quickly and contributed to moving the mandible both longitudinally and laterally.The configuration of the cranio-mandibular joint and its relatively high position show clearly that Chleuastochoerus was capable of both crushing and grinding movements during mastication.The comparatively simple structure of the crown surfaces of the cheek teeth suggests that the food of Chleuastochoerus may have been softer than that of extant suids.The diet of Chleuastochoerus is postulated to fall between those of true forest pigs and open habitat pigs,and the habitat of Chleuastochoerus to be relatively humid forest edge or nearby areas of open steppe.
基金(No. 2006AA10Z136) supported by National High-Tech R & D Program (863) of China
文摘Bone morphogenetic proteins(BMPs) play a critical role in the growth and steroidogenesis of granulosa cells(GCs).BMP signals act through membrane-bound heteromeric serine/threonine kinase receptors.Upon ligand binding,BMPs activate intracellular Smad proteins and regulate growth and apoptosis in various cell types.The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effects of BMP/Smad signal on growth and steroidogenesis of porcine GCs.A strategy of RNA interference(RNAi)-mediated 'gene silencing' of Smad4,a core molecule mediating the intracellular BMP/Smad signal transduction pathways,was used to interrupt endogenous BMP/Smad signaling.Results indicate that Smad4-small interfering RNA(siRNA) caused specific inhibition of Smad4 mRNA and protein expression after transfection.Interrupted endogenous BMP/Smad signaling significantly inhibited growth,and induced apoptosis of porcine GCs,while decreasing estradiol production.In addition,interrupted BMP/Smad signaling significantly(P<0.05) changed the expression of Cyclin D2,CDK4,Bcl-2,and Cyp19a1.These findings provide new insights into how BMP/Smad signaling regulates the growth and steroidogenesis of porcine GCs.
