利用巢式PCR技术和人类基因组草图搜索法快速获得人类睾丸生精细胞凋亡相关基因TSARG2

从已获得的在隐睾和正常睾丸对照中表达量有明显差异的EST片段 (BE6 44 5 42 )入手 ,设计了基因特异性引物和载体特异性引物进行巢式PCR扩增 ,结合人类基因组草图搜索法 ,从睾丸cDNA文库中快速分离出人类睾丸凋亡相关基因TSARG2的 5′末端而获得全长cDNA ,GenBank登录号为AY0 40 2 0 4(保密期为 1年 ) ,同时应用生物信息学的方法克隆了该基因在小鼠中的同源基因 ,GenBank登录号为AF395 0 83。TSARG2基因的cDNA全长为 12 33bp ,包含 6个外显子 ,基因组跨越 115kb ,编码由 30 5个氨基酸组成的、分子量为 34 75 1的蛋白质 ,与已知蛋白质无明显同源性。查询最新的人类基因组工作草图 ,该基因定位在染色体 4q33～ 34 .1。     

小鼠睾丸生精细胞凋亡相关基因SRG2的分子克隆

从已获得的在隐睾和正常睾丸对照中表达量有明显差异的EST片段 (BE6 4 4 5 4 2 )入手 ,利用网上生物信息学克隆了该基因全长 ,GenBank登录号为AF395 0 83。从小鼠睾丸cDNA文库中分离出该基因完整阅读框cDNA ,SRG2基因的cDNA全长为 10 5 8bp ,编码由 2 95个氨基酸组成、分子量为 335 79、等电点为 9.6 4的蛋白质 ,与人类同源基因TSARG2相似性为 78% ,与已知蛋白质无明显同源性。RT PCR结果表明该基因只在睾丸中有高表达。     

小鼠睾丸生精细胞凋亡相关基因SRG2的分子克隆及其在隐睾中的表达特征

从已获得的在隐睾和正常睾丸对照中表达量有明显差异的EST片段(BE644542)入手,利用网上生物信息学克隆了SRG2基因全长,GenBank登录号为AF395083。从小鼠睾丸cDNA文库中分离出该基因完整阅读框cDNA,SRG2基因的cDNA全长为1088bp,为编码295个氨基酸、分子量为33579kD、等电点为9．64的蛋白质,与人类同源基因TSARG2相似性为78％,而与其他已知蛋白质无明显同源性。RT-PCR结果表明：该基因只在睾丸中有高表达。应用新型的分子信标检测该基因在不同时期隐睾中的mRNA表达水平,发现该基因呈明显上调,证明该基因在隐睾的发生发展中具重要作用。     

小鼠生精细胞凋亡相关基因的分子克隆

利用手术隐睾的方法建立小鼠生精细胞凋亡模型,通过光镜、电镜以及原位末端标记法（TUNEL）证实手术隐睾可成功诱导小鼠生精细胞凋亡;在此基础上应用抑制消减杂交法（suppression subtractive hybridization,SSH)对隐睾和对侧睾丸组织的基因表达进行研究,在隐睾组织中分离得到24个高表达cDNA片段,经克隆、PCR和酶切鉴定、测序及匹配分析,证实24个cDNA片段均为新的ESTs,已被GenBank接受并给予新序列编号。任选其中3个cDNA片段作为探针进行Northern印迹杂交,证实它们在隐睾和对侧睾丸组织有差异表达。上述结果提示手术隐睾是研究生精功能降低和睾丸组织凋亡过程中基因表达的适合实验模型,所分离的差异表达cDNA序列可能与生精细胞凋亡密切相关。     

成人视网膜假定蛋白基因ARHP的克隆及生物信息学分析

从UniGene库中选取编号为BG2 2 2 62 4来自人鼻咽组织的表达序列标签 (EST )序列 ,联网到NCBI调用Blast服务器分析 ,发现该EST序列是一个代表新基因的未知序列 .利用Blast检索GenBank的nr数据库和EST数据库 ,构建EST重叠群 ,联网到NCBI的ORFfinder服务器 ,分析发现该EST重叠群具有完整的阅读框架 .分别在cDNA序列阅读框架的起始密码子和终止密码子的两侧设计引物 ,以人胎脑cDNA文库为模板 ,进行PCR扩增 ,测序确定该基因的cDNA全长序列 .该基因cDNA序列全长为 1672bp ,阅读框架位于第 3 0 4～ 1557位之间 ,编码由 417个氨基酸组成 ,分子质量为 46 58ku的蛋白质 ,其理论 pI为 4 2 1.将蛋白质序列通过NCBI的Blast服务器进行序列相似性分析 ,发现该基因编码的蛋白质和成年小鼠视网膜未知蛋白 (BAB3 2 2 14 )同源 .经与国际人类基因组命名委员会协商定名为成人视网膜假定蛋白 (adultretinahypotheticalprotein ,ARHP) ,GenBank登录号为AY174896.生物信息学分析表明 ,该蛋白质可能为一参与转录调控的核蛋白 .ARHP基因定位在染色体 5q3 5,跨越 3 5163bp ,含 4个外显子和 3个内含子 .在基因的 5′非翻译区有 2个CpG岛     

一个小鼠睾丸特异表达新基因mtIQ2的克隆和表达谱分析

运用数据库消减杂交筛选出一个在小鼠睾丸中特异表达的新基因--mtIQ2 (Genbank Accession No: DQ153247), Northern blot结果表明该基因的cDNA序列全长为1.2kb,小鼠多组织RT-PCR结果表明:该基因在睾丸中特异表达,而在其他组织中没有表达.运用隐睾模型对该基因的表达研究表明:在手术后第9d,该基因表达急剧下降,到18d完全消失.这些实验提示该基因在睾丸的发育和性成熟过程中可能起重要作用.     

人类β-1,4-半乳糖苷转移酶Ⅲ基因的分离与克隆

以人、牛、鼠、鸡、蜗牛的β-1,4-半乳糖苷转移酶催化区的编码核苷酸序列为探针,在NCBI GenBank EST数据库中进行同源搜寻,获得若干有高度同源的EST.在拼接序列的两端设计引物,以从人胎盘cDNA文库中PCR扩增获得的片段为探针,在人胎盘cDNA分子库中步移获得一个长1,907bp的cDNA片段,包含一个长1,179bp的开放阅读框(ORF,open reading frame),编码393个氨基酸残基。该基因与已知的人类β1,4-GalTI的氨基酸同源性为43.8%,在蛋白质催化区的同源性更高达60.9%。表达谱分析发现该基因在人体16种组织中均有不同程度的表达,转录本大小约为2.4kb.通过该cDNA人/啮齿类杂种细胞株DNA Southern杂交将该基因定位在1号染色体。     

小鼠植入前胚胎紧密化相关基因Crg1的克隆

从已获得的运用抑制消减杂交技术(Suppression Subtractive Hybridization,SSH)分离、克隆和筛选代表8-细胞早期胚胎和紧密化8-细胞胚胎差别表达基因的ESTs片段(GenBank登录号：BQ740263、BQ740251)入手,经比较二者的同源性发现这两个EST末端反向互补,拼接成一个cDNA片段,经分析此序列包含一个完整的阅读框,提交给GenBank,登录号为AY134859。根据此序列设计引物从小鼠8-细胞紧密化胚胎cDNA中经PCR扩增出目的片段,克隆入pUCm—T载体后测序而获得全长cDNA,为小鼠植入前胚胎紧密化相关基因Crg1,分析比较证明Crg1基因与AY134859基本吻合。Crg1基因的cDNA全长为810bp,只有一个外显子,编码由150个氨基酸组成,分子量理论值为17．67kD的蛋白质。与最新的小鼠基因组工作草图进行电子杂交,该基因被定位在小鼠的14号染色体上。RT—PCR实验证明在小鼠植入前各个时期的胚胎、小鼠胚胎干细胞中均有表达,在小鼠胚胎成纤维细胞中没有表达。半定量RT—PCR实验证明Crg1基因在紧密化胚胎中表达较8—细胞胚胎高。采用Northern—blot手段分析Crg1基因在成年小鼠的8种组织中的表达情况,结果表明该基因只在小鼠卵巢中有微弱的表达,转录本大小为1．2kh,而在成年小鼠的脑、心脏、肾、睾丸、肝脏、肺、脾等中没有表达。研究表明,Crg1基因可能与小鼠胚胎紧密化及保持细胞的全能性相关。     

睾丸生精细胞凋亡相关基因TSARG1与Mtsarg1的分子克隆及Mtsarg1基因的表达谱分析

从已获得的在隐睾和正常睾丸对照中表达量有明显差异的EST片段（GenBank登录号：BE644538）出发,利用生物信息学和实验技术,克隆了小鼠睾丸生精细胞凋亡相关新基因Mtsarg1及相应的人类新基因TSARG1,Gen-Bank登录号分别为AF399971和AY032925。小鼠Mtsargl与人类TSARGl基因在氨基酸水平有55％的一致性和61％相似性,与其他已知蛋白质无明显同源性。小鼠10种组织的RT-PCR分析结果表明,Mtsargl基因在睾丸中高表达,在附睾中呈微弱表达,在其他组织不表达,提示Mtsargl和TSARGl基因在生精细胞凋亡或精子发生中具有潜在的重要作用。     

小鼠睾丸特异表达基因TSEG-1的克隆及序列分析

从表达序列标签(expressed sequence tags, ESTs)数据库ZooDDD中获得小鼠正常睾丸表达的EST, 通过dbEST数据库检索出与其高度同源的EST序列, 构建EST叠加群(contigs), Biolign软件拼接, GeneScan软件预测contigs对应的基因组序列中的外显子、内含子; 针对开放阅读框设计引物序列, 采用RT-PCR从小鼠睾丸组织中克隆新基因的cDNA, 分析该基因在小鼠各脏器中的mRNA表达, 并对测序结果进行生物信息学分析。结果表明: 在小鼠X染色体的1 668~2 011 kb间克隆出一新基因TSEG-1, 全长为510 bp, 开放阅读框为336 bp, 编码111氨基酸, 分子量12.84258 kDa, 等电点11.4000。RT-PCR证实该基因开放阅读框正确, 在小鼠睾丸组织中特异性表达, 且与小鼠其他cDNA 无同源性, 获得GenBank 登录号EU079024。功能区分析发现TSEG-1蛋白可能为一种跨膜蛋白, 跨膜区位于第41~61氨基酸残基。TSEG-1基因与人类睾丸特异性组蛋白2a变异体基因有较高同源性, 在TSEG-1基因5′-端非编码侧翼预测发现存在1个启动子区域, 范围为680 bp。 TSEG-1蛋白可能有4个抗原性位点, 2个特异性蛋白激酶的磷酸化位点, 其亚细胞定位可能位于线粒体。小鼠睾丸特异性基因TSEG-1的克隆为进一步研究其生物学功能和表达调控奠定了基础。     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.