特种稻种质资源研究进展与展望

我国从20世纪80年代开始广泛关注特种稻种质资源研究.至今以丰富的特种稻种质资源为基础,积极开展特种稻特殊性状遗传分析的同时,将常规育种与生物技术相结合,创新黑米、红米、软米、巨胚米、甜米等一系列特种稻新种质,并在水稻育种和生产上提供应用,为增加稻农收入做出了积极贡献.广泛开展特种稻资源的特殊性状鉴定和评价,筛选具有独特特性的优异种质资源,并进行基因型检测与遗传多样性分析和核心种质构建;将多个特殊性状相聚合,创新赖氨酸、微量元素、维生素等含量较高,黄酮、花青3-葡萄糖苷、生物碱等生理活性物质含量较高的水稻种质是今后我国特种稻资源研究的重要内容.     

海南具C4、C3解剖特征的禾本科植物

为了充分认识海南地区现有禾本科植物的光合途径类型,为该地区禾本科植物的种质资源学、生理生态学研究提供可靠的资料,通过调查并收集整理海南禾本科牧草种质资源,以C3、C4植物在解剖结构上的差异为基础,利用石蜡制片技术鉴定海南禾本科植物光合途径的类型。结果表明,在224份研究材料中,有189种禾草属于C4光合类型,35种禾草属于C3光合类型,分别占禾草种数的84%和16%,说明该区域禾草以高光效的C4类型为主。     

转玉米PEPC基因水稻中有限的C4光合微循环及其生理作用

用转PEPC基因水稻(Oryza sativa L. subsp.japonica Kitaake)和原种水稻Kitaake为材料,研究了不同基因型水稻叶片中的C4光合微循环及其功能.通过测定与光合C4途径有关的关键酶,如磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化酶(PEPC)、NADP -苹果酸酶(NADP -ME)、NADP -苹果酸脱氢酶(NADP -MDH)和丙酮酸磷酸双激酶(PPDK),说明原种水稻叶片中具有完整的C4光合酶体系;用外源OAA或MA饲喂叶切片或叶绿体后明显增加光合速率,证明原种水稻中具有一个有限的光合C4微循环.将玉米的PEPC基因导入原种水稻后,可大幅度提高光合C4微循环的速率.测定不同基因型的CO2交换速率,看出水稻中C4光合微循环的增强有提高净光合速率(Pn)和降低光呼吸速率/净光合速率(Pr/Pn)比值的作用.叶绿素荧光特性分析表明,C4光合微循环的增强伴随着PSⅡ电子传递效率(Fv/Fm)和光化学猝灭(qP)的增加以及非光化学猝灭(qN)的降低;这些结果为通过基因工程手段提高作物光合效率的遗传育种提供了科学根据.     

转玉米PEPC基因水稻中有限的C4光合微循环及其生理作用

用转PEPC基因水稻(OryzasativaL.subsp.japonicaKitaake)和原种水稻Kitaake为材料,研究了不同基因型水稻叶片中的C4光合微循环及其功能。通过测定与光合C4途径有关的关键酶,如磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化酶(PEPC)、NADP -苹果酸酶(NADP -ME)、NADP -苹果酸脱氢酶(NADP -MDH)和丙酮酸磷酸双激酶(PPDK),说明原种水稻叶片中具有完整的C4光合酶体系;用外源OAA或MA饲喂叶切片或叶绿体后明显增加光合速率,证明原种水稻中具有一个有限的光合C4微循环。将玉米的PEPC基因导入原种水稻后,可大幅度提高光合C4微循环的速率。测定不同基因型的CO2交换速率,看出水稻中C4光合微循环的增强有提高净光合速率(Pn)和降低光呼吸速率/净光合速率(Pr/Pn)比值的作用。叶绿素荧光特性分析表明,C4光合微循环的增强伴随着PSⅡ电子传递效率(Fv/Fm)和光化学猝灭(qP)的增加以及非光化学猝灭(qN)的降低;这些结果为通过基因工程手段提高作物光合效率的遗传育种提供了科学根据。     

转PEPC基因水稻具有初级CO2浓缩机制的生理特点

以原种粳稻Kitaake为对照, 研究了转玉米PEPC基因水稻的PEPC的高表达和碳同化特性的关系. 结果显示: 与原种相比, 转PEPC基因水稻气孔导度和光合速率显著增加, 经统计分析, 气孔导度的增加与光合速率的增加并无相关性. 而在高光强下, 与CO2浓缩有关的PEPC, CA酶蛋白的表达显著增加. 因此在大气CO2浓度下可显著增加光合能力(50%); 无CO2条件下, 可减少叶内CO2释放量, 从而降低了CO2补偿点. 用专一的抑制剂DCDP处理, 证明转PEPC基因水稻叶内PEPC的高表达与碳同化能力的提高和Fv/Fm的稳定性有关. 用14C示踪20 s, 转PEPC基因水稻14C较多的分配在C4光合原初产物天冬氨酸中, 意味着叶内存在着一定的C4光合代谢途径. 上述结果说明, 用代谢工程可以在叶内构建初级的CO2浓缩机制, 为转基因的高光效育种技术提供了生理依据.     

药用植物防风(Saposhnikovia divaricata)不同时期光合作用特性比较

通过对防风光合特性及光合有效辐射(PAR)、大气二氧化碳浓度(Ca)、气温(Ta)、叶温(Tl)和相对湿度(RH)等环境因子的同期观测,系统地研究了防风净光合速率(Pn)等在不同时期的日变化特征及其与环境因子之间的关系,为吉林省防风规范化种植提供理论依据.结果表明,不同时期防风净光合速率日变化均呈双峰型曲线,具有明显的光合"午休"现象.7月份防风光合速率中午降低主要由非气孔限制引起,8月份、9月份防风光合速率中午降低则主要由气孔限制引起,7月份高温低湿是限制防风Pn的主要环境因子.光合速率和蒸腾速率的不同步是引起水分利用效率变化的主要原因.光合有效辐射直接影响防风叶片的光合速率,从而影响防风有机物质的合成与转化,对防风生产力起到直接的限制作用.不同时期防风Pn与PAR呈显著正相关,不同时期防风叶片对不同环境因子的反映有所不同,环境因子中对Pn直接作用由大到小为7月份 Ta＞PAR＞Tl＞Ca＞RH,8月份为Tl＞PAR＞Ta＞RH＞Ca,9月份为Ta＞PAR＞Tl＞Ca＞RH.     

转PEPC基因水稻具有初级CO2浓缩机制生理特点

以原种粳稻Kitaake为对照, 研究了转玉米PEPC基因水稻的PEPC的高表达和碳同化特性的关系. 结果显示: 与原种相比, 转PEPC基因水稻气孔导度和光合速率显著增加, 经统计分析, 气孔导度的增加与光合速率的增加并无相关性. 而在高光强 下, 与CO₂浓缩有关的PEPC, CA酶蛋白的表达显著增加. 因此在大气CO₂浓度下可显著增加光合能力(50%); 无CO₂条件下, 可减少叶内CO₂释放量, 从而降低了CO₂补偿点. 用专一的抑制剂DCDP处理, 证明转PEPC基因水稻叶内PEPC的高表达与碳同化能力的提高和Fv/Fm的稳定性有关. 用14C示踪20 s, 转PEPC基因水稻14C较多的分配在C4光合原初产物天冬氨酸中, 意味着叶内存在着一定的C4光合代谢途径. 上述结果说明, 用代谢工程可以在叶内构建初级的CO₂浓缩机制, 为转基因的高光效育种技术提供了生理依据.     

重庆石灰岩地区木豆与十大功劳叶片气体交换的比较

对重庆石灰岩地区固氮植物木豆与非固氮植物十大功劳叶片气体交换进行了比较研究.结果表明木豆的日均净光合速率（Pn）、蒸腾速率（E）、气孔导度（Gs）和光能利用效率（LUE）均大于十大功劳,但两者的水分利用效率（WUE）没有差别.净光合速率在中午出现了较明显的光合＂午休＂现象.经分析木豆的光合午休主要由气孔因素引起,而十大功劳的光合午休现象以非气孔因素为主.同样,在季节变化中木豆的净光合速率（Pn）、蒸腾速率（E）、气孔导度（Gs）和光能利用效率（LUE）的季节均值也均大于十大功劳,但水分利用效率（WUE）却相反.木豆和十大功劳的叶绿素含量的季节变化与净光合速率季节变化趋势基本一致,木豆的叶绿素含量呈8月份高峰的单峰曲线,而十大功劳在8月份和10月份各有一高峰.木豆的叶绿素a/b的季节变化呈递减趋势,相反,十大功劳呈上升趋势.经分析,木豆和十大功劳的净光合速率的季节变化与叶绿素含量的季节变化相关联.木豆单位叶重的含氮量季节均值为37.6mg/g,明显高于十大功劳的14.8 mg/g,说明木豆的高固氮能力导致了木豆的高光合能力.但木豆的水分利用效率不如十大功劳,说明有高光合能力的固氮植物木豆在石灰岩地区的植被恢复中也存在其不适应的因素,但木豆是否真正适应干旱环境还需要进行全面的水分生理的研究.     

ABA、BA及DPI对高表达玉米C4pepc基因的水稻光合特性及叶绿素荧光特性的影响

为阐明水稻高表达玉米C4型磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化酶基因(C4phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase,C4pepc)出现高光效的分子机理,以盆栽转C4pepc水稻(PC)及野生型Kitaake(WT)为材料,花后7d茎吸入脱落酸(abscisic acid,ABA)、正丁醇(n-butanol,BA)及氯化二亚苯基碘(diphenyleneiodonium,DPI),考察其对叶片光合特性及酶活性等影响。结果表明:(1)与ABA处理不同,DPI和BA处理下PC的Pn均呈现先增加后下降的趋势,BA处理0.5h时Pn明显增加,原因主要是由于气孔导度的增加;(2)ABA、BA和DPI对Fv/Fm的影响不明显,与WT相比,PC的qP下降少;(3)BA处理后PC的PEPC活性降低了26%,而DPI处理则增加了48%。各处理并未对PEPC蛋白和基因的表达有影响。     

水稻剑叶生长过程中光合电子流传递分配及其与光合作用的关系

以气体交换和叶绿素荧光测定相结合的方法研究了水稻剑叶生长过程中光合电子传递分配以及与光合速率和叶绿素含量之间的关系。两种高产水稻品种‘培矮 6 4S/E3 2’和‘特三矮 2号’的剑叶总的光合电子流JF 和净光合速率Pn在移栽后 5 0～ 70d较高而相对稳定 ,在 80d后急剧下降。参与碳还原的非环式光合电子流Jc的降低比JF 和Pn早。JF 与Jc和光合速率与叶绿素含量之间存在正相关性。非环式光合电子传递分配于光呼吸的电子流的比例Jo/JF 在 5 0～ 70d和 80d后约有 3 5 %～ 5 0 %的电子流分配到光呼吸     

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.