鹰科四种鸟类线粒体DNA的差异和分子进化关系的研究

采用聚合酶链反应,从雀鹰、大蔫、秃鹰、灰脸焉鹰4种鸟类中分别扩增出线粒体DNA细胞色素b基因,并测定出1086bp的碱基序列,它们之间的序列差异在10.31%～16.57%之间.DNA一级序列数据显示,这4种鸟类DNA序列变异丰富,MEGA1.01数据软件构建了4种鸟类的分子系统树,与化石资料和形态学研究结果相吻合。 Abstract:Using well-known PCR techniques,we amplified and sequenced a 1086 basepair fragment of the Cytochrome-b DNA sequence from 4 species of raptors in China.Primers based on the published gallus domesticus sequence were used to generate initial sequences that were subsequently used to design raptor sepecific primers for internal sequencing.Relationship were estimated using Parsmony analysis and boot strapping.Levels of mitochondrial DNA divergence ranged from 10.31%～16.57% among species of raptors and 17.59%～18.60% betweem raptors and the outgroups.Our data showed that the variation rate of mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome b is in line with the fossil record of geological age.     

我国32种鸟类DNA条形码分析

DNA条形码是一种分子分类方法,近年来在物种鉴定方面得到迅速的发展和应用.本研究分析了我国27属32种鸟类(61只)的线粒体细胞色素c氧化酶亚基Ⅰ(COⅠ)基因的条形码片段,分别用阈值法、聚类法和诊断核苷酸进行了分析,探究DNA条形码鉴定我国鸟类的准确性.结果显示,种内CO Ⅰ序列变异很小,种间存在较多的变异位点,种间的遗传距离显著大于种内的遗传距离,DNA条形码序列能够鉴定所有鸟类.     

一种从雉类孵化卵壳中提取DNA的方法

从鸟类已孵化的卵壳中提取DNA属于一种非损伤性取样技术,在鸟类分子生态学研究中具有广阔的应用前景。本实验以河南董寨自然保护区白冠长尾雉(Syrmaticus reevesii)和环颈雉(Phasianuscolchicus)已孵化的卵壳为材料,利用红细胞破碎液、蛋白酶K及RNA酶等试剂,对卵壳膜内的总DNA进行了提取,建立了一种提取高质量DNA的新方法。琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测显示,采用新改进的方法提取出的DNA条带清晰。同时,利用聚合酶链式反应(PCR)技术成功地从总DNA中扩增出两种雉类的线粒体DNA控制区(CR)片段,测序后与GenBank中同一物种的CR序列进行比对,结果证实了PCR产物的真实性。文中利用卵壳膜提取出的DNA,对一窝环颈雉的雏鸟进行了性别鉴定,其结果与根据形态特征进行鉴定的结果完全一致,均为3雄4雌,从而证实了从卵壳膜中提取DNA的真实性。该种DNA提取方法在雉类研究中将具有广泛的应用。     

DNA在鸟类分子系统发育研究中的应用

鸟类分子系统发育研究中常用的DNA技术有DNA杂交、RFLP和DNA序列分析等。DNA杂交技术曾在鸟类中有过大规模的应用,并由此诞生了一套新的鸟类分类系统。在鸟类的RFLP分析中,用的最多的靶序列是线粒体DNA。DNA序列分析技术被认为是进行分子系统发育研究最有效、最可靠的方法。在DNA序列分析中,线粒体基因应用最广泛,但由于其自身的一些不足,近年来,不少学者把目光投向了核基因,将线粒体基因和核基因结合起来进行系统发育研究。目前在鸟类分子系统发育中,应用较多的核基因是scnDNA,其内含子可以用于中等阶元水平的系统研究,而外显子主要用于高等阶元的系统研究。除了分子标记自身的问题之外,鸟类分子系统发育研究中还存在着方法上的问题,包括分子标记的选择,样本数量以及数据处理等。今后鸟类分子系统发育研究应该更加注重方法的标准化。     

中华鳖4个Sox基因保守区的序列分析

采用PCR技术,扩增和克隆了中华鳖Sox基因（TSSox）。经DNA序列分析显示,Sox基因在系统进化上十分保守,其中TSSox4与鸟类LF4基因编码的氨基酸序列完全相同、与人类SOX4和Sox4编码的序列仅一个氨基酸的差异;TSSox5与鸟类的LF5基因的编码也仅一个氨基酸发生了改变;TSSox2与海龟的TSox2相似性最高。4条TSSox序列中,TSSox与人SRY基因序列相似性最高,达75％;序列上的相似性可能暗示了它们在功能上的保守性。     

部分山雀科鸟类的DNA条形码与物种识别

近年来,DNA条形码(DNA barcodes)被认为是鸟类物种识别和分类的有效手段。采用遗传距离和构树这两种方法检验了线粒体基因COⅠ片断作为DNA条形码区分包括长尾山雀在内的山雀科鸟类的识别效果。此次实验分析了92条COⅠ序列,其中50条来自GenBank,代表了该科的30个物种。分析结果表明:尽管山雀科鸟类呈现出较大的种内变异,但是该科鸟类的种间遗传距离还是远大于种内的遗传距离。COⅠ条形码可识别出大部分的山雀科物种,同时该条形码还可鉴定出亚种组、亚种、甚至地理种群。然而,对于近期分化和存在杂交的物种,COⅠ难以鉴定出。在此情况下,探索应用核基因条形码或者采用基于碱基属性的鉴定方法则可以弥补这一缺陷。比较古北界、东洋界与新北界(北美)的山雀类发现,古北界和东洋界的山雀具有较大的种内变异且种群内具有较大的遗传分化,推测这很可能和第四纪冰川的影响有关。     

松鸡科13种鸟类COⅠ序列变异及系统发育分析

线粒体DNA中的细胞色素C氧化酶亚基Ⅰ基因,即COⅠ是DNA条形编码的主要基因,是一个很好的物种鉴定工具,目前广泛应用于鸟类系统发育研究。通过测定花尾榛鸡和黑琴鸡COⅠ基因的序列,并结合GenBank中松鸡科13种鸟类的同源序列,对松鸡科鸟类进行了序列变异和系统发育分析。结果显示,松鸡科物种的种间变异大于种内变异。序列分歧和系统分析结果支持花尾榛鸡Tetrastes bonasia归于松鸡科Tetraonidae榛鸡属Tetrastes。黑琴鸡Lyrurus tetrix与Tetrao属中其它物种的分歧小于松鸡科其它属间分歧,且黑琴鸡聚在Tetrao内,研究结果倾向支持黑琴鸡归于松鸡属Tetrao。     

分子标记在雀形目鸟类研究中的应用

雀形目鸟类一直以来都是动物学工作者研究的热点。目前,针对雀形目鸟类研究的标记主要有2部分：一部分是线粒体DNA中12SrRNA、细胞色素b序列、ND2基因和ZENK等基因序列;另一部分是基因组DNA中的c-myc、RAG-1、肌球素基因和核β-纤维蛋白厚基因等DNA序列以及微卫星DNA和单核苷酸多态性（SNP）等。本文概述了这些分子遗传标记在雀形目鸟类中的应用和研究状况。     

基于DNA序列数据挖掘算法研究

引入数据挖掘技术,研究DNA序列数据内在规律性,并给出DNA序列分类问题的算法．综合考虑碱基组的出现概率以及相邻氨基酸之间的关系,从DNA序列片段的个案中密码子分布密度角度出发,提取出已知类别的DNA序列片段的特征;应用分类的逐步判别分析方法,剔除判别能力不显著的变量,给出DNA序列分类的判别函数．仿真结果表明,该算法具有分类计算公式简单且分类结果精度的优点．     

CO Ⅰ SEQUENCE VARIATIONS AND PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG 13 SPECIES OF TETRAONIDAE BIRDS

线粒体DNA中的细胞色素C氧化酶亚基Ⅰ基因,即CO Ⅰ是DNA条形编码的主要基因,是一个很好的物种鉴定工具,目前广泛应用于鸟类系统发育研究.通过测定花尾榛鸡和黑琴鸡CO Ⅰ基因的序列,并结合GenBank中松鸡科13种鸟类的同源序列,对松鸡科鸟类进行了序列变异和系统发育分析.结果显示,松鸡科物种的种间变异大于种内变异.序列分歧和系统分析结果支持花尾榛鸡Tetrastes bonasia归于松鸡科Tctraonidae榛鸡属Tetrastes.黑琴鸡Lyrurus tetrix与Tetrao属中其它物种的分歧小于松鸡科其它属间分歧,且黑琴鸡聚在Tetrao内,研究结果倾向支持黑琴鸡归于松鸡属Tetrao.     

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.