一株多环芳烃降解菌的鉴定及GST基因克隆和序列分析

由石油污染土壤中分离到一株能以多环芳烃（菲、芴、萘）为唯一碳源的细菌,经形态观察、生理生化（BiologGN）和 G+C mol%分析,鉴定该菌为少动鞘氨醇单胞菌(Sphingomonas paucimobilis)。与16S rDNA序列同源性的比较进一步确证了鉴定结果。经菲诱导后的细菌谷胱甘肽S转移酶（Glutathione Stransferase, GST）酶活明显高于未诱导前,表明谷胱甘肽S转移酶可能与多环芳烃的降解有关。根据该酶基因的同源性序列设计引物,PCR扩增出编码谷胱甘肽S转移酶基因片段,进一步证实在该菌中有GST的存在。测序后基于编码GST的基因所进行的系统发育分析表明,该多环芳烃降解菌与其它多环芳烃降解菌在进化上亲缘关系较近。     

免培养法对一热泉细菌多样性的初步研究

应用免培养法（Cultureindependent）对云南腾冲热海大滚锅高温热泉中细菌的多样性进行初步的分析。经过克隆筛选,测定了5个克隆的16S rDNA插入片段的近全序列,系统发育分析的结果表明,它们分属于Bacillus、Hydrogenobacter和Pseudomonas,有一个克隆尚难确定其分类地位,它属于Thermodesulfobacteriaceae科,介于Geothermbacterium属和Thermodesulfobacteria属之间。经PCR扩增出上述5个克隆16S rDNA插入序列中及环境样品总DNA中的16S rDNA V8高变区约600bp片段,进行变性梯度电泳（DGGE）。所得电泳图谱和5个序列的系统发育树不仅表明该高温热泉存在着丰富的细菌多样性,还显示了它们是该高温热泉中细菌的优势物种。     

海绵Pachychalina sp.体内细菌多样性的研究

通过非分离培养分析方法,直接从海绵体内提取细菌总DNA。以样品总DNA为模板进行PCR扩增获得细菌16S rDNA。用16S rDNA限制性酶切片段长度多态性（ARDRA）和测序方法对南海湛江海域海绵Pachychalina sp.体内的细菌多样性进行了研究。在细菌16S rDNA的ARDRA图谱中,大多数克隆的酶切带谱间存在差异;随机挑选22个克隆进行测序得到它们的16S rDNA部分序列,大部分序列属于γproteobacterium和αproteobacterium,但有少数克隆序列与RDP数据库中收录的16S rDNA序列间的相似性极小,不参与系统发育树的构建。研究结果表明海绵Pachychalina sp.体内细菌组成具有丰富的多样性。     

辽宁碱蓬甜菜碱醛脱氢酶基因（BADH）启动子分离及序列分析

根据已知的辽宁碱蓬BADH cDNA 5′端序列设计两个基因特异的反向引物（BR1,BR2）,通过衔接头PCR获得了BADH基因起始密码子上游265 bp的序列。根据所获得的序列设计两个基因特异的反向引物（BR3,BR4）,用BR2、BR3、BR4分别与4个简并引物配对,通过TAILPCR扩增,获得了约2 kb 的序列。经Sequencer软件拼接上述两段序列,获得了BADH基因起始密码子上游2055 bp的序列。用TSSPTCM软件分析此序列,预测出转录起始点（T）位于起始密码子上游62 bp处,由此获得了1993 bp的SlBADH启动子序列。用PLACE软件分析此序列,发现该序列具有启动子的基本元件TATAbox、CAATbox,包含多个胁迫诱导元件,如盐诱导元件GAAAAA,抗冻、缺水、脱落酸、抗寒元件CANNTG,伤害诱导元件ANATTNCNN,热激元件ATAAATGT等,是一个强的胁迫诱导启动子。     

一株硅酸盐细菌的鉴定及其系统发育学分析

从南京地区黄棕壤中分离的一株好氧、革兰氏阴性、产芽孢的硅酸盐细菌NBT菌株,能产生丰厚的荚膜,具有鞭毛,能水解淀粉、产生吲哚、液化明胶,全细胞脂肪酸为硬脂酸C16∶0、软脂酸C18∶1(Δ9)和anteisoC15,DNA的G+C mol%为537%。16S rRNA基因测序和系统发育学分析的结果表明,该菌株与胶质芽孢杆菌B7519（Bacillus mucilaginosus）、土壤芽孢杆菌B7517（B. edaphicus）亲缘关系最近。该菌株与B. edaphicus B7517的总DNA杂交率为69%,在形态、生理生化特征上有差异,故可把NBT菌株定为Bacillus edaphicus的一个亚种。     

编码1,3-丙二醇氧化还原酶基因的克隆和表达

采用PCR法克隆了巴氏梭菌（Clostridium pasteurianum）CpN86菌株编码1,3丙二醇氧化还原酶基因（dhaT基因）;完成了dhaT基因测序、表达载体构建和在大肠杆菌中表达;分离和纯化了dhaT基因表达的重组蛋白。实验结果：（1）PCR法克隆的dhaT基因和肺炎克雷伯氏菌Klebsiella pneumoniae菌株dhaT基因的序列同源性为829%;（2）dhaT基因表达蛋白的酶活为108U/mg;（3）dhaT基因表达的蛋白分子量为43kD;（4）Western blot确定了dhaT基因表达的蛋白和 CpN86菌株天然蛋白有相同的抗原反应。     

禾谷缢管蚜体内的病毒结合蛋白基因的克隆与原核表达

利用一对特异性引物,用PCR的方法从禾谷缢管蚜体内扩增出了病毒结合蛋白基因,序列测定结果表明其长度 为1647 bp,编码548个氨基酸,与GenBank中的禾谷缢管蚜美国生物型Buchnera groELNT核苷酸序列同源性为97%,氨基酸同源性为97.4%。构建了2个原核表达载体并进行表达得到了69kD融合蛋白和63kD的非融合蛋白。     

海绵Pachychalina sp.体内古菌多样性非培养技术分析

采用非分离培养分析方法,即16S rDNA限制性酶切片段长度多态性（ARDRA）和测序方法对南海湛江海域海绵Pachychalina sp.体内的古菌多样性进行了研究。从海绵体内直接提取古菌总DNA。以样品总DNA为模板,用古菌16S rDNA通用引物进行PCR扩增获得16S rDNA,回收、纯化16S rDNA产物并克隆到TVector。进行第二次PCR扩增反应,且对扩增产物进行ARDRA。在古菌16S rDNA的ARDRA图谱中,大多数克隆的酶切带谱上存在差异;随机挑选8个克隆子进行测序,获得古菌16S rDNA的部分序列,并对16S rDNA序列进行聚类分析构建了系统进化树,结果发现海绵体内的古菌主要属于Methanogenium organophilum、Methanoplanus petrolearius等古菌类。但它们与目前数据库中收录的古细菌间的相似性均不超过90%,它们极有可能是一些新的古菌。     

菠菜乙醇酸氧化酶基因的克隆及表达

采用RT-PCR技术从菠菜总RNA中分离扩增了乙醇酸氧化酶（GO）基因的cDNA序列,首先克隆到质粒pMD18T,进行了测序。然后将乙醇酸氧化酶的cDNA分别亚克隆至质粒pThioHisC、 pTIGTrx、pBV220和pET-2b(+),分别转化大肠杆菌DH5α和BL21（DE3）,并对重组乙醇酸氧化酶在大肠杆菌中的表达进行了研究。SDSPAGE和酶活分析表明,菠菜乙醇酸氧化酶在E.coli BL21 (DE3) （pTIGTrxGO）和E.coli BL21(DE3) （pET-22b(+)GO）里得到了高水平的表达,其中E.coli BL21(DE3) （pET-22b(+)GO）的乙醇酸氧化酶活性较高。     

神经营养素-3基因的人工合成及其在毕赤酵母中的分泌性表达

根据人神经营养素3（Human neurotrohin3,hNT3）的基因序列,把编码氨基酸的密码子转换成毕赤酵母（Pichia pastoris）偏爱的形式,设计了10条36～59nt的寡聚核苷酸引物,通过5次连续PCR反应,获得了人工合成的NT3 cDNA片段（简称NT3b基因）。将合成的NT3b基因克隆到pPIC9K质粒上,获得重组表达载体pPIC9KNT3b。将重组表达载体pPIC9KNT3b和pPIC9KhNT3分别电击转化宿主毕赤酵母GS115菌株,经筛选得到重组转化子。不同转化子经甲醇诱导,表达产物进行SDSPAGE检测、Western blot检测和ELISA分析,结果表明,NT3b基因和hNT3基因成功获得分泌性表达,从整体水平上,使用偏爱密码子的NT3b基因在毕赤酵母GS115菌株中的表达明显优越于hNT3基因(x2=4.334,P<0.05),表达量在诱导后72～96h最高,达到31mg/L左右。     

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.