Development of Genetic Novel SSR Markers by Transcriptome Sequencing in Ophicephalus argus Cantor

Russian Journal of Genetics - Northern snakehead Ophiocephalus argus Cantor is an endemic freshwater species in China. This species is widely distributed in the lower Yellow and Yangtze river...     

Distinct genomic traits of acral and mucosal melanomas revealed by targeted mutational profiling

The incidence of melanoma is rising globally including China. Comparing to Caucasians, the incidence of non‐cutaneous melanomas is significantly higher in Chinese. Herein, we performed genomic profiling of 89 Chinese surgically resected primary melanomas, including acral (n = 54), cutaneous (n = 22), and mucosal (n = 13), by hybrid capture‐based next‐generation sequencing. We show that mucosal melanomas tended to harbor more pathogenic mutations than other types of melanoma, though the biological significance of this finding remains uncertain. Chromosomal arm‐level alterations including 6q, 9p, and 10p/q loss were highly recurrent in all subtypes, but mucosal melanoma was significantly associated with increased genomic instability. Importantly, 7p gain significantly correlated with unfavorable clinical outcomes in non‐cutaneous melanomas, representing an intriguing prognostic biomarker of those subtypes. Furthermore, focal amplification of 4q12 (KIT, KDR, and PDGFRα) and RAD51 deletion were more abundant in mucosal melanoma, while NOTCH2 amplification was enriched in acral melanoma. Additionally, cutaneous melanomas had higher mutation load than acral melanomas, while mucosal melanomas did not differ from other subtypes in mutation burden. Together, our data revealed important features of acral and mucosal melanomas in Chinese including distinctive driver mutation pattern and increased genomic instability. These findings highlight the possibilities of combination therapies in the clinical management of melanoma.     

A biotechnology‐based male‐sterility system for hybrid seed production in tomato

Incorporating male sterility into hybrid seed production reduces its cost and ensures high varietal purity. Despite these advantages, male‐sterile lines have not been widely used to produce tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) hybrid seeds. We describe the development of a biotechnology‐based breeding platform that utilized genic male sterility to produce hybrid seeds. In this platform, we generated a novel male‐sterile tomato line by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated protein 9 (Cas9)‐mediated mutagenesis of a stamen‐specific gene SlSTR1 and devised a transgenic maintainer by transforming male‐sterile plants with a fertility‐restoration gene linked to a seedling‐colour gene. Offspring of crosses between a hemizygous maintainer and the homozygous male‐sterile plant segregated into 50% non‐transgenic male‐sterile plants and 50% male‐fertile maintainer plants, which could be easily distinguished by seedling colour. This system has great practical potential for hybrid seed breeding and production as it overcomes the problems intrinsic to other male‐sterility systems and can be easily adapted for a range of tomato cultivars and diverse vegetable crops.     

口蹄疫病毒非结构蛋白3AB双抗体夹心ELISA方法的建立

抗原纯净度是口蹄疫 (Foot-and-mouth disease,FMD) 灭活疫苗质量检验的一项重要内容,一般采用疫苗2–3次免疫动物后,检测非结构蛋白 (Non-structural protein,NSP) 抗体是否阳转,判断疫苗抗原的纯净度。文中旨在建立定量检测FMD灭活疫苗抗原中NSP 3AB含量的ELISA方法,为疫苗质量控制提供参考方法。利用口蹄疫病毒 (Foot-and-mouth disease virus,FMDV) NSP 3A单克隆抗体和辣根过氧化物酶 (Horseradish peroxidase,HRP) 标记的3B单克隆抗体,建立定量检测NSP 3AB含量的双抗体夹心ELISA检测方法。采用原核表达并纯化的3AB蛋白作为标准品,标准品系列稀释,绘制标准曲线,以标准品与未加抗原的阴性对照吸光值 (OD) 的比值大于2.0的标准品最低浓度为最低检测限。标准品浓度介于4.7–600.0 ng/mL之间时,测得的OD值与浓度呈线性相关,回归曲线呈直线,相关系数R2=0.99,确定最低检测限为4.7 ng/mL。检测12份未纯化灭活抗原中3AB蛋白含量介于9.3–200.0 ng/mL之间;而纯化后的病毒抗原中3AB蛋白残留量低于最低检测限;33份来自不同厂家的成品疫苗抗原中9份疫苗抗原3AB蛋白含量在9.0–74.0 ng/mL之间,其余24份疫苗抗原中3AB蛋白残留量低于最低检测限。检测3AB蛋白含量的双抗体夹心ELISA方法能够特异、敏感地检测疫苗抗原中的3AB蛋白含量,为疫苗质量控制与纯净度检验提供了一种可供选择的检测方法。     

Selenium nanovirus and its cytotoxicity in selenite-exposed higher living organisms

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient in living organisms, having a narrow margin between essential and potentially toxic intake/exposure. Thus, the biochemistry of Se in living organisms must be studied in-depth to determine the underlying mechanism of Se cytotoxicity. In this study, we report the emergence of selenium nanovirus (SeNVs) in selenite-exposed fish (freshwater and saltwater) and plants (dryland) and its toxicity in them. SeNVs were found in both the abdomen and tail of Oryzias melastigma and saltwater Rhodeus ocellatus, which led to their death. The occurrence of the intracellular assembly of SeNVs was observed in the roots and leaves of corn Zea mays, but not in those of Limnobium laevigatum. SeNVs led to the death of Z. mays but caused chronic toxicity in L. laevigatum. SeNVs should be a system or structure that dissipates the intracellular redox gradients of the host cells, with simple information consisting Se–O, Se–N, or Se–S bond, that would ensure elemental Se ligand binding with nearly specific biomolecules in host cells, thereby maintaining their composition and stabilizing their structure. The multiple toxic effects of Se, therefore, could be the consequence of increase of entropy in the host cells caused by the intracellular assembly of SeNVs. This study may provide an insight into the underlying mechanism of Se in environmental toxicology and its applications in human health.