Cloning of resistance gene analogs located on the alien chromosome in an addition line of wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium

Homology-based gene/gene-analog cloning method has been extensively applied in isolation of RGAs (resistance gene analogs) in various plant species. However, serious interference of sequences on homoeologous chromosomes in polyploidy species usually occurred when cloning RGAs in a specific chromosome. In this research, the techniques of chromosome microdissection combined with homology-based cloning were used to clone RGAs from a specific chromosome of Wheat-Thinopyrum alien addition line TAi-27, which was derived from common wheat and Thinopyrum intermedium with a pair of chromosomes from Th. intermedium. The alien chromosomes carry genes for resistance to BYDV. The alien chromosome in TAi-27 was isolated by a glass needle and digested with proteinase K. The DNA of the alien chromosome was amplified by two rounds of Sau3A linker adaptor-mediated PCR. RGAs were amplified by PCR with the degenerated primers designed based on conserved domains of published resistance genes (R genes) by using the alien chromosome DNA, genomic DNA and cDNA of Th. intermedium, TAi-27 and 3B-2 (a parent of TAi-27) as templates. A total of seven RGAs were obtained and sequenced. Of which, a constitutively expressed single-copy NBS-LRR type RGA ACR3 was amplified from the dissected alien chromosome of TAi-27, TcDR2 and TcDR3 were from cDNA of Th. intermedium, AcDR3 was from cDNA of TAi-27, FcDR2 was from cDNA of 3B-2, AR2 was from genomic DNA of TAi-27 and TR2 was from genomic DNA of Th. intermedium. Sequence homology analyses showed that the above RGAs were highly homologous with known resistance genes or resistance gene analogs and belonged to NBS-LRR type of R genes. ACR3 was recovered by PCR from genomic DNA and cDNA of Th. intermedium and TAi-27, but not from 3B-2. Southern hybridization using the digested genomic DNA of Th. intermedium, TAi-27 and 3B-2 as the template and ACR3 as the probe showed that there is only one copy of ACR3 in the genome of Th. intermedium and TAi-27, but it is absent in 3B-2. The ACR3 could be used as a specific probe of the R gene on the alien chromosome of TAi-27. Results of Northern hybridization suggested that ACR3 was constitutively expressed in Th. intermedium and TAi-27, but not 3B-2, and expressed higher in leaves than in roots. This research demonstrated a new way to clone RGAs located on a specific chromosome. The information reported here should be useful to understand the resistance mechanism of, and to clone resistant genes from, the alien chromosome in TAi-27.     

Excision of a selectable marker in transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) using a chemically regulated Cre/loxP system

Removal of a selectable marker gene from genetically modified (GM) crops alleviates the risk of its release into the environment and hastens the public acceptance of GM crops. Here we report the production of marker-free transgenic rice by using a chemically regulated, Cre/loxP-mediated site-specific DNA recombination in a single transformation. Among 86 independent transgenic lines, ten were found to be marker-free in the T₀ generation and an additional 17 lines segregated marker-free transgenic plants in the T₁ generation. Molecular and genetic analyses indicated that the DNA recombination and excision in transgenic rice were precise and the marker-free recombinant T-DNA was stable and heritable.The first two authors contributed equally to the work     

Characterisation of recombinant epithiospecifier protein and its over-expression in Arabidopsis thaliana

Epithiospecifier protein (ESP) is a protein that catalyses formation of epithionitriles during glucosinolate hydrolysis. In vitro assays with a recombinant ESP showed that the formation of epithionitriles from alkenylglucosinolates is ESP and ferrous ion dependent. Nitrile formation in vitro however does not require ESP but only the presence of Fe(II) and myrosinase. Ectopic expression of ESP in Arabidopsis thaliana Col-5 under control of the strong viral CaMV 35S promoter altered the glucosinolate product profile from isothiocyanates towards the corresponding nitriles.     

中小负荷运动对冷应激大鼠白细胞介素2和β-内啡肽的影响

目的:探讨中小负荷运动对IL-2和β-EP的影响及其调节机制.方法:对SD大鼠进行为期4周中小负荷运动,并在运动后期施加冷应激,测定大鼠外周血液IL-2和β-EP的含量.结果:①应激组IL-2显著低于对照组,但β-EP含量显著高于对照组.②经过4周运动,30 mm运动组和60 min运动组,β-EP含量显著低于对照组,而IL-2水平显著高于应激组.同时30 min运动 应激组和60min运动 应激组血清IL-2显著高于应激组,而β-EP含量显著低于应激组.结论:中小负荷运动降低冷应激反应程度,减少内源性β-EP释放,使IL-2含量升高,维持机体在应激状态下免疫功能稳定.     

低氧及低氧预处理时心肌细胞HIF-1α与凋亡相关蛋白表达的变化

目的:观察低氧时心肌细胞HIF-1α表达变化与凋亡相关蛋白表达关系.方法:采用体外心肌细胞培养的方法,将原代培养4～6 d的大鼠乳鼠心肌细胞随机分为对照组、低氧组与低氧预处理组.低氧预处理组在低氧培养箱中通入1%O2、5%CO2、94%N2的低氧混合气体,每天低氧12 h,低氧5 d,第6 d与急性低氧组一同放入0%O2、5%CO2、95%N2的低氧培养箱中进行低氧暴露.低氧48 h后,通过Western blot方法分别检测心肌细胞中HIF-1α、Bcl-2、P53及Bax的表达变化.结果:常氧时细胞不表达HIF-1α,低氧可增加HIF-1的表达,低氧预处理后,能降低HIF-1α的表达.低氧时,Bax的表达变化大致与此相同.p53在低氧时的变化也与其相同,但低氧预处理后似乎没有明显的改变.Bcl-2在低氧时表达下降,低氧预处理后可增加其表达.结论:HIF-1α的表达可协同Bcl-2家族凋亡相关蛋白的表达,在低氧导致的心肌细胞凋亡中发挥重要作用.     

高原世居藏族α、β珠蛋白编码基因的克隆与测序

目的:通过对高原世居藏族α、β珠蛋白编码基因的分析,探讨藏族Hb高氧亲合力的分子机制.方法:高原现场采集健康成年男性藏族人骨髓样品,提取总RNA,通过逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)获得人α和β珠蛋白的cDNA,与PGEM-T Easy质粒连接后,将α和β珠蛋白的cDNA转化JM109大肠杆菌中扩增培养,经酶切鉴定后测序,结果与NCBI数据库进行同源性比较.结果:藏族人α珠蛋白的cDNA与NCBI数据库登录的人cDNA序列相同,没有突变位点.一例藏族人β珠蛋白143位密码子发生了氧亲和力增高的碱基突变(CAC-＞CGC),其对应的氨基酸由His变为Arg(即Hb Abruzzo).结论:藏族人高氧亲和力变种的发现,为今后高原低氧适应相关基因的研究提供了线索.     

低氧对巨噬细胞分泌TNF-α和IL-6的影响及其机制

目的:观察低氧对巨噬细胞(Mφ)前炎症因子TNF-α和IL-6分泌的影响及其机制.方法:收集分离小鼠腹腔Mφ,建立Mφ的低氧(1% O2,5%CO2)培养模型,并用非特异性酯酶染色法进行鉴定;ELISA法检测上清液中TNF-α和IL-6的含量;RT-PCR法检测TNF-α和IL-6的转录物水平;用Western blot法检测Mφ核内NF-κB的激活量;通过在培养液中加入氢化可的松(5 mg/L),观察低氧时TNF-α和IL-6分泌量的变化.结果:TNF-α和IL-6分泌量在低氧12 h时明显增加(P＜0.01);低氧6 h时,TNF-α mRNA和IL-6 mRNA表达量明显高于对照组(P＜0.01);M中核内NF-κB的激活量在低氧2 h时明显增高(P＜0.05),低氧5 h内持续存在;而当培养液中加入氢化可的松抑制NF-κB活性后,TNF-α和IL-6的分泌水平无明显变化.结论:低氧可通过核转录因子NF-κB途径促进细胞因子TNF-α和IL-6基因的表达和分泌.     

Theoretical and practical advances in genome halving

MOTIVATION: Duplication of an organism's entire genome is a rare but spectacular event, enabling the rapid emergence of multiple new gene functions. Over time, the parallel linkage of duplicated genes across chromosomes may be disrupted by reciprocal translocations, while the intra-chromosomal order of genes may be shuffled by inversions and transpositions. Some duplicate genes may evolve unrecognizably or be deleted. As a consequence, the only detectable signature of an ancient duplication event in a modern genome may be the presence of various chromosomal segments containing parallel paralogous genes, with each segment appearing exactly twice in the genome. The problem of reconstructing the linkage structure of an ancestral genome before duplication is known as genome halving with unordered chromosomes. RESULTS: In this paper, we derive a new upper bound on the genome halving distance that is tighter than the best known, and a new lower bound that is almost always tighter than the best known. We also define the notion of genome halving diameter, and obtain both upper and lower bounds for it. Our tighter bounds on genome halving distance yield a new algorithm for reconstructing an ancestral duplicated genome. We create a software package GenomeHalving based on this new algorithm and test it on the yeast genome, identifying a sequence of translocations for halving the yeast genome that is shorter than previously conjectured possible.     

Application of response surface methodology in medium optimization for spore production of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coniothyrium minitans</Emphasis> in solid-state fermentation

Summary Spore production of Coniothyrium minitans was optimized by using response surface methodology (RSM), which is a powerful mathematical approach widely applied in the optimization of fermentation process. In the first step of optimization, with Plackett–Burman design, soluble starch, urea and KH²PO⁴ were found to be the important factors affecting C. minitans spore production significantly. In the second step, a 2³ full factorial central composite design and RSM were applied to determine the optimal concentration of each significant variable. A second-order polynomial was determined by the multiple regression analysis of the experimental data. The optimum values for the critical components for the maximum were obtained as follows: soluble starch 0.643 (36.43 g. l⁻¹), urea −0.544 (3.91 g l⁻¹) and KH²PO⁴ 0.049 (1.02 g l⁻¹) with a predicted value of maximum spore production of 9.94 × 10⁹ spores/g IDM. Under the optimal conditions, the practical spore production was 1.04 × 10¹⁰ spores/g IDM. The determination coefficient (R²) was 0.923, which ensure an adequate credibility of the model.