Genotype v Japanese encephalitis virus is emerging

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a global public health issue that has spread widely to more than 20 countries in Asia and has extended its geographic range to the south Pacific region including Australia. JE has become the most important cause of viral encephalitis in the world. Japanese encephalitis viruses (JEV) are divided into five genotypes, based on the nucleotide sequence of the envelope (E) gene. The Muar strain, isolated from patient in Malaya in 1952, is the sole example of genotype V JEV. Here, the XZ0934 strain of JEV was isolated from Culex tritaeniorhynchus, collected in China. The complete nucleotide and amino acid sequence of XZ0934 strain have been determined. The nucleotide divergence ranged from 20.3% to 21.4% and amino acid divergence ranged from 8.4% to 10.0% when compared with the 62 known JEV isolates that belong to genotype I-IV. It reveals low similarity between XZ0934 and genotype I-IV JEVs. Phylogenetic analysis using both complete genome and structural gene nucleotide sequences demonstrates that XZ0934 belongs to genotype V. This, in turn, suggests that genotype V JEV is emerging in JEV endemic areas. Thus, increased surveillance and diagnosis of viral encephalitis caused by genotype V JEV is an issue of great concern to nations in which JEV is endemic.     

苹果蠹蛾线粒体DNA COⅠ基因克隆与序列分析

本研究采集新疆阿拉尔地区苹果蠹蛾Cydia pomonella(L.)幼虫,对其线粒体DNA细胞色素氧化酶Ⅰ亚基(COⅠ)基因进行了扩增、克隆和测序,并对COⅠ序列进行了分析。结果显示:苹果蠹蛾DNA扩增出的COⅠ基因序列片段长度为709bp,序列中A+T含量极高,占68.7%,而G+C的含量只有31.3%。经基因序列比对,与其它几种食心虫的同源性为85.4%～88.1%,遗传距离为0.130～0.162;采用NJ法构建了卷蛾科系统树,所得的聚类结果与传统的分类结果基本一致。本研究结果为苹果蠹蛾快速鉴定的DNA条形码技术研究提供重要基础。     

Shikonin enhances efficacy of a gene-based cancer vaccine via induction of RANTES

Background

Shikonin, a phytochemical purified from Lithospermum erythrorhizon, has been shown to confer diverse pharmacological activities, including accelerating granuloma formation, wound healing, anti-inflammation and others, and is explored for immune-modifier activities for vaccination in this study. Transdermal gene-based vaccine is an attractive approach for delivery of DNA transgenes encoding specific tumor antigens to host skin tissues. Skin dendritic cells (DCs), a potent antigen-presenting cell type, is known to play a critical role in transmitting and orchestrating tumor antigen-specific immunities against cancers. The present study hence employs these various components for experimentation.

Method

The mRNA and protein expression of RANTES were detected by RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. The regional expression of RANTES and tissue damage in test skin were evaluated via immunohistochemistry assay. Fluorescein isothiocyanate sensitization assay was performed to trace the trafficking of DCs from the skin vaccination site to draining lymph nodes. Adjuvantic effect of shikonin on gene gun-delivered human gp100 (hgp100) DNA cancer vaccine was studied in a human gp100-transfected B16 (B16/hgp100) tumor model.

Results

Among various phytochemicals tested, shikonin induced the highest level of expression of RANTES in normal skin tissues. In comparison, mouse RANTES cDNA gene transfection induced a higher level of mRANTES expression for a longer period, but caused more extensive skin damage. Topical application of shikonin onto the immunization site before gene gun-mediated vaccination augmented the population of skin DCs migrating into the draining lymph nodes. A hgp100 cDNA gene vaccination regimen with shikonin pretreatment as an adjuvant in a B16/hgp100 tumor model increased cytotoxic T lymphocyte activities in splenocytes and lymph node cells on target tumor cells.

Conclusion

Together, our findings suggest that shikonin can effectively enhance anti-tumor potency of a gene-based cancer vaccine via the induction of RANTES expression at the skin immunization site.     

采用广义加法模型整合数字高程模型和遥感数据进行植被分布预测

为了采用广义加法模型整合数字高程模型和遥感数据进行植被分布的预测, 并探索耦合环境变量和遥感数据作为预测变量是否能够有效地提高植被分布预测的精度, 选择海拔、坡度、至黄河最近距离、至海岸线最近距离, 以及从SPOT5遥感影像中提取的光谱变量作为预测变量, 采用广义加法模型整合环境变量和光谱变量, 建立植被分布预测模型。研究设置3种建模情景(以环境变量作为预测变量, 以光谱变量作为预测变量, 综合使用环境变量与光谱变量作为预测变量)对黄河三角洲的优势植被类型的分布进行了预测, 并对预测结果采用偏差分析、受试者工作特征曲线和野外采样点对比等3种方法进行了验证。结果表明: (1)基于广义加法模型的植被分布预测方法具有一定的实用性, 可以较为准确地预测植被的分布; 盖度较高的植被类型预测精度较高, 盖度较低的植被类型预测精度较低, 植物群落结构的特点是出现这些差异的主要原因; 综合使用环境变量和光谱变量作为预测变量的模型, 预测精度高于单独以环境变量或者光谱变量作为预测变量的模型。(2)环境变量、光谱变量大多被选入模型, 二者均对植被分布预测有重要的作用; 同一预测变量在不同植被类型的预测模型中的贡献不同, 这与植被的光谱、环境特征差异有关; 同一预测变量在不同的建模情景下对模型的贡献不同, 环境变量与光谱变量的耦合效应可能是导致预测变量对模型的贡献出现变化的原因。     

α-Pyrone derivatives with cytotoxic activities,from the endophytic fungus Phoma sp. YN02-P-3

Four new α-pyrone derivatives phomones C-F (1?4) together with four known compounds (5?8) were isolated from the endophytic fungus Phoma sp. YN02-P-3. Compound 1 is the first example of 6-α,β-unsaturated ester-2-pyrone dimers via intermolecular symmetrical [2 + 2] cycloaddition. The chemical structures of these compounds were determined from spectroscopic data (1D/2D NMR, MS and IR). The acetylated product (9) of 1 along with compounds 1–8 were then tested for their cytotoxicity against HL-60, PC-3 and HCT-116 cell lines. Compounds 2, 3, 5 and 9 with acetyl groups showed significant inhibitory activities against the three cell lines with IC₅₀ values in the range 0.52–9.85 μM. while compounds 1, 4 and 6–8 that possess no acetyl group showed no inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ > 50 μM), indicating that the acetyl group at 10- or 12- are essential for their cytotoxic activities. The structure-activity relationships of these phomones were also reported.     

Dual CLAVATA3 peptides in Arabidopsis shoot stem cell signaling

Plant shoot stem cell pool is constantly maintained by a negative feedback loop through peptide-receptor mediated signaling pathway. CLAVATA3 (CLV3) encode a 96 aminoacid protein which is processed to 12-amino-acid or arabinosylated 13-amino-acid peptides, acting as a ligand signal to regulate stem cell homeostasis in the shoot apical meristem (SAM). Although arabinosylated 13-amino-acid CLV3 peptide (CLV3p) shows more significant binding affinity to its receptors and biological activities in the SAM, the physiological function of two mature forms of CLV3p remained an unresolved puzzle in the past decade due to the technical difficulties of arabinosylation modification in the peptide synthesis. Here, we analyzed the role of two mature CLV3 peptides with newly synthesized arabinosylated peptide. Beside shoot meristem phenotypes, arabinosylated CLV3p showed the conventional trait of CLV2-dependent root growth inhibition. Moreover, both 12-amino-acid and arabinosylated 13-amino-acid CLV3 peptides have analogous activities in shoot stem cell signaling. Notably, we demonstrated that non-arabinosylated 12-amino acid CLV3p can affect shoot stem cell signaling at the physiological level unlike previously suggested (Ohyama et al. 2009; Shinohara and Matsubayashi 2013; Shinohara and Matsubayashi 2015). Therefore, these results support the physiological role of the 12-amino-acid CLV3p in shoot stem cell signaling in the deficient condition of arabinosylated 13-amino-acid CLV3p in Arabidopsis thaliana.     

产自齐云山的江西藓类植物新记录

报道了产自齐云山的江西藓类植物分布新记录14种2变种,它们是大曲柄藓（Campylopus hemitrichius）、粗叶青毛藓（Dicranodontium asperulum）、长叶青毛藓（D. didymodon）、大锦叶藓（Dicranoloma assimile）、锦叶藓（D. dicarpum）、曲肋凤尾藓（Fissidens oblongifolius）、爪哇凤尾藓（F. javanicus）、巴西网藓鞘齿变种(Syrrhopodon prolifer var. tosaensis)、阔叶桧藓（Pyrrhobryum latifolium）、狭叶蓑藓（Macromitrium angustifolium）、厚角黄藓宽边变种（Distichophyllum collenchymatosum[WTBZ] var. [WTBX]pseudosinense）、台湾多枝藓（Haplohymenium formosanum）、三列疣胞藓（Clastobryum glabresscens）、腐木藓（Heterophyllium affine）、细枝刺枝藓（Wijkia surcularis）、明叶藓（Vesicularia montagnei）。而且锦叶藓属（Dicranoloma）、疣胞藓属（Clastobryum）和腐木藓属（Heterophyllum）为江西新记录属。     

珍珠质自然涂层钛种植体表面对MC3T3E1成骨样细胞的作用

为了研究珍珠质自然涂层钛种植体表面的体外生物相容性,将珍珠质自然涂层的钛片与MC3T3E1成骨样细胞复合培养以观察细胞的生长、增殖和分化.分别以羟基磷灰石涂层钛片和没有涂层的纯钛片作为对照组,以MC3T3E1细胞单纯培养作为空白组,分别培养3天,5天和7天,通过倒置相差显微镜和扫描电镜观察细胞生长情况,流式细胞技术检测细胞增殖活性,金氏比色法检测碱性磷酸酶(ALP)活性以及蛋白质印迹(Western blotting)法测定转化生长因子-β1(TGF-β1)表达水平.结果发现,细胞在珍珠质周围能形成良好附着,在其表面生长丰满.细胞培养第3天,第5天和第7天时,珍珠质表面的细胞增殖指数分别为(35.9±2.5)%、(69.7±3.3)%和(58.2±2.6)%,ALP活性分别为(6.123±2.917)U/g、(17.486±1.986)U/g和(23.987±1.372)U/g.第5天和7天时,实验组的细胞增殖指数、ALP活性和TGF-β1表达水平显著高于对照组和空白组(P<0.05).珍珠质自然涂层钛表面有利于MC3T3E1细胞的生长、增殖和分化,表明了珍珠质涂层能提高种植体表面的生物相容性,有可能会促进种植后的骨整合.     

虎纹捕鸟蛛毒素的抗菌活性探讨

从虎纹捕鸟蛛粗毒中分离得到2种多肽毒素,huwentoxin-I和huwentoxin-II,抗菌实验结果表明,这2种多肽毒素能抑制革兰氏阴性菌,革兰氏阳性菌及啤酒酵母菌的生长,并且这两种多肽毒素有一定的协同抗菌作用。