中华蜜蜂PLA2基因的生物信息学分析及响应高温胁迫的表达模式

磷脂酶A2 (PLA2)对细胞膜流动性、膜蛋白活性等细胞生理功能有重要调节作用。高温等环境压力对细胞的生理代谢有较大的影响,其在生物体抗逆过程中的调控作用一直备受关注。本研究以中华蜜蜂Hymenoptera: Apidae: Apis cerana cerana PLA2基因序列为基础,对其蛋白结构进行预测,分析该基因在不同温度和高温不同胁迫时间下的表达差异,以揭示该基因在中华蜜蜂抗高温过程中的生理功能。结果显示,中华蜜蜂PLA2基因包含745 bp的开放阅读框,编码169个氨基酸,蛋白分子量为19.3 kDa,无跨膜结构,不属于膜蛋白。氨基酸同源序列比对结果显示,中华蜜蜂PLA2序列与蜜蜂科昆虫的相似性最高,与其他膜翅目昆虫的相似性存在差异。qRT-PCR结果显示,PLA2在35℃、40℃和45℃处理下的表达量较高,较高的温度能诱导该基因表达的增加。同时,PLA2的表达受高温胁迫时间的影响,较长时间的高温胁迫导致PLA2基因的表达增加。本研究结果表明PLA2在中华蜜蜂应对高温胁迫时发挥重要生理功能。     

Could urinary ACE2 protein level help identify individuals susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and complication?

Science China Life Sciences -     

Diverse Roles of the Salicylic Acid Receptors NPR1 and NPR3/NPR4 in Plant Immunity

The plant defense hormone salicylic acid (SA) is perceived by two classes of receptors, NPR1 and NPR3/NPR4. They function in two parallel pathways to regulate SA-induced defense gene expression. To better understand the roles of the SA receptors in plant defense, we systematically analyzed their contributions to different aspects of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plant immunity using the SA-insensitive npr1-1 npr4-4D double mutant. We found that perception of SA by NPR1 and NPR4 is required for activation of N-hydroxypipecolic acid biosynthesis, which is essential for inducing systemic acquired resistance. In addition, both pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) are severely compromised in the npr1-1 npr4-4D double mutant. Interestingly, the PTI and ETI attenuation in npr1-1 npr4-4D is more dramatic compared with the SA-induction deficient2-1 (sid2-1) mutant, suggesting that the perception of residual levels of SA in sid2-1 also contributes to immunity. Furthermore, NPR1 and NPR4 are involved in positive feedback amplification of SA biosynthesis and regulation of SA homeostasis through modifications including 5-hydroxylation and glycosylation. Thus, the SA receptors NPR1 and NPR4 play broad roles in plant immunity.     

Tripartite motif protein 52 (TRIM52) promoted fibrosis in LX‐2 cells through PPM1A‐mediated Smad2/3 pathway

To investigate the roles of tripartite motif containing 52 (TRIM52) in human hepatic fibrosis in vitro, human hepatic stellate cell line LX‐2 cells were transfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) replicon to establish HBV‐induced fibrosis in LX‐2 cells, and then treated with small interfering RNA‐mediated knockdown of TRIM52 (siTRIM52). LX‐2 cells without HBV replicon transfection were treated with lentiviruses‐mediated overexpression of TRIM52 and phosphatase magnesium dependent 1A (PPM1A). Fibrosis response of LX‐2 cells were assessed by the production of hydroxyproline (Hyp) and collagen I/III, as well as protein levels of α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA). PPM1A and phosphorylated (p)‐Smad2/3 were measured to assess the mechanism. The correlation between TRIM52 and PPM1A was determined using co‐immunoprecipitation, and whether and how TRIM52 regulated the degradation of PPM1A were determined by ubiquitination assay. Our data confirmed HBV‐induced fibrogenesis of LX‐2 cells, as evidenced by significant increase in Hyp and collagen I/III and α‐SMA, which was associated with reduction of PPM1A and elevation of transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β), p‐Smad2/3, and p‐Smad3L. However, those changes induced by HBV were significantly attenuated with additional siTRIM52 treatment. Similar to HBV, overexpression of TRIM52 exerted promoted effect in the fibrosis of LX‐2 cells. Interestingly, TRIM52 induced the fibrogenesis of LX‐2 cells and the activation of TGF‐β/Smad pathway were significantly reversed by PPM1A overexpression. Furthermore, our data confirmed TRIM52 as a deubiquitinase that influenced the accumulation of PPM1A protein, and subsequently regulated the fibrogenesis of LX‐2 cells. TRIM52 was a fibrosis promoter in hepatic fibrosis in vitro, likely through PPM1A‐mediated TGF‐β/Smad pathway.     

17个建兰品种光合特性分析

以17个建兰(Cymbidium ensifolium)品种为材料,采用改良的丙酮法提取叶绿素,再通过Arnon丙酮法公式计算光合色素含量,利用捷克FluorCam开放式叶绿素荧光仪测定不同品种的叶绿素荧光参数。结果表明,17个建兰品种的光合色素和叶绿素荧光参数具有不同程度的差异,其中‘铁骨素’(C. ensifolium ‘Tiegusu’)、‘逸红双娇’(C. ensifolium ‘Yihongshuangjiao’)和‘闽南黄蝶’(C. ensifolium ‘Minnanhuangdie’)的光合色素含量高于其他品种,表明这3个品种具有良好的光合效率,吸收光能的能力较强;‘铁骨素’最大荧光产量(Fm)、Kautsky诱导效应最大荧光(Fp)、PS Ⅱ原初光能转化效率(Fv/Fm)和非光化荧光淬灭系数(NPQ)均为最高。综上可知,‘铁骨素’的光合生理特性优于其他品种,可作为优良建兰品种进行种植推广。     

Exosome biogenesis,secretion and function of exosomal miRNAs in skeletal muscle myogenesis

Exosomes are membrane‐bound extracellular vesicles that are produced in the endosomal compartment of most mammalian cell types and then released. Exosomes are effective carriers for the intercellular material transfer of material that can influence a series of physiological and pathological processes in recipient cells. Among loaded cargoes, non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs) vary for the exosome‐producing cell and its homeostatic state, and characterization of the biogenesis and secretion of exosomal ncRNAs and the functions of these ncRNAs in skeletal muscle myogenesis remain preliminary. In this review, we will describe what is currently known of exosome biogenesis, release and uptake of exosomal ncRNAs, as well as the varied functions of exosomal miRNAs in skeletal muscle myogenesis.     

Alteration of protein homeostasis mediates the interaction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Staphylococcus aureus

Intracellular protein degradation is essential for the survival of all organisms, but its role in interspecies interaction is unknown. Here, we show that the ClpXP protease of Pseudomonas aeruginosa suppresses its antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, a common pathogen co-isolated with P. aeruginosa from polymicrobial human infections. Using proteomic, biochemical, and molecular genetic approaches, we found that this effect is due to the inhibitory effects of ClpXP on the quorum sensing (QS) of P. aeruginosa, mainly by degrading proteins (e.g., PhnA, PhnB, PqsR, and RhlI) which are critical for the production of QS signal molecules PQS and C4-HSL. We provide evidence that co-culturing with S. aureus induces a decrease in the activity of ClpXP in P. aeruginosa, an effect which was also achieved by the treatment of P. aeruginosa with N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a widespread chemical present on the surface of diverse cell types from bacteria to humans. These findings extend the range of biological events governed by proteolytic machinery to microbial community structure, thus also suggesting that a chemical-induced alteration of protein homeostasis is a mechanism for interspecies interactions.