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.     

Uncovering the evolutionary origin of blue anthocyanins in cereal grains

Functional divergence after gene duplication plays a central role in plant evolution. Among cereals, only Hordeum vulgare (barley), Triticum aestivum (wheat) and Secale cereale (rye) accumulate delphinidin‐derived (blue) anthocyanins in the aleurone layer of grains, whereas Oryza sativa (rice), Zea mays (maize) and Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) do not. The underlying genetic basis for this natural occurrence remains elusive. Here, we mapped the barley Blx1 locus involved in blue aleurone to an approximately 1.13 Mb genetic interval on chromosome 4HL, thus identifying a trigenic cluster named MbHF35 (containing HvMYB4H, HvMYC4H and HvF35H). Sequence and expression data supported the role of these genes in conferring blue‐coloured (blue aleurone) grains. Synteny analyses across monocot species showed that MbHF35 has only evolved within distinct Triticeae lineages, as a result of dispersed gene duplication. Phylogeny analyses revealed a shared evolution pattern for MbHF35 in Triticeae, suggesting that these genes have co‐evolved together. We also identified a Pooideae‐specific flavonoid 3′,5′‐hydroxylase (F3′5′H) lineage, termed here Mo_F35H2, which has a higher amino acid similarity with eudicot F3′5′Hs, demonstrating a scenario of convergent evolution. Indeed, selection tests identified 13 amino acid residues in Mo_F35H2 that underwent positive selection, possibly driven by protein thermostablility selection. Furthermore, through the interrogation of barley germplasm there is evidence that HvMYB4H and HvMYC4H have undergone human selection. Collectively, our study favours blue aleurone as a recently evolved trait resulting from environmental adaptation. Our findings provide an evolutionary explanation for the absence of blue anthocyanins in other cereals and highlight the importance of gene functional divergence for plant diversity and environmental adaptation.     

Mutation of the chloroplast‐localized phosphate transporter OsPHT2;1 reduces flavonoid accumulation and UV tolerance in rice

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient required for plant development and production. The mechanisms regulating phosphate (Pi) uptake are well established, but the function of chloroplast Pi homeostasis is poorly understood in Oryza sativa (rice). PHT2;1 is one of the transporters/translocators mediating Pi import into chloroplasts. In this study, to gain insight into the role of OsPHT2;1‐mediated stroma Pi, we analyzed OsPHT2;1 function in Pi utilization and photoprotection. Our results showed that OsPHT2;1 was induced by Pi starvation and light exposure. Cell‐based assays showed that OsPHT2;1 localized to the chloroplast envelope and functioned as a low‐affinity Pi transporter. The ospht2;1 had reduced Pi accumulation, plant growth and photosynthetic rates. Metabolite profiling revealed that 52.6% of the decreased metabolites in ospht2;1 plants were flavonoids, which was further confirmed by 40% lower content of total flavonoids compared with the wild type. As a consequence, ospht2;1 plants were more sensitive to UV‐B irradiation. Moreover, the content of phenylalanine, the precursor of flavonoids, was also reduced, and was largely associated with the repressed expression of ADT1/MTR1. Furthermore, the ospht2;1 plants showed decreased grain yields at relatively high levels of UV‐B irradiance. In summary, OsPHT2;1 functions as a chloroplast‐localized low‐affinity Pi transporter that mediates UV tolerance and rice yields at different latitudes.     

The crosstalk between lncRNAs and the Hippo signalling pathway in cancer progression

LncRNAs play a pivotal role in the regulation of epigenetic modification, cell cycle, differentiation, proliferation, migration and other physiological activities. In particular, considerable studies have shown that the aberrant expression and dysregulation of lncRNAs are widely implicated in cancer initiation and progression by acting as tumour promoters or suppressors. Hippo signalling pathway has attracted researchers’ attention as one of the critical cancer‐related pathways in recent years. Increasing evidences have demonstrated that lncRNAs could interact with Hippo cascade and thereby contribute to acquisition of multiple malignant hallmarks, including proliferation, metastasis, relapse and resistance to anti‐cancer treatment. Specifically, Hippo signalling pathway is reported to modulate or be regulated by widespread lncRNAs. Intriguingly, certain lncRNAs could form a reciprocal feedback loop with Hippo signalling. More speculatively, lncRNAs related to Hippo pathway have been poised to become important putative biomarkers and therapeutic targets in human cancers. Herein, this review focuses on the crosstalk between lncRNAs and Hippo pathway in carcinogenesis, summarizes the comprehensive role of Hippo‐related lncRNAs in tumour progression and depicts their clinical diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic potentials in tumours.     

蝴蝶兰PhNAC1基因序列分析及对低温胁迫的响应

为探讨NAC转录因子在蝴蝶兰低温胁迫响应中的分子调控机理,该研究以蝴蝶兰的叶片为材料,运用RT-PCR及RACE技术克隆得到一条蝴蝶兰的NAC转录因子基因完整的cDNA序列,命名为PhNAC1(GenBank登录号MF797909),并分析了其在两种低温条件下的表达模式。结果表明:PhNAC1基因cDNA序列全长1 442 bp,ORF全长942 bp,编码313个氨基酸。预测其蛋白分子量为35.22 kDa,等电点为6.95,属于稳定亲水性蛋白。二级结构预测表明,无规则卷曲和延伸链为该蛋白的主要结构元件,与三级结构预测结果基本相符。PhNAC1编码的氨基酸序列与其他已登录的兰科植物NAC蛋白进行同源序列比对,表明与小兰屿蝴蝶兰(XP_0205763790)亲缘关系较近,序列一致性达97%,其次为铁皮石斛(XP_020695081),一致性为84%。实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,PhNAC1基因在营养器官和生殖器官中均有表达,在蕊柱中的表达量最高。在11℃/6℃低温条件下,PhNAC1基因的转录表达水平在前5天随着处理时间逐渐升高,到第7天开始下降;在4℃低温条件下,PhNAC1基因的表达水平在处理0.5 h时表达量有所下降,1 h后表达量上升至对照水平,之后无明显变化,在处理24至48 h又逐渐升高,推测PhNAC1基因参与蝴蝶兰低温胁迫响应。     

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。     

神经递质的可视化荧光检测技术研究进展

神经递质是神经系统中至关重要的组成部分,神经递质释放的时间和空间变化是神经网络中信息处理的核心,可视化监测神经递质的生物传感器是探究各类生理和病理活动的重要工具。文中综述了近年来具有较高时间和空间分辨率的监测神经递质时空分布变化技术的研究进展,介绍了对谷氨酸、多巴胺、γ-氨基丁酸和乙酰胆碱这4类重要的神经递质的检测方法,并归纳总结了各类检测方法的基本原理和优缺点,为设计具有高时空分辨率的神经递质传感器提供一个较为系统的参考。     

白及蔗糖合成酶基因的克隆及表达分析

为揭示白及蔗糖合成酶基因与生长发育的关系,该研究以白及为材料,利用RT-PCR技术同源克隆白及蔗糖合成酶的关键基因SuSy,对SuSy基因的生物学特性及表达特征进行了分析,并利用实时荧光定量PCR检测SuSy基因在不同组织中的表达规律。结果表明:(1)白及SuSy基因长度为2 215 bp,编码737个氨基酸,与铁皮石斛、文心兰和蝴蝶兰的蛋白质氨基酸序列的相似性分别为97%、92%和95%。(2)生物信息学分析表明,SuSy蛋白质序列具有较高的亲水性,与拟南芥SuSy蛋白质氨基酸三级结构一致性为75.2%;系统进化树分析发现,白及SuSy蛋白与铁皮石斛处于同一个分支上。(3) qRT-PCR结果表明,SuSy基因在叶片中的表达量最高,块茎中的表达量最低;成熟叶片的表达量高于未成熟叶片的表达量;数据差异性分析显示,SuSy基因在根、块茎中表达量具有极显著性差异,但在一年生叶和二年生叶中的表达量无显著性差异,幼苗叶和一、二年生叶中表达量具有极显著性差异。由此推测,SuSy基因可能受生长发育的诱导,是调控白及生长发育关键基因。