Novel Hypovirulence-Associated RNA Mycovirus in the Plant-Pathogenic Fungus Botrytis cinerea: Molecular and Biological Characterization

Botrytis cinerea is a pathogenic fungus causing gray mold on numerous economically important crops and ornamental plants. This study was conducted to characterize the biological and molecular features of a novel RNA mycovirus, Botrytis cinerea RNA virus 1 (BcRV1), in the hypovirulent strain BerBc-1 of B. cinerea. The genome of BcRV1 is 8,952 bp long with two putative overlapped open reading frames (ORFs), ORF1 and ORF2, coding for a hypothetical polypeptide (P1) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), respectively. A −1 frameshifting region (designated the KNOT element) containing a shifty heptamer, a heptanucleotide spacer, and an H-type pseudoknot was predicted in the junction region of ORF1 and ORF2. The −1 frameshifting role of the KNOT element was experimentally confirmed through determination of the production of the fusion protein red fluorescent protein (RFP)-green fluorescent protein (GFP) by the plasmid containing the construct dsRed-KNOT-eGFP in Escherichia coli. BcRV1 belongs to a taxonomically unassigned double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) mycovirus group. It is closely related to grapevine-associated totivirus 2 and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum nonsegmented virus L. BcRV1 in strain BerBc-1 was found capable of being transmitted vertically through macroconidia and horizontally to other B. cinerea strains through hyphal contact. The presence of BcRV1 was found to be positively correlated with hypovirulence in B. cinerea, with the attenuation effects of BcRV1 on mycelial growth and pathogenicity being greatly affected by the accumulation level of BcRV1.     

临床分离志贺菌中CRISPR/Cas系统的分布及其与毒力基因的关系

【目的】了解临床分离志贺菌中CRISPR/Cas系统的分布特征并分析其与毒力基因的关系。【方法】以聚合酶链式反应(PCR)方法,采用10对引物分别对57株临床分离志贺菌中CRISPR1、cas2-cas1、cas6e-cas5、cas7、cse2、cse1-cas3基因和毒力基因ipaH、ial、ipaBCD、virA进行检测。对CRISPR1的PCR结果进行测序,并用CRISPR finder在线软件对CRISPR1基因座进行分析。通过卡方检验初步分析CRISPR/Cas系统与毒力基因的关系。【结果】测序结果显示,CRISPR1基因座中间隔序列数目较少且在不同菌株间一致性较高;57株志贺菌中,84.2% (48/57)的志贺菌中可检测到CRISPR/Cas系统,其中68.8% (33/48)的志贺菌中cas6e-cas5基因或(和) cse2基因中发现插入序列;毒力基因ipaH、ial、virA、ipaBCD的检出率依次为100%、100%、98.2%和87.7%;毒力基因ipaBCD的阳性率与活性CRISPR/Cas系统的分布无关(P>0.05)。【结论】CRISPR/Cas系统广泛存在于临床分离志贺菌中;部分cas基因中有插入序列;并未发现志贺菌中活性CRISPR/Cas系统与毒力基因的分布有关。     

Application of biomaterials to advance induced pluripotent stem cell research and therapy

Derived from any somatic cell type and possessing unlimited self-renewal and differentiation potential, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are poised to revolutionize stem cell biology and regenerative medicine research, bringing unprecedented opportunities for treating debilitating human diseases. To overcome the limitations associated with safety, efficiency, and scalability of traditional iPSC derivation, expansion, and differentiation protocols, biomaterials have recently been considered. Beyond addressing these limitations, the integration of biomaterials with existing iPSC culture platforms could offer additional opportunities to better probe the biology and control the behavior of iPSCs or their progeny in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we discuss the impact of biomaterials on the iPSC field, from derivation to tissue regeneration and modeling. Although still exploratory, we envision the emerging combination of biomaterials and iPSCs will be critical in the successful application of iPSCs and their progeny for research and clinical translation.