The Chimonanthus salicifolius genome provides insight into magnoliid evolution and flavonoid biosynthesis

Chimonanthus salicifolius, a member of the Calycanthaceae of magnoliids, is one of the most famous medicinal plants in Eastern China. Here, we report a chromosome‐level genome assembly of C. salicifolius, comprising 820.1 Mb of genomic sequence with a contig N50 of 2.3 Mb and containing 36 651 annotated protein‐coding genes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that magnoliids were sister to the eudicots. Two rounds of ancient whole‐genome duplication were inferred in the C. salicifolious genome. One is shared by Calycanthaceae after its divergence with Lauraceae, and the other is in the ancestry of Magnoliales and Laurales. Notably, long genes with > 20 kb in length were much more prevalent in the magnoliid genomes compared with other angiosperms, which could be caused by the length expansion of introns inserted by transposon elements. Homologous genes within the flavonoid pathway for C. salicifolius were identified, and correlation of the gene expression and the contents of flavonoid metabolites revealed potential critical genes involved in flavonoids biosynthesis. This study not only provides an additional whole‐genome sequence from the magnoliids, but also opens the door to functional genomic research and molecular breeding of C. salicifolius.     

普通卷甲虫肠道可培养细菌的分离、鉴定及产消化酶活性

目的分离培养普通卷甲虫肠道中的可培养细菌,筛选有产消化酶活性的细菌,推测其在协助普通卷甲虫消化食物中的作用。方法通过传统分离培养法分离普通卷甲虫肠道中的可培养细菌,利用平板透明圈法筛选产淀粉酶、蛋白酶、纤维素酶和脂肪酶活性的细菌,利用水解圈与菌落直径的比值,比较不同细菌的产消化酶活性。利用SPSS 20.0软件进行统计学分析,组间比较采用单因素方差分析。结果在普通卷甲虫肠道中分离出4个属9种细菌,其中气单胞菌属3种,假芽胞杆菌属和柠檬酸杆菌属各2种,芽胞杆菌属和假单胞菌属各1种。9种细菌中弗氏柠檬酸杆菌、豚鼠气单胞菌、南海假芽胞杆菌等3种细菌可产蛋白酶,嗜水气单胞菌、波特卡伦柠檬酸杆菌、水生气单胞菌、豚鼠气单胞菌和南海假芽胞杆菌等5种细菌可产纤维素酶,嗜水气单胞菌、波特卡伦柠檬酸杆菌、印度芽胞杆菌、水生气单胞菌、嗜盐假芽胞杆菌、豚鼠气单胞菌和南海假芽胞杆菌等7种细菌可产淀粉酶,未筛选到产脂肪酶细菌。统计学分析表明,3种产蛋白酶细菌和5种产纤维素酶细菌的产酶活性差异无统计学意义。而7种产淀粉酶细菌产酶的活力间差异有统计学意义,水生气单胞菌的产淀粉酶活性能力最强。结论普通卷甲虫肠道可培养细菌结构简单,但有消化酶活性的细菌种类多,5种细菌有产2种以上消化酶功能,说明肠道细菌可能在普通卷甲虫食物消化中起着重要作用。     

HDAC6 inhibitor WT161 performs anti-tumor effect on osteosarcoma and synergistically interacts with 5-FU

Background: WT161, as a selective HDAC6 inhibitor, has been shown to play anti-tumor effects on several kinds of cancers. The aim of the present study is to explore the roles of WT161 in osteosarcoma and its underlying mechanisms.Methods: The anti-proliferative effect of WT161 on osteosarcoma cells was examined using MTT assay and colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis was analyzed using flow cytometer. The synergistic effect was evaluated by isobologram analysis using CompuSyn software. The osteosarcoma xenograft models were established to evaluate the anti-proliferative effect of WT161 in vivo.Results: WT161 suppressed the cell growth and induced apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Mechanistically, we found that WT161 treatment obviously increased the protein level of PTEN and decreased the phosphorylation level of protein kinase-B (AKT). More importantly, WT161 showed synergistic inhibition with 5-FU on osteosarcoma cells in vitro and in vivo.Conclusions: These results indicate that WT161 inhibits the growth of osteosarcoma through PTEN and has a synergistic efficiency with 5-FU.     

Studies on the effects of bone marrow stem cells on mitochondrial function and the alleviation of ARDS

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can alleviate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the mechanisms involved are unclear, especially about their...     

Genetics and Resistance Mechanism of the Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Against Powdery Mildew

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most severe foliar diseases in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.), but the inheritance of PM resistance remains unclear. The...     

The Salicylic Acid Signaling Pathway Plays an Important Role in the Resistant Process of Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis to Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - Clubroot disease, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin infection, leads to significant yield and economic losses in cruciferous vegetables. However, the...     

NLRP3 regulates alveolar bone loss in ligature‐induced periodontitis by promoting osteoclastic differentiation

ObjectivesNLRP3 inflammasome is a critical part of the innate immune system and plays an important role in a variety of inflammatory diseases. However, the effects of NLRP3 inflammasome on periodontitis have not been fully studied.Materials and methodsWe used ligature‐induced periodontitis models of NLRP3 knockout mice (NLRP3^KO) and their wildtype (WT) littermates to compare their alveolar bone phenotypes. We further used Lysm‐Cre/Rosa^nTnG mouse to trace the changes of Lysm‐Cre⁺ osteoclast precursors in ligature‐induced periodontitis with or without MCC950 treatment. At last, we explored MCC950 as a potential drug for the treatment of periodontitis in vivo and in vitro.ResultsHere, we showed that the number of osteoclast precursors, osteoclast differentiation and alveolar bone loss were reduced in NLRP3^KO mice compared with WT littermates, by using ligature‐induced periodontitis model. Next, MCC950, a specific inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, was used to inhibit osteoclast precursors differentiation into osteoclast. Further, we used Lysm‐Cre/Rosa^nTnG mice to demonstrate that MCC950 decreases the number of Lysm‐Cre⁺ osteoclast precursors in ligature‐induced periodontitis. At last, treatment with MCC950 significantly suppressed alveolar bone loss with reduced IL‐1β activation and osteoclast differentiation in ligature‐induced periodontitis.ConclusionOur findings reveal that NLRP3 regulates alveolar bone loss in ligature‐induced periodontitis by promoting osteoclastic differentiation.     

链球菌病类活疫苗活菌计数参考品的研制

研制链球菌病类活疫苗活菌计数参考品,可以更加科学地评价活菌计数结果的准确性和有效性。首先,制备了一批链球菌病类活疫苗活菌计数参考品,对其物理性状、纯粹性、真空度、剩余水分进行检验,并对其均一性、运输稳定性、热稳定性进行测定,另组织3家单位通过协作标定的方式对参考品活菌数进行赋值,用协作标定法统计参考品在12个月内的保存期。参考品的性状检查、纯粹检验、真空度测定和剩余水分测定结果均符合《中国兽药典》的规定;均一性试验结果显示,参考品计数结果的变异系数小于10%,均一性良好;运输稳定性试验证明,参考品在夏季和冬季用泡沫盒加冰袋的方式运输3日内数值仍能保持稳定;加速热稳定性试验验证,参考品在–20 ℃条件下保存3个月、4 ℃条件下保存21 d内均可活菌数稳定;通过协作标定,统计出参考品活菌数的赋值范围为 (8.5–12.1)×107 CFU/支;保存期试验结果证实,参考品在–70 ℃以下保存一年内活菌数可维持稳定状态。链球菌病类活疫苗活菌计数参考品,不仅可以为链球菌病类活疫苗的活菌计数实验提供参照物,而且可以用于评价马丁琼脂培养基的质量,为兽用生物制品质量控制提供保障。