甜菜夜蛾半胱天冬酶基因的克隆及对细胞凋亡 诱导剂和病原微生物感染的表达响应

【目的】本研究旨在明确甜菜夜蛾Spodoptera exigua半胱天冬酶(caspase)在细胞凋亡诱导剂诱导和病原微生物胁迫下的表达模式,为丰富鳞翅目昆虫细胞凋亡机制研究奠定基础。【方法】利用RT-PCR技术从甜菜夜蛾3龄幼虫体内扩增两个半胱天冬酶基因(SeCasp-3和SeCasp-4)编码区的全长;利用qPCR技术分别检测两个半胱天冬酶基因在细胞凋亡诱导剂过氧化氢(hydrogen peroxide, H₂O₂)(100 μmol/L)、放线菌素D(actinomycin D, ActD)(10 μg/mL)和地塞米松(dexamethasone, DEX)(50 μg/mL)诱导后甜菜夜蛾脂肪体细胞中及病原菌苏云金芽孢杆菌Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk)(10⁸个细菌/mL)、大肠杆菌TG1菌株Escherichia coli TG1 (E. coli TG1)(10⁸个细菌/mL)、烟芽夜蛾囊泡病毒3h株(Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h, HvAV-3h)(1.16×10¹¹个基因组拷贝/mL)和苜蓿银纹夜蛾核型多角体病毒(Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus, AcMNPV)(5 000 OBs/μL)感染后甜菜夜蛾3龄幼虫体内的表达模式。【结果】SeCasp-3(GenBank登录号: MW183334)的编码区长942 bp,共编码313个氨基酸;SeCasp-4(GenBank登录号: MW183335)的编码区长843 bp,共编码280个氨基酸。SeCasp-3和SeCasp-4的假定蛋白序列与家蚕Bombyx mori Dronc的氨基酸序列一致性分别为45.54％和58.46％,且SeCasp-3和SeCasp-4之间具有较高的同源性。SeCasp-3和SeCasp-4在不同化学物质诱导下的甜菜夜蛾脂肪体细胞中的表达模式存在明显差异,在100 μmol/L H₂O₂和10 μg/mL ActD处理后24和48 h,脂肪体细胞中SeCasp-3和SeCasp-4的相对表达量均显著升高;50 μg/mL DEX处理后24和48 h,SeCasp-3的相对表达量未见显著变化,但SeCasp-4的相对表达量升高了数千倍。在不同病原微生物感染后的甜菜夜蛾3龄幼虫体内,SeCasp-3和SeCasp-4的表达模式基本相同。一般线性模型的分析结果表明,Btk和E. coli TG1的感染不造成SeCasp-3和SeCasp-4相对表达量的显著变化,而HvAV-3h和AcMNPV的感染则显著抑制了这两个基因的表达。【结论】本研究鉴定了两个甜菜夜蛾半胱天冬酶基因,并分析了其对细胞凋亡诱导剂和病原微生物感染的表达响应,为进一步探究半胱天冬酶功能和昆虫细胞凋亡过程提供了重要的理论基础。     

定量稳定性同位素探针技术及其在微生物生态学研究中的应用

定量稳定性同位素探针技术(qSIP)是将生态系统中微生物分类性状与代谢功能联系起来的有效工具,能够定量测定特定环境中单个微生物类群暴露于同位素示踪剂后微生物代谢活动或生长速率。qSIP技术采用定量PCR与高通量测序技术并结合稳定同位素探针技术(SIP),通过向环境样品添加标记底物进行培养,提取微生物生物标记物,利用超高速等密度梯度离心将被同位素标记的重链核酸与未被标记的轻链核酸进行分离,并对所有组分微生物类群进行绝对定量和测序分析,基于GC含量和未标记处理DNA密度曲线量化参与吸收转化的DNA同位素丰度。本文重点阐述qSIP的技术原理、数据分析流程及其在微生物生态学研究中的应用进展,并对该技术存在的问题进行了分析和展望。     

Crumbs proteins stabilize the cone mosaics of photoreceptors and improve vision in zebrafish

Although the unique organization of vertebrate cone mosaics was first described long ago,both their underlying molecular basis and physiological significance are largely unknown.Here,we demonstrate that Crumbs proteins,the key regulators of epithelial apical polarity,establish the planar cellular polarity of photoreceptors in zebrafish.Via heterophilic Crb2a-Crb2b interactions,the apicobasal polarity protein Crb2b restricts the asymmetric planar distribution of Crb2a in photoreceptors.The planar polarized Crumbs proteins thus balance intercellular adhesions and tension between photoreceptors,thereby stabilizing the geometric organization of cone mosaics.Notably,loss of Crb2b in zebrafish induces a nearsightedness-like phenotype in zebrafish accompanied by an elongated eye axis and impairs zebrafish visual perception for predation.These data reveal a detailed mechanism for cone mosaic homeostasis via previously undiscovered apical-planar polarity coordination and propose a pathogenic mechanism for nearsightedness.     

3H-31, A Non-structural Protein of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h,Inhibits the Host Larval Cathepsin and Chitinase Activities

Virologica Sinica - 3h-31 of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h) is a highly conserved gene of ascoviruses. As an early gene of HvAV-3h, 3h-31 codes for a non-structural protein (3H-31) of...     

Calcium channels at the center of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptor-mediated plant immunity

正Higher plants utilize a variety of immune receptors to recognize pathogens and trigger defense responses. Intracellular nucleotidebinding leucine-rich repeat receptors(NLRs) are widely used for detecting pathogen effectors(Jones et al., 2016; Zhou and Zhang,2020). NLRs are also present in animals, including mammals,     

湘西“蒿菜粑粑”原料植物鼠麴草总黄酮提取物体外抗氧化活性研究

为了解湘西特色食品“蒿菜粑粑”原料植物鼠麴草(Gnaphalium affine)总黄酮提取物体外抗氧化能力,采用DPPH、ABTS自由基清除实验,还原力实验和抑制β-胡萝卜素褪色实验等方法,测定鼠麴草总黄酮抗氧化活性。结果显示,鼠麴草总黄酮母液中总黄酮浓度为7.01 mg·mL–1mg/mL;总黄酮提取物对DPPH、ABTS自由基有较好的清除能力,其半数抑制浓度(IC50)分别为16.30 mg·L–1、30.16 mg·L–1,将胡萝卜素相对吸光度降为50%的时间延长至67.49 min,在还原能力、延缓胡萝卜素褪色和抑制脂质过氧化上也有较好效果。鼠麴草总黄酮提取物具有良好的体外抗氧化活性,可作为优质食用植物资源进一步开发与推广。     

A virulence-related lectin traffics into eisosome and contributes to functionality of cytomembrane and cell-wall in the insect-pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana

Lectins are characterized of the carbohydrate-binding ability and play comprehensive roles in fungal physiology (e.g., defense response, development and host–pathogen interaction). Beauveria bassiana, a filamentous entomopathogenic fungus, has a lectin-like protein containing a Fruit Body_domain (BbLec1). BbLec1 could bind to chitobiose and chitin in fungal cell wall. BbLec1 proteins interacted with each other to form multimers, and translocated into eisosomes. Further, the interdependence between BbLec1 and the eisosome protein PliA was essential for stabilizing the eisosome architecture. To test the BbLec1 roles in B. bassiana, we constructed the gene disruption and complementation mutants. Notably, the BbLec1 loss resulted in the impaired cell wall in mycelia and conidia as well as conidial formation capacity. In addition, disruption of BbLec1 led to the reduced cytomembrane integrity and the enhanced sensitivity to osmotic stress. Finally, ΔBbLec1 mutant strain displayed the weakened virulence when compared with the wild-type strain. Taken together, BbLec1 traffics into eisosome and links the functionality of eisosome to development and virulence of B. bassiana.     

花苜蓿小尺度空间遗传结构研究

以花苜蓿（Medicago ruthenica Trautv.）为材料,在内蒙古克什克腾旗建立两个25 m×50 m的样方（山谷YF1和山坡YF2）,采集该范围内的所有个体,利用8对SSR分子标记对其遗传变异特性进行分析。结果显示,克什克腾旗花苜蓿居群遗传多样性较高。两个居群个体的空间自相关分析结果表明,9 m内的个体间为非随机邻近交配,且在同距离范围内,山谷居群的个体间遗传相似性更低,推测此区域可能是历史和地理因素塑造了花苜蓿丰富的遗传多样性,两个小尺度空间格局的个体间基因流模式主要受地形影响。     

肠出血性大肠杆菌O157∶H7 EspA和EspB蛋白的重组表达及其免疫效果

目的：通过DNA重组技术表达肠出血性大肠杆菌（EHEC）0157：H7的EspA和EspB蛋白,并分析它们的免疫保护性。方法：采用PCR技术从EHEC0157：H7基因组中扩增espA和espB基因,连接至pET-22b（4-）载体上,转化至宿主细胞大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）,经IPTG诱导表达,用亲和层析纯化目的蛋白,SDS-PAGE测定其相对分子质量,免疫小鼠分析其免疫保护性。结果：重组espA和espB基因片段的测序结果与GenBank中的相应基因序列完全一致,一致性均为100％;得到了纯度为95％以上的重组EspA和EspB蛋白,免疫小鼠所得到的抗体效价均为10^6。结论：重组EspA和EspB蛋白获得了可溶性表达,表达的蛋白具有良好的免疫保护性,为进一步制备疫苗奠定了基础。