Rapid evolution and ecological host-parasite dynamics

Traditionally, the termination of parasite epidemics has been attributed to ecological causes: namely, the depletion of susceptible hosts as a result of mortality or acquired immunity. Here, we suggest that epidemics can also end because of rapid host evolution. Focusing on a particular host–parasite system, Daphnia dentifera and its parasite Metschnikowia bicuspidata , we show that Daphnia from lakes with recent epidemics were more resistant to infection and had less variance in susceptibility than Daphnia from lakes without recent epidemics. However, our studies revealed little evidence for genetic variation in infectivity or virulence in Metschnikowia . Incorporating the observed genetic variation in host susceptibility into an epidemiological model parameterized for this system reveals that rapid evolution can explain the termination of epidemics on time scales matching what occurs in lake populations. Thus, not only does our study provide rare evidence for parasite-mediated selection in natural populations, it also suggests that rapid evolution has important effects on short-term host–parasite dynamics.     

帕金森病伴快速眼动睡眠期行为障碍

快速眼动(REM)睡眠期行为障碍(RBD)是REM睡眠期出现肌张力缺失并伴有与噩梦相关的复杂运动为特征的发作性疾病,RBD与帕金森病(PD)密切相关,在PD患者中的发生率高。伴RBD的PD患者临床上多表现为强直型,病程更长,运动症状、非运动症状更重,生活能力及生活质量的损害更突出。RBD的病理生理机制可能主要涉及脑桥被盖部、蓝斑/蓝斑下区复合体及其投射通路功能的紊乱。诊断RBD主要依据特征性临床表现及视频多导睡眠图(v-PSG)的监测结果。治疗上除了积极干预PD外,应对患者及其床伴采取保护措施;当患者的异常睡眠行为对其造成严重的困扰并具有危险性时,需给予药物治疗。     

Hybrid ‘superswarm’ leads to rapid divergence and establishment of populations during a biological invasion

Understanding the genetic background of invading species can be crucial information clarifying why they become invasive. Intraspecific genetic admixture among lineages separated in the native ranges may promote the rate and extent of an invasion by substantially increasing standing genetic variation. Here, we examined the genetic relationships among threespine stickleback that recently colonized Switzerland. This invasion results from several distinct genetic lineages that colonized multiple locations and have since undergone range expansions, where they coexist and admix in parts of their range. Using 17 microsatellites genotyped for 634 individuals collected from 17 Swiss and two non‐Swiss European sites, we reconstruct the invasion of stickleback and investigate the potential and extent of admixture and hybridization among the colonizing lineages from a population genetic perspective. Specifically, we test for an increase in standing genetic variation in populations where multiple lineages coexist. We find strong evidence of massive hybridization early on, followed by what appears to be recent increased genetic isolation and the formation of several new genetically distinguishable populations, consistent with a hybrid ‘superswarm’. This massive hybridization and population formation event(s) occurred over approximately 140 years and likely fuelled the successful invasion of a diverse range of habitats. The implications are that multiple colonizations coupled with hybridization can lead to the formation of new stable genetic populations potentially kick‐starting speciation and adaptive radiation over a very short timescale.     

微流控芯片电泳及其法医学应用

在光学性能良好的Brofloat玻璃电泳芯片上,利用自行搭建的共聚焦激光诱导荧光检测系统,通过对芯片管道表面修饰、筛分介质、分离电场强度、进样方式、电泳温度、进样时间等条件的优化,对含15个STR基因座的法医DNA样品进行电泳分离测试实验.通过对芯片电泳条件优化获得了本电泳系统的最佳条件,成功实现8 min内完成DNA样品片段的分离,表明该微流控芯片电泳系统在法医DNA快速分析方面具有良好的应用前景.     

滨海快速城市化地区土地生态安全评价与预警——以曹妃甸新区为例

对滨海快速城市化地区进行土地生态安全评价和预警是保障土地可持续利用和有效维护土地生态安全的重要内容.基于“压力-状态-响应”(P-S-R)模型,构建了滨海快速城市化地区土地生态安全评价指标体系.借助遥感数据和GIS方法,以1 km×1 km网格为评价单元并通过空间插值,获取了基于像元大小30 m×30 m的曹妃甸新区2005和2013年土地生态安全评价结果.并采用分类树方法对未来曹妃甸新区土地生态安全(LES)进行预警,共分为4种预警类型：安全但有退化趋势预警、亚安全且缓慢退化预警、亚安全且快速退化预警、不安全预警.结果表明：曹妃甸新区2005年土地生态安全平均值为0.55,处于中等安全水平,而2013年为0.52,处于中下安全水平,区域土地生态安全呈下降趋势.曹妃甸新区不安全预警及亚安全且快速退化预警区域主要分布在城市建设用地快速扩展区域,说明城市建设用地的快速扩张是导致区域土地生态安全恶化的最主要因素.工业区、十里海和南堡盐场3个乡镇处于高度危险预警状态,其不安全预警、亚安全且快速退化预警及亚安全且缓慢退化预警3者之和分别占其总面积的58.3%、98.9%和81.2%,未来应加强这些区域的土地生态管理调控.研究结果可为曹妃甸新区土地规划和生态保护提供一定参考.     

以agr基因为靶点快速检测金黄色葡萄球菌方法的建立

旨在建立一种以agr基因为靶点,快速检测金黄色葡萄球菌的环介导等温扩增（LAMP)方法。针对金黄色葡萄球菌附属基因调控基因agr序列,设计了4条特异性引物;优化了LAMP体系中甜菜碱、dNTP浓度、长短引物比等因素;通过对14株不同金黄色葡萄球菌菌株和4株其他常见食品致病菌株进行检测,评估引物特异性。结果表明,在Mg²⁺浓度为2.4 mmol/L,dNTP浓度为0.8 mmol/L,甜菜碱浓度为0.1 mol/L,长短引物比为1:8,65 ℃反应50 min条件下扩增可达最佳效果。优化后的LAMP对14株金黄色葡萄球菌均表现为阳性,对4株非金黄色葡萄球菌菌株表现为阴性,证明引物具有特异性。本文首次利用agr基因作为靶基因片段,建立了一个简单、快速、特异性强的检测金黄色葡萄球菌的方法,在食品安全检测方面极具意义。     

New baseline environmental assessment of mosquito ecology in northern Haiti during increased urbanization

The catastrophic 2010 earthquake in Port‐au‐Prince, Haiti, led to the large‐scale displacement of over 2.3 million people, resulting in rapid and unplanned urbanization in northern Haiti. This study evaluated the impact of this unplanned urbanization on mosquito ecology and vector‐borne diseases by assessing land use and change patterns. Land‐use classification and change detection were carried out on remotely sensed images of the area for 2010 and 2013. Change detection identified areas that went from agricultural, forest, or bare‐land pre‐earthquake to newly developed and urbanized areas post‐earthquake. Areas to be sampled for mosquito larvae were subsequently identified. Mosquito collections comprised five genera and ten species, with the most abundant species being Culex quinquefasciatus 35% (304/876), Aedes albopictus 27% (238/876), and Aedes aegypti 20% (174/876). All three species were more prevalent in urbanized and newly urbanized areas. Anopheles albimanus, the predominate malaria vector, accounted for less than 1% (8/876) of the collection. A set of spectral indices derived from the recently launched Landsat 8 satellite was used as covariates in a species distribution model. The indices were used to produce probability surfaces maps depicting the likelihood of presence of the three most abundant species within 30 m pixels. Our findings suggest that the rapid urbanization following the 2010 earthquake has increased the amount of area with suitable habitats for urban mosquitoes, likely influencing mosquito ecology and posing a major risk of introducing and establishing emerging vector‐borne diseases.     

Integration of BpMADS4 on various linkage groups improves the utilization of the rapid cycle breeding system in apple

Rapid cycle breeding in apple is a new approach for the rapid introgression of agronomically relevant traits (e.g. disease resistances) from wild apple species into domestic apple cultivars (Malus × domestica Borkh.). This technique drastically shortens the long‐lasting juvenile phase of apple. The utilization of early‐flowering apple lines overexpressing the BpMADS4 gene of the European silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) in hybridization resulted in one breeding cycle per year. Aiming for the selection of non‐transgenic null segregants at the end of the breeding process, the flower‐inducing transgene and the gene of interest (e.g. resistance gene) that will be introgressed by hybridization need to be located on different chromosomes. To improve the flexibility of the existing approach in apple, this study was focused on the development and characterization of eleven additional BpMADS4 overexpressing lines of four different apple cultivars. In nine lines, the flowering gene was mapped to different linkage groups. The differences in introgressed T‐DNA sequences and plant genome deletions post‐transformation highlighted the unique molecular character of each line. However, transgenic lines demonstrated no significant differences in flower organ development and pollen functionality compared with non‐transgenic plants. Hybridization studies using pollen from the fire blight‐resistant wild species accession Malus fusca MAL0045 and the apple scab‐resistant cultivar ‘Regia’ indicated that BpMADS4 introgression had no significant effect on the breeding value of each transgenic line.