The effects of geographic origin and antibiotic treatment on the gut symbiotic communities of Bactrocera oleae populations

The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is the major insect pest of olive orchards (Olea europaea L.), causing extensive damages on cultivated olive crops worldwide. Due to its economic importance, it has been the target species for a variety of population control approaches including the sterile insect technique (SIT). However, the inefficiency of the current mass‐rearing techniques impedes the successful application of area‐wide integrated pest management programs with an SIT component. It has been shown that insect mass rearing and quality of sterile insects can be improved by the manipulation of the insect gut microbiota and probiotic applications. In order to exploit the gut bacteria, it is important to investigate the structure of the gut microbial community. In the current study, we characterized the gut bacterial profile of two wild olive fruit fly populations introduced in laboratory conditions using next generation sequencing of two regions of the 16S rRNA gene. We compared the microbiota profiles regarding the geographic origin of the samples. Additionally, we investigated potential changes in the gut bacteria community before and after the first exposure of the wild adult flies to artificial adult diet with and without antibiotics. Various genera – such as Erwinia, Providencia, Enterobacter, and Klebsiella – were detected for the first time in B. oleae. The most dominant species was Candidatus Erwinia dacicola Capuzzo et al. and it was not affected by the antibiotics in the artificial adult diet used in the first generation of laboratory rearing. Geographic origin affected the overall structure of the gut community of the olive fruit fly, but antibiotic treatment in the first generation did not significantly alter the gut microbiota community.     

乙醇与酸度协同作用推动芝麻香型白酒固态发酵过程的微生物群落演替

【背景】揭示白酒固态发酵过程中微生物组装规律及其环境驱动因素,对于解析白酒酿造微生物特征具有重要作用。【目的】揭示芝麻香型白酒固态发酵过程中微生物群落的演变规律及其演替的环境推动力。【方法】通过高通量测序揭示固态发酵过程中的优势微生物及群落结构演变过程;通过PICRUSt预测固态发酵过程中原核微生物群落代谢途径分布变化;通过关联分析揭示酒醅理化因子对微生物群落结构演变的解释率;通过实验室模拟发酵验证理化因子对群落组成的影响。【结果】芝麻香型白酒固态发酵过程包括2个阶段:阶段I (0-5 d),乙醇合成速率和还原糖消耗速率最高,Bacillus和Pichia是丰度最高的微生物属,酸度是群落演替最关键推动力;阶段II(5-30d),Lactobacilus和Saccharomyces是丰度最高的微生物属,乙醇是群落演替最关键推动力。在固态发酵过程中酒醅理化因子对群落演替的解释率为68.27%,其中乙醇(最高解释变量)和酸度的解释率分别为13.76%和4.43%,二者的共同解释率为23.17%,对推动微生物群落演替具有协同作用。【结论】揭示了芝麻香型白酒固态发酵过程的微生物群落演变规律及其演替的环境推动力,为提高白酒固态发酵过程可控性提供依据。     

2,4,6-Triphenylaniline nanoemulsion formulation,optimization, and its application in type 2 diabetes mellitus

The secondary metabolite 2,4,6-triphenylaniline (TPA) was isolated from an endophytic fungi Alternaria longipes strain VITN14G of mangrove plant Avicennia officinalis, that exhibited satisfactory in vitro antidiabetic activity for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The TPA was encapsulated using nanoemulsion (NE) to overcome the problem of stability and permeability to increase its therapeutic applications. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for the optimization of the variables given, such as hydrodynamic diameter, surface charge, and polydispersity index (PDI). TPA was encapsulated using an optimized ratio of olive oil and tween 80 (2:1) significantly affected the response variables including particle size (124.8 nm), ζ potential (−46.0 mV), and PDI (0.396), and the encapsulation efficiency was found to be 95.93%. The TPA-loaded NE after MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) analysis showed nontoxic effects on L929 normal cell lines (areolar and adipose subcutaneous connective tissue of Mus musculus) with a viable percentage of 92%. In vitro release study revealed the slow and sustained release of the TPA over 48 hrs from NE under the Fickian diffusion mechanism and followed the Higuchi model for release kinetics. Further, the percentage of α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition rate of TPA-loaded NE was found to be 78.5 and 43.42%, respectively. The present study, therefore, can aid in the development of a novel drug delivery system as a therapeutic approach to T2DM.     

Characterization of Interspecific Hybrids Between Oryza sativa L. and Three Wild Rice Species of China by Genomic In Situ Hybridization

In the genus Oryza, interspecific hybrids are useful bridges for transferring the desired genes from wild species to cultivated rice （Oryza sativa L.）. In the present study, hybrids between O. sativa （AA genome） and three Chinese wild rices, namely O. rufipogon （AA genome）, O. officinalis （CC genome）, and O. meyeriana （GG genome）, were produced. Agricultural traits of the F1 hybrids surveyed were intermediate between their parents and appreciably resembled wild rice parents. Except for the O. sativa × O. rufipogon hybrid, the other F1 hybrids were completely sterile. Genomic in situ hybridization （GISH） was used for hybrid verification. Wild rice genomic DNAs were used as probes and cultivated rice DNA was used as a block. With the exception of O. rufipogon chromosomes, this method distinguished the other two wild rice and cultivated rice chromosomes at the stage of mitotic metaphase with different blocking ratios. The results suggest that a more distant phylogenetic relationship exists between O. meyeriana and O. sativa and that O. rufipogon and O. sativa share a high degree of sequence homology. The average mitotic chromosome length of O. officinalis and O. meyeriana was 1.25- and 1.51-fold that of O. sativa, respectively. 4＇,6＇-Diamidino- 2-phenylindole staining showed that the chromosomes of O. officinalis and O. meyeriana harbored more heterochromatin, suggesting that the C and G genomes were amplified with repetitive sequences compared with the A genome. Although chromocenters formed by chromatin compaction were detected with wild rice-specific signals corresponding to the C and G genomes in discrete domains of the F1 hybrid interphase nuclei, the size and number of O. meyeriana chromocenters were bigger and greater than those of O. officinalis. The present results provide an important understanding of the genomic relationships and a tool for the transfer of useful genes from three native wild rice species in China to cultivars.     

广东罗坑自然保护区鳄蜥夏季生境特征

2005年6—8月,在广东省罗坑自然保护区对36处鳄蜥的生境特征进行了研究。采用样线调查法,在保护区内鳄蜥分布区随机选取了30条溪沟进行调查,对每处有鳄蜥分布的生境测量了15个相关的生态因子。通过主成分分析发现,回水塘长度和宽度、水源距离、水流速度、栖枝高度、栖枝直径、干扰距离、植被类型、植被盖度等9个生态因子对鳄蜥的生境选择有显著影响,而回水塘底质组成、回水塘水深、栖枝枯活状况、栖枝角度、溪沟类型和溪沟坡向6个生态因子的影响不显著。鳄蜥偏好的生境可归结为回水塘长度、宽度中等(均为1.0—2.0m),有位于水源正上方的栖枝,水流速度缓慢,栖枝高度0.5—1.0m、栖枝直径≤1.00cm,干扰距离>500m,植被类型为常绿阔叶林、植被盖度>60%的生境。建议提高当地居民的保护意识,重点保护水源林和溪沟两侧的植被。     

The role of O-linked and N-linked oligosaccharides on the structure–function of glycoprotein hormones: Development of agonists and antagonists

Thyrotropin (TSH) and the gonadotropins; follitropin (FSH), lutropin (LH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are a family of heterodimeric glycoprotein hormones. These hormones composed of two noncovalently linked subunits; a common α and a hormone specific β subunits. Assembly of the subunits is vital to the function of these hormones. However, genetic fusion of the α and β subunits of hFSH, hCG and hTSH resulted in active polypeptides. The glycoprotein hormone subunits contain one (TSH and LH) or two (α, FSHβ and hCGβ) asparagine-linked (N-linked) oligosaccharides. CGβ subunit is distinguished among the β subunits because of the presence of a carboxyl-terminal peptide (CTP) bearing four O-linked oligosaccharide chains. To examine the role of the oligosaccharide chains on the structure–function of glycoprotein hormones, chemical, enzymatic and site-directed mutagenesis were used. The results indicated that O-linked oligosaccharides play a minor role in receptor binding and signal transduction of the glycoprotein hormones. In contrast, the O-linked oligosaccharides are critical for in vivo half-life and bioactivity. Ligation of the CTP bearing four O-linked oligosaccharide sites to different proteins, resulted in enhancing the in vivo bioactivity and half-life of the proteins. The N-linked oligosaccharide chains have a minor role in receptor binding of glycoprotein hormones, but they are critical for bioactivity. Moreover, glycoprotein hormones lacking N-linked oligosaccharides behave as antagonists. In conclusion, the O-linked oligosaccharides are not important for in vitro bioactivity or receptor binding, but they play an important role in the in vivo bioactivity and half-life of the glycoprotein hormones. Addition of the O-linked oligosaccharide chains to the backbone of glycoprotein hormones could be an interesting strategy for designing long acting agonists of glycoprotein hormones. On the other hand, the N-linked oligosaccharides are not important for receptor binding, but they are critical for bioactivity of glycoprotein hormones. Deletion of the N-linked oligosaccharides resulted in the development of glycoprotein hormone antagonists. In the case of hTSH, development of an antagonist may offer a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of thyrotoxicosis caused by Graves' disease and TSH secreting pituitary adenoma.     

杉木与楠木叶凋落物混合分解及其养分动态

采用网袋法研究了杉木和楠木叶凋落物以不同比例的混合分解及其养分动态,结果表明：杉木与楠木叶凋落物混合处理的分解速率和K释放率基本上均大于单独的纯杉木和纯楠木,而N和P释放率则介于单独的纯杉木和纯楠木之间;杉楠混合分解可加快了混合中杉木叶凋落物的分解速率和N、K两元素的释放率,并且随楠木叶比例的增加,促进作用越明显;混合分解对混合处理的分解速率和K元素释放有明显的促进作用,而对N、P元素的释放影响不明显。     

江苏盐城保护区獐的栖息地选择

1999年3月至2000年9月期间在江苏盐城保护区对獐的栖息地选择进行了研究。共记录了123个栖息地利用样方和300个任意样方,在样方中测定了5种生态因子(植被类型、植被高度、植被覆盖度、距水源距离和人为干扰距离)。不同季节獐对植被类型、植被高度和距水源距离的利用有显著差异,对植被覆盖度和人为干扰距离的利用有极显著差异。春季獐偏好选择白茅草滩、大穗结缕草滩、芦苇地和獐毛草滩;夏季主要选择碱蓬地、芦苇地和盐蒿草甸;秋季倾向于选择獐毛草滩、盐蒿草甸、藨草滩和大米草滩。在春、夏、秋季,獐都倾向于选择高度在90-110cm的植被。在不同季节獐都偏好选择植被覆盖度>90%的栖息地,主要选择距离水源200-599m之间的栖息地。     

油松胚珠发育研究中的蛋白质组技术

油松是中国特有的树种,具有重要的造林和绿化价值。但是油松胚珠败育是油松种子生产和繁殖面临的一个严重的问题,因此研究油松胚珠的发育机理和败育原因具有重要的理论和实践意义。双向电泳和质谱技术结合研究基因表达的蛋白质组技术正越来越广泛地应用到植物研究中,我们将该技术应用到油松胚珠发育的研究中,比较了两种蛋白质提取的方法,发现蔗糖提取方法比传统的TCA方法更适合于油松蛋白质的制备。将电泳分离得到的蛋白点用肽质量指纹图谱的方法进行鉴定,得到了满意的结果,优化了蛋白质质谱鉴定的条件。