基于三代测序的食蟹猴Mafa-B等位基因共表达与进化分析

【背景】主要组织相容性复合体(major histocompatibility complex,MHC)的多态性在很大程度上会影响生物医学实验的结果,而且特定的MHC-B等位基因与多种疾病的发展进程密切相关。食蟹猴(Macaca fascicularis,Mafa)是一种开展生物医学研究的重要实验动物,与人类相比,目前尚缺乏对食蟹猴Mafa-B等位基因的综合表征。【目的】获得全面的食蟹猴Mafa-B等位基因信息,鉴定Mafa-B等位基因共表达与进化关系。【方法】基于三代测序获得的食蟹猴MHC-B基因组信息,设计特异性引物扩增33只越南食蟹猴群体中的Mafa-B序列,并结合多种生物信息学方法进行分析。【结果】基于92个Mafa-B等位基因信息,鉴定了65个新的Mafa-B等位基因。其中,8个Mafa-B等位基因与其他地理来源的食蟹猴群体中已报道的序列相同,32个Mafa-B等位基因与其他猕猴物种中已报道的序列相同。此外,鉴定了7个高频Mafa-B谱系和7对共表达的Mafa-B等位基因,并检测到了一个潜在的重组事件。进化分析表明不同地理来源的食蟹猴群体Mafa-B序列具有很高的相似性。【结论】越南食蟹猴群体中共表达的Mafa-B等位基因经历了某些抗原的选择,不同地理来源的食蟹猴群体可能微调其Mafa-B序列以适应病原体的选择压力,本文为食蟹猴MHC遗传背景研究奠定了基础。     

Cyanobacteria and the Great Oxidation Event: evidence from genes and fossils

Cyanobacteria are among the most ancient of evolutionary lineages, oxygenic photosynthesizers that may have originated before 3.0 Ga, as evidenced by free oxygen levels. Throughout the Precambrian, cyanobacteria were one of the most important drivers of biological innovations, strongly impacting early Earth's environments. At the end of the Archean Eon, they were responsible for the rapid oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere during an episode referred to as the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, little is known about the origin and diversity of early cyanobacterial taxa, due to: (1) the scarceness of Precambrian fossil deposits; (2) limited characteristics for the identification of taxa; and (3) the poor preservation of ancient microfossils. Previous studies based on 16S rRNA have suggested that the origin of multicellularity within cyanobacteria might have been associated with the GOE. However, single‐gene analyses have limitations, particularly for deep branches. We reconstructed the evolutionary history of cyanobacteria using genome scale data and re‐evaluated the Precambrian fossil record to get more precise calibrations for a relaxed clock analysis. For the phylogenomic reconstructions, we identified 756 conserved gene sequences in 65 cyanobacterial taxa, of which eight genomes have been sequenced in this study. Character state reconstructions based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic inference confirm previous findings, of an ancient multicellular cyanobacterial lineage ancestral to the majority of modern cyanobacteria. Relaxed clock analyses provide firm support for an origin of cyanobacteria in the Archean and a transition to multicellularity before the GOE. It is likely that multicellularity had a greater impact on cyanobacterial fitness and thus abundance, than previously assumed. Multicellularity, as a major evolutionary innovation, forming a novel unit for selection to act upon, may have served to overcome evolutionary constraints and enabled diversification of the variety of morphotypes seen in cyanobacteria today.     

Influence of immune‐relevant genotype on the reproductive success of a salmonid alternative mating strategy

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and immune‐relevant gene markers were used to evaluate differences in reproductive success (RS) among naturally spawning coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch mate pairs involving an alternative male reproductive phenotype, known as jacks. These mate pairs included both hatchery‐reared and wild origin fish such that three classes were evaluated in two consecutive years (2005 and 2006) using a previously constructed multigenerational genetic pedigree: wild × wild (W × W), hatchery × hatchery (H × H) and wild × hatchery (W × H). Oncorhynchus kisutch jack mate pairs mated randomly based on immune‐relevant genotype in both years; a result consistent with the opportunistic mating strategy of jacks. An association between greater number of alleles shared at three immune‐relevant gene markers and increased RS was found for: W × H mate pairs in 2005 (BHMS429), W × H pairs in 2006 (SsalR016TKU) and W × W pairs in 2006 (OMM3085). No correlation between immune gene diversity and RS was found for H × H pairs in either year. The results suggest that the influence of immune‐relevant genotype on mating success may be different for jacks when compared with previous studies of large adult male O. kisutch.     

Immunogenetic heterogeneity in a widespread ungulate: the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)

Understanding how immune genetic variation is shaped by selective and neutral processes in wild populations is of prime importance in both evolutionary biology and epidemiology. The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) has considerably expanded its distribution range these last decades, notably by colonizing agricultural landscapes. This range shift is likely to have led to bottlenecks and increased roe deer exposure to a new range of pathogens that until recently predominantly infected humans and domestic fauna. We therefore investigated the historical and contemporary forces that have shaped variability in a panel of genes involved in innate and acquired immunity in roe deer, including Mhc‐Drb and genes encoding cytokines or toll‐like receptors (TLRs). Together, our results suggest that genetic drift is the main contemporary evolutionary force shaping immunogenetic variation within populations. However, in contrast to the classical view, we found that some innate immune genes involved in micropathogen recognition (e.g. Tlrs) continue to evolve dynamically in roe deer in response to pathogen‐mediated positive selection. Most studied Tlrs (Tlr2, Tlr4 and Tlr5) had similarly high levels of amino acid diversity in the three studied populations including one recently established in southwestern France that showed a clear signature of genetic bottleneck. Tlr2 implicated in the recognition of Gram‐positive bacteria in domestic ungulates, showed strong evidence of balancing selection. The high immunogenetic variation revealed here implies that roe deer are able to cope with a wide spectrum of pathogens and to respond rapidly to emerging infectious diseases.     

Herbivory-induced glucose transporter gene expression in the brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens

Nilaparvata lugens, the brown planthopper (BPH) feeds on rice phloem sap, containing high amounts of sucrose as a carbon source. Nutrients such as sugars in the digestive tract are incorporated into the body cavity via transporters with substrate selectivity. Eighteen sugar transporter genes of BPH (Nlst) were reported and three transporters have been functionally characterized. However, individual characteristics of NlST members associated with sugar transport remain poorly understood. Comparative gene expression analyses using oligo-microarray and quantitative RT-PCR revealed that the sugar transporter gene Nlst16 was markedly up-regulated during BPH feeding. Expression of Nlst16 was induced 2 h after BPH feeding on rice plants. Nlst16, mainly expressed in the midgut, appears to be involved in carbohydrate incorporation from the gut cavity into the hemolymph. Nlst1 (NlHT1), the most highly expressed sugar transporter gene in the midgut was not up-regulated during BPH feeding. The biochemical function of NlST16 was shown as facilitative glucose transport along gradients. Glucose uptake activity by NlST16 was higher than that of NlST1 in the Xenopus oocyte expression system. At least two NlST members are responsible for glucose uptake in the BPH midgut, suggesting that the midgut of BPH is equipped with various types of transporters having diversified manner for sugar uptake.     

Blood diagnostic biomarkers for major depressive disorder using multiplex DNA methylation profiles: discovery and validation

Aberrant DNA methylation in the blood of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) has been reported in several previous studies. However, no comprehensive studies using medication-free subjects with MDD have been conducted. Furthermore, the majority of these previous studies has been limited to the analysis of the CpG sites in CpG islands (CGIs) in the gene promoter regions. The main aim of the present study is to identify DNA methylation markers that distinguish patients with MDD from non-psychiatric controls. Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of peripheral leukocytes was conducted in two set of samples, a discovery set (20 medication-free patients with MDD and 19 controls) and a replication set (12 medication-free patients with MDD and 12 controls), using Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChips. Significant diagnostic differences in DNA methylation were observed at 363 CpG sites in the discovery set. All of these loci demonstrated lower DNA methylation in patients with MDD than in the controls, and most of them (85.7%) were located in the CGIs in the gene promoter regions. We were able to distinguish patients with MDD from the control subjects with high accuracy in the discriminant analysis using the top DNA methylation markers. We also validated these selected DNA methylation markers in the replication set. Our results indicate that multiplex DNA methylation markers may be useful for distinguishing patients with MDD from non-psychiatric controls.     

A Novel MHC-I Surface Targeted for Binding by the MCMV m06 Immunoevasin Revealed by Solution NMR

As part of its strategy to evade detection by the host immune system, murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) encodes three proteins that modulate cell surface expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules: the MHC-I homolog m152/gp40 as well as the m02-m16 family members m04/gp34 and m06/gp48. Previous studies of the m04 protein revealed a divergent Ig-like fold that is unique to immunoevasins of the m02-m16 family. Here, we engineer and characterize recombinant m06 and investigate its interactions with full-length and truncated forms of the MHC-I molecule H2-L^d by several techniques. Furthermore, we employ solution NMR to map the interaction footprint of the m06 protein on MHC-I, taking advantage of a truncated H2-L^d, “mini-H2-L^d,” consisting of only the α1α2 platform domain. Mini-H2-L^d refolded in vitro with a high affinity peptide yields a molecule that shows outstanding NMR spectral features, permitting complete backbone assignments. These NMR-based studies reveal that m06 binds tightly to a discrete site located under the peptide-binding platform that partially overlaps with the β₂-microglobulin interface on the MHC-I heavy chain, consistent with in vitro binding experiments showing significantly reduced complex formation between m06 and β₂-microglobulin-associated MHC-I. Moreover, we carry out NMR relaxation experiments to characterize the picosecond-nanosecond dynamics of the free mini-H2-L^d MHC-I molecule, revealing that the site of interaction is highly ordered. This study provides insight into the mechanism of the interaction of m06 with MHC-I, suggesting a structural manipulation of the target MHC-I molecule at an early stage of the peptide-loading pathway.     

Comparison of the Mutation Spectrum of Hypervariable Segment 1 for Phylogeographical Groups of Human Mitochondrial DNA

The nucleotide sequence variation of hypervariable segment 1 (HVS1) was analyzed for mtDNAs of 88 phylogeographical clusters characteristic of African, West Eurasian, or East Eurasian populations. A significant difference in the distribution of mutations was revealed for the mitochondrial gene pools of the regional human populations. The HVS1 positions were identified whose instability is explained by strand displacement during mtDNA replication. Strand displacement was assumed to be a major mechanism of context-dependent mutagenesis associated with the regional differentiation of human populations.     

海水养殖真鲷弧菌病病原菌外毒素的理化特性

对最小弧菌Vm Pm毒素的分子量、分子结构及氨基酸组分进行了测定 ,同时还研究了温度、酸碱度及胰酶等因子对该毒素生物学活性的影响。研究结果表明 ,该毒素为单一的多肽 ,不具备典型的细菌毒素A、B亚基结构 ,分子量为 30 4 5 6kD ;毒素蛋白含天冬氨酸、苏氨酸、丝氨酸及半胱氨酸等 15种氨基酸 ,其中天冬氨酸的含量最多 ,半胱氨酸的含量最少 ,酸性氨基酸含量为 2 6 6 % ,碱性氨基酸含量为 14 4 % ,疏水性氨基酸含量为 33 4 % ;毒素活性的最适pH为 6— 8,对胰酶有抗性 ;不耐热 ,10 0℃下作用 1min ,其毒性完全消失 ,而在 5 6℃下 ,毒素完全失去活性需要 4 0min。     

猪脂肪组织表达序列标签(ESTs)大规模测序及分析

利用大规模DNA序列测定的方法,对猪脂肪组织进行了表达序列标签(Expressed Sequence Tag,EST)序列测定,获得高质量EST共7790个,并对此进行了初步分析。使用STACK-PACK软件进行聚类分析,得到4354个基因聚类,包括3609个单拷贝基因和745个多拷贝基因;将候选基因序列用BlastN与nr库进行比较(e=1e-10),从4354个候选基因中得到2712个已知基因,其中单基因为1987个,多拷贝基因为725(3694克隆)个;未知功能基因和新EST有2109个克隆。根据BlastN结果,利用基因组文库添加序号(GenBank Accession No．)为索引,构建了猪脂肪组织已知功能基因表达谱。从基因表达谱可以看出,在猪脂肪组织中参与代谢的基因所占比例最高,在某些方面也显示了脂肪组织旺盛的代谢活性。同时发现在猪脂肪组织中主组织相容性抗原(Major Histocompatibility Complex,MHC)或与MHC相关的基因表达丰度很高。其中单拷贝基因181个,多拷贝基因44个,共计257个克隆,占细胞机体防御(cell and organism defense)总数的44．9％。占总已知基因数的5.4％。提取出全部与MHC相关的EST序列(257个克隆),发现所有EST的部分序列(长约200个碱基),几乎分布在每一个已知猪BAC的所有编码序列上。据此推测,构成MHC的这些EST序列中,有一段长约200个碱基(200bp)的碱基序列高度保守,MHC基因中每一段编码序列都包含有这一段序列。这些MHC序列虽然在不同的BAC上其蛋白的域不同,但均为高度保守区域,并且都与免疫功能密切相关。猪脂肪中如此大量表达的MHC部分保守序列,由于与免疫功能高度相关,在MHC基因的传递过程中,可以反复复制,并能够稳定遗传。