Differences between tuberculosis cases infected with Mycobacterium africanum, West African type 2, relative to Euro-American Mycobacterium tuberculosis: an update

Mycobacterium africanum (MAF) is a common cause of human pulmonary tuberculosis in West Africa. We previously described phenotypic differences between MAF and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) among 290 patients. In the present analysis, we compared 692 tuberculosis patients infected with the two most common lineages within the (MTB) complex found in the Gambia, namely MAF West African type 2 (39% prevalence) and Euro-American MTB (55% prevalence). We identified additional phenotypic differences between infections with these two organisms. MAF patients were more likely to be older and HIV infected. In addition, they had worse disease on chest X-ray, despite complaining of cough for an equal duration, and were more likely severely malnourished. In this cohort, the prevalence of MAF did not change significantly over a 7-year period.     

Maintenance of an endemic lineage of brown trout (Salmo trutta) within the Duero river basin

The Iberian Peninsula contains diverse populations of freshwater fish, with major river basins comprising differentiated biogeographic units. The Duero River flows through the North‐Western Iberian Peninsula and is one of the most important rivers within the Iberian glacial refuge. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) populate this whole basin, and studies using both allozyme and microsatellite loci have detected a geographically sorted distribution of genetic variation in this species. In this work, sequences of the mitochondrial control region obtained from 299 brown trout from the Duero River were compared with other Iberian and European datasets. Two differentiated haplotype groups were detected inside the Duero River basin. One of them was related to the Atlantic (AT) lineage that is present in Northern European populations, whereas the other comprised an unique group that was restricted to the inner region of the basin. The amount of divergence of this Duero group from the other brown trout populations studied is consistent with a new trout lineage (Duero, DU) that is endemic to this river basin and that diverged from other Atlantic populations during the Pleistocene. The distribution of the DU and AT quaternary lineages in the Duero River was consistent with the ichthyological pattern described in the basin that originated during the Miocene–Pliocene. Evidence of selective processes that favour the haplotypes of the DU lineage may explain this discrepancy.     

Development of methods for detection and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the sterile,endophytic fungus Muscodor albus

Symbiotic endophytes, unlike plant pathogens, do not usually induce visible host response. This may constraint the researcher's decision whether a plant has been successfully infected by the endophyte. In order to properly study the establishment, development and progress of an endophyte in the host plant and host-endophyte interactions, methods for the identification and localization of endophytic microorganisms are needed. Towards this aim, we focused at two levels: (A) We constructed M. albus-specific primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In vitro, these primers specifically detected only M. albus strains and not isolates of related fungi (such as Daldinia sp. and a Xylariaceae sp.). (B) For direct visualization of the fungi, we inserted a reporter gene (gfp) into M. albus hyphae using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Since M. albus is a sterile fungus (i.e., without spores or fungal fruiting bodies), we used chopped fungal mycelium for the transformation procedure. We transformed three different isolates of M. albus using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Fifty-nine different transformants were collected with a transformation efficacy of 0.0004–0.0026%. Although PCR-based detection and direct visualization of the transformants in planta were unsuccessful, all tested transformants (with one exception) exhibited similar biological activity to their cognate wild type. This work provides a significant step forward in molecular research of the relationships between this endophytic genus and their hosts.     

A plasma global metabolic profiling approach applied to an exercise study monitoring the effects of glucose, galactose and fructose drinks during post-exercise recovery

A global metabolic profiling methodology based on gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) for human plasma was applied to a human exercise study focused on the effects of beverages containing glucose, galactose, or fructose taken after exercise and throughout a recovery period of 6 h and 45 min. One group of 10 well trained male cyclists performed 3 experimental sessions on separate days (randomized, single center). After performing a standardized depletion protocol on a bicycle, subjects consumed one of three different beverages: maltodextrin (MD)+glucose (2:1 ratio), MD+galactose (2:1), and MD+fructose (2:1), consumed at an average of ～1.25 g of carbohydrate (CHO) ingested per minute. Blood was taken straight after exercise and every 45 min within the recovery phase. With the resulting blood plasma, insulin, free fatty acid (FFA) profile, glucose, and GC-TOFMS global metabolic profiling measurements were performed. The resulting profiling data was able to match the results obtained from the other clinical measurements with the addition of being able to follow many different metabolites throughout the recovery period. The data quality was assessed, with all the labelled internal standards yielding values of <15% CV for all samples (n=335), apart from the labelled sucrose which gave a value of 15.19%. Differences between recovery treatments including the appearance of galactonic acid from the galactose based beverage were also highlighted.     

The C-terminal domain is sufficient for host-binding activity of the Mu phage tail-spike protein

The Mu phage virion contains tail-spike proteins beneath the baseplate, which it uses to adsorb to the outer membrane of Escherichia coli during the infection process. The tail spikes are composed of gene product 45 (gp45), which contains 197 amino acid residues. In this study, we purified and characterized both the full-length and the C-terminal domains of recombinant gp45 to identify the functional and structural domains. Limited proteolysis resulted in a Ser64-Gln197 sequence, which was composed of a stable C-terminal domain. Analytical ultracentrifugation of the recombinant C-terminal domain (gp45-C) indicated that the molecular weight of gp45-C was about 58 kDa and formed a trimeric protomer in solution. Coprecipitation experiments and a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) demonstrated that gp45-C irreversibly binds to the E. coli membrane. These results indicate that gp45 shows behaviors similar to tail-spike proteins of other phages; however, gp45 did not show significant sequence homology with the other phage tail-spike structures that have been identified.     

太湖粳稻同名地方品种的遗传差异

选用45个SSR标记分析太湖流域荔枝红、老来青、太湖青和老虎稻共4组粳稻同名地方品种的遗传差异。结果表明:同名地方品种平均Nei遗传距离为0.120~0.171,遗传同一性程度较高,其中有8对同名品种难以区别,但多数品种仍然存在一定的遗传变异,且个别品种差异较大;同名品种遗传差异与种质来源、品种名称的近似程度没有关系。     

不同低温胁迫下粳稻耐冷种质的孕穗期耐冷性比较

为粳稻孕穗期耐冷标准品种的建立和耐冷遗传育种研究提供优异基因资源,利用人工低温气候室,采用15℃、17℃、19℃3种胁迫温度,4d和6d两种胁迫时间,3×2交互式设计的方法,对来自黑龙江、吉林、辽宁和云南的12份粳稻种质进行了孕穗期耐冷性强度的研究。结果表明,随着低温胁迫的增强,各水稻品种的平均空壳率都随之增加;在15℃/6d胁迫下,供试品种平均空壳率的方差和变异系数达到最大,该胁迫强度可被选用于孕穗期强耐冷种质的筛选。依据15℃/6d胁迫下供试品种平均空壳率的方差分析及多重比较结果,空育131和龙稻3号具有极强的孕穗期耐冷性。不同地区可根据参试品种在本试验中的耐冷表现,并结合当地水稻种植区的光温条件选择相应的耐冷标准品种。     

遗传群体偏分离研究进展

偏分离是指观察到的基因型比例偏离预期的孟德尔分离频率方式,无法用传统的遗传理论和方法加以分析。偏分离被认为是一种重要的进化动力,并对遗传连锁图谱的构建造成影响。本文针对偏分离的现象、偏分离的影响因素和形成原因,以及对QTL定位的影响等方面进行综合分析,系统阐述了植物分离群体偏分离的研究进展,为后续研究提供有益的参考。     

毛尖紫萼藓干旱胁迫cDNA文库的构建

干旱胁迫是影响植物生长发育的主要环境因素,严重影响农作物的产量。解决这个问题的有效途径是培育和利用优良的抗旱品种。应用比较功能基因组学方法筛选抗旱相关基因,并通过基因工程培育抗旱品种已成为植物遗传资源与品种改良研究的重要内容。毛尖紫萼藓（Grimmia pilifera）是典型旱生藓类,生长在向阳的裸岩上,具有很强的抗旱能力,是很好的抗旱基因资源。本研究采用SMART技术构建毛尖紫萼藓干旱cDNA文库,文库滴度为2.8×10⁵ pfu·mL^-1,重组率为91.7%,插入片段大小为500~2 000 bp,平均为800 bp。通过测序我们获得了1 045条ESTs,其中高质量的996条,通过拼接获得875个Unigenes,为进一步筛选抗旱相关基因奠定了基础。