Contents of Volume 53

Plant Molecular Biology -     

内蒙古部分地区骆驼和羊寄生蜱虫病毒组学分析

为了解内蒙古地区蜱虫病毒组学的本底数据,采用病毒宏基因组学方法对在内蒙古阿拉善盟左旗、右旗和四子王旗地区3个采样点采集骆驼和羊体表寄生的1789只蜱虫样品进行病毒宏基因组学分析,并对特定病毒进行巢式PCR扩增和测序,通过Clustal W和MEGA7.0等生物信息学软件对获得的病毒基因序列进行遗传进化分析.数据显示,蜱虫样品携带包括植物、脊椎动物和非脊椎动物等来源的17个病毒科和一些未分类的病毒;其中,2株弹状病毒具有丰富的遗传多样性,与新疆地区和长江地区的弹状病毒的同源性达到98.5％和96.26％,提示蜱虫弹状病毒可能是通过羊和骆驼等动物贸易导致了新疆和内蒙古地区,以及内地的跨区域传播;细小病毒仅在羊来源的蜱虫中检测到,与中国河北地区的山羊血清中的细小病毒形成同一进化分支,我们推测蜱虫细小病毒在国内不同地区间可跨区域传播,在进化分析过程中,发现这种病毒与多种的细小病毒的同源性都不低于50％,提示细小病毒可能具有遗传稳定性;Tamdy病毒与来自阿塞拜疆、乌兹别克斯坦和美国的Tamdy病毒均具有极高的同源性,结果显示该病毒在内蒙古地区已经出现,并存在潜在流行的可能,有必要对Tamdy病毒进行进一步的监测;在本研究中,我们鉴定的白蛉病毒与来自新疆的亚洲璃眼蜱所携带的博乐蜱虱病毒形成同一个进化分支,与新型布尼亚病毒和Heartland virus病毒的同源性达到50％以上,该结果提示,我们发现的蜱虫白蛉病毒可能具有潜在的致病性,需要对其流行情况和致病性进行监测和研究.本研究为完善内蒙古部分地区蜱虫病毒的多样性和本底情况提供了重要的基础数据.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Hepatitis E Virus from Rabbits in the United States

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a single-strand positive-sense RNA virus in the family Hepeviridae. The disease caused by HEV, hepatitis E, is an important public health problem in developing countries of Asia and Africa and is also endemic in many industrialized countries, including the United States. HEV has been identified from several other animal species in addition to humans, including the pig, chicken, mongoose, deer, rabbit, ferret, bat, and fish. Here we report the complete genome sequence of the first strain of HEV from rabbits in the United States. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the U.S. rabbit HEV is a distant member of the zoonotic genotype 3 HEV, thus raising a concern for potential zoonotic human infection. A unique 90-nucleotide insertion within the X domain of the ORF1 was identified in the rabbit HEV, and this insertion may play a role in the species tropism of HEV.     

Induced leaf intercellular CO2, photosynthesis, potassium and nitrate retention and strawberry early fruit formation under macronutrient limitation

Relationships between induced high leaf intercellular CO₂ concentrations, leaf K⁺ and NO₃ ^? ion movement and early fruit formation under macronutrient limitation are not well understood. We examined the effects and interactions of reduced K/N input treatments on leaf intercellular CO₂, photosynthesis rate, carboxylation and water use efficiency, berry formation as well as leaf/fruit K⁺, NO₃ ^? and photosynthate retention of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) to enhance low-input agriculture. The field study was conducted in Nova Scotia, eastern Canada during 2009–2010. The experimental treatments consisted of five K₂O rates (0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 kg ha^?1) and five N rates (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 kg ha^?1), representing respectively, 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 % of regular macronutrient recommendations based on the soil testing. The treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with three blocks in the field. The cultivar was ‘Mira’, a June-bearing crop. The results showed that strawberry plants treated with 25 %-reduced inputs could induce significantly higher leaf intercellular CO₂ concentrations to improve plant photosynthesis, carboxylation and water use efficiency and translocation of leaf/fruit K⁺ and dissolved solids, which could advance berry formation by 6 days and produce significantly higher marketable yields (P < 0.05). Higher leaf intercellular CO₂ inhibited leaf/fruit NO₃ ^? ion retention, but this inhibition did not occur in leaf/fruit K⁺ retention. Linear interactions of the K/N treatments were significant on fruit marketable yields, intercellular CO₂, net photosynthesis, leaf transpiration rates, and leaf temperatures (P < 0.05). It was concluded that higher leaf CO₂ could enhance plant photosynthesis, promote plant carboxylation and water use efficiency, and advance berry formation, but it could inhibit leaf NO₃ ^? retention. This inhibition did not find in leaf K⁺ ion and dissolved solid retention. Overlay co-limitation of leaf intercellular CO₂ and translocation of leaf/fruit K⁺/NO₃ ^? and total dissolved solids could constrain more fruit formation attributes under full macronutrient supply than reduced inputs. It was suggested that low input would be an optimal and sustainable option for improving small fruit crop physiological development and dealing with macronutrient deficiency challenge.     

Soil Properties,Nutrient Dynamics,and Soil Enzyme Activities Associated with Garlic Stalk Decomposition under Various Conditions

The garlic stalk is a byproduct of garlic production and normally abandoned or burned, both of which cause environmental pollution. It is therefore appropriate to determine the conditions of efficient decomposition, and equally appropriate to determine the impact of this decomposition on soil properties. In this study, the soil properties, enzyme activities and nutrient dynamics associated with the decomposition of garlic stalk at different temperatures, concentrations and durations were investigated. Stalk decomposition significantly increased the values of soil pH and electrical conductivity. In addition, total nitrogen and organic carbon concentration were significantly increased by decomposing stalks at 40°C, with a 5∶100 ratio and for 10 or 60 days. The highest activities of sucrase, urease and alkaline phosphatase in soil were detected when stalk decomposition was performed at the lowest temperature (10°C), highest concentration (5∶100), and shortest duration (10 or 20 days). The evidence presented here suggests that garlic stalk decomposition improves the quality of soil by altering the value of soil pH and electrical conductivity and by changing nutrient dynamics and soil enzyme activity, compared to the soil decomposition without garlic stalks.     

Functional analysis of a miRNA‐like small RNA derived from Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus

Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) is a major pathogen of the economic insect silkworm, Bombyx mori. Virus‐encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) have been proven to play important roles in host–pathogen interactions. In this study we identified a BmCPV‐derived miRNA‐like 21 nt small RNA, BmCPV‐miR‐1, from the small RNA deep sequencing of BmCPV‐infected silkworm larvae by stem‐loop quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) and investigated its functions with qPCR and lentiviral expression systems. Bombyx mori inhibitor of apoptosis protein (BmIAP) gene was predicted by both target prediction software miRanda and Targetscan to be one of its target genes with a binding site for BmCPV‐miR‐1 at the 5′ untranslated region. It was found that the expression of BmCPV‐miR‐1 and its target gene BmIAP were both up‐regulated in BmCPV‐infected larvae. At the same time, it was confirmed that BmCPV‐miR‐1 could up‐regulate the expression of BmIAP gene in HEK293T cells with lentiviral expression systems and in BmN cells by transfecting mimics. Furthermore, BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could up‐regulate the expression level of BmIAP gene in midgut and fat body in the silkworm. In the midgut of BmCPV‐infected larvae, BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could be further up‐regulated and inhibitors could lower the virus‐mediated expression of BmIAP gene. With the viral genomic RNA segments S1 and S10 as indicators, BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could up‐regulate and inhibitors down‐regulate their replication in the infected silkworm. These results implied that BmCPV‐miR‐1 could inhibit cell apoptosis in the infected silkworm through up‐regulating BmIAP expression, providing the virus with a better cell circumstance for its replication.