Expressed sequence tags from a wheat-rye translocation line (2BS/2RL) infested by larvae of Hessian fly [<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mayetiola destructor</Emphasis> (Say)]

Of the 16 known biotypes of the Hessian fly [Mayetiola destructor (Say)], biotype L is recognized as being the most virulent. We have previously reported the development of near-isogenic lines (NILs) (BC₃F_3:4) by backcross introgression (Coker797*4/Hamlet) that differed by the presence or absence of the H21 gene on 2RL chromatin. Florescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed introgressed 2RLs in NILs possessing the H21 gene, but no signal was detected in NILs lacking 2RL. As part of an approach to elucidate molecular interactions between plants and the Hessian fly, a cDNA library from NILs with H21 infested by larvae of biotype L of the Hessian fly was constructed for expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis. Of 1,056 sequenced reactions attempted, 919 ESTs produced some lengths of readable sequences. Based on their putative identification, 730 ESTs that showed significant similarity with amino acid sequences registered in the gene bank were divided into 13 functional categories. Defense- and stress-related genes represented about 16.1%, including protease inhibition, oxidative burst, lignin synthesis, and phenylpropanoid metabolism. EST clones obtained from the cDNA library may provide a clue to the molecular interactions between plant and larva of the Hessian fly larval infestation.Abbreviations ESTs Expressed sequence tags - FISH Florescence in situ hybridization - NILs Near-isogenic linesCommunicated by P. PuigdoménechAll of the EST sequence data reported will appear in the dbEST and GenBank database (accession numbers CB307016 to CB307934)     

Annotation and analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) pituitary cDNA library

Chinese sturgeon Acipenser sinensis belongs to the family Acipenseridae, an ancient species of actinopterygian fishes. In order to advance molecular research on its reproduction, ontogenetic development, we were seeking for genomic information in the NCBI expressed sequence tag (EST database). We found 3384 indentified cDNA sequences which were assembled into 861 unigenes. Blast analysis revealed 301 unigenes shared high similarity with genes in the public databases, and these were classified into three groups: 202 known genes, 81 putative genes and 8 unknown genes. The remainder (560 genes) had no significant match to any protein sequence. Further, 255 unigenes and 333 unmatched unigenes were annotated with Gene Ontology (GO), which could be classified into cellular component, molecular function, and biological process. Among the known genes, the hormone genes pomc A (proopiomelanocortin), pomc B, GtH alpha I subunit (gonadotropin hormone), GtH alpha II subunit and GH (growth hormone) were present in this library. Comparison of the Chinese sturgeon proteins (GH, GtH alpha subunit and POMC) to proteins of other species showed higher levels of homology among sturgeon species. We performed five hormone related genes including GnRHRI (gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor I), cpH (carboxypeptidase H), ppiB (peptidylprolyl isomerase B), stmn3 (stathmin-like 3), 7B2 (neuroendocrine protein 7B2), and four novel genes (contig 192, 177, 170 and 168) a semi-quantitative RT-PCR on different tissues from Chinese sturgeon.     

A survey of genes in Eimeria tenella merozoites by EST sequencing

A study of about 500 expressed sequence tags (ESTs), derived from a merozoite cDNA library, was initiated as an approach to generate a larger pool of gene information on Eimeria tenella. Of the ESTs, 47.7% had matches with entries in the databases, including ribosomal proteins, metabolic enzymes and proteins with other functions, of which 14.3% represented previously known E. tenella genes. Thus over 50% of the ESTs had no significant database matches. The E. tenella EST dataset contained a range of highly abundant genes comparable with that found in the EST dataset of T. gondii and may thus reflect the importance of such molecules in the biology of the apicomplexan organisms. However, comparison of the two datasets revealed very few homologies between sequences of apical organelle molecules, and provides evidence for sequence divergence between these closely-related parasites. The data presented underpin the potential value of the EST strategy for the discovery of novel genes and may allow for a more rapid increase in the knowledge and understanding of gene expression in the merozoite life cycle stage of Eimeria spp.     

嗜吞噬无形体Msp2蛋白与宿主互作靶蛋白筛选及生物信息分析

目的:筛选与嗜吞噬无形体Msp2蛋白互作的THP-1细胞靶蛋白,有助于理解病原体侵袭宿主的分子机理。方法:PCR获得无形体msp2基因克隆到pGBKT7载体上构建诱饵质粒并转化酵母菌株Y2HGold,营养缺陷培养基及蓝白斑实验验证诱饵质粒是否有自激活、毒性;抽提THP-1总RNA,经反转录、Long-distance PCR、同源重组等构建到pGADT7-Rec载体上并转化酵母菌株Y187,鉴定cDNA文库质量;酵母双杂交筛选与无形体Msp2互作的宿主细胞靶蛋白,生物信息学分析蛋白互作可能导致的信号通路变化。结果:成功构建诱饵质粒;cDNA文库容量达4×106克隆,插入片段大小100-3000 bp,且无污染;酵母双杂交获得宿主靶蛋白7个,分别是NADH脱氢酶(泛醌)1α亚体13(NDUFA13)、锌指蛋白36, C3H样2(ZFP36L2)、核糖体蛋白11(RPL11)、前胸腺素α(PTMA)、C19orf10、组织蛋白酶G(CTSG)、核糖体蛋白S25(RPS25);生物信息学分析,互作的宿主靶蛋白主要参与细胞增殖、细胞凋亡、溶酶体成熟及其它一些信号通路等生物学过程。结论:应用酵母双杂交系统初步筛选出与嗜吞噬细胞无形体表面蛋白Msp2互作的宿主细胞靶蛋白,并利用生物信息学初步分析了其参与的生物学过程,为进一步研究病原菌胞内生存分子机制奠定了基础。     

携带与非携带松材线虫的松墨天牛miRNA表达谱比较分析

【目的】松墨天牛是松树的重要蛀干害虫,也是林业重大外来入侵种松材线虫的媒介昆虫。虽然松墨天牛和松材线虫互作的化学生态和分子进化机制受到人们的广泛关注,但miRNA等表观遗传因子在天牛—线虫互作中的作用未见报道。【方法】使用illumina HiSeq 2000平台进行miRNA高通量测序,得到4个携带线虫的天牛miRNA库和4个未携带线虫的天牛miRNA库。此外,对鉴定出的miRNA进行了差异表达分析,并对这些miRNA的靶基因进行了GO注释和KEGG通路富集分析。【结果】在携带线虫的天牛表皮、脂肪体、中肠和气管样本中分别鉴定出780、802、617和762个miRNA;在未携带松材线虫的天牛的不同组织样本中分别鉴定出784、723、713和837个miRNA。在携带松材线虫的松墨天牛中,某些已知miRNA表达量会显著升高,如miR-14、miR279和miR-312等。差异表达miRNA的功能大多指向代谢、免疫等方面。【结论】miRNA在松墨天牛和松材线虫互作中起着重要的调控作用。     

Development of a new transformation-competent artificial chromosome (TAC) vector and construction of tomato and rice TAC libraries

Recent research has shown that BIBAC (binary bacterial artificial chromosome) and TAC (transformation-competent artificial chromosome) vector systems are very useful tools for map-based cloning of agronomically important genes in plant species. We have developed a new TAC vector that is suitable for both dicot and monocot transformation. Using this new TAC vector, we constructed large-insert genomic libraries of tomato and rice. The tomato library contains 96,996 clones (28.3-38.5 kb insert size) and has 3.18 haploid genome equivalents. The rice TAC library has 32.7 kb average insert size and has 9.24 haploid genome equivalents. The quality of these two libraries was tested using PCR to verify genome coverage. Individual clones were characterized to confirm insert integrity by Southern analysis, end sequencing and genetic mapping. To investigate the potential application of these TAC libraries in map-based cloning, TAC constructs containing a 45 kb fragment were introduced into the rice genome via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Molecular analysis indicates that the 45 kb fragment was successfully transferred into the rice genome. Although rearrangements of the introduced DNA were detected, 50% of regenerated plants contained at least one intact copy of the 45 kb clone and associated vector sequences. These libraries provide us with a valuable resource to rapidly isolate important genes in tomato and rice.     

苏云金芽胞杆菌cry1Ac与烟草几丁质酶tchiB双价基因克隆表达及其杀虫增效作用研究

将苏云金芽胞杆菌(Bacillus thuringiensis,Bt)4.0718菌株质粒上的cry1Ac基因和烟草几丁质酶tchiB基因 (去掉信号肽或去信号肽再加肠激酶位点)构建了重组基因。经过双酶切和亚克隆,将带有cry1Ac基因上游启动序列和下游终止序列的重组基因片段克隆至穿梭载体pHT315,分别构建重组质粒pHUAccB6、pHUAccB7,在大肠杆菌中扩增后,将两个重组质粒分别电转化苏云金芽胞杆菌无晶体突变株XBU001中,获得重组菌株HAccB6和HAccB7。经液体双相胞晶分离提取离心后,将晶体和上清液分别进行SDS-PAGE分析,双价基因重组与cry1Ac基因在无晶体突变株中表达量相比较,几丁质酶活性提高5.2倍,双价重组蛋白表达量显著提高,主要产生130kDa蛋白条带。经定量分析：双价重组目的晶体蛋白占总蛋白量的61.38%;Cry1Ac蛋白占总蛋白量的42%。发酵上清液经60％硫酸铵沉淀,显示出一条分子量为18kDa新蛋白条带。经原子力显微镜和电子显微镜观察,表达后的重组蛋白呈菱形或椭原形晶体,其规格约为1.5×3.0μm;经生测分析,重组菌株HAccB6和 HAccB7毒力相近,与HAc菌株比较毒力提高4.5倍,对棉铃虫（Helicourpa armigora）具有高效杀虫活性,其3d LC₅₀值分别为9.1μg/mL和11.34μg/mL。研究结果表明,烟草几丁质酶与cry1Ac双价基因重组表达产物具有杀虫增效作用。     

The dnaJ gene as a novel phylogenetic marker for identification of Vibrio species

The utility of the dnaJ gene for identifying Vibrio species was investigated by analyzing dnaJ sequences of 57 type strains and 22 clinical strains and comparing sequence homologies with those of the 16S rDNA gene and other housekeeping genes (recA, rpoA, hsp60). Among the 57 Vibrio species, the mean sequence similarity of the dnaJ gene (77.9%) was significantly less than that of the 16S rDNA gene (97.2%), indicating a high discriminatory power of the dnaJ gene. Most Vibrio species were, therefore, differentiated well by dnaJ sequence analysis. Compared to other housekeeping genes, the dnaJ gene showed better resolution than recA or rpoA for differentiating Vibrio coralliilyticus from Vibrio neptunius and Vibrio harveyi from Vibrio rotiferianus. Among the clinical strains, all 22 human pathogenic strains, including an atypical strain, were correctly identified by the dnaJ sequence. Our findings suggest that analysis of the dnaJ gene sequence can be used as a new tool for the identification of Vibrio species.     

The protective effect against Leishmania infection conferred by sand fly bites is limited to short-term exposure

Under laboratory conditions, hosts exposed twice to sand fly saliva are protected against severe leishmaniasis. However, people in endemic areas are exposed to the vector over a long term and may experience sand fly-free periods. Therefore, we exposed mice long- or short-term to Phlebotomus duboscqi bites, followed by Leishmania major infection either immediately or after a sand fly-free period. We showed that protection against leishmaniasis is limited to short-term exposure to sand flies immediately before infection. Our results may explain the persistence of leishmaniasis in endemic areas and should be taken into account when designing anti-Leishmania vaccines based on sand fly saliva.     

Natural establishment of a parasitoid complex on Bactrocera latifrons (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii

Bactrocera latifrons (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is the most recent of four tephritid fruit fly species accidentally introduced into Hawaii. Although parasitoids have been released against other tephritid fruit fly species and have shown partial success in Hawaii, no parasitoids were released until 2004 to suppress populations of B. latifrons. The present study was conducted to document the parasitoid complex that has naturally established against B. latifrons in Hawaii and to assess whether there is a need for improving the biological control of this species. Based on ripe turkeyberry (Solanum torvum Sw) fruit collections over three consecutive years B. latifrons was the dominant tephritid fruit fly infestating turkeyberry at all four sites surveyed, across three major islands in Hawaii. The overall percentage parasitism of B. latifrons ranged from a low of 0.8% (Hana, Maui) to a high of 8.8% (Kahaluu, Oahu). Five primary parasitoid species were recovered from individually held B. latifrons puparia: Fopius arisanus (Sonan), Psyttalia incisi (Silvestri), Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), D. tryoni (Cameron), and Tetrastichus giffardianus Silvestri. F. arisanus was the predominant parasitoid at three of the four sites. Low levels of parasitism suggest that there is a need to improve biological control of B. latifrons, to minimize chances of this species causing economic impacts on crop production in Hawaii. We discuss the possibility of improving biological control of B. latifrons through augmentative releases of F. arisanus or introduction and release of specific and efficient new parasitoid species.