Fox- and raccoon-dog-associated rabies outbreaks in northern China

<正>Dear Editor,Rabies is a generally fatal disease caused by the rabies virus(RABV),and is transmitted mainly by Carnivora and Chiroptera(Fooks A R,et al.,2014;Tao X,et al.,2013).In China,stray dogs and some wild animals(e.g.,Chinese ferret badgers,foxes,and raccoon dogs)are the principal reservoirs for RABV(Hu R L,et al.,2009).Historically,rabies in wild foxes and raccoon dogs(Nyctereutes procyonoides)was recorded in the early     

Response to Comment on "The role of wildlife (wild birds) in the global transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes"

DEAR EDITOR, Since our first identification of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 in 2015 (Liu et al.,2016),it has been described in human clinics,domestic animals,foods,and the environment worldwide (Schwarz & Johnson,2016).Although it is still rare,the emergence of mcr-1 in wild animals is of great concern.We summarized two previous reports on mcr-1 in wild birds from Lithuania and Argentina to describe its emergence and characteristics in wildlife and highlight the potentially important role of wild animals,particularly birds,in its global transmission (Wang et al.,2017).The first detection of mcr-1 in wildlife in Asia was identified in an extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli strain isolated from Eurasian coot (Fulica atra),which was located on a ～63 kb Incl2 plasmid,frequently associated with the global transmission of mcr-1 (Mohsin et al.,2016).     

Unexpected complexity of multidrug resistance in the mcr-1-harbouring Escherichia coli

正Dear Editor,The discovery that the mobile colistin resistance gene(mcr-1)is encoded by plasmids and is prevalent in food animals and human beings worldwide(Hasman et al.,2015;Liu et al.,2015)has challenged greatly our traditional idea that polymyxin(consisting of two isoforms:polymyxin B and polymyxin E(colistin))acts as an ultimate line of refuge in the clinical treatment against the severe infections by the multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens(Nation et al.,2015;Paterson and Harris,2015).To make matters     

Development of a SYBR-based real-time PCR to detect rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) and analyze its tissue distribution in experimentally infected rabbits

<正>Dear Editor,Rabbit hemorrhagic disease(RHD)is a highly contagious disease of both wild and domesticated rabbits(Oryctolagus cuniculus).The causative agent of the disease is the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus(RHDV),belongs to the genus Lagovirus within the family Caliciviridae(Granzow et al.,1996;Ohlinger et al.,1990).It is a small and non-enveloped virus with a 7.5 kb single stranded positive sense RNA genome(Meyers et al.,1991;Meyers et al.,2000).Based on an analysis of VP60     

Molecular evolution of pancreatic ribonuclease gene(RNase1) in Rodentia

<正>Pancreatic ribonuclease,which is encoded by RNase1,is a digestive enzyme secreted by the pancreas of vertebrates,and has been recognized to be a classic example for molecular evolutionary studies due to the frequent occurrence of gene duplication and functional divergence in organisms(Zhang et al.,2002,2006;Yu and Zhang,2006;Yu et al.,2010;Xu et al.,2013;Liu et al.,2014).RNase1 has been extensively studied in many mammals,including     

Expression profile of circular RNAs in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion with and without intermittent hypobaric hypoxia preconditioning

<正>Dear Editor,Myocardial injury following ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is a common clinical scenario in patients suffering from ischemic heart disease (Hausenloy et al., 2016). The involvement of proteins and signaling pathways is well studied in myocardial I/R injury and protection (Hausenloy et al., 2016;Yang et al., 2012), however, more than 98%of the tran-     

Breeding cotton with superior fiber quality: identification and utilization of multiple elite loci and exotic genetic resources

正In the last decade, cotton genomics had great progress in genome assembling(Li et al., 2015; Huang et al., 2020) and agriculturally important locus identification(Du et al., 2018;Ma et al., 2018; Li et al., 2021).Upland cotton(Gossypium hirsutum) is one of the most important cash crops cultivated worldwide. The fiber quality of cotton directly determines its economic value, and therefore enhancing fiber quality is always the primary task in cotton breeding practices(Xia et al., 2019; Huang et al.,2021).     

Cystic fibrosis: a rare disease emerging in China

正Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease that is caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, an anion channel expressed on the epithelial surface (Rowe et al., 2005). The dysfunction of Cl–anion channels leads to pathophysiological changes such as airway surface liquid (ASL) decrement, delayed mucociliary clearance and defective bacterial killing, resulting in infection, mucus obstruction, inflammation and bronchiectasis(Rowe et al., 2005). Its clinical manifestation is typified by     

PIK-75 promotes homology-directed DNA repair

Homo!ogy-directed repair(HDR)is one of two major DNA repair pathways to mend the double-strand breaks(DSBs)formed in the genome(Liang et al.,1998;Pardo et al.,2009).Although less efficient compared with another DNA repair pathway,nonhomologous end joining(NHEJ),HDR is a type of precise repair to restore DNA damage and sustain genomic stability(Pardo et al.,2009;Ceccaldi et al.,2016).By contrast,NHEJ usually introduces mutations into the repaired site,thus probably harming the genomic integrity(Lieber et al.,2003).The error-free property enables HDR to be harnessed to correct a faulty mutation for therapeutic purpose in cells or in the body(Wu et al.,2013).In add让ion,HDR possesses great potential in the generation of genome-edited animals with precise genetic modifications,such as point mutation,DNA replacement,and DNA insertion in a specific genomic site(Wang et al.,2013).However,the low repair frequency mediated by HDR significantly limits让s application for efficient gene correction or establishment of various genetically modified animal models.Currently,multiple site-specific endonucleases have emerged as highly efficient tools to create targeted DSBs and markedly promote subsequent DNA repair either via HDR or NHEJ(Gaj et al.,2013).Nonetheless,the HDR-mediated modifications following the cleavage of engineering nucleases are still inefficient,usually with an efficiency less than 20%in cultured mammalian cells and embryos(Mali et al..2013;Wang et al.,2013;Yang et al.,2013).     

Rare variants in novel and known genes associated with primary angle closure glaucoma based on whole exome sequencing of 549 probands

<正>Primary angle closure glaucoma(PACG)is one of the most common causes of irreversible blindness in Asia and about 80%of PACG are present in Asia(Song et al.,2017).Genetics plays an important role in the development of PACG(Gramer et al.,2014).Recently,eight common SNPs were found to be strongly associated with PACG(Vithana et al.,2012;Khor et al.,2016)and mutations in MYRF cause high hyperopia accompanied with PACG(Xiao et al.,2019).However,the genetic defects underlying PACG are still     

Lack of an Additive Effect between the Deletions of Klf5 and Nkx3-1 in Mouse Prostatic Tumorigenesis

Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies.The development and progression of prostate cancer are driven by a series of genetic and epigenetic events including gene amplification that activates oncogenes and chromosomal deletion that inactivates tumor suppressor genes.Whereas gene amplification occurs in human prostate cancer,gene deletion is more common,and a large number of chromosomal regions have been identified to have frequent deletion in prostate cancer,suggesting that tumor suppressor inactivation is more common than oncogene activation in prostatic carcinogenesis (Knuutila et al.,1998,1999;Dong,2001).Among the most frequently deleted chromosomal regions in prostate cancer,target genes such as NKX3-1 from 8p21,PTENfrom 10q23 andATBF1 from 16q22 have been identified by different approaches (He et al.,1997;Li et al.,1997;Sun et al.,2005),and deletion of these genes in mouse prostates has been demonstrated to induce and/or promote prostatic carcinogenesis.For example,knockout of Nkx3-1 in mice induces hyperplasia and dysplasia (Bhatia-Gaur et al.,1999;Abdulkadir et al.,2002) and promotes prostatic tumorigenesis (Abate-Shen et al.,2003),while knockout of Pten alone causes prostatic neoplasia (Wang et al.,2003).Therefore,gene deletion plays a causal role in prostatic carcinogenesis (Dong,2001).     

Atypical Deletion in Williams-Beuren Syndrome Critical Region Detected by MLPA in a Patient with Supravalvular Aortic Stenosis and Learning Difficulty

Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a genetic disease characterized by distinct facial features,short stature,hypotonia,mental retardation,overfriendly and hyper-social behavior,congenital heart disease,infantile hypercalcemia,arterial hypertension and other variable clinical manifestations in organs and systems such as the kidneys,eyes,gastrointestinal and osteoarticular systems (Morris and Mervis,2000).This mental retardation syndrome occurs in 1/20,000 live births (Meyer-Lindenberg et al.,2006).It is caused by a 1.55-1.84 Mb microdeletion in 7q 11.23,a region containing approximately 28genes.Depending on the genes deleted,the phenotypes of WBS patients range from isolated supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) to full expression of the WBS characteristics.Most cases are sporadic (Ewart et al.,1993;Perez Jurado et al.,1996).     

Plant genome editing using xCas9 with expanded PAM compatibility

CRISPR/Cas enables robust genome editing and has revolution-ized both functional genomics and crop breeding.The specificity of Cas-directed DNA cleavage is strictly determined by a chimeric single guide RNA(SgRNA)and a short protospacer adjacent motif(PAM)in the genome(Cong et al,2013;Zetsche et al,2015).The widely used Cas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes(SpCas9)generally recognizes the canonical NGG PAM(where N indicates any nucleicacid base)(Miao et al.,2013;Ma et al,2015),making many regionsuntargetable by Cas9.SpCas9 VQR and VRER variants,which recog-nize the non-canonical PAM sequences of NGA and NGCG,respectively,have been used to expand targetable sequences in plants(Hu et al.,2016).In addition,the applications of other Cas endonucleases such as SaCas9(Staphylococcus aureus Cas9)(Ran et al..2015).     

Human evolution and human-influenced evolution of organisms in changing environments

Human evolution and human-influenced evolution of living organisms such as animals,plants,and microorganisms on our planet are among the most active and inspiring topics of scientific research.This is because the evolutionary processes influenced by humans can be detected within a quantifiable period of time,and the consequences of such evolutionary processes vary significantly in terms of their rates and diversification,compared to those under the conditions of no human influences (Hendry et al.,2008).For example,domesticated animals (e.g.,chicken and pig)and plant species (e.g.,rice and maize) have evolved relatively rapidly within the past 10 000 years,which has resulted in tremendous genetic diversity of these domesticates under human influences in different environments (Dorshorst et al.,2011;Huang et al.,2012;Rubin et al.,2012).However,the rapid evolution and changes in these organisms have had significant impacts on the environments that humans and these organisms inhabit.     

Why are pandas so obsessed with horse manure?

正Giant pandas are commonly perceived as clean and cuddly animals. In the wild, the bamboo-eating giant pandas (Huang et al., 2021) are dirty, and perhaps worse, field observations have shown that giant pandas are so attracted to horse manure that they cannot resist rolling in it (Zhou et al., 2020).     

Carotenoid isomerase regulates rice tillering and grain productivity by its biosynthesis pathway

<正>Tillers are unique inflorescence-like branches in grasses,and their number determines the panicle number, plant architecture, and yield(Shang et al., 2021). Tiller formation mainly undergoes axillary meristem(AM) initiation and tiller bud outgrowth(Wang et al., 2018; Yan et al., 2023). The rice(Oryza sativa) KNOX gene OSH1 is expressed in AMs, and an osh1 mutant produces fewer tillers(Tanaka et al., 2015).     

Overexpression of OsSPL9 enhances accumulation of Cu in rice grain and improves its digestibility and metabolism

正Copper(Cu)is an essential trace mineral element for all forms of life,and is an important structural component and co-factor for a variety of metalloenzymes(Pen~a et al.,1999;Bertinato and L'Abbe,2004).In humans,Cu deficiency is not common because of the ubiquitous occurrence of Cu and ease of gastrointestinal absorption(Zidar et al.,1977;Uauy et al.,1998).However,because of the low Cu content in most sources of feed,the use of Cu as a growth promoter to maximize animal production has been well documented in animal feeding(Braude,1945;Lu et al.,2010).Pre-     

Phosphorylation of PLIN3 by AMPK promotes dispersion of lipid droplets during starvation

Dear Editor,Lipid droplets(LDs)are dynamic lipid-storage organelles of storage depots and sources of essential substrates for myriad cellular processes and protect cells from lipotoxicity(Ohsaki et al.,2006).Disrupted LD and fat storage homeostasis has been linked to metabolic diseases such as atherosclerosis,obesity,and type II diabetes(Levin et al.,2001).Structurally,the core of neutral lipids in LDs is surroun ded by a phospholipid mono layer and coated with specific proteins(Storey et al.,2011).Perilipin family of proteins are the predominant LD-associated proteins.     

A new record of the capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus) in China

DEAR EDITOR, The distribution of the capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus)in China has become controversial since Shortridge's langur (Trachypithecus shortridgei) was upgraded to a full species.The capped langur is considered to be distributed in northeast India,Bangladesh,Bhutan,and northwest Myanmar only (Brandon-Jones et al.,2004;Choudhury,2008,2014;Das et al.,2008;Groves,2001).In our field survey,however,we obtained photos of the capped langur,demonstrating its existence in China. Following the species promotion of Shortridge's langur (Brandon-Jones et al.,2004;Groves,2001) and the delimiting of its distribution range to northwestern Yunnan in China and northeastern Myanmar (Brandon-Jones et al.,2004;Cui et al.,2016;Das et al.,2008;Groves,2001;Htun et al.,2008),with a new record in southeastern Tibet (Wu et al.,2016),the capped langur has been deleted from the checklist of mammals in China (Jiang et al.,2015).Despite this,Dr.George Schaller has suggested that capped langurs might exist in the northeastern section of the Yarlung-Zangbo River (Choudhury,2008).