Contents of Volume 53

Plant Molecular Biology -     

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.     

Significant longevity-extending effects of EGCG on Caenorhabditis elegans under stress

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a main active ingredient of green tea, is believed to be beneficial in association with anticarcinogenesis, antiobesity, and blood pressure reduction. Here we report that EGCG extended Caenorhabditis elegans longevity under stress. Under heat stress (35°C), EGCG improved the mean longevity by 13.1% at 0.1 μg/ml, 8.0% at 1.0 μg/ml, and 11.8% at 10.0 μg/ml. Under oxidative stress, EGCG could improve the mean longevity of C. elegans by 172.9% at 0.1 μg/ml, 177.7% at 1.0 μg/ml, and 88.5% at 10.0 μg/ml. However, EGCG could not extend the life span of C. elegans under normal culture conditions. Further studies demonstrated that the significant longevity-extending effects of EGCG on C. elegans could be attributed to its in vitro and in vivo free radical-scavenging effects and its up-regulating effects on stress-resistance-related proteins, including superoxide dismutase-3 (SOD-3) and heat shock protein-16.2 (HSP-16.2), in transgenic C. elegans with SOD-3∷green fluorescent protein (GFP) and HSP-16.2∷GFP expression. Quantitative real-time PCR results showed that the up-regulation of aging-associated genes such as daf-16, sod-3, and skn-1 could also contribute to the stress resistance attributed to EGCG. As the death rate of a population is closely related to the mortality caused by external stress, it could be concluded that the survival-enhancing effects of EGCG on C. elegans under stress are very important for antiaging research.     

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.     

流行性感冒病毒重组株京生75-29 R2 T1及冷适应株31-广的基因分析

用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳方法分析了流行性感冒病毒重组株京生75-29R2 T1(H3N2)及冷适应株31-广(H3N2)的RNA及多肽。重组株京生75-29R2 T1的HA及M基因系来自流行病毒亲本株/甲/北京/29/75(H3N2),而P_2、NA、NP及NS基因则来自温度敏感母株福R3(H2N2)。流行病毒株甲/穗/03/68(H3N2)在低温条件下经鸡胚尿囊腔传递24代而获得的冷适应疫苗毒株31-广(H3N2)其基因型与野毒株一致。     

黑腹果蝇P转座因子研究 Ⅰ.我国黑腹果蝇的P-M测定及其地理分布

采用性腺败育(GD不育)作为标准检定方法。对我国20个地方的黑腹果蝇的P因子活性和细胞型进行了测定。结果表明我国北部沿海城市为Q型;南部沿海和内地皆为M型。各地的M品系所产生的GD不育能力各不相同,但表现出与地理位置相关的梯度变化。这一变化规律为研究我国黑腹果蝇的P因子起源及P和M品系的形成提供了重要的理论依据。