Multi-omics data integration reveals metabolome as the top predictor of the cervicovaginal microenvironment

Emerging evidence suggests that host-microbe interaction in the cervicovaginal microenvironment contributes to cervical carcinogenesis, yet dissecting these complex interactions is challenging. Herein, we performed an integrated analysis of multiple “omics” datasets to develop predictive models of the cervicovaginal microenvironment and identify characteristic features of vaginal microbiome, genital inflammation and disease status. Microbiomes, vaginal pH, immunoproteomes and metabolomes were measured in cervicovaginal specimens collected from a cohort (n = 72) of Arizonan women with or without cervical neoplasm. Multi-omics integration methods, including neural networks (mmvec) and Random Forest supervised learning, were utilized to explore potential interactions and develop predictive models. Our integrated analyses revealed that immune and cancer biomarker concentrations were reliably predicted by Random Forest regressors trained on microbial and metabolic features, suggesting close correspondence between the vaginal microbiome, metabolome, and genital inflammation involved in cervical carcinogenesis. Furthermore, we show that features of the microbiome and host microenvironment, including metabolites, microbial taxa, and immune biomarkers are predictive of genital inflammation status, but only weakly to moderately predictive of cervical neoplastic disease status. Different feature classes were important for prediction of different phenotypes. Lipids (e.g. sphingolipids and long-chain unsaturated fatty acids) were strong predictors of genital inflammation, whereas predictions of vaginal microbiota and vaginal pH relied mostly on alterations in amino acid metabolism. Finally, we identified key immune biomarkers associated with the vaginal microbiota composition and vaginal pH (MIF), as well as genital inflammation (IL-6, IL-10, MIP-1α).     

温度植被干旱指数在2000-2015年松嫩平原土壤湿度中的应用

选取了时间序列良好的MODIS影像,对松嫩平原2000-2015年逐月的温度植被干旱指数（TVDI）进行计算,并结合农业气象站点的相对土壤湿度数据进行对比验证,发现TVDI和相对土壤湿度数据具有良好的相关关系,表明TVDI可以作为表示土壤含水量的指标。重建1 km分辨率的松嫩平原作物生长季（4-10月）表层土壤湿度空间信息数据集,引入集合经验模态分解分析方法探究了松嫩平原土壤湿度的时空变化特征及变化趋势,并探讨了松嫩平原土壤湿度变化对农作物产量的影响。结果表明,近16年来松嫩平原土壤湿度的时间变化趋势是逐渐变湿,土壤湿度的空间变化趋势是由西南向东北逐渐变湿,极端土壤缺水事件频率呈现出增高的趋势。松嫩平原粮食产量和年均土壤湿度水平显著相关说明粮食产量受到年平均土壤湿度的影响显著,不同季相的土壤湿度对粮食产量的影响程度差异较大,夏季土壤湿度对粮食产量的影响尤为明显。     

Aflatoxin contamination of rice in the United Arab Emirates

Many people in the United Arab Emirates store rice in large quantities for long periods of time before use. Five hundred samples of rice were collected from households in Al-Ain city during the summers of 1992-1994. Aflatoxin B₁ was detected in 160 samples (64%) of long grain rice and 81 Samples (32%) of short grain rice at levels ranging from 1.2 to 16.5 μg/kg. The moisture content of samples varied between 5.7% and 15.3%. Species ofAspergillus andPenicillium (includingA. flavus andA. parasiticus) were isolated from discoloured, broken and insect damaged grain and it was confirmed that at least two of the isolates ofA. flavus were aflatoxigenic. These findings demonstrate that rice may contribute to dietary exposure to aflatoxins which are known to be carcinogenic and immunosuppressive.     

PtrWRKY51基因的克隆及抗旱表达特性分析

为明确毛果杨WRKY家族成员PtrWRKY51基因功能,以Nisqually-1株系毛果杨为模板,克隆得到PtrWRKY51基因CDS序列。通过生物信息学分析,结合酵母自激活验证、亚细胞定位及模拟干旱胁迫下的实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)对PtrWRKY51基因功能进行初步研究。结果表明：PtrWRKY51全长579 bp,编码192 aa。生物信息学分析及亚细胞定位试验结果表明,PtrWRKY51蛋白为非跨膜碱性不稳定亲水蛋白,定位于细胞核,含有WRKY家族特有的保守结构域,是第IIc类WRKY转录因子;酵母自激活验证试验表明PtrWRKY51基因具有自激活活性;qRT-PCR分析表明,8%PEG6000模拟干旱胁迫下,该基因在胁迫12 h后茎部与叶部相对表达量达到最大值,根部则出现在24 h,研究可为PtrWRKY51抗逆及生物学功能进一步研究提供参考。     

苜蓿银纹夜蛾核多角体病毒iap1和iap2基因功能分析

苜蓿银纹夜蛾核多角体病毒（Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus,AcMNPV）基因组含有3个细胞凋亡抑制基因,即p35,iap1和iap2.其中,p35作为一个有效的依赖于天冬氨酸的半胱氨酸蛋白酶（caspase）抑制因子,能够抑制多种因素诱发细胞凋亡,而iap1和iap2的功能仍未完全明晰,本研究对IAP1和IAP2的功能进行了详细分析.缺失了p35的AcMNPV仍可抑制棉铃虫核多角体病毒（Helicoverpa armigera single nucleocapsid NPV,HearNPV）诱导的BTI-Tn-5B1-4（Tn-Hi5）细胞凋亡并挽救HearNPV在Tn-Hi5细胞中复制及HearNPV出芽型病毒粒子的产生.进一步构建了瞬时表达质粒以及分别表达AcMNPV的p35,iap1和iap2基因的重组HearNPV,转染瞬时表达的IAP1和IAP2对HearNPV感染诱导的Tn-Hi5细胞凋亡有抑制效果,而重组病毒感染Tn-Hi5细胞也可抑制其凋亡并在其中复制,然而重组HearNPV表达的p35,iap1和iap2并未能挽救出芽型病毒粒子的产生.结果表明,AcMNPV的iap1和iap2基因表达产物作为细胞凋亡抑制因子是有功能的。     

特异腐质霉纤维素酶的研究

由腐植土中分离到一株嗜热真菌,经鉴定为特异腐质霉(Humicola insolens Cooney etEmerson)。研究了这株菌纤维素酶的产生条件和一般性质。菌在含麦麸5％、NaNO0.3％的液体培养基(灭菌前pH7.5,灭菌后pH7.2)中,于45℃培养4天,以羧甲基纤维素钠为底物,每ml滤液酶活力为20个单位。酶作用的最适条件为:pH6.0,温度为65—70℃。该纤维素酶是一种耐热酶,热稳定性较强,70℃保温5分钟后,酶活力剩余88％。底物对该酶的热钝化有较强的保护作用,无底物存在条件下,70℃保温6小时后,酶活力仅剩余1％,而在同样的处理温度和时间,在有底物存在条件下,酶活力可剩余30％。该酶在45℃保温15小时的条件下,pH稳定范围为6.0—9.0。     

东南沿海部队皮肤浅部真菌病的调查研究

目的了解东南沿海部队官兵近年真菌菌种构成情况及调查浅部真菌病非高发季节的患病率。方法于11月对浙江地区和福建地区某部队官兵共324人进行浅部真菌病患病情况调查,通过临床检查确定皮肤病种类和感染人(次),对于临床诊断为浅部真菌病的官兵进行真菌镜检证实后明确诊断,并留菌种进行真菌培养。结果真菌感染性疾病患病率为55.2%(324人中179人发病),其中手足癣158人次(48.8%),体股癣35人次(10.8%),花斑癣24人次(7.4%),马拉色菌毛囊炎18人次(5.6%),甲癣5人次(1.5%)。真菌镜检阳性率为76.36%,首位致病菌为红色毛癣菌71株,占84.5%。结论部队尤其是亚热带地区部队,浅部真菌病的患病率较高,不同驻地官兵患皮肤浅部真菌病有差异,而服役年限及兵源与患皮肤浅部真菌病之间无显著差异。     

鸡PPARγ基因的表达特性及其对脂肪细胞增殖分化的影响

为分析鸡PPARγ基因的组织表达特性及其在脂肪细胞增殖和分化过程中的功能,文章以东北农业大学高、低腹脂双向选择品系肉鸡为实验材料,利用Western blotting方法,检测PPARγ基因的组织表达特性及其在高、低脂系肉鸡腹部脂肪组织间的表达差异;采用RNAi技术,在鸡原代脂肪细胞中抑制PPARγ基因的表达后,通过MTT和油红O提取比色的方法,研究鸡PPARγ基因对脂肪细胞增殖和分化的调控作用;利用Real-timePCR和Western blotting技术,分析PPARγ基因表达下调后,其他脂肪细胞分化转录因子以及与脂肪细胞分化相关的重要基因的表达变化情况。结果表明,PPARγ基因在7周龄高脂系肉鸡腹部脂肪组织、肌胃、脾脏、肾脏组织中表达量较高,在心脏中表达量较低,在肝脏、胸肌、腿肌、十二指肠中未检测到表达信号;与高脂系相比,PPARγ基因在5和7周龄低脂系肉鸡腹部脂肪组织中的表达量较低(P<0.05);PPARγ基因的表达量下降后,鸡脂肪细胞的增殖能力增强,分化能力减弱;同时,C/EBPα、SREBP1、A-FABP、Perilipin1、LPL、IGFBP-2基因的表达量均下降(P<0.05)。由此可见,PPARγ基因的表达可能与肉鸡腹部脂肪的沉积有一定的关系,该基因可能是调控鸡脂肪细胞增殖与分化的关键因子。     

Evolutionarily singular strategies and the adaptive growth and branching of the evolutionary tree

We present a general framework for modelling adaptive trait dynamics in which we integrate various concepts and techniques from modern ESS-theory. The concept of evolutionarily singular strategies is introduced as a generalization of the ESS-concept. We give a full classification of the singular strategies in terms of ESS-stability, convergence stability, the ability of the singular strategy to invade other populations if initially rare itself, and the possibility of protected dimorphisms occurring within the singular strategy's neighbourhood. Of particular interest is a type of singular strategy that is an evolutionary attractor from a great distance, but once in its neighbourhood a population becomes dimorphic and undergoes disruptive selection leading to evolutionary branching. Modelling the adaptive growth and branching of the evolutionary tree can thus be considered as a major application of the framework. A haploid version of Levene's soft selection model is developed as a specific example to demonstrate evolutionary dynamics and branching in monomorphic and polymorphic populations.     

Multimodal signals in male European treefrog (Hyla arborea) and the influence of population isolation on signal expression

In nocturnal treefrogs, mate choice implies the use of acoustic and visual signals. Multimodality is suspected to have evolved for either information redundancy or information complementariness. It is essential to explore multimodality in a natural context to understand the selection pressures operating on the signals. In the present study, we investigated calling and coloration in relation to male biometry and condition in four populations of European treefrog (Hyla arborea) varying in size and genetic isolation. We compared the signal intensity between core and satellite populations to estimate the impact of genetic diversity on male secondary sexual traits. The results obtained show important regional variations in both traits, likely as a result of local adaptations. Call and coloration are weakly correlated within an individual, implying that these traits likely convey different information about the signaller's identity or quality, thus supporting the hypothesis of complementariness of multiple messages. By contrast to the experimental evidence, we find that call and coloration are not related to male condition (as estimated by the residual of mass over size), suggesting that the condition‐dependence of these traits may be mediated by complex mechanisms not accurately reflected by the chosen estimator. Finally, male call and colour phenotypes present no robust pattern of variation with isolation status, probably because of variation in local selective pressures and in history of population dynamics. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 103 , 633–647.