Genetic Diversity of Global Aromatic Rice Varieties

Genetic diversity of 434 rice accessions collected from 16 countries, including 345 fragrance rice varieties and 89 non fragrance rice varieties, have been analyzed. A total of 573 alleles were detected by using 77 simple sequence repeats (SSR) primer pairs covering all rice 12 chromosomes. The value of allelic polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0090 to 0845, with an average of 0516 per locus; Gene diversity (GD) varied from 0091 to 0859, with an average of 0573; The mean value of major allele frequencies (MAF) was 0540, covering from 0251 to 0953. In addition, 434 rice accessions are divided into three sub populations by cluster and population structure analysis, and FST between sub populations showed a mean of -0116, ranging from -0623 to 0494; The score of genetic distance calculated by Nei′s method appeared from 0207 to 0355. Major allele frequencies within each sub population distributed from 0408 to 0746, and gene diversity level from 0354 to 0699, while PIC from 0320 to 0658. Sequencing 6 mitochondrion genes in 18 rice varieties exhibited no different in 5 genes, whereas Mit4 contains a 3 SNPs in the gene body, which acts as an important marker to understanding the relationship between Indica/Japonica differentiation and the evolution of fragrant gene. Finally, genetic diversity and mitochondrion gene sequencing would help to know about the origin of fragrant resource and benefit rice breeding.     

蜘蛛丝蛋白的模块结构性能和重组表达

蜘蛛丝是一类天然蛋白质纤维,具有独特的机械性能（高强度、高弹性和高断裂功等）和卓著的生物学特性（生物可降解性和与生物组织的相容性等）,在生物医学、材料、纺织和军事等领域都有着很高的潜在应用价值。综述了不同蜘蛛丝蛋白的模块结构特征及与其功能的关系,扼要介绍了目前利用各种基因工程方法表达重组蜘蛛丝蛋白的研究进展。     

Relationships between population size and loss of genetic diversity: comparisons of experimental results with theoretical predictions

Preservation of genetic diversity is of fundamental concern toconservation biology, as genetic diversity is required for evolutionarychange. Predictions of neutral theory are used to guide conservationactions, especially genetic management of captive populations ofendangered species. Loss of heterozygosity is predicted to be inverselyrelated to effective population size. However, there is controversy asto whether allozymes behave as predicted by this theory. Loss of geneticdiversity for seven allozyme loci, chromosome II inversions andmorphological mutations was investigated in 23 Drosophilamelanogaster populations, maintained at effective population sizesof 25 (8 replicates), 50 (6), 100 (4), 250 (3) and 500 (2) for 50generations. Allozyme genetic diversity (heterozygosity, percentpolymorphism and allelic diversity), inversions and morphologicalmutations were all lost at greater rates in smaller than largerpopulations. Conservation concerns about loss of genetic diversity insmall populations are clearly warranted. Across our populations, loss ofallozyme heterozygosity over generations 0–24, 0–49 and25–49 did not differ from the predictions of neutral theory. Thetrend in deviations was always in the direction expected withassociative overdominance. Our results support the use of neutral theoryto guide conservation actions, such as the genetic management ofendangered species in captivity.     

非酒精性脂肪肝病大鼠肝脏SOCS-3的表达与吡格列酮干预研究

目的：探讨SOCS-3在非酒精性脂肪肝病（NAFLD）发病中的作用以及吡格列酮的干预作用。方法：29只雄性SD大鼠随机分为正常对照组（8只）,高脂饮食组（21只）。饲养8周后,从高质饮食组随机抽取5只大鼠证实造模成功后,将该组余下的16只大鼠继续以高脂饲料喂养,并随机分为NAFLD对照组（8只）;吡格酮干预组（8只）,予以吡格列酮3mg·kg^-1·d^-1灌胃。16周末,处死所有大鼠,检测血糖、血胰岛素、血脂、肝脏SOCS-3mRNA和SREBP-lcmRNA表达及肝脏病理学。结果：与正常对照组相比,NAFLD组血糖、血胰岛素、血脂、肝脏脂肪变水平及肝组织SOCS-3mRNA、SREBPlCmRNA表达显著上调。吡格列酮干预组sOCS．3mRNA、SREBP-1cmRNA表达较NAFLD组下调,且血糖、血胰岛素、血脂、肝脏脂肪变水平下降。SOCS-3mRNA表达水平与胰岛素抵抗指数、SREBP．1cmRNA表达水平、肝脂肪变成显著正相关。结论：SOCS-3可能通过胰岛素抵抗及上调肝组织SREBP-lcmRNA表达参与NAFLD发病,吡格列酮能抑制肝脏SOCS-3的表达,对NAFLD有一定治疗作用。     

Evolution and maintenance of divergent lineages in an endangered freshwater fish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macquaria australasica</Emphasis>

Variable hydrological regimes and habitat availability are factors that affect the distribution of freshwater dependent species and are expected to influence their levels of genetic diversity. Although geologically relatively stable, the south eastern region of Australia has experienced significant changes in hydrological conditions during the Quaternary. This area has also been recently affected by anthropogenic activities, resulting in dramatic population declines of Macquarie Perch (Macquaria australasica). We conducted a range-wide phylogeographic study of this endangered fish to assess the relationship between landscape and freshwater fish evolution in south eastern Australia and infer levels of genetic diversity and population structure. Surprisingly, we detected high genetic diversity, with 46 mtDNA control region haplotypes found across 37 sampling locations. Some lineages were remarkably divergent; one represents a putative undescribed species that probably went extinct during the period of this study. Our reconstruction of population history using a combination of coalescent and phylogenetic methods indicates that the species originated on the coast, east of the Great Dividing Range (GDR), with subsequent colonisation of the Murray-Darling basin, west of the GDR. Nested clade and IM analyses inferred a series of range expansions and fragmentations across the species range consistent with the history of climatic oscillations in south eastern Australia during the Pleistocene. We conclude that the unexpected high levels of diversity and divergence observed in M. australasica may be due to specific habitat requirements, localised recruitment, and Pleistocene climate fluctuations. Under expectations of a drier climate and increased sea levels due to global warming, populations of this and other freshwater species may be expected to experience increased habitat fragmentation and loss of genetic diversity. Conservation management should focus on habitat protection, the maintenance of genetic diversity and taxonomic review.     

表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯对人结肠癌HT-29细胞G1期的阻滞作用

目的:研究表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯(Epigallaocatechin-3-gallate,EGCG)时人结肠癌HT-29细胞增殖的影响.方法:实验分为EGCG不同浓度处理组和阴性对照组.采用MTT比色法检测EGCG(30μg/mL、40μg/mL、50μg/mL、60μg/mL、70μg/mL)对HT-29细胞的生长影响;应用流式细胞术分析EGCG对HT-29细胞周期分布的影响;免疫印迹观测EGCG对HT-29细胞p38MAPK、cyclinD1蛋白表达的影响.结果:MTT比色结果显示.不同浓度EGCG(30μg/ml、40μg/ml、50μg/ml、60μg/ml)对HT-29细胞具有明显的生长抑制作用,并呈剂量-效应依赖关系(P<0.05);流式细胞术分析显示,EGCG诱导人结肠癌细胞G1期阻滞,且随着处理时间的延长,其诱导周期阻滞的效应越明显(P<0.05);蛋白免疫印迹显示.总的p38MAPK不随处理时间和浓度的改变而改变,但是磷酸化的p38MAPK蛋白的表达随处理时间和处理浓度的增加而明显增加,而CyclinD1蛋白的表达随处理浓度的增加而明显减少.结论:EGCG诱导HT-29细胞G1期阻滞,抑制细胞增殖,可能与活化p38MAPK,下调CyclinD1蛋白表达有关.     

The role of initial inoculum on epidemic dynamics

Transient dynamics are important in many epidemics in agricultural and ecological systems that are prone to regular disturbance, cyclical and random perturbations. Here, using a simple host-pathogen model for a sessile host and a pathogen that can move by diffusion and advection, we use a range of mathematical techniques to examine the effect of initial spatial distribution of inoculum of the pathogen on the transient dynamics of the epidemic. We consider an isolated patch and a group of patches with different boundary conditions. We first determine bounds on the host population for the full model, then non-dimensionalizing the model allows us to obtain approximate solutions for the system. We identify two biologically intuitive groups of parameters to analyse transient behaviour using perturbation techniques. The first parameter group is a measure of the relative strength of initial primary to secondary infection. The second group is derived from the ratio of host removal rate (via infection) to pathogen removal rate (by decay and natural mortality) and measures the infectivity of initial inoculum on the system. By restricting the model to mimic primary infection only (in which all infections arise from initial inoculum), we obtain exact solutions and demonstrate how these depend on initial conditions, boundary conditions and model parameters. Finally, we suggest that the analyses on the balance of primary and secondary infection provide the epidemiologist with some simple rules to predict the transient behaviours.     

Bubonic plague: a metapopulation model of a zoonosis.

Bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis) is generally thought of as a historical disease; however, it is still responsible for around 1000-3000 deaths each year worldwide. This paper expands the analysis of a model for bubonic plague that encompasses the disease dynamics in rat, flea and human populations. Some key variables of the deterministic model, including the force of infection to humans, are shown to be robust to changes in the basic parameters, although variation in the flea searching efficiency, and the movement rates of rats and fleas will be considered throughout the paper. The stochastic behaviour of the corresponding metapopulation model is discussed, with attention focused on the dynamics of rats and the force of infection at the local spatial scale. Short-lived local epidemics in rats govern the invasion of the disease and produce an irregular pattern of human cases similar to those observed. However, the endemic behaviour in a few rat subpopulations allows the disease to persist for many years. This spatial stochastic model is also used to identify the criteria for the spread to human populations in terms of the rat density. Finally, the full stochastic model is reduced to the form of a probabilistic cellular automaton, which allows the analysis of a large number of replicated epidemics in large populations. This simplified model enables us to analyse the spatial properties of rat epidemics and the effects of movement rates, and also to test whether the emergent metapopulation behaviour is a property of the local dynamics rather than the precise details of the model.     

Patterns of mitochondrial haplotype diversity in the invasive pest Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

The light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a horticultural pest of Australia and New Zealand that has more recently invaded Hawaii, Europe, and California. A 2,216-bp region of the mitochondrial genome containing the cytochrome oxidase I and II genes was sequenced from 752 individuals. Haplotype network analyses revealed a major split between a predominantly Western Australian clade and all other samples, suggestive of either a deep genetic divergence or a cryptic species. Nucleotide and haplotype diversity were highest in the country of origin, Australia, and in New Zealand populations, with evidence of haplotype sharing between New Zealand and Tasmania. Nucleotide and haplotype diversity were higher in California than within the British Isles or Hawaii. From the total of 96 haplotypes, seven were found in California, of which four were private. Within California, there have been at least two introductions; based on genetic diversity we were unable to assign a likely source for a single moth found and eradicated in Los Angeles in 2007; however, our data suggest it is unlikely that Hawaii and the British Isles are sources of the major E. postvittana population found throughout the rest of the state since 2006.