Molecular mechanisms of two-component system RhpRS regulating type III secretion system in Pseudomonas syringae

Pseudomonas syringae uses the two-component system RhpRS to regulate the expression of type III secretion system (T3SS) genes and bacterial virulence. However, the molecular mechanisms and the regulons of RhpRS have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we show that RhpS functions as a kinase and a phosphatase on RhpR and as an autokinase upon itself. RhpR is phosphorylated by the small phosphodonor acetyl phosphate. A specific RhpR-binding site containing the inverted repeat (IR) motif GTATC-N₆-GATAC, was mapped to its own promoter by a DNase I footprint analysis. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that P-RhpR has a higher binding affinity to the IR motif than RhpR. To identify additional RhpR targets in P. syringae, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) and detected 167 enriched loci including the hrpR promoter, suggesting the direct regulation of T3SS cascade genes by RhpR. A genome-wide microarray analysis showed that, in addition to the T3SS cascade genes, RhpR differentially regulates a large set of genes with various functions in response to different growth conditions. Together, these results suggested that RhpRS is a global regulator that allows P. syringae to sense and respond to environmental changes by coordinating T3SS expression and many other biological processes.     

Complement-Related Proteins Control the Flavivirus Infection of Aedes aegypti by Inducing Antimicrobial Peptides

The complement system functions during the early phase of infection and directly mediates pathogen elimination. The recent identification of complement-like factors in arthropods indicates that this system shares common ancestry in vertebrates and invertebrates as an immune defense mechanism. Thioester (TE)-containing proteins (TEPs), which show high similarity to mammalian complement C3, are thought to play a key role in innate immunity in arthropods. Herein, we report that a viral recognition cascade composed of two complement-related proteins limits the flaviviral infection of Aedes aegypti. An A. aegypti macroglobulin complement-related factor (AaMCR), belonging to the insect TEP family, is a crucial effector in opposing the flaviviral infection of A. aegypti. However, AaMCR does not directly interact with DENV, and its antiviral effect requires an A. aegypti homologue of scavenger receptor-C (AaSR-C), which interacts with DENV and AaMCR simultaneously in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, recognition of DENV by the AaSR-C/AaMCR axis regulates the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which exerts potent anti-DENV activity. Our results both demonstrate the existence of a viral recognition pathway that controls the flaviviral infection by inducing AMPs and offer insights into a previously unappreciated antiviral function of the complement-like system in arthropods.     

Age at Menarche and Natural Menopause and Number of Reproductive Years in Association with Mortality: Results from a Median Follow-Up of 11.2 Years among 31,955 Naturally Menopausal Chinese Women

Background

Studies conducted in Western countries suggest that early age at menarche and early age at menopause are both associated with increased total mortality, but limited data are available for Asian populations. We examined associations of age at menarche and natural menopause and duration of the reproductive span with mortality in a population-based cohort study of Chinese women.

Methods

We evaluated the effects of age at menarche, age at natural menopause, and number of reproductive years on total and cause-specific mortality among 31,955 naturally menopausal Chinese women who participated in the Shanghai Women''s Health Study, a population-based, prospective cohort study.

Results

A total of 3,158 deaths occurred during a median follow-up of 11.2 years. Results from Cox proportional hazards models showed that younger age at menopause (<46.64 years) was associated with higher risk of total mortality (P_trend  = 0.02). Younger age at menarche (<14 years) was associated with higher risk of mortality from stroke (P_trend  = 0.03) and diabetes (P_trend = 0.02) but lower risk of mortality from respiratory system cancer (P_trend  = 0.01). Women with a shorter reproductive span had lower risk of mortality from gynecological cancers (P_trend = 0.03).

Conclusions

Our study found that menstrual characteristics are important predictors of mortality, suggesting an important role of sex hormones in biological aging.     

Obesity does not aggravate vitrification injury in mouse embryos: a prospective study

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with poor reproductive outcomes, but few reports have examined thawed embryo transfer in obese women. Many studies have shown that increased lipid accumulation aggravates vitrification injury in porcine and bovine embryos, but oocytes of these species have high lipid contents (63 ng and 161 ng, respectively). Almost nothing is known about lipids in human oocytes except that these cells are anecdotally known to be relatively lipid poor. In this regard, human oocytes are considered to be similar to those of the mouse, which contain approximately 4 ng total lipids/oocyte. To date, no available data show the impact of obesity on vitrification in mouse embryos. The aim of this study was to establish a murine model of maternal diet-induced obesity and to characterize the effect of obesity on vitrification by investigating the survival rate and embryo developmental competence after thawing. METHODS: Prospective comparisons were performed between six--eight-cell embryos from obese and normal-weight mice and between fresh and vitrified embryos. Female C57BL/6 mice were fed standard rodent chow (normal-weight group) or a high-fat diet (obese group) for 6 weeks. The mice were mated, zygotes were collected from oviducts and cultured for 3 days, and six--eight-cell embryos were then selected to assess lipid content in fresh embryos and to evaluate differences in apoptosis, survival, and development rates in response to vitrification. RESULTS: In fresh embryos from obese mice, the lipid content (0.044 vs 0.030, P<0.01) and apoptosis rate (15.1% vs.9.3%, P<0.05)were significantly higher, the survival rate (83.1% vs. 93.1%, P<0.01) on day 5 was significantly lower, and embryo development was notably delayed on days 3--5 compared with the normal-weight group. After vitrification, no significant difference was found between thawed embryos from obese and normal-weight mice in apoptosis, survival, and development rates on days 4 and 5. In both groups, pre- and post-vitrification embryo apoptosis, survival, and development rates were similar. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that differences in survival and developmental rates between embryos from obese and normal-weight mice were eliminated after vitrification. Thus, maternal obesity does not aggravate vitrification injury, but obesity alone greatly impairs pre-implantation embryo survival and development.     

拉沙山黑白仰鼻猴食物中单宁含量的变化

叶食性灵长类食物选择受食物营养及单宁等次生代谢产物影响,为了探讨单宁对黑白仰鼻猴食物选择的影响,通过磷钼酸-钨酸钠 (F-D) 比色法测定了拉沙山黑白仰鼻猴群 (Rhinopithecus bieti) 2010年4月 - 2012年3月间的食用植物 (192种) 和非食用植物 (188种) 单宁含量。结果表明,黑白仰鼻群全年食用植物中单宁含量低于非食用植物;春季食用植物中单宁含量高于其他季节,而其他季节无差异;不同取食部位单宁由高到低依次为芽、花、叶、果和地衣;不同季节,不同取食部位单宁有差异,春季芽的单宁含量最高,夏秋季果实单宁含量最高,冬季叶单宁含量最高;不同月份,食物单宁也不同,3月食用植物中单宁最高 (8.36% ± 6.22%),2月最低 (1.28% ± 1.19%)。因此,黑白仰鼻猴根据环境食物种类和供给时空特征,可能采取了从高蛋白纤维比/高单宁到低蛋白纤维比/低单宁连续谱觅食策略。     

增氮对青藏高原东缘高寒草甸土壤甲烷吸收的早期影响

研究大气氮沉降对青藏高原高寒草甸土壤CH4吸收的影响,对于揭示氮素调节土壤CH4吸收的机制和评价氮沉降增加背景下大气CH4收支平衡至关重要.通过构建多形态、低剂量的增氮控制试验,测定土壤CH4净交换通量和相关土壤理化性质,分析高寒草甸土壤CH4通量变化特征及其主要驱动因子.研究结果表明:自然状态下高寒草甸土壤是大气CH4汇,CH4平均吸收量为(35.40±1.92) μg· m-2· h-1.土壤CH4吸收主要受水分驱动,其次为土壤NH4+-N和NO3-N含量.NH4+-N抑制CH4吸收,NO3--N促进CH4吸收;不同剂量氮素输入对土壤CH4吸收影响也不尽相同,低氮处理促进土壤CH4吸收,而中氮和高氮处理抑制土壤CH4吸收.结果显示青藏高原高寒草甸土壤是重要的大气CH4汇,在未来大气氮沉降加倍的情景下CH4汇功能增强,但当氮沉降量增加两倍以上时CH4汇功能将会减弱.     

HDAC3 inhibition disrupts the assembly of meiotic apparatus during porcine oocyte maturation

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are involved in a wide array of biological processes. However, the role of HDAC3 in porcine oocytes remains unclear. In the current study, we examine the effects of HDAC3 inhibition on porcine oocyte maturation using RGFP966, a selective HDAC3 inhibitor. We find that suppression of HDAC3 activity prevents not only the expansion of cumulus cells but also the meiotic progression of oocytes. It is interesting to note that HDAC3 displays a spindle-like distribution pattern as the porcine oocytes enter meiosis. In line with this, confocal microscopy reveals the high frequency of spindle defects and chromosomal congression failure in metaphase oocytes exposed to RGFP966. Moreover, HDAC3 inhibition results in the hyperacetylation of α-tubulin during oocyte meiosis. These findings indicate that HDAC3 activity might control the microtubule stability via the deacetylation of tubulin, which is critical for maintaining the proper spindle assembly, accurate chromosome separation, and orderly meiotic progression during porcine oocyte maturation.     

单一景观空间分布指数及其适用性评价

为描述单一景观的空间分布离散性和广度特征,引入基于香农熵的空间分布指数(MSHDI,Modified Shannon's Distribution Index),利用河南省中南部地区1990、2001和2007年3期TM/ETM+遥感影像,进行了MSHDI与经典景观指数的比较,并分析了MSHDI与面积指数(PLAND,Percentage of Landscape)在多网格尺度下的相关关系。结果表明:(1)MSHDI在描述单一景观的空间分布广度和离散程度特征方面具有较好的适用性。MSHDI能适应不同制图综合程度的影响,并能反映出景观斑块边缘的细微差别。(2)通过分析MSHDI与PLAND之间相关系数的大小和变化程度可以分别验证MSHDI的表征性和稳定性。(3)MSHDI适用于基底和散布状景观,两种指数之间有显著的正相关性(农用地=0.939,=0.000;城市建设=0.877,=0.004;工矿仓储=0.870,=0.002;自然绿地=0.966,=0.001),且随网格粒度变化不大(农用地r=0.921±0.054;城市建设r=0.867±0.107;工矿仓储r=0.883±0.052;自然绿地r=0.964±0.024);而对网状景观则缺乏稳定性。