中国西北地区天然胡杨群体遗传多样性及核心保护单元的构建

胡杨(Populus euphratica)是极端干旱荒漠区的珍稀乔木树种。为了确定天然胡杨群体遗传多样性保护单元并挖掘优异的种质资源, 本研究以中国西北地区新疆、青海、甘肃、宁夏、内蒙古的58个天然胡杨群体为研究对象, 利用120个位点的SNPs标记对这些胡杨群体进行群体遗传结构和遗传多样性分析, 并根据不同群体间Nei’s遗传相似度, 采用逐步聚类优先取样法对初始群体、遗传多样性保护单元和剩余群体进行t检验。群体结构和主成分分析表明, 胡杨群体可分为新疆南疆(SX)、新疆北疆(NX)、青海(QH)和混合群(甘肃、宁夏和内蒙古混合群, GNM) 4个分支, 遗传多样性分析表明新疆南疆(SX)遗传多样性高于其他群体。分子方差分析(AMOVA)表明天然胡杨群体的遗传变异主要分布在各个群体内。构建了天然胡杨群体一级核心保护单元3个群体(CU3), 二级核心保护单元33个群体(CU33)。南疆存在较多优异抗逆的天然胡杨古树资源, 南疆分布区的平均遗传多样性水平最高。综上所述, 南疆地区胡杨古树遗传多样性整体高于北疆及疆外地区, 结合新疆地区干旱严重指数等生境信息, 建议加大对南疆胡杨古树群体的保护力度, 重视北疆胡杨林的更新换代。     

The effect of the skeleton structure of flavanone and flavonoid on interaction with transferrin

Transferrin has been exploited as a potential drug carrier for targeted drug delivery into cancer cells, which express high levels of transferrin receptors. In the present study, we identified specific structural features in flavonoids that were critical for binding to transferrin. Flavanone naringenin and flavonoid apigenin, two flavonoids with characteristic flavonoid core structures were selected for the study of the effects of C2–C3 single bond in the C-ring on transferrin binding. We determined the binding affinities by fluorescence quenching experiments and investigated the binding modes by CD spectra and molecular modeling. Our results demonstrated that naringenin bound transferrin with an affinity almost 100 times higher than that of apigenin attributed to its higher structural flexibility and lower acidity compared with apigenin. Our docking study showed that naringenin had stronger van der Waals interactions with transferrin, which was believed to contribute to its higher binding affinity. We also found that naringenin-binding induced greater increase in the α-helix content in transferrin than apigenin, suggesting that transferrin became more compact upon association with naringenin. Our study demonstrated that naringenin was a ligand for transferrin with good affinity. The results reported herein can facilitate the design and development of drugs that bind transferrin with high affinity.     

Proliferating cells in suborbital tissue drive eye migration in flatfish

The left/right asymmetry of adult flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes) is remarkable given the external body symmetry of the larval fish. The best-known change is the migration of their eyes: one eye migrates from one side to the other. Two extinct primitive pleuronectiformes with incomplete orbital migration have again attracted public attention to the mechanism of eye migration, a subject of speculation and research for over a century. Cranial asymmetry is currently believed to be responsible for eye migration. Contrary to that hypothesis, we show here that the initial migration of the eye is caused by cell proliferation in the suborbital tissue of the blind side and that the twist of frontal bone is dependent on eye migration. The inhibition of cell proliferation in the suborbital area of the blind side by microinjected colchicine was able to prevent eye migration and, thereafter, cranial asymmetry in juvenile Solea senegalensis (right sideness, Soleidae), Cynoglossus semilaevis (left sideness, Cynoglossidae), and Paralichthys olivaceus (left sideness, Paralichthyidae) with a bottom-dwelling lifestyle. Our results correct the current misunderstanding that eye migration is driven by the cranial asymmetry and simplify the explanation for broken left/right eye-symmetry. Our findings should help to focus the search on eye migration-related genes associated with cell proliferation. Finally, a novel model is proposed in this research which provides a reasonable explanation for differences in the migrating eye between, and sometimes within, different species of flatfish and which should aid in our overall understanding of eye migration in the ontogenesis and evolution of Pleuronectiformes.     

Genome sequence of Pseudomonas putida Idaho, a unique organic-solvent-tolerant bacterium

Pseudomonas putida Idaho is an organic-solvent-tolerant strain which can degrade and adapt to high concentrations of organic solvents. Here, we announce its first draft genome sequence (6,363,067 bp). We annotated 192 coding sequences (CDSs) responsible for aromatic compound metabolism, 40 CDSs encoding phospholipid synthesis, and 212 CDSs related to stress response.     

Genome sequence of Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461, a highly productive industrial strain of gellan gum

The commercial gelling agent gellan gum is a heteropolysaccharide produced by Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461. However, the genes involved in the biosynthesis, regulation, and modification of gellan gum have not been fully characterized. Here we describe the draft genome sequence of stain ATCC 31461 and major findings from its annotation.     

转基因技术与大豆品质改良

大豆是重要的食用油、食用蛋白和饲用蛋白原料。应用转基因技术对调节大豆品质形成的关键基因进行定向操作,可大大加速优质大豆品种的选育进程,培育出适合不同消费需求的多样化优质大豆品种。文章主要综述了近年来转基因技术在大豆品质性状改良方面的应用进展,同时也简要介绍了目前已经发展起来的安全转基因技术。     

The TGFB1 Functional Polymorphism rs1800469 and Susceptibility to Atrial Fibrillation in Two Chinese Han Populations

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is related to the degree of atrial fibrosis and plays critical roles in the induction and perpetuation of atrial fibrillation (AF). To investigate the association of the common promoter polymorphism rs1800469 in the TGF-β1 gene (TGFB1) with the risk of AF in Chinese Han population, we carried out a case-control study of two hospital-based independent populations: Southeast Chinese population (581 patients with AF and 723 controls), and Northeast Chinese population (308 AF patients and 292 controls). Two hundred and seventy-eight cases of AF were lone AF and 334 cases of AF were diagnosed as paroxysmal AF. In both populations, AF patients had larger left atrial diameters than the controls did. The rs1800469 genotypes in the TGFB1 gene were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The genotype and allele frequencies of rs1800469 were not different between AF patients and controls of the Southeast Chinese population, Northeast Chinese population, and total Study Population. After adjustment for age, sex, hypertension and LAD, there was no association between the rs1800469 polymorphism and the risk of AF under the dominant, recessive and additive genetic models. Similar results were obtained from subanalysis of the lone and paroxymal AF subgroups. Our results do not support the role of the TGFB1 rs1800469 functional gene variant in the development of AF in the Chinese Han population.     

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).     

Somatic embryogenesis and direct as well as indirect organogenesis in Lilium pumilum DC. Fisch., an endangered ornamental and medicinal plant

Somatic embryogenesis and organogenesis in Lilium pumilum were successfully regulated by picloram, α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 6-benzyladenine (BA). In organogenesis, the highest shoot regeneration frequency (92.5%) was obtained directly from bulb scales on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 2.0 mg L^?1 BA and 0.2 mg L^?1 NAA, while organogenic callus (OC) formed from leaves on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L^?1 BA and 0.5 mg L^?1 NAA. Following subculture, 76.7% of OC regenerated shoots. In somatic embryogenesis, the combination of picloram and NAA increased the amount of embryogenic callus (EC) that formed with a maximum on 90.7% of all explants which formed 11 somatic embryos (SEs) per explant. Differences between EC and OC in cellular morphology and cell differentiation fate were easily observed. SEs initially formed via an exogenous or an endogenous origin. The appearance of a protoderm in heart-shaped SE and the bipolar shoot–root development in oval-shaped SE indicated true somatic embryogenesis. This protocol provides a new and detailed regulation and histological examination of regeneration pattern in L. pumilum.