Adaptive Admixture of HLA Class I Allotypes Enhanced Genetically Determined Strength of Natural Killer Cells in East Asians

Human natural killer (NK) cells are essential for controlling infection, cancer, and fetal development. NK cell functions are modulated by interactions between polymorphic inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and polymorphic HLA-A, -B, and -C ligands expressed on tissue cells. All HLA-C alleles encode a KIR ligand and contribute to reproduction and immunity. In contrast, only some HLA-A and -B alleles encode KIR ligands and they focus on immunity. By high-resolution analysis of KIR and HLA-A, -B, and -C genes, we show that the Chinese Southern Han (CHS) are significantly enriched for interactions between inhibitory KIR and HLA-A and -B. This enrichment has had substantial input through population admixture with neighboring populations, who contributed HLA class I haplotypes expressing the KIR ligands B*46:01 and B*58:01, which subsequently rose to high frequency by natural selection. Consequently, over 80% of Southern Han HLA haplotypes encode more than one KIR ligand. Complementing the high number of KIR ligands, the CHS KIR locus combines a high frequency of genes expressing potent inhibitory KIR, with a low frequency of those expressing activating KIR. The Southern Han centromeric KIR region encodes strong, conserved, inhibitory HLA-C-specific receptors, and the telomeric region provides a high number and diversity of inhibitory HLA-A and -B-specific receptors. In all these characteristics, the CHS represent other East Asians, whose NK cell repertoires are thus enhanced in quantity, diversity, and effector strength, likely augmenting resistance to endemic viral infections.     

Body mass and behavior in Swiss mice subjected to continuous or discontinuous food restriction and refeeding

Food restriction (FR) is hypothesized to decrease body fat content of an animal and thus prevent obesity. However, the response of energy budget to a continuous (CFR) or discontinuous FR (DFR) remains inconsistent. In the present study, effects of CFR or DFR and refeeding on energy budget and behavior were examined in male Swiss mice. CFR significantly decreased the energy expenditure associated with basal metabolic rate (BMR) and activity behavior, but not sufficiently to compensate for energy deficit and thus resulted in lower body mass and fat content. DFR mice had a significantly higher food intake on ad libitum days and showed increases in BMR and activity after 4 weeks’ DFR, which might resulted in lower body mass and less body fat than controls. After being refed ad libitum, both CFR and DFR mice had similar body mass, BMR, and behavioral patterns to controls but had 95% and 75% higher fat content. This suggested that not only CFR but also DFR would be a significant factor in the process of obesity for animals that were refed ad libitum. It also indicated that food restriction interrupted many times by periods of ad libitum feeding had the same long-term effects like continuous underfeeding.     

Is embryo abortion a post‐zygotic barrier to gene flow between Littorina ecotypes?

Genetic incompatibilities contribute to reproductive isolation between many diverging populations, but it is still unclear to what extent they play a role if divergence happens with gene flow. In contact zones between the "Crab" and "Wave" ecotypes of the snail Littorina saxatilis, divergent selection forms strong barriers to gene flow, while the role of post‐zygotic barriers due to selection against hybrids remains unclear. High embryo abortion rates in this species could indicate the presence of such barriers. Post‐zygotic barriers might include genetic incompatibilities (e.g. Dobzhansky–Muller incompatibilities) but also maladaptation, both expected to be most pronounced in contact zones. In addition, embryo abortion might reflect physiological stress on females and embryos independent of any genetic stress. We examined all embryos of >500 females sampled outside and inside contact zones of three populations in Sweden. Females' clutch size ranged from 0 to 1,011 embryos (mean 130 ± 123), and abortion rates varied between 0% and 100% (mean 12%). We described female genotypes by using a hybrid index based on hundreds of SNPs differentiated between ecotypes with which we characterized female genotypes. We also calculated female SNP heterozygosity and inversion karyotype. Clutch size did not vary with female hybrid index, and abortion rates were only weakly related to hybrid index in two sites but not at all in a third site. No additional variation in abortion rate was explained by female SNP heterozygosity, but increased female inversion heterozygosity added slightly to increased abortion. Our results show only weak and probably biologically insignificant post‐zygotic barriers contributing to ecotype divergence, and the high and variable abortion rates were marginally, if at all, explained by hybrid index of females.     

幽门螺杆菌致病岛CagL重组抗原的可溶性表达及其多克隆抗体的制备和分析*

目的:利用原核表达和蛋白质纯化技术获得高纯度的幽门螺杆菌致病岛CagL重组抗原(rCagL),利用其制备anti-CagL多克隆抗体,并分析抗体的特异性。方法:通过生物信息学软件分析rCagL的抗原结构;利用PCR长片段DNA合成技术合成不含有信号肽序列的幽门螺杆菌致病岛CagL基因,将其插入表达质粒pCzn1中,构建重组质粒pCzn1-rCagL。然后,将pCzn1-rCagL转入大肠杆菌Arctic Express中,经IPTG诱导表达后,通过Ni-IDA镍离子亲和层析纯化重组抗原rCagL,利用Western blot鉴定rCagL与His标签抗体和Anti-H. pylori抗体的免疫反应性;最后,通过rCagL辅以弗氏佐剂免疫BALB/c小鼠,制备anti-CagL多克隆抗血清,通过ELISA方法分析抗血清的特异性。结果:生物信息学软件表明重组抗原rCagL具有较好的抗原性质;重组质粒pCzn1-rCagL经双酶切和基因测序等技术鉴定,证实rCagL核苷酸序列与理论序列完全一致;基因工程菌株pCzn1-rCagL/Arctic Express在低温11℃条件经IPTG诱导表达。 SDS-PAGE实验结果证实:rCagL可实现相对高效地可溶性蛋白表达,可溶性蛋白约占包涵体的62.07%。经Ni-IDA亲和层析柱纯化,可获得高纯度rCagL,纯度约为96.6%。Western blot结果证实:重组抗原rCagL可特异性与His标签抗体和Anti-H. pylori抗体结合。ELISA结果证实:经rCagL免疫小鼠制备的多克隆抗体anti-CagL可特异性识别rCagL和H. pylori裂解物,具有较高的抗体特异性。结论:重组抗原rCagL在低温条件下可实现可溶性表达,经纯化可获得高纯度抗原蛋白;rCagL具有较好的抗原性,制备的多克隆抗体具有较好的免疫特异性,为发展H. pylori相关诊断试剂奠定了实验基础。     

基于染色体置换系的普通野生稻耐盐性QTL定位

本研究分别利用SSR标记、InDel标记以及简化基因组测序技术对一套以普通野生稻为供体亲本,9311为受体亲本的染色体置换系进行基因型鉴定,并通过对其不同生育期的耐盐性鉴定,共发掘2个与发芽期耐盐相关的QTL,13个与苗期耐盐性相关的QTL。其中与苗期存活率相关的QTL qSSR5.1、苗期耐盐等级相关的QTL qSSG5.1均被定位于同一位点,该位点对苗期存活率、苗期耐盐等级均具有增效作用,贡献率分别为6.36%、8.13%。在此QTL内包含与非生物胁迫相关基因OsDi19-1。经序列比对发现,OsDi19-1启动子区域在两亲本间存在较大差异,且受到盐胁迫时该基因表达量上升。同时,鉴定出水稻芽期耐盐的优异种质资源CSSL72、苗期耐盐的优异种质资源CSSL23、CSSL153,为水稻育种中耐盐性的改良提供了新的种质资源。     

高速逆流色谱法分离灵芝中的灵芝烯酸B

本实验建立一种快速从灵芝子实体中制备灵芝烯酸B的方法。以沪农灵芝1号子实体乙醇提取物为原料,经过D101大孔树脂粗分,用60%乙醇洗脱后,采用高速逆流色谱对获得的灵芝酸性三萜进行分离制备。确定最佳溶剂体系为正己烷-乙酸乙酯-甲醇-水（V/V/V/V,5:5:2:9）,上相作为固定相,下相作为流动相,单因素法和正交实验设计确定高速逆流色谱法分离灵芝烯酸B的最佳工艺为：流速2.0mL/min,转速900r/min,一次上样量为500mg时,制备得到灵芝烯酸B化合物得率为(9.07±0.16)%,纯度为(85.04±3.45)%。用质谱、核磁对得到的灵芝烯酸B进行了结构鉴定。此法操作简单高效,为大量制备灵芝烯酸B提供了参考。     

灵芝菌丝体中一个三萜类化合物的核磁归属及活性初探

通过液体振荡-静置两阶段发酵获得灵芝菌丝体,并采用硅胶柱色谱层析、反相柱层析和甲醇重结晶的方法,从中分离得到4个三萜类化合物。根据NMR、MS等波谱数据分析,化合物分别被鉴定为lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-3α-acetoxy-26-oic acid（1）、灵芝酸R（2）、灵芝酸T（3）和灵芝酸S（4）,其中化合物1的核磁信号全归属为首次报道。4个三萜类化合物均具有较好的抑制肿瘤细胞L1210及K562增殖的活性,且化合物1的体外抗肿瘤活性为首次证实,其对肿瘤细胞L1210及K562增殖的半数抑制浓度IC₅₀分别为22.17μmol/L和54.79μmol/L。     

不同碳氮源对糙皮侧耳木质纤维素酶活性的影响

以糙皮侧耳Pleurotus ostreatus为材料,研究简单碳氮源及木质素纯品诱导条件对其木质纤维素酶活性的影响。结果表明,不同的碳源培养基和氮源培养基对糙皮侧耳漆酶活性、羧甲基纤维素酶活性和木聚糖酶活性均具有极显著的影响（P<0.001）,且对糙皮侧耳菌丝生物量也有极显著的影响（P<0.001）。以蔗糖作主要碳源诱导物时,有利于提高糙皮侧耳漆酶活性;以果糖作主要碳源诱导物时,有利于提高糙皮侧耳羧甲基纤维素酶活性和菌丝生物量的积累;以葡萄糖作主要碳源诱导物时,有利于提高糙皮侧耳木聚糖酶活性。以酵母浸粉作主要氮源诱导物时,有利于提高糙皮侧耳漆酶活性和菌丝生物量的积累;以硝酸钾作为主要氮源诱导物时,有利于提高糙皮侧耳羧甲基纤维素酶活性;以硫酸铵作为主要氮源诱导物时,有利于提高糙皮侧耳木聚糖酶活性。碱性木素的存在,有利于提高糙皮侧耳漆酶活性,但不利于菌丝生物量的积累。与此同时,碱性木素的存在对糙皮侧耳羧甲基纤维素酶和木聚糖酶活性并没有促进作用。