Nitrogen turnover in soil and global change

Nitrogen management in soils has been considered as key to the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and a protection of major ecosystem services. However, the microorganisms driving processes like nitrification, denitrification, N-fixation and mineralization are highly influenced by changing climatic conditions, intensification of agriculture and the application of new chemicals to a so far unknown extent. In this review, the current knowledge concerning the influence of selected scenarios of global change on the abundance, diversity and activity of microorganisms involved in nitrogen turnover, notably in agricultural and grassland soils, is summarized and linked to the corresponding processes. In this context, data are presented on nitrogen-cycling processes and the corresponding microbial key players during ecosystem development and changes in functional diversity patterns during shifts in land use. Furthermore, the impact of increased temperature, carbon dioxide and changes in precipitation regimes on microbial nitrogen turnover is discussed. Finally, some examples of the effects of pesticides and antibiotics after application to soil for selected processes of nitrogen transformation are also shown.     

葡萄卷叶病毒的纯化,血清学研究及其在脱毒组培苗检测中的应用

将具有典型葡萄卷叶病(Grapevine leafroll diseas,GLRD)症状的葡萄组织,经差速和硫酸铯—蔗糖密度梯度离心,提纯了GLRV,并制备了兔抗血清。电镜下可观察到长度从600～2000nm的线形病毒颗粒,其中以1400nm左右为主。免疫电镜结果表明线形病毒颗粒能被美国的NY-1分离株抗血清(Ⅲ型)所修饰。在间接ELISA中提纯制品与GLRV的Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅱ型抗血清均能产生免疫反应。与Ⅲ型抗血清产生较强的免疫反应,Ⅳ型次之,Ⅱ型最弱。在SDS-免疫双扩散实验中病组织韧皮部粗提液与GLRV的Ⅲ,Ⅳ、Ⅱ型抗血清均产生免疫沉淀线。从而推测我国葡萄园内的葡萄卷叶病很可能由2种或3种卷叶病毒感染所致.采用A蛋白夹心酶联免疫吸附试验(PAS-ELISA)检测葡萄试管苗,Ⅲ型抗血清和自制抗血清的平行测试结果基本相符,共获得11个生食葡萄和10个山葡萄品种的脱葡萄卷叶病毒和扇叶病毒的组培苗,扩繁后田间试种表现出良好的农艺性状。     

SARS病毒巨细胞病毒合并感染真菌及其染色方法的应用比较

目的几种染色方法显示星形隐球菌和曲菌的比较。方法Grocott-Gomori六胺银改良法,Gomori氏嗜银法和PAS结果Grocott-Gomori氏六胺银改良法显示上述两种真菌效果最好,该法对真菌的显示颜色鲜艳,图像清晰,真菌的孢子和菌丝被染成深黑色,易与其它成份相区别;Gomori氏嗜银法对大量含有菌丝的组织有一定的染色效果,PAS法也能将上述两种真菌显示出来,但所着染成份较多,较难区别。结论Grocott-Gomori氏六胺银改良法是染真菌的最好方法。     

Study on bioactivity of extracts from marine sponges in Chinese Sea

The bioactivity screening of fractions from two inter-tidal sponges collected from the north of China Yellow Sea and one sponge collected from the South Chinese Sea was reported in this study. In sponge Hymeniacidon perleve there were 9 fractions out of 15 from CHCl₃ extract with anti Staphylococcus aureus activity, 9 fractions out of 19 from BuOH extract with anti Escherichia coli activity, and three fractions from CHCl₃ extract which had moderate to strong activity in inhibiting Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, and Aspergilus niger. The fractions of Reniochalina sp. showed bioactivity against bacteria and fungi. The fractions of Acanthella acuta Schmidt showed bioactivity against S. aureus and fungi. One compound from H. perleve obtained by the bioactively directing isolation was tested for bioactivity against the human hepatoma cell line Qgy7701 (IC₅₀ 10.1 μg/ml), Burkitt's lymphoma cell line Raji (IC₅₀ 9.76 μg/ml) and chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 (IC₅₀ 1.90 μg/ml).     

Targeting ACLY efficiently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the biggest public health challenge the world has witnessed in the past decades. SARS-CoV-2 undergoes constant mutations and new variants of concerns (VOCs) with altered transmissibility, virulence, and/or susceptibility to vaccines and therapeutics continue to emerge. Detailed analysis of host factors involved in virus replication may help to identify novel treatment targets. In this study, we dissected the metabolome derived from COVID-19 patients to identify key host factors that are required for efficient SARS-CoV-2 replication. Through a series of metabolomic analyses, in vitro, and in vivo investigations, we identified ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) as a novel host factor required for efficient replication of SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and variants, including Omicron. ACLY should be further explored as a novel intervention target for COVID-19.     

Dyrithiopsis lakefuxianensis gen. et sp. nov. from Fuxian Lake, Yunnan, China, and notes on the taxonomic confusion surrounding Dyrithium

A new taxon with Dyrithium-like characteristics was collected from Lake Fuxian in China. The taxon is typical of the Amphisphaeriaceae in that it has relatively large, ostiolate, immersed ascomata, unitunicate asci with a J+ subapical ring, and brown ascospores. It is similar to Dyrithium in that it has muriform ascospores, but considerable confusion surrounds this genus. In Dyrithium asci are bitunicate and lack a J+ subapical ring, while this was not true of our species. A new genus, Dyrithiopsis, therefore is established to accommodate this new taxon. Details of its anamorph also are provided, based on cultural studies. Parsimony analyses of part of the large-subunit rDNA provide further evidence to support the familial placement of this new genus in the Amphisphaeriaceae. The taxonomic position of Dyrithium also is discussed.     

Elevated expression of nuclear receptor-binding SET domain 3 promotes pancreatic cancer cell growth

The nuclear receptor-binding SET domain 3 (NSD3) catalyzes methylation of histone H3 at lysine 36 (H3K36), and promotes malignant transformation and progression of human cancer. Its expression, potential functions and underlying mechanisms in pancreatic cancer are studied. Bioinformatics studies and results from local human tissues show that NSD3 is upregulated in human pancreatic cancer tissues, which is correlated with poor overall survival. In primary and established pancreatic cancer cells, NSD3 silencing (by shRNAs) or CRISPR/Cas9-induced NSD3 knockout potently inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, while provoking cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Conversely, ectopic expression of NSD3-T1232A mutation significantly accelerated proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. H3K36 dimethylation, expression of NSD3-dependent genes (Prkaa2, Myc, Irgm1, Adam12, and Notch3), and mTOR activation (S6K1 phosphorylation) were largely inhibited by NSD3 silencing or knockout. In vivo, intratumoral injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-packed NSD3 shRNA potently inhibited pancreatic cancer xenograft growth in nude mice. These results suggest that elevated NSD3 could be an important driver for the malignant progression of pancreatic cancer.Subject terms: Pancreatic cancer, Oncogenes     

高通量转录组RNA-seq研究成年牛下丘脑-垂体-卵巢

肉牛的性成熟受下丘脑-垂体-卵巢(HPO)轴的调节,但其具体作用机制尚不清楚.为了探讨HPO轴繁殖相关基因和调控机制,采用高通量转录组RNA-seq技术,研究了成年安格斯牛(30个月大)的下丘脑、垂体和卵巢.结果表明,HPO共有18 179个基因在GO(基因本体论)中注释,37 158个基因在KEGG(京都基因百科全书和基因组)中注释,36 645个基因在KOG(KEGG同源数据库)中注释.GO分析表明,HPO富集了8种生殖相关功能,主要是受精、单个组织生殖过程、子宫胚胎发育和雌激素反应.KEGG分析发现,HPO富集300条信号通路(SP),主要是癌症SP和磷脂酰肌醇3激酶蛋白激酶(PI3K-Akt)SP.与生殖有关的SPs共有16条,主要是Notch SP、神经营养素SP、哺乳动物雷帕霉素(mTOR)SP和血管内皮生长因子(VEG F)SP.为今后肉牛繁殖性能的提高、分子育种和同行参考提供了科学依据.     

Temporal Coherence of Chlorophyll a during a Spring Phytoplankton Bloom in Xiangxi Bay of Three‐Gorges Reservoir,China

Algal bloom phenomenon was defined as “the rapid growth of one or more phytoplankton species which leads to a rapid increase in the biomass of phytoplankton”, yet most estimates of temporal coherence are based on yearly or monthly sampling frequencies and little is known of how synchrony varies among phytoplankton or of the causes of temporal coherence during spring algal bloom. In this study, data of chlorophyll a and related environmental parameters were weekly gathered at 15 sampling sites in Xiangxi Bay of Three‐Gorges Reservoir (TGR, China) to evaluate patterns of temporal coherence for phytoplankton during spring bloom and test if spatial heterogeneity of nutrient and inorganic suspended particles within a single ecosystem influences synchrony of spring phytoplankton dynamics. There is a clear spatial and temporal variation in chlorophyll a across Xiangxi Bay. The degree of temporal coherence for chlorophyll a between pairs of sites located in Xiangxi Bay ranged from –0.367 to 0.952 with mean and median values of 0.349 and 0.321, respectively. Low levels of temporal coherence were often detected among the three stretches of the bay (Down reach, middle reach and upper reach), while high levels of temporal coherence were often found within the same reach of the bay. The relative difference of DIN between pair sites was the strong predictor of temporal coherence for chlorophyll a in down and middle reach of the bay, while the relative difference in Anorganic Suspended Solids was the important factor regulating temporal coherence in middle and upper reach. Contrary to many studies, these results illustrate that, in a small geographic area (a single reservoir bay of approximately 25 km), spatial heterogeneity influence synchrony of phytoplankton dynamics during spring bloom and local processes may override the effects of regional processes or dispersal. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)