植物根系分泌物在污染及沙化土壤修复中的应用现状与前景

近年来重金属污染等生态环境问题日益受到重视,而物理、化学修复方法存在的诸如成本高、二次污染等问题,使得利用植物、微生物等进行联合治理成为环境修复的重要手段。植物根系分泌物作为植物与土壤进行营养和信息交流的重要媒介,不但对植物的生长具有重要作用,其在污染及沙化土壤修复中作用的研究也得以广泛开展。本文对根系分泌物的组成、分泌机制进行了阐述,并对其在植物吸收重金属、化感作用、植物根系与根际微生物互作、改变土壤理化性质等过程中的作用及机理进行了总结。此外,本文还对利用根系分泌物和根际微生物在生态环境治理中的应用现状、面临的难题及未来的发展等进行了讨论。希望本文可为基于植物与微生物进行的环境修复技术的实际应用提供理论支撑。     

祁连山5种典型灌丛土壤生态化学计量特征

土壤C、N、P生态化学计量特征是体现生态系统变化过程的重要依据。该研究以分布于祁连山北麓中段的甘青锦鸡儿、鲜黄小檗、金露梅、鬼箭锦鸡儿、吉拉柳等5种典型灌丛群落为研究对象,通过野外调查采样,测定土壤有机C、N、P含量,分析了不同灌丛群落土壤C、N、P含量及其生态化学计量比的垂直分布特征,并探讨了各指标间的耦合关系,为祁连山地区土壤-植物养分关系及退化植被恢复与重建提供理论依据。结果表明:(1)祁连山北麓中段5种灌丛群落土壤有机C(45.29 g/kg)、全N(3.85 g/kg)、全P含量(0.70 g/kg)较高,均高于全国平均水平。(2)相关性分析表明,土壤有机C与全N之间呈极显著正相关(P0.01),但土壤有机C与全P以及全N与全P之间没有明显的相关性,且土壤C、N含量变化几乎完全同步。(3)各灌丛类型土壤有机C、全N含量均表现为表层高于下层,而全P含量土层间差异不显著;各灌丛群落土壤有机C、全N含量均随土层加深呈现"倒金字塔"的分布格局,但不同灌丛类型全P含量随土层加深的变化规律却不一致,且土层对全P含量的影响不显著。(4)5种灌丛群落土壤整体C∶N、C∶P、N∶P(11.29、66.99、5.67)均低于全国平均水平,各灌丛群落土壤C∶P、N∶P随土层加深均呈不同程度的下降趋势,但不同灌丛群落土壤C∶N随土层加深的变化规律有所不同。(5)土壤有机C、全N与C∶N、C∶P、N∶P之间均具有极显著的二次函数关系(P0.01),土壤全P与C∶N、C∶P、N∶P之间关系不显著。研究认为,祁连山北麓中段土壤C∶N和P含量的稳定性较高(CV=3.99%和2.66%),C∶P、N∶P是判断研究区限制性养分的重要指标,祁连山北麓中段灌丛群落土壤主要受N素的限制。     

IL-21单克隆抗体对MRL/lpr狼疮小鼠的治疗作用*

目的: 探讨IL-21单克隆抗体对MRL/lpr狼疮小鼠的免疫治疗作用。方法: 将20只MRL/lpr狼疮小鼠随机分为模型组和治疗组,每组10只;同年龄同性别C57BL/6小鼠10只作为正常组。治疗组小鼠每周腹腔注射IL-21单克隆抗体(100 μg),正常组及模型组小鼠每周腹腔注射等量生理盐水(100 μg),连续干预8周。干预结束后观察小鼠皮毛、活动等一般性状及浅表淋巴结大小,并采集小鼠血液、尿液及肾脏标本。采用Western blot法检测三组小鼠肾组织中IL-21蛋白表达情况;采用ELISA法比较三组小鼠血清抗ds-DNA抗体、ANA抗体、血尿素氮、肌酐和炎症因子IL-17A、TGF-β1水平;采用生物化学法比较三组小鼠24 h尿蛋白水平。结果: 与正常组比较,模型组小鼠肾组织IL-21、血清抗ds-DNA、ANA抗体水平、尿素氮、肌酐、IL-17A浓度及24 h尿蛋白水平均升高(P＜0.05),TGF-β1浓度降低(P＜0.01);与模型组比较,治疗组小鼠肾组织IL-21、血清抗ds-DNA、ANA抗体水平、尿素氮、肌酐、IL-17A浓度、24 h尿蛋白水平均降低(P＜0.05),TGF-β1浓度升高(P＜0.01)。结论: 腹腔注射IL-21单克隆抗体可改善MRL/lpr狼疮小鼠免疫功能与肾损害,提示治疗机制可能与重塑Th17/Treg相关细胞因子平衡有关。     

龙眼组蛋白去乙酰化酶基因DlHDT1的克隆与特性分析

组蛋白去乙酰化是植物表观遗传调控的重要组成部分,对染色体结构修饰和基因表达调控发挥着重要的作用。为深入探究组蛋白去乙酰化酶基因(histone deacetylase 1,HDT1)在龙眼体胚发生过程中的功能,该研究结合龙眼基因组数据,采用RT-PCR方法克隆得到龙眼组蛋白去乙酰化酶基因(DlHDT1),对其进行生物信息学分析及亚细胞定位观察,同时结合转录组数据分析DlHDT1在体胚发生过程中的FPKM值,并利用qRT-PCR技术检测PEG6000和NaCl处理下DlHDT1的表达模式。结果表明:(1)DlHDT1基因CDS序列全长918 bp,编码305个氨基酸,该蛋白为不稳定亲水性蛋白,不含信号肽和跨膜结构,共含43个磷酸化位点,相对分子量为32 585.54 Da,等电点为4.65;进化树分析显示龙眼DlHDT1与漾濞槭亲缘关系最近(78.76%)。(2)亚细胞定位显示,DlHDT1蛋白定位于细胞核中;顺式作用元件分析发现DlHDT1基因含有大量光响应元件和脱落酸、茉莉酸甲酯等激素及逆境胁迫响应元件;转录组数据显示,DlHDT1在龙眼体胚发生不同时期均有表达,在胚性愈伤组织(EC)阶段表达最低,在球形胚(GE)阶段表达最高。(3)qRT-PCR显示,在PEG6000和NaCl处理下DlHDT1基因,呈下调表达趋势,推测DlHDT1可能参与调控龙眼对干旱及盐胁迫的响应,并存在负调控关系。研究认为,DlHDT1为核定位基因,可能参与龙眼体胚形态建成并在龙眼响应非生物逆境胁迫过程中发挥重要作用。     

基于Web服务的流感病毒基因组自动化翻译注释系统

随着流感病毒基因组测序数据的急剧增加,深入挖掘流感病毒基因组大数据蕴含的生物学信息成为研究热点。基于中国流感病毒流行特征数据,建设一个集自动化、一体化和信息化的序列库系统,对于实现流感病毒基因组批量快速翻译、注释、存储、查询、分析具有重要的应用价值。本课题组通过集成一系列软件和工具包,并结合自主研发的其他功能,在底层维护的2个关键的参考数据集基础上另外追加了翻译注释信息最佳匹配的精细化筛选规则,构建具有流感病毒基因组信息存储、自动化翻译、蛋白序列精准注释、同源序列比对和进化树分析等功能的自动化系统。结果显示,通过Web端输入fasta格式的流感病毒基因序列,本系统可针对参考序列片段数据集(blastdb.fasta)进行Blast同源性检索,可以鉴定流感病毒的型别(A、B或C)、亚型和基因片段(1~8片段);在此基础上,通过查询数据库底层用于翻译、注释的基因片段参考数据集,可以获得一组肽段数据集,然后通过循环调用ProSplign软件对其进行预测。结合精细化的筛选准入规则,选出与输入序列匹配最好的翻译后产物,作为该输入序列的预测蛋白,输出为gbk,asn和fasta等通用格式的文件,给出序列长度、是否全长、病毒型别、亚型、片段等信息。基于以上工作,另外自主研发了系统其他的附加功能如进化树分析展示、基因组数据存储等功能,构建成基于Web服务的流感病毒基因组自动化翻译注释系统。本研究提示,系统高度集成系列软件以及自有的注释翻译数据库文件,实现从序列存储、翻译、注释到序列分析和展示的功能,可全面满足我国高通量基因检测数据共享化、本土化、一体化、自动化的需求。     

Genomic surveillance of Nevada patients revealed prevalence of unique SARS-CoV-2 variants bearing mutations in the RdRp gene

Patients with signs of COVID-19 were tested through diagnostic RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 using RNA extracted from the nasopharyngeal/nasal swabs.To determine the variants of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the state of Nevada,specimens from 200 COVID-19 patients were sequenced through our robust sequencing platform,which enabled sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from specimens with even very low viral loads,without the need of culture-based amplification.High genome coverage allowed the identification of single and multi-nucleotide variants in SARS-CoV-2 in the community and their phylogenetic relationships with other variants present during the same period of the outbreak.We report the occurrence of a novel mutation at 323aa (314aa of orf1b) of nsp12 (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) changed to phenylalanine(F) from proline (P),in the first reported isolate of SARS-CoV-2,Wuhan-Hu-1.This 323F variant was present at a very high frequency in Northern Nevada.Structural modeling determined this mutation in the interface domain,which is important for the association of accessory proteins required for the polymerase.In conclusion,we report the introduction of specific SARS-CoV-2 variants at very high frequency in distinct geographic locations,which is important for understanding the evolution and circulation of SARS-CoV-2variants of public health importance,while it circulates in humans.     

Crumbs proteins stabilize the cone mosaics of photoreceptors and improve vision in zebrafish

Although the unique organization of vertebrate cone mosaics was first described long ago,both their underlying molecular basis and physiological significance are largely unknown.Here,we demonstrate that Crumbs proteins,the key regulators of epithelial apical polarity,establish the planar cellular polarity of photoreceptors in zebrafish.Via heterophilic Crb2a-Crb2b interactions,the apicobasal polarity protein Crb2b restricts the asymmetric planar distribution of Crb2a in photoreceptors.The planar polarized Crumbs proteins thus balance intercellular adhesions and tension between photoreceptors,thereby stabilizing the geometric organization of cone mosaics.Notably,loss of Crb2b in zebrafish induces a nearsightedness-like phenotype in zebrafish accompanied by an elongated eye axis and impairs zebrafish visual perception for predation.These data reveal a detailed mechanism for cone mosaic homeostasis via previously undiscovered apical-planar polarity coordination and propose a pathogenic mechanism for nearsightedness.     

Genetic Analysis of Human Adenovirus Type 7 Strains Circulating in Different Parts of China

To investigate the molecular epidemiology and genetic variation of human adenovirus type 7(HAdV-7) in children with acute respiratory infections(ARI) in China. HAdV-7-positive respiratory samples collected from children with ARI in Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Wenzhou and Guangzhou from 2014–2018 were selected for gene amplification and sequence analysis. Fifty-seven HAdV-7 clinical strains with hexon, penton base and fiber gene sequences were obtained. Meanwhile17 strains were selected randomly from different cities for whole genome sequencing. Phylogenetic and variation analyses were performed based on the obtained sequences, HAdV-7 prototype strain Gomen(AY594255), vaccine strains(AY495969 and AY594256) and representative sequences of strains. The phylogenetic trees constructed based on whole genome sequences, major capsid protein genes(hexon, penton base and fiber) and the early genes(E1, E2, E3 and E4) were not completely consistent. The HAdV-7 strains obtained in this study always clustered with most of the circulating strains worldwide from the 1980 s to the present. Compared with the HAdV-7 prototype strain Gomen(AY594255), some amino acid mutations in loop1 and loop2 of hexon and the RGD loop region of the penton base gene were observed. Recombination analysis showed that partial regions of 55 k Da protein and 100 kDa hexon-assembly associated protein genes among all HAdV-7 strains in this study were from HAdV-16 and HAdV-3, respectively. Our study demonstrated the molecular evolution characteristics of HAdV-7 strains circulating in China and provided basic reference data for the prevention, control and vaccine development of HAdV-7.