Multifunction of autophagy-related genes in filamentous fungi

Autophagy (macroautophagy), a highly conserved eukaryotic mechanism, is a non-selective degradation process, helping to maintain a balance between the synthesis, degradation and subsequent recycling of macromolecules to overcome various stress conditions. The term autophagy denotes any cellular process which involves the delivery of cytoplasmic material to the lysosome for degradation. Autophagy, in filamentous fungi plays a critical role during cellular development and pathogenicity. Autophagy, like the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade and nutrient-sensing cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway, is also an important process for appressorium turgor accumulation in order to penetrate the leaf surface of host plant and destroy the plant defense. Yeast, an autophagy model, has been used to compare the multi-valued functions of ATG (autophagy-related genes) in different filamentous fungi. The autophagy machinery in both yeast and filamentous fungi is controlled by Tor kinase and both contain two distinct phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase complexes. In this review, we focus on the functions of ATG genes during pathogenic development in filamentous fungi.     

Decreased tumstatin-mRNA is associated with poor outcome in patients with NSCLC

Tumstatin is a candidate tumor suppressor that plays an important role in tumor growth and angiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between tumstatin-mRNA expression and the clinicopathologic characteristics, tumor angiogenesis, outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Specimens from 68 patients with NSCLC were recruited in this study. Tumstatin-mRNA expression and protein level in tumor tissues were quantified respectively by quantitative RT-PCR and ELISA. Microvessel density (MVD) was determined by CD34 immunostaining. The correlation of tumstatin-mRNA expression levels with clinicopathologic variables, tumor angiogenesis, and prognosis was analyzed. Tumstatin-mRNA expression levels were decreased in tumor. Tumstatin-mRNA expression level was significantly correlated with its protein level in tumor (r = 0.562; P = 0.001). Tumstatin-mRNA expression levels in poorly differentiated tumor tissues were significantly lower than in well-differentiated tumor tissues (P < 0.004). Furthermore, tumor tumstatin-mRNA expression were also significantly related to tumor pathologic stage (P = 0.032) and MVD (r = -0.77, P < 0.0001). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) analysis indicated that NSCLC patients with low tumstatin-mRNA expression had poorer OS and DFS than those with high expression (P = 0.015 and 0.037; respectively). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that the tumstatin-mRNA expression could be an independent prognostic indicators in both DFS and OS. Tumstatin-mRNA expression levels are down-regulated in NSCLC tissues. Tumstatin-mRNA expression level correlates with prognosis, which suggests that tumstatin-mRNA is a new potential independent marker of favorable prognosis in NSCLC.     

Autophagy precedes apoptosis during the remodeling of silkworm larval midgut

Although several features of apoptosis and autophagy have been reported in the larval organs of Lepidoptera during metamorphosis, solid experimental evidence for autophagy is still lacking. Moreover, the role of the two processes and the nature of their relationship are still cryptic. In this study, we perform a cellular, biochemical and molecular analysis of the degeneration process that occurs in the larval midgut of Bombyx mori during larval-adult transformation, with the aim to analyze autophagy and apoptosis in cells that die under physiological conditions. We demonstrate that larval midgut degradation is due to the concerted action of the two mechanisms, which occur at different times and have different functions. Autophagy is activated from the wandering stage and reaches a high level of activity during the spinning and prepupal stages, as demonstrated by specific autophagic markers. Our data show that the process of autophagy can recycle molecules from the degenerating cells and supply nutrients to the animal during the non-feeding period. Apoptosis intervenes later. In fact, although genes encoding caspases are transcribed at the end of the larval period, the activity of these proteases is not appreciable until the second day of spinning and apoptotic features are observable from prepupal phase. The abundance of apoptotic features during the pupal phase, when the majority of the cells die, indicates that apoptosis is actually responsible for cell death and for the disappearance of larval midgut cells.     

A Drug Screening Method Based on the Autophagy Pathway and Studies of the Mechanism of Evodiamine against Influenza A Virus

In this research, we have established a drug screening method based on the autophagy signal pathway using the bimolecular fluorescence complementation - fluorescence resonance energy transfer (BiFC-FRET) technique to develop novel anti-influenza A virus (IAV) drugs. We selected Evodia rutaecarpa Benth out of 83 examples of traditional Chinese medicine and explored the mechanisms of evodiamine, the major active component of Evodia rutaecarpa Benth, on anti-IAV activity. Our results showed that evodiamine could significantly inhibit IAV replication, as determined by a plaque inhibition assay, an IAV vRNA promoter luciferase reporter assay and the Sulforhodamine B method using cytopathic effect (CPE) reduction. Additionally, evodiamine could significantly inhibit the accumulation of LC3-II and p62, and the dot-like aggregation of EGFP-LC3. This compound also inhibited the formation of the Atg5-Atg12/Atg16 heterotrimer, the expressions of Atg5, Atg7 and Atg12, and the cytokine release of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 after IAV infection. Evodiamine inhibited IAV-induced autophagy was also dependent on its action on the AMPK/TSC2/mTOR signal pathway. In conclusion, we have established a new drug screening method, and selected evodiamine as a promising anti-IAV compound.     

鲤鱼SOCS-4基因克隆、鉴定及表达模式分析

细胞因子是调节机体免疫和神经内分泌功能的生物活性物质,其信号的激发、放大和持续在时间和空间上都受到严格调控。细胞因子信号传导抑制因子(Suppressorof cytokine signaling,SOCS)是细胞因子信号通路的负调节因子,通过负反馈抑制细胞因子的信号传递,防止过度的信号反应干扰机体代谢平衡和细胞功能。在哺乳动物中,SOCS系统对生长激素(GH)、表皮生长因子     

中国人口分布的自然成因

中国多样化的自然环境造就了人口分布的区域差异性,明晰人口分布格局与自然环境的相互关系对于增进对人地关系的理解,实现人口、资源、环境的可持续管理具有重要作用.本文以人口密度为指标,采用洛伦兹曲线与空间统计相结合的方法,分析了中国人口分布状况,并探讨了自然因素组合对人口分布的影响以及人口分布与年均温度、年均降水量、干燥度、净初级生产力、地表粗糙度、距海岸线距离等16个指标的相互关系.结果表明: 中国人口分布集聚现象显著,东、中、西部地区分别以高、中、低人口密度为主,空间上呈现出明显的正空间关联特征;人口密度与河网密度、年均温度、年均降水量、净初级生产力、≥5 ℃积温、降水量变异、相对湿度、温暖指数呈极显著的正相关关系,与相对高差、平均高程、日照时数、地表粗糙度、距海岸线距离呈显著负相关;气候因子(年均温度、温暖指数、降水量变异、净初级生产力)、地形因子(地表粗糙度、相对高差)和水系因子(河网密度)为影响人口分布的主要自然因素.建议加强对东部高人口密度区的生态环境监控,避免因人口增长导致生态环境退化;同时,强调对中西部生态环境脆弱地区的生态环境保育,增强这些地区的人口承载能力,减缓东部地区高人口密度的生态环境压力.     

阶段性干旱及复水对小麦光合特性和产量的影响

在田间人工遮雨条件下,研究了持续、缓慢的干旱胁迫及复水对小麦旗叶光合特性及产量的影响.结果表明:返青至成熟期充分供水(S0)的小麦旗叶叶绿素含量、叶绿素荧光参数、光合参数和产量较高;返青至成熟期(S3)或开花至成熟期(S2)遭受干旱胁迫的小麦上述光合特征参数与产量显著下降;开花至成熟期复水(S1)的小麦其上述光合参数与S0相比表现出超补偿效应,但产量略低于S0;S1、S2与S3水分利用效率分别为S0的143.2％、86.5％和97.3％;由此得出0～ 40 cm土层平均土壤相对含水量在返青至开花期保持在55％±5％,开花至灌浆期保持在70％±5％,可在获取一定产量的同时高效节水;由于水分和密度在产量表现上存在互作,得出0 ～ 40 cm土层平均土壤相对含水量在返青至开花期保持在55％ ±5％,开花至灌浆期保持在70％ ±5％,并采取675株·m-2的密度是该地区最佳的水分密度组合.     

树干毕赤酵母和酿酒酵母混合糖发酵产乙醇

以树干毕赤酵母和酿酒酵母为发酵菌株,酸性蒸汽爆破玉米秸秆预水解液和纯糖模拟液为C源,采用固定化酵母细胞的方法,研究了酸爆玉米秸秆预水解液初始pH、N源种类及其浓度、3种发酵模式对树干毕赤酵母戊糖发酵的影响。结果表明:玉米秸秆预水解液适合发酵的初始pH范围为6.0～7.0;1.0 g/L的(NH4)2SO4作为N源,在40 g/L葡萄糖和25 g/L木糖培养基中发酵24 h,糖利用率达到99.47%,乙醇质量浓度为24.72 g/L,优于尿素和蛋白胨作为N源;3种模式的发酵体系中,以游离树干毕赤酵母和固定化酿酒酵母发酵性能最好,糖利用率和乙醇得率分别为99.43%和96.39%。     

A NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS SINOENNER FROM JIANGXI, CHINA ( PULMONATA, STYOMMATOPHORA, STREPTAXIDAE)

在整理江西地区陆生贝类标本时,经比对鉴定发现1新种,龙潭弯螺Sinoennea longtanensis sp.nov.,隶属肺螺亚纲、柄眼目、扭轴蜗牛科、弯螺属.对新种形态特征、栖息环境作了记述,并与其近似种进行讨论.