青海湖裸鲤自然产卵场的生境特征及无人机遥测判别——以泉吉河为例

自然产卵场是维持物种延续最关键的栖息地,青海湖裸鲤（Gymnocypris przewalskii）的自然繁殖栖息地状况和生境特征尚缺乏详细的定量研究。以青海湖入湖河流泉吉河为例,在平水期采用现场调查和无人机遥测的方法对青海湖裸鲤的自然产卵场分布及生境状况进行调查,确定其产卵场生境特征参数,建立基于无人机遥测识别产卵场的方法并进行复核验证。结果表明：泉吉河河道形态可分为弯曲型、分汊型和顺直型等三种典型河型,青海湖裸鲤自然产卵场主要分布在弯曲型和分汊型河道中,分汊型河道几乎100%都有产卵场分布,弯曲型河道有70%为产卵场;产卵场河道平均长度（135.13±61.13） m,平均宽度（30.01±17.51） m,平均曲折度1.09±0.07;平均面积（4586.6±4201.61） m²;产卵场常位于缓水浅滩处,平均水深（0.19±0.10） m （范围：0.03-0.44m）,平均流速（0.24±0.20） m/s （范围：0.01-0.81m/s）,河床质为含有沙粒的卵石（粒径：163-256mm）底质。河道形态、沙洲分布、水深特征等特征参数可作为无人机遥测识别产卵场的判断条件,并实现验证成功。研究结果可为开展整个流域的青海湖裸鲤自然产卵场现状评估及保护对策制定提供技术支撑。     

不同身体质量指数人群肠道菌群结构及共存网络解析

[背景] 人体能量稳态失衡表现为体重过轻、超重和肥胖,肠道菌群与人体能量稳态的维持有关,但不同身体质量指数（Body Mass Index,BMI）人群的肠道菌群特征仍需进一步探究。[目的] 基于美国肠道计划公开数据库,解析4类BMI人群肠道菌群的特征,并探究4类BMI人群肠道菌群共存网络特征及差异,为基于肠道菌群来干预肥胖及体重过轻等不健康状态提供新的理论依据。[方法] 从美国肠道计划数据集中筛选具有BMI信息的肠道菌群样本,并根据世界卫生组织规定的BMI划分标准将筛选后的样本分为4类：体重过轻（BMI<18.5 kg/m²）,正常体重（18.5 kg/m²2）,超重（25 kg/m²2）,肥胖（BMI>30 kg/m²）;通过计算和比较肠道菌群的α多样性和β多样性探究4类BMI人群肠道菌群的整体结构特征及差异;通过多元线性回归模型对不同BMI分类与肠道菌群进行相关性分析,并且将地域、年龄、性别因素作为混杂因素加入到模型中进行校正;采用SparCC分别计算4类BMI人群肠道菌群中菌属相关性,并分别构建肠道菌群共存网络。[结果] 经过Wilcoxon秩和检验,发现体重过轻、超重、肥胖人群的肠道菌群α多样性都显著低于正常体重人群;β多样性分析结果表明4类BMI人群肠道菌群的整体结构存在显著差异;4类BMI人群肠道中厚壁菌门（Firmicutes）和拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）的相对含量无显著差异;通过MaAsLin分析,并且将地域、年龄、性别因素作为混杂因素加入到模型中进行校正,共得到49个与BMI类型显著相关的物种;4类BMI人群肠道菌群共存网络的拓扑结构具有一定差异,体重过轻和正常体重人群肠道菌群共存网络的复杂度较高,超重和肥胖人群肠道菌群共存网络的复杂度较低。[结论] 4类BMI人群肠道菌群的多样性、整体结构和共存网络间均存在差异。     

CD33‐targeting extracellular vesicles deliver antisense oligonucleotides against FLT3‐ITD and miR‐125b for specific treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia

IntroductionAcute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) is the most common blood cancer in adults. Although 2 out of 3 AML patients go into total remission after chemotherapies and targeted therapies, the disease recurs in 60%–65% of younger adult patients within 3 years after diagnosis with a dramatically decreased survival rate. Therapeutic oligonucleotides are promising treatments under development for AML as they can be designed to silence oncogenes with high specificity and flexibility. However, there are not many well validated approaches for safely and efficiently delivering oligonucleotide drugs. This issue could be resolved by utilizing a new generation of delivery vehicles such as extracellular vesicles (EVs).MethodsIn this study, we harness red blood cell‐derived EVs (RBCEVs) and engineer them via exogenous drug loading and surface functionalization to develop an efficient drug delivery system for AML. Particularly, EVs are designed to target CD33, a common surface marker with elevated expression in AML cells via the conjugation of a CD33‐binding monoclonal antibody onto the EV surface.ResultsThe conjugation of RBCEVs with the CD33‐binding antibody significantly increases the uptake of RBCEVs by CD33‐positive AML cells, but not by CD33‐negative cells. We also load CD33‐targeting RBCEVs with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting FLT3‐ITD or miR‐125b, 2 common oncogenes in AML, and demonstrate that the engineered EVs improve leukaemia suppression in in vitro and in vivo models of AML.ConclusionTargeted RBCEVs represent an innovative, efficient, and versatile delivery platform for therapeutic ASOs and can expedite the clinical translation of oligonucleotide drugs for AML treatments by overcoming current obstacles in oligonucleotide delivery.

In this study, we harness red blood cell‐derived EVs (RBCEVs) and engineer them with surface functionalization and exogenous drug loading to develop an efficient drug delivery system for AML. Anti‐CD33 antibody was conjugated to RBCEVs using an enzymatic method combined with the streptavidin‐biotin system. We load the antibody conjugated RBCEVs with ASOs targeting FLT3‐ITD or miR‐125b, 2 common oncogenes in AML, and demonstrate that the treatment with engineered EVs improve leukaemia suppression both in vitro and in vivo.     

乳酸乳球菌NZ9000基因组规模代谢网络模型的构建与验证

随着后基因组时代的到来,工业微生物的代谢工程改造在工业生产上发挥着越来越重要的作用。而基因组规模代谢网络模型(Genome-scalemetabolicmodel,GSMM)将生物体体内所有已知代谢信息进行整合,为全局理解生物体的代谢状态、理性指导代谢工程改造提供了最佳的平台。乳酸乳球菌NZ9000(Lactococcuslactis NZ9000)作为工业发酵领域的重要菌株之一,由于其遗传背景清晰且几乎不分泌蛋白,是基因工程改造和外源蛋白表达的理想模式菌株。文中基于基因组功能注释和比较基因组学构建了L.lactisNZ9000的首个基因组规模代谢网络模型iWK557,包含557个基因、668个代谢物、840个反应,并进一步在定性和定量两个层次验证了iWK557的准确性,以期为理性指导L. lactis NZ9000代谢工程改造提供良好工具。     

Taxonomic synopsis of Berberis (Berberidaceae) from the northern Hengduan mountains region in China,with descriptions of seven new species

Though Berberis (Berberidaceae) is widely distributed across the Eurasian landmass it is most diverse in the Himalaya–Hengduan Mountain (HHM) region. There are more than 200 species in China where it is one of the most common mountain shrubs. The study on the taxonomy and evolution of Berberis in this region can thus provide an important insight into the origin and diversification of its flora. A prerequisite to this is mapping and describing the various species of Berberis in the region – a task that despite recent progress is by no means complete. It is clear that in China there may be a significant number of species still to be described and that even with published species much about their distribution remains to be discovered. As a contribution to the first of these tasks seven new species from the northern Hengduan Mountain of N. Sichuan and S. Qinghai: Berberis chinduensis, Berberis degexianensis, Berberis jiajinshanensis, Berberis jinwu, Berberis litangensis, Berberis longquensis and Berberis riparia, are described here. Differences in overall morphology and especially in floral structures with each other and with similar species of Berberis in the same region are presented. The report is the result of phylogenetic analyses based on plastome and partial nrDNA sequences of both the seven proposed new species and a significant number of similar species already published. Provisional conclusions as to the insights provides on the history of the genetic divergence are discussed.     

Glycine-serine-rich effector PstGSRE4 in Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici inhibits the activity of copper zinc superoxide dismutase to modulate immunity in wheat

Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) secretes an array of specific effector proteins to manipulate host immunity and promote pathogen colonization. In a previous study, we functionally characterized a glycine-serine-rich effector PstGSRE1 with a glycine-serine-rich motif (m9). However, the mechanisms of glycine-serine-rich effectors (GSREs) remain obscure. Here we report a new glycine-serine-rich effector, PstGSRE4, which has no m9-like motif but inhibits the enzyme activity of wheat copper zinc superoxide dismutase TaCZSOD2, which acts as a positive regulator of wheat resistance to Pst. By inhibiting the enzyme activity of TaCZSOD2, PstGSRE4 reduces H₂O₂ accumulation and HR areas to facilitate Pst infection. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of GSREs of rust fungi in regulating plant immunity.     

Mechanisms of chromatin-based epigenetic inheritance

Multi-cellular organisms such as humans contain hundreds of cell types that share the same genetic information(DNA sequences), and yet have different cellular traits and functions. While how genetic information is passed through generations has been extensively characterized, it remains largely obscure how epigenetic information encoded by chromatin regulates the passage of certain traits, gene expression states and cell identity during mitotic cell divisions, and even through meiosis. In this r...