Introduction of broadleaf species into monospecific Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations changed the soil Acidobacteria subgroups composition and nitrogen-cycling gene abundances

Plant and Soil - A model that can assess the structure and functionality of the soil/plant/atmosphere (SPA) continuum along spatial and temporal gradients using specific and measurable variables...     

土壤微生物多样性通过共现网络复杂性表征高寒草甸生态系统多功能性

土壤微生物多样性在生态系统功能的维持方面发挥着至关重要的作用,但是土壤生物多样性与生态系统功能（Biodiversity-ecosystem function,BEF）关系仍存在争议。以往的研究多基于简单多样性指标（如物种数、香浓多样性指数等）对BEF关系进行探究,忽略了物种间复杂的相互作用在BEF关系中的重要性。以青藏高原米拉山高寒草甸为研究对象,使用Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术测定了6个海拔高度（3755 m、3994 m、4225 m、4534 m、4900 m、5120 m）土壤细菌和真菌群落特征,分析了简单微生物多样性指标（物种数）和共现网络复杂性与生态系统多功能性（Ecosystem multifunctionality,EMF）的关系,以期进一步揭示微生物多样性与EMF的关系。共现网络分析表明,表征土壤细菌和真菌网络复杂性的节点（Node）和边（Link）沿海拔高度的升高显著下降（P<0.05）。土壤细菌和真菌的多样性和网络复杂性均沿海拔的升高显著下降（P<0.05）,而且网络复杂性比相应的多样性下降明显。在未控制环境因素时,真菌和细菌的多样性和网络复杂性均与EMF显著正相关（P<0.05）;其中真菌和细菌网络复杂性对EMF的解释度高于相应多样性对EMF的解释度。通过偏回归分析（Partial least squares regression,PLSR）控制年降水、年均温、黏粒含量、盐基离子和酸性离子等气候及土壤环境因子影响后,土壤细菌和真菌物种多样性与EMF的显著正相关关系变为不相关（P>0.05）,而网络复杂性与EMF的显著正相关关系（P<0.05）仍然存在。利用方差分解分析（Variance partition analysis,VPA）将环境因子纳入对EMF的影响后发现,土壤微生物网络复杂性和环境因子对EMF变化的解释度可达80%,高于土壤微生物多样性与环境因子对EMF变化的解释度。结构方程模型（Structural equation model,SEM）分析进一步显示,土壤细菌多样性和真菌多样性通过促进对应共现网络的复杂性,间接对EMF产生正向影响。综上所述,相较于简单的多样性指标,土壤微生物网络复杂性对EMF具有更好的解释度和预测性,微生物多样性主要通过促进网络复杂性间接正向影响EMF。研究结果扩展了BEF关系的研究,证明微生物物种多样性主要通过促进对应的网络复杂性维持EMF。     

The lncRNA HNF1A‐AS1 is a negative prognostic factor and promotes tumorigenesis in osteosarcoma

Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNA HNF1A‐antisense 1 (HNF1A‐AS1) plays an important role in the development of several human malignancy entities. However, the expression and function of HNF1A‐AS1 in the carcinogenesis and development of osteosarcoma remains unknown. In this study, we detected the HNF1A‐AS1 levels in human osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR), and investigated its role in osteosarcoma by using in vitro assays. Our study showed that HNF1A‐AS1 expression was significantly up‐regulated in human osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines compared with their normal counterparts, and its expression level was positively correlated with the distance metastasis (P = 0.009) and tumour stage (P = 0.019). Moreover, Kaplan–Meier curves with the log‐rank test showed that higher expression of HNF1A‐AS1 conferred a significantly poorer survival and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that HNF1A‐AS1 was an independent risk factor of overall survival. In addition, the expression of HNF1A‐AS1 in serum is correlated with patients’ status and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that HNF1A‐AS1 could distinguish patients with osteosarcoma from healthy individuals (the area under curve 0.849, P < 0.001). Furthermore, in vitro knockdown of HNF1A‐AS1 by siRNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation and G₁/S transition, and suppressed migration and invasion by reducing the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) program in osteosarcoma cells. Taken together, our data suggested that HNF1A‐AS1 is a novel molecule involved in osteosarcoma progression, which may provide as a potential diagnostic, prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.     

近自然社区公园的生物多样性特征——以北京市中心城区为例

城市绿地为城市动植物提供了重要栖息地,对城市生物多样性保护具有重要意义。然而,传统社区公园绿地（"传统绿地"）主要围绕安全、景观和游憩功能,植物种类偏少,群落结构单一,为城市野生动物提供食源和栖息地的资源有限。北京市以2035规划"留白增绿"为政策背景,在中心城区建设一系列小型近自然社区公园绿地（"近自然绿地"）,在植物物种组成、群落结构和管理方式上有别于以往的传统绿地。一般认为生物多样性在一定范围内随面积的增大而提高,那么对于受到高度干扰的小型绿地,"近自然"特征是否能够显著提高其包括昆虫、鸟类在内的生物多样性？为探究这类近自然绿地的生物多样性特征,在2020年8月至2021年3月,综合采用样方法、样线法,对北京市西城区2个近自然绿地及4个传统绿地的植物、昆虫和鸟类进行调查,分析比较其多样性特征。结果表明,近自然绿地的灌木和草本层丰富度和多样性显著高于传统绿地,均匀度则无显著差异;近自然绿地的昆虫和鸟类的丰富度、多样性显著高于传统绿地,均匀度则无显著差异。与传统绿地相比,近自然绿地具有更丰富的鸟类食源、蜜源植物,以及更为复杂的植被垂直结构。根据以上结果,近自然绿地具有比传统绿地更为显著的生物多样性优势,建议在进行城市绿地建设时,应增加植被结构复杂的近自然绿地的比例,增加绿地的灌木和草本层多样性。研究成果不仅丰富了小面积绿地的生物多样性内涵,且可为大都市近自然绿地营建提供理论依据。本研究还将为今后公园设计、改造和管理提供新的思路,引导绿地向基于生物多样性保护的方向可持续发展。     

Fine-mapping of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">woolly</Emphasis> gene controlling multicellular trichome formation and embryonic development in tomato

Trichomes are small hairs that originate from the epidermal cells of nearly all land plants, and they exist in unicellular and multicellular forms. The regulatory pathway of unicellular trichomes in Arabidopsis is well characterized. However, little is known about the multicellular trichome formation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The woolly (Wo) gene controls multicellular trichome initiation and leads to embryonic lethality when homozygous in tomato. To clone and characterize Wo, the gene was fine-mapped to a DNA fragment of ~200 kb using the map-based cloning strategy. A series of sequence-based molecular markers, including simple sequence repeat, sequence characterized amplified region, and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence were utilized in this study. Analysis of the sequence indicated that this region carries 19 putative open reading frames. These results will provide not only the important information for the isolation and characterization of Wo but also the starting point for studying the regulatory pathway responsible for trichome formation and embryonic lethality in tomato.