Rumen Bacterial Diversity of 80 to 110-Day-Old Goats Using 16S rRNA Sequencing

The ability of rumen microorganisms to use fibrous plant matter plays an important role in ruminant animals; however, little information about rumen colonization by microbial populations after weaning has been reported. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the establishment of this microbial population in 80 to 110-day-old goats. Illumina sequencing of goat rumen samples yielded 101,356,610 nucleotides that were assembled into 256,868 reads with an average read length of 394 nucleotides. Taxonomic analysis of metagenomic reads indicated that the predominant phyla were distinct at different growth stages. The phyla Firmicutes and Synergistetes were predominant in samples taken from 80 to 100-day-old goats, but Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes became the most abundant phyla in samples from 110-day-old animals. There was a remarkable variation in the microbial populations with age; Firmicutes and Synergistetes decreased after weaning, but Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria increased from 80 to 110 day of age. These findings suggested that colonization of the rumen by microorganisms is related to their function in the rumen digestive system. These results give a better understanding of the role of rumen microbes and the establishment of the microbial population, which help to maintain the host’s health and improve animal performance.     

Tools for Targeted Genome Engineering of Established Drosophila Cell Lines

We describe an adaptation of φC31 integrase–mediated targeted cassette exchange for use in Drosophila cell lines. Single copies of an attP-bounded docking platform carrying a GFP-expression marker, with or without insulator elements flanking the attP sites, were inserted by P-element transformation into the Kc167 and Sg4 cell lines; each of the resulting docking-site lines carries a single mapped copy of one of the docking platforms. Vectors for targeted substitution contain a cloning cassette flanked by attB sites. Targeted substitution occurs by integrase-mediated substitution between the attP sites (integrated) and the attB sites (vector). We describe procedures for isolating cells carrying the substitutions and for eliminating the products of secondary off-target events. We demonstrate the technology by integrating a cassette containing a Cu²⁺-inducible mCherry marker, and we report the expression properties of those lines. When compared with clonal lines made by traditional transformation methods, which lead to the illegitimate insertion of tandem arrays, targeted insertion lines give more uniform expression, lower basal expression, and higher induction ratios. Targeted substitution, though intricate, affords results that should greatly improve comparative expression assays—a major emphasis of cell-based studies.     

The Conserved Modular Elements of the Acyl Carrier Proteins of Lipid Synthesis Are Only Partially Interchangeable

Prior work showed that expression of acyl carrier proteins (ACPs) of a diverse set of bacteria replaced the function of Escherichia coli ACP in lipid biosynthesis. However, the AcpAs of Lactococcus lactis and Enterococcus faecalis were inactive. Both failed to support growth of an E. coli acpP mutant strain. This defect seemed likely because of the helix II sequences of the two AcpAs, which differed markedly from those of the proteins that supported growth. To test this premise, chimeric ACPs were constructed in which L. lactis helix II replaced helix II of E. coli AcpP and vice versa. Expression of the AcpP protein L. lactis AcpA helix II allowed weak growth, whereas the L. lactis AcpA-derived protein that contained E. coli AcpP helix II failed to support growth of the E. coli mutant strain. Replacement of the L. lactis AcpA helix II residues in this protein showed that substitution of valine for the phenylalanine residue four residues downstream of the phosphopanthetheine-modified serine gave robust growth and allowed modification by the endogenous AcpS phosphopantetheinyl transferase (rather than the promiscuous Sfp transferase required to modify the L. lactis AcpA and the chimera of L. lactis AcpA helix II in AcpP). Further chimera constructs showed that the lack of function of the L. lactis AcpA-derived protein containing E. coli AcpP helix II was due to incompatibility of L. lactis AcpA helix I with the downstream elements of AcpP. Therefore, the origins of ACP incompatibility can reside in either helix I or in helix II.     

Identification and characterization of a novel salt‐tolerant esterase from a Tibetan glacier metagenomic library

A salt‐tolerant esterase, designated H9Est, was identified from a metagenomic library of the Karuola glacier. H9Est gene comprised 1071 bp and encoded a polypeptide of 357 amino acids with a molecular mass of 40 kDa. Sequence analysis revealed that H9Est belonged to the family IV of bacterial lypolitic enzyme. H9Est was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the purified enzyme showed hydrolytic activity towards p‐nitrophenyl esters with carbon chain from 2 to 8. The optimal esterase activity was at 40°C and pH 8.0 and the enzyme retained its activity towards some miscible organic solvents such as polyethylene glycol. A three‐dimensional model of H9Est revealed that S200, D294, and H324 formed the H9Est catalytic triad. Circular Dichroism spectra and molecular dynamic simulation indicated that the esterase had a wide denaturation temperature range and flexible loops that would be beneficial for H9Est performance at low temperatures while retaining heat‐resistant features. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:890–899, 2015     

与草菇原基形成相关的过氧化物酶基因VvDyP的结构与表达分析

DyP-type过氧化物酶作为氧化物酶家族中的一员,参与了菌体氧化应激调节反应以及基质降解等过程。本研究从草菇基因组中获得一个DyP-type 过氧化物酶的编码基因,将其命名为VvDyP。对该基因进行结构分析,结果显示草菇的DyP-type 过氧化物酶编码基因全长为 2 333bp,含有8个外显子,7个内含子;开放阅读框长为1 485bp,编码494个氨基酸。通过系统发育分析发现它与灰盖鬼伞以及糙皮侧耳DyP蛋白同源性最高;分析DyP-type 过氧化物酶编码基因在草菇各个时期的表达谱情况并进行荧光定量PCR实验验证发现,草菇的DyP-type过氧化物酶编码基因只在原基中高表达,推测DyP-type过氧化物酶编码基因可以清除过量的活性氧自由基以保证原基的正常形成。     

Contrasting responses to Pleistocene climate changes: a case study of two sister species Allium cyathophorum and A. spicata (Amaryllidaceae) distributed in the eastern and western Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

It has been hypothesized that species occurring in the eastern and the western Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) responded differently to climate changes during the Pleistocene. Here, we test this hypothesis by phylogeographic analysis of two sister species, Allium cyathophorum and A. spicata. We sequenced two chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments (accD‐psaI and the rpl16 intron) of 150 individuals, and the nuclear (ITS) region of 114 individuals, from 19 populations throughout the distributional ranges of these species. The divergence between the two species was dated at 779 ‐ 714 thousand years before the present and was likely initiated by the most major glaciation in the QTP. Analysis of chlorotype diversity showed that A. spicata, the species occurring in the western QTP, contains much lower genetic diversity (0.25) than A. cyathophorum (0.93), which is distributed in the eastern QTP. Moreover, multiple independent tests suggested that the A. spicata population had expanded recently, while no such expansion was detected in A. cyathophorum, indicating a contrasting pattern of responses to Pleistocene climate changes. These findings highlight the importance of geographical topography in determining how species responded to the climate changes that took place in the QTP during the Pleistocene.     

基于核酸适配体的生物分析新方法研究进展

核酸适配体是从随机文库中采用SELEX技术筛选所得的单链短链寡核苷酸片段(通常为15-80个ss DNA或ss RNA)。其能够折叠形成独特稳定的三维结构,通过静电相互作用,氢键,范德华力,碱堆叠或多种作用力组合特异性地与多种靶标结合。适配体因具有构象变化能力而被用作生物分析中的理想识别配体。目前,基于适配体的生物分析新方法得到广泛研究,并用于蛋白多肽类药物分析、疾病标志物诊断、外泌体检测、循环肿瘤细胞检测和病毒检测等方面。本文综述了核酸适配体用于生物分析方法开发的最新进展,比较和讨论不同分析方法,并对基于适配体的生物分析新方法提出了设想和展望,为开发新的生物分析方法和检测技术提供了思路和借鉴。     

中国自然保护地空间重叠分析与保护地体系优化整合对策

自然保护地体系的构建是国际社会高度重视的生物多样性保护策略。近年来, 中国已关注到自然保护地空间重叠交叉的问题, 并出台了《关于建立以国家公园为主体的自然保护地体系的指导意见》。为落实这一战略, 需要对现有保护地的彼此关系与空间分布进行系统研究。为此, 本研究收集了8,572个不同类型和级别自然保护地的坐标、生态系统类型、行政区域及边界等信息, 筛选出1,532个具有空间重叠、管理部门交叉的自然保护地, 计算地理集中指数并采用ArcGIS软件进行了核密度分析, 得出空间重叠保护地分布的生态地理区、生态系统类型、交叉管理部门、所在省份等空间分布特点。研究结果显示: (1)鲁中山区、太行山、大别山、天目山-怀玉山、皖江等生态功能区的自然保护地重叠最为严重(核密度Mean > 6, Max > 8), 其中太行山区、大别山区、天目山-怀玉山区为重叠保护地密度高的生物多样性优先保护区, 目前10个国家公园试点区域中仅大熊猫国家公园体制试点区、湖南南山国家公园体制试点区、钱江源国家公园体制试点区三处位于保护地重叠高密度区; (2)原主管部门中, 原国家林业局与住房和城乡建设部的交叉管理保护地数量最多, 为294个; (3)黑龙江、安徽、山东、河南、湖北、湖南等省范围内的自然保护地空间重叠状况明显高于其他省区, 而晋冀豫与皖鄂赣这两处三省交界处重叠程度更高, 其他多处三省交界区域也存在保护地的中度重叠。故上述生态地理区、原主管部门与行政区应作为中国自然保护地体系优先普查区域与优化整合重点对象。基于重叠保护地核密度热点区、生物多样性保护优先区与生态系统文化服务的分析框架, 本研究按照国家公园、自然保护区、自然公园三类, 对不同生态功能区自然保护地优化整合优先性与类型提出了初步建议, 以期为当前中国自然保护地体系改革的紧迫需求提供参考。