Generation and Analysis of ESTs from the Grass Carp,Ctenopharyngodon idellus

Grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idellus (Valenciennes, 1844), is an economically important species widely cultured in the world, but its genome research resources are largely lacking. The objectives of this study were to construct normalized cDNA libraries for efficient EST analysis, to generate ESTs from these libraries, and to identify EST-related molecular markers such as microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for genetic analysis of this species. A total of 6,269 ESTs were generated representing 4,815 unique sequences, from which 105 putative microsatellites and 5,228 SNPs were identified. These genome resources provide the material basis for future genetic and functional analyses in this species.     

Studying the Effects of Reproductive Hormones and Bacterial Vaginosis on the Glycome of Lavage Samples from the Cervicovaginal Cavity

The cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) coating the vaginal epithelium is an important immunological mediator, providing a barrier to infection. Glycosylation of CVF proteins, such as mucins, IgG and S-IgA, plays a critical role in their immunological functions. Although multiple factors, such as hormones and microflora, may influence glycosylation of the CVF, few studies have examined their impact on this important immunological fluid. Herein we analyzed the glycosylation of cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) samples collected from 165 women under different hormonal conditions including: (1) no contraceptive, post-menopausal, (2) no contraceptive, days 1-14 of the menstrual cycle, (3) no contraceptive, days 15-28 of the menstrual cycle, (4) combined-oral contraceptive pills for at least 6 months, (5) depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera) injections for at least 6 months, (6) levonorgestrel IUD for at least 1 month. Glycomic profiling was obtained using our lectin microarray system, a rapid method to analyze carbohydrate composition. Although some small effects were observed due to hormone levels, the major influence on the glycome was the presence of an altered bacterial cohort due to bacterial vaginosis (BV). Compared to normal women, samples from women with BV contained lower levels of sialic acid and high-mannose glycans in their CVL. The change in high mannose levels was unexpected and may be related to the increased risk of HIV-infection observed in women with BV, as high mannose receptors are a viral entry pathway. Changes in the glycome were also observed with hormonal contraceptive use, in a contraceptive-dependent manner. Overall, microflora had a greater impact on the glycome than hormonal levels, and both of these effects should be more closely examined in future studies given the importance of glycans in the innate immune system.     

Granulation of activated sludge in a continuous flow airlift reactor by strong drag force

Most aerobic granule cultivation has been based on the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and then the factors that affect aerobic granulations were developed in the SBR. However, little work has been done to cultivate aerobic granules in a continuous-flow bioreactor with simple structure that is realistic for engineering. This work is the first to cultivate aerobic granules in a continuous flow airlift fluidized bed reactor (CAFB) possesses a very simple structure and without settling time and starvation time controlling. The configuration of CAFB was the simplest continuous-flow aerobic granular bioreactor reported by now. The majority of granules could be formatted in the CAFB after 12 days cultivation. The effluent COD concentration maintained at 50 ± 10 mg/L for the variable COD loading rate of 3.5 g COD/L/d and 4.8 g COD/L/d, which confirmed that the CAFB performed good anti-shock abilities. CAFB performed good nitrification ability, however, little denitrification was found under the operating conditions of this study. The shear stress acting on the solid phase were hundreds of times stronger in the CAFB than in the SBR at the same aeration strength. It seems CAFB is very efficient for granulation due to the strong shear-force exertion, which is promising for continuous-flow aerobic granular bioreactor. Protein, positive to the hydrophobicity, was predominant in extracellular polymeric substances in the granules, and favored the granules formation in the CAFB combined with the polysaccharides. However, filamentous bulking always happened in 35 days operation of the CAFB, thus further study on the stability of this bioreactor is urgently necessary.     

黄土高寒区典型植被类型土壤入渗特征及其影响因素

为了研究黄土高寒区典型植被在不同坡位下土壤入渗性能差异及其影响因素,采用恒定水头法测定了不同植被类型的土壤入渗过程,并分析了土壤孔隙状况、机械组成、水稳性团聚体等与渗透速率的相关性。结果表明:(1)初渗速率和稳渗速率均表现为青海云杉>祁连圆柏>华北落叶松>荒草地,且差异性显著;同一植被类型的土壤入渗速率沿坡面向下逐渐增大,但差异性不显著;(2)对不同植被类型的土壤入渗过程模拟发现Horton模型拟合效果最好,决定系数均在0.8以上,通用经验模型拟合精度较差,决定系数在0.614—0.982之间;(3)土壤入渗性能与孔隙状况、水稳性团聚体质量分数、有机质含量均有极显著相关性;>0.25 mm团聚体质量分数是影响稳渗速率的主要决策因素;总孔隙度是影响初渗速率的最主要的决策因素,而毛管孔隙度是主要的限制因子。为高寒地区土壤入渗模拟以及植被配置等提供了科学依据。     

小麦eIF3c基因片段的克隆及序列分析

根据真核翻译起始因子eIF3c的保守序列,搜索小麦EST,由拼接的序列设计引物,从普通小麦‘川麦107'幼苗总RNA中克隆出1102bp的小麦eIF3c1基因片段命名为WeIF3c1.序列分析表明,该片段推断的氨基酸序列与两个拟南芥、水稻、甜樱桃、人类、线虫、老鼠等物种的真核翻译起始因子eIF3c相比较同源性分别为69、61%、85%、72%、38%、36%和38%.     

树参与长叶竹柏在南岳山的引种表现及其物候观测

在南岳山桎木潭引种树参和长叶竹柏,经过24年的引种驯化,现都已开花结果。通过连续3年的物候观测表明,引种树木叶芽及幼叶的生长集中在每年的3—4月,开花期4～7月,果熟期在9—10月。分析了它们的生物学特性、生态适应性和抗逆性,为开发推广树参、长叶竹柏在园林上的应用,提供理论依据。     

Genomic polymorphism of the pandemic A (H1N1) influenza viruses correlates with viral replication, virulence, and pathogenicity in vitro and in vivo

The novel pandemic A (H1N1) virus was first identified in Mexico in April 2009 and quickly spread worldwide. Like all influenzas, the H1N1 strain-specific properties of replication, virulence, and pathogenicity are a result of the particular genomic sequence and concerted expression of multiple genes. Thus, specific mutations may support increased virulence and may be useful as biomarkers of potential threat to human health. We performed comparative genomic analysis of ten strains of the 2009 pandemic A (H1N1) influenza viruses to determine whether genotypes associated with clinical phenotypes, which ranged from mild to severe illness and up to lethal. Virus replication capacity was tested for each strain in vitro using cultured epithelial cells, while virulence and pathogenicity were investigated in vivo using the BALB/c mouse model. The results indicated that A/Sichuan/1/2009 strain had significantly higher replication ability and virulence than the other strains, and five unique non-synonymous mutations were identified in important gene-encoding sequences. These mutations led to amino acid substitutions in HA (L32I), PA (A343T), PB1 (K353R and T566A), and PB2 (T471M), and may be critical molecular determinants for replication, virulence, and pathogenicity. Our results suggested that the replication capacity in vitro and virulence in vivo of the 2009 pandemic A (H1N1) viruses were not associated with the clinical phenotypes. This study offers new insights into the transmission and evolution of the 2009 pandemic A (H1N1) virus.     

Combined Single-Cell Profiling of lncRNAs and Functional Screening Reveals that H19 Is Pivotal for Embryonic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development

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