以布氏锥虫亮氨酰tRNA合成酶为靶标的抗锥虫药物筛选系统的建立

锥虫是人的血液寄生虫,对热带乃至拉丁美洲贫困地区影响极大,但目前的传统治疗药物存在副作用大、有效性不断降低的问题。根据亮氨酰tRNA合成酶在微生物中可作为药物靶点的事实,在新型抗锥虫药物筛选中,通过对锥虫的亮氨酰tRNA合成酶的克隆、表达和纯化,以及该酶活性测定的优化,建立了该酶抑制物的筛选系统。筛选结果表明,这一以锥虫亮氨酰tRNA合成酶为靶标的抗锥虫药物筛选系统可以有效筛选抗锥虫化合物,选出的化合物有一定的抗锥虫特异性,并可以用于化合物的进一步优化和测定其半抑制浓度。使用这一系统筛选到了对锥虫有较好抑制作用,但对人类细胞毒性较小的一系列新型化合物,因而锥虫亮氨酰tRNA合成酶很可能成为开发有效抗锥虫药物的新靶标。     

宁夏野生维管植物编目

物种编目是区系研究、生物多样性监测和珍稀濒危生物保护的基础。宁夏维管植物编目对该区植物多样性保护和资源植物开发利用具有重要意义。本文在《宁夏植物志(第二版)》的基础上, 结合多年野外实地调查数据和相关文献资料, 按照APG Ⅳ分类系统修订了宁夏野生维管植物名录。结果显示: 宁夏有野生维管植物127科597属1,754种, 排名前10的优势科分别是菊科、禾本科、豆科、蔷薇科、毛茛科、苋科、唇形科、莎草科、石竹科和伞形科, 这10科共有物种939种, 占宁夏野生维管植物总数的53.53%; 科的组成以物种数小于20种的科为主, 属主要以小于5种的属为主; 2007年至今累计发现新记录植物230种; 宁夏有珍稀濒危植物25科44属65种; 外来归化、逸生及入侵植物9科22属28种。就国土面积和地理位置而言, 宁夏野生维管植物较为丰富。本研究结果可为《宁夏植物志(第三版)》修订和生物多样性监测与保护提供基础数据。     

A novel somatosensory spatial navigation system outside the hippocampal formation

Spatially selective firing of place cells, grid cells, boundary vector/border cells and head direction cells constitutes the basic building blocks of a canonical spatial navigation system centered on the hippocampal-entorhinal complex. While head direction cells can be found throughout the brain, spatial tuning outside the hippocampal formation is often non-specific or conjunctive to other representations such as a reward. Although the precise mechanism of spatially selective firing activity is not understood, various studies show sensory inputs, particularly vision, heavily modulate spatial representation in the hippocampal-entorhinal circuit. To better understand the contribution of other sensory inputs in shaping spatial representation in the brain, we performed recording from the primary somatosensory cortex in foraging rats. To our surprise, we were able to detect the full complement of spatially selective firing patterns similar to that reported in the hippocampal-entorhinal network, namely, place cells, head direction cells, boundary vector/border cells, grid cells and conjunctive cells, in the somatosensory cortex. These newly identified somatosensory spatial cells form a spatial map outside the hippocampal formation and support the hypothesis that location information modulates body representation in the somatosensory cortex. Our findings provide transformative insights into our understanding of how spatial information is processed and integrated in the brain, as well as functional operations of the somatosensory cortex in the context of rehabilitation with brain-machine interfaces.Subject terms: Biological techniques, Cell biology     

刺五加皂苷合成关键酶基因表达的半定量RT-PCR分析

根据已克隆的刺五加鲨烯合酶(squalene synthase,SS)、鲨烯环氧酶(squalene epoxidase,SE)和β-香树酯醇合成酶(β-amyrin synthase,bAS)基因序列信息设计引物,通过半定量RT-PCR分析了SS、SE和bAS基因在刺五加不同生长发育时期和不同器官中表达量的变化.结果表明,SS、SE和bAS基因在各生长发育时期和各器官中均有表达,但表达量差异显著(P<0.05),三者均在盛花期表达量最高,之后降低,进入果实成熟期后SS和bAS的表达量迅速回升,SE无显著变化.SS和bAS在叶片和根中的表达量较高,SE表达量的最大值出现在叶片和幼茎中.刺五加SS、SE和bAS基因的表达间存在显著的正相关关系(P<0.05).研究结果为进一步分析关键酶基因对刺五加三萜皂苷生物合成的影响奠定了基础.     

系统发生分析发现牛病毒性腹泻病病毒新基因亚型

本研究对我国首次分离获得的牛源牛病毒性腹泻病毒(BVDV)毒株Changchun 184(CC-184)和猪源牛病毒 性腹泻病毒ZM-95进行了遗传衍化关系研究。选择主要抗原E2基因为研究对象,首先应用RT-PCR及套式PCR 克隆得到CC-184和ZM-95的E2片段,通过序列测定发现CC-184和ZM-95 E2基因长度分别为1,122bp和1, 125bp,各自编码374和375个氨基酸残基。核酸序列同源性比较和系统发生分析表明2株病毒均属于BVDV-1, CC-184与Osloss亲缘关系最近,都属于已有的b基因亚型,其E2基因同源性达91．8％。而ZM-95的E2基因有 一个特征性的变异区,包含一个密码子序列插入,这一变异区编码了一段有别于其他瘟病毒的五肽氨基酸序列 HYKKK。结果还表明ZM-95与BVDV-1现有的5个基因亚型的亲缘关系均较远,E2基因同源性最高(与Oregon c24v)只有72．4％。而BVDV-1亚型内毒株间的同源性大于85％,亚型间的同源性在69％～75％之间,充分说明 ZM-95是BVDV-1中一个新发现的基因亚型。通常认为猪源BVDV来源于牛,应该与牛源BVDV有十分近的遗 传关系,但是本研究发现ZM-95与其他已知牛源BVDV较低的基因同源性说明猪源BVDV还具有独立的遗传衍 化与传播来源的可能性。     

湖南永顺县落叶木莲资源考察研究

首次报道湘西武陵山地永顺县发现国家一级保护植物落叶木莲。分布面积2000 hm2,多呈散生分布,稀有小面积群落,成年大树有5000余株,胸径5 cm以下幼树及小苗有20000余株。落叶木莲群落属常绿与落叶阔叶混交林,分布海拔400~900 m的山坡中下部,主要有枫香、野漆树、落叶木莲和甜槠、星毛石栎、落叶木莲等群落类型。此前,落叶木莲仅分布江西幕阜山地宜春市明月山,是木兰科木莲属极度濒危的唯一一个落叶树种,对探讨被子植物的起源和木兰科的系统演化有重要的科学意义。     

MicroRNA-322 Cluster Promotes Tau Phosphorylation via Targeting Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a crucial regulator to support synaptic plasticity and neuronal survival, its significant decrease is a pathophysiological hallmark in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains and accounts for poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) interfere with the translation of target mRNAs and control a variety of physiological and pathological processes. MiR-322 is the rodent homologue of human miR-424, it is involved in the modulation of cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and metabolic activities in diverse tissues and organs. However, the roles and potential mechanisms of miR-322 remain elusive in AD pathogenesis. Here we observed miR-322 is significantly increased along with BDNF decrease in AD mouse brain. Bioinformatics prediction implicated that BDNF 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) possesses the putative target sequence of miR-322. Luciferase reporter assay identified that miR-322 can directly conjugate to BDNF 3′-UTR. The functional research showed that MiR-322 input deregulates BDNF expression at either mRNA or protein levels, whereas miR-322 silence restores BDNF expression in vitro. Furthermore, we found miR-322 promotes Tau phosphorylation via negatively controlling BDNF–TrkB receptor activation, otherwise MiR-322 silence restores TrkB activation and attenuates tau phosphorylation. Collectively, this study demonstrated a novel miRNA-dependent manner of BDNF degradation in AD pathogenesis, it may drive a miRNAs- or BDNF based therapeutic strategies against Alzheimer’s disease.     

重寄生真菌盾壳霉pH信号通路中Pal相关基因的功能鉴定

【目的】研究pH信号通路(Pal)在重寄生真菌盾壳霉与寄主核盘菌互作过程中的作用。【方法】从盾壳霉全基因组信息中分析获得了6个Pal相关基因CmpalA、CmpalB、CmpalC、CmpalF、CmpalH和CmpalI的全编码序列和氨基酸序列,通过PEG介导的原生质转化技术获得了CmpalA、CmpalB、CmpalC、CmpalF和CmpalH等5个基因的敲除突变体,分析这些敲除突变体与野生型在菌落培养性状、重寄生能力、降解草酸能力、产生抗真菌物质能力等方面的差异。【结果】与野生型相比,在pH 6–8的条件下,5个Pal相关基因敲除突变体的菌丝生长受到显著抑制,这说明缺失Pal相关基因使盾壳霉对高pH值环境更加敏感。菌核重寄生试验发现5个Pal相关基因敲除突变体的重寄生能力均显著低于野生型。qRT-PCR试验结果表明,敲除Pal相关基因之后导致重寄生相关酶基因Cmch1、Cmg1和Cmsp1的表达量显著降低,而且pH信号通路下游的CmpacC基因的表达量也显著降低。Pal相关基因敲除突变体在pH 6条件下对草酸盐的降解能力显著高于野生型,同时这5个突变体在pH 8条件下产生抗真菌物质能力也显著高于野生型。【结论】pH信号通路相关基因的缺失影响盾壳霉对环境pH的响应。pH信号通路在盾壳霉与核盘菌互作中发挥重要作用,不仅影响盾壳霉的重寄生作用,而且还影响盾壳霉的草酸降解作用和抗真菌作用。     

Horizontal Transfer of Archaeal Genes into the Deinococcaceae: Detection by Molecular and Computer-Based Approaches

Members of the Deinococcaceae (e.g., Thermus, Meiothermus, Deinococcus) contain A/V-ATPases typically found in Archaea or Eukaryotes which were probably acquired by horizontal gene transfer. Two methods were used to quantify the extent to which archaeal or eukaryotic genes have been acquired by this lineage. Screening of a Meiothermus ruber library with probes made against Thermoplasma acidophilum DNA yielded a number of clones which hybridized more strongly than background. One of these contained the prolyl tRNA synthetase (RS) gene. Phylogenetic analysis shows the M. ruber and D. radiodurans prolyl RS to be more closely related to archaeal and eukaryal forms of this gene than to the typical bacterial type. Using a bioinformatics approach, putative open reading frames (ORFs) from the prerelease version of the D. radiodurans genome were screened for genes more closely related to archaeal or eukaryotic genes. Putative ORFs were searched against representative genomes from each of the three domains using automated BLAST. ORFs showing the highest matches against archaeal and eukaryotic genes were collected and ranked. Among the top-ranked hits were the A/V-ATPase catalytic and noncatalytic subunits and the prolyl RS genes. Using phylogenetic methods, ORFs were analyzed and trees assessed for evidence of horizontal gene transfer. Of the 45 genes examined, 20 showed topologies in which D. radiodurans homologues clearly group with eukaryotic or archaeal homologues, and 17 additional trees were found to show probable evidence of horizontal gene transfer. Compared to the total number of ORFs in the genome, those that can be identified as having been acquired from Archaea or Eukaryotes are relatively few (approximately 1%), suggesting that interdomain transfer is rare.