MTML-msBayes: Approximate Bayesian comparative phylogeographic inference from multiple taxa and multiple loci with rate heterogeneity

Background  

MTML-msBayes uses hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation (HABC) under a coalescent model to infer temporal patterns of divergence and gene flow across codistributed taxon-pairs. Under a model of multiple codistributed taxa that diverge into taxon-pairs with subsequent gene flow or isolation, one can estimate hyper-parameters that quantify the mean and variability in divergence times or test models of migration and isolation. The software uses multi-locus DNA sequence data collected from multiple taxon-pairs and allows variation across taxa in demographic parameters as well as heterogeneity in DNA mutation rates across loci. The method also allows a flexible sampling scheme: different numbers of loci of varying length can be sampled from different taxon-pairs.     

白背飞虱体内金属元素的含量动态及模拟分析

摘要: 为明确金属元素在白背飞虱Sogatella furcifera (Horváth)体内的分布及其含量动态, 将白背飞虱长翅成虫在实验室中用超纯水分别饲养0, 24, 48, 96 h后测量其体重变化; 并用电感耦合等离子体质谱(inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ICP-MS)检测各个处理虫体内12种金属元素(Cu, Zn, Cd, Mn, Ca, Fe, Na, As, U, Mg, K和Pb)的含量。以白背飞虱整个体重(W)、 有机体组织重量(O)、 体内可排泄内容物重量(E)及可排泄内容物排出体外的速率(r)为参数, 构建其体重变化的修正指数模型W_t=O+E(1-r)^t。基于白背飞虱体内金属元素总含量(WC_t)为有机体组织内含量(OC)和可排泄内容物中含量(EC)按两者百分率(OP_t和EP_t)加权之和, 即WC_t=OC·OP_t+EC·EP_t, 分别估计白背飞虱体内组织和可排泄内容物中金属元素含量。模拟分析结果表明： Cu, Zn, Cd, Mn和Ca这5种元素在白背飞虱组织内的含量显著高于其可排泄内容物中的含量(P<0.05), 表明这些金属元素可被昆虫有机体组织吸收、 积累, 并稳定地存在于昆虫的有机体组织之中。Fe, Na, As, U, Mg, K和Pb这7种元素在白背飞虱有机体组织内的含量与其可排泄内容物中的含量接近, 其在有机体组织中和可排泄内容物中的分布差异不显著(P>0.05), 以相对平衡状态存在于白背飞虱有机体组织和可排泄内容物中。该分析方法可能为其他小型和微型昆虫体内金属元素的分布、 积累、 排泄的研究提供借鉴。     

小叶锦鸡儿花提取物和不同极性黄酮组分的抗氧化活性(英文)

测定了小叶锦鸡儿(Caragana microphylla Lam.)花粗提物和不同极性组分总黄酮含量和各项抗氧化能力指标。结果表明:小叶锦鸡儿花不同极性的黄酮组分的抗氧化活性有明显差别,其总抗氧化能力与溶剂极性之间有显著正相关性(P<0.05),但其它抗氧化活性与溶剂极性之间均无显著相关性(P>0.05)。同一极性黄酮组分在不同抗氧化体系中的抗氧化活性有较大差别。对DPPH.自由基的清除能力最强的为乙酸乙酯层(EC50=0.11 mg/mL),其次是二氯甲烷层(EC50=0.38 mg/mL)和乙醇粗提物(EC50=0.56 mg/mL)。总抗氧化能力(T-AOC)最强的为水层,在1 mg/mL时为1.482个T-AOC能力单位。清除羟自由基.OH能力最强的为水层,其次为正己烷层和乙醇粗提物,在3.57 mg/mL时清除率分别为86.23%、66.04%和64.63%。清除超氧阴离子自由基O2-.能力最强的为水层,其次为乙醇粗提物,在1 mg/mL时其清除率分别相当于0.15 mg/mL Vc清除率的336.17%和318.20%。可见,小叶锦鸡儿花的粗提物和不同极性黄酮组分具有较好的抗氧化活性,可用于提取、制备抗氧化特性和作用不同的天然抗氧化剂。     

黑线仓鼠CRH基因的编码序列及系统进化分析

为探究黑线仓鼠(Cricetulus barabensis)繁殖功能与促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素(CRH)基因结构的关系,参考近缘种的cDNA序列设计引物,采用RT-PCR法克隆得到了黑线仓鼠CRH基因的部分序列,克隆得到长度为1 112bp,为外显子1和外显子2的部分序列,包括全部编码区序列564 bp;编码区共编码187个氨基酸,GenBank登录号为JQ416143.利用编码区序列构建系统进化树,结果显示,黑线仓鼠与大鼠、小鼠亲缘关系最近,与其他哺乳动物亲缘关系较近,而与原鸡亲缘关系最远,此结果与物种的进化关系相一致.同时对其编码的蛋白质进行一级结构分析及二级、三级结构预测,得到了CRH的信号肽序列和41个氨基酸组成.本研究首次报道了黑线仓鼠的CRH基因序列,为进一步探究CRH基因奠定基础,对系统分析CRH的功能具有重要的参考价值,同时该cDNA序列可作为物种亲缘关系或遗传距离研究的理想标记.     

Isolation,characterization and cytotoxic activity of benzophenone glucopyranosides from Mahkota Dewa (Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl)

Two benzophenone glucopyranosides have been isolated from the nut shell part of Mahkota Dewa. The structures were identified as 2,4′,6-trihydroxy-4-methoxy-benzophenone-2-O-β-d-glucoside (Mahkoside A) and 2,4′,6-trihydroxy-4-methoxy-6″-acetyl-benzophenone-2-O-β-d-glucoside (Mahkoside B). Mahkoside B was recognized as a novel compound. Furthermore, a series of benzophenone glucopyranoside derivatives (compounds 3–18) were synthesized and their bioactivities were characterized. Our results demonstrated that compound 18 has significant cytotoxicity against two esophageal cancer cell lines, stomach cancer cell line and prostate cancer cell line, with IC₅₀ less than 10 μM, indicating its potential activity against cancer cells.     

蛋白质组学关键技术及其在茶树研究中的应用

蛋白质组学是后基因组时代的研究热点,相对于基因组学来说,能更直接、更准确的解释生命现象。对蛋白质组学关键技术如双向凝胶电泳、生物质谱、蛋白质芯片、生物信息学等及其在茶树上的应用作一介绍。     

利用流式细胞仪研究拟南芥叶发育过程中细胞周期的调控

叶的形态建成依赖于细胞不断地分裂增殖和不同类型细胞的特化。在叶发育早期,叶细胞主要通过旺盛的有丝分裂来增加原基中细胞的数目。随着叶片的生长,叶细胞自顶部向基部逐渐退出有丝分裂进入内复制来增加细胞的倍性,同时伴随细胞的扩展和分化。本文介绍利用流式细胞仪研究双子叶模式植物拟南芥叶发育过程中细胞周期调控的方法和具体研究实例。我们发现至少存在3种类型的细胞周期异常的拟南芥叶发育突变体。此外,我们还介绍利用流式细胞仪测定DNA复制效率的方法。     

同源克隆栀子玉米黄素合成途径酶基因保守区

目的:玉米黄素生物合成途径在植物中高度保守,由7个酶催化步骤组成。本研究从栀子果实中克隆这些酶基因的保守区段。方法:利用简并引物,优化PCR扩增体系和扩增条件,胶回收后进行T-A克隆和测序。结果:成功扩增出八氢番茄红素合成酶(phytoene synthase,PSY)(GenBank accession JQ690895)503bp、八氢番茄红素脱饱和酶(phytoene desaturase,PDS)(Gen-Bank accession JQ690896)544bp、胡萝卜素脱饱和酶(carotene desaturase,ZDS)(GenBank accession JQ690897)611bp、胡萝卜素顺反异构酶(carotene cis-trans isomerase,CRTISO)(GenBank accession JQ690898)567bp、番茄红素β-环化酶(lycopene-β-cyclase,LYC)(GenBank accession JQ690899)745bp和β-环羟化酶(β-ring hydroxylase,β-OHase)(GenBank accession JQ690900)594bp的基因保守区段,序列已经提交GenBank登陆。结论:该研究克隆了玉米黄素合成途径中6个酶基因的保守区段,为今后应用于生物合成途径的遗传操作奠定了基础。     

A Meaningful Attempt: Applying Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma to Induce Polarization of Macrophages

Macrophage polarization plays an important role in many macrophage-related diseases. This study was designed to preliminarily explore the effects of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on the polarization direction and cell activity of macrophages with different phenotypes (ie, M0, M1, and M2). The M1 macrophage marker inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and M2 macrophage marker cluster of differentiation 206 (CD206) were detected by western blot (WB). The effects of DBD plasma on macrophage viability were analyzed by using a cell counting kit-8 detection kit. M0, M1, and M2 macrophages exhibited a decrease in iNOS expression and an increase in CD206 expression after the DBD plasma intervention. Additionally, the decrease in macrophage viability remained non-significant after initiating the intervention. DBD plasma can promote the transformation of M0 and M1 macrophages to M2 macrophages, and can further enhance the expression of the M2 macrophage phenotype marker CD206. Our study not only demonstrates the potential therapeutic value of DBD plasma for macrophage-related diseases, but it also provides a new direction for research to improve the treatment of macrophage-related diseases. © 2023 Bioelectromagnetics Society.     

Molecular Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics of Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a Tuberculosis Referral Hospital in China

Background

Despite the large number of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) cases in China, few studies have comprehensively analyzed the drug resistance-associated gene mutations and genotypes in relation to the clinical characteristics of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) isolates.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We thus analyzed the phenotypic and genotypic drug resistance profiles of 115 Mtb clinical isolates recovered from a tuberculosis referral hospital in Beijing, China. We also performed genotyping by 28 loci MIRU-VNTR analysis. Socio-demographic and clinical data were retrieved from medical records and analyzed. In total, 78 types of mutations (including 42 previously reported and 36 newly identified ones) were identified in 115 Mtb clinical isolates. There was significant correlation between phenotypic and genotypic drug resistance rates for first-line anti-TB drugs (P<0.001). Genotyping revealed 101 MIRU-VNTR types, with 20 isolates (17.4%) being clustered and 95 isolates (82.6%) having unique genotypes. Higher proportion of re-treatment cases was observed among patients with clustered isolates than those with unique MIRU-VNTR genotypes (75.0% vs. 41.1%). Moreover, clinical epidemiological links were identified among patients infected by Mtb strains belonging to the same clusters, suggesting a potential of transmission among patients.

Conclusions/Significance

Our study provided information on novel potential drug resistance-associated mutations in Mtb. In addition, the genotyping data from our study suggested that enforcement of the implementation of genotyping in diagnostic routines would provide important information for better monitor and control of TB transmission.