CPU-GPU hybrid accelerating the Zuker algorithm for RNA secondary structure prediction applications

Background

Different Cupriavidus metallidurans strains isolated from metal-contaminated and other anthropogenic environments were genotypically and phenotypically compared with C. metallidurans type strain CH34. The latter is well-studied for its resistance to a wide range of metals, which is carried for a substantial part by its two megaplasmids pMOL28 and pMOL30.

Results

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) indicated that the extensive arsenal of determinants involved in metal resistance was well conserved among the different C. metallidurans strains. Contrary, the mobile genetic elements identified in type strain CH34 were not present in all strains but clearly showed a pattern, although, not directly related to a particular biotope nor location (geographical). One group of strains carried almost all mobile genetic elements, while these were much less abundant in the second group. This occurrence was also reflected in their ability to degrade toluene and grow autotrophically on hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide, which are two traits linked to separate genomic islands of the Tn4371-family. In addition, the clear pattern of genomic islands distribution allowed to identify new putative genomic islands on chromosome 1 and 2 of C. metallidurans CH34.

Conclusions

Metal resistance determinants are shared by all C. metallidurans strains and their occurrence is apparently irrespective of the strain's isolation type and place. Cupriavidus metallidurans strains do display substantial differences in the diversity and size of their mobile gene pool, which may be extensive in some (including the type strain) while marginal in others.     

血红蛋白水平对慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者院内死亡的临床预测价值

目的:在明确贫血对慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)患者产生不良预后的前提下,进一步探讨贫血时的血红蛋白水平对COPD患者器官和功能的影响,以利于对COPD合并贫血的患者进行干预提供临床数据。方法:我们回顾性的研究了北京地区三个三级甲等医院4960例住院COPD患者血红蛋白水平对COPD患者的存活的预测价值。结果:①在4960例COPD患者中,血红蛋白<110 g/L的COPD患者为1009例,1009/4960,占20.34%;②肺栓塞、充血性心力衰竭和慢性肾功能衰竭的患病比例在Hb水平<110 g/L和≥110 g/L的COPD患者组有显著差异(P<0.05),其它临床基线特征无显著性差异(P>0.05);③年龄、吸烟、呼吸衰竭、缺血性心脏病、肺原性心脏病、充血性心力衰竭、房颤、肺栓塞、急性肾功能不全、慢性肾功能不全、PaCO2、PaO2和Hb水平在存活与死亡两组之间均有显著性差异(P<0.01);④逐步筛选变量法多因素非条件Logistic回归结果显示,除肺栓塞、PaCO2和房颤与死亡的相关性无统计学差异外(P>0.05),年龄、吸烟史、Hb水平、PaO2、呼吸衰竭、慢性肾功能衰竭、急性肾功能衰竭、肺源性心脏病、充血性心力衰竭和缺血性心脏病均与死亡密切相关(均P<0.05);⑤血红蛋白水平与死亡密切相关(P<0.01)。结论:低血红蛋白水平(<110 g/L)与死亡密切相关,可以作为预测院内死亡的危险因子之一。     

Identification and expansion of cancer stem cells in tumor tissues and peripheral blood derived from gastric adenocarcinoma patients

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide, with a high rate of death and low 5-year survival rate. To date, there is a lack of efficient therapeutic protocols for gastric cancer. Recent studies suggest that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for tumor initiation, invasion, metastasis, and resistance to anticancer therapies. Thus, therapies that target gastric CSCs are attractive. However, CSCs in human gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) have not been described. Here, we identify CSCs in tumor tissues and peripheral blood from GAC patients. CSCs of human GAC (GCSCs) that are isolated from tumor tissues and peripheral blood of patients carried CD44 and CD54 surface markers, generated tumors that highly resemble the original human tumors when injected into immunodeficient mice, differentiated into gastric epithelial cells in vitro, and self-renewed in vivo and in vitro. Our findings suggest that effective therapeutic protocols must target GCSCs. The capture of GCSCs from the circulation of GAC patients also shows great potential for identification of a critical cell population potentially responsible for tumor metastasis, and provides an effective protocol for early diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring of gastric cancer.     

Theoretical studies on the Mo-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular Pauson-Khand-type [2?+?2?+?1] cycloadditions of 3-allyloxy-1-propynylphosphonates

Density functional theory (DFT) was used to investigate the Mo-catalyzed intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction of 3-allyloxy-1-propynylphosphonates. All intermediates and transition states were optimized completely at the B3LYP/6-31 G(d,p) level [LANL2DZ(f) for Mo]. In the Mo-catalyzed intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction, the C–C oxidative cyclization reaction was the chirality-determining step, and the reductive elimination reaction was the rate-determining step. The carbonyl insertion reaction into the Mo–C(sp(3)) bondwas easier than into the Mo–C=C bond. And the dominant product predicted theoretically was of (S)-chirality, which agreed with experimental data. This reaction was solventd ependent, and toluene was the best among the three solvents toluene, CH3CN, and THF.     

rhG-CSF动员对供者CD4^＋T细胞免疫表型和功能影响

目的：研究重组人粒细胞集落刺激因子（rhG-CSF）动员对供者CD4＋T细胞表面分子淋巴细胞功能相关抗原-1（LFA-1）、细胞间黏附分子-1（ICAM-1）、L-选择素（LAM-1）和人整合素-4（VLA-4）的表达及其介导的CD4＋T细胞功能的影响,探讨外周血干细胞移植过程中CD4＋T细胞免疫耐受机制。方法：使用三色荧光标记检测动员前及动员后第5天供者外周血LFA-1、ICAM-1、LAM-1和VLA-4的表达率,ELISA方法检测动员前后CD4＋T细胞分泌IFN-γ和IL-4能力,免疫磁性分选法分离纯化CD4＋T细胞,检测动员前后CD4＋T细胞对基质细胞衍生因子-1α（SDF-1α）的迁移能力和对ICAM-1的黏附能力。结果：动员前后CD4＋T细胞LFA-1（CD11a）和VLA-4（CD49d）表达率差异无统计学意义（P〉0.01）,动员前后CD4＋T细胞LAM-1（CD62L）和ICAM-1（CD54）的表达率差异均有统计学意义,动员前显著高于动员后（P〈0.01）;动员前后CD4＋T淋巴细胞向SDF-1α的迁移率差异无统计学意义（P〉0.01）;动员后CD4＋T细胞对ICAM-1的黏附率降低（P〈0.01）;动员后IL-4和IFN-γ两个细胞因子在外周血血清的浓度均降低（P〈0.01）。结论：rhG-CSF动员不影响CD4＋T细胞LFA-1和VLA-4表达及CD4＋T细胞迁移,但影响CD4＋T细胞ICAM-1和LAM-1表达以及CD4＋T细胞通过LFA-1对ICAM-1的黏附能力影响,并可能影响CD4＋T细胞分泌细胞因子IL-4及IFN-γ的功能。     

A genome-wide scan of Ashkenazi Jewish Crohn's disease suggests novel susceptibility loci

Crohn''s disease (CD) is a complex disorder resulting from the interaction of intestinal microbiota with the host immune system in genetically susceptible individuals. The largest meta-analysis of genome-wide association to date identified 71 CD–susceptibility loci in individuals of European ancestry. An important epidemiological feature of CD is that it is 2–4 times more prevalent among individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) descent compared to non-Jewish Europeans (NJ). To explore genetic variation associated with CD in AJs, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) by combining raw genotype data across 10 AJ cohorts consisting of 907 cases and 2,345 controls in the discovery stage, followed up by a replication study in 971 cases and 2,124 controls. We confirmed genome-wide significant associations of 9 known CD loci in AJs and replicated 3 additional loci with strong signal (p<5×10⁻⁶). Novel signals detected among AJs were mapped to chromosomes 5q21.1 (rs7705924, combined p = 2×10⁻⁸; combined odds ratio OR = 1.48), 2p15 (rs6545946, p = 7×10⁻⁹; OR = 1.16), 8q21.11 (rs12677663, p = 2×10⁻⁸; OR = 1.15), 10q26.3 (rs10734105, p = 3×10⁻⁸; OR = 1.27), and 11q12.1 (rs11229030, p = 8×10⁻⁹; OR = 1.15), implicating biologically plausible candidate genes, including RPL7, CPAMD8, PRG2, and PRG3. In all, the 16 replicated and newly discovered loci, in addition to the three coding NOD2 variants, accounted for 11.2% of the total genetic variance for CD risk in the AJ population. This study demonstrates the complementary value of genetic studies in the Ashkenazim.     

Cedar Virus: A Novel Henipavirus Isolated from Australian Bats

The genus Henipavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae contains two viruses, Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV) for which pteropid bats act as the main natural reservoir. Each virus also causes serious and commonly lethal infection of people as well as various species of domestic animals, however little is known about the associated mechanisms of pathogenesis. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a new paramyxovirus from pteropid bats, Cedar virus (CedPV), which shares significant features with the known henipaviruses. The genome size (18,162 nt) and organization of CedPV is very similar to that of HeV and NiV; its nucleocapsid protein displays antigenic cross-reactivity with henipaviruses; and it uses the same receptor molecule (ephrin- B2) for entry during infection. Preliminary challenge studies with CedPV in ferrets and guinea pigs, both susceptible to infection and disease with known henipaviruses, confirmed virus replication and production of neutralizing antibodies although clinical disease was not observed. In this context, it is interesting to note that the major genetic difference between CedPV and HeV or NiV lies within the coding strategy of the P gene, which is known to play an important role in evading the host innate immune system. Unlike HeV, NiV, and almost all known paramyxoviruses, the CedPV P gene lacks both RNA editing and also the coding capacity for the highly conserved V protein. Preliminary study indicated that CedPV infection of human cells induces a more robust IFN-β response than HeV.     

Phosphorylation-dependent interactions between Crb2 and Chk1 are essential for DNA damage checkpoint

In response to DNA damage, the eukaryotic genome surveillance system activates a checkpoint kinase cascade. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, checkpoint protein Crb2 is essential for DNA damage-induced activation of downstream effector kinase Chk1. The mechanism by which Crb2 mediates Chk1 activation is unknown. Here, we show that Crb2 recruits Chk1 to double-strand breaks (DSBs) through a direct physical interaction. A pair of conserved SQ/TQ motifs in Crb2, which are consensus phosphorylation sites of upstream kinase Rad3, is required for Chk1 recruitment and activation. Mutating both of these motifs renders Crb2 defective in activating Chk1. Tethering Crb2 and Chk1 together can rescue the SQ/TQ mutations, suggesting that the main function of these phosphorylation sites is promoting interactions between Crb2 and Chk1. A 19-amino-acid peptide containing these SQ/TQ motifs is sufficient for Chk1 binding in vitro when one of the motifs is phosphorylated. Remarkably, the same peptide, when tethered to DSBs by fusing with either recombination protein Rad22/Rad52 or multi-functional scaffolding protein Rad4/Cut5, can rescue the checkpoint defect of crb2Δ. The Rad22 fusion can even bypass the need for Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 (9-1-1) complex in checkpoint activation. These results suggest that the main role of Crb2 and 9-1-1 in DNA damage checkpoint signaling is recruiting Chk1 to sites of DNA lesions.     

假单胞菌菌株CTN-3对百菌清污染土壤的生物修复

百菌清被美国环境保护署列为优先控制污染物,利用微生物的降解作用修复被污染的土壤、清除环境中的污染物等具有重要的现实意义.假单胞菌(Pseudomonas sp.)菌株CTN-3是一株从污染土壤中分离得到的百菌清降解菌,考察了其在实验室条件下对百菌清污染土壤的生物修复能力及其影响因素.结果表明:降解菌株在灭菌土壤中的降解效果略好于未灭菌土壤;在外源添加降解菌106 CFU·g-1、温度15 ～ 30℃和pH5.8～8.3条件下,该菌株能有效降解土壤中10 ～200 mg·kg-1的百菌清.菌株CTN-3在百菌清污染土壤的生物修复中具有良好的应用前景.     

大豆血红蛋白基因lba转化根瘤菌工程菌株的构建

以土著大豆根瘤菌接种大豆幼苗45 d后获得的根瘤为材料,提取其总RNA并反转录成cDNA,采用同源序列克隆法扩增大豆血红蛋白基因lba编码区序列。利用DNA重组技术,将lba基因连到lac启动子的下游,利用带有发光酶标记基因luxAB的质粒载体pTR102构建表达载体pTR-Plac-lba。采用三亲本杂交的方式,将表达载体pTR-Plac-lba及作为对照的空载体pTR102分别转化土著大豆根瘤菌,获得根瘤菌工程菌株SFH(pTR-Plac-lba)和SFH(pTR102)。盆栽试验发现,接种SFH(pTR-Plac-lba)的大豆植株各生理指标明显高于接种SFH(pTR102)、土著根瘤菌以及未接菌的大豆植株各生理指标。试验证明,导入大豆血红蛋白基因lba的根瘤菌工程菌株SFH(pTR-Plac-lba)对于提高大豆根瘤的固氮酶活性,增加大豆产量起到显著效果。