Role of Bacterial Communities in the Natural Suppression of Rhizoctonia solani Bare Patch Disease of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Rhizoctonia bare patch and root rot disease of wheat, caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-8, develops as distinct patches of stunted plants and limits the yield of direct-seeded (no-till) wheat in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. At the site of a long-term cropping systems study near Ritzville, WA, a decline in Rhizoctonia patch disease was observed over an 11-year period. Bacterial communities from bulk and rhizosphere soil of plants from inside the patches, outside the patches, and recovered patches were analyzed by using pyrosequencing with primers designed for 16S rRNA. Taxa in the class Acidobacteria and the genus Gemmatimonas were found at higher frequencies in the rhizosphere of healthy plants outside the patches than in that of diseased plants from inside the patches. Dyella and Acidobacteria subgroup Gp7 were found at higher frequencies in recovered patches. Chitinophaga, Pedobacter, Oxalobacteriaceae (Duganella and Massilia), and Chyseobacterium were found at higher frequencies in the rhizosphere of diseased plants from inside the patches. For selected taxa, trends were validated by quantitative PCR (qPCR), and observed shifts of frequencies in the rhizosphere over time were duplicated in cycling experiments in the greenhouse that involved successive plantings of wheat in Rhizoctonia-inoculated soil. Chryseobacterium soldanellicola was isolated from the rhizosphere inside the patches and exhibited significant antagonism against R. solani AG-8 in vitro and in greenhouse tests. In conclusion, we identified novel bacterial taxa that respond to conditions affecting bare patch disease symptoms and that may be involved in suppression of Rhizoctonia root rot and bare batch disease.     

Bacteria-mediated bisphenol A degradation

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an important monomer in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics, food cans, and other daily used chemicals. Daily and worldwide usage of BPA and BPA-contained products led to its ubiquitous distribution in water, sediment/soil, and atmosphere. Moreover, BPA has been identified as an environmental endocrine disruptor for its estrogenic and genotoxic activity. Thus, BPA contamination in the environment is an increasingly worldwide concern, and methods to efficiently remove BPA from the environment are urgently recommended. Although many factors affect the fate of BPA in the environment, BPA degradation is mainly depended on the metabolism of bacteria. Many BPA-degrading bacteria have been identified from water, sediment/soil, and wastewater treatment plants. Metabolic pathways of BPA degradation in specific bacterial strains were proposed, based on the metabolic intermediates detected during the degradation process. In this review, the BPA-degrading bacteria were summarized, and the (proposed) BPA degradation pathway mediated by bacteria were referred.     

Genetic structure of silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen, 1788)) in the Arabian Sea,Bay of Bengal,and South China Sea as indicated by mitochondrial COI gene sequences

The silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) is a commercially important species native to the Indo‐western Pacific area. In the present study, the genetic structure of five P. argenteus populations from the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and South China Sea were investigated using sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. All populations showed high levels of haplotype diversity (h) and low levels of nucleotide diversity (π). Phylogenetic trees indicated that the haplotypes could be divided into three clusters, indicating the geographic distribution of the five populations. Analysis of molecular variance (amova ) indicated the intra‐region variation among these populations to be highly significant. The average pairwise differences and F_st values among the three regions were also found to be significant. These results suggest that P. argenteus in these regions has strong geographic genetic structure. The present results provide new information for the genetic assessment, fishery management, and conservation of this species.     

Percutaneous comprehensive cryoablation for metastatic esophageal cancer after failure of radical surgery

Esophageal cancer is common in China. There is a lack of treatment strategies for metastatic esophageal cancer (MEC) after radical surgery on the primary tumor. Cryoablation is an attractive option because tumor necrosis can be safely induced in a minimally invasive manner. This study assessed its therapeutic effect in MEC after failure of radical surgery. One hundred and forty patients met the inclusion criteria from May, 2003 to March, 2011. Comprehensive cryotherapy of multiple metastases was performed on 105 patients; 35 received chemotherapy. No severe complications occurred during or after cryoablation. Overall survival (OS) was assessed according to therapeutic protocol, pathologic type, treatment timing and number of procedures. The OS of patients who received comprehensive cryoablation (44 ± 20 months) was significantly longer than that of those who underwent chemotherapy (23 ± 24 months; P = 0.0006). In the cryotherapy group, the OS for squamous cell carcinoma (45 ± 19 months) was longer than that for adenocarcinoma (33 ± 18 months; P = 0.0435); the OS for timely cryoablation (46 ± 19 months) was longer than that for delayed cryoablation (33 ± 20 months; P = 0.0193); the OS for multiple cryoablation (50 ± 17 months) was longer than that for single cryoablation (37 ± 20 months; P = 0.0172); and the OS for cryo-immunotherapy (56 ± 17 months) was longer than that for cryoablation alone (39 ± 19 months; P = 0.0011). Thus, comprehensive cryotherapy may have advantages over chemotherapy in the treatment of MEC and, in patients with squamous cell carcinoma, supplementary immunotherapy and timely and multiple cryoablation may be associated with a better prognosis.     

Additional data for a new Theileria sp. from China based on the sequences of ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacers

Theileria sinensis was recently isolated and named as an independent Theileria species that infects cattle in China. To date, this parasite has been described based on its morphology, transmission and molecular studies, indicating that it should be classified as a distinct species. To test the validity of this taxon, the two internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S rRNA gene were cloned and sequenced from three T. sinensis isolates. The complete ITS sequences were compared with those of other Theileria sp. available in GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses based on sequence data for the complete ITS sequences indicate that T. sinensis lies in a distinct clade that is separate from that of T. buffeli/orientalis and T. annulata. Sequence comparisons indicate that different T. sinensis isolates possess unique sizes of ITS1 and ITS2 as well as species-specific nucleotide sequences. This analysis provides new molecular data to support the classification of T. sinensis as a distinct species from other known Theileria spp. based on ITS sequences.     

一养殖场中质粒介导喹诺酮类药物耐药基因qnrS的流行特性

摘要:【目的】研究质粒介导喹诺酮类药物耐药基因qnrS在一养殖场中的流行特点。【方法】分离养殖场不同来源样品中的大肠杆菌菌株,利用美国临床标准委员会(CLSI)推荐的药敏纸片法测定菌株耐药情况,通过质粒接合试验获得qnrS阳性接合子,测定qnrS对喹诺酮类药物最小抑菌浓度(MIC)值的影响及其与其它类抗生素耐药性的相关性,利用脉冲场凝胶电泳分析该场中qnrS阳性菌株遗传进化关系。【结果】环境源菌株qnrS的阳性率为29.2%,显著高于禽源菌株基因检出率(13.4%),新进的雏鸡可迅速从养殖场中获得 qnrS基因并在鸡群中流行。qnrS基因可使接合子对喹诺酮类药物MIC值不同程度升高,并且与其它五类抗生素具有相关性,不同qnrS阳性菌株间遗传关系较远,但也存在同一克隆株的流行。【讨论】qnrS基因主要通过质粒的播散等进行水平传播,同时也存在同一克隆株的流行传播。qnrS基因多样性及其水平传播方式造成了它的广泛流行,加强对耐药基因的监测及研究对减少多重耐药菌株的产生具有重要意义。     

Exome Sequencing Identifies Mutations in CCDC114 as a Cause of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetically heterogeneous, autosomal-recessive disorder, characterized by oto-sino-pulmonary disease and situs abnormalities. PCD-causing mutations have been identified in 14 genes, but they collectively account for only ∼60% of all PCD. To identify mutations that cause PCD, we performed exome sequencing on six unrelated probands with ciliary outer dynein arm (ODA) defects. Mutations in CCDC114, an ortholog of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii motility gene DCC2, were identified in a family with two affected siblings. Sanger sequencing of 67 additional individuals with PCD with ODA defects from 58 families revealed CCDC114 mutations in 4 individuals in 3 families. All 6 individuals with CCDC114 mutations had characteristic oto-sino-pulmonary disease, but none had situs abnormalities. In the remaining 5 individuals with PCD who underwent exome sequencing, we identified mutations in two genes (DNAI2, DNAH5) known to cause PCD, including an Ashkenazi Jewish founder mutation in DNAI2. These results revealed that mutations in CCDC114 are a cause of ciliary dysmotility and PCD and further demonstrate the utility of exome sequencing to identify genetic causes in heterogeneous recessive disorders.     

Coxsackievirus A16 infection triggers apoptosis in RD cells by inducing ER stress

Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) infection, which is responsible for hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), has become a common health problem in Asia due to the prevalence of the virus. Thus, it is important to understand the pathogenesis of CA16 infection. Viruses that induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress are confronted with the unfolded protein response (UPR), which may lead to apoptotic cell death and influence viral replication. In this study, we found that CA16 infection could induce apoptosis and ER stress in RD cells. Interestingly, apoptosis via the activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9 in the extrinsic or intrinsic apoptotic pathways in RD cells was inhibited by 4-phenyl butyric acid (4PBA), a chemical chaperone that reduces ER stress. These results suggest that CA16 infection leads to ER stress, which in turn results in prolonged ER stress-induced apoptosis. This study provides a new basis for understanding CA16 infection and host responses.     

A novel melatonin agonist Neu-P11 facilitates memory performance and improves cognitive impairment in a rat model of Alzheimer' disease

Previous studies have shown that melatonin is implicated in modulating learning and memory processing. Melatonin also exerts neuroprotective activities against Aβ-induced injury in vitro and in vivo. Neu-P11 (piromelatine, N-(2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl)-4-oxo-4H-pyran-2-carboxamide) is a novel melatonin (MT1/MT2) receptor agonist and a serotonin 5-HT1A/1D receptor agonist recently developed for the treatment of insomnia. In the present study we firstly investigated whether Neu-P11 and melatonin enhance memory performance in the novel object recognition (NOR) task in rats, and then assessed whether Neu-P11 and melatonin improve neuronal and cognitive impairment in a rat model of Alzheimer' disease (AD) induced by intrahippocampal Aβ_(1–42) injection. The results showed that a single morning or afternoon administration of Neu-P11 enhanced object recognition memory measured at 4 or 24 h after training. Melatonin was effective in the memory facilitating effects only when administered in the afternoon. Further results showed that intrahippocampal Aβ_(1–42) injection resulted in hippocampal cellular loss, as well as decreased learning ability and memory in the Y maze and NOR tasks in rats. Neu-P11 but not melatonin attenuated cellular loss and cognitive impairment in the rat AD model. The current data suggest that Neu-P11 may serve as a novel agent for the treatment of AD.     

4-Bicyclic heteroaryl-piperidine derivatives as potent,orally bioavailable Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) inhibitors. Part 1: Urea-based analogs

A new series of urea-based, 4-bicyclic heteroaryl-piperidine derivatives as potent SCD1 inhibitors is described. The structure–activity relationships focused on bicyclic heteroarenes and aminothiazole–urea portions are discussed. A trend of dose-dependent decrease in body weight gain in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice is also demonstrated.