Chromosome‐level genome assembly of an important pine defoliator,Dendrolimus punctatus (Lepidoptera; Lasiocampidae)

Dendrolimus spp. are important destructive pests of conifer forests, and Dendrolimus punctatus Walker (Lepidoptera; Lasiocampidae) is the most widely distributed Dendrolimus species. During periodic outbreaks, this species is said to make “fire without smoke” because large areas of pine forest can be quickly and heavily damaged. Yet, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie the unique ecological characteristics of this forest insect. Here, we combined Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) RSII single‐molecule long reads and high‐throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi‐C) genomics‐linked reads to produce a high‐quality, chromosome‐level reference genome for D. punctatus. The final assembly was 614 Mb with contig and scaffold N50 values of 1.39 and 22.15 Mb, respectively, and 96.96% of the contigs anchored onto 30 chromosomes. Based on the prediction, this genome contained 17,593 protein‐coding genes and 56.16% repetitive sequences. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that D. punctatus diverged from the common ancestor of Hyphantria cunea, Spodoptera litura and Thaumetopoea pityocampa ~ 108.91 million years ago. Many gene families that were expanded in the D. punctatus genome were significantly enriched for the xenobiotic biodegradation system, especially the cytochrome P450 gene family. This high‐quality, chromosome‐level reference genome will be a valuable resource for understanding mechanisms of D. punctatus outbreak and host resistance adaption. Because this is the first Lasiocampidae insect genome to be sequenced, it also will serve as a reference for further comparative genomics.     

中国景天属一新亚属——楚雄亚属

经鉴定近年来各单位在西南地区采得的景天属标本,发现采自云南楚雄境内的一号标本,其归属碍于适当安排、因为从蝎尾状聚伞花序和短缩的花梗看,应属于景天亚属(Sedum L.subgen.Sedum),但从蓇葖的直立,而腹面无浅囊状隆起,则又应属于山景天亚属(Sedum L.subgen.Oreades K.T.Fu)。故作者认为将其置于景天属之下,另建立一个新亚属,作为景天亚属向山景天亚属过渡之亚属较为适宜。     

大鼠蓝斑组胺受体在应激导致颈动脉窦反射重调定中的作用

目的：揭示蓝斑（LC）的H1和H2受体在足底电击应激对颈动脉窦反射（CBR）重调定中的作用。方法：足底电击应激1周的SD大鼠,麻醉后孤离双侧颈动脉窦区,将不同窦内压（ISP）与其对应的平均动脉压（MAP）值进行Logistic五参数曲线拟合,求得ISP-MAP、ISP-增益（Gain）关系曲线及反射特征参数,观察Lc微量注射选择性H1或H2,受体拮抗剂氯苯吡胺（CHL）或西咪替丁（CIM）对应激状态下CBR的影响。结果：应激导致ISP-MAP关系曲线显著全面上移（P〈0.05）,ISP-Gain关系曲线中部明显下移（P〈0.05）,反射参数中闪压、饱和压、调定点和最大增益时的ISP值增大（P〈0.05）,而MAP反射变动范围及反射最大增益减小（P〈0.05）;LC内注射CHL（0.5μg/μl）或CIM（1.5μg/μl）20min内均可明显减弱应激对CBR的上述改变（P〈0.05）,CIM的减弱效应不如CHL的显著（P〈0.05）;LC注射上述相同剂量的CHL或CIM对非应激大鼠的CBR无明显影响（P〉0.05）;LC内注射CHL或CIM均不能使应激的CBR水平完全恢复到相应的非应激对照水平。结论：应激引起CBR重调定,反射敏感性下降;部分机制可能是激活中枢纽胺能系统,LC的H1和H2受体尤为H1受体在应激对CBR的重调定机制中发挥重要作用,下丘脑-LC的组胺能通路可能是应激所致CBR重调定的下行通路之一;除此之外,应激作用中尚有其他因素的参与。     

Adsorption of surfactants on a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis> strain and the effect on cell surface lypohydrophilic property

The adsorption behavior of five surfactants, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), Triton X-100, Tween 80, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and rhamnolipid, on a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain and the effect of temperature and ionic strength (IS) on the adsorption were studied. The change of cell surface lypohydrophilic property caused by surfactant adsorption was also investigated. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics of the surfactants on the cell followed the second-order law. CTAB adsorption was the fastest one under the experimental conditions, and it took longest for SDS adsorption to equilibrate because of electric repulsion. The adsorption of Triton X-100 and Tween 80 was characterized by short equilibration time, and rhamnolipid adsorption reached equilibrium in about 90 min. The adsorption isotherms of all the surfactants on the bacterium fitted Freundlich equation well, but the adsorption capacity and mode were variations for the surfactants as indicated by k and n parameters in the equations. The adsorption mode for all the surfactants except SDS is probably hydrophilic interaction because the adsorption totally turned the cell surface to be more hydrophobic. Neither the temperature nor the IS had significant effect on CTAB adsorption, but higher IS significantly enhanced SDS adsorption and modestly strengthened adsorption of Triton X-100, Tween 80, and rhamnolipid. Higher temperature strengthened adsorption of SDS but weakened the adsorption of Triton X-100, Tween 80, and rhamnolipid.     

香港养殖海鲷弧菌致病菌药物敏感性及耐药质粒研究

从发病海鲷(Sparus sarba)中共分离到51株弧菌(\%Vibrio)\%,经API20E细菌快速鉴定系统及Alsina和Blanch关键生理生化特性分析鉴定为7个种,它们分别是：溶藻胶弧菌(\%V.alginolyticus)(24株),创伤弧菌(V.vulnificus)(12株)和副溶血弧菌(V.parahaemolyticus)(7株),火神弧菌(V.logei)(4株),远洋弧菌Ⅱ菌(V.pelagius Ⅱ)(2株),河弧菌(V.fluvialis)(1株)和地中海弧菌(V.mediterranei)(1株)\%。其中3种优势菌溶藻胶弧菌创伤弧菌和副溶血弧菌证实对海鲷有致病性。另外采用平板稀释法检测了51株菌对16种抗菌素的敏感性。发现所有菌株对ceftriaxone,链霉素,萘啶酮酸和利福霉素敏感,几乎所有菌株对ceftazidime, netilimicin,氯霉素和sulfamethoxazole敏感.大部分菌株对氨苄青霉素 (60.8%),cefuroxime(667%),丁胺卡那霉素(55%),卡那霉素(588%)和三甲氧苄氨嘧啶(765%)等具有较强的耐药性。通过对菌株中所含有的耐药质粒进行分析,发现15株菌株含有1～4个质粒,分子量范围为9～123kb之间,对12株既含有较大分子量质粒又具有耐药性的菌株进行了质粒转化试验,结果其中9株菌的质粒具有转化能力,转化率为１０－１１～１０－９,表明所分离的菌株的抗药性是由于细菌染色体相关突变造成的。     

Implication of the hepatokine,fibrinogen-like protein 1 in liver diseases,metabolic disorders and cancer: The need to harness its full potential

Fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) is a novel hepatokine that forms part of the fibrinogen superfamily. It is predominantly expressed in the liver under normal physiological conditions. When the liver is injured by external factors, such as chemical drugs and radiation, FGL1 acts as a protective factor to promote the growth of regenerated cells. However, elevated hepatic FGL1 under high fat conditions can cause lipid accumulation and inflammation, which in turn trigger the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, and obesity. FGL1 is also involved in the regulation of insulin resistance in adipose tissues and skeletal muscles as a means of communication between the liver and other tissues. In addition, the abnormally changed FGL1 levels in the plasma of cancer patients make it a potential predictor of cancer incidence in clinical practice. FGL1 was recently identified as a major functional ligand of the immune inhibitory receptor, lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG3), thus making it a promising target for cancer immunotherapy except for the classical programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) axis. Despite the potential of FGL1 as a new cancer biomarker and therapeutic target, there are few related studies and much of what has been reported are superficial and lack depth and particularity. Therefore, elucidating the role and underlying mechanisms of FGL1 could be crucial for the development of promising diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for related diseases. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the cellular mechanisms and clinical prospects of FGL1 in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases, metabolic disorders and cancer, and proffer suggestions for future studies.     

Cancer stem cell hypothesis: a brief summary and two proposals

The investigation and development of the cancer stem cell (CSC) model has received much focus during these years. CSC is characterized as a small fraction of cancer cells that have an indefinite ability for self-renewal and pluripotency and are responsible for initiating and sustaining of the bulk of cancer. So, whether current treatment strategies, most of which target the rapid division of cancer cells, could interfere with the slow-cycling CSCs is broadly questioned. Meanwhile, however, the new understanding of tumorigenesis has led to the development of new drug screening strategies. Both stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells have been vigorously used in pre-clinical studies of their anti-tumor potential, mainly due to their inherent tumoritropic migratory properties and their ability to carry anti-tumor transgenes. Here, based on the tumorigenic and tumoritropic characteristics of CSCs, we proposed two hypotheses exploring possible usage of CSCs as novel anti-tumor agents and potential sources for tissue regeneration. Further experimental validation of these hypotheses may unravel some new research topics.     

A review of the botany,traditional uses,phytochemistry and pharmacology of Nepeta tenuifolia Briq.

Phytochemistry Reviews - Nepeta tenuifolia (N. tenuifolia) is a common aromatic herb that is widespread in East Asia. The aerial parts and spikes can be used as the traditional phytomedicines for...