石榴木质素合成相关基因PgMYB308的克隆和表达分析

该研究以‘红玉石籽’(Punica granatumcv.Hongyushizi)石榴为试验材料,采用RACE和RT-PCR方法,获得与木质素的合成相关基因PgMYB308。PgMYB308基因cDNA全长792bp,编码263个氨基酸。分子量为29.56kD,理论等电点为9.07。序列比对和功能域分析发现,PgMYB308包含R2和R3保守域,以及C1、C2、C4和锌指基序。系统进化树分析显示,PgMYB308与其他物种起源相同,而与桉树EgMYB308亲缘关系最近。荧光定量PCR分析表明,PgMYB308在茎、叶和种子等组织中均有表达,其中茎中表达量最高,叶片中表达量最低;PgMYB308在‘突尼斯软籽’中表达最高,而在‘红玉石籽’和‘白玉石籽’中表达量较低;PgMYB308在‘红玉石籽’籽粒的不同时期均有表达,但在花后20d相对表达量最高,以后随发育进程呈现逐渐下降的趋势。     

辣椒重要农艺性状相关基因的发掘进展

该文对国内外近年来有关辣椒辣味、颜色、抗病和雄性不育等重要农艺性状相关基因的研究进展进行了概述,指出了目前研究中存在的不足之处及今后研究方向,并介绍了辣椒重要农艺性状相关基因发掘的常规方法,以及随着辣椒基因组测序的完成和第二代测序技术的应用,基因发掘的新技术及其在辣椒基因发掘中的应用及前景。     

Phage-host associations in a full-scale activated sludge plant during sludge bulking

Sludge bulking, a notorious microbial issue in activated sludge plants, is always accompanied by dramatic changes in the bacterial community. Despite large numbers of phages in sludge systems, their responses to sludge bulking and phage-host associations during bulking are unknown. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of viral metagenomes and bacterial 16S rRNA genes were employed to characterize viral and bacterial communities in a sludge plant under different sludge conditions (sludge volume index (SVI) of 180, 132, and 73 ml/g). Bulking sludges (SVI > 125 ml/g) taken about 10 months apart exhibited similar bacterial and viral composition. This reflects ecological resilience of the sludge microbial community and indicates that changes in viral and bacterial populations correlate closely with each other. Overgrowth of “Candidatus Microthrix parvicella” led to filamentous bulking, but few corresponding viral genotypes were identified. In contrast, sludge viromes were characterized by numerous contigs associated with “Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis,” suggesting an abundance of corresponding phages in the sludge viral community. Notably, while nitrifiers (mainly Nitrosomonadaceae and Nitrospiraceae) declined significantly along with sludge bulking, their corresponding viral contigs were identified more frequently and with greater abundance in the bulking viromes, implying that phage-mediated lysis might contribute to the loss of autotrophic nitrifiers under bulking conditions.     

Molecular characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">HOXC8</Emphasis> gene and methylation status analysis of its exon 1 associated with the length of cashmere fiber in Liaoning cashmere goat

Homeobox protein Hox-C8 (HOXC8) is a member of Hox family. It is expressed in the dermal papilla of the skin and is thought to be associated with the hair inductive capacity of dermal papilla cells. In the present study, we isolated and characterized a full-length open reading frame of HOXC8 cDNA from the skin tissue of Liaoning cashmere goat, as well as, established a phylogenetic relationship of goat HOXC8 with that of other species. Also, we investigated the effect of methylation status of HOXC8 exon 1 at anagen secondary hair follicle on the cashmere fiber traits in Liaoning cashmere goat. The sequence analysis indicated that the obtained cDNA was 1134-bp in length containing a complete ORF of 729-bp. It encoded a peptide of 242 amino acid residues in length. The structural analysis indicated that goat HOXC8 contained a typical homeobox domain. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that Capra hircus HOXC8 had a closer genetic relationship with that of Ovis aries, followed by Bos Taurus and Bubalus bubalis. The methylation analysis suggested that the methylation degree of HOXC8 exon 1 in anagen secondary hair follicle might be involved in regulating the growth of cashmere fiber in Liaoning cashmere goat. Our results provide new evidence for understanding the molecular structural and evolutionary characteristics of HOXC8 in Liaoning cashmere goat, as well as, for further insight into the role of methylation degree of HOXC8 exon 1 regulates the growth of cashmere fiber in goat.     

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation improves radiation-induced heart injury through DNA damage repair in rat model

Radiotherapy is an effective form of therapy for most thoracic malignant tumors. However, myocardial injury resulting from the high doses of radiation is a severe complication. Here we aimed to study the possibility of reducing radiation-induced myocardial injury with mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation. We used MSCs extracted from bone marrow (BMSCs) to transplant via the tail vein into a radiation-induced heart injury (RIHI) rat model. The rats were divided into six groups: a Sham group, an IRR (irradiation) group, and four IRR + BMSCs transplantation groups obtained at different time points. After irradiation, BMSC transplantation significantly enhanced the cardiac function in rats. By analyzing the expression of PPAR-α, PPAR-γ, TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-8, we found that BMSC transplantation alleviated radiation-induced myocardial fibrosis and decreased the inflammatory reaction. Furthermore, we found that expression of γ-H2AX, XRCC4, DNA ligase4, and TP53BP1, which are associated with DNA repair, was up-regulated, along with increased secretion of growth factors SDF-1, CXCR4, VEGF, and IGF in rat myocardium in the IRR + BMSCs transplantation groups compared with the IRR group. Thus, BMSC transplantation has the potential to improve RIHI via DNA repair and be a new therapeutic approach for patients with myocardial injury.     

Effects of potassium deficiency on root morphology,ultrastructure and antioxidant enzyme system in sweet potato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ipomoea batatas</Emphasis> [L.] Lam.) during early growth

Potassium (K⁺) deficiency is an important abiotic stress which has severe influence on the growth and development of sweet potato. To investigate the difference on root morphology, ultrastructure and antioxidant enzyme system at early growth stage, two representative sweet potato cultivars (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) with different K⁺ deficiency tolerance capacities were hydroponically cultivated under normal K⁺ (control) and K⁺ deficiency (?K) treatments. The results showed that after 14 days of treatment, the root length, surface area, volume, and average diameter of Ningzishu 1 (sensitive to K⁺ deficiency) were significantly decreased under ?K treatment, by comparison, those corresponding decreases of Xushu 32 (tolerant to K⁺ deficiency) were lower and not significant (except for root length). In addition, the proportion of fine roots (diameter <0.5 mm) and thick root (d > 1.0 mm) of Xushu 32 seedlings increased significantly under condition of K⁺ deficiency. Through transmission electron microscopy observations, it can be found that Xushu 32 seedlings showed a more complete root cellular structure and slighter oxidative damage than Ningzishu 1 under ?K treatment. Moreover, the hydrogen peroxide content and malondialdehyde content in the root of Xushu 32 seedlings was significantly lower than that of Ningzishu 1, and the variations of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities were pronouncedly less than those of Ningzishu 1. These differences between the two cultivars indicated that the stronger root morphology and nutrients absorption ability, and the better root cellular structure and physiological role of Xushu 32 seedlings could alleviate the damage of K⁺ deficiency stress. Thus, it might be a potential mechanism for cultivar tolerance to low K⁺ in sweet potato.     

Exogenous spermidine alleviates fruit granulation in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus</Emphasis> cultivar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Huangguogan</Emphasis>) through the antioxidant pathway

The role of exogenous spermidine (Spd) in alleviating fruit granulation in the grafted seedlings of a Citrus cultivar (Huangguogan) was investigated. Granulation resulted in increased electrical conductivity, cell membrane permeability, and total pectin, soluble pectin, cellulose, and lignin contents. However, it decreased the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, as well as the (Spd + Spm):Put ratio. The application of exogenous Spd onto Huangguogan seedlings significantly increased proline and ascorbate contents, but decreased the H₂O₂ and O ₂ ^?· levels, which suggested that exogenous Spd provided some protection from oxidative damage. In addition, exogenous Spd decreased cell membrane permeability and MDA content, and increased the (Spd + Spm):Put ratio. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, were increased in Spd-treated seedlings affected by fruit granulation, resulting in a decrease in oxidative stress levels. The protective effects of Spd were reflected by a decrease in superoxide levels through osmoregulation, increased proline and ascorbate contents, and increased antioxidant activities. Our observations reveal the importance of exogenous Spd in alleviating citrus fruit granulation.     

Rutin–Nickel Complex: Synthesis,Characterization, Antioxidant,DNA Binding,and DNA Cleavage Activities

The rutin–nickel (II) complex (RN) was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, UV–visible spectroscopy, IR, mass spectrometry, ¹H NMR, TG-DSC, SEM, and molar conductivity. The low molar conductivity value investigates the non-electrolyte nature of the complex. The elemental analysis and other physical and spectroscopic methods reveal the 1:2 stoichiometric ratio (metal/ligand) of the complex. An antioxidant study of rutin and its metal complex against DPPH radical showed that the complex has more radical scavenging activity than free rutin. The interaction of complex RN with DNA was determined using fluorescence spectra and agarose gel electrophoresis. The results showed that RN can intercalate moderately with DNA, quench a strong intercalator ethidium bromide (EB), and compete for the intercalative binding sites. The complex showed significant cleavage of pBR 322 DNA from supercoiled form (SC) to nicked circular form (NC), and these cleavage effects were dose-dependent. Moreover, the mechanism of DNA cleavage indicated that it was a hydrolytic cleavage pathway. These results revealed the potential nuclease activity of the complex to cleave DNA.     

高产信号分子AI-2乳酸菌的筛选及其Pfs基因的克隆和表达

【目的】从锡盟地区酸马奶酒分离的乳酸菌中筛选出高产信号分子自体诱导物2(Autoinducer-2,AI-2)的乳酸菌,通过优化其重组蛋白Pfs的诱导条件体外合成信号分子AI-2。【方法】利用生物学发光法对不同乳酸菌产信号分子AI-2的产量进行比较,以高产信号分子AI-2乳酸菌基因组DNA为模板,扩增其S-腺苷高半胱氨酸核苷酶(S-adenosylhomocysteine nucleosidase,Pfs)基因,构建原核表达载体。利用异丙基-β-D-硫代吡喃半乳糖苷(IPTG)进行重组蛋白的诱导表达,通过优化培养基、诱导温度、诱导前菌体密度、IPTG浓度以及诱导时间得到高表达的Pfs蛋白,使其与底物作用最终体外合成信号分子AI-2。【结果】10株乳酸菌均可产信号分子AI-2,其中屎肠球菌8-3分泌信号分子AI-2的产量明显高于其他菌株;重组蛋白的最佳诱导条件为:选取SOC(Super optimal broth with catabolite repression)作为诱导表达培养基,菌液OD600为0.5–0.7时加入终浓度为0.1 mmol/L的IPTG,37°C诱导12 h;利用最优诱导条件获得了浓度为4.08 g/L的纯化Pfs蛋白,体外合成了信号分子AI-2。【结论】酸马奶酒中分离出的10株乳酸菌均可产生信号分子AI-2,且屎肠球菌8-3可通过Pfs基因的作用生成信号分子AI-2。