Chromosome-level genome assembly and characterization of Sophora Japonica

Sophora japonica is a medium-size deciduous tree belonging to Leguminosae family and famous for its high ecological, economic and medicinal value. Here, we reveal a draft genome of S. japonica, which was ∼511.49 Mb long (contig N50 size of 17.34 Mb) based on Illumina, Nanopore and Hi-C data. We reliably assembled 110 contigs into 14 chromosomes, representing 91.62% of the total genome, with an improved N50 size of 31.32 Mb based on Hi-C data. Further investigation identified 271.76 Mb (53.13%) of repetitive sequences and 31,000 protein-coding genes, of which 30,721 (99.1%) were functionally annotated. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that S. japonica separated from Arabidopsis thaliana and Glycine max ∼107.53 and 61.24 million years ago, respectively. We detected evidence of species-specific and common-legume whole-genome duplication events in S. japonica. We further found that multiple TF families (e.g. BBX and PAL) have expanded in S. japonica, which might have led to its enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress. In addition, S. japonica harbours more genes involved in the lignin and cellulose biosynthesis pathways than the other two species. Finally, population genomic analyses revealed no obvious differentiation among geographical groups and the effective population size continuously declined since 2 Ma. Our genomic data provide a powerful comparative framework to study the adaptation, evolution and active ingredients biosynthesis in S. japonica. More importantly, our high-quality S. japonica genome is important for elucidating the biosynthesis of its main bioactive components, and improving its production and/or processing.     

IL1RN promotes osteoblastic differentiation via interacting with ITGB3 in osteoporosis

The occurrence and progress of osteoporosis(OP)are partially caused by impaired osteoblast differentiation.Interleukin-I receptor antagonist(IL1RN)is an immune ...     

热玫瑰小双孢菌来源的丙酮酸磷酸双激酶的表达及应用

以热玫瑰小双孢菌基因组DNA为模板, 通过PCR扩增得到了编码PPDK的基因, 将此基因片段插入到表达载体pET28a(+)中构建得到了重组表达质粒pET28a(+)-PPDK, 将重组表达质粒pET28a(+)-PPDK转化到大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中, 经过IPTG诱导, 重组菌成功表达了N端带有6-His Tag的重组PPDK。经SDS-PAGE分析, 重组PPDK单体分子量为101 kD。经过镍亲和层析和超滤后, 重组PPDK蛋白基本达到电泳纯, 并被成功应用于焦测序中。     

云南省香格里拉大峡谷藏族神山在自然保护中的意义

位于云南省西北部迪庆藏族自治州境内的香格里拉大峡谷拥有独特的自然人文景观和丰富的生物多样性。藏族作为当地最重要的原住民族,他们的文化对当地的自然环境具有重要的影响。为了解藏族传统文化中的神山崇拜对香格里拉大峡谷地区自然环境的影响,本文应用民族生态学、植物生态学和文化人类学的研究方法,结合文献资料的分析,对香格里拉大峡谷的藏族神山进行了调查和研究,并对处于不同保护状态下（神山与非神山）的两个典型植物群落即高山松(Pinus densata)群落和云南黄果冷杉(Abies ernestii var. salouenensis)群落进行了比较。结果显示,在相同的样地面积内（20 m×20 m）,神山植物群落在物种数量（20,14）和群落盖度（100%,85%）方面都明显高于非神山植物群落（11,2;70%,60%）。结合入户调查资料,发现广泛分布于香格里拉大峡谷的藏族神山构成了一个“自下而上”的乡土保护体系,它不仅在保护生物多样性、维护当地脆弱的生态环境等方面发挥着重要的作用,而且还可以提供多种非林产品,实现多种生态功能。文章探讨了发挥乡土保护体系的保护功效及应用传统文化知识以促进自然保护的重要性,建议应当尊重和保护原住民的传统文化,发掘其中优秀的自然保护知识和经验,引导其发挥更加有效的自然保护功能,使民族传统保护体系成为现代自然保护体系的有力补充。     

胶原／壳聚糖复合膜的制备及止血效果的研究

目的 以胶原和壳聚糖制备复合膜,检验其止血效果,并探讨其止血原因。材料与方法：以酸解法从牛腱中提取胶原,用甲壳素制得壳聚糖,以胶原和壳聚制成复合膜,通过动物实验测不同配比的复合膜对出血创面的止血时间,并与其它止血材料做对比。结果：各种配比的复合膜的止血效果均比明胶等一般止血材料好。结论：胶原/壳聚糖复合膜有良好的止血作用,可望在外科手术上得到广泛应用。     

Identification and characterization of FHL3 as a novel angiogenin-binding partner

Angiogenin (Ang) is known to induce cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis by cellular signaling pathways and by direct nuclear functions of Ang, but the mechanism of action for Ang is not yet clear. The aim of present study was to identify novel binding partner of Ang and to explore the underlying mechanism. With the use of yeast two-hybrid screening system, Ang was used as the bait to screen human fetal hepatic cDNA library for interacting proteins. Four and a half LIM domains 3 (FHL3) was identified as a novel Ang binding partner. The interaction between Ang and the full length FHL3 was further confirmed by yeast two-hybrid assay, co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays. Furthermore, FHL3 was required for Ang-mediated HeLa cell proliferation and nuclear translocation of Ang. These findings suggest that the interaction between Ang and FHL3 may provide some clues to the mechanisms of Ang-regulated cell growth and apoptosis.     

Prediction of protein structure class by coupling improved genetic algorithm and support vector machine

Structural class characterizes the overall folding type of a protein or its domain. Most of the existing methods for determining the structural class of a protein are based on a group of features that only possesses a kind of discriminative information for the prediction of protein structure class. However, different types of discriminative information associated with primary sequence have been completely missed, which undoubtedly has reduced the success rate of prediction. We present a novel method for the prediction of protein structure class by coupling the improved genetic algorithm (GA) with the support vector machine (SVM). This improved GA was applied to the selection of an optimized feature subset and the optimization of SVM parameters. Jackknife tests on the working datasets indicated that the prediction accuracies for the different classes were in the range of 97.8–100% with an overall accuracy of 99.5%. The results indicate that the approach has a high potential to become a useful tool in bioinformatics.     

‘Green tides’ are overwhelming the coastline of our blue planet: taking the world’s largest example

A broad spectrum of events that come under the category of green tide are recognized world-wide as a response to elevated levels of seawater nutrients in coastal areas. Green tides involve a wide diversity of sites, macroalgal species, consequences, and possible causes. Here we review the effect of natural and man-induced environmental fluctuations on the frequency and apparent spread of green tides. This article highlights the need for interdisciplinary research aimed at shedding light on the basic mechanisms governing the occurrence and succession of green algae in coastal seas. This will result in more effective management and mitigation of the effects of green tides, thus safeguarding the intrinsic and commercial value of coastal marine ecosystems.     

MicroRNA-30a sensitizes tumor cells to cis-platinum via suppressing beclin 1-mediated autophagy

Autophagy is activated in cancer cells during chemotherapy and often contributes to tumor chemotherapy resistance. In this study, we characterized the role of microRNA-30a (miR-30a) in the coordination of cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy, which determines the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy. First, the autophagy activity in cancer cells increased after cis-dichloro-diamine platinum (cis-DDP) or Taxol treatment, as indicated by the enhanced expression of beclin 1, a key regulator of autophagy, and increased number of LC3-positive autophagosomes. Second, miRNA screening using a TaqMan probe-based quantitative RT-PCR assay identified that miR-30a, a miRNA that targets beclin 1, was significantly reduced in tumor cells by cis-DDP treatment. Forced expression of miR-30a significantly reduced beclin 1 and the autophagy activity of tumor cells induced by cis-DDP. Third, the blockade of tumor cell autophagy activity by miR-30a expression or 3-methyladenine significantly increased tumor cell apoptosis induced by cis-DDP treatment. Finally, an in vivo tumor implantation mouse model clearly showed that elevation of miR-30a in implanted tumor cells by administration of the recombinant lentivirus expressing miR-30a strongly enhanced cis-DDP-induced apoptosis of tumor cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrate for the first time that miR-30a can sensitize tumor cells to cis-DDP via reducing beclin 1-mediated autophagy and that increasing miR-30a level in tumor cells represents a novel approach to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy during cancer treatment.