未培养微生物研究:方法、机遇与挑战

自然界中绝大部分的微生物仍是未培养的,称之为未培养微生物或微生物"暗物质"。对其进行研究不仅有助于认识微生物多样性及其代谢特征,加深对环境中微生物参与的生态学过程的理解,还有利于重构生命之树,揭示微生物的进化历程,具有重要的科学意义。同时未培养微生物是发现新基因资源和新活性物质的巨大宝库。随着现代分子生物学研究方法和培养技术的成熟和完善,从环境中直接破译未培养微生物的遗传信息,并实现培养逐渐成为可能。本文主要介绍了基于宏基因组技术和单细胞基因组技术或两者结合运用,研究环境中未培养微生物的主要方法和挑战,总结分析了目前已经解析的未培养微生物的主要类群,并对未来研究的机遇进行了展望。     

病毒感染对角质形成细胞CCL20表达的影响及其机制

目的:既往研究发现,趋化因子CCL20在银屑病、白癜风等在内的多种自身免疫性皮肤疾病的病理过程中扮演了重要的角色,同时病毒感染也被认为是自身免疫性疾病的重要参与者。皮肤组织是机体抵御外界病原体的第一道屏障,其中角质形成细胞被认为在启动免疫中发挥了关键的作用。视黄酸诱导基因蛋白I(RIG-I)是固有免疫模式识别受体家族的重要成员,其能够被病毒复制的中间产物激活。然而,病毒感染是否会通过RIG-I信号通路影响角质形成细胞中CCL20的表达,进而参与自身免疫性皮肤疾病的病理过程仍不清楚。本文使用聚肌胞苷酸(Poly(I:C))来体外模拟病毒感染,探究病毒感染对皮肤角质形成细胞CCL20表达的影响,并且通过小干扰RNA沉默关键分子来探究相应的分子机制。方法:首先,体外细胞实验使用Poly(I:C)刺激角质形成细胞系HaCaT,通过Western-blot实验和qRT-PCR实验探究Poly(I:C)对HaCat中RIG-I表达的影响;接下来,通过实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)以及酶联免疫吸附测定实验(ELISA)检测Poly(I:C)对角质形成细胞CCL20分泌的影响;线粒体抗病毒信号蛋白(MAVS)在RIG-I的下游发挥着重要作用,我们通过小干扰RNA(si-RNA)阻断RIG-I-MAVS-NF-κB信号通路关键分子,探究Poly(I:C)诱导角质形成细胞CCL20表达升高的分子机制。结果:Poly(I:C)能够明显促进角质形成细胞中RIG-I的表达及CCL20的表达和分泌;Poly(I:C)诱导角质形成细胞CCL20分泌是由RIG-I-MAVS-NF-κB信号通路介导的。结论:Poly(I:C)模拟病毒感染能够通过RIG-I-MAVS-NF-κB信号通路介导CCL20表达增加,进而参与自身免疫性皮肤疾病的病理过程。     

链霉菌分类方法学研究近展

链霉菌是重要的资源微生物 ,由于具有重要的商业及学术价值而被广泛研究。但链霉菌属内的分类关系仍未能很好解决。主要介绍了当前链霉菌的分类方法研究状况 ,强调了运用基因型和表型相结合多相分类方法对链霉菌进行分类的重要性。     

Klotho Suppresses Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis in Mice with Stress-Induced Cardiac Injury via Downregulation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is a common pathological alteration in heart disease which results in systolic dysfunction or sudden death. Klotho is a novel anti-aging hormone. We tested the effects of klotho on cell apoptosis in isoproterenol-treated cardiomyocytes. In BALB/c mice, cardiac injury was induced by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (5mg/kg, for 9days, sc). Klotho (0.01 mg/kg, every other day for 4days, ip) was administered to determine the changes in isoproterenol-induced apoptosis. Mouse heart was harvested at day 2, day 5, and day 9 after isoproterenol injection. Isoproterenol induced cardiac apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in a time-dependent manner. However, klotho partly reversed isoproterenol-induced cardiac apoptosis and ER stress. These same effects were observed in cultured cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, the results also showed that SB203580, a p38 inhibitor, and SP600125, a c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor, reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and ER stress, however, klotho suppressed isoproterenol-induced activation of p38 and JNK. Taken together, these results indicated that cardioprotection by klotho was related to the attenuation of ER stress and ER stress-induced apoptosis, at least partly, through suppressing activation of the p38 and JNK pathway.     

球毛壳菌(Chaetomium globosum)NK102 纤维素酶基因及其表达条件

[目的]生物质的利用是当前生物技术研究的一个热点.本小组分离到一株高效降解纤维素球毛壳菌(Chaetomium globosum)NK102,本文拟探索研究此菌的纤维素酶表达系统并寻找影响酶基因表达的关键因素.[方法]通过对NK102测序,本文界定了球毛壳菌NK102的主要纤维素酶编码基因,使用数字基因表达谱升级版(RNA-Seq)的方法得到纤维素酶基因的表达差异,然后观察了营养、物理条件下纤维素酶基因表达和酶活性变化的情况.[结果]发现随着培养时间的延长,纤维素酶基因整体上表达量升高.在所选基因中,外切葡聚糖酶、纤维二糖脱氢酶和内切葡聚糖酶基因(cbh1,cdh和egl1)的表达量最高.糖代谢的负调控因子ACE I和CreA的随时间表达量均降低,而Hap2/3/5复合体的表达量反而升高.之后检测了不同碳源培养基对纤维素酶基因表达量和酶活性的影响,发现葡萄糖为强阻遏因子,纤维二糖为其诱导物,而山梨醇没有影响.特别是,我们发现光照也影响纤维素酶基因的表达,黑暗条件明显抑制酶基因的表达.[结论]转录组学的方法可以初步探索纤维素酶表达的规律,酶基因的表达受到营养、物理条件的影响.本研究为揭示球毛壳菌降解纤维素分子机理和阐释生物质糖代谢途径提供了有用参考.     

长春花主要农艺性状与文多灵含量的相关及通径分析

文多灵(vindoline)具有重要的药用价值。本文利用反相高效液相色谱法检测了23种国内外长春花主栽品种的文多灵含量, 对文多灵含量与品种的12个主要农艺性状(包括株高、节间距、茎直径、一级侧枝数、叶片长、叶片宽、叶片长宽比、百片叶重、全株叶片重、花瓣直径、种荚长度和种子数/荚)的相关性和通径进行了分析。相关性分析表明, 文多灵含量与一级侧枝数、茎直径、节间距、叶片宽、株高、全株叶片重、百片叶重、花瓣直径和叶片长呈正相关, 其中与一级侧枝数和茎直径的相关性达到显著水平(P<0.05), 与节间距的相关性接近显著水平; 与叶片长宽比、种荚长度和种子数/荚呈负相关。通径分析结果表明, 长春花的主要农艺性状中, 节间距、一级侧枝数和全株叶片重对文多灵含量的正影响达到了显著水平(P<0.05),通径系数分别为0.959、0.716和.431, 说明节间距、一级侧枝数和全株叶片重可以作为高含量文多灵长春花品种选育的重要参考指标。     

Seroprevalence of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus in the General Rural Population of Anyang,China

Background

Despite the probably causal link between Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) infection and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare but aggressive skin malignancy, little is known about the seroepidemiology of MCPyV among healthy adults in China.

Methods

Serum antibodies against MCPyV were evaluated by multiplex serology in a population-based study of 5548 adults (including 1587 heterosexual couples) aged 25–65 years who were enrolled from rural Anyang, China in 2007–2009. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the risk factors for the seropositivity of MCPyV.

Results

The seroprevalence for MCPyV was 61.0%. MCPyV seropositivity was significantly higher in males than in females (64.5% vs. 57.7%, P<0.001), and for both genders, showed a trend of increase with age (Male: P _trend<0.001; Female: P _trend<0.001). Furthermore, among antibody positives, antibody levels of MCPyV increased with advancing age (P _trend = 0.017). MCPyV seropositivity of one spouse was significantly associated with that of the other partner (Adjusted OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.07–1.62). However, there was no association between sexual behaviors and the seropositivity of MCPyV.

Conclusions

High seroprevalence of MCPyV was observed in healthy Chinese individuals. Serological evidence suggests that nonsexual horizontal spread of MCPyV can occur among family members, and further research in this regard is needed.