Generation of virus‐resistant potato plants by RNA genome targeting

CRISPR/Cas systems provide bacteria and archaea with molecular immunity against invading phages and foreign plasmids. The class 2 type VI CRISPR/Cas effector Cas13a is an RNA‐targeting CRISPR effector that provides protection against RNA phages. Here we report the repurposing of CRISPR/Cas13a to protect potato plants from a eukaryotic virus, Potato virus Y (PVY). Transgenic potato lines expressing Cas13a/sgRNA (small guide RNA) constructs showed suppressed PVY accumulation and disease symptoms. The levels of viral resistance correlated with the expression levels of the Cas13a/sgRNA construct in the plants. Our data further demonstrate that appropriately designed sgRNAs can specifically interfere with multiple PVY strains, while having no effect on unrelated viruses such as PVA or Potato virus S. Our findings provide a novel and highly efficient strategy for engineering crops with resistances to viral diseases.     

Allometric growth and carbon storage in the mangrove Sonneratia apetala

Allometric growth reflects different allocation patterns and relationships of different components or traits of a plant and is closely related to ecosystem carbon storage. As an introduced species, the growth and carbon storage of Sonneratia apetala are still unclear. To derive allometric relationships of the mangrove S. apetala and to estimate carbon storage in mangrove ecosystems, we harvested 12 individual Sonneratia apetala trees from four different diameter classes in the Futian National Nature Reserve, Guangdong, China. Allometric growth models were fitted. The results showed that diameter at breast height (DBH) and wood density were better variables for predicting plant biomass (including above- and below-ground biomass) than plant height. There were significant power function relationships between biomass and DBH, with a mean allometric exponent of 2.22, and stem biomass accounted for 97% of the variation in S. apetala total biomass. Nearly isometric scaling relationships were developed between stem biomass and other biomass components. To better understand the carbon stocks of the S. apetala ecosystem, we categorized all trees into five age classes and quantified vegetation carbon storage. The S. apetala vegetation carbon storage ranged from 96.48 to 215.35 Mg C ha^?1, and the carbon storage significantly increased with stand age. The allometric equations developed in this study are useful to estimate biomass and carbon storage of S. apetala ecosystems.

     

低强度微波辐射对人精子非热生物效应的研究

选用频率２４５０ＭＨｚ分别在３、５、７、９ｍＷ／ｃｍ２的功率密度,使用新型宽带横电磁传输室（ＢＴＥＭＣＥＬＬ）辐射人精子１小时,我们发现只有５ｍＷ／ｃｍ２的强度对人射子的活动度、存活率、畸形率又穿卵率有显著的影响,这表明在５ｍＷ／ｃｍ２附近存在明显的功率密度窗效应。同时还发现,７ｍＷ／ｃｍ２组的精子的染色体出现畸变。最后对实验结果进行了讨论。     

雄性麋鹿的吼叫行为、序位等级与成功繁殖

为探讨雄性麋鹿（Elaphurus davidianus）的吼叫行为与序位等级的关系,以及这种关系在成功繁殖中的作用。2000年7－8月,在北京麋鹿苑选定12头成体雄鹿,用目标取样法观察记录每头鹿的吼叫、圈群和交配行为的发生频次。用有效比值[被雌鹿接受的频次／雄鹿圈群（或交配）的总频次]来衡量雄鹿圈群行为（或交配行为）的有效性。依据雄鹿在发情期的表现状态,把雄鹿归为3类：占有雌鹿群的“群主”（4头）、未占有雌鹿群而挑战“群主”的“挑战者”（5头）和远离繁殖群的“单身汉”（3头）。不同序位等级雄鹿的吼叫频次、圈群（或交配）行为频次、圈群行为（或交配行为）的有效值存在显著差异（P＜0.05）。对吼叫行为的分析表明：“群主”吼叫频次最高,“单身汉”吼叫频次最低。“群主”的有效值最高,“单身汉”的有效值最低。据此认为雄性麋鹿的吼叫行为与其序位等级密切相关,而序位等级又决定了雄鹿参与繁殖的机会。此外,还记录到占群雄鹿的警戒吼叫,这是对Wemmer et al.(1983)警戒吼叫行为仅见于雌鹿的观察结果的补充。     

Cloning and characterization of full-length human ribosomal protein L15 cDNA which was overexpressed in esophageal cancer

The aim of this investigation was trying to identify the genes differentially expressed in esophageal cancer. By combining suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) with reverse Northern high density blots, a gene named EC45 was obtained, which dramatically overexpressed in 70% esophageal cancer (18/26). EC45 was mapped to 3p12-3p11.2 by radiation hybrid mapping (RH mapping). The putative full length EC45 cDNA (1987 bp) was identified by cDNA libraries screening of esophageal cancer. EC45 encoded 204 amino acids, and it shared a 100% similarity with ribosomal protein L15 (635 bp, mRNA) in ORF, but no similarity in 5' UTR or 3' UTR. Northern blot panel of multiple adult human normal tissues showed EC45 distributed in almost normal tissues tested. All these data suggested that EC45, encoding ribosomal protein L15 and overexpressing in esophageal cancer might play a possible role in carcinogenesis of esophagus.     

A novel method to calculate the G+C content of genomic DNA sequences.

The base composition of a DNA fragment or genome is usually measured by the proportion of A+T or G+C in the sequence. The G+C content along genomic sequences is usually calculated using an overlapping or non-overlapping sliding window method. The result and accuracy of such an approach depends on the size of the window and the moving distance adopted. In this paper, a novel windowless technique to calculate the G+C content of genomic sequences is proposed. By this method, the G+C content can be calculated at different "resolution". In an extreme case, the G+C content may be computed at a specific point, rather than in a window of finite size. This is particularly useful to analyze the fine variation of base composition along genomic sequences. As the first example, the variation of G+C content along each of 16 yeast chromosomes is analyzed. The G+C-rich regions with length larger than 5 kb sequences are detected and listed in details. It is found that each chromosome consists of several G+C-rich and G+C-poor regions alternatively, i.e., a mosaic structure. Another example is to analyze the G+C content for each of the two chromosomes of the Vibrio cholerae genome. Based on the variations of the G+C content in each chromosome, it is shown that some fragments in the Vibrio cholerae genome may have been transferred from other species. Especially, the position and size of the large integron island on the smaller chromosome was precisely predicted. This method would be a useful tool for analyzing genomic sequences.     

Improved ethanol yield and reduced Minimum Ethanol Selling Price (MESP) by modifying low severity dilute acid pretreatment with deacetylation and mechanical refining: 1) Experimental

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Historically, acid pretreatment technology for the production of bio-ethanol from corn stover has required severe conditions to overcome biomass recalcitrance. However, the high usage of acid and steam at severe pretreatment conditions hinders the economic feasibility of the ethanol production from biomass. In addition, the amount of acetate and furfural produced during harsh pretreatment is in the range that strongly inhibits cell growth and impedes ethanol fermentation. The current work addresses these issues through pretreatment with lower acid concentrations and temperatures incorporated with deacetylation and mechanical refining. RESULTS: The results showed that deacetylation with 0.1 M NaOH before acid pretreatment improved the monomeric xylose yield in pretreatment by up to 20 % while keeping the furfural yield under 2 %. Deacetylation also improved the glucose yield by 10 % and the xylose yield by 20 % during low solids enzymatic hydrolysis. Mechanical refining using a PFI mill further improved sugar yields during both low- and high-solids enzymatic hydrolysis. Mechanical refining also allowed enzyme loadings to be reduced while maintaining high yields. Deacetylation and mechanical refining are shown to assist in achieving 90 % cellulose yield in high-solids (20 %) enzymatic hydrolysis. When fermentations were performed under pH control to evaluate the effect of deacetylation and mechanical refining on the ethanol yields, glucose and xylose utilizations over 90 % and ethanol yields over 90 % were achieved. Overall ethanol yields were calculated based on experimental results for the base case and modified cases. One modified case that integrated deacetylation, mechanical refining, and washing was estimated to produce 88 gallons of ethanol per ton of biomass. CONCLUSION: The current work developed a novel bio-ethanol process that features pretreatment with lower acid concentrations and temperatures incorporated with deacetylation and mechanical refining. The new process shows improved overall ethanol yields compared to traditional dilute acid pretreatment. The experimental results from this work support the techno-economic analysis and calculation of Minimum Ethanol Selling Price (MESP) detailed in our companion paper.     

Monitoring vegetation recovery after China’s May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake using Landsat TM time-series data: a case study in Mao County

The Wenchuan earthquake (Richter scale 8) on 12 May 2008 in southwestern China caused widespread ecosystem damage in the Longmenshan area. It is important to evaluate natural vegetation recovery processes and provide basic information on ecological aspects of the recovering environment after the earthquake. To circumvent the weather limits of remote sensing in the Wenchuan earthquake-hit areas, and to meet the need for regional observation analyses, three Landsat TM images pre- and post-earthquake in Mao County were used for analysis. Post-earthquake normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were compared to pre-earthquake values with an NDVI-based index differencing method to determine the extent to which the vegetation was damaged in relation to the pre-earthquake pattern, and the rate of recovery was evaluated. The spatial characteristics of vegetation loss and natural recovery patterns were analyzed in relation to elevation, slope and aspect. The results indicated that severely damaged sites occurred mainly in river valleys, within a range of 1,500?C2,500?m elevation and on slopes of 25?C55°. The distance from rivers, rather than the distance from active faults, controls the damage patterns. After 1?year of natural regeneration, 36?% of the destroyed areas showed a decrease in NDVI value, 28.8?% showed very little change, 19.1?% showed an increase, and 16.1?% also increased with a recovery rate greater than 100?%. Moreover, there is a good correlation between recovery rate and both slope and elevation, but recovery patterns in the damaged area are complicated. Our results indicate that natural recovery in this arid valley is a slow process.