RNAi转基因作物安全评价研究进展

在秀丽隐杆线虫中首次发现双链RNA(dsRNA)能特异性地导致基因沉默(RNAi)现象后,人们开始大量地研究RNAi技术,并将其应用于功能基因的研究,来提高作物的抗性和改良遗传育种等。本文详细介绍了RNAi的技术原理,并且对RNAi技术与传统转基因技术的区别进行分析,阐述了该技术具有重要的生物学意义,以及在农作物害虫防治领域的占据独特优势。基于RNAi技术存在的潜在脱靶效应,从改良植物、靶标生物和生态环境的3个方面具体分析该技术可能存在的风险,为RNAi技术的风险评估提供参考。由于RNAi技术仍存在风险,为了维护生态多样性和保障人们的人身安全,应尽快建立起符合实际需求的安全性评价方法,本文针对RNAi转基因作物的环境安全和食用安全2个方面的评估方案进行概述。RNAi技术对减少害虫数量、提高水稻产量、降低种植成本以及减少化学农药污染、促进农业可持续发展来说具有重要意义,但该技术仍存在风险,需要进一步监管和研究,建立完善的生态评价系统,让RNAi技术在农业生产上发挥作用。     

Efficient and green aqueous−solid system for transphosphatidylation to produce phosphatidylhydroxybutyrate: Potential drugs for central nervous system's diseases

The synthesis of nonnatural phospholipid, phosphatidylhydroxybutyrate (PB), was firstly introduced by phospholipase D (PLD)-mediated transphosphatidylation of phosphatidylcholine (PC) with sodium γ-hydroxybutyrate (NaGHB) in the aqueous–solid system. Nanoscale silicon dioxide (NSD) was employed as a carrier to provide an “artificial interphase” between PC and PLD. Special attention has been paid to the effect of the PC coverage on the surface area of hybrids of NSD-PC, the PC loading and the yield of PB. Results indicated that the highest PC loading of 98.3% and the highest PB yield of 97.3% were achieved. In addition, the free PLD in the aqueous–solid system showed the greater stability and pH tolerance than that in the traditional liquid–liquid system. The operational stability of free PLD solution was investigated. The yield of PB remained 70.7% after being used for five batches. The authors provide a new idea for drug design and the potential source of PB for medical experiments. PB is a potential drug and may have the excellent performance in the treatment of central nervous system's diseases. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 35: e2726, 2019     

Interaction between single molecules of Mac-1 and ICAM-1 in living cells: an atomic force microscopy study

The interaction between integrin macrophage differentiation antigen associated with complement three receptor function (Mac-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), which is controlled tightly by the ligand-binding activity of Mac-1, is central to the regulation of neutrophil adhesion in host defense. Several "inside-out" signals and extracellular metal ions or antibodies have been found to activate Mac-1, resulting in an increased adhesiveness of Mac-1 to its ligands. However, the molecular basis for Mac-1 activation is not well understood yet. In this work, we have carried out a single-molecule study of Mac-1/ICAM-1 interaction force in living cells by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our results showed that the binding probability and adhesion force of Mac-1 with ICAM-1 increased upon Mac-1 activation. Moreover, by comparing the dynamic force spectra of different Mac-1 mutants, we expected that Mac-1 activation is governed by the downward movement of its alpha7 helix.     

A Water-absorbent Mat Incorporating β-cyclodextrin/eugenol Inclusion Complex for Preservation of Cold Fresh Mutton

To extend the shelf life of cold fresh mutton, the water-absorbent antibacterial mat was developed. This mat was composed of polylactic acid-β-cyclodextrin/eugenol (PLA-β-CD/EUG) fiber membrane, super absorbent polymer (SAP) and filter paper, in which the fiber membrane was developed by the electrospinning technique. The β-CD/EUG inclusion complexes were shown to form successfully by scanning electron microscope (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), water contact angle (WCA) analysis. The release experiment indicated that the PLA-β-CD/EUG fiber membranes had a slow-release effect, especially in the fatty food simulant. The water-absorbent antibacterial mats can restrain the growth of six spoilage bacteria. The mats were evaluated for the preservation of cold fresh mutton. The results revealed that it displayed prolongation of shelf life upon 8 days during the mutton at 4 °C storage period. The water-absorbent antibacterial mat can slowly release natural antibacterial agents and absorb water to achieve preservation, suggesting a potential application in meat products.

     

An Ultrahigh Narrowband Absorber Close to the Information Communication Window

Plasmonics - In this paper, we demonstrate a plasmonic ultrahigh narrowband perfect absorber, which realizes an absorption intensity of up to 99.99% in the near-infrared electromagnetic spectrum...     

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Transgenesis of the Masu Salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) elovl2 Gene Improves n-3 Fatty Acid Content in Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

Marine Biotechnology - Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), play a very important role in...     

A study of the antibacterial mechanism of pinocembrin against multidrug-resistant Aeromonas hydrophila

International Microbiology - Aeromonas hydrophila is a common pathogen in fish that has caused severe economic losses in aquaculture worldwide. With the emergence of bacterial resistance, it is...     

油藏嗜热菌与膨润土的相互作用及其对储层防膨的意义

[目的]本文从胜利油田沾3区块的高温油藏的原油采出液中分离得到一株嗜热菌,通过其与膨润土的相互作用,尝试探讨油藏微生物作为油藏储层中水敏性矿物（如蒙皂石）改性剂的可能性。[意义]研究结果将在降低水敏矿物的膨胀性能,为解决水驱采油中遇到的水敏效应的瓶颈问题提供微生物的新途径。[结果]所得菌株为革兰氏阳性菌,呈杆状,具芽孢,兼性厌氧,鉴定为Geobacillus icigianus SL-1。菌株SL-1在厌氧条件下能够还原蒙皂石的结构铁。扫描电镜（SEM）结果显示,无菌对照体系中,蒙皂石呈不规则薄片状。而经微生物作用后,除薄片状蒙皂石外,另有板状次生矿物的生成。进一步能谱（EDS）分析表明,与薄片状蒙皂石相比,板状矿物含有较高的Al/Si比值,且含有明显的K⁺信号。XRD结果显示,经过微生物作用后,固相物质中蒙皂石的百分比下降至47.7%,伊利石百分比上升至29.1%,而无菌对照组中蒙皂石的百分含量则为70.4%,伊利石的百分比则为19.8%。XRD物相分析和EDS结果均证实经过微生物作用后,部分蒙皂石转化成了伊利石。膨胀性能的分析进一步揭示菌株SL-1作用后,矿物膨胀性较初始矿物显著降低,缩膨率达到25.9%。以上结果为油藏储层防膨提供了重要的实验依据。     

水果害虫斑翅果蝇体内微生物菌群研究进展

斑翅果蝇是一种在全球范围内造成危害的重要水果害虫,其主要分布于亚、美、欧三大洲。斑翅果蝇的产卵器可以刺破水果表皮,将卵产在未完全成熟的水果中,卵孵化为幼虫后,幼虫取食水果,直接降低产量,从而对水果产业造成损失。近年以来,越来越多的研究表明昆虫微生物对宿主昆虫影响很大。例如昆虫微生物可以调控寄主昆虫的生长发育、个体适应性及生殖等。昆虫与其共生微生物间的关系成为昆虫生物学研究的热点内容。本文综述了近些年关于斑翅果蝇微生物多样性的研究,探讨了微生物菌群及内共生菌Wolbachia对斑翅果蝇生长发育、行为、生殖、抗病毒等的影响,以便为寻找控制斑翅果蝇种群的策略提供参考依据。     

Blocking of tripartite motif 8 protects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury by regulating AMPKα activity

Acute lung injury (ALI) and its more serious form, respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), are considered as an acute and severe inflammatory process existing in lungs, and still remain high mortality rates. Tripartite motif 8 (TRIM8) contains an N-terminal RING finger, which is followed by two B-boxes and a coiled-coil domain, belonging to the TRIM/RBCC family and playing significant role in meditating inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. In the study, we investigated the role of TRIM8 in ALI induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the underlying molecular mechanisms. The in vitro results indicated that LPS time-dependently enhanced TRIM8 expression in lung epithelial cells. Suppressing TRIM8 markedly ameliorated LPS-elicited inflammatory response, as evidenced by the down-regulated mRNA levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in cells mainly through inactivating nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway; however, over-expressing TRIM8 markedly promoted inflammation in LPS-challenged cells. In addition, LPS-induced oxidative stress was accelerated by TRIM8 over-expression, while being alleviated by TRIM8 knockdown by regulating Nrf2 signaling. Importantly, TRIM8 could negatively meditate AMP-activated protein kinase-α (AMPKα) activation to modulate LPS-triggered inflammatory response and ROS generation in vitro. Additionally, our in vivo findings suggested that TRIM8 knockdown effectively attenuated LPS-induced lung injury nu decrease of lung wet/dry (W/T) ratio, protein concentrations, neutrophil infiltration, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and superoxide dismutase (SOD) depletion. Meanwhile, the loss of TRIM8 markedly lessened IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α expression in lung tissues of LPS-challenged mice, and reduced NF-κB phosphorylation. Furthermore, TRIM8 knockdown evidently improved nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expressions in lung of LPS-treated mice. The anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant role of TRIM8-silence might be associated with AMPKα phosphorylation. Together, our study firstly provided a support that TRIM8 knockdown effectively protected LPS-induced ALI against inflammation and oxidative stress largely dependent on the promotion of AMPKα pathway.