Archaeal biogeography and interactions with microbial community across complex subtropical coastal waters

Marine Archaea are crucial in biogeochemical cycles, but their horizontal spatial variability, assembly processes, and microbial associations across complex coastal waters still lack characterizations at high coverage. Using a dense sampling strategy, we investigated horizontal variability in total archaeal, Thaumarchaeota Marine Group (MG) I, and Euryarchaeota MGII communities and associations of MGI/MGII with other microbes in surface waters with contrasting environmental characteristics across ~200 km by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Total archaeal communities were extremely dominated by MGI and/or MGII (98.9% in average relative abundance). Niche partitioning between MGI and MGII or within each group was found across multiple environmental gradients. “Selection” was more important than “dispersal limitation” in governing biogeographic patterns of total archaeal, MGI, and MGII communities, and basic abiotic parameters (such as salinity) and inorganic/organic resources as a whole could be the main driver of “selection”. While “homogenizing dispersal” also considerably governed their biogeography. MGI‐Nitrospira assemblages were speculatively responsible for complete nitrification. MGI taxa commonly had negative correlations with members of Synechococcus but positive correlations with members of eukaryotic phytoplankton, suggesting that competition or synergy between MGI and phytoplankton depends on specific MGI‐phytoplankton assemblages. MGII taxa showed common associations with presumed (photo)heterotrophs including members of SAR11, SAR86, SAR406, and Candidatus Actinomarina. This study sheds light on ecological processes and drivers shaping archaeal biogeography and many strong MGI/MGII‐bacterial associations across complex subtropical coastal waters. Future efforts should be made on seasonality of archaeal biogeography and biological, environmental, or ecological mechanisms underlying these statistical microbial associations.     

Effect of pinealectomy on the circadian clock of the chick retina under different monochromatic lights

The avian circadian rhythm pacemaker is composed of the retina, pineal gland and suprachiasmatic nucleus. As an intact input-pacemaker-output system, each of these structures is linked within a neuroendocrine loop to influence downstream processes and peripheral oscillations. While our previous study found that monochromatic light affected the circadian rhythms of clock genes in the chick retina, the effect of the pineal gland on the response of the retinal circadian clock under monochromatic light still remains unclear. In this study, a total of 144 chicks, including sham-operated and pinealectomized groups, were exposed to white, red, green or blue light. After 2 weeks of light illumination, the circadian expression of six core clock genes (cClock, cBmal1, cCry1, cCry2, cPer2 and cPer3), melanopsin (cOpn4-1, cOpn4-2), Arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (cAanat) and melatonin was examined in the retina. The cBmal1, cCry1, cPer2, cPer3, cOpn4-1, cOpn4-2 and cAanat genes as well as melatonin had circadian rhythmic expression in both the sham-operated and pinealectomized groups under different monochromatic lights, while cClock and cCry2 had arrhythmic 24 h profiles in all of the light-treated groups. After pinealectomy, the rhythmicity of the clock genes, melanopsins, cAanat and melatonin in the chick retina did not change, especially the mesors, amplitudes and phases of cBmal1, cOpn4-1, cOpn4-2, cAanat and melatonin. Compared to the white light group, however, green light increased the mRNA expression of the positive-regulating clock genes cBmal1, cAanat, cOpn4-1 and cOpn4-2 as well as the melatonin content in pinealectomized chicks, whereas red light decreased their expression. These results suggest that the chick retina is a relatively independent circadian oscillator from the pineal gland, whose circadian rhythmicity (including photoreception, molecular clock and melatonin output) is not altered after pinealectomization. Moreover, green light increases ocular cAanat expression and melatonin synthesis by accelerating the expression of melanopsin and positive-regulating clock genes cBmal1 and cClock.     

3,3′,4,4′,5-Pentachlorobiphenyl influences mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in granulosa cells

3,3′,4,4′,5-Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB126) is a persistent organic environmental pollutant which can affect various biological activities of organisms, such as immunity, neurological function, and reproduction. In our study, we aimed to investigate the effects of PCB126 on granulosa cells (GCs). GCs were collected from ovaries in PMSG-treated mice, after 24 hours culture. GCs were then incubated with 10 pg/mL, 100 pg/mL, and 10 ng/mL of PCB126 for another 24 hours. Following these steps, exposed GCs were collected for further experimentation. Our data showed that the number of GCs in the 10 ng/mL PCB126 decreased. Meanwhile, pyknotic nuclei and condensed chromatin increased, while the apoptotic cells in the 10 ng/mL PCB126 group were significantly increased. Furthermore, the expression of the apoptotic executive protein caspase-3 increased after PCB126 treatment. The expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and Bim related to the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway were also influenced to different degrees. Thus, our data suggested that PCB126 affect the GCs apoptosis, and mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was involved in this process.     

miR-483 inhibits bovine myoblast cell proliferation and differentiation via IGF1/PI3K/AKT signal pathway

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been established to regulate skeletal muscle development in mammals. However, few studies have been conducted on the regulation of proliferation and differentiation of bovine myoblast cells by miRNAs. The aim of our study was to explore the function of miR-483 in cell proliferation and differentiation of bovine myoblast. Here, we found that miR-483 declined in both proliferation and differentiation stages of bovine myoblast cells. During the proliferation phase, the overexpression of miR-483 downregulated the cell cycle–associated genes cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) messenger RNA (mRNA), and the protein levels. At the cellular level, cell cycle, cell counting kit-8, and 5-ethynyl-2´-deoxyuridine results indicated that the overexpression of miR-483 block cell proliferation. During differentiation, the overexpression of miR-483 led to a decrease in the levels of the myogenic marker genes MyoD1 and MyoG mRNA and protein. Furthermore, the immunofluorescence analysis results showed that the number of MyHC-positive myotubes was reduced. In contrast, the opposite experimental results were obtained concerning both proliferation and differentiation after the inhibition of miR-483. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that miR-483 target insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and downregulated the expression of key proteins in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Altogether, our findings indicate that miR-483 acts as a negative regulator of bovine myoblast cell proliferation and differentiation.     

神农架龙门河地区基于植被的GAP分析

基于MapInfoProfessional 6 .0软件和野外调查所积累的资料 ,首先找出最佳“投资 效益比”的珍稀濒危物种密集分布区。随后 ,利用GAP分析的方法 ,对龙门河地区现状植被类型图、管理规划图、珍稀濒危物种密集分布区图进行了叠加分析 ,结果表明 :该地区规划管理的gap主要由 3部分组成 ,即原管理方法中不限制人为干扰的区域、原保护区域内没有包含的自然植被类型所属分布区、珍稀濒危物种密集分布区中没有禁止人为干扰的区域。其总面积为 1 736hm2 ,占龙门河地区总面积的 36 .81 %。综合考虑对植物多样性的保护及当地居民的生活所需 ,为该地区今后的管理重点提出了合理化建议     

Structure of the Methanococcus jannaschii mevalonate kinase, a member of the GHMP kinase superfamily.

The mevalonate-dependent pathway is used by many organisms to synthesize isopentenyl pyrophosphate, the building block for the biosynthesis of many biologically important compounds, including farnesyl pyrophosphate, dolichol, and many sterols. Mevalonate kinase (MVK) catalyzes a critical phosphoryl transfer step, producing mevalonate 5'-phosphate. The crystal structure of thermostable MVK from Methanococcus jannaschii has been determined at 2.4 A, revealing an overall fold similar to the homoserine kinase from M. jannaschii. In addition, the enzyme shows structural similarity with mevalonate 5-diphosphate decarboxylase and domain IV of elongation factor G. The active site of MVK is in the cleft between its N- and C-terminal domains. Several structural motifs conserved among species, including a phosphate-binding loop, have been found in this cavity. Asp(155), an invariant residue among MVK sequences, is located close to the putative phosphate-binding site and has been assumed to play the catalytic role. Analysis of the MVK model in the context of the other members of the GHMP kinase family offers the opportunity to understand both the mechanism of these enzymes and the structural details that may lead to the design of novel drugs.     

Studies on the phospholipid composition of pathogenic cell membranes of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

The membrane phospholipid and fatty acid compositions of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, a pathogen of porcine enzootic pneumoniae isolated in China, was studied by thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography. The results showed that membrane phospholipids consisted predominantly of diphosphatidylglycerol. The percentage of C16 - C18 fatty acids comprised 79% of the total fatty acids, of which oleic acid as well as palmitic acid are the major fatty acids. Some differences were shown in fatty acid composition as compared with membranes of other species of Mycoplasma.     

Enhanced chemiluminescence enzyme‐linked immunoassay for the determination of DNA methyltransferase 1 in human serum

The occurrence of many diseases is closely related to the high expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). However, most studies are focused on the detection of DNMT1 activity, a few are concerned with the detection of DNMT1 content. In this study, we developed a simple and highly sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) assay for the detection of DNMT1 content. In this method, anti‐DNMT1 monoclonal antibody was coated on a polystyrene microplate to capture DNMT1. Then anti‐DNMT1 polyclonal antibody and goat anti‐rabbit immunoglobulin G with horseradish peroxidase (IgG‐HRP) were respectively added to combine with captured DNMT1 to form a sandwich structure. Finally, the HRP could catalyze CL substrate and achieve CL signal response. Based on this novel sensitive strategy, the recovery percents were in the ranges from 71.5% to 91.0%. The precision of intra‐assays and inter‐assays were 5.45%–11.29% and 7.03%–11.25%, respectively. The method was successfully applied for the determination of DNMT1 in human serum. The detection results of serum samples showed that the proposed assay had a high correlation with enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Compared with the ELISA kit (limit of detection = 0.1 ng/mL), the method has a lower limit of detection of 0.042 ng/mL. Therefore, our method has the potential for the detection of DNMT1 content in clinical diagnosis.     

Clonal integration enhances survival and performance of Potentilla anserina, suffering from partial sand burial on Ordos plateau, China

On Ordos plateau, a semi-arid, desertified area in China, sand burial is a common stress factor for plants. The extent to which sand burial occurs is heterogeneous and unpredictable in space and in time. Therefore, clonal fragments (i.e., interconnected ramets of a clonal plant) often experience partial sand burial, with some ramets buried in sand while the rest may remain unburied. It was hypothesized that clonal fragments are able to benefit from clonal integration, in case they experience partial sand burial. A pot experiment was conducted with Potentilla anserina, a stoloniferous herb often found on Ordos plateau. We used clonal fragments consisting of four interconnected ramets. In the experiment, the two proximal (older) ramets were unburied while the two distal (younger) ramets were either unburied (control) or buried with a 2, 4 or 6 cm deep layer of sand (burial treatments). The stolon connection between the proximal and the distal ramets was either severed or left intact. Stolon severing dramatically decreased the survival of buried ramets. Stolon severing and sand burial had significant effects on plant performance in terms of biomass production, number of leaves and leaf area. A cost–benefit analysis based on performance measures shows that the proximal ramets supported their connected distal ramets and did not incur any cost from this resource export. These results suggest that clonal integration, which is one of the functionally most important consequences of clonal growth, contributes significantly to our test species' capacity to withstand partial sand burial on Ordos plateau, a semi-arid and desertified area of China.