PSMD: An extensive database for pan‐species microsatellite investigation and marker development

Microsatellites are widely distributed throughout nearly all genomes which have been extensively exploited as powerful genetic markers for diverse applications due to their high polymorphisms. Their length variations are involved in gene regulation and implicated in numerous genetic diseases even in cancers. Although much effort has been devoted in microsatellite database construction, the existing microsatellite databases still had some drawbacks, such as limited number of species, unfriendly export format, missing marker development, lack of compound microsatellites and absence of gene annotation, which seriously restricted researchers to perform downstream analysis. In order to overcome the above limitations, we developed PSMD (Pan‐Species Microsatellite Database, http://big.cdu.edu.cn/psmd/ ) as a web‐based database to facilitate researchers to easily identify microsatellites, exploit reliable molecular markers and compare microsatellite distribution pattern on genome‐wide scale. In current release, PSMD comprises 678,106,741 perfect microsatellites and 43,848,943 compound microsatellites from 18,408 organisms, which covered almost all species with available genomic data. In addition to interactive browse interface, PSMD also offers a flexible filter function for users to quickly gain desired microsatellites from large data sets. PSMD allows users to export GFF3 formatted file and CSV formatted statistical file for downstream analysis. We also implemented an online tool for analysing occurrence of microsatellites with user‐defined parameters. Furthermore, Primer3 was embedded to help users to design high‐quality primers with customizable settings. To our knowledge, PSMD is the most extensive resource which is likely to be adopted by scientists engaged in biological, medical, environmental and agricultural research.     

Smooth muscle-specific expression of SV40 large TAg induces SMC proliferation causing adaptive arterial remodeling

To study the effects of enhanced smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation on arterial vessel geometry in the absence of vessel trauma, we developed a transgenic mouse model expressing SV40 large T antigen under control of the 2.3-kb smooth muscle-myosin heavy chain promoter. Transgenic mice studied at ages from 3 to 13 wk showed a 3.2-fold increase in arterial wall SMC density, with 28% of SMC exhibiting proliferative cell nuclear antigen staining, confirming enhanced SMC proliferation, which was accompanied by two- to threefold increases in arterial wall areas (P < 0.05). Remarkably, despite increased vessel wall mass, the lumen area was not compromised, but rather was increased. A tightly conserved linear relationship was found between arterial circumference and wall thickness with slopes of 0.036 for both transgenics (r = 0.93, P < 0.01) and controls (r = 0.77, P < 0.01), suggesting the hypothesis that the conservation of wall stress functions as a primary determinant of adaptive arterial remodeling. This establishes a new model of adaptive vessel remodeling occurring in response to a proliferative input in the absence of mechanical injury or primary flow perturbation.     

射频消融联合吉非替尼治疗晚期非小细胞肺癌的临床分析

目的:观察射频消融术(RFA)联合吉非替尼(Gefitinib)对晚期非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)治疗的临床效果。方法:26例晚期NSCLC(III、IV期)患者用RFA联合Gefitinib治疗,与23例单独使用RFA治疗的对照组进行比较,观察两组之间有效率、生活质量和不良反应。结果:根据疗效、生活质量评分等指标进行评价,联合治疗组有效率为65.4%,高于单纯RFA治疗组的34.8%,两组之间有显著性差异(P<0.01),对接受治疗的患者进行生活质量评价结果表明,所有接受RFA和Gefitinib联合治疗组中有71.3%的病人生活质量良好,而接受单纯RFA治疗组中只有47%的患者生活质量良好,两组之间有显著性差异(P<0.01),两组患者不良反应主要是疼痛、发热、腹泻等,只需对症处理。结论:RFA联合Gefitinib综合治疗NSCLC方案优于单纯采用RFA的治疗方案。     

一株红壤溶磷菌的分离、鉴定及溶磷特性

【目的】为了提高红壤磷素利用率,探讨溶磷菌溶磷机理。【方法】利用难溶性无机盐培养基从花生根际土壤样品中分离到一株溶磷菌C5-A,结合菌落形态特征、生理生化和16S rRNA序列确定该菌株的系统发育地位;通过菌株C5-A在NBRIP液体培养基培养过程中培养液pH变化确定其溶磷能力;利用液体发酵实验测定不同的碳源、氮源对菌株C5-A溶磷的影响;通过高效液相色谱检测C5-A在不同氮源培养液中有机酸的种类和浓度。【结果】菌株C5-A鉴定为洋葱伯克霍尔德氏菌(Burkholderia cepacia),遗传稳定性较好。在FePO4和AlPO4培养液中,菌株C5-A的溶磷量和pH变化呈显著负相关;菌株C5-A对磷酸三钙、磷酸铝、磷酸铁、磷矿粉均有较强的溶解能力,最高溶磷量分别为125.79、227.34、60.02和321.15 mg/L;菌株C5-A对不同浓度的两种磷矿粉有较强的溶解能力;分别以麦芽糖和草酸铵为碳源和氮源时溶磷量最高。高效液相色谱检测出10种有机酸,分别为草酸(葡萄糖酸)、乙酸、苹果酸、琥珀酸和5种未知有机酸,然而,乙酸而非草酸似乎是影响C5-A溶磷的重要有机酸。【结论】从红壤花生根际土壤中筛选到一株对难溶性无机盐具有较强溶解能力溶的菌株C5-A,有望为开发高效红壤微生物磷肥提供种质资源。     

复杂疾病靶基因识别与网络重建的计算系统生物研究

复杂疾病相关靶基因的识别、构建疾病驱使相关基因网络及进行疾病机制研究,是功能基因组学研究中非常重要的科学问题。文章以计算系统生物学的观点和三维的角度,综述了基于生物谱（SNP遗传谱、芯片表达谱和2D-PAGE蛋白质谱等）的复杂疾病靶基因识别、多水平（SNPs虚拟网络、基因调控网络、蛋白质互作网络等）遗传网络逆向重构方法,及不同水平的网络之间在生物学和拓扑学上的纵向映射关系,并给出复杂疾病靶基因识别与网络关系的计算系统生物方法研究的未来展望。     

Nuclear retention of the lncRNA SNHG1 by doxorubicin attenuates hnRNPC–p53 protein interactions

The protein p53 plays a crucial role in the regulation of cellular responses to diverse stresses. Thus, a major priority in cell biology is to define the mechanisms that regulate p53 activity in response to stresses or maintain it at basal levels under normal conditions. Moreover, further investigation is required to establish whether RNA participates in regulating p53's interaction with other proteins. Here, by conducting systematic experiments, we discovered a p53 interactor—hnRNPC—that directly binds to p53, destabilizes it, and prevents its activation under normal conditions. Upon doxorubicin treatment, the lncRNA SNHG1 is retained in the nucleus through its binding with nucleolin and it competes with p53 for hnRNPC binding, which upregulates p53 levels and promotes p53‐dependent apoptosis by impairing hnRNPC regulation of p53 activity. Our results indicate that a balance between lncRNA SNHG1 and hnRNPC regulates p53 activity and p53‐dependent apoptosis upon doxorubicin treatment, and further indicate that a change in lncRNA subcellular localization under specific circumstances is biologically significant.     

小麦TaMlo基因的原核表达、抗体制备及细胞化学分析(简报)

白粉病菌(Blumeria graminis)是一类高度专化性的寄生真菌,可侵染650多种单子叶植物和 9000多种双子叶植物,能够引起多种麦类作物的白粉病,给农业生产带来巨大的损失。由于白粉病菌生理小种多、变异快,所以利用专化性抗病基因难以解决植物的持久抗病性问题。人们在研究大麦白粉病时．发现大麦Mlo基因的隐性突变可导致大麦对绝大多数白粉病菌生理小种的高效持久的广谱抗病性。Schulze-Lefert等多家实验室合作于1997年成功克隆了野生的 Mlo基因。进一步研究表明．该基因编码一种植物特有的具有7个跨膜区和羧基端长尾的膜蛋白(Mlo),它可能对植物细胞的坏死起负调控作用。但Mlo基因如何表达及其在白粉病菌发育中的作用机制尚不清楚。