Thermotolerant Methanotrophic Bacteria from Sediments of the River Chernaya,Crimea, and Assessment of Their Growth Characteristics

Microbiology - The technology of single-cell protein production from natural gas is based on using thermotolerant methanotrophic bacteria with high growth rates on methane. So far, the spectrum of...     

Germline and Somatic Mutations in Archived Breast Cancer Specimens of Different Subtypes

Molecular Biology - Molecular profiling of tumors may provide promising options for personalized treatment. We have examined the spectrum of germline and somatic mutations in 23 breast cancers (BC)...     

MicroRNA-137-3p Protects PC12 Cells Against Oxidative Stress by Downregulation of Calpain-2 and nNOS

The imbalance between excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and insufficient antioxidant defenses contribute to a range of neurodegenerative diseases. High ROS levels damage cellular macromolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids, leading to neuron vulnerability and eventual death. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of the ROS regulation is not fully elucidated. Recently, an increasing number of studies suggest that microRNAs (miRNAs) emerge as the targets in regulating oxidative stress. We recently reported the neuroprotective effect of miR-137-3p for brachial plexus avulsion-induced motoneuron death. The present study is sought to investigate whether miR-137-3p also could protect PC12 cells against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) induced neurotoxicity. By using cell viability assay, ROS assay, gene and protein expression assay, we found that PC-12 cells exposed to H₂O₂ exhibited decreased cell viability, increased expression levels of calpain-2 and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), whereas a decreased miR-137-3p expression. Importantly, restoring the miR-137-3p levels in H₂O₂ exposure robustly inhibited the elevated nNOS, calpain-2 and ROS expression levels, which subsequently improved the cell viability. Furthermore, the suppressive effect of miR-137-3p on the elevated ROS level under oxidative stress was considerably blunted when we mutated the binding site of calpain-2 targted by miR-137-3p, suggesting the critical role of calpain-2 involving the neuroprotective effect of miR-137-3p. Collectively, these findings highlight the neuroprotective role of miR-137-3p through down-regulating calpain and NOS activity, suggesting its potential role for combating oxidative stress insults in the neurodegenerative diseases.

     

2018-2019年中国流行性腮腺炎流行特征和病毒基因特征分析

阐明中国(未包括香港、澳门特别行政区和台湾地区,下同)2018-2019年流行性腮腺炎(流腮)流行特征和病毒基因特征。对2018-2019年中国流腮流行病学和病毒学监测数据进行描述流行病学和分子流行病学分析。2018-2019年中国流腮年报告发病率分别为18.65/10万和21.48/10万,15岁以下儿童和青少年是我国流腮的高发人群,分别占总病例数的85.30%和82.56%。流腮的流行具有明显的季节性特征。全国各省、自治区、直辖市份均有流腮病例报告,西部和中部地区发病率高于东部地区。2018-2019年共获得160条腮腺炎病毒(Mumps virus,MuV)SH基因序列,其中150条(93.75%)序列鉴定为F基因型MuV,在我国11个省份检测到;10条(6.25%)序列为G基因型MuV,2019年在广东、湖北和新疆3个省份检测到。和我国既往流行MuV代表株相比,2018-2019年流行的F基因型MuV代表株序列在基因亲缘性关系树上相对集中。现阶段我国流腮的流行病学特征未发生明显改变,仍呈现病毒自然流行模式;F基因型作为优势流行基因型,在我国大部分地区持续流行,但毒株的遗传多态性有所降低,这可能和我国实施1剂次腮腺炎疫苗常规免疫策略有关。G基因型MuV主要在我国局部地区流行,但流行范围在逐渐扩大。建议进一步加强两剂次腮腺炎疫苗接种工作,降低我国腮腺炎易感人群。同时持续性开展MuV流行学和病毒学监测工作,为鉴别病毒的来源,确定病毒传播途径和评估腮腺炎疫苗免疫策略奠定重要的基础。     

小麦倒春寒研究现状与进展

由于全球气候变暖,近年来小麦低温灾害事件频发,尤其是拔节-孕穗期的倒春寒灾害已成为制约小麦产量和品质的重要因素之一。本文综述了小麦倒春寒灾害的发生特点(鉴定与分级、时空特征),倒春寒对小麦生理特性(叶片、茎秆、穗部、根系)和产量、质量的影响,总结了抗倒春寒小麦育种、倒春寒危害的分子生物学机制及灾害的监测预警与风险评估等方面的研究进展,并从小麦抗倒春寒遗传基础、倒春寒危害小麦评价体系和防控技术体系等方面进行了展望,以期为抗倒春寒小麦品种的遗传改良和栽培调控新措施的建立提供理论依据。     

基于雪岭云杉树轮宽度重建过去339年天山中部巴音布鲁克地区夏季NDVI

归一化差异植被指数(NDVI)被广泛应用于植被研究的各个领域,但由于观测时长较短,难以满足长时间尺度的研究需要。基于巴音布鲁克地区雪岭云杉建立了树轮宽度年表(STD),计算年表和NDVI同气象观测数据的相关系数。结果表明:树轮宽度指数和NDVI均与同时段的气象数据具有显著相关。结合宽度年表与6—8月NDVI间的显著正相关(r=0.7,P＜0.01,n=38),使用回归模型重建了研究区过去339年的夏季(6—8月)NDVI变化序列,在1680—2018年,重建序列有4个高植被覆盖时段(1738—1765、1786—1798、1964—1973和2000—2018年)和5个低植被覆盖时段(1690—1714、1825—1834、1850—1880、1895—1920和1945—1955年)。重建结果也反映了天山中部水文气候。与周边重建的对比显示,当开都河径流量增加,且研究区处于较为潮湿的环境时,植被覆盖相对较高,反之植被覆盖偏低。重建序列的极值也捕捉了历史文献中一系列自然灾害。混合单粒子拉格朗日综合轨迹模型(HYSPLT)后向轨迹模型和风场分析表明,NDVI异常受到西风带来的降水影响。     

镉胁迫对吊兰及银边吊兰生长及镉富集特性的影响

选择吊兰和银边吊兰为试验材料,采用水培法研究其在不同Cd²⁺处理浓度(0、20、80、200 μmol·L^-1)下生长及生理特性的变化。结果表明: 20 μmol·L^-1镉对两种吊兰的影响较小,单叶面积、总叶面积、叶绿素(Chl)a含量、总叶绿素[Chl (a+b)]含量、类胡萝卜素含量、Chl a/Chl b值、胞间二氧化碳浓度(C_i)和蒸腾速率(T_r)与对照(CK)基本无显著差异;80 μmol·L^-1镉胁迫下两种吊兰叶片初始荧光(F_o)和非光化学淬灭系数(NPQ)升至最高水平;200 μmol·L^-1镉胁迫下,两种吊兰生物量、叶绿素含量、最大净光合速率(P_n)、气孔导度(g_s)、最大光化学量子产量(F_v/F_m)、实际光化学量子产量Y_(II)、转移系数(TF)以及各部分生物量均降至最低水平,而两种吊兰的过氧化物酶(POD)、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)及过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性和银边吊兰的丙二醛(MDA)含量均有不同程度的增加。随着镉处理浓度的增加,两种吊兰各器官Cd含量持续升高,且主要富集在根部;吊兰各器官Cd含量及富集系数(BCF)在胁迫处理下均高于银边吊兰。研究表明,两种吊兰对镉具有一定的耐性,其中吊兰对Cd的耐受能力强于银边吊兰,可考虑作为绿化植物用于修复镉污染水体或土壤。     

Sustainability of SARS-CoV-2 Induced Humoral Immune Responses in COVID-19 Patients from Hospitalization to Convalescence Over Six Months

Virologica Sinica - Understanding the persistence of antibody in convalescent COVID-19 patients may help to answer the current major concerns such as the risk of reinfection, the protection period...     

African Swine Fever Virus Protein E199L Promotes Cell Autophagy through the Interaction of PYCR2

African swine fever virus(ASFV), as a member of the large DNA viruses, may regulate autophagy and apoptosis by inhibiting programmed cell death. However, the function of ASFV proteins has not been fully elucidated, especially the role of autophagy in ASFV infection. One of three Pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductases(PYCR), is primarily involved in conversion of glutamate to proline. Previous studies have shown that depletion of PYCR2 was related to the induction of autophagy. In the present study, we found for the first time that ASFV E199 L protein induced a complete autophagy process in Vero and HEK-293 T cells. Through co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry(CoIP-MS)analysis, we firstly identified that E199 L interact with PYCR2 in vitro. Importantly, our work provides evidence that E199 L down-regulated the expression of PYCR2, resulting in autophagy activation. Overall, our results demonstrate that ASFV E199 L protein induces complete autophagy through interaction with PYCR2 and down-regulate the expression level of PYCR2, which provide a valuable reference for the role of autophagy during ASFV infection and contribute to the functional clues of PYCR2.     

Dynamic Host Immune and Transcriptomic Responses to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in a Vaccination-Challenge Mouse Model

Virologica Sinica - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children. Inactivated RSV vaccine was developed in the late 1960’s, but the...