Plant synthetic epigenomic engineering for crop improvement

Efforts have been directed to redesign crops with increased yield, stress adaptability, and nutritional value through synthetic biology—the application of engineering principles to biology. A recent expansion in our understanding of how epigenetic mechanisms regulate plant development and stress responses has unveiled a new set of resources that can be harnessed to develop improved crops, thus heralding the promise of “synthetic epigenetics.” In this review, we summarize the latest advances in e...     

中亚热带几种典型森林土壤养分含量分析及综合评价

分析及综合评价不同森林植被对土壤养分因子的影响,对揭示森林植被与土壤养分的相互关系,全面衡量森林土壤养分水平具有重要的意义。以中亚热带杉木(Cunninghamia lanceolata)纯林、木荷(Schima superb)纯林、木荷+楠木(Phoebe ahenre)混交林、木荷+杉木混交林、青冈栎(Cyclobalanopsis glauca)天然次生林、毛竹(Phyllostachys edulis)林6种森林类型为研究对象,在分析不同森林类型土壤养分特征状况差异的基础上,采用结构方程模型确定土壤养分因子权重,对其土壤养分水平进行综合评价。结果表明:(1)6种森林类型0-60 cm土壤有机质、全氮、碱解氮和有效磷的含量分别为8.24-28.17 g/kg、0.67-1.31 g/kg、44.88-89.31 mg/kg和1.24-6.50mg/kg,其含量最高的都是青冈栎天然次生林,土壤有机质和碱解氮含量最低的是毛竹林,土壤全氮和有效磷的含量最低的分别为杉木纯林和木荷纯林,0-60 cm土壤全磷和速效钾的含量分别为0.15-0.21 g/kg和35.54-54.32mg/kg,其含量最高的都是木荷+楠木混交林,含量最低的分别为木荷纯林和毛竹林;(2)土壤有机质、全氮、全磷和有效磷的含量在6种森林类型中都一致表现出随土层加深而逐渐减小的规律,而碱解氮和速效钾含量在土壤垂直剖面的变化却因森林类型而异,没呈现出具体的变化规律;(3)栎类天然次生林的土壤养分等级综合评分值为3.47,评价等级属于中上水平,杉木纯林、木荷纯林、木荷+楠木混交林、木荷+杉木混交林的土壤养分等级综合评分值分别为2.45、2.76、2.83、2.68,评价等级均属于中下水平,而毛竹林的土壤养分等级综合评分值仅为1.95,评价等级属于土壤养分缺乏。     

Spectroscopic exploring the affinities, characteristics, and mode of binding interaction of curcumin with DNA

Curcumin is a polyphenolic bioactive compound found in the spice turmeric endowed with diverse pharmacological and biological activities. In this study, fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with UV–Vis absorbance spectroscopy was employed to investigate the high affinity binding of curcumin to herring sperm DNA (hs-DNA). From the series of studies undertaken in the present program, for example, steady-state emission; absorption; the effect of denaturants; competition experiment; and anion (iodide) ion-induced fluorescence quenching; the mode of binding of curcumin into the DNA helix has been substantiated to be principally intercalative. Binding parameters calculating from Stern–Volmer method and Scatchard method showed that curcumin bind to hs-DNA with the binding affinities of the order 10⁴ L mol^?1. The effects of ionic strength, chemical denaturants, thermal denaturation and pH were studied to show the factors of the interaction, and provided further support for the intercalative binding mode. In addition, the methods and techniques used in the present work can also be exploited to study the interaction of curcumin with other biological, biomimicking assemblies and drug delivery vehicles, and so forth.     

γ-聚谷氨酸发酵培养基的Plackett-Burman法优化

以一株γ-聚谷氨酸高产菌——地衣芽孢杆菌GIM-P10为试验菌株,采用逐因子实验法确定γ-聚谷氨酸合成考察因素的参考范围,再采用Plackett-Burman设计法进行培养基的优化,10个实验因子中筛选到四个显著影响因子:柠檬酸、谷氨酸、K2HPO4和MgSO4·7H2O。另外,综合评价实验结果,表明γ-聚谷氨酸的产量与多糖含量呈负向关系,与细胞干重呈正向关系。利用Plackett-Burman设计法发酵产γ-聚谷氨酸可高达21.27g/L,为基础培养基的2倍以上。     

Potential invasion of China by exotic insect pests associated with tree seeds

A total of 39 insect species, mostly seed chalcids in the genus Megastigmus (Hymenoptera), but also midges (Diptera), are listed as potential seed-borne invaders of Chinese conifers. Although the number of native seed insects per conifer genus does not differ between China and other biogeographical regions, there are significantly fewer seed insects associated with each conifer genus in China than potential invaders. The eventual success of the invaders is likely to depend on the presence of native Chinese conifers that are congeneric with the original host, or on the presence of the original host as an exotic. When a substantial entomofauna is already associated with cones, competition for seed resources may limit the potential impact of invaders because seed insects are usually the last organisms to colonize the cone. A survey of 26 fir species, both native and introduced to Europe, showed that overall seed infestation by five species of exotic chalcids is negatively correlated to levels of damage by native insects, except on the original hosts of the chalcids. Similar patterns are hypothesized for native firs, spruces, Douglas firs, and larches in China. Uncontrolled importation of seeds and nuts of broad-leaved trees could also facilitate the introduction of seed chalcids, seed bruchids, tortricid moths and nut weevils into China. Only six species of seed chalcids are present in China, out of the 72 known to attack broad-leaved seeds over the world.     

城市物质流分析框架及其指标体系构建

借鉴国内外物质流分析的研究成果,结合我国城市物质代谢特点,建立了城市物质流分析的框架及指标体系。该框架以城市社会经济系统物质通量的变化为核心,增加了对城市社会经济系统可持续能力的考察以及对城市和区域循环经济贡献的关注。论文识别了城市物质流分析中系统边界界定等关键问题,并提出了解决方法;指标体系在借鉴国家层面物质流分析指标体系的基础上,注重对城市经济系统内部循环及不同城市经济系统间的物质循环的考察,增加了再生资源输入量、内部资源回收量、可回收废物输出量、新鲜水输入量、中水回用量等指标,用于表征城市可持续发展的能力及实践成果。     

Genome-wide transcriptome analysis of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus virulent or avirulent strain-infected porcine small intestinal epithelial cells

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is the main cause of diarrhea, vomiting, and mortality in pigs, which results in devastating economic loss to the pig industry around the globe. In recent years, the advent of RNA-sequencing technologies has led to delineate host responses at late stages of PEDV infection; however, the comparative analysis of host responses to early-stage infection of virulent and avirulent PEDV strains is currently unknown. Here, using the BGI DNBSEQ RNA-sequencing, we performed global gene expression profiles of pig intestinal epithelial cells infected with virulent (GDS01) or avirulent (HX) PEDV strains for 3, 6, and 12 h. It was observed that over half of all significantly dysregulated genes in both infection groups exhibited a down-regulated expression pattern. Functional enrichment analyses indicated that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the GDS01 group were predominantly related to autophagy and apoptosis, whereas the genes showing the differential expression in the HX group were strongly enriched in immune responses/inflammation. Among the DEGs, the functional association of TLR3 and IFIT2 genes with the HX and GDS01 strains replication was experimentally validated by TLR3 inhibition and IFIT2 overexpression systems in cultured cells. TLR3 expression was found to inhibit HX strain, but not GDS01 strain, replication by enhancing the IFIT2 expression in infected cells. In conclusion, our study highlights similarities and differences in gene expression patterns and cellular processes/pathways altered at the early-stage infection of PEDV virulent and avirulent strains. These findings may provide a foundation for establishing novel therapies to control PEDV infection.     

具状态依赖时滞单种群模型周期正解的存在性

用重合度论的连续性定理,本文获得如下具状态依赖时滞的单种群增长模型周期正解的存在性x(t)=x(t)[a(t)+b(t)xp(t-τ(t,x(t)))-c(t)xq(t-τ(t,x(t)))]这里a,b,c∈C((0,∞),R)是周期为ω(ω>0)的连续函数,且a>0,c>0.m,p,q为正整数且q>p.     

Site-specific N-glycosylation identification of recombinant human lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1)

Human LOX-1/OLR 1 plays a key role in atherogenesis and endothelial dysfunction. The N-glycosylation of LOX-1 has been shown to affect its biological functions in vivo and modulate the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. However, the N-glycosylation pattern of LOX-1 has not been described yet. The present study was aimed at elucidating the N-glycosylation of recombinant human LOX-1 with regard to N-glycan profile and N-glycosylation sites. Here, an approach using nonspecific protease (Pronase E) digestion followed by MALDI-QIT-TOF MS and multistage MS (MS(3)) analysis is explored to obtain site-specific N-glycosylation information of recombinant human LOX-1, in combination with glycan structure confirmation through characterizing released glycans using tandem MS. The results reveal that N-glycans structures as well as their corresponding attached site of LOX-1 can be identified simultaneously by direct MS analysis of glycopeptides from non-specific protease digestion. With this approach, one potential glycosylation site of recombinant human LOX-1 on Asn(139) is readily identified and found to carry heterogeneous complex type N-glycans. In addition, manual annotation of multistage MS data utilizing diagnostic ions, which were found to be particularly useful in defining the structure of glycopeptides and glycans was addressed for proper spectra interpretation. The findings described herein will shed new light on further research of the structure-function relationships of LOX-1?N-glycan.     

湿地松体细胞胚胎发生和植株再生

以湿地松的未成熟合子胚为外植体,在附加８ｍｇ／Ｌ,２,４－Ｄ和４ｍｇ／Ｌ ＢＡ的ＬＰ培养基上诱导出胚性愈伤组织。在含１ｍｇ／Ｌ,２,４－Ｄ和０．５ｍｇ／Ｌ ＢＡ的培养基上保持并增殖。提高培养基的渗透压后,愈伤组织内大量的胚性胚柄细胞团和早期原胚。