Inhibitory activities against rice pathogens of 8-hydroxy-2,4,6-octatriynamide from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrocybe</Emphasis> sp.

8-Hydroxy-2,4,6-octatriynamide, a natural polyacetylene with inhibitory activities against rice pathogens, was isolated from the liquid fermentation broth of strain Agrocybe sp. YB2005 during screening for new natural chemical agents to control rice pathogens. 8-hydroxy-2,4,6-octatriynamide was purified by consecutive chromatography over a Cl8 reversed phase silica gel, sephadex LH-20 and silica gel. The chemical structure of 8-hydroxy-2,4,6-octatriynamide was elucidated through spectroscopic analyses, including 1D- and 2D-NMR, ESI mass spectrometry and X-ray single crystal diffraction. Bioassays showed that 8-hydroxy-2,4,6-octatriynamide could significantly inhibit growth of Xanthomonas oryzae with an MIC of 53.1 μM in a 96-well plate and the growth of Rhizoctonia solani at 1.02 mM in a 24-well plate. When rice leaves were inoculated with Magnaporthe grisea and cultured in artificial nutrition liquid containing 0.34 mM 8-hydroxy-2,4,6-octatriynamide, no rice blast was observed. The present study implied that 8-hydroxy-2,4,6-octatriynamide could be a candidate agent against rice pathogens.     

空间粒度变化对景观格局分析的影响

认识空间异质性的多尺度依赖性和景观格局特征对尺度效应关系的影响是进行空间尺度推绎的基础。以2种真实景观(中国广东粤北植被景观与美国凤凰城城市景观)和SIMMAP景观中性模型产生的27种模拟景观为对象。利用景观格局分析软件FRAGSTATS对18种常用景观指数的尺度效应进行了系统的分析。根据这些指数对空间粒度变化的响应曲线和尺度效应关系,18种景观指数可分为3类。第1类指数随空间粒度的增大单调减小。具有比较明确的尺度效应关系(幂函数下降),尺度效应关系受景观空间格局特征的影响较小;这类指数包括缀块数、缀块密度、边界总长、边界密度、景观形状指数、缀块面积变异系数、面积加权平均缀块形状指数、平均缀块分维数和面积加权平均缀块分维数。第2类指数随空间粒度的增大将最终下降。但不是单调下降的;尺度效应关系比较多样,可表现为幂函数下降、直线下降或阶梯形下降。主要受缀块空间分布方式和缀块类优势度的交互影响;这类指数有5种：平均缀块形状指数、双对数回归分维数、缀块丰度、缀块丰度密度和Shannon多样性指数。第3类指数随空间粒度的变粗而增加。随缀块类优势度均等性的增加。尺度效应关系由阶梯形增加、对数函数增加、直线增加向幂函数增加过渡。尺度效应关系主要受缀块类优势度的影响;此类指数包括平均缀块面积、缀块面积标准差、最大缀块指数与聚集度。景观指数随空间粒度变化是一种1临界现象,当粒度大于或小于1临界值时,景观指数对空间粒度变化非常敏感。变化速率非常大。绝大部分情况下。真实景观粒度效应关系和曲线形状与模拟景观所得分析结果相似。说明模拟景观具有很好的代表性。文中也讨论了本研究结果与前人研究的异同。分析了造成差异的原因。景观指数的粒度效应关系与指数本身所反映的景观格局信息有一定关系,总体上来说。随粒度增加。缀块数、边界长度、缀块形状的复杂性、多样性将减小,而平均缀块面积和聚集度将增加。一系列的尺度效应图和不同景观指数的尺度效应关系可作为景观格局分析时指数选择、分析结果的解释和进行空间尺度推绎的参考。     

空间幅度变化对景观格局分析的影响

景观格局指数是量化描述景观格局特征的主要方法之一,各种格局指数的尺度依赖性使比较分析景观格局特征和尺度推绎复杂化,分析不同指数随空间幅度变化的一般行为有助于景观格局分析结果的解释和降低空间尺度推绎的复杂性。研究以2种真实景观和27种模拟景观为分析对象,考查了16种常用的景观水平格局指数随空间幅度变化行为。根据这些指数因幅度变化行为可预测性把它们分为两类：第1类随幅度变化可预测性强,指数与幅度之间的关系可用简单的函数关系来表达;这类指数包括缀块数、边界总长、景观形状指数和缀块丰度密度;前两者随幅度增加呈幂函数形式增加,而缀块丰度密度随幅度增加呈幂函数下降,景观形状指数随幅度增加呈直线增加。第2类指数随幅度变化的可预测性较差,指数随幅度的变化存在多种可能(不同形式的增加、减小或保持不变),不可用一种或多种简单的函数关系来描述所有的情况。这类指数包括缀块丰度、缀块密度、边界密度、最大缀块指数、平均缀块面积、缀块面积标准差、缀块面积变异系数、平均缀块形状指数、面积加权平均缀块形状指数、双对数回归分维数、聚集度指数与Shannon多样性指数。第2类指数随幅度的变化行为受景观格局特征和指数本身算法的影响。总体上来说,第2类格局指数随幅度变化呈折线增加或减小;但当景观的缀块类型较多、各类型优势度比较均等、空间分布格局比较随机时,它们随幅度变化形为的可预测性增加,随幅度增加的函数关系主要有3种：幂函数减小、对数函数增加或直线增加,因指数和格局特征不同而异。研究的结果在揭示了常用景观指数随幅度变化的一般关系外,也启示我们在进行景观格局的比较分析,比较景观的幅度应相同或采用尺度效应图(scalograms)更有效。     

Electrostatic potentials of the S‐locus F‐box proteins contribute to the pollen S specificity in self‐incompatibility in Petunia hybrida

Self‐incompatibility (SI) is a self/non‐self discrimination system found widely in angiosperms and, in many species, is controlled by a single polymorphic S‐locus. In the Solanaceae, Rosaceae and Plantaginaceae, the S‐locus encodes a single S‐RNase and a cluster of S‐locus F‐box (SLF) proteins to control the pistil and pollen expression of SI, respectively. Previous studies have shown that their cytosolic interactions determine their recognition specificity, but the physical force between their interactions remains unclear. In this study, we show that the electrostatic potentials of SLF contribute to the pollen S specificity through a physical mechanism of ‘like charges repel and unlike charges attract’ between SLFs and S‐RNases in Petunia hybrida. Strikingly, the alteration of a single C‐terminal amino acid of SLF reversed its surface electrostatic potentials and subsequently the pollen S specificity. Collectively, our results reveal that the electrostatic potentials act as a major physical force between cytosolic SLFs and S‐RNases, providing a mechanistic insight into the self/non‐self discrimination between cytosolic proteins in angiosperms.     

Genomic Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Pakistan

COVID-19 has swept globally and Pakistan is no exception. To investigate the initial introductions and transmissions of the SARS-CoV-2 in Pakistan, we performed the largest genomic epidemiology study of COVID-19 in Pakistan and generated 150 complete SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences from samples collected from March 16 to June 1, 2020. We identified a total of 347 mutated positions, 31 of which were over-represented in Pakistan. Meanwhile, we found over 1000 intra-host single-nucleotide variants (iSNVs). Several of them occurred concurrently, indicating possible interactions among them or coevolution. Some of the high-frequency iSNVs in Pakistan were not observed in the global population, suggesting strong purifying selections. The genomic epidemiology revealed five distinctive spreading clusters. The largest cluster consisted of 74 viruses which were derived from different geographic locations of Pakistan and formed a deep hierarchical structure, indicating an extensive and persistent nation-wide transmission of the virus that was probably attributed to a signature mutation (G8371T in ORF1ab) of this cluster. Furthermore, 28 putative international introductions were identified, several of which are consistent with the epidemiological investigations. In all, this study has inferred the possible pathways of introductions and transmissions of SARS-CoV-2 in Pakistan, which could aid ongoing and future viral surveillance and COVID-19 control.     

越南金花茶叶绿体基因组分析

本研究通过高通量测序技术对越南金花茶(Camellia insularis Orel & Curry)的叶绿体(chloroplast, cp)基因组进行了测序。结果显示,越南金花茶叶绿体基因组长度为156 882 bp,包含132个基因,其中,88个编码蛋白质,36个编码tRNA,8个编码rRNA。密码子偏好性分析显示,编码亮氨酸的密码子数量最多,且第三位密码子显示出了较高的A/U偏好。此外,共鉴定出了67个简单重复序列(simple sequence repeats, SSR),发现越南金花茶SSR偏好使用A和T碱基。除了少数可变区域之外,越南金花茶与其近缘物种的叶绿体基因组反向重复(inverted repeat, IR)边界区域相当保守。系统发育分析表明,越南金花茶与云南金花茶(Camellia fascicularis)亲缘关系最近。金花茶是基因工程培育黄色山茶花的重要材料,本研究为叶绿体工程提供了基本的遗传信息,为深入研究金花茶组植物的进化、物种鉴定和基因组育种研究提供了宝贵的资源。     

A new salicylic acid-derivatized kojic acid vanadyl complex: synthesis, characterization and anti-diabetic therapeutic potential

The molecular mechanisms of vanadium toxicity suggest that incorporation of antioxidant groups in the structure of vanadium complexes could be a preferable strategy in designing novel hypoglycemic vanadium complexes with proper efficacy and safety. By conjugating a pyrone skeleton to provide a coordination group and antioxidative motifs, we synthesized a novel complex of bis ((5-hydroxy-4-oxo-4 H-pyran-2-yl) methyl 2-hydroxy- benzoatato) oxovanadium (IV) (BSOV). Evaluation of the anti-diabetic effects of BSOV using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats with bis (maltolato) oxovanadium (BMOV) as a positive control showed that BSOV effectively lowered blood glucose level, ameliorated damages of hepatic and renal function in diabetic rats and improved lipid metabolism. The signs of potential alteration of renal function caused by BSOV and BMOV were observed and are discussed. Overall, the experimental results suggest BSOV as a potent hypoglycemic agent and further studies using this strategy for anti-diabetic agents.     

Structural and functional comparative mapping between the Brassica A genomes in allotetraploid Brassica napus and diploid Brassica rapa

Brassica napus (AACC genome) is an important oilseed crop that was formed by the fusion of the diploids B. rapa (AA) and B. oleracea (CC). The complete genomic sequence of the Brassica A genome will be available soon from the B. rapa genome sequencing project, but it is not clear how informative the A genome sequence in B. rapa (A(r)) will be for predicting the structure and function of the A subgenome in the allotetraploid Brassica species B. napus (A(n)). In this paper, we report the results of structural and functional comparative mapping between the A subgenomes of B. napus and B. rapa based on genetic maps that were anchored with bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs)-sequence of B. rapa. We identified segmental conservation that represented by syntenic blocks in over one third of the A genome; meanwhile, comparative mapping of quantitative trait loci for seed quality traits identified a dozen homologous regions with conserved function in the A genome of the two species. However, several genomic rearrangement events, such as inversions, intra- and inter-chromosomal translocations, were also observed, covering totally at least 5% of the A genome, between allotetraploid B. napus and diploid B. rapa. Based on these results, the A genomes of B. rapa and B. napus are mostly functionally conserved, but caution will be necessary in applying the full sequence data from B. rapa to the B. napus as a result of genomic rearrangements in the A genome between the two species.