Selected Schizosaccharomyces pombe Strains Have Characteristics That Are Beneficial for Winemaking

At present, wine is generally produced using Saccharomyces yeast followed by Oenococus bacteria to complete malolactic fermentation. This method has some unsolved problems, such as the management of highly acidic musts and the production of potentially toxic products including biogenic amines and ethyl carbamate. Here we explore the potential of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe to solve these problems. We characterise an extensive worldwide collection of S. pombe strains according to classic biochemical parameters of oenological interest. We identify three genetically different S. pombe strains that appear suitable for winemaking. These strains compare favourably to standard Saccharomyces cerevisiae winemaking strains, in that they perform effective malic acid deacidification and significantly reduce levels of biogenic amines and ethyl carbamate precursors without the need for any secondary bacterial malolactic fermentation. These findings indicate that the use of certain S. pombe strains could be advantageous for winemaking in regions where malic acid is problematic, and these strains also show superior performance with respect to food safety.     

Structural conservation and food habit-related liver expression of uncoupling protein 2 gene in five major Chinese carps

The full-length cDNA of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) was obtained from liver. The grass carp UCP2 cDNA was determined to be 1152 bp in length with an open reading frame that encodes 310 amino acids. Five introns (Intron 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) in the translated region, and partial sequence of Intron 2 in the untranslated region of grass carp UCP2 gene were also obtained. Gene structure comparison between grass carp and mammalian (human and mouse) UCP2 gene shows that, the UCP2 gene structure of grass carp is much similar to that of human and mouse. Partial UCP2 cDNA sequences of bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) and mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella), were further determined. Together with the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) UCP2 sequence from GenBank (AJ243486), multiple alignment result shows that the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the UCP2 gene, were highly conserved among the five major Chinese carps that belong to four subfamilies. Using beta-actin as control, the ratio UCP2/beta-actin mRNA (%) was determined to be 149.4 +/- 15.6 (common carp), 127.4 +/- 22.1(mud carp), 96.7 +/- 12.7 (silver carp), 94.1 +/- 26.8 (bighead carp) and 63.7 +/- 16.2 (grass carp). The relative liver UCP2 expression of the five major Chinese carps, shows a close relationship with their food habit: benthos and detritus-eating fish (common carp and mud carp) > planktivorious fish (silver carp and bighead carp) > herbivorous fish (grass carp). We suggest that liver UCP2 might be important for Chinese carps to detoxify cyanotoxins and bacteria in debris and plankton food.     

Identification of new sources of aluminum resistance in wheat

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major constraint for wheat production in acidic soils. An Al resistance gene on chromosome 4DL that traces to Brazilian wheat has been extensively studied, and can provide partial protection from Al damage. To identify potentially new sources of Al resistance, 590 wheat accessions, including elite wheat breeding lines from the United States and other American and European countries, landraces and commercial cultivars from East Asia, and synthetic wheat lines from CIMMYT, Mexico, were screened for Al resistance by measuring relative root elongation in culture with a nutrient solution containing Al, and by staining Al-stressed root tips with hematoxylin. Eighty-eight wheat accessions demonstrated at least moderate resistance to Al toxicity. Those selected lines were subjected to analysis of microsatellite markers linked to an Al resistance gene on 4DL and a gene marker for the Al-activated malate transporter (ALMT1) locus. Many of the selected Al-resistant accessions from East Asia did not have the Al-resistant marker alleles of ALMT1, although they showed Al resistance similar to the US Al-resistant cultivar, Atlas 66. Most of the cultivars derived from Jagger and Atlas 66 have the Al-resistant marker alleles of ALMT1. Cluster analysis separated the selected Al-resistant germplasm into two major clusters, labeled as Asian and American–European clusters. Potentially new germplasm of Al resistance different from those derived from Brazil were identified. Further investigation of Al resistance in those new germplasms may reveal alternative Al-resistance mechanisms in wheat. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Responsible Editor: Thomas B. Kinraide.     

RNAi knockdown of Oryza sativa root meander curling gene led to altered root development and coiling which were mediated by jasmonic acid signalling in rice

Jasmonic acid (JA) is a well-known defence hormone, but its biological function and mechanism in rice root development are less understood. Here, we describe a JA-induced putative receptor-like protein (OsRLK, AAL87185) functioning in root development in rice. RNA in situ hybridization revealed that the gene was expressed largely in roots, and a fusion protein showed its localization on the plasma membrane. The primary roots in RNAi transgenic rice plants meandered and curled more easily than wild-type (WT) roots under JA treatment. Thus, this gene was renamed Oryza sativa root meander curling (OsRMC). The transgenic primary roots were shorter, the number of adventitious roots increased and the number of lateral roots decreased as compared to the WT. As well, the second sheath was reduced in length. Growth of both primary roots and second sheaths was sensitive to JA treatment. No significant change of JA level appeared in the roots between the transgenic rice line and WT. Expression of RSOsPR10, involved in the JA signalling pathway, was induced in transgenic rice. Western blotting revealed OsRMC induced by JA. Our results suggest that OsRMC of the DUF26 subfamily involved in JA signal transduction mediates root development and negatively regulates root curling in rice.     

31例非特异性阴道炎病人阴道微生物群的研究

本文对31例非特异性阴道炎病人和31例正常人阴道微生物群进行定性、定量分析.结果表明,阴道炎病人的阴道乳杆菌的平均浓度明显低于正常人,而肠杆菌科、葡萄球菌、棒状杆菌、类杆菌属、支原体却明显增多,阴道炎病人未发现特异性病原体,菌群失调可能是其发病因素。乳杆菌为阴道正常优势菌,对改善阴道的微环境,防止条件致病菌引起的内源性感染具有重要的生理作用。     

钙调素化学发光标记的研究

用发光物质N-氨基丁基N-乙基异鲁米诺(ABEI),采用碳二亚胺缩合法,成功地标记了动物及植物钙调素(CaM),标记率为[ABEI]/[CaM]≈0.8-0.9.对ABEI标记CaM的反应条件、结合物的质量和保存时间进行了观察.此标记物稳定,-20℃可保存10个月以上,适用于化学发光免疫法测定生物样品中CaM含量.     

Novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) for Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat cultivar Chokwang

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most destructive diseases in wheat. This study was to identify new quantitative trait loci (QTL) for FHB resistance and the molecular markers closely linked to the QTL in wheat cultivar Chokwang. The primers of 612 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 12 target-region-amplified polymorphism (TRAP) marker were analyzed between resistant (Chokwang) and susceptible (Clark) parents. One hundred and seventy-two polymorphic markers were used to screen a population of 79 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross of Chokwang and Clark. One major QTL, Qfhb.ksu-5DL1, was identified on chromosome 5DL. The SSR marker Xbarc 239 was mapped in the QTL region, and also physically located to the bin of 5DL1-0.60-0.74 by using Chinese Spring deletion lines. Another QTL Qfhb.ksu-4BL1was linked to SSR Xbarc 1096 and tentatively mapped on 4BL. A QTL on 3BS, Qfhb.ksu-3BS1, was also detected with marginal significance in this population. Different marker alleles for these QTL were detected between Chokwang and Sumai 3 and its derivatives. These results suggested that Chokwang contains new QTL for FHB resistance that are different from those in Sumai 3. Pyramiding resistance QTL from various sources may enhance FHB resistance in wheat cultivars.     

Population Differences in Brain Morphology and Microstructure among Chinese,Malay, and Indian Neonates

We studied a sample of 75 Chinese, 73 Malay, and 29 Indian healthy neonates taking part in a cohort study to examine potential differences in neonatal brain morphology and white matter microstructure as a function of ethnicity using both structural T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We first examined the differences in global size and morphology of the brain among the three groups. We then constructed the T2-weighted MRI and DTI atlases and employed voxel-based analysis to investigate ethnic differences in morphological shape of the brain from the T2-weighted MRI, and white matter microstructure measured by fractional anisotropy derived from DTI. Compared with Malay neonates, the brains of Indian neonates’ tended to be more elongated in anterior and posterior axis relative to the superior-inferior axis of the brain even though the total brain volume was similar among the three groups. Although most anatomical regions of the brain were similar among Chinese, Malay, and Indian neonates, there were anatomical variations in the spinal-cerebellar and cortical-striatal-thalamic neural circuits among the three populations. The population-related brain regions highlighted in our study are key anatomical substrates associated with sensorimotor functions.