NLRP3 regulates alveolar bone loss in ligature‐induced periodontitis by promoting osteoclastic differentiation

ObjectivesNLRP3 inflammasome is a critical part of the innate immune system and plays an important role in a variety of inflammatory diseases. However, the effects of NLRP3 inflammasome on periodontitis have not been fully studied.Materials and methodsWe used ligature‐induced periodontitis models of NLRP3 knockout mice (NLRP3^KO) and their wildtype (WT) littermates to compare their alveolar bone phenotypes. We further used Lysm‐Cre/Rosa^nTnG mouse to trace the changes of Lysm‐Cre⁺ osteoclast precursors in ligature‐induced periodontitis with or without MCC950 treatment. At last, we explored MCC950 as a potential drug for the treatment of periodontitis in vivo and in vitro.ResultsHere, we showed that the number of osteoclast precursors, osteoclast differentiation and alveolar bone loss were reduced in NLRP3^KO mice compared with WT littermates, by using ligature‐induced periodontitis model. Next, MCC950, a specific inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, was used to inhibit osteoclast precursors differentiation into osteoclast. Further, we used Lysm‐Cre/Rosa^nTnG mice to demonstrate that MCC950 decreases the number of Lysm‐Cre⁺ osteoclast precursors in ligature‐induced periodontitis. At last, treatment with MCC950 significantly suppressed alveolar bone loss with reduced IL‐1β activation and osteoclast differentiation in ligature‐induced periodontitis.ConclusionOur findings reveal that NLRP3 regulates alveolar bone loss in ligature‐induced periodontitis by promoting osteoclastic differentiation.     

Target-specific mutations efficiency at multiple loci of CRISPR/Cas9 system using one sgRNA in soybean

Soybean has a palaeopolyploid genome with nearly 75% of the genes present in multiple copies. Although the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been employed in soybean to generate site-directed mutagenesis, a systematical assessment of mutation efficiency of the CRISPR/Cas9 system for the multiple-copy genes is still urgently needed. Here, we successfully optimize one sgRNA CRISPR/Cas9 system in soybean by testing the efficiency, pattern, specificity of the mutations at multiple loci of GmFAD2 and GmALS. The results showed that simultaneous site-directed mutagenesis of two homoeologous loci by one sgRNA, the mutation frequency in the T0 generation were 64.71% for GmPDS, 60.0% for GmFAD2 and 42.86% for GmALS, respectively. The chimeric and heterozygous mutations were dominant types. Moreover, association of phenotypes with mutation pattern at target loci of GmPDS11 and GmPDS18 could help us further demonstrate that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can efficiently generate target specific mutations at multiple loci using one sgRNA in soybean, albeit with a relatively low transformation efficiency.

     

Fitness of F1 hybrids between 10 maternal wild soybean populations and transgenic soybean

Transgenic Research - The releasing of transgenic soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) into farming systems raises concerns that transgenes might escape from the soybeans via pollen into...     

The Bio3D packages for structural bioinformatics

Bio3D is a family of R packages for the analysis of biomolecular sequence, structure, and dynamics. Major functionality includes biomolecular database searching and retrieval, sequence and structure conservation analysis, ensemble normal mode analysis, protein structure and correlation network analysis, principal component, and related multivariate analysis methods. Here, we review recent package developments, including a new underlying segregation into separate packages for distinct analysis, and introduce a new method for structure analysis named ensemble difference distance matrix analysis (eDDM). The eDDM approach calculates and compares atomic distance matrices across large sets of homologous atomic structures to help identify the residue wise determinants underlying specific functional processes. An eDDM workflow is detailed along with an example application to a large protein family. As a new member of the Bio3D family, the Bio3D‐eddm package supports both experimental and theoretical simulation‐generated structures, is integrated with other methods for dissecting sequence‐structure–function relationships, and can be used in a highly automated and reproducible manner. Bio3D is distributed as an integrated set of platform independent open source R packages available from: http://thegrantlab.org/bio3d/ .     

福州市生态系统生产总值核算

开展生态系统生产总值(GEP)核算是推进生态文明制度建设的必要措施,也是将生态效益纳入经济社会发展评价体系的重要举措。本研究以福州市为研究对象,通过构建具有“山、海、城”特色的生态系统价值核算体系,对2015和2018年福州市GEP进行核算,从时空变化角度对福州市GEP进行对比。结果表明: 2015、2018年福州市GEP分别为9205.92、10472.42亿元,人均GEP分别为13.02、14.39万元,生态产品供给服务价值分别为941.81、1102.61亿元,生态调节服务价值分别为6364.20、5988.51亿元,生态文化服务价值分别为1899.91、3381.3亿元。与2015年相比,2018年福州市GEP增加1266.50亿元,增幅为13.8%,主要得益于生态产品供给服务价值和生态文化服务价值的增加。然而,生态调节服务价值减少375.69亿元,降幅为5.9%,主要源于气候调节、水流动调节和水质净化服务价值的减少。福州率先探索建立一套具有山、海、城特色的核算体系,可以为福建省其他城市及我国其他地区的核算工作提供“福州样板”,同时助推建立生态价值实现的长效机制。     

内质网应激在乙型脑炎病毒诱导神经元细胞凋亡中的作用及机制研究

内质网应激(Endoplasmic reticulum stress,ERS)的激活与创伤、缺血再灌注等病理刺激引起的神经元凋亡有关,流行性乙型脑炎病毒(JEV)感染能够促进神经元凋亡、激活ERS,但ERS在JEV诱导神经元细胞凋亡中的作用尚不清楚.为了研究ERS在JEV诱导神经元细胞凋亡中的作用及机制,本研究以神经细胞株SH-SY5Y为对象,感染JEV并加用ERS激动剂、ERS抑制剂或转染阴性对照(NC) siRNA、蛋白激酶R样内质网激酶(PERK)siRNA,检测细胞存活率、凋亡率、ERS蛋白PERK、肌醇必需酶-1α(IRE1α)、活化转录因子6(ATF6)及凋亡蛋白C/EBP同源蛋白(CHOP)、含半胱氨酸的天冬氨酸蛋白水解酶12(Caspase-12)、Bcl-2相关X蛋白(Bax)的表达.结果 显示:JEV组SH-SY5Y细胞的凋亡率及PERK、CHOP、Caspase-12、Bax的表达水平高于对照组,存活率低于对照组(P＜0.05),IRE1α、ATF6的表达水平与对照组比较无显著差异(P＞0.05).与JEV组比较,激动剂组SH-SY5Y细胞的凋亡率及PERK、CHOP、Caspase-12、Bax的表达水平显著增加,存活率显著降低(P＜0.05);抑制剂组SH-SY5Y细胞的凋亡率及PERK、CHOP、Caspase-12、Bax的表达水平显著降低,存活率显著增加(P＜0.05);与si-NC+JEV组比较,si-PERK+JEV组SH-SY5Y细胞的凋亡率及PERK、CHOP、Caspase-12、Bax的表达水平P显著降低,存活率显著增加(P＜0.05).以上结果表明ERS的PERK通路激活与JEV诱导神经元凋亡有关.     

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。     

尕海湿地退化演替过程中土壤有机氮组分的变化特征

为探究尕海湿地退化演替过程中土壤有机氮各组分变化规律,采用野外采样与室内分析相结合的方法,研究尕海湿地未退化(UD)、轻度退化(LD)、中度退化(MD)和重度退化(HD)4个退化演替阶段的土壤总氮(TN)和有机氮组分[未知态氮(HUN)、酸解氨态氮(AMN)、酸解氨基酸态氮(AAN)以及氨基糖态氮(ASN)]含量及其分布特征。结果表明: 当尕海湿地退化演替到LD时,0～10 cm层土壤TN、HUN、AMN和AAN含量分别降低17.3%、19.4%、8.6%和-5.6%,MD时分别降低28.0%、19.4%和17.1%和0,HD时分别降低35.8%、28.8%、28.6%和55.6%;10～20 cm层,LD时上述氮素含量分别降低4.0%、10.3%、2.9%和9.1%;MD时分别降低21.0%、18.3%、-2.9%和-9.1%;HD时分别降低9.9%、38.9%、21.2%和51.4%;而20～40 cm无显著变化;4个退化阶段各酸解氮组分占TN比例大小顺序为HUN(25.9%～32.5%)> AMN(6.7%～11.1%)> AAN(4.8%～11.1%)> ASN(1.2%～4.4%)。冗余分析显示,土壤含水量是土壤有机氮组分变化的主要驱动因子。尕海湿地退化显著降低了0～10 cm层土壤TN及酸解氮各组分含量,减弱了土壤氮“汇”功能,AAN和ASN对湿地退化最为敏感。