Complete Genome Sequence of Porcine Circovirus 2b Strain CC1

A porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) strain, designated CC1, was isolated and purified from tissue samples from pigs with wasting syndromes in China. We report the complete genome sequence of PCV2b strain CC1 with a deletion of C at position 1053 resulting in elongation of open reading frame 2 (ORF2) and formation of ORF5. There were 11 ORFs in the genome.     

The Fas-associated death domain protein is required in apoptosis and TLR-induced proliferative responses in B cells

The Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD)/Mort1 is a signaling adaptor protein which mediates the activation of caspase 8 during death receptor-induced apoptosis. Disruption of FADD in germ cells results in death receptor-independent embryonic lethality in mice. Previous studies indicated that in addition to its function in apoptosis, FADD is also required in peripheral T cell homeostasis and TCR-induced proliferative responses. In this report, we generated B cell-specific FADD-deficient mice and showed that deletion of FADD at the pro-B cell stage had minor effects on B cell development in the bone marrow, and resulted in increased splenic and lymph node B cell numbers and decreased peritoneal B1 cell numbers. As in T cells, a FADD deficiency inhibited Fas-induced apoptosis in B cells. However, B cell-proliferative responses induced by stimulation of the BCR and CD40 using anti-IgM or anti-CD40 Abs were unaffected by the absence of FADD. Further analyses revealed that FADD-deficient B cells were defective in proliferative responses induced by treatments with dsRNA and LPS which stimulate TLR3 and TLR4, respectively. Therefore, in addition to its apoptotic function, FADD also plays a role in TLR3- and TLR4-induced proliferative responses in B cells.     

海南岛干旱地区昌化江径流变化及影响因素

识别降水量和径流量变化过程及其影响因素对流域生态安全有重要意义。以海南岛干旱区昌化江流域主要控制水文站宝桥站58年(1956-2013年)水文资料为基础, 采用肯德尔秩次相关等统计方法和GIS技术研究流域内降水径流的变化特点及变化原因。结果表明: (1)降水和径流序列均呈缓慢上升趋势, 但2003年后径流序列有明显下降。(2)应用有序聚类分析径流系数跳跃成分, 结果显示1989年和2003年前后发生了较大改变。(3)将1956-1988年作为无人类活动影响的基准期, 建立降水-径流关系, 分析人类活动对径流变化过程的影响, 表明人类活动的间接影响使昌化江径流量减小, 流域植被覆盖率减少使蒸发作用加大, 导致径流量降低。(4)2003-2013年人类的活动影响使得昌化江径流量大幅减少, 其中直接影响减少量63.5 mm, 间接影响减少量为53.7 mm, 总减少量为117.1 mm, 人类活动综合影响对径流量下降的贡献率为13.9%。禁止砍伐热带雨林, 减少种植经济作物对维护流域生态安全尤为关键。     

Glucose-regulated protein 78 modulates cell growth,epithelial–mesenchymal transition,and oxidative stress in the hyperplastic prostate

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a chronic condition which mainly affects elderly males. Existing scientific evidences have not completely revealed the pathogenesis of BPH. Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is a member of the heat shock protein 70 superfamily, which serves as an important regulator in many diseases. This study aims at elucidating the role of GRP78 in the BPH process. Human prostate tissues, cultured human prostate cell lines (BPH-1 and WPMY-1) and clinical data from BPH patients were utilized. The expression and localization of GRP78 were determined with quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. GRP78 knockdown and overexpression cell models were created with GRP78 siRNA and GRP78 plasmid transfection. With these models, cell viability, apoptosis rate, as well as marker levels for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and oxidative stress (OS) were detected by CCK8 assay, flow cytometry analysis and Western blotting respectively. AKT/mTOR and MAPK/ERK pathways were also evaluated. Results showed GRP78 was localized in the epithelium and stroma of the prostate, with higher expression in BPH tissues. There was no significant difference in GRP78 expression between BPH-1 and WPMY-1 cell lines. In addition, GRP78 knockdown (KD) slowed cell growth and induced apoptosis, without effects on the cell cycle stage of both cell lines. Lack of GRP78 affected expression levels of markers for EMT and OS. Consistently, overexpression of GRP78 completely reversed all effects of knocking down GRP78. We further found that GRP78 modulated cell growth and OS via AKT/mTOR signaling, rather than the MAPK/ERK pathway. Overall, our novel data demonstrates that GRP78 plays a significant role in the development of BPH and suggests that GRP78 might be rediscovered as a new target for treatment of BPH.Subject terms: Prostatic diseases, Preclinical research     

Intense green light emission in Sr2ZnGe2O7:Mn2+ phosphors by the design of high symmetry melilite structure

A green phosphor Sr₂ZnGe₂O₇:Mn²⁺ with a melilite structure was prepared using a high-temperature solid-state reaction. When the 535 nm emission was monitored, the excitation spectrum of the Sr₂ZnGe₂O₇:Mn²⁺ was found to contain two excitation bands in the ultraviolet (UV) region. When excited by UV light, the sample shows bright green emission at 535 nm, which corresponds to the distinctive transition of Mn²⁺ (⁴T₁→⁶A₁). Moreover, the quantum efficiency of Sr₂ZnGe₂O₇:Mn²⁺ could reach 67.6%. Finally, a high-performance white-light-emitting diode (WLED) with a low correlated colour temperature of 4632 K and a high colour rendering index (CRI) of 92.3 were packaged by coating commercial blue and red phosphors with an optimized Sr₂ZnGe₂O₇:Mn²⁺ sample on a 310 nm UV chip. This indicated that Sr₂ZnGe₂O₇:Mn²⁺ has the potential application as a green component in the WLED lighting field.     

Polycystin-1 induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase in cancer cells

Studies have shown that polycystin-1, encoded by PKD1, the major ADPKD, may have a central role in regulating both apoptosis and proliferation, which could prevent the malignant transformation of affected cells. However, as a putative tumor suppressor, direct studies on the possibility that polycystin-1 may play a role in cancer cells' biological properties have not yet been reported. We have demonstrated that the apoptosis of cancer cells was induced by overexpression of polycystin-1. After transfection with polycystin-1, three cancer cell lines, HepG2, A549, and SW480, showed significantly increased apoptosis compared with the respective control groups. This was accompanied by cell cycle arrest at G(0)/G(1) phase, whereas cell proliferation was not significantly affected. Overexpression of polycystin-1 induces apoptosis in cancer cells, at least partially, through Wnt and a caspase-dependent pathway.     

栽培绿狐尾藻的鱼塘底泥菌群结构与优势属生态位特征分析

为探究栽培绿狐尾藻的鱼塘底泥细菌组成以及优势菌属的生态位特征,本研究采用高通量测序技术检测底泥细菌在门水平和属水平的组成,计算优势菌属的生态位宽度、生态位重叠指数,并分析了优势属和环境理化因子之间的关系.结果 表明,栽培绿狐尾藻的鱼塘底泥细菌归属于63个门类、153个纲、190个目、168个科、143个属;6门15优势属以变形菌门为第一大门类,其次为绿弯菌门、拟杆菌门、酸杆菌门、硝化螺旋菌门、OP8门等.15个优势属的生态位宽度介于0.584～0.957,80％的优势属生态位宽度大于0.8;优势属生态位重叠值的变化范围为0.505～0.983,生态位重叠值大于0.6的属占优势属总对数的98.O％;表明各优势属的资源利用和生存能力较强,存在激烈资源竞争,空间异质性较小.冗余分析发现上覆水总磷、氨氮浓度和底泥有机质是影响优势菌属丰度的主要环境因子.本研究结果为揭示绿狐尾藻对淡水养殖池塘环境微生物的影响提供科学依据.     

被孢霉cDNA文库的构建及△９脂肪酸脱饱和酶cDNA序列的筛选

为了克隆被孢霉不饱和脂肪酸生物合成途径的相关酶基因,构建了基于λgt10的被孢霉cDNA文库。cDNA文库库容量为2×１０.６pfu。以已克隆的被孢霉△９脂肪酸脱饱和酶保守区cDNA为探针对被孢霉cDNA文库进行筛选。经过两轮筛选获得1个阳性克隆,其插入片段长度大于16kb。     

The oncogenic role of Epstein–Barr virus‐encoded microRNAs in Epstein–Barr virus‐associated gastric carcinoma

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection is detected in various epithelial malignancies, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and gastric cancer (GC). EBV comprises some unique molecular features and encodes viral genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) by its own DNA sequence. EBV genes are required to maintain latency and contribute to oncogenic property. miRNAs encoded by EBV have been shown to contribute to initiation and progression of EBV‐related malignancies. By a number of genomic profiling studies, some EBV miRNAs were confirmed to be highly expressed in EBV‐associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) samples and cell lines. The majority host targets of the EBV miRNAs are important for promoting cell growth and inhibiting apoptosis, facilitating cell survival and immune evasion. However, the integrated molecular mechanisms related to EBV miRNAs remain to be investigated. In this review, we summarized the crucial role of EBV miRNAs in epithelial malignancies, especially in EBVaGC. Collectively, EBV miRNAs play a significant role in the viral and host gene regulation network. Understanding the comprehensive potential targets and relevant functions of EBV miRNAs in gastric carcinogenesis might provide better clinical translation.