An examination of targeted gene neighborhoods in strawberry

Background  

Strawberry (Fragaria spp.) is the familiar name of a group of economically important crop plants and wild relatives that also represent an emerging system for the study of gene and genome evolution. Its small stature, rapid seed-to-seed cycle, transformability and miniscule basic genome make strawberry an attractive system to study processes related to plant physiology, development and crop production; yet it lacks substantial genomics-level resources. This report addresses this deficiency by characterizing 0.71 Mbp of gene space from a diploid species (F. vesca). The twenty large genomic tracks (30-52 kb) captured as fosmid inserts comprise gene regions with roles in flowering, disease resistance, and metabolism.     

六种鱼腥藻在大量培养中的生产率和适应性与营养成分比较

连续两年对鱼腥藻的六个品系进行了大量培养比较研究,在长江中下游气候条件下,HB1042和HB1105具有稳定的生产性能,5月下旬至九月中旬123d内,平均有效生长分别为114和100d;其次是HB1058,HB686和HB1017,平均有效生长天分别为73,58和71d;HB13适应性较差。生物量生产率在5月下旬、6月中旬至9月中旬较高,除HB13外,平均都在10g干重/m~2/d以上或接近10g/m~2/d。在不同的季节它们表现出了各自的最高生物量生产率。据此,提出了逐月逐旬采取藻种搭配生产,以获得最高生物量生产率的配合关系。营养成分分析表明它们的蛋白质含量在40％左右;氨基酸组成合理,除某些种类的含硫氨基酸略低外,都符合FAO/WHO的标准。     

Free cholesterol-loaded macrophages are an abundant source of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6: model of NF-kappaB- and map kinase-dependent inflammation in advanced atherosclerosis

Two key features of atherosclerotic plaques that precipitate acute atherothrombotic vascular occlusion ("vulnerable plaques") are abundant inflammatory mediators and macrophages with excess unesterified, or "free," cholesterol (FC). Herein we show that FC accumulation in macrophages leads to the induction and secretion of two inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The increases in TNF-alpha and IL-6 mRNA and protein were mediated by FC-induced activation of the IkappaB kinase/NF-kappaB pathway as well as activation of MKK3/p38, Erk1/2, and JNK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). Activation of IkappaB kinase and JNK1/2 was needed for the induction of both cytokines. However, MKK3/p38 signaling was specifically involved in TNF-alpha induction, and Erk1/2 signaling was required for IL-6. Most interestingly, activation of all of the signaling pathways and induction of both cytokines required cholesterol trafficking to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The CHOP branch of the unfolded protein response, an ER stress pathway, was required for Erk1/2 activation and IL-6 induction. In contrast, one or more other ER-related pathways were responsible for activation of p38, JNK1/2, and IkappaB kinase/NF-kappaB and for the induction of TNF-alpha. These data suggest a novel scenario in which cytokines are induced in macrophages by endogenous cellular events triggered by excess ER cholesterol rather than by exogenous immune cell mediators. Moreover, this model may help explain the relationship between FC accumulation and inflammation in vulnerable plaques.     

Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus capitis QN1, Which Causes Infective Endocarditis

Staphylococcus capitis is a subtype of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) which could emerge as a significant pathogen causing infective endocarditis, prosthetic valve endocarditis, and late-onset sepsis. We isolated S. capitis strain QN1 from the skin swab sample of a female. Here we prepared a genome sequence for this strain consisting of 30 contigs totaling 2,430,101 bases and a GC content of 32.76%.     

Transcriptional suppression of nephrin in podocytes by macrophages: roles of inflammatory cytokines and involvement of the PI3K/Akt pathway

Expression of nephrin, a crucial component of the glomerular slit diaphragm, is downregulated in patients with proteinuric glomerular diseases. Using conditionally immortalized reporter podocytes, we found that bystander macrophages as well as macrophage-derived cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha markedly suppressed activity of the nephrin gene promoter in podocytes. The cytokine-initiated repression was reversible, observed on both basal and inducible expression, independent of Wilms' tumor suppressor WT1, and caused in part via activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt pathway. These results indicated a novel mechanism by which activated macrophages participate in the induction of proteinuria in glomerular diseases.     

墨米中必需氨基酸含量

本文对墨米(Oryza sativa)中的必需氨基酸含量和组成配比进行了研究。结果表明： 紫色籼稻和黑色籼稻所含8种人体必需氨基酸均高于一般稻谷,分别占氨基酸总量的42.21%和41.89%。其氨基酸组成配比均与鸡蛋相似。     

Does Bt rice pose risks to non‐target arthropods? Results of a meta‐analysis in China

Transgenic Bt rice expressing the insecticidal proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) has been developed since 1989. Their ecological risks towards non‐target organisms have been investigated; however, these studies were conducted individually, yielding uncertainty regarding potential agroecological risks associated with large‐scale deployment of Bt rice lines. Here, we developed a meta‐analysis of the existing literature to synthesize current knowledge of the impacts of Bt rice on functional arthropod guilds, including herbivores, predators, parasitoids and detritivores in laboratory and field studies. Laboratory results indicate Bt rice did not influence survival rate and developmental duration of herbivores, although exposure to Bt rice led to reduced egg laying, which correctly predicted their reduced abundance in Bt rice agroecosystems. Similarly, consuming prey exposed to Bt protein did not influence survival, development or fecundity of predators, indicating constant abundances of predators in Bt rice fields. Compared to control agroecosystems, parasitoid populations decreased slightly in Bt rice cropping systems, while detritivores increased. We draw two inferences. One, laboratory studies of Bt rice showing effects on ecological functional groups are mainly either consistent with or more conservative than results of field studies, and two, Bt rice will pose negligible risks to the non‐target functional guilds in future large‐scale Bt rice agroecosystems in China.