The breeding of two polyploid rice lines with the characteristic of polyploid meiosis stability

Polyploidization is a basic feature of plant evolution. Nearly all of the main food, cotton and oil crops are polyploid. When ploidy levels increase, yields double; this phenomenon suggested a new strategy of rice breeding that utilizes wide crosses and polyploidization dual advantages to breed super rice.Because low seed set rates in polyploid rice usually makes it difficult to breed, the selection of Ph-liked gene lines was emphasized. After progenies of indica-japonica were identified and selected, two polyploid lines, PMeS-1 and PMeS-2 with Polyploid Meiosis Stability (PMeS) genes were bred. The procedure included seven steps: selecting parents, crossing or multiple crossing, back-crossing, doubling chromosomes, identifying the polyploid, and choosing plants with high seed set rates that can breed themselves into stable lines. The characteristics of PMeS were determined by observing meiotic behaviors and by cross-identification of seed sets. PMeS-1 and PMeS-2, (japonica rice), have several characteristics different from other polyploid rice lines, including a higher rate of seed set (more than 65%, increasing to more than 70% in their F1 offspring); and stable meiotic behaviors (pairing with bivalents and quarivalents nearly without over-quarivalent in prophase, nearly without lagging chromosomes in metaphase and without micronuclei in anaphase and telophase). The latter was obviously different from control polyploid line Dure-4X, which displayed abnormal meiotic behaviors including a higher rate of multivalents, univalents and trivalents in prophase, lagging chromosomes in metaphase and micronuclei in anaphase and telophase. There were also three differences of the breeding method between PMeS lines and normal diploid lines: chromosomes doubling, polyploidism identifying and higher seed set testing. The selection of PMeS lines is the first step in polyploid rice breeding; their use will advance the progress of polyploid rice breeding, which will in turn offer a new way to breed super rice.     

Construction and characterization of an HCV-derived multi-epitope peptide antigen containing B-cell HVR1 mimotopes and T-cell conserved epitopes

Hepatitis C (HCV) genome is highly variable, particularly in the hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of its E2 envelope gene. The variability of HCV genome has been a major obstacle for developing HCV vaccines. Due to B-cell HVR1 mimotopes mimicking the antigenicity of natural HVR1 epitopes and some T-cell epitopes from the consensus sequence of HCV genes conserving among the different HCV genotypes, we synthesized an minigene of HCV-derived multi-epitope peptide antigen (CMEP), which contains 9 B-cell HVR1 mimotopes in E2, 2 conserved CTL epitopes in C, 1 conserved CTL epitope in NS3 and 1 conserved Th epitope in NS3. This minigene was cloned into a GST expression vector to generate a fusion protein GST-CMEP. The immunogenic properties of CEMP were characterized by HCV infected patients’ sera, and found that the reactivity frequency reached 75%. The cross reactivity of anti-CEMP antibody with different natural HVR1 variants was up to 90%. Meanwhile, we constructed an HCV DNA vaccine candidate, plasmid pVAX1.0-st-CMEP carrying the recombinant gene (st) of a secretion signal peptide and PADRE universal Th cell epitope sequence in front of the CMEP minigene. Immunization of rabbits with pVAX1.0-st-CMEP resulted in the production of antibody, which was of the same cross reactivity as the fusion protein GST-CMEP. Our findings indicate that the HCV-derived multi-epitope peptide antigen in some degree possessed the characteristics of neutralizing HCV epitopes, and would be of the value as a candidate for the development of HCV vaccines.     

Glycine origin of the methyl substituent on C7'-N of octodiose for the biosynthesis of apramycin

Apramycin is unique in the aminoglycoside family due to its octodiose moiety. However, either the biosynthesis process or the precursors involved are largely unknown. Addition of glycine, as well as serine or threonine, to the Streptomyces tenebrabrius UD2 fermentation medium substantially increases the production of apramycin with little effect on the growth of mycelia, indicating that glycine and/or serine might be involved in the biosynthesis of apramycin. The 13C-NMR analysis of [2-13C] glycine-fed (25% enrichment) apramycin showed that glycine specifically and efficiently incorporated into the only N-CH3 substituent of apramycin on the C7' of the octodiose moiety. We noticed that the in vivo concentration of S-adenosyl methionine increased in parallel with the addition of glycine, while the addition of methione in the fermentation medium significantly decreased the productivity of apramycin. Therefore, the methyl donor function of glycine is proposed to be involved in the methionine cycle but methionine itself was proposed to inhibit the methylation and methyl transfer processes as previously reported for the case of rapamycin. The 15N NMR spectra of [2-13C,15N]serine labeled apramycin indicated that serine may also act as a limiting precursor contributing to the -NH2 substituents of apramycin.     

氨基酰-tRNA合成酶与神经退行性疾病

氨基酰-tRNA合成酶催化tRNA的氨基酰化反应为生物体内的蛋白质合成提供原料.这类古老且保守的蛋白质分子在高等生物复杂的细胞分子网络中分化出的新功能是目前人们关注的焦点.近期在对一些患有神经退行性疾病的病人和小鼠模型的研究中发现,位于酪氨酰-tRNA合成酶、甘氨酰-tRNA合成酶和丙氨酰-tRNA合成酶上的突变,可分别导致DI腓骨肌萎缩症(Charcot-Marie-Toothdisease,CMT)C型,腓骨肌萎缩症2D型及小脑浦肯雅(Purkinje)细胞丢失.初步的致病机理研究表明,致病突变对这3种酶的影响各不相同:酪氨酰-tRNA合成酶的氨基酰化催化能力受到影响,甘氨酰-tRNA合成酶受影响的可能是一种未知的新功能,而丙氨酰-tRNA合成酶受影响的则是它的编校功能.这些研究结果揭示了氨基酰-tRNA合成酶涉及神经退行性疾病的广泛性和其机制的复杂性,并将促进对神经退行性疾病这一类常见疾病的病理和治疗方法的研究.     

蛋白质组学中新蛋白质鉴定的研究方法和策略

当前,基于生物质谱进行蛋白质鉴定的技术已经成为蛋白质组学研究的支撑技术之一.产生的数据主要使用数据库搜索的方法进行处理,这种方法的一大缺陷是不能鉴定数据库中未包含的蛋白质,因此如何充分利用质谱数据对蛋白质组研究的意义很大,而新蛋白质鉴定更是其中一个重要的内容.新蛋白质鉴定是蛋白质鉴定的一个方面,新蛋白质的定义按照序列和功能的已知程度分为3个层次;以蛋白质鉴定的方法为基础,目前新蛋白质鉴定的方法可分为denovo测序和相似序列搜索结合的方法以及搜索EST、基因组等核酸数据库的方法2大类;两者各有利弊.存在各自的问题和相应处理的策略.不同的研究者可以根据具体目的应用和发展不同的鉴定方法,同时新蛋白质的鉴定也将随着蛋白质组学研究的发展而更加完善.     

重组胰高血糖素样肽-1与人血清白蛋白融合蛋白的纯化及活性研究

利用构建的重组菌株Pichia pastoris GS115/GLP-1/HSA,在10L发酵罐中表达了胰高血糖素样肽-1与人血清白蛋白融合蛋白(GLP-1/HSA),表达量为63.6mg/L。发酵液经中空纤维柱浓缩、疏水层析、阴离子交换层析和凝胶过滤分离纯化,获得了较高纯度的GLP-1/HSA,经HPLC分析纯度达95.8%。进一步的体内活性分析结果表明,GLP-1/HSA不仅具有天然GLP-1的生物活性,而且在给药后4h仍能发挥显著性降血糖作用。以上结果表明,利用Pichia pastoris分泌型表达系统和建立的分离纯化方法,能获得大量较高纯度的GLP-1/HSA,为进一步研究和开发能够用于糖尿病临床治疗的长效GLP-1类似物奠定了基础。     

GSDS: 基因结构显示系统

构建了一个用于绘制基因结构示意图的网站系统(http://gsds.cbi.pku.edu.cn/)。用户可提交核酸序列、NCBI核酸序列号或基因外显子位置信息, 得到基因结构示意图; 并可指定在基因结构图上标注某些特定区域。系统允许用户同时输入多个基因, 并指定输出次序和标注区域。结果可用位图和矢量图两种图形格式显示。点击位图格式结果, 可以查看相应序列。系统提供中英文两种用户界面。     

Membrane-bound pyrophosphatase of human gut microbe Clostridium methylpentosum confers improved salt tolerance in Escherichia coli,Saccharomyces cerevisiae and tobacco

Membrane-bound pyrophosphatases (PPases) are involved in the adaption of organisms to stress conditions, which was substantiated by numerous plant transgenic studies with H⁺-PPase yet devoid of any correlated evidences for other two subfamilies, Na⁺-PPase and Na⁺,H⁺-PPase. Herein, we demonstrate the gene cloning and functional evaluation of the membrane-bound PPase (CmPP) of the human gut microbe Clostridium methylpentosum. The CmPP gene encodes a single polypeptide of 699 amino acids that was predicted as a multi-spanning membrane and K⁺-dependent Na⁺,H⁺-PPase. Heterologous expression of CmPP could significantly enhance the salt tolerance of both Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and this effect in yeast could be fortified by N-terminal addition of a vacuole-targeting signal peptide from the H⁺-PPase of Trypanosoma cruzi. Furthermore, introduction of CmPP could remarkably improve the salt tolerance of tobacco, implying its potential use in constructing salt-resistant transgenic crops. Consequently, the possible mechanisms of CmPP to underlie salt tolerance are discussed.     

钙结合蛋白对花粉生长发育调控研究进展

植物钙结合蛋白存在于花粉管中,通过直接或间接结合Ca~(2+),定位膜结构,形成Ca~(2+)信号通道,发生信号转导,对花粉发育及花粉管的生长起到调控作用。目前已明确以钙调蛋白(CAM)、钙依赖型蛋白激酶(CDPK)、类钙调蛋白(CML)、类钙调素B类蛋白(CBL)和激酶蛋白(CIPK)为主的植物钙结合蛋白在调控花粉发育及花粉管生长方面的重要作用。该文主要对近年来国内外已经明确的各类钙结合蛋白家族以及家族成员间不同的作用机理的研究进展进行综述,并举例阐述了钙结合蛋白家族中各类成员对花粉管特定的作用方式及调控作用,最后对今后相关领域的研究前景进行了展望。     

一氧化氮对弱光下小型大白菜幼苗生长及光合作用的影响

以水培的小型大白菜幼苗为材料,在前期筛选的总氮浓度(5mmol/L)、铵硝配比(10∶90)和中度弱光(95~105μmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1))条件下,测定一氧化氮供体(硝普钠,SNP)、抑制剂(L-NAME、NaN_3)和清除剂(Hb)处理8d后小型大白菜幼苗形态指标及光合荧光参数,探讨外源NO参与铵硝营养缓解小型大白菜幼苗遭受弱光胁迫的效应。结果显示:(1)在弱光胁迫条件下,单独SNP、铵硝比液加SNP处理后小型大白菜幼苗地上地下部鲜重、叶面积均与对照CK差异不显著,说明SNP、铵硝比液加SNP处理均可以促进弱光下小型大白菜幼苗的生长,缓解弱光胁迫伤害。(2)铵硝比液中添加NO抑制剂(L-NAME、NaN3)和NO清除剂(Hb)后,小型大白菜幼苗叶面积、地上地下部鲜重、净光合速率(Pn)、气孔导度(Gs)、PSⅡ最大光量子产量(Fv/Fm)以及光合电子传递速率(ETR)均不同程度地降低,如L-NAME、NaN3和Hb处理的叶面积较CK分别显著减小15%、24%和40%,其Pn则分别显著减小31.2%、35.8%和56.7%。研究表明,添加NO抑制剂和清除剂处理降低了铵硝营养在弱光下对小型大白菜幼苗生长的缓解效果,从而证明NO参与了铵硝营养缓解弱光胁迫对小型大白菜幼苗光合作用的影响。