OrchidBase: a collection of sequences of the transcriptome derived from orchids

Orchids are one of the most ecological and evolutionarily significant plants, and the Orchidaceae is one of the most abundant families of the angiosperms. Genetic databases will be useful not only for gene discovery but also for future genomic annotation. For this purpose, OrchidBase was established from 37,979,342 sequence reads collected from 11 in-house Phalaenopsis orchid cDNA libraries. Among them, 41,310 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained by using Sanger sequencing, whereas 37,908,032 reads were obtained by using next-generation sequencing (NGS) including both Roche 454 and Solexa Illumina sequencers. These reads were assembled into 8,501 contigs and 76,116 singletons, resulting in 84,617 non-redundant transcribed sequences with an average length of 459 bp. The analysis pipeline of the database is an automated system written in Perl and C#, and consists of the following components: automatic pre-processing of EST reads, assembly of raw sequences, annotation of the assembled sequences and storage of the analyzed information in SQL databases. A web application was implemented with HTML and a Microsoft .NET Framework C# program for browsing and querying the database, creating dynamic web pages on the client side, analyzing gene ontology (GO) and mapping annotated enzymes to KEGG pathways. The online resources for putative annotation can be searched either by text or by using BLAST, and the results can be explored on the website and downloaded. Consequently, the establishment of OrchidBase will provide researchers with a high-quality genetic resource for data mining and facilitate efficient experimental studies on orchid biology and biotechnology. The OrchidBase database is freely available at http://lab.fhes.tn.edu.tw/est.     

金川泥炭地两个尺度下苔藓植物间及其与维管植物间的种间关系分析

在金川泥炭地设置1m×1m和25 cm ×25 cm两个尺度的大、小样方进行植被调查,并利用方差比率法、x2检验、Pearson相关分析和Spearman秩相关分析方法,定量分析了9种苔藓植物和30种主要维管植物间的种间关系.偏叶泥炭藓、大泥炭藓和尖叶泥炭藓3种优势苔藓植物彼此呈显著负关联,占领着各自不同的生境;该3种优势苔藓植物同伴生苔藓及维管植物主要呈正相关,形成独特的群落,据此划分出4个生态种组.Spearman秩相关分析表明,大样方741个种对中,正联结种对数占49.53％,明显大于小样方666个种对中的41.14％.样方大小对分析植物个体大小差异悬殊的泥炭地植物群落的种间联结的影响巨大.苔藓与维管植物间以及苔藓植物间的种间联结甚至种间关系应在大、小样方中分别探讨更合适.     

黄喉拟水龟摩氏摩根菌的分离鉴定及药敏试验

<正>黄喉拟水龟(Mauremys mutica),俗称石龟、石金钱龟、黄板龟等,为龟科拟水龟属,主要分布于中国江苏、安徽、福建以及越南、日本等。黄喉拟水龟具有食用、药用和观赏价值,近年来野生资源日趋减少,人工养殖发展迅速。细菌性病原感染是黄喉拟水龟养殖过程中常见疾病,目前已报道黏质沙雷氏菌(Serratia marcescens)[1]、松鼠葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus sciuri)[2]、摩氏摩根菌(Morganella morganii)[3]、嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌(Stenotrophmomas     

遮阴对两种泥炭藓植物生长及相互作用的影响

以大泥炭藓和喙叶泥炭藓为材料,研究遮阴对其生长及植物相互作用的影响.结果表明:在单种群中,遮阴处理明显促进了大泥炭藓的高生长,但对喙叶泥炭藓的生长以及大泥炭藓生物量和分枝数未产生影响;在混合群中,喙叶泥炭藓抑制了大泥炭藓生物量和分枝数的增长,而大泥炭藓对喙叶泥炭藓的生长无影响.随遮阴胁迫的增加,邻体对喙叶泥炭藓竞争加剧,当胁迫进一步增强,邻体效应有转变为正相互作用的趋势,但邻体对大泥炭藓的效应始终为竞争,未随胁迫增加而变化.     

Hydrogen sulfide protects soybean seedlings against drought-induced oxidative stress

Increasing evidence indicates that hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is the third “gas signal molecule” after NO and CO in animal. In the present study, we found that soybean (Glycine max L.) seedlings sprayed with exogenous H₂S donor NaHS prolonged the longer survival time of life, and enlarged higher biomass of both leaf and root than in non-sprayed controls under continuous drought stress. With the continuous drought stress, the content of chlorophyll in the leaves of both Xu-1 and Xu-6 cultivar of soybean decreased dramatically. The drought-induced decrease in chlorophyll could be alleviated by spraying H₂S donor. It was also shown that spraying with H₂S donor dramatically retained higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.1.5.1.1), catalase (CAT, EC1.11.1.6) and lower activity of lipoxygenases (LOX, EC 1.13.11.12), delayed excessive accumulation of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion (O₂^·−) compared with the control. These results suggest that H₂S can increase drought tolerance in soybean seedlings by acting as an antioxidant signal molecule for the response.     

人角质化细胞生长因子-2基因的克隆、表达及产物的纯化、鉴定

用高表达菌株BL21codon plus compentent cells表达重组人角质化细胞生长因子(Hkgf-2)蛋白并初步纯化和检测其活性。通过RTPCR从流产胎儿肺组织中钓取hKGF-2cDNA,将其克隆入pBV220载体质粒。在大肠杆菌BL-21codon plus compent cells中表达hKGF-2蛋白。采用亲和层析和离子交换层析分离纯化,以细胞增殖实验测定表达蛋白的生物活性。结果显示,hKGF-2蛋白在BL21中得到高效表达;hKGF-2蛋白能刺激NIH3T3细胞的增殖,具有显著的促有丝分裂活性。     

酯酶基因扩增及突变与昆虫抗药性

有机磷和氨基甲酸酯类杀虫剂的大量使用导致昆虫对其产生抗药性。酯酶是昆虫体内重要的解毒代谢酶,酯酶基因表达量上升和点突变使其代谢或结合杀虫剂的能力增强是昆虫对常用农药产生抗药性的2个重要原因。文章概述昆虫酯酶基因扩增及突变所导致的抗药性,进一步分析了酯酶突变对蛋白结构和功能的影响。     

Duplicated C-class MADS-box genes reveal distinct roles in gynostemium development in Cymbidium ensifolium (Orchidaceae)

The orchid floral organs represent novel and effective structures for attracting pollination vectors. In addition, to avoid inbreeding, the androecium and gynoecium are united in a single structure termed the gynostemium. Identification of C-class MADS-box genes regulating reproductive organ development could help determine the level of homology with the current ABC model of floral organ identity in orchids. In this study, we isolated and characterized two C-class AGAMOUS-like genes, denoted CeMADS1 and CeMADS2, from Cymbidium ensifolium. These two genes showed distinct spatial and temporal expression profiles, which suggests their functional diversification during gynostemium development. Furthermore, the expression of CeMADS1 but not CeMADS2 was eliminated in the multitepal mutant whose gynostemium is replaced by a newly emerged flower, and this ecotopic flower continues to produce sepals and petals centripetally. Protein interaction relationships among CeMADS1, CeMADS2 and E-class PeMADS8 proteins were assessed by yeast two-hybrid analysis. Both CeMADS1 and CeMADS2 formed homodimers and heterodimers with each other and the E-class PeMADS protein. Furthermore, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing CeMADS1 or CeMADS2 showed limited growth of primary inflorescence. Thus, CeMADS1 may have a pivotal C function in reproductive organ development in C. ensifolium.     

纳米粒子载体对灰飞虱RNAi效率的影响

【目的】筛选针对灰飞虱Laodelphax striatellus RNAi的dsRNA高效纳米递送载体。【方法】使用壳聚糖、碳量子点(carbon quantum dot, CQD)和lipofectamine 2000作为代表性纳米粒子,分别与dsRNA进行混合,形成稳定的3种不同复合颗粒,利用光谱法检测其dsRNA装载率。以灰飞虱膜结合型海藻糖酶基因LsStre为靶标基因来测试3种纳米粒子的RNAi效率。用不同纳米粒子包裹的dsLsStre喂食后,通过荧光实时定量PCR(qPCR)检测喂食后2 d灰飞虱2龄若虫中LsStre mRNA表达水平,并检测和计算灰飞虱2龄若虫在6 d内的校正死亡率,以裸dsLsStre引起的2龄若虫死亡率为对照,评价3种纳米载体对LsStre的RNAi增效作用。【结果】3种纳米载体均能负载dsEgfp,且这3种纳米载体复合dsEgfp的效率均在95%以上。3种纳米材料对灰飞虱2龄若虫的毒性均较弱。同未用纳米粒子包裹的裸dsLsStre喂食组(对LsStre表达量的抑制率为46%)相比,壳聚糖和CQD能够显著提高LsStre的RNAi效率(对LsStre表达量的抑制率分别为78%和84%),而lipofectamine 2000不能显著提高LsStre的RNAi效率(抑制率为52%)。壳聚糖和CQD可以有效提高喂食dsLsStre对灰飞虱2龄若虫的致死效应,在连续喂食6 d后,灰飞虱2龄若虫的校正死亡率分别达到76%和82%,与直接用裸dsLsStre处理的对照组校正死亡率(35%)相比,增效系数分别达到2.17和2.34,lipofectamine 2000的增效能力最弱,其与dsLsStre的复合颗粒处理引起灰飞虱2龄若虫死亡率为38%,增效系数为1.09。【结论】壳聚糖和CQD纳米载体能够显著提高灰飞虱对于喂食dsRNA的敏感性,而lipofectamine 2000的RNAi增效作用较弱。研究结果有助于评价纳米载体在灰飞虱RNAi中的增效作用,为进一步开发和筛选有效的RNAi纳米载体,实现害虫绿色防控,提供了理论依据和应用策略。     

Direct and interaction-mediated effects of environmental changes on peatland bryophytes

Ecosystem processes of northern peatlands are largely governed by the vitality and species composition in the bryophyte layer, and may be affected by global warming and eutrophication. In a factorial experiment in northeast China, we tested the effects of raised levels of nitrogen (0, 1 and 2 g m⁻² year⁻¹), phosphorus (0, 0.1 and 0.2 g m⁻² year⁻¹) and temperature (ambient and +3°C) on Polytrichum strictum, Sphagnum magellanicum and S. palustre, to see if the effects could be altered by inter-specific interactions. In all species, growth declined with nitrogen addition and increased with phosphorus addition, but only P. strictum responded to raised temperature with increased production of side-shoots (branching). In Sphagnum, growth and branching changed in the same direction, but in Polytrichum, the two responses were uncoupled: with nitrogen addition there was a decrease in growth (smaller than in Sphagnum) but an increase in branching; with phosphorus addition growth increased but branching was unaffected. There were no two-way interactions among the P, N and T treatments. With increasing temperature, our results indicate that S. palustre should decrease relative to P. strictum (Polytrichum increased its branching and had a negative neighbor effect on S. palustre). With a slight increase in phosphorus availability, the increase in length growth and production of side-shoots in P. strictum and S. magellanicum may give them a competitive superiority over S. palustre. The negative response in Sphagnum to nitrogen could favor the expansion of vascular plants, but P. strictum may endure thanks to its increased branching.