Chromosome-level genome assembly and characterization of Sophora Japonica

Sophora japonica is a medium-size deciduous tree belonging to Leguminosae family and famous for its high ecological, economic and medicinal value. Here, we reveal a draft genome of S. japonica, which was ∼511.49 Mb long (contig N50 size of 17.34 Mb) based on Illumina, Nanopore and Hi-C data. We reliably assembled 110 contigs into 14 chromosomes, representing 91.62% of the total genome, with an improved N50 size of 31.32 Mb based on Hi-C data. Further investigation identified 271.76 Mb (53.13%) of repetitive sequences and 31,000 protein-coding genes, of which 30,721 (99.1%) were functionally annotated. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that S. japonica separated from Arabidopsis thaliana and Glycine max ∼107.53 and 61.24 million years ago, respectively. We detected evidence of species-specific and common-legume whole-genome duplication events in S. japonica. We further found that multiple TF families (e.g. BBX and PAL) have expanded in S. japonica, which might have led to its enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress. In addition, S. japonica harbours more genes involved in the lignin and cellulose biosynthesis pathways than the other two species. Finally, population genomic analyses revealed no obvious differentiation among geographical groups and the effective population size continuously declined since 2 Ma. Our genomic data provide a powerful comparative framework to study the adaptation, evolution and active ingredients biosynthesis in S. japonica. More importantly, our high-quality S. japonica genome is important for elucidating the biosynthesis of its main bioactive components, and improving its production and/or processing.     

Rhabdomyolysis happened after the start of dabigatran etexilate treatment: A case report

There are few reports of rhabdomyolysis caused by anticoagulants, and it is extremely rare for it to be caused by dabigatran etexilate. An 86-year-old female experienced sudden muscle weakness and pain, a significant increase in Creatine kinase, and renal impairment after oral administration of dabigatran etexilate for 3 weeks. The enhanced thigh MRI showed abnormal signal in multiple thigh muscle groups, indicating that the lesions should be considered inflammatory diseases. In conclusion, the possibility of rhabdomyolysis should be ruled out when muscle weakness and myalgia occur at the beginning of dabigatran etexilate treatment.     

福建含笑属一新种

常绿乔木,高达15米,胸径40厘米,树皮灰褐色,小枝、芽、叶柄及果梗密被黄棕色绒毛。叶薄革质,长圆形或窄倒卵状椭圆形,长6-11厘米,宽2.5-4厘米,顶端尖,基部圆形,上面中脉残留有短绒毛,下面密被锈红色或淡棕黄色平伏绢毛,侧脉每边8-9条,网脉稠密,在两面均凸起,叶柄无托叶痕,长1-1.5厘米。     

TWO NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS PHYTOCORIS FALLEN (HE-TEROPTERA: MIRIDAE) FROM CHINA

Abstract In this paper, two new species of the genus Phytocoris Fallen ( Ph. nitrariae sp. nov., Ph. macer sp. nov.) are described from China. Both of these two species belong to the subgenus Sooso-capsus Wagner when Wagner's system (1970) is used.     

In vitro selected peptides bind with thymidylate synthase mRNA and inhibit its translation

Thymidylate synthase (TS), an essential enzyme for catalyzing the biosynthesis of thymidylate, is a critical therapeutic target in cancer therapy. Recent studies have shown that TS functions as an RNA-binding protein by interacting with two different sequences on its own mRNA, thus, repressing translational efficiency. In this study, peptides binding TS RNA with high affinity were isolated using mRNA display from a large peptide library (＞1013 different sequences). The randomized library was subjected up to twelve rounds of in vitro selection and amplification. Comparing the amino acid composition of the selected peptides (12th round, R12) with those from the initial random library (round zero, R0), the basic and aromatic residues in the selected peptides were enriched significantly, suggesting that these peptide regions might be important in the peptide-TS mRNA interaction. Categorizing the amino acids at each random position based on their physicochemical properties and comparing the distributions with those of the initial random pool, an obvious basic charge characteristic was found at positions 1, 12, 17 and 18, suggesting that basic side chains participate in RNA binding. Secondary structure prediction showed that the selected peptides of R12 pool represented a helical propensity compared with R0 pool, and the regions were rich in basic residues. The electrophoretic gel mobility shift and in vitro translation assays showed that the peptides selected using mRNA display could bind TS RNA specifically and inhibit the translation of TS mRNA. Our results suggested that the identified peptides could be used as new TS inhibitors and developed to a novel class of anticancer agents.     

Inhibition of IFN-gamma receptor signaling by hepatitis C virus non-structural protein NS4B]

The function of NS4B is incompletely understood. The aim of the study is to understand the influence of NS4B on anti-viral response. After cell line stably expressing NS4B established, the influence of IFN-alpha of different concentration on VSV was studied using plaque assay; cell expression profiling caused by NS4B was studied using DNA microarray, and the IFNGR1 fluorescence intensity was analyzed. Our data showed that HCV-NS4B could suppress immuno-associated gene expression, in particular, IFN-gamma receptor signal transduction-related genes. Taken together, NS4B could play some roles in HCV resistance to IFN therapy.     

肝癌细胞系差异性表达的糖结合蛋白研究

糖结合蛋白(glycan-binding protein,GBP)在细胞生命周期中扮演着重要角色,如细胞识别、运输、免疫、代谢、增殖分化及细胞间的相互作用等.目前,对GBP的改变对细胞生物过程产生影响的研究甚少.本研究用糖芯片技术对肝癌细胞系Hep G2和正常肝细胞系L02表达的GBP进行研究;糖细胞化学验证确定差异表达GBP在肝癌细胞系中的变化和分布.结果显示,8种糖探针(如SL、LNT和Gal NAc等)和5种糖探针(如Man、Man-9-Glycan,Xyl等)分别对应的GBP在Hep G2细胞中表达上调或下调.糖细胞化学结果显示:Gal NAc识别的GBPs主要表达在Hep G2的胞膜、中央胞质、核周胞质区域,而在L02的相同区域表达减弱;Neu Ac识别的GBPs主要表达在L02的胞膜区及核周胞质区,而在Hep G2细胞的相同区域表达减弱.这些数据为寻找新的肝癌发病机制和抗肿瘤策略提供了有用信息.     

水分胁迫对甘薯叶肉细胞光合电子传递的影响

水分胁迫降低了甘薯叶肉细胞的光合能力。在有解偶联剂存在时,水分胁迫对叶肉细胞的光合电子传递没有影响,但在无解偶联剂存在下,水分胁迫促进了甘薯叶肉细胞的光合电子传递,表现出明显的解偶联效应。水分胁迫伤害了甘薯叶绿体偶联因子结构,使ATP合成受阻,叶肉细胞的光合滞后期加长。