染色质调节元件与不同启动子的相互作用对基因表达调控的影响

为探究DNA序列元件对不同启动子调节转基因稳定表达的影响,利用遍在染色质开放元件 (Ubiquitous chromatin opening elements,UCOE) 和基质黏附序列 (Scaffold/matrix-attachment regions,MAR) 分别与含增强子的oct4基因启动子、含CpG岛的sox2基因启动子和不含调控元件的nanog基因启动子以及同时包含增强子和CpG岛的CMV启动子组合构建pOCT4-MAR、pOCT4-UCOE、pSOX2-MAR、pSOX2-UCOE、pNANOG-MAR、pNANOG-UCOE、pCMV-UCOE、pCMV-MAR等质粒,分析这些质粒稳定转染后的表达量和嵌合表达差异。结果发现,UCOE与含增强子元件的oct4启动子组合能较稳定高效表达,而MAR与含CpG岛的sox2启动子组合能较稳定高效表达。利用排除位置效应原因的嵌合表达对染色质高级结构调控基因表达的稳定性分析表明：(1) 通常情况下UCOE比MAR调节的表达载体的表达更高效和更稳定;UCOE连接含CpG岛的启动子形成开放染色质调节的高表达更稳定;(2) MAR与启动子上TATA盒或增强子可能通过染色质环产生高表达,但相对不稳定。结论：染色质调节元件UCOE和MAR与启动子调控元件之间能通过染色质开放状态或染色质环调控基因稳定表达。     

Correction to: lncRNA MEG3, Acting as a ceRNA,Modulates RPE Differentiation Through the miR-7-5p/Pax6 Axis

Biochemical Genetics - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10528-021-10086-3     

The community structure of bird assemblages on urban strangler figs

Figs have been regarded as keystone plant resources that support diverse tropical vertebrate frugivore communities. Planting or conserving large fig trees, such as stranglers, have therefore been proposed for enhancing urban biodiversity. We compared the diversity and community structure of bird assemblages on strangler figs with non‐fig urban trees as well as between the fruiting and non‐fruiting fig trees in an urban setting in Singapore. The total bird abundance across all the fig trees when in fruit was 4.5‐fold higher than on non‐fig trees and 3.5‐fold higher than when the same fig trees were not fruiting, but only attracted two more species. On individual trees, after accounting for the presence of mistletoes, tree height, the area covered by buildings, road lane density, and the distance to natural vegetation, mean diversity was not different between non‐fig trees and fig trees when they were not in fruit. On the other hand, when fruiting, each fig tree on average had 1.4 more species, 3 more counts of non‐native birds, and 1.6 more counts of insectivorous birds than when not fruiting. There was significant compositional turnover between non‐fig trees and non‐fruiting fig trees, while community dispersion was significantly lower among fig trees in fruit. Our results demonstrate that fig trees provide fruit and non‐fruit resources for birds in an urban landscape but do not necessarily support more diverse total bird assemblages than non‐fig trees. Instead, bird communities on fruiting urban figs would be highly homogeneous and dominated by a few species. Abstract in Malay is available with online material.     

免疫层析法检测2019新型冠状病毒抗体假阳性的原因分析和对策

2019年12月,新型冠状病毒(SARS-CoV-2)首次被发现并很快引起全球大流行,SARS-CoV-2感染的早期诊断对疫情防控至关重要.胶体金免疫层析法检测SARS-CoV-2抗体是诊断新型冠状病毒肺炎的重要标准之一.该方法具有操作简便,报告快速,不需要仪器设备等优点.然而,该方法也存在假阳性较多的问题,给临床诊断带来了很大的困惑.本文分析和总结了在临床中采用胶体金免疫层析法检测SARS-CoV-2抗体产生假阳性的原因.结果表明最为常见的内源性干扰包括类风湿因子、嗜异性抗体、人抗动物抗体、溶菌酶、补体和交叉抗原.外源性干扰主要为标本凝固不全,标本污染和试剂盒反应体系优化不足.内源性干扰可以通过稀释、封闭和酶切等方法降低非特异性结合来减轻;消除外源性干扰需操作者严格按照实验室操作规程规范操作.此外,将兔抗μ链和/或γ链抗体F(ab')2作为固相载体的包被抗体,采用含非特异性兔IgG的Buffer,也能有效降低内源性干扰物造成的假阳性.     

Sustainability of SARS-CoV-2 Induced Humoral Immune Responses in COVID-19 Patients from Hospitalization to Convalescence Over Six Months

Virologica Sinica - Understanding the persistence of antibody in convalescent COVID-19 patients may help to answer the current major concerns such as the risk of reinfection, the protection period...