环境温度影响蟾蜍卵母细胞成熟能力的机制之实验分析

长年饲养在高温(28—30℃)环境中雌性中华大蟾蜍,它们的卵母细胞可以长足,但经激素处理时,生发泡不破裂,仅显示成熟过程早期阶段的变化。值得注意的是,在孕酮刺激后的高温卵卵质中,出观了一种能诱发低温卵恢复减数分裂的物质,称作为“依赖冬眠因子的促成熟物质”(HF-MPS)。HF-MPS 与MPF 有不少相似之处,如孕酮处理后,它们在卵质中出现的时间相仿,它们的形成均不依赖于转录水平,而是依赖于翻译水平的蛋白质合成活动;但亦存在不同之处,如MPF 诱发低温卵GVBD 时程不受温度影响,而HF-MPS 在10℃环境中,诱发低温卵GVBD 的时间明显延缓;MPF 不仅能诱发低温卵GVBD,而且同样能诱发高温卵GVBD,然而,HF-MPS 只能诱发低温卵GVBD。由此表明,MPF 和HF-MPS 似乎是截然不同的两类活性蛋白质。高温卵缺少低温诱发产生的“冬眠因子”,所以不能恢复cdc 2基因的转录活动,不能实现MPF 自身催化扩增作用,不能保证孕酮处理后的卵母细胞完成正常成熟的全过程变化。足见,低温是中华大蟾蜍卵母细胞恢复减数分裂过程中的必要条件,是导致中华大蟾蜍现有区域分布的内在原因之一。     

Differences between migrasome,a ‘new organelle’, and exosome

The migrasome is a new organelle discovered by Professor Yu Li in 2015. When cells migrate, the membranous organelles that appear at the end of the retraction fibres are migrasomes. With the migration of cells, the retraction fibres which connect migrasomes and cells finally break. The migrasomes detach from the cell and are released into the extracellular space or directly absorbed by the recipient cell. The cytoplasmic contents are first transported to the migrasome and then released from the cell through the migrasome. This release mechanism, which depends on cell migration, is named ‘migracytosis’. The main components of the migrasome are extracellular vesicles after they leave the cell, which are easy to remind people of the current hot topic of exosomes. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles wrapped by the lipid bimolecular layer. With extensive research, exosomes have solved many disease problems. This review summarizes the differences between migrasomes and exosomes in size, composition, property and function, extraction method and regulation mechanism for generation and release. At the same time, it also prospects for the current hotspot of migrasomes, hoping to provide literature support for further research on the generation and release mechanism of migrasomes and their clinical application in the future.     

ARK2 stabilizes the plus-end of microtubules and promotes microtubule bundling in Arabidopsis

Microtubule dynamics and organization are important for plant cell morphogenesis and development. The microtubule-based motor protein kinesins are mainly responsible for the transport of some organelles and vesicles, although several have also been shown to regulate microtubule organization. The ARMADILLO REPEAT KINESIN (ARK) family is a plant-specific motor protein subfamily that consists of three members (ARK1, ARK2, and ARK3) in Arabidopsis thaliana. ARK2 has been shown to participate in root epidermal cell morphogenesis. However, whether and how ARK2 associates with microtubules needs further elucidation. Here, we demonstrated that ARK2 co-localizes with microtubules and facilitates microtubule bundling in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacological assays and microtubule dynamics analyses indicated that ARK2 stabilizes cortical microtubules. Live-cell imaging revealed that ARK2 moves along cortical microtubules in a processive mode and localizes both at the plus-end and the sidewall of microtubules. ARK2 therefore tracks and stabilizes the growing plus-ends of microtubules, which facilitates the formation of parallel microtubule bundles.     

Comparative analysis of 343 plastid genomes of Solanum section Petota: Insights into potato diversity,phylogeny, and species discrimination

Common potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and its wild relatives belong to Solanum section Petota. This section's phylogeny and species delimitation are complicated due to various ploidy levels, high heterozygosity, and frequent interspecific hybridization. Compared to the nuclear genome, the plastid genome is more conserved, has a haploid nature, and has a lower nucleotide substitution rate, providing informative alternative insights into the phylogenetic study of section Petota. Here, we analyzed 343 potato plastid genomes from 53 wild and four cultivated species. The diversity of sequences and genomes was comprehensively analyzed. A total of 24 species were placed in a phylogenetic tree based on genomic data for the first time. Overall, our results not only confirmed most existing clades and species boundaries inferred by nuclear evidence but also provided some distinctive species clade belonging and the maternally inherited evidence supporting the hybrid origin of some species. Furthermore, the divergence times between the major potato clades were estimated. In addition, the species discriminatory power of universal barcodes, nuclear ribosomal DNA, and whole and partial plastid genomes and their combinations were thoroughly evaluated; the plastid genome performed best but had limited discriminatory power for all survey species (40%). Overall, our study provided not only new insights into phylogeny and DNA barcoding of potato but also provided valuable genetic data resources for further systematical research of Petota.     

Critical roles of non-coding RNAs in lifecycle and biology of Marek’s disease herpesvirus

Science China Life Sciences - Over the past two decades, numerous non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been identified in different biological systems including virology, especially in large DNA viruses...