Small Ribosomal Protein Subunit S7 Suppresses Ovarian Tumorigenesis through Regulation of the PI3K/AKT and MAPK Pathways

Small ribosomal protein subunit S7 (RPS7) has been reported to be associated with various malignancies, but the role of RPS7 in ovarian cancer remains unclear. In this study, we found that silencing of RPS7 by a specific shRNA promoted ovarian cancer cell proliferation, accelerated cell cycle progression, and slightly reduced cell apoptosis and response to cisplatin treatment. Knockdown of RPS7 resulted in increased expression of P85α, P110α, and AKT2. Although the basal levels of ERK1/2, MEK1/2, and P38 were inconsistently altered in ovarian cancer cells, the phosphorylated forms of MEK1/2 (Ser217/221), ERK1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204), JNK1/2 (Thr183/Tyr185), and P38 (Thr180/Tyr182) were consistently reduced after RPS7 was silenced. Both the in vitro anchorage-independent colony formation and in vivo animal tumor formation capability of cells were enhanced after RPS7 was depleted. We also showed that silencing of RPS7 enhanced ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion. In sum, our results suggest that RPS7 suppresses ovarian tumorigenesis and metastasis through PI3K/AKT and MAPK signal pathways. Thus, RPS7 may be used as a potential marker for diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.     

Diversity and distribution of diazotrophic communities in the South China Sea deep basin with mesoscale cyclonic eddy perturbations

The South China Sea (SCS) is an oligotrophic subtropical marginal ocean with a deep basin and a permanently stratified central gyre. Upwelling and nitrogen fixation provide new nitrogen for primary production in the SCS. This study was aimed at an investigation of phylogenetic diversity and quantification of the diazotroph community in the SCS deep basin, which is characterized by frequent mesoscale eddies. The diazotroph community had a relatively low diversity but a distinct spatial heterogeneity of diversity in the SCS deep basin. The potential for nitrogen fixation consistently occurred during cyclonic eddies, although upwelling of nutrient-replete deep water might have alleviated nitrogen limitation in the SCS. However, diazotrophic proteobacteria were dominant, but neither Trichodesmium nor heterocystous cyanobacterial diatom symbionts. Quantitative PCR analysis using probe-primer sets developed in this study revealed that the nif?H gene of the two dominant alpha- and gammaproteobacterial groups was at the highest abundance (up to 10(4) to 10(5) copies?L(-1) ). Trichodesmium thiebautii was detected with an average density of 10(2) trichomes?L(-1) in the euphotic waters, while Richelia intracellularis was observed sporadically under the microscope. The unicellular cyanobacterial groups A and B were not detected in our libraries. Our results suggested that diazotrophic proteobacteria were significant components potentially contributing to nitrogen fixation in this oligotrophic marginal ocean ecosystem.     

庐山西海鳡国家级水产种质资源保护区水生生物资源初步调查

调查水生生物资源现状是科学制定水产种质资源保护区管理策略的重要依据。为了掌握庐山西海鳡国家级水产种质资源保护区内水生生物资源现状,于2019年10月对庐山西海全湖浮游植物资源、浮游动物资源和鱼类种类组成进行了初步调查。结果显示,庐山西海有浮游植物123种,平均密度、平均生物量和香农威纳多样性指数分别为27.13×10~6ind./L、1.75mg/L和1.579;浮游动物56种,平均密度、平均生物量和香农威纳多样性指数分别为326.6 ind./L、1.13 mg/L和1.686;鱼类22种,其中鲤形目最多为16种,鲈形目4种,鲇形目2种。与历史资料相比,庐山西海的鱼类种类数量以及浮游植物和浮游动物的生物量都出现了一定程度的下降。为了更好地保护庐山西海宝贵的水生生物资源,建议采取优化保护区功能区划、提升管理能力建设和加强保护宣传等对策。     

Rapid and Efficient Isolation of High-Quality Small RNAs from Recalcitrant Plant Species Rich in Polyphenols and Polysaccharides

Small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), are important regulators of plant development and gene expression. The acquisition of high-quality small RNAs is the first step in the study of its expression and function analysis, yet the extraction method of small RNAs in recalcitrant plant tissues with various secondary metabolites is not well established, especially for tropical and subtropical plant species rich in polysaccharides and polyphenols. Here, we developed a simple and efficient method for high quality small RNAs extraction from recalcitrant plant species. Prior to RNA isolation, a precursory step with a CTAB-PVPP buffer system could efficiently remove compounds and secondary metabolites interfering with RNAs from homogenized lysates. Then, total RNAs were extracted by Trizol reagents followed by a differential precipitation of high-molecular-weight (HMW) RNAs using polyethylene glycol (PEG) 8000. Finally, small RNAs could be easily recovered from supernatant by ethanol precipitation without extra elimination steps. The isolated small RNAs from papaya showed high quality through a clear background on gel and a distinct northern blotting signal with miR159a probe, compared with other published protocols. Additionally, the small RNAs extracted from papaya were successfully used for validation of both predicted miRNAs and the putative conserved tasiARFs. Furthermore, the extraction method described here was also tested with several other subtropical and tropical plant tissues. The purity of the isolated small RNAs was sufficient for such applications as end-point stem-loop RT-PCR and northern blotting analysis, respectively. The simple and feasible extraction method reported here is expected to have excellent potential for isolation of small RNAs from recalcitrant plant tissues rich in polyphenols and polysaccharides.     

Sulfur metabolizing microbes dominate microbial communities in andesite-hosted shallow-sea hydrothermal systems

To determine microbial community composition, community spatial structure and possible key microbial processes in the shallow-sea hydrothermal vent systems off NE Taiwan's coast, we examined the bacterial and archaeal communities of four samples collected from the water column extending over a redoxocline gradient of a yellow and four from a white hydrothermal vent. Ribosomal tag pyrosequencing based on DNA and RNA showed statistically significant differences between the bacterial and archaeal communities of the different hydrothermal plumes. The bacterial and archaeal communities from the white hydrothermal plume were dominated by sulfur-reducing Nautilia and Thermococcus, whereas the yellow hydrothermal plume and the surface water were dominated by sulfide-oxidizing Thiomicrospira and Euryarchaeota Marine Group II, respectively. Canonical correspondence analyses indicate that methane (CH(4)) concentration was the only statistically significant variable that explains all community cluster patterns. However, the results of pyrosequencing showed an essential absence of methanogens and methanotrophs at the two vent fields, suggesting that CH(4) was less tied to microbial processes in this shallow-sea hydrothermal system. We speculated that mixing between hydrothermal fluids and the sea or meteoric water leads to distinctly different CH(4) concentrations and redox niches between the yellow and white vents, consequently influencing the distribution patterns of the free-living Bacteria and Archaea. We concluded that sulfur-reducing and sulfide-oxidizing chemolithoautotrophs accounted for most of the primary biomass synthesis and that microbial sulfur metabolism fueled microbial energy flow and element cycling in the shallow hydrothermal systems off the coast of NE Taiwan.     

植物miR159家族成员分子特性及其进化规律研究

为了解植物miR159家族成员的分子特性及其进化规律,该研究对miRBase数据库中登录的miR159家族成员进行分类统计、进化树构建、科间比较、二级结构预测及靶基因分析。结果表明:miR159家族在植物界分布非常广泛,蕨类植物可能是miR159家族的进化祖先;系统发育进化树分析显示,植物miR159家族成员间存在多个进化分支,且进化关系与植物属性有关,即植物亲缘关系越近的成员更易成枝,且具有相同进化方向的成员序列高度同源;Mfold预测显示,pre-miR159均会自发形成典型、稳定的茎环二级结构,并包含19~21个碱基为单位的功能片段,每个单位均有可能形成miR159成熟体;靶基因分析发现,miR159家族成员主要作用于MYB转录因子、转座因子和假定蛋白等,但在不同物种间及相同物种的不同成员间作用的靶标种类与靶基因ID数量均存在差异,尤其是miR159-3p与miR159-5p间的差异最为显著。     

龙眼miR171家族进化特性及其表达分析

为了解龙眼miR171家族的进化特性及其功能,该研究以龙眼mRNA和miRNA数据库中获得的miR171家族7个前体序列(pre-miRNA)和9条成熟体序列为基础进行生物信息学预测和表达分析。mfold预测显示,premiR171家族成员均能形成典型二级结构,其最小折叠自由能(dG)介于-39.37~-55.13kal/mol,且家族成员中除pre-miR171-scaffold112和pre-miR171f-scaffold38外,其他成员包含的成熟序列与vvi-miR171a、ptc-miR171f以及ctr-miR171等成熟体完全匹配。NJ进化树分析发现,龙眼pre-miR171家族与柑橘、毛果杨具有较高相似性。psRNAtarget靶标预测显示,龙眼miR171家族的主要靶标为Scarecrow-like6,与其他植物的miR171靶标相同。实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,pre-miR171家族成员均在龙眼雄花中表达提高,而在果实中表达量降低。研究认为,龙眼miR171家族在进化过程中具有高度保守性,在龙眼生长发育过程中主要参与雄花形成。     

龙眼松散型胚性愈伤组织发生过程中相关蛋白的表达分析

以龙眼‘红核子’品种(Dimocarpus longan Lour.cv.Honghezi)松散型胚性愈伤组织(FEC)为材料,采用固相双向凝胶电泳技术和质谱鉴定技术,对其生长过程中相关蛋白的表达变化进行研究。结果表明:(1)龙眼FEC生长过程中,总蛋白点数在400~800之间,蛋白点数变化虽有升降起伏,但总体呈上升趋势;蛋白质pI集中在4~7之间;蛋白质分子量在14~97kD之间,表达量相对较高的是分子量在30~66kD的蛋白质,且30~45kD的蛋白点逐渐增多,45~66kD的逐渐减少。(2)龙眼FEC生长过程中质谱鉴定66个蛋白,其中28.79%为功能未知蛋白,30.30%涉及胁迫应答和抗氧化,10.61%涉及能量和糖代谢,10.61%涉及蛋白代谢和修复,6.06%涉及细胞骨架重构,4.55%蛋白是调控蛋白,3.03%是核酸代谢相关蛋白,而所占比例最少的为信号转导与细胞凋亡相关蛋白、氨基酸代谢相关蛋白、脂类代谢相关蛋白,以及维生素代谢相关蛋白均为1.52%。(3)龙眼FEC生长过程中,胁迫反应/氧化还原相关蛋白(抗坏血酸类过氧化物酶R147、R158和HC21,苄基醚还原酶同系物TH6、谷胱甘肽过氧化酶以及过氧化物酶L26)表达高峰出现在前期10~20d,而过氧化物酶4多在后期40~50d表达;蛋白质合成及修复的相关蛋白,只有蛋白质异形体1在10~30d表达量高,其他蛋白的表达高峰出现在前期10~20d之间,能量与糖代谢相关酶在整个过程中都有较大量的表达。     

Knockdown of β‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase gene disrupts molting process in Heortia vitessoides Moore

β‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) is a key enzyme in insect chitin metabolism and plays an important role in many physiological activities of insects. The HvNAG1 gene was identified from the Heortia vitessoides Moore (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) cDNA library and its expression patterns were determined using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The results indicated that HvNAG1 mRNA levels were high in the midgut and before molting, and 20E could induce its expression. Subsequently, the HvNAG1 gene was knocked down via RNA interference to identify its functions. We found that 3 μg of dsNAG1 resulted in optimal interference at 48 and 72 hr after injection, causing a decrease in NAG1 protein content, which resulted in abnormal or lethal phenotypes, and a sharp decrease in the survival rate. These results indicate that HvNAG1 plays a key role in the molting process of H. vitessoides. However, the silencing of HvNAG1 had no significant effect on the chitin metabolism‐related genes tested in this study. Our present study provides a reference for further research on the utility of key genes involved in the chitin metabolic pathway in the insect molting process.     

Novel Variant Serotype of Streptococcus suis Isolated from Piglets with Meningitis

Streptococcus suis is an emerging zoonotic pathogen causing severe infections in pigs and humans. In previous studies, 33 serotypes of S. suis have been identified using serum agglutination. Here, we describe a novel S. suis strain, {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CZ130302","term_id":"57728550","term_text":"CZ130302"}}CZ130302, isolated from an outbreak of acute piglet meningitis in eastern China. Strong pathogenicity of meningitis caused by strain {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CZ130302","term_id":"57728550","term_text":"CZ130302"}}CZ130302 was reproduced in the BALB/c mouse model. The strain showed a high fatality rate (8/10), higher than those for known virulent serotype 2 strains P1/7 (1/10) and 9801 (2/10). Cell adhesion assay results with bEnd.3 and HEp2 cells showed that {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CZ130302","term_id":"57728550","term_text":"CZ130302"}}CZ130302 was significantly close to P1/7 and 9801. Both the agglutination test and its complementary test showed that strain {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CZ130302","term_id":"57728550","term_text":"CZ130302"}}CZ130302 had no strong cross-reaction with the other 33 S. suis serotypes. The multiplex PCR assays revealed no specified bands for all four sets used to detect the other 33 serotypes. In addition, genetic analysis of the whole cps gene clusters of all serotypes was performed in this study. The results of comparative genomics showed that the cps gene cluster of {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CZ130302","term_id":"57728550","term_text":"CZ130302"}}CZ130302, which was not previously reported, showed no homology to the gene sequences of the other strains. Especially, the wzy, wzx, and acetyltransferase genes of strain {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CZ130302","term_id":"57728550","term_text":"CZ130302"}}CZ130302 are phylogenetically distinct from strains of the other 33 serotypes. Therefore, this study suggested that strain {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CZ130302","term_id":"57728550","term_text":"CZ130302"}}CZ130302 represents a novel variant serotype of S. suis (designated serotype Chz) which has a high potential to be virulent and associated with meningitis in animals.