Differential retrotranslocation of mitochondrial Bax and Bak

The Bcl-2 proteins Bax and Bak can permeabilize the outer mitochondrial membrane and commit cells to apoptosis. Pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins control Bax by constant retrotranslocation into the cytosol of healthy cells. The stabilization of cytosolic Bax raises the question whether the functionally redundant but largely mitochondrial Bak shares this level of regulation. Here we report that Bak is retrotranslocated from the mitochondria by pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins. Bak is present in the cytosol of human cells and tissues, but low shuttling rates cause predominant mitochondrial Bak localization. Interchanging the membrane anchors of Bax and Bak reverses their subcellular localization compared to the wild-type proteins. Strikingly, the reduction of Bax shuttling to the level of Bak retrotranslocation results in full Bax toxicity even in absence of apoptosis induction. Thus, fast Bax retrotranslocation is required to protect cells from commitment to programmed death.     

孔雀河下游断流河道的环境特征及物种间关系

基于孔雀河下游断流河道的环境因子和植被样地数据,采用聚类与CCA排序法,分析了生境的退化特征以及物种间的相互关系,结果表明:1)断流河道退化生境分为绿洲-荒漠过渡类型、轻度荒漠化类型和盐土荒漠化类型。绿洲-荒漠过渡类型地下水位低、盐分含量相对较低,植被盖度相对较高,土壤维持着原砂质壤土,为潜在退化型;轻度荒漠化类型地下水位、土壤质地与含盐量与前者基本相同,土壤未明显退化,但植被盖度低于10%,植物种类与个体数目都较低,属于轻度退化型;盐土荒漠化类型地下水位高、盐分含量高,土壤机械组成中砂粒比重较大、无建群种幸存,属于重度退化型。2)绿洲-荒漠过渡类型总体联结性为显著正联结,正负联结比小于1,生态系统表现为建群种维系物种关系的不稳定状态;轻度荒漠化类型总体联结性为不显著负联结,正负联结比小于1,表现出生态系统进入退化演替的阶段;盐土荒漠化类型总体联结性为显著正联结,正负联结比大于1,表现出重度退化群落的种间平衡状态,物种间以达到稳定共存,其中,真盐生植物对这种平衡的维持起着重要的作用。3)CCA排序表明,绿洲-荒漠过渡类型形成以胡杨为中心的种间正联结,幸存于盐分适中、水分养分相对较高的生境;轻度荒漠化类型,形成以多枝柽柳与刚毛柽柳相互依存的不显著负联结,幸存于土壤养分、水分相对较低的生境;盐土荒漠化类型形成以盐爪爪、盐节木、盐穗木等真盐生植物维系的显著正联结,幸存于土壤贫瘠、地下水位浅、盐分含量高、沙化严重的生境。     

天敌对麦长管蚜和麦二叉蚜种群数量影响程度的分析

通过对１９９３～１９９６年两种麦蚜种群数量及其天敌数量的系统调查,并采用灰色关联分析法,研究各种天敌对两种麦蚜种群数量的影响程度,得出对麦长管蚜种群数量影响最大的是龟纹瓢虫、蚜茧蜂和食蚜蝇;对麦二叉蚜种群数量影响最大的是草间小黑蛛,其次是龟纹瓢虫．     

Simple sequence repeat genetic linkage maps of A-genome diploid cotton (Gossypium arboreum)

This study introduces the construction of the first intraspacific genetic linkage map of the A-genome diploid cotton with newly developed simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers using 189 F2 plants derived from the cross of two Asiatic parents were detected using 6 092 pairs of SSR primers. Two-hundred and sixty-eight pairs of SSR pdmers with better polymorphisms were picked out to analyze the F2 population. In total, 320 polymorphic bands were generated and used to construct a linkage map with JoinMap3.0. Two-hundred and sixty-seven loci, Including three phenotypic traits were mapped at a logarithms of odds ratio (LOD) ≥ 3.0 on 13 linkage groups. The total length of the map was 2 508.71 cM, and the average distance between adjacent markers was 9.40 cM. Chromosome assignments were according to the association of linkages with our backbone tetraploid specific map using the 89 similar SSR loci. Comparisons among the 13 suites of orthologous linkage groups revealed that the A-genome chromosomes are largely collinear with the At and Dt sub-genome chromosomes. Chromosomes associated with inversions suggested that allopolyploidization was accompanied by homologous chromosomal rearrangement. The inter-chromosomal duplicated loci supply molecular evidence that the A-genome diploid Asiatic cotton is paleopolyploid.     

鼎湖山地带性植被种间联结变化研究

研究鼎湖山地带性植被厚壳桂属（Cryptocarya）群落种间联结15年的变化,以期揭示该群落随时间演替过程中种间关系的变化情况。结果表明,群落的优势种种类组成基本没变化,但与15年前比较,优势种群的种对正负联结比例基本一致,但种间关系趋向平缓,高的正或负联结系数值少见;阳生性的先锋种与中生性建群种的联结系数值增大;群落中的2个亚群丛分化更为明显。表明南亚热带地带性顶极群落稳定是相对的,而波动变化是明显的,尤其是当群落循环演替的进程加剧时。     

A comparison of major histocompatibility complex SNPs in Han Chinese residing in Taiwan and Caucasians

Summary Genetic dissection of complex diseases is both important and challenging. The human major histocompatibility complex is involved in many human diseases and genetic mechanisms. This highly polymorphic chromosome region has been extensively studied in Caucasians but not as well in Asians. Thus, we compared genotypic distributions, linkage disequilibria and haplotype blocks between Caucasian and Taiwan’s Han Chinese populations. Moreover, we investigated the population admixture and phylogenetic system in Han Chinese residing in Taiwan. The results show that Taiwan’s Han Chinese differ drastically in genotypic information compared with Caucasians but are relatively homogeneous among the three major ethnic subgroups, Minnan, Hakka and Mainlanders. Differences in allele frequency (AF) between Taiwanese and Caucasians in some disease-associated loci may reveal clues to differences in disease prevalence. The results of ethnic heterogeneity imply that public databases should be used with caution in cases where the study population(s) differs from the population characterized in the database. The high homogeneity we observed among the Taiwanese subpopulations mitigates the possibility of spurious association caused by ignoring population stratification in Taiwanese disease gene association studies. These results are useful for understanding our genetic background and designing future disease gene mapping studies.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

南盘江流域细叶云南松次生林群落主要木本种群的种间联结

该研究运用方差比率法、χ~2检验、Pearson相关检验和Spearman轶相关检验,对广西雅长兰科植物国家级自然保护区南盘江流域的细叶云南松(Pinus yunnanensis Franch.var.tenuifolia Cheng et Law)次生林14个大树树种(DBH≥10cm)、15个小树树种(5cm≤DBH10cm)和19个幼树树种(1cm≤DBH5cm)进行定量分析,以揭示南盘江流域细叶云南松次生林群落中木本种群的关联性及其更新演替规律,为桂西北细叶云南松林管理保护、干热河谷地区植被恢复和生态重建提供参考依据。结果表明:(1)研究区内细叶云南松林大树和小树的总体关联性表现为不显著负关联,幼树及群落总体表现为不显著正关联;χ~2检验显示,大树和小树负关联种对占多数(分别为48.35%和46.67%),幼树的正关联或负关联种对占比基本持平(分别为40.35%和39.18%),群落整体无关联种对占比较大(41.13%)。(2)Pearson相关系数和Spearman秩相关系数检验显示,细叶云南松林的大树、小树、幼树和群落总体均表现为负关联种对较多,正关联次之。(3)群落大树和小树物种在资源竞争上较激烈,结构不稳定;群落幼树物种适应了林下荫蔽环境,对光照要求较低,种间关系已具有较低的稳定性,个别物种表现出独立性。研究认为,南盘江流域细叶云南松次生林群落物种间存在一定的关联性,但未能形成稳定的配置关系,群落结构尚不稳定,仍处于演替早期阶段。     

广州帽峰山次生林主要种群种间联结性研究

运用方差比率法(VR)、χ²统计量、2×2联列表和共同出现百分率对帽峰山次生林群落10000m²典型样地乔木层15个主要种群和灌木层9个主要种群进行种间联结的测定与分析,指出乔木层15个种群总体呈不显著的负联结,主要种群黄樟、三叉苦、鸭脚木和亮叶猴耳环只与极少数种群形成显著联结,与大部分种群联结关系较弱。灌木层9个种群整体为显著负联结,但主要种群三叉苦与九节、七裂叶悬钩子和假鹰爪呈显著正联结,鸭脚木与九节呈显著正联结,亮叶猴耳环与灌木层其它种群不存在显著联结关系。本文比较了多物种间总体关联性指标和3个成对物种间联结性测定指标的优缺点,并探讨了帽峰山生态公益林示范区次生林经营管理和可持续发展的基本途径。     

MicroPhenoDB Associates Metagenomic Datawith Pathogenic Microbes,Microbial Core Genes,and Human Disease Phenotypes

Microbes play important roles in human health and disease. The interaction between microbes and hosts is a reciprocal relationship, which remains largely under-explored. Current computational resources lack manually and consistently curated data to connect metagenomic data to pathogenic microbes, microbial core genes, and disease phenotypes. We developed the MicroPhenoDB database by manually curating and consistently integrating microbe-disease association data. MicroPhenoDB provides 5677 non-redundant associations between 1781 microbes and 542 human disease phenotypes across more than 22 human body sites. MicroPhenoDB also provides 696,934 relationships between 27,277 unique clade-specific core genes and 685 microbes. Disease phenotypes are classified and described using the Experimental Factor Ontology (EFO). A refined score model was developed to prioritize the associations based on evidential metrics. The sequence search option in MicroPhenoDB enables rapid identification of existing pathogenic microbes in samples without running the usual metagenomic data processing and assembly. MicroPhenoDB offers data browsing, searching, and visualization through user-friendly web interfaces and web service application programming interfaces. MicroPhenoDB is the first database platform to detail the relationships between pathogenic microbes, core genes, and disease phenotypes. It will accelerate metagenomic data analysis and assist studies in decoding microbes related to human diseases. MicroPhenoDB is available through http://www.liwzlab.cn/microphenodb and http://lilab2.sysu.edu.cn/microphenodb.     

Identification of novel susceptibility loci for non‐syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate

Although several genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) of non‐syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) have been reported, more novel association signals are remained to be exploited. Here, we performed an in‐depth analysis of our previously published Chinese GWAS cohort study with replication in an extra dbGaP case‐parent trios and another in‐house Nanjing cohort, and finally identified five novel significant association signals (rs11119445: 3’ of SERTAD4, P = 6.44 × 10⁻¹⁴; rs227227 and rs12561877: intron of SYT14, P = 5.02 × 10⁻¹³ and 2.80 × 10⁻¹¹, respectively; rs643118: intron of TRAF3IP3, P = 4.45 × 10⁻⁶; rs2095293: intron of NR6A1, P = 2.98 × 10⁻⁵). The mean (standard deviation) of the weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) from these SNPs was 1.83 (0.65) for NSCL/P cases and 1.58 (0.68) for controls, respectively (P = 2.67 × 10⁻¹⁶). Rs643118 was identified as a shared susceptible factor of NSCL/P among Asians and Europeans, while rs227227 may contribute to the risk of NSCL/P as well as NSCPO. In addition, sertad4 knockdown zebrafish models resulted in down‐regulation of sox2 and caused oedema around the heart and mandibular deficiency, compared with control embryos. Taken together, this study has improved our understanding of the genetic susceptibility to NSCL/P and provided further clues to its aetiology in the Chinese population.