Genome-wide analysis of mammalian DNA segment fusion/fission

As a powerful tool for gene function prediction, gene fusion has been widely studied in prokaryotes and certain groups of eukaryotes, but it has been little applied in studies of mammalian genomes. With the first fully sequenced mammalian genomes (human, mouse, rat) now available, we defined and collected a set of fusion/fission event-linked segments (FFLS) based on structured organized genomic alignment. The statistics of the sequence features highlighted the FFLSs against their random context. We found that there are three groups of FFLSs with different component pairs (i.e. gene-gene, gene-noncoding and noncoding-noncoding) in all three mammalian genomes. The proteins encoded by the components of FFLSs in the first group shown a strong tendency to interact with each other. The segmental components in the last two groups which did not contain any protein-coding genes, were found not only to be transcribed to some level, but also more conserved than the random background. Thus, these segments are possibly carrying certain biologically functional elements. We propose that FFLS may be a potential tool for prediction and analysis of function and functional interaction of genetic elements, including both genes and noncoding elements, in mammalian genomes. The full list of the FFLSs in the genomes of the three mammals is available as supporting information at doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2005.09.016.     

包埋法固定化对硫氧化微生物菌群结构和功能的影响

【目的】为探讨包埋法固定化过程对硫氧化菌群硫化物去除能力及菌群微生物群落结构的影响,【方法】以聚乙烯醇-海藻酸钠-活性炭为载体,对硫氧化菌群进行了固定化,并采用富含硫化物的无机盐培养基,对比固定化与非固定化硫氧化菌群对硫化物的氧化去除能力。同时,利用PCR-DGGE技术,探讨硫氧化菌群在固定化前后以及在硫化物氧化去除过程中微生物群落结构变化。【结果】在对硫氧化菌群进行固定化之后,12 h之内对硫化物的最大去除能力从1000 mg/L下降为600 mg/L。硫氧化菌群的微生物群落结构发生了明显变化,但菌群中的硫氧化菌Catenococcus thiocycli未受影响,硫氧化菌Thioclava pacifica在菌群中的地位反而得到了强化。【结论】受制于底物在载体材料中的扩散迁移效率,硫氧化菌群对硫化物的氧化去除能力在固定化之后有所下降。由于不同微生物对固定化形成的微环境的适应能力以及对载体附着能力的不同,固定化对硫氧化菌群的微生物群落结构产生较大影响。     

高浓度酒精废水厌氧处理工程系统中古菌多样性及其代谢特征

颗粒污泥形成快、抗冲击能力强、悬浮性好是新型高浓度有机废水厌氧处理系统的重要特征。为了研究颗粒污泥中古菌组成多样性及其功能特征, 采集活性污泥样品, 提取总基因组DNA, 应用PCR-DGGE和16S rDNA克隆测序技术对系统内古菌群落进行研究。结果表明: 古菌克隆文库中克隆子的近缘种归属于Methanosaeta、Methanosarcina、Methanobacterium和Methanomethylovorans 4个类群, 所占文库容量比例依次为58.2%、23.6%、12.7%和3.6%, 1个克隆子未能找到相似菌株, 占1.8%。系统发育分析找到了未知克隆子C10、C11、C13和C19的相似菌株FJ618821、AB479397、AJ244290和AB447878, 并明确相应的分类地位。古菌类群以乙酸利用型Methanosaeta、Methanosarcina为主, 说明甲烷形成过程以乙酸途径为主。中间代谢产物VFAs组成与不同产甲烷菌代谢功能分析的结果证明了古菌群落组成多样性与其代谢功能的对应关系。     

Biology Teaching in Secondary Schools in France

The educational design of a project option in an Open University course on evolution, based on the use of a computer simulation of natural selection, is discussed and the simulation itself described.     

Creating a community resource for protein science

Helen Berman is the recipient of the Protein Society 2012 Carl Branden Award In addition to being one of the early pioneers in protein crystallography, Carl Brändén made significant contributions to science education with his elegant and beautifully illustrated book Introduction to Protein Structure (Brändén and Tooze, New York: Garland, 1991). It is truly an honor to receive this award in their names. This award and the 40th anniversary of the Protein Data Bank (PDB; Berman et al., Structure 2012;20:391–396) have given me an opportunity to reflect on the various components that have contributed to building a resource for protein science and to try to quantify the impact of having PDB data openly available.     

Interactions between extraradical ectomycorrhizal mycelia, microbes associated with the mycelia and growth rate of Norway spruce (Picea abies) clones

Despite their ecological relevance, field studies of the extraradical mycelia of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are rare. Here we examined in situ interactions between ECM mycelia and host vigour. Ectomycorrhizal mycelia were harvested with in-growth mesh bags buried under Norway spruce (Picea abies) clones planted in 1994 in a randomized block design. Mycelial biomass was determined and fungal species were identified by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region. Microbial community structure in the mycelium was investigated by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. Compared to slow-growing spruce clones, fast-growing clones tended to support denser mycelia where the relative proportions of Atheliaceae fungi and PLFAs indicative of Gram-positive bacteria were higher. Ascomycetes and PLFAs representative of Gram-negative bacteria were more common with slow-growing clones. In general, the ECM mycelial community was similar to the ECM root-tip community. Growth rate of the hosts, the ECM mycelial community and the microbes associated with the mycelium were related, suggesting multitrophic interactions between trees, fungi and bacteria.     

Between- and within-host species selection on cytoplasmic incompatibility-inducing Wolbachia in haplodiploids

Abstract The most common effect of the endosymbiont Wolbachia is cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), a form of postzygotic reproductive isolation that occurs in crosses where the male is infected by at least one Wolbachia strain that the female lacks. We revisited two puzzling features of Wolbachia biology: how Wolbachia can invade a new species and spread among populations, and how the association, once established in a host species, can evolve, with emphasis on the possible process of infection loss. These questions are particularly relevant in haplodiploid species, where males develop from unfertilized eggs, and females from fertilized eggs. When CI occurs in such species, fertilized eggs either die (female mortality type: FM), or develop into males (male development type: MD), raising one more question: how transition among CI types is possible. We reached the following conclusions: (1) the FM type is a better invader and should be retained preferentially after a new host is captured; (2) given the assumptions of the models, FM and MD types are selected on neither the bacterial side nor the host side; (3) selective pressures acting on both partners are more or less congruent in the FM type, but divergent in the MD type; (4) host and symbiont evolution can drive infection to extinction for all CI types, but the MD type is more susceptible to the phenomenon; and (5) under realistic conditions, transition from MD to FM type is possible. Finally, all these results suggest that the FM type should be more frequent than the MD type, which is consistent with the results obtained so far in haplodiploids.     

Effect of Soybean Monoculture on the Bacterial Communities Associated with Cysts of Heterodera glycines

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, can cause significant reductions in soybean yield and quality in many parts of the world. Natural biological control may play an important role in regulating SCN population. In this study the bacterial communities associated with SCN cysts obtained from fields under different lengths of soybean monoculture were explored. Soil samples were collected in 2010 and 2011 from six fields that had been used for soybean monoculture for 2 to 41 yr. SCN population densities were determined and bacterial communities from SCN cysts were investigated by Biolog and PCR-DGGE methods. SCN population densities initially increased in the first 5 yr of soybean monoculture but then declined steeply as years of soybean monoculture increased. Catabolic diversity of bacterial communities associated with cysts tended to decline as number of years of monoculture increased. Some specific PCR-DGGE bands, mainly representing Streptomyces and Rhizobium, were obtained from the cysts collected from the long-term monoculture fields. Principal component analysis of Biolog and PCR-DGGE data revealed that bacterial communities associated with cysts could be divided into two groups: those from cysts obtained from shorter (< 8 yr) vs. longer (> 8 yr) monoculture. This research demonstrates that the composition of the bacterial communities obtained from SCN cysts changes with length of soybean monoculture; the suppressive impact of these bacterial communities to SCN is yet to be determined.     

Measuring the trophic ecology of ants using stable isotopes

Ants are prominent components of most terrestrial arthropod food webs, yet due to their highly variable diet, the role ants play in arthropod communities can be difficult to resolve. Stable isotope analysis is a promising method for determining the dietary history of an organism, and has the potential to advance our understanding of the food web ecology of social insects. However, some unique characteristics of eusocial organisms can complicate the application of this technique to the study of their trophic ecology. Using stable isotopes of N and C, we investigated levels of intraspecific variation both within and among colonies. We also examined the effect of a common preservation technique on δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values. We discuss the implications of our results on experimental design and sampling methods for studies using stable isotopes to investigate the trophic ecology of social insects. Received 4 February 2005; revised 23 June 2005; accepted 4 July 2005.     

广西天然林中藤本植物区系组成及系统发育多样性

藤本植物是热带和亚热带森林的重要组分,在过去几十年中藤本植物多样性在热带森林增加,有可能导致森林的多样性减少,碳储量等生态系统服务功能降低,引起广泛关注。以《广西植被志要》中共355个样地数据(喀斯特森林、海拔1000 m以下的非喀斯特森林和海拔1000 m以上的非喀斯特森林)为基础,结合气候数据,分析天然林中藤本植物区系组成、不同生境藤本植物物种多样性与系统发育多样性关系、藤本植物物种多样性与年平均温度关系,以及系统发育结构特点。结果表明:(1)广西天然林藤本植物中,热带分布的含藤属占比最大(75.4%),温带分布含藤属占比较低(12.3%),世界广布含藤属和亚洲分布含藤属占比最小,海拔1000 m以下的喀斯特和非喀斯特森林都有一些专有的含藤科属;(2) 3个生境藤本的Gleason物种多样性和系统发育多样性与年均温都不相关,它们的物种多样性差异不显著,但是系统发育多样性有显著差异,海拔1000 m以下的非喀斯特森林中系统发育多样性最高,喀斯特森林系统发育多样性最低;(3)非喀斯特森林藤本植物系统发育结构趋向于离散,暗指竞争排斥作用是藤本植物组合在该生境群落主要构建机制,喀斯特森林藤本植物系统发育结构趋向于聚集,暗指藤本植物组合由生境过滤作用为主形成。这些研究发现对于热带亚热带森林藤本植物的多样性组成及其共存机制提供了新认识。