Pathogen fitness components and genotypes differ in their sensitivity to nutrient and temperature variation in a wild plant-pathogen association

Understanding processes maintaining variation in pathogen life-history stages affecting infectivity and reproduction is a key challenge in evolutionary ecology. Models of host-parasite coevolution are based on the assumption that genetic variation for host-parasite interactions is a significant cause of variation in infection, and that variation in environmental conditions does not overwhelm the genetic basis. However, surprisingly little is known about the stability of genotype-genotype interactions under variable environmental conditions. Here, using a naturally occurring plant-pathogen interaction, I tested whether the two distinct aspects of the infection process - infectivity and transmission potential - vary over realistic nutrient and temperature gradients. I show that the initial pathogen infectivity and host resistance responses are robust over the environmental gradients. However, for compatible responses there were striking differences in how different pathogen life-history stages and host and pathogen genotypes responded to environmental variation. For some pathogen genotypes even slight changes in temperature arrested spore production, rendering the developing infection ineffectual. The response of pathogen genotypes to environmental gradients varied in magnitude and even direction, so that their rankings changed across the abiotic gradients. Hence, the variable environment of spatially structured host-parasite interactions may strongly influence the maintenance of polymorphism in pathogen life-history stages governing transmission, whereas evolutionary trajectories of infectivity may be unaffected by the surrounding environment.     

棘状外瓶霉核糖体基因的初步研究

外瓶霉可致人类感染 ,不同生物群落的菌种 ,其致病性、药敏性等特征具有差异性。通过对 1 0株棘状外瓶霉核糖体基因及其转录间隔区进行序列测定 ,并与GeneBank中 9株同种真菌对比分析 ,揭示了不同生物群落的棘状外瓶霉虽然形态学差异性小 ,但在基因学上具有差异性 ;原属于甄氏外瓶霉变种的BMU 0 0 0 45 7(ATCC 2 41 5 2E .jeanselmeivar.hetoromorpha)与 2株棘状外瓶霉具有 1 0 0 %的同源性。研究提示了形态学特征相似的棘状外瓶霉在基因水平上具有差异性 ,核糖体基因及其转录间隔区对于研究菌群特性具有一定意义。     

Future energy potential of Miscanthus in Europe

European field experiments have demonstrated Miscanthus can produce some of the highest energy yields per hectare of all potential energy crops. Previous modelling studies using MISCANMOD have calculated the potential energy yield for the EU27 from mean historical climate data (1960–1990). In this paper, we have built on the previous studies by further developing a new Miscanthus crop growth model MISCANFOR in order to analyse (i) interannual variation in yields for past and future climates, (ii) genotype-specific parameters on yield in Europe. Under recent climatic conditions (1960–1990) we show that 10% of arable land could produce 1709 PJ and mitigate 30 Tg of carbon dioxide-carbon (CO₂-C) equivalent greenhouse gasses (GHGs) compared with EU27 primary energy consumption of 65 598 PJ, emitting 1048 Tg of CO₂-C equivalent GHGs in 2005. If we continue to use the clone Miscanthus × giganteus , MISCANFOR shows that, as climate change reduces in-season water availability, energy production and carbon mitigation could fall 80% by 2080 for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A2 scenario. However, because Miscanthus is found in a huge range of climates in Asia, we propose that new hybrids will incorporate genes conferring superior drought and frost tolerance. Using parameters from characterized germplasm, we calculate energy production could increase from present levels by 88% (to 2360 PJ) and mitigate 42 Tg of CO₂-C equivalent using 10% arable land for the 2080 mid-range A2 scenario. This is equivalent to 3.6% of 2005 EU27 primary energy consumption and 4.0% of total CO₂ equivalent C GHG emissions.     

Did backcrossing contribute to the origin of hybrid edible bananas?

Background

Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) provide a staple food for many millions of people living in the humid tropics. The cultivated varieties (cultivars) are seedless parthenocarpic clones of which the origin remains unclear. Many are believed to be diploid and polyploid hybrids involving the A genome diploid M. acuminata and the B genome M. balbisiana, with the hybrid genomes consisting of a simple combination of the parental ones. Thus the genomic constitution of the diploids has been classified as AB, and that of the triploids as AAB or ABB. However, the morphology of many accessions is biased towards either the A or B phenotype and does not conform to predictions based on these genomic formulae.

Scope

On the basis of published cytotypes (mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes), we speculate here that the hybrid banana genomes are unbalanced with respect to the parental ones, and/or that inter-genome translocation chromosomes are relatively common. We hypothesize that the evolution under domestication of cultivated banana hybrids is more likely to have passed through an intermediate hybrid, which was then involved in a variety of backcrossing events. We present experimental data supporting our hypothesis and we propose a set of experimental approaches to test it, thereby indicating other possibilities for explaining some of the unbalanced genome expressions. Progress in this area would not only throw more light on the origin of one of the most important crops, but provide data of general relevance for the evolution under domestication of many other important clonal crops. At the same time, a complex origin of the cultivated banana hybrids would imply a reconsideration of current breeding strategies.     

粤蓝链霉菌榴菌素生物合成基因orf20的功能

【目的】在大肠杆菌中,转录因子SoxR作为胞内氧化还原感应器,参与抗氧化胁迫的全局性调控。粤蓝链霉菌榴菌素生物合成基因簇内存在一个类soxR基因orf20,但其生理功能仍不清楚。【方法】将orf20基因在大肠杆菌中进行表达,分析携带重组质粒的大肠杆菌对百草枯抗性的变化。同时通过修改后的PCR-targeting方法构建粤蓝链霉菌orf20删除的突变株,分析突变株的表型变化和对百草枯抗性水平的变化。【结果】重组ORF20在羧基端含有组氨酸标签,并在大肠杆菌中获得可溶性表达,携带重组质粒pET28b-orf20的大肠杆菌对百草枯的抗性水平显著提高。粤蓝链霉菌orf20删除突变株仍具有产孢能力,生长特性没有改变,对百草枯的抗性水平也没有变化,但榴菌素的产量大幅提高,是野生株的3.3倍。【结论】在大肠杆菌中,orf20基因的编码产物能够被百草枯激活,替代SoxR参与抗氧化胁迫的调控。在粤蓝链霉菌中,orf20基因不参与抗氧化胁迫,而对榴菌素的产生有负调控效应。     

Effects of endophyte fungal species and host plant genotype on the leaf shape and leaf area of endophyte-grass symbionts

Epichloë内生真菌感染能够影响宿主植物的生长发育, 但关于内生真菌感染对宿主植物叶形状和叶面积的研究很少。该研究以羽茅(Achnatherum sibiricum)为实验材料, 采用长宽系数计算和扫描测定叶面积相结合的方法探究内生真菌种类和羽茅母本基因型对羽茅-内生真菌共生体叶形状和叶面积的影响。结果表明: 内生真菌感染与否、内生真菌种类和宿主母本基因型对反映叶形状的叶校正系数、叶片长度、宽度和长宽比均无显著影响, 经计算与验证, 确定了羽茅叶片的校正系数为0.594 9。采用该校正系数及叶长宽计算的叶面积与实测叶面积无显著差异, 且二者均未受到内生真菌感染与否、内生真菌种类或宿主植物母本基因型的显著影响。     

吉林地区HFRS病原体基因型分析

为调查吉林地区褐家鼠中汉坦病毒病原体基因型及其分布情况,采用免疫荧光法检测吉林市区及吉林市所属各县市收集的鼠肺标本,对汉坦病毒抗原阳性标本以巢式RT-PCR法扩增S基因片段上的核苷酸序列并测序,将扩增片段的核苷酸序列与已知病毒序列进行同源性分析及系统进化树分析.序列分析发现吉林地区褐家鼠携带的汉坦病毒均为汉城病毒,S3...     

上海口岸输入性传染性肺结核病患者中结核分枝杆菌北京型特征及耐药性分析

本研究旨在了解上海口岸输入性传染性肺结核病患者中结核分枝杆菌北京型特征及其对一线抗结核药物的耐药情况,从而正确评估输入性结核病给上海地区带来的公共卫生危害,同时为地区传染性结核病防治策略的制定提供依据。针对2009年1月～2013年5月上海口岸入境体检人员中胸部影像学诊断疑似活动性肺结核病的人群,采集其连续3 d的晨痰分离培养结核分枝杆菌,用MGIT960培养法分析其对抗结核药物（链霉素、异烟肼、利福平、乙胺丁醇、吡嗪酰胺）的耐药情况,用目标缺失多重聚合酶链反应（DTM-PCR ）进行结核分枝杆菌北京型分子分型,同时采集其人口学资料。期间共监测到入境外籍疑似活动性肺结核病者193例,其中50例痰液中分离培养到结核分枝杆菌,菌培阳率为25．9％,与我国结核病普查工作中活动性肺结核病菌培阳率（25．9％）相同。分离培养并成功传代、分型的40株结核分枝杆菌中,北京型占57．5％（23／40）,显著低于同期上海口岸出境人群中的90．2％（37／41）。输入性结核分枝杆菌北京型主要来自东南亚地区（71．4％,5／7）和西太平洋地区（57．1％,16／28）。一线5种抗结核药物的耐药性检测结果显示,输入性结核分枝杆菌北京型的总耐药率为30．4％（7／23）,接近上海口岸出境人群的34．1％。输入性耐多药菌株占2．4％（1／42）,分子分型结果显示为非北京型。输入性传染性肺结核病对吡嗪酰胺的耐药率为16．7％,显著高于上海口岸出境人群的2．4％。结果提示,上海口岸输入性肺结核病患者中结核分枝杆菌北京型所占比例显著低于同期出境人群,未发现与性别和年龄相关,未发现输入性结核分枝杆菌北京型对抗结核药物耐药性的显著变化。输入性耐药性结核病带来的公共卫生危害不容忽视,在直接督导下的短程化疗（DOTS）方案中需考虑其高吡嗪酰胺耐药特征。在口岸公共卫生安全风险评估中,需重视输入性结核分枝杆菌北京型与本地流行株的差异。     

产超广谱β-内酰胺酶细菌耐药性基因型分析

检测我院产超广谱β-内酰胺酶(ESBLs)大肠埃希菌和肺炎克雷伯菌的耐药性和基因型。表型确定临床分离产ESBLs的大肠埃希菌和肺炎克雷伯菌56株,应用PCR基因扩增技术及双脱氧DNA测序方法,分别对TEM、SHV、CTX-M-1、CTX-M-2和CTX-M-9编码基因进行分析。产酶菌株对亚胺培南、美洛培南、阿米卡星、头孢吡肟耐药性较低,对其他16种抗生素耐药性较高。在56株菌株中有50株为CTX-M型,占89%,34株为TEM型(60.7%),20株SHV型(35.7%);其中CTX-M-9型共计39株占78%,CTX-M-1型19株占38%,CTX-M-2型16株占32%。产ESBLs大肠埃希菌和肺炎克雷伯菌的耐药性值得关注,主要临床流行基因型是CTX-M型。