Simple Detection of Xylosidase Activity in Single Colonies,Using 1-Naphthyl-β-d-xylopyranoside

Since the xylosidase of Bacillus pumilus hydrolyzed 1-naphthyl-β-d-xylopyranoside (naphthyl-X) to produce xylose and 1-naphthol and a chromogenic azo compound is produced by coupling 1-naphthol and Fast Blue Salt B, a simple method for detection of xylosidase activity in single colonies was studied. Escherichia coli JM109 carrying the xylosidase gene of B. pumilus was cultivated at 37°C for 18 h on an LB plate containing 0.5 mg/ml naphthyl-X, and then the plate was overlaid with 3 ml of a top layer containing 24 mg of agar and 6 mg of Fast Blue Salt B. After incubation of the plate at 37°C for 1 h, each colony became reddish-brown. Even a small colony with the xylosidase on the plate was easily distinguished from colonies without the enzyme.     

植物叶绿体分裂的分子机制

叶绿体是植物细胞内一种重要的细胞器．它不仅是光合作用的场所,还是其它多种中间代谢的场所．叶绿体起源于蓝细菌,与其原核祖先类似,通过二分裂方式进行增殖．最近的研究表明,叶绿体的分裂装置包含原核起源和真核起源的蛋白质,它们在叶绿体的内膜内侧和外膜外侧协同作用以完成叶绿体的分裂．在过去十几年里,包括丝状温度敏感蛋白Z（FtsZ）、Min系统蛋白、质体分裂蛋白（PDV）和ARC蛋白等在内的多个叶绿体分裂相关组分被分离鉴定．本文简要介绍了叶绿体分裂装置各成员的发现、叶绿体被膜的收缩和叶绿体分裂位点的选择机制．另外,植物发育过程中叶绿体分裂可能受到细胞的控制,但目前对细胞如何调控叶绿体分裂知之甚少．本文对该领域的最新研究进展也进行了综述．     

An Efficient Rice Mutagenesis System Based on Suspension-Cultured Cells

Plant mutants are important bio-resources for crop breeding and gene functional studies. Conventional methods for generating mutant libraries by mutagenesis of seeds with physical or chemical agents are of low efficiency. Here, we developed a highly-efficient ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis system based on suspension-cultured cells, with rice (Oryza sativa L.) as an example. We show that treatment of suspension-cultured tiny cell clusters with 0.4% EMS for 18-22h followed by differentiation and regeneration produced as high as 29.4% independent mutant lines with visible phenotypic variations, including a number of important agronomic traits such as grain size, panicle size, grain or panicle shape, tiller number and angle, heading date, male sterility, and disease sensitivity. No mosaic mutant was observed in the mutant lines tested. In this mutant library, we obtained a mutant with an abnormally elongated uppermost internode. Sequencing and functional analysis revealed that this is a new allelic mutant of eui (elongated uppermost internode) caused by two point mutations in the first exon of the EUI gene, representing a successful example of this mutagenesis system.     

高沥水性钝顶螺旋藻新品系的选育及超微结构与RAPD分析

[目的]选育高沥水性的螺旋藻新品系,显著降低藻粉生产中干燥的能耗。[方法]以用于工厂化培植的钝顶螺旋藻ZJU0115为出发品系,用组织匀浆-离心沉降法制得其原生质球,并先以0.6%EMS处理30 min再用2.4 kGy的~(60)Coγ射线辐照,经含0.02%黄原胶(xanthan gum)的Zarrouk's培养液筛选、藻丝单体分离培养、藻泥持水率和胞外多糖(EPS)等检测及生产培植试验。[结果]获得了一株产量、蛋白质和多糖含量与ZJU0115相当,而藻泥持水率和EPS含量分别下降5.9%和29.7%的突变体,命名为ZJU0115(HD)。超微结构与随机扩增多态性DNA标记(random amplified polymorphic DNA,RAPD)分析结果显示,与其亲本ZJU0115相比,ZJU0115(HD)藻丝表面更光滑,可能为酸性多糖的乳白状粘附物也更少;ZJU0115(HD)细胞内的多磷酸盐颗粒显著变小且呈弥散状;基因组DNA在随机引物S90的扩增产物中显示出多态性差异。[结论]ZJU0115(HD)在工厂化培植中生产性状好、高沥水性能稳定,藻泥的干燥能耗降低了近50%,它的育成与应用,有助于推进当前螺旋藻产业迈向高效、节能、绿色、环保发展的新阶段。     

Enhancing the evaluation of PI3K inhibitors through 3D melanoma models

Targeted therapies for mutant BRAF metastatic melanoma are effective but not curative due to acquisition of resistance. PI3K signaling is a common mediator of therapy resistance in melanoma; thus, the need for effective PI3K inhibitors is critical. However, testing PI3K inhibitors in adherent cultures is not always reflective of their potential in vivo. To emphasize this, we compared PI3K inhibitors of different specificity in two‐ and three‐dimensional (2D, 3D) melanoma models and show that drug response predictions gain from evaluation using 3D models. Our results in 3D demonstrate the anti‐invasive potential of PI3K inhibitors and that drugs such as PX‐866 have beneficial activity in physiological models alone and when combined with BRAF inhibition. These assays finally help highlight pathway effectors that could be involved in drug response in different environments (e.g. p4E‐BP1). Our findings show the advantages of 3D melanoma models to enhance our understanding of PI3K inhibitors.     

一个大豆理想株型突变体it1的表型和生理鉴定

突变体是基因功能研究和品种改良的重要材料。本研究对一个中品661 EMS诱变的株型突变体(it1)进行了表型和生理鉴定,旨在为该突变体的利用提供参考。结果表明:与野生型相比,突变体株型紧凑,节间缩短,叶片变小呈深绿色且皱缩;突变体高度降低为野生型的2/3,但节间数目与野生型无显著差别,说明it1株高降低是由每个节间长度缩短造成的,与节间数目无关;突变体的分枝数、荚数、粒数、叶柄长度及夹角、百粒重等产量性状均显著或极显著低于野生型。与野生型相比,突变体叶片叶绿素相对含量和木质素的含量显著高于野生型。本研究结果为控制突变相关基因的定位、图位克隆和功能分析以及育种利用提供了优良种质和理论依据。     

无乳链球菌鱼源株10 kb基因序列对细菌致病力的影响

【目的】在前期比较基因组学分析中,我们发现中国无乳链球菌鱼源株GD201008-001基因组中有一段10 kb基因序列,内含11个未知功能的开放阅读框。为了研究该段基因序列与细菌的致病力的关系,本研究将这段基因进行了全段缺失。【方法】运用链球菌-大肠杆菌穿梭质粒p SET4s,构建了10 kb基因缺失株(Δ10 kb),并通过生物学性状的比较,细胞粘附试验,斑马鱼攻毒试验和缺失前后毒力相关基因转录水平的检测,评价该序列对无乳链球菌毒力的影响。【结果】经测序证明缺失株Δ10 kb构建成功,与亲本株GD201008-001相比较,缺失株Δ10 kb在细菌染色形态、对HEp-2细胞的粘附能力无明显差异,但在培养液中的生长速度略慢;缺失株Δ10 kb对斑马鱼的毒力明显增强,LD_(50)有极其显著的差异(P0.001);编码菌毛骨架蛋白2b的基因(PI-2b)和唾液酸酶基因(neul)在缺失株中的转录水平明显上升。【结论】该序列对无乳链球菌GD201008-001的毒力有显著的影响,可能调控某些毒力基因的转录表达,使细菌的毒力减弱。     

Discovering genes responsible for silk synthesis in Bombyx mori by piggyBac‐based random insertional mutagenesis

Silkworm mutants are valuable resources for both transgenic breeding and gene discovery. PiggyBac-based random insertional mutagenesis has been widely used in gene functional studies. In order to discover genes involved in silk synthesis, a piggyBac-based random insertional library was constructed using Bombyx mori, and the mutants with abnormal cocoon were particularly screened. By this means, a “thin cocoon” mutant was identified. This mutant revealed thinner cocoon shell and shorter posterior silk gland (PSG) compared with the wild type. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of all the three fibroin genes, including Fib-H, Fib-L and P25, were significantly down-regulated in the PSG of mutants. Four piggyBac insertion sites were identified in Aquaporin (AQP), Longitudinals lacking protein-like {Lola), Glutamyl aminopeptidase-like (GluAP) and Loc101744460. The mRNA levels of all the four genes were significantly altered in the silk gland of mutants. In particular, the mRNA amount of AQP, a gene responsible for the regulation of osmotic pressure, decreased dramatically immediately prior to the spinning stage in the anterior silk gland of mutants. The identification of the genes disrupted in the “thin cocoon” mutant in this study provided useful information for understanding silk production and transgenic breeding of silkworms in the future.     

Time-Restricted Feeding Prevents Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Mice Lacking a Circadian Clock

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