Selection for barriers between honey bees and a devastating parasite

Rivaling pesticides and a dearth of flowers, the parasitic mite Varroa destructor presents a tremendous threat to western honey bees, Apis mellifera. A longstanding, but minor, pest for the Asian honey bee Apis cerana, these obligate bee parasites feast on developing and adult A. mellifera across several continents. Varroa reproduction is limited to a short window when developing bee pupae are concealed in wax cells. Mated females target developing bees just before pupation and then have about one day to initiate reproduction, eventually laying one male and up to several female offspring. Female mites often fail to reproduce at all, instead waiting in cells until their bee host finishes development and then hitching dangerous rides on a succession of adult bees for up to several weeks, before scouting for a new host pupa. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Conlon et al. (2019) have explored mite reproductive success via a clever and thought‐provoking association study. In so doing, they have identified a protein whose actions could be integral to the dance between bees and their mite parasites.     

转基因猪中外源基因拷贝数和整合位点的研究

主要采用了绝对定量PCR和热不均一交错PCR(thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR,TAIL-PCR),检测了体细胞核移植技术生产的绿色荧光蛋白转基因猪中外源基因拷贝数和整合位点,并利用旁侧PCR(Junction PCR)对整合位点进行确定,同时进一步分析了整合位点的纯合性．结果表明,绝对定量PCR可以准确有效地检测外源基因拷贝数,标准曲线为：log₂N (拷贝数) =-0.935 4ΔCt + 3.411 6 (R²=0.997 4,P < 0.001),两只转基因猪中外源基因拷贝数分别为30.85 ± 1.77和18.87 ± 1.34;TAIL-PCR能成功地克隆转基因猪中外源基因整合位点,得到25条特异性条带,经BLAST比对,共获得TgInS1 (1 440 bp)、TgInS2 (1 263 bp)和TgInS3 (1 861 bp) 3个整合位点．以整合位点侧翼序列特异性引物与外源基因特异性引物的组合引发Junction PCR,得到预计大小的特异性片段,确定了整合位点上、下游侧翼序列的准确性．采用整合位点5′上游和3′下游侧翼序列特异性引物与外源基因特异性引物的组合,进行Junction PCR,在两只转基因猪中都得到与野生型猪一致的侧翼序列特异性引物扩增片段,表明我们获得的转基因猪都为整合位点杂合子．初步建立了绝对定量PCR和TAIL-PCR对外源基因拷贝数和整合位点检测的体系,为今后研究外源基因在转基因猪中遗传和表达的稳定性打下了基础．     

茉莉酸甲酯诱导大戟三萜类代谢的研究

京大戟是多年生草本药用植物,入药部分是其干燥根,但可入药的京大戟资源由于生长缓慢以及环境污染的加剧而越发匮乏,因此解决大戟资源日益紧张的问题是当今药用植物资源开发与利用方向的重要课题。京大戟含有三萜类、二萜类、黄酮类等丰富的活性成分,一些常见药用植物的有效成分是三萜类化合物,其在抗病毒、抗肿瘤、免疫调节等方面具有很好的活性。对植物萜类物质代谢起重要作用的关键酶,如3-羟基,3-甲基戊二酰辅酶A还原酶(hmgr)、鲨烯合酶(sqs)、法尼基焦磷酸合酶(fps)的基因克隆及活性研究取得了进展和突破,但通过调控萜类物质代谢途径中关键酶基因的表达来诱导终产物合成的研究鲜有报道。通过研究大戟萜类物质代谢途径进而利用基因工程手段提升目的物质的产量来解决京大戟药源短缺问题具有重要意义。该研究以大戟愈伤组织为材料,使用茉莉酸甲酯分别按时间梯度和浓度梯度进行诱导,将诱导后的愈伤组织分为两部分:一部分提取其总RNA,以actin为内参基因进行反转录,实时定量RT-PCR分析大戟三萜类代谢途径中hmgr、sqs与fps基因的相对表达差异;另一部分用于提取其总三萜并使用分光光度法进行含量测定。实时定量RT-PCR分析结果表明,茉莉酸甲酯可诱导3个基因的表达,但其表达模式不一样。相应的京大戟愈伤组织中总三萜的含量明显提高,最高可较未处理样品增加27%。研究结果可为茉莉酸甲酯促进药用植物大戟三萜类物质积累的分子机制研究提供参考。     

实时荧光定量PCR及RT-PCR与常规PCR及RT-PCR检测对虾病毒效果的比较

常规PCR及RT-PCR已用于对虾DNA及RNA病毒检测,但存在费时、灵敏度较低、不能定量等问题。建立了TaqMan实时荧光定量PCR及RT-PCR方法,分别用于检测白斑综合症病毒(WSSV)、传染性皮下及造血组织坏死病毒(IHHNV)及桃拉综合征病毒(TSV)、黄头病毒(YHV)4种对虾病毒。与常规PCR及RT-PCR比较,所建立的TaqMan实时荧光定量PCR及RT-PCR检测上述4种对虾病毒不仅有很高的特异性,检测灵敏度也提高了10～100倍,同时还具有快速、简便、不污染环境、重复性好、实时定量等优点,可明显提高对虾病毒检验检疫工作质量及效率。     

荧光定量PCR 法检测肿瘤细胞端粒酶活性的变化

目的：利用荧光定量PCR法检测端粒酶抑制剂作用于人肝癌细胞SMMC-7721后端粒酶活性的变化,探讨其抑制端粒酶活性的可能机制,为端粒酶抑制剂的临床应用提供理论依据。方法：利用荧光染料SYBR—Green I建立一种新的端粒酶活性检测方法：FQ—TRAP法。利用FQ—TRAP法检测端粒酶抑制剂作用后肿瘤细胞端粒酶活性变化。结果：端粒酶抑制剂作用后,肝癌细胞端粒酶活性都有变化,其中以ASODN,EGCG,AZT抑制效果较明显。结论：端粒酶FQ—TRAP法是一种特异性、灵敏度、重复性都较好,可快速、简便及定量检测人端粒酶活性的方法,端粒酶抑制剂作用后癌细胞端粒酶活性的变化,为端粒酶抑制剂的临床应用提供理论依据。     

基于CdSe阳离子交换的玉米赤霉烯酮新型荧光免疫检测方法的建立及应用

作为镰刀属真菌的次级代谢产物,玉米赤霉烯酮(zearalenone,ZEN)具有强烈的生殖毒性和免疫毒性,严重威胁动物和人类健康。本研究通过采用羧基修饰的CdSe水溶性量子点(quantum dots,QDs)标记ZEN单克隆抗体,并基于CdSe阳离子交换信号增强原理,建立了ZEN新型荧光免疫检测方法(CdSe QDs-FLISA),检测下限(IC₁₀)和半数抑制率(IC₅₀)分别为0.006 ng/mL和0.17 ng/mL,检测区间(IC20–IC80)为0.01–0.45 ng/mL。与ZEN的结构类似物(α-zearalanol、zearalanone、α-zearalenol、β-zearalenol and β-zearalanol)交叉反应性依次为22.3%、13.1%、6.2%、1.6%和3.9%,与农产品中其他真菌毒素如黄曲霉毒素B₁(AFB₁)、赭曲霉毒素A(OTA)、呕吐毒素(DON)和伏马毒素B₁(FB₁)几乎不存在交叉反应。该方法...     

Quantitative Metaproteomics and Activity-based Protein Profiling of Patient Fecal Microbiome Identifies Host and Microbial Serine-type Endopeptidase Activity Associated With Ulcerative Colitis

The gut microbiota plays an important yet incompletely understood role in the induction and propagation of ulcerative colitis (UC). Organism-level efforts to identify UC-associated microbes have revealed the importance of community structure, but less is known about the molecular effectors of disease. We performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing in parallel with label-free data-dependent LC-MS/MS proteomics to characterize the stool microbiomes of healthy (n = 8) and UC (n = 10) patients. Comparisons of taxonomic composition between techniques revealed major differences in community structure partially attributable to the additional detection of host, fungal, viral, and food peptides by metaproteomics. Differential expression analysis of metaproteomic data identified 176 significantly enriched protein groups between healthy and UC patients. Gene ontology analysis revealed several enriched functions with serine-type endopeptidase activity overrepresented in UC patients. Using a biotinylated fluorophosphonate probe and streptavidin-based enrichment, we show that serine endopeptidases are active in patient fecal samples and that additional putative serine hydrolases are detectable by this approach compared with unenriched profiling. Finally, as metaproteomic databases expand, they are expected to asymptotically approach completeness. Using ComPIL and de novo peptide sequencing, we estimate the size of the probable peptide space unidentified (“dark peptidome”) by our large database approach to establish a rough benchmark for database sufficiency. Despite high variability inherent in patient samples, our analysis yielded a catalog of differentially enriched proteins between healthy and UC fecal proteomes. This catalog provides a clinically relevant jumping-off point for further molecular-level studies aimed at identifying the microbial underpinnings of UC.     

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Important Roles of the Acetylation of ER-Resident Molecular Chaperones for Conidiation in Fusarium oxysporum

Fusarium oxysporum is one of the most abundant and diverse fungal species found in soils and includes nonpathogenic, endophytic, and pathogenic strains affecting a broad range of plant and animal hosts. Conidiation is the major mode of reproduction in many filamentous fungi, but the regulation of this process is largely unknown. Lysine acetylation (Kac) is an evolutionarily conserved and widespread posttranslational modification implicated in regulation of multiple metabolic processes. A total of 62 upregulated and 49 downregulated Kac proteins were identified in sporulating mycelia versus nonsporulating mycelia of F. oxysporum. Diverse cellular proteins, including glycolytic enzymes, ribosomal proteins, and endoplasmic reticulum–resident molecular chaperones, were differentially acetylated in the sporulation process. Altered Kac levels of three endoplasmic reticulum–resident molecular chaperones, PDI^K70, HSP70^K604, and HSP40^K32 were identified that with important roles in F. oxysporum conidiation. Specifically, K70 acetylation (K70ac) was found to be crucial for maintaining stability and activity of protein disulphide isomerase and the K604ac of HSP70 and K32ac of HSP40 suppressed the detoxification ability of these heat shock proteins, resulting in higher levels of protein aggregation. During conidial formation, an increased level of PDI^K70ac and decreased levels of HSP70^K604ac and HSP40^K32ac contributed to the proper processing of unfolded proteins and eliminated protein aggregation, which is beneficial for dramatic cell biological remodeling during conidiation in F. oxysporum.     

Nucleotide sequence analysis and comparison of the structural genes for Shiga-like toxin I and Shiga-like toxin II encoded by bacteriophages from Escherichia coli 933

The nucleotide sequence of the Shiga-like toxin type II (SLT-II) structural genes cloned from bacteriophage 933W of the enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain 933 was determined. This sequence was compared with the published sequence for the structural genes of the antigenically distinct Shiga-like toxin type I (SLT-I) encoded by bacteriophage 933J. The SLT-I and SLT-II structural genes shared 58% overall nucleotide and 56% amino acid sequence homologies. The A and B subunits of SLT-I and SLT-II were nearly identical in size and had similar secondary structures and hydropathy plots. The regulation proposed for the SLT-II operon is similar to that previously proposed for SLT-I.     

秦岭水灾迹地油松和华山松更新种群数量特征

 不同植物种群种间比较研究利于揭示种群的形成机制和影响因素。该文研究了秦岭地区蔡玉河流域范家庄段水灾迹地恢复17年后群落优势种油松(Pinus tabulaeformis) 和华山松(P. armandii)的种群数量特征。水灾灾后第一年（1989年）就有油松和华山松个体进入迹地,由于较大的高生长速度和侧生长速度,油松种群的平均高度和地径高于华山松,占据了较大的垂直和水平空间。相对来说, 油松和华山松高度结构和径级结构模式不同,二者均是小个体数量居多,大个体数量极少,但油松中等大小个体多于华山松。油松和华山松种群的年龄结构模式不同,油松的为单峰右偏曲线,华山松的则近似于正态分布。坡向对油松的年龄结构模式没有影响,但对华山松种 群有影响。油松和华山松种群不同高度级、径级和年龄级之间存在显著正或负相关关系,缺少一致性,表明种群大小结构不一定反映年龄结构。油松和华山松种群的密度动态和存活曲线类型一致,均为Ⅱ型,表明二者具有相同的种群动态。总体上说,油松和华山松具有不同的树种生物学特性,使得种群的大小结构和年龄结构不同,但对种群更新存活动态没有影响。