灰飞虱海藻糖酶基因的克隆及RNA干扰效应

RNA干扰（RNAi）不但可以用于研究基因的功能, 还可以通过沉默靶标基因干扰特定的生命过程。因此, 通过深入研究, 发掘高效专一性靶基因和RNAi技术, 有可能开辟针对性的害虫RNAi防控新途径。本研究通过灰飞虱Laodelphax striatellus转录组数据分析并结合RACE技术, 克隆了灰飞虱两种海藻糖酶的全长基因, 分别命名为LSTre-1和LSTre-2, 其GenBank登录号分别为JQ027050和JQ027051。它们均具有海藻糖酶基因的典型特征, 与已报道的其他昆虫的海藻糖酶基因具有很高的相似性, 并表现出一定的虫种亲缘关系。其中LSTre-1为水溶性海藻糖酶基因, 全长2 042 bp, 开放阅读框编码602个氨基酸, 前端有25个氨基酸的信号肽, 但无跨膜结构域; LSTre-2为膜结合型海藻糖酶基因, 全长2 619 bp, 开放阅读框编码618个氨基酸, 前端有26个氨基酸的信号肽, 有2个疏水性跨膜结构域。利用喂食法研究2种海藻糖酶基因dsRNA对灰飞虱的致死效应, 发现靶向水溶性酶基因的干扰效应略高于靶向膜结合型的, 但两种海藻糖酶基因的dsRNA都可以显著抑制灰飞虱海藻糖酶基因的表达, 降低其活力, 还能显著抑制试虫的生长, 大幅增加试虫死亡率。 结果提示, 通过适宜途径干扰海藻糖酶基因可以开发防治灰飞虱的新途径。     

优雅蝈螽水溶性和类膜结合型海藻糖酶编码cDNA的鉴定及其在体内的表达

海藻糖酶是一种二糖水解酶,催化海藻糖转换为葡萄糖,为昆虫包括发育、壳多糖合成及飞翔代谢在内的多种生理过程所必需。尽管某些昆虫的海藻糖酶基因已被鉴定,但优雅蝈螽的海藻糖酶编码序列尚未见报告。本研究采用RACE结合多重PCR技术,分离鉴定优雅蝈螽的水溶性海藻糖酶（GgTre1）和类膜结合型海藻糖酶（GgTre2-like）的全长编码序列（cDNA）,包括携带不同长度3′-非翻译区（3′-UTR）的3个GgTre1 cDNA 亚型（GenBank：No.KY400001-KY400003）和3个GgTre2-like cDNA 亚型（GenBank：No.KY400004-KY400006）。 3个GgTre1 cDNA序列分别为2 107,2 021和1 914 bp,具有相同长度的5′-UTR（33 bp）,但3′-UTR 长度不同,分别为322,248和129 bp。GgTre1-2 cDNA含1 740 bp,编码579 个氨基酸残基组成的多肽链,分子量为67.29 kD;与之不同,根据cDNA演绎的GgTre1-1和GgTre1-3序列较GgTre1-2多4个氨基酸残基,多肽链的分子量为67.88 kD。3个GgTre2-like cDNA（GgTre2-like-1,-2和-3）序列全长分别为2 491,2 460 和2 381 bp。5′-UTR 均为284 bp,3′-UTR 分别为398,367和285 bp。GgTre2-like cDNA开阅读框为1 809 bp,编码602 氨基酸残基组成的多肽链,分子量为67.88 kD。实时定量PCR, 分析GgTre1和GgTre2-like基因在雌、雄个体（各20个）的组织特异性表达。结果显示,GgTre1 在卵巢和附腺表达量最高;GgTre2-like 主要在卵巢表达,在雄性肌肉和马氏管的表达量高于其他组织。上述结果表明,本研究从优雅蝈螽分离到3′-UTR长度不同的3个水溶性和3个类膜结合型海藻糖酶cDNA序列。结果还提示,GgTre1 在各组织的表达差异较大,而GgTre2-like 在各组织的表达相对稳定。不同长度3′-UTR的GgTre1 和 GgTre2-like 亚型的存在,以及不同长度的3′-UTR在翻译过程中的特殊作用,尚待今后研究证实。     

Stimulation of hyphal growth in anaerobic cultures of Mucor rouxii by extracellular trehalose. Relevance of cell wall-bound activity of acid trehalase for trehalose utilization

We investigated whether cellular responses to various stress conditions are regulated in synchronization with the ultradian rhythm of respiratory-fermentative metabolism which is coupled to the cell cycle rhythm in continuous cultures of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The cellular resistance to heat oscillated with a peak at the late respiro-fermentative phase, which approximately corresponds to the unbudding period of the cell cycle. Cellular resistance to H(2)O(2) and that to the superoxide-generating agent menadione oscillated in the same phase as that of heat resistance. The resistance to cadmium and that to 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, an uncoupler of energy metabolism in mitochondria, both oscillated with a peak advanced by about 80 degrees relative to that of heat resistance, approximately covering the respiro-fermentative phase. Thus, cellular resistance to various stresses in S. cerevisiae oscillated in synchronization with the metabolic oscillation in the continuous culture.     

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF SOLUBLE AND MEMBRANE‐BOUND TREHALASES OF THE WHITEFLY,Bemisia tabaci

Trehalases (Tres) have been demonstrated to be the key enzymes that are involved in various trehalose‐associated physiological processes in insects. However, little attention has been devoted to the Tres in the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. In this study, a soluble Tre (BtTre‐1) and a membrane‐bound Tre (BtTre‐2) were cloned in the invasive cryptic species Middle East‐Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) of the whitefly B. tabaci complex. Alignment of deduced amino acids sequences of both BtTres revealed that they share common consensus regions and residues with Tres of other insect species. Levels of BtTres expression in various stages and tissues of the whitefly suggested that BtTre‐2 may play a key role in trehalose catabolism during development of the whitefly, especially for oocyte development, while BtTre‐1 may prevent trehalose in salivary gland from leaking and entering into plants along with saliva. Potential roles of trehalose catabolism in response to direct and/or plant‐mediated indirect effects of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl China Virus (TYLCCNV) were also detected. Whiteflies feeding on virus‐infected tobacco plants showed higher BtTres expressions and accordingly higher BtTres activity but lower trehalose content than those feeding on uninfected plants. The enhanced trehalose catabolism may be beneficial to oocyte development in ovary and attenuate plant defensive responses induced by trehalose in saliva. Viruliferous and nonviruliferous whiteflies feeding on cotton, a nonhost plant for TYLCCNV, differed significantly only in trehalose content. The higher trehalose content in viruliferous whiteflies may be conducive to resisting the stress inflicted by TYLCCNV.     

The cellular resistance against oxidative stress (H2O2) is independent of neutral trehalase (Ntc1p) activity in Candida albicans

The protective role of trehalose against oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide in Candida albicans has been investigated in the homozygous mutant ntc1Delta/ntc1Delta, disrupted in the NTC1 gene, which encodes the neutral (cytosolic) trehalase (Ntc1p). After a severe oxidative exposure (50 mM H(2)O(2)), both parental (CAI-4) and ntc1Delta/ntc1Delta exponential-phase cells stored large amounts of intracellular trehalose. In turn, the degree of cell survival was roughly equivalent in both strains, although slightly higher in ntc1Delta/ntc1Delta cultures. The mechanism of 'adaptive tolerance' was functional in the two strains. Thus, a gently oxidative pretreatment (5 mM H(2)O(2)) increased the recovery of cellular viability when it was followed by a severe challenge (50 mM H(2)O(2)); this phenomenon was accompanied by a significant elevation of the endogenous trehalose content. Oxidative stress also induced specific activation of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and glutathione reductase upon gentle oxidative treatment (5 mM H(2)O(2)), whereas superoxide dismutase activity was only activated upon prolonged exposure. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that in C. albicans neutral trehalase activity does not play an essential role in the protective response against oxidative stress. They also suggest that a diminished Ntc1p activity might favour the growth of C. albicans cells subjected to a strong oxidative exposure.     

Mechanism of validamycin A inhibiting DON biosynthesis and synergizing with DMI fungicides against Fusarium graminearum

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a vital virulence factor of Fusarium graminearum, which causes Fusarium head blight (FHB). We recently found that validamycin A (VMA), an aminoglycoside antibiotic, can be used to control FHB and inhibit DON contamination, but its molecular mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we found that both neutral and acid trehalase (FgNTH and FgATH) are the targets of VMA in F. graminearum, and the deficiency of FgNTH and FgATH reduces the sensitivity to VMA by 2.12- and 1.79-fold, respectively, indicating that FgNTH is the main target of VMA. We found FgNTH is responsible for vegetative growth, FgATH is critical to sexual reproduction, and both of them play an important role in conidiation and virulence in F. graminearum. We found that FgNTH resided in the cytoplasm, affected the localization of FgATH, and positively regulated DON biosynthesis; however, FgATH resided in vacuole and negatively regulated DON biosynthesis. FgNTH interacted with FgPK (pyruvate kinase), a key enzyme in glycolysis, and the interaction was reduced by VMA; the deficiency of FgNTH affected the localization of FgPK under DON induction condition. Strains with a deficiency of FgNTH were more sensitive to demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides. FgNTH regulated the expression level of FgCYP51A and FgCYP51B by interacting with FgCYP51B. Taken together, VMA inhibits DON biosynthesis by targeting FgNTH and reducing the interaction between FgNTH and FgPK, and synergizes with DMI fungicides against F. graminearum by decreasing FgCYP51A and FgCYP51B expression.     

Duplication and diversification of trehalase confers evolutionary advantages on lepidopteran insects

Gene duplication provides a major source of new genes for evolutionary novelty and ecological adaptation. However, the maintenance of duplicated genes and their relevance to adaptive evolution has long been debated. Insect trehalase (Treh) plays key roles in energy metabolism, growth, and stress recovery. Here, we show that the duplication of Treh in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) is linked with their adaptation to various environmental stresses. Generally, two Treh genes are present in insects: Treh1 and Treh2. We report three distinct forms of Treh in lepidopteran insects, where Treh1 was duplicated into two gene clusters (Treh1a and Treh1b). These gene clusters differ in gene expression patterns, enzymatic properties, and subcellular localizations, suggesting that the enzymes probably underwent sub‐ and/or neofunctionalization in the lepidopteran insects. Interestingly, selective pressure analysis provided significant evidence of positive selection on duplicate Treh1b gene in lepidopteran insect lineages. Most positively selected sites were located in the alpha‐helical region, and several sites were close to the trehalose binding and catalytic sites. Subcellular adaptation of duplicate Treh1b driven by positive selection appears to have occurred as a result of selected changes in specific sequences, allowing for rapid reprogramming of duplicated Treh during evolution. Our results suggest that gene duplication of Treh and subsequent functional diversification could increase the survival rate of lepidopteran insects through various regulations of intracellular trehalose levels, facilitating their adaptation to diverse habitats. This study provides evidence regarding the mechanism by which gene family expansion can contribute to species adaptation through gene duplication and subsequent functional diversification.     

Penetration of β-lactamase inhibitors into the periplasm of Gram-negative bacteria

The effectiveness of a beta-lactamase inhibitor/beta-lactam combination against Gram-negative pathogens depends on many interplaying factors, one of which is the penetration of the inhibitor across the outer membrane. In this work we have measured the relative penetrations of clavulanic acid, sulbactam, tazobactam and BRL 42715 into two strains of Escherichia coli producing TEM-1 beta-lactamase, two strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae producing either TEM-1 or K-1, and two strains of Enterobacter cloacae each producing a Class C beta-lactamase. It was shown that clavulanic acid penetrated the outer membranes of all these strains more readily than the other beta-lactamase inhibitors. For the strains of E. coli and K. pneumoniae clavulanic acid penetrated approximately 6 to 19 times more effectively than tazobactam, 2 to 9 times more effectively than sulbactam and 4 to 25 times more effectively than BRL 42715. The superior penetration of clavulanic acid observed in this study is likely to contribute to the efficacy of clavulanic acid/beta-lactam combinations in combating beta-lactam resistant bacterial pathogens.     

Effect of acid trehalase (ATH) on impaired yeast vacuolar activity

In this study, this protein was overexpressed in yeast cells grown on trehalose-containing medium to assess its impact on yeast vacuolar activity. ATH was confirmed to be located in both cell surface and vacuoles and the overexpression of ATH was observed to decrease vacuolar activity. Therefore, an assumption was suggested to explain this phenomenon as follows: when grown on containing trehalose medium, the ATH localization at cellular periplasm, but not the vacuole, is prioritized to utilize the extracellular trehalose for cell growth. The multivesicular body pathway (MVB pathway) via which ATH is transported into vacuoles is believed to be down-regulated to favor the accumulation of ATH at cell surface area. By extension, other vacuolar proteins travelling through MVB pathway to reach yeast vacuoles likely also suffer the down regulation. It can be concluded that acid trehalase may contribute down regulation of other vacuolar proteins through MVB pathway. This study suggests that it is a potential of acid trehalase (ATH) on impaired activity of yeast vacuolar.