Isolation and functional analysis of a Brassica juncea gene encoding a com-ponent of auxin efflux carrier

Polar auxin transport plays a divergent role in plant growth and developmental processes including root and embryo development, vascular pattern formation and cell elongation. Recently isolated Arabidopsis pin gene family was believed to encode a component of auxin efflux carrier (G(?)lweiler et al, 1998). Based on the Arabidopsis pin1 sequence we have isolated a Brassica juncea cDNA (designated Bjpin1), which encoded a 70-kDa putative auxin efflux carrier. Deduced BjPIN1 shared 65% identities at protein level with AtPINl and was highly homologous to other putative PIN proteins of Arabidopsis (with highest homology to AtPIN3). Hydrophobic analysis showed similar structures between BjPINl and AtPIN proteins. Presence of 6 exons (varying in size between 65 bp and 1229 bp) and 5 introns (sizes between 89 bp and 463 bp) in the genomic fragment was revealed by comparing the genomic and cDNA sequences. Northern blot analysis indicated that Bjpin1 was expressed in most of the tissues tested, with a relatively h     

Dependence of Intracellular and Exosomal microRNAs on Viral E6/E7 Oncogene Expression in HPV-positive Tumor Cells

Specific types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause cervical cancer. Cervical cancers exhibit aberrant cellular microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns. By genome-wide analyses, we investigate whether the intracellular and exosomal miRNA compositions of HPV-positive cancer cells are dependent on endogenous E6/E7 oncogene expression. Deep sequencing studies combined with qRT-PCR analyses show that E6/E7 silencing significantly affects ten of the 52 most abundant intracellular miRNAs in HPV18-positive HeLa cells, downregulating miR-17-5p, miR-186-5p, miR-378a-3p, miR-378f, miR-629-5p and miR-7-5p, and upregulating miR-143-3p, miR-23a-3p, miR-23b-3p and miR-27b-3p. The effects of E6/E7 silencing on miRNA levels are mainly not dependent on p53 and similarly observed in HPV16-positive SiHa cells. The E6/E7-regulated miRNAs are enriched for species involved in the control of cell proliferation, senescence and apoptosis, suggesting that they contribute to the growth of HPV-positive cancer cells. Consistently, we show that sustained E6/E7 expression is required to maintain the intracellular levels of members of the miR-17~92 cluster, which reduce expression of the anti-proliferative p21 gene in HPV-positive cancer cells. In exosomes secreted by HeLa cells, a distinct seven-miRNA-signature was identified among the most abundant miRNAs, with significant downregulation of let-7d-5p, miR-20a-5p, miR-378a-3p, miR-423-3p, miR-7-5p, miR-92a-3p and upregulation of miR-21-5p, upon E6/E7 silencing. Several of the E6/E7-dependent exosomal miRNAs have also been linked to the control of cell proliferation and apoptosis. This study represents the first global analysis of intracellular and exosomal miRNAs and shows that viral oncogene expression affects the abundance of multiple miRNAs likely contributing to the E6/E7-dependent growth of HPV-positive cancer cells.     

基于土地利用变化与生态系统服务供需的中国野生亚洲象时空迁移特征分析

2021年4月,我国15头野生亚洲象(Elephas maximus)从西双版纳一路北迁至昆明市受到了全世界的关注,分析我国野生亚洲象分布区土地利用变化、生态系统服务供需关系如何影响野生亚洲象分布,对保护亚洲象与提高当地人类福祉具有重要的意义。利用生态系统服务价值当量因子法和生态系统服务需求模型计算中国野生亚洲象分布区1990、2005、2015年生态系统服务供给价值与需求指数,通过空间标准化匹配出四种生态系统服务供需模式,探究我国野生亚洲象偏好分布的供需模式。结果表明,林地、草地和耕地是最主要的土地利用类型,1990—2015年,林地、草地和耕地的面积变化率分别为1.09%、-4.82%、-4.86%。1990、2005、2015年生态系统供给总价值分别为6108.55亿元、7434.41亿元、13973.37亿元;生态系统服务需求不断提高,整体呈现中间高,四周低的分布格局。在研究的25年内,亚洲象分布于高供给-高需求与高供给-低需求区域,且有向高供给-高需求区域迁徙的趋势。