野生稻光周期反应研究

对稻属不同种及部分中国普通野生稻的光周期反应进行了比较研究,结果表明供试材料在短日下能量提早抽穗,它们对短日诱导的敏感程度与染色体组有一定关系,ＡＡ染色体组的稻种,其光周期反应呈明显的多样性,中国东乡,茶酸,江永,仁化普通野生稻短日性强弱不同,与地理分布有关,即分布纬度较高的类型感光性较弱,另外还对群体内光周期反应差异及苗龄效应也作了研究。     

A new Multi-PCR-SSCP assay for simultaneous detection of isoniazid and rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Prompt detection of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential for effective control of tuberculosis (TB). We developed a Multi-PCR-SSCP method that detects more than 80% commonly observed isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF) resistance M. tuberculosis in a single assay. The usefulness of the newly developed method was evaluated with 116 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis. Distinct SSCP patterns were observed for different mutations and the correlation between Multi-PCR-SSCP results and DNA sequencing data was strong. Using the culture-based phenotypic drug susceptibility testing as a reference, the sensitivity of the newly developed Multi-PCR-SSCP assay was determined to be 80% and 81.8% for INH and RIF, respectively. The specificity of the assay was 100% and 92%, for INH and RIF, respectively. Multi-PCR-SSCP provides a rapid and potentially more cost-effective method of detecting multidrug-resistant TB.     

Functional phosphosite screening for targeted protein-protein interactions by combining phosphoproteomics strategies and mammalian two-hybrid assays

An effective new platform for phosphosite mapping and subsequent functional screening was developed to analyze the targeted protein-protein interactions of p300 and CBP with β-catenin. Two novel functional phosphosites, Ser12 of p300 and Ser92 of CBP, were revealed to modulate p300/β-catenin and CBP/β-catenin interactions, respectively.     

Label-free detection of nucleic acid and protein microarrays by scanning Kelvin nanoprobe

A high-resolution scanning Kelvin nanoprobe is introduced as an alternative technique to the conventional fluorescence and mass spectrometric detection methods currently employed in nucleic acid and protein microarray technology. The new instrument is capable of the highly sensitive discernment of surface biochemical events taking place at molecular level such as nucleic acid hybridization and antibody-antigen interaction. The method involves measurement of changes in work function and surface potential instigated by such interactions. Being a label-free and non-contact technique, the structure, spatial configuration, local properties or function of the molecular system under study are not affected, nor perturbed by intercalating dyes, a strong electric field or ionizing beam. Subsequent to scanning, the microarray can be examined by other alternative approaches. Nucleic acids and proteins have been printed in microarray format on slides with a gold film in place using gold-sulphur interactive chemistry. Hybridization of nucleic acids for complementary and mismatched configurations shows consistent and reproducible values of work function. Differentiation of single internal mismatches is demonstrated. Protein concentration and formation of antibody-antigen pairs can be visualized and examined with high sensitivity and good inter-spot reproducibility.     

Regulatory T cells dampen pulmonary inflammation and lung injury in an animal model of pneumocystis pneumonia

CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells are decreased in patients infected with HIV and have been shown to be critical in mediating Ag tolerance in the lung. Because a subset of Pneumocystis-infected individuals develop substantial lung injury, which can be modeled in immune reconstituted scid mice, we used mouse models of Pneumocystis carinii to investigate the role of regulatory T cells in opportunistic infection and immune reconstitution. In this study, we show that CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ cells are part of the host response to Pneumocystis in CD4+ T cell-intact mice. Moreover, lung injury and proinflammatory Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung homogenate were increased following CD4+CD25- immune reconstitution in Pneumocystis-infected SCID mice but not in CD4+CD25+ T cell-reconstituted animals. The ability of CD4+CD25+ T cells to control inflammation and injury during the course of Pneumocystis was confirmed by treatment of wild-type C57BL/6 mice with anti-CD25 mAb. These data show that CD4+CD25+ T cells control pulmonary inflammation and lung injury associated with Pneumocystis infection both in the setting of immune reconstitution as well as new acquisition of infection.     

Revealing the Inhibitory Effect of Ginseng on Mitochondrial Respiration through Synaptosomal Proteomics

Ginseng, the active ingredients of which are ginsenosides, is the most popular herbal medicine and has potential merit in the treatment of cerebral disorders. To better understand the function of Ginseng in the cerebral system, we examined changes in the protein expression profiles of synaptosomes extracted from the cerebral cortical and hippocampal tissues of rats administered a high or low dose of Ginseng for 2 weeks. More than 5000 proteins belonging to synaptosomes were simultaneously identified and quantitated by an approach combining tandem mass tags with 2D liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS). Regarding differentially expressed proteins, downregulated proteins were much more highly induced than upregulators in the cerebral cortical and hippocampal synaptosomes, regardless of the dose of Ginseng. Bioinformatic analysis indicated the majority of the altered proteins to be located in the mitochondria, directly or indirectly affecting mitochondrial oxidative respiration. Further functional experiments using the substrate‐uncoupler inhibitor titration approach confirmed that three representative ginsenosides were able to inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. Our results demonstrate that Ginseng can regulate the function of mitochondria and alter the energy metabolism of cells, which may be useful for the treatment of central nervous disorders.     

Distinct immune signatures discriminate between asymptomatic and presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2pos subjects

Increasing numbers of SARS-CoV-2-positive (SARS-CoV-2^pos) subjects are detected at silent SARS-CoV-2 infection stage (SSIS). Yet, SSIS represents a poorly examined time-window wherein unknown immunity patterns may contribute to the fate determination towards persistently asymptomatic or overt disease. Here, we retrieved blood samples from 19 asymptomatic and 12 presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2^pos subjects, 47 age/gender-matched patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 and 27 normal subjects, and interrogated them with combined assays of 44-plex CyTOF, RNA-seq and Olink. Notably, both asymptomatic and presymptomatic subjects exhibited numerous readily detectable immunological alterations, while certain parameters including more severely decreased frequencies of CD107a^low classical monocytes, intermediate monocytes, non-classical monocytes and CD62L^hi CD8⁺ T_naïve cells, reduced plasma STC1 level but an increased frequency of CD4⁺ NKT cells combined to distinguish the latter. Intercorrelation analyses revealed a particular presymptomatic immunotype mainly manifesting as monocytic overactivation and differentiation blockage, a likely lymphocyte exhaustion and immunosuppression, yielding mechanistic insights into SSIS fate determination, which could potentially improve SARS-CoV-2 management.Subject terms: Mechanisms of disease, Immunology