重庆地区人类免疫缺陷病毒携带者的微孢子虫感染情况调查

目前我国关于微孢子虫感染人的研究相对较少,更没有关于重庆地区人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)携带者感染微孢子虫的数据统计。对重庆市公共卫生医疗救治中心收治的22例HIV抗体阳性,但尚未接受抗病毒治疗的患者进行研究。将22例患者粪便样本分别提取总DNA,通过聚合酶链反应(PCR)法和DNA测序等技术对微孢子虫在患者中的感染情况进行检测,并对微孢子虫种类进行鉴定。同时对22例患者的免疫细胞亚群进行计数和分析。结果显示,微孢子虫的感染率为36.3%(8/22),主要由脑炎微孢子虫属(Encephalitozoon spp)的海伦脑炎微孢子虫(E. hellem)和肠脑炎微孢子虫(E. intestinalis)引起。22例患者的免疫细胞亚群分析显示,平均淋巴细胞数0.93±0.13×10⁹/L,CD4^＋T细胞数132±22 个/mL,CD8^＋T细胞数495±91 个/mL,CD4/CD8细胞比值0.37±0.1,表明患者免疫功能受到严重抑制。进一步将微孢子虫感染患者与未感染患者的免疫细胞亚群进行比较发现,感染患者淋巴细胞数为0.51±0.1×10⁹/L,未感染患者为1.17±0.17 ×10⁹/L,两者具有显著差异(P<0.05);感染患者CD4^＋T细胞数为71±27 个/mL,未感染患者为167±28 个/mL,两者具有显著差异(P<0.05);感染患者CD8^＋T细胞数为209±35 个/mL,未感染患者为658±123 个/mL,两者具有显著差异(P<0.05),以上表明微孢子虫感染组的免疫功能受损情况更严重。本研究结果提示微孢子虫的机会性感染与患者免疫功能受损情况密切相关,脑炎微孢子虫属在重庆地区有较高的感染率,这为进一步阐明微孢子虫与宿主相互作用关系奠定基础,也为公共卫生健康管理提供重要参考。     

RNA-Seq Reveals the Effect of Ethylene on the Volatile Organic Components (VOCs) of Cavendish Banana at Different Post-harvesting Stages

Aroma serves as one of the decisive factors influencing the value of banana commodities. Most of characteristic volatile organic components (VOCs) are formed during post-harvesting. However, the changing of VOCs of banana at different post-harvesting stages remain ambiguous. In this study, the VOCs of Cavendish banana for the four typical post-harvesting stages (green stage/half of yellow stage/yellow ripening stage/over ripening stage) are clarified using headspace solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME), combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results inferred that the relative content of branched-chain esters such as acetate and butyrate, which form the main contributors of aroma in bananas, is higher in the T2 and T3 stages. Further, RNA-Seq technology was employed to clarify the formation mechanism of banana aroma in the post-harvesting stage. The MaTGL4 gene of the linoleic acid metabolism pathway and the MaBCAT3 and MaBCAT5 genes of the valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation pathway in banana suggest the expression is active late in the ripening stage, and the upregulated expression of these genes is analogous to the formation of aroma components such as branched-chain esters and hexenal. The above results not only provide baseline data on the differences in physical and chemical properties of VOCs in various post-harvesting stages of banana production, but also provide theoretical guidance facilitating the subsequent improvement of the commercial value of bananas through genetic improvement.

     

干扰对生态系统多功能性的影响研究进展

干扰作为生态系统中的一种固有属性,在部分生态系统中已严重影响到了该地区生态系统平衡。生态系统多功能性作为衡量生态系统的一个综合指标,能够同时反映生态系统的整体功能。随着干扰活动的不断变化,干扰对生态系统的影响也受到社会各界广泛关注,针对干扰对生态系统多功能性的研究也在不断增加,但由于对干扰对生态系统多功能性的影响还缺乏系统总结,因此本文从概念进展、量化指标、测度方法、影响因子四个方面论述生态系统多功能性的研究现状,结合干扰对生态系统多功能性的研究,对比分析其研究进展,以期为今后生态系统多功能性的研究提供参考。针对目前森林生态系统多功能性研究存在的问题,今后的相关研究应从以下三点实现突破:(1)生态系统多功能性的应用性研究;(2)评估各生态系统功能之间的相互作用对生态系统多功能性的影响研究;(3)干扰对生态系统多功能性影响的机制性研究。以期为进一步探索干扰对生态系统多功能性的影响机制研究提供借鉴,以推动该领域的发展。     

云南可食的革菌属真菌的分类研究

“干巴菌”因别具清香的佳美食味而与竹荪、虫草、鸡(土从)、松茸等同属于云南珍贵的野生食用菌。每年夏秋,鲜干巴菌类在市场上深受欢迎。干巴菌分布于滇中的昆明、安宁、富民、禄丰、玉溪、路南,滇西的丽江、保山、昌宁、腾冲,滇南的思茅等地。常生于松林、油杉林等针叶松林下。     

Optical coherence tomography as a noninvasive 3D real time imaging tool for the rapid evaluation of phenotypic variations in insect embryonic development

Noninvasive visualization of embryos at different development stages is crucial for the understanding of the basic developmental biology. It is therefore desirable to have an imaging tool capable of rapidly evaluating the effects of gene manipulation or genome editing in developing embryos for the studies of gene functions and genetic engineering. Here, we propose and demonstrate a novel use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to noninvasively exam the embryonic development of the migratory locusts in real time with 3‐dimensional (3D) view capability. In particular, we obtain the sufficiently high spatial resolution tomographic 2D and 3D images of live locust embryos throughout their development processes. We show that not only we are able to noninvasively observe all previously known forms of blastokinesis as an embryo develops, such as anatrepsis, katatrepsis, revolution, rotation and diapauses, and determine their precise occurring time or duration, but also discover an unreported rotation form we named “twist.” In addition, with the OCT images we determined the exact occurring time of diapauses of the locusts from Tibetan plateau for the first time. Finally, we demonstrate that OCT systems can be used to rapidly capture the development defects of genetically modified embryos in which certain genes essential for embryonic development were suppressed by RNA interference. Our work shows that OCT is an enabling imaging tool with sufficient spatial resolution for the rapid evaluation of embryonic variations of small animals.     

溴结构域蛋白4的结构和功能及其抑制剂在肿瘤研究中的应用

溴结构域和超末端结构域(bromodomain and extraterminal domain, Bet)家族是表观基因组的调节因子,也是肿瘤细胞生存所依赖的肿瘤相关基因表达的关键驱动因子。溴结构域蛋白4 (bromodomain-containing protein 4, Brd4)是溴域和端外蛋白家族中的一员,通常识别乙酰化组蛋白,并定位于目的基因的启动子或增强子区域,启动并维持肿瘤相关基因的表达。Brd4与多种转录因子调控和染色质修饰密切相关,并参与DNA损伤修复、维持端粒功能,从而维持肿瘤细胞的存活。本文围绕Brd4蛋白的结构、功能及其抑制剂在肿瘤研究中的应用进行综述。     

Efficient production of transgenic chickens based on piggyBac

Transgenic techniques in chickens have been developed much more slowly than in mammals due to chickens’ unique reproduction mechanism. Retroviral methods have been the most successful. piggyBac (PB) is a transposon that has a 13 bp perfect terminal invert repeat sequence. PB can be inserted into TTAA sites and can also be precisely excised in mammals. Therefore, we have selected PB as a candidate to establish a new method to produce transgenic chickens. We constructed three donor vectors (ZGl-neo, ZGm-neo and ZGs-neo) expressing a GFP marker-gene and a neomycin resistant gene based on PB. We co-transfected each donor vector with a helper vector (CAG-PBase). We found that ZGl-neo was the most efficient PB vector. This vector could insert into TTAA sites in DF-1 cells. PB vectors were microinjected into sub-germinal cavity of newly laid eggs, and electroporation was then performed with a 20-V pulse for 5 cycles of 50 ms on and 100 ms off. GFP was expressed in different tissues of the embryos, including the gonads. Twenty-two chickens hatched after microinjection with compounds ZGl-neo and CAG-PBase (3:1). When we screened the blood DNA, 73 % (16/22) of the individuals were positive. Thirteen of the chickens grew to adulthood, 11 of which were males. 40 % (4/10) of the individuals were semen positive, and their copy numbers ranged from 0.05 to 0.21 (0.11, 0.21, 0.05, 0.06). No G1 offspring containing the integrated transposon were produced. We conclude that the PB transposon system is a novel useful tool for the efficient production of transgenic chickens.     

DNA demethylation of promoter region orchestrates SPI-1-induced ADAMTS-5 expression in articular cartilage of osteoarthritis mice

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent joint diseases in aged people and characterized by articular cartilage degeneration, synovial inflammation, and abnormal bone remodeling. Recent advances in OA research have clearly shown that OA development is associated with aberrant DNA methylation status of many OA-related genes. As one of most important cartilage degrading proteases in OA, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs subtype 5 (ADAMTS-5) is activated to mediate cartilage degradation in human OA and experimental murine OA models. The pathological factors and signaling pathways mediating ADAMTS-5 activation during OA development are not well defined and have been a focus of intense research. ADAMTS-5 promoter is featured by CpG islands. So far there have been no reports concerning the DNA methylation status in ADAMTS-5 promoter during OA development. In this study, we sought to investigate DNA methylation status in ADAMTS-5 promoter, the role of DNA methylation in ADAMTS-5 activation in OA, and the underlying mechanisms. The potential for anti-OA intervention therapy which is based on modulating DNA methylation is also explored. Our results showed that DNA methyltransferases 1 (Dnmt1) downregulation-associated ADAMTS-5 promoter demethylation played an important role in ADAMTS-5 activation in OA, which facilitated SPI-1 binding on ADAMTS-5 promoter to activate ADAMTS-5 expression. More importantly, OA pathological phenotype of mice was alleviated in response to Dnmt1-induced DNA methylation of ADAMTS-5 promoter. Our study will benefit not only for deeper insights into the functional role and regulation mechanisms of ADAMTS-5 in OA, but also for the discovery of disease-modifying OA drugs on the basis of ADAMTS-5 via modulating DNA methylation status.