Developmental programming: the role of growth hormone

Developmental programming of the fetus has consequences for physiologic responses in the offspring as an adult and, more recently, is implicated in the expression of altered phenotypes of future generations. Some phenotypes, such as fertility, bone strength, and adiposity are highly relevant to food animal production and in utero factors that impinge on those traits are vital to understand. A key systemic regulatory hormone is growth hormone (GH), which has a developmental role in virtually all tissues and organs. This review catalogs the impact of GH on tissue programming and how perturbations early in development influence GH function.     

Oil separation from wet-milled corn germ dispersions by aqueous oil extraction and aqueous enzymatic oil extraction

The many recent dry-grind plants that convert corn to ethanol are a potential source of substantial amounts of corn oil, if an economical method of separating it can be developed. Oil separation from corn germ by aqueous extraction (AE) was studied. Batches of 5–20% germ in a buffer solution were preheated in a pressure cooker, ground in a blender or colloid mill, churned in an incubator/shaker and centrifuged to separate a free oil fraction. The highest oil yields were obtained when the germ mass fraction was between 0.1 and 0.16. Addition of an enzyme solution to the ground germ suspension prior to churning, aqueous enzymatic extraction (AEE) gave an oil yield twice as high as the AE yield, carried out using similar conditions. Both types of extraction produced the most oil after a 122 °C cook followed by churning at 160 rpm and 70 °C. Oil yield increased linearly with dispersion loading, from 0.5 up to 1.0 g/cm² based on beaker cross-section (0.09–0.12 germ mass fraction). Over a several month period the germ used for the extractions became more difficult to extract, despite storage at 4 °C.     

基于机器学习方法的拟南芥基因组DNA复制时间预测研究

【目的】基于机器学习方法,构建拟南芥基因组DNA复制时间分类器,探究与复制时间相关的表观遗传修饰,为进一步研究DNA复制时间的表观遗传调控机制提供参考。【方法】收集拟南芥全基因组的DNA复制时间数据和多种DNA表观遗传修饰特征(ChIP-Seq)数据,以及染色质开放状态(DNase-Seq)数据,先通过t-SNE初步对DNA表观遗传修饰特征数据降维来衡量DNA复制早晚的可预测性,并利用皮尔逊相关系数计算了多种DNA表观遗传特征与DNA复制时间信号两两之间的相关性,再通过构建随机森林、多类别逻辑回归和支持向量机3种分类器对DNA复制时间进行建模分析,以十折交叉验证和ROC曲线下的面积(AUC)为衡量指标,用80%的数据建模,20%的数据对模型效果进行验证。【结果】3种分类器对DNA复制时间都具有良好的预测能力,平均AUC均达0.8以上。DNA复制早期信号与RNA聚合酶Ⅱ结合信号以及染色质开放状态信号等呈正相关,而复制晚期信号则与其呈负相关。其中H3.1、H3.3、H2AW、H4K16ac、H3K36me3、H3K4me3均可能与DNA复制时间存在密切关系。【结论】拟南芥基因组DNA复制时间可以通过表观遗传修饰进行准确预测,其中对DNA复制晚期的预测最为准确;并发现了与DNA复制时间关系密切的组蛋白变体及表观遗传修饰。     

营养素对动物表观遗传的影响及其机制

表观遗传是环境因素和细胞内的遗传物质相互作用的结果.表观遗传学是在DNA碱基序列不变的前提下引起的基因表达或细胞表观型变化的一种遗传现象,具体表现在以下3个既相互独立又相互作用的方面:DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰和microRNA (miRNA)调控.本文就表观遗传的研究进展及营养素对动物表观遗传的影响及其机制进行综述.     

基于组学的作物杂种优势研究进展

杂种优势,又称杂种活力,是指来源于物种内不同品种或者不同物种间杂交后代在生物产量、生长势以及育性等方面均优于亲本的现象。目前对于杂种优势形成的遗传机制一直停留在假说层面。分子标记技术的飞速发展为杂种优势的遗传机制研究提供了新的途径,在不同作物中,已证实显性、超显性和上位性效应对杂种优势的形成均有贡献。随着基因组、转录组、蛋白组等多组学技术及表观遗传学技术的兴起,为在全基因组水平研究杂种优势提供了机会,更有利于从不同角度对杂种优势形成的遗传基础进行全面解析。本研究从杂种优势位点定位,杂交种相对于亲本的转录组水平,蛋白质水平及表观调控改变等方面进行了概述,为全面深入理解杂种优势及更好地研究、利用杂种优势提供帮助。     

Evolutionary changes of Hox genes and relevant regulatory factors provide novel insights into mammalian morphological modifications

The diversity of body plans of mammals accelerates the innovation of lifestyles and the extensive adaptation to different habitats, including terrestrial, aerial and aquatic habitats. However, the genetic basis of those phenotypic modifications, which have occurred during mammalian evolution, remains poorly explored. In the present study, we synthetically surveyed the evolutionary pattern of Hox clusters that played a powerful role in the morphogenesis along the head–tail axis of animal embryos and the main regulatory factors (Mll, Bmi1 and E2f6) that control the expression of Hox genes. A deflected density of repetitive elements and lineage‐specific radical mutations of Mll have been determined in marine mammals with morphological changes, suggesting that evolutionary changes may alter Hox gene expression in these lineages, leading to the morphological modification of these lineages. Although no positive selection was detected at certain ancestor nodes of lineages, the increased ω values of Hox genes implied the relaxation of functional constraints of these genes during the mammalian evolutionary process. More importantly, 49 positively‐selected sites were identified in mammalian lineages with phenotypic modifications, indicating adaptive evolution acting on Hox genes and regulatory factors. In addition, 3 parallel amino acid substitutions in some Hox genes were examined in marine mammals, which might be responsible for their streamlined body.     

水稻光温敏核不育的分子与表观调控机理

两系法杂交水稻(Oryza sativa)的核心是光温敏核不育系,近年来对光温敏核不育系的研究取得了巨大进展.本文概述了光温敏雄性核不育基因的定位与克隆、育性转换机理、不育分子机制以及光温敏核不育的表观调控新进展,并对光温敏核不育的表观遗传学研究前景进行展望,以期为两系杂交水稻育种提供理论指导.     

家鸡胚胎发育过程DNA甲基化的MSAP检测

[目的]检测鸡胚不同发育阶段时的DNA甲基化水平。[方法]以不同发育阶段的家鸡胚胎为试验材料,提取基因组DNA,采用甲基敏感扩增片段多态性（methylation sensitive amplified polymorphism,MSAP）技术对其甲基化水平进行了初步检测。[结果]共发现甲基化位点880个,CCGG位点单链外侧的胞嘧啶甲基化位点比例为20．48％,双链CCGG位点的内侧胞嘧啶甲基化19．30％,两者总比例为39．78％。[结论]鸡胚发育过程,DNA甲基化随着胚胎的发育呈升高趋势。     

植物DNA甲基化与转基因沉默

DNA甲基化是表观遗传修饰的重要形式之一,植物DNA甲基化及其引起的转基因沉默现象的研究对植物基因工程领域的发展有着举足轻重的作用。介绍了植物DNA甲基化作用机理及其过程中至关重要的3种胞嘧啶甲基转移酶：MET1甲基转移酶家族、染色质甲基化酶（CMT）和结构域重排甲基转移酶（DRM）,并阐述了植物DNA甲基化的相关机制,包括RNA介导的DNA甲基化（RdMD）、组蛋白修饰与DNA甲基化和DNA去甲基化。通过分析植物转基因沉默现象与DNA甲基化的关系,提出了克服由DNA甲基化引起的转基因沉默的相关对策。