Making modern agriculture sustainable: Fam research network on agroecosystems

All forms of agriculture cause changes in the balances and fluxes of preexisting ecosystems, thereby limiting self-regulatory ecosystem (resiliency) functions. The intensive agriculture of the past, with its strong reduction of landscape structures and vast decoupling of energy and matter cycles, has caused stress and degradation of the production base; massive influence has also been exerted on neighboring compartments. This has resulted in the well known problems of pesticide loads, high phosphate loads to surface waters via over-fertilized soils or erosion as such. To overcome the economic, social and political inadequacies leading to ecological degradation, the demand for sustainable agricultural management needs to be transposed into knowledge-based practical instructions and political regulations on a regional scale. Thus, applied research for a sustainable and ecologically compatible land use aimed at sufficient food production is ever so important. In the FAM, thirty German research institutes have merged to perform research on this topic.     

FAM3C activates Akt to promote viability of oral squamous-cell carcinoma cells

AIM: To investigate the expression and roles of family with sequence similarity 3, member C (FAM3C) in oral squamous-cell carcinoma cells. METHODS: The mRNA and protein expression levels of FAM3C in dysplastic oral keratinocyte (DOK) and oral squamous-cell carcinoma WSU-HN6 cells were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The WSU-HN6 cells were treated with siFAM3C or FAM3C antibody. After 24, 48 and 72 h, the viability of WSU-HN6 cells was measured by CCK-8 assay, and the activation of protein kinase B (Akt) was detected by Western blot. Adenovirus was used to mediate over-expression of FAM3C in the DOK cells. The DOK cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assay after adenovirus infection for 24, 48 and 72 h, and the activation of Akt was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the DOK cells, the mRNA and protein levels of FAM3C were significantly increased in the WSU-HN6 cells (P<0.05). The viability of WSU-HN6 cells transfected with siFAM3C was significantly inhibited at 48 h and 72 h (P<0.05). siFAM3C treatment inhibited the activation of Akt (P<0.05). FAM3C antibody treatment also suppressed the viability of the WSU-HN6 cells at 48 h and 72 h and the activation of Akt (P<0.05). Over-expression of FAM3C in the DOK cells promoted the cell viability at 48 h and 72 h and activated Akt (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: FAM3C might promote oral squamous-cell carcinoma cell growth by activating Akt.     

山羊FAM134B基因克隆、序列分析及其mRNA表达与肌内脂肪含量的相关性

FAM134B基因对肌内脂肪沉积有重要的调控作用,为了进一步了解FAM134B基因的结构与功能及其对山羊(Capra hirus)肉质的影响,本研究以川中黑山羊为实验动物,采用RT-PCR技术克隆了山羊FAM134B基因,并对核苷酸序列和氨基酸序列进行生物信息学分析,运用实时荧光定量PCR技术检测了FAM134B mRNA的表达情况,对肌肉组织中FAM134B mRNA表达与肌内脂肪(intramuscular fat,IMF)含量进行了关联分析。结果表明,山羊FAM134B基因(GenBank登录号:KF684947.1)cDNA全长1 071 bp,编码356个氨基酸,预测蛋白序列含有4个N-连接的糖基化修饰位点,20多个磷酸化位点;系统进化树分析显示,山羊FAM134B核苷酸序列与牛(Bos taurus)的相似性最高;荧光定量PCR分析表明,FAM134B在山羊的心、肝、脾、肺、肾、背最长肌和腿肌中均有表达,其中在肝脏的表达量最高,脾的表达量最低;相关分析显示:山羊背最长肌、腿肌中FAM134B mRNA表达与肌内脂肪含量呈显著正相关。研究结果显示,FAM134B基因可能对山羊肌内脂肪沉积起着重要的调控作用。本研究为进一步了解FAM134B基因的功能及其在反刍动物IMF代谢中的作用和营养调控机制提供一定基础资料。     

猪FAM213B基因mRNA和启动子的克隆及序列分析

【目的】获得猪FAM213B基因完整mRNA和启动子序列,研究猪FAM213B基因表达,为探讨母猪妊娠的建立和胚胎发育调控机制奠定基础。【方法】通过5'RACE和3'RACE技术,获得基因完整mRNA序列,分析不同物种该基因氨基酸序列相似性;通过PCR克隆启动子区,并通过双荧光素酶报告基因载体系统转染猪子宫内膜细胞,研究其转录活性。【结果】猪FAM213B基因mRNA全长808 bp,其中5'UTR、CDS区和3'UTR长度分别为67、609(含终止密码子)和132 bp(不含poly A序列),在17~106位氨基酸之间存在硫氧还蛋白折叠结构域;与猪FAM213B基因其他2个潜在转录本相比,三者都包含硫氧还蛋白折叠结构域,但蛋白三级结构存在较大差异;猪FAM213B氨基酸序列与山羊、牛和绵羊高度相似,相似性分别为94.03%、93.03%和91.54%。克隆获得2 261 bp(-2 231/+30)的基因启动子序列,将其连接至双荧光素酶报告基因载体,转染猪子宫内膜细胞,发现获得的启动子片段能够启动下游报告基因的转录,在启动子区存在潜在的典型NFκB等转录因子结合位点。【结论】本研究获得猪FAM213B基因转录本长度为808 bp,其蛋白存在硫氧还蛋白折叠功能结构域,其启动子序列(-2 231/+30)在猪子宫内膜细胞中具有较强的转录活性。