Piscine orthoreovirus: Biology and distribution in farmed and wild fish

Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) is a common and widely distributed virus of salmonids. Since its discovery in 2010, the virus has been detected in wild and farmed stocks from North America, South America, Europe and East Asia in both fresh and salt water environments. Phylogenetic analysis suggests three distinct genogroups of PRV with generally discrete host tropisms and/or regional patterns. PRV-1 is found mainly in Atlantic (Salmo salar), Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Salmon of Europe and the Americas; PRV-2 has only been detected in Coho Salmon of Japan; and PRV-3 has been reported primarily in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Europe. All three genotypes can establish high-load systemic infections by targeting red blood cells for principal replication. Each genotype has also demonstrated potential to cause circulatory disease. At the same time, high-load PRV infections occur in non-diseased salmon and trout, indicating a complexity for defining PRV's role in disease aetiology. Here, we summarize the current body of knowledge regarding PRV following 10 years of study.     

东北黑土nirS型反硝化细菌群落和网络结构对长期施用化肥的响应

【目的】探明长期施用氮磷钾化肥对东北黑土农田土壤nirS型反硝化细菌群落和网络结构的影响,为更加合理的肥料配施提供理论依据。【方法】基于农业农村部黑龙江耕地保育与农业环境科学观测实验站平台,选取不施肥(NoF)、氮肥(N)、磷肥(P)、钾肥(K)、氮钾肥(NK)、氮磷肥(NP)、磷钾肥(PK)、氮磷钾肥(NPK)8个施肥处理,借助荧光定量PCR、Illumina MiSeq高通量测序和分子生态网络技术,分析东北黑土nirS型反硝化细菌丰度、群落及网络结构,及影响反硝化细菌群落变异的主要环境因子。【结果】1)长期施用氮肥均在显著增加nirS基因拷贝数的同时,降低了nirS型反硝化细菌的群落多样性,而磷、钾肥对其影响并不显著。2)Proteobacteria是所有处理中的优势反硝化细菌门,相对丰度为16.96%~27.34%,且氮肥的施用促进了隶属于该菌门中Bradyrhizobium的生长。3)PCoA分析结果显示,8个施肥处理nirS型反硝化细菌群落主要分成施氮肥和不施氮肥两组,说明长期氮肥的施用显著改变了东北黑土反硝化细菌的群落结构。结合Mantel test的结果可知,土壤pH是影响nirS型反硝化细菌群落改变的主要因素。4)分别构建施氮肥和不施氮肥的反硝化细菌分子生态网络,发现施氮肥和不施氮肥网络结构存在很大差异,长期施用氮肥明显简化了nirS型反硝化细菌的网络结构,同时使其网络结构稳定性降低,易受外界环境扰动。【结论】尽管施用化学氮肥有利于土壤养分的增加,但其土壤nirS型反硝化细菌群落及网络结构发生了较大改变,而磷、钾肥的施用对反硝化细菌群落无显著影响。本试验结果为进一步研究东北黑土区农田土壤反硝化微生物对不同施肥管理的响应机制提供了重要科学依据。     

Stability comparison of three candidate internal reference genes in Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus)

The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) as food and medicinal product has been an important aquaculture object in China. Study of gene function in the Chinese giant salamander requires accurate normalization though the use of appropriate reference genes. In this study, the expression levels of three candidate reference genes including β‐actin, GAPDH and cytb of different tissues, different developmental stages and different challenges in Chinese giant salamander were evaluated by qPCR. The stabilities of these three reference genes were analysed by geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper software. The results showed that the expression of GAPDH was more stable than that of β‐actin and cytb in four tissues and at two developmental stages of Chinese giant salamander. Compared with GAPDH and cytb, β‐actin was the most stable in spleen of Chinese giant salamander treated with LPS or GSIV. Therefore, the result showed that GAPDH was the suitable reference gene in different tissues and at different developmental stages of Chinese giant salamander. The β‐actin could be used as a reference gene in spleen of Chinese giant salamander challenged with LPS and GSIV. This study provides convincing information for the GAPDH and β‐actin as suitable reference gene in Chinese giant salamander of different tissues, different developmental stages and different challenges respectively.     

橄榄多酚氧化酶基因(PPO)克隆及其试管苗离体保存过程中的表达分析

以来源于橄榄成熟胚的橄榄试管苗为材料,进行PPO基因克隆,比较试管苗不同保存阶段PPO基因转录水平和PPO酶活性的变化。结果表明:克隆获得1个PPO基因全长cDNA序列,命名为PPO2,GenBank登录号为JQ319005,cDNA全长序列为1 934 bp,推测出橄榄PPO开放阅读框(ORF)1 818 bp,编码606个氨基酸。橄榄PPO2属于碱性、亲水、非分泌蛋白,可能定位于线粒体基质空间,具有3个典型的保守结构域,丝氨酸磷酸化占主导地位,并且二级结构以不规则卷曲为主。而三级结构预测表明,橄榄试管苗PPO2蛋白主要由α螺旋和不规则卷曲组成;进化树分析显示橄榄PPO蛋白与胡杨PPO关系最近,而与葡萄和莲的亲缘关系较远;qPCR分析显示,PPO2基因在橄榄试管苗不同保存阶段都有表达,但在橄榄试管苗保存1个月幼叶比较多时PPO2基因的表达量最高;而橄榄试管苗在分别保存1、2、3、4、5个月时PPO活性变化趋势不明显,当保存时间到6、7、8个月时PPO活性急剧增加。因此,PPO基因可能与幼嫩组织的启动分化有关,并在橄榄试管苗生长发育过程中发挥重要作用。     

甘蔗热带种金属硫蛋白家族基因的克隆及响应重金属胁迫的表达分析

金属硫蛋白是一类富含巯基的低分子量蛋白,在植物的重金属解毒及细胞氧化还原调控等方面起重要的作用。本研究以甘蔗热带种Badila组培苗为材料,分别测定了其在CdCl2、ZnSO4和CuCl2水溶液培养条件下地上部和地下部的重金属含量,结果显示其对上述3种重金属有较强的耐受与富集能力。继而克隆了ScMT1(登录号为KJ504373)、ScMT2-1-5(登录号为MH191346)和ScMT3(登录号为KJ5043704)3个金属硫蛋白家族基因,它们分别属于植物MT亚家族中的MT1、MT2和MT3型基因。ScMT1含有1个内含子和2个外显子,开放阅读框(Open Reading Frame,ORF)长228 bp,编码75个氨基酸;ScMT2-1-5含有2个内含子和3个外显子,ORF长246 bp,编码81个氨基酸;ScMT3含有1个内含子和2个外显子,ORF长198 bp,编码65个氨基酸。RT-qPCR显示,Cd2+胁迫下,在甘蔗地上部和地下部,ScMT2-1-5均连续显著上调表达,而ScMT1的上调应答出现延迟。ScMT3在地上部的上调应答出现延迟,在地下部呈“扬-抑”趋势,提示甘蔗响应Cd^2+胁迫过程中ScMT2-1-5起更积极的作用,ScMT1参与胁迫后期的分子响应,而ScMT3不起主导作用。Cu^2+胁迫下,地上部ScMT1连续显著上调表达,ScMT2-1-5和ScMT3呈总体上调的表达趋势;地下部,ScMT1和ScMT2-1-5的上调表答均出现延迟,仅在胁迫后期显著上调表达,而ScMT3仅在胁迫前期显著上调表达。该结果提示了ScMT1、ScMT2-1-5和ScMT3在Cu2+胁迫响应过程中的协作关系,三者共同参与了地上部的胁迫响应,其中ScMT1起更积极的作用;此外三者还先后参与了地下部对Cu^2+胁迫的分子响应。Zn^2+胁迫下,ScMT1和ScMT3分别仅在地上部和地下部显著上调表达;ScMT2-1-5在地上部和地下部均呈“扬-抑”的应答趋势;提示了在甘蔗响应Cd^2+胁迫应答过程中ScMT1和ScMT3分别在地上部和地下部起主要作用,ScMT2-1-5参与了胁迫前期的分子响应。ScMT1、ScMT2-1-5和ScMT3在甘蔗不同组织中及在重金属(Cd^2+、Zn^2+或Cu^2+)不同累积水平下呈现出相似或互补的应答特性,提示上述甘蔗MT家族不同成员在重金属解毒及细胞氧化还原调控等方面产生了功能分化,且三者在应对过量Cd^2+、Zn^2+或Cu^2+对甘蔗组织造成伤害的过程中存在时空上的协同作用。该研究为深入理解多倍体植物甘蔗中MT家族各成员基因在重金属耐受过程中的协同作用机制奠定了基础。     

Rapid screening of genetically modified ingredients in soybean and cotton processing by-product and waste using direct qPCR

To develop a simple and fast method for screening genetically modified ingredients from processing by-product and waste, direct quantitative PCR (qPCR) kit-Taqman which omitting multi genomic DNA preparing steps was developed in this study. A total of 18 oil crop processing by-products and wastes including 10 soybean and 8 cotton materials were collected from food processing factories. Compared with 2 commercial direct qPCR kits, conditions of DNA releasing procedure and PCR amplification were optimized. Element screening was performed at the initial step of genetically modified (GM) ingredient testing procedure via direct qPCR. GM event identification was carried out in positive samples by initial screening. Totally 5 screening elements (P–35S, T-NOS, Cp4-epsps, bar and pat) for soybean materials and 6 screening elements (P–35S, T-NOS, NPTII, Cry1Ac, bar and pat) for cotton samples were detected. In GM event identification, MON531 and MON1445 were found in cotton materials. Results were further confirmed by real-time PCR with DNA extraction and purification. The direct qPCR system proposed by this research was convenient for rapid screening and identification of GM ingredients in oil crop primary by-product and waste.     

人溶菌酶密码子优化及其在牛乳腺细胞中高效表达

【目的】分析牛乳腺中7种主要乳蛋白基因密码子使用偏好性,筛选高频密码子和低频密码子,依据其对人溶菌酶基因进行密码子局部优化和全局优化,通过牛乳腺上皮细胞等多种细胞对优化效果进行分析评价,为提高重组人溶菌酶表达量,开发新型、高效、安全的重组人溶菌酶提供理论依据。【方法】利用CodonW和EMBOSS等软件对7种主要牛乳蛋白和人溶菌酶基因密码子偏好进行生物信息学分析,筛选牛乳蛋白基因高频、低频密码子并根据牛乳蛋白基因密码子使用偏好对人溶菌酶基因翻译起始区前22位密码子（LYZop22）和全局密码子(LYZop)分别进行优化。构建人溶菌酶-荧光素酶融合表达载体（pGL3-LYZcw/op22/op）和人溶菌酶过表达载体（pcDNA-LYZcw/op22/op）,将上述载体分别转染牛乳腺上皮细胞(BMEC)、牛成纤维细胞（BFFC）和C127小鼠乳腺上皮细胞等3种细胞,通过荧光素酶、实时荧光定量PCR及Western-blot等方法检测密码子优化对溶菌酶表达的影响。【结果】牛乳蛋白基因密码子偏好以GC结尾,GC3s平均含量为0.537±0.062,而人溶菌酶GC3s含量为0.407,偏好以AT结尾;聚类结果表明,牛乳中酪蛋白与乳清蛋白类基因在密码子使用偏好性上也存在一定差异。依据筛选获得的牛主要乳蛋白基因5个高频密码子（RSCU>1.5）和7个低频密码子（RSCU<0.5）对人溶菌酶基因密码子进行优化并转染多种细胞进行表达效果分析。荧光素酶分析发现,相比野生型溶菌酶密码子（LYZcw）,翻译起始区密码子优化类型LYZop22分别在BMEC、BFFC细胞中提高1.48倍（P<0.01）和1.30倍（P>0.05）;而全局密码子优化类型LYZop分别在BMEC、BFFC中提高2.2倍（P<0.01）和2.44倍（P<0.01）,说明密码子优化能明显提高人溶菌酶在多种细胞中表达量。实时荧光定量PCR结果表明,LYZop22相比LYZcw在BMEC和BFFC细胞中分别提高了2.08倍（P<0.05）和1.5倍（P>0.05）,而LYZop则分别提高了22倍（P<0.01）和17.8倍（P<0.01）,mRNA表达水平与密码子优化后的mRNA二级结构稳定性呈正相关。Western-blot结果也进一步表明,密码子优化后的LYZop22和LYZop能明显提高重组人溶菌酶在牛乳腺上皮细胞中的表达量。上述结果表明,根据牛乳腺中主要乳蛋白基因密码子使用偏好进行密码子优化,能显著提高人溶菌酶在牛乳腺上皮细胞及成纤维细胞中的表达量,且溶菌酶基因全局密码子优化效果优于翻译起始区密码子优化效果。【结论】通过生物信息学分析获得了牛乳蛋白基因使密码子使用偏好及高低频密码子;依据牛乳蛋白密码子使用偏好性对人溶菌酶密码子优化能显著提高重组人溶菌酶mRNA水平和蛋白水平的表达量,为今后利用生物反应器高效生产重组人溶菌酶奠定基础。     

The use of quantitative PCR to detect Felis catus papillomavirus type 2 DNA from a high proportion of queens and their kittens

Squamous cell carcinomas are common feline skin cancers that have been associated with infection with Felis catus papillomavirus type 2 (FcaPV-2). Currently, little is known about the epidemiology of FcaPV-2 infection. The aim of this study was to develop a real-time PCR assay to quantify FcaPV-2 DNA in plucked hairs and skin swabs from 11 healthy breeding queens and their kittens. Samples were taken prior to kittening and then 2, 7 and 28 days after kittening to determine the age at which the kittens were first exposed to the virus. FcaPV-2 DNA was amplified from all of the queens and from 91% of the kittens at 2 days of age. There was a wide range in the quantity of FcaPV-2 DNA detected, from 1 to 92,520 copies per swab, and from 0.01 to 234 copies per copy of reference gene DNA in the hair plucks. The quantity of FcaPV-2 DNA detected in samples collected from the kittens was strongly correlated to that of their respective queens and the mean viral DNA load was similar for cats within a household but varied significantly between households. This is the first time that quantitative PCR has been used to detect FcaPV-2 DNA and the results suggest that the virus is ubiquitous but there is a wide variation of viral DNA loads. Kittens appear to be exposed to FcaPV-2 early in life, presumably from direct contact with their queen. These results are important when determining if FcaPV-2 infection of cats is preventable.