Permuted tRNA genes expressed via a circular RNA intermediate in Cyanidioschyzon merolae

A computational analysis of the nuclear genome of a red alga, Cyanidioschyzon merolae, identified 11 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes in which the 3' half of the tRNA lies upstream of the 5' half in the genome. We verified that these genes are expressed and produce mature tRNAs that are aminoacylated. Analysis of tRNA-processing intermediates for these genes indicates an unusual processing pathway in which the termini of the tRNA precursor are ligated, resulting in formation of a characteristic circular RNA intermediate that is then processed at the acceptor stem to generate the correct termini.     

蝎蝽次目线粒体基因组22个tRNA基因的比较研究(半翅目:异翅亚目)

[目的]本研究旨在对蝎蝽次目11科线粒体基因组中22个tRNA基因的序列特征、遗传距离、同源基因相同核苷酸百分比和二级结构进行比较研究,同时基于22个tRNA序列构建蝎蝽次目的系统发育树。[方法]通过GenBank获得蝎蝽次目所有12个代表种的tRNA序列,在MEGA 6.0中计算tRNA基因序列特征和遗传距离,同源基因相同核苷酸百分比在BioEdit 7.1中进行,tRNA二级结构在RNA structure 5.8中构建。在RAxML 8.2.8和Mrbayes 3.2.5中构建系统发育树。[结果]结果显示蝎蝽次目11科核苷酸碱基组成(A+T)%平均含量为76.41%,碱基A和T的含量均高于G和C,其中多数种呈现A高于T,所有种呈现G高于C。蝎蝽次目11科间的遗传距离在0.13～0.26之间。核苷酸保守性较高的tRNA-L2、tRNA-T和tRNA-M基因均位于线粒体基因组的J链,核苷酸保守性较低的tRNA-V和tRNA-F基因均位于线粒体基因组的N链。蝎蝽次目11科内tRNA二级结构中氨基酸接受茎表现为较高的保守性,而环中除了反密码子环相对保守外,其余环都有不同程度的碱基变异。系统发育结果显示固蝽总科、仰泳蝽总科和划蝽总科均为单系,其中固蝽总科和仰泳蝽总科为姐妹群关系,其余总科的单系性没有得到很好的解析,可能与tRNA基因序列能够提供的有效系统发育信号较少有关。[结论]本研究补充了tRNA在蝎蝽次目研究中的不足,揭示了tRNA基因及其二级结构在比较线粒体基因组学研究中的重要性。     

根瘤菌参比菌株23S rRNA基因数量和定位及其系统发育群

    为了明确23S rRNA基因数量和定位是否可更好地揭示根瘤菌参比菌株的系统发育关系,采用I-CeuI酶切和脉冲场凝胶电泳(PFGE)结合的方法,对根瘤菌株23S rRNA基因的数量和定位进行分析,并依据其相似性进行聚群.结果显示.根瘤菌参比菌株可聚为19个系统发育群.其中,在属的水平上,13个系统发育群与现行分类群(不包括依据16S rRNA基因序列分析结果)一致,6个不一致.在种的水平上,现行分类群中同种的根瘤菌可进一步细分为不同的系统发育群.这表明:I-CeuI酶切和PFGE结合的方法能从基因组特征角度对根瘤菌参比菌株进行更加细化的系统发育分类,并使其属种间的同质性更好.     

Major biocontrol of plant tumors targets tRNA synthetase

Crops can be devastated by pathogenic strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens that cause crown gall tumors. This devastation can be prevented by the nonpathogenic biocontrol agent A. radiobacter K84, which prevents disease by production of the "Trojan horse" toxin agrocin 84, which is specifically imported into tumorgenic A. tumefaciens strains to cause cell death. We demonstrate that this biocontrol agent targets A. tumefaciens leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS), an essential enzyme for cell viability, while the agent itself survives by having a second, self-protective copy of the synthetase. In principle, this strategy from nature could be applied to other crop diseases by direct intervention.     

禽流感病毒广东株HA 基因BLSOM神经网络分型方法的建立

利用25个禽流感病毒及相关流感病毒广东株HA基因序列,建立三、四核苷酸特征基因片段BLSOM神经网络分型方法,对各片段数量进行统计和归一化处理。设计程序由MATLAB函数模拟人脑思维自组织学习,当训练步数为100及以上各毒株能成功聚类。H1、H3、H5、H7和H9亚型主要毒株分别归为一类,其中H3N2和H7N9毒株HA基因聚类图谱高度相似,表明这些毒株起源相同;不同年代H5N1毒株差异较大;H1N1和H9N2各1个毒株聚为一类,表明这两种病毒自然重组变异,为高危毒株筛查和溯源提供参考。     

Interferon-beta-related DNA is dispersed in the human genome

Interferon-beta 1 (IFN-beta 1) complementary DNA was used as a hybridization probe to isolate human genomic DNA clones lambda B3 and lambda B4 from a human genomic DNA library. Blot-hybridization procedures and partial nucleotide sequencing revealed that lambda B3 is related to IFN-beta 1 (and more distantly to IFN-alpha 1). Analyses of DNA obtained from a panel of human-rodent somatic cell hybrids that were probed with DNA derived from lambda B3 showed that lambda B3 is on human chromosome 2. Similar experiments indicated that lambda B4 is not on human chromosomes 2, 5, or 9. The finding that DNA related to the IFN-beta 1 gene (and IFN-alpha 1 gene) is dispersed in the human genome raises new questions about the origins of the interferon genes.     

Simulation of paleocortex performs hierarchical clustering

Simulations were performed of layers I and II of olfactory paleocortex, as connected to its primary input structure, olfactory bulb. Induction of synaptic long-term potentiation by means of repetitive sampling of inputs caused the simulation to organize encodings of learned cues into a hierarchical memory that uncovered statistical relationships in the cue environment, corresponding to the performance of hierarchical clustering by the biological network. Simplification led to characterization of those parts of the network responsible for the mechanism, resulting in a novel, efficient algorithm for hierarchical clustering. The hypothesis is put forward that these corticobulbar networks and circuitry of similar design in other brain regions contain computational elements sufficient to construct perceptual hierarchies for use in recognizing environmental cues.     

Growth enhancement of plants by femtomole doses of colloidally dispersed triacontanol

Colloidal dispersions of crystalline 1-triacontanol in water, upon foliar application to corn (Zea mays L.) seedlings, resulted in growth increases at femtomole dosages (spray concentrations as low as 1 nanogram per cubic decimeter). The maximum growth increase occurred at 100 nanograms per cubic decimeter; at both higher and lower concentrations lessened growth increase was observed. The dispersions were prepared by sonication, with control of temperature and composition. Selected surfactants, which facilitate the dispersion process, are effective at 1 percent of the 1-triacontanol composition and are nontoxic.     

Structure of the 70S ribosome complexed with mRNA and tRNA

The crystal structure of the bacterial 70S ribosome refined to 2.8 angstrom resolution reveals atomic details of its interactions with messenger RNA (mRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA). A metal ion stabilizes a kink in the mRNA that demarcates the boundary between A and P sites, which is potentially important to prevent slippage of mRNA. Metal ions also stabilize the intersubunit interface. The interactions of E-site tRNA with the 50S subunit have both similarities and differences compared to those in the archaeal ribosome. The structure also rationalizes much biochemical and genetic data on translation.     

分散相粒径对油水乳状液蜡沉积的影响

利用冷指实验装置,针对油包水型乳状液分散相粒径大小及分布,对油水体系中蜡沉积规律的影响进行实验研究,结果表明:在相同的搅拌时间下,随着配制乳状液时搅拌速率的增大,分散相中小液滴的数量增多,大液滴的数量减少;在相同的含水率下,随着乳状液体系中分散相液滴直径的减小和小液滴数量的增多,蜡沉积速率减小.对沉积物组分进行了高温气相色谱(HTGC)分析,指出在相同的实验时间条件下,油包水型乳状液分散相粒径大小及分布仅对蜡沉积层厚度有显著影响,对沉积层中蜡质量分数的影响可以忽略不计.该研究成果为进一步研究油水流动条件下的蜡沉积特性奠定了基础.     

Functional delivery of a cytosolic tRNA into mutant mitochondria of human cells

Many maternally inherited and incurable neuromyopathies are caused by mutations in mitochondrial (mt) transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. Kinetoplastid protozoa, including Leishmania, have evolved specialized systems for importing nucleus-encoded tRNAs into mitochondria. We found that the Leishmania RNA import complex (RIC) could enter human cells by a caveolin-1-dependent pathway, where it induced import of endogenous cytosolic tRNAs, including tRNA(Lys), and restored mitochondrial function in a cybrid harboring a mutant mt tRNA(Lys) (MT-TK) gene. The use of protein complexes to modulate mitochondrial function may help in the management of such genetic disorders.