作物耐低氮的相关生物学研究进展

综述了近年来国内外在作物低氮胁迫下氮效率和筛选指标、基因型差异、生理生化、遗传改良方面的研究进展,以及分子生物学技术在作物耐低氮改良方面的重要作用。     

用微卫星标记研究南海四种石斑鱼的遗传变异与种间关系(英文)

[目的]从DNA分子水平揭示我国南海的四种重要经济海水鱼类点带石斑鱼(Epinephelusmalabaricus)、斜带石斑鱼(E.coioides)、鲑点石斑鱼(E.fario)、蜂巢石斑鱼(E.merra)的遗传群体变异水平与种间关系。[方法]本研究利用从GenBank中搜索到的21对微卫星引物,对点带石斑鱼、斜带石斑鱼、鲑点石斑鱼及蜂巢石斑鱼的等位基因数A、有效等位基因数Ne、多态信息含量PIC、观察遗传杂合度Ho、期望遗传杂合度He等遗传参数进行检测,并采用UPGMA类聚分析法探讨这四种石斑鱼的种间关系。[结果]点带石斑鱼群体的A、Ne、PIC、Ho和He等遗传参数的平均值分别为4.38±1.60、3.69±0.86、0.69±0.08、0.67±0.08、0.72±0.06,斜带石斑鱼群体的为3.88±1.13、3.55±1.04、0.66±0.10、0.68±0.21、0.70±0.08,鲑点石斑鱼群体的为6.00±1.07、4.68±0.65、0.78±0.03、0.73±0.25、0.79±0.03,蜂巢石斑鱼群体的为5.50±1.07、4.58±0.80、0.76±0.05、0.75±0.18、0.78±0.04。[结论]综合比较上述数值可知,四个石斑鱼群体的遗传变异程度依次为鲑点石斑鱼群体>蜂巢石斑鱼群体>点带石斑鱼>斜带石斑鱼群体;与其他海水鱼类的遗传变异水平比较,四种石斑鱼的群体遗传变异水平都较高,说明我国这些石斑鱼种类的遗传种质资源尚好。另外,遗传距离与类聚分析表明,点带石斑鱼与斜带石斑鱼遗传距离最近,而斜带石斑鱼与蜂巢石斑鱼的亲缘关系最远。     

分离群体中常染色体上标记基因的数量遗传方差——Ⅰ.含有一个数量性状位点(QTL)时的计算方法

应用常染色体上的标记基因研究能够加快数量性状的遗传进展。亲代由标记基因遗传给后代的加性遗传方差值可以用来测定标记基因这种效益。分别在个体水平上以及在复合连续平衡的分离群体水平上建立了标记基因加性遗传方差值的理论方程。这些方程包括与标记基因连锁的数量性状位点数、这些数量性状位点的效应值以及与标记基因有关的重组率。并就分离群体中标记基因加性遗传方差的期望值进行了推导。在分离群体的系谱选择方案中,常染色体上遗传方差中绝大部分与位于该染色体上的标记基因相关。对于牛的一个平均长度染色体来讲,这部分值大约是该染色体孟德尔分离方差值的40% 。标记基因的位置效应和干扰因素对这一期望值的影响是很小的,而染色体的长度对期望方差值影响很大。如果标记基因缺乏多态型以及染色体替代效应估计偏差会大大降低MAS的选择效果。常染色体上标记基因遗传方差期望值的大小表明:即使当标记基因处在一个非活动位点,在分离群体中,仍有较大的染色体替代效应存在。     

Genetic Structure of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Carrier Horses in Morocco Inferred by Microsatellite Data

A total of 17 microsatellite deoxyribonucleic acid loci used routinely for horse parentage control were used to evaluate genetic diversity among normal Arabian horses and severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) carrier Arabian horses (ArS) and normal Arab-Barb horses and SCID carrier Arab-Barb horses (ArbeS). On the basis of the genotype of 186 horses, mean allelic diversity was estimated as 6.82, 5.53, and 6.7059 in normal Arabian horses, ArS, and for both groups of Arab-Barb horses, respectively. Five specific alleles were observed in ArS and ArbeS, with one common with ArS at HMS6, whereas five alleles common between ArS and ArbeS had a high frequency. Expected and observed heterozygosity showed great heterogeneity in the population studied and were similar or higher when compared with other studies on Arabian horses. Coefficient of gene differentiation G_st of Nei associated with Nei’s genetic distance and multivariate correspondence analysis indicated a possible differentiation between the studied populations when analyzed separately according to breed. Probability of assignment of a horse to a specific group was assessed using a full and partial Bayesian approach. In all, 80.6% of Arab horses and 78.2% of Arab-Barb horses were assigned properly with a partial Bayesian test, which provided better results than the full one. These findings will be useful for identification of SCID carrier horses by using the microsatellite deoxyribonucleic acid loci used routinely for horse parentage control in our laboratory.     

Use of genomic recursions and algorithm for proven and young animals for single‐step genomic BLUP analyses – a simulation study

The purpose of this study was to examine accuracy of genomic selection via single‐step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) when the direct inverse of the genomic relationship matrix ( G ) is replaced by an approximation of G ^?1 based on recursions for young genotyped animals conditioned on a subset of proven animals, termed algorithm for proven and young animals (APY). With the efficient implementation, this algorithm has a cubic cost with proven animals and linear with young animals. Ten duplicate data sets mimicking a dairy cattle population were simulated. In a first scenario, genomic information for 20k genotyped bulls, divided in 7k proven and 13k young bulls, was generated for each replicate. In a second scenario, 5k genotyped cows with phenotypes were included in the analysis as young animals. Accuracies (average for the 10 replicates) in regular EBV were 0.72 and 0.34 for proven and young animals, respectively. When genomic information was included, they increased to 0.75 and 0.50. No differences between genomic EBV (GEBV) obtained with the regular G ^?1 and the approximated G ^?1 via the recursive method were observed. In the second scenario, accuracies in GEBV (0.76, 0.51 and 0.59 for proven bulls, young males and young females, respectively) were also higher than those in EBV (0.72, 0.35 and 0.49). Again, no differences between GEBV with regular G ^?1 and with recursions were observed. With the recursive algorithm, the number of iterations to achieve convergence was reduced from 227 to 206 in the first scenario and from 232 to 209 in the second scenario. Cows can be treated as young animals in APY without reducing the accuracy. The proposed algorithm can be implemented to reduce computing costs and to overcome current limitations on the number of genotyped animals in the ssGBLUP method.     

Combined Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli Rapid Testing and Molecular Epidemiology in Conventional Broiler Flocks

Campylobacter spp. are important causes of bacterial zoonosis, most often transmitted by contaminated poultry meat. From an epidemiological and risk assessment perspective, further knowledge should be obtained on Campylobacter prevalence and genotype distribution in primary production. Consequently, 15 Austrian broiler flocks were surveyed in summer for their thermophilic Campylobacter spp. contamination status. Chicken droppings, dust and drinking water samples were collected from each flock at three separate sampling periods. Isolates were confirmed by PCR and subtyped. We also compared three alternative methods (culture‐based enrichment in Bolton broth, culture‐independent real‐time PCR and a lateral‐flow test) for their applicability in chicken droppings. Twelve flocks were found to be positive for thermophilic Campylobacter spp. during the entire sampling period. Seven flocks (46.6%) were contaminated with both, C. jejuni and C. coli, five flocks harboured solely one species. We observed to a majority flock‐specific C. jejuni and C. coli genotypes, which dominated the respective flock. Flocks within a distance <2 km shared the same C. jejuni genotypes indicating a cross‐contamination event via the environment or personnel vectors. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of C. jejuni revealed that the majority of isolates were assigned to globally distributed clonal complexes or had a strong link to the human interface (CC ST‐446 and ST4373). The combination of techniques poses an advantage over risk assessment studies based on cultures alone, as, in the case of Campylobacter, occurrence of a high variety of genotypes might be present among a broiler flock. We suggest applying the lateral‐flow test under field conditions to identify ‘high‐shedding’ broiler flocks at the farm level. Consequently, poultry farmers and veterinarians could improve hygiene measurements and direct sanitation activities, especially during the thinning period. Ultimately, real‐time PCR could be applied to quantify Campylobacter spp. directly from chicken droppings and avoid non‐interpretable results achieved by culture‐dependent methods.     

披碱草属种质资源研究现状

在前人研究的基础上,对国内外披碱草属种质资源的系统学分类、分布情况、遗传多样性研究进行了总结和探讨,并提出了披碱草属种质资源存在的问题以及对它的研究展望,以期为披碱草属资源的进一步研究利用提供参考依据。     

Genetic immunization with the immunodominant antigen P48 of Mycoplasma agalactiae stimulates a mixed adaptive immune response in BALBc mice

A DNA vaccine against contagious agalactia was developed for the first time, encoding the P48 of Mycoplasma agalactiae. Specific immune responses elicited in BALB/c mice were evaluated. Both total IgG and IgG1 were detected in mice vaccinated with pVAX1/P48. Proliferation of mononuclear cells of the spleen, levels of gamma interferon, interleukin-12, and interleukin-2 mRNAs were enhanced in immunized animals. Results indicate that pVAX1/P48 vaccination induced both T_h1 and T_h2 immune responses. Nucleic acid immunization could be a new strategy against M. agalactiae infections and may be potentially used to develop vaccines for other Mycoplasma diseases.     

Defining the immune response to Ehrlichia species using murine models

Pathogenic bacteria belonging to the family Anaplasmataceae include species of the genera Ehrlichia and Anaplasma. Ehrlichia chaffeensis, first known as the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, also infects several vertebrate hosts including white-tailed deer, dogs, coyotes and goats. E. chaffeensis is transmitted from the bite of an infected hard tick, such as Amblyomma americanum. E. chaffeensis and other tick-transmitted pathogens have adapted to both the tick and vertebrate host cell environments. Although E. chaffeensis persists in both vertebrate and tick hosts for long periods of time, little is known about that process. Immunological studies will be valuable in assessing how the pathogen persists in nature in both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Understanding the host immune response to the pathogen originating from dual host backgrounds is also important to develop effective methods of diagnosis, control and treatment. In this paper, we provide our perspective of the current understanding of the immune response against E. chaffeensis in relation to other related Anaplasmataceae pathogens.     

Update on Canine and Feline Blood Donor Screening for Blood‐Borne Pathogens

An update on the 2005 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Consensus Statement on blood donor infectious disease screening was presented at the 2015 ACVIM Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana, followed by panel and audience discussion. The updated consensus statement is presented below. The consensus statement aims to provide guidance on appropriate blood‐borne pathogen testing for canine and feline blood donors in North America.