Molecular Identification of a New Member of the Clover Proliferation Phytoplasma Group (16SrVI) Associated with Centaurea Solstitialis Virescence in Italy

In the United States, yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) is an annual invasive weed with Mediterranean origins. Malformed plants displaying witches' broom, fasciations, abortion of buds and flower virescence symptoms were observed in central Italy. Attempts to transmit the causal agent from the natural yellow starthistle host to periwinkle by grafting, resulted in typical symptoms of a phytoplasma, i.e. yellowing and shortening of internodes. The detection of phytoplasmas was obtained from both symptomatic yellow starthistle and periwinkle by the specific amplification of their 16S-23S rRNA genes. PCR amplification of extracted DNA from symptomatic plant samples gave a product of expected size. Asymptomatic plants did not give positive results. An amplicon obtained by direct PCR with universal primers P1/P7 was cloned and sequenced. The homology search using CLUSTALW program showed more than 99% similarity with Illinois elm yellows (ILEY) phytoplasma from Illinois (United States) and 97% with Brinjal little leaf (BLL) phytoplasma from India. Digestion of the nested-PCR products with restriction enzymes led to restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns referable to those described for phytoplasmas belonging to the clover proliferation (16S-VI) group. Since this is a previously undescribed disease, the name Centaurea solstitialis virescence has been tentatively assigned to it. This is a new phytoplasma with closest relationships to ILEY and BLL, but distinguishable from them on the basis of 16S rDNA homology, the different associated plant hosts and their geographical origin.     

鸭流感病毒4/2004-H6N2亚型毒株的血凝素基因全序列克隆与分析

2004初从正常鸭群中分离到一株鸭源禽流感病毒，命名为A／Duck／HN／4／2004(H6N2)。经对血凝素基因(HA)序列分析发现HA基因全长为1744bp，共编码566个氨基酸，在裂解位点仅含一个碱性氨基酸-精氨酸(R)，符合LPAIV的标准。将所得基因序列与已发表的同一亚型参考序列分析表明，与H6亚型流感HA基因同源性为89．2％-97．1％，经分子遗传演化分析表明本次分离株与香港分离株A／Duck／Hong Kong／3600／99(H6N2)、A／Duck／Hong Kong／3600／99(H6N2)最近。     

复方中草药"毒菌杀"对禽大肠杆菌及鸡白痢沙门氏菌的体外抑菌试验

观察了复方中草药“毒菌杀”的安全性及其对禽大肠杆菌及鸡白痢沙门氏菌的体外抑菌情况。结果发现“毒菌杀”安全性高，组成“毒菌杀”的各单味中药及其合剂对大肠杆菌的最低抑菌浓度MIC(g/mL)分别为板蓝根0．05、穿心莲0．05、黄芪0．025、黄柏0．05、柴胡0．05、生地0．05、甘草0．05、当归0．025，“毒菌杀”方剂为0．05；对沙门氏菌的MIC分别为板蓝根0．05、穿心莲0．025、黄芪0．025、黄柏0．05、柴胡0．025、生地0．05、甘草0．025、当归0．05，“毒菌杀”方剂为0．025；而牛胆汁对这两种致病菌的最低抑菌浓度分别为2％和1％。说明“毒菌杀”方剂对大肠杆菌、沙门氏菌具有明显的抑制作用。     

毒害艾美耳球虫(Eimeria necatrix)广东株微线蛋白-2基因在大肠杆菌的表达

根据克隆的毒害艾美耳球虫(Eimeria necatrix)广东株微线蛋白-2基因(EnMIC-2(Gd))的cDNA序列设计特异性引物，用PCR方法扩增其阅读框架(ORF)后，克隆至质粒表达载体pET-32a( )，成功构建了重组表达质粒pET-32a( )-EnMIC-2。用CaCl2法将其转化至宿主细菌E.cliBL21(DE3)，并用IPTG成功诱导了EnMIC-2重组抗原在大肠杆菌表达。表达的重组蛋白约占菌体总蛋白的10．8％，其相对分子质量约为55000。重组蛋白经SDS-AGE分析后，用E．necatrix(广东株)感染鸡的高免血清进行Western Blotting分析，结果为阳性。     

添加不同酵母培养物对瘤胃纤维分解菌群和纤维素酶活的影响

用3种酵母培养物(YC- 1、YC 2和YC- 3)分别饲喂4头带有永久性瘤胃瘘管的肉牛,研究培养物对瘤胃发酵、纤维分解酶活性和3种纤维分解菌数量的影响,结果表明:YC 2处理的乙酸、丙酸、丁酸和总 VFA浓度显著高于对照组(P<0 .05),YC 1和YC 3处理的乙酸/丙酸比例显著降低(P<0 .01);各处理均能显著提高瘤胃内羧甲基纤维素酶、水杨苷酶和木聚糖酶的活性(P<0 .01);各处理都显著提高黄化瘤胃球菌的相对比例(P<0 .01),16SrRNA特异性寡聚核苷酸探针杂交法分析测定结果表明 3 种纤维分解菌在瘤胃细菌中所占比例为 3. 80%±0 .2%。     

H5亚型禽流感DNA疫苗质粒pCAGGoptiHA5对高致病力禽流感病毒攻击的免疫保护

对H5亚型禽流感DNA疫苗质粒pCAGGoptiHA5的免疫效果进行了研究。pCAGGoptiHA5分别以100和10μg剂量一次或两次免疫3周龄SPF鸡，首次免疫后4周以同样剂量和途径进行第二次免疫，一次免疫后4周、两次免疫后2周分别用100LD50的HPAIV A／Goose／GuangDong／1／96（H5N1）鼻腔途径进行攻击，观察发病与死亡情况，分别于攻毒后第3、5、7天采集喉头及泄殖腔拭子进行病毒分离、滴定检测排毒情况，同时检测免疫后、攻毒前及攻毒后血清HI抗体、NT抗体以及AGP抗体的动态变化。结果，100μg pCAGGoptiHA5一次免疫、100μg pCAGGoptiHA5两次免疫以及10μg pCAGGoptiHA5两次免疫均可对免疫鸡形成100％完全保护（不发病、不致死、不排毒），10μg剂量pCAGGoptiHA5一次免疫可对免疫鸡形成100％的保护（不发病、不致死），结果表明，pCAGGoptiHA5作为疫苗效果良好、成本低廉，有望成为预防H5亚型高致病力禽流感的高效、安全新型基因工程疫苗。     

Canine GM2‐Gangliosidosis Sandhoff Disease Associated with a 3‐Base Pair Deletion in the HEXB Gene

Background

GM2‐gangliosidosis is a fatal neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease (LSD) caused by deficiency of either β‐hexosaminidase A (Hex‐A) and β‐hexosaminidase B (Hex‐B) together, or the GM2 activator protein. Clinical signs can be variable and are not pathognomonic for the specific, causal deficiency.

Objectives

To characterize the phenotype and genotype of GM2‐gangliosidosis disease in an affected dog.

Animals

One affected Shiba Inu and a clinically healthy dog.

Methods

Clinical and neurologic evaluation, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), assays of lysosomal enzyme activities, and sequencing of all coding regions of HEXA, HEXB, and GM2A genes.

Results

A 14‐month‐old, female Shiba Inu presented with clinical signs resembling GM2‐gangliosidosis in humans and GM1‐gangliosidosis in the Shiba Inu. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the dog's brain indicated neurodegenerative disease, and evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) identified storage granules in leukocytes. Lysosomal enzyme assays of plasma and leukocytes showed deficiencies of Hex‐A and Hex‐B activities in both tissues. Genetic analysis identified a homozygous, 3‐base pair deletion in the HEXB gene (c.618‐620delCCT).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Clinical, biochemical, and molecular features are characterized in a Shiba Inu with GM2‐gangliosidosis. The deletion of 3 adjacent base pairs in HEXB predicts the loss of a leucine residue at amino acid position 207 (p.Leu207del) supporting the hypothesis that GM2‐gangliosidosis seen in this dog is the Sandhoff type. Because GM1‐gangliosidosis also exists in this breed with almost identical clinical signs, genetic testing for both GM1‐ and GM2‐gangliosidosis should be considered to make a definitive diagnosis.     

一株鸭源禽流感病毒（H9N2）全基因序列分析及其排毒规律的研究

为研究一株鸭源H9N2亚型禽流感病毒(JN1株)全基因组的分子特征和遗传进化情况以及感染雏鸭后的排毒规律,对其生物学特性、全基因组序列以及遗传进化进行了分析,通过点眼滴鼻方式感染3周龄健康雏鸭,利用建立的实时荧光定量PCR(RT-PCR)检测鸭的排毒规律,并测定血清抗体效价。JNI株的鸡胚半数感染量为10~(-7.54)/0.2mL,鸡胚最小致死量的平均死亡时间为72h,静脉致病指数为0.266,抗原相关系数为0.47。系统发育分析表明,JN1株的HA与CK/HK/G9/97和DK/HK/Y280/97在同一分支上,NA、M、NP、PA、PB1、PB2基因与SH/F/98同源性较高,NS基因则与H5N1亚型禽流感病毒进化关系较近。HA的裂解位点为PSRSSR↓GL,存在6个潜在糖基化位点,在234位的氨基酸残基为L,NA基因颈部存在缺失。雏鸭在感染该病毒后,饮食正常,精神良好,3~17d均有排毒,咽拭子和泄殖腔棉拭子排毒规律基本一致,分别在第3天和第13天出现排毒高峰。该H9N2亚型禽流感病毒属欧亚大陆分支,为低致病性禽流感,病毒可通过呼吸道和泄殖腔向外界排毒,排毒时间较长。     

NO介导的Ca2+信号对渗透胁迫下紫花苜蓿幼苗光合特征及抗性的影响

以紫花苜蓿幼苗为材料,用聚乙二醇(PEG-6000)作为渗透介质人工模拟干旱条件,外源喷施NO供体硝普钠(SNP)、钙信号试剂CaCl₂、NO抑制剂亚甲基蓝(MB)和Ca²⁺通道阻断剂LaCl₃,对紫花苜蓿幼苗光合特征、抗氧化酶活性及过氧化物酶(POD)同工酶图谱进行研究,探讨了渗透胁迫下NO介导的Ca²⁺信号对紫花苜蓿幼苗光合作用及抗氧化能力的影响。结果表明:在渗透胁迫条件下,施加SNP、CaCl₂均能够有效缓解叶片叶绿素a、类胡萝卜素及总叶绿素含量降低,提高叶片净光合速率(P_n)、气孔导度(G_s)及气孔限制值(L_s),而对胞间CO₂浓度(C_i)没有缓解作用。SNP、CaCl₂及SNP+CaCl₂处理提高了幼苗叶片中抗氧化酶活性和脯氨酸含量,降低了丙二醛(MDA)含量。其中共处理时效果最为显著,第4天 SOD、POD、CAT活性较PEG处理升高了39.29%、30.41%和56.24%,脯氨酸含量增加了45.59%,MDA含量降低了45.59%。POD同工酶图谱在第4天时酶谱带数最多,POD活性最强,且SNP+CaCl₂共处理下出现新酶带。而添加外源NO的同时添加Ca²⁺通道阻断剂LaCl₃,紫花苜蓿幼苗光合速率、抗氧化酶活性及脯氨酸含量均降低,丙二醛含量增加,添加Ca²⁺信号的同时施加NO抑制剂MB也具有相同的作用,说明Ca²⁺信号参与NO信号转导过程并相互作用共同调节渗透胁迫下紫花苜蓿幼苗的生理应答响应。