Randomly primed,strand-switching,MinION-based sequencing for the detection and characterization of cultured RNA viruses

RNA viruses rapidly mutate, which can result in increased virulence, increased escape from vaccine protection, and false-negative detection results. Targeted detection methods have a limited ability to detect unknown viruses and often provide insufficient data to detect coinfections or identify antigenic variants. Random, deep sequencing is a method that can more fully detect and characterize RNA viruses and is often coupled with molecular techniques or culture methods for viral enrichment. We tested viral culture coupled with third-generation sequencing for the ability to detect and characterize RNA viruses. Cultures of bovine viral diarrhea virus, canine distemper virus (CDV), epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus, infectious bronchitis virus, 2 influenza A viruses, and porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus were sequenced on the MinION platform using a random, reverse primer in a strand-switching reaction, coupled with PCR-based barcoding. Reads were taxonomically classified and used for reference-based sequence building using a stock personal computer. This method accurately detected and identified complete coding sequence genomes with a minimum of 20× coverage depth for all 7 viruses, including a sample containing 2 viruses. Each lineage-typing region had at least 26× coverage depth for all viruses. Furthermore, analyzing the CDV sample through a pipeline devoid of CDV reference sequences modeled the ability of this protocol to detect unknown viruses. Our results show the ability of this technique to detect and characterize dsRNA, negative- and positive-sense ssRNA, and nonsegmented and segmented RNA viruses.     

lncRNA作为竞争性内源分子的作用机制及研究进展

竞争性内源RNA （competing endogenous RNA,ceRNA）假说提出具有相同短序列非编码微小（microRNA,miRNA）应答元件（microRNA response element,MRE）的转录物通过竞争的方式结合miRNA,从而影响转录物的表达水平。ceRNA假说颠覆了miRNA与靶基因单向调控的传统观念,在RNA调控网络中具有重要的生物学意义。在众多转录物中,长链非编码RNA （long non-coding RNA,lncRNA）是一类序列长度超过200个核苷酸的非编码RNA,对lncRNA的研究涉及到遗传、分子生物、基因调控、疾病（癌症、神经系统疾病等）等领域。miRNA与lncRNA形成了一个相互作用的调控网络,lncRNA可作为ceRNA抑制miRNA的功能,从而影响后续基因的表达。近年来,随着生物信息学技术的发展,科研人员发现ceRNA作用机制不仅涉及到人类癌症疾病,而且在各种复杂动物的肌细胞分化、脂肪细胞分化和颗粒细胞凋亡等生物过程中也发挥重要的调控作用。作者追溯了ceRNA调控机制,分析了ceRNA网络调控的影响因素,综述了ceRNA在不同动物中调控miRNA的研究进展,为进一步研究lncRNA与miRNA的调控网络提供参考,为畜牧业发展及复杂动物疾病治疗提供新的思路。     

二化螟dsRNA降解酶基因的克隆与表达分析

为解析二化螟Chilo suppressalis体内参与降解双链RNA(double-stranded RNA,dsRNA)的关键核酸酶的功能,克隆二化螟不同的非专一性核酸酶（non-specific nuclease,NUC）基因,并对这些基因进行生物信息学分析和组织定量表达分析,同时对dsRNA降解酶（dsRNA degrading nuclease,dsRNase）活力的组织分布进行研究。结果显示,共克隆获得5个NUC基因,其中有4个编码dsRNase亚家族基因（CsdsRNase1～CsdsRNase4）和1个编码Endonuclease G亚家族基因（CsEndoG）。5个NUC基因的开放阅读框核苷酸序列长度范围为828～1 338 bp,编码275～445个氨基酸残基,其分子量大小为31.68～49.57 kD,预测等电点为5.48～9.42。CsdsRNase1和CsdsRNase2含有信号肽序列,两者相似度极高,且与家蚕Bombyx mori和斜纹夜蛾Spodoptera litura中具有dsRNA降解酶活力的dsRNase同源聚类;CsdsRNase1和CsdsRN...     

灰斑病菌对大豆叶片总多酚和总黄酮的诱导研究

利用大豆灰斑病菌不同致病力的生理小种接种抗感不同的大豆品种,结果表明:大豆叶片内总黄酮类物质的含量与品种的抗病性呈明显正相关;感病品种叶片内总多酚含量变化显著降低,抗病品种总体变化不大.接种致病力强的生理小种能够大幅度提高抗病品种体内总黄酮含量,这一结果可以作为筛选和鉴定抗病品种的一种生化指标;大豆灰斑病菌弱毒菌株能够诱导感病品种体内总黄酮含量提高,进而提高大豆的抗病性,这一结果为大豆灰斑病的生物防治提供了依据.     

黏虫CYP9A134基因的克隆及其解毒功能

昆虫体内的细胞色素P450酶系统在昆虫解毒过程中发挥着重要作用。本次试验通过转录组测序获得一条新的黏虫P450基因,经国际委员会命名为CYP9A134（登录号为MT990973）。该序列全长为1801 bp,开放序列长度为1596 bp,编码531个氨基酸,分子质量为61.42 kDa,等电点为4.90。在黏虫幼虫阶段用2.5%高效氯氟氰菊酯和20%氯虫苯甲酰胺诱导时该基因表达量会有不同程度上升,最高的可分别达对照组的2.6倍和6.5倍。RNA干扰后,该基因表达量最低下降了70%,以上2种杀虫剂LD30杀虫效果分别提高了13%和25%;在黏虫成虫阶段用20%氯虫苯甲酰胺LD30诱导时,该基因表达量最高可达7.8倍。RNA干扰后,该基因表达量最低下降了61%,LD30剂量的氯虫苯甲酰胺杀虫效果提高26%。结果表明,该基因可能在杀虫剂诱导的解毒代谢过程中发挥重要作用。     

Identifying and Characterizing a Novel Peritrophic Matrix Protein (MdPM-17) Associated With Antibacterial Response From the Housefly,Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae)

Peritrophic matrix/membrane (PM) critically prevents the midgut of insects from external invasion by microbes. The proteins in the peritrophic membrane are its major structural components. Additionally, they determine the formation and function of this membrane. However, the role of PM proteins in immune regulation is unclear. Herein, we isolated a novel PM protein (MdPM-17) from Musca domestica larvae. Further, the function of MdPM-17 in regulating host innate immunity was identified. Results showed that the cDNA of MdPM-17 full is 635 bp in length. Moreover, it consists of a 477-bp open reading frame encoding 158 amino acid residues. These amino acid residues are composed of two Chitin-binding type-2 domain (ChtBD2) and 19 amino acids as a signal peptide. Moreover, tissue distribution analysis indicates that MdPM-17 was enriched expressed in midgut, and moderate levels in the fat body, foregut, and malpighian tubule. Notably, MdPM-17 recombinant protein showed high chitin-binding capacity, thus belongs to the Class III PM protein group. MdPM-17 protein silencing via RNA interference resulted in the expression of antimicrobial peptide (defensin, cecropins, and diptericin) genes, and this occurred after oral inoculation with exogenous microbes Escherichia coli (Enterobacteriales:Enterobacteriaceae), Staphylococcus aureus (Bacillales:Staphylococcaceae), and Candida albicans (Endomycetales:Saccharomycetaceae)). Therefore, all the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) gene expression levels are high in MdPM-17-depleted larvae during microbial infection compared to controls. Consequently, these findings indicate that MdPM-17 protein is associated with the antibacterial response from the housefly.