冠状病毒的siRNA设计

用自己编写的siRNA查找设计的程序sRNAFinder，对来自GenBank的7个冠状病毒全基因组序列进行了siRNA的查找，并分析了各自的分布情况。结果表明，ORF1ab、S、E、M和N这5个主要基因中，候选siRNA占全基因组中所有候选siRNA的比例达到90％以上，根据基因组结构特征，对SAILS—CoV进行的siRNA分布分析表明，在全部449个候选siRNA中，有443个分布于orf1ab中，与基于RNAi原理的抗病毒药物设计思想相吻合。表8参15。     

基于山桐子转录组序列的SSR分子标记开发

为研究山桐子遗传多样性,对山桐子转录组数据进行分析,开发SSR分子标记技术.将山桐子高通量转录组测序获得的84 213条Unigene进行简单重复序列(SSR)位点挖掘和分析,并结合引物验证,初步证明其可行性.通过软件分析,共获得含SSR位点的序列数23 077,出现频率为27.40%,涉及序列数量为29 953条,发生频率为35%.SSR序列中包括1 620种重复基元类型,其中单核苷酸、二核苷酸和三核苷酸为优势重复类型,SSR位点数分别为9 782(32.67%)、6 921(23.11%)和5 420(18.10%).单核苷酸中A/T类型比例最高,为9 630(32.15%),二核苷酸和三核苷酸中以类型AG/CT(4 679;15.62%)和AAG/CCT(1 220;1.53%)为主.SSR位点重复次数差别较大,主要是3次(4 748;15.70%),其次为6次(3 707;12.25%)和5次(3 475;11.60%).运用多态性分析的方式初步验证SSR位点在不同地区山桐子标记中的可行性.同时,利用Primer 5.0进行引物设计,随机筛选100对引物进行验证,31对引物可以扩增出条带,19对引物扩增出预期大小的条带,8对引物能特异性区分宜宾、资阳、宁强、成都4个不同地区的山桐子.本研究通过分析山桐子高通量转录组序列的SSR信息,筛选出8对引物验证不同地区山桐子的遗传多样性,将有助于山桐子基因挖掘、分子标记育种和资源保护等后续工作的开展.     

大麦EST-SSR分子标记开发及特征分析

大麦是一种古老的栽培作物,也是分子遗传学研究中常用的模式植物,为满足大麦基因作图、遗传多样性、种质资源鉴定和分子辅助育种等研究的需求,拟在NCBI公共数据库基础上,开发基于表达序列标签(EST)的简单序列重复(SSR)分子标记.从NCBI数据库中获得了525 781条大麦EST序列,将这些序列进行聚类和去冗余后共获得61 902个Unigene,随后通过MISA软件搜索Unigene中的SSR位点,并设计引物9 659对,最后通过电子PCR(E–PCR)和普通PCR对引物进行验证.结果显示:(1)61 902个Unigene中含有SSR位点24 648个,其中复合SSR位点5 843个,约占3.42%,单纯SSR位点23 805个,约占96.58%;(2)经E-PCR验证后发现9 659对SSR引物中有1 060对(11%)能够成功扩增出产物;(3)随机选取的11对引物经普通PCR验证发现,这些引物都能在2份野生大麦品种、2份栽培大麦品种及1份小麦、硬粒小麦、荆州黑麦和节节麦中成功扩增.本研究表明日益丰富的EST公共数据库是大麦SSR分子标记的重要来源;利用EST公共数据库、SSR搜索软件,结合E–PCR验证是开发SSR分子标记省时高效的手段.     

系列硫氧化还原酶(SOR)的同源建模

硫氧化还原酶(Sulfur oxygenase/reductase,SOR)在嗜热酸古菌硫氧化代谢中具有关键性作用,其催化机理和分子工程等都得到广泛关注.对SOR所涉及的亚基进行分子同源建模研究,并评估其可用性,通过1)序列相似性搜索,2)序列和结构比对,3)初始建模,4)分析和评估,5)精修和优化获得未知三维结构SOR的三维模型.同时讨论了此类蛋白质结构建模、评估策略、特征数据提取等.     

鸡贫血病毒(CAV)vp1基因的克隆及与其他CAV vp1基因的比较

把一个新鸡贫血病毒(CAV)的vp1基因通过PCR扩增，然后克隆到质粒载体pUC18上．vp1基因包含1347个碱基对，并且推定的VP1蛋白氨基酸序列含有449个氨基酸．通过DNA BLAST软件把该基因的序列数据与在GenBank中发表的其他vp1基因比较显示，克隆的vp1基因与已发表的其他vp1基因之间存在许多核甘酸差异．核甘酸的变异导致其编码蛋白质的某些氨基酸发生改变．氨基酸的改变主要集中在VP1蛋白的29、75、125、141、144、251、254、447位．在这些变异中，许多氨基酸的电荷和／或疏水性发生了改变，例如：Gly→Glu、Val→Glu、Ala→Thr、Leu→Gln、Cys→Trp、Leu→Arg、Arg→Ala、Gly→Ser、Ser→Ala、Glu→Gly、Gly→Thr等．通过CLUSTAL X软件比较了6个不同的vp1基因．该vp1基因已被GenBank登录(登录编号：AF448446)．VP1蛋白是CAV的唯一衣壳蛋白，因此VP1的氨基酸变异可能影响该蛋白质的抗原特征．对该vp1基因进一步进行免疫学研究具有重要意义，并且有可能应用该基因构建CAV基因工程疫苗．图1表3参20     

CMS高粱保持系叶绿体基因ps1A1和ps1A2片段的克隆与序列比对

以15种包括同质异核和同核异质高粱材料的总：DNA为模板进行RAPD分析，196个随机引物中，引物Y-19扩增得到一个很有规律的差异片段SAY-192300。该片段只出现在4个保持系(B)和3个恢复系(R)中，而不出现在6个不育系(A)和2个杂种F1中，进一步对cms—Al、cms—A2两套8个材料(A／B／R／F1)的总DNA、mtDNA和cpDNA用引物Y-19进行扩增，发现片段SAY-192300仅在cpDNA得到，Southern杂交结果证实了片段SAY-192300的叶绿体来源，同时也表明在cms胞质中该片段所在区未发生插入、缺失等大的结构变异,DNA序列测定结果表明，该片段为叶绿体ps1A1和ps1A2基因的部分序列。图6表2参19。     

葡枝根霉(Rhizopus stolonifer)YF6脂肪酶基因的克隆及其序列分析

筛选并鉴定了1株高产脂肪酶菌株葡枝根霉YF6,并采用简并PCR等分子技术从中克隆到1个新的脂肪酶基因lipRs及其对应的全长cDNA,序列分析表明,该基因编码区全长1173bp,不含内含子序列,编码1段由26个氨基酸残基组成的信号肽和1个由365个氨基酸残基组成的成熟蛋白,该成熟蛋白计算分子量(Mr)为39268.27,等电点为pH7.66,有5个可能的N-糖基化位点,含有脂肪酶特征序列GHSLGGA,与来自米根霉(Rhizopus oryzae)的脂肪酶(AAF32408)同源性最高,一致性为83%,相似性为89%.该基因序列已提交GenBank,登录号为DQ139862.     

糯稻和非糯稻蜡质基因的新STS分子标记

通过对前人公布的糯性水稻蜡质基因全序列测定结果的分析,根据糯性水稻与非糯性水稻蜡质基因序列位点的差异,设计了两个基于PCR扩增反应的可特异识别糯性水稻的显性和共显性STS分子标记;同时在前人公布的非糯性水稻蜡质基因的不同类型(Wxa和Wxb)的全序列比对分析的基础上,选取了两种基因型特定的差异位点,设计了两个基于PCR扩增反应用于特异识别这两种Wx基因的显性STS分子标记,并用新建立的标记对相应的水稻基因型进行了检测.图2表2参10     

链格孢菌菌株致病性及其遗传差异性

对分离自紫茎泽兰的19个链格孢菌菌株的致病性进行了比较研究，并对这19个菌株和其它来源的3个菌株的5．8S rDNA及其两侧的ITS1区和ITS2区进行了序列分析．结果显示，链格孢菌菌株的致病性差异明显；21株链格孢菌菌株在5．8SrDNA及其两侧的转录问区（ITS区）的序列无差异，而与百日草链格孢菌（Alternaria zinnine）的序列差异显著，表明21株链格孢菌菌株属种内变异．采用AFLP分子标记技术对21株链格孢菌的DNA扩增片段长度多态性进行了分析，结果表明，链格孢菌自然变异群体内存在很高的遗传多样性．链格孢菌菌株的相似性与菌株的地理来源有一定的相关性，但基于AFLP标记划分的AFLP类群与基于寄主病情指数划分的致病力类群问关系不相一致；起始菌株与变异菌株相似性显著，但二者和致病性的关系不显著．图2表1参18     

4种不同生境的蟹类金属硫蛋白cDNA的克隆与比较

利用Carcinus maenas金属硫蛋白氨基酸序列资料，用全简并引物从鳃组织总RNA中扩增并克隆了首个甲壳类金属硫蛋白cDNA片段序列，3'-RACE获得了其编码区全长cDNA。之后，用部分简并的引物扩增并克隆了其它3种国内常见蟹类的金属硫蛋白cDNA编码区全长序列。序列分析结果表明，几种蟹的金属硫蛋白cDNA序列存在差异，推知的氨基酸序列也不完全相同，比较不同蟹的cDNA和氨基酸序列数据不能证明不同生态环境对金属硫蛋白的分子进化起重要作用。图4表1参15     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Parasitic wasps orient to green leaf volatiles

Summary Undamaged plants emit low levels of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), while caterpillar-damaged and artificially damaged plants emit relatively higher levels of certain GLVs. Female braconid parasitoids,Microplitis croceipes, oriented to both damaged plants and to individual GLVs in no-choice tests in a wind tunnel, but seldom oriented to undamaged plants. Female ichneumonid parasitoids,Netelia heroica, also oriented to individual GLVs in a wind tunnel. Males of both wasp species failed to orient to the GLVs. These data show that leaf-feeding caterpillars can cause the release of GLVs, and that parasitic wasps can respond to these odors by flying upwind (chemoanemotactic response), which brings the wasps to their caterpillar hosts. This supports the hypothesis that plants communicate with members of the third trophic level,i.e., plants under herbivore attack emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies of herbivores to sites of plant damage. In this interaction, the GLVs serve as tritrophic plant-to-parasitoid synomones. That parasitoids from two different wasp families oriented to GLVs suggests that the response may be widespread among the Hymenoptera.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture     

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003     

The role of time and species identities in spatial patterns of species richness and conservation

Many conservation actions are justified on the basis of managing biodiversity. Biodiversity, in terms of species richness, is largely the product of rare species. This is problematic because the intensity of sampling needed to characterize communities and patterns of rarity or to justify the use of surrogates has biased sampling in favor of space over time. However, environmental fluctuations interacting with community dynamics lead to temporal variations in where and when species occur, potentially affecting conservation planning by generating uncertainty about results of species distribution modeling (including range determinations), selection of surrogates for biodiversity, and the proportion of biodiversity composed of rare species. To have confidence in the evidence base for conservation actions, one must consider whether temporal replication is necessary to produce broad inferences. Using approximately 20 years of macrofaunal data from tidal flats in 2 harbors, we explored variation in the identity of rare, common, restricted range, and widespread species over time and space. Over time, rare taxa were more likely to increase in abundance or occurrence than to remain rare or disappear and to exhibit temporal patterns in their occurrence. Space–time congruency in ranges (i.e., spatially widespread taxa were also temporally widespread) was observed only where samples were collected across an environmental gradient. Fifteen percent of the taxa in both harbors changed over time from having spatially restricted ranges to having widespread ranges. Our findings suggest that rare species can provide stability against environmental change, because the majority of species were not random transients, but that selection of biodiversity surrogates requires temporal validation. Rarity needs to be considered both spatially and temporally, as species that occur randomly over time are likely to play a different role in ecosystem functioning than those exhibiting temporal structure (e.g., seasonality). Moreover, temporal structure offers the opportunity to place management and conservation activities within windows of maximum opportunity.     

Main nutrient compounds in food bodies of Mexican <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> ant-plants

Summary. Myrmecophytic plants use obligate ant mutualists as a constitutive indirect defence mechanism. These plants often produce cellular food bodies (FBs) to nourish their resident ants. Lipids, proteins, and even highly specialised compounds such as glycogen have been reported from FBs, but detailed chemical analyses of FB composition have so far been presented only for Southeast Asian Macaranga and Central American Piper myrmecophytes. Here we report the chemical composition of FBs of five myrmecophytic Acacia (Fabaceae) species from Mexico using HPLC (carbohydrates and proteins) and GC-MS (lipids). Feeding experiments revealed no hints on any use of external food sources by the inhabiting Pseudomyrmex ants. These ants obviously rely completely on FBs and extrafloral nectar provided by their hosts. The total content of nutrients in Acacia FBs was 15-25% of FB dry mass, being much lower than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Proteins were dominating (8-14 % dm) in Acacia FBs and thus were present in higher amounts than in Macaranga FBs, yet in lower amounts than in Piper. Lipids contributed 1-9 % of dry mass, showing a lower proportion than in FBs of Macaranga or Piper. Carbohydrates made up 3-11 % dm, reaching in most Acacia species the same range as observed in Macaranga and in Piper FBs. Water content was 18-24 % of FB fresh mass, and structural tissue obviously made up a much higher proportion in Acacia FBs than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Both characters might represent an adaptation to producing FBs unprotected at the leaf tips under dry conditions. Acacia FBs contain all amino acids and all fatty acids that are considered essential for insects, and their contents of lipids and proteins are higher than in the leaves from which they are ontogenetically derived. This indicates a putatively adaptive enrichment of nutritionally valuable compounds in structures functioning as ant-food.     

Examining the uncertain origin and management role of martens on Prince of Wales Island,Alaska

Conservation biologists are generally united in efforts to curtail the spread of non‐native species globally. However, the colonization history of a species is not always certain, and whether a species is considered non‐native or native depends on the conservation benchmark. Such ambiguities have led to inconsistent management. Within the Tongass National Forest of Alaska, the status of American marten (Martes americana) on the largest, most biologically diverse and deforested island, Prince of Wales (POW), is unclear. Ten martens were released to POW in the early 1930s, and it was generally believed to be the founding event, although this has been questioned. The uncertainty surrounding when and how martens colonized POW complicates management, especially because martens were selected as a design species for the Tongass. To explore the history of martens of POW we reviewed other plausible routes of colonization; genetically and isotopically analyzed putative marten fossils deposited in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene to verify marten occupancy of POW; and used contemporary genetic data from martens on POW and the mainland in coalescent simulations to identify the probable source of the present‐day marten population on POW. We found evidence for multiple routes of colonization by forest‐associated mammals beginning in the Holocene, which were likely used by American martens to naturally colonize POW. Although we cannot rule out human‐assisted movement of martens by Alaskan Natives or fur trappers, we suggest that martens be managed for persistence on POW. More generally, our findings illustrate the difficulty of labeling species as non‐native or native, even when genetic and paleo‐ecological data are available, and support the notion that community resilience or species invasiveness should be prioritized when making management decisions rather than more subjective and less certain conservation benchmarks.