Rubella epidemics and genotypic distribution of the rubella virus in shandong province, china, in 1999-2010

Background

The rubella vaccine was introduced into the immunization program in 1995 in the Shandong province, China. A series of different rubella vaccination strategies were implemented at different stages of measles control in Shandong province.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The average reported incidence rate of rubella cases remained at a low level in Shandong province after 1999. However, rubella epidemics occurred repeatedly in 2001/2002, 2006, and 2008/2009. The age of the onset of rubella cases gradually increased during 1999–2010, which showed that most cases were found among the 10 years old in 1999 and among the 17 years old in 2010. Phylogenetic analysis was performed and a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the World Health Organization standard sequence window for rubella virus isolates. All rubella viruses isolated in Shandong province were divided into 4 genotypes: 1E, 1F, 2A, and 2B. Genotype 1E viruses accounted for the majority (79%) of all these viruses. The similarity of nucleotide and amino acid sequences among genotype 1E viruses was 98.2–100% and 99.1–100%, respectively. All Shandong genotype 1E strains, differed from international genotype 1E strains, belonged to cluster 1 and interdigitated with the viruses from other provinces in mainland China. The effective number of infections indicated by a Bayesian skyline plot remained constant from 2001 to 2009.

Conclusions/Significance

The gradual shift of disease burden to an older age group occurred after a rubella-containing vaccine was introduced into the childhood immunization schedule in 1995 in Shandong province. Four genotypes, including 1E, 1F, 2A, and 2B, were found in Shandong province during 2000–2009. Genotype 1E, rather than genotype 1F, became the predominant genotype circulating in Shandong province from 2001. All Shandong genotype 1E viruses belong to the genotype 1E/cluster 1; they have constantly circulated, and co-evolved and co-circulated, with those from other provinces.     

牛RHOQ基因的电子克隆与生物信息学分析

利用电子克隆技术获得牛RHOQ基因cDNA序列,采用生物信息学方法对该基因及其编码蛋白的基本理化性质、疏水性、信号肽、二级结构和亚细胞定位等方面进行预测和分析。结果表明,牛RHOQ基因的cDNA序列全长1 517 bp,包含1个618 bp开放阅读框,编码205个氨基酸;其编码蛋白属疏水性蛋白,不存在信号肽及跨膜结构,定位于分泌系统囊泡;二级结构主要以无规则卷曲和α-螺旋为主。牛RHOQ基因编码蛋白可能具有生长因子功能,可能在神经再生和突触延伸过程中起重要作用。     

作物QTL定位常用作图群体

作物大多重要农艺性状是数量性状,受多基因控制,基因之间及基因与环境之间都会发生互作,这为研究带来了很大的不便。因此,好的QTL作图群体,是研究QTL间的互作、QTL与环境的互作、QTL定位以及基因克隆的最根本保障。随着分子标记技术的发展,QTL定位的作图群体也在不断的发展并逐渐满足研究者对于QTL的精细定位及基因克隆等研究的进一步要求。文章主要综述了作物QTL定位常用作图群体的构建及优缺点。     

染色体片段导入系在作物遗传育种中的应用

准确而有效的定位农作物数量性状基因座(Quantitative Trait Loci,QTLs)是植物分子育种的核心,传统的QTL定位群体遗传背景复杂,受群体大小和统计方法等多方面的限制,难以达到QTL精细定位。随着分子标记技术、计算机统计软件及分子辅助选择的飞速发展,一种新的QTL定位群体脱颖而出,这就是染色体片段导入系(Chromosome Segment Introgression Lines,CSILs)。它不但能有效消除"遗传背景噪音"对QTL定位的干扰,还能够在群体中挖掘出大量的有利隐蔽基因,对农作物遗传育种的进一步发展有巨大贡献。对染色体片段导入系的优越性,应用范围以及应用前景作以综述。     

Anticancer drugs are synergistic with freezing in induction of apoptosis in HCC cells

Cryotherapy has been shown to be an important therapeutic alternative to surgery in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, the influence of cryo-chemotherapy on HCC was examined in vitro using the human HCC cell line Bel-7402, a drug-resistant HCC cell line originating from Bel-7402 cells (Bel-7402/R), as well as two control cell lines, the HCC cell line SMMC-7721 and a colorectal tumor cell line HIC-251. Cells were treated with either exposure to different freezing temperatures (ranging from −15 to −80 °C for 20 min), exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of anticancer chemotherapy drugs or a combination of cryotherapy and chemotherapy. Cell viability and apoptosis under each condition were investigated. We found that the combined treatment resulted in increases in both cell death and apoptosis compared to either treatment alone. The increased level of apoptosis observed in Bel-7402 cells after cryo-chemotherapy was inhibited in the presence of caspase inhibitors. Furthermore, Bax expression was increased 2- to 3-fold in cells exposed to the combination treatment compared with cells treated by freezing or drugs alone. In contrast, Bcl-2 levels remained constant. Although Bel-7402/R cells originated from the Bel-7402 cell line, they were more sensitive to the freezing procedure than the parental cell line. The level of Bax expression in Bel-7402/R cells was also higher than that observed in the parental cell line. In addition, we found that Bel-7402/R cells had lower levels of survivin mRNA than the parental Bel-7402 cells, in both untreated and treated cells. In conclusion, our data show that in HCC cells, apoptosis induced by cryotherapy can be synergistically enhanced using anticancer drugs.     

Root growth dynamics of Deyeuxia angustifolia seedlings in response to water level

A greenhouse experiment was performed to investigate root growth dynamics, plant growth, root porosity and root morphology of a marsh plant Deyeuxia angustifolia, one of the dominant species in the Sanjiang Plain, China. The aim of this study was to elucidate how this plant adjusts its root system to acclimate to different hydrological environments. Experimental treatments included three water depths: −5, 0 and 5 cm (relative to the soil surface). Biomass accumulation was higher in the −5 cm (0.90 g per plant) and 0 cm water-depth (1.18 g per plant) than that in the 5 cm water-depth treatments (0.66 g per plant), indicating that plant growth was inhibited in the high water level. Root:shoot ratio (0.67 versus 0.42–0.43), the length (16 cm versus 12–13 cm) and diameter of adventitious roots (0.47 mm versus 0.41 mm), and root number (167 versus 81–119 number of roots per plant) were higher in the 0 cm water-depth than those in the high and low water-depth treatments. Enhanced water level led to slightly increased porosity of main roots, but porosity was about 7% in all treatments. After 8 weeks, roots had been distributed into 14, 11 and 7 cm soil depth in the 0, −5 and 5 cm water-depth treatments, respectively, indicating that both high and low water levels led to shallow root systems. Our data suggest that D. angustifolia can adjust root morphology and root growth pattern according to water level, and that this plant has limited oxygen diffusion potential to the roots due to the reduced biomass in the high water level.     

Spatial heterogeneity of DTPA-extractable zinc in cultivated soils induced by city pollution and land use

The spatial heterogeneity of DTPA-extractable zinc in the cultivated soils of Shenyang suburbs in Liaoning Province of China was investigated, and its map was drawn by the methods of geostatistics combined with geographic information system. The data of soil DTPA-extractable zinc fitted normal distribution after logarithm transformation, and its semivariogram fitted a spherical model. The semivariogram indicated that the spatial dependence of soil DTPA-extractable zinc content was moderate, with the spatial dependence range of 1.69 km and the fractal dimension of 1.96. Stochastic factors contributed to 49.9% of the spatial variability, while structural factors contributed to 50.1% of it. The spatial heterogeneity of soil DTPA-extractable zinc shown by a kriged interpolation map was deeply influenced by stochastic factors such as city pollution, land use pattern and crop distributions. For example, the average content of Zn in vegetable garden soils was 2.5–4 times as much as in their originated soils, and was lower in paddy soils than in their originated soils. The areas with a higher content of soil DTPA-extractable zinc appeared in the near suburbs and the riverside along Hunhe River and the wastewater drainage of Xihe River, and the extremely high values in the near suburb of the city’s residential area were a striking feature, indicating the key role of city pollution in the spatial heterogeneity of soil DTPA-extractable zinc. When recorded in the form of a soil pollution map, the results of such a survey make it possible to identify the unusually polluted areas, and to provide more information for precise agriculture and environmental control.     

封闭式饲养鸡场H9N2亚型禽流感病毒HA基因在5年内的遗传变异

选择一个于1998年开始发生H9亚型禽流感的封闭式大型养鸡场,连续5年内分离到22株H9N2亚型病毒,对其中9株与1998年分离株进行HA基因序列和病毒抗原性的比较结果表明,这些分离株均与1998年的具有较高的序列同源性,且在本研究期内HA基因的这些变化尚未产生引起交叉保护性改变。初步推断这些分离株均系1998年分离株在场内循环传播变化得来,其HA基因的变异可能与频繁的疫苗免疫选择压力有关。这为进一步研究禽流感病毒变异的规律和制定正确的禽流感防治对策具有重要意义。     

甜高粱茎秆糖锤度配合力的测定

经测定,本试验各参试甜高梁品种茎秆糖锤度性状的配合力效应及其相对效应值存在显著差别。在亲本不育系中以 Tx625A 为最高(4.44、45.16%);在亲本恢复系中以4035为最高(2.01、20.44%)。由于双亲的交互作用,各组合之特殊配合力相对效应值,以 Tx622A×4034最高,为28.99%,其次是 Tx625A×4008,为19.83%。说明在应用三系选育甜高粱杂交种时,为了获得高锤度的组合,特殊配合力相对效应值高是重要的指标,关键在于亲本的选择及其组配方式。