Agri Gene最新文献

Paenibacillus larvae – the causal agent of American foul brood disease in Honey bees – group to different subspecies based upon disease progression and virulence as well as by molecular genotype. Vegetative growth studies reveal that virulence-grouped subspecies arrive at different saturated cell densities. In addition, strains segregating based upon virulence phenotype contain different genotypes in the locus encoding for the key glycolytic enzyme enolase. DNA sequence comparison of enolase loci from 7 Paenibacillus larvae strains identified 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) that segregated based on subspecies virulence classification. Only one polymorphism represented a change in amino acid coding (glycine or alanine) at position 331 of the protein. The kinetic properties of two recombinant enolase proteins expressed from enolase alleles isolated from different virulence classed strains (P. larvae ATCC 9545 and SAG 10367) yielded a K_m and of 4.2 μM and 1.5 μM and V_max of 16.2 μmol min^− 1 mg^− 1 and 10.8 μmol min^− 1 mg^− 1, respectively. Enolase from P. larvae SAG 10367 had a maximum reaction velocity lower than and a specificity constant approximately 1.6 × higher than that of P. larvae ATCC 9545.

Previous work examining the transcriptome of steer tissue samples from animals with divergent gain have shown a relationship with the expression of genes with functions in immune and inflammatory pathways. The process of mounting an immune or inflammatory response is energetically expensive and variation in cytokine responses may affect cattle production traits. In addition, a previous study has identified variation in the transcript abundance of numerous genes, including the cytokine gene IL6ST, in the circulating white blood cells of pigs associated with high and low residual feed intake (RFI) lines. The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in cytokine expression in the circulating white blood cells (WBC) could also be associated with body weight gain in beef steers. Crossbred steers (n = 12) with average feed intake (10.9 kg/d), but divergent body weight gain (Low = 1.92 kg/d; High = 2.25 kg/d), were selected for the study. The genes CCR3, IL9R, PF4, NAMPT and TNF were associated with gain (P ≤ 0.05); and CSF1, IL2RG, IL6ST, CCL3, and TNFSF13B displayed a trend towards association with gain (P < 0.1). The expression of cytokine genes in circulating WBCs may be useful indicators of production traits in cattle.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce oxidative stress at high concentrations and act as signaling molecules at low concentrations. Superoxide dismutases (SOD) are defence-related proteins, which are involved in detoxifying ROS. SODs have been characterized in various plants, but their comprehensive characterization has not been performed in Triticum aestivum. Herein, a total of 23 TaSOD genes were identified, which were classified into fourteen TaCu-ZnSOD and nine TaFe-MnSOD genes based on their domain organization. These genes were located on various homeologous chromosomes of each A, B and D-subgenome. Higher number of genes on each subgenome than their progenitor genome indicated the role of duplication events during the evolution of TaSODs. The phylogenetic analysis indicated evolutionary conservation in SODs from various plant species. Gene structure in terms of exon/intron organization and intron-phase, and physico-chemical properties like molecular weight and pI was variably conserved in homeologous TaSODs. Most of the Cu-ZnSODs were predicted as cytoplasmic, while Fe-MnSODs were chloroplastic and mitochondrial. Both TaCu-ZnSODs and TaFe-MnSODs were found structurally conserved in terms of various metal binding and active sites, and secondary and tertiary structures as well. They showed putative interaction with each other and other ROS detoxifying enzymes like catalases and peroxidases. Specifically high expression of a few TaSODs in certain tissue developmental stages suggested their precise role in those tissues. TaFe-MnSOD1 group genes were highly expressed during development of grain. Constitutive expression of certain genes indicated their role during all developmental stages. The modulated expression of a few genes during biotic (TaCu-ZnSOD3-A, TaFe-MnSOD2-A) and abiotic stresses (heat; TaCu-ZnSOD3-B, TaFe-MnSOD1-B, drought; TaFe-MnSOD1-A, salt; TaFe-MnSOD2-A) suggested their function in a stress response. The present study provided inclusive characterization of SOD proteins in T. aestivum, which extends the opportunity for future functional characterization of each individual protein.

Myo-Inositol phosphate synthase (MIPS) enzyme catalyses rate limiting step of myo-inositol (MI) biosynthesis. MIPS by-products are involved in many plant processes. In this study, TaMIPS2 identified from a heat subtractive cDNA library from wheat has been functionally characterized. To investigate the importance of TaMIPS2 during heat stress tolerance, TaMIPS2 overexpression transgenics were raised in Arabidopsis which were analysed physiologically and morphologically under different abiotic stress conditions. MIPS enzyme assay revealed the level of inositol in transgenics and of other soluble sugars as quantified by HPLC. Analysis of overexpression transgenics under different stress condition revealed that TaMIPS2 transgenic have reduced sensitivity to heat stress. This is the first report indicating a role of myo-Inositol during heat stress. The analysis of transgenic lines of TaMIPS2 suggests its additional role under other environmental stresses.

Striga hermonthica is a parasitic plant that attacks mostly cereal crops for its growth and development. S. hermonthica parasitism affects two thirds of the arable land and over 100 milion people. It is also well known as a folk medicine due to presence of flavonoids, terpenes, saponins, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids, tannins and coumarins miRNAs are important gene regulatory elements involved in almost all biological processes during different biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. Mobile small RNA are reported to move bidrection between parasitic plant and host plants. The study was to investigate the miRNA of S. hermonthica and miRNA mediated regulation of host plant Oryza sativa genes. In-silico identification of miRNAs revealed 13 conserved miRNA families (miR1846c-3p, miR1848, miR1851, miR1857-5p, miR2102-3p, miR2864.1, miR417, miR437, miR444e, miR529a, miR810b.2, miR156e, miR5564b). Approximately, 185 genes playing diverse roles have been predicted as targets for the identified 12 miRNA families (miR1848, miR1851, miR1857-5p, miR2102-3p, miR2864.1, miR417, miR437, miR444e, miR529a, miR810b.2, miR156e, miR5564b). Manipulation in miRNAs or their targets may be utilized for developing better crop protection strategies.

Type I interferon (IFN) is a key cytokine of innate immune response for viral infection in teleost fish. In present study we report the identification of a type I IFN gene (AjIFN) from Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) and provide evidence that AjIFN has been involved in Japanese eel host response against not only the virus but also the bacterial infection. The full-length cDNA of AjIFN (826 bp) has an ORF of 531 bp. The analysis of NCBI CDD showed that the AjIFN protein had the typical conserved domains, including IFabd conserved domain, and two conserved cysteine residues potentially forming disulphide bridges. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, AjIFN was classified into type I IFNs families belonging to the subgroup-a of the 2Cys group. In vivo, the AjIFN expressions in liver and kidney were induced following injection with LPS, the viral mimic poly I:C, and Aeromonas hydrophila infection. In vitro, the AjIFN transcripts of Japanese eel liver cells were enhanced by LPS, poly I:C and CpG-DNA stimulation and no change of the expression level was found post PGN treatment. Following A. hydrophila infection, the low concentration of 1 × 10⁶ cfu/mL failed to induce the expression of AjIFN whereas the concentration of 1 × 10⁷ cfu/mL and 1 × 10⁸ cfu/mL successfully induced the expression of AjIFN. These results collectively suggested AjIFN is an inducible gene possibly involved in Japanese eel defense against viral and bacterial infection.

Fall-calving Angus-based cows (n = 170 unique cows; 400 calving records during three years) were used to determine prolactin (Prl) genotype and haplotype effects on phenotypic traits. Genomic DNA, from buffy coat, was genotyped at three Prl SNP sites (C1286T, A1134T, and G8398A). Traits of interest were: pre-breeding body condition score (BCS) and weight, Julian calving date, calf birth weight, cow weight and BCS at weaning, calf weaning weight, adjusted 205-day weight and cow efficiency. Hair coat scores were determined each year in May, June, and July. Heterozygous cows at SNP C1286T had a lower (P < 0.05) calving rate when compared to homozygous cows. Calf birth weight was affected (P < 0.05) by genotypes at A1134T. Genotype at G8398A did not affect (P > 0.10) phenotypic traits. Six haplotypes were identified: CAG (n = 107), TAA (n = 173), CTG (n = 50), TTA (n = 32), TAG (n = 50), and TTG (n = 37); n represents total number of records for that haplotype during 3-year study. Calving percentage for CAG cows was greater (P < 0.05) than TTA, TAG, and TTG cows (96 vs. 83%; respectively, CAG vs. mean of TTA, TAG, and TTG). Haplotype CAG cows had earlier hair coat shedding. In addition, CAG cows had a larger calving rate (P < 0.05) and greater (P < 0.05) cow efficiency (45 ± 0.9%) than TTG cows. Cows with Prl haplotype CTG or TAG cow efficiency decreased from ≤ 3 to 4–10 and were missing in ≥ 11 years' group, suggesting those cows may have sustainability issues. Our results suggest that mutations associated with the bovine Prl gene may be useful as early selection tools for replacement cattle.

The brown pod-sucking bug, Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stäl (Hemiptera: Coreidae), causes significant damage to cultivated cowpea, Vigna unguiculata Walp, a staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa. C. tomentosicollis pierce and suck sap from cowpea pods, resulting in reduced grain yield and quality. The complete, 16,089 bp mitogenome of C. tomentosicollis encodes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and an A + T rich control region, with gene order and orientation identical to that of the insect ancestral gene order. The initiation and termination codons for the PCGs used standard ATN codons and TAA or TAG codons respectively. All predicted tRNAs fold into a clover-leaf secondary structures with the exception of tRNA-Ser (AGN) with a semi-loop dihydrouridine arm. The 1509 bps A + T rich region contains a single 89 bp tandem repeat unit duplicated 3.7 times. When compared with other published Coreoidea mitogenomes, C. tomentosicollis was also highly A − T skewed, and similar in both size and A − T%; however, its longer tandem repeat within the A + T rich region was unique. The C. tomentosicollis mitogenome can serve as a foundation to combine molecular marker data with pest monitoring strategies to better understand the population dynamics of this species.

The angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella Olivier, is a serious stored-grain pest worldwide. In previous studies, we demonstrated that diallyl trisulfide (DATS), one of active substances from garlic essential oil, inhibited oviposition of S. cerealella, but the mechanism for this inhibition remains unclear. We suspected that DATS-regulated gene expression changes in S. cerealella may be a reason for the modulation of fertility and reproductive behaviors of the moth. Comparative transcriptomes of female S. cerealella were built by RNA-sequencing to detect differences between DATS exposure and background air with special lights on the key genes related to the fecundity. A total of 304 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in female moth after exposure to DATS, of which 120 were up-regulated, and 184 were down-regulated. Sixty-two of these DEGs encoding proteins involved in growth and development of eggs and regulation of hormones and mating behavior were identified, and of these, 49 were annotated as chorion protein. Meanwhile, quantitative real-time PCR verified that DEG data were reliable for further transcriptional analysis. Additionally, the results of ovarian dissection and oviposition activity bioassay suggest that DATS has negative effects on ovarian development and fecundity of S. cerealella. Our comprehensive sequence resource with desirable quality enriched the genomic platform of S. cerealella, and the DEGs that were identified will facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanism of ovipositional inhibition by DATS.

Demands for dwarf plants are increasing, because dwarfism is one of the most important traits in modern crop breeding. Gibberellin (GA) is an essential hormone that is involved in many aspects of plant growth and development. A cotton mutant shows that ultra-dwarf (average plant height is 10 cM), blade twisting and cannot grow normally, but the mutant could change to normal plant with GA treatment in the process of growth. To comprehensively survey the patterns of gene expression, RNA-Seq was used in this paper. Approximately 93.5% of all tags could be mapped reference sequences. 77,686 genes could detect expression level by the map. A total of 11,403 DEGs between the samples were detected. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to evaluate the results of RNA-Seq for gene expression profiles. Based on KEGG analysis, a total of 425 genes involved in plant hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction. Among those genes, 27 DEGs involved in GA biosynthesis and 20 in signal transduction. Gh_A06G1386 and Gh_D06G1730, a pair of homoeologous genes, may be candidate genes based on results of fine mapping and RNA-Seq analysis.