Modeling and analysis of Schistosoma Argonaute protein molecular spatial conformation

Objective:To analyze the amino acid sequence composition,secondary structure,the spatial conformation of its domain and other characteristics of Argonaute protein.Methods:Bioinformatics tools and the internet server were used.Firstly,the amino acid sequence composition features of the Argonaute protein were analyzed,and the phylogenetic tree was constructed.Secondly,Argonaute protein's distribution of secondary structure and its physicochemical properties were predicted.Lastly,the protein functional expression form of the domain group was established through the Phyre-based analysis on the spatial conformation of Argonaute protein domains.Results:593 amino acids were encoded by Argonaute protein,the phylogenetic tree was constructed,and Argonaute protein's distribution of secondary structure and its physicochemical properties were obtained through analysis.In addition,the functional expression form which comprised the N-terminal PAZ domain and C-terminal Piwi domain for the Argonaute protein was obtained with Phyre.Conclusions:The information relationship between the structure and function of the Argonaute protein can be initially established with bioinformatics tools and the internet server,and this provides the theoretical basis for further clarifying the function of Schistosoma Argonaute protein.

Identification of Polymorphic Markers by High-Resolution Melting(HRM)Assay for High-Throughput SNP Genotyping in Maize

The development of next generation sequencing(NGS)and high throughput genotyping are important techniques for the QTL mapping and genetic analysis of different crops.High-resolution melting(HRM)is an emerging technology used for detecting single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)in various species.However,its use is still limited in maize.The HRM analysis was integrated with SNPs to identify three types of populations(NIL population,RIL population and natural population),and the useful tags were screened.The patterns of temperatureshifted melting curves were investigated from the HRM analysis,and compared these with the kit.Among all 48 pairs of primers,10 pairs of them were selected:six pairs of primers for the NIL population,three pairs of primers for the RIL population,and one pair of primer for the natural population.The marker for the natural population was developed with a matching rate of 80%for the plant height trait,based on the data of the phenotypic characteristics measured in the field.This study provides an effective method for maize genotyping in the classification of maize germplasm resources,which can be applied to other plants for high-throughput SNP genotyping or further mapping.

Stratum Griseum Periventriculare-mediated Fear Emotion Regulates Motor Behavior in Pigeons

A pigeon robot is an ideal experimental animal for research in flying animal robots.The majority of current research publications have entailed electrical stimulation of the motor nuclei to regulate movement forcibly,and although a“virtual fear”behavior model has been proposed,the structure,location,and function of the nuclei that generate fear emotions remain obscure.Previous studies have shown that the Stratum Griseum Periventriculare(SGP)of pigeons is homologous to the mammalian periaqueductal gray(PAG),which plays an essential role in mammalian fear.To reveal the role of fear mediated by the SGP in behavioral regulation,we evaluated the structure and location of the SGP by histologic identification combined with magnetic resonance imaging,and analyzed the behavior of the SGP by electrical stimulation.Finally,the function of the SGP was verified with escape testing and homing experiments in an open field.Our results showed that the SGP is located in the pigeon midbrain and divided into two subregions,the dorsal part of the stratum griseum periventriculare(SGPd)and the ventral part of the stratum griseum periventriculare(SGPv)(the ranges were AP1.5–4.75 mm,ML1.75–6.75 mm,and DV2.2–7.1 mm),and that wired and wireless electrical stimulation freezing was the dominant behavior.In the escape test,SGP electrical stimulation caused the pigeons to flee to a safe place,while in the open-field homing test,electrical stimulation of the SGP induced evasive behavior in pigeons away from their original homing route.These results confirm that the SGP plays a crucial role in fear,and that electrical stimulation of this nucleus induces corresponding fear behaviors.