Study on constructive system of green cave dwelling in Loess Plateau—Interpretation with the “regional gene” theory

This article reveals the inherent evolution adjusting mechanism of regional architecture by means of considering the concept and method of "regional gene" as the research approach of regional architecture construction system, and in the mean- while establishes the "gene database" of regional architecture and optimum technology, on the basis of the principle of sustainable development and scientific evaluation system. In addition, this article chooses the planning of model villages of cave dwellings in Loess Plateau and the construction of ecological cave dwellings for case study to prove the feasibility of the research approach.

Transfection and expression of exogenous gene in laying hens oviduct in vitro and in vivo

To examine whether or not the regulatory sequence of chicken ovalbumin gene can drive transgene expression specifically in hen oviduct, the authors constructed an oviduct-specific expression vector (pOV), containing 3.0 kilobases (kb) of the 5'-flanking sequence and 3.0 kb of the 3'-flanking sequence of the chicken ovalbumin gene. Jellyfish green fluorescence protein (EGFP) reporter gene and bacterial LacZ reporter gene were respectively inserted into the downstream of the 5'-regulatory region. The recombinants were named as pOVEGFP and pOVLacZ. Two transfer systems, in vitro and in vivo, were used to verify the function of the vector. In vitro, the plasmid DNA pOVEGFP and pEGFP-N1 were transfected respectively by the polyethyle-neimine procedure into the primary chicken oviduct epithelium (PCOE) and fibroblasts cells isolated from laying hens. In vivo, the recombinant vector pOVLacZ was injected into egg-laying hens via wing vein and the tissues were collected for RT-PCR analysis. The results showed that expression of pEGFP-Nl was achieved at low level in oviduct epithelial cells and at high level in fibroblasts, but that the recombinant vector was not expressed in both cells. RT-PCR analysis showed that the LacZ gene was transcribed in the oviduct, but not in the heart, liver, kidney and spleen of the injected hens. Accordingly, the β-galactosidase activity was only detected in the oviduct magnum (116.7 mU/ml) and eggs (16.47 mU/ml). These results indicated that the cloned regulation regions of chicken ovalbumin gene could drive exogenous gene expression specifically in the oviducts of hens. In vivo gene injection via wing vein may serve as a rapid production system of recombinant proteins in chicken eggs. In addition, the cultured primary oviduct cells from laying hens were not efficient temporary expression systems for analyzing the function of regulating elements of ovalbumin gene.

Analysis of SRY Gene in 8 Cases of Sex Abnormality

In order to investigate the relationship between sex dysplasia and sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene, 8 patients with sexual abnormality were analyzed by cytogenetic and molecular genetic methods. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using PY3.4, X alpha satellite, and SRY probes was performed in each case to analyze the sex chromosome translocation and gene translocation. SRY gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and its mutation was detected by direct sequencing. The results showed that among 8 patients, 5 were positive for SRY and the remaining negative for SRY. In the patients positive for SRY genes, 3 presented testes and the left 2 streak ovaries. In the patients negative for SRY, only one case presented testes, while 2 ovaries. Direct sequencing demonstrated that all SRY genes were normal in the patients positive for SRY genes. FISH technique demonstrated that SRY genes translocated from Ypter to Xpter in 2 46,XX phenotypic males positive for SRY genes. It was concluded that SRY gene is strongly involved in male sex determination, while a sequence of other genes may be taken into account in sexual development.

CLONING AND SEQUENCING OF IMMUNOGLOBULINVARIABLE－REGION GENE OF A MONOCLONALANTIBODY SPECIFIC FOR HUMANHEPATOCARCINOMA

A murine monoclonal antibody HAb27 specific for human hepatocarcinoma has been developed for radioimmunolocalization in animal models. The isotype of this antibody was IgGl, k. In the present study, we used a set of oligonucleotide primers to amplify the cDNA of mouse immunoglobulin heavy and light chain variable region genes by the polymerase chain reaction. Sequence analysis of the heavy variable region indicated that the VH region was highly homologous to the plasmacytoma cell line MOPC21 gene, and closely related to germline genes of the VHⅢ family. The JH region was encoded by the JH3 gene. For the light chain, the VK segment of the antibody showed the highest homology to the germline VKOXl gene,and the JK region was JK5.

Cloning, sequencing and analyzing of the heavy chain V region genes of human polyreactive antibodies

The heavy chain variable region genes of 5 human polyreactive mAbs generated in our laboratory have been cloned and sequenced using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. We found that 2 and 3 mAbs utilized genes of the VHIV and VHIII families, respectively. The former 2 VH segments were in germline configuration. A common VH segment, with the best similarity of 90.1 % to the published VHIII germline genes, was utilized by 2 different rearranged genes encoding the V regions of other 3 mAbs. This strongly suggests that the common VH segment is a unmutated copy of an unidentified germline VHIII gene. All these polyreactive mAbs displayed a large NDN region (VH-D-JH junction). The entire H chain V regions of these polyreactive mAbs are unusually basic. The analysis of the charge properties of these mAbs as well as those of other poly- and mono- reactive mAbs from literatures prompts us to propose that the charged amino acids with a particular distribution along the H chain V region,especially the binding sites (CDRs), may be an important structural feature involved in antibody polyreactivity.

DCDC2 gene polymorphisms are associated with developmental dyslexia in Chinese Uyghur children

Developmental dyslexia is a complex reading and writing disorder with strong genetic components. In previous genetic studies about dyslexia, a number of candidate genes have been identified. These include DCDC2, which has repeatedly been associated with developmental dyslexia in various European and American populations. However, data regarding this relationship are varied according to population. The Uyghur people of China represent a Eurasian population with an interesting genetic profile. Thus, this group may provide useful information about the association between DCDC2 gene polymorphisms and dyslexia. In the current study, we examined genetic data from 392 Uyghur children aged 8–12 years old from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Participants included 196 children with dyslexia and 196 grade-, age-, and gender-matched controls. DNA was isolated from oral mucosal cell samples and fourteen single nucleotide polymorphisms（rs6456593, rs1419228, rs34647318, rs9467075, rs793862, rs9295619, rs807701, rs807724, rs2274305, rs7765678, rs4599626, rs6922023, rs3765502, and rs1087266） in DCDC2 were screened via the SNPscan method. We compared SNP frequencies in five models（Codominant, Dominant, Recessive, Heterozygote advantage, and Allele） between the two groups by means of the chi-squared test. A single-locus analysis indicated that, with regard to the allele frequency of these polymorphisms, three SNPs（rs807724, rs2274305, and rs4599626） were associated with dyslexia. rs9467075 and rs2274305 displayed significant associations with developmental dyslexia under the dominant model. rs6456593 and rs6922023 were significantly associated with developmental dyslexia under the dominant model and in the heterozygous genotype. Additionally, we discovered that the T-G-C-T of the four-marker haplotype（rs9295619-rs807701-rs807724-rs2274305） and the T-A of the two-marker haplotype（rs3765502-1087266） were significantly different between cases and controls. Thus, we conclude that DCDC2 gene polymorphisms are associated with developmental dyslexia in Chinese Uyghur children.

The Genetic Structure and Diversity of Repomucenus curvicornis Inhabiting Liaoning Coast Based on Mitochondrial COⅠ Gene and Control Region

[Object] This study was conducted to explore the genetic diversity and structure of the wild Repomucenus curvicornis inhabiting Liaoning Coast, China. [Method] The mitochondrial COⅠ gene and control region（CR） were PCR amplified from the wild R. curvicornis populations from the Liaodong Bay（n=22） and the northern Yellow Sea（n=18）, sequenced and analyzed for genetic diversity. [Result] The contents of A, T, C and G of 624 bp COⅠ gene were 24.09%, 31.04%, 25.28%, and 19.59%, and those of 460 bp CR fragment were 32.96%, 32.80%, 14.86% and 19.38%, respectively. The total number of variable sites, average number of nucleotide differences（ k）, haplotype diversity（H） and nucleotide diversity（π） based on COⅠ gene were 38, 4.67,（0.96±0.02） and（0.007 5±0.004 2）, and those based on CR fragment were 26, 3.35,（0.97 ±0.02） and（0.007 3±0.004 3）, respectively. Based on mitochondrial COⅠ gene and CR, the genetic diversity of Liaodong Bay population was lower than that of the northern Yellow Sea population. The AMOVA analysis based on CR fragments revealed almost significant genetic divergence between the Liaodong Bay and the northern Yellow Sea populations, while there was no significant genetic divergence based on COⅠ gene. The results showed that CR and COⅠ gene are effective molecular markers for detecting the genetic diversity of R. curvicornis population, while CR is more reliable than COⅠ gene in detecting the genetic structure. [Conclusion] CR is an appropriate marker for genetic analysis of marine fish population.

Rapid Identification of Pathogenic Bacteria by means of TwoConservative Gene Loci′ Specific PCR-CE-RFLP

To establish a rapid identification method for common pathogenic bacteria on the basis of molecular biology and to construct a preliminary Polymerase Chain Reaction-Capillary Electrophoresis - Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-CE-RFLP) database of bacteria isolated from clinical specimens frequently, 183 strains collected from clinical samples belonging to 12 genera and 19 species whose biochemical characterizations corresponded to the typical ones were examined. The genomic DNAs were amplified by two pairs of fluorescence labeled primers aiming at 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S rRNA spacer region gene respectively at the same time. PCR products were then digested by restriction endonuclease HaeⅢ incompletely before taking capillary electrophoresis. The results with the PCR-CE-RFLP patterns of 16S rRNA genes were just alike within some genera, but when it comes to 16S-23S rRNA spacer region genes, each bacterium showed a unique pattern, which can be distinguished from each other easily. It seems that PCR-CE-RFLP patterns of 16S rRNA gene could only be used to classify the bacteria into family level, whereas the data of 16S-23S rRNA spacer region gene could be utilized to identify the whole microorganisms as precisely as the species level. In spite of the data of the spacer region gene alone can be sufficiently to verify the whole bacteria, we insist that the 16S rRNA gene could be of some assistant in case that there should be lots of families of bacteria, in which some similar ones, with the same RFLP data of 16S-23S rRNA spacer region gene, may coexist. This study proves that the utility of PCR-CE-RFLP is a convenient, rapid method to identify pathogenic bacteria, and is also a quick diagnosis measure for application to clinical use.

Impact of Different Rates of Nitrogen Supplementation on Soil PhysicochemicalProperties and Microbial Diversity in Goji Berry

Goji berry(Lycium barbarum L.)is substantially dependent on nitrogen fertilizer application,which can signifi-cantly enhance fruit yield and Goji berry industrial development in Ningxia,China.This study aimed to analyze the functions of differential nitrogen application rates including low(N1),medium(N2),and high(N3)levels in soil microbial community structure(bacterial and fungal)at 2 diverse soil depths(0-20,20-40 cm)through high-throughput sequencing technology by targeting 16S RNA gene and ITS1&ITS2 regions.All the observed physicochemical parameters exhibited significant improvement(p<0.05)with increased levels of nitrogen and the highest values for most parameters were observed at N2.However,pH decreased(p<0.05)gradually.The alpha and beta diversity analyses for bacterial and fungal communities’metagenome displayed more similarities than differences among all groups.The top bacterial and fungal phyla and genera suggested no obvious(p>0.05)differences among three group treatments(N1,N2,and N3).Furthermore,the functional enrichment analysis demonstrated significant(p<0.05)enrichment of quorum sensing,cysteine and methionine metabolism,and transcriptional machinery for bacterial communities,while various saprotrophic functional roles for fungal communities.Conclusively,moderately reducing the use of N-supplemented fertilizers is conducive to increasing soil nitrogen utilization rate,which can contribute to sustainable agriculture practices through improved soil quality,and microbial community structure and functions.

Ewing sarcoma of the jejunum: A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND Ewing sarcomas(ESs)are highly aggressive malignancy and are predominant in the long bones of extremities of children and young adults with a slight male predilection and rarely presents at extra skeletal locations.CASE SUMMARY A 55-year-old woman came to our hospital after finding elevated tumor biomarkers during her physical examination.Her enhanced computed tomography scan showed a jejunal mass.The patient underwent laparoscopic enterectomy.The mass was later diagnosed as ES,evidenced by fluorescence in situ hybridization whereby the GLP ES breakpoint region 1 probe was used,showing that more than 10%of the cells showed a red-green-yellow signal proving the breakpoint rearrangement of the ES breakpoint region 1 gene in chromosome 22.CONCLUSION We describe a case of localized ES at the jejunum in China based on the literature.

Waxy allele diversity in waxy maize landraces of Yunnan Province, China

Waxy maize is one of the main fresh-eating maize types,and a mutation of the waxy gene causes the waxy character of maize grains.China is rich in waxy maize landraces,and Yunnan and its surrounding areas,are the place of origin and genetic diversity center of Chinese waxy maize.The six known waxy alleles of Chinese waxy maize are wx-D7,wx-D10,wx-Cin4,wx-124,wx-Reina,and wx-Xuanwei.The mutation sites of these alleles all occur in the coding region of the waxy gene,however,the mechanism by which the waxy characteristic is caused by the mutation in the regulatory region has only been reported rarely in maize.In this study,405 waxy maize landraces from Yunnan were used as materials to identify the insertion and deletion of a large sequence fragment in the upstream~3.5 kb regulatory region of the waxy gene by molecular marker detection.Three different waxy alleles were identifed in this study:wx-PIF/Harbinger,wx-hAT and wxElote2.These three types of mutations all represented transposons inserted into the regulatory region of the waxy gene.Wx-PIF/Harbinger was a 304-bp MITE class transposon insertion belonging to the PIF/Harbinger family,while wx-hAT was a 560-bp MITE class transposon insertion belonging to the hAT family,and wx-Elote2 was a 6560-bp LTR-like transposon insertion.In this study,the alleles were identifed for more than 70%of the waxy maize landraces in Yunnan,which provids a basis for the utilization of these waxy maize landraces.

Targeted Genome Editing in Genes and cis- Regulatory Regions Improves Qualitative and Quantitative Traits in Crops

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats （CRISPR）-associated protein 9 （CRISPR/Cas9）-based genomeediting system is a revolutionary technology for targeted muta- genesis in molecular biology research and genetic improvement of traits in crops （Cong et al., 2013; Ma et al., 2015, 2016）. Agronomic traits of crops are controlled by major genes and quantitative trait loci （QTL）. Therefore, the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used to effectively and rapidly produce mutant traits by different strategies （Figure 1A-1C）. The most common application of the targeted editing system in genetic improvement is to knock out completely the functions of target genes, usually by editing site（s） in the coding sequences （CDS） to produce null-allele mutants （Figure 1A）.

Analysis of hypermutation of the 5' noncoding region in the BCL-6 gene

ObjectiveTo investigate BCL 6 gene mutations in Chinese populations with B cell non Hodgkin's lymphoma Methods Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and direct DNA sequencing were used to identify mutations in the 5' noncoding region of the BCL 6 gene in a total of 40 cases of diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) Results Nine cases were found to have base substitutions The incidence of BCL 6 gene mutation and the frequency of single base changes were approximately 25 7% and (0 56-1 10)×10 2 /bp, respectively Conclusions The 5' regulatory region of the BCL 6 gene undergoes frequent somatic hypermutation during lymphomagenesis and the identification of BCL 6 gene hypermutations provides a molecular marker for confirmatory diagnosis of B NHL

STRUCTURE IN THE PRECORE REGION OF HEPATITIS B CORE GENE AFFECTING ITS EXPRESSION IN E.coil

Restriction fragments of HBV-DNA, cleaved by endonuclease HhaI,containing HBcAg gene were trimmed by BAL-31 exonuclease to remove different lengths of the precore sequence.They were inserted into plasmid pUR222 at EcoRI site through synthetic linker ligation. Transformants in E.coli BMH7118 showing different levels of HBcAg gene expression were screened and analyzed for their nucleotide sequences in the junction region both by Maxam and Gilbert's chemical degradation method and by M13 chain termination method. Results of sequence analysis of different transformants revealed a partial palindromic (loop and stem) structure, at -7 to -35 nucleotide with regard to ATG of the HBcAg gene as position +1, which has dramatic effect on the level of expression of the inserted gene using the same promoter,SD sequence and identical N-terminus.The amount of HBcAg synthesized differed from 9% in the high expressing plasmid to less than 0.01% of the total cell proteins in the low expressing transformants.The findings were compared to results obtained by other workers in studies of HBcAg expression in procaryotes and their significance in the expression of eucaryotic genes in procaryotic cells were discussed.

Hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein NS3 and telomerase activity

To study the effect of hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein NS 3 (HCV NS3) on telomerase activity and carcinogenesis Methods Streptavidin peroxidase (SP) conjugated method was used to detect the expressio n of HCV NS 3 protein in NIH3T3 cells transfected with plasmid pRcHCNS 3 5’ and pRcHCNS 3 3’ Telomerase activity was detected by an in situ telomerase a ctivity labeling method, telomeric repeat amplification protocol polymerase chai n reaction (TRAP PCR) and telomerase PCR enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELI SA) technology in the transfected and non transfected NIH3T3 cells Results HCV NS 3 protein was expressed in the NIH3T3 cells transfected with plasmid pR cHCNS 3 5’ expressing HCV NS 3 C terminal deleted protein or with plasmid pR cHCNS 3 3’ expressing HCV NS 3 N terminal deleted protein The positive sig nal of HCV NS 3 protein was localized in the cytoplasm of NIH3T3 cells, and th e signal intensity of the former was stronger Telomerase activity in NIH3T3 c ells transfected with plasmid pRcHCNS 3 5’ was stronger than that in NIH3T3 c ells transfected with plasmid pRcHCNS 3 3’ ( P 【0 01), whereas telomerase a ctivity in NIH3T3 cells transfected with plasmid pRcCMV or untreated NIH3T3 ce lls was weaker than that in NIH3T3 cells transfected with plasmid pRcHCNS 3 3 ’ ( P 【0 05) The expression level of HCV NS 3 protein was significantly co rrelated with the strength of telomerase activity ( P 【0 05) The results ob tained by in situ telomerase activity labeling corresponded to the results by te lomerase PCR ELISA technology Conclusions HCV NS 3 protein may activate telomerase through endogenous mechanism to induce host cell transformation The effect of HCV NS 3 C terminal deleted protein on telomerase activity in the host cell may be stronger than that of HCV NS 3 N terminal deleted protein In situ telomerase activity labeling was a reliabl e technology for studying pathological morphology and telomerase activity in tis sues and cells