De novo sequencing and comparative analysis of three red algal species of Family Solieriaceae to discover putative genes associated with carrageenan biosysthesis

Betaphycus gelatinus, Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum of Family Solieriaceae, Order Gi-gartinales, Class Rhodophyceae are three important carrageenan-producing red algal species, which pro-duce different types of carrageenans, beta （β）-carrageenan, kappa （κ）-carrageenan and iota （ι）-carrageenan. So far the carrageenan biosynthesis pathway is not fully understood and few information is about the So-lieriaceae genome and transcriptome sequence. Here, we performed the de novo transcriptome sequencing, assembly, functional annotation and comparative analysis of these three commercial-valuable species using an Illumina short-sequencing platform Hiseq 2000 and bioinformatic software. Furthermore, we compared the different expression of some unigenes involved in some pathways relevant to carrageenan biosynthe-sis. We finally found 861 different expressed KEGG orthologs which contained a glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway （21 orthologs）, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms （16 orthologs）, galactose metabolism （5 orthologs）, and fructose and mannose metabolism （9 orthologs） which are parts of the carbohydrate me-tabolism. We also found 8 different expressed KEGG orthologs for sulfur metabolism which might be impor-tantly related to biosynthesis of different types of carrageenans. The results presented in this study provided valuable resources for functional genomics annotation and investigation of mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis of carrageenan in Family Solieriaceae.

Single-cell RNA sequencing facilitates the elucidation of the complete biosynthesis of the antidepressant hyperforin in St. John's wort

Hyperforin is the compound responsible for the effectiveness of St.John's wort(Hypericum perforatum)as an antidepressant,but its complete biosynthetic pathway remains unknown.Gene discovery based on co-expression analysis of bulk RNA-sequencing data or genome mining failed to discover the missing steps in hyperforin biosynthesis.In this study,we sequenced the 1.54-Gb tetraploid H.perforatum genome assem-bled into 32 chromosomes with the scaffold N50 value of 42.44 Mb.By single-cell RNA sequencing,we iden-tified a type of cell,“Hyper cells”,wherein hyperforin biosynthesis de novo takes place in both the leaves and flowers.Through pathway reconstitution in yeast and tobacco,we identified and characterized four transmembrane prenyltransferases(HpPT1-4)that are localized at the plastid envelope and complete the hyperforin biosynthetic pathway.The hyperforin polycyclic scaffold is created by a reaction cascade involving an irregular isoprenoid coupling and a tandem cyclization.Our findings reveal how and where hy-perforin is biosynthesized,enabling synthetic-biology reconstitution of the complete pathway.Thus,this study not only deepens our comprehension of specialized metabolism at the cellularlevel but also provides strategic guidance for elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways of other specializied metabolites in plants.

Rationally designed synthetic peptide as versatile calibrant to improve the accuracy of protein sequence analysis using MALDI mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization(MALDI)mass spectrometry(MS)plays an indispensable role in analyzing protein covalent structures.The reliable identification of amino acid residues and modifications relies on the mass accuracy,which is highly dependent on calibration.However,the accuracy provided by the currently available calibrants still needs further improvement in terms of compatibility with multiple tandem MS modes or ion polarity modes,calibratable range,and minimizing suppression of and interference with analyte signals.Here aiming at developing a versatile calibrant to solve these problem,we designed a synthetic peptide format of calibrant R_x(GDP_n)_m(referred to as“Gly-Asp-Pro,GDP”)according to the chemical natures of amino acids and polypeptide fragmentation rules in tandem MS.With four types of amino acid residues selected and arranged through rational designs,a GDP peptide produces highly regulated fragments that give rise to evenly spaced signals in each tandem MS mode and is compatible with both positive and negative ion modes.In internal calibration,its regulated fragmentation pattern minimizes interference with analyte signals,and using a single peptide as the input minimizes suppression of the analyte signals.As demonstrated by analyses of proteins including monoclonal antibody and Aβ-42,these features allowed significant increase of the mass accuracy and precision,which improved sequence coverage and sequence resolution in sequence analyses(including de novo sequencing).This rational design strategy may also inspire further development of synthetic calibrants that benefit structural analysis of biomolecules.

Transcriptome Sequencing and de novo Analysis for Oviductus Ranae of Rana chensinensis Using Illumina RNA-Seq Technology

Oviductus Ranae is the dried oviduct of female Rana tem-poraria chensinensis （David）, distributed mainly in North- eastern China. Oviductus Ranae is one of the best-known and highly valued oriental foods and medicines. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that Oviductus Ranae can nourish yin, moisten lung and replenish the kidney essence. Meanwhile, activities of Oviductus Ranae such as anti-aging, anti-lipemic, anti-oxidation and anti-fatigue have also been demonstrated by modern phar-macological studies. Previous studies have shown that Oviductus Ranae is mainly composed of proteins, which are up to 50% or more.

应用傅立叶变换回旋共振质谱对小立碗藓新蛋白的序列分析

Two new proteins from physcomitrella patens were sequenced by nanoLC-FT-ICR tandem mass spectrometry.Eight and seven peptides were sequenced for spot 303 and spot 413 respectively.Database search was performed through the search engine Mascot (www.matrixscience.com) by MS/MS ion search program and Sequence Tag program.Blast was performed too.No statistical significant results were obtained from database search.The reliable amino acid sequences can be used for gene clone due to high mass accuracy.This research indicates that nanoLC-FT-ICR tandem mass spectrometric technique is powerful tools for new protein sequence analysis and will play an important role in plant proteomics research.

The biosynthetic pathway of the hallucinogen mescaline and its heterologous reconstruction

Mescaline,among the earliest identified natural hallucinogens,holds great potential in psychotherapy treatment.Nonetheless,despite the existence of a postulated biosynthetic pathway for more than half a century,the specific enzymes involved in this process are yet to be identified.In this study,we investigated the cactus Lophophora williamsii(Peyote),the largest known natural producer of the phenethylamine mescaline.We employed a multi-faceted approach,combining de novo whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing with comprehensive chemical profiling,enzymatic assays,molecular modeling,and pathway engineering for pathway elucidation.We identified four groups of enzymes responsible for the six catalytic steps in the mescaline biosynthetic pathway,and an N-methyltransferase enzyme that N-methylates all phenethylamine intermediates,likely modulating mescaline levels in Peyote.Finally,we reconstructed the mescaline biosynthetic pathway in both Nicotiana benthamiana plants and yeast cells,providing novel insights into several challenges hindering complete heterologous mescaline production.Taken together,our study opens up avenues for exploration of sustainable production approaches and responsible utilization of mescaline,safeguarding this valuable natural resource for future generations.

Genetic studies of schizophrenia:an update

Schizophrenia（SCZ） is a complex and heterogeneous mental disorder that affects about 1% of global population. In recent years,considerable progress has been made in genetic studies of SCZ. A number of common variants with small effects and rare variants with relatively larger effects have been identifi ed. These variants include risk loci identifi ed by genome-wide association studies,rare copy-number variants identifi ed by comparative genomic analyses,and de novo mutations identified by high-throughput DNA sequencing. Collectively,they contribute to the heterogeneity of the disease. In this review,we update recent discoveries in the fi eld of SCZ genetics,and outline the perspectives of future directions.

Proteome-Based Clustering Approaches Reveal Phylogenetic Insights into Amphistegina

Foraminifera are highly diverse and have a long evolutionary history.As key bioindicators,their phylogenetic schemes are of great importance for paleogeographic applications,but may be hard to recognize correctly.The phylogenetic relationships within the prominent genus Amphistegina are still uncertain.Molecular studies on Amphistegina have so far only focused on genetic diversity within single species and suggested a cryptic diversity that demands for further investigations.Besides molecular sequencing-based approaches,different mass spectrometry-based proteomics approaches are increasingly used to give insights into the relationship between samples and organisms,especially as these do not require reference databases.To better understand the relationship of amphisteginids and test different proteomics-based approaches we applied de novo peptide sequencing and similarity clustering to several populations of Amphistegina lobifera,A.lessonii and A.gibbosa.We also analyzed the dominant photosymbiont community to study their influence on holobiont proteomes.Our analyses indicate that especially de novo peptide sequencing allows to reconstruct the relationship among foraminiferal holobionts,although the detected separation of A.gibbosa from A.lessonii and A.lobifera may be partly influenced by their different photosymbiont types.The resulting dendrograms reflect the separation in two lineages previously suggested and provide a basis for future studies.