Use of species-specific PCR for the identification of 10 sea cucumber species

We developed a species-specific PCR method to identify species among dehydrated products of 10 sea cucumber species.Ten reverse species-specific primers designed from the 16 S rRNA gene,in combination with one forward universal primer,generated PCR fragments of ca.270 bp length for each species.The specificity of the PCR assay was tested with DNA of samples of 21 sea cucumber species.Amplification was observed in specific species only.The species-specific PCR method we developed was successfully applied to authenticate species of commercial products of dehydrated sea cucumber,and was proven to be a useful,rapid,and low-cost technique to identify the origin of the sea cucumber product.

Annotation of miRNAs in the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)coronavirus is a new strain of coronavirus that had not been previously detected in humans.As its severe pathogenicity is concerned,it is important to study it thoroughly to aid in the discovery of a cure.In this study,the microRNAs(miRNAs)of COVID-19 were annotated to provide a powerful tool for the study of this novel coronavirus.We obtained 16 novel coronavirus genome sequences and the mature sequences of all viruses in the microRNA database(miRbase),and then used the miRNA matures sequences of the virus to perform the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool(BLAST)analysis in the coronavirus genome,extending the matched regions of approximately 20 bp to two segments by 200 bp.Six sequences were obtained after deleting redundant sequences.Then,the hairpin structures of the mature miRNAs were determined using RNAfold.The mature sequence on one hairpin arm was selected into a total of 4 sequences,and finally the relevant miRNA precursor prediction tools were used to verify whether the selected sequences are miRNA precursor sequences of the novel coronavirus.The miRNAs of the novel coronavirus were annotated by our newly developed method,which will lay the foundation for further study of this virus.

Differential expression of salt tolerance related genes in Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis (L.) Makino var. communis Tsen et Lee

We examined salt tolerance responsive genes in Pak-choi under salt stress and analyze their potential function. The LRNA differential display was used to screen the transcript derived fragments （TDFs） related to salinity tolerance in tolerant and Loderately tolerant Pak-choi germplasm. Seventy-eight primer combinations generated 101 differential eDNA fragments, which ere divided into 10 expression types. Seven cDNA sequences （GenBank accession Nos. DQ006915-DQ006921） obtained and ,~quenced were highly homologous to some known expression genes or the genes related to the signaling pathways in plants under ifferent abiotic stress.