The complete mitogenome of the Chinese bush cricket,Gampsocleis gratiosa(Orthoptera:Tettigonioidea)

The complete mitochondrial genome （mitogenome） of Gampsocleis gratiosa was determined. The 15,929 bp in the size of G. gratiosa mitogenome contains a typical gene content, base composition, and codon usage found in metazoan. All 13 protein coding genes （PCGs） of the G gratiosa mitogenome start with a typical ATN codon. The usual termination codons （TAA and TAG） were found from 10 PCGs. However, the atp6, had4, and had5 had incomplete termination codon （T）. The anticodons of all tRNAs are identical to those observed in Drosophila yakuba and Locusta migratoria, and can be folded in the form of a typical clover leaf structure except for trnS （AGN）. The secondary structure of trnS （AGN） was drawn according with the Steinberg-Cedergren tertiary structure. The A＋T content （67.4%） of the A＋T-rich region is relatively lower among the mitogenome regions, in contrast, it usually contains the highest A＋T content for most insects. Two isolated sequence repeat regions （202 bp） were found in the A＋T-rich region with mapping and secondary structure information.

Characterizing the complete mitochondrial genome of Psephenothrips eriobotryae Dang&Qiao(Thysanoptera:Phlaeothripidae)with massive gene arrangement in Phlaeothripidae

Each species within the order Thysanoptera has a distinct mitochondrial gene order displaying a high level of gene rearrangement,particularly massive in Phlaeothripidae.To understand the evolutionary patterns of rearrangement in this family,we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Psephenothrips eriobotryae,a notable potential pest of loquat trees.Its mitogenome is a circular DNA molecule(15,413 bp in size)composed of 37 genes:13 PCGs,22 tRNAs,two rRNAs,and two putative control regions(CRs).By comparing with the ancestral mitogenome of arthropods,P.eriobotryae exhibits notable gene rearrangement variations.However,it shares four conserved gene blocks with three closely related species in Phlaeothripinae.In the phylogenetic tree,P.eriobotryae was clustered with these three leaffeeding Phlaeothripinae species.The presence of more similar conserved gene blocks probably indicates a strong correlation between gene rearrangements and the phylogeny within Phlaeothripidae.Furthermore,the mitogenome of P.eriobotryae shows some characteristics:(a)two putative CRs in which CR2 is the copy of partial CR1 with 99.62%sequence similarity,and CR1 consists of two 237 bp repeat unites;(b)high A+T content of 82.6%in overall base composition;(c)trn S1 lacking a complete dihydrouridine(DHU)arm;(d)the protein coding gene,atp8 started with TTG instead of the more common ATN,while nad3 terminated by TAG rather than TAA;(e)translocations and inversions observed in fifteen of the 37 genes.

A human monoclonal antibody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants bytargeting the upstream region of spike protein HR2 motif

The continuous emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)variants meansthere is a need to explore additional strategies to develop broad-spectrum vaccines or therapeutics for individuals remaining at risk of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Neutralizing monoclonal antibody(mAb)that binds to theconserved S2 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 spike(S)protein alone,or in combination with mAb that binds to the receptor-binding domain(RBD)of S protein,might be effective in eliciting protection from infection by a variety of SARS-CoV2 variants.Using high-throughput single-cell immunoglobulin sequencing of B cells from COVID-19-convalescent donors,we identified a high-affinity S2-specific mAb-39,that could inhibit original SARS-CoV-2 strain,Omicron BA.1,BA.2.86,BA.4,BA.5,and EG.5.1 S protein-mediated membrane fusion,leading to the neutralization of these pseudoviralinfections.Moreover,mAb-39 could also improve the neutralizing activity of anti-RBD antibody against the highlyneutralization-resistant Omicron variants.Molecular docking and point mutation analyses revealed that mAb-39 recognized epitopes within the conserved upstream region of the heptad repeat 2(HR2)motif of the S2 subunit.Collectively,these findings demonstrate that targeting the conserved upstream region of the HR2 motif(e.g.,using mAbs)provides anovel strategy for preventing the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Cervaphis quercus （Insecta： Hemiptera： Aphididae： Greenideinae）

The mitochondrial genome of Cervaphis quercus has been sequenced and annotated. The entire genome of 15 272 bp encodes two ribosomal RNA genes （rrnL and rrnS）, 22 transfer RNA （tRNA） genes, 13 protein-coding genes and a control region. The genome has the same gene order as that found in the inferred ancestral insect. Nucleotide composition is highly A＋T biased. All protein-coding genes use standard mitochondrial initiation codons. Secondary structure models of the two ribosomal RNA genes ofC. quercus are similar to those proposed for other insects. All tRNAs have the classic clover-leaf structure, except for the dihydrouridine （DHU） arm of trnS （AGN）, which forms a simpleloop. The presence of structural elements in the control region is also discussed, with an emphasis on the possible regulation of replication and/or transcription. Comparison withmitochondrial genomes of other aphid species shows their gene arrangements are conserved; however, the variety of repeat regions in species from a different aphid subfamily,Aphidinae, suggests that they resulted from independent evolutionary events.