Project description:In this study, the Chinese chestnut ‘Huaihuang’ was used to explore the possible mechanisms of ovule abortion with respect to proteomics. The chestnut anthesis starts mid-June. The development of the burs of C. mollissima cv. ‘Huaihuang’ were monitored from 15 to 25 days after anthesis (DAA) And the burs for different times were collected from the Chestnut Experiment Station in Huairou District, Beijing, China. This experiment was conducted at the Beijing Protein Innovation Co., Ltd.
Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Since several miRNAs are known to affect the stability or translation of developmental regulatory genes, the origin of novel miRNAs may have contributed to the evolution of developmental processes and morphology. Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) is a species-rich clade with a well-established phylogeny and abundant genomic resources, thereby representing an ideal system in which to study miRNA evolution. We sequenced small RNA libraries from developmental stages of two divergent lepidopterans, Cameraria ohridella (Horse chestnut Leafminer) and Pararge aegeria (Speckled Wood butterfly), discovering 90 and 81 conserved miRNAs respectively, and many species-specific miRNA sequences. Mapping miRNAs onto the lepidopteran phylogeny reveals rapid miRNA turnover and an episode of miRNA fixation early in lepidopteran evolution, implying that miRNA acquisition accompanied the early radiation of the Lepidoptera. One lepidopteran-specific miRNA gene, miR-2768, is located within an intron of the homeobox gene invected, involved in insect segmental and wing patterning. We identified cubitus interruptus (ci) as a likely direct target of miR-2768, and validated this suppression using a luciferase assay system. We propose a model by which miR-2768 modulates expression of ci in the segmentation pathway and in patterning of lepidopteran wing primordia. Examination of the small RNA complements pooled across life cycle stages in each of Cameraria ohridella and Pararge aegeria.
Project description:With annually 2.56 million deaths worldwide, pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death. Most frequent causative pathogens are Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza A virus. Lately, the interaction between pathogens, the host and its microbiome gained more attention. A healthy microbiome is known to enhance the immune response towards pathogens, however, our knowledge on how infections affect the microbiome is still scarce. In this study, a meta-omics approach was used to investigate the impact of S. pneumoniae and influenza A virus infection on structure and function of the respiratory and gastrointestinal microbiomes of mice. In particular, the taxonomic composition of the respiratory microbiome was less affected by bacterial colonization and viral infection compared to S. pneumoniae infection. Pneumococcal pneumonia led to reduction of bacterial families and lower diversity in the respiratory microbiome, whereas diversity/richness was unaffected following H1N1 infection. Within the gastrointestinal microbiome we found exclusive changes in structure and function depending on the pneumonia inducing pathogen. Exemplarily, increased abundance of Akkermansiaceae and Spirochaetaceae, as well as decreased amounts of Clostridiaceae in response to S. pneumoniae infection, while increased presence of Enterococcaceae and Staphylococcaceae was specific for viral-induced pneumonia. Investigation of the intestinal microbiomes functional composition revealed reduced expression of flagellin and rubrerythrin and increased levels of ATPase during pneumococcal infection, while increased amounts of acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase and, enoyl-CoA transferase were unique after H1N1 infection. The identification of specific taxonomical and functional profiles during infection with a respective pathogen could deliver new insights in the role of the microbiome during disease and be beneficial for discrimination of pneumococcal- or viral-induced pneumonia.