Taxa Of Genus Research Articles

Paospora carinifang n. gen., n. sp. (Microsporidia: Spragueidae), a parasite of the ridgetail white prawn, Palaemon carinicauda

A new microsporidian disease of the pond-reared ridgetail white prawn, Palaemon carinicauda, was found in China. Light microscopy, pathology, and scanning electron microscopy showed that the parasite infected the host’s skeletal muscle tissue and formed spherical sporophorous vesicles (SPOVs). Electron microscopy revealed that its merogonic life stages developed in direct contact with the host cytoplasm. The sporogonic life stages underwent octosporoblastic sporogony with the formation of eight uninucleate spores in each SPOV. Fresh SPOVs were 5.4 ± 0.55 µm in diameter. The octospores were oval and measured 2.3 × 1.5 μm (fresh) and 1.96 × 1.17 μm (fixed). The isofilar polar filament was coiled with 9–10 turns and arranged in two rows. Phylogenetic analysis based on the SSU rRNA gene suggests that this microsporidium has close affinities with members of the genera Potaspora and Apotaspora, but represents an independent generic taxon. We therefore propose the establishment of a new genus and species (Paospora carinifang n. gen., n. sp.) within the family Spragueidae. We also propose a taxonomic revision to transfer Potaspora macrobrachium to this new genus and reclassify it as Paospora macrobrachium comb. nov.

Deep Conservation and Unexpected Evolutionary History of Neighboring lncRNAs MALAT1 and NEAT1

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have begun to receive overdue attention for their regulatory roles in gene expression and other cellular processes. Although most lncRNAs are lowly expressed and tissue-specific, notable exceptions include MALAT1 and its genomic neighbor NEAT1, two highly and ubiquitously expressed oncogenes with roles in transcriptional regulation and RNA splicing. Previous studies have suggested that NEAT1 is found only in mammals, while MALAT1 is present in all gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates) except birds. Here we show that these assertions are incomplete, likely due to the challenges associated with properly identifying these two lncRNAs. Using phylogenetic analysis and structure-aware annotation of publicly available genomic and RNA-seq coverage data, we show that NEAT1 is a common feature of tetrapod genomes except birds and squamates. Conversely, we identify MALAT1 in representative species of all major gnathostome clades, including birds. Our in-depth examination of MALAT1, NEAT1, and their genomic context in a wide range of vertebrate species allows us to reconstruct the series of events that led to the formation of the locus containing these genes in taxa from cartilaginous fish to mammals. This evolutionary history includes the independent loss of NEAT1 in birds and squamates, since NEAT1 is found in the closest living relatives of both clades (crocodilians and tuataras, respectively). These data clarify the origins and relationships of MALAT1 and NEAT1 and highlight an opportunity to study the change and continuity in lncRNA structure and function over deep evolutionary time.

НОВЫЕ СВЕДЕНИЯ ПО БИОСТРАТИГРАФИИ И ФОРАМИНИФЕРАМ АПТСКОГО ЯРУСА ЗАПАДНОЙ СИБИРИ

New complexes of Aptian foraminifera have been studied from two well sections (the Yamal Peninsula) in the northern paleobiogeographic region of West Siberia. These complexes are confined to the Vikulovo Horizon, where three Aptian substages are identified in the section of A well, the second section of B well are characterized by less and insufficiently preserved foraminifera, therefore, the Aptian age of deposits inclosing these organisms has been established as a whole. The new species – the index Gaudryinopsis sibiricus Podobina sp. nov. has been identified in the first section of A well within the lower substage together with the second species known here, which previously became the index species Trochammina reinwateri Cushman et Applin. In the middle substage, previously known species - indices Ammomarginulina obscura (Loeblich) and Pseudoverneuilina aptica Podobina have been traced. The upper substage in the section of A well is determined only by representatives of two generic taxa – Ammomarginulina and Trochammina. The deposits of the lower substage of the Aptian characterized by this complex of foraminifera define its boundary with Lower Cretaceous stages.

A two-sample mendelian randomization analysis investigates associations between gut microbiota and infertility

Observational studies have provided evidence of a correlation between alterations in gut microbiota composition and infertility. However, concrete proof supporting the causal relationship is still lacking. We performed a Mendelian randomization study to assess whether genetically gut microbiota composition influences the risk of infertility. The genetic data pertaining to gut microbiota were obtained from a genome-wide association study meta-analysis, which was conducted among 24 cohorts (18,340 participants) from the international MiBioGen consortium. By the primary method of assessing causality, we have identified 2 family taxa, 2 genus taxa, and 1 order taxa that were linked to a low risk of male infertility, while 1 genus taxa were associated with a high risk of male infertility. Furthermore, we have discovered 6 genus taxa, 1 phylum taxa, 1 class taxa, 1 order taxa, and 1 family taxa that were associated with a low risk of female infertility, while 1 genus taxa were linked to a high risk of female infertility. This study successfully confirmed that there was a causal link between gut microbiota and infertility. The identification of these specific strains through genetic prediction offers a valuable insight for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infertility.

Evaluating the significance of wing shapes in inferring phylogenetic proximity among the generic taxa: an example of Cantharinae (Coleoptera, Cantharidae)

The resolution of phylogenetic relationship among animals is still one of the most challenging problems in systematic zoology. Insect wing is a highly valued morphological character in the systematics, but few studies have been conducted to quantify wing shape variations for phylogenetic reconstruction. In this study, with Cantharinae as the subject, we conducted the GM analyses from hindwings of 16 representative genera. Further, we conducted the UPGMA based on Procrustes distance and Euclidean similarity measure of Mahalanobis distance, respectively, and NJ analysis of the Mahalanobis distance, as well as MP analysis using merged landmark dataset. In the meantime, we constructed the phylogenetic relationships among these genera based on the mitochondrial genomes, with a total of 41 sequences novel to Cantharinae, by BI and ML analyses. As a result, the CVA analysis demonstrated that the hindwing shapes of the cantharid genera are significantly different from one another. All the topologies produced by the GM data partially correspond with that of mitogenomic data. The close relationships of some genera are frequently recovered, including Cyrebion + Themus, Cantharis + Taiwanocantharis + Taocantharis, Stenothemus + Falsopodabrus + Habronychus. These results prove the importance and potential application of the hindwing shapes in recovering the relationships among the sibling genera.

Cladistic analysis reveals polyphyly of Tomarus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae): new classification and taxonomic revision

The phylogeny of Tomarus Erichson, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Pentodontini) was explored by parsimony using morphological characters to approach its taxonomic and nomenclature problems. The genus was not supported as a monophyletic group, and the recovered lineages did not match at all any of the previously known classifications. Three different lineages and six monophyletic groups were recovered, which could be treated as independent genera. However, the classification proposed here is as conservative as possible concerning to the creation of many new names and generic taxa. Thus, four genera are now recognized: Euligyrus Casey, 1915 new status (2 species), Ligyrus Burmeister, 1847 revised status (18 species, including Oxygrylius Casey, 1915 new synonymy), Proculigyrus new genus (1 species), and Tomarus Erichson, 1847 revised status (18 species). Three subgenera are recognized for the genus Ligyrus: Anagrylius Casey, 1915 revised status (2 species), Ligyrodes Casey, 1915 revised status (3 species), and Ligyrus revised status (13 species). A complete taxonomic treatment is presented for each genus, including descriptions, keys, and occurrence maps. A revised status is presented for the following species: Ligyrus (Ligyrus) nasutus (Burmeister, 1847), T. amazonicus (Arrow, 1914), and T. gyas Erichson, 1848. Lectotypes are designated for Bothynus neglectus LeConte, 1847, L. amazonicus Arrow, 1914, L. bryanti Rivers, 1891, Scarabeus fossor Latreille, 1813, S. relictus Say, 1825 T. gyas, T. maimon Erichson, 1847, and some synonyms of L. sallaei Bates, 1888 (Ligyrodes propinquus Casey, 1915 and Ligyrodes aztecus Casey, 1915), S. gibbosus DeGeer, 1774 (Bothynus morio LeConte, 1847, L. californicus Casey, 1909, and L. spissipes Casey, 1909), S. relictus (Ligyrodes parviceps Casey, 1915 and Ligyrodes quadripennis Casey, 1915), and S. bituberculatus Palisot de Beauvois, 1811 (Ligyrus maximus Arrow, 1913 and Ligyrus latus Arrow, 1914). Ligyrus patagonus Steinheil, 1874 is a new synonym for L. rubripes Boheman, 1858. Type species are designated for the synonyms Grylius Casey, 1915 and Ligyrellus Casey, 1915. New combinations (new combination) are presented for: Euligyrus ebenus (De Geer, 1774), E. similis (Endrödi, 1968), Ligyrus (Anagrylius) moroni (López-García & Deloya, 2019), L. (Ligyrus) paranaensis (López-García & Deloya, 2019), L. (Ligyrus) peninsularis (Casey, 1915), L. (Ligyrus) spinipenis (Neita & Ratcliffe 2017), and Tomarus amazonicus. Ligyrus (Ligyrus) allonasutus new species is described to include populations of T. nasutus from western Mexico to Panama. Phylogenetic and taxonomic value of mouthparts, elytro-tergal stridulatory apparatus, and male genitalia is discussed along with a description of the biogeographic patterns of distribution for each genus.

New record of a rarely collected caridean shrimp Bathypalaemonella pandaloides (Rathbun, 1906) (Decapoda: Bathypalaemonellidae) from the West Mariana Ridge, northwestern Pacific.

The deep-sea caridean shrimp Bathypalaemonella pandaloides (Rathbun, 1906) (Bathypalaemonellidae) was heretofore known only from Hawaii (type locality) and French Polynesia. In this article, we report this rarely collected species on the basis of a single male specimen from the Ritto Seamount on the West Mariana Ridge, northwestern Pacific, at a depth of 657 m, collected by means of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The specimen is intact, enabling us to describe the characteristic major pereopod 2 of the species for the first time. The closest relative is B. zimmeri Balss, 1914, known only from the western Indian Ocean; fewer accessory spiniform setae on the pereopods 35 dactyli and the less produced distal lamella of the antennal scaphocerite distinguish B. pandaloides from B. zimmeri. K2P divergences of the mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA genes in taxa attributed to Bathypalaemonella Balss, 1914 are presented. The present specimen was collected from an anthipatharian octocoral colony, Leiopathes sp. (Cnidaria), suggesting a commensal relationship.

An ethnobotanical review on medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family in Turkey

Medicinal plants have been used by humans for the treatment of various diseases for thousands of years from past to present. Members of the Lamiaceae family are among the most preferred medicinal plants due to the wide variety of secondary components they contain, particularly essential oils. In this review, Master?s and PhD theses and books based on ethnobotanical studies investigated between 1960 and 2021 as well as internationally recognized databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, SciFinder, Springer and Elsevier) were used to determine the medicinal uses of Lamiaceae taxa among the people in Turkey. As a result of the study, it was found that a total of 221 taxa (192 species) belonging to 29 genera, 51 of which are endemic, have medicinal/therapeutic uses. The local names of these taxa, the usage which are used among the people, the diseases in which they are used, and the geographical regions given in the present study. The genera of taxa most commonly used for medicinal purposes by the local people are Salvia (37 taxa), Sideritis (25 taxa), Stachys (22 taxa), Thymus (16 taxa) and Origanum (13 taxa). It was observed that the most frequently used two methods while preparing these plants for use was infusion (61%), and decoction (24%). Studies conducted on National (TURK, BHP), Regional (EU) and International Pharmacopoeias (WHO) and various monographs (AHP, COMISSION E, EMA, ESCOP, PDR) have revealed that there are 29 taxa included in these pharmacopoeias and monographs whose purpose of use are similar to the diseases that local people are trying to treat. Diseases that people use plants for therapeutic purposes are grouped into 12 categories. It was determined that these plants were widely used for therapeutic purposes in gastric disorders as well as otolaryngology and respiratory system diseases. This review briefly discusses whether some taxa commonly used by the local people in the treatment of diseases can be useful in the treatment of the disease in question, in the light of scientific studies.

Intestinal microbiota disturbance affects the occurrence of African swine fever

Intestinal microbiota not only participates in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, but also plays an important role in regulating host metabolism and health. The current study aimed to explore the intestinal microbiota characteristics in pigs infected with African swine fever. Below the same term, fresh fecal samples of sick and healthy pigs were collected. Primers were designed and PCR was extracted based on the 16S rDNA gene of bacteria by Illumina NovaSeq sequencing platform. The results showed that the bacterial alpha diversity index of healthy pigs was significantly higher than that of sick pigs (p < 0.05). On the phylum taxa, dominant bacteria more than 98.5% in the two groups are composed of Firmicutes, Spirobacteria, and Bacteroides, of which the abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes decreased and Spiricobacteria increased extremely significant in sick pigs (p < 0.01). On the genus taxa, the relative abundance of Oscillospira, Streptococcus and Roseburia decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Most notably, Treponema performed excellently in distinguishing pigs infected with African swine fever with the abundance increased extremely significantly (p < 0.01). In conclusion, African swine fever could alter the abundance of dominant bacteria in pigs, and Treponema may be one of the important inducers for swine pathogenicity. Highlights The bacterial population composition in sick pigs and healthy pigs was basically similar, but the relative abundance of dominant bacteria was significantly difference. ASF could alter the abundance of dominant bacteria in pigs, and Treponema may be one of the important inducers for swine pathogenicity. These results will provide further evidence for the ASF infection in local pig farms and provide reference for their microecological control, which has important practical significance and social value for effective control of ASF, stability of pig production and guarantee of market supply.

The First Described Nymphs and Detailed Imagoes of the Species Thalerosphyrus cingulatus Navás Revealing a New Mayfly Genus from Eastern China (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae, Ecdyonurinae).

Simple SummaryThe reduction or loss of crossveins on colorful wings can be found in several lineages of mayflies, especially those with small to tiny bodies. However, in the family Heptageniidae, whose nymphs have very flat bodies and usually crawl on the surface of rocks to pebbles, this situation is very rare. Surprisingly, about 90 years ago, a Spanish entomologist Longinos Navás briefly described and illustrated a Chinese mayfly, Thalerosphyrus cingulatus, with few crossvein rows which is further heavily pigmented with yellowish to brown stains. Unfortunately, this interesting species and its outstanding morphology have never been re-checked or confirmed until now. In 2021, tens of specimens of this mayfly were re-found and its mating flight behavior was recorded. Therefore, the original characters of this species are re-described and photographed in detail. The results show both its imagoes and nymphs have a long series of combined characteristics of several related genera, and it represents a new clade and owns a new phylogenetic position of the subfamily Ecdyonurinae. To reflect its uniqueness, a new genus, Regulaneuria Zhou, gen. nov., is established herein. The similar venations are found in several families of the order Ephemeroptera. This means the reduction of crossveins can happen repeatedly and convergently in mayflies but our finding here is the extreme one of the family Heptageniidae.The nymph and detailed imaginal morphology of the Chinese mayfly Thalerosphyrus cingulatus have not been reported since it was named by Navás in 1933. Here based on newly collected nymphal and associated imaginal materials of this species from eastern China, we find both nymphs and adults have several extraordinary characters. In adults, forewings have less crossveins in costal and subcostal sections, others crossveins arranged into five regular rows; tibiae and tarsi of midlegs and hindlegs subequal in length; male compound eyes widely separated and penes simple and fused. The nymphs have greatly extended lateral pronotum, round supracoxal spurs and extended dorsal lamellae of gills, especially those of the gills VII; maxillae have two independent distal dentisetae. These combined characters represent a new generic taxon. Therefore, Regulaneuria Zhou, gen. nov. is established here to include the species Regulaneuria cingulata (Navás, 1933) comb. nov. The forewing venation of the species R. cingulata is unique in the family Heptageniidae but similar to some counterparts of Leptophlebiidae and Baetidae.

Enhanced Biogas Production by Ligninolytic Strain Enterobacter hormaechei KA3 for Anaerobic Digestion of Corn Straw

Lignin-feeding insect gut is a natural ligninolytic microbial bank for the sustainable conversion of crop straw to biogas. However, limited studies have been done on highly efficient microbes. Here, an efficient ligninolytic strain Enterobacter hormaechei KA3 was isolated from the gut microbiomes of lignin-feeding Hypomeces squamosus Fabricius, and its effects on lignin degradation and anaerobic digestion were investigated. No research has been reported. Results showed that strain KA3 had better lignin-degrading ability for corn straw with a higher lignin-degrading rate (32.05%) and lignin peroxidase activity (585.2 U/L). Furthermore, the highest cumulative biogas yield (59.19 L/kg-VS) and methane yield (14.76 L/kg-VS) were obtained for KA3 inoculation, which increased by 20% and 31%, respectively, compared to CK. Higher removal rates of COD, TS, and vs. of 41.6%, 43.11%, and 66.59% were also found. Moreover, microbial community diversity increased as digestion time prolonged in TG, and bacteria were more diverse than archaea. The dominant genus taxon, for methanogens, was Methanosate in TG, while in CK was Methanosarcina. For bacteria, dominant taxa were similar for all groups, which were Solibacillus and Clostridium. Therefore, strain KA3 improved the methane conversion of the substrate. This study could provide a new microbial resource and practical application base for lignin degradation.

Temporal Characteristics of the Oropharyngeal and Nasal Microbiota Structure in Crewmembers Stayed 180 Days in the Controlled Ecological Life Support System.

Confined experiments are carried out to simulate the closed environment of space capsule on the ground. The Chinese Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) is designed including a closed-loop system supporting 4 healthy volunteers surviving for 180 days, and we aim to reveal the temporal characteristics of the oropharyngeal and nasal microbiota structure in crewmembers stayed 180 days in the CELSS, so as to accumulate the information about microbiota balance associated with respiratory health for estimating health risk in future spaceflight. We investigated the distribution of microorganisms and their dynamic characteristics in the nasal cavity and oropharynx of occupants with prolonged confinement. Based on the 16S rDNA v3–v4 regions using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology, the oropharyngeal and nasal microbiota were monitored at eight time points during confinement. There were significant differences between oropharyngeal and nasal microbiota, and there were also individual differences among the same site of different volunteers. Analysis on the structure of the microbiota showed that, in the phylum taxon, the nasal bacteria mainly belonged to Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, etc. In addition to the above phyla, in oropharyngeal bacteria Fusobacterial accounted for a relatively high proportion. In the genus taxon, the nasal and oropharyngeal bacteria were independent. Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus were dominant in nasal cavity, and Corynebacterium, Streptococcus, and Neisseria were dominant in oropharynx. With the extension of the confinement time, the abundance of Staphylococcus in the nasal cavity and Neisseria in the oropharynx increased, and the index Chao fluctuated greatly from 30 to 90 days after the volunteers entered the CELSS.Conclusion: The structure and diversity of the nasal and oropharyngeal microbiota changed in the CELSS, and there was the phenomenon of migration between occupants, suggesting that the microbiota structure and health of the respiratory tract could be affected by living in a closed environment for a long time.

Morphological studies on legume and hilum in seven species of Vigna Savi (Fabaceae)

In this study of different taxa of genus Vigna the macro and micromorphological characters were investigated. These taxa collected from different countries (3 cultivated and 8 annual or perennial herbs) representing 7 species of this genus, namely: Vigna radiate, Vigna trilobata, Vigna vexillata, Vigna caracalla, Vigna pubescens, Vigna unguiculata, and Vigna luteola. Legume features such as shape, colour, size, surface texture, number of locules, number of legumes per peduncle seed set percentage, orientation. Moreover, by using scanning electron microscopy, additional details were obtained for stomatal shape, size, type, cuticular and wax ornamentation of the surface of the mature pod, including details of the seed such as hilum shape, size, position, ornamentation based on scanning electron microscope evidence. The usefulness of the macro and micromorphological features as criteria for taxonomic identification was emphasized. Key words: Vigna, Fabaceae, morphological characters, pod, hilum, S.E.M., taxonomy.

A reappraisal of phylogenetic relationships among auchenipterid catfishes of the subfamily Centromochlinae and diagnosis of its genera (Teleostei: Siluriformes)

A hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships is presented for species of the South American catfish subfamily Centromochlinae (Auchenipteridae) based on parsimony analysis of 133 morphological characters in 47 potential ingroup taxa and one outgroup taxon. Of the 48 species previously considered valid in the subfamily, only one, Centromochlus steindachneri, was not evaluated in the present study. The phylogenetic analysis generated two most parsimonious trees, each with 202 steps, that support the monophyly of Centromochlinae composed of five valid genera: Glanidium, Gephyromochlus, Gelanoglanis, Centromochlus and Tatia. Although those five genera form a clade sister to the monotypic Pseudotatia, we exclude Pseudotatia from Centromochlinae. The parsimony analysis placed Glanidium (six species) as the sister group to all other species of Centromochlinae. Gephyromochlus contained a single species, Gephyromochlus leopardus, that is sister to the clade Gelanoglanis (five species) + Centromochlus (eight species). Based on the new taxonomic arrangement herein, BalroglanisGrant 2015 and SauronglanisGrant 2015 are placed in the synonymy of Centromochlus. Tatia is the most diverse genus within Centromochlinae, with twenty-six species in three monophyletic clades. The species composition of Tatia differs from that of Calegari et al. (2019). DuringlanisGrant 2015 and FerrarissoaresiaGrant 2015 are considered synonyms of Tatia. All generic taxa within Centromochlinae are diagnosed based on synapomorphic morphological characters. An identification key for Centromochlinae is provided.

Новый список видов растений и лишайников России для программы Turboveg for Windows

A new species list of plants and lichens of Russia and neighboring countries has been developed for Turboveg for Windows, the program, intended for storage and management of phytosociological data (relevés), is widely used all around the world (Hennekens, Schaminée, 2001; Hennekens, 2015). The species list is built upon the database of the Russian website Plantarium (Plantarium…: [site]), which contains a species atlas and illustrated an online Handbook of plants and lichens. The nomenclature used on Plantarium was originally based on the following issues: vascular plants — S. K. Cherepanov (1995) with additions; mosses — «Flora of mosses of Russia» (Proect...: [site]); liverworts and hornworts — A. D. Potemkin and E. V. Sofronova (2009); lichens — «Spisok…» G. P. Urbanavichyus ed. (2010); other sources (Plantarium...: [site]). The new species list, currently the most comprehensive in Turboveg format for Russia, has 89 501 entries, including 4627 genus taxa compare to the old one with 32 020 entries (taxa) and only 253 synonyms. There are 84 805 species and subspecies taxa in the list, 37 760 (44.7 %) of which are accepted, while the others are synonyms. Their distribution by groups of organisms and divisions are shown in Table. A large number of synonyms in the new list and its adaptation to work with the Russian literature will greatly facilitate the entry of old relevé data. The ways of making new list, its structure as well as the possibilities of checking taxonomic lists on Internet resources are considered. The files of the species list for Turboveg 2 and Turboveg 3, the technique of associating existing databases with a new species list (in Russian) are available on the web page https://www.binran.ru/resursy/informatsionnyye-resursy/tekuschie-proekty/species_list_russia/.

Anthropogenic land use changes diversity and structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities at 100-m scale in northeast China

ABSTRACT Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a key role in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Anthropogenic land uses have a great impact on ecosystem processes and services. In this study, we estimated the diversity and composition of the AMF communities of five land use types, namely corn field, woodland, grassland, wetland and paddy field, in a new established campus of northeast China by MiSeq sequencing. Our results showed that the numbers of families and genera taxa in the dry lands (corn field, woodland and grassland) were more than in the water lands (wetland and paddy field). Paraglomus, Glomus and Claroideoglomus were the dominant genera in the five land use types. Grassland and woodland had higher AMF diversity compared with arable land and wetland. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and permutational multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant difference in the AMF community composition among land use types. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the structural composition of the AMF communities was affected by soil pH, organic C, N and invertase activity. It was concluded that anthropogenic land uses altered AMF community composition, and returning arable land to woodland and grassland increased the diversity of AMF communities at 100-m scale in urban ecosystem.

Characterization of a filovirus (Měnglà virus) from Rousettus bats in China.

Filoviruses, especially Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV), are notoriously pathogenic and capable of causing severe haemorrhagic fever diseases in humans with high lethality1,2. The risk of future outbreaks is exacerbated by the discovery of other bat-borne filoviruses of wide genetic diversity globally3-5. Here we report the characterization of a phylogenetically distinct bat filovirus, named Měnglà virus (MLAV). The coding-complete genome of MLAV shares 32-54% nucleotide sequence identity with known filoviruses. Phylogenetic analysis places this new virus between EBOV and MARV, suggesting the need for a new genus taxon. Importantly, despite the low amino acid sequence identity (22-39%) of the glycoprotein with other filoviruses, MLAV is capable of using the Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) as entry receptor. MLAV is also replication-competent with chimeric MLAV mini-genomes containing EBOV or MARV leader and trailer sequences, indicating that these viruses are evolutionally and functionally closely related. Finally, MLAV glycoprotein-typed pseudo-types transduced cell lines derived from humans, monkeys, dogs, hamsters and bats, implying a broad species cell tropism with a high risk of interspecies spillover transmission.

Airway Microbiome in Different Inflammatory Phenotypes of Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northeast China.

Background and Objective: Asthma is a common respiratory disease with a high prevalence and morbidity that can seriously affect quality of life. Microbial colonization of the airway may participate in the pathogenesis of asthma, however the mechanisms involved have not been established. In the present study, we aimed to determine the composition of the microbiota in different asthmatic phenotypes from Northeast China.Methods: 24 mild-to-moderate asthmatics (10 eosinophilic asthma and 14 non-eosinophilic asthma) and 12 healthy volunteers participated in this cross-sectional study. DNA was extracted from their induced sputum and amplified for 16s rRNA gene sequencing on Illumina Miseq platform. Bioinformatic analysis on the microbiome was performed.Results: Alpha-diversity analysis showed that the asthmatics had a decreased richness, evenness and diversity. Non-eosinophilic asthmatics showed a decreased richness, evenness and diversity compared with eosinophilic patients. A different taxonomy of 1 phylum and 6 genera taxa between the phenotypes was identified. Compared with heathy controls, asthmatics existed a larger taxonomic difference (P<0.05 for both EA and NEA vs. HC). 5 genera as the dominance in the microbial co-occurrence network correlated with the spirometry and disease progression of asthma. The function of microbiota genes was predicted to be related with infectious, immune and metabolic diseases.Conclusion: The diversity and composition of the airway microbiome was associated with the pathogenesis of asthma in different phenotypes. The diverse composition has been identified in the present study.

Responses in the rumen microbiome of Bos taurus and indicus steers fed a low-quality rice straw diet and supplemented protein.

Bos indicus typically perform better than Bos taurus when consuming a low-quality diet; however, the response to supplementation is generally greater in B. taurus. The underlying mechanisms supporting these responses have not been fully elucidated. Characterization of differences in rumen prokaryotic populations and their functional role in the two subspecies may provide additional insight. Ten cannulated steers (5 Angus and 5 Brahman) were used in concurrent 5 × 5 Latin squares. Animals were offered ad libitum access to rice straw (4.7% CP). Treatments consisted of an unsupplemented control diet and two levels (50 or 120 mg N/kg BW) of isonitrogenous supplements (30% CP), that were either high (H; 74%) or low (L; 26%) in undegradable intake protein. Rumen samples were collected at 0 and 4 h postfeeding and separated into liquid and solid fractions. Rumen bacterial taxa were sequenced utilizing a Roche 454 platform based on the 16s rRNA gene. At 97% sequence similarity, 97,826 operational taxonomic units were identified, which included 24 phyla, 108 families, and 255 genera. Analysis included SAS PROC mixed model, QIIME, and PICRUSt. Across all samples, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes accounted for 65% and 28% of total bacterial abundance, respectively. The families Prevotellaceae (P = 0.05) and Ruminococcaceae (P = 0.004) and the genera Prevotellaceae (family; P = 0.003) within the phyla Bacteroidetes differed significantly in relative abundance with added protein when compared to the control. Consistent differences in the relative abundance of family and genus taxa between B. indicus and B. taurus suggest roles the symbiotic rumen microbiome may have in the capacity of B. indicus to utilize low-quality forage over a range of supplement types and levels including (Prevotella, Ruminococcus [family], Sphingobacteriaceae [family], Bacteroidales [order], Pontibacter, Bacteroides, Succiclasticum, Barnesiella, and Xylanibacter). Overall bacterial community diversity differences across parameters were limited. Rice straw is recalcitrant to bacterial digestion because of high levels of silica in the epidermis making this straw more resistant to bacterial attachment. Thus, this analysis represents the bacterial diversity and function of the rumen under conditions depleted CP, recalcitrant fiber matrix and restricted digestibility which appear to limit the microbial population to those capable of attaching and digesting complexed structural carbohydrates, resulting in reduced plasticity, and more evenness in diversity across parameters.

Genome size and chromosome number for six taxa of Origanum genus from Morocco

The majority of the Origanum species are important medicinal plants as well as culinary herbs and have thus a great economic value. Some taxonomic issues are still pending within the genus and the cytogenetic studies about this genus are still very scarce. Therefore, studies concerning chromosome number and genome size can provide complementary data that may be useful to characterize the genus Origanum. These two approaches have been used to characterize five Moroccan taxa of the genus Origanum occurring in the wild in addition to the exotic species O. onites. All investigated taxa are diploid with chromosome number of 2n = 30. This is the first time the chromosome numbers have been counted in O. grosii, O. compactum and O. × font-queri as well as in O. vulgare subsp. virens from Morocco. The genome sizes are considered as small, and the mean values ranged from 1.43 pg/2C in O. vulgare subsp. virens to 1.53 pg/2C in O. compactum. Besides, no significant intraspecific variability in genome size was observed among populations of O. elongatum as well as of O. grosii.