Methodology of Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci for Binary Traits in a Half-sib Design Using Maximum Likelihood

Yin, Zongjun,Zhang, Qin,Zhang, Jigang,Ding, Xiangdong,Wang, Chunkao Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2005 Animal Bioscience Vol.18 No.12

Maximum likelihood methodology was applied to analyze the efficiency and statistical power of interval mapping by using a threshold model. The factors that affect QTL detection efficiency (e.g. QTL effect, heritability and incidence of categories) were simulated in our study. Daughter design with multiple families was applied, and the size of segregating population is 500. The results showed that the threshold model has a great advantage in parameters estimation and power of QTL mapping, and has nice efficiency and accuracy for discrete traits. In addition, the accuracy and power of QTL mapping depended on the effect of putative quantitative trait loci, the value of heritability and incidence directly. With the increase of QTL effect, heritability and incidence of categories, the accuracy and power of QTL mapping improved correspondingly.

Intergeneric Hybridization between Streptomyces albulus and Bacillus subtilis Facilitates Production of ε-Poly-L-lysine from Corn Starch Residues

Shu Li,Nan Wang,Zongjun Du,Guanjun Chen 한국생물공학회 2018 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.23 No.5

Intergeneric hybridization between S.albulus and B. subtilis to produce ε-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) from corn starch residues (CSR) was investigated in this study. One hybrid, designated S. albulus LS-84, which incorporated the protease gene from B. subtilis, could effectively utilize the protein in CSR as a nitrogen source. In fed-batch fermentation, LS-84 produced 32.6 g/L ε-PL in the presence of 20 g/L CSR. This was an increase of 256.1% compared to that of the parent strain S. albulus LS-01. The rapid hydrolysis of CSR by protease caused rapid growth for LS- 84, which allowed higher respiratory activity. As a result, activities of several key enzymes in LS-84 were higher than those in LS-01; additionally, the content of several intracellular amino acids, such as Asp, Glu, and Arg, was also much higher in LS-84. Therefore, intergeneric hybridization between S. albulus and B. subtilis to produce ε-PL from CSR is an economical method for effective utilization of waste resources.

Isolation and Characterization of an Eosinophilic GH 16 β-Agarase (AgaDL6) from an Agar-Degrading Marine Bacterium Flammeovirga sp. HQM9

( Yan Liu ),( Xiaoxu Tian ),( Chao Peng ),( Zongjun Du ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2019 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.29 No.2

A special eosinophilic agarase exo-type β-agarase gene, AgaDL6, was cloned from a marine agar-degrading bacterium, Flammeovirga sp. HQM9. The gene comprised 1,383-bp nucleotides encoding a putative agarase AgaDL6 of 461 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 52.8 kDa. Sequence analysis revealed a β-agarase domain that belongs to the glycoside hydrolase family (GH) 16 and a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM_4_9) unique to agarases. AgaDL6 was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Enzyme activity analysis of the purified protein showed that the optimal temperature and pH of AgaDL6 were 50°C and 3.0, respectively. AgaDL6 showed thermal stability by retaining more than 98% of activity after incubation for 2 h at 50°C, a feature quite different from other agarases. AgaDL6 also exhibited outstanding acid stability, retaining 100% of activity after incubation for 24 h at pH 2.0 to 5.0, a property distinct from other agarases. This is the first agarase characterized to have such high acid stability. In addition, we observed no obvious stimulation or inhibition of AgaDL6 in the presence of various metal ions and denaturants. AgaDL6 is an exo-type β-1,4 agarase that cleaved agarose into neoagarotetraose and neoagarohexaose as the final products. These characteristics make AgaDL6 a potentially valuable enzyme in the cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries.

Effects of Lactobacillus curvatus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides on Suan Cai Fermentation in Northeast China^s

( Hongyan Yang ),( Hao Wu ),( Lijuan Gao ),( Hongbai Jia ),( Yuan Zhang ),( Zongjun Cui ),( Yuhua Li ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2016 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.26 No.12

To investigate the effects of Lactobacillus curvatus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides on suan cai (pickled Chinese cabbage) fermentation, L. curvatus and/or Ln. mesenteroides were inoculated into suan cai. Physicochemical indexes were measured, and the microbial dynamics during the fermentation were analyzed by Illumina MiSeq sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results showed that inoculation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) lowered the pH of the fermentation system more rapidly. The decrease in water-soluble carbohydrates in the inoculated treatments occurred more rapidly than in the control. The LAB counts in the control were lower than in other inoculated treatments during the first 12 days of fermentation. According to the Illumina MiSeq sequencing analyses, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia were present in the fermentations, along with other unclassified bacteria. Generally, Firmicutes was predominant during the fermentation in all treatments. At the genus level, 16 genera were detected. The relative abundance of Lactobacillus in all inoculated treatments was higher than in the control. The relative abundance of Lactobacillus in the treatments containing L. curvatus was higher than in the Ln. mesenteroides-only treatment. The relative abundance of Leuconostoc in the Ln. mesenteroides-containing treatments increased continuously throughout the fermentation. Leuconostoc was highest in the Ln. mesenteroides-only treatment. According to the qPCR results, L. curvatus and/or Ln. mesenteroides inoculations could effectively inhabit the fermentation system. L. curvatus dominated the fermentation in the inoculated treatments.

Metagenomic Insight into Lignocellulose Degradation of the Thermophilic Microbial Consortium TMC7

( Yi Wang ),( Chen Wang ),( Yonglun Chen ),( Beibei Chen ),( Peng Guo ),( Zongjun Cui ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2021 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.31 No.8

Biodegradation is the key process involved in natural lignocellulose biotransformation and utilization. Microbial consortia represent promising candidates for applications in lignocellulose conversion strategies for biofuel production; however, cooperation among the enzymes and the labor division of microbes in the microbial consortia remains unclear. In this study, metagenomic analysis was performed to reveal the community structure and extremozyme systems of a lignocellulolytic microbial consortium, TMC7. The taxonomic affiliation of TMC7 metagenome included members of the genera Ruminiclostridium (42.85%), Thermoanaerobacterium (18.41%), Geobacillus (10.44%), unclassified_f__Bacillaceae (7.48%), Aeribacillus (2.65%), Symbiobacterium (2.47%), Desulfotomaculum (2.33%), Caldibacillus (1.56%), Clostridium (1.26%), and others (10.55%). The carbohydrate-active enzyme annotation revealed that TMC7 encoded a broad array of enzymes responsible for cellulose and hemicellulose degradation. Ten glycoside hydrolases (GHs) endoglucanase, 4 GHs exoglucanase, and 6 GHs β-glucosidase were identified for cellulose degradation; 6 GHs endo-β-1,4-xylanase, 9 GHs β-xylosidase, and 3 GHs β-mannanase were identified for degradation of the hemicellulose main chain; 6 GHs arabinofuranosidase, 2 GHs α-mannosidase, 11 GHs galactosidase, 3 GHs α-rhamnosidase, and 4 GHs α-fucosidase were identified as xylan debranching enzymes. Furthermore, by introducing a factor named as the contribution coefficient, we found that Ruminiclostridium and Thermoanaerobacterium may be the dominant contributors, whereas Symbiobacterium and Desulfotomaculum may serve as “sugar cheaters” in lignocellulose degradation by TMC7. Our findings provide mechanistic profiles of an array of enzymes that degrade complex lignocellulosic biomass in the microbial consortium TMC7 and provide a promising approach for studying the potential contribution of microbes in microbial consortia.

Characterization of a Thermophilic Lignocellulose-Degrading Microbial Consortium with High Extracellular Xylanase Activity

( Dongdong Zhang ),( Yi Wang ),( Chunfang Zhang ),( Dan Zheng ),( Peng Guo ),( Zongjun Cui ) 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2018 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.28 No.2

A microbial consortium, TMC7, was enriched for the degradation of natural lignocellulosic materials under high temperature. TMC7 degraded 79.7% of rice straw during 15 days of incubation at 65°C. Extracellular xylanase was effectively secreted and hemicellulose was mainly degraded in the early stage (first 3 days), whereas primary decomposition of cellulose was observed as of day 3. The optimal temperature and initial pH for extracellular xylanase activity and lignocellulose degradation were 65°C and between 7.0 and 9.0, respectively. Extracellular xylanase activity was maintained above 80% and 85% over a wide range of temperature (50-75°C) and pH values (6.0-11.0), respectively. Clostridium likely had the largest contribution to lignocellulose conversion in TMC7 initially, and Geobacillus, Aeribacillus, and Thermoanaerobacterium might have also been involved in the later phase. These results demonstrate the potential practical application of TMC7 for lignocellulosic biomass utilization in the biotechnological industry under hot and alkaline conditions.

MiR-26a promotes apoptosis of porcine granulosa cells by targeting the 3β-hydroxysteroid-Δ24-reductase gene

Zhang, Xiaodong,Tao, Qiangqiang,Shang, Jinnan,Xu, Yiliang,Zhang, Liang,Ma, Yingchun,Zhu, Weihua,Yang, Min,Ding, Yueyun,Yin, Zongjun Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2020 Animal Bioscience Vol.33 No.4

Objective: Apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) affects mammalian follicular development and fecundity. This study aimed to explore the regulatory relationship between microRNA-26a (miR-26a) and the 3β-hydroxysteroid-Δ24-reductase gene (DHCR24) gene in porcine follicular granular cells (pGCs), and to provide empirical data for the development of methods to improve the reproductive capacity of pigs. Methods: The pGCs were transfected with miR-26a mimic, miR-26a inhibitor and DHCR24-siRNA in vitro. The cell apoptosis rate of pGCs was detected by the flow cytometry. The secretion levels of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) in pGCs were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Double luciferase validation system was used to detect the binding sites between miR-26a and DHCR24 3'-UTR region. Qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to verify the DHCR24 mRNA and protein expression in pGCs, respectively, after transfecting with miR-26a mimic and miR-26a inhibitor. Results: Results showed that enhancement of miR-26a promoted apoptosis, and inhibited E2 and P secretion in pGCs. Meanwhile, inhibition of DHCR24 also upregulated the Caspase-3 expression, reduced the BCL-2 expression, promoted pGCs apoptosis, and inhibited E2 and P secretion in pGCs. There were the binding sites of miR-26a located within DHCR24 3'-UTR. Up-regulation of miR-26a inhibited DHCR24 mRNA and protein expression in pGCs. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that miR-26a can promote cell apoptosis and inhibit E2 and P secretion by inhibiting the expression of DHCR24 in pGCs.

Genomic analysis reveals selection signatures of the Wannan Black pig during domestication and breeding

Zhang, Wei,Yang, Min,Wang, Yuanlang,Wu, Xudong,Zhang, Xiaodong,Ding, Yueyun,Yin, Zongjun Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2020 Animal Bioscience Vol.33 No.5

Objective: The Wannan Black pig is a typical Chinese indigenous, disease-resistant pig breed with high fertility, and a crude-feed tolerance that has been bred by artificial selection in the south of Anhui province for a long time. However, genome variation, genetic relationships with other pig breeds, and domestication, remain poorly understood. Here, we focus on elucidating the genetic characteristics of the Wannan Black pig and identifying selection signatures during domestication and breeding. Methods: We identified the whole-genome variation in the Wannan Black pig and performed population admixture analyses to determine genetic relationships with other domesticated pig breeds and wild boars. Then, we identified the selection signatures between the Wannan Black pig and Asian wild boars in 100-kb windows sliding in 10 kb steps by using two approaches: the fixation index (F_ST) and π ratios. Results: Resequencing the Wannan Black pig genome yielded 501.52 G of raw data. After calling single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and insertions/deletions (InDels), we identified 21,316,754 SNVs and 5,067,206 InDels (2,898,582 inserts and 2,168,624 deletions). Additionally, we found genes associated with growth, immunity, and digestive functions. Conclusion: Our findings help in explaining the unique genetic and phenotypic characteristics of Wannan Black pigs, which in turn can be informative for future breeding programs of Wannan Black pigs.

Evaluation of Biogas Production Performance and Archaeal Microbial Dynamics of Corn Straw during Anaerobic Co-Digestion with Cattle Manure Liquid

( Benyue Zhang ),( Hongyan Zhao ),( Hairu Yu ),( Di Chen ),( Xue Li ),( Weidong Wang ),( Renzhe Piao ),( Zongjun Cui ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2016 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.26 No.4

The rational utilization of crop straw as a raw material for natural gas production is of economic significance. In order to increase the efficiency of biogas production from agricultural straw, seasonal restrictions must be overcome. Therefore, the potential for biogas production via anaerobic straw digestion was assessed by exposing fresh, silage, and dry yellow corn straw to cow dung liquid extract as a nitrogen source. The characteristics of anaerobic corn straw digestion were comprehensively evaluated by measuring the pH, gas production, chemical oxygen demand, methane production, and volatile fatty acid content, as well as applying a modified Gompertz model and high-throughput sequencing technology to the resident microbial community. The efficiency of biogas production from fresh straw (433.8 ml/g) was higher than that of production from straw silage and dry yellow straw (46.55 ml/g and 68.75 ml/g, respectively). The cumulative biogas production from fresh straw, silage straw, and dry yellow straw was 365 l-1 g-1 VS, 322 l-1 g-1 VS, and 304 l-1 g-1 VS, respectively, whereas cumulative methane production was 1,426.33%, 1,351.35%, and 1,286.14%, respectively, and potential biogas production was 470.06 ml-1 g-1 VS, 461.73 ml-1 g-1 VS, and 451.76 ml-1 g-1 VS, respectively. Microbial community analysis showed that the corn straw was mainly metabolized by acetate-utilizing methanogens, with Methanosaeta as the dominant archaeal community. These findings provide important guidance to the biogas industry and farmers with respect to rational and efficient utilization of crop straw resources as material for biogas production.

Relationship among porcine lncRNA TCONS_00010987, miR-323, and leptin receptor based on dual luciferase reporter gene assays and expression patterns

Ding, Yueyun,Qian, Li,Wang, Li,Wu, Chaodong,Li, DengTao,Zhang, Xiaodong,Yin, Zongjun,Wang, Yuanlang,Zhang, Wei,Wu, Xudong,Ding, Jian,Yang, Min,Zhang, Liang,Shang, Jinnan,Wang, Chonglong,Gao, Yafei Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2020 Animal Bioscience Vol.33 No.2

Objective: Considering the physiological and clinical importance of leptin receptor (LEPR) in regulating obesity and the fact that porcine LEPR expression is not known to be controlled by lncRNAs and miRNAs, we aim to characterize this gene as a potential target of SSC-miR-323 and the lncRNA TCONS_00010987. Methods: Bioinformatics analyses revealed that lncRNA TCONS_00010987 and LEPR have SSC-miR-323-binding sites and that LEPR might be a target of lncRNA TCONS_00010987 based on cis prediction. Wild-type and mutant TCONS_00010987-target sequence fragments and wild-type and mutant LEPR 3'-UTR fragments were generated and cloned into pmiRRB-REPORT^TM-Control vectors to construct respective recombinant plasmids. HEK293T cells were co-transfected with the SSC-miR-323 mimics or a negative control with constructs harboring the corresponding binding sites and relative luciferase activities were determined. Tissue expression patterns of lncRNA TCONS_00010987, SSC-miR-323, and LEPR in Anqing six-end-white (AQ, the obese breed) and Large White (LW, the lean breed) pigs were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction; backfat expression of LEPR protein was detected by western blotting. Results: Target gene fragments were successfully cloned, and the four recombinant vectors were constructed. Compared to the negative control, SSC-miR-323 mimics significantly inhibited luciferase activity from the wild-type TCONS_00010987-target sequence and wild-type LEPR-3'-UTR (p<0.01 for both) but not from the mutant TCONS_00010987-target sequence and mutant LEPR-3'-UTR (p>0.05 for both). Backfat expression levels of TCONS_00010987 and LEPR in AQ pigs were significantly higher than those in LW pigs (p<0.01), whereas levels of SSC-miR-323 in AQ pigs were significantly lower than those in LW pigs (p<0.05). LEPR protein levels in the backfat tissues of AQ pigs were markedly higher than those in LW pigs (p<0.01). Conclusion: LEPR is a potential target of SSC-miR-323, and TCONS_00010987 might act as a sponge for SSC-miR-323 to regulate LEPR expression.