Geometric morphology and population genomics provide insights into the adaptive evolution of Apis cerana in Changbai Mountain.

BACKGROUND: Exploration of adaptive evolution of organisms in response to environmental change can help to understand the evolutionary history of species and the underlying mechanisms of adaptation to local environments, thus guiding future conservation programmes. Before the introduction of Apis mellifera in China, eastern honey bees (Apis cerana) were the only species used for beekeeping in this region. In the mountains of Changbai, populations of A. cerana are considered a distinct ecotype of the species which formed through the distinct selective pressures in this area over time. RESULT: We performed a measure of 300 wing specimens of eastern honey bees and obtained the geometric morphological variation in the wing of A. cerana in Changbai Mountain. A total of 3,859,573 high-quality SNP loci were yielded via the whole-genome resequencing of 130 individuals in 5 geographic regions. CONCLUSION: Corresponding geometric morphology and population genomics confirmed the particularity of the A. cerana in Changbai Mountain. Genetic differentiation at the subspecies level exists between populations in Changbai Mountain and remaining geographic regions, and a significant reduction in the effective population size and an excessive degree of inbreeding may be responsible for a substantial loss of population genetic diversity. Candidate genes potentially associated with cold environmental adaptations in populations under natural selection were identified, which may represent local adaptations in populations. Our study provided insights into the evolutionary history and adaptation of A. cerana in Changbai Mountain, as well as its conservation.

Eukaryotic Translation Factors Resided in PSI-induced Inclusions in PC12 / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Lewy body (LB), an eosinophilic inclusion localized in the neuronal perikaryon, consists of a wide range of proteins, including the consistent organization and the selective composition. Treatment of PC12 cells with synthetic proteasome inhibitor (PSI) at 10 μmol/L for 48 hours induced the formation of inclusions, which were detected by eosin staining and immunostaining for α-synuclein. To investigate the potential new components of PSI-induced inclusions in vitro, pure intact inclusions were successfully obtained by fractionation and subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) then analyzed with unequivocal matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit 5 (eIF-3ε), eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF-2) and mitochondrial elongation factor Tu (EF-Tumt) were identified. The results suggest that 3 eukaryotic translation factors recruited in PSI-induced inclusions may influence formation of the intermediate organelles following the inhibition of proteasomes.

Protein Components of Lewy Bodies (LBs) Identified from Synthetic Proteasome Inhibitor (PSI)-induced Inclusions in PC12 Cells by MS Analysis / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Proteomic analysis is an effective way to identify protein constituent in Lewy bedy-like inclusions (or aggresome) in vitro. Exposure to synthetic proteasome inhibitor (PSI, 10 μmol/L) for 48 hours was used to induce the formation of cytoplasmic proteineous inclusions (termed as PSi-induced inclusions) in PC12 cells.The proteomic approaches of biochemical fractionation, two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-D) and identification via peptide mass fingerprints (PMF) were deployed, and 20 protein components of LBs were identified,i ncluding 2 proteins involved in the production of synaptic neurotransmitter, 6 subunits of the 26 S proteasome,2 cytoskeleton proteins, 2 subunits of mitochondrial complexes, 1 anti-oxidant protein, and 7 chaperone proteins and (or) chaperone-like proteins. The results suggested that these LB protein components might had been recruited in PSI-induced inclusions formed in PC12 cells under the condition of proteasome inhibition.