Transcriptome profiling of a common mistletoe species parasitizing four typical host species in urban southwest China

Comparing gene expressions among parasitic plants infecting different host species can have significant implications for understanding host–parasite interactions. Taxillus nigrans is a common hemiparasitic species in Southwest China that parasitizes a variety of host species. However, a lack of nucleotide sequence data to date has hindered transcriptome-level research on T. nigrans. In this study, the transcriptomes of T. nigrans individuals parasitizing four typical host species (Broussonetia papyrifera (Bpap), a broad-leaved tree species; Cryptomeria fortunei (Cfor), a coniferous tree species; Cinnamomum septentrionale (Csep), an evergreen tree species; and Ginkgo biloba (Gbil), a deciduous-coniferous tree species) were sequenced, and the expression profiles and metabolic pathways were compared among hosts. A total of greater than 400 million reads were generated in nine cDNA libraries. These were de novo assembled into 293823 transcripts with an N50 value of 1790 bp. A large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified when comparing T. nigrans individuals on different host species: Bpap vs. Cfor (1253 DEGs), Bpap vs. Csep (864), Bpap vs. Gbil (517), Cfor vs. Csep (259), Cfor vs. Gbil (95), and Csep vs. Gbil (40). Four hundred and fifteen unigenes were common to all six pairwise comparisons; these were primarily associated with Cytochrome P450 and environmental adaptation, as determined in a KEGG enrichment analysis. Unique unigenes were also identified, specific to Bpap vs. Cfor (808 unigenes), Bpap vs. Csep (329 unigenes), Bpap vs. Gbil (87 unigenes), Cfor vs. Csep (108 unigenes), Cfor vs. Gbil (32 unigenes), and Csep vs. Gbil comparisons (23 unigenes); partial unigenes were associated with the metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides regarding plant hormone signal transduction. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed four modules that were associated with the hosts. These results provide a foundation for further exploration of the detailed molecular mechanisms involved in plant parasitism

Transcriptome Profiling of a Common Mistletoe Species Parasitizing Four Typical Host Species in Urban Southwest China

Comparing gene expressions among parasitic plants infecting different host species can have significant implications for understanding host–parasite interactions. Taxillus nigrans is a common hemiparasitic species in Southwest China that parasitizes a variety of host species. However, a lack of nucleotide sequence data to date has hindered transcriptome-level research on T. nigrans. In this study, the transcriptomes of T. nigrans individuals parasitizing four typical host species (Broussonetia papyrifera (Bpap), a broad-leaved tree species; Cryptomeria fortunei (Cfor), a coniferous tree species; Cinnamomum septentrionale (Csep), an evergreen tree species; and Ginkgo biloba (Gbil), a deciduous-coniferous tree species) were sequenced, and the expression profiles and metabolic pathways were compared among hosts. A total of greater than 400 million reads were generated in nine cDNA libraries. These were de novo assembled into 293823 transcripts with an N50 value of 1790 bp. A large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified when comparing T. nigrans individuals on different host species: Bpap vs. Cfor (1253 DEGs), Bpap vs. Csep (864), Bpap vs. Gbil (517), Cfor vs. Csep (259), Cfor vs. Gbil (95), and Csep vs. Gbil (40). Four hundred and fifteen unigenes were common to all six pairwise comparisons; these were primarily associated with Cytochrome P450 and environmental adaptation, as determined in a KEGG enrichment analysis. Unique unigenes were also identified, specific to Bpap vs. Cfor (808 unigenes), Bpap vs. Csep (329 unigenes), Bpap vs. Gbil (87 unigenes), Cfor vs. Csep (108 unigenes), Cfor vs. Gbil (32 unigenes), and Csep vs. Gbil comparisons (23 unigenes); partial unigenes were associated with the metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides regarding plant hormone signal transduction. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed four modules that were associated with the hosts. These results provide a foundation for further exploration of the detailed molecular mechanisms involved in plant parasitism

Transcriptome Analysis and Identification of a Female-Specific SSR Marker in Pistacia chinensis Based on Illumina Paired-End RNA Sequencing

Pistacia chinensis Bunge (P. chinensis), a dioecious plant species, has been widely found in China. The female P. chinensis plants are more important than male plants in agricultural production, as their seeds can serve as an ideal feedstock for biodiesel. However, the sex of P. chinensis plants is hard to distinguish during the seedling stage due to the scarcity of available transcriptomic and genomic information. In this work, Illumina paired-end RNA sequencing assay was conducted to unravel the transcriptomic profiles of female and male P. chinensis flower buds. In total, 50,925,088 and 51,470,578 clean reads were obtained from the female and male cDNA libraries, respectively. After quality checks and de novo assembly, a total of 83,370 unigenes with a mean length of 1.3 kb were screened. Overall, 64,539 unigenes (77.48%) could be matched in at least one of the NR, NT, Swiss-Prot, COG, KEGG, and GO databases, 71 of which were putatively related to the floral development of P. chinensis. Additionally, 21,662 simple sequence repeat (SSR) motifs were identified in 17,028 unigenes of P. chinensis, and the mononucleotide motif was the most dominant type of repeats (52.59%) in P. chinensis, followed by dinucleotide (22.29%), trinucleotide (20.15%). The most abundant repeats were AG/CT (13.97%), followed by AAC/GTT (6.75%) and AT/TA (6.10%). Based on these SSR, 983 EST-SSR primers were designed, 151 of which were randomly chosen for validation. Of these validated EST-SSR markers, 25 SSR markers were found to be polymorphic between male and female plants. One SSR marker, namelyPCSSR55, displayed excellent specificity in female plants, which could clearly distinguish between male and female P. chinensis. Altogether, our findings not only reveal that the EST-SSR marker is extremely effective in distinguishing between male and female P. chinensis but also provide a solid framework for sex determination of plant seedlings

A new species of Megastigmus (Hymenoptera, Megastigmidae) from China

Most species of Megastigmus are considered important economic pests that grow in seeds, especially of conifers. Accurate identification of species is a crucial step for the biological research of parasitic pests and the further application of biological control. However, their large variety, small size, similar morphology and different growth and development stages have brought great challenges to taxonomic research. Traditional morphological identification often takes a long time and this requires us to seek a new method for rapid and accurate identification. Therefore, the better identification of Megastigmus urgently needs to be combined with molecular methods to help taxonomic development.Here, Megastigmus daduheensis sp. n. (Chalcidoidea: Megastigmidae) was identified, based on morphology and molecular markers, such as COI and Cytb. M. daduheensis sp. n. is distinct from other known species of the same genus in the morphology. The results of the molecular phylogenetic tree, similarity alignment and genetic distance indicate that the COI and Cytb sequences of M. daduheensis sp. n. are highly similar to M. sobinae and M. duclouxiana, but there are some genetic differences. The genetic distances of M. daduheensis sp. nov. with M. duclouxiana and M. sabinae were 0.34 and 0.33 and the percentages of shared base pairs were 76.3% and 76.8%, respectively. Both morphological and molecular data classified M. daduheensis sp. n. as a new species. The obtained COI and Cytb sequences of M. daduheensis sp. n. can be used as DNA barcodes, providing molecular data for rapid and accurate identification of this species in the future

The Development and Validation of a Rapid Assessment Tool of Primary Care in China

Introduction. With Chinese health care reform increasingly emphasizing the importance of primary care, the need for a tool to evaluate primary care performance and service delivery is clear. This study presents a methodology for a rapid assessment of primary care organizations and service delivery in China. Methods. The study translated and adapted the Primary Care Assessment Tool-Adult Edition (PCAT-AE) into a Chinese version to measure core dimensions of primary care, namely, first contact, continuity, comprehensiveness, and coordination. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of the Chinese Rapid Primary Care Assessment Tool (CR-PCAT). Eight community health centers in Guangdong province have been selected to participate in the survey. Results. A total of 1465 effective samples were included for data analysis. Eight items were eliminated following principal component analysis and reliability testing. The principal component analysis extracted five multiple-item scales (first contact utilization, first contact accessibility, ongoing care, comprehensiveness, and coordination). The tests of scaling assumptions were basically met. Conclusion. The standard psychometric evaluation indicates that the scales have achieved relatively good reliability and validity. The CR-PCAT provides a rapid and reliable measure of four core dimensions of primary care, which could be applied in various scenarios