Lineage-specific diversification in the usage of D-glutamate and D-aspartate in early-branching metazoans

D-amino acids are unique and essential signaling molecules in neural, hormonal, and immune systems. However, the presence of D-amino acids and their recruitment in early animals is mostly unknown due to limited information about prebilaterian metazoans. Here, we performed the comparative survey of L-/D-aspartate and L-/D-glutamate in representatives of four phyla of basal Metazoa: cnidarians (Aglantha); placozoans (Trichoplax), sponges (Sycon) and ctenophores (Pleurobrachia, Mnemiopsis, Bolinopsis, and Beroe), which are descendants of ancestral animal lineages distinct from Bilateria. Specifically, we used high-performance capillary electrophoresis for microchemical assays and quantification of the enantiomers. L-glutamate and L-aspartate were abundant analytes in all species studied. However, we showed that the placozoans, cnidarians, and sponges had high micromolar concentrations of D-aspartate, whereas D-glutamate was not detectable. In contrast, we found that in ctenophores, D-glutamate was the dominant enantiomer with no or trace amounts of D-aspartate. This situation illuminates prominent lineage-specific diversifications in the recruitment of D-amino acids and suggests distinct signaling functions of these molecules early in the animal evolution. We also hypothesize that a deep ancestry of such recruitment events might provide some constraints underlying the evolution of neural and other signaling systems in Metazoa.HighlightsD-amino acids are essential for intercellular signaling and evolutionEnantiomers have been quantified in early-branching animalsLineage-specific recruitment of D-glutamate could occur in ctenophoresD-aspartate is one of the primary enantiomers in other metazoansDeep ancestry of such events could provide constraints in the evolution of signalingGraphical AbstractD-amino acids are essential for intercellular signaling. Direct microchemical quantification of enantiomers in representatives of early-branching animals suggests lineage-specific recruitments of D-glutamate and D-aspartate. Deep ancestry of such events might provide some constraints underlying the evolution of neural and other signaling systems in Metazoa.

SSR Marker-Assisted Management of Parental Germplasm in Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) Breeding Programs

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) is an important sugar and bioenergy crop with a high aneuploidy, complex genomes and extreme heterozygosity. A good understanding of genetic diversity and population structure among sugarcane parental lines is a prerequisite for sugarcane improvement through breeding. In order to understand genetic characteristics of parental lines used in sugarcane breeding programs in China, 150 of the most popular accessions were analyzed with 21 fluorescence-labeled simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers and high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE). A total of 226 SSR alleles of high-resolution capacity were identified. Among the series obtained from different origins, the YC-series, which contained eight unique alleles, had the highest genetic diversity. Based on the population structure analysis, the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and phylogenetic analysis, the 150 accessions were clustered into two distinct sub-populations (Pop1 and Pop2). Pop1 contained the majority of clones introduced to China (including 28/29 CP-series accessions) while accessions native to China clustered in Pop2. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), fixation index (Fst) value and gene flow (Nm) value all indicated the very low genetic differentiation between the two groups. This study illustrated that fluorescence-labeled SSR markers combined with high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) could be a very useful tool for genotyping of the polyploidy sugarcane. The results provided valuable information for sugarcane breeders to better manage the parental germplasm, choose the best parents to cross, and produce the best progeny to evaluate and select for new cultivar(s).

High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis Characteristic Fingerprint of Schisandra chinensis

Background: The quality control indexes detected by the existing methods are less and lack specificity, and cannot truly reflect their intrinsic quality because of the similarity of Schisandra chinensis and Schisandra sphenanthera in both their appearance and their main chemical composition. Therefore, it is urgent to establish an effective method for the quality control of the both. High-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method was used to establish the fingerprints of Schisandra medicinal materials. Methods: The HPCE was performed, in which a 50µm × 50cm (the effective length was 41.5cm) uncoated fused silica capillary column was applied, the buffer solution was 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 8)-37.5 mM SDS-35% acetonitrile (v/v), the working voltage was 28 kV, the temperature was 25°C, the samples were injected at 50mbar pressure for 3s, and the detection wavelength was 214nm. The chromatographic fingerprints of samples were analyzed using “traditional Chinese medicine chromatographic fingerprint similarity evaluation system 2004A version” software and cluster analysis. Results: 10 common peaks were confirmed and 8 components were identified in the HPCE fingerprints of 20 batches of Schisandra chinensis and Schisandra sphenanthera, and the results of clustering were consistent with those of similarity evaluation. Conclusion: This method should be accurate and reliable, and can provide a scientific basis for the quality evaluation of Schisandra medicinal materials.