Elm (Ulmus) has a long history of use as a high-quality heavy hardwood famous for its resistance to drought, cold, and salt. It grows in temperate, warm temperate, and subtropical regions. This is the first report of Ulmaceae chloroplast genomes by de novo sequencing. The Ulmus chloroplast genomes exhibited a typical quadripartite structure with two single-copy regions (long single copy [LSC] and short single copy [SSC] sections) separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs). The lengths of the chloroplast genomes from five Ulmus ranged from 158,953 to 159,453 bp, with the largest observed in Ulmus davidiana and the smallest in Ulmus laciniata. The genomes contained 137–145 protein-coding genes, of which Ulmus davidiana var. japonica and U. davidiana had the most and U. pumila had the fewest. The five Ulmus species exhibited different evolutionary routes, as some genes had been lost. In total, 18 genes contained introns, 13 of which (trnL-TAA+, trnL-TAA−, rpoC1-, rpl2-, ndhA-, ycf1, rps12-, rps12+, trnA-TGC+, trnA-TGC-, trnV-TAC-, trnI-GAT+, and trnI-GAT) were shared among all five species. The intron of ycf1 was the longest (5,675bp) while that of trnF-AAA was the smallest (53bp). All Ulmus species except U. davidiana exhibited the same degree of amplification in the IR region. To determine the phylogenetic positions of the Ulmus species, we performed phylogenetic analyses using common protein-coding genes in chloroplast sequences of 42 other species published in NCBI. The cluster results showed the closest plants to Ulmaceae were Moraceae and Cannabaceae, followed by Rosaceae. Ulmaceae and Moraceae both belonged to Urticales, and the chloroplast genome clustering results were consistent with their traditional taxonomy. The results strongly supported the position of Ulmaceae as a member of the order Urticales. In addition, we found a potential error in the traditional taxonomies of U. davidiana and U. davidiana var. japonica, which should be confirmed with a further analysis of their nuclear genomes. This study is the first report on Ulmus chloroplast genomes, which has significance for understanding photosynthesis, evolution, and chloroplast transgenic engineering.

Disruption of mitotic events contributes greatly to genomic instability and results in mutator phenotypes. Indeed, abnormalities of mitotic components are closely associated with malignant transformation and tumorigenesis. Here we show that ninein-like protein (Nlp), a recently identified BRCA1-associated centrosomal protein involved in microtubule nucleation and spindle formation, is an oncogenic protein. Nlp was found to be overexpressed in approximately 80% of human breast and lung carcinomas analyzed. In human lung cancers, this deregulated expression was associated with NLP gene amplification. Further analysis revealed that Nlp exhibited strong oncogenic properties; for example, it conferred to NIH3T3 rodent fibroblasts the capacity for anchorage-independent growth in vitro and tumor formation in nude mice. Consistent with these data, transgenic mice overexpressing Nlp displayed spontaneous tumorigenesis in the breast, ovary, and testicle within 60 weeks. In addition, Nlp overexpression induced more rapid onset of radiation-induced lymphoma. Furthermore, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from Nlp transgenic mice showed centrosome amplification, suggesting that Nlp overexpression mimics BRCA1 loss. These findings demonstrate that Nlp abnormalities may contribute to genomic instability and tumorigenesis and suggest that Nlp might serve as a potential biomarker for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic target.

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China is currently the only country that has commercialized genetically engineered tree species, and this has attracted worldwide attention. As a perennial tree species, transgenic poplar has a long growth cycle and needs to be tested for long-term ecological risks. The main purpose of this study was to explore the ecological safety of perennial transgenic poplars in arthropod community, physical and chemical properties of soil, gene flow, and soil microbial diversity. The study found transgenic poplars could effectively inhibit the number of pests. Moreover, transgenic poplar 741 did not affect the stability of the arthropod community. Studies on the microbial diversity of poplar showed that transgenic poplars did not affect the physical and chemical properties of the soil and the soil microbial community structure. Furthermore, the microbial community structure was obviously affected by location and season. The results showed that a 5-year-old transgenic 741 poplar did not pose an ecological risk, and did not affect the microbial community structure or functional diversity. This study provides a reference for the ecological security evaluation of transgenic poplars, and provides a theoretical basis for promoting the commercialization of transgenic poplars.

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