SummaryPomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has an ancient cultivation history and has become an emerging profitable fruit crop due to its attractive features such as the bright red appearance and the high abundance of medicinally valuable ellagitannin‐based compounds in its peel and aril. However, the limited genomic resources have restricted further elucidation of genetics and evolution of these interesting traits. Here, we report a 274‐Mb high‐quality draft pomegranate genome sequence, which covers approximately 81.5% of the estimated 336‐Mb genome, consists of 2177 scaffolds with an N50 size of 1.7 Mb and contains 30 903 genes. Phylogenomic analysis supported that pomegranate belongs to the Lythraceae family rather than the monogeneric Punicaceae family, and comparative analyses showed that pomegranate and Eucalyptus grandis share the paleotetraploidy event. Integrated genomic and transcriptomic analyses provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis of ellagitannin‐based compounds, the colour formation in both peels and arils during pomegranate fruit development, and the unique ovule development processes that are characteristic of pomegranate. This genome sequence provides an important resource to expand our understanding of some unique biological processes and to facilitate both comparative biology studies and crop breeding.
Apoptosis is a morphologically distinct form of cell death involved in many physiological and pathological processes. The regulation of Fas/Apo-1 involved in membrane-mediated apoptosis has also been known to play crucial roles in many systems. More and more naturally occurring antisense RNAs are now known to regulate, at least in part, a growing number of eukaryotic genes. In this report, we describe the findings of a novel RNA transcribed from the opposite strand of the intron 1 of the human Fas gene. Using orientation-specific RT-PCR and northern blot analysis, we show that this transcript is 1.5 kb in length and was expressed in several human tissues and cell lines. This transcript was cloned by 5'- and 3'-RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) and the transcription start site was determined by primer extension. This novel gene was named Saf. To assess the functions of Saf, Jurkat cells transfected with human Saf or control vector was prepared. The stable Saf-transfectant was highly resistant to Fas-mediated but not to TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis. Although the overall mRNA expression level of Fas was not affected, expression of some novel forms of Fas transcripts was increased in Saf-transfectant, especially the inhibitory soluble forms. These findings collectively suggest that Saf might protect T lymphocytes from Fas-mediated apoptosis by blocking the binding of FasL or its agonistic Fas antibody. Saf might regulate the expression of Fas alternative splice forms through pre-mRNA processing.
One of the most challenging tasks for extreme ultraviolet, soft and hard x-ray free-electron laser photon diagnostics is the precise determination of the photon pulse duration, which is typically in the sub 100 fs range. Nine different methods, able to determine such ultrashort photon pulse durations, were compared experimentally at FLASH, the self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser at DESY in Hamburg, in order to identify advantages and disadvantages of different methods. Radiation pulses at a wavelength of 13.5 and 24.0 nm together with the corresponding electron bunch duration were measured by indirect methods like analyzing spectral correlations, statistical fluctuations, and energy modulations of the electron bunch and also by direct methods like autocorrelation techniques, terahertz streaking, or reflectivity changes of solid state samples. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of the various techniques and a comparison of the individual experimental results. The information gained is of utmost importance for the future development of reliable pulse duration monitors indispensable for successful experiments with ultrashort extreme ultraviolet pulses
Pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) are one of the most popular fruit trees cultivated in arid and semi-arid tropics and subtropics. In this study, we determined and characterized three complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of P. granatum cultivars with different phenotypes using the genome skimming approach. The complete cp genomes of three pomegranate cultivars displayed the typical quadripartite structure of angiosperms, and their length ranged from 156,638 to 156,639 bp. They encoded 113 unique genes and 17 are duplicated in the inverted regions. We analyzed the sequence diversity of pomegranate cp genomes coupled with two previous reports. The results showed that the sequence diversity is extremely low and no informative sites were detected, which suggests that cp genome sequences may be not be suitable for investigating the genetic diversity of pomegranate genotypes. Further, we analyzed the codon usage pattern and identified the potential RNA editing sites. A comparative cp genome analysis with other species within Lythraceae revealed that the gene content and organization are highly conserved. Based on a site-specific model, 11 genes with positively selected sites were detected, and most of them were photosynthesis-related genes and genetic system-related genes. Together with previously released cp genomes of the order Myrtales, we determined the taxonomic position of P. granatum based on the complete chloroplast genomes. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that P. granatum form a single clade with other species from Lythraceae with a high support value. The complete cp genomes provides valuable information for understanding the phylogenetic position of P. gramatum in the order Myrtales.
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