The Establishing Meeting and 1st Scientific Symposium of CALSiF,
January 24th, 2004
Vanha kelkkamäki 11, Helsinki, FinlandProgramme
Afternoon: 12:00-13:30
Opening section (Qiushui He)
Introduction of CALSiF
Guest speeches
Zhang zhijian (Ambassador)
Wu Shiguang
Liu Meng
Xie Gaofeng
Huang Zhigang
Section for the Constitution of CALSiF (Xiaojuan Meng)
Member’s self introduction (1 minute)
Discussion of the Constitution
Section voting (Bairong Shen)
Procedure for voting according to constitution
Voting and results showing
Chairman Speaking
Lunch
Afternoon: 1:30-17:00
Academic section (Chaired by the Board members)
Four scientific presentations
Afternoon: 17:00-18:00
Discussion for the plan in 2004 and concluding remarks
Abstracts of four scientific presentations
Presentation 1
Chen Suling: How to become a successful researcher?
Professor Chen will share her experiences on academic activity, such as, how to make your academic application and article more attractive and so on.
Presentation 2
Guo Deying: SARS in China
Novel Subgenomic RNAs and Noncanonical Transcription Initiation Signal of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Associated Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)
ABSTRACT: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a febrile respiratory illness. The disease has been etiologically linked to a novel coronavirus that has been named the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), with positive strand RNA genome of approximately 29.7Kb. Since it is a member of the Coronaviridae, a complex transcriptional, translational and posttranslational regulatory mechanisms is involved in SARS-CoV genome expression. The expressions of the genetic information of SARS-CoV involve synthesis of a set of successively smaller subgenomic mRNAs, which are responsible for synthesis of different viral structural and non-structural proteins. The exact number of SARS-CoV subgenomic mRNAs and molecular mechanism underlying the synthesis of SARS subgenomic RNA is still not clear. In order to address these questions, total RNA from SARS-CoV infected Vero cells was extracted and subjected to
Northern blot analysis with probes specific for 3¡ä non-translated region. Presence, exact number of subgenomic mRNAs, existence of their corresponding negative strand subgenomic RNAs and precise leader to body fusion sites were determined by RT-PCR and DNA sequencing.
We characterized 10 subgenomic mRNAs corresponding to ORFs S, S¡ä, X1, X2, E, M, X3, X4, X6 and N in SARS-CoV infected Vero cells. We are first to report the existence of two previously unrecognized novel subgenomic mRNAs termed as S¡ä and X2. Sequence analysis revealed leader body fusion site of the mRNA S¡ä is located 384 nucleotide downstream of the consensus Trans Regulatory Sequence (TRS) for the spike protein mRNA. Body TRS of the S¡ä have only four nucleotide homology with consensus TRS of SARS-CoV. ORF of S¡ä subgenomic mRNA is predicted to encode a 124.2 kd truncated spike protein. Leader to body fusion site of X2 subgenomic mRNA is located 13 nucleotide upstream of start codon ATG of predicted ORF 3B. ORF of X2 subgenomic mRNA is predicted to encode a 17.6 kd protein of unknown function. This is yet to be determined whether these sequences function independently as promoters and whether these mRNAs are functional massages. We also characterized the negative stra! nd subgenomic RNAs which are believed to act as template for synthesis of subgenomic mRNAs.
Presentation 3
Yang Hongyan: RNA-dependent RNA polymerases of cystoviruses
Among double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses, bacteriophage f6 P2 protein containing characteristic polymerase (Pol) motifs has been demonstrated to be the first recombinant active subunit, which is capable of catalyzing replication reaction without assistance of other proteins in vitro. The amino acid identities are only 20% to 50% for the Pol proteins among f6 and the new isolated f6 distant-related cystoviruses f8, f12, and f13. In my thesis studies, the putative Pol (P2) enzymes of the new cystoviruses have been expressed, purified and characterized. Like f6 Pol, the purified P2 of f8, f12, and f13 were demonstrated to catalyze the RNA synthesis for replication and transcription, although with many distinct biochemical characteristics. And the mechanisms for transcription (dsRNA→ssRNA) polarity and replication initiation (ssRNA→dsRNA) were investigated. Two independent models of transcriptional polarity in Cystoviridae have been suggested: Pol affinity to (+) strand initiation sites and accessibility of these sites to the Pol in a single-stranded form. Similar to the Pol of dengue virus, the de novo initiation by cystovirus Pols is inhibited at elevated temperatures, whereas the elongation phase is relatively thermostable. Based on the specificity of f6 Pol capable of taking chain terminating nucleotide analogs, the cystoviral Pols were used in attempts to sequence the dsRNA genome of a novel adult rotavirus (NADRV) isolated from China in 1997. Our sequence data obtained with a single primer method strongly suggests that this NADRV does not belong to any known human rotavirus groups.
Presentation 4
He Yulong: Life is beautiful
It will be a general presentation about the current understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the development of blood and lymphatic vascular systems.
January 24th, 2004
Vanha kelkkamäki 11, Helsinki, FinlandProgramme
Afternoon: 12:00-13:30
Opening section (Qiushui He)
Introduction of CALSiF
Guest speeches
Zhang zhijian (Ambassador)
Wu Shiguang
Liu Meng
Xie Gaofeng
Huang Zhigang
Section for the Constitution of CALSiF (Xiaojuan Meng)
Member’s self introduction (1 minute)
Discussion of the Constitution
Section voting (Bairong Shen)
Procedure for voting according to constitution
Voting and results showing
Chairman Speaking
Lunch
Afternoon: 1:30-17:00
Academic section (Chaired by the Board members)
Four scientific presentations
Afternoon: 17:00-18:00
Discussion for the plan in 2004 and concluding remarks
Abstracts of four scientific presentations
Presentation 1
Chen Suling: How to become a successful researcher?
Professor Chen will share her experiences on academic activity, such as, how to make your academic application and article more attractive and so on.
Presentation 2
Guo Deying: SARS in China
Novel Subgenomic RNAs and Noncanonical Transcription Initiation Signal of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Associated Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)
ABSTRACT: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a febrile respiratory illness. The disease has been etiologically linked to a novel coronavirus that has been named the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), with positive strand RNA genome of approximately 29.7Kb. Since it is a member of the Coronaviridae, a complex transcriptional, translational and posttranslational regulatory mechanisms is involved in SARS-CoV genome expression. The expressions of the genetic information of SARS-CoV involve synthesis of a set of successively smaller subgenomic mRNAs, which are responsible for synthesis of different viral structural and non-structural proteins. The exact number of SARS-CoV subgenomic mRNAs and molecular mechanism underlying the synthesis of SARS subgenomic RNA is still not clear. In order to address these questions, total RNA from SARS-CoV infected Vero cells was extracted and subjected to
Northern blot analysis with probes specific for 3¡ä non-translated region. Presence, exact number of subgenomic mRNAs, existence of their corresponding negative strand subgenomic RNAs and precise leader to body fusion sites were determined by RT-PCR and DNA sequencing.
We characterized 10 subgenomic mRNAs corresponding to ORFs S, S¡ä, X1, X2, E, M, X3, X4, X6 and N in SARS-CoV infected Vero cells. We are first to report the existence of two previously unrecognized novel subgenomic mRNAs termed as S¡ä and X2. Sequence analysis revealed leader body fusion site of the mRNA S¡ä is located 384 nucleotide downstream of the consensus Trans Regulatory Sequence (TRS) for the spike protein mRNA. Body TRS of the S¡ä have only four nucleotide homology with consensus TRS of SARS-CoV. ORF of S¡ä subgenomic mRNA is predicted to encode a 124.2 kd truncated spike protein. Leader to body fusion site of X2 subgenomic mRNA is located 13 nucleotide upstream of start codon ATG of predicted ORF 3B. ORF of X2 subgenomic mRNA is predicted to encode a 17.6 kd protein of unknown function. This is yet to be determined whether these sequences function independently as promoters and whether these mRNAs are functional massages. We also characterized the negative stra! nd subgenomic RNAs which are believed to act as template for synthesis of subgenomic mRNAs.
Presentation 3
Yang Hongyan: RNA-dependent RNA polymerases of cystoviruses
Among double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses, bacteriophage f6 P2 protein containing characteristic polymerase (Pol) motifs has been demonstrated to be the first recombinant active subunit, which is capable of catalyzing replication reaction without assistance of other proteins in vitro. The amino acid identities are only 20% to 50% for the Pol proteins among f6 and the new isolated f6 distant-related cystoviruses f8, f12, and f13. In my thesis studies, the putative Pol (P2) enzymes of the new cystoviruses have been expressed, purified and characterized. Like f6 Pol, the purified P2 of f8, f12, and f13 were demonstrated to catalyze the RNA synthesis for replication and transcription, although with many distinct biochemical characteristics. And the mechanisms for transcription (dsRNA→ssRNA) polarity and replication initiation (ssRNA→dsRNA) were investigated. Two independent models of transcriptional polarity in Cystoviridae have been suggested: Pol affinity to (+) strand initiation sites and accessibility of these sites to the Pol in a single-stranded form. Similar to the Pol of dengue virus, the de novo initiation by cystovirus Pols is inhibited at elevated temperatures, whereas the elongation phase is relatively thermostable. Based on the specificity of f6 Pol capable of taking chain terminating nucleotide analogs, the cystoviral Pols were used in attempts to sequence the dsRNA genome of a novel adult rotavirus (NADRV) isolated from China in 1997. Our sequence data obtained with a single primer method strongly suggests that this NADRV does not belong to any known human rotavirus groups.
Presentation 4
He Yulong: Life is beautiful
It will be a general presentation about the current understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the development of blood and lymphatic vascular systems.