Based in the Dapeng Peninsula of Shenzhen, CNGB's mission is to support public welfare, life science research and innovation, as well as industry incubation, through effective bioresource conservation, digitalization and utilization.In 2011 the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Ministry of Health and Family Planning approved the establishment of the Centre, entrusting BGI with its construction in a public-private partnership. After 5-years of development the first phase of the centre opened in September 2016, spanning more than 47,500 square meters and including a biorepository, a bioinformatics data center and a living biobank. The Centre also has a Synthetic Biology platform collaborating with Australia's Macquarie University and Harvard on metabolic engineering and the development of high-density DNA storage technology..
Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) alleviates climacteric symptoms, but still, microbiome-wide effects and efficacy determinants remain uncharacterized. In this six-month longitudinal study of 356 perimenopausal women receiving oral MHT, we integrated serial clinical assessments with multi-site metagenomic profiling. MHT elicited multi-system estrogenic responses, including neuroendocrine restoration, symptom alleviation, metabolic shifts, and uterine changes. MHT induced site-specific microbiome remodeling, most prominently in vaginal and urinary niches, with moderate oral and minimal gut changes. Generally, MHT reduced Gardnerella vaginalis and increased Lactobacillus crispatus levels in vagina. Baseline vaginal L. crispatus abundance strongly predicted subsequent urogenital restoration. Additionally, baseline urogenital community states stratified therapeutic trajectories: vaginal G. vaginalis-dominated individuals showed transitions toward eubiosis, whereas diversified communities improved less. MHT efficacy corresponded to serum estrogen elevation, linked to baseline gut community type. Individuals with a Phocaeicola vulgatus-driven community type exhibited greater hormonal responsiveness and superior outcomes than those dominated by Prevotella copri. These findings support a precision MHT framework integrating gut community and urogenital typing to guide stratification and targeted interventions.
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a prevalent disease with high mortality. Despite advances in clinical care, the prognosis of ICH remains poor due to an incomplete understanding of the complex pathological processes. To address this challenge, we generated single-cell-resolution spatiotemporal transcriptomic maps of the mouse brain following ICH. This dataset is the most extensive resource available, providing detailed information about the temporal expression of genes along with a high-resolution cellular profile and preserved cellular organization. We identified 100 distinct cell subclasses, 17 of which were found to play significant roles in the pathophysiology of ICH. We also report similarities and differences between two experimental ICH models and human postmortem ICH brain tissue. This study advances the understanding of the local and global responses of brain cells to ICH. It provides a valuable resource that can facilitate future research and aid the development of novel therapies for this devastating condition.
C4 photosynthesis exemplifies convergent evolution of complex traits. Herein, we construct chromosome-scale genome assemblies and perform multi-omics analysis for five Flaveria species, which represent evolutionary stages from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. Chromosome-scale genome sequence analyses reveal a gradual increase in genome size during the evolution of C4 photosynthesis attributed to the expansion of transposable elements. Systematic annotation of genes encoding C4 enzymes and transporters identify additional copies of three C4 enzyme genes through retrotranspositions in C4 species. C4 genes exhibit elevated mRNA and protein abundances, reduced protein-to-RNA ratios, and comparable translation efficiencies in C4 species, highlighting a critical role of transcriptional regulation in C4 evolution. Furthermore, we observe an increased abundance of ethylene response factor (ERF) transcription factors and cognate cis-regulatory elements associated with C4 genes regulation. Altogether, our study provides valuable genomic resources for the Flaveria genus and sheds lights on evolutionary and regulatory mechanisms underlying C4 photosynthesis.
Adult zebrafish robustly regenerate injured hearts through a complex orchestration of molecular and cellular activities. However, this remarkable process, which is largely non-existent in humans, remains incompletely understood. Here, we utilize integrated spatial transcriptomics (Stereo-seq) and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to generate a spatially-resolved molecular and cellular atlas of regenerating zebrafish heart across eight stages. We characterize the cascade of cardiomyocyte cell states responsible for producing regenerated myocardium and explore a potential role for tpm4a in cardiomyocyte re-differentiation. Moreover, we uncover the activation of ifrd1 and atp6ap2 genes as a unique feature of regenerative hearts. Lastly, we reconstruct a 4D "virtual regenerating heart" comprising 569,896 cells/spots derived from 36 scRNA-seq libraries and 224 Stereo-seq slices. Our comprehensive atlas serves as a valuable resource to the cardiovascular and regeneration scientific communities and their ongoing efforts to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying vertebrate heart regeneration.
In flowering plants, inferior ovaries are key morphological innovations that evolved multiple times from superior ovaries to protect female parts of the flower. However, the developmental mechanisms underlying inferior ovary formation remain largely unknown. Comparative spatial transcriptome mapping and cell lineage reconstructions in developing floral buds of cucumber and tomato, which have inferior and superior ovaries, respectively, revealed that inferior ovaries develop from accelerated receptacle growth resulting from the continuous activity of meristematic stems cells at the base of the cucumber floral organs. Genetic knockout of a receptacle-specific KNOX1 transcription factor in cucumber caused arrest in receptacle growth and yielded bisexual flowers with superior ovaries similar to those of tomato. Here we provide developmental and mechanistic insights into inferior ovary formation and sex determination in cucurbits.
