GX0101 is the first field Marek's disease virus (MDV) recombinant with an REV LTR insert isolated in China. We speculated that there was a selective advantage of GX0101 becoming the more prevalent field strain from a very low percentage of recombinant virus. In the study, dual fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR (DF-qPCR) that detects GX0101 and GX0101ΔLTR simultaneously was established based on the genomic difference of GX0101 and its LTR deletion strain GX0101ΔLTR. MDV natural transmission was simulated in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chicks, and continuous tracking of GX0101 and GX0101ΔLTR in chicks was carried out. The results showed that GX0101 possessed high horizontal transmission capacity, which could infect SPF chicks by contact in a short time and became the predominant strain following contact infections in chicken flocks. GX0101 still had a more significant advantage of horizontal transmission than GX0101ΔLTR after continuous passage even if the initially infectious dose was significantly lower. There were 72 differentially expressed MDV genes between GX0101 and GX0101ΔLTR, with the genes and gene products mainly involved in virus replication, tegument protein, glycoprotein, nucleocapsid protein, immune evasion, tumor development and/or pathogenesis, and hypothetical protein. Sixteen genes related to virus replication and transmission were significantly up-regulated. This is the first study to illuminate that increased horizontal transmission of recombinant MDV due to REV LTR was the competitive advantage of the virus being a prevalent strain and define the differential transcription profile of viral genes between GX0101 and GX0101ΔLTR. This will be helpful for in-depth study on the molecular mechanism of increased horizontal transmission of MDV by REV LTR.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1, isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil, showed excellent degradation ability toward diverse polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many studies have been done to improve its degradation ability. However, the molecular mechanisms of PAHs degradation in DN1 strain are unclear. In this study, the whole genome of DN1 strain was sequenced and analyzed. Its genome contains 6,641,902 bp and encodes 6,684 putative open reading frames (ORFs), which has the largest genome in almost all the comparative Pseudomonas strains. Results of gene annotation showed that this strain harbored over 100 candidate genes involved in PAHs degradation, including those encoding 25 dioxygenases, four ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases, five ring-cleaving dioxygenases, and various catabolic enzymes, transcriptional regulators, and transporters in the degradation pathways. In addition, gene knockout experiments revealed that the disruption of some key PAHs degradation genes in DN1 strain, such as catA, pcaG, pcaH, and rhdA, did not completely inhibit fluoranthene degradation, even though their degradative rate reduced to some extent. Three intermediate metabolites, including 9-hydroxyfluorene, 1-acenaphthenone, and 1, 8-naphthalic anhydride, were identified as the dominating intermediates in presence of 50 μg/mL fluoranthene as the sole carbon source according to gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. Taken together, the genomic and metabolic analysis indicated that the fluoranthene degradation by DN1 strain was initiated by dioxygenation at the C-1, 2-, C-2, 3-, and C-7, 8- positions. These results provide new insights into the genomic plasticity and environmental adaptation of DN1 strain.