To understand the impact of gut microbes on human health and well-being it is crucial to assess their genetic potential. Here we describe the Illumina-based metagenomic sequencing, assembly and ...characterization of 3.3 million non-redundant microbial genes, derived from 576.7 gigabases of sequence, from faecal samples of 124 European individuals. The gene set, approximately 150 times larger than the human gene complement, contains an overwhelming majority of the prevalent (more frequent) microbial genes of the cohort and probably includes a large proportion of the prevalent human intestinal microbial genes. The genes are largely shared among individuals of the cohort. Over 99% of the genes are bacterial, indicating that the entire cohort harbours between 1,000 and 1,150 prevalent bacterial species and each individual at least 160 such species, which are also largely shared. We define and describe the minimal gut metagenome and the minimal gut bacterial genome in terms of functions present in all individuals and most bacteria, respectively.
Blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe grisea results in significant yield losses of cereal crops across the world. To date, very few regulatory genes contributing to blast resistance in ...grass species have been identified and the genetic basis of blast resistance in cereals remains elusive. Here, a core collection of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) containing 888 accessions was evaluated through inoculation with the blast strain HN-1 and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed to detect regulators responsible for blast disease resistance in foxtail millet. The phenotypic variation of foxtail millet accessions inoculated with the blast strain HN-1 indicated that less than 1.60% of the samples were highly resistant, 35.25% were moderately resistant, 57.09% were moderately susceptible, and 6.08% were highly susceptible. The geographical pattern of blast-resistant samples revealed that a high proportion of resistant accessions were located in lower latitude regions where the foxtail millet growing season has higher rain precipitation. Using 720000 SNP markers covering the Setaria genome, GWAS showed that two genomic loci from chromosomes 2 and 9 were significantly associated with blast disease resistance in foxtail millet. Finally, eight putative genes were identified using rice blast-related transcriptomic data. The results of this work lay a foundation for the foxtail millet blast resistance biology and provide guidance for breeding practices in this promising crop species and other cereals.
Triptolide (TP) from Tripterygium wilfordii has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and anticancer activities. TP is specially used for the treatment of awkward ...rheumatoid arthritis, but its clinical application is confined by intense side effects. It is reported that licorice can obviously reduce the toxicity of TP, but the detailed mechanisms involved have not been comprehensively investigated. The current study aimed to explore metabolomics characteristics of the toxic reaction induced by TP and the intervention effect of licorice water extraction (LWE) against such toxicity. Obtained urine samples from control, TP and TP + LWE treated rats were analyzed by UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS. The metabolic profiles of the control and the TP group were well differentiated by the principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The toxicity of TP was demonstrated to be evolving along with the exposure time of TP. Eight potential biomarkers related to TP toxicity were successfully identified in urine samples. Furthermore, LWE treatment could attenuate the change in six of the eight identified biomarkers. Functional pathway analysis revealed that the alterations in these metabolites were associated with tryptophan, pantothenic acid, and porphyrin metabolism. Therefore, it was concluded that LWE demonstrated interventional effects on TP toxicity through regulation of tryptophan, pantothenic acid, and porphyrin metabolism pathways, which provided novel insights into the possible mechanisms of TP toxicity as well as the potential therapeutic effects of LWE against such toxicity.
Indica hybrid rice (Oryza sativa) production aims to achieve two crucial targets: high yield and good taste. This study selected three types of indica hybrid rice according to grain yield and taste ...value, including high yield and good taste (HYGT), low yield and good taste (LYGT), and high yield and poor taste (HYPT), to analyze yield components, corresponding growth characteristics, and rice taste quality. When values were averaged across varieties and years, there were almost no differences in taste value between HYGT and LYGT; HYGT showed a significant increase in yield, owing to a higher number of panicles and spikelets per panicle, with a respective increment of 16.2 and 20.6%. The higher grain yield of HYGT compared with LYGT was attributed to three key factors: a higher leaf area index (LAI) during heading, a higher ratio of grain to leaf, and a higher biomass accumulation at maturity. HYGT and HYPT achieved similar high yields; however, HYGT had more panicle numbers and lower grain weight. In addition, HYGT showed a significantly higher taste value than HYPT, attributed to its significantly lower protein and amylose contents, with reductions of 8.8 and 15.7%, respectively. Lower protein and amylose contents might be caused by a proper matter translocation from vegetative organs to panicle. This study suggested that reasonable panicle characteristics and translocation efficiency from vegetative organs to panicle during heading to maturity are the key factors in balancing yield and rice taste quality. These results will provide valuable insights for rice breeders to improve the grain yield and quality of indica hybrid rice.
Agropyron cristatum (2n=4x=28, PPPP) is a wild relative of common wheat which contains a large number of desirable genes that can be exploited for wheat improvement. Wheat–A. cristatum 2P alien ...translocation lines exhibit many desirable traits, such as small flag leaves, a high spikelet number and density, and a compact plant type. An agronomic trait evaluation and a genetic analysis were carried out on translocation lines and backcross populations of these lines carrying different translocation fragments. The results showed that a translocation fragment from 2PT-3 (2PL) reduced the length of the flag leaves, while translocation fragments from 2PT-3 (2PL) and 2PT-5 (2PL (0.60–1.00)) reduced the width of the flag leaves. A translocation fragment from 2PT-13 (2PS (0.18–0.36)) increased the length and area of the flag leaves. Translocation fragments from 2PT-3 (2PL) and 2PT-8 (2PL (0.86–1.00)) increased the density of spikelets. Translocation fragments from 2PT-7 (2PL (0.00–0.09)), 2PT-8 (2PL (0.86–1.00)), 2PT-10 (2PS), and 2PT-13 (2PS (0.18–0.36)) reduced plant height. This study provides a scientific basis for the effective utilization of wheat–A. cristatum translocation lines.
To determine the occurrence mechanism and mobility of shale oil in the Shahejie Formation in the Jiyang Depression, organic geochemistry analysis, thin-section petrological observation, ...low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry, field emission scanning electron microscopy experiments were conducted on shale samples to reveal its storage mechanism, including pore size, ratio of adsorbed oil to free oil, mobility and its influencing factors, and mode of storage. Residual shale oil is mainly present in pores less than 100 nm in diameter under the atmospheric temperature and pressure. The lower limit of pore size for free oil is 5 nm, and the lower limit of pore size for movable oil occurrence is about 30 nm. The light components, low TOC and high porosity are the main factors contributing to the high proportion of movable oil. Each type of pore can contain residual shale oil, but not all pores have shale oil. Pore connectivity and surface wettability are the determinants of shale oil enrichment degree and enrichment state.
Anxiety is a negative emotional state that is overly displayed in anxiety disorders and depression. Although anxiety is known to be controlled by distributed brain networks, key components for its ...initiation, maintenance and coordination with behavioral state remain poorly understood. Here, we report that anxiogenic stressors elicit acute and prolonged responses in glutamatergic neurons of the mouse medial preoptic area (mPOA). These neurons encode extremely negative valence and mediate the induction and expression of anxiety-like behaviors. Conversely, mPOA GABA-containing neurons encode positive valence and produce anxiolytic effects. Such opposing roles are mediated by competing local interactions and long-range projections of neurons to the periaqueductal gray. The two neuronal populations antagonistically regulate anxiety-like and parental behaviors: anxiety is reduced, while parenting is enhanced and vice versa. Thus, by evaluating negative and positive valences through distinct but interacting circuits, the mPOA coordinates emotional state and social behavior.
Phosphorus (P) is a finite natural resource and is increasingly considered to be a challenge for global sustainability. Agriculture in China plays a key role in global sustainable P management. ...Rhizosphere and soil-based P management are necessary for improving P-use effciency and crop productivity in intensive agriculture in China. A previous study has shown that the future demand for phosphate fertilizer by China estimated by the LePA model (legacy phosphorus assessment model) can be greatly reduced by soil-based P management (the building-up and maintenance approach). The present study used the LePA model to predict the phosphate demand by China through combined rhizosphere and
financially supported by the Key R＆D Program of Jiangxi Province of China （20152ACF60010）;the Key Projects of Hunan Science and Technology Support Program of China （Application research of Guiye A ...male sterile line）;the Research Project of Humanities and Social Sciences in Universities of Jiangxi Province, China（JC1315）;supported by Emmy Noether DFG grant MA 6473/1-1
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