As the world's population grows and food needs diversification, the demand for cereals and horticultural crops with beneficial traits increases. In order to meet a variety of demands, suitable ...cultivars and innovative breeding methods need to be developed. Breeding methods have changed over time following the advance of genetics. With the advent of new sequencing technology in the early 21st century, predictive breeding, such as genomic selection (GS), emerged when large-scale genomic information became available. GS shows good predictive ability for the selection of individuals with traits of interest even for quantitative traits by using various types of the whole genome-scanning markers, breaking away from the limitations of marker-assisted selection (MAS). In the current review, we briefly describe the history of breeding techniques, each breeding method, various statistical models applied to GS and methods to increase the GS efficiency. Consequently, we intend to propose and define the term digital breeding through this review article. Digital breeding is to develop a predictive breeding methods such as GS at a higher level, aiming to minimize human intervention by automatically proceeding breeding design, propagating breeding populations, and to make selections in consideration of various environments, climates, and topography during the breeding process. We also classified the phases of digital breeding based on the technologies and methods applied to each phase. This review paper will provide an understanding and a direction for the final evolution of plant breeding in the future.
One of the abiotic stresses, salt stress, has an impact on the production and development of crops around the world. Sorghum is a functional genomics model crop of C4 plants due to its small genome ...size, and it is suitable for providing a clue to the mechanism associated with salt tolerance at the transcriptomic level. However, the mechanism of salt-related genes in sorghum has not been well described. RNA sequencing, using QuantSeq, was performed on two Korean cultivars, ‘Sodamchal’ and ‘Nampungchal’, which are known to have different intensities in response to salt stress, between a control and high-salinity treatment over a different time-course. In addition, physiological responses such as the proline, anthocyanin, chlorophyll, and reducing sugar contents were evaluated under the salt-stress treatment between these two sorghum cultivars. Moreover, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the Nampungchal and Sodamchal cultivars were identified in their leaves and roots, respectively. Moreover, the function of DEGs was confirmed through GO classification and KEGG pathway. We also analyzed the correlation between the selection pressure with DEGs by identifying Ka/Ks of DEGs. In the breeding process, the role of positive or negative selected genes was analyzed. Therefore, a new hypothesis on selection pressure was proposed from the breeding perspective of cultivars. A comparative analysis of the two sorghum cultivars provides candidate genes involved in the salt-stress response and may offer a better understanding of the salt-tolerance mechanism in sorghum.
Abiotic stress can damage crops and reduce productivity. Among them, salt stress is related to water stress such as osmosis and ions, and like other abiotic stresses, it can affect the growth of ...plants by changing gene expressions. Investigating the profiles of gene expression under salt stress may help us understand molecular mechanisms of plants to cope with unfavorable conditions.
To study salt tolerance in sorghum, physiological and comparative transcriptomic studies were performed using a Korean sorghum cultivar 'Sodamchal' which is considered sensitive to soil salinity. In this study, the samples were treated with two concentrations of NaCl 0 (control) and 150 mM, and the leaves and roots were harvested at 0, 3, and 9 days after the treatment. For the physiological study, the levels of anthocyanin, proline, reducing sugar, and chlorophyll were evaluated in the control and the treatment group at each sampling point. The results show that the cultivar 'Sodamchal' has salt-susceptible profiles. We also analyzed the transcription profile in the presence of 0 and 150 mM NaCl to confirm the candidate genes under the saline stress condition. Between the control and salt treatment, we found a total of 1506 and 1510 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the leaves and roots, respectively. We also built a gene co-expression network to determine the association of the candidate genes in terms of biological pathways.
Through the co-expression network, genes related to salt stress such as AP2/ERF and Dehydrin were identified. This study provides the physiological and genic markers that could be used during intense salt stress in sorghum. These markers could be used to lay the foundation for the distribution of high-quality seeds that are tolerant to salt in the future.
Salinity stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses that causes great losses in crop production worldwide. Identifying the molecular mechanisms of salt resistance in sorghum will help ...develop salt-tolerant crops with high yields. Sorghum (
(L.) Moench) is one of the world's four major grains and is known as a plant with excellent adaptability to salt stress. Among the various genotypes of sorghum, a Korean cultivar Nampungchal is also highly tolerant to salt. However, little is known about how Nampungchal responds to salt stress. In this study, we measured various physiological parameters, including Na
and K
contents, in leaves grown under saline conditions and investigated the expression patterns of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using QuantSeq analysis. These DEG analyses revealed that genes up-regulated in a 150 mM NaCl treatment have various functions related to abiotic stresses, such as ERF and DREB. In addition, transcription factors such as ABA, WRKY, MYB, and bZip bind to the CREs region of sorghum and are involved in the regulation of various abiotic stress-responsive transcriptions, including salt stress. These findings may deepen our understanding of the mechanisms of salt tolerance in sorghum and other crops.
Obesity, a serious threat to public health, is linked to chronic metabolic complications including insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease ...(MAFLD). Current obesity medications are challenged by poor effectiveness, poor patient compliance, and potential side effects. Verapamil is an inhibitor of L-type calcium channels, FDA-approved for the treatment of hypertension. We previously investigated the effect of verapamil on modulating autophagy to treat obesity-associated lipotoxicity. This study aims to develop a verapamil transdermal patch and to evaluate its anti-obesity effects.
Verapamil is loaded in biomimetic vascular bundle-like carboxymethyl pullulan-based supramolecular hydrogel patches cross-linked with citric acid and glycerol linkages (CLCMP). The investigation was then carried out to determine the therapeutic effect of verapamil-loaded CLCMP (Vera@CLCMP) on diet-induced obese mice.
Vera@CLCMP hydrogel patches with hierarchically organized and anisotropic pore structures not only improved verapamil bioavailability without modifying its chemical structure but also enhanced verapamil release through the stratum corneum barrier. Vera@CLCMP patches exhibit low toxicity and high effectiveness at delivering verapamil into the systemic circulation through the dermis in a sustained manner. Specifically, transdermal administration of this patch into diet-induced obese mice drastically improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and alleviated metabolic derangements associated with MAFLD. Furthermore, we uncovered a distinct molecular mechanism underlying the anti-obesity effects associated with the hepatic NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and autophagic clearance by the vera@CLCMP hydrogel patches.
The current study provides promising drug delivery platforms for long-term family treatment of chronic diseases, including obesity and metabolic dysfunctions.
Sestrin2 (Sesn2), a metabolic regulator, accumulates in response to a diverse array of cellular stresses. Sesn2 regulates cellular metabolism by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 ...through the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway. Recently, researchers reported that Sesn2 regulates the differentiation and function of innate immune cells and T cells; however, the role of Sesn2 in B cells is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of Sesn2 in Ig class switching and Ig production in mouse B cells. We observed that mouse B cells express Sesn2 mRNA. Interestingly, the expression of germline ε transcripts (GLTε) was selectively decreased in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated
splenocytes. Overexpression of Sesn2 increased GLTε promoter activity in B cells. In addition, AICAR (an activator of AMPK) selectively increased IL-4-induced GLTε expression and surface IgE (sIgE) expression in splenocytes. Furthermore, AICAR selectively enhanced IL-4-induced GLTε expression, sIgE expression, and IgE production by anti-CD40-stimulated B cells. We observed that ovalbumin (OVA)-specific IgE concentration was reduced in OVA-challenged
mice. Taken together, these results indicate that Sesn2-AMPK signaling selectively enhances IL-4-induced IgE class switching and IgE production by B cells, suggesting that this could be a therapeutic strategy targeting Sesn2 in IgE-mediated allergic diseases.
The severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, has spread rapidly to over a dozen countries. Especially, the spike of case numbers in South ...Korea sparks pandemic worries. This virus is reported to spread mainly through person-to-person contact via respiratory droplets generated by coughing and sneezing, or possibly through surface contaminated by people coughing or sneezing on them. More critically, there have been reports about the possibility of this virus to transmit even before a virus-carrying person to show symptoms. Therefore, a low-cost, easy-access protocol for early detection of this virus is desperately needed. Here, we have established a real-time reverse-transcription PCR (rtPCR)-based assay protocol composed of easy specimen self-collection from a subject via pharyngeal swab, Trizol-based RNA purification, and SYBR Green-based rtPCR. This protocol shows an accuracy and sensitivity limit of 1-10 virus particles as we tested with a known lentivirus. The cost for each sample is estimated to be less than 15 US dollars. Overall time it takes for an entire protocol is estimated to be less than 4 hours. We propose a cost-effective, quick-and-easy method for early detection of SARS-CoV-2 at any conventional Biosafety Level II laboratories that are equipped with a rtPCR machine. Our newly developed protocol should be helpful for a first-hand screening of the asymptomatic virus-carriers for further prevention of transmission and early intervention and treatment for the rapidly propagating virus.
The effect of sucrose at different concentrations (0, 10, 20, and 30% w/w) on rheological and thermal properties of 5% (w/w) rice starch (RS) pastes mixed with guar gum (GG) and xanthan gum (XG) was ...examined. The flow behavior index (n) values of RS–gum mixtures in the presence of sucrose were higher than those of the control (0% sucrose), whereas their K and σₒc values were lower. The RS–XG–sucrose mixtures showed much higher dynamic moduli values than the control, while the RS–GG–sucrose mixtures, except for the 30% sucrose concentration, showed lower values, indicating that the viscoelastic properties of RS–XG mixtures were greatly affected by the addition of sucrose. In general, differential scanning calorimetry studies showed that the presence of sucrose resulted in an increase in the gelatinization temperatures and a decrease in gelatinization enthalpy. These results could facilitate the development of RS-based products with improved thermal and rheological properties.
According to the rapid progression of self-driving technologies, self-driving taxis are expected to be commercialized and narrow the social and economic isolation of people with disabilities by ...offering a new means of personal transportation. However, there is a lack of research on increasing informational and physical accessibility. Especially since there is no research or design project considering the unique journey and environment that the new transportation brings. So that self-driving taxis can widely be used as transportation for people with disabilities. This paper presents eight universal access principles (four principles each in two layers: digital and physical) and detailed examples describing the principles. The eight principles build on (1) existing literature studies mainly based on the prominent universal design principles from NC State University, and (2) robot-taxi journey analysis of users with three types of disabilities (wheelchair users, blindness, and limblessness). Moreover, I have repeatedly verified and co-designed examples of the eight principles through interviews with people with disabilities. This thesis facilitates discussion of how much universal accessibility of self-driving cars is necessary and essential and leads to more research and design.
Obesity and overweight, the most serious health problems, are associated with chronic metabolic complications such as type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease ...(NAFLD). However, current pharmacological therapies for obesity are challenged by potential side effects, low effectiveness, and low aqueous solubility, which limit their clinical application. Here, we develop nifedipine-loaded nanoparticles (NFD-NPs) that alleviate obesity-related metabolic dysfunction to be used as instruments for translational medicine. Nanoparticles (NPs) composed of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) not only enhance water solubility of hydrophobic nifedipine (NFD), a calcium channel blocker, without modifying the chemical structure of NFD for intravenous administration, but also allow prolonged release of NFD in vivo. NFD-NPs do not show cytotoxicity and reduce palmitate-induced protein inclusions and endoplasmic reticulum stress in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Importantly, tail-vein injection of NFD-NPs into diet-induced obese mice results in sustained retention of NFD-NPs in the liver and suppression of metabolic derangements associated with NAFLD by enhancing autophagic clearance through Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylation, consequently decreasing diet-induced insulin resistance and improving glucose tolerance. Our findings offer new clinical tools for NP-mediated pharmaceutical strategies to treat NAFLD and its related metabolic dysfunction.
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