Kernel and ear traits are key components of grain yield in maize (
L.). Investigation of these traits would help to develop high-yield varieties in maize. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) uses ...the linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the whole genome to determine the genes affecting certain phenotype. In this study, five ear traits (kernel length and width, ear length and diameter, cob diameter) were investigated across multi-environments for 2 years. Combining with the genotype obtained from Maize SNP50 chip, genetic diversity and association mapping in a set of 292 inbred lines were performed. Results showed that maize lines were clustered into seven subgroups and a total of 20 SNPs were found to be associated with ear traits significantly (
< 3.95E-05). The candidate genes identified by GWAS mainly encoded ubiquitin-activation enzymes (GRMZM2G015287), carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (GRMZM2G446858), MYB-CC type transfactor, and phosphate starvation response protein 3, and they were associated with kernel length (KL) and ear diameter (ED), respectively. Moreover, two novel genes corresponding to RNA processing and fructose metabolism were found. Further, the SNPs detected by GWAS were confirmed by meta-QTL analysis. These genes and SNPs identified in the study would offer essential information for yield-related genes clone and breeding program in maize.
As the largest substantive organ of animals, the liver plays an essential role in the physiological processes of digestive metabolism and immune defense. However, the cellular composition of the pig ...liver remains poorly understood. This investigation used single-nucleus RNA sequencing technology to identify cell types from liver tissues of pigs, providing a theoretical basis for further investigating liver cell types in pigs.
The analysis revealed 13 cells clusters which were further identified 7 cell types including endothelial cells, T cells, hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, stellate cells, B cells, and cholangiocytes. The dominant cell types were endothelial cells, T cells and hepatocytes in the liver tissue of Dahe pigs and Dahe black pigs, which accounts for about 85.76% and 82.74%, respectively. The number of endothelial cells was higher in the liver tissue of Dahe pigs compared to Dahe black pigs, while the opposite tendency was observed for T cells. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes in pig hepatic endothelial cells were significantly enriched in the protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, MAPK signaling pathway, and FoxO signaling pathway. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes in pig hepatic T cells were significantly enriched in the thyroid hormone signaling pathway, B cell receptor signaling pathway, and focal adhesion. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes in pig hepatic hepatocytes were significantly enriched in the metabolic pathways.
In summary, this study provides a comprehensive cell atlas of porcine hepatic tissue. The number, gene expression level and functional characteristics of each cell type in pig liver tissue varied between breeds.
Emerging research has reported that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in cardiac cell death after myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Ferroptosis, a new form of cell death ...discovered in recent years, has been proven to participate in the regulation of myocardial I/R. This study used circRNA sequencing to explore the key circRNA in the regulation of cardiac ferroptosis after I/R and study the mechanisms of potential circRNA function.
We performed circRNA sequencing to explore circRNAs differentially expressed after myocardial I/R. We used quantitative polymerase chain reactions to determine the circRNA expression in different tissues and detect the circRNA subcellular localization in the cardiomyocyte. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were aimed to examine the function of circRNAs in cardiomyocyte ferroptosis and cardiac tissue damage after myocardial I/R. RNA pull-down was applied to explore proteins interacting with circRNA.
Here, we identified a ferroptosis-associated circRNA (FEACR) that has an underlying regulatory role in cardiomyocyte ferroptosis. FEACR overexpression suppressed I/R-induced myocardial infarction and ameliorated cardiac function. FEACR inhibition induces ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes and FEACR overexpression inhibits hypoxia and reoxygenation-induced ferroptosis. Mechanistically, FEACR directly bound to nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) and enhanced the protein stability of NAMPT, which increased NAMPT-dependent Sirtuin1 (Sirt1) expression, which promoted the transcriptional activity of forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) by reducing FOXO1 acetylation levels. FOXO1 further upregulated the transcription of ferritin heavy chain 1 (Fth1), a ferroptosis suppressor, which resulted in the inhibition of cardiomyocyte ferroptosis.
Our finding reveals that the circRNA FEACR-mediated NAMPT-Sirt1-FOXO1-FTH1 signaling axis participates in the regulation of cardiomyocyte ferroptosis and protects the heart function against I/R injury. Thus, FEACR and its downstream factors could be novel targets for alleviating ferroptosis-related myocardial injury in ischemic heart diseases.
Surfaces with gradient properties are of central importance for a number of chemical and biological processes. Here, we report rapid generation of a polydopamine (PDA) gradient on hydrophobic ...surfaces by a simple, low cost, and general technology, cyclic draining-replenishing (CDR). Due to the unique surface chemistry of PDA, it enables continuous and precise control of surface wettability and subsequent deposition of organic and inorganic compounds. Using kanamycin as a model compound, we show that the gradient PDA membrane potentially can be used to prepare minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test strips for quantifying resistance of antimicrobial agents from microorganisms. Because CDR is experimentally simple, scalable, fast, and does not require specialized reagents or instruments, we envision this platform can be easily adopted to create a variety of functional surfaces.
The first palladium‐catalyzed allylation of isocyanoacetates with vinyl aziridines has been developed. The reaction conditions were suitable for a variety of α‐aryl isocyanoacetates as well as ...N‐substituted vinyl aziridines, affording the corresponding allylation products in moderate to high yields (up to 98 %) along with excellent stereoselectivity and regioselectivity. Transformations of the allylation products into trans‐4,5‐dehydrolysine analogues and a highly functionalized proline ester derivative were further demonstrated, and a preliminary asymmetric version of the reaction has also been evaluated.
A practical and efficient protocol has been developed for the direct synthesis of α‐allylated isocyanoacetates through palladium‐catalyzed highly regio‐ and stereoselective allylation of α‐isocyanoacetates with vinyl aziridines under mild conditions.
The nervous system plays an important role in the regulation of epithelial homeostasis and has also been postulated to play a role in tumorigenesis. We provide evidence that proper innervation is ...critical at all stages of gastric tumorigenesis. In three separate mouse models of gastric cancer, surgical or pharmacological denervation of the stomach (bilateral or unilateral truncal vagotomy, or local injection of botulinum toxin type A) markedly reduced tumor incidence and progression, but only in the denervated portion of the stomach. Vagotomy or botulinum toxin type A treatment also enhanced the therapeutic effects of systemic chemotherapy and prolonged survival. Denervation-induced suppression of tumorigenesis was associated with inhibition of Wnt signaling and suppression of stem cell expansion. In gastric organoid cultures, neurons stimulated growth in a Wnt-mediated fashion through cholinergic signaling. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition or genetic knockout of the muscarinic acetylcholine M3 receptor suppressed gastric tumorigenesis. In gastric cancer patients, tumor stage correlated with neural density and activated Wnt signaling, whereas vagotomy reduced the risk of gastric cancer. Together, our findings suggest that vagal innervation contributes to gastric tumorigenesis via M3 receptor-mediated Wnt signaling in the stem cells, and that denervation might represent a feasible strategy for the control of gastric cancer.
Lindera, a core genus of the Lauraceae family, has important economic uses in eastern Asia and North America. However, its historical diversification has not been clarified. In this study, we report ...nine newly sequenced Lindera plastomes. The plastomes of these nine Lindera species range from 152,211 (L. nacusua) to 152,968 bp (L. metcalfiana) in length, similar to that of another Lauraceae species, Litsea glutinosa (152,618 bp). The length variation of these plastomes derived from the length variation in the loci ycf1, ycf2, ψycf1, and ndhF-ψycf1. Comparing our sequences with other available plastomes in the Lauraceae indicated that eight hypervariable loci, ihbA-trnG, ndhA, ndhF-rpl32, petA-psbJ, psbK-psbI, rps16, trnS-trnG, and ycf1, could serve as DNA barcodes for species delineation, and that the inverted repeats (IRs) showed contraction/expansion. Further phylogenetic analyses were performed using 32 complete plastomes of Lauraceae and seven barcodes from 14 additional species of Lindera and related species in the core Lauraceae. The results showed that these Lindera species grouped into two or four sub-clades, and that two Litsea species and Laurus nobilis were located in the same sub-clade as five Lindera species. These data support a close relationship between the genera Laurus, Lindera, and Litsea, and suggest that Lindera is polyphyletic.
Cytokinin (CK) is the primary hormone that positively regulates axillary bud outgrowth. However, in many woody plants, such as Jatropha curcas, gibberellin (GA) also promotes shoot branching. The ...molecular mechanisms underlying GA and CK interaction in the regulation of bud outgrowth in Jatropha remain unclear. To determine how young axillary buds respond to GA
and 6-benzyladenine (BA), we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis of the young axillary buds of Jatropha seedlings treated with GA
or BA. Two hundred and fifty genes were identified to be co-regulated in response to GA
or BA. Seven NAC family members were down-regulated after treatment with both GA
and BA, whereas these genes were up-regulated after treatment with the shoot branching inhibitor strigolactone. The expressions of the cell cycle genes CDC6, CDC45 and GRF5 were up-regulated after treatment with both GA
and BA, suggesting they may promote bud outgrowth via regulation of the cell cycle machinery. In the axillary buds, BA significantly increased the expression of GA biosynthesis genes JcGA20oxs and JcGA3ox1, and down-regulated the expression of GA degradation genes JcGA2oxs. Overall, the comprehensive transcriptome data set provides novel insight into the responses of young axillary buds to GA and CK.
•Laminar flame speeds of JP-10 were measured in the constant volume combustion bomb.•A combustion mechanism of JP-10 consisting of 189 species was developed.•Kinetic analyses were carried out to ...better understand the combustion kinetics.
This study focuses on the experimental laminar flame speeds and the combustion kinetics of JP-10. Laminar flame speeds of JP-10/air mixtures were measured in a constant volume combustion bomb at a temperature of 420 K, with the pressure of 0.1 and 0.3 MPa and the equivalence ratio of 0.7–1.3. A chemical kinetic model of JP-10 combustion consisting of 189 species and 1287 reactions was developed and was validated using the laminar flame speeds measured here and many literature data (including the ignition delay times and the species files of JP-10 oxidation in a shock tube). The model developed in this work is the combination of a JP-10 sub-mechanism and a core mechanism. Based on the detailed mechanisms developed by Gao et al. and Vandewiele et al.， the JP-10 sub-mechanism consisting of 38 species ≥ C5 was developed by path flux analysis and lumping methods. The core mechanism is an extension of the USC MECH II mechanism developed by Wang et al., in which the sub-mechanisms of cyclopentene and benzene taken from other references were added. To further understand the combustion characteristics, kinetic analyses were carried out using the model developed in this work. Results show that the decomposition pathways of the initial products mainly generate the small molecules (e.g., methyl, ethene, allyl), the cyclic C5 alkenes represented by cyclopentene and cyclopentadiene, and the aromatics represented by benzene and toluene. Sensitivity analyses show that each decomposition pathway has a different effect on the global reaction rate because of their different tendencies to generate reactive and resonance stabilized radicals.
Functional DNA walkers with substantial nanostructures have been extensively investigated; however, their stability still faces challenges when exposed to diverse nuclease in clinical biological ...samples, resulting in the unreliability of actual assessment. This work proposed a target-driven annular DNA walker with enhanced stability enabling the sensitive and reliable response to different concentrations of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1), by preparing silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) as electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitters. Specifically, the SiQDs showed significant strong and stable ECL signals by purifying the microenvironment of SiQDs through the dialysis removal of the gel-like layers surrounding the SiQDs. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of their ECL signal had been improved 16.59 times under consecutive scanning compared to that of SiQDs without dialysis, demonstrating a significant improvement in ECL stability. Subsequently, in the presence of APE1, the designed annular DNA walker was activated to move along the numerous quenching probes within the continuous cross-based DNA orbits, which were immobilized to the SiQD-modified electrode, providing ECL readout signals. The linear range of this ECL biosensor was 1.0 × 10–13 U·μL–1 to 1.0 × 10–7 U·μL–1, and the limit of detection (LOD) was as low as 1.766 × 10–14 U·μL–1. This work provides a novel structure of a DNA walker with nuclease resistance for clinical sample detection and designs a new strategy for synthesizing SiQDs with favorable ECL performance, tremendously expanding the ECL application of SiQDs.
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