Discovery AP2/ERF family genes in silico in Medicago truncatula

Medicago truncatula is a legume model plant due to its small genome and it has been used to study the molecular events of legume biology. As a crucial plant-specific gene family, AP2/EREBP transcription factors (TFs) are important for plant development and biotic and abiotic stress responses. The purpose of the work was to determine AP2/ERF family genes in silico of M. truncatula, and also sheds light on molecular mechanism of stress responses of AP2/EREBPs. We investigated AP2/ERF family genes of M. truncatula using BLAST search. Thirty-seven (37) AP2/ERF family genes were identified and sorted into the corresponding subfamily or subgroup, with sequences alignment and phylogenetic analysis of the AP2-like TFs proteins between in Arabidopsis and in M. truncatula, and expression patterns of putative 35 AP2/ERF family genes in M. truncatula were revealed. Identification of AP2/ERF family genes would make them easier to clone and position those functional genes, and which also would open new opportunities for the study of molecular regulatory network of stress resistance in M. truncatula.Keywords: Medicago truncatula, transcription factor, AP2/ERFAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(23), pp. 3636-364

Exploring personalised autonomous vehicles to influence user trust

Trust is a major determinant of acceptance of an autonomous vehicle (AV), and a lack of appropriate trust could prevent drivers and society in general from taking advantage of such technology. This paper makes a new attempt to explore the effects of personalised AVs as a novel approach to the cognitive underpinnings of drivers’ trust in AVs. The personalised AV system is able to identify the driving behaviours of users and thus adapt the driving style of the AV accordingly. A prototype of a personalised AV was designed and evaluated in a lab-based experimental study of 36 human drivers, which investigated the impact of the personalised AV on user trust when compared with manual human driving and non-personalised AVs. The findings show that a personalised AV appears to be significantly more reliable through accepting and understanding each driver’s behaviour, which could thereby increase a user’s willingness to trust the system. Furthermore, a personalised AV brings a sense of familiarity by making the system more recognisable and easier for users to estimate the quality of the automated system. Personalisation parameters were also explored and discussed to support the design of AV systems to be more socially acceptable and trustworthy

Tibetan sheep have a high capacity to absorb and to regulate metabolism of SCFA in the rumen epithelium to adapt to low energy intake

The nutritional intake of Tibetan sheep on the harsh Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is often under maintenance requirements, especially during the long, cold winter. However, they have adapted well and even thrive under these conditions. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into how the rumen epithelium of Tibetan sheep has adapted to the consumption of low-energy-level diets. For this purpose, we compared Tibetan and small-tailed Han sheep (n 24 of each breed, all wethers and 1 center dot 5 years of age), which were divided randomly into one of four groups and offered ad libitum diets of different digestible energy (DE) densities: 8 center dot 21, 9 center dot 33, 10 center dot 45 and 11 center dot 57 MJ DE/kg DM. The Tibetan sheep had higher rumen concentrations of total SCFA, acetate, butyrate and iso-acids but lower concentrations of propionate than small-tailed Han sheep. The Tibetan sheep had higher absorption capability of SCFA due to the greater absorption surface area and higher mRNA expression of the SCFA absorption relative genes than small-tailed Han sheep. For the metabolism of SCFA in the rumen epithelium, the small-tailed Han sheep showed higher utilisation of the ketogenesis pathway than Tibetan sheep; however, Tibetan sheep had greater regulation capacity in SCFA metabolism pathways. These differences between breeds allowed the Tibetan sheep to have greater capability of absorbing SCFA and better capacity to regulate the metabolism of SCFA, which would allow them to cope with low energy intake better than small-tailed Han sheep

CEMIP Promotes Osteosarcoma Progression and Metastasis Through Activating Notch Signaling Pathway

Cell migration inducing protein (CEMIP) has been linked to carcinogenesis in several types of cancers. However, the role and mechanism of CEMIP in osteosarcoma remain unclear. This study investigated the role of CEMIP in the progression and metastasis of osteosarcoma, CEMIP was found to be overexpressed in osteosarcoma tissues when compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues, and its expression was positively associated with a poor prognosis in osteosarcoma patients. Silencing CEMIP decreased osteosarcoma cells proliferation, migration, and invasion, but enhanced apoptosis in vitro, and suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, CEMIP promoted osteosarcoma cells growth and metastasis through activating Notch signaling pathway, silencing CEMIP would reduce the protein expression and activation of Notch/Jagged1/Hes1 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo, activation of Notch signaling pathway could partially reversed cell proliferation and migration in shCEMIP osteosarcoma cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that CEMIP plays a substantial role in the progression of osteosarcoma via Notch signaling pathway, providing a promising therapeutic target in osteosarcoma

Neuroprotective effects of isoflurane against lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation in BV2 microglial cells by regulating HMGB1/TLRs pathway

Microglia, as the first line of defence of the central nervous system (CNS), has a major role in inflammatory response. It was reported that isoflurane has a neuroprotective role in the pathological process of CNS by interfering with inflammatory response. While the mechanism and function of isoflurane in microglia-mediated inflammation are still not clearly articulated. In our study, the inflammation model was established by the activation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BV2 cells in vitro. The results demonstrated that isoflurane inhibited the release of nitric oxide (NO) and enhanced the survival of BV2 cells, meanwhile, isoflurane reduced the levels of inflammatory factors and downregulated the expressions of inflammation-related genes and proteins in LPS-mediated BV2 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that overexpression of high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) could reverse the reduction in NO concentration, enhancement of cell BV2 viability and inhibition of inflammatory response, which were mediated by isoflurane in LPS-induced BV2 cells. Therefore, we suggested that isoflurane inhibits the activation of LPS-induced neuro microglia and reduces the release of inflammatory factors by regulating HMGB1, suggesting that isoflurane might play a protective role in LPS-induced neuroinflammation through the HMGB1 pathway

Controllable Synthesis of ZnO Nanorod-nanosheets Hierarchical Nanostructure on a Stainless Steel Mesh Via A Facile Hydrothermal Growth

ZnO nanorods-nanosheets (NR-NS) hierarchical nanostructure consisted of long nanorod and thin nanosheet branches have been built on a stainless steel mesh via a two-step hydrothermal growth process. The related structures and morphologies of the as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The XRD results confirmed that the obtained samples were wurtzite hexagonal structured ZnO. The FE-SEM observations showed that the smooth surfaces of nanorods were covered by nanosheets, resulting in the enhancement of internal surface area. It was found that trisodium citrate played a crucial role in the formation of ZnO NR-NS hierarchical nanostructures, and accordingly, the rational growth mechanism was suggested

Metallic Ru Size Effect in Selective Oxidation of Alcohols to Carbonyl Compounds

International audienc

A high-caloric diet rich in soy oil alleviates oxidative damage of skeletal muscles induced by dexamethasone in chickens

Objective: Glucocorticoids (GCs) can induce oxidative damage in skeletal muscles. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a high caloric (HC) diet rich in soy oil would change the oxidative stress induced by a GC. Methods: The effect of dexamethasone (DEX) and HC diet on oxidative stress in plasma, skeletal muscles (M. pectoralis major, PM; M. biceps femoris, BF), and mitochondria were determined. The biomarkers of oxidative damage and antioxidative enzyme activity were determined. The fatty acid profile of muscles and the activities of complex I and II in mitochondria were measured. Results: The results showed that DEX increased the concentrations of oxidative damage markers in plasma, muscles, and mitochondria. The activity of complex I was significantly suppressed by DEX. DEX-chickens had higher proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids in the PM. A HC diet decreased the levels of oxidative damage biomarkers in plasma, muscles, and mitochondria. The interaction between DEX and diet suppressed the activities of complex I and II in HC-chickens. Discussion: Oxidative damage in skeletal muscles and mitochondria was the result of GC-induced suppression of the activity of mitochondrial complex I. A HC diet improved the antioxidative capacity and reduced the oxidative damage induced by the GC

Controllable Synthesis of ZnO Nanorod-nanosheets Hierarchical Nanostructure on a Stainless Steel Mesh Via A Facile Hydrothermal Growth

ZnO nanorods-nanosheets (NR-NS) hierarchical nanostructure consisted of long nanorod and thin nanosheet branches have been built on a stainless steel mesh via a two-step hydrothermal growth process. The related structures and morphologies of the as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The XRD results confirmed that the obtained samples were wurtzite hexagonal structured ZnO. The FE-SEM observations showed that the smooth surfaces of nanorods were covered by nanosheets, resulting in the enhancement of internal surface area. It was found that trisodium citrate played a crucial role in the formation of ZnO NR-NS hierarchical nanostructures, and accordingly, the rational growth mechanism was suggested