Modal Verbs for the Advice Move in Advice Columns

PACLIC 23 / City University of Hong Kong / 3-5 December 200

The Cymbidium genome reveals the evolution of unique morphological traits

The marvelously diverse Orchidaceae constitutes the largest family of angiosperms. The genus Cymbidium in Orchidaceae is well known for its unique vegetation, floral morphology, and flower scent traits. Here, a chromosomescale assembly of the genome of Cymbidium ensifolium (Jianlan) is presented. Comparative genomic analysis showed that C. ensifolium has experienced two whole-genome duplication (WGD) events, the most recent of which was shared by all orchids, while the older event was the τ event shared by most monocots. The results of MADS-box genes analysis provided support for establishing a unique gene model of orchid flower development regulation, and flower shape mutations in C. ensifolium were shown to be associated with the abnormal expression of MADS-box genes. The most abundant floral scent components identified included methyl jasmonate, acacia alcohol and linalool, and the genes involved in the floral scent component network of C. ensifolium were determined. Furthermore, the decreased expression of photosynthesis-antennae and photosynthesis metabolic pathway genes in leaves was shown to result in colorful striped leaves, while the increased expression of MADS-box genes in leaves led to perianth-like leaves. Our results provide fundamental insights into orchid evolution and diversification.The National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Outstanding Young Scientific Research Talent Project of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, the Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization Construction Funds, and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.https://www.nature.com/hortresam2022BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Comparative Phenotypic, Proteomic, and Phosphoproteomic Analysis Reveals Different Roles of Serine/Threonine Phosphatase and Kinase in the Growth, Cell Division, and Pathogenicity of <i>Streptococcus suis</i>

Eukaryote-like serine/threonine kinases (STKs) and cognate phosphatases (STPs) comprise an important regulatory system in many bacterial pathogens. The complexity of this regulatory system has not been fully understood due to the presence of multiple STKs/STPs in many bacteria and their multiple substrates involved in many different physiological and pathogenetic processes. Streptococci are the best materials for the study due to a single copy of the gene encoding STK and its cognate STP. Although several studies have been done to investigate the roles of STK and STP in zoonotic Streptococcus suis, respectively, few studies were performed on the coordinated regulatory roles of this system. In this study, we carried out a systemic study on STK/STP in S. suis by using a comparative phenotypic, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic analysis. Mouse infection assays revealed that STK played a much more important role in S. suis pathogenesis than STP. The ∆stk and ∆stp∆stk strains, but not ∆stp, showed severe growth retardation. Moreover, both ∆stp and ∆stk strains displayed defects in cell division, but they were abnormal in different ways. The comparative proteomics and phosphoproteomics revealed that deletion of stk or stp had a significant influence on protein expression. Interestingly, more virulence factors were found to be downregulated in ∆stk than ∆stp. In ∆stk strain, a substantial number of the proteins with a reduced phosphorylation level were involved in cell division, energy metabolism, and protein translation. However, only a few proteins showed increased phosphorylation in ∆stp, which also included some proteins related to cell division. Collectively, our results show that both STP and STK are critical regulatory proteins for S. suis and that STK seems to play more important roles in growth, cell division, and pathogenesis

Diagnostic value of multiple b-value diffusion-weighted imaging in discriminating the malignant from benign breast lesions

Abstract Objective The conventional breast Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was subtly influenced by microcirculation owing to the insufficient selection of the b values. However, the multiparameter derived from multiple b-value exhibits more reliable image quality and maximize the diagnostic accuracy. We aim to evaluate the diagnostic performance of stand-alone parameter or in combination with multiparameter derived from multiple b-value DWI in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions. Methods A total of forty-one patients diagnosed with benign breast tumor and thirty-eight patients with malignant breast tumor underwent DWI using thirteen b values and other MRI functional sequence at 3.0 T magnetic resonance. Data were accepted mono-exponential, bi-exponential, stretched-exponential, aquaporins (AQP) model analysis. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of quantitative parameter or multiparametric combination. The Youden index, sensitivity and specificity were used to assess the optimal diagnostic model. T-test, logistic regression analysis, and Z-test were used. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result The ADCavg, ADCmax, f, and α value of the malignant group were lower than the benign group, while the ADCfast value was higher instead. The ADCmin, ADCslow, DDC and ADCAQP showed no statistical significance. The combination (ADCavg-ADCfast) yielded the largest area under curve (AUC = 0.807) with sensitivity (68.42%), specificity (87.8%) and highest Youden index, indicating that multiparametric combination (ADCavg-ADCfast) was validated to be a useful model in differentiating the benign from breast malignant lesion. Conclusion The current study based on the multiple b-value diffusion model demonstrated quantitatively multiparametric combination (ADCavg-ADCfast) exhibited the optimal diagnostic efficacy to differentiate malignant from benign breast lesions, suggesting that multiparameter would be a promising non-invasiveness to diagnose breast lesions

Constructing Conductive Interfaces between Nickel Oxide Nanocrystals and Polymer Carbon Nitride for Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Constructing Conductive Interfaces between Nickel Oxide Nanocrystals and Polymer Carbon Nitride for Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reactio

Phosphorylation of the zebrafish M6Ab at serine 263 contributes to filopodium formation in PC12 cells and neurite outgrowth in zebrafish embryos.

BACKGROUND:Mammalian M6A, a member of the proteolipid protein (PLP/DM20) family expressed in neurons, was first isolated by expression cloning with a monoclonal antibody. Overexpression of M6A was shown to induce filopodium formation in neuronal cells; however, the underlying mechanism of is largely unknown. Possibly due to gene duplication, there are two M6A paralogs, M6Aa and M6Ab, in the zebrafish genome. In the present study, we used the zebrafish as a model system to investigate the role of zebrafish M6Ab in filopodium formation in PC12 cells and neurite outgrowth in zebrafish embryos. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We demonstrated that zebrafish M6Ab promoted extensive filopodium formation in NGF-treated PC12 cells, which is similar to the function of mammalian M6A. Phosphorylation at serine 263 of zebrafish M6Ab contributed to this induction. Transfection of the S263A mutant protein greatly reduced filopodium formation in PC12 cells. In zebrafish embryos, only S263D could induce neurite outgrowth. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Our results reveal that the phosphorylation status of zebrafish M6Ab at serine 263 is critical for its role in regulating filopodium formation and neurite outgrowth