Genetic transformation of soybean and tobacco with β-1,3-glucanase genes

β-1,3-glucanases (also known as callases) are enzymes that hydrolyze β-1, 3-linked glucans (calloses). They are involved in various important plant physiological and developmental processes. Premature or delayed β-1,3-glucanase function in tapetal tissue is the apparent cause of male sterility in some plants. Genetic engineering has been used successfully to manipulate callase expression in tobacco and lettuce and resulted in partial to complete male sterility in the transgenic plants, while leaving female function unimpaired. The objective of this research was to alter callase expression by genetic transformation of soybean and tobacco with β-1,3-glucanase genes. Down-regulation of callase expression was carried out in soybean by introducing an anti-sense version of a soybean flower bud specific partial β-1,3-glucanase gene (SGlu7) driven by a tapetum-specific promoter TA-29. Due to insufficient funding, high cost and low efficiency of soybean transformation, this work was terminated one year later. No transgenic plants were recovered. Binary vector pLY200.1 generated in this research could be used as a generic mother vector for expressing genes in tapetal tissue. Blast search of SGlu7 in EST database of GenBank located two soybean β-1, 3-glucanase genes. Sequencing results showed that one of them, AW-Glu, contained the complete coding sequence of the callase gene. Constructs pLY500 and pLY450 were made by inserting AW-Glu after TA-29 in pLY200.1, with pLY500 having AW-Glu in sense orientation and pLY450 having AW-Glu in anti-sense orientation. pLY450 could be used to down-regulate callase expression in soybean. pLY500 was subsequently introduced into tobacco, in order to alter the timing and/or to increase the amount of callase expression, which may cause male sterility. One plant LY500-9 displayed two distinct kinds of branches, LY500-9AB and LY500-9N. Flowers from branches of LY500-9AB had stigmas higher than the anthers, while flowers from branches of LY500-9N had stigmas about the same height as the anthers. Compared with LY500-9AB or LY500-9N, non-trangenic plants had anthers significantly taller than the stigmas. The unique floral characteristics made LY500-9AB functionally male sterile. Further research is needed to investigate the cause of the functional male sterility in LY500-9AB and its relation with the transgene AW-Glu expression

Traditional uses, chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Boschniakia rossica: A systematic review

Purpose: To undertake a review on the morphology, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Boschniakia rossica, a plant with a long history of usage in Chinese traditional medicine. Methods: Available literature on the ethnopharmacological uses of B. rossica from 1967 to 2018 were selected via various databases, such as ScienceDirect, NCBI, Springerlink, Taylor & Francis and CNKI. Results: A variety of phytochemical studies demonstrated that B. rossica contains more than 100 chemical constituents, among which boschnaside, boschniakine, 7-deoxy 8-epiloganic acid, (4R)-4- hydroxymethyl-boschnialactone are predominant. Studies showed that isolates and crude extracts of B. rossica exhibit a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects such as anti-aging, antitumor, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune enhancement. It was revealed that iridoids, carbohydrates and glycosides are perhaps responsible for most of the biological activities shown by this plant. However, the bio-active compounds and their underlying mechanisms of action have not yet been investigated in detail. Conclusion: B. rossia has received tremendous research attention. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies have provided scientific bases for validation of the traditional uses of the plan

Spectral extremal graphs for edge blow-up of star forests

The edge blow-up of a graph $G$, denoted by $G^{p+1}$, is obtained by replacing each edge of $G$ with a clique of order $p+1$, where the new vertices of the cliques are all distinct. Yuan [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. B, 152 (2022) 379-398] determined the range of the Tur\'{a}n numbers for edge blow-up of all bipartite graphs and the exact Tur\'{a}n numbers for edge blow-up of all non-bipartite graphs. In this paper we prove that the graphs with the maximum spectral radius in an $n$-vertex graph without any copy of edge blow-up of star forests are the extremal graphs for edge blow-up of star forests when $n$ is sufficiently large.Comment: 22. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2208.0655

Artemisinin Directly Targets Malarial Mitochondria through Its Specific Mitochondrial Activation

The biological mode of action of artemisinin, a potent antimalarial, has long been controversial. Previously we established a yeast model addressing its mechanism of action and found mitochondria the key in executing artemisinin's action. Here we present data showing that artemisinin directly acts on mitochondria and it inhibits malaria in a similar way as yeast. Specifically, artemisinin and its homologues exhibit correlated activities against malaria and yeast, with the peroxide bridge playing a key role for their inhibitory action in both organisms. In addition, we showed that artemisinins are distributed to malarial mitochondria and directly impair their functions when isolated mitochondria were tested. In efforts to explore how the action specificity of artemisinin is achieved, we found strikingly rapid and dramatic reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is induced with artemisinin in isolated yeast and malarial but not mammalian mitochondria, and ROS scavengers can ameliorate the effects of artemisinin. Deoxyartemisinin, which lacks an endoperoxide bridge, has no effect on membrane potential or ROS production in malarial mitochondria. OZ209, a distantly related antimalarial endoperoxide, also causes ROS production and depolarization in isolated malarial mitochondria. Finally, interference of mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) can alter the sensitivity of the parasite towards artemisinin. Addition of iron chelator desferrioxamine drastically reduces ETC activity as well as mitigates artemisinin-induced ROS production. Taken together, our results indicate that mitochondrion is an important direct target, if not the sole one, in the antimalarial action of artemisinins. We suggest that fundamental differences among mitochondria from different species delineate the action specificity of this class of drugs, and differing from many other drugs, the action specificity of artemisinins originates from their activation mechanism

Probing Meiotic Recombination and Aneuploidy of Single Sperm Cells by Whole-Genome Sequencing

Meiotic recombination creates genetic diversity and ensures segregation of homologous chromosomes. Previous population analyses yielded results averaged among individuals and affected by evolutionary pressures. We sequenced 99 sperm from an Asian male by using the newly developed amplification method—multiple annealing and looping-based amplification cycles—to phase the personal genome and map recombination events at high resolution, which are nonuniformly distributed across the genome in the absence of selection pressure. The paucity of recombination near transcription start sites observed in individual sperm indicates that such a phenomenon is intrinsic to the molecular mechanism of meiosis. Interestingly, a decreased crossover frequency combined with an increase of autosomal aneuploidy is observable on a global per-sperm basis.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

Cecal CircRNAs Are Associated With the Response to Salmonella Enterica Serovar Enteritidis Inoculation in the Chicken

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of endogenous noncoding RNA, which is different from linear RNA. CircRNA is an RNA molecule with a closed loop structure formed by reverse splicing. CircRNAs have been studied in several organisms, however, the circRNAs associated with the response to Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) inoculation in chickens are still unclear. In the current study, Jining Bairi chickens were inoculated with SE. CircRNAs involved in the response to SE inoculation were identified through next-generation sequencing. Our results showed that there were 5,118 circRNAs identified in the control and treated groups. There were 62 circRNAs significantly differentially expressed following SE inoculation. Functional classification revealed that those significantly differentially expressed circRNAs were associated with immune system process, rhythmic process and signaling following SE inoculation. CircRNAs NC_006091.4: 65510578|65515090, NC_006099.4: 16132825|16236906, and NC_006099.4: 15993284|16006290 play important roles in the response to SE inoculation. The findings in the current study provide evidence that circRNA alterations are involved in the response to SE inoculation in the chicken

Predictive value of controlling nutritional status score for prostate cancer diagnosis

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the predictive value of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis.MethodsThe data of 114 patients who underwent prostate needle biopsies from June 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The relationship between CONUT score and various clinical factors as well as PCa diagnosis was evaluated.ResultsThe pathological results classified patients into the PCa (n = 38) and non-PCa (n = 76) groups. Compared with the non-PCa group, the PCa group exhibited statistically significant differences in age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA density (PSAD), the proportion of PI-RADS ≥ 3 in mpMRI, and the CONUT score, prostate volume, lymphocyte count, and total cholesterol concentration (p < 0.05). ROC curve analyses indicated the diagnostic accuracy as follows: age (AUC = 0.709), prostate volume (AUC = 0.652), PSA (AUC = 0.689), PSAD (AUC = 0.76), PI-RADS ≥ 3 in mpMRI (AUC = 0.846), and CONUT score (AUC = 0.687). When CONUT score was combined with PSA and PSAD, AUC increased to 0.784. The AUC of CONUT score combined with PSA, PSAD, and mpMRI was 0.881, indicates a higher diagnostic value. Based on the optimal cut-off value of CONUT score, compared with the low CONUT score group, the high CONUT score group has a higher positive rate of PCa diagnosis (p < 0.05).ConclusionCONUT score is an excellent auxiliary index for PCa diagnosis in addition to the commonly used PSA, PSAD, and mpMRI in clinical practice. Further prospective trials with a larger sample size are warranted to confirm the present study findings

Superior Stability Secured by a Four-Phase Cathode Electrolyte Interface on a Ni-Rich Cathode for Lithium Ion Batteries.

A multifunctional coating with high ionic and electronic conductivity is constructed on the surface of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM) to boost the battery stability upon cycling and during storage as well. Phosphoric acid reacts with residual lithium species on the pristine NCM to form a Li3PO4 coating with extra carbon nanotubes (CNTs) penetrating through, which shows high ionic and electronic conductivity. NCM, Li3PO4, CNTs, and the electrolyte jointly form a four-phase cathode electrolyte interface, which plays a key role in the great enhancement of capacity retention, from 50.3% for pristine NCM to 84.8% for the modified one after 500 cycles at 0.5C at room temperature. The modified NCM also delivers superior electrochemical performances at a high cut-off voltage (4.5 V), high temperature (55 °C), and high rate (10C). Furthermore, it can deliver 154.2 mA h g-1 at the 500th cycle after exposed to air with high humidity for 2 weeks. These results demonstrate that the well-constructed multifunctional coating can remarkably enhance the chemical and electrochemical performances of NCM. The improved cycling, storage, and rate performance are attributed to the four-phase cathode electrolyte interface delivering high electron and ionic conductivity and securing the cathode against attack. This work broadens the horizon for constructing effective electrode/electrolyte interfaces for electrochemical energy storage and conversion