Identification of differentially expressed genes associated with the enhancement of X-ray susceptibility by RITA in a hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line (FaDu)

Next generation sequencing and bio-informatic analyses were conducted to investigate the mechanism of reactivation of p53 and induction of tumor cell apoptosis (RITA)-enhancing X-ray susceptibility in FaDu cells

Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Cowpea Mild Mottle Virus Resistance in Soybean Germplasms from Northeast China

Cowpea mild mottle virus (CpMMV) is an important viral pathogen that seriously influences the yield and seed quality of soybeans worldwide. Resistance breeding is one of the most effective, economical, and environmentally safe strategies for controlling the disease caused by CpMMV. However, only few resistance genes have been identified in soybeans. In this study, the resistance of 169 soybean germplasms from Northeast China to a CpMMV strain isolated from soybean in China was evaluated, and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was then performed to find possible resistance genes in these soybean germplasms. Nine resistant soybean germplasms were identified and two single nucleotide polymorphism sites (SNPs) were found to be closely associated with CpMMV resistance. A total number of 51 and 25 candidate genes neighboring the resistance-associated SNPs on chromosomes 6 and 12, respectively, were identified, among which one receptor-like kinase (RLK) on chromosome 6 and 2 toll-interleukin-1 receptor nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (TNLs) on chromosome 12 were recognized as the most probable resistance genes, respectively. Together, these data provide new insights on the resistance resources of soybeans to CpMMV, which will benefit the breeding of CpMMV-resistant soybean cultivars

Water mass influence on spatial and seasonal distributions of diatoms, dinoflagellates and coccolithophores in the western Barents Sea

Arctic phytoplankton are highly sensitive to seawater physical and chemical conditions, especially in the context of rapid climate change and sea ice loss. We studied the spatial and seasonal distributions of diatoms, dinoflagellates and coccolithophores, and clarified their associations with light, temperature and nutrients in the western Barents Sea in late summer 2017, and winter, spring and early summer 2018. Diatoms, composed mainly of Chaetoceros, Fragilariopsis and Thalassiosira, bloomed in spring at the southern border of the marginal ice zone with mean abundance of 1.1 × 106 cells L−1 and biomass of 119.5 µg C L−1, and were observed to follow the retreat of sea ice in the Arctic water to the north at the shelf break near Nansen Basin, contributing to the progression of the summer situation. Dinoflagellates flourished in surface waters south of Svalbard in summer, with maxima of 2.2 × 105 cells L−1 and 78.2 µg C L−1. High abundances and calcite mass of coccolithophores were detected in the southern Barents Sea and southwest of Svalbard in summer, with maxima of 3.3 × 105 cells L−1 and 4.7 µg C L−1. Two distinct phytoplankton assemblages, closely linked with Atlantic water and Arctic water, were geographically separated by the Polar Front in two summers, with a percent similarity below 11.9%, suggesting great influence of the two water masses on large-scale distributions of phytoplankton. Redundancy analysis revealed that temperature was one of the most important factors in shaping the seasonal distributions of diatoms, while irradiance showed positive correlation with dominant dinoflagellates of each season. From the perspectives of phytoplankton composition and carbon biomass, our findings highlight the governing effect of physical seawater conditions on driving seasonal patterns of phytoplankton biogeography, as well as the pivotal role of nutrients in supporting the phytoplankton growing seasons in the western Barents Sea

Global SEM coccolithophore abundance compilation

Coccolithophores are globally important marine calcifying phytoplankton. They contribute to the organic carbon pump through the primary production and the ballast of organic matter, and to the carbonate pump through the production of calcium carbonate. Here we compiled all available scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coccolithophore abundance observations. Taxa were standardized following NannoTax3 to a species level where possible. Subspecies (e.a. C. leptoporus subsp. leptoporus and C. leptoporus subsp. quadriperforatus) were grouped as single species. The database contains 2556 abundance observations from 35 different publications. The data span the period of 1993-2017, with observations from all ocean basins and all seasons, and at depths ranging from the surface to 5000 m. We limited our compilation to SEM observations (or observations which further identified samples with SEM) because SEM provides greater detail of coccolithophore diversity than more commonly used polarized light microscopy. Although this limits the number of observations, this allows for a more in-depth analysis of coccolithophore ecology, such as the ecological significance of the coccolithophore life cycle