Country-of-origin effects in consumers' perceptions of international products Europe and East Asia

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Identification of Cold-Tolerant Breeding Lines by Quantitative Trait Loci Associated with Cold Tolerance in Rice

Low temperature or cold stress is one of the major abiotic stresses limiting rice (Oryza sativa L.) production and productivity in the temperate rice growing regions as well as in tropical high lands worldwide. Low temperature at the reproductive stage causes high sterility and decreases production. In this study, we assessed recombinant inbred lines (RILs) that possessed cold-tolerance genes and/or quantitative trait loci (QTL) from the donor line IR66160-121-4-4-2 in the genetic background of a cold-sensitive japonica cultivar, Geumobyeo. The selected 15 RILs with QTL for cold tolerance were phenotyped for three main agronomic traits-culm length (CL), days to heading (DTH), and spikelet fertility (SF)-which were most affected during cold stress. The RILs with cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive parents were evaluated under cold-water (18-19 degrees Centigrade) irrigation in the field and cold-air temperature (17-18C) in the temperature-controlled greenhou se. The RILs showed significant differences in these traits compared to the cold-sensitive parent. Traits CL and DTH exhibited positive correlation with SF in the selected breeding lines. The SF of the selected breeding lines was higher (51-81%) than that of the cold-sensitive parent, Geumobyeo (7%). Our results confi rmed that cold tolerance was associated with SF but the traits CL and DTH were differently associated with cold tolerance. The cold-tolerant breeding lines selected in this study had at least one of the three QTL associated with cold tolerance. The breeding lines confi rmed to have cold tolerance are useful to breed cold-tolerant cultivars and increase our understanding of the mechanism of cold tolerance in rice

Fasudil alleviates the vascular endothelial dysfunction and several phenotypes of Fabry disease

Fabry disease (FD), a lysosomal storage disorder, is caused by defective α-galactosidase (GLA) activity, which results in the accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) in endothelial cells and leads to life-threatening complications such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), renal failure, and stroke. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) results in Gb3 clearance; however, because of a short half-life in the body and the high immunogenicity of FD patients, ERT has a limited therapeutic effect, particularly in patients with late-onset disease or progressive complications. Because vascular endothelial cells (VECs) derived from FD-induced pluripotent stem cells display increased thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) expression and enhanced SMAD2 signaling, we screened for chemical compounds that could downregulate TSP1 and SMAD2 signaling. Fasudil reduced the levels of p-SMAD2 and TSP1 in FD-VECs and increased the expression of angiogenic factors. Furthermore, fasudil downregulated the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) and mitochondrial function of FD-VECs. Oral administration of fasudil to FD mice alleviated several FD phenotypes, including LVH, renal fibrosis, anhidrosis, and heat insensitivity. Our findings demonstrate that fasudil is a novel candidate for FD therapy. © 2023 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy11Nsciescopu