Genetic diversity of Ophiocordyceps sinensis, a medicinal fungus endemic to the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for its evolution and conservation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Ophiocordyceps sinensis </it>(syn. <it>Cordyceps sinensis</it>), endemic to alpine regions on the Tibetan plateau, is one of the most valuable medicinal fungi in the world. Huge commercial demand has led to excessive harvest and a dramatic decline in its numbers. The diversity of terrains and climates on the Tibetan Plateau and the broad insect host range (more than 50 species in the family Hepialidae) may have resulted in substantial intraspecific genetic diversity for this fungus. The objective of this study was to evaluate the population distribution of <it>O. sinensis </it>from geographically diverse regions of the Tibetan Plateau based on nrDNA ITS and <it>MAT1-2-1 </it>gene sequences. Understanding of the genetic diversity and genesis of <it>O. sinensis </it>will provide important information for the evolution and conservation of this fungus.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant sequence variations in the ITS and <it>MAT1-2-1 </it>genes (27 and 23 informative sites, eight and seven haplotypes, respectively) were observed. Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS sequences, <it>MAT1-2-1 </it>sequences, or their combined data set, clustered isolates from northern regions in one clade (clade I), whereas isolates from southern regions were dispersed in all four clades (clade I-IV). Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses of 2639 ITS clones from seven samples revealed 91 different SSCP patterns that were subsequently sequenced. ITS heterogeneity was found in XZ-LZ07-H1 (Nyingchi population), and 17 informative sites and five haplotypes were detected from 15 clones. The five haplotypes clustered into three clades (clade I, II, and IV).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Significant genetic divergence in <it>O. sinensis </it>was observed and the genetic diversification was greater among southern isolates than that among northern isolates. The polymorphism of nrDNA ITS sequences suggested that <it>O. sinensis </it>spread from a center of origin (the Nyingchi District) to southern regions and subsequently to northern areas. These results suggest that southern populations are important reservoirs of genetic diversity and should be taken into account in conservation programs.</p

Chronic Alcohol Causes Alteration of Lipidome Profiling in Brain

Much efforts have been tried to clarify the molecular mechanism of alcohol-induced brain damage from the perspective of genome and protein; however, the effect of chronic alcohol exposure on global lipid profiling of brain is unclear. In the present study, by using Q-TOF/MS-based lipidomics approach, we investigated the comprehensive lipidome profiling of brain from the rats orally administrated with alcohol daily, continuously for one year. Through systematically analysis of all lipids in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum region, we found that long-term alcohol exposure profoundly modified brain lipidome profiling. Notably, three kinds of lipid classes, glycerophospholipid (GP), glycerolipid (GL) and fatty acyls (FA), were significantly increased in these two brain regions. Interestingly, most of the modified lipids were involved in synthetic pathways of endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which may result in ER stress-related metabolic disruption. Moreover, alcohol-modified lipid species displayed long length of carbon chain with high degree of unsaturation. Taken together, our results firstly present that chronic alcohol exposure markedly modifies brain lipidomic profiling, which may activate ER stress and eventually result in neurotoxicity. These findings provide a new insight into the mechanism of alcohol-related brain damage.Peer reviewe

Consistency in Geometry Among Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaques Extracted From Computed Tomography Angiography

Background: The three-dimensional (3D) geometry of coronary atherosclerotic plaques is associated with plaque growth and the occurrence of coronary artery disease. However, there is a lack of studies on the 3D geometric properties of coronary plaques. We aim to investigate if coronary plaques of different sizes are consistent in geometric properties.Methods: Nineteen cases with symptomatic stenosis caused by atherosclerotic plaques in the left coronary artery were included. Based on attenuation values on computed tomography angiography images, coronary atherosclerotic plaques and calcifications were identified, 3D reconstructed, and manually revised. Multidimensional geometric parameters were measured on the 3D models of plaques and calcifications. Linear and non-linear (i.e., power function) fittings were used to investigate the relationship between multidimensional geometric parameters (length, surface area, volume, etc.). Pearson correlation coefficient (r), R-squared, and p-values were used to evaluate the significance of the relationship. The analysis was performed based on cases and plaques, respectively. Significant linear relationship was defined as R-squared &gt; 0.25 and p &lt; 0.05.Results: In total, 49 atherosclerotic plaques and 56 calcifications were extracted. In the case-based analysis, significant linear relationships were found between number of plaques and number of calcifications (r = 0.650, p = 0.003) as well as total volume of plaques (r = 0.538, p = 0.018), between number of calcifications and total volume of plaques (r = 0.703, p = 0.001) as well as total volume of calcification (r = 0.646, p = 0.003), and between the total volumes of plaques and calcifications (r = 0.872, p &lt; 0.001). In plaque-based analysis, the power function showed higher R-squared values than the linear function in fitting the relationships of multidimensional geometric parameters. Two presumptions of plaque geometry in different growth stages were proposed with simplified geometric models developed. In the proposed models, the exponents in the power functions of geometric parameters were in accordance with the fitted values.Conclusion: In patients with coronary artery disease, coronary plaques and calcifications are positively related in number and volume. Different coronary plaques are consistent in the relationship between geometry parameters in different dimensions

Methamphetamine exposure drives cell cycle exit and aberrant differentiation in rat hippocampal-derived neurospheres

Introduction: Methamphetamine (METH) abuse by pregnant drug addicts causes toxic effects on fetal neurodevelopment; however, the mechanism underlying such effect of METH is poorly understood.Methods: In the present study, we applied three-dimensional (3D) neurospheres derived from the embryonic rat hippocampal tissue to investigate the effect of METH on neurodevelopment. Through the combination of whole genome transcriptional analyses, the involved cell signalings were identified and investigated.Results: We found that METH treatment for 24 h significantly and concentration-dependently reduced the size of neurospheres. Analyses of genome-wide transcriptomic profiles found that those down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) upon METH exposure were remarkably enriched in the cell cycle progression. By measuring the cell cycle and the expression of cell cycle-related checkpoint proteins, we found that METH exposure significantly elevated the percentage of G0/G1 phase and decreased the levels of the proteins involved in the G1/S transition, indicating G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, during the early neurodevelopment stage of neurospheres, METH caused aberrant cell differentiation both in the neurons and astrocytes, and attenuated migration ability of neurospheres accompanied by increased oxidative stress and apoptosis.Conclusion: Our findings reveal that METH induces an aberrant cell cycle arrest and neuronal differentiation, impairing the coordination of migration and differentiation of neurospheres

Workplace Negative Gossip Atmosphere and Employees’ Cyberloafing Behaviors: Effects and Mechanisms

Most previous studies of workplace gossip pay attention to its impacts on the target of gossip, but few focus on how audience of gossip in the workplace may be influenced when workplace gossip happens. This study adopts audience-centric perspective to understand workplace negative gossip, proposes the construct of “workplace negative gossip atmosphere” (WNGA), and studies how employees’ perception of WNGA influence their behaviors (cyberloafing). Based on the theory of social information processing and ego depletion theory, this study proposes a dual path model under the “cognitive-emotional” framework. The data analysis software STATA 15.1 is used to analyse 243 employee data collected at 3 time points, and hierarchical regression analyses are conducted to to examine the model. Results show that: 1) WNGA positively influences employees’ cyberloafing behaviors; 2) Employees’ cognitive trust and emotional exhaustion play mediating roles between WNGA and cyberloafing behaviors, respectively. 3) Task interdependence is a moderator that changes both the relationship between WNGA and cognitive trust, and the relationship between WNGA and emotional exhaustion. This study broadens the research thinking in the field of workplace negative gossip and cyberloafing, and also offers some management suggestions for organizations

A Hybrid Framework for Simulating Actual Evapotranspiration in Data-Deficient Areas: A Case Study of the Inner Mongolia Section of the Yellow River Basin

Evapotranspiration (ET) plays an important role in transferring water and converting energy in the land–atmosphere system. Accurately estimating ET is crucial for understanding global climate change, ecological environmental problems, the water cycle, and hydrological processes. Machine learning (ML) algorithms have been considered as a promising method for estimating ET in recent years. However, due to the limitations associated with the spatial–temporal resolution of the flux tower data commonly used as the target set in ML algorithms, the ability of ML to discover the inherent laws within the data is reduced. In this study, a hybrid framework was established to simulate ET in data-deficient areas. ET simulation results of a coupled model comprising the Budyko function and complementary principle (BC2021) were used as the target set of the random forest model, instead of using the flux station observation data. By combining meteorological and hydrological data, the monthly ET of the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River Basin (IMSYRB) was simulated from 1982 to 2020, and good results were obtained (R2 = 0.94, MAE = 3.82 mm/mon, RMSE = 5.07 mm/mon). Furthermore, the temporal and spatial variations in ET and the influencing factors were analysed. In the past 40 years, annual ET in the IMSYRB ranged between 241.38 mm and 326.37 mm, showing a fluctuating growth trend (slope = 0.80 mm/yr), and the summer ET accounted for the highest proportion in the year. Spatially, ET in the IMSYRB showed a regular distribution of high ET in the eastern region and low ET in the western area. The high ET value areas gradually expanded from east to west over time, and the area increased continuously, with the largest increase observed in the 1980s. Temperature, precipitation, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were found to be the most important factors affecting ET in the region and play a positive role in promoting ET changes. These results provide an excellent example of long-term and large-scale accurate ET simulations in an area with sparse flux stations

China’s labor-capital ratio human capital accumulation, and labor wage: an empirical analysis using a VAR model

China’s labor-capital ratio (L-C ratio) has fallen sharply over the past two decades, indicating that labor is increasingly being replaced by capital. However, research on the L-C ratio trend is inadequate, especially regarding the driving force and its impact. This study focuses on the relationship between China’s L-C ratio and human capital accumulation by applying the panel vector auto-regression (PVAR) approach. Using a panel data of 30 Chinese provinces for 1997–2014, the analysis yields the following findings: First, the L-C ratio has a negative impact on human capital accumulation, suggesting that the major driving force of the L-C ratio’s sharp decline is the demand-side driving force, rather than the supply-side. Second, the decline of the L-C ratio is majorly driven by the demand-side factors after the Labor Contract Law, but by the supply-side factors before the law, suggesting that the Labor Contract Law has greatly changed the demand-supply balance of China’s labor market. Third, the L-C ratio has a negative effect on labor wages by increasing regional human capital accumulation, suggesting that employees can increase their wages through human capital investment in reaction to the decline in the L-C ratio