Genetic and Informatic Analyses Implicate Kif12 as a Candidate Gene within the Mpkd2 Locus That Modulates Renal Cystic Disease Severity in the Cys1cpk Mouse.

We have previously mapped the interval on Chromosome 4 for a major polycystic kidney disease modifier (Mpkd) of the B6(Cg)-Cys1cpk/J mouse model of recessive polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Informatic analyses predicted that this interval contains at least three individual renal cystic disease severity-modulating loci (Mpkd1-3). In the current study, we provide further validation of these predicted effects using a congenic mouse line carrying the entire CAST/EiJ (CAST)-derived Mpkd1-3 interval on the C57BL/6J background. We have also generated a derivative congenic line with a refined CAST-derived Mpkd1-2 interval and demonstrated its dominantly-acting disease-modulating effects (e.g., 4.2-fold increase in total cyst area;

Activation of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Involves 660 nm Laser Radiation on Epithelium and Modulates Lipid Metabolism

Research has proven that light treatment, specifically red light radiation, can provide more clinical benefits to human health. Our investigation was firstly conducted to characterize the tissue morphology of mouse breast post 660 nm laser radiation with low power and long-term exposure. RNA sequencing results revealed that light exposure with a higher intervention dosage could cause a number of differentially expressed genes compared with a low intervention dosage. Gene ontology analysis, protein–protein interaction network analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis results suggested that 660 nm light exposure can activate more transcription-related pathways in HC11 breast epithelial cells, and these pathways may involve modulating critical gene expression. To consider the critical role of the Wnt/T-catenin pathway in light-induced modulation, we hypothesized that this pathway might play a major role in response to 660 nm light exposure. To validate our hypothesis, we conducted qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining, and Western blot assays, and relative results corroborated that laser radiation could promote expression levels of β-catenin and relative phosphorylation. Significant changes in metabolites and pathway analysis revealed that 660 nm laser could affect nucleotide metabolism by regulating purine metabolism. These findings suggest that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway may be the major sensor for 660 nm laser radiation, and it may be helpful to rescue drawbacks or side effects of 660 nm light exposure through relative interventional agents

Blocking the Hepatic Branch of the Vagus Aggravates Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Inhibiting the Expression of IL-22 in the Liver

Liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is an inevitable process during liver transplantation, hemorrhagic shock, resection, and other liver surgeries. It is an important cause of postoperative liver dysfunction and increased medical costs. The protective effects of the vagus nerve on hepatic IRI have been reported, but the underlying mechanism has not been fully understood. We established a hepatic vagotomy (Hv) mouse model to study the effect of the vagus on liver IRI and to explore the underlying mechanism. Liver IRI was more serious in mice with Hv, which showed higher serum ALT and AST activities and histopathological changes. Further experiments confirmed that Hv significantly downregulated the expression of IL-22 protein and mRNA in the liver, blocking the activation of the STAT3 pathway. The STAT3 pathway in the livers of Hv mice was significantly activated, and liver injury was clearly alleviated after treatment with exogenous IL-22 recombinant protein. In conclusion, Hv can aggravate hepatic IRI, and its mechanism may be related to inhibition of IL-22 expression and downregulation of the STAT3 pathway in the liver

Passivation process and the mechanism of packing particles in the Fe⁰/GAC system during the treatment of ABS resin wastewater

<div><p>This study provides mechanistic insights into the passivation of the packing particles during the treatment of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) resin wastewater by the Fe⁰/GAC system. The granular-activated carbon (GAC) and iron chippings (Fe⁰) were mixed together with a volumetric ratio of 1:1. GAC has a mean particle size of approximately 3–5 mm, a specific surface of 748 m² g⁻¹, a total pore volume of 0.48 mL g⁻¹ and a bulk density of 0.49 g cm⁻³. The iron chippings have a compact and non-porous surface morphology. The results show that the packing particles in the Fe⁰/GAC system would lose their activity because the removal of TOC and for ABS resin wastewater could not carried out by the Fe⁰/GAC system after 40 days continuous running. Meanwhile, the availability of O₂ and intrinsic reactivity of Fe⁰ play a key role on the form of passive film with different iron oxidation states. The passive film on the surface of iron chippings was formed by two phases: (a) local corrosion phase (0–20 d) and (b) co-precipitation phase (20–40 d), while that of GAC was mainly formed by the co-precipitation of corrosion products with and because and would not easily reach the Fe⁰ surface. Therefore, in order to avoid the occurrence of filler passivation, high concentrations of and in wastewater should be removed before the treatment process of the Fe/GAC system.</p></div

Uniform Root Layer Application at Optimal Timing Can Effectively Improve Root-Knot Nematode Disease Control in Rui Yam

Root-knot nematode disease seriously threatens the production of Rui yams, making it important to explore effective management strategies, including the optimal time for disease control and efficient application techniques. In this study, we monitored the dynamics of a root-knot nematode J2 population in the soil using field sampling; moreover, we investigated the dynamics of root-knot nematode disease using a field sampling and visual in situ device based on identifying species of root-knot nematodes in Rui yams. Additionally, experiments pertaining to optimal application time and techniques were conducted in Ruichang and Nanchang. This is the first study to propose that chemical control should be optimally timed, with one application administered at the time of yam seedling flush, and another given approximately 60 days later. Applications of a 41.7% fluopyram suspension (1426 g.a.i./hm2) and a 30% fosthiazate microencapsulated suspension (2925 g.a.i./hm2) achieved disease control effects of 81.56–83.15% and 75.95–78.42%, respectively. Additionally, the comparative analysis demonstrated that using uniform root layer application technology at the optimal time produces a control effect exceeding 80%, which is significantly higher than conventional techniques such as drip irrigation and root irrigation. These results provide theoretical and technical support for the efficient control of root-knot nematode disease in Rui yams

Genetic and Informatic Analyses Implicate <i>Kif12</i> as a Candidate Gene within the <i>Mpkd2</i> Locus That Modulates Renal Cystic Disease Severity in the <i>Cys1^cpk</i> Mouse

<div><p>We have previously mapped the interval on Chromosome 4 for a major polycystic kidney disease modifier (<i>Mpkd</i>) of the B6(Cg)-<i>Cys1</i>^<i>cpk</i>/J mouse model of recessive polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Informatic analyses predicted that this interval contains at least three individual renal cystic disease severity-modulating loci (<i>Mpkd1-3</i>). In the current study, we provide further validation of these predicted effects using a congenic mouse line carrying the entire CAST/EiJ (CAST)-derived <i>Mpkd1-3</i> interval on the C57BL/6J background. We have also generated a derivative congenic line with a refined CAST-derived <i>Mpkd1-2</i> interval and demonstrated its dominantly-acting disease-modulating effects (e.g., 4.2-fold increase in total cyst area; p<0.001). The relative strength of these effects allowed the use of recombinants from these crosses to fine map the <i>Mpkd2</i> effects to a <14 Mbp interval that contains 92 RefSeq sequences. One of them corresponds to the previously described positional <i>Mpkd2</i> candidate gene, <i>Kif12</i>. Among the positional <i>Mpkd2</i> candidates, only expression of <i>Kif12</i> correlates strongly with the expression pattern of <i>Cys1</i> across multiple anatomical nephron structures and developmental time points. Also, we demonstrate that <i>Kif12</i> encodes a primary cilium-associated protein. Together, these data provide genetic and informatic validation of the predicted renal cystic disease-modulating effects of <i>Mpkd1-3</i> loci and implicate <i>Kif12</i> as the candidate locus for <i>Mpkd2</i>.</p></div

Kinesin 12 localizes to primary apical cilium.

<p><b>Upper panel</b> shows representative immunofluorescent micrographs of kinesin 12 (<i>Kif12</i>; red) co-localized with a GFP-tagged primary cilia marker, somatostatin receptor 3 (<i>Sstr3</i>-GFP; green) in a mIMCD cell line expressing <i>Sstr3</i>-GFP. <b>Lower panel</b> demonstrates co-localization of kinesin 12 with <b>α</b>-tubulin, another commonly used primary cilia marker. The right upper corner insert represents magnification of the left uppermost primary apical cilium (highlighted in the lower <b>left panel</b>). Together, these data implicate kinesin 12 as a primary cilia-associated protein.</p

Congenic CAST-derived interval containing the <i>Mpkd1-3</i> loci and its effects on renal cystic disease progression.

<p>a) The CAST-derived segment of Chr 4 corresponding to <i>Mpkd1-3</i> interval is delimited by the distal marker, D4Mit11 (shaded area); the breakpoint between proximal CAST-derived and distal B6-derived segment of Chr 4 occurred between the markers, D4Mit11 (57.4 cM) and D4Mit204 (61.2 cM). b) The predicted cystic disease-modulating effects of the CAST-derived <i>Mpkd1-3</i> loci were tested by comparing surrogates of renal cystic phenotypes (kidney length and weight) in <i>Cys1</i>^{<i>cpk/cpk</i>} mutants homozygous for the CAST-derived (CAST/Ei; n = 7) vs the B6-derived (B6; n = 12) segment of Chr 4. The genetic background for both groups was B6. Diamonds represent values for individual animals. The line indicates the mean value for each group.</p