Evaluation of serum neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the use of serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the differential diagnosis between AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: From September 2021 to October 2022, we collected venous blood from patients and healthy individuals who visited our hospital's Neurology Department, and we isolated serum to detect NfL and GFAP using direct chemiluminescence. The results were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Pairwise comparisons among the three groups showed that compared with the health checkup (HC) group, serum NfL and GFAP were increased in both AD and MCI (PNfL < 0.05, PGFAP < 0.01). There were significant differences in GFAP between MCI and AD groups, and the level in AD group was higher (p < 0.01), while there was no difference in NfL. Both serum NfL and serum GFAP levels can independently diagnose AD (p < 0.01). The ROC curve showed that GFAP had a higher diagnostic efficacy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.928. The cut-off values of the two serum markers for the diagnosis of AD were NfL > 40.09 pg./mL and GFAP >31.40 pg./mL. Sensitivity and specificity for NfL in the diagnosis of AD were 59.6 and 76.2%, respectively, and for GFAP, they were 90.4 and 82.1%, respectively. The combined diagnosis of GFAP and NfL improved the diagnostic efficiency (AUC = 0.931, sensitivity = 78.8%, specificity = 92.3%). The cut-off value of GFAP for the differential diagnosis of MCI and AD was 46.05 pg./mL. Conclusion: Both serum NfL and serum GFAP can be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis of AD. Serum GFAP has better diagnostic efficacy and can distinguish AD from MCI. A combined diagnosis can improve diagnostic specificity.

Absolute Configuration of 12S-Deoxynortryptoquivaline from Ascidian-Derived Fungus Aspergillus clavatus Determined by Anisotropic NMR and Chiroptical Spectroscopy.

Tryptoquivalines are highly toxic metabolites initially isolated from the fungus Aspergillus clavatus. The relative and absolute configuration of tryptoquivaline derivates was primarily established by comparison of the chemical shifts, NOE data, and ECD calculations. A de novo determination of the complete relative configuration using NMR spectroscopy was challenging due to multiple spatially separated stereocenters, including one nonprotonated carbon. In this study, we isolated a new tryptoquivaline derivative, 12S-deoxynortryptoquivaline (1), from the marine ascidian-derived fungus Aspergillus clavatus AS-107. The correct assignment of the relative configuration of 1 was accomplished using anisotropic NMR spectroscopy, while the absolute configuration was determined by comparing calculated and experimental ECD spectra. This case study highlights the effectiveness of anisotropic NMR parameters over isotropic NMR parameters in determining the relative configuration of complex natural products without the need for crystallization.

Fibrous topology promoted pBMP2-activated matrix on titanium implants boost osseointegration.

Titanium (Ti) implants have been extensively used after surgical operations. Its surface bioactivity is of importance to facilitate integration with surrounding bone tissue, and ultimately ensure stability and long-term functionality of the implant. The plasmid DNA-activated matrix (DAM) coating on the surface could benefit osseointegration but is still trapped by poor transfection for further application, especially on the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vivo practical conditions. Herein, we constructed a DAM on the surface of fibrous-grained titanium (FG Ti) composed of phase-transition lysozyme (P) as adhesive, cationic arginine-rich lipid (RLS) as the transfection agent and plasmid DNA (pDNA) for bone morphology protein 2 (BMP2) expression. The cationic lipid RLS improved up to 30-fold higher transfection than that of commercial reagents (Lipofectamine 2000 and polyethyleneimine) on MSC. And importantly, Ti surface topology not only promotes the DAM to achieve high transfection efficiency (∼75.7% positive cells) on MSC due to the favorable combination but also reserves its contact induction effect for osteoblasts. Upon further exploration, the fibrous topology on FG Ti could boost pDNA uptake for gene transfection, and cell migration in MSC through cytoskeleton remodeling and induce contact guidance for enhanced osteointegration. At the same time, the cationic RLS together with adhesive P were both antibacterial, showing up to 90% inhibition rate against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with reduced adherent microorganisms and disrupted bacteria. Finally, the FG Ti-P/pBMP2 implant achieved accelerated bone healing capacities through highly efficient gene delivery, aligned surface topological structure and increased antimicrobial properties in a rat femoral condylar defect model.

Hierarchically decorated magnetic nanoparticles amplify the oxidative stress and promote the chemodynamic/magnetic hyperthermia/immune therapy.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are promising in tumor treatments due to their capacity for magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), and immuno-related therapies, but still suffer from unsatisfactory tumor inhibition in the clinic. Insufficient hydrogen peroxide supply, glutathione-induced resistance, and high-density extracellular matrix (ECM) are the barriers. Herein, we hierarchically decorated MNPs with disulfide bonds (S-S), dendritic L-arginine (R), and glucose oxidase (GOx) to form a nanosystem (MNPs-SS-R-GOx). Its outer GOx layer not only enhanced the H2O2 supply to produce .OH by Fenton reaction, but also generated stronger oxidants (ONOO-) together with the interfaced R layer. The inner S-S layer consumed glutathione to interdict its reaction with oxidants, thus enhancing CDT effects. Importantly, the generated ONOO- tripled the MMP-9 expression to induce ECM degradation, enabling much deeper penetration of MNPs and benefiting CDT, MHT, and immunotherapy. Finally, the MNPs-SS-R-GOx demonstrated a remarkable 91.7% tumor inhibition in vivo. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are a promising tumor therapeutic agent but with limited effectiveness. Our hierarchical MNP design features disulfide bonds (S-S), dendritic L-arginine (R), and glucose oxidase (GOx), which boosts H2O2 supply for ·OH generation in Fenton reactions, produces potent ONOO-, and enhances chemodynamic therapy via glutathione consumption. Moreover, the ONOO- facilitates the upregulation of matrix metalloprotein expression beneficial for extracellular matrix degradation, which in turn enhances the penetration of MNPs and benefits the antitumor CDT/MHT/immuno-related therapy. In vivo experiments have demonstrated an impressive 91.7% inhibition of tumor growth. This hierarchical design offers groundbreaking insights for further advancements in MNP-based tumor therapy. Its implications extend to a broader audience, encompassing those interested in material science, biology, oncology, and beyond.

Ultrasound measurements of fetal facial profile markers and their associations with congenital malformations during early pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Fetal facial profile could be measured during the early pregnancy. Its abnormalities might be associated with certain congenital malformations. We aimed to study the associations between fetal facial profile measurements with crown-rump length and congenital malformations (cleft lip and palate, micrognathia, and open spina bifida) during early pregnancy. METHODS: We performed a prospective cross-sectional study between June 2019 and April 2022. Pregnant women at a gestational age between 11-13+ 6 weeks were enrolled. Two sonographers performed fetal facial profile measurements independently. The associations between these measurements with crown-rump length and congenital malformations were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 406 and 25 fetuses without or with congenital malformations, respectively. Two sonographers showed satisfactory inter- and intra-observer agreements and reproducibility. The maxillary gap was only observed in 7.6% of normal fetuses, whereas all cleft lip and palate fetuses had a maxillary gap ≥ 0.8 mm. The crown-rump length was negatively correlated with frontomaxillary facial angle, inferior facial angle, and profile line distance but positively correlated with maxilla-nasion-mandible angle, facial maxillary angle, frontal space distance, and palatine maxillary diameter. These measurements showed various significant changes with different congenital malformations. CONCLUSIONS: Measurements of fetal facial profile in early pregnancy were feasible with satisfactory reproducibility. These measurements correlated with crown-rump length and showed significant differences with certain fetal congenital malformations.

Control effect of root exudates from mycorrhizal watermelon seedlings on Fusarium wilt and the bacterial community in continuously cropped soil.

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is susceptible to wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp niveum (FON). AMF colonization alleviates watermelon wilt and regulates the composition of root exudates, but the effects of mycorrhizal watermelon root exudates on watermelon Fusarium wilt is not well understood. Root exudates of watermelon inoculated with AMF (Funeliformis mosseae or Glomus versiformme) were collected in this study. Then the root exudates of control plants and mycorrhizal plants were used to irrigate watermelon in continuous cropping soil, respectively. Meanwhile, the watermelon growth, antioxidant enzyme activity, rhizosphere soil enzyme activities and bacterial community composition, as well as the control effect on FON were analyzed. The results indicated that mycorrhizal watermelon root exudates promoted the growth of watermelon seedlings and increased soil enzyme activities, actinomyces, and the quantity of bacteria in rhizosphere soil. The proportion of Proteobacteria and Bacteroides was decreased, and the proportion of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi in rhizosphere soil was increased when the seedlings were watered with high concentrations of mycorrhizal root exudates. The dominant bacterial genera in rhizosphere soil were Kaistobacter, Rhodanobacter, Thermomonas, Devosia, and Bacillus. The root exudates of mycorrhizal watermelon could reduce the disease index of Fusarium wilt by 6.7-30%, and five ml/L of watermelon root exudates inoculated with F. mosseae had the strongest inhibitory effect on watermelon Fusarium wilt. Our results suggest mycorrhizal watermelon root exudates changed the composition of bacteria and soil enzyme activities in rhizosphere soil, which increase the resistance of watermelon to Fusarium wilt and promoted the growth of plants in continuous cropping soil.

Knockdown of SPON2 inhibits the growth of triple-negative breast cancer.

Objective: Spondin-2 (SPON2) is highly expressed in a variety of tumors and has been associated with poor prognosis, but the relationship to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of SPON2 in TNBC and its function. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of the SPON2 protein in TNBC and in normal tissue adjacent to cancer and breast fibroadenoma. The GEO database GSE76275 dataset was used to study the expression of SPON2 mRNA in TNBC and non-TNBC. ​The expression of SPON2 mRNA was detected by qPCR in TNBC cells MDA-MB-231, non-TNBC breast cancer cells MCF-7, and normal breast cells MCF-10A. ​Kaplan Meier-Plotter database was used to analyze the relationship between SPON2 expression and TNBC prognosis. ​ShRNA lentivirus was used to knock down high expression of SPON2 in TNBC cells. The effects of knockdown of SPON2 expression on the proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and subcutaneous tumorigenic ability of TNBC cells in nude mice were analyzed using CCK8, clone formation assay, scratch assay, transwell migration assay, transwell invasion assay, Hoechst apoptosis assay, and tumorigenic ability in nude mice. Transcriptome sequencing of TNBC cells with knockdown SPON2 expression. ​In combination with the GEO database, GO and KEGG analyses were performed, and psychophysiological interaction Protein-Protein Interaction Networks (PPI) analysis was performed for transcriptome sequencing of the differentially expressed genes. ​The changes in the expression of PI3K-ATK pathway proteins after SPON2 knockdown were detected by Western blot. Results: Our study shows that upregulation of SPON2 in TNBC is associated with poorer patient outcomes. Knockdown of SPON2 inhibited TNBC cell proliferation, clone formation, migration, invasion, and tumorigenic ability and promoted apoptosis. Knockdown of SPON2 up-regulated TNBC cell adhesion and down-regulated PI3K-ATK pathway, and PPI results showed that CCL2 was the key protein. Conclusions: SPON2 may be a valuable biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of TNBC and is a potential therapeutic target for TNBC.

Mucus-penetrating nonviral gene vaccine processed in the epithelium for inducing advanced vaginal mucosal immune responses.

Establishment of vaginal immune defenses at the mucosal interface layer through gene vaccines promise to prevent infectious diseases among females. Mucosal barriers composed of a flowing mucus hydrogel and tightly conjugated epithelial cells (ECs), which represent the main technical difficulties for vaccine development, reside in the harsh, acidic human vaginal environment. Different from frequently employed viral vectors, two types of nonviral nanocarriers were designed to concurrently overcome the barriers and induce immune responses. Differing design concepts include the charge-reversal property (DRLS) to mimic a virus that uses any cells as factories, as well as the addition of a hyaluronic acid coating (HA/RLS) to directly target dendritic cells (DCs). With a suitable size and electrostatic neutrality, these two nanoparticles penetrate a mucus hydrogel with similar diffusivity. The DRLS system expressed a higher level of the carried human papillomavirus type 16 L1 gene compared to HA/RLS in vivo. Therefore it induced more robust mucosal, cellular, and humoral immune responses. Moreover, the DLRS applied to intravaginal immunization induced high IgA levels compared with intramuscularly injected DNA (naked), indicating timely protection against pathogens at the mucus layer. These findings also offer important approaches for the design and fabrication of nonviral gene vaccines in other mucosal systems.

A cationic lipid with advanced membrane fusion performance for pDNA and mRNA delivery.

The success of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 prevention raised global awareness of the importance of nucleic acid drugs. The approved systems for nucleic acid delivery were mainly formulations of different lipids, yielding lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with complex internal structures. Due to the multiple components, the relationship between the structure of each component and the overall biological activity of LNPs is hard to study. However, ionizable lipids have been extensively explored. In contrast to former studies on the optimization of hydrophilic parts in single-component self-assemblies, we report in this study on structural alterations of the hydrophobic segment. We synthesize a library of amphiphilic cationic lipids by varying the lengths (C = 8-18), numbers (N = 2, 4), and unsaturation degrees (Ω = 0, 1) of hydrophobic tails. Notably, all self-assemblies with nucleic acid have significant differences in particle size, stability in serum, membrane fusion, and fluidity. Moreover, the novel mRNA/pDNA formulations are characterized by overall low cytotoxicity, efficient compaction, protection, and release of nucleic acids. We find that the length of hydrophobic tails dominates the formation and stability of the assembly. And at a certain length, the unsaturated hydrophobic tails enhance the membrane fusion and fluidity of assemblies and thus significantly affect the transgene expression, followed by the number of hydrophobic tails.

Fetal agenesis of the septum pellucidum: Ultrasonic diagnosis and clinical significance.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prenatal ultrasound (US) findings, genetic results, and clinical outcomes of fetuses with suspected agenesis of the septum pellucidum (ASP) in the Chinese population. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center study included a cohort of fetuses with ASP diagnosed by prenatal imaging over a 10-year period. We evaluated US findings, associated anomalies, genetic results, and clinical outcomes. Prenatal and postnatal imaging findings were compared as well as the clinical outcome of delivery. RESULTS: Ninety patients were included, with a median follow-up time of 36 months (1-96 months). Thirty-six fetuses (40%) with isolated ASP were diagnosed by prenatal US or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); 39 cases (43.3%) had ASP with central nervous system malformations and 15 cases (16.6%) had ASP with non-CNS abnormalities. Additional imaging findings were supplemented with prenatal MRI in 13 cases. Genetic tests were performed on 32 patients, of whom six had abnormalities. Prenatal US results of 40 patients (40/70) diagnosed by referral hospitals did not correspond to our findings. Of the 38 patients with postnatal records, 11 had abnormal neurological development. CONCLUSION(S): The outcome of an isolated ASP is usually favorable; however, neurological developmental delay is commonly observed if it is combined with other malformations.

The incorporated hydrogel of chitosan-oligoconjugated linoleic acid vesicles and the protective sustained release for curcumin in the gel.

Assemblies of as called "chitosan hydrogel-liposome" are expected for overcoming the burst effect in drug release from chitosan (CS) hydrogels. Herein, a hydrogel delivery system made of chitosan incorporated fatty acid vesicles was constructed for protective sustained release of curcumin (Cur). The curcumin was encapsulated in the prepared oligo-conjugated linoleic acid vesicles (OCLAVs), and then the drug-embedded vesicles were constructed to Cur-OCLAVs-CS hydrogels with CS solution. The fabricated Cur-OCLAVs-CS hydrogel was fluidic at room temperature and could be rapidly gelled at 37 °C. Morphology study proves that the OCLAVs stayed as nano-vesicles in the gel. The Cur-OCLAVs-CS hydrogels effectively declined the burst effect with enhanced antioxidant activity. The Cur (400 µM)-OCLAVs-CS gel presented a cumulative release rate of 51.23 % of curcumin in 96 h, comparing to 93.37 % of that from the Cur-CS gel. Moreover, the corporation of OCLAVs and CS made the gel exhibited strong synergistic effect on the antioxidant activity, with an enhancement of up to 148.1 % on the ferric reducing power. Therefore, the hydrogel carrier made of incorporated fatty acid vesicles-chitosan can be served as an injectable or 3D printable drug delivery system, which may provide a hint to overcome the burst effect that existed in chitosan and other polysaccharide-based gels.

Aromatic Polyketides from the Deep-Sea Cold-Seep Mussel Associated Endozoic Fungus Talaromyces minioluteus CS-138.

Five new aromatic polyketides, including a unique benzofuran derivative, talarominine A (1), and four chromone analogs talamins A-D (2-5), along with one known related metabolite, 5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2,3-dimethylchromone (6), were isolated and identified from the Talaromyces minioluteus CS-138, an endozoic fungus obtained from the deep-sea cold seep mussel Gigantidas platifrons. Their chemical structures were elucidated by detailed analysis of their NMR spectra, HRESIMS and X-ray crystallographic data, and by comparison with literature data as well. The antibacterial and DPPH scavenging activities of compounds 1-6 were evaluated. Compounds 1-3 showed inhibitory activity against some of the tested bacteria whereas compounds 2 and 5 showed potent DPPH radical scavenging activities, which were better than that of the positive control butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). This work is likely the first report on marine natural products of mussel-derived fungus living in cold seep environments.

Mining new meroterpenoids from the marine red alga-derived endophytic Penicillium chermesinum EN-480 by comparative transcriptome analysis.

As the development of genetic and bioinformatic, the strategy of "bottom-up", combined with genome and transcriptome techniques, was considered as an efficient and practical method to break through the limitation of traditional discovery of natural products. Generally, comparative transcriptome analysis could be useful to guide the optimization of fungal cultivation conditions in which the transcriptional level of interesting compounds is higher. The transcriptome analysis of the algal endophytic fungus Penicillium chermesinum EN-480 indicated that fermentation of this fungus in modified rice solid medium could produce some metabolites different from those cultivated in other media. Four new meroterpenoids (compounds 1-4, namely, chermesins E-H) were characterized and their structures were determined by HRESIMS and NMR spectra. The absolute configurations were confirmed by NOESY experiments, X-ray diffraction analysis, and comparison of ECD cotton effects. Antimicrobial activities against human- and aqua-bacteria as well as against plant-pathogenic fungi were assayed. The plausible biosynthesis pathway of these compounds was discussed.

Uncommon Polyketides from Penicillium steckii AS-324, a Marine Endozoic Fungus Isolated from Deep-Sea Coral in the Magellan Seamount.

Four unusual steckwaic acids E-H (1-4), possessing a rarely described acrylic acid unit at C-4 (1-3) or a double bond between C-12 and C-13 (4) are reported for the first time, along with four new analogues (5-8) and two known congeners (9 and 10). They were purified from the organic extract of Penicillium steckii AS-324, an endozoic fungus obtained from a deep-sea coral Acanthogorgiidae sp., which was collected from the Magellan Seamount at a depth of 1458 m. Their structures were determined by the interpretation of NMR and mass spectroscopic data. The relative and absolute configurations were determined by NOESY correlations, X-ray crystallographic analysis, and ECD calculations. All compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activities against human- and aquatic-pathogenic bacteria and plant-related pathogenic fungi.

New Cytochalasin Derivatives from Deep-Sea Cold Seep-Derived Endozoic Fungus Curvularia verruculosa CS-129.

Two new antimicrobial cytochalasin derivatives, 6ß,7ß-epoxydeoxaphomin C (1) and 12-hydroxydeoxaphomin C (2), a new natural occurring product 24-nor-cytochalasin B (3), together with two related known analogs (4-5) were isolated and identified from an endozoic fungus Curvularia verruculosa CS-129, isolated from the deep-sea squat lobster Shinkaia crosnieri which was collected in cold seep region of south China sea. The structures of new compounds were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis and ECD calculation. The spectroscopic data of 24-nor-cytochalasin B (3) were reported for the first time. All compounds were tested for their antibacterial activities against human and aquatic pathogenic bacteria.

Tanzawaic Acid Derivatives: Fungal Polyketides from the Deep-Sea Coral-Derived Endozoic Penicillium steckii AS-324.

Ten new tanzawaic acids, namely, steckwaic acids A-D (1-4), 11-ketotanzawaic acid D (5), 6,15-dihydroxytanzawaic acid M (6), 15R-methoxytanzawaic acid M (7), 15S-methoxytanzawaic acid M (8), 8-hydroxytanzawaic acid M (9), and 8-hydroxytanzawaic acid B (10), together with four known analogues (11-14), were isolated and identified from the endozoic fungus Penicillium steckii AS-324, which was obtained from a deep-sea Acanthogorgiidae sp. coral that was collected from the Magellan seamount in the Western Pacific Ocean. Structurally, steckwaic acids A-D (1-4) represent the first tanzawaic acid derivatives containing a naphthalene ring. Their structures were elucidated by detailed interpretation of the NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric data. X-ray crystallographic analysis and ECD calculations confirmed their structures and absolute configurations. New compounds 1, 5, and 9 exhibited activities against aquatic pathogenic bacteria Micrococcus luteus, Vibrio anguillarum, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MICs of 2, 4, and 4 µg/mL, respectively.

Micron and nano hybrid ufasomes from conjugated linoleic acid, their vesiculation and encapsulation of ginsenoside Rg3.

BACKGROUND: Unsaturated fatty acids used to form unstable micro-vesicles, while conjugate linoleic acid (CLA)-sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) can self-assembly to stable nano-conjugate linoleic acid vesicles (nano-CLAVs). Generally, micro-capsule could geometrically provide higher loading capacity but also generate concerns in construction convenience, sustained release, bioaccessibility and stability. Hence there is a contradiction between loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency. Therefore, the study of the factors that decide the capsule size falling in nano or micron size with same capsule material would be a benefit to food or drug delivery science. RESULTS: The micron- and nano-CLAVs were constructed for encapsulation and sustained release of ginsenoside Rg3. The formation mechanism of nano or micron capsule,s the effect of vesicle sizes on encapsulation efficiency, drug loading efficiency and stability of the encapsulated Rg3 were investigated. It was found that with the addition of salt (PBS), the size of CLAVs jumped from nano to micron. Furthermore, the salt concentration is the key factor that decides the vesicle size of nano or micron. The pH at fabrication triggers the vesiculation and dramatically affects the vesicle size over the nano and micron scales. CONCLUSION: Compared to the nano-CLAVs, micron vesicles enhanced the loading capacity to 137.6% and the encapsulation efficiency to 138.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, the micron-CLAVs performed similar sustained release of Rg3 as the nano-CLAVs did, and was stable for 120 days at room temperature or sustained 98.9% of capsules after centrifuge at 6090 × g for 20 min. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Genome-wide association study and genomic prediction for yield and grain quality traits of hybrid rice.

Genomic selection is an efficient tool for breeding selection, especially for quantitative traits controlled by multiples genes with low heritability. To validate the application of genomic selection in hybrid rice breeding, the yield and grain quality traits of 404 hybrid rice breeding lines were investigated, and the same accessions were genotyped by using a 56 K SNP chip. There were wide variances among the tested accessions for all the measured traits, and most of the traits were correlated. A total of 67 significant loci were identified for the yield-related traits, and 123 significant loci were identified for the grain quality traits by GWAS. Two of these loci associated with increasing grain yield but decreasing grain quality. The GEBVs of all the yield and grain quality traits were calculated by using 15 different prediction algorithms. The plant height, panicle length, thousand grain weight, grain length and width ratio, amylose content, and alkali value have higher predictability than other traits. However, the predictive accuracy of different GS models is different for different traits. This study provided useful information for genomic selection of specific trait using proper markers and prediction models. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-022-01289-6.

A soft Pickering emulsifier made from chitosan and peptides endows stimuli-responsiveness, bioactivity and biocompatibility to emulsion.

Polymeric Pickering emulsifiers may bring new insights to emulsion theory and practice due to their soft characters. Herein, a group of soft Pickering emulsifiers, chitosan-casein hydrophobic peptides nanoparticles (CS-CHP NPs) were prepared with a non-covalent anti-solvent procedure. The CS-CHP NPs provided the contact angles of 37.2°-87.4°, stabilizing O/W or W/O emulsions with enhanced thermal stability, endowing the emulsion with pH and CO2/N2 responsiveness. The emulsifying behavior and mechanism presented by CS-CHP NPs were different from that of ordinary hard Pickering emulsifiers, where the appropriate contact angle was 37.2° instead of 87.4° for stabilizing O/W emulsions. Moreover, the nanoparticles possess antioxidant, antibacterial activities and excellent biocompatibility. DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity of the CS-CHP NPs were >220% of that of CS NPs. The last, the emulsion provided high-efficient encapsulation of curcumin, making the soft Pickering emulsifiers a group candidate for drug delivery in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry.

Cytochalasin Derivatives from the Endozoic Curvularia verruculosa CS-129, a Fungus Isolated from the Deep-Sea Squat Lobster Shinkaia crosnieri Living in the Cold Seep Environment.

A new cytochalasin dimer, verruculoid A (1), three new cytochalasin derivatives, including 12-nor-cytochalasin F (2), 22-methoxycytochalasin B6 (3), and 19-hydroxycytochalasin B (4), and 20-deoxycytochalasin B (5), a synthetic product obtained as a natural product for the first time, together with four known analogues (6-9), were isolated and identified from the culture extract of Curvularia verruculosa CS-129, an endozoic fungus obtained from the inner fresh tissue of the deep-sea squat lobster Shinkaia crosnieri, which was collected from the cold seep area of the South China Sea. Structurally, verruculoid A (1) represents the first cytochalasin homodimer containing a thioether bridge, while 12-nor-cytochalasin F (2) is the first 12-nor-cytochalasin derivative. Their structures were elucidated by detailed interpretation of the NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric data. X-ray crystallographic analysis and ECD calculations confirmed their structures and absolute configurations. Compound 1 displayed activity against the human pathogenic bacterium Escherichia coli (MIC = 2 µg/mL), while compounds 4, 8, and 9 showed cytotoxicity against three tumor cell lines (HCT-116, HepG-2, and MCF-7) with IC50 values from 5.2 to 12 µM. The structure-activity relationship was briefly discussed.