Vinculin Identified as a Potential Biomarker in Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome Based on iTRAQ and LC-MS/MS-Based Proteomic Analysis.

Local vibration can induce vascular injuries, one example is the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) caused by hand-transmitted vibration (HTV). Little is known about the molecular mechanism of HAVS-induced vascular injuries. Herein, the iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proteomics approach was applied to conduct the quantitative proteomic analysis of plasma from specimens with HTV exposure or HAVS diagnosis. Overall, 726 proteins were identified in iTRAQ. 37 proteins upregulated and 43 downregulated in HAVS. Moreover, 37 upregulated and 40 downregulated when comparing severe HAVS and mild HAVS. Among them, Vinculin (VCL) was found to be downregulated in the whole process of HAVS. The concentration of vinculin was further verified by ELISA, and the results suggested that the proteomics data was reliable. Bioinformative analyses were used, and those proteins mainly engaged in specific biological processes like binding, focal adhesion, and integrins. The potential of vinculin application in HAVS diagnosis was validated by the receiver operating characteristic curve.

First report of leaf blight caused by Pantoea agglomerans on wheat in China.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the main grain crop in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. A new leaf blight disease of wheat was observed in many wheat fields in Yinchuan City and Wuzhong City of Ningxia during 2020-2021. The average disease incidence of the cultivar Ningchun 50 was 5 to 15%, and there appeared the evident disease symptoms from the heading stage, then the symptoms got more serious until the mature stage. The tips of the leaves were chlorotic and turned bright yellow at the early stage of the disease. Later on, the yellow leaf spots were further spread from the tip to the petiole, and the yellow-colored necrotic lesions emerged, resulted in withering and death of leaves (e-Xtra 1, a-d). To isolate and identify the pathogenic agent, diseased leaves were cut into 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm small pieces, and sterilized in 5% NaOCl solution for 5 min, and were rinsed three times in sterile water, then crushed with tweezers in 2 mL sterilized water and streaked three times onto Nutrient Agar (NA) medium. and 15 single colonies which had the same colony morphology were obtained. Of the 15 colonies, 3 (named WH1, Cx1 and HJ1) were randomly selected for further morphological, biochemical and molecular characterization. The resulting bacterial colonies were incubated at 29±1°C in the dark for 3 days, colony morphology was raised, mucoid texture, round, and smooth with entire margin; the color of these colonies was white at the beginning and turned yellow later. These bacteria were rod-shaped gram-negative cells with peritrichous flagella. Based on the physiological and biochemical assay results (e-Xtra 2), the three strains were initially identified as Pantoea agglomerans (Wang, D H., et al. 2021; Wang, J J., et al. 2021). 16S rDNA and gyrB of the three strains were amplified and sequenced by ABI3730XL sequencer in GENEWIZ (Suzhou, China). The sequences of 16S rDNA and gyrB of these strains were submitted to GenBank with the accession numbers ON428446, ON428461 and ON428462 for 16S rDNA; ON461799, ON461801, ON461803 for gyrB. 16S rDNA and gyrB sequences homology analysis showed that the three strains had the highest homology which were over 99.5% with the sequences of the reported P. agglomerans (e-Xtra 1, g) . A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA and gyrB gene sequences was performed using the MEGA6.0 proximity method, and the results of the phylogenetic tree showed that strains Cx1, WH1 and HJ1 clustered on the same clade with the reported P. agglomerans strains (e-Xtra 1, h-j). Thus, Cx1, WH1 and HJ1 were identified as P. agglomerans. Pathogenicity test was performed to complete Koch's postulates, Ningchun 50 was planted in pots, four-week-old healthy wheat seedlings were inoculated with 107 CFU/mL bacterial suspension using two inoculation methods: 1) Leaf surface was poked with disposable syringe needle, and 50 µL of suspension was injected into each of the pinholes (Suraj, S., et al. 2020); 2) Leaf was cut at 45° at the lower 2-3 cm of the leaf tip with scissors dipped in the bacterial suspension. Wheat leaves inoculated with sterile distilled water were regarded as controls. The inoculated wheat was cultivated in a greenhouse (temperature 28 ± 2°C, humidity 40 ± 2%) and covered in transparent polyethylene bags at first 96 h. Symptoms appeared at 3 days after inoculation, and after 7 days, the acupunctured wheat leaves turned chlorotic and yellow around the pinholes and some were necrotic; the leaf-cutting wheat turned yellow and necrotic from the clipping point to the leaf base; the acupunctured and cut leaves totally died after 15 days, and all of the control leaves were healthy (e-Xtra 1, e-f). Subsequently, pathogens were reisolated from inoculated leaves, and identified as P. agglomerans according to molecular identification described above. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf blight disease of wheat caused by Pantoea agglomerans globally as well as in China. Identifying the cause of the disease will support efforts for its future control and management.

The Overexpression of NUC Promotes Development and Increases Resistance to Nitrogen Deficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana.

NUTCRACKER (NUC) is a transcription factor expressed in multiple tissues, but little is known about its physiological roles. In this study, we explored the physiological function of NUC with the Arabidopsis knockout, rescue, and overexpression lines. We found that NUC overexpression promoted development at the germination, seedling, and juvenile stages. NUC overexpression increased resistance to nitrogen (N) deficiency stress by increasing the chlorophyll content, suppressing anthocyanin accumulation, and increasing the biomass under N deficiency. In contrast, the absence of NUC did not affect such characteristics. N deficiency significantly increased the expression of NUC in leaves but did not affect the expression of NUC in roots. The overexpression of NUC promoted primary root length under both normal and N deficiency conditions. Furthermore, we found that the N-responsive and lateral-root-related genes TGA1 and NRT2.4 had NUC-binding sites in their promoter regions and that their expression was upregulated by NUC under N deficiency. The overexpression of the NUC increased the number and length of the lateral roots under N deficiency through inducible promotion. Multiple lines of investigation suggest that the regulatory function of the NUC could be bypassed through its redundant MAGPIE (MGP) when the NUC is absent. Our findings provide novel insight into NUC's functions and will assist efforts to improve plants' development and resistance to nutrient stresses.

Comprehensive analysis of the Ppatg3 mutant reveals that autophagy plays important roles in gametophore senescence in Physcomitrella patens.

BACKGROUND: Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved system for the degradation of intracellular components in eukaryotic organisms. Autophagy plays essential roles in preventing premature senescence and extending the longevity of vascular plants. However, the mechanisms and physiological roles of autophagy in preventing senescence in basal land plants are still obscure. RESULTS: Here, we investigated the functional roles of the autophagy-related gene PpATG3 from Physcomitrella patens and demonstrated that its deletion prevents autophagy. In addition, Ppatg3 mutant showed premature gametophore senescence and reduced protonema formation compared to wild-type (WT) plants under normal growth conditions. The abundance of nitrogen (N) but not carbon (C) differed significantly between Ppatg3 mutant and WT plants, as did relative fatty acid levels. In vivo protein localization indicated that PpATG3 localizes to the cytoplasm, and in vitro Y2H assays confirmed that PpATG3 interacts with PpATG7 and PpATG12. Plastoglobuli (PGs) accumulated in Ppatg3, indicating that the process that degrades damaged chloroplasts in senescent gametophore cells was impaired in this mutant. RNA-Seq uncovered a detailed, comprehensive set of regulatory pathways that were affected by the autophagy mutation. CONCLUSIONS: The autophagy-related gene PpATG3 is essential for autophagosome formation in P. patens. Our findings provide evidence that autophagy functions in N utilization, fatty acid metabolism and damaged chloroplast degradation under non-stress conditions. We identified differentially expressed genes in Ppatg3 involved in numerous biosynthetic and metabolic pathways, such as chlorophyll biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, reactive oxygen species removal and the recycling of unnecessary proteins that might have led to the premature senescence of this mutant due to defective autophagy. Our study provides new insights into the role of autophagy in preventing senescence to increase longevity in basal land plants.

Genome-Wide Analysis of the MYB Transcription Factor Superfamily in Physcomitrella patens.

MYB transcription factors (TFs) are one of the largest TF families in plants to regulate numerous biological processes. However, our knowledge of the MYB family in Physcomitrella patens is limited. We identified 116 MYB genes in the P. patens genome, which were classified into the R2R3-MYB, R1R2R3-MYB, 4R-MYB, and MYB-related subfamilies. Most R2R3 genes contain 3 exons and 2 introns, whereas R1R2R3 MYB genes contain 10 exons and 9 introns. N3R-MYB (novel 3RMYB) and NR-MYBs (novel RMYBs) with complicated gene structures appear to be novel MYB proteins. In addition, we found that the diversity of the MYB domain was mainly contributed by domain shuffling and gene duplication. RNA-seq analysis suggested that MYBs exhibited differential expression to heat and might play important roles in heat stress responses, whereas CCA1-like MYB genes might confer greater flexibility to the circadian clock. Some R2R3-MYB and CCA1-like MYB genes are preferentially expressed in the archegonium and during the transition from the chloronema to caulonema stage, suggesting their roles in development. Compared with that of algae, the numbers of MYBs have significantly increased, thus our study lays the foundation for further exploring the potential roles of MYBs in the transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments.

NapM, a new nucleoid-associated protein, broadly regulates gene expression and affects mycobacterial resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs.

Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) play important roles in the global organization of bacterial chromosomes. However, potential NAPs and their functions are barely characterized in mycobacteria. In this study, NapM, an alkaline protein, functions as a new NAP. NapM is conserved in all of the sequenced mycobacterial genomes, and can recognize DNA in a length-dependent but sequence-independent manner. It prefers AT-rich DNA and binds to the major groove. NapM possesses a clear DNA-bridging function, and can protect DNA from DNase I digestion. NapM globally regulates the expression of more than 150 genes and the resistance of Mycobacterium smegmatis to two anti-tuberculosis drugs, namely, rifampicin and ethambutol. An ABC transporter operon was found to be specifically responsible for the napM-dependent ethambutol resistance of M. smegmatis. NapM also presents a similar regulation of anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in M. tuberculosis. These results suggest that NapM is a new member of the mycobacterial NAP family. Our findings expand the range of identified NAPs and improve the understanding on the relationship between NAPs with antibiotic resistance in mycobacteria.

The relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein at admission and post stroke depression: a 6-month follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: A large body of evidence suggests that stroke and depression are accompanied by activation of inflammatory pathways. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to assess the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) to the presence of post stroke depression (PSD). METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-six ischemic stroke patients admitted to the hospital within the first 24 hours after stroke onset were consecutively recruited and followed up for 6 months. Clinical information was collected. Serum Hs-CRP levels were measured at baseline. Based on the symptoms, diagnoses of depression were made in accordance with DSM-IV criteria for depression at 6-month after stroke. RESULTS: At 6-month, ninety-five patients (42.0%) showed depression at 6 months after admission and in 69 patients (30.5%) this depression was classified as major. In the 69 patients with major depression, our results showed significantly higher Hs-CRP levels (1.54[IQR, 0.79-2.27]mg/dL vs. 0.43[IQR, 0.31-1.27]mg/dL, P<0.0001) at admission than patients without major depression. After adjusting for NIHSS on admission and all other recorded confounders, Hs-CRP still was an independent predicator of PSD with an adjusted OR of 1.339 (95% CI, 1.231-1.456; P<0.001). Further, in our study, we found that an increased risk of PSD was associated with serum Hs-CRP levels ≥0.85mg/dL (adjusted OR 7.830, 95% CI: 4.193-14.620) after adjusting for above recorded confounders. CONCLUSION: Elevated Hs-CRP serum levels at admission was found to be associated with depression 6-month after stroke, suggesting that these alterations might participate in the pathophysiology of depression symptoms in stroke patients.

Microvascular abnormalities induced by hand-transmitted vibration reflects in finger systolic blood pressure: a cross-sectional study in China.

OBJECTIVE: Local vibration can cause microcirculatory abnormalities such as blood stasis and symmetrical intermittent digital artery vasospasm. Finger SBP (FSBP) measurement is a potential way of assessing vascular components. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the relationship between the occurrence of the vibration-induced white finger (VWF) and changes in FSBP and then set the application value of FSBP measurements in the early diagnosis of VWF. METHODS: All samples were judgmental sampling from one factory. Totally 50 patients with VWF were the case group, while 50 without occupational hand-transmitted vibration exposure were the control group. FSBP measurements and epidemiological feature investigations were taken. RESULTS: There were significant reductions in FSBP level and %FSBP index at both 10 °C and 30 °C in fingers reported VWF ( P  < 0.05). The %FSBP abnormal rate of the index, ring and little finger in the VWF group was higher than the control (44.00% vs. 18.00%, 78.00% vs. 26.00%, 64.00% vs. 8.00%). The %FSBP of the ring and little finger had a relatively high application value (area under curve = 0.902, 0.737), while their standard regression coefficients were -0.23 and -0.412. The diagnostic cutoff value of the ring finger was 77.60%, while the sensitivity and specificity were 86.67%. CONCLUSION: FSBP measurements were proven helpful in monitoring and diagnosing VWF prospectively and proved to have great application value in our study. %FSBP of the ring finger was the appropriate diagnostic index in FSBP measurements, while its abnormal value could be set as 80.00%.

Cadmium and calcium ions' effects on the growth of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelia are related to phosphatidylethanolamine content.

Heavy metal Cd2+ can easily be accumulated by fungi, causing significant stress, with the fungal cell membrane being one of the primary targets. However, the understanding of the mechanisms behind this stress remains limited. This study investigated the changes in membrane lipid molecules of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelia under Cd2+ stress and the antagonistic effect of Ca2+ on this stress. Cd2+ in the growth media significantly inhibited mycelial growth, with increasing intensity at higher concentrations. The addition of Ca2+ mitigated this Cd2+-induced growth inhibition. Lipidomic analysis showed that Cd2+ reduced membrane lipid content and altered lipid composition, while Ca2+ counteracted these changes. The effects of both Cd2+ and Ca2+ on lipids are dose dependent and phosphatidylethanolamine appeared most affected. Cd2+ also caused a phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine ratio increase at high concentrations, but Ca2+ helped maintain normal levels. The acyl chain length and unsaturation of lipids remained unaffected, suggesting Cd2+ doesn't alter acyl chain structure of lipids. These findings suggest that Cd2+ may affect the growth of mycelia by inhibiting the synthesis of membrane lipids, particular the synthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine, providing novel insights into the mechanisms of Cd2+ stress in fungi and the role of Ca2+ in mitigating the stress.

Association between vitamin B1 intake and hyperuricemia in adults.

Studies investigating the relationship between dietary vitamin B1 intake and risk of Hyperuricemia (HU) are scarce, the present study aimed to examine the association of dietary vitamin B1 intake and HU among adults. This cross-sectional study included 5750 adults whose data derived from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from March 2017 to March 2020. The dietary intake of vitamin B1 was assessed using 24-h dietary recall interviews. The characteristics of study participants were grouped into five levels according to the levels of vitamin B1 quintile. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of HU, according to the vitamin B1 intake quintile for male and female separately. The dose-response relationship was determined by the restricted cubic spline (RCS). Smoothed curve fitting was used to assess serum uric acid concentration versus dietary vitamin B1 intake in the study population. The prevalence of hyperuricemia was 18.90% (20.15% and 17.79% for males and females, respectively) in the United States from March 2017 to March 2020. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that in the male population, the HU ratio (OR) of vitamin B1 intake in Q2 to Q5 compared with the lowest quintile (Q1) was 0.75 (95% CI 0.52, 1.09), 0.70 (95% CI 0.48, 1.02), 0.66 (95% CI 0.44, 0.99) and 0.55 (95% CI 0.34, 0.90). The P for trend was 0.028. In women, the ORs for vitamin B1 intake Q2 to Q5 were 0.87 (95% CI 0.64, 1.19), 0.97 (0.68-1.38), 1.05 (0.69-1.60) and 0.75 (0.42-1.34), respectively. The P for trend was 0.876. The RCS curve revealed a linear relationship between vitamin B1 intake and the risk of hyperuricemia in men (P nonlinear = 0.401). Smoothed curve fitting demonstrated a negative association between vitamin B1 intake and serum uric acid concentration in men, whereas there was no significant association between dietary vitamin B1 intake and the risk of hyperuricemia in women. In the US adult population, dietary vitamin B1 intake was negatively associated with hyperuricemia in males.

Optimization of Submerged Culture Parameters of the Aphid Pathogenic Fungus Fusarium equiseti Based on Sporulation and Mycelial Biomass.

Fusarium equiseti (JMF-01), as an entomopathogenic fungus, can effectively control agricultural pests and has the potential to be a biocontrol agent. To promote mycelial growth and sporulation, we investigated the optimal submerged culture conditions for F. equiseti. In this study, we used the single-factor method and Box-Behnken design and determined the virulence of the submerged culture against Myzus persicae after optimization. As a result, the highly significant factors affecting the spore concentration of strain JMF-01 were the primary inoculum density and the initial pH, and the highly significant factor affecting the mycelial biomass was the medium-to-flask ratio. The highest mycelial biomass value was 0.35 g when the incubation time was 5.68 days, the initial pH was 5.11, the medium-to-flask ratio was 0.43, and 1 mL of the primary inoculum with spore density of 0.97 × 107 conidia/mL was added. When the incubation time was 6.32 days, the initial pH was 4.46, the medium-to-flask ratio was 0.35, the primary inoculum density was 1.32 × 107 conidia/mL of 1 mL, and the highest spore concentration of 6.49 × 108 blastospores/mL was obtained. Compared with the unoptimized medium conditions, the optimized submerged culture had the highest mycelial biomass and spore concentration, which were 3.46 and 2.06 times higher, respectively. The optimized submerged culture was highly pathogenic toward M. persicae, reaching a 95% mortality rate. Our results provide optimal submerged culture conditions for F. equiseti and lay the basis for later research to expand production for pest control.

Clonal Propagation and Assessment of Biomass Production and Saponin Content of Elite Accessions of Wild Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis.

Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis is an endangered medicinal plant endemic to China with great economic importance for the pharmaceutical industry. Two significant barriers to its commercial development are the long duration of its seed germination and the frequency of interspecific hybridization. We developed a method for clonal propagation of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis and successfully applied it to selected elite wild plants, which could become cultivar candidates based on their biomass production and saponin content. In comparison to the traditional method, somatic embryogenesis produced an average of 63 somatic embryos per gram of callus in just six weeks, saving 12 to 15 months in plantlet production. The produced in vitro plantlets were strong and healthy and 94% survived transplanting to soil. Using this method, four candidate cultivars with diverse morphologies and geographic origins were clonally reproduced from selected elite wild accessions. In comparison to those obtained with the traditional P. polyphylla propagation technique, they accumulated higher biomass and polyphyllin levels in rhizomes plus adventitious roots during a five-year period. In conclusion, somatic embryogenesis-based methods offer an alternate approach for the rapid and scaled-up production of P. polyphylla, as well as opening up species conservation options.

Establishing Tetraploid Embryogenic Cell Lines of Magnolia officinalis to Facilitate Tetraploid Plantlet Production and Phenotyping.

The production of synthetic polyploids for plant breeding is compromised by high levels of mixoploids and low numbers of solid polyploid regenerants during in vitro induction. Somatic embryogenesis could potentially contribute to the maximization of solid polyploid production due to the single cell origin of regenerants. In the present study, a novel procedure for establishing homogeneous tetraploid embryogenic cell lines in Magnolia officinalis has been established. Embryogenic cell aggregate (ECA) about 100-200 µm across, and consisting of dozens of cells, regenerated into a single colony of new ECAs and somatic embryos following colchicine treatment. Histological analysis indicated that the few cells that survived some colchicine regimes still regenerated to form a colony. In some colonies, 100% tetraploid somatic embryos were obtained without mixoploid formation. New granular ECA from single colonies with 100% tetraploid somatic embryos were isolated and cultured individually to proliferate into cell lines. These cell lines were confirmed to be homogeneous tetraploid by flow cytometry. Many tetraploid somatic embryos and plantlets were differentiated from these cell lines and the stability of ploidy level through the somatic embryogenesis process was confirmed by flow cytometry and chromosome counting. The establishment of homogeneous polyploid cell lines, which were presumed to represent individual polyploidization events, might expand the phenotypic variations of the same duplicated genome and create novel breeding opportunities using newly generated polyploid plantlets.

The Serine Carboxypeptidase-Like Gene SCPL41 Negatively Regulates Membrane Lipid Metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The Arabidopsis has 51 proteins annotated as serine carboxypeptidase-like (SCPL) enzymes. Although biochemical and cellular characterization indicates SCPLs involved in protein turnover or processing, little is known about their roles in plant metabolism. In this study, we identified an Arabidopsis mutant, bis4 (1-butanol insensitive 4), that was insensitive to the inhibitory effect of 1-butanol on seed germination. We cloned the gene that was defective in bis4 and found that it encoded an SCPL41 protein. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants constitutively expressing SCPL41 were generated, oil body staining and lipidomic assays indicated that SCPL41-overexpressing plants showed a decrease in membrane lipid content, especially digalactosyl diglyceride (DGDG) and monogalactosyl diglyceride (MGDG) contents, while the loss of SCPL41 increased the membrane lipid levels compared with those in wild-type plants. These findings suggested that SCPL41 had acquired novel functions in membrane lipid metabolism.

Quantitative Profiling of Arabidopsis Polar Glycerolipids under Two Types of Heat Stress.

At the cellular level, the remodelling of membrane lipids and production of heat shock proteins are the two main strategies whereby plants survive heat stress. Although many studies related to glycerolipids and HSPs under heat stress have been reported separately, detailed alterations of glycerolipids and the role of HSPs in the alterations of glycerolipids still need to be revealed. In this study, we profiled the glycerolipids of wild-type Arabidopsis and its HSP101-deficient mutant hot-1 under two types of heat stress. Our results demonstrated that the alterations of glycerolipids were very similar in wild-type Arabidopsis and hot-1 during heat stress. Although heat acclimation led to a slight decrease of glycerolipids, the decrease of glycerolipids in plants without heat acclimation is more severe under heat shock. The contents of 36:x monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (MGDG) were slightly increased, whereas that of 34:6 MGDG and 34:4 phosphatidylglycerol (PG) were severely decreased during moderate heat stress. Our findings suggested that heat acclimation could reduce the degradation of glycerolipids under heat shock. Synthesis of glycerolipids through the prokaryotic pathway was severely suppressed, whereas that through the eukaryotic pathway was slightly enhanced during moderate heat stress. In addition, HSP101 has a minor effect on the alterations of glycerolipids under heat stress.

Effects of Lecanicillium lecanii strain JMC-01 on the physiology, biochemistry, and mortality of Bemisia tabaci Q-biotype nymphs.

BACKGROUND: Lecanicillium lecanii is an entomopathogenic fungi, which was isolated from insects suffering from disease. Now, it is an effective bio-control resource that can control agricultural pests such as whitefly and aphids. There are many studies on the control of various agricultural pests by L. lecanii, but no report on its control of Bemisia tabaci biotype-Q exists. In this work, we studied the susceptibility of B. tabaci Q-biotype (from Ningxia, China) to L. lecanii JMC-01 in terms of nymph mortality and the changes in detoxifying protective enzymes activities. METHODS: B. tabaci nymphs were exposed to L. lecanii JMC-01 conidia by immersion with the host culture. Mortality was assessed daily for all nymph stages. The detoxifying and protective enzyme activity changes, weight changes, and fat, and water contents of the nymphs were determined spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: All instars of B. tabaci died after being infested with 1 × 108 conidia/mL. The 2nd-instar nymphs were the most susceptible, followed by the 3rd-instar nymphs. The corrected cumulative mortality of the 2nd- and 3rd-instar nymphs was 82.22% and 75.55%, respectively. The levels of detoxifying and protective enzymes initially increased and then decreased. The highest activities of carboxylesterase, acetylcholinesterase, peroxidase, and catalase occurred on the 3rd day, reaching 10.5, 0.32, 20, and 6.3 U/mg prot, respectively. These levels were 2.2-, 4.3-, 2.4-, and 1.4-fold the control levels, respectively. The highest activities of glutathione-S transferase and superoxide dismutase on the 2nd day were, respectively, 64 and 43.5 U/mg prot. These levels were, respectively, 2.7 and 1.1-fold that of the control level. The water and fat content in the infected B. tabaci nymphs decreased and differed significantly from the control levels. The weight increased continuously in the first 24 h, decreasing thereafter. At 72 h, the infestation level was about 0.78-fold that of the control level. CONCLUSIONS: The studied L. lecanii JMC-01 strain is pathogenic to the B. tabaci Q-biotype. This strain interferes with the normal functioning of detoxifying and protective enzymes, and is also involved in the disruption of normal physiological metabolism in B. tabaci.

Alpha-shaped DNA loops induced by MutS.

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is critical for the maintenance of genomic stability. MMR is initiated by recognition of DNA mismatches by the protein, MutS, which subsequently recruits downstream repair factors. To better understand the mechanism by which MutS identifies and specifically binds mismatched basepairs embedded in random DNA sequences, we monitored the interaction between MutS and DNA substrates using atomic force microscopy (AFM). An alpha-shaped DNA loop formed by the interaction between MutS and DNA, which was independent of whether or not a mismatch was present in the DNA substrate. These data indicate that MutS associates with DNA non-specifically and forms an alpha-loop interaction with the DNA substrate. In this conformation, MutS is able to scan two arms of DNA simultaneously for each MutS dimer formed.

Phospholipase D antagonist 1-butanol inhibited the mobilization of triacylglycerol during seed germination in Arabidopsis.

Storage oil breakdown plays an important role in the life cycle of many plants by providing the carbon skeletons that support seedling growth immediately following germination. 1-Butanol, a specific inhibitor of phospholipase D (PLD)-dependent production of the signalling molecule phosphatidic acid (PA), inhibited Arabidopsis seed germination. N-Acylethanolamines (NAEs), which have been shown to inhibits PLDα1 activity, have no effect on seed germination. However, mobilization profile of triacylglycerols (TAG) that induced by each compound has not been reported. To gain deeper insights into the mode of mobilization of TAG during NAE 12:0 or 1-butanol treatment, we conducted a detailed comparative analysis of the effect of NAE 12:0, DMSO, 1-butanol and tert-butanol on Arabidopsis seed germination and fatty acid composition, tert-butanol and DMSO served as the corresponding controls treatment respectively. Our data show that 1-butanol, but not the inactive tert-butanol isomer, inhibited Arabidopsis seed germination, which is accompanied by a with retardation of the mobilization of triacylglycerols (TAG). In contrast, NAE 12:0 did not affect mobilization of TAG, nor did it significantly delay seed germination as monitored by radicle and cotyledon emergence. 1-Butanol induced RNA degradation in seeds and seedlings. We speculate that the large-scale degradation of RNA under the induction of 1-butanol may lead to abnormal gene expression in genes necessary for seed germination, including the genes needed for the mobilization of oil bodies, and thus cause a delay of seed germination. To the best of our knowledge, we report for the first time that 1-butanol delays the mobilization of TAG.

Dual removal of phosphate and ammonium from high concentrations of aquaculture wastewaters using an efficient two-stage infiltration system.

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollution from aquaculture has increased dramatically in recent years, and it is urgent to develop a cost-effective method to clean these polluted waters. The objective of this study is to investigate N and P removal using a two-stage infiltration system based on NaCl modified clinoptilolite (NCLP) and thermally-treated calcium-rich attapulgite (TCAP). Results from a batch study indicated that the maximum ammonium sorption capacity of NCLPs was in the range of 6.64 to 7.27 mg. N/g and decreased slightly among the three particle sizes studied (0.2-0.5 mm, 0.5 mm-1.0 mm and 1-2 mm). A 150-day column experiment indicated that the two-stage infiltration system achieved an average removal efficiency of 99.4% N and 99.0% P, and a removal rate of 50.3 g N/m3/d and 8.83 g P/m3/d for an influent concentration of 50 mg N/L and 10 mg P/L with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 16 h. When the influent concentration increased to 100 mg N/L and 20 mg P/L, the average ammonium removal efficiency decreased to 65.3%, while the system can still keep a high average P removal efficiency of 97.9% for 72 days of the experiment. Longer HRT favored N and P removal efficiency, but short HRTs can oxygenate ammonium sorbed in the NCLP filter and thereby refresh its sorption capacity. The results also indicated that longer wet and dry cycles can enhance the N removal efficiency of the system, but had minor influence on P removal. The sorbed clays contained high N and P content and might have use as a slow-release fertilizer. The results of this study indicate that a reactive clay-based treatment system can be used for dual removal of N and P from aquaculture wastewaters, making possible the development of a sustainable aquaculture model.

Methods and Impact of Correcting Heart Rate Data Errors during Exercise in Older Adults.

Heart rate (HR) by time curves could be useful as a measure of treatment fidelity. The purposes were to describe the frequency of common recording irregularities (e.g. errors) observed during exercise, validate a process to correct those errors, and determine whether there is a clinically meaningful benefit to data correction. 1895 exercise sessions from 69 older adults with hip fracture were inspected for errors in the placement of event markers (duration of exercise) and signal artifacts. Marker errors occurred in 33% of the participants, and corrected in 324 sessions. Signal artifacts occurred in 96% of the participants, and eliminated in 702 sessions. Computer code was 85% accurate in detecting signal artifacts, compared to 97% for investigators. HR was significantly higher after correction, but the average change was only 0.69 + 1.20 beats per minute. A HR monitor showing HR by time curves can be used to evaluate treatment fidelity during exercise.