Screening of morphology-related genes based on predator-induced transcriptome sequencing and the functional analysis of Dagcut gene in Daphnia galeata.

High fish predation pressure can trigger "induced defense" in Daphnia species, resulting in phenotypic plasticity in morphology, behavior, or life-history traits. The molecular mechanisms of defense morphogenesis (e.g., the tail spine and helmet) in Daphnia remain unclear. In the present study, the tail spine, helmet, and body of Daphnia galeata under fish and non-fish kairomones conditions were collected for transcriptome analysis. A total of 24 candidate genes related to the morphological defense of D. galeata were identified, including 2 trypsin, one cuticle protein, 1 C1qDC protein, and 2 ferritin genes. The function of the Dagcut gene (D. galeata cuticle protein gene) in relation to tail spine morphology was assessed using RNA interference (RNAi). Compared with the EGFP (Enhanced green fluorescent protein) treatment, after RNAi, the expression levels of the Dagcut gene (D. galeata cuticle protein gene) showed a significant decrease. Correspondingly, the tail spines of the offspring produced by D. galeata after RNAi of the Dagcut gene appeared curved during the experiment. In whole-mount in situ hybridization, a clear signal site was detected on the tail spine of D. galeata before RNAi which disappeared after RNAi. Our results suggest that the Dagcut gene may play an important role in tail spine formation of D. galeata, and will provide a theoretical basis for studying the molecular mechanisms of the morphological plasticity in cladocera in the future.

[NF-kappa B activation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of children with epilepsy].

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes and significance of NF-kappa B activation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of children with epilepsy. METHODS: NF-kappa B activation in PBMC was assayed by the flow cytometry in 32 healthy children and 64 children with epilepsy before and after treatment. The 64 epileptic children were subdivided into three groups: systemic seizure, partial seizure and unknown classification. RESULTS: NF-kappa B activation in PBMC in three epilepsy subgroups were significantly higher than that in healthy controls. The systemic seizure group showed significantly increased NF-kappa B activation in PBMC compared with the partial seizure group (p<0.01) and the unknown classification group (p<0.05). After treatment NF-kappa B activation in PBMC in three epilepsy subgroups was significantly reduced (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: NF-kappa B activation in PBMC increased in children with epilepsy, and it was positively correlated with the severity of seizures.

[Research progress on relationship between urban greenspace distribution and the socioeconomic characteristics of residents]. / åŸŽå¸‚ç»¿åœ°æ ¼å±€ä¸Žå± æ°‘ç¤¾ä¼šç»æµŽç‰¹å¾å ³ç³»ç ”ç©¶è¿›å±•.

Urban greenspace, which serves as a place for residents to connect with nature and relax, provides important ecosystem services. Access to greenspace is often related to the socio-economic characteristics of residents, which received a lot attention from researchers and practitioners. Previous studies have mostly focused on single city to analyze the spatial relationship between greenspace distribution and residents' characteristics. We conducted a meta-analysis with global studies. The objectives were to classify findings from different cases and investigate the impacts from the location of research area, indicator and analytical method, and summarized major factors influen-cing the relationship between greenspace distribution and residents' characteristics. The results showed that more than half of the cases (58.2%) found that the socially advantaged population benefited more from greenspace. About a quarter cases (25.4%) revealed the opposite, that was, the disadvantaged population benefited more from greenspace. The remaining case studies (16.4%) did not find significant correlation between them. The studies reviewed here were diverse in terms of scale, indicator selection, and analytical method. Overall, we found no connection between finding and the choice of scale/indicator/analytical method. The reviewed case studies were mostly conducted in cities of western countries, which differed in their development trajectories and urban characteristics from cities in China. To understand association between urban greenspace and residents' characteristics in China, we urged to carry out more local studies, which would potentially provide scientific evidence for building sustainable cities during rapid urbanization.