MdbHLH160 is stabilized via reduced MdBT2-mediated degradation to promote MdSOD1 and MdDREB2A-like expression for apple drought tolerance.

Drought stress is a key environmental factor limiting the productivity, quality, and geographic distribution of crops worldwide. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in plant drought stress responses, but the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report an ABA-responsive bHLH transcription factor, MdbHLH160, which promotes drought tolerance in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and apple (Malus domestica). Under drought conditions, MdbHLH160 is directly bound to the MdSOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) promoter and activated its transcription, thereby triggering reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and enhancing apple drought tolerance. MdbHLH160 also promoted MdSOD1 enzyme activity and accumulation in the nucleus through direct protein interactions, thus inhibiting excessive nuclear ROS levels. Moreover, MdbHLH160 directly upregulated the expression of MdDREB2A-like, a DREB (dehydration-responsive element binding factor) family gene that promotes apple drought tolerance. Protein degradation and ubiquitination assays showed that drought and ABA treatment stabilized MdbHLH160. The BTB protein MdBT2 was identified as an MdbHLH160-interacting protein that promoted MdbHLH160 ubiquitination and degradation, and ABA treatment substantially inhibited this process. Overall, our findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of ABA-modulated drought tolerance at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels via the ABA-MdBT2-MdbHLH160-MdSOD1/MdDREB2A-like cascade.

MdHB7-like positively modulates apple salt tolerance by promoting autophagic activity and Na+ efflux.

Salt stress adversely affects the yield and quality of crops and limits their geographical distribution. Studying the functions and regulatory mechanisms of key genes in the salt stress response is important for breeding crops with enhanced stress resistance. Autophagy plays an important role in modulating the tolerance of plants to various types of abiotic stressors. However, the mechanisms underlying salt-induced autophagy are largely unknown. Cation/Ca2+ exchanger proteins enhance apple salt tolerance by inhibiting Na+ accumulation but the mechanism underlying the response to salt stress remains unclear. Here, we show that the autophagy-related gene MdATG18a modulated apple salt tolerance. Under salt stress, the autophagic activity, proline content, and antioxidant enzyme activities were higher and Na+ accumulation was lower in MdATG18a-overexpressing transgenic plants than in control plants. The use of an autophagy inhibitor during the salt treatment demonstrated that the regulatory function of MdATG18a depended on autophagy. The yeast-one-hybrid assay revealed that the homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factor MdHB7-like directly bound to the MdATG18a promoter. Transcriptional regulation and genetic analyses showed that MdHB7-like enhanced salt-induced autophagic activity by promoting MdATG18a expression. The analysis of Na+ efflux rate in transgenic yeast indicated that MdCCX1 expression significantly promoted Na+ efflux. Promoter binding, transcriptional regulation, and genetic analyses showed that MdHB7-like promoted Na+ efflux and apple salt tolerance by directly promoting MdCCX1 expression, which was independent of the autophagy pathway. Overall, our findings provide insight into the mechanism underlying MdHB7-like-mediated salt tolerance in apple through the MdHB7-like-MdATG18a and MdHB7-like-MdCCX1 modules. These results will aid future studies on the mechanisms underlying stress-induced autophagy and the regulation of stress tolerance in plants.

The MdVQ37-MdWRKY100 complex regulates salicylic acid content and MdRPM1 expression to modulate resistance to Glomerella leaf spot in apples.

Glomerella leaf spot (GLS), caused by the fungus Colletotrichum fructicola, is considered one of the most destructive diseases affecting apples. The VQ-WRKY complex plays a crucial role in the response of plants to biotic stresses. However, our understanding of the defensive role of the VQ-WRKY complex on woody plants, particularly apples, under biotic stress, remains limited. In this study, we elucidated the molecular mechanisms underlying the defensive role of the apple MdVQ37-MdWRKY100 module in response to GLS infection. The overexpression of MdWRKY100 enhanced resistance to C. fructicola, whereas MdWRKY100 RNA interference in apple plants reduced resistance to C. fructicola by affecting salicylic acid (SA) content and the expression level of the CC-NBS-LRR resistance gene MdRPM1. DAP-seq, Y1H, EMSA, and RT-qPCR assays indicated that MdWRKY100 inhibited the expression of MdWRKY17, a positive regulatory factor gene of SA degradation, upregulated the expression of MdPAL1, a key enzyme gene of SA biosynthesis, and promoted MdRPM1 expression by directly binding to their promotors. Transient overexpression and silencing experiments showed that MdPAL1 and MdRPM1 positively regulated GLS resistance in apples. Furthermore, the overexpression of MdVQ37 increased the susceptibility to C. fructicola by reducing the SA content and expression level of MdRPM1. Additionally, MdVQ37 interacted with MdWRKY100, which repressed the transcriptional activity of MdWRKY100. In summary, these results revealed the molecular mechanism through which the apple MdVQ37-MdWRKY100 module responds to GLS infection by regulating SA content and MdRPM1 expression, providing novel insights into the involvement of the VQ-WRKY complex in plant pathogen defence responses.

Fruit crops combating drought: Physiological responses and regulatory pathways.

Drought is a common stress in agricultural production. Thus, it is imperative to understand how fruit crops respond to drought and to develop drought-tolerant varieties. This paper provides an overview of the effects of drought on the vegetative and reproductive growth of fruits. We summarize the empirical studies that have assessed the physiological and molecular mechanisms of the drought response in fruit crops. This review focuses on the roles of calcium (Ca2+) signaling, abscisic acid (ABA), reactive oxygen species signaling, and protein phosphorylation underlying the early drought response in plants. We review the resulting downstream ABA-dependent and ABA-independent transcriptional regulation in fruit crops under drought stress. Moreover, we highlight the positive and negative regulatory mechanisms of microRNAs in the drought response of fruit crops. Lastly, strategies (including breeding and agricultural practices) to improve the drought resistance of fruit crops are outlined.

MdbHLH4 negatively regulates apple cold tolerance by inhibiting MdCBF1/3 expression and promoting MdCAX3L-2 expression.

Low temperature affects the yield and quality of crops. Inducer of CBF expression 1 (ICE1) plays a positive role in plant cold tolerance by promoting the expression of CRT binding factor (CBF) and cold-responsive (COR) genes. Several ICE1-interacting transcription factors (TFs) that regulate plant cold tolerance have been identified. However, how these TFs affect the function of ICE1 and CBF expression under cold conditions remains unclear. Here, we identified the MYC-type TF MdbHLH4, a negative regulator of cold tolerance in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and apple (Malus domestica) plants. Under cold conditions, MdbHLH4 inhibits the expression of MdCBF1 and MdCBF3 by directly binding to their promoters. It also interacts with MdICE1L, a homolog of AtICE1 in apple, and inhibits the binding of MdICE1L to the promoters of MdCBF1/3 and thus their expression. We showed that MdCAX3L-2, a Ca2+/H+ exchanger (CAX) family gene that negatively regulates plant cold tolerance, is also a direct target of MdbHLH4. MdbHLH4 reduced apple cold tolerance by promoting MdCAX3L-2 expression. Moreover, overexpression of either MdCAX3L-2 or MdbHLH4 promoted the cold-induced ubiquitination and degradation of MdICE1L. Overall, our results reveal that MdbHLH4 negatively regulates plant cold tolerance by inhibiting MdCBF1/3 expression and MdICE1L promoter-binding activity, as well as by promoting MdCAX3L-2 expression and cold-induced MdICE1L degradation. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms by which ICE1-interacting TFs regulate CBF expression and ICE1 function and thus plant cold tolerance.

Novel risk factors for craniofacial microsomia and assessment of their utility in clinic diagnosis.

Craniofacial microsomia (CFM, OMIM%164 210) is one of the most common congenital facial abnormalities worldwide, but it's genetic risk factors and environmental threats are poorly investigated, as well as their interaction, making the diagnosis and prenatal screening of CFM impossible. We perform a comprehensive association study on the largest CFM cohort of 6074 samples. We identify 15 significant (P < 5 × 10-8) associated genomic loci (including eight previously reported) and decipher 107 candidates based on multi-omics data. Gene Ontology term enrichment found that these candidates are mainly enriched in neural crest cell (NCC) development and hypoxic environment. Single-cell RNA-seq data of mouse embryo demonstrate that nine of them show dramatic expression change during early cranial NCC development whose dysplasia is involved in pathogeny of CFM. Furthermore, we construct a well-performed CFM risk-predicting model based on polygenic risk score (PRS) method and estimate seven environmental risk factors that interacting with PRS. Single-nucleotide polymorphism-based PRS is significantly associated with CFM [P = 7.22 × 10-58, odds ratio = 3.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.74-3.63], and the top fifth percentile has a 6.8-fold CFM risk comparing with the 10th percentile. Father's smoking increases CFM risk as evidenced by interaction parameter of -0.324 (95% CI -0.578 to -0.070, P = 0.011) with PRS. In conclusion, the newly identified risk loci will significantly improve our understandings of genetics contribution to CFM. The risk prediction model is promising for CFM prediction, and father's smoking is a key environmental risk factor for CFM through interacting with genetic factors.

MdNAC104 positively regulates apple cold tolerance via CBF-dependent and CBF-independent pathways.

Low temperature is the main environmental factor affecting the yield, quality and geographical distribution of crops, which significantly restricts development of the fruit industry. The NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2) transcription factor (TF) family is involved in regulating plant cold tolerance, but the mechanisms underlying these regulatory processes remain unclear. Here, the NAC TF MdNAC104 played a positive role in modulating apple cold tolerance. Under cold stress, MdNAC104-overexpressing transgenic plants exhibited less ion leakage and lower ROS (reactive oxygen species) accumulation, but higher contents of osmoregulatory substances and activities of antioxidant enzymes. Transcriptional regulation analysis showed that MdNAC104 directly bound to the MdCBF1 and MdCBF3 promoters to promote expression. In addition, based on combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, as well as promoter binding and transcriptional regulation analyses, we found that MdNAC104 stimulated the accumulation of anthocyanin under cold conditions by upregulating the expression of anthocyanin synthesis-related genes, including MdCHS-b, MdCHI-a, MdF3H-a and MdANS-b, and increased the activities of the antioxidant enzymes by promoting the expression of the antioxidant enzyme-encoding genes MdFSD2 and MdPRXR1.1. In conclusion, this study revealed the MdNAC104 regulatory mechanism of cold tolerance in apple via CBF-dependent and CBF-independent pathways.

Bioremediation of degraded pit mud by indigenous microbes for Baijiu production.

Microbes in pit mud play key roles in fermentation cellars for Chinese strong-flavor Baijiu (SFB) production. Pit mud, however, is frequently degraded during production, compromising the quality of the end product. In this study, a bioremediation method was used to restore degraded pit mud (DPM) using indigenous microbes derived from SFB production. Metabolomics and metagenomics were used to determine the dynamics of prokaryotes during DPM restoration and their link to SFB production. The composition of flavor compounds in SFB changed (P = 0.0001) before and after restoration of DPM. Consistent with the improved sensory quality, the ethyl caproate/ethyl lactate ratio, an SFB quality measure, increased after restoration (P < 0.001). The concentrations of humus, NH4+, available phosphorus, and available potassium in DPM increased during the restoration process (P < 0.05), which is consistent with high-quality pit mud. The relative abundance of microbes that are beneficial to SFB fermentation, such as Caproiciproducens, a bacterium that produces caproic acid, increased during the restoration process. Furthermore, a total of 18 metabolic pathways were enriched (P < 0.05) from DPM before and after restoration. This includes butanoate metabolism and pyruvate metabolism, which are related to the synthesis of key flavor esters in SFB.

Quantitative evaluation of retinal and choroidal changes in Fabry disease using optical coherence tomography angiography.

To examine the retinal and choroidal changes in patients with Fabry disease (FD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). FD patients and age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were enrolled. A detailed ophthalmological examination was performed for all participants. The retinal thickness, ganglion cell layer with inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness, choroidal thickness (CT), vessel length density (VLD), vessel perfusion density (VPD), and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) were analyzed in a detailed way with OCTA. Moreover, all FD patients underwent several laboratory tests to evaluate systemic conditions. A total of 54 subjects comprising 26 FD patients and 28 normal controls were enrolled. The retinal thickness, GCIPL thickness, and FAZ area showed no significant differences between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Only the superior CT in FD patients was significantly thinner than that in the normal subjects (P = 0.040). The macular VLD and VPD in the FD group were significantly reduced compared with the healthy controls (P = 0.026, P = 0.008). The macular VLD in FD patients had no significant correlations with different laboratory results (all P > 0.05), while the macular VPD were negatively correlated with creatinine (r = - 0.432, P = 0.028) and cystatin C (r = - 0.422, P = 0.032). FD patients may have retinal vascular dropout and choroidal vascular alterations. Analysis of vessel density using OCTA might be useful in the clinical assessment in FD patients.

Progress on the regulation of neural crest and the genetics in craniofacial development.

The craniofacial features endow vertebrates with unparalleled evolutionary advantages. The craniofacial is composed of bone, cartilage, nerves, and connective tissues mainly developed from cranial neural crest cells (cNCCs). These tissues form complex organs which enable vertebrates to have powerful neural and sensory systems. NCCs are groups of migratory and pluripotent cells that are specific to vertebrates. The specification, premigration and migration, proliferation, and fate determination of the NCCs are precisely and sequentially controlled by gene regulatory networks, to ensure the ordered and accurate development of the craniofacial region. The craniofacial region represents a combined set of highly heritable phenotypes, which could be illustrated by the inherited facial features between relatives but perceptible differences among non-relatives. Such phenomena are termed heredity and variation, which are in accordance with the precision and plasticity of cNCCs gene regulatory network, respectively. Evidence has shown that genetic variations within the regulatory network alter the proliferation and differentiation of NCCs within a tolerable range, while deleterious mutations will lead to craniofacial malformations. In this review, we first summarize the development procedure of NCCs and their gene regulatory networks and then provide an overview on the genetic basis of the facial morphology and malformations. This review will benefit the understanding of craniofacial development and the prevention of craniofacial diseases.

Genome-wide analysis of the apple CaCA superfamily reveals that MdCAX proteins are involved in the abiotic stress response as calcium transporters.

BACKGROUND: Calcium (Ca2+) plays an important role in plant growth and development, and the maintenance of calcium homeostasis is necessary for the survival of all plant species. Ca2+/H+ exchangers (CAXs) are a subgroup of the CaCA (Ca2+/cation antiporter) superfamily. In general, CAX proteins mediate cytosolic Ca2+ entry into vacuoles to prevent excessive accumulation of Ca2+ in the cytosol. The CaCA superfamily has been identified and characterised in many plant species; however, characterisation of the CaCA superfamily and functional study of apple CAX proteins have yet to be conducted in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.). RESULTS: Here, we identified 21 CaCA family proteins in apple for the first time. Phylogenetic and gene structure analysis, as well as prediction of conserved motifs, suggested that these proteins could be classified into four groups: CAX, CCX, NCL, and MHX. Expression analysis showed that the 10 MdCAX genes we cloned strongly responded to calcium and abiotic stress treatments. Collinearity analysis and characterisation of calcium transport capacity resulted in the identification of a pair of segmental duplication genes: MdCAX3L-1 and MdCAX3L-2; MdCAX3L-2 showed strong calcium transport capacity, whereas MdCAX3L-1 showed no calcium transport capacity. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays showed that these two proteins could interact with each other. The high sequence similarity (94.6%) makes them a good model for studying the crucial residues and structural basis of the calcium transport of CAX proteins. Prediction of the protein interaction network revealed several proteins that may interact with CAX proteins and play important roles in plant stress responses, such as SOS2, CXIP1, MHX, NRAMP3, and MTP8. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis indicated that MdCAX proteins have strong calcium transport capacity and are involved in the abiotic stress response in apple. These findings provide new insight and rich resources for future studies of MdCAX proteins in apple.

The HD-Zip I transcription factor MdHB7-like confers tolerance to salinity in transgenic apple (Malus domestica).

Salinity is a major environmental constraint that substantially limits global agricultural productivity. HD-Zip I transcription factors are involved in plant responses to salt stress, but little is known about the HD-Zip I genes in apple (Malus domestica). Here, we characterized the function of an apple HD-Zip I gene (MdHB7-like) and report that its expression is induced by salt stress. To further explore its role in salt stress, we created MdHB7-like overexpressing and RNAi transgenic apple plants. The overexpression of MdHB7-like improved the photosynthetic performance and reduced ROS and Na+ accumulation under salt stress. Plants that overexpressed MdHB7-like also showed increased accumulation of proline and soluble sugars, which may have played an important role in their salt stress tolerance. RNAi suppression of MdHB7-like had the opposite effects. Together, our results demonstrate that MdHB7-like is an important regulator of salt tolerance in apple. Our results provide new insights for future research on the mechanisms by which MdHB7-like promotes salt tolerance and provide a potential target for molecular breeding in apple.

RGD-modified multifunctional nanoparticles encapsulating salvianolic acid A for targeted treatment of choroidal neovascularization.

BACKGROUND: The development of alternative anti-angiogenesis therapy for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) remains a great challenge. Nanoparticle systems have emerged as a new form of drug delivery in ocular diseases. Here, we report the construction and characterization of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-conjugated polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a vehicle to load antioxidant salvianolic acid A (SAA) for targeted anti-angiogenesis therapy of CNV. In this study, PEI was consecutively modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugated RGD segments, 3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid-Osu (HPAO), and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FI), followed by acetylation of the remaining PEI surface amines to generate the multifunctional PEI vehicle PEI.NHAc-FI-HPAO-(PEG-RGD) (for short, RGD-PEI). The formed RGD-PEI was utilized as an effective vehicle platform to load SAA. RESULTS: We showed that RGD-PEI/SAA complexes displayed desirable water dispersibility, low cytotoxicity, and sustainable release of SAA under different pH conditions. It could be specifically taken up by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells which highly expressed ɑvß5 integrin receptors in vitro and selectively accumulated in CNV lesions in vivo. Moreover, the complexes displayed specific therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of laser induced CNV, and the slow elimination of the complexes in the vitreous cavity was verified by SPECT imaging after 131I radiolabeling. The histological examinations further confirmed the biocompatibility of RGD-PEI/SAA. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the designed RGD-PEI/SAA complexes may be a potential alternative anti-angiogenesis therapy for posterior ocular neovascular diseases.

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Apple CBL Family Reveals That Mdcbl10.1 Functions Positively in Modulating Apple Salt Tolerance.

Abiotic stresses are increasingly harmful to crop yield and quality. Calcium and its signaling pathway play an important role in modulating plant stress tolerance. As specific Ca2+ sensors, calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins play vital roles in plant stress response and calcium signaling. The CBL family has been identified in many plant species; however, the characterization of the CBL family and the functional study of apple MdCBL proteins in salt response have yet to be conducted in apple. In this study, 11 MdCBL genes were identified from the apple genome. The coding sequences of these MdCBL genes were cloned, and the gene structure and conserved motifs were analyzed in detail. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that these MdCBL proteins could be divided into four groups. The functional identification in Na+-sensitive yeast mutant showed that the overexpression of seven MdCBL genes could confer enhanced salt stress resistance in transgenic yeast. The function of MdCBL10.1 in regulating salt tolerance was also verified in cisgenic apple calli and apple plants. These results provided valuable insights for future research examining the function and mechanism of CBL proteins in regulating apple salt tolerance.

Infestation and Related Ecology of Chigger Mites on the Asian House Rat (Rattus tanezumi) in Yunnan Province, Southwest China.

This paper is to illustrate the infestation and related ecological characteristics of chigger mites on the Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi). A total of 17,221 chigger mites were collected from 2,761 R. tanezumi rats, and then identified as 131 species and 19 genera in 2 families. Leptotrombidium deliense, the most powerful vector of scrub typhus in China, was the first major dominant species on R. tanezumi. All the dominant mite species were of an aggregated distribution among different individuals of R. tanezumi. The species composition and infestations of chiggers on R. tanezumi varied along different geographical regions, habitats and altitudes. The species-abundance distribution of the chigger mite community was successfully fitted and the theoretical curve equation was S (R)=37e-(0.28R)2. The total chigger species on R. tanezumi were estimated to be 199 species or 234 species, and this further suggested that R. tanezumi has a great potential to harbor abundant species of chigger mites. The results of the species-plot relationship indicated that the chigger mite community on R. tanezumi in Yunnan was an uneven community with very high heterogeneity. Wide geographical regions with large host samples are recommended in the investigations of chigger mites.

A Report of Chigger Mites on the Striped Field Mouse, Apodemus agrarius, in Southwest China.

Based on the field investigations in 91 investigation sites (counties) in southwest China between 2001 and 2019, the present paper reported the chigger mites on A. agrarius mice in southwest China for the first time by using a series of statistical methods. From 715 striped field mice captured in 28 of 91 investigated sites, only 255 chiggers were collected, and they were identified as 14 species, 6 genera in 3 subfamilies under 2 families. Of 715 A. agrarius mice, only 24 of them were infested with chigger mites with low overall prevalence (PM=3.4%), overall mean abundance (MA=0.36 mites/host) and overall mean intensity (MI=10.63 mites/host). The species diversity and infestation of chiggers on A. agrarius were much lower than those previously reported on some other rodents in southwest China. On a certain species of rodent, A. agrarius mouse in southwest China seems to have a very low susceptibility to chigger infestations than in other geographical regions. Of 14 chigger species, there were 3 dominant species, Leptotrombidium sialkotense, L. rupestre and Schoengastiella novoconfuciana, which were of aggregated distribution among different individuals of A. agrarius hosts. L. sialkotense, one of 6 main vectors of scrub typhus in China, was the first dominant on A. agrarius. The species similarity of chigger mites on male and female hosts was low with CSS=0.25, and this reflects the sex-bias of different genders of A. agrarius mice in harboring different chigger species.

Tetramethylpyrazine protects mice retinas against sodium iodate-induced oxidative injury.

Purpose: To observe the effects of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on mice retinas injured by sodium iodate (NaIO3). Methods: Male mice (n = 45) were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (Group C), the NaIO3-degenerated group (Group I), and the TMP-treated group (TMP group). The Group I mice were intraperitoneally injected with 35 mg/kg NaIO3. The Group C mice were injected with similar volumes of PBS. The TMP group mice were intraperitoneally injected with 80 mg/kg TMP starting 24 h after NaIO3 administration once a day for 14 days. Fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), electroretinography (ERG), hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and western blotting were used to assess the effects of TMP on mice retinas at day 3, 7, and 14 after NaIO3 administration. Results: TMP effectively prevented the decrease in the thicknesses of the retinas and the outer nuclear layer (ONL), and effectively alleviated the functional decline in the retinas after NaIO3 administration. TMP significantly decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells in retinas. In addition, TMP rapidly increased the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 and decreased BAX expression in mice retinas after NaIO3 injection. Conclusions: TMP alleviates morphological and functional retinal damage in mice exposed to NaIO3 and reduces retinal apoptosis.

Relative Abundance of a Vector of Scrub Typhus, Leptotrombidium sialkotense, in Southern Yunnan Province, China.

The chigger mite Leptotrombidium sialkotense is one of the 6 main vectors of scrub typhus in China. Before present study, L. sialkotense was found in some parts of Hunan province, China with a narrow geographical distribution. During field investigation 2016-2017, we found L. sialkotense in Jingha, southern Yunnan, China. Of 15 small mammal host species, L. sialkotense were collected from 6 species of the hosts. Rattus brunneusculus was a dominant host of L. sialkotense, from which 98.3% of the mites were collected. The chigger mite showed a relatively high infestation prevalence (PM=11.7%) and mean abundance (MA=0.5) in comparison with the rest 5 host species. These results reveal a certain host specificity of L. sialkotense to a rat R. brunneusculus. The mite L. sialkotense showed an aggregated distribution on the host (P<0.05). A positive correlation observed between L. sialkotense and the body length of hosts. There was a positive interspecific association between L. sialkotense and 2 other dominant vectors, L. deliense and L. scutellare.

[Key signaling pathways associated with risks forcleft lip and palate].

The molecular mechanism of cleft lip and palate has been a hot topic for research in recent years. With the development of genetic technology, more than 100 genes have been associated with cleft lip and palate, though the pathological mechanism of such genes has not been delineated.The information carried by each of these genes may affect the phenotype through signal pathway, and abnormal function of these signal pathways has been found in the formation of cleft lip and palate. A series of signal factors have known to involve in the regulation of gene expression, and may interact with each other to form complex signal regulatory networks which are involved in the guidance of cell activity and tissue formation. This article has summarized several signal pathways related to lip and palate, and the molecular mechanism underlying the development of lip and palate.

Genome-wide analyses of genes encoding FK506-binding proteins reveal their involvement in abiotic stress responses in apple.

BACKGROUND: The FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) play diverse roles in numerous critical processes for plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. However, the FKBP gene family in the important fruit crop apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) has not been studied as thoroughly as in other species. Our research objective was to investigate the mechanisms by which apple FKBPs enable apple plants to tolerate the effects of abiotic stresses. RESULTS: Using bioinformatics-based methods, RT-PCR, and qRT-PCR technologies, we identified 38 FKBP genes and cloned 16 of them in the apple genome. The phylogenetic analysis revealed three major groups within that family. The results from sequence alignments, 3-D structures, phylogenetics, and analyses of conserved domains indicated that apple FKBPs are highly and structurally conserved. Furthermore, genomics structure analysis showed that those genes are also highly and structurally conserved in several other species. Comprehensive qRT-PCR analysis found various expression patterns for MdFKBPs in different tissues and in plant responses to water-deficit and salt stresses. Based on the results from interaction network and co-expression analyses, we determined that the pairing in the MdFKBP62a/MdFKBP65a/b-mediated network is involved in water-deficit and salt-stress signaling, both of which are uniformly up-regulated through interactions with heat shock proteins in apple. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide new insight for further study of FKBP genes and their functions in abiotic stress response and multiple metabolic and physiological processes in apple.