[Macroscopic and microscopic identification of Ligularia przewalskii].

OBJECTIVE: To provide macroscopic and microscopic identification basis for Ligularia przewalskii. METHODS: Macroscopic and microscopic identification of roots, stems and leaves of Ligularia przewalskii were carried out with the methods of paraffin section, leaves epidermal section and powder transdermal section. RESULTS: The microscopic characteristics included: Open collateral vascular bundles in stem were not in the same size and arranged in two rings; Lots of fiber bundles scattered in the column parts; There were two vascular bundles in principal vein of leaf; Anticlinal wall of upper epidermis cells was thickened like moniliform, lower epidermis were like waves with irregular; The type of stoma was anomocytic; Calcium oxalate acicular crystal could be seen in the powder. CONCLUSION: These features can provide references for identification of Ligularia przewalskii.

Functional screening and rational design of compounds targeting GPR132 to treat diabetes.

Chronic inflammation due to islet-residing macrophages plays key roles in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. By systematically profiling intra-islet lipid-transmembrane receptor signalling in islet-resident macrophages, we identified endogenous 9(S)-hydroxy-10,12-octadecadienoic acid-G-protein-coupled receptor 132 (GPR132)-Gi signalling as a significant contributor to islet macrophage reprogramming and found that GPR132 deficiency in macrophages reversed metabolic disorders in mice fed a high-fat diet. The cryo-electron microscopy structures of GPR132 bound with two endogenous agonists, N-palmitoylglycine and 9(S)-hydroxy-10,12-octadecadienoic acid, enabled us to rationally design both GPR132 agonists and antagonists with high potency and selectivity through stepwise translational approaches. We ultimately identified a selective GPR132 antagonist, NOX-6-18, that modulates macrophage reprogramming within pancreatic islets, decreases weight gain and enhances glucose metabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet. Our study not only illustrates that intra-islet lipid signalling contributes to islet macrophage reprogramming but also provides a broadly applicable strategy for the identification of important G-protein-coupled receptor targets in pathophysiological processes, followed by the rational design of therapeutic leads for refractory diseases such as diabetes.

Genetic analysis of fruit shape traits at different maturation stages in sponge gourd.

The fruit shape is important quantitative trait closely related to the fruit quality. However, the genetic model of fruit shapes has not been proposed. Therefore, in the present study, analysis of genetic effects for fruit shape traits (fruit length and fruit perimeter) in sponge gourd was conducted by employing a developmental genetic model including fruit direct effects and maternal effects. Analysis approaches of unconditional and conditional variances were applied to evaluate the genetic behavior of fruit shape traits at economical and physiological maturation times. The results of variance analysis indicated that fruit length and fruit perimeter were simultaneously affected by fruit direct genetic effects and maternal effects. Fruit direct genetic effects were relatively more important for fruit shape traits at whole developmental period. The gene expression was most active at the economical maturation stage (1 approximately 12 d after flowering) for two shape traits, and the activation of gene was mostly due to direct dominance effects at physiological maturation stage (13 approximately 60 d after flowering). The coefficients due to different genetic effects, as well as the phenotypic correlation coefficients, varied significantly between fruit shape traits themselves at various maturation stages. The results showed that it was relatively easy to improve fruit shape traits for industrial purpose by carefully selecting the parents at economical maturation stage instead of that at physiological maturation stage.