Is there hybridization between 2 species of the same genus in sympatry?-The genetic relationships between Anoplophora glabripennis, Anoplophora chinensis, and putative hybrids.

Anoplophora glabripennis (Asian longhorn beetle, ALB) and Anoplophora chinensis (Citrus longhorn beetle, CLB) are native forest pests in China; they have become important international quarantine pests. They are found using the same Salix aureo-pendula host tree of Cixi, Zhejiang province, China. On this host tree, we collected additional beetles that appeared to be morphologically intermediate between ALB and CLB. By using a stereoscope, we observed that there were several bumps on the base of the elytra, which was inconsistent with ALB, which typically has a smooth elytral base, but was more like CLB, which has numerous short tubercles on the elytral base. Given their sympatry and intermediate morphology, we hypothesized that these may represent ALB × CLB hybrids. We studied the genomic profiles for 46 samples (ALB, CLB, and putative hybrids) using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) providing a reduced representation of the entire genome. Employing principal component analyses on the 163 GBS-derived single nucleotide polymorphism data, we found putative hybrids tightly clustered with ALB, but genetically distinct from the CLB individuals. Therefore, our initial hybrid hypothesis was not supported by genomic data. Further, while mating experiments between adult ALB and CLB were successful in 4 separate years (2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021), and oviposition behavior was observed, no progeny was produced. Having employed population genomic analysis and biological hybridization experiments, we conclude that the putative hybrids represent newly discovered morphological variants within ALB. Our approach further confirmed the advantage of genome-wide information for Anoplophora species assignment in certain ambiguous classification cases.

Technical design of an innovative biomass/gasification-driven power plant with heat recovery hybrid system: CO2 emission comparison between the designed plant and fossil fuel-powered plants.

This study aims to introduce, conceptualize, and design a novel biomass/gasification-driven hybrid energy configuration. The proposed hybrid configuration has four subsystems: reformer solid oxide fuel cell (RSOFC), biomass/gasification, homogeneous charge compression ignition engine (HCCIE) plus waste heat recovery system (WHRS). RSOFC and HCCIE systems are embedded to generate electric energy. The syngas required for these two subsystems is captured from the biomass/gasification subsystem. In addition to generating electrical energy, fuel cell is responsible for providing combustible fuel to the HCCIE subsystem. The embedded engine in the system can improve the proposed configuration efficiency by increasing the rate of electrical energy production. In addition, the dissipated heat of fuel cell and engine subsystems is recovered by WHRS. The proposed energy configuration is evaluated and discussed from energetically, exergetically and exergoeconomic and environmental aspects to obtain a comprehensive feasibility study of the plant. The offered hybrid design has new component's structure and relationships that have not been reported in the publications. The analysis indicated that the proposed hybrid configuration is capable of generating approximately 1100 kW and 366.3 W of electric and thermal power, respectively, with the overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies of 69.4% and 52.1%. Exergoeconomic analysis results revealed that the specific fuel cost of the total proposed configuration was approximately 1.96 USD per GJ. In addition, compared to a coal and petroleum oil-based power generation plants, the proposed hybrid configuration can have approximately 2.75-fold and 97.7% lower CO2 emissions, sequentially. Besides, the proposed system can rival other similar biomass-driven designs.

Analysis of nutrients in Apriona germari and treatment of diarrhea in mice fed with insect powder.

The insect larvae of Apriona germari, Apriona swainsoni and other closely related species are related to the insects that bore through the stems of the Caesalpinia decapetala. Because of therich nutritional as well as medicinal value of edible A. germari, it is often used to nourish the body, enhance immunity, and to treat ailments such as diarrhea. The soluble protein content of A. germari was determined using Kjeldahl and Soxhlet extraction methods. The crude fat content and the content of various fatty acids was determined by the normalization method, normalization method refers to that after the fat in the sample is extracted by hydrolysis ether solution, it is saponified and methylated under alkaline conditions to generate fatty acids and methyl esters, which are analyzed by capillary column gas chromatography and quantitatively measured by area normalization method. Amino acid content determined using an amino acid analyzer after acid hydrolysis showed 17 kinds of amino acids. A diarrhea mouse model was established by injecting a suspension of Escherichia coli into the abdominal cavity of mice. The mice were then fed with A. germari fodders at dose concentrations of 12%, 8%, 4% and 0%. The number of E. coli was determined from the intestinal tracts of mice; the activities of antioxidant enzymes and digestive enzymes in the serum were determined. Eleven kinds of fatty acids were detected in A. germari; unsaturated fatty acids accounted for 71.87% of the total fatty acids. A. germari is an edible resource insect with high nutritional value. Mice fed with A. germari showed an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes and digestive enzymes in the serum, which helped in the effective inhibition and reduction in the total number of intestinal bacteria and E. coli. The results indicate that A. germari has high nutritional value; A. germari also has a certain therapeutic effect on diarrhea caused by E. coli in mice.

The complete mitochondrial genome of an ornamental firefly Pyrocoelia analis (Coleoptera, Lampyridae).

Pyrocoelia analis (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera, Lampyridae, Pyrocoelia) is a beautiful ornamental insect widely distributed in East and Southeast Asia. The complete mitogenome of P. analis has been sequenced. The mitogenome, total length of 14,785 bp, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs, and a noncoding D-loop region. The overall base composition of Pyrocoelia analis mitogenome is 34.63% for A, 13.69% for C, 42.79% for T, and 8.89% for G, with a high A + T bias of 77.42%. These mitogenome data might be useful for further phylogeography analyses and other related studies in Hymenoptera.

RNA N6-Methyladenosine Responds to Low-Temperature Stress in Tomato Anthers.

Cold stress is a serious threat to subtropical crop pollen development and induces yield decline. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most frequent mRNA modification and plays multiple physiological functions in plant development. However, whether m6A regulates pollen development is unclear, and its putative role in cold stress response remains unknown. Here, we observed that moderate low-temperature (MLT) stress induced pollen abortion in tomato. This phenotype was caused by disruption of tapetum development and pollen exine formation, accompanied by reduced m6A levels in tomato anther. Analysis of m6A-seq data revealed 1,805 transcripts displayed reduced m6A levels and 978 transcripts showed elevated m6A levels in MLT-stressed anthers compared with those in anthers under normal temperature. These differentially m6A enriched transcripts under MLT stress were mainly related to lipid metabolism, adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity, and ATP-binding pathways. An ATP-binding transcript, SlABCG31, had significantly upregulated m6A modification levels, which was inversely correlated to the dramatically downregulated expression level. These changes correlated with higher abscisic acid (ABA) levels in anthers and disrupted pollen wall formation under low-temperature stress. Our findings characterized m6A as a novel layer of complexity in gene expression regulation and established a molecular link between m6A methylation and tomato anther development under low-temperature conditions.

Wnt/ß-catenin signal transduction pathway in prostate cancer and associated drug resistance.

Globally, prostate cancer ranks second in cancer burden of the men. It occurs more frequently in black men compared to white or Asian men. Usually, high rates exist for men aged 60 and above. In this review, we focus on the Wnt/ß-catenin signal transduction pathway in prostate cancer since many studies have reported that ß-catenin can function as an oncogene and is important in Wnt signaling. We also relate its expression to the androgen receptor and MMP-7 protein, both critical to prostate cancer pathogenesis. Some mutations in the androgen receptor also impact the androgen-ß-catenin axis and hence, lead to the progression of prostate cancer. We have also reviewed MiRNAs that modulate this pathway in prostate cancer. Finally, we have summarized the impact of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway proteins in the drug resistance of prostate cancer as it is a challenging facet of therapy development due to the complexity of signaling pathways interaction and cross-talk.

LncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 promotes breast cancer progression via modulating miR-28-5p/CENPF axis.

Breast cancer is one of the commonly occurred cancers among women and poses a huge threat against female health. Abnormal expression of lncRNA has been confirmed to be an important inducer of cancer. By searching GEO and TCGA database, we found that CENPF was upregulated in breast cancer tissues. Through RT-qPCR, CENPF was found to be upregulated in breast cancer cells. Functional experiments revealed that CENPF had positive effect on the cellular functions, including proliferation, migration and invasion. Subsequently, CENPF was confirmed to combine with miR-28-5p, and its expression was suppressed by miR-28-5p. Furthermore, it was found that miR-28-5p bound to MCM3AP-AS1, and MCM3AP-AS1 expressed at a high level in breast cancer cells. Besides, MCM3AP-AS1 was confirmed as a cytoplasmic RNA. In addition, there was a positive expression correlation between MCM3AP-AS1 and CENPF. Therefore, MCM3AP-AS1 was confirmed to regulate CENPF via competitively binding to miR-28-5p. At last, rescue assays demonstrated that knockdown of CENPF restored miR-28-5p repression-induced cellular processes in MCM3AP-AS1-silenced cells. In vivo assay revealed that MCM3AP-AS1 could hasten tumor growth in breast cancer by targeting CENPF. All results indicated that MCM3AP-AS1/miR-28-5p/CENPF axis accelerates breast cancer progression.

[Changes of reflectance spectra of pine needles in different stage after being infected by pine wood nematode].

In the present study, seedlings of Pinus Thunbergii and Pinus Massoniana were planted and used for reflectance spectrum measurement. In different stage after being infected by pine wood nematode, reflectance spectra were measured by ASD spectrometer and the features of spectral parameters and the change of chlorophyll were analyzed. The results showed that (1) Disease could be estimated in the early stage according to the curve of mid-infrared reflectance; (2) Dynamic parameters such as the position of red edge, green peak height, reflectance of red band, slope of red edge and reflectance of water-stressed wave band were consistent with the disease features of two pine species after being infected by pine wood nematode; (3) To both of two pine species, content of chlorophyll tended to reduce with the development of disease and obvious linear relationship was observed between chlorophyll content and spectral parameters. There results might be able to provide some theoretical basis for the application of remote sensing technology in monitoring of pine wood disease. In addition, it might be also used as theoretical support for the controlling measures in different stage after being infected by pine wood nematode.

[Biological and ecological bases of using insect as a bio-indicator to asses forest health].

Insect is an important component of forest biodiversity, which is closely related with plant in the main community of forest ecosystem. Intimidation of forest pest and variation of insect diversity is of importance for assessing forest ecosystem health. Insect diversity can be used for rapidly assessing forest ecosystem health. For example, indicator insects have been used to evaluate toxicity levels, abundance of species, levels of biodiversity, target insect status, and endemism levels for forest ecosystem. With a focus on the important interference factors influencing forest environmental health, this paper clarified the biological and ecological basis for insects to be used as a bio-indicator to monitor and assess forest health. We also discussed the fluctuation of insect populations, especially that of the population of the rare species under the influence of habitat fragmentation, and the density and distribution of the insect population under the influence of air pollution, drought, increased CO2 concentration. Meanwhile, the existing problems to use insects as a bio-indicator to monitor and assess forest environmental health were analyzed.