Cross Potential Selection: A Proposal for Optimizing Crossing Combinations in Recurrent Selection Using the Usefulness Criterion of Future Inbred Lines.

In plant breeding programs, rapid production of novel varieties is highly desirable. Genomic selection allows the selection of superior individuals based on genomic estimated breeding values. However, it is worth noting that superior individuals may not always be superior parents. The choice of the crossing pair significantly influences the genotypic value of the resulting progeny. This study has introduced a new crossing strategy, termed cross potential selection (CPS), designed to expedite the production of novel varieties of inbred crops. CPS integrates fast recurrent selection and usefulness criterion to generate novel varieties. It considers the segregation of each crossing pair and computes the expected genotypic values of the top-performing individuals, assuming that the progeny distribution of genotypic values follows a normal distribution. It does not consider genetic diversity and focuses only on producing a novel variety as soon as possible. We simulated a 30-year breeding program in two scenarios, low heritability (h2 = 0.3) and high heritability (h2 = 0.6), to compare CPS with two other selection strategies. CPS consistently demonstrated the highest genetic gains among the three strategies in early cycles. In the 3rd year of the breeding program with a high heritability (h2 = 0.6), CPS exhibited the highest genetic gains, 138 times that of 300 independent breeding simulations. Regarding long-term improvement, the other selection strategies outperformed CPS. Nevertheless, compared with the other two strategies, CPS achieved significant short-term genetic improvements. CPS is a suitable breeding strategy for the rapid production of varieties within limited time and cost.

Glyphosate resistance and no fitness cost in backcross offspring of wild soybean and transgenic soybean with epsps gene.

BACKGROUND: The commercial utilization of genetically modified soybeans has yielded substantial economic advantages. Nevertheless, the genetic drift towards wild soybeans is one of the main ecological risks that needs to be addressed. Previous experiments demonstrated the absence of fitness cost or florescence overlap in hybrid offspring resulting from the crossbreeding of transgenic soybean GTS40-3-2 and Zhengzhou wild soybeans. In this study, hybrid progeny was systematically crossed with wild soybeans to establish a backcross progeny system. This system was employed to evaluate the ecological risk associated with the backcross progeny of transgenic and wild soybeans. RESULTS: The findings indicated that the offspring from the backcross exhibited glyphosate tolerance. Furthermore, the expression of foreign proteins in the backcross offspring was notably lower than in the transgenic soybean, and there was no significant difference when compared to the hybrid progeny. Parameters such as germination rate, aboveground biomass, pods per plant, full seeds per plant, and 100-grain weight exhibited no significant differences between the negative and positive lines of the backcross progenies, and no fitness cost was identified in comparison to wild soybeans. These results underscore the potential for foreign genes to propagate within other wild soybeans, which requires continuous attention. CONCLUSIONS: The widespread adoption of genetically modified soybeans has undeniably led to substantial economic gains. However, the research findings emphasize the critical importance of addressing the ecological risks posed by genetic drift towards wild soybeans. The backcross progeny system established in this study indicates that the potential for foreign gene dissemination to wild soybean populations warrants continued attention and mitigation strategies.

Maternal preconception glucose intolerance and fatty acid intake from conception to weaning: impact on offspring energy homeostasis in both male and female.

Environmental factors in the early life stages can lead the descendant to adaptations in gene expression, permanently impacting several structures and organs. The amount and quality of fatty acids in the maternal diet in pregnancy and lactation were found to impact offspring metabolism. So, maternal diet and insulin resistance can affect the male and female descendants through distinct pathways and at different time points. We hypothesized that maternal high-fat diet (HFD) intake before conception and an adequate amount of different fatty acids intake during pregnancy and lactation could influence the energy homeostasis system of 21-day-old offspring. Female rats received control diet (C) or HFD (HF) for 8 weeks before pregnancy. During pregnancy and lactation C group remained with same diet (C-C), HF group were distributed into 4 groups and received C diet (HF-C), normolipidic diet based on saturated fatty acids (HF-S) or based on polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 (HF-P) or remained in same diet (HF-HF). Maternal HFD in preconception, pregnancy, and lactation (HF-HF) led to lower glucagon-like peptide-1 levels in male (HF-HF21) compared to other groups (C-C21, HF-C21, and HF-P21) and compared to HF-HF21 females. Neuropeptide YY levels were higher in the HF-HF21, HF-C21, and HF-S21 male offspring compared to HF-P21. HF-P21 was similar to C-C21. Positive correlations were found among the energy homeostasis markers genes expressed in the offspring hypothalamus. Maternal diet changes to adequate quantities of fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation showed less impaired results but was not entirely avoided. A maternal diet based on PUFA n-3 during pregnancy and lactation seems to reverse the damage of an HFD in preconception. These results of homeostasis energy system disturbance in the offspring at weaning give us clues about changes that precede the onset of the disease in adult life - adding notes to the knowledge for future investigations of prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

Context-dependent roles of mitochondrial LONP1 in orchestrating the balance between airway progenitor versus progeny cells.

While all eukaryotic cells are dependent on mitochondria for function, in a complex tissue, which cell type and which cell behavior are more sensitive to mitochondrial deficiency remain unpredictable. Here, we show that in the mouse airway, compromising mitochondrial function by inactivating mitochondrial protease gene Lonp1 led to reduced progenitor proliferation and differentiation during development, apoptosis of terminally differentiated ciliated cells and their replacement by basal progenitors and goblet cells during homeostasis, and failed airway progenitor migration into damaged alveoli following influenza infection. ATF4 and the integrated stress response (ISR) pathway are elevated and responsible for the airway phenotypes. Such context-dependent sensitivities are predicted by the selective expression of Bok, which is required for ISR activation. Reduced LONP1 expression is found in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) airways with squamous metaplasia. These findings illustrate a cellular energy landscape whereby compromised mitochondrial function could favor the emergence of pathological cell types.

Beef Genetic Evaluations.

Genetic evaluations in beef cattle have evolved over the past 50 years relative to the hardware or software used, the statistical methodology underpinning them, and the traits evaluated. However, the underlying premise has remained the same; to generate predictions of genetic merit such that selection decisions can be made that materialize as phenotypic changes in commercial animals. The wide-spread availability and adoption of genomic technology has enabled more accurate genetic predictions of young animals albeit with the requirement of continual collection and reporting of phenotypic data.

Multivariate analysis of herd structure and genetic resource indicators in seedstock beef cattle herds.

Genetic, environmental, technological and financial resources are used differently in cattle herds that participate in the same breeding programme. The percentages of calves sired by sires within their own herd or from external herds vary across herds, as do the intensities of use of reproductive biotechnologies. These divergences may be related to differences in the indicators of genetic performance for economic traits. The aim of this study was to determine the factors related to herd structure and genetic resource utilization that exert the greatest influence on the genetic merit of seedstock herds within a Nellore breeding programme. The database comprised 21 factors, along with genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) for growth, reproductive and carcass traits, as well as a selection index of animals from 128 herds. By combining principal component analysis and cluster analysis, we were able to group the herds. We identified statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the mean values of the factors, GE-EPDs and genetic trends among the groups of herds. Differences in the percentage of sires from external herds and in sire age between the groups of herds were the factors most associated with differences in mean GE-EPDs and genetic trends. Using young sires from other herds or lineages is an effective strategy in animal breeding. By enhancing genetic variability, this approach does not only improve the genetic quality of herds but also accelerates genetic progress in desired traits over time. Therefore, to ensure the success of this strategy, it is crucial that seedstock herds undergo a thorough selection process aimed at maximizing the genetic potential of future generations of beef cattle.

Prediction of additive genetic variances of descendants for complex families based on Mendelian sampling variances.

The ability to predict the outcome of selection and mating decisions enables breeders to make strategically better selection decisions. To improve genetic progress, those individuals need to be selected whose offspring can be expected to show high genetic variance next to high breeding values. Previously published approaches enable to predict the variance of descendants of two future generations for up to 4 founding haplotypes, or 2 outbred individuals, based on phased genotypes, allele effects and recombination frequencies. The purpose of this study was to develop a general approach for the analytical calculation of the genetic variance in any future generation. The core development is an equation for the prediction of the variance of double haploid lines, under the assumption of no selection and negligible drift, stemming from an arbitrary number of founder haplotypes. This double haploid variance can be decomposed into gametic Mendelian sampling variances (MSV) of ancestors of the double haploid lines allowing usage for non-double haploid genotypes which enables application in animal breeding programs as well as in plant breeding programs. Together with the breeding values of the founders, the gametic MSV may be used in new selection criteria. We present our idea of such a criterion that describes the genetic level of selected individuals in four generations. Since breeding programs do select, the assumption made for predicting variances is clearly violated which decreases the accuracy of predicted gametic MSV caused by changes in allele frequency and linkage disequilibrium. Despite violating the assumption, we found high predictive correlations of our criterion to the true genetic level which was obtained by means of simulation for the "corn" and "cattle" genome models tested in this study (0.90 and 0.97). In practice, the genotype phases, genetic map and allele effects all need to be estimated meaning inaccuracies in their estimation will lead to inaccurate variance prediction. Investigation of variance prediction accuracy when input parameters are estimated was not part of this study.

Inbreeding in Chinese fir: Insights into the adaptive growth traits of selfed progeny from mRNA, miRNA, and copy number variation.

PREMISE: The impact of inbreeding on biological processes is well documented in individuals with severe inbreeding depression. However, the biological processes influencing the adaptive growth of normal selfed individuals are unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate how inbreeding affects gene expression for adaptive growth of normal selfed seedlings from a self-fertilizing parent in Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata). METHODS: Using RNA-seq data from above- and underground tissues of abnormal and normal selfed seedlings, we analyzed GO biological processes network. We also sequenced small RNAs in the aboveground tissues and measured the copy number variations (CNV) of the hub genes. RESULTS: Phenotypic fitness analysis revealed that the normal seedlings were better adapted than their abnormal counterparts. Upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were associated with development processes, and downregulated DEGs were mainly enriched in fundamental metabolism and stress response. Results of mRNA-miRNA parallel sequencing revealed that upregulated target genes were predominantly associated with development, highlighting their crucial role in phosphorylation in signal transduction networks. We also discovered a moderate correlation (0.1328 < R2 < 0.6257) between CNV and gene expression levels for three hub genes (TMKL1, GT2, and RHY1A). CONCLUSIONS: We uncovered the key biological processes underpinning the growth of normal selfed seedlings and established the relationship between CNV and the expression levels of hub genes in selfed seedlings. Understanding the candidate genes involved in the growth of selfed seedlings will help us comprehend the genetic mechanisms behind inbreeding depression in the evolutionary biology of plants.

Exposure effects of benzalkonium chloride (BAC) on gonadal physiology and fertility suppression in medaka (Oryzias latipes).

Benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a commonly used quaternary ammonium compound in various products like antiseptics, cosmetics, and disinfectants, has raised concerns due to its potential to contaminate aquatic environments and subsequently affect the reproductive performance of the organisms within those ecosystems. The article underscores a critical concern regarding the impact of BAC on aquatic ecosystems, particularly its effect on fish reproductive quality, using medaka (Oryzias latipes) as a model organism. Firstly, while measuring lethal dose of BAC in adult medaka, we observed a dose dependent mortality in BAC treated fish (100 and 200 ppm: 100%; 60 ppm: 51.7%; 30 ppm or less: no mortality at 24 h post treatment (hpt)) and calculated the LD50 at 96 hpt as 39.291 ppm (95% confidence interval: 28.817-53.570 ppm). Further, we assessed the molecular, cellular and histological changes through long-term exposure. Enlarged sperm pockets and reduced spermatocyte were seen in BAC exposed testis while no significant structural changes were observed in the ovaries. Following BAC exposure, drastic alterations in the gene expression and cellular localization related to sex, estrogen signaling, and autophagy were also noted from gonads and liver. Subsequently, using a short-term exposure analysis, we confirmed the sex and time responsive transcriptional kinetics and found that BAC sequentially affected the gonadal somatic cells followed by germ cell differentiation. Finally, using reproductively competent male and female medaka, we conducted progeny production and performance analysis and depicted a drastic reduction in fecundity, and fertilization and hatching rate, indicating adverse effects of BAC on reproductive success. Cumulatively, these findings emphasize the consequences of widespread use of BAC on reproductive security of aquatic animals and highlights the need for further research to comprehend the potential harm posed by such compounds to aquatic animal health and ecosystem integrity.

Activity concentration of indoor radon and its short-lived progeny (218Po, 214Pb, and 214Po) and their effect on atmospheric ionization rate in Sana'a, Yemen.

Exposure to ionizing radiation inside houses, especially radionuclides of radon and its progeny, poses serious health risks that can be exacerbated when inhaled as a result of interaction with human lung tissue. Also, air ionization is mainly due to these radionuclides. Therefore, accurate measurements of radon activity concentrations and its short-lived progeny are required to assess dose and environmental pollution and estimate ionization rates in indoor environments. For this purpose, we employed a previously tested and approved reliable method, following the three-count procedure. This method is based on airborne radon progeny sampling on polycarbonate membrane filters and alpha counting using a passive α-dosimetry technique with CR-39 detectors. The method also relies on a PC-based software we developed for solving mathematical equations and calculating all the necessary physical quantities. In this study, the concentrations of radon and individual short-lived radon progeny were measured in 20 houses in Sana'a, Yemen. Measurement conditions and meteorological variables were considered. The average activity concentrations of 222Rn, Equilibrium-Equivalent Concentration (EEC), 218Po, 214 Pb, and 214Po were 73.1 ± 6.0, 29.2 ± 2.4, 44.4 ± 3.6, 30.5 ± 2.5, and 23.2 ± 1.9 Bq.m-3, respectively. The calculated average unattached fractions f1(218Po), f2(214 Pb), and fp were found to be 0.24, 0.04, and 0.07 % respectively. The annual average values of ion-pair production rate caused by 222Rn and their progeny and air ion concentration, were 27.25 ions.cm-3s-1 and 1829 ions.cm-3 respectively. The annual effective dose was estimated to be 1.93 ± 0.16 mSv.y-1, well lower than the recommended 10 mSv.y-1.

Effective dose assessment due to inhalation of 222Rn, 220Rn, and their progeny: highlighting the major contribution of thoron in a thoron-prone area in Cameroon.

To assess public exposure to radon, thoron, and their progeny, measurements were conducted in 50 dwellings within the bauxite-rich area of Fongo-Tongo in western Cameroon. Passive integrating radon-thoron discriminative detectors (specifically RADUET) were employed for radon and thoron measurements. Additionally, concentrations of short-lived radon and thoron progeny were estimated using Direct Radon Progeny Sensors (DRPSs) and Direct Thoron Progeny Sensors (DTPSs) based on LR-115 detectors. The findings revealed indoor radon concentrations ranging from 31 to 123 Bq m-3 with a geometric mean (GM) of 62 Bq m-3, and indoor thoron concentrations ranging from 36 to 688 Bq m-3 with a GM of 242 Bq m-3. The Equilibrium Equivalent Radon Concentration (EERC) ranged from 3 to 86 Bq m-3 with a GM of 25 Bq m-3, while the Equilibrium Equivalent Thoron Concentration (EETC) ranged from 1.2 to 12.5 Bq m-3 with a GM of 7.6 Bq m-3. Notably, all dwellings recorded radon concentrations below 100 Bq m-3. Arithmetic means of radon and thoron equilibrium factors were calculated as 0.47 and 0.04, respectively. To assess annual effective doses from radon and thoron inhalation, equilibrium factors were used along with direct measurements of EERC and EETC. The differences observed in annual effective doses were 4.5% for radon and 42.5% for thoron. Furthermore, the contribution of thoron and its decay products to the annual effective dose from radon, thoron, and their progeny ranged from 12 to 94%, with an average contribution of 58%. Thus, this study found that the effective dose due to thoron inhalation in the study area exceeded that due to radon inhalation. It is concluded that, when evaluating radiation doses and health risks, it is crucial to consider both thoron and its progeny alongside radon and its progeny. This underscores the importance of considering direct measurements for accurately estimating radiation doses.

Effects of inclusion of the blend of essential oils, organic acids, curcumin, tannins, vitamin E, and zinc in the maternal diet, and of incubation temperature on early and late development of quail.

The maternal diet and egg incubation temperature are some of the factors that can influence the embryonic development and performance of the newly chicks at 15 d of age. This study evaluated the effects of adding a blend of organic acids, essential oils, curcumin, tannins, vitamin E, and zinc microencapsulated in to the diet of female quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) on their productive, reproductive performance and redox parameters of their eggs and the interaction of maternal diet × incubation temperature on embryo (E16 and E18) and chicks development. At 98 d of age, 64 female quails with a mean body weight of 150 g ± 0.5 were distributed into two treatments: a Basal diet or a diet supplemented with blend (Sannimix). The eggs from each female were incubated at 37.5°C (Control) and 38.5°C (High Temperature) throughout the incubation period. After hatching, chicks were distributed in a 2 (maternal diet) × 2 (incubation temperature) factorial design. Female quails supplemented with Sannimix showed better productive and reproductive performance and produced higher-quality embryos. Their offspring had greater weight at hatch and at 15 d of age. The eggs and offspring of supplemented with Sannimix female quails showed better oxidative stability. At E16 and E18, High Temperature increased yolk sac utilization and gene expression of the growth hormone receptor (GHR). At E16, embryos from supplemented with Sannimix female quail had higher expression of insulin-like growth factor type I (IGFI) and heat shock protein 70 kDa genes. At 15 d of age, highest expression of the GHR and IGFI genes was observed in chicks from female quails fed the Sannimix diet, regardless of incubation temperature. Regarding the maternal diet × incubation temperature an improved result was observed for chicks from female quails fed with Sannimix even when eggs are exposed to High Temperature during the incubation. The supplementation of quail diets with blend Sannimix improves productive and reproductive performance, egg quality and their embryos, as well as their offspring quality.

Trunk distortion weakens the tree productivity revealed by half-sib progeny determination of Pinus yunnanensis.

Twisted trunks are not uncommon in trees, but their effects on tree growth are still unclear. Among coniferous tree species, the phenomenon of trunk distortion is more prominent in Pinus yunnanensis. To expand the germplasm of genetic resources, we selected families with excellent phenotypic traits to provide material for advanced generation breeding. The progeny test containing 93 superior families (3240 trees) was used as the research material. Phenotypic measurements and estimated genetic parameters (family heritability, realistic gain and genetic gain) were performed at 9, 15, and 18 years of age, respectively. The genetic evaluation yielded the following results (1) The intra-family variance component of plant height (PH) was greater than that of the inter-family, while the inter-family variance components of other traits (diameter at breast height (DBH), crown diameter (CD), height under branches (HUB), degree of stem-straightness (DS)) were greater than that of the intra-family, indicating that there was abundant variation among families and potential for selection. (2) At half rotation period (18 years old), there was a significant correlation among the traits. The proportion of trees with twisted trunks (level 1-3 straightness) reached 48%. The DS significantly affected growth traits, among which PH and DBH were the most affected. The volume loss rate caused by twisted trunk was 18.06-56.75%, implying that trunk distortion could not be completely eliminated after an artificial selection. (3) The influence of tree shape, crown width, and trunk on volume increased, and the early-late correlation between PH, DBH and volume was extremely significant. The range of phenotypic coefficient of variation, genetic variation coefficient and family heritability of growth traits (PH, DBH, and volume) were 44.29-127.13%, 22.88-60.87%, and 0.79-0.83, respectively. (4) A total of 21 superior families were selected by the method of membership function combined with independent selection. Compared with the mid-term selection (18 years old), the accuracy of early selection (9 years old) reached 77.5%. The selected families' genetic gain and realistic gain range were 5.79-19.82% and 7.12-24.27%, respectively. This study can provide some useful reference for the breeding of coniferous species.

Examination of the PET in vivo generator 134Ce as a theranostic match for 225Ac.

PURPOSE: The radionuclide pair cerium-134/lanthanum-134 (134Ce/134La) was recently proposed as a suitable diagnostic counterpart for the therapeutic alpha-emitter actinium-225 (225Ac). The unique properties of 134Ce offer perspectives for developing innovative in vivo investigations that are not possible with 225Ac. In this work, 225Ac- and 134Ce-labelled tracers were directly compared using internalizing and slow-internalizing cancer models to evaluate their in vivo comparability, progeny meandering, and potential as a matched theranostic pair for clinical translation. Despite being an excellent chemical match, 134Ce/134La has limitations to the setting of quantitative positron emission tomography imaging. METHODS: The precursor PSMA-617 and a macropa-based tetrazine-conjugate (mcp-PEG8-Tz) were radiolabelled with 225Ac or 134Ce and compared in vitro and in vivo using standard (radio)chemical methods. Employing biodistribution studies and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in athymic nude mice, the radiolabelled PSMA-617 tracers were evaluated in a PC3/PIP (PC3 engineered to express a high level of prostate-specific membrane antigen) prostate cancer mouse model. The 225Ac and 134Ce-labelled mcp-PEG8-Tz were investigated in a BxPC-3 pancreatic tumour model harnessing the pretargeting strategy based on a trans-cyclooctene-modified 5B1 monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: In vitro and in vivo studies with both 225Ac and 134Ce-labelled tracers led to comparable results, confirming the matching pharmacokinetics of this theranostic pair. However, PET imaging of the 134Ce-labelled precursors indicated that quantification is highly dependent on tracer internalization due to the redistribution of 134Ce's PET-compatible daughter 134La. Consequently, radiotracers based on internalizing vectors like PSMA-617 are suited for this theranostic pair, while slow-internalizing 225Ac-labelled tracers are not quantitatively represented by 134Ce PET imaging. CONCLUSION: When employing slow-internalizing vectors, 134Ce might not be an ideal match for 225Ac due to the underestimation of tumour uptake caused by the in vivo redistribution of 134La. However, this same characteristic makes it possible to estimate the redistribution of 225Ac's progeny noninvasively. In future studies, this unique PET in vivo generator will further be harnessed to study tracer internalization, trafficking of receptors, and the progression of the tumour microenvironment.

Gametogenesis and seminatural reproduction of the Amazon twospot astyanax Astyanax bimaculatus (Linnaeus, 1758) cultivated in an enriched environment.

Environmental enrichment is used to provide well-being to the animals, such as fish, in captive conditions, mimicking their natural habitat. It may influence fish behavior, physiology, and survival. In terms of reproduction, however, the relationship between environment enrichment and successful reproduction in captivity is still poorly explored in fish species. Aiming to understand any possible benefits of structural enrichment on fish reproduction, 10-days-hatched larvae of the twospot astyanax Astyanax bimaculatus were raised for 18 weeks in tanks with different elements of structural environmental enrichment (PVC pipes, stones, and artificial plants). In the 5th month of life, those animals were hormonally induced to reproduce to assess gamete formation and offspring quality. Animals raised in a sterile-reared environment (non-enriched) showed earlier spawning than the enriched one, presenting significant quantities of Postovulatory follicle complexes (POCs) and cells in atresia in female ovaries, indicating possible reproductive dysfunction or stress, as well as a greater quantity of empty testicular lumen in males, indicating great release of sperm. On the contrary, animals cultivated in enriched environments showed gonads filled with semen in males and vitellogenic oocytes in females. Furthermore, offspring from the sterile-reared group presented significant rates of larval abnormality compared to the enriched group. In conclusion, the results of this study show that environmental enrichment can interfere with the reproduction of fish in captivity, mainly by preventing early maturation of gametes, which can result in low-quality offspring and, consequently, low production of fish species.

Activity standard and calibrations for 227Th with ingrowing progeny.

Thorium-227 was separated from its progeny and standardized for activity by the triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) method of liquid scintillation counting. Confirmatory liquid scintillation-based measurements were made using efficiency tracing with 3H and live-timed anticoincidence counting (LTAC). The separation time and the efficiency of the separation were confirmed by gamma-ray spectrometry. Calibrations for reentrant pressurized ionization chambers, including commercial radionuclide calibrators, and a well-type NaI(Tl) detector are discussed.

AI-assisted selection of mating pairs through simulation-based optimized progeny allocation strategies in plant breeding.

Emerging technologies such as genomic selection have been applied to modern plant and animal breeding to increase the speed and efficiency of variety release. However, breeding requires decisions regarding parent selection and mating pairs, which significantly impact the ultimate genetic gain of a breeding scheme. The selection of appropriate parents and mating pairs to increase genetic gain while maintaining genetic diversity is still an urgent need that breeders are facing. This study aimed to determine the best progeny allocation strategies by combining future-oriented simulations and numerical black-box optimization for an improved selection of parents and mating pairs. In this study, we focused on optimizing the allocation of progenies, and the breeding process was regarded as a black-box function whose input is a set of parameters related to the progeny allocation strategies and whose output is the ultimate genetic gain of breeding schemes. The allocation of progenies to each mating pair was parameterized according to a softmax function, whose input is a weighted sum of multiple features for the allocation, including expected genetic variance of progenies and selection criteria such as different types of breeding values, to balance genetic gains and genetic diversity optimally. The weighting parameters were then optimized by the black-box optimization algorithm called StoSOO via future-oriented breeding simulations. Simulation studies to evaluate the potential of our novel method revealed that the breeding strategy based on optimized weights attained almost 10% higher genetic gain than that with an equal allocation of progenies to all mating pairs within just four generations. Among the optimized strategies, those considering the expected genetic variance of progenies could maintain the genetic diversity throughout the breeding process, leading to a higher ultimate genetic gain than those without considering it. These results suggest that our novel method can significantly improve the speed and efficiency of variety development through optimized decisions regarding the selection of parents and mating pairs. In addition, by changing simulation settings, our future-oriented optimization framework for progeny allocation strategies can be easily implemented into general breeding schemes, contributing to accelerated plant and animal breeding with high efficiency.

Spatial transcriptomics reveals gene interactions and signaling pathway dynamics in rat embryos with anorectal malformation.

Anorectal malformation (ARM) is a prevalent early pregnancy digestive tract anomaly. The intricate anatomy of the embryonic cloaca region makes it challenging for traditional high-throughput sequencing methods to capture location-specific information. Spatial transcriptomics was used to sequence libraries of frozen sections from embryonic rats at gestational days (GD) 14 to 16, covering both normal and ARM cases. Bioinformatics analyses and predictions were performed using methods such as WGCNA, GSEA, and PROGENy. Immunofluorescence staining was used to verify gene expression levels. Gene expression data was obtained with anatomical annotations of clusters, focusing on the cloaca region's location-specific traits. WGCNA revealed gene modules linked to normal and ARM cloacal anatomy development, with cooperation between modules on GD14 and GD15. Differential gene expression profiles and functional enrichment were presented. Notably, protein levels of Pcsk9, Hmgb2, and Sod1 were found to be downregulated in the GD15 ARM hindgut. The PROGENy algorithm predicted the activity and interplay of common signaling pathways in embryonic sections, highlighting their synergistic and complementary effects. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network was constructed from whole transcriptome data. Spatial transcriptomics provided location-specific cloaca region gene expression. Diverse bioinformatics analyses deepened our understanding of ARM's molecular interactions, guiding future research and providing insights into gene regulation in ARM development.

Investigation of biological-rhythm patterns: physiological and biochemical effects in herbaceous plants exposed to low-level chronic radiation - part 1: nonirradiated seeds.

HYPOTHESIS: Because reactive oxygen species are involved in the regulation of biological rhythms, we hypothesized that intra-annual variability of seed progeny quality at low doses of ionizing radiation (LDIRs) would differ from that of background plants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted 12 consecutive experiments using the roll culture method by germinating seeds (monthly for 3 weeks) of six herbaceous plant species (Bromus inermis, Geum aleppicum, Plantago major, Rumex confertus, Silene latifolia, and Taraxacum officinale) growing under conditions of chronic radiation in the East Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT). We assessed physiological (seed viability and abnormality frequency) and biochemical (low-molecular-weight antioxidants, LMWAs) parameters of seedlings. RESULTS: Total absorbed dose rates of maternal plants (TADRplants) and seed embryos (TADRseeds) in the EURT exceeded background levels by 1-3 and 1-2 orders of magnitude, respectively. Nonlinear dependencies on TADR were mainly characteristic of physiological and biochemical parameters. For most populations of the studied species (B. inermis, G. aleppicum, R. confertus, and S. latifolia), seedling survival and root length decreased in the autumn-winter period, while the frequency of abnormal seedlings increased. The content of LMWAs could be ranked as R. confertus > B. inermis > G. aleppicum > S. latifolia, in good agreement with the presence of anthocyanin pigmentation in the plants. The lowest synthesis of antioxidants in seedlings was observed in winter. A high LMWA content promoted growth and reduced the frequency of abnormal seedlings. CONCLUSIONS: These results underscore a multistage nature of the impact of LDIRs on intra-annual biological rhythms in plants. High heterogeneity in reference group 'wild grasses' and diversity of their radiobiological effects should help to develop methods of radiation protection for natural ecosystems and facilitate approaches used by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.HighlightsAbsorbed dose rates for six plant species in the East Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) area range from 0.11 to 73.89 µGy h-s (plants) and 0.11 to 6.88 µGy h-s (seed embryos).Intra-annual rhythms of physiological and biochemical parameters in the EURT zone differ from those in background seedlings.Plants in the EURT area exhibit a wide range of trait variability, asynchrony of the manifestation of the effects, nonlinear dose-response relations, and hormesis.A high content of low-molecular-weight antioxidants (LMWAs) is associated with low frequency of developmental abnormalities and high viability of seed progeny.

Exploring the PET in vivo generator 134Ce as a theranostic match for 225Ac.

Purpose: The radionuclide pair cerium-134/lanthanum-134 (134Ce/134La) was recently proposed as a suitable diagnostic counterpart for the therapeutic alpha-emitter actinium-225 (225Ac). The unique properties of 134Ce offer perspectives for developing innovative in vivo investigations not possible with 225Ac. In this work, 225Ac- and 134Ce-labeled tracers were directly compared using internalizing and slow-internalizing cancer models to evaluate their in vivo comparability, progeny meandering, and potential as a matched theranostic pair for clinical translation. Despite being an excellent chemical match, 134Ce/134La has limitations to the setting of quantitative positron emission tomography imaging. Methods: The precursor PSMA-617 and a macropa-based tetrazine-conjugate (mcp-PEG8-Tz) were radiolabelled with 225Ac or 134Ce and compared in vitro and in vivo using standard (radio)chemical methods. Employing biodistribution studies and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in athymic nude mice, the radiolabelled PSMA-617 tracers were evaluated in a PC3/PIP (PC3 engineered to express a high level of prostate-specific membrane antigen) prostate cancer mouse model. The 225Ac and 134Ce-labeled mcp-PEG8-Tz were investigated in a BxPC-3 pancreatic tumour model harnessing the pretargeting strategy based on a trans-cyclooctene-modified 5B1 monoclonal antibody. Results: In vitro and in vivo studies with both 225Ac and 134Ce-labelled tracers led to comparable results, confirming the matching pharmacokinetics of this theranostic pair. However, PET imaging of the 134Ce-labelled precursors indicated that quantification is highly dependent on tracer internalization due to the redistribution of 134Ce's PET-compatible daughter 134La. Consequently, radiotracers based on internalizing vectors like PSMA-617 are suited for this theranostic pair, while slow-internalizing 225Ac-labelled tracers are not quantitatively represented by 134Ce PET imaging. Conclusion: When employing slow-internalizing vectors, 134Ce might not be an ideal match for 225Ac due to the underestimation of tumour uptake caused by the in vivo redistribution of 134La. However, this same characteristic makes it possible to estimate the redistribution of 225Ac's progeny noninvasively. In future studies, this unique PET in vivo generator will further be harnessed to study tracer internalization, trafficking of receptors, and the progression of the tumour microenvironment.