KAT8/SIRT7-mediated Fascin-K41 acetylation/deacetylation regulates tumor metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Fascin actin-bundling protein 1 (Fascin) is highly expressed in a variety of cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), working as an important oncogenic protein and promoting the migration and invasion of cancer cells by bundling F-actin to facilitate the formation of filopodia and invadopodia. However, it is not clear how exactly the function of Fascin is regulated by acetylation in cancer cells. Here, in ESCC cells, the histone acetyltransferase KAT8 catalyzed Fascin lysine 41 (K41) acetylation, to inhibit Fascin-mediated F-actin bundling and the formation of filopodia and invadopodia. Furthermore, NAD-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin (SIRT) 7-mediated deacetylation of Fascin-K41 enhances the formation of filopodia and invadopodia, which promotes the migration and invasion of ESCC cells. Clinically, the analysis of cancer and adjacent tissue samples from patients with ESCC showed that Fascin-K41 acetylation was lower in the cancer tissue of patients with lymph node metastasis than in that of patients without lymph node metastasis, and low levels of Fascin-K41 acetylation were associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with ESCC. Importantly, K41 acetylation significantly blocked NP-G2-044, one of the Fascin inhibitors currently being clinically evaluated, suggesting that NP-G2-044 may be more suitable for patients with low levels of Fascin-K41 acetylation, but not suitable for patients with high levels of Fascin-K41 acetylation. © 2024 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sulconazole Induces PANoptosis by Triggering Oxidative Stress and Inhibiting Glycolysis to Increase Radiosensitivity in Esophageal Cancer.

Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the world. Although traditional treatment methods such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy have good effects, their side effects and drug resistance remain problematic. The repositioning of drug function provides new ideas for the research and development of anticancer drugs. We previously showed that the Food and Drug Administration-approved drug sulconazole can effectively inhibit the growth of esophageal cancer cells, but its molecular mechanism is not clear. Here, our study demonstrated that sulconazole had a broad spectrum of anticancer effects. It can not only inhibit the proliferation but also inhibit the migration of esophageal cancer cells. Both transcriptomic sequencing and proteomic sequencing showed that sulconazole could promote various types of programmed cell death and inhibit glycolysis and its related pathways. Experimentally, we found that sulconazole induced apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis. Mechanistically, sulconazole triggered mitochondrial oxidative stress and inhibited glycolysis. Finally, we showed that low-dose sulconazole can increase radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer cells. Taken together, these new findings provide strong laboratory evidence for the clinical application of sulconazole in esophageal cancer.

Fontisubflavum oceani gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from the deep-sea cold seep water of South China Sea.

In this study, we report a Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, atrichous and aerobic bacterial strain named CSW1921T, which was isolated from the deep-sea water of a cold seep in South China Sea. Growth of strain CSW1921T occurred at 10.0-35.0 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 5.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 8.0-9.0) and with 0-9.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.0-2.0 %). Phylogenetic tree analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence or the genomic sequence indicated that strain CSW1921T belonged to the family Rhodobacteraceae and was closely related to Rhodophyticola porphyridii MA-7-27T (97.5 % sequence similarity). Genomic analysis indicated that strain CSW1921T contains a circular chromosome of 3 592 879 bp with G+C content of 60.5 mol%. The predominant respiratory quinone of CSW1921T was ubiquinone-10. The polar lipids of CSW1921T contained phosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified aminolipids, two unidentified phospholipids and two unidentified lipids. The major fatty acids of strain CSW1921T contained C16 : 0, C18 : 1 ω7c 11-methyl and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c). The average nucleotide identity, DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between strain CSW1921T and members of its related species were 68.02-69.08 %, 12.7-12.9 % and 46.87-48.08 %, respectively, which were lower than the recommended threshold values for bacterial species or genus delineation. Phylogenetic, physiological, biochemical and morphological analyses suggested that strain CSW1921T represents a novel genus and a novel species of the family Rhodobacteraceae, and the name Fontisubflavum oceani gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain CSW1921T (=MCCC 1K08371T=KCTC 92834T).

Description of Fuscovulum ytuae sp. nov, a facultative autotroph isolated from the intertidalite of Yangma island, China.

In this study, we reported a Gram-stain-negative, ovoid to rod-shaped, atrichous, and facultative anaerobe bacteria strain named YMD61T, which was isolated from the intertidal sediment of Yangma island, China. Growth of strain YMD61T occurred at 10.0-45.0 °C (optimum, 30.0 °C), pH 7.0-10.0 (optimum, 8.0) and with 0-3.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.0%). Phylogenetic tree analysis based on 16 S rRNA gene or genomic sequence indicated that strain YMD61T belonged to the genus Fuscovulum and was closely related to Fuscovulum blasticum ATCC 33,485T (96.6% sequence similarity). Genomic analysis indicated that strain YMD61T contains a circular chromosome of 3,895,730 bp with DNA G + C content of 63.3%. The genomic functional analysis indicated that strain YMD61T is a novel sulfur-metabolizing bacteria, which is capable of fixing carbon through an autotrophic pathway by integrating the processes of photosynthesis and sulfur oxidation. The predominant respiratory quinone of YMD61T was ubiquinone-10 (Q-10). The polar lipids of YMD61T contained phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, five unidentified lipids, unidentified aminolipid and unidentified aminophospholipid. The major fatty acids of strain YMD61T contained C18:1ω7c 11-methyl and summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω 7c or/and C18:1 ω 6c). Phylogenetic, physiological, biochemical and morphological analyses suggested that strain YMD61T represents a novel species of the genus Fuscovulum, and the name Fuscovulum ytuae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YMD61T (= MCCC 1K08483T = KCTC 43,537T).

Pseudo Elevation of TSH and ACTH Caused by Heterophilic Antibodies: a Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: TSH and ACTH are crucial hormones for diagnosing thyroid and adrenal diseases, and incorrect test reports can cause significant harm to patients. METHODS: The TSH and ACTH levels on the testing system of our laboratory were measured using "sandwich" assays. The patient had heterophilic antibodies in their body, causing a false increase in TSH and ACTH levels. RESULTS: TSH on the Abbott platform was 59.7 µIU/mL and on the Roche platform it was 4.33 µIU/mL. After pretreatment with HBR it was 3.95 µIU/mL; ACTH on the SIEMENS platform was 263.5 pg/mL, on the Abbott platform it was 47.6 pg/mL. After pretreatment with HBR it was 36.5 pg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: The patient's serum contains heterophilic antibodies, which interfere with the TSH and ACTH tested by this method.

A Pseudo Elevation of CEA Caused by Epidemic Hemorrhagic Fever.

BACKGROUND: Heterophilic antibodies (HA) are one of the main substances that interfere with immunology, especially chemiluminescence immunoassay. Non-specific binding, labeling antibodies, bridging to capture antibodies, or labeling antigens can interfere with the detection process, leading to serious discrepancies between the measured results and clinical manifestations, and even delaying clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: This paper is a case of epidemic hemorrhagic fever causing pseudo CEA elevation caused by heterophagy induced antibodies in the body. RESULTS: The patient's CEA detected on the ABBOTT detection platform was 51.1 ng/mL, and on the ROCHE detection platforms it was 4.66 ng/mL, and treated by PEG precipitation it was 45.2 ng/mL, after diluting the sample the CEA was 50.2 ng/mL, meanwhile the patient's platelets were 96 x 109/L and serum creatinine was 188.4 µmol/L, epidemic hemorrhagic fever IgM antibody was positive. CONCLUSIONS: When the test results do not match clinical symptoms, further confirmation is required through additional testing. Patients who use mouse monoclonal antibody preparations for diagnosis or treatment may have human anti-mouse antibodies in their serum, and the test results may falsely increase or decrease.

Copper-Mediated Oxidative Chloro- and Bromodifluoromethylation of Phenols.

The first oxidative chloro- and bromodifluoromethylation of phenols with (CH3)3SiCF2X and CuX (X = Cl or Br) in the presence of Selectfluor under mild reaction conditions was developed. This protocol provided a practical and efficient method for the synthesis of a diverse range of biologically valuable and synthetically challenging chloro- and bromodifluoromethyl aryl ethers. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that this reaction proceeded through a difluorocarbene-involved oxidative coupling process.

Congenital heart disease-associated pulmonary dysplasia and its underlying mechanisms.

Clinical observation indicates that exercise capacity, an important determinant of survival in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), is most decreased in children with reduced pulmonary blood flow (RPF). However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we obtained human RPF lung samples from children with tetralogy of Fallot as well as piglet and rat RPF lung samples from animals with pulmonary artery banding surgery. We observed impaired alveolarization and vascularization, the main characteristics of pulmonary dysplasia, in the lungs of RPF infants, piglets, and rats. RPF caused smaller lungs, cyanosis, and body weight loss in neonatal rats and reduced the number of alveolar type 2 cells. RNA sequencing demonstrated that RPF induced the downregulation of metabolism and migration, a key biological process of late alveolar development, and the upregulation of immune response, which was confirmed by flow cytometry and cytokine detection. In addition, the immunosuppressant cyclosporine A rescued pulmonary dysplasia and increased the expression of the Wnt signaling pathway, which is the driver of postnatal lung development. We concluded that RPF results in pulmonary dysplasia, which may account for the reduced exercise capacity of patients with CHD with RPF. The underlying mechanism is associated with immune response activation, and immunosuppressants have a therapeutic effect in CHD-associated pulmonary dysplasia.

Development and Validation of a New Staging System for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Based on Combined Pathological TNM, Radiomics, and Proteomics.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to construct a new staging system for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) based on combined pathological TNM (pTNM) stage, radiomics, and proteomics. METHODS: This study collected patients with radiomics and pTNM stage (Cohort 1, n = 786), among whom 103 patients also had proteomic data (Cohort 2, n = 103). The Cox regression model with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, and the Cox proportional hazards model were used to construct a nomogram and predictive models. Concordance index (C-index) and the integrated area under the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (IAUC) were used to evaluate the predictive models. The corresponding staging systems were further assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. RESULTS: For Cohort 1, the RadpTNM4c staging systems, constructed based on combined pTNM stage and radiomic features, outperformed the pTNM4c stage in both the training dataset 1 (Train1; IAUC 0.711 vs. 0.706, p < 0.001) and the validation dataset 1 (Valid1; IAUC 0.695 vs. 0.659, p < 0.001; C-index 0.703 vs. 0.674, p = 0.029). For Cohort 2, the ProtRadpTNM2c staging system, constructed based on combined pTNM stage, radiomics, and proteomics, outperformed the pTNM2c stage in both the Train2 (IAUC 0.777 vs. 0.610, p < 0.001; C-index 0.898 vs. 0.608, p < 0.001) and Valid2 (IAUC 0.746 vs. 0.608, p < 0.001; C-index 0.889 vs. 0.641, p = 0.009) datasets. CONCLUSIONS: The ProtRadpTNM2c staging system, based on combined pTNM stage, radiomic, and proteomic features, improves the predictive performance of the classical pTNM staging system.

N-Trifluoromethoxyphthalimide: A Shelf-Stable Reagent for Nucleophilic Trifluoromethoxylation.

Due to the unique properties of the OCF3 group, trifluoromethyl ether compounds play an important role in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Recently, considerable attention has been focused on the development of practical and convenient reagents for the direct incorporation of the OCF3 group into organic compounds. Herein, we reported a new trifluoromethoxylating reagent N-trifluoromethoxyphthalimide (Phth-OCF3). The reagent was a stable solid and released an OCF3 anion under mild reaction conditions. We demonstrated the application of Phth-OCF3 for the nucleophilic trifluoromethoxylation of various alkyl electrophiles.

Tropicibacter oceani sp. nov., a novel sulfur-metabolizing bacteria isolated from the intertidal zone sediment of Chinese Yellow Sea.

In this study, we reported a Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, atrichous, and aerobic bacterial strain named YMD87T, which was isolated from the intertidal zone sediment of Chinese Yellow Sea. Growth of strain YMD87T occurred at 10.0-40.0 °C (optimum, 25-30 °C), pH 4.0-12.0 (optimum, 8.0) and with 0-6.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0.0-2.0%). Phylogenetic tree analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain YMD87T belonged to the genus Tropicibacter and was closely related to Tropicibacter alexandrii LMIT003T (97.2% sequence similarity). Genomic analysis indicated that strain YMD87T contains a circular chromosome of 3,932,460 bp with G + C content of 63.8% and three circular plasmids of 116,492 bp, 49,209 bp and 49,673 bp, with G + C content of 64.3%. Genomic functional analysis revealed that strain YMD87T is potential a novel sulfur-metabolizing bacteria. The predominant respiratory quinone of YMD87T was ubiquinone-10 (Q-10). The major polar lipids of YMD87T contained phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, five unidentified lipids, five unidentified phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine, unidentified glycolipid and five unidentified aminolipids. The major fatty acids of strain YMD87T contained C12:1 3-OH, C16:0, and summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c or/and C18:1 ω6c). Phylogenetic, physiological, biochemical and morphological analyses suggested that strain YMD87T represents a novel species of the genus Tropicibacter, and the name Tropicibacter oceani sp. nov is proposed. The type strain is YMD87T (= MCCC 1K08473T = KCTC 92856 T).

Clinicodemographic correlates of psychotic features in bipolar disorder - a multicenter study in China.

BACKGROUND: Psychotic symptoms are prevalent in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). However, nearly all previous studies on differences in sociodemographic and clinical factors between patients with (BD P +) and without (BD P-) psychotic symptoms were conducted in Western populations, and limited information is known in China. METHOD: A total of 555 patients with BD from seven centers across China were recruited. A standardized procedure was used to collect patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The patients were divided into BD P + or BD P- groups based on the presence of lifetime psychotic symptoms. Mann-Whitney U test or chi-square test was used to analyze differences in sociodemographic and clinical factors between patients with BD P + and BD P-. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore factors that were independently correlated with psychotic symptoms in BD. All the above analyses were re-conducted after the patients were divided into BD I and BD II group according to their types of diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 35 patients refused to participate, and the remaining 520 patients were included in the analyses. Compared with patients with BD P-, those with BD P + were more likely to be diagnosed with BD I and mania/hypomania/mixed polarity in the first mood episode. Moreover, they were more likely to be misdiagnosed as schizophrenia than major depressive disorder, were hospitalized more often, used antidepressants less frequently, and used more antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. Multivariate analyses revealed that diagnosis of BD I, more frequent misdiagnosis as schizophrenia and other mental disorders, less frequent misdiagnosis as major depressive disorder, more frequent lifetime suicidal behavior, more frequent hospitalizations, less frequent use of antidepressants, more frequent use of antipsychotics and mood stabilizers were independently correlated with psychotic symptoms in BD. After dividing the patients into BD I and BD II groups, we observed notable differences in sociodemographic and clinical factors, as well as clinicodemographic correlates of psychotic features between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in clinical factors between patients with BD P + and BD P- showed cross-cultural consistency, but results on the clinicodemographic correlates of psychotic features were not. Notable differences between patients with BD I and BD II were found. Future work exploring the psychotic features of BD needs to take types of diagnosis and cultural differences into consideration. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was first registered on the website of the ClinicalTrials.gov ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ) on 18/01/2013. Its registration number is NCT01770704.

RBM24 controls cardiac QT interval through CaMKIIδ splicing.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II delta (CaMKIIδ) is the predominant cardiac isoform and it is alternatively spliced to generate multiple variants. Variable variants allow for distinct localization and potentially different functions in the heart. Dysregulation of CaMKIIδ splicing has been demonstrated to be involved in the pathogenesis of heart diseases, such as cardiac hypertrophy, arrhythmia, and diastolic dysfunction. However, the mechanisms that regulate CaMKIIδ are incompletely understood. Here, we show that RNA binding motif protein 24 (RBM24) is a key splicing regulator of CaMKIIδ. RBM24 ablation leads to the aberrant shift of CaMKIIδ towards the δ-C isoform, which is known to activate the L-type Ca current. In line with this, we found marked alteration in Ca2+ handling followed by prolongation of the ventricular cardiac action potential and QT interval in RBM24 knockout mice, and these changes could be attenuated by treatment with an inhibitor of CaMKIIδ. Importantly, knockdown of RBM24 in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes showed similar electrophysiological abnormalities, suggesting the important role of RBM24 in the human heart. Thus, our data suggest that RBM24 is a critical regulator of CaMKIIδ to control the cardiac QT interval, highlighting the key role of splicing regulation in cardiac rhythm.

Activation of bivalent factor DLX5 cooperates with master regulator TP63 to promote squamous cell carcinoma.

To reconstruct systematically hyperactive transcription factor (TF)-dependent transcription networks in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), a computational method (ELMER) was applied to 1293 pan-SCC patient samples, and 44 hyperactive SCC TFs were identified. As a top candidate, DLX5 exhibits a notable bifurcate re-configuration of its bivalent promoter in cancer. Specifically, DLX5 maintains a bivalent state in normal tissues; its promoter is hypermethylation, leading to DLX5 transcriptional silencing in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). In stark contrast, DLX5 promoter gains active histone marks and becomes transcriptionally activated in ESCC, which is directly mediated by SOX2. Functionally, silencing of DLX5 substantially inhibits SCC viability both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, DLX5 cooperates with TP63 in regulating ∼2000 enhancers and promoters, which converge on activating cancer-promoting pathways. Together, our data establish a novel and strong SCC-promoting factor and elucidate a new epigenomic mechanism - bifurcate chromatin re-configuration - during cancer development.

Leaf spot of Alnus cremastogyne Caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in Sichuan, China.

Alnus cremastogyne Burk, a broad-leaved tree endemic to south-western China, has both ecological and economic value. The tree is widely used in furniture, timber, windbreaks and sand fixation, and soil and water conservation (Tariq et al. 2018). In December 2020, a new leaf spot disease was discovered on A. cremastogyne in two plant nurseries in Bazhong City (31°15' to 32°45N, 106°21' to 107°45'E), with 77.53% disease incidence. Among the infected trees, 69.54% of the leaves were covered with symptoms of the disease. The typical symptoms initially appeared as irregular brown necrotic lesions, while some lesions were surrounded by a light yellow halo. As the disease progressed, the number of necrotic lesions increased, and lesions gradually expanded and coalesced (Fig. 1). Finally, the disease caused the leaves of A. cremastogyne to wither, curl, die, and fall off. Ten symptomatic leaves were collected from 5 different trees in the two plant nurseries. The leaves with symptoms of leaf spot disease were collected and cut from the junction between the diseased and the healthy tissues. The infected tissues from 10 samples were cut into small 2.5 × 2.5 mm pieces. Infected tissues was sterilized in 3% NaClO solution for 60 s followed by 75% ethanol for 90 s, rinsed three times in sterile water, blot-dried with autoclaved paper towels, and then cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25℃ for 4 to 8 days in 12 h/12 h light/dark conditions. After 8 days, the colony diameter reached 71.2 to 79.8 mm. The colonies were initially light pink, and then turned white with pale orange beneath. The conidia were single-celled, aseptate, colorless, cylindrical, straight, bluntly rounded at both ends, and measured 11.6 to 15.9 × 4.3 to 6.1 µm (n = 100). These morphological characteristics were consistent with the description of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Pan et al. 2021). For molecular identification, the genomic DNA of a representative isolate, QM202012, was extracted using a fungal genomic DNA extraction kit (Solarbio, Beijing). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS), actin (ACT), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) genes were amplified with primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), ACT-512F/ACT-783R (Carbone & Kohn, 1999) and GDF/GDR (Templeton et al. 1992), respectively. Sequences were deposited in GenBank (ITS: OL744612, ACT: OL763390, and GAPDH: OL799166). BLAST results indicated that the ITS, ACT, and GAPDH sequences showed >99% identity with C. gloeosporioides sequences in NCBI (GenBank NR160754, MG561657, and KP145407). Identification was confirmed by Bayesian inference using Mr Bayer (Fig 2) A conidial suspension (1 × 106 conidia/ml) was used to test pathogenicity on the leaves of 4-year-old A. cremastogyne plants (10 plants). Fifteen leaves of each plant (10 pots in total) were inoculated with the spore suspension on the leaves. The same number of control leaves was sprayed with sterilized distilled water as a control. Finally, all potted plants were placed in a greenhouse at 25°C under 16 h/8 h photoperiod and 67 to 78% relative humidity. The symptoms observed on the inoculated plants were similar to those of the original diseased plants, with 100% of the inoculated plants being infested with brown leaf spots, but the controls remained symptom-free. C. gloeosporioides was re-isolated from the infected leaves and identified by both morphological characteristics and DNA sequence analysis. The pathogenicity test was repeated three times, showing similar results each time, confirming Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf spot on A. cremastogyne caused by C. gloeosporioides in China. This finding indicates that C. gloeosporioides may become a serious threat to A. cremastogyne production in Bazhong City and helps to further examine and prevent leaf spot disease in A. cremastogyne growing areas in Bazhong City.

Colletotrichum fructicola Causal agent of Shot-Hole Symptoms on Leaves of Prunus sibirica in China.

Prunus sibirica L. (Siberian apricot) is a member of the Rosaceae family and an ecologically important tree species in China (Buer et al., 2022). Shot hole symptoms on the leaves were observed in five Siberian apricot groves in Chengdu (103.81 E, 30.97 N), Sichuan province in July 2020. The symptoms first appeared as small purplish-brown spots with yellow rings around them. As the disease progressed, the damaged area (diameter 1.5-3.0 cm) became necrotic and fell off. The disease incidence was about 60% and the disease index was 28.6 of leaves in the grove. in most severe cases. Fifteen symptomatic leaves were collected from 5 different trees in an orchard. Pathogen isolation was performed from symptomatic leaf tissue (5 × 5 mm) though surface disinfection (in 70% ethanol and 2% NaClO) and incubation on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) at 28℃ for 3 days. Overall 10 isolates with similar colony morphology were obtained from the 15 infected tissue pieces, and three representative isolates (XCK 2-4) were selected for further study. Colonies of the isolates on PDA were initially cottony, pale white to grayish-green with abundant aerial hyphae and produced conidial masses after 7 days. Conidiogenous cells were clavate and aggregated in acervuli. Conidia were smooth-walled, single-celled, straight, and slightly obtusely rounded at both ends, 12.8 to 18.7 × 4.3 to 5.7 µm in size (Fig. 1). The morphological characteristics of the three isolates were consistent with the description of species in the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides complex. DNA was amplified using the following primers pairs for the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA and partial sequences of beta-tubulin (TUB2), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), chitin synthase (CHS-1), and translation elongation factor (TEF-1), respectively: ITS1/ITS4, T1/Bt2b, GDF/GDR, CHS-F/CHS-R, and EF-F/EF-R (Vieira et al., 2014). Accession numbers (MW228049, MW284974, MW284976, MW284975 and MW284977, respectively) were obtained afterepositing all the resulting sequences in GenBank. Nucleotide blast showed 99 to 100% identities with Colletotrichum fructicola (GenBank accessions nos. MZ961683, MW284974, MN525881, MN525860, MF627961). Phylogenetic analysis of combined ITS-TUB-GAPDH genes using the Mrbayes inference method showed that the three isolates clustered with three reference isolates of C. fructicola as a distinct clade (Fig. 2). To verify Koch's postulates, ten 3-year-old healthy potted plants of P. sibirica were inoculated by spraying a conidial suspension (6 × 105 conidia/mL) of isolate XCK2 on both sides of leaves, and the control leaves were sprayed with sterile water. Then, all treatments were placed in a moist environment (25±2°C, 80% relative humidity, natural light). The inoculated plants showed typical symptoms of plants with natural infections, while the controls remained asymptomatic after 14 days. The pathogen C. fructicola was re-isolated from all inoculated plants, and the culture and fungus characteristics were the same as those of the original isolate. Colletotrichum fructicola was not isolated from the control plants. The results indicated that C. fructicola is the causal agent of the disease. Colletotrichum fructicola was reported as a leaf pathogen on Camellia chrysantha in China (Zhao et al., 2021). This is the first report of C. fructicola causing P. sibirica leaf shot-hole in the world. The identification of C. fructicola could provide relevant information for applying management strategies and research on the Siberian apricot disease.

Nigrospora musae Causing Taxus chinensis var. mairei stem blight in Sichuan, China.

Taxus chinensis var. mairei is the endemic, endangered, and first-class protected tree species in China. This species is considered as an important resource plant because it can produce Taxol which is an effective medicinal compound against various cancers (Zhang et al., 2010). Stem blight was observed in two plant nurseries in Ya'an (102°44'E,30°42'N), Sichuan province in April 2021. The symptoms first appeared as round brown spots on the stem. As the disease progressed, the damaged area gradually expanded into an oval or irregular shape, which was dark brown. About 800 square meters of planting area were investigated and the disease incidence was up to approximately 64.8%. Twenty obviously symptomatic stems which exhibited the same symptoms as above were collected from 5 different trees in the nursery. To isolate the pathogen, the symptom margin was cut into small blocks (5 x 5 mm), and the blocks were surface sterilized in 75% ethanol for 90 s and 3% NaClO solution for 60 s . Finally incubated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) at 28℃ for 5 days. Ten pure cultures were isolated by transferring hyphal and the three strains (HDS06, HDS07 and HDS08) were selected as representative isolates for further study. Initially, colonies on the PDA of three isolates were white and cotton-like, and then gradually turned gray-black from the center. After 21 days, conidia were produced and were smooth-walled, single-celled, black, oblate, or spherical, measuring 9.3 to 13.6 × 10.1 to 14.5 µm in size (n = 50). Conidia were present at the tip of conidiophores on hyaline vesicles. These morphological features were generally consistent with those of N. musae (Wang et al., 2017). To validate the identification, DNA were extracted from the three isolates, followed by the amplification of transcribed spacer region of rDNA (ITS), the translation elongation factor EF-1 (TEF-1), and the Beta-tubulin (TUB2) sequences with the respective primer pairs ITS1/ITS4 (White et al., 1990), EF-728F/EF-986R (Vieira et al., 2014) and Bt2a/Bt2b (O'Donnell et al., 1997) .The sequences were deposited in GenBank with the accession numbers ON965533, OP028064, OP028068, OP060349, OP060353, OP060354, OP060350, OP060351 and OP060352, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of combined ITS, TUB2, and TEF genes using the Mrbayes inference method showed that the three isolates clustered with Nigrospora musae as a distinct clade (Fig. 2). Combine with morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, three isolates were identified as N. musae. 30 2-year-old healthy potted plants of T. chinensis were used for pathogenicity test. 25 of these plants were inoculated by injecting 10 µL of the conidia suspension (1 × 106 conidia/mL) into stems and then wrap around the seal to moisturize. The remaining 5 plants were injected with the same amount of sterilized distilled water as a control. Finally, all potted plants were placed in a greenhouse at 25°C and 80% relative humidity. After 2 weeks, the inoculated stems developed lesions similar to those observed in the field, whereas controls were asymptomatic. N. musae was re-isolated from the infected stem and identified by both morphological characteristics and DNA sequence analysis. The experiments repeated three times showed similar results. As far as we know, this is the first report of N. musae causing T. chinensis stem blight in the world. The identification of N. musae could provide a certain theoretical basis for field management and further research of T. chinensis.

Dynamic Regulation of brsk2 in the Social and Motor Development of Zebrafish: A Developmental Behavior Analysis.

Both social and motor development play an essential role in an individual's physical, psychological, and social well-being. It is essential to conduct a dynamic analysis at multiple time points during the developmental process as it helps us better understand and evaluate the trajectory and changes in individual development. Recently, some studies found that mutations in the BRSK2 gene may contribute to motor impairments, delays in achieving motor milestones, and deficits in social behavior and communication skills in patients. However, little is known about the dynamic analysis of social and motor development at multiple time points during the development of the brsk2 gene. We generated a novel brsk2-deficient (brsk2ab-/-) zebrafish model through CRISPR/Cas9 editing and conducted comprehensive morphological and neurobehavioral evaluations, including that of locomotor behaviors, social behaviors, and anxiety behaviors from the larval to adult stages of development. Compared to wild-type zebrafish, brsk2ab-/- zebrafish exhibited a catch-up growth pattern of body length and gradually improved locomotor activities during the developmental process. In contrast, multimodal behavior tests showed that the brsk2ab-/- zebrafish displayed escalating social deficiency and anxiety-like behaviors over time. We reported for the first time that the brsk2 gene had dynamic regulatory effects on motor and social development. It helps us understand developmental trends, capture changes, facilitate early interventions, and provide personalized support and development opportunities for individuals.

Integrated Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis Reveals the Molecular Mechanism of Rust Resistance in Resistant (Youkang) and Susceptive (Tengjiao) Zanthoxylum armatum Cultivars.

Chinese pepper rust is a live parasitic fungal disease caused by Coleosporium zanthoxyli, which seriously affects the cultivation and industrial development of Z. armatum. Cultivating and planting resistant cultivars is considered the most economical and environmentally friendly strategy to control this disease. Therefore, the mining of excellent genes for rust resistance and the analysis of the mechanism of rust resistance are the key strategies to achieve the targeted breeding of rust resistance. However, there is no relevant report on pepper rust resistance at present. The aim of the present study was to further explore the resistance mechanism of pepper by screening the rust-resistant germplasm resources in the early stage. Combined with the analysis of plant pathology, transcriptomics, and metabolomics, we found that compared with susceptible cultivar TJ, resistant cultivar YK had 2752 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, 1253 up-, and 1499 downregulated) and 321 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs, 133 up- and 188 down-accumulated) after pathogen infection. And the genes and metabolites related to phenylpropanoid metabolism were highly enriched in resistant varieties, which indicated that phenylpropanoid metabolism might mediate the resistance of Z. armatum. This finding was further confirmed by a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, which revealed that the expression levels of core genes involved in phenylpropane metabolism in disease-resistant varieties were high. In addition, the difference in flavonoid and MeJA contents in the leaves between resistant and susceptible varieties further supported the conclusion that the flavonoid pathway and methyl jasmonate may be involved in the formation of Chinese pepper resistance. Our research results not only help to better understand the resistance mechanism of Z. armatum rust but also contribute to the breeding and utilization of resistant varieties.

Behavioral and Sensory Deficits Associated with Dysfunction of GABAergic System in a Novel shank2-Deficient Zebrafish Model.

Hyper-reactivity to sensory inputs is a common and debilitating symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the underlying neural abnormalities remain unclear. Two of three patients in our clinical cohort screen harboring de novo SHANK2 mutations also exhibited high sensitivity to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli, so we examined whether shank2 deficiencies contribute to sensory abnormalities and other ASD-like phenotypes by generating a stable shank2b-deficient zebrafish model (shank2b-/-). The adult shank2b-/- zebrafish demonstrated reduced social preference and kin preference as well as enhanced behavioral stereotypy, while larvae exhibited hyper-sensitivity to auditory noise and abnormal hyperactivity during dark-to-light transitions. This model thus recapitulated the core developmental and behavioral phenotypes of many previous genetic ASD models. Expression levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor subunit mRNAs and proteins were also reduced in shank2b-/- zebrafish, and these animals exhibited greater sensitivity to drug-induced seizures. Our results suggest that GABAergic dysfunction is a major contributor to the sensory hyper-reactivity in ASD, and they underscore the need for interventions that target sensory-processing disruptions during early neural development to prevent disease progression.