Sexually concordant selection on floral traits despite greater opportunity for selection through male fitness.

Pollinators are important drivers of floral trait evolution, yet plant populations are not always perfectly adapted to their pollinators. Such apparent maladaptation may result from conflicting selection through male and female sexual functions in hermaphrodites. We studied sex-specific mating patterns and phenotypic selection on floral traits in Aconitum gymnandrum. After genotyping 1786 offspring, we partitioned individual fitness into sex-specific selfed and outcrossed components and estimated phenotypic selection acting through each. Relative fitness increased with increasing mate number, and more so for male function. This led to greater opportunity for selection through outcrossed male fitness, though patterns of phenotypic selection on floral traits tended to be similar, and with better support for selection through female rather than male fitness components. We detected directional selection through one or more fitness component for larger flower number, larger flowers, and more negative nectar gradients within inflorescences. Our results are consistent with Bateman's principles for sex-specific mating patterns and illustrate that, despite the expected difference in opportunity for selection, patterns of variation in selection across traits can be rather similar for the male and female sexual functions. These results shed new light on the effect of sexual selection on the evolution of floral traits.

Rapid evolution of a family-diagnostic trait: artificial selection and correlated responses in wild radish, Raphanus raphanistrum.

The mechanisms underlying trait conservation over long evolutionary time scales are poorly known. These mechanisms fall into the two broad and nonmutually exclusive categories of constraint and selection. A variety of factors have been hypothesized to constrain trait evolution. Alternatively, selection can maintain similar trait values across many species if the causes of selection are also relatively conserved, while many sources of constraint may be overcome over longer periods of evolutionary divergence. An example of deep trait conservation is tetradynamy in the large family Brassicaceae, where the four medial stamens are longer than the two lateral stamens. Previous work has found selection to maintain this difference in lengths, which we call anther separation, in wild radish, Raphanus raphanistrum. Here, we test the constraint hypothesis using five generations of artificial selection to reduce anther separation in wild radish. We found a rapid linear response to this selection, with no evidence for depletion of genetic variation and correlated responses to this selection in only four of 15 other traits, suggesting a lack of strong constraint. Taken together, available evidence suggests that tetradynamy is likely to be conserved due to selection, but the function of this trait remains unclear.

Transamidation and Decarbonylation of N-Phthaloyl-Amino Acid Amides Enabled by Palladium-Catalyzed Selective C-N Bond Cleavage.

Amides are important functional synthons that have been widely used in the construction of peptides, natural products, and drugs. The C-N bond cleavage provides the direct method for amide conversion. However, amides, especially secondary amides, tend to be chemically inert due to the resonance of the amide bond. Here, we describe an efficient Pd-catalyzed transamidation and decarbonylation of multiamide structure molecules through C-N bond cleavage with excellent chemoselectivity. The transamidation of secondary amides and the decarbonylation of phthalimide provide meaningful tools for the modification of amino acid derivatives. Moreover, further transformations of azidation and C(sp3)-H monoarylation emphasized the potential utility of this selective C-N bond cleavage method.

Development of genomic microsatellite markers for Aconitum gymnandrum (Ranunculaceae) by next generation sequencing (NGS).

Mating plays key roles in the demographic and genetic dynamics of populations. Estimates of mating portfolios and system based on progeny array (PA) method required highly polymorphic genetic markers, of which microsatellite is a good choice. In this study, we reported 19 polymorphic microsatellite loci for Aconitum gymnandrum. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 12. Observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 1.000 and from 0.219 to 0.842, respectively. Seven loci showed significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These markers will provide a useful tool for pollination ecology and population genetic studies of A. gymnandrum in Qinghai-Tibet plateau.

Association of PTTG1 polymorphism rs1895320, rs2910200 and rs6882742 with non-functioning pituitary adenomas in Chinese Han population: a case-control study.

Due to absence of clinical manifestations of hormonal hyper secretion, the treatment of Nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) was always delayed. PTTG1 was reported to be overexpressed in most of pituitary tumors, however, the polymorphism of PTTG1 rs1895320, rs2910200 and rs6882742 with NFPA were still not fully elucidated in NFPA. Thus, a hospital based case control study which included 79 patients and 142 healthy control participants were conducted. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and genotyped by Mass Array methods. In addition, a meta-analysis of rs2910200 was also employed to further testify the conclusion. Significant difference were observed between patients and healthy controls under rs2910200 locus between allelic genotype (p = 0.0219). However, no other significant difference was observed in rs1895329 and rs6882742. In addition, a logistic regression analysis showed that the dominant model of rs2910200 were closely correlated with the NFPA susceptibility (OR = 1.951, 95% CI:1.075-3.542, p = 0.028). While no significant difference was observed in the rs1895320 and rs6882742 under dominant model, recessive model and additive model The meta-analysis results showed that the dominant model and heterozygote model can significantly increase the risk of PA (p = 0.007, OR = 1.57, 95% CI:1.14-2.18; p = 0.009, OR = 1.57, 95% CI:1.12-2.19). Whereas no significant difference were observed under the homozygous model and recessive model. In conclusion, the polymorphism of PTTG1 rs2910200 dominant model and T allelic might increase the risk of NFPA.

Synthesis of multi-substituted allenes from organoalane reagents and propargyl esters by using a nickel catalyst.

A highly efficient and simple route for the synthesis of multi-substituted allenes has been developed by a nickel catalyzed SN2' substitution reaction of propargyl esters with organic aluminium reagents under mild conditions, which gave the corresponding multi-substituted allenes in good to excellent yields (up to 92%) and high selectivities (up to 99%) at 60 °C for 6 h in THF. Aryls bearing electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups in propargyl esters gave products in good yields. In addition, the multi-substituted allenes bearing a thienyl or a pyridyl group were obtained in 95-97% selectivities with isolated yields of 72-83%. Furthermore, the SN2' substitution reaction worked efficiently with propargyl carbonate compounds as well. On the basis of the experimental results, a possible catalytic cycle has been proposed.

Correlation of PICALM polymorphism rs3851179 with Alzheimer's disease among Caucasian and Chinese populations: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

The rs3851179 which located at upstream of PICALM was reported to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the relationship is still undefined. To gain a more precise understanding of the association, we conducted a meta-analysis: a comprehensive survey of 16 case-control studies that evaluated the role of rs3851179 gene variants in AD patients. The overall analysis revealed a significant association between the polymorphism and AD in the allelic, homozygote, heterozygote, dominant, and recessive models (p < 0.05). When stratified by ethnicity, a significant association was observed between AD development in Caucasian populations and the five-genetic models; Asian populations, however, featured a significant association in only the allelic, homozygote, and recessive models. We did not observe any influence of APOE ε4 carrier status on the incidence of AD and rs3851179 (p > 0.05). Our meta-analysis thus suggested that the PICALM rs3851179 polymorphism was associated with AD; the APOE ε4 status did not influence the relationship. Nevertheless, considering the limitations of our meta-analysis, further large-scale studies should be conducted to gain a more comprehensive understanding.

Aromatic Thioacetal-Bridged ROS-Responsive Nanoparticles as Novel Gene Delivery Vehicles.

In this report, a series of polycations are designed and synthesized by conjugating reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive thioacetal-linkers to low molecular weight (LMW) polyethylenimine (PEI) via ring-opening polymerization. Their structure⁻activity relationships (SARs) as gene delivery vectors are systematically studied. Although the MWs of the target polymers are only ~9 KDa, they show good DNA binding ability. The formed polyplexes, which are stable toward serum but decomposed under ROS-conditions, have appropriate sizes (180~300 nm) and positive zeta-potentials (+35~50 mV). In vitro experiments reveal that these materials have low cytotoxicity, and higher transfection efficiency (TE) than controls. Furthermore, the title polymers exhibit excellent serum tolerance. With the present of 10% serum, the TE of the polymers even increases up to 10 times higher than 25 KDa PEI and 9 times higher than Lipofectamine 2000. The SAR studies also reveal that electron-withdrawing groups on the aromatic ring in 4a may benefit to balance between the DNA condensation and release for efficient gene transfection.

Zn(II)-dipicolylamine-based metallo-lipids as novel non-viral gene vectors.

In this study, a series of Zn(II)-dipicolylamine (Zn-DPA) based cationic lipids bearing different hydrophobic tails (long chains, α-tocopherol, cholesterol or diosgenin) were synthesized. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) of these lipids was studied in detail by investigating the effects of several structural aspects including the type of hydrophobic tails, the chain length and saturation degree. In addition, several assays were used to study their interactions with plasmid DNA, and results reveal that these lipids could condense DNA into nanosized particles with appropriate size and zeta-potentials. MTT-based cell viability assays showed that lipoplexes 5 had low cytotoxicity. The in vitro gene transfection studies showed the hydrophobic tails clearly affected the TE, and hexadecanol-containing lipid 5b gives the best TE, which was 2.2 times higher than bPEI 25k in the presence of 10% serum. The results not only demonstrate that these lipids might be promising non-viral gene vectors, but also afford us clues for further optimization of lipidic gene delivery materials.

Regioselective 1,2-addition of allenamides with N-haloimides: synthesis of 2-halo allylic aminal derivatives.

A strategy for the synthesis of 2-halo allylic aminal derivatives through regioselective 1,2-addition of allenamides with N-haloimides is presented. This reaction was conducted under very mild conditions and gave up to 99% yield. Moreover, the obtained halides allow functional group diversification by palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions, which could act as potential intermediates for the synthesis of valuable compounds.

Post-synthetic modification of tryptophan containing peptides via NIS mediation.

A new efficient method was developed to provide modified tryptophan peptides through NIS (N-iodosuccinimide) mediated N2-selective coupling of a Trp unit with 1,2,3-triazoles, of which, the preliminary spectral properties were also studied.

Correlation of rs9331888 polymorphism with Alzheimer's disease among Caucasian and Chinese populations: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

Clusterin polymorphism (rs9331888) was reported to be associated with the susceptibility to alzheimer's disease (AD). Nevertheless, the results were inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation of this association, this meta-analysis was conducted. We've conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, CNKI and AlzGene database for case-control studies published throughout October, 2016 that evaluated the role of rs9331888 gene variants in AD patients. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of associations between the rs9331888/C > G polymorphism and AD disease. A total of 9 studies were enrolled in the Meta Analysis. The overall analysis revealed a significant association between the rs9331888/C > G polymorphism and AD disease in the recessive model (GG vs. GC + CC: OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05-1.18; P < 0.01). Sub-group analysis revealed that the Caucasian populations which with recessive model (GG vs. GC + CC: OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.06-1.2; P < 0.01) were dramatically related to AD, while no significant association was found in the Chinese populations among the five genetic models. Our meta-analysis demonstrated that the rs9331888/C > G polymorphism in the clusterin gene might contribute to AD susceptibility especially in Caucasian populations. Whereas the relationship of the polymorphism to the disease in Chinese populations was still in controversial. Additional well-designed studies, with larger sample sizes, are required to further elucidate this association.

Association of genetic variant and platelet function in patients undergoing neuroendovascular stenting.

INTRODUCTION: The risk of recurrent ischaemic events is related to platelet function, which is often assessed by thromboelastography (TEG). TEG has high interindividual variability. OBJECTIVE: To identify causal variants associated with TEG parameters in patients who receive aspirin and clopidogrel after intra- or extracranial stenting. METHODS: Patients who underwent stenting for extracranial or intracranial stenosis (70-99%) were recruited into the study. Blood samples were obtained for TEG to assess the platelet function before stenting. Aspirin- and clopidogrel-related genetic polymorphisms were determined by the MassARRAY method. Minor allele frequency and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) tests and linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis were carried out. The influences of genetic polymorphism on TEG parameters were analysed by linear regression. RESULTS: A total of 249 patients were included in this study. Twenty-two selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped, and no significant deviation from HWE was found for any SNP in the study patients. Four SNPs-rs2104543, rs12772169, rs1998591 and rs1042194-within CYP2C18 were in high LD, and the genetic polymorphisms had a significant impact on the TEG parameters maximal clot strength (MAThrombin) and ADP-induced platelet-fibrin clot strength (MAADP). Patients who carried the loss-of-function CYP2C19*2 (rs4244285) allele were also at risk of increased MAThrombin and MAADP. CONCLUSIONS: Testing for these polymorphisms may be valuable in the identification of patients at high risk of recurrent ischaemic events. Alternative treatments may be considered for these high-risk patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01925872.

Biodegradable Poly(Amino Ester) with Aromatic Backbone as Efficient Nonviral Gene Delivery Vectors.

The development of gene delivery vectors with high efficiency and biocompatibility is one of the critical points of gene therapy. Two biodegradable poly(amino ester)s were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization between low molecular weight (LMW) PEI and diepoxide. The molecular weights of poly(amino ester)s were measured by GPC. Agarose gel retardation assays showed that these materials have good DNA-binding ability and can retard the electrophoretic mobility of plasmid DNA (pDNA) at a weight ratio of 1. The formed polyplexes have proper sizes of around 200 nm and zeta-potential values of about 30-40 mV for cellular uptake. In vitro experiments revealed that polymer P2 gave higher transfection efficiency than PEI 25KDa and Lipofectamine 2000 with less toxicity, especially in 293 cells. Results demonstrate that such a type of degradable poly(amino ester) may serve as a promising non-viral gene vector.

Lipoic acid functionalized amino acids cationic lipids as gene vectors.

A series of reducible cationic lipids 4a-4f with different amino acid polar-head groups were prepared. The novel lipid contains a hydrophobic lipoic acid (LA) moiety, which can be reduced under reductive conditions to release of the encapsulated plasmid DNA. The particle size, zeta potential and cellular uptake of lipoplexes formed with DNA, as well as the transfection efficacy (TE) were characterized. The TE of the cationic lipid based on arginine was especially high, and was 2.5times higher than that of a branched polyethylenimine in the presence of 10% serum.

NHC-Ag(I)-Catalyzed Three-Component 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition To Provide Polysubstituted Dihydro-/Tetrahydrofurans.

A new method was developed to synthesize polyfunctionalized dihydrofuran and tetrahydrofuran derivatives from the three-component [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition of the diazoesters with aryl/alkenyl aldehydes and alkyne/olefin dipolarophiles by using a Ag(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complex as the catalyst. A carbonyl ylide intermediate was generated, which undertook an endo-type 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to provide the desired dihydro-/tetrahydrofurans in high regio- and diastereoselectivities by using α-aryl or α-alkenyl diazoesters.

Charge-switching amino acids-based cationic lipids for efficient gene delivery.

A series of charge-switching amino acids-based cationic lipids 4a-4e bearing a benzyl ester at the terminus of the acyl chain, but differing in the polar-head group were prepared. The physicochemical properties of these lipids, including size, zeta potential and cellular uptake of the lipoplexes formed from with DNA, as well as the transfection efficiency (TE), were investigated. The results showed that the chemical structure of the cationic head-group clearly affects the physicochemical parameters of the amino acid-based lipids and especially the TE. The selected lipid, 4c gave 2.1 times higher TE than bPEI 25k in the presence of 10% serum in HeLa cells, with little toxicity.

[Effects of plant growth regulator uniconazole on plant morphology and biomass allocation of Salvia miltiorrhiza].

In this study, we use pot experiment to evaluate the effect of plant growth regulator on plant morphology and biomass allocation of Salvia miltiorrhiza. Different concentrations of uniconazole were supplied to S. miltioohiza by means of foliar spray. Height, breadth and stem diameter were measured dynamically, the biomass of leaf, stem, flower and fruit, root biomass and biomass ratio were also examined at the harvest time. Owing to the treatment, plant morphology showed significant changes, the height had been greatly reduced and the breadth decreased largely. Meanwhile, the biomass allocation changed too. The biomass ratio of leaf and stem had been notably reduced while the biomass ratio of root had been increased remarkably. It appears that foliar application of uniconazole during vigorous growth period in S. miltioohiza has dramatic effect on dwarfing plant and improving resistant to lodging. This measure could also be applied to condensed cultivation of S. miltioohiza to increase production.

Anatomy and transcript profiling of gynoecium development in female sterile Brassica napus mediated by one alien chromosome from Orychophragmus violaceus.

BACKGROUND: The gynoecium is one of the most complex organs of angiosperms specialized for seed production and dispersal, but only several genes important for ovule or embryo sac development were identified by using female sterile mutants. The female sterility in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) was before found to be related with one alien chromosome from another crucifer Orychophragmus violaceus. Herein, the developmental anatomy and comparative transcript profiling (RNA-seq) for the female sterility were performed to reveal the genes and possible metabolic pathways behind the formation of the damaged gynoecium. RESULTS: The ovules in the female sterile Brassica napus with two copies of the alien chromosomes (S1) initiated only one short integument primordium which underwent no further development and the female gametophyte development was blocked after the tetrad stage but before megagametogenesis initiation. Using Brassica_ 95k_ unigene as the reference genome, a total of 28,065 and 27,653 unigenes were identified to be transcribed in S1 and donor B. napus (H3), respectively. Further comparison of the transcript abundance between S1 and H3 revealed that 4540 unigenes showed more than two fold expression differences. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis of the Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) showed that a number of important genes and metabolism pathways were involved in the development of gynoecium, embryo sac, ovule, integuments as well as the interactions between pollen and pistil. CONCLUSIONS: DEGs for the ovule development were detected to function in the metabolism pathways regulating brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis, adaxial/abaxial axis specification, auxin transport and signaling. A model was proposed to show the possible roles and interactions of these pathways for the sterile gynoecium development. The results provided new information for the molecular mechanisms behind the gynoecium development at early stage in B. napus.

Diabetes mellitus is associated with early chronic venous disorder of the lower extremities in Chinese patients with cardiometabolic risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome has received great attention because it poses a potential cardiovascular hazard, which increases the risk of lower extremity atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between the components of metabolic syndrome and the onset of chronic venous disorder of the lower extremities remains unexplained. METHODS: This study investigated the characteristics of cardiometabolic risk factors of early chronic venous disorder of the lower extremities in subjects with cardiometabolic risk. The characteristics of risk factors and diabetes-related complications in diabetic patients with early chronic venous disorder of the lower extremities were also investigated. In addition, the association between early chronic venous disorder and atherosclerosis of the lower extremities was analysed. The study examined 782 subjects with cardiometabolic risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidaemia. Lower extremity venous function was measured by digital photoplethysmography. RESULTS: Women had a higher prevalence of early chronic venous disorder than did men (p < 0.01). Male subjects with early chronic venous disorder had a higher systolic blood pressure than those with normal venous function (p < 0.01), and female subjects with early chronic venous disorder had a higher fasting plasma glucose level than did controls (p < 0.05). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is also significantly higher in female patients with early chronic venous disorder (p = 0.000). Diabetic patients with early chronic venous disorder not only had higher fasting plasma glucose and total cholesterol levels but also had more serious macrovascular complications than the control group. The independent risk factors of early chronic venous disorder in female subjects with cardiometabolic risks were age and fasting plasma glucose in men it was only age Women face a two times greater risk than men. The independent risk factors of early chronic venous disorder in diabetic patients were age, gender, HbA1c and triglyceride levels Women had an almost 12 times greater risk of early chronic venous disorder than men. Among the diabetic patients, the prevalence of early chronic venous disorder did not differ by ankle-brachial index. CONCLUSION: Female subjects with cardiometabolic risk factors or female diabetic patients face a greater risk of early chronic venous disorder than do male subjects. Diabetic patients with early chronic venous disorder had more serious macrovascular complications than did the controls, and the early venous function was found to be correlated with the blood glucose level and triglyceride status.