Deciphering PDH1's role in mung bean domestication: a genomic perspective on pod dehiscence.

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) stands as a crucial legume crop in Asia, contributing to food security. However, our understanding of the underlying genetic foundation governing domesticated agronomic traits, especially those linked to pod architecture, remains largely unexplored. In this study, we delved into the genomic divergence between wild and domesticated mung bean varieties, leveraging germplasm obtained from diverse sources. Our findings unveiled pronounced variation in promoter regions (35%) between the two mung bean subpopulations, suggesting substantial changes in gene expression patterns during domestication. Leveraging transcriptome analysis using distinct reproductive stage pods and subpopulations, we identified candidate genes responsible for pod and seed architecture development, along with Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) analysis. Notably, our research conclusively confirmed PDH1 as a parallel domesticated gene governing pod dehiscence in legumes. This study imparts valuable insights into the genetic underpinnings of domesticated agronomic traits in mung bean, and simultaneously highlighting the parallel domestication of pivotal traits within the realm of legume crops.

Electron pairing in the pseudogap state revealed by shot noise in copper oxide junctions.

In the quest to understand high-temperature superconductivity in copper oxides, debate has been focused on the pseudogap-a partial energy gap that opens over portions of the Fermi surface in the 'normal' state above the bulk critical temperature1. The pseudogap has been attributed to precursor superconductivity, to the existence of preformed pairs and to competing orders such as charge-density waves1-4. A direct determination of the charge of carriers as a function of temperature and bias could help resolve among these alternatives. Here we report measurements of the shot noise of tunnelling current in high-quality La2-xSrxCuO4/La2CuO4/La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO/LCO/LSCO) heterostructures fabricated using atomic layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy at several doping levels. The data delineate three distinct regions in the bias voltage-temperature space. Well outside the superconducting gap region, the shot noise agrees quantitatively with independent tunnelling of individual charge carriers. Deep within the superconducting gap, shot noise is greatly enhanced, reminiscent of multiple Andreev reflections5-7. Above the critical temperature and extending to biases much larger than the superconducting gap, there is a broad region in which the noise substantially exceeds theoretical expectations for single-charge tunnelling, indicating pairing of charge carriers. These pairs are detectable deep into the pseudogap region of temperature and bias. The presence of these pairs constrains current models of the pseudogap and broken symmetry states, while phase fluctuations limit the domain of superconductivity.

Exploring m6A-linked aging genes in osteoarthritis and broad cancer spectrum: Prospects for diagnostic and therapeutic advancements.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease that significantly impacts individuals and healthcare systems worldwide. However, the exploration of N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-related aging genes in OA pathogenesis remains largely underexplored. This study aimed to elucidate the role of m6A-related aging genes in OA and to develop a robust diagnostic model based on their expression profiles. Leveraging publicly available gene expression datasets, we conducted consensus clustering to categorize OA into distinct subtypes, guided by the expression patterns of m6A-related aging genes. Utilizing XGBoost, a cutting-edge machine learning approach, we identified key diagnostic genes and constructed a predictive model. Our investigation extended to the immune functions of these genes, shedding light on potential therapeutic targets and underlying regulatory mechanisms. Our analysis unveiled specific OA subtypes, each marked by unique expression profiles of m6A-related aging genes. We pinpointed a set of pivotal diagnostic genes, offering potential therapeutic avenues. The developed diagnostic model exhibited exceptional capability in distinguishing OA patients from healthy controls. To corroborate our computational findings, we performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses on two cell lines: HC-OA (representing adult osteoarthritis cells) and C-28/I2 (representative of normal human chondrocytes). The gene expression patterns observed were consistent with our bioinformatics predictions, further validating our initial results. In conclusion, this study underscores the significance of m6A-related aging genes as promising biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as potential therapeutic targets in OA. Although these findings are encouraging, further validation and functional analyses are crucial for their clinical application.

ACBP4-WRKY70-RAP2.12 module positively regulates submergence-induced hypoxia response in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ACYL-CoA-BINDING PROTEINs (ACBPs) play crucial regulatory roles during plant response to hypoxia, but their molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Our study reveals that ACBP4 serves as a positive regulator of the plant hypoxia response by interacting with WRKY70, influencing its nucleocytoplasmic shuttling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Furthermore, we demonstrate the direct binding of WRKY70 to the ACBP4 promoter, resulting in its upregulation and suggesting a positive feedback loop. Additionally, we pinpointed a phosphorylation site at Ser638 of ACBP4, which enhances submergence tolerance, potentially by facilitating WRKY70's nuclear shuttling. Surprisingly, a natural variation in this phosphorylation site of ACBP4 allowed A. thaliana to adapt to humid conditions during its historical demographic expansion. We further observed that both phosphorylated ACBP4 and oleoyl-CoA can impede the interaction between ACBP4 and WRKY70, thus promoting WRKY70's nuclear translocation. Finally, we found that the overexpression of orthologous BnaC5.ACBP4 and BnaA7.WRKY70 in Brassica napus increases submergence tolerance, indicating their functional similarity across genera. In summary, our research not only sheds light on the functional significance of the ACBP4 gene in hypoxia response, but also underscores its potential utility in breeding flooding-tolerant oilseed rape varieties.

Histological characteristics of exercise-induced skeletal muscle remodelling.

This study aims to analyse the pathological features of skeletal muscle injury repair by using rats to model responses to different exercise intensities. Eighty-four rats were randomly divided into five groups for treadmill exercise. The short-term control, low-intensity, medium-intensity and high-intensity groups underwent gastrocnemius muscle sampling after 6, 8 and 12 weeks of exercise. The long-term high-intensity group underwent optical coherence tomography angiography and sampling after 18 weeks of exercise. RNA sequencing was performed on the muscle samples, followed by the corresponding histological staining. Differentially expressed genes were generally elevated at 6 weeks in the early exercise stage, followed by a decreasing trend. Meanwhile, the study demonstrated a negative correlation between time and the gene modules involved in vascular regulation. The modules associated with muscle remodelling were positively correlated with exercise intensity. Although the expression of many genes associated with common angiogenesis was downregulated at 8, 12 and 18 weeks, we found that muscle tissue microvessels were still increased, which may be closely associated with elevated sFRP2 and YAP1. During muscle injury-remodelling, angiogenesis is characterized by significant exercise time and exercise intensity dependence. We find significant differences in the spatial distribution of angiogenesis during muscle injury-remodelling, which be helpful for the future achievement of spatially targeted treatments for exercise-induced muscle injuries.

Effects of greater erythroid Cl-/HCO3- transporter (band 3) expression on ventilation and gas exchange during exhaustive exercise.

Band 3 protein is a Cl-/[Formula: see text] transporter on the red blood cell (RBC) surface with an important role in CO2 excretion. Greater band 3 expression by roughly 20% is found in people with the GP.Mur blood type. Intriguingly, a disproportional percentage of those with GP.Mur excel in field-and-track sports. Could higher band 3 activity benefit an individual's physical performance? This study explored the impact of GP.Mur/higher band 3 expression on ventilation and gas exchange during exhaustive exercise. We recruited 36 nonsmoking, elite male athletes (36.1% GP.Mur) from top sports universities to perform incremental exhaustive treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). We analyzed CPET data with respect to absolute running time and to individual's %running time and %maximal O2 uptake. We found persistently higher respiratory frequencies and slightly lower tidal volume in GP.Mur athletes, resulting in a slightly larger increase of ventilation as the workload intensified. The expiratory duty cycle (Te/Ttot) was persistently longer and inspiratory duty cycle (Ti/Ttot) was persistently shorter for GP.Mur subjects throughout the run. Consequently, end-tidal pressure of carbon dioxide ([Formula: see text], a surrogate marker for alveolar and arterial CO2 tension-[Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) was lower in the GP.Mur athletes during the early stages of exercise. In conclusion, athletes with GP.Mur and higher band 3 expression hyperventilate more during exercise in a pattern that uses a greater fraction of time for expiration than inspiration to increase the rate of CO2 excretion than increased tidal volume. This greater ventilation response reduced Pco2 and may help to extend exercise capacity in high-level sports.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Higher expression of the Cl-/[Formula: see text] transporter band 3 anion exchanger-1 (AE1) on the red blood cell membrane, as in people with the GP.Mur blood type, increases the rate of CO2 excretion during exercise.

Sugar transporter TaSTP3 activation by TaWRKY19/61/82 enhances stripe rust susceptibility in wheat.

Sugar efflux from host plants is essential for pathogen survival and proliferation. Sugar transporter-mediated redistribution of host sugar contributes to the outcomes of plant-pathogen interactions. However, few studies have focused on how sugar translocation is strategically manipulated during host colonization. To elucidate this question, the wheat sugar transport protein (STP) TaSTP3 responding to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) infection was characterized for sugar transport properties in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its potential role during Pst infection by RNA interference and overexpression in wheat. In addition, the transcription factors regulating TaSTP3 expression were further determined. The results showed that TaSTP3 is localized to the plasma membrane and functions as a sugar transporter of hexose and sucrose. TaSTP3 confers enhanced wheat susceptibility to Pst, and overexpression of TaSTP3 resulted in increased sucrose accumulation and transcriptional suppression of defense-related genes. Furthermore, TaWRKY19, TaWRKY61 and TaWRKY82 were identified as positive transcriptional regulators of TaSTP3 expression. Our findings reveal that the Pst-induced sugar transporter TaSTP3 is transcriptionally activated by TaWRKY19/61/82 and facilitates wheat susceptibility to stripe rust possibly through elevated sucrose concentration, and suggest TaSTP3 as a strong target for engineering wheat resistance to stripe rust.

Hybrid modeling of perovskite light-emitting diodes with nanostructured emissive layers.

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have attracted much attention due to their superior performance. When a bottleneck of energy conversion efficiency is achieved with materials engineering, nanostructure incorporation proves to be a feasible approach to further improve device efficiencies via light extraction enhancement. The finite-difference time-domain simulation is widely used for optical analysis of nanostructured optoelectronic devices, but reliable modeling of PeLEDs with nanostructured emissive layers remains unmet due to the difficulty of locating dipole light sources. Herein we established a hybrid process for modeling light emission behaviors of such nanostructured PeLEDs by calibrating light source distribution through electrical simulations. This hybrid modeling method serves as a universal tool for structure optimization of light-emitting diodes with nanostructured emissive layers.

In search of a better CPAP interface: A network meta-analysis comparing nasal masks, nasal pillows and oronasal masks.

Until now, no study has directly network meta-analysed the impact of nasal masks, nasal pillows and oronasal masks on continuous positive airway pressure therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This study aimed to meta-analyse the impact of three kinds of nasal interfaces with both network meta-analysis and pairwise comparison. PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched from inception to December 2020 for studies that compared the three types of nasal interfaces for treating obstructive sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure. The outcomes were residual apnea-hypopnea index, continuous positive airway pressure, and nightly average usage. The network meta-analysis was conducted using multivariate random-effects in a frequentist framework where three interfaces were ranked with the surface under the cumulative ranking probabilities. The pairwise comparison was conducted using random-effects meta-analysis. Twenty-nine articles comprising 6378 participants were included. The pairwise comparison showed both nasal masks and nasal pillows were associated with lower residual apnea-hypopnea index, lower continuous positive airway pressure, and higher continuous positive airway pressure adherence compared with oronasal masks. The surface under the cumulative ranking confirmed that nasal masks were associated with the lowest residual apnea-hypopnea index and highest adherence, while pillows were associated with the lowest continuous positive airway pressure. The meta-regression identified that lower pretreatment apnea-hypopnea index and continuous positive airway pressure determined during continuous positive airway pressure titration (versus determined during continuous positive airway pressure therapy) was associated with lower continuous positive airway pressure with nasal masks and nasal pillows. In conclusion, compared with oronasal masks, nasal masks and nasal pillows are better interfaces, especially in patients with lower pretreatment apnea-hypopnea index and those with the therapeutic pressure determined during continuous positive airway pressure titration.

Influence of hemoglobin on blood pressure among people with GP.Mur blood type☆.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: GP.Mur is a clinically important red blood cell (RBC) type. GP.Mur and band 3 interact on the RBCs. We previously observed that healthy adults with GP.Mur type present slightly higher blood pressure (BP). Because band 3 and Hb comodulate nitric oxide (NO)-dependent vasodilation and hemoglobin (Hb) is positively associated with BP, we aimed to test whether these could contribute to higher BP in GP.Mur+ people. METHODS: We recruited 989 non-elderly adults (21% GP.Mur) free of catastrophic illness and not on cardiovascular or anti-hypertensive medication. Their body indices, blood lab data and lifestyle data were collected for analyses of potential BP-related factors (BMI, age, smoking, Hb, and GP.Mur). RESULTS: BMI and age remained the most significant contributors to BP. GP.Mur slightly increased systolic BP (SBP). The direct correlation between Hb and BP was only found in Taiwanese non-anemic men, not women. After age and BMI adjusted, we estimated an increase of 1.8 mmHg and 2.6 mmHg of SBP by 1 g/dL Hb among men without and with GP.Mur type, respectively. Hb was generally lower among people expressing GP.Mur, which likely limited their larger impact on BP. CONCLUSION: GP.Mur contributed to BP in both Hb-dependent and Hb-independent fashion. A pronounced impact of hemoglobin on BP likely requires sufficient Hb, as GP.Mur increased the sensitivity of SBP to Hb only in non-anemic Taiwanese men, and not in Taiwanese women or anemic men. The mechanism through which GP.Mur affected BP independent of Hb is unknown.

A transposon-mediated reciprocal translocation promotes environmental adaptation but compromises domesticability of wild soybeans.

Large structural variations frequently occur in higher plants; however, the impact of such variations on plant diversification, adaptation and domestication remains elusive. Here, we mapped and characterised a reciprocal chromosomal translocation in soybeans and assessed its effects on diversification and adaptation of wild (Glycine soja) and semiwild (Glycine gracilis) soybeans, and domestication of cultivated soybean (Glycine max), by tracing the distribution of the translocation in the USDA Soybean Germplasm Collection and population genetics analysis. We demonstrate that the translocation occurred through CACTA transposon-mediated chromosomal breakage in wild soybean c. 0.34 Ma and is responsible for semisterility in translocation heterozygotes and reduces their reproductive fitness. The translocation has differentiated Continental (i.e. China and Russia) populations from Maritime (i.e. Korea and Japan) populations of G. soja and predominately adapted to cold and dry climates. Further analysis revealed that the divergence of G. max from G. soja predates the translocation event and that G. gracilis is an evolutionary intermediate between G. soja and G. max. Our results highlight the effects of a chromosome rearrangement on the processes leading to plant divergence and adaptation, and provides evidence that suggests G. gracilis, rather than G. soja, as the ancestor of cultivated soybean.

Identification and molecular mapping of Rps14, a gene conferring broad-spectrum resistance to Phytophthora sojae in soybean.

KEY MESSAGE: A soybean landrace carries broad-spectrum resistance to Phytophthora sojae, which is conferred by a single gene, designated Rps14, on the short arm of chromosome 3. Phytophthora sojae is the causative agent for Phytophthora root and stem rot in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and can be managed by deployment of resistance to P. sojae (Rps) genes. PI 340,029 is a soybean landrace carrying broad-spectrum resistance to the pathogen. Analysis of an F2 population derived from a cross between PI 340,029 and a susceptible cultivar 'Williams' reveals that the resistance to P. sojae race 1 is conferred by a single gene, designated Rps14, which was initially mapped to a 4.5-cM region on the short arm of chromosome 3 by bulked segregant analysis (BSA), and subsequently narrowed to a 1.48 cM region corresponding to 229-kb in the Williams 82 reference genome (Wm82 v2.a1), using F3:4 families derived from the F2 population. Further analysis indicates that the broad-spectrum resistance carried by PI 340,029 is fully attributable to Rps14. The genomic sequences corresponding to the defined Rps14 region from a set of diverse soybean varieties exhibit drastic NBS-LRR gene copy number variation, ranging from 3 to 17 copies. Ultimate isolation of Rps14 would be critical for precise selection and deployment of the gene for soybean protection.

Systems-level analysis identifies key regulators driving epileptogenesis in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most prevalent and often devastating form of epilepsy. The molecular mechanism underlying the development of TLE remains largely unclear, which hinders the discovery of effective antiepileptogenic drugs. Here we adopted a systems-level approach integrating transcriptomic profiles of three epileptogenesis stages to identify key regulators underlying epilepsy progression. Associating stage-specific gene meta-signatures with brain cell-specialized modules revealed positive regulation of glial migration and adhesion, cytokine production, and neuron death, and downregulation of synaptic transmission and ion transport during epileptogenesis. We identified 265 key regulators driving these processes and 72 of them were demonstrated associating with seizure frequency and/or hippocampal sclerosis in human TLE. Importantly, the upregulation of FAM107A, LAMB2, LTBP1 and TGIF1, which are mainly involved in nervous system development, were found contributing to both conditions. Our findings present the evolution landscape of epileptogenesis and provide candidate regulators that may serve as potential antiepileptogenic targets.

A Cu-only superoxide dismutase from stripe rust fungi functions as a virulence factor deployed for counter defense against host-derived oxidative stress.

Plants quickly accumulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) to resist against pathogen invasion, while pathogens strive to escape host immune surveillance by degrading ROS. However, the nature of the strategies that fungal pathogens adopt to counteract host-derived oxidative stress is manifold and requires deep investigation. In this study, a superoxide dismutase (SOD) from Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) PsSOD2 with a signal peptide (SP) and the glycophosphatidyl inositol (GPI) anchor, strongly induced during infection, was analysed for its biological characteristics and potential role in wheat-Pst interactions. The results showed that PsSOD2 encodes a Cu-only SOD and responded to ROS treatment. Heterologous complementation assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae suggest that the SP of PsSOD2 is functional for its secretion. Transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves revealed that PsSOD2 is localized to the plasma membrane. In addition, knockdown of PsSOD2 by host-induced gene silencing reduced Pst virulence and resulted in restricted hyphal development and increased ROS accumulation. In contrast, heterologous transient assays of PsSOD2 suppressed flg22-elicited ROS production. Taken together, our data indicate that PsSOD2, as a virulence factor, was induced and localized to the plasma membrane where it may function to scavenge host-derived ROS for promoting fungal infection.

Diagnosis of mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis using endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration with rinse fluid polymerase chain reaction.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has been gradually introduced in the diagnosis of mediastinal tuberculous (TB) lymphadenitis. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the utility of polymerase chain reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB-PCR) using EBUS-TBNA rinse fluid and to explore the factors that influence the accuracy of EBUS-TBNA. METHODS: A retrospective study with prospective data collection was carried out with patients with unselected mediastinal lymphadenopathy who underwent EBUS-TBNA and a TB-PCR study from April 2010 to July 2017. Patients without TB were excluded. The diagnostic accuracy rate for each diagnostic modality (pathology, smear, culture, and TB-PCR) was calculated respectively. The characteristics of the lymph node (LN) and the pathologic findings were analyzed as possible impact factors. RESULTS: 240 consecutive patients who received EBUS-TBNA were enrolled, and in the end, 21 patients with a diagnosis of TB lymphadenitis were included. When combined with histologic results and traditional microbiologic studies, the diagnostic accuracy of EBUS-TBNA was 57.1%. If TB-PCR was also utilized, the diagnostic accuracy would significantly increase to 71.4% (p < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate regression analysis revealed that pathology showing necrosis had a higher positive microbiologic result when using EBUS-TBNA rinse fluid. CONCLUSION: EBUS-TBNA is a valuable tool for diagnosis of mediastinal TB lymphadenitis. Using TB-PCR assay and targeting LNs with a necrotic component would improve the diagnostic performance of EBUS-TBNA.

Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase A overexpression promotes liver cancer development in transgenic zebrafish via activation of ERK and ß-catenin pathways.

Dysregulation of the enzymes involved in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is known to promote tumorigenesis. Our recent study demonstrated that ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (RPIA), a key regulator of the PPP, regulates hepatoma cell proliferation and colony formation. Our studies in zebrafish reveal that RPIA-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis requires extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and ß-catenin signaling. To further investigate RPIA-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis, two independent lines of transgenic zebrafish expressing human RPIA in the liver were generated. These studies reveal that RPIA overexpression triggers lipogenic factor/enzyme expression, steatosis, fibrosis and proliferation of the liver. In addition, the severity of fibrosis and the extent of proliferation are positively correlated with RPIA expression levels. Furthermore, RPIA-mediated induction of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) requires the ERK and ß-catenin signaling pathway but is not dependent upon transaldolase levels. Our study presents a mechanism for RPIA-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis and suggests that RPIA represents a valuable therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC.

Sonic hedgehog promotes chondrogenesis of rabbit bone marrow stem cells in a rotary cell culture system.

BACKGROUND: Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is an important signalling protein involved in the induction of early cartilaginous differentiation. Herein, we demonstrate that Shh markedly induces chondrogenesis of rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) under microgravity conditions, and promotes cartilage regeneration. RESULTS: In the rotary cell culture system (RCCS), chondrogenic differentiation was revealed by stronger Toluidine Blue and collagen II immunohistochemical staining in the Shh transfection group, and chondroinductive activity of Shh was equivalent to that of TGF-ß. Western blotting and qRT-PCR analysis results verified the stronger expression of Sox9, aggrecan (ACAN), and collagen II in rabbit BMSCs treated with Shh or TGF-ß in a microgravity environment. Low levels of chondrogenic hypertrophy, osteogenesis, and adipogenesis-related factors were detected in all groups. After transplantation in vivo, histological analysis revealed a significant improvement in cartilage and subchondral repair in the Shh transfection group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that Shh signalling promoted chondrogenesis in rabbit BMSCs under microgravity conditions equivalent to TGF-ß, and improved the early stages of the repair of cartilage and subchondral defects. Furthermore, RCCS provided a dynamic culture microenvironment conducive for cell proliferation, aggregation and differentiation.

Chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells following transfection with Indian hedgehog and sonic hedgehog using a rotary cell culture system.

BACKGROUND: Indian hedgehog (IHH) and Sonic hedgehog (SHH) are important regulators of chondrogenesis. However, activation of IHH and SHH also promotes chondrocyte hypertrophy and ossification during chondrogenesis. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of microgravity on IHH- and SHH-induced chondrogenic differentiation and to elucidate the role of microgravity in this process. METHODS: Adenovirus plasmids encoding the rabbit IHH gene and SHH genes were constructed in vitro and transfected into rabbit bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). A rotary cell culture system (RCCS), in which a dynamic three-dimensional culture system combines the mechanical environment with a three-dimensional culture surface, was used for cell culture and differentiation. During the induction of differentiation, expression levels of cartilage-related and cartilage hypertrophy-related genes and proteins were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting, respectively. Toluidine blue and collagen II immunohistochemical staining and annexin V-Cy3 staining were used to indicate investigate cartilage matrix synthesis and hypertrophic hypertrophy, respectively, on day 21 after induction of differentiation. RESULTS: In this study, IHH and SHH were shown to be equipotent inducers of chondrogenesis in rabbit BMSCs, as evidenced by strong staining for proteoglycans and collagen II, and increased expression of mRNAs and proteins associated with chondrogenesis in an RCCS environment. More importantly, chondrogenic hypertrophy and aging were effectively inhibited in the RCCS environment. In addition, levels of cartilage-related markers in the IHH and SHH transfection groups were initially increased and later decreased in the traditional two-dimensional environment, while cartilage hypertrophy-related factors revealed higher mRNA expression levels during induction. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, microgravity significantly promoted chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs induced by IHH and SHH and attenuated chondrogenic hypertrophy and aging during chondrogenesis. Furthermore, exogenous IHH and SHH had the same effect on chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs in the RCCS environment. This study provides further evidence of chondrogenic induction of BMSCs in vitro via IHH and SHH gene delivery.

A Novel Helmet Fitness Evaluation Device Based on the Flexible Pressure Sensor Matrix.

Helmet comfort has always been important for the evaluation of infantry equipment accessories and has for decades not been well addressed. To evaluate the stability and comfort of the helmet, this paper proposes a novel type of helmet comfort measuring device. Conventional pressure measuring devices can measure the pressure of flat surfaces well, but they cannot accurately measure the pressure of curved structures with large curvatures. In this paper, a strain-resistive flexible sensor with a slice structure was used to form a matrix network containing more than a 100 sensors that fit the curved surface of the head well. Raw data were collected by the lower computer, and the original resistance value of the pressure was converted from analog to digital by the A/D conversion circuit that converts an analog signal into a digital signal. Then, the data were output to the data analysis and image display module of the upper computer. The complex curved surface of the head poses a challenge for the appropriate layout design of a head pressure measuring device. This study is expected to allow this intuitive and efficient technology to fit other wearable products, such as goggles, glasses, earphones and neck braces.

A unique invertase is important for sugar absorption of an obligate biotrophic pathogen during infection.

An increased invertase activity in infected plant tissue has been observed in many plant-pathogen interactions. However, the origin of this increased invertase activity (plant and/or pathogen) is still under debate. In addition, the role of pathogen invertases in the infection process is also unclear. We identified and cloned a gene with homology to invertases from Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). Transcript levels of PsINV were analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR in both compatible and incompatible Pst-wheat interactions . Function of the gene product was confirmed by heterologous expression, and its function in Pst infection was analyzed by host-induced gene silencing (HIGS). Pst abundantly secretes invertase during its invasion attempts whether in a compatible or incompatible interaction with wheat. Further research into the different domains of this protein indicated that the rust-specific sequence contributes to a higher efficiency of sucrose hydrolysis. With PsINV silenced by HIGS during the infection process, growth of Pst is inhibited and conidial fructification incomplete. Finally, pathogenicity of Pst is impaired and spore yield significantly reduced. Our results clearly demonstrate that this Pst invertase plays a pivotal role in this plant-pathogen interaction probably by boosting sucrose hydrolysis to secure the pathogen's sugar absorption.