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In this study, the effects of ultrasound combined with ferulic acid (FA) on the quality of the Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) adductor muscles (SAM) during refrigerated storage were investigated. The results demonstrated that the combined treatment with 350 W ultrasound and FA (UFA) significantly delayed enzyme activities and microbial growth in SAM tissues compared to FA treatment alone. After 6 days of cold storage, samples treated with UFA exhibited higher hardness (2850 g), lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS = 9.35 MDA mg/g SAM), and lower total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N = 19.75 mg/100 g SAM) values compared to control and FA-treated samples. Consequently, UFA treatment prolonged the shelf life of SAM by 3 days during storage at 4°C. Based on scanning electron microscopy and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance data, these findings are attributed to UFA treatment not only reducing the degradation of SAM tissue network structure but also minimizing water loss. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Scallop adductor muscle (SAM) is commonly considered a delicacy owing to its unique mouthfeel and delicious taste. However, owing to its high moisture content and high levels of various nutrients, SAM has a short shelf life. In this work, a combination of ultrasound with ferulic acid (UFA) has been found to have effective preservation effects on SAM during refrigerated storage. Our study findings pave the way for a potential approach to maintain scallop quality during processing and storage. Moreover, our study also provides some theoretical basis for using and promoting these technologies in aquatic products.
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OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of anchor reconstruction of posterior tibial tendon with the traditional Kidner's procedure for accessory navicular bone syndrome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 40 young athletes diagnosed with accessory navicular bone syndrome who were admitted to our hospital from 2018 to 2021. Among them, 20 patients underwent the modified Kidner procedure for the anchor reconstruction of the posterior tibial tendon (Experimental group), while the remaining 20 patients were treated with the traditional Kidner's procedure (Control group). Regular follow-ups were conducted to evaluate the degree of relief of foot symptoms and functional recovery. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (mean duration: 18.6±3.7) after the operation. At the last follow-up, significant differences were observed in the function and symptom relief of the affected foot compared to the preoperative state. The experimental group had a mean operation time of 52.10 ± 3.41 minutes, significantly shorter than the control group's 61.25 ± 2.75 minutes. The mean time to return to normal activity was 12.65 ± 1.23 weeks for the experimental group, compared to 15.25 ± 1.16 weeks for the control group. CONCLUSION: The modified Kidner procedure demonstrates a higher patient satisfaction rate compared to the traditional Kidner procedure. This is attributed to its shorter duration, reduced trauma, and quicker recovery of normal activity.
Subject(s)
Plastic Surgery Procedures , Tarsal Bones , Humans , Male , Tarsal Bones/surgery , Tarsal Bones/diagnostic imaging , Tarsal Bones/abnormalities , Female , Retrospective Studies , Adolescent , Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods , Athletes , Treatment Outcome , Tendons/surgery , Child , Young Adult , Foot DiseasesABSTRACT
The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide is one of the important ways to achieve the goal of carbon neutralization, which can be further divided into electrocatalysis, thermal catalysis, and photocatalysis. Although photocatalysis and electrocatalysis have the advantages of mild reaction conditions and low energy consumption, the thermal catalytic conversion of CO2 has larger processing capacity, better reduction effect, and more complete industrial foundation, which is a promising technology in the future. During the development of new technology from laboratory to industrial application, ensuring the safety of production process is essential. In this work, safety optimization design of equipment, safety performance of catalysts, accident types, and their countermeasures in the industrial applications of CO2 to methanol are reviewed and discussed in depth. Based on that, future research demands for industrial process safety of CO2 to methanol were proposed, which provide guidance for the large-scale application of CO2 thermal catalytic conversion technology.
Subject(s)
Carbon Dioxide , Methanol , Catalysis , Industry , LaboratoriesABSTRACT
Background: INPP4B is a tyrosine-specific phosphatase in the human body, which plays an important role in the developing process of carcinogenesis. However, The correlation between INPP4B and epithelial ovarian cancer is rarely explored. In this study, the expression of INPP4B in human epithelial ovarian carcinoma and normal ovaries was detected, to explore the correlation between INPP4B expression and clinicopathological risk factors of epithelial ovarian carcinoma and to clarify its significance in the developing process of and prognosis of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Methods: The expression of INPP4B in various tumors was detected by bioinformatics method, and the expression in epithelial ovarian cancer and normal control group was detected by Elisa. The immunohistochemical method was used in this experiment to analyze the expression of INPP4B in specimens of 100 cases of epithelial ovarian carcinoma and 20 cases of normal ovaries. Analysis of clinicopathological risk factors and related survival analysis was carried out on the expression of INPP4B in 100 cases of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Results: The results showed that the positive expressed INPP4B protein in epithelial ovarian carcinoma was significantly less, compared with that in normal ovaries (P < 0.05). The expression of INPP4B was significantly associated with many clinicopathologic factors, such as tumor differentiation (P < 0.001), FIGO stage (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001) and distant metastasis at recurrence (P=0. 009), but not with age, pathologic type of tumor, serum CA125 at recurrence and chemotherapy sensitivity. Conclusion: In epithelial ovarian carcinoma, there is a downregulation of INPP4B expression, which may be related to poor tumor differentiation, late FIGO stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis at recurrence and insensitivity to chemotherapy. Under-expression of INPP4B, lymph node metastasis, FIGO stage, and distant metastasis at recurrence are factors of poor prognostic. The under-expression level of INPP4B may be involved in the progression of epithelial ovarian carcinoma.
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OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide practical guidance for the prevention of painful accessory navicular among recruits by comparing and analyzing the plantar pressure parameters of individuals with normal foot, flat foot, and accessory navicular. METHODS: After training, a total of 90 military recruits were included in this study, comprising 30 with normal foot, 30 with flat foot, and 30 with painful accessory navicular. The plantar pressure distribution was measured for all participants. RESULTS: In individuals with flat feet, there was an increase in plantar pressure on the medial side of the forefoot, as well as a significant increase in pressure on the medial side of the heel and arch (P<0.05). Conversely, there was a significant decrease in pressure on the lateral side of the heel and arch (P<0.05). In patients with painful accessory navicular, the medial pressure on the foot arch showed a further increase (P<0.001), while the lateral pressure on the foot arch exhibited a further decrease (P<0.001), indicating highly significant differences. CONCLUSION: Compared to participants with flat feet, participants with accessory navicular demonstrated faster and more impulsive impact on the ground within the same stress area, resulting in more noticeable pain caused by the injury to the accessory navicular.
Subject(s)
Flatfoot , Military Personnel , Humans , Foot , PainABSTRACT
Ginger is a widespread source of herbal medicine and traditional spices. Among its various bioactive components, ginger polysaccharides (GPs) have attracted the attention of researchers worldwide because of their significant bioactivity. Recent studies have demonstrated the antioxidant, antitumour, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hypoglycaemic, cough suppressant and thrombotic anticoagulant effects of GPs. However, the structure-bioactivity relationship of GPs has yet to be comprehensively investigated. This review aims to explore all the current published studies on GPs. It further examines various aspects, including the extraction and purification methods, structure, bioactivity, application and structure-bioactivity relationship of GPs. Thus, this review intends to provide a reference for future GP-related research and development.
Subject(s)
Plants, Medicinal , Polysaccharides/pharmacology , Polysaccharides/chemistry , Antioxidants/pharmacology , SpicesABSTRACT
Karst desertification (KD) is a unique desert ecological phenomenon occurring in the karst region of Southwest China (KRSC). Studying the KD evolution process and distinguishing the influences of human activities and climate factors on KD are essential for restoring KD areas. This article is based on MODIS remote sensing data and ERA5-Land data. Additionally, multiple linear regression models, correlation analysis, and residual analysis are utilized to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of KD in the southwest region of China from 2000 to 2020. This study aims to differentiate the impacts of human activities and climate change on the desertification process in karst areas. (1) In the southwest region of China, the overall KD shows an intensifying trend at both ends of the study area and an ameliorating distribution pattern in the central region. In particular, Guizhou province, which is located in the center of the study area, demonstrated significant suppression in the KD process from 2000 to 2020. (2) In the southwest karst region, there are significant spatial differences in the correlation between the KD process and precipitation, temperature, and radiation. Temperature is significantly negatively correlated in most parts of Yunnan. (3) According to the residual analysis, approximately 89.62% of the karst areas in the southwest are influenced by climate, while 10.38% are influenced by human activities. Climate change has a relatively small impact on the ability to improve KD compared to the disruptive influence of human activities. Some human activities, such as afforestation, in which grassland and cultivated land are converted to forest, play a substantial role in inhibiting the KD process. Conversely, the rapid expansion of urban areas tends to exacerbate KD in adjacent regions. Therefore, this study of the evolution process of KD in Southwest China can provide a scientific basis for monitoring and controlling KD and provide theoretical support for coping with the challenges posed by KD to China's ecological environment.
Subject(s)
Conservation of Natural Resources , Ecosystem , Humans , China , Forests , Human ActivitiesABSTRACT
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a globally public health threat. There are currently no medications available to treat CHIKV infection. High-throughput screening of 419 kinase inhibitors was performed based on the cytopathic effect method, and six kinase inhibitors with reduced cytopathic effects, including tyrphostin AG879 (AG879), tyrphostin 9 (A9), sorafenib, sorafenib tosylate, regorafenib, and TAK-632, were identified. The anti-CHIKV activities of two receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, AG879 and A9, that have not been previously reported, were selected for further evaluation. The results indicated that 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) of AG879 and A9 in Vero cells were greater than 30 µM and 6.50 µM, respectively and 50% effective concentration (EC50) were 0.84 µM and 0.36 µM, respectively. The time-of-addition and time-of-removal assays illustrated that both AG879 and A9 function in the middle stage of CHIKV life cycle. Further, AG879 and A9 do not affect viral attachment; however, they inhibit viral RNA replication, and exhibit antiviral activity against CHIKV Eastern/Central/South African and Asian strains, Ross River virus and Sindbis virus in vitro.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , Chikungunya Fever , Chikungunya virus , Animals , Chlorocebus aethiops , Humans , Chikungunya virus/genetics , Vero Cells , Tyrphostins/pharmacology , Tyrphostins/therapeutic use , Cell Line , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , Virus Replication , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE) is a group of highly heterogeneous diseases, both phenotypically and genetically. Usually, it starts early on and manifests as intractable epilepsy, abnormal electroencephalogram, and growth retardation/intellectual impairment. With the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS), its genetic etiology has attracted increasing clinical attention. This study aimed to investigate the genetic characteristics and clinical phenotypes of patients with EIEE from a central hospital in Eastern China. METHODS: This study retrospectively included the gene variants from 24 EIEE-positive patients admitted between January 2021 and January 2022 to a hospital in Anhui Province, China. The genetic diagnosis was performed in all cases by trio-based whole-exome sequencing (WES). Additionally, Video electroencephalogram (VEEG) and neuroimaging examinations were performed. RESULTS: A total of 24 children were included. The average age at the first seizure was approximately 5 months. About 42% of children had developmental retardation of varying degrees, 43% had brain structural abnormalities, and 64% had VEEG abnormalities. In addition, other phenotypes, including endocrine metabolism and cardiac structural abnormalities, have been independently reported. In total, fifteen pathogenic gene variants were identified in 24 patients. The main pathogenic genes identified were SCN1A (25%, 6/24), KCNQ2 (8.3%, 2/24), and TBC1D24 (8.3%, 2/24). We also found an extremely rare case of EIEE84 type caused by biallelic UGDH gene variants, predicting that this variant might affect the stability of the protein structure. CONCLUSIONS: SCN1A pathogenic variants are the main factor leading to EIEE, similar to previously published cohort reports. NGS is useful for accurate clinical diagnoses and precise treatment choices. We also reported a rare case of EIEE84 caused by variants in the UGDH gene in a Chinese patient. This study further enriches the known spectrum of pathogenic EIEE genes.
Subject(s)
Brain Diseases , Spasms, Infantile , Child , Humans , Infant , GTPase-Activating Proteins/genetics , Mutation , Phenotype , Retrospective Studies , Spasms, Infantile/genetics , Spasms, Infantile/diagnosisABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: JKb antibody rarely causes severe hemolytic disease in the newborn except in 1 case, required blood exchange transfusion but later died of intractable seizure and renal failure. Here we describe 2 cases of JKb-induced severe neonatal jaundice requiring blood exchange transfusion with good neurological outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: Two female Chinese, ethnic Han, term infants with severe jaundice were transferred to us at the age of 5- and 4-day with a total bilirubin of 30.9 and 25.9 mg/dL while reticulocyte counts were 3.2% and 2.2%, respectively. Both infants were not the firstborn to their corresponding mothers. Direct and indirect Coombs' tests were positive, and JKb antibody titers were 1:64 (+) for both mothers. Phototherapy was immediately administered, and a blood exchange transfusion was performed within 5 hours of admission. Magnet resonance image showed no evidence of bilirubin-induced brain damage, and no abnormal neurological finding was detected at 6 months of life. CONCLUSION: JKb antibody-induced hemolytic disease of the newborn usually leads to a benign course, but severe jaundice requiring blood exchange transfusion may occur. Our cases suggest good outcomes can be achieved in this minor blood group-induced hemolytic disease of the newborn if identified and managed early enough.
Subject(s)
Erythroblastosis, Fetal , Hematologic Diseases , Jaundice, Neonatal , Jaundice , Infant, Newborn , Infant , Humans , Female , Erythroblastosis, Fetal/etiology , Erythroblastosis, Fetal/therapy , Jaundice, Neonatal/etiology , Jaundice, Neonatal/therapy , Bilirubin , Hematologic Diseases/complications , Antibodies , Phototherapy/adverse effects , Jaundice/complicationsABSTRACT
The frequency and severity of drought events have increased over the decades under the influence of global warming. Continued drought increases the risk of vegetation degradation. Many studies have investigated the responses of vegetation to drought but rarely from the perspective of drought events. Moreover, the spatial distributions of vegetation sensitivity to drought events are not well understood in China. Thus, the spatiotemporal patterns of drought events were quantified based on the run theory at different time-scales in this study. The relative importance of drought characteristics for vegetation anomalies during drought events were calculated by using the BRT model. Then, the sensitivity of vegetation anomalies and vegetation phenology was quantified by dividing standardized anomalies of vegetation parameters (NDVI and phenological metrics) and SPEI during drought events for different regions in China. The results show that Southern Xinjiang and Southeast China experienced relatively higher values of drought severity, especially at the 3-month and 6-month scales. Most arid areas experienced more drought events but of low severity, while some humid zones underwent few drought events but of high severity. Notable negative NDVI anomalies appeared in the Northeast China and Southwest China, while positive NDVI anomalies were observed in Southeast China and Northern central region. Drought interval, intensity and severity contributed approximately 80 % of the model's explained vegetation variance in most regions. The sensitivity of vegetation anomalies to drought events (VASD) varied regionally in China. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Northeast China tended to exhibit higher sensitivity to drought events. Vegetation in these regions with high sensitivity faced a high risk of degradation and could function as warning signals of vegetation degradation. Drought events at high timescales had a greater impact on vegetation sensitivity in dry zones, while they had a smaller impact on humid areas. With the increase in drought degree of climate zones and the decrease in vegetation coverage, VASD showed a gradual increase. Furthermore, a strong negative correlation between VASD and the aridity index (AI) was observed in all vegetation types. The change in VASD for sparse vegetation was the largest with the change in AI. For vegetation phenology, drought events in most regions delayed the end of the growing season and extended the length of growing season, especially for sparse vegetation. The start of the growing season was advanced in most humid areas, while being delayed in most dry areas during drought events. Knowledge of vegetation sensitivity to drought events will be beneficial to provide decision-making references for the prevention and control of vegetation degradation, especially in the ecological fragile regions.
Subject(s)
Droughts , Ecosystem , China , Tibet , Seasons , Climate ChangeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, refers to the phenotypic superiority of an F1 hybrid relative to its parents in terms of growth rate, biomass production, grain yield, and stress tolerance. Light is an energy source and main environmental cue with marked impacts on heterosis in plants. Research into the production applications and mechanism of heterosis has been conducted for over a century and a half, but little is known about the effect of light on plant heterosis. RESULTS: In this study, an integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis was performed using maize (Zea mays L.) inbred parents, B73 and Mo17, and their hybrids, B73 × Mo17 (BM) and Mo17 × B73 (MB), grown in darkness or under far-red, red, or blue light. Most differentially expressed genes (73.72-92.50%) and differentially accumulated metabolites (84.74-94.32%) exhibited non-additive effects in BM and MB hybrids. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that differential genes and metabolites were involved in glutathione transfer, carbohydrate transport, terpenoid biosynthesis, and photosynthesis. The darkness, far-red, red, and blue light treatments were all associated with phenylpropanoid-flavonoid biosynthesis by Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis. Five genes and seven metabolites related to phenylpropanoid-flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were identified as potential contributors to the interactions between maize heterosis and light conditions. Consistent with the strong mid-parent heterosis observed for metabolites, significant increases in both fresh and dry weights were found in the MB and BM hybrids compared with their inbred parents. Unexpectedly, increasing light intensity resulted in higher biomass heterosis in MB, but lower biomass heterosis in BM. CONCLUSIONS: The transcriptomic and metabolomic results provide unique insights into the effects of light quality on gene expression patterns and genotype-environment interactions, and have implications for gene mining of heterotic loci to improve maize production.
Subject(s)
Transcriptome , Zea mays , Zea mays/metabolism , Hybridization, Genetic , Hybrid Vigor/genetics , Gene Expression Profiling , Metabolome , Gene Expression Regulation, PlantABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The variant m.3571_3572insC/MT-ND1 thus far only reported in oncocytic tumors of different tissues. However, the role of m.3571_3572insC in inherited mitochondrial diseases has yet to be elucidated. METHODS: A patient diagnosed with MELAS syndrome was recruited, and detailed medical records were collected and reviewed. The muscle was biopsied for mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity. Series of fibroblast clones bearing different m.3571_3572insC variant loads were generated from patient-derived fibroblasts and subjected to functional assays. RESULTS: Complex I deficiency was confirmed in the patient's muscle via mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity assay. The m.3571_3572insC was filtered for the candidate variant of the patient according to the guidelines for mitochondrial mRNA variants interpretation. Three cell clones with different m.3571_3572insC variant loads were generated to evaluate mitochondrial function. Blue native PAGE analysis revealed that m.3571_3572insC caused a deficiency in the mitochondrial complex I. Oxygen consumption rate, ATP production, and lactate assays found an impairment of cellular bioenergetic capacity due to m.3571_3572insC. Mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased, and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production was increased with the variant of m.3571_3572insC. According to the competitive cell growth assay, the mutant cells had impaired cell growth capacity compared to wild type. CONCLUSIONS: A novel variant m.3571_3572insC was identified in a patient diagnosed with MELAS syndrome, and the variant impaired mitochondrial respiration by decreasing the activity of complex I. In conclusion, the genetic spectrum of mitochondrial diseases was expanded by including m.3571_3572insC/MT-ND1.
Subject(s)
MELAS Syndrome , Mitochondrial Diseases , Humans , DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics , Electron Transport Complex I/genetics , Electron Transport Complex I/metabolism , MELAS Syndrome/genetics , MELAS Syndrome/metabolism , MELAS Syndrome/pathology , Mitochondrial Diseases/genetics , Mutation , NADH Dehydrogenase/genetics , Frameshift MutationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In this study, a new crosslinking agent (CA) containing whey protein, papin, glycerin, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), was prepared. The effects of CA content (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40%, v/v) on food packaging properties, crystallinity, microstructure, and antioxidant properties of pectin-CA and chitosan-CA composite films were analyzed. The results of this research offer a theoretical basis for engineering improved films for food packing. RESULTS: Pectin-CA (30%) and chitosan-CA (40%) composite films showed the best light transmission, water retention, breathability, plasticity, and antioxidant activity. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that these composite films exhibited a uniform and homogeneous structure without obvious pores. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the amino acids and EGCG in CA were bonded to the film substrate (pectin/chitosan) via electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and covalent bonding, which led to an improvement in the film's properties. CONCLUSION: The CA has broad application prospects in food packaging as a cross-linking agent and antioxidant. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Subject(s)
Chitosan , Chitosan/chemistry , Antioxidants/chemistry , Pectins/chemistry , X-Ray Diffraction , Food Packaging/methods , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform InfraredABSTRACT
Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most troubling malignant tumor of the female reproductive system. It has a low early diagnosis rate and a high tumor recurrence rate after treatment. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a unique form of regulated cell death that can activate the adaptive immune system through the release of DAMPs and cytokines in immunocompromised hosts and establish long-term immunologic memory. Therefore, this study aims to explore the prognostic value and underlying mechanisms of ICD-related genes in OC on the basis of characteristics. Methods: The gene expression profiles and related clinical information of OC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. ICD-related genes were collected from the Genecards database. ICD-related prognostic genes were obtained by intersecting ICD-related genes with the OC prognostic-related genes that were analyzed in the TCGA database. Functional enrichment, genetic mutation, and immune infiltration correlation analyses were further performed to identify underlying mechanisms. Subsequently, we developed a TCGA cohort-based prognostic risk model that included a nine-gene signature through univariate and multivariate Cox regression and LASSO regression analyses. Meanwhile, external validation was performed on two sets of GEO cohorts and the TCGA training cohort for three other common tumors in women. In addition, a nomogram was established by integrating clinicopathological features and ICD-related gene signature to predict survival probability. Finally, functional enrichment and immune infiltration analyses were performed on the two risk subgroups. Results: By utilizing nine genes (ERBB2, RB1, CCR7, CD38, IFNB1, ANXA2, CXCL9, SLC9A1, and SLAMF7), we constructed an ICD-related prognostic signature. Subsequently, patients were subdivided into high- and low-risk subgroups in accordance with the median value of the risk score. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, risk score was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio = 2.783; p < 0.01). In the TCGA training cohort and the two GEO validation cohorts, patients with high-risk scores had worse prognosis than those with low-risk scores (p < 0.05). The time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve further validated the prognostic power of the gene signature. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis indicated that multiple oncological pathways were significantly enriched in the high-risk subgroup. By contrast, the low-risk subgroup was strongly related to the immune-related signaling pathways. Immune infiltration analysis further illustrated that most immune cells showed higher levels of infiltration in the low-risk subgroup than in the high-risk subgroup. Conclusion: We constructed a novel ICD-related gene model for forecasting the prognosis and immune infiltration status of patients with OC. In the future, new ICD-related genes may provide novel potential targets for the therapeutic intervention of OC.
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Common wheat, Triticum aestivum, is the most widely grown staple crop worldwide. To catch up with the increasing global population and cope with the changing climate, it is valuable to breed wheat cultivars that are tolerant to abiotic or shade stresses for density farming. Arabidopsis LONG HYPOCOTYL IN FAR-RED 1 (AtHFR1), a photomorphogenesis-promoting factor, is involved in multiple light-related signaling pathways and inhibits seedling etiolation and shade avoidance. We report that overexpression of AtHFR1 in wheat inhibits etiolation phenotypes under various light and shade conditions, leading to shortened plant height and increased spike number relative to non-transgenic plants in the field. Ectopic expression of AtHFR1 in wheat increases the transcript levels of TaCAB and TaCHS as observed previously in Arabidopsis, indicating that the AtHFR1 transgene can activate the light signal transduction pathway in wheat. AtHFR1 transgenic seedlings significantly exhibit tolerance to osmotic stress during seed germination compared to non-transgenic wheat. The AtHFR1 transgene represses transcription of TaFT1, TaCO1, and TaCO2, delaying development of the shoot apex and heading in wheat. Furthermore, the AtHFR1 transgene in wheat inhibits transcript levels of PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 3-LIKEs (TaPIL13, TaPIL15-1B, and TaPIL15-1D), downregulating the target gene STAYGREEN (TaSGR), and thus delaying dark-induced leaf senescence. In the field, grain yields of three AtHFR1 transgenic lines were 18.2-48.1% higher than those of non-transgenic wheat. In summary, genetic modification of light signaling pathways using a photomorphogenesis-promoting factor has positive effects on grain yield due to changes in plant architecture and resource allocation and enhances tolerances to osmotic stress and shade avoidance response.
Subject(s)
Arabidopsis Proteins , Arabidopsis , Phytochrome , Arabidopsis/metabolism , Arabidopsis Proteins/genetics , Arabidopsis Proteins/metabolism , DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism , Edible Grain/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Osmotic Pressure , Phytochrome/genetics , Phytochrome/metabolism , Plant Breeding , Seedlings/metabolism , Triticum/metabolismABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the seventh member of the coronavirus family that can infect humans. Recently, more contagious and pathogenic variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been continuously emerging. Clinical candidates with high efficacy and ready availability are still in urgent need. To identify potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 repurposing drugs, we evaluated the antiviral efficacy of 18 selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Six SERMs exhibited excellent anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects in Vero E6 cells and three human cell lines. Clomifene citrate, tamoxifen, toremifene citrate, and bazedoxifene acetate reduced the weight loss of hamsters challenged with SARS-CoV-2, and reduced hamster pulmonary viral load and interleukin-6 expression when assayed at 4 days postinfection. In particular, bazedoxifene acetate was identified to act on the penetration stage of the postattachment step via altering cholesterol distribution and endosome acidification. And, bazedoxifene acetate inhibited pseudoviruses infection of original SARS-CoV-2, Delta variant, Omicron variant, and SARS-CoV. These results offer critical information supporting bazedoxifene acetate as a promising agent against coronaviruses.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , SARS-CoV-2 , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Humans , Indoles , Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Human nasal mucosa is susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and serves as a reservoir for viral replication before spreading to other organs (e.g. the lung and brain) and transmission to other individuals. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common respiratory tract disease and there is evidence suggesting that susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection differs between the two known subtypes, eosinophilic CRS and non-ECRS (NECRS). However, the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the human nasal mucosa and its association with CRS has not been experimentally validated. In this study, we investigated whether the human nasal mucosa is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and how different endotypes of CRS impact on viral infection and progression. Primary human nasal mucosa tissue culture revealed highly efficient SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and production, with particularly high susceptibility in the NECRS group. The gene expression differences suggested that human nasal mucosa is highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, presumably due to an increase in ACE2-expressing cells and a deficiency in antiviral immune response, especially for NECRS. Importantly, patients with NECRS may be at a particularly high risk of viral infection and transmission, and therefore, close monitoring should be considered.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Rhinitis , Sinusitis , Chronic Disease , Humans , Nasal Mucosa/metabolism , Rhinitis/complications , Rhinitis/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2 , Sinusitis/complications , Sinusitis/metabolismABSTRACT
Vegetation growth is influenced not only by climate variability but also by its past states. However, the differences in the degree of the climate variability and past states affecting vegetation growth over seasons are still poorly understood, particularly given the cumulative climate effects. Relying on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from 1982 to 2014, the vegetation growing season was decomposed into three periods (sub-seasons) - green-up (GSgp), maturity (GSmp), and senescence (GSsp) - following a phenology-based definition. A distributed lag model was then utilized to analyze the time-lag effect of vegetation growth response to climatic factors including precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation during each sub-season. On this basis, the relative importance of climatic factors and vegetation growth carryover (VGC) effect on vegetation growth was quantified at the phenology-based seasonal scale. Results showed that the longest peak lag of precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation occurred in the GSmp, GSsp, and GSgp, with 1.27 (1.13 SD), 0.89 (1.02 SD), and 0.80 (1.04 SD) months, respectively. The influence of climate variability was strongest in the GSgp, and diminished over the season, while the opposite for the VGC effect. The relative influence of each climatic factor also varied between sub-seasons. Vegetation in more than 58% of areas was more affected by temperature in the GSgp, and the proportion decreased to 34.00% and 31.78% in the GSmp and GSsp, respectively. Precipitation and solar radiation acted as the dominant climatic factors in only 28.80% and 20.88% of vegetation areas in the GSgp, but they increased to 35.21%, 32.61% in the GSmp, and 38.20%, 30.02% in the GSsp, respectively. The increased regions influenced by precipitation were mainly in dry areas especially for the boreal and cool temperate climate zones, while increased regions influenced by solar radiation were primarily located in moist areas of mid-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. By introducing the cumulative climate effect, our findings highlight seasonal patterns of vegetation growth affected by climate variability and the VGC effect. The results provide a more comprehensive perspective on climate-vegetation interactions, which may help us to accurately forecast future vegetation growth under accelerating global warming.
Subject(s)
Biological Phenomena , Climate Change , Ecosystem , Global Warming , Plant Development , Seasons , TemperatureABSTRACT
In this study, the comparison effects of ultrasound-assisted immersion freezing (UIF) at different ultrasonic power, immersion freezing (IF), and air freezing (AF) on the protein thermal stability, protein structure, and physicochemical properties of adductor muscle of scallop (Argopecten irradians) (AMS) during frozen storage were investigated. Principal component analysis and the Taylor diagram were used to comprehensively analyze all the indicators tested. The results showed that the UIF at 150 W (UIF-150) treatment was the most effective way to delay the quality deterioration of AMS during 90-day frozen storage. This was mainly because, compared to AF and IF treatments, UIF-150 treatment more effectively minimized the changes in the primary, secondary and tertiary structures of myofibrillar proteins, and it preserved the protein thermal stability of AMS by producing small and regular ice crystals in the AMS tissue during the freezing process. Moreover, the results of physicochemical properties indicated that UIF-150 treatment significantly inhibited the fat oxidation and microbiological activities of frozen AMS, and it finally maintained the microstructure and texture of AMS during frozen storage. Overall, UIF-150 has potential industrial application prospects in the rapid freezing and quality preservation of scallops.