How deregulation, drought and increasing fire impact Amazonian biodiversity.

Biodiversity contributes to the ecological and climatic stability of the Amazon Basin1,2, but is increasingly threatened by deforestation and fire3,4. Here we quantify these impacts over the past two decades using remote-sensing estimates of fire and deforestation and comprehensive range estimates of 11,514 plant species and 3,079 vertebrate species in the Amazon. Deforestation has led to large amounts of habitat loss, and fires further exacerbate this already substantial impact on Amazonian biodiversity. Since 2001, 103,079-189,755 km2 of Amazon rainforest has been impacted by fires, potentially impacting the ranges of 77.3-85.2% of species that are listed as threatened in this region5. The impacts of fire on the ranges of species in Amazonia could be as high as 64%, and greater impacts are typically associated with species that have restricted ranges. We find close associations between forest policy, fire-impacted forest area and their potential impacts on biodiversity. In Brazil, forest policies that were initiated in the mid-2000s corresponded to reduced rates of burning. However, relaxed enforcement of these policies in 2019 has seemingly begun to reverse this trend: approximately 4,253-10,343 km2 of forest has been impacted by fire, leading to some of the most severe potential impacts on biodiversity since 2009. These results highlight the critical role of policy enforcement in the preservation of biodiversity in the Amazon.

Outbreak of the South American tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, in the Chinese mainland: geographic and potential host range expansion.

BACKGROUND: In 2017 Tuta absoluta was identified as an invasive species in China. Due to its rapid geographic expansion and the severe crop damage it causes, T. absoluta poses a serious threat to China's tomato production industry. To determine its geographic distribution and host range, intensive surveys and routine monitoring were conducted across the Chinese mainland between 2018 and 2019. The population colonization coefficient (PCC; ratio of colonized sites and prefectures) and population occurrence index (POI; ratio of infested host species and PCCs) were calculated. RESULTS: In northwestern China, T. absoluta populations established in Xinjiang exhibited a medium PCC value (~0.03). In southwestern China, populations in Yunnan and its five neighboring provinces exhibited high (~0.50 in Yunnan and Guizhou), or low (<0.02 in Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, and Chongqing) PCC values. In the Chinese mainland, infestations of four crop plant species (tomato, eggplant, potato, and Chinese lantern) and two wild plant species (black nightshade and Dutch eggplant) were identified; tomatoes were infested in every colonized province. Chinese lantern and Dutch eggplant are potentially novel hosts. Yunnan, Guizhou, and Xinjiang experienced the most serious damage (POI). In southwestern China, observed damage significantly decreased with increased distance from the first discovery site of T. absoluta to the farthest county of an infested province increased. CONCLUSION: T. absoluta populations are well-established and could potentially spread to other regions of China. The present study helps to inform the establishment of better pest management guidelines and strategies in China and tomato-producing regions worldwide. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Lapiferin protects against H1N1 virus-induced pulmonary inflammation by negatively regulating NF-kB signaling.

H1N1 virus-induced excessive inflammatory response contributes to severe disease and high mortality rates. There is currently no effective strategy against virus infection in lung. The present study evaluated the protective roles of a natural compound, lapiferin, in H1N1 virus-induced pulmonary inflammation in mice and in cultured human bronchial epithelial cells. Initially, Balb/C mice were grouped as Control, H1N1 infection (intranasally infected with 500 plaque-forming units of H1N1 virus), lapiferin (10 mg/kg), and H1N1+lapiferin (n=10/group). Lung histology, expression of inflammatory factors, and survival rates were assessed after 14 days of exposure. Administration of lapiferin significantly alleviated the virus-induced inflammatory infiltrate in lung tissues. Major pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, were decreased at both mRNA and protein levels by lapiferin administration in the lung homogenate. Lapiferin also reduced inflammatory cell numbers in bronchoalveolar fluid. Mechanistically, lapiferin suppressed the transcriptional activity and protein expression of NF-κB p65, causing inhibition on NF-κB signaling. Pre-incubation of human bronchial epithelial cells with an NF-κB signaling specific activator, ceruletide, significantly blunted lapiferin-mediated inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion in an air-liquid-interface cell culture experiment. Activation of NF-κB signaling also blunted lapiferin-ameliorated inflammatory infiltrate in lungs. These results suggested that lapiferin was a potent natural compound that served as a therapeutic agent for virus infection in the lung.

Lapiferin protects against H1N1 virus-induced pulmonary inflammation by negatively regulating NF-kB signaling

H1N1 virus-induced excessive inflammatory response contributes to severe disease and high mortality rates. There is currently no effective strategy against virus infection in lung. The present study evaluated the protective roles of a natural compound, lapiferin, in H1N1 virus-induced pulmonary inflammation in mice and in cultured human bronchial epithelial cells. Initially, Balb/C mice were grouped as Control, H1N1 infection (intranasally infected with 500 plaque-forming units of H1N1 virus), lapiferin (10 mg/kg), and H1N1+lapiferin (n=10/group). Lung histology, expression of inflammatory factors, and survival rates were assessed after 14 days of exposure. Administration of lapiferin significantly alleviated the virus-induced inflammatory infiltrate in lung tissues. Major pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, were decreased at both mRNA and protein levels by lapiferin administration in the lung homogenate. Lapiferin also reduced inflammatory cell numbers in bronchoalveolar fluid. Mechanistically, lapiferin suppressed the transcriptional activity and protein expression of NF-κB p65, causing inhibition on NF-κB signaling. Pre-incubation of human bronchial epithelial cells with an NF-κB signaling specific activator, ceruletide, significantly blunted lapiferin-mediated inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion in an air-liquid-interface cell culture experiment. Activation of NF-κB signaling also blunted lapiferin-ameliorated inflammatory infiltrate in lungs. These results suggested that lapiferin was a potent natural compound that served as a therapeutic agent for virus infection in the lung.

The whole-cell immobilization of D-hydantoinase-engineered Escherichia coli for D-CpHPG biosynthesis

Background: D-Hydroxyphenylglycine is considered to be an important chiral molecular building-block of antibiotic reagents such as pesticides, and β-lactam antibiotics. The process of its production is catalyzed by D-hydantoinase and D-carbamoylase in a two-step enzyme reaction. How to enhance the catalytic potential of the two enzymes is valuable for industrial application. In this investigation, an Escherichia coli strain genetically engineered with D-hydantoinase was immobilized by calcium alginate with certain adjuncts to evaluate the optimal condition for the biosynthesis of D-carbamoyl-p-hydroxyphenylglycine (D-CpHPG), the compound further be converted to D-hydroxyphenylglycine (D-HPG) by carbamoylase. Results: The optimal medium to produce D-CpHPG by whole-cell immobilization was a modified Luria-Bertani (LB) added with 3.0% (W/V) alginate, 1.5% (W/V) diatomite, 0.05% (W/V) CaCl2 and 1.00 mM MnCl2.The optimized diameter of immobilized beads for the whole-cell biosynthesis here was 2.60 mm. The maximized production rates of D-CpHPG were up to 76%, and the immobilized beads could be reused for 12 batches. Conclusions: This investigation not only provides an effective procedure for biological production of D-CpHPG, but gives an insight into the whole-cell immobilization technology.