Dioscin induces osteosarcoma cell apoptosis by upregulating ROS-mediated P38 MAPK signaling.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Many patients with osteosarcoma readily develop resistance to chemotherapy and have an extremely dismal prognosis. Dioscin, a saponin, is known to exhibit potent anticancer activities and induce cellular death of a variety of cancer types. However, the inhibitory effect of dioscin on osteosarcoma cells and its underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. We investigated the responses of human U2-OS and MG63 osteosarcoma cells to dioscin with regard to proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion, and studied the effect of dioscin on MAPK-related proteins by western blot analysis assays. Dioscin inhibited osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, it induced osteosarcoma cell apoptosis via reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent apoptotic signaling. N-acetylcysteine, a reactive oxygen species inhibitor, suppressed dioscin-induced apoptosis, indicating that ROS play an essential role in dioscin-induced apoptosis. Western blot analysis assays showed that p38 MAPK was upregulated after dioscin treatment, and that dioscin induced apoptosis by upregulating ROS-mediated p38 MAPK signaling. Our study suggests that dioscin possesses antitumor activities against human osteosarcoma cells, inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induces osteosarcoma cell apoptosis through upregulating ROS-mediated p38 MAPK signaling. This study may provide a new therapeutic strategy and potential clinical applications for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

[Correlation analysis of serum CTRP3 and PGC-1α expression with traumatic fracture healing].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between serum C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein-3(CTRP3) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α(PGC-1α) on predictive value of expression level on fracture healing. METHODS: From January 2019 to January 2020, 80 patients with traumatic tibial plateau fractures were treated by internal fixation with support plates through the posterior approach of the knee joint. The patients were followed up for 12 months. According to the criteria for delayed fracture healing, the patients were divided into two groups:54 patients in fracture healing group included 24 males and 30 females, aged 29 to 75 years old with an average of (52.36±13.17) years;In the delayed healing group, there were 26 cases, 13 males and 13 females, aged from 29 to 75 with an average od (53.82±13.52) years. The serum levels of CTRP3, PGC-1αand 25 hydroxyvitamin D3[25(OH)D3] in patients with traumatic fracture were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA);Blood phosphorus and calcium levels were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer, and the product of calcium and phosphorus was calculated;Pearson's method was used to analyze the correlation between serum CTRP3, PGC-1αand bone biochemical indexes in patients with delayed union one week after operation;The predictive value of serum levels of CTRP3 and PGC-1αon traumatic fracture healing was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC curve). RESULTS: PGC-1α, calcium phosphorus product and 25(OH)D3 in the fracture healing group were higher than those in the delayed healing group at 1 and 4 weeks after operation(P<0.05). Serum CTRP3 was positively correlated with PGC-1α(r=0.637, P<0.05) and positively correlated with calcium phosphorus product and 25(OH)D3(P<0.05). The areas under the curve(AUC) of serum ctrp3 and PGC-1α levels in predicting traumatic fracture healing were 0.845 and 0.855, respectively. The cutoff values were 188.678 pg/ml and 2.697 ng/ml, respectively. The specificity was 96.2% and 80.8%, and the sensitivity was 53.7% and 77.8%;The predicted AUC was 0.904, the specificity was 88.5%, and the sensitivity was 81.5%. CONCLUSION: The serum levels of CTRP3 and PGC-1 in patients with delayed union of traumatic fracture at 1 and 4 weeks after operation α The expression level is of certain reference value to predict the fracture healing status of patients.

Retraction: MicroRNA-182 downregulates Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, inhibits proliferation, and promotes apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells by targeting HOXA9.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.21167.].

Unique bacterial communities associated with components of an artificial aquarium ecosystem and their possible contributions to nutrient cycling in this microecosystem.

In order to better understand the bacterial distribution characteristics in a whole microecosystem, the bacterial communities in different components of an artificial aquarium (i.e., plants, fishes, sand and water) were characterized using high throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Across all samples, 2873 operational taxonomic units were identified and assigned to 771 genera in 36 phyla. In a principle coordinate analysis, samples clustered according to their origin, indicating that bacterial communities from the same component were most similar. Further taxonomic analysis revealed that most dominant genera, even those with the similar functions, were biased to one component: Nitrospira and Rhodobacter were mainly abundant in plant samples; Rhodococcus, Serratia, Ralstonia, Sphingobacterium and Pseudomonas were most common in sand samples; Cetobacterium and Aeromonas dominated fish samples; and Flavobacterium, Alpinimonas and Limnobacter were especially common in water samples. Functional predictions performed by PICRUSt and the dominant genera exhibited that bacteria detected in each component could participate in all nutrient cycles in the aquarium. However, those involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling were most common in plant and fish samples, while phosphate metabolism-related pathways were more abundant in sand and water samples. Moreover, the aquarium plants, in association with their bacterial communities might be the most important component in the aquarium, as indicated by their highest bacterial richness and diversity. This study adds to our understanding on the differences in the microbiome of different components and their possible contributions to nutrient cycling in a self-sustaining aquarium.

All-trans-retinoic acid suppresses rat embryo hindlimb bud mesenchymal chondrogenesis by modulating HoxD9 expression.

In vertebrates, 5'-Hoxd genes (Hoxd9), which are expressed in the hindlimb bud mesenchyme, participate in limb growth and patterning in early embryonic development. In the present study, We investigated the mechanisms by which ATRA regulates cultured E12.5 rat embryo hindlimb bud mesenchymal cells (rEHBMCs). Following exposure to ATRA over 24 h, mRNA and protein expression levels of HoxD9 were evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and western blotting. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis. ATRA inhibited the condensation and proliferation, and promoted the apoptosis rate of the rEHBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. Sox9 and Col2a1 in rEHBMCs were downregulated by ATRA in a dose-dependent manner at both mRNA and protein levels. Similarly, HoxD9 was downregulated by ATRA in a dose-dependent manner, in parallel with the cartilage-specific molecules Sox9 and Col2a1. Both qPCR and western blotting showed that both Shh and Gli3 were downregulated. Overexpression of HoxD9 reversed the effects of ATRA. These results demonstrate that ATRA suppresses chondrogenesis in rEHBMCs by inhibiting the expression of HoxD9 and its downstream protein targets, including Sox9 and Col2a1. This effect may also be correlated with inhibition of the Shh-Gli3 signaling pathway.

Plant-herbivorous insect networks: who is eating what revealed by long barcodes using high-throughput sequencing and Trinity assembly.

Interactions between plants and insects are among the most important life functions for all organism at a particular natural community. Usually a large number of samples are required to identify insect diets in food web studies. Previously, Sanger sequencing and next generation sequencing (NGS) with short DNA barcodes were used, resulting in low species-level identification; meanwhile the costs of Sanger sequencing are expensive for metabarcoding together with more samples. Here, we present a fast and effective sequencing strategy to identify larvae of Lepidoptera and their diets at the same time without increasing the cost on Illumina platform in a single HiSeq run, with long-multiplex-metabarcoding (COI for insects, rbcL, matK, ITS and trnL for plants) obtained by Trinity assembly (SHMMT). Meanwhile, Sanger sequencing (for single individuals) and NGS (for polyphagous) were used to verify the reliability of the SHMMT approach. Furthermore, we show that SHMMT approach is fast and reliable, with most high-quality sequences of five DNA barcodes of 63 larvae individuals (54 species) recovered (full length of 100% of the COI gene and 98.3% of plant DNA barcodes) using Trinity assembly (up-sized to 1015 bp). For larvae diets identification, 95% are reliable; the other 5% failed because their guts were empty. The diets identified by SHMMT approach are 100% consistent with the host plants that the larvae were feeding on during our collection. Our study demonstrates that SHMMT approach is reliable and cost-effective for insect-plants network studies. This will facilitate insect-host plant studies that generally contain a huge number of samples.

Ganoderma lucidum Exerts an Anticancer Effect on Human Osteosarcoma Cells via Suppressing the Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

Background: Current treatment of osteosarcoma is limited in part by side effects and low tolerability, problems generally avoided with traditional Chinese medicine. Ganoderma lucidum, a traditional Chinese medicine with antitumor effects, offers a potential alternative, but little is known about its molecular mechanisms in osteosarcoma cells. Objective: To investigate the effect of G lucidum on osteosarcoma cells and its mechanism. Methods: Osteosarcoma MG63 and U2-OS cells were treated with G lucidum, followed by assays for cell proliferation (Cell Counting Kit-8), colony formation, and apoptosis (Alexa Fluor 647-Annexin V/propidium iodide, flow cytometry). Migration and invasion of cells were assessed by wound healing and Transwell invasion assays, and the effect of G lucidum on Wnt/ß-catenin signal transduction was studied by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and dual-luciferase assay. Results:G lucidum inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced apoptosis of human osteosarcoma MG63 and U2-OS cells. Dual-luciferase assay showed that G lucidum suppressed the transcriptional activity of T-cell factor/lymphocyte enhancer factor in the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Moreover, G lucidum blocked Wnt/ß-catenin signaling by inhibiting the Wnt co-receptor LRP5 and Wnt-related target genes, such as ß-catenin, cyclin D1, C-Myc, MMP-2, and MMP-9. At the same time, when Wnt/ß-catenin was inhibited, the expression of E-cadherin was upregulated. Conclusions: Our results suggest that G lucidum broadly suppresses osteosarcoma cell growth by inhibiting Wnt/ß-catenin signaling.

A NaI/H2O2-Mediated Sulfenylation and Selenylation of Unprotected Uracil and Its Derivatives.

An efficient iodide-catalyzed/hydrogen peroxide mediated sulfenylation and selenylation of unprotected uracil and its derivatives with simple thiols and diselenides was established. This coupling tolerates a broad variety of functional groups to provide diverse 5-sulfur/selenium-substituted uracil derivatives in good to excellent yields (up to 93%).

Identification of co-expression modules and pathways correlated with osteosarcoma and its metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is the most common bone tumor that occurs in children. METHODS: To identify co-expression modules and pathways correlated with osteosarcoma and its clinical characteristics, we performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) on RNA-seq data of osteosarcoma with 52 samples. Then we performed pathway enrichment analysis on genes from significant modules. RESULTS: A total of 5471 genes were included in WGCNA, and 16 modules were identified. Module-trait analysis identified that a module involved in microtubule bundle formation, drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, and IL-17 signaling pathway was negatively correlated with osteosarcoma and positively correlated with metastasis; a module involved in DNA replication was positively correlated with osteosarcoma; a module involved in cell junction was positively correlated with metastasis; and a module involved in heparin binding negatively correlated with osteosarcoma. Moreover, expression levels in four of the top ten differentially expressed genes were validated in another independent dataset. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis might provide insight for molecular mechanisms of osteosarcoma.

Systemic inflammation score predicts survival in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma undergoing curative resection.

Inflammation has a critical role in the development and progression of cancers. We developed a novel systemic inflammation score (SIS) based on lymphocyte, monocyte, and CA19-9 and explored its prognostic value in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). From January 2005 to December 2011, 322 consecutive ICC patients who underwent curative resection in our center were included in this study, and validated in a retrospective study of 126 patients enrolled from 2012 to 2014. Clinicopathological variables including preoperative serum CA19-9 and LMR were analyzed. The cutoff values of CA19-9 and LMR were determined based on receiver operating characteristics curve analysis in the primary cohort. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox-regression analyses were calculated for time to recurrence (TTR) and overall survival (OS). In univariate analysis of all patients, all three inflammatory and tumor marker including NLR ≥ 2.49 (P<0.001), LMR ≤ 4.45 (P=0.002), and CA19-9≥89 (P<0.001) were associated with poor prognoses. When omitting SIS in multivariate analysis, preoperative LMR (P =0.006) and serum CA19-9 (P<0.001) were independent predictors of OS. In addition, elevated CA19-9 (P=0.001), multiple tumors (P<0.001), and lymph node metastasis (P<0.001) were significant predictors of worse recurrence free survival. Moreover, high SIS was significantly associated with aggressive tumor behaviours including large tumor size (P<0.001), multiple tumors (P=0.033), lymphonodus node metastasis (P=0.001), and high TNM stage (P<0.0001). Finally, univariate and multivariate analyses revealed the SIS was an independent predictor for TTR (HR=2.077, 95% CI, 1.365-3.162, P=0.001) and OS (HR=3.133 95% CI, 2.058-4.769, P<0.001). These results were further confirmed in the validation cohort. In conclusions, our findings demonstrate that the SIS as a potentially powerful prognostic biomarker in ICC that predicts poor clinical outcomes and is a promising tool for ICC treatment strategy decisions.

Investigating age­induced differentially expressed genes and potential molecular mechanisms in osteosarcoma based on integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone malignancy. It predominantly occurs in adolescents, but can develop at any age. The age at diagnosis is a prognostic factor of OS, but the molecular basis of this remains unknown. The current study aimed to identify age­induced differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and potential molecular mechanisms that contribute to the different outcomes of patients with OS. Microarray data (GSE39058 and GSE39040) obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and used to analyze age­induced DEGs to reveal molecular mechanism of OS among different age groups (<20 and >20 years old). Differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs) were divided into up and downregulated DEMs (according to the expression fold change), then Gene Ontology function enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis were performed. Furthermore, the interactions among proteins encoded by DEMs were integrated with prediction for microRNA­mRNA interactions to construct a regulatory network. The key subnetwork was extracted and Kaplan­Meier survival analysis for a key microRNA was performed. DEMs within the subnetwork were predominantly involved in 'ubiquitin protein ligase binding', 'response to growth factor', 'regulation of type I interferon production', 'response to decreased oxygen levels', 'voltage­gated potassium channel complex', 'synapse part', 'regulation of stem cell proliferation'. In summary, integrated bioinformatics was applied to analyze the potential molecular mechanisms leading to different outcomes of patients with OS among different age groups. The hub genes within the key subnetwork may have crucial roles in the different outcomes associated with age and require further analysis.

Sphingobacterium athyrii sp. nov., a cellulose- and xylan-degrading bacterium isolated from a decaying fern (Athyrium wallichianum Ching).

Assessment of the bacterial diversity associated with a decaying fern, Athyrium wallichianum Ching, revealed the presence of a novel bacterial strain named M46T. It was Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile and aerobic with cellulose and xylan degradation abilities. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain M46T was affiliated to the genus Sphingobacterium, exhibiting the highest sequence similarity of 97.9 % to Sphingobacterium ginsenosidimutans THG 07T, Sphingobacterium canadense CR11T and Sphingobacterium detergens6.2 ST. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on concatenated sequences of the rpoB, cpn60 and 16S rRNA genes showed that strain M46T clustered together with S. canadense CR11T. The genome of strain M46T had a G+C content of 40.6 mol% and chromosome of 6 853 865 bp. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) between strain M46T and S. detergens 6.2 ST and S. siyangense SY1T was 85.1 and 78.1 %, respectively. DNA-DNA relatedness values among strain M46T and other closely related Sphingobacterium species were <70 %. ANI and DNA-DNA relatedness findings strongly supported M46T as a putative novel strain of Sphingobacterium. The predominant fatty acids of strain M46T were iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, and MK-7 was the dominant isoprenoid quinone. The polar lipid profile of strain M46T contained phosphatidylethanolamine as the dominant component, while minor amounts of phosphoglycolipid, one unidentified aminophospholipid, two unidentified phospholipids and four unidentified lipids were also detected. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, MLSA results, genomic characteristics, and phenotypic and biochemotaxonomic analyses, strain M46T is considered to represent a novel species in the genus Sphingobacterium, for which the name Sphingobacterium athyrii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is M46T (=CGMCC 1.13466T=JCM 32543T).

Stenosing tenosynovitis : Evaluation of percutaneous release with a specially designed needle vs. open surgery.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of conventional open surgery and percutaneous release with a specially designed needle for treating stenosing tenosynovitis in terms of cure, relapse and complication rates. METHODS: In this study 89 fingers from 76 patients were randomly assigned and allocated to one of the treatment groups. A total of 37 patients were treated with open surgery in group 1 and 39 patients with percutaneous release using a specially designed needle in group 2. A patient-based 4-inch visual analogue scale (VAS), Quinnell grading (QG), disability of arm shoulder and hand (DASH) score and finger total joint range of motion (FTROM) score were evaluated before treatment and after 7, 30 and 180 days. When finger QG scores were equal or greater than 2 points at follow-up at 180 days this was defined as recurrence.. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05) in terms of VAS, DASH and QG scores and the degree of FTROM. At 7 days all the data were significantly different (p < 0.05) compared with preoperative data, 30 days was significantly different (p < 0.05) compared with 7 days while at 180 days no significant differences could be found (p > 0.05) compared with 30 days. The recurrence rate in group 1 was 4.65% and 6.55% in group 2. CONCLUSION: The percutaneous release and open surgery methods displayed similar effectiveness regarding the cure and recurrence of trigger finger disorder. The use of a specially designed needle for release is a safe and reliable method.

Galectin-3 deficiency protects lipopolysaccharide-induced chondrocytes injury via regulation of TLR4 and PPAR-γ-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway.

The aim of the present study was to identify the functional role of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced injury in ATDC5 cells and to explore the probable molecular mechanisms. Here, we identified that LPS is sufficient to enhance the expression of Gal-3 in ATDC5 cells. In addition, repression of Gal-3 obviously impeded LPS-stimulated inflammation damage as exemplified by a reduction in the release of inflammatory mediators interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, as well as the production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concomitant with the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-13 and MMP-3 expression in ATDC5 cells after LPS administration. Moreover, ablation of Gal-3 dramatically augmented cell ability and attenuated cell apoptosis accompanied by an increase in the expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and a decrease in the expression of proapoptotic protein Bax and caspase-3 in ATDC5 cells subjected with LPS. Importantly, we observed that forced expression of TLR4 or blocked PPAR-γ with the antagonist GW9662 effectively abolished Gal-3 inhibition-mediated anti-inflammatory and antiapoptosis effects triggered by LPS. Mechanistically, depletion of Gal-3 prevents the NF-κB signaling pathway. Taken together, these findings indicated that the absence of Gal-3 exerted chondroprotective properties dependent on TLR4 and PPAR-γ-mediated NF-κB signaling, indicating that Gal-3 functions as a protector in the development and progression of osteoarthritis.

Reliability, Validity, and Responsiveness of the Chinese Version of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Mainland China.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to perform a cross-cultural adaption of the KOOS into Chinese and to evaluate its psychometric properties in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL reconstruction) in mainland China. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Patients completed the Chinese version of the KOOS and the SF-36 questionnaire three times. We evaluated the reliability, checked the validity, and assessed the responsiveness. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 42 patients who had undergone ACL reconstruction. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The results of the questionnaire survey. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the KOOS was well accepted, with ideal test-retest reliability and internal consistency. The test-retest reliability was significant, with high ICC values ranging from 0.888 to 0.941. Additionally, we found that the internal consistency was adequate, with Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranging from 0.740 to 0.975. All a priori hypotheses were supported by a high correlation between the KOOS and SF-36. Furthermore, responsiveness was demonstrated since the ES and SRM between subscales following ACL reconstruction was found in the expected pattern. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese version of the KOOS showed psychometric properties demonstrating acceptable reliability and validity similar to the original version. We conclude that the Chinese version is a reliable and valid instrument for research and clinical assessments of ACL reconstruction patients in mainland China.

Identification of thienopyridine carboxamides as selective binders of HIV-1 trans Activation Response (TAR) and Rev Response Element (RRE) RNAs.

Small organic molecules that can selectively bind to RNA with specificity are relatively rare. Here we report the synthesis, biochemical and structural studies of thienopyridine carboxamide derivatives with the capacity of selectively recognizing and binding with HIV-1 TAR and RRE RNAs that are essential elements for viral replication.

Connexin 43 Modulates Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Through GSK-3beta/Beta-Catenin Signaling Pathways.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are multipotent precursors that give rise to osteoblasts, and contribute directly to bone formation. Connexin 43 (Cx43) is the most ubiquitous gap junction protein expressed in bone cell types, and plays crucial roles in regulating intercellular signal transmission for bone development, differentiation and pathology. However, the precise role and mechanism of Cx43 in BMSCs are less known. Here, we investigate the function of Cx43 in osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in vitro. METHODS: BMSCs were isolated by whole bone marrow adherent culture. Knock down of Cx43 was performed by using lentiviral transduction of Cx43 shRNA. BMSCs were induced to differentiate by culturing in a-MEM, 10% FBS, 50 µM ascorbic acid, 10 mM beta-glycerophosphate, and 100 nM dexamethasone. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and alizarin red S staining were used to evaluate osteogenic differentiation in calcium nodules. Target mRNAs and proteins were analyzed by using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and western blotting. RESULTS: Cx43 expression markedly increased during osteogenic differentiation. Osteogenic differentiation was suppressed following lentiviral-mediated knockdown of Cx43 expression, as judged by decreased levels of Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteocalcin (Bglap), Osterix (Osx), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the number of calcium nodules in response to osteogenic differentiation stimuli. Knock down of Cx43 reduced the level of phosphorylation of GSK-3beta at Ser9 (p-GSK-3beta), resulting in decreased beta-catenin expression and activation. Furthermore, treatment of Cx43-knockdown cells with lithium chloride (LiCl), a GSK-3beta inhibitor, reduced osteogenic differentiation and decreased GSK-3beta levels, as well as partially rescued levels of both total and activated beta-catenin. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that Cx43 positively modulates osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs by up-regulating GSK-3beta/beta-catenin signaling pathways, suggesting a potential role for Cx43 in determining bone mass and bone mineral density by modulating osteogenesis.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative C-H Alkenylation in Aqueous Media: Synthesis of Tetrahydropyridoindoles.

We disclose herein a Ru(II)-catalyzed decarboxylative and oxidative coupling of N-substituted indolyl carboxylic acids with broad substrate scope in an aqueous solution. This method provides a sustainable and efficient access to synthesize various indole-fused cyclohexanyl acetic acids under mild conditions.

Moss habitats distinctly affect their associated bacterial community structures as revealed by the high-throughput sequencing method.

To better understand the factors that influence the distribution of bacteria associated with mosses, the communities inhabiting in five moss species from two different habitats in Beijing Songshan National Nature Reserve were investigated using the high-throughput sequencing method. The sequencing was performed based on the bacterial 16S rRNA and 16S rDNA libraries. Results showed that there are abundant bacteria inhabiting in all the mosses sampled. The taxonomic analysis of these bacteria showed that they mainly consisted of those in the phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, and seldom were from phylum Armatimonadetes, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. The hierarchical cluster tree, based on the OTU level, divided the bacteria associated with all samples into two branches according to the habitat types of the host (terrestrial and aquatic). The PCoA diagram further divided the bacterial compositions into four groups according to both types of habitats and the data sources (DNA and RNA). There were larger differences in the bacterial community composition in the mosses collected from aquatic habitat than those of terrestrial one, whether at the DNA or RNA level. Thus, this survey supposed that the habitat where the host was growing was a relevant factor influencing bacterial community composition. In addition, the bacterial community detected at the RNA level was more sensitive to the habitat of the growing host, which could also be proved by the significantly differences in the predicted function by PICRUSt and the metabolically active dominant genera between different groups. This study expands the knowledge about the interactions between mosses and microbes.

Influence of high-carbon basal fertiliser on the structure and composition of a soil microbial community under tobacco cultivation.

Soil microorganisms play a crucial role in cycling soil nutrients and providing organic nutrients for plant growth and development. Fertilisation balances soil fertility and quality, and affects soil microbial communities. Fertilisation is a frontier subject in agricultural and environmental sciences. Here we showed that the application of high-carbon basal fertiliser treatment could improve the tobacco yield and quality when compared to chemical fertiliser, high-carbon basal fertiliser and mixed high-carbon chemical fertiliser. The potential reason is that different fertiliser treatments influence soil fertility, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and other contents, besides soil organic matter. Further experiments revealed that populations of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes fluctuated during tobacco development under different fertilisation treatments. Then we performed high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, and the results showed that the fertilisation treatments had significant effects on the microbial community, particularly within the finer taxonomic divisions or non-dominant taxa. Moreover, proteobacteria and fungal genera had significantly different relative abundances during tobacco growth under various tobacco developmental stages and fertilisation treatments. These results indicated that mixed high-carbon chemical fertiliser could improve soil fertility by influencing the soil microorganism, and that the fertilisation treatments impacted on the structure and composition of the microbial community, and especially the diversity of non-dominant taxa. However, more studies are needed to confirm their reliability.