Sources and fate of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in a highly eutrophic lake.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3-PUFA) are central to the growth and reproduction of aquatic consumers. Dissolved nutrients in aquatic ecosystems strongly affect algal taxonomic composition and thus the production and transfer of specific ω3-PUFA to consumers at higher trophic levels. However, most studies were conducted in nutrient-poor, oligotrophic lakes, leading to an insufficient understanding of how water nutrients affect algal ω3-PUFA and their trophic transfer in consumers in highly eutrophic lakes. We conducted a field investigation in a highly eutrophic lake and collected basal food sources (phytoplankton, periphyton and macrophytes) and aquatic consumers (invertebrates, zooplankton and fish), and measured their fatty acid (FA) composition. Our results showed that periphyton and phytoplankton were both important sources of ω3-PUFA supporting the highly eutrophic lake food web. High water nutrient levels led to low ω3-PUFA levels in phytoplankton and periphyton, resulting in decreased nutritional quality. Consequently, ω3-PUFA of invertebrates and zooplankton reflected variations in ω3-PUFA of phytoplankton and periphyton, respectively. The ω3-PUFA levels of fish decreased as phytoplankton and periphyton ω3-PUFA decreased. Among fish, the Redfin Culter (Cultrichthys erythropterus) and Bar Cheek Goby (Rhinogobius giurinus) exhibited significantly higher levels of EPA and DHA compared to the Pond Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), which may have been caused by their different feeding modes. Decreases in the ω3-PUFA levels of basal food sources may be one of the causes leading to the reduction of trophic links in aquatic food webs. Our study elucidated the sources and fate of ω3-PUFA in highly eutrophic lakes, complemented previous studies in oligo- and mesotrophic lakes, and emphasized the role of high-quality food sources. Our results offer new perspectives for the conservation and management of highly eutrophic lake ecosystems.

Natural Killer Cells Reprogram Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells to Induce TNF-α Release via NKG2D-Ligand Interaction after Cryo-Thermal Therapy.

In our previous studies, a novel cryothermal therapy (CTT) was developed to induce systemic long-term anti-tumor immunity. Natural killer (NK) cells were found to play an important role in CTT-induced long-term immune-mediated tumor control at the late stage after CTT, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are immature myeloid cells that have potent immunosuppressive effects on T cells and weaken the long-term benefits of immunotherapy. Consequently, overcoming MDSC immunosuppression is essential for maintaining the long-term efficacy of immunotherapy. In this study, we revealed that NK cells considerably diminish MDSC accumulation at the late stage after CTT, boost T cell production, increase T cell activation, and promote MDSC maturation, culminating in Th1-dominant CD4+ T cell differentiation and enhancing NK and CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity. Additionally, NK cells activate ERK signaling in MDSCs through NKG2D-ligand interaction to increase the activity of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α converting enzyme (TACE)-cleaved membrane TNF-α. Furthermore, Increased TACE activity releases more soluble TNF-α from MDSCs to promote MDSC maturation. In our studies, we propose a novel mechanism by which NK cells can overcome MDSC-induced immunosuppression and maintain CTT-induced persistent anti-tumor immunity, providing a prospective therapeutic option to improve the performance of cancer immunotherapy.

The role and therapeutic potential of SIRTs in sepsis.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the host's dysfunctional response to infection. Abnormal activation of the immune system and disturbance of energy metabolism play a key role in the development of sepsis. In recent years, the Sirtuins (SIRTs) family has been found to play an important role in the pathogenesis of sepsis. SIRTs, as a class of histone deacetylases (HDACs), are widely involved in cellular inflammation regulation, energy metabolism and oxidative stress. The effects of SIRTs on immune cells are mainly reflected in the regulation of inflammatory pathways. This regulation helps balance the inflammatory response and may lessen cell damage and organ dysfunction in sepsis. In terms of energy metabolism, SIRTs can play a role in immunophenotypic transformation by regulating cell metabolism, improve mitochondrial function, increase energy production, and maintain cell energy balance. SIRTs also regulate the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), protecting cells from oxidative stress damage by activating antioxidant defense pathways and maintaining a balance between oxidants and reducing agents. Current studies have shown that several potential drugs, such as Resveratrol and melatonin, can enhance the activity of SIRT. It can help to reduce inflammatory response, improve energy metabolism and reduce oxidative stress, showing potential clinical application prospects for the treatment of sepsis. This review focuses on the regulation of SIRT on inflammatory response, energy metabolism and oxidative stress of immune cells, as well as its important influence on multiple organ dysfunction in sepsis, and discusses and summarizes the effects of related drugs and compounds on reducing multiple organ damage in sepsis through the pathway involving SIRTs. SIRTs may become a new target for the treatment of sepsis and its resulting organ dysfunction, providing new ideas and possibilities for the treatment of this life-threatening disease.

A dominant negative mutation of GhMYB25-like alters cotton fiber initiation, reducing lint and fuzz.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fibers, vital natural textile materials, are single-cell trichomes that differentiate from the ovule epidermis. These fibers are categorized as lint (longer fibers useful for spinning) or fuzz (shorter, less useful fibers). Currently, developing cotton varieties with high lint yield but without fuzz remains challenging due to our limited knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying fiber initiation. This study presents the identification and characterization of a naturally occurring dominant negative mutation GhMYB25-like_AthapT, which results in a reduced lint and fuzzless phenotype. The GhMYB25-like_AthapT protein exerts its dominant negative effect by suppressing the activity of GhMYB25-like during lint and fuzz initiation. Intriguingly, the negative effect of GhMYB25-like_AthapT could be alleviated by high expression levels of GhMYB25-like. We also uncovered the role of GhMYB25-like in regulating the expression of key genes such as GhPDF2 (PROTODERMAL FACTOR 2), CYCD3; 1 (CYCLIN D3; 1) and PLD (Phospholipase D), establishing its significance as a pivotal transcription factor in fiber initiation. We identified other genes within this regulatory network, expanding our understanding of the determinants of fiber cell fate. These findings offer valuable insights for cotton breeding and contribute to our fundamental understanding of fiber development.

Synergistic interplay of redox homeostasis and polysaccharide synthesis promotes cotton fiber elongation.

Cell polarity is the foundation of cell development and tissue morphogenesis. The investigation of polarized growth provides opportunities to gain profound insights into morphogenesis and tissue functionality in organisms. Currently, there are still many mysteries surrounding the mechanisms that regulate polarized cell growth. Cotton fiber cells serve as an excellent model for studying polarized growth, and provide important clues for unraveling the molecular mechanisms, signaling pathways, and regulatory networks of polarized growth. In this study, we characterized two functional genes, GhMDHAR1AT/DT and GhDHAR2AT/DT with predominant expression during fiber elongation. Loss of function of both genes contributed to a significant increase in fiber length. Transcriptomic data revealed up-regulated expression of antioxidant genes in CRISPR mutant lines, along with delayed expression of secondary wall-related genes and temporally prolonged expression of primary wall-related genes. Experimental evidence demonstrated that the increase in GSH content and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) enzyme activity led to enhanced total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), resulting in reduced H2O2 levels, which contributed to the extension of fiber elongation stage in CRISPR mutant lines. Moreover, the increased polysaccharide synthesis in CRISPR mutant lines was found to provide an abundant supply of raw materials for fiber cell wall elongation, suggesting that synergistic interplay between redox homeostasis and polysaccharide synthesis in fiber cells may facilitate cell wall remodeling and fiber elongation. This study provides valuable insights for deciphering the mechanisms of cell polarized growth and improving cotton fiber quality.

Regulatory controls of duplicated gene expression during fiber development in allotetraploid cotton.

Polyploidy complicates transcriptional regulation and increases phenotypic diversity in organisms. The dynamics of genetic regulation of gene expression between coresident subgenomes in polyploids remains to be understood. Here we document the genetic regulation of fiber development in allotetraploid cotton Gossypium hirsutum by sequencing 376 genomes and 2,215 time-series transcriptomes. We characterize 1,258 genes comprising 36 genetic modules that control staged fiber development and uncover genetic components governing their partitioned expression relative to subgenomic duplicated genes (homoeologs). Only about 30% of fiber quality-related homoeologs show phenotypically favorable allele aggregation in cultivars, highlighting the potential for subgenome additivity in fiber improvement. We envision a genome-enabled breeding strategy, with particular attention to 48 favorable alleles related to fiber phenotypes that have been subjected to purifying selection during domestication. Our work delineates the dynamics of gene regulation during fiber development and highlights the potential of subgenomic coordination underpinning phenotypes in polyploid plants.

Universal Quantum Optimization with Cold Atoms in an Optical Cavity.

Cold atoms in an optical cavity have been widely used for quantum simulations of many-body physics, where the quantum control capability has been advancing rapidly in recent years. Here, we show the atom cavity system is universal for quantum optimization with arbitrary connectivity. We consider a single-mode cavity and develop a Raman coupling scheme by which the engineered quantum Hamiltonian for atoms directly encodes number partition problems. The programmability is introduced by placing the atoms at different positions in the cavity with optical tweezers. The number partition problem solution is encoded in the ground state of atomic qubits coupled through a photonic cavity mode, which can be reached by adiabatic quantum computing. We construct an explicit mapping for the 3-SAT and vertex cover problems to be efficiently encoded by the cavity system, which costs linear overhead in the number of atomic qubits. The atom cavity encoding is further extended to quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problems. The encoding protocol is optimal in the cost of atom number scaling with the number of binary degrees of freedom of the computation problem. Our theory implies the atom cavity system is a promising quantum optimization platform searching for practical quantum advantage.

Genetic interrogation of phenotypic plasticity informs genome-enabled breeding in cotton.

Phenotypic plasticity, or the ability to adapt to and thrive in changing climates and variable environments, is essential for developmental programs in plants. Despite its importance, the genetic underpinnings of phenotypic plasticity for key agronomic traits remain poorly understood in many crops. In this study, we aim to fill this gap by using genome-wide association studies to identify genetic variations associated with phenotypic plasticity in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). We identified 73 additive quantitative trait loci (QTLs), 32 dominant QTLs, and 6799 epistatic QTLs associated with 20 traits. We also identified 117 additive QTLs, 28 dominant QTLs, and 4691 epistatic QTLs associated with phenotypic plasticity in 19 traits. Our findings reveal new genetic factors, including additive, dominant, and epistatic QTLs, that are linked to phenotypic plasticity and agronomic traits. Meanwhile, we find that the genetic factors controlling the mean phenotype and phenotypic plasticity are largely independent in upland cotton, indicating the potential for simultaneous improvement. Additionally, we envision a genomic design strategy by utilizing the identified QTLs to facilitate cotton breeding. Taken together, our study provides new insights into the genetic basis of phenotypic plasticity in cotton, which should be valuable for future breeding.

Combining Cryo-Thermal Therapy with Anti-IL-6 Treatment Promoted the Maturation of MDSCs to Induce Long-Term Survival in a Mouse Model of Breast Cancer.

Immunosuppression plays a significant role in tumor recurrence and metastasis, ultimately causing poor survival outcomes. Overcoming immunosuppression and stimulating durable antitumor immunity are essential for tumor treatment. In our previous study, a novel cryo-thermal therapy involving liquid nitrogen freezing and radiofrequency heating could reduce the proportion of Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), but the remaining MDSCs produced IL-6 by the NF-κB pathway, resulting in an impaired therapeutic effect. Therefore, here we combined cryo-thermal therapy with anti-IL-6 treatment to target the MDSC-dominant immunosuppressive environment, thereby optimizing the efficacy of cryo-thermal therapy. We found that combinational treatment significantly increased the long-term survival rate of breast cancer-bearing mice. Mechanistic investigation revealed that combination therapy was capable of reducing the proportion of MDSCs in the spleen and blood while promoting their maturation, which resulted in increased Th1-dominant CD4+ T-cell differentiation and enhancement of CD8+ T-mediated tumor killing. In addition, CD4+ Th1 cells promoted mature MDSCs to produce IL-7 through IFN-γ, indirectly contributing to the maintenance of Th1-dominant antitumor immunity in a positive feedback loop. Our work suggests an attractive immunotherapeutic strategy targeting the MDSC-dominant immunosuppressive environment, which would offer exciting opportunities for highly immunosuppressive and unresectable tumors in the clinic.

The Effect of Trichoderma harzianum Hypovirus 1 (ThHV1) and Its Defective RNA ThHV1-S on the Antifungal Activity and Metabolome of Trichoderma koningiopsis T-51.

Mycoviruses widely exist in filamentous fungi and sometimes cause phenotypic changes in hosts. Trichoderma harzianum hypovirus 1 (ThHV1) and its defective RNA ThHV1-S were found in T. harzianum and exhibited high transmissibility. In our previous study, ThHV1 and ThHV1-S were transferred to an excellent biological control agent T. koningiopsis T-51 to form a derivative strain 51-13. In this study, we assessed the metabolic changes in strain 51-13 and antifungal activity of its culture filtrate (CF) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The antifungal activity of CF and VOCs of T-51 and 51-13 was different. Compared with the CF of T-51, that of 51-13 exhibited high inhibitory activity against B. cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum but low inhibitory activity against Leptosphaeria biglobosa and Villosiclava virens. The VOCs of 51-13 exhibited high inhibitory activity against F. oxysporum but low inhibitory activity against B. cinerea. The transcriptomes of T-51 and 51-13 were compared; 5531 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in 51-13 with 2904 up- and 2627 downregulated genes. In KEGG enrichment analysis, 1127 DEGs related to metabolic pathways (57.53%) and 396 DEGs related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (20.21%) were clearly enriched. From the CF of T-51 and 51-13, 134 differential secondary metabolites (DSMs) were detected between T-51 and 51-13 with 39 up- and 95 downregulated metabolites. From these, 13 upregulated metabolites were selected to test their antifungal activity against B. cinerea. Among them, indole-3-lactic acid and p-coumaric acid methyl ester (MeCA) exhibited strong antifungal activity. The IC50 of MeCA was 657.35 µM and four genes possibly related to the synthesis of MeCA exhibited higher expression in 51-13 than in T-51. This study revealed the mechanism underlying the increase in antifungal activity of T-51 because of the mycovirus and provided novel insights in fungal engineering to obtain bioactive metabolites via mycoviruses.

Genomic innovation and regulatory rewiring during evolution of the cotton genus Gossypium.

Phenotypic diversity and evolutionary innovation ultimately trace to variation in genomic sequence and rewiring of regulatory networks. Here, we constructed a pan-genome of the Gossypium genus using ten representative diploid genomes. We document the genomic evolutionary history and the impact of lineage-specific transposon amplification on differential genome composition. The pan-3D genome reveals evolutionary connections between transposon-driven genome size variation and both higher-order chromatin structure reorganization and the rewiring of chromatin interactome. We linked changes in chromatin structures to phenotypic differences in cotton fiber and identified regulatory variations that decode the genetic basis of fiber length, the latter enabled by sequencing 1,005 transcriptomes during fiber development. We showcase how pan-genomic, pan-3D genomic and genetic regulatory data serve as a resource for delineating the evolutionary basis of spinnable cotton fiber. Our work provides insights into the evolution of genome organization and regulation and will inform cotton improvement by enabling regulome-based approaches.

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals fate determination control of an individual fibre cell initiation in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).

Cotton fibre is a unicellular seed trichome, and lint fibre initials per seed as a factor determines fibre yield. However, the mechanisms controlling fibre initiation from ovule epidermis are not understood well enough. Here, with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), a total of 14 535 cells were identified from cotton ovule outer integument of Xu142_LF line at four developmental stages (1.5, 1, 0.5 days before anthesis and the day of anthesis). Three major cell types, fibre, non-fibre epidermis and outer pigment layer were identified and then verified by RNA in situ hybridization. A comparative analysis on scRNA-seq data between Xu142 and its fibreless mutant Xu142 fl further confirmed fibre cluster definition. The developmental trajectory of fibre cell was reconstructed, and fibre cell was identified differentiated at 1 day before anthesis. Gene regulatory networks at four stages revealed the spatiotemporal pattern of core transcription factors, and MYB25-like and HOX3 were demonstrated played key roles as commanders in fibre differentiation and tip-biased diffuse growth respectively. A model for early development of a single fibre cell was proposed here, which sheds light on further deciphering mechanism of plant trichome and the improvement of cotton fibre yield.

Dynamic 3D genome architecture of cotton fiber reveals subgenome-coordinated chromatin topology for 4-staged single-cell differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Despite remarkable advances in our knowledge of epigenetically mediated transcriptional programming of cell differentiation in plants, little is known about chromatin topology and its functional implications in this process. RESULTS: To interrogate its significance, we establish the dynamic three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture of the allotetraploid cotton fiber, representing a typical single cell undergoing staged development in plants. We show that the subgenome-relayed switching of the chromatin compartment from active to inactive is coupled with the silencing of developmentally repressed genes, pinpointing subgenome-coordinated contribution to fiber development. We identify 10,571 topologically associating domain-like (TAD-like) structures, of which 25.6% are specifically organized in different stages and 75.23% are subject to partition or fusion between two subgenomes. Notably, dissolution of intricate TAD-like structure cliques showing long-range interactions represents a prominent characteristic at the later developmental stage. Dynamic chromatin loops are found to mediate the rewiring of gene regulatory networks that exhibit a significant difference between the two subgenomes, implicating expression bias of homologous genes. CONCLUSIONS: This study sheds light on the spatial-temporal asymmetric chromatin structures of two subgenomes in the cotton fiber and offers a new insight into the regulatory orchestration of cell differentiation in plants.

Biological Control and Plant Growth Promotion by Volatile Organic Compounds of Trichoderma koningiopsis T-51.

Trichoderma spp. are widely used in plant disease control and growth promotion due to their high efficacy and multiple biocontrol mechanisms. Trichoderma koningiopsis T-51 is an effective biocontrol agent against gray mold disease by direct contact. However, the indirect physical contact biocontrol potential of Trichoderma spp. is not clear. In this study, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by T-51 showed high inhibitory activity against plant pathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum. The percentage of B. cinerea and F. oxysporum mycelial growth inhibition by T-51 VOCs was 73.78% and 43.68%, respectively. In both B. cinerea and F. oxysporum, conidial germination was delayed, and germ tube elongation was suppressed when exposed to T-51 VOCs, and the final conidial germination rate of B. cinerea decreased significantly after T-51 treatment. The VOCs from T-51 reduced the Botrytis fruit rot of tomato compared with that noted when using the control. Moreover, the T-51 VOCs significantly increased the size and weight of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Twenty-four possible compounds, which were identified as alkenes, alkanes, and esters, were detected in VOCs of T-51. These results indicate that T. koningiopsis T-51 can exert biological control by integrating actions to suppress plant disease and promote plant growth.

[Effects of heavy-load exercise on skeletal muscle cells apoptosis and mechanisms of mitochondrial apoptosis in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle cells apoptosis induced by heavy-load exercise with Omi as the entry point. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-six adult SD rats were randomly divided into five groups: control group(C), eccentric exercise group (E), simple blocking group (U), DMSO group (D) and exercise block group (EU). In addition to the C group, the other four groups were randomly divided into 0 h after experiment, 12 h after experiment, 24 h after experiment, 48 h after experiment and 72 h after experiment with 6 rats in each group. E and EU group were submitted to a heavy-load exercise on a treadmill down a 16° decline, 16 m/min for 90 minutes. U, D and EU group were one-time intervened with drugs. U and EU groups were intraperitoneally injected with 1.5 µmol/kg ucf-101, D group were intraperitoneally injected with 1.5 µmoL/kg 0.5% DMSO. The rats were sacrificed in batches at different time points after experiment, then the soleus were saved to detect the Caspase-3,-8,-9,-12 activities and protein expressions of Omi and XIAP. RESULTS: Compared with group C, the mitochondrial distribution and morphology appeared the typical ultrastructure pathological changes, the opening degree of MPTP was increased significantly (P＜0.01) or (P＜0.05), protein expressions of Omi and XIAP were increased significantly (P＜0.01 or P＜0.05), the activities of Caspase-9 and Caspase-3 were increased significantly (P＜0.01 or P＜0.05) in group E. Compared with group C, there was no significant difference in XIAP protein and caspase-9, - 3 activities in group U and Group D. The change trend of XIAP protein and Caspase-9, - 3 activities was the same as those between EU group and E group, but the change range of XIAP protein in EU group was significantly higher than that in E group (P＜0.01), and the change ranges of caspase-9, - 3 activities in EU group were significantly lower than those in E group (P＜0.01). CONCLUSION: A single heavy-load exercise can induce changes in the mitochondria morphology and structure in rats, open the high permeability of MPTP, and improve the expression of Omi protein, then through its downstream XIAP-Caspase pathway, start the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway mediated by caspase-9, and finally lead to myocyte apoptosis. The inhibition of Omi can reduce the cell apoptosis level of motor induced skeletal muscle cells.

Development of Trans-1,4-Polyisoprene Shape-Memory Polymer Composites Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes Modified by Polydopamine.

In this study, which was inspired by mussel-biomimetic bonding research, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were interfacially modified with polydopamine (PDA) to prepare a novel nano-filler (CNTs@PDA). The structure and properties of the CNTs@PDA were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The CNTs and the CNTs@PDA were used as nanofillers and melt-blended into trans-1,4 polyisoprene (TPI) to create shape-memory polymer composites. The thermal stability, mechanical properties, and shape-memory properties of the TPI/CNTs and TPI/CNTs@PDA composites were systematically studied. The results demonstrate that these modifications enhanced the interfacial interaction, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of TPI/CNTs@PDA composites while maintaining shape-memory performance.

Microalgal swimming signatures and neutral lipids production across growth phases.

Microalgae have been shown as a potential bioresource for food, biofuel, and pharmaceutical products. During the growth phases with corresponding environmental conditions, microalgae accumulate different amounts of various metabolites. We quantified the neutral lipids accumulation and analyzed the swimming signatures (speed and trajectories) of the motile green alga, Dunaliella primolecta, during the lag-exponential-stationary growth cycle at different nutrient concentrations. We discovered significant changes in the neutral lipid content and swimming signatures of microalgae across growth phases. The timing of the maximum swimming speed coincided with the maximum neutral lipid content and both maxima occurred under nutrient stress at the stationary growth phase. Furthermore, the swimming trajectories suggested statistically significant changes in swimming modes at the stationary growth phase when the maximum intracellular neutral lipid content was observed. Our results provide the potential exploitation of microalgal swimming signatures as possible indicators of the cultivation conditions and the timing of microalgal harvest to maximize the lipid yield for biofuel production. The findings can also be implemented to explore the production of food and antibiotics from other microalgal metabolites with low energy costs.

Defective RNA of a Novel Mycovirus with High Transmissibility Detrimental to Biocontrol Properties of Trichoderma spp.

Trichoderma species are a group of fungi which is widely distributed in major terrestrial ecosystems; they are also commonly used as biocontrol agents for many plant diseases. A virus, namely Trichoderma harzianum hypovirus 1 (ThHV1), was identified in T. harzianum isolate T-70, and also infected isolate T-70D, together with its defective RNA (ThHV1-S). The ThHV1 genome possessed two Open Reading Frames (ORFs), namely ORF1 and ORF2. The start codon of ORF2 overlapped with the stop codon of ORF1 in a 43 nt long region. The polypeptide encoded by ORF2 of ThHV1 shared sequence similarities with those of betahypoviruses, indicating that ThHV1 is a novel member of Hypoviridea. Isolate T-70D, carrying both ThHV1 and ThHV1-S, showed abnormal biological properties, notably a decreased mycoparasitism ability when compared with isolate T-70. Both ThHV1 and ThHV1-S could be vertically transmitted to conidia and horizontally transmitted to T. harzianum isolate T-68 and T. koningiopsis T-51. The derivative strains carrying both ThHV1 and ThHV1-S showed decreased mycoparasitism ability, whereas strains carrying ThHV1 alone were normal, indicating that ThHV1-S is closely associated with the decreased mycoparasitism ability of T. harzianum isolate T-70D. ThHV1 was widely detected in isolates of T. harzianum, T. koningiopsis and T. atroviride originating from soil of China. Therefore, viruses in fungal biocontrol agents may also be a factor associated with the stability of their application.

Synthesis of K-Carrageenan Flame-Retardant Microspheres and Its Application for Waterborne Epoxy Resin with Functionalized Graphene.

In this article, the intumescent flame-retardant microsphere (KC-IFR) was prepared by inverse emulsion polymerizations, with the use of k-carrageenan (KC) as carbon source, ammonium polyphosphate (APP) as acid source, and melamine (MEL) as gas source. Meanwhile, benzoic acid functionalized graphene (BFG) was synthetized as a synergist. A "four-source flame-retardant system" (KC-IFR/BFG) was constructed with KC-IFR and BFG. KC-IFR/BFG was blended with waterborne epoxy resin (EP) to prepare flame-retardant coatings. The effects of different ratios of KC-IFR and BFG on the flame-retardant properties of EP were investigated. The results showed that the limiting oxygen index (LOI) values increased from 19.7% for the waterborne epoxy resin to 28.7% for the EP1 with 20 wt% KC-IFR. The addition of BFG further improved the LOI values of the composites. The LOI value reached 29.8% for the EP5 sample with 18 wt% KC-IFR and 2 wt% BFG and meanwhile, UL-94 test reached the V-0 level. In addition, the peak heat release (pHRR) and smoke release rate (SPR) of EP5 decreased by 63.5% and 65.4% comparing with EP0, respectively. This indicated the good flame-retardant and smoke suppression property of EP composites coating.

Cold-pressed Canola Oil Reduces Hepatic Steatosis by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Lipid Metabolism in KM Mice Compared with Refined Bleached Deodorized Canola Oil.

The quality of canola oil is affected by different extraction methods. The effect of cold-pressed canola oil (CPCO) diet and traditional refined bleached deodorized canola oil (RBDCO) diet on lipid accumulation and hepatic steatosis in mice were investigated. The body weight, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α concentration, serum lipid profile, insulin sensitivity, and oxidative stress were increased in mice fed with CPCO diet, which had higher unsaturated fatty acid, tocopherols, phytosterols, and phospholipids but lower saturated fatty acid than RBDCO, after 12 weeks,. Moreover, CPCO significantly increased tocopherols and phytosterols content in liver and reduced liver cholesterol contents and lipid vacuoles accumulation than RBDCO. Also, serum proinflammatory cytokines, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutary coenzyme A reductase expression level, lipogenic enzymes, and transcriptional factors such as sterol regulatory element-binding proteins 1c, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and fatty acid synthase in the liver were also markedly downregulated from CPCO diet mice. Overall, CPCO can reduce lipid accumulation and hepatic steatosis by regulating oxidative stress and lipid metabolism in Kun Ming mice compared with RBDCO. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results suggested that more bioactive components were contained in cold-pressed canola oil (CPCO) rather than refined bleached deodorized canola oil (RBDCO). CPCO could lower the risk of obesity and hyperlipidemia, reduce lipid accumulation, and prevent hepatic steatosis. It could be considered as a kind of better edible oil than RBDCO.