A rapid, equipment-free method for detecting avirulence genes of Pyricularia oryzae using a lateral flow strip-based RPA assay.

Rice blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae, is one of the most destructive rice diseases worldwide. Using resistant rice varieties is the most cost-effective way to control rice blast. Consequently, it is critical to monitor the distribution frequency of avirulence genes in rice planting field to facilitate the breedings of resistant rice varieties. In this study, we established a rapid RPA-LFD detection system for the identification of AvrPik, Avr-Piz-t and Avr-Pi9. The optimized reaction temperature and duration were 37°C and 20 min, indicating that the reaction system could be initiated by body temperature without relying on any precision instruments. Specificity analysis showed that the primer and probe combinations targeting three Avr genes exhibited a remarkable specificity for at genus-level detection. Under the optimized condition, the lower detected thresholds of AvrPik, Avr-Piz-t and Avr-Pi9 were 10 fg/µl, 100 fg/µl and 10 pg/µl, respectively. Notably, the detection sensitivity of three Avr genes was much higher than that of PCR. In addition, we also successfully detected the presence of AvrPik, Avr-Piz-t and Avr-Pi9 in the leaf and panicle blast lesions with the RPA-LFD detection system. In particular, the genomic DNA was extracted using the simpler PEG-NaOH rapid extraction method. In summary, we developed the RPA detection system for AvrPik, Avr-Pi9 and Avr-Piz-t, combined with the PEG-NaOH rapid DNA extraction method. The innovative approach achieved rapid, real-time and accurate detection of three Avr genes in the field, which is helpful to understand the distribution frequency of the three Avr genes in the field and provide theoretical reference for the scientific layout of rice resistant varieties.

Construction of multiplexed transcriptome NGS libraries of microdissected tissue samples based on combinational DNA barcode microbeads.

The combination of single-cell RNA sequencing and microdissection techniques that preserves positional information has become a major tool for spatial transcriptome analyses. However, high costs and time requirements, especially for experiments at the single cell scale, make it challenging for this approach to meet the demand for increased throughput. Therefore, we proposed combinational DNA barcode (CDB)-seq as a medium-throughput, multiplexed approach combining Smart-3SEQ and CDB magnetic microbeads for transcriptome analyses of microdissected tissue samples. We conducted a comprehensive comparison of conditions for CDB microbead preparation and related factors and then applied CDB-seq to RNA extracts, fresh frozen (FF) and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) mouse brain tissue samples. CDB-seq transcriptomic profiles of tens of microdissected samples could be obtained in a simple, cost-effective way, providing a promising method for future spatial transcriptomics.

High Prolactin Concentration Induces Ovarian Granulosa Cell Oxidative Stress, Leading to Apoptosis Mediated by L-PRLR and S-PRLR.

High prolactin (PRL) concentration has been shown to induce the apoptosis of ovine ovarian granulosa cells (GCs), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of apoptosis induced by high PRL concentration in GCs. Trial 1: The optimal concentration of glutathion was determined according to the detected cell proliferation. The results showed that the optimal glutathione concentration was 5 µmol/mL. Trial 2: 500 ng/mL PRL was chosen as the high PRL concentration. The GCs were treated with 0 ng/mL PRL (C group), 500 ng/mL PRL (P group) or 500 ng/mL PRL, and 5 µmol/mL glutathione (P-GSH group). The results indicated that the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex (MRCC) I-V, ATP production, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and thioredoxin peroxidase (TPx) in the C group were higher than those in the P group (p < 0.05), while they were lower than those in the P-GSH group (p < 0.05). Compared to the C group, the P group exhibited elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis (p < 0.05) and increased expression of ATG7 and ATG5 (p < 0.05). However, MRCC I-V, ATP, SOD, A-TOC, TPx, ROS, and apoptosis were decreased after the addition of glutathione (p < 0.05). The knockdown of either L-PRLR or S-PRLR in P group GCs resulted in a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in MRCC I-V, ATP, T-AOC, SOD and TPx, while the overexpression of either receptor showed an opposite trend (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that high PRL concentrations induce apoptotic cell death in ovine ovarian GCs by downregulating L-PRLR and S-PRLR, activating oxidative stress and autophagic pathways.

Single-Nucleus RNA-Seq: Open the Era of Great Navigation for FFPE Tissue.

Single-cell sequencing (scRNA-seq) has revolutionized our ability to explore heterogeneity and genetic variations at the single-cell level, opening up new avenues for understanding disease mechanisms and cell-cell interactions. Single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) is emerging as a promising solution to scRNA-seq due to its reduced ionized transcription bias and compatibility with richer samples. This approach will provide an exciting opportunity for in-depth exploration of billions of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. Recent advancements in single-cell/nucleus gene expression workflows tailored for FFPE tissues have demonstrated their feasibility and provided crucial guidance for future studies utilizing FFPE specimens. In this review, we provide a broad overview of the nuclear preparation strategies, the latest technologies of snRNA-seq applicable to FFPE samples. Finally, the limitations and potential technical developments of snRNA-seq in FFPE samples are summarized. The development of snRNA-seq technologies for FFPE samples will lay a foundation for transcriptomic studies of valuable samples in clinical medicine and human sample banks.

Effect of prolactin on cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in ovine ovarian granulosa cells.

Background: Prolactin (PRL) has been reported to be associated with oxidative stress, which is an important contributor leading to cell apoptosis. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the effects of PRL on cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in ovine ovarian granulosa cells (GCs). Methods: Ovine ovarian GCs were treated with 0, 4, 20, 100 and 500 ng/mL of PRL. Then, the cytotoxicity, cell viability, malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of GCs were detected. Additionally, 500 ng/mL PRL was chosen as the high PRL concentration (HPC) due to its high cytotoxicity and oxidative stress. Proteomic and metabonomic were performed to examine the overall difference in proteins and metabolic pathways between C (control: 0 ng/mL PRL) and P groups (500 ng/mL PRL). Results: The results indicated that GCs treated with 4 ng/mL PRL significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the cytotoxicity, ROS and MDA, increased (P < 0.05) the cell viability, SOD and T-AOC, and the GCs treated with 500 ng/mL PRL showed the opposite trend (P < 0.05). Supplementation with 500 ng/mL PRL significantly increased the proteins of MT-ND1, MAPK12, UBA52 and BCL2L1, which were enriched in ROS and mitophagy pathways. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the pentose phosphate pathway was significantly enriched in the P group. Conclusion: A low concentration of PRL inhibited cytotoxicity and oxidative stress. HPC induced oxidative stress in ovine ovarian GCs via the pentose phosphate pathway by modulating the associated proteins MT-ND1 in ROS pathway and UBA52, MAPK12 and BCL2L1 in mitophagy pathway, resulting in cytotoxicity.

Integrated Microbiota and Metabolome Analysis to Assess the Effects of the Solid-State Fermentation of Corn-Soybean Meal Feed Using Compound Strains.

Solid-state fermentation is known to improve plant-based feed nutritional quality; however, the association between microbes and metabolite production in fermented feed remains unclear. We inoculated corn-soybean-wheat bran (CSW) meal feed with Bacillus licheniformis Y5-39, Bacillus subtilis B-1, and lactic acid bacteria RSG-1. Then, 16S rDNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomic profiling were applied to investigate changes in the microflora and metabolites, respectively, and their integrated correlations during fermentation were assessed. The results indicated that trichloroacetic acid soluble protein levels showed a sharp increase, while glycinin and ß-conglycinin levels showed a sharp decrease in the fermented feed, as confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Pediococcus, Enterococcus, and Lactobacillus were predominant in the fermented feed. Overall, 699 significantly different metabolites were identified before and after fermentation. Arginine and proline, cysteine and methionine, and phenylalanine and tryptophan metabolism were the key pathways, with arginine and proline metabolism being the most important pathway in the fermentation process. By analyzing the correlation between the microbiota and metabolite production, lysyl-valine and lysyl-proline levels were found to be positively correlated with Enterococcus and Lactobacillus abundance. However, Pediococcus was positively correlated with some metabolites contributing to nutritional status and immune function. According to our data, Pediococcus, Enterococcus, and Lactobacillus mainly participate in protein degradation, amino acid metabolism, and lactic acid production in fermented feed. Our results provide new insights into the dynamic changes in metabolism that occurred during the solid-state fermentation of corn-soybean meal feed using compound strains and should facilitate the optimization of fermentation production efficiency and feed quality.

Lesion mimic mutant 8 balances disease resistance and growth in rice.

Lesion-mimic mutants (LMM) spontaneously produce necrotic spots, a process not affected by environmental stress or pathogen infection. In this study, we identified a LMM, lesion mimic mutant 8 (lmm8) in rice (Oryza sativa). The lmm8 mutant produces brown and off-white lesions on its leaves during the second- and third-leaf stages. The lesion mimic phenotype of the lmm8 mutant was enhanced by light. At the mature stage, lmm8 mutant are shorter and exhibit inferior agronomic traits than the wild type. Contents of photosynthetic pigments and chloroplast fluorescence were significantly reduced in lmm8 leaves, along with increased production of reactive oxygen species and programmed cell death compared to the wild type. The mutated gene was identified as LMM8 (LOC_Os01g18320) by map-based cloning. A point mutation occurred in LMM8, causing a Leu to Arg mutation of the 146th amino acid of LMM8. It is an allele of SPRL1, encoding a protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase (PPOX) located in chloroplasts and involved in the biosynthesis of tetrapyrrole in chloroplasts. The lmm8 mutant showed enhanced resistance and broad-spectrum resistance. Together, our results demonstrate the importance of rice LMM8 protein in defense responses and plant growth in rice, and provides theoretical support for resistance breeding to improve rice yield.

LncGSAR Controls Ovarian Granulosa Cell Steroidogenesis via Sponging MiR-125b to Activate SCAP/SREBP Pathway.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in livestock fecundity, and many lncRNAs that affect follicular development and reproductive diseases have been identified in the ovary. However, only a few of them have been functionally annotated and mechanistically validated. In this study, we identified a new lncRNA (lncGSAR) and investigated its effects on the proliferation and steroidogenesis of ovine granulosa cells (GCs). High concentrations of glucose (add 33.6 mM glucose) caused high expression of lncGSAR in GCs by regulating its stability, and lncGSAR overexpression promoted GCs proliferation, estrogen secretion, and inhibited progesterone secretion, whereas interference with lncGASR had the opposite effect. Next, we found that the RNA molecules of lncGSAR act on MiR-125b as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA), and SREBP-cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) was verified as a target of MiR-125b. LncGASR overexpression increased the expression of SCAP, SREBP, and steroid hormone-related proteins, which can be attenuated by MiR-125b. Our results demonstrated that lncGSAR can act as a ceRNA to activate SCAP/SREBP signaling by sponging MiR-125b to regulate steroid hormone secretion in GCs. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of nutrient-regulated follicle development in ewes.

Defining Specific Cell States of MPTP-Induced Parkinson's Disease by Single-Nucleus RNA Sequencing.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with an impairment of movement execution that is related to age and genetic and environmental factors. 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is a neurotoxin widely used to induce PD models, but the effect of MPTP on the cells and genes of PD has not been fully elucidated. By single-nucleus RNA sequencing, we uncovered the PD-specific cells and revealed the changes in their cellular states, including astrocytosis and endothelial cells' absence, as well as a cluster of medium spiny neuron cells unique to PD. Furthermore, trajectory analysis of astrocyte and endothelial cell populations predicted candidate target gene sets that might be associated with PD. Notably, the detailed regulatory roles of astrocyte-specific transcription factors Dbx2 and Sox13 in PD were revealed in our work. Finally, we characterized the cell-cell communications of PD-specific cells and found that the overall communication strength was enhanced in PD compared with a matched control, especially the signaling pathways of NRXN and NEGR. Our work provides an overview of the changes in cellular states of the MPTP-induced mouse brain.

Cashmere production, skin characteristics, and mutated genes in crimped cashmere fibre goats.

A subpopulation of Yanshan cashmere goats with crimped fibre has emerged in a closed population in recent years, but little is known about differences in cashmere production performance, skin characteristics, and fibre-style-related genes between goats with different cashmere fibre styles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate fibre characteristics, cashmere yield, hair follicle traits, and fibre-style-related genes in cashmere goats with the two cashmere fleece styles-non-crimped and crimped. Based on the cashmere fibre type, 80 six-month-old female Yanshan cashmere goats were used in this study: 40 goats with non-crimped fleece (NCF) and 40 with crimped fleece (CF). The growth performance and cashmere production of the goats were recorded. Skin samples were collected to determine hair follicle traits and gene sequencing. The results indicated that there were no differences in initial live weight, final live weight, average daily feed intake, and average daily gain between the two groups of goats (P > 0.05). The total yield of cashmere and the stretched length of fibre of the CF goats were higher (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively) and fibre diameter was lower (P < 0.05) than that of the NCF goats. There were no between-group differences in the density and activity of primary and secondary hair follicles, secondary-to-primary fibre ratio, depth of primary follicles, or epidermal thickness. However, the depth of secondary follicles and dermal thickness were higher (P < 0.05) in NCF goats than in CF goats. There were mutations in the KRT5, KAP8, KRT8, KRT74, KRT34, KRT1, KRT71, KRT6A, KAP6, KRT81, and KRT83 genes, four of which caused amino acid changes. The allele and genotype frequencies of base mutations in the KRT5, KAP8, KRT34, KRT1, KRT6A, KRT81, and KRT83 genes were different in the NCF and CF goats (P < 0.05). The distribution and content of the secondary structure elements and tertiary structures of proteins differed between the wide-type and mutated KRT1 and KRT6A proteins. KRT1, KRT6A, KRT71, and TGFα mRNA expression levels were significantly higher in CF goats than in NCF goats (P < 0.05). It is concluded that cashmere goats that have fleece with crimped fibres produce a greater yield of fleece with finer diameter fibres than those with conventional straight cashmere fibres. These differences in fibre properties may be associated with mutations in the genes coding for KRT1 and KRT6A.

Long Non-Coding RNA GDAR Regulates Ovine Granulosa Cells Apoptosis by Affecting the Expression of Apoptosis-Related Genes.

Short-term dietary supplementation of ewes during the luteal phase can increase fertility, most probably by stimulating glucose uptake by the follicles. However, the molecular mechanism of glucose regulation of follicular development has not yet been clarified, especially the further study of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in determining fertility during follicular development. We generated granulosa cell (GC) models of different doses of glucose (0, 2.1, 4.2, 8.4, 16.8 and 33.6 mM), and observed that the highest cell viability was recorded in the 8.4 mM group and the highest apoptosis rates were recorded in the 33.6 mM group. Therefore, a control group (n = 3, 0 mM glucose), a low glucose group (n = 3, add 8.4 mM glucose), and a high glucose group (n = 3, add 33.6 mM glucose) of GCs were created for next whole genomic RNA sequencing. In total, 18,172 novel lncRNAs and 510 annotated lncRNAs were identified in the GCs samples. Gene Ontology indicated that differentially expressed lncRNAs associated with cell apoptosis were highly enriched. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis of lncRNA target genes found that the apoptosis pathway and the p53 signaling pathway were both enriched. Furthermore, we focused on the function of a lncGDAR and verified that lncGDAR could influence cell apoptosis in GC development through affecting the mRNA and protein expression of apoptosis-related markers. These results provide the basis for further study of the lncRNA regulation mechanism in nutrition on female fertility.

Evaluating PM2.5 -Related health costs in China-Evidence from 140 Chinese cities.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, China's economy has grown rapidly, and the health condition of Chinese residents has significantly improved. However, this rapid economic and social development has also brought a series of environmental problems, such as serious haze pollution, of which the main contents are PM2.5 particles. The objective of this study is to quantitatively estimate the PM2.5 -related health costs in China. METHODS: Based on city-level data from 140 major Chinese cities as well as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta city clusters in 2010, the value of a statistical life method based on willingness to pay was employed. Moreover, global and local Moran's I values were calculated to examine the spatial distribution of the health cost of haze pollution in China. RESULTS: In areas with heavy haze pollution or a high level of economic development, residents' health costs will also be higher. In addition, there is a spatial aggregation phenomenon in the spatial distribution of health costs in China, which is mainly in the form of "high-high" aggregation, with high-value cities converging with other high-value cities. CONCLUSIONS: The health cost of haze pollution in China is very considerable, and there are regional differences.

Stochastic Simulation of Typhoon in Northwest Pacific Basin Based on Machine Learning.

Typhoons have caused serious economic losses and casualties in coastal areas all over the world. The big size of the tropical cyclone sample by stochastic simulation can effectively evaluate the typhoon hazard risk, and the typhoon full-track model is the most popular model for typhoon stochastic simulation. Based on the advantages of machine learning in dealing with nonlinear problems, this study uses a backpropagation neural network (BPNN) to replace the regression model in the empirical track model, reestablishes the neural network model for track and intensity prediction in typhoon stochastic simulation, and constructs full-track typhoon events of 1000 years for Northwest Pacific basin. The validation results indicate that the BPNN can improve the accuracy of typhoon track and intensity prediction.

Promoting economic and environmental resilience in the post-COVID-19 era through the city and regional on-road fuel sustainability development.

How to control the global temperature rise within 1.5 °C in the post-COVID-19 era has attracted attention. Road transport accounts for nearly a quarter of global CO2 emissions, and the related sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions also trigger air pollution issues in population-intensive cities and areas. Many cities and states have announced a timetable for phasing out urban-based fossil fuel vehicles. By combining a Markov-chain model with a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model, the impacts of on-road energy structural change led by phasing out fossil fuel vehicles in the road transportation sector are evaluated. The impact of automobile emissions (both CO2 and SO2) on the environment is evaluated, taking into consideration of variation between cities, regions, and countries. Two other major driving forces in addition to CO2 emissions reduction in promoting fossil fuel vehicles' transition toward net-zero carbon are identified and analyzed with multiple different indicators. Under the framework of the DSGE model, climate policy instruments' effects on economic development, energy consumption, and their link to economic and environmental resilience are evaluated under exogenous shocks as well.

The inducing factors of environmental emergencies: Do environmental decentralization and regional corruption matter?

Environmental emergencies are associated with great harm, sudden onset and high publicity and cause serious damage to a broad range of ecological environmental, human health and social properties in a short period of time. Environmental decentralization can help local governments strengthen their independence and make better use of the advantages of environmental information to curb the occurrence of environmental emergencies, but regional corruption significantly weakens its effectiveness. Therefore, based on panel data of China's 30 provincial administrative regions between 2005 and 2016, this paper applies the panel threshold model to explore the relationship between environmental emergencies, environmental decentralization, and regional corruption. The results indicate that, first, environmental decentralization, environmental administrative decentralization, environmental monitoring decentralization, and environmental supervision decentralization all have a negative influence on environmental emergencies; second, as the degree of corruption in a region increases, the effect of environmental decentralization on restraining environmental emergencies decreases; and finally, there is heterogeneity in the relationship between environmental emergencies and environmental decentralization in various regions. Environmental decentralization in the eastern and western regions negatively affects environmental emergencies, while there is a positive relationship between the two in the central region.

Primary Ewing's sarcoma with orbit involvement: Survival and visual outcomes after eye-sparing multidisciplinary management in eight patients.

BACKGROUND: To describe the clinical presentation, treatment, and overall prognosis in eight patients with primary Ewing's sarcoma (ES) involving the orbit. METHODS: A retrospective interventional study of all biopsy-proven cases of primary ES involving the orbit was done. RESULTS: There were seven males and one female with a median age of 14 years. Imaging showed osseous involvement in all eight cases with extraorbital extension in four. Complete tumor resection was done in four, partial resection in three, and biopsy followed by sinus surgery in one. EWSR1 gene rearrangement analysis was done to confirm diagnosis. All patients received multidrug systemic chemotherapy and seven patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. Eye salvage was achieved in all patients. At a mean follow-up duration of 52.63 months, seven patients were doing well with no evidence of disease. CONCLUSIONS: ES involving the orbit is sensitive to chemotherapy and radiation. Aggressive multimodality treatment can help salvage the globe and improve overall survival.

Sequence analysis and mRNA expression of prolactin receptor gene isoforms in different tissues of sheep during lactation and the post-weaning period.

Few studies on mRNA expression of the prolactin receptor (PRLR) isoforms in different tissues of sheep were reported. The objective of this study was to analyze the gene sequence and mRNA expression of PRLR isoforms in the uterus, mammary gland, ovary, spleen and lymph tissue of ewes during the lactation and post-weaning periods. Ten lactating crossbred ewes (Dorper×Hu sheep) with twin lambs were used in this study. Five ewes were chosen randomly and slaughtered at mid-lactation (35 days after lambing). The remaining five ewes were slaughtered on the 5th day after weaning. Samples of uterus, mammary gland, ovary, spleen and lymph tissue were collected from each ewe to determine the mRNA expression of long PRLR (L-PRLR) and short PRLR (S-PRLR) by RT-qPCR. The physical and chemical properties, the similarity of the nucleotides L-PRLR and S-PRLR genes and the secondary and tertiary structure of the L-PRLR and S-PRLR proteins of sheep were analyzed. The results indicated that the predicted protein molecular weights of L-PRLR and S-PRLR are 65235.36 KD and 33847.48 KD, respectively, with isoelectric points of 5.12 and 8.34, respectively. The secondary protein structures of L-PRLR and S-PRLR are different. For L-PRLR these include alpha helix, extended strand and random coils and ß-turns for which the content was 16.01%, 21%, 59.55% and 3.44%, respectively, whereas the secondary protein structures of S-PRLR contain only alpha helices, extended strand and random coils, comprising 18.24%, 30.07% and 48.99%, respectively. The L-PRLR and S-PRLR genes of the sheep (Ovis aries) had nucleotide sequences showing much similarity among ruminants. In these sheep, mRNA expression of L-PRLR and S-PRLR was highest in the uterus and differed between the uterus, ovary, mammary gland, spleen and lymph tissue. The mRNA expression of L-PRLR in lymph tissue was higher during lactation than in the post-weaning period (P < 0.01), whereas mRNA expression of S-PRLR in the uterus and the mammary gland was lower during lactation than during the post-weaning period (P < 0.01). In the uterus, mRNA expression of L-PRLR was higher than that of S-PRLR during lactation (P < 0.01) but there were no significant differences (P < 0.05) for the other five tissues. This study that the L-PRLR and S-PRLR proteins in ewes are mainly composed of extended fragments and random coils. The data also indicate that mRNA expression of L-PRLR and S-PRLR genes varies among different tissues in sheep and is higher in the uterus than in the ovary, spleen, mammary gland and lymph tissue throughout lactation and the post-weaning period.

Unraveling Stage-Dependent Expression Patterns of Circular RNAs and Their Related ceRNA Modulation in Ovine Postnatal Testis Development.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to function in the reproductive systems including testis. However, their expression, as well as function in testicular development of sheep remain undefined. Herein, we performed RNA sequencing to reveal circRNA temporal expression patterns in testes of Tibetan sheep from different stages of maturation (3M, 3-month-old; 1Y, 1-year-old; 3Y, 3-year-old). A total of 3,982, 414, and 4,060 differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs were uncovered from 3M vs 1Y, 1Y vs 3Y, and 3M vs 3Y, respectively. Functional enrichment assessment indicated that the source genes of DE circRNAs were primarily engaged in spermatogenesis and testicular immune privilege including blood-testis barrier (BTB). We subsequently constructed the core circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction network for genes related to testicular function, such as spermatogenesis, germ cell development, BTB, and cell cycle/meiosis. Furthermore, we validated the target associations between either circ_024949, circ_026259 or IGF1, and oar-miR-29b in this network, and revealed their similar expression signatures in developmental testes that they were extensively expressed in germ cells, Leydig cells, and Sertoli cells, thus suggesting their broad functions in the functional maintenance of Leydig cells and Sertoli cells, as well as the development and maturation of male germ cells. Meanwhile, circ_026259 was shown to promote IGF1 expression through inhibition of oar-miR-29b in sheep Sertoli cells. This work gives the first global view for the expression and regulation of circRNAs in sheep testis, which will be helpful for providing new insights into the molecular mechanism of ovine testis function.

Inhibition of prolactin promotes secondary skin follicle activation in cashmere goats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of prolactin (PRL) on development of secondary skin follicles in cashmere goats. Goats were randomly assigned to either a bromocriptine treatment or control group. Samples of cashmere fiber, blood, and skin were collected from all goats after 1 mo. The results indicated that the length, growth rate, and diameter of fibers were not influenced (P > 0.05) by the inhibition of PRL resulting from the treatment with bromocriptine. There was a tendency for increases in total follicle number, primary and secondary follicle numbers, and in the ratio of secondary to primary follicles following treatment with bromocriptine, but these differences were not significant (P > 0.05). The percentage of active secondary follicles in anagen was increased (P < 0.05) in the bromocriptine-treated goats, but there was no effect of treatment on the percentage of active primary follicles. Bromocriptine decreased (P < 0.05) circulating concentrations of PRL and Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and increased (P < 0.05) those of melatonin (MT), but there was no effect of this treatment on the serum concentrations of cortisol, growth hormone, tetraiodothyronine, and triiodothyronine. In bromocriptine-treated goats, mRNA expressions of PRL and MT membrane receptor 1a (MTNR1a) were decreased (P < 0.05) and mRNA expression of MT nuclear receptor (RORα) was increased (P < 0.05), but there was no effect of the treatment on expression of long PRL receptor, short PRL receptor, MT membrane receptor 1b and IGF1. It is concluded that inhibition of PRL promotes secondary hair follicle development in the anagen phase, possibly by downregulating MTNR1a and up-regulating RORα gene expression in the skin.

On the nonlinear relationship between energy consumption and economic and social development: evidence from Henan Province, China.

The sustainable development of China's economy and society has been restricted by energy and environmental issues. With the implementation of the Rise of Central China strategy, Henan, a populous province in China, is facing the threat of an energy shortage as its economy grows steadily and the urbanization process accelerates. Using panel data of 18 cities in Henan Province for the period of 2006-2018, this study investigates the relationship between energy consumption and economic and social development variables based on the extended Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model and threshold regression method. The empirical results indicate that economic and social development are significantly positively correlated with total electricity consumption, although there is regional heterogeneity in this relationship. Moreover, there is evidence for a nonlinear relationship between economic and social development and urban energy consumption. These conclusions not only promote the healthy and sustainable economic development of Henan Province but also provide a reference for other provinces and cities that are experiencing rapid development in China.