Origins of the Ediacaran Doushantuo High-Grade Primary Phosphorites at Kaiyang, Guizhou Province, China.

The Ediacaran Doushantuo phosphate deposit in Kaiyang, Guizhou Province, China, contains thick phosphate ores. Most of the ores are reconstituted phosphorite, and there have been few studies of the primary phosphorites, which has led to controversy regarding the origins and nature of mineralization of these phosphate-rich deposits. We identified high-grade primary phosphorites in the Kaiyang area and undertook a stratigraphic, petrological, sedimentological, geochemical, and isotopic study of these rocks. Moving up-section, the Longshui phosphate ore deposit comprises granular, micritic, stromatolitic, honeycomb, and sandy phosphorites. The first four types of phosphorite contain abundant biological structures, such as spherical, lobe-like, and amorphous forms. These are mainly fossils of benthic multicellular red algae, along with other types of algae. These fossils comprise >70% of the phosphorites, indicating that these are protist phosphorites. The ores are massive, unstratified, and contain numerous layered cavity structures, indicating that the ore bed was originally a reef. The phosphorites have P2O5 contents of 38.6-40.2 wt %, with an average of 38.9 wt %. The Al2O3 + TiO2 values are 0.02-0.44 wt %. The δ18O values of the samples vary from 13.76 to 16.57‰, with an average of 14.60‰, and δ13C values range from -15.789 to -8.697‰, with an average of -13.133‰. The samples exhibit rare-earth element patterns that are enriched with middle rare-earth elements and have strongly negative Ce anomalies. The geochemical features show that the reef was deposited in clear and oxidized waters. The discovery of this high-grade protist phosphorite shows that the involvement of algae was key to the formation of the Kaiyang phosphate-rich deposit.

Gene Regulation during Carapacial Ridge Development of Mauremys reevesii: The Development of Carapacial Ridge, Ribs and Scutes.

The unique topological structure of a turtle shell, including the special ribs-scapula relationship, is an evolutionarily novelty of amniotes. The carapacial ridge is a key embryonic tissue for inducing turtle carapace morphologenesis. However, the gene expression profiles and molecular regulatory mechanisms that occur during carapacial ridge development, including the regulation mechanism of rib axis arrest, the development mechanism of the carapacial ridge, and the differentiation between soft-shell turtles and hard-shell turtles, are not fully understood. In this study, we obtained genome-wide gene expression profiles during the carapacial ridge development of Mauremys reevesii using RNA-sequencing by using carapacial ridge tissues from stage 14, 15 and 16 turtle embryos. In addition, a differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis and a gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of three comparison groups were performed. Furthermore, a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was used to analyze the pathway enrichment of the differentially expressed genes of the three comparative groups. The result displayed that the Wnt signaling pathway was substantially enriched in the CrTK14 vs. the CrTK15 comparison group, while the Hedgehog signaling pathway was significantly enriched in the CrTK15 vs. the CrTK16 group. Moreover, the regulatory network of the Wnt signaling pathway showed that Wnt signaling pathways might interact with Fgfs, Bmps, and Shh to form a regulatory network to regulate the carapacial ridge development. Next, WGCNA was used to cluster and analyze the expression genes during the carapacial ridge development of M. reevesii and P. sinensis. Further, a KEGG functional enrichment analysis of the carapacial ridge correlation gene modules was performed. Interesting, these results indicated that the Wnt signaling pathway and the MAPK signaling pathway were significantly enriched in the gene modules that were highly correlated with the stage 14 and stage 15 carapacial ridge samples of the two species. The Hedgehog signaling pathway was significantly enriched in the modules that were strongly correlated with the stage 16 carapacial ridge samples of M. reevesii, however, the PI3K-Akt signaling and the TGF-ß signaling pathways were significantly enriched in the modules that were strongly correlated with the stage 16 carapacial ridge samples of P. sinensis. Furthermore, we found that those modules that were strongly correlated with the stage 14 carapacial ridge samples of M. reevesii and P. sinensis contained Wnts and Lef1. While the navajo white 3 module which was strongly correlated with the stage 16 carapacial ridge samples of M. reevesii contained Shh and Ptchs. The dark green module strongly correlated with the stage 16 carapacial ridge samples of P. sinensis which contained Col1a1, Col1a2, and Itga8. Consequently, this study systematically revealed the signaling pathways and genes that regulate the carapacial ridge development of M. reevesii and P. sinensis, which provides new insights for revealing the molecular mechanism that is underlying the turtle's body structure.

Antioxidant and Hemolysis Protective Effects of Polyphenol-Rich Extract from Mulberry Fruits.

BACKGROUND: Mulberry fruits are a superior source of polyphenol, especially anthocyanins that contribute potentially to the beneficial effects which include reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancers with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemoprotective properties. OBJECTIVES: In this study, purification of the polyphenol-rich extract from mulberry fruit (MPE) was purified and assessed the activities of antioxidant and hemolysis protective in vivo and in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antioxidant activities in vitro was measured by quantifying its 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, reducing power and Fe2+-chelating ability. MPE was purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and analyzed individual polyphenols using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)/MS. RESULTS: The total polyphenol content was 147.69 ± 0.02 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dried weight (DW) in the extract and 403.55 ± 0.02 mg GAE/g DW in the purified extract. Further identification by HPLC-ultraviolet-visible and LC-MS/MS analysis indicated in MPE, an anthocyanin compound, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. With regard to in vitro assays, MPE possessed antioxidant effect, especially in Fe2+ chelating ability with an IC50 value of 1.016 mg/mL. The protective effects on mouse red blood cell hemolysis and lipid peroxidation ex vivo were dose and time dependent. CONCLUSION: It indicates that MPE could be a good candidate for future biomedical applications to promote human health with limited side effects. SUMMARY: Mulberry fruit is an excellent source of polyphenols, in particular, anthocyanins, which has infinite health benefits. This study determined the predominant anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-glucoside, could possibly be the rationale behind the antioxidant and antihemolytic effect of MPE. Results indicate that MPE could be a good candidate for future biomedical applications to promote human health with limited side effects. Abbreviations used: MPE: Purification of the polyphenol-rich extract from mulberry fruit, LC-MS: Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, HPLC: High-pressure liquid chromatography, DPPH: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity, RBC: Red blood cell, GAE: Gallic acid equivalent, FeCl2: Ferrous chloride, H2O2: Hydrogen peroxide, EDTA-2Na: Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt, PBS: Phosphate-buffered saline, TCA: Trichloroacetic acid, TBA: 2-thiobarbituric acid, FeSO4: Ferrous sulphate, MDA: Malondialdehyde, VC: Vitamin C, DW: Dried weight.