OAF is a DAF-like gene that controls ovule development in plants.

We previously found that the RING-type E3 ligase DEFECTIVE IN ANTHER DEHISCENCE1- (DAD1-) Activating Factor (DAF) controls anther dehiscence by activating the jasmonate biosynthetic pathway in Arabidopsis. Here, we show that in Arabidopsis, the DAF ancestor was duplicated into three genes (DAF, Ovule Activating Factor (OAF), DAFL2), which evolved divergent partial functions from their ancestor through subfunctionalization. In this case, DAF-DAD1-JA signaling regulates anther dehiscence, whereas OAF controls ovule development by negatively regulating cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase 9 (CAD9) activity and being negatively regulated by miR847 itself in Arabidopsis. Downregulation of OAF or upregulation of CAD9 and miR847 caused similar abortion of ovule formation due to precocious ovule lignification in transgenic Arabidopsis. Interestingly, only one DAF-like gene, PaOAF, exists in the monocot orchids, which has likely evolved through nonfunctionalization and maintains a conserved function as Arabidopsis OAF in regulating ovule development since defective ovules were observed in the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) PaOAF Phalaenopsis orchids. The absence of the DAF ortholog and its function in orchids is likely due to the evolution of stamens to a unique pollinium structure that lacks the feature of anther dehiscence. These findings expand the current knowledge underlying the multifunctional evolution and diverse functionalization of duplicate gene pairs within/among plants.

The relationship between vitamin D levels in umbilical cord blood and infantile eczema.

A total of 179 normal full-term pregnant women and their newborns were randomly selected. Umbilical venous blood was extracted after the delivery, and the serum level of 25(OH)D3 was measured. Forty 2 days, 3 months, 6 months, and one year after the birth to be asked about the occurrence and development of infant eczema. Thirteen cases were lost to follow-up. The median concentration of 25(OH)D3 in the cord blood was 25.40 ng/mL. Thirty eight cases (22.9%) were vitamin D deficient (<20 ng/mL), 77 cases (46.4%) were vitamin D insufficient (20-30 ng/mL), and 51 cases (30.7%) were vitamin D sufficient (≥30 ng/mL). The incidence of eczema in the umbilical cord blood vitamin D sufficient group was lower than that in the deficient and insufficient groups (p < .05). Sufficient umbilical cord blood vitamin D levels are associated with a lower incidence of eczema in infants up to one year of age. IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? A number of studies have suggested that vitamin D levels in early life are related to the occurrence of allergic diseases, but the conclusions are not uniform.What do the results of this study add? The rate of sufficient umbilical cord blood vitamin D was low in the Songjiang area of Shanghai. Sufficient umbilical cord blood vitamin D levels (≥30 ng/mL) are associated with a lower incidence of eczema in infants up to 1 year of age.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? At present, the dose of vitamin D for pregnant women at home and abroad is not consistent, so the specific dose of vitamin D for pregnant women to maintain the foetus needs further discussion. It is expected that a reasonable recommended dose can be developed to reduce the risk of allergic diseases in future generations from a primary prevention perspective.

Regulatory network for FOREVER YOUNG FLOWER-like genes in regulating Arabidopsis flower senescence and abscission.

FOREVER YOUNG FLOWER (FYF) has been reported to play an important role in regulating flower senescence/abscission. Here, we functionally analyzed five Arabidopsis FYF-like genes, two in the FYF subgroup (FYL1/AGL71 and FYL2/AGL72) and three in the SOC1 subgroup (SOC1/AGL20, AGL19, and AGL14/XAL2), and showed their involvement in the regulation of flower senescence and/or abscission. We demonstrated that in FYF subgroup, FYF has both functions in suppressing flower senescence and abscission, FYL1 only suppresses flower abscission and FYL2 has been converted as an activator to promote flower senescence. In SOC1 subgroup, AGL19/AGL14/SOC1 have only one function in suppressing flower senescence. We also found that FYF-like proteins can form heterotetrameric complexes with different combinations of A/E functional proteins (such as AGL6 and SEP1) and AGL15/18-like proteins to perform their functions. These findings greatly expand the current knowledge behind the multifunctional evolution of FYF-like genes and uncover their regulatory network in plants.

[Ecological quality assessment and the impact of urbanization based on RSEI model for Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China]. / 基于RSEI模型的生态质量评估及城镇化影响­­ä»¥å—京市为例.

Using Landsat 5/TM and Landsat 8/OLI images in 2000 and 2017, based on remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) model, combined with meteorological observation data and socio-economic data in Nanjing from 2000 to 2017, we analyzed and evaluated the ecological environment changes and the characteristic ecological areas in Nanjing. The results showed that the average RSEI of Nanjing decreased from 0.626 to 0.618 during 2000-2017. The RSEI values could be divided into five grades: bad, poor, fair, good and excellent. The proportion of area above good grade decreased from 61.0% to 57.1%, while that below poor grade increased slightly. Compared with 2000, the proportion of areas with improved ecological environment quality was 34.5%, 34.7% area had deteriorated, and 30.8% area remained unchanged in 2017. Among them, the ecological quality of main urban area had significantly improved, and the area with improved ecological quality exceeded that of deterioration. The ecological quality of new urban area and suburbs had deteriorated. The area with poor ecological environment exceeded the area of improvement. Among the three ecological protection areas, the ecological quality of Zijin Mountain was significantly better than that of Laoshan Mountain and Jiangxinzhou. The urbanization rate was negatively correlated with RSEI, with a correlation coefficient of -0.91. The urbanization process would have negative impacts on the ecological environment in general. However, strict protection and management measures could maintain the good ecological environment even improve it.

HIF­1α promotes NLRP3 inflammasome activation in bleomycin­induced acute lung injury.

The inflammatory response is one of the most important factors in the occurrence and development of acute lung injury (ALI). Hypoxia­inducible factor­1α (HIF­1α) and the NOD­like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome have been demonstrated to serve an important role in the pathogenesis of ALI. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether HIF­1α could regulate activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its potential function and specific mechanism in bleomycin (BLM)­induced ALI. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and secretion of IL­1ß were detected following silencing of HIF­1α or NF­κB, respectively, in BLM­treated A549 and RLE­6TN cells. The results demonstrated that the NLRP3 inflammasome could be activated after BLM treatment. HIF­1α and NF­κB expression significantly increased in the BLM group. The levels of NF­κB­ and NLRP3 inflammasome­associated proteins, including NLRP3, apoptosis­associated speck­like protein containing CARD and caspase­1, markedly decreased after treating A549 and RLE­6TN cells with HIF­1α small interfering RNA. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome was also inhibited after silencing NF­κB. Furthermore, the levels of IL­1ß markedly decreased in the cellular culture supernatants following inhibition of HIF­1α and NF­κB. Therefore, the present study indicated that HIF­1α could modulate the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the secretion of IL­1ß through NF­κB signaling in BLM­induced ALI. The current results improve understanding of the mechanism of ALI and may provide new ideas for identifying therapeutic targets of ALI.

[Early identification of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical indicators for early identification of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP) in children. METHODS: The clinical data of 142 children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) between January 2014 and June 2015 were retrospectively studied. Among the 142 children, there were 32 cases of RMPP and 110 cases of non-refractory MPP. The clinical data were compared between the RMPP and non-refractory MPP groups. RESULTS: The percentage of school-age children in the RMPP group was higher than in the non-refractory MPP group (P<0.05). The mean onset age in the RMPP group was older than the non-refractory MPP group (P<0.05). Steroid was used in 93.8% of RMPP children compared with 7.3% of non-refractory MPP children (P<0.001). Consolidation of lung on chest X-Ray was shown in 87.5% of RMPP children compared with 42.7% of non-refractory MPP children (P<0.001). The incidence of pleural effusion in the RMPP group was higher than in the non-refractory MPP group (P<0.001). The RMPP group had higher percentages of individuals with CRP>40 mg/L and ESR>30 mm/h+LDH>300 IU/L than the non-refractory MPP group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: RMPP is common in school-age children. Consolidation of lung on chest X-Ray, pleural effusion and increased levels of CRP and ESR+LDH may be helpful to early identification of RMPP in children.