Immunosuppressive agents for frequently relapsing/steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome in children: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Aim: This study aimed to systematically compare the efficacy of various immunosuppressive agents in treating pediatric frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (FRSDNS). Methods: We conducted systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science up to May 23, 2023. Outcome measures included relapses within 1 year, mean cumulative exposure to corticosteroids, patients with treatment failure at 1 year, relapse-free survival during 1 year, and adverse events. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the modified Jadad scale, the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS), and the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results: Rituximab was found to be the most likely (92.44%) to be associated with the fewest relapses within 1 year and was also most likely (99.99%) to result in the lowest mean cumulative exposure to corticosteroids. Rituximab had the highest likelihood (45.98%) of being associated with the smallest number of patients experiencing treatment failure at 1 year. CsA was most likely (57.93%) to achieve the highest relapse-free survival during 1 year, followed by tacrolimus (26.47%) and rituximab (30.48%). Rituximab showed no association with serious side effects and had comparable adverse effects to ofatumumab and tacrolimus. Conclusion: Rituximab may be the most favorable immunosuppressive agent for treating pediatric FRSDNS. Nephrologists should consider this drug, along with their clinical experience, patient characteristics, and cost considerations, when choosing a treatment approach.

Expansion and contraction of lake basin shape the genetic structure of Sinocyclocheilus (Osteichthyes: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) populations in Central Yunnan, China.

Geological events can strongly affect the genetic structures and differentiation of fish populations. Especially, as an endemic fish of the genus Sinocyclocheilus in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the effects of key geological events on the distributions and genetic structures remain poorly understood. Examining the phylogeographic patterns of Sinocyclocheilus fishes can be useful for elucidating the spatio-temporal dynamics of their population size, dispersal history and extent of geographical isolation, thereby providing a theoretical basis for their protection. Here, we used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) method to investigate the phylogeographic patterns of Sinocyclocheilus fishes. Our analysis supports the endemicity of Sinocyclocheilus, but the samples of different regions of Sinocyclocheilus contain multiple ancestral components, which displayed more admixed and diversified genetic components, this may be due to the polymorphism of the ancestors themselves, or gene infiltration caused by hybridization between adjacent species of Sinocyclocheilus. We estimate that the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of Sinocyclocheilus fish in the Central Yunnan Basin at approximately 3.75~3.11 Ma, and infer that the evolution of Sinocyclocheilus in the central Yunnan Basin is closely related to the formation of plateau lakes (around 4.0~0.02 Ma), and identifies the formation of Dianchi Lake and Fuxian Lake as key geological events shaping Sinocyclocheilus population structure. It is also the first time to prove that the altitude change has a great influence on the genetic variation among the populations of Sinocyclocheilus.

Artificial intelligence-driven electrochemical immunosensing biochips in multi-component detection.

Electrochemical Immunosensing (EI) combines electrochemical analysis and immunology principles and is characterized by its simplicity, rapid detection, high sensitivity, and specificity. EI has become an important approach in various fields, such as clinical diagnosis, disease prevention and treatment, environmental monitoring, and food safety. However, EI multi-component detection still faces two major bottlenecks: first, the lack of cost-effective and portable detection platforms; second, the difficulty in eliminating batch differences and accurately decoupling signals from multiple analytes. With the gradual maturation of biochip technology, high-throughput analysis and portable detection utilizing the advantages of miniaturized chips, high sensitivity, and low cost have become possible. Meanwhile, Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables accurate decoupling of signals and enhances the sensitivity and specificity of multi-component detection. We believe that by evaluating and analyzing the characteristics, benefits, and linkages of EI, biochip, and AI technologies, we may considerably accelerate the development of EI multi-component detection. Therefore, we propose three specific prospects: first, AI can enhance and optimize the performance of the EI biochips, addressing the issue of multi-component detection for portable platforms. Second, the AI-enhanced EI biochips can be widely applied in home care, medical healthcare, and other areas. Third, the cross-fusion and innovation of EI, biochip, and AI technologies will effectively solve key bottlenecks in biochip detection, promoting interdisciplinary development. However, challenges may arise from AI algorithms that are difficult to explain and limited data access. Nevertheless, we believe that with technological advances and further research, there will be more methods and technologies to overcome these challenges.

Muscle transcriptome analysis provides new insights into the growth gap between fast- and slow-growing Sinocyclocheilus grahami.

Sinocyclocheilus grahami is an economically valuable and famous fish in Yunnan Province, China. However, given its slow growth (40 g/2 years) and large growth differences among individuals, its growth performance needs to be improved for sustainable future use, in which molecular breeding technology can play an important role. In the current study, we conducted muscle transcriptomic analysis to investigate the growth gaps among individuals and the mechanism underlying growth within 14 fast- and 14 slow-growth S. grahami. In total, 1,647 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained, including 947 up-regulated and 700 down-regulated DEGs in fast-growth group. Most DEGs were significantly enriched in ECM-receptor interaction, starch and sucrose metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate metabolism, amino acids biosynthesis and metabolism, peroxisome, and PPAR signaling pathway. Some genes related to glycogen degradation, glucose transport, and glycolysis (e.g., adipoq, prkag1, slc2a1, agl, pygm, pgm1, pfkm, gapdh, aldoa, pgk1, pgam2, bpgm, and eno3) were up-regulated, while some genes related to fatty acid degradation and transport (e.g., acox1, acaa1, fabp1b.1, slc27a1, and slc27a2) and amino acid metabolism (e.g., agxt, shmt1, glula, and cth) were down-regulated in the fast-growth group. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified col1a1, col1a2, col5a1, col6a2, col10a1, col26a1, bglap, and krt15 as crucial genes for S. grahami growth. Several genes related to bone and muscle growth (e.g., bmp2, bmp3, tgfb1, tgfb2, gdf10, and myog) were also up-regulated in the fast-growth group. These results suggest that fast-growth fish may uptake adequate energy (e.g., glucose, fatty acid, and amino acids) from fodder, with excess energy substances used to synthesize collagen to accelerate bone and muscle growth after normal life activities are maintained. Moreover, energy uptake may be the root cause, while collagen synthesis may be the direct reason for the growth gap between fast- and slow-growth fish. Hence, improving food intake and collagen synthesis may be crucial for accelerating S. grahami growth, and further research is required to fully understand and confirm these associations.

Comparative Analysis of the Expression of Resistance-Related Genes Respond to the Diversity Foliar Pathogens of Pseudostellaria heterophylla.

The foliar disease, which is the primary complex disease of Pseudostellaria heterophylla, can be caused by multiple co-infecting pathogens, resulting in a significant reduction in yield. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between co-infection of various pathogens and the response of resistance-related genes in P. heterophylla. Through the use of 18S rDNA sequencing and pathogenicity testing, it has been determined that Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata, Arcopilus aureus, Botrytis cinerea, Nemania diffusa, Whalleya microplaca, and Cladosporium cladosporioides are co-infecting pathogens responsible for foliar diseases in P. heterophylla. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR analysis revealed that F. oxysporum, A. alternata, B. cinerea, A. aureus, N. diffusa, Schizophyllum commune, C. cladosporioides, and Coprinellus xanthothrix upregulated ten, two, three, four, seven, thirteen, five, one, and six resistance-related genes, respectively. These findings suggest that a total of 22 resistance-related genes were implicated in the response to diverse fungi, and the magnitude and frequency of induction of resistance-related genes varied considerably among the different fungi. The aforementioned gene associated with resistance was found to be implicated in the response to multiple fungi, including PhPRP1, PhBDRN15, PhBDRN11, and PhBDRN3, which were found to be involved in the resistance response to nine, five, four, and four fungi, respectively. The findings indicate that the PhPRP1, PhBDRN15, PhBDRN11, and PhBDRN3 genes exhibit a broad-spectrum resistance to various fungi. Furthermore, the avirulence fungi C. xanthothrix, which is known to affect P. heterophylla, was found to prime a wide range of resistance responses in P. heterophylla, thereby enhancing its disease resistance. This study provided insight into the management strategies for foliar diseases of P. heterophylla and new genetic materials for disease-resistant breeding.

Purification, characterization and bioactivities of a 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan from Aralia echinocaulis.

The discovery of active constituents from food plants is an important area of research in pharmaceutical sciences. Aralia echinocaulis is a medicinal food plant that is mainly used to prevent or treat rheumatoid arthritis in China. This paper reported the isolation, purification and bioactivity of a polysaccharide (HSM-1-1) from A. echinocaulis. Its structural features were analyzed according to the molecular weight distribution, monosaccharide composition, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The results indicated that HSM-1-1 was a new 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan mainly composed of xylan and 4-O-methyl glucuronic acid with the molecular weight of 1.6 × 104 Da. Furthermore, the antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities of HSM-1-1 in vitro were investigated, and the results showed that HSM-1-1 had potent proliferation inhibition activity on colon cancer cell SW480 with an inhibition rate of 17.57 ± 1.03 % at a concentration of 600 µg/mL, as measured via MTS methods. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a polysaccharide structure obtained from A. echinocaulis and its bioactivities, and its potential as an adjuvant natural product with antitumor effects is shown.

Volatiles from Pseudomonas palleroniana Strain B-BH16-1 Suppress Aflatoxin Production and Growth of Aspergillus flavus on Coix lacryma-jobi during Storage.

Semen coicis is not only a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), but also a typical food in China, with significant medical and healthcare value. Because semen coicis is rich in starch and oil, it can be easily contaminated with Aspergillus flavus and its aflatoxins (AFs). Preventing and controlling the contamination of semen coicis with Aspergillus flavus and its aflatoxins is vital to ensuring its safety as a drug and as a food. In this study, the endosphere bacteria Pseudomonas palleroniana strain B-BH16-1 produced volatiles that strongly inhibited the mycelial growth and spore formation activity of A. flavus. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry profiling revealed three volatiles emitted from B-BH16-1, of which 1-undecene was the most abundant. We obtained authentic reference standards for these three volatiles; these significantly reduced mycelial growth and sporulation in Aspergillus, with dimethyl disulfide showing the most robust inhibitory activity. Strain B-BH16-1 was able to completely inhibit the biosynthesis of aflatoxins in semen coicis samples during storage by emitting volatile bioactive components. The microscope revealed severely damaged mycelia and a complete lack of sporulation. This newly identified plant endophyte bacterium was able to strongly inhibit the sporulation and growth of Aspergillus and the synthesis of associated mycotoxins, thus not only providing valuable information regarding an efficient potential strategy for the prevention of A. flavus contamination in TCM and food, but potentially also serving as a reference in the control of toxic fungi.

Glycated Hemoglobin Electrochemical Immunosensor Based on Screen-Printed Electrode.

An electrochemical HbA1c sensor with high sensitivity and good specificity is proposed based on the electrochemical immune principle. The reproducibility and conductivity of the electrode are improved by depositing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the surface of the screen-printed electrode (SPE). The HbA1c antibodies are immobilized on the surface of the modified electrode by adsorption to capture the HbA1c in the sample. The hindering effect of HbA1c on the electrode transfer reaction was exploited as the HbA1c detection mechanism. The electrode's properties were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and the measurement properties of the electrode were analyzed using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The experimental results show that the peak current signal of the electrochemical immunosensor produced a linear response to HbA1c in the concentration range of 20-200 µg/mL, a linear relationship coefficient of 0.9812, a detection limit of 15.5 µg/mL, and a sensitivity of 0.0938 µA/µg·mL-1. The sensor delivered satisfactory repeatability, stability, and anti-interference performance. Due to its small size, high sensitivity, and wide linear detection range, it is expected to play a significant role in managing diabetes at home.

Identification and functional characteristics of two TLR5 subtypes in S. grahami.

TLR5, as a member of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) family in mammals, is responsible for recognizing bacterial flagellin and initiating innate immunity, but its function is still unclear in fish species. In this study, two family members of TLR5 were cloned and identified from Sinocyclocheilus grahami (S. grahami), named sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b. The length of coding sequence of sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b is 2,622 bp and 2,658 bp, encoding 873 and 885 amino acids, respectively. Molecular phylogenetic analysis indicates that sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b have the closest genetic relationship with TLR5M (membrane-type) of Cyprinus carpio and Schizothorax prenanti, respectively. sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b were widely expressed in various tested tissues, of which the expression levels were the highest in skin tissue. After stimulations of Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophila) and flagellin, the expression levels of sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b in liver, spleen and head kidney tissues were strongly up-regulated, but LPS stimulation only increased the expression of sgTLR5b in these tissues. The luciferase reporter assay displayed that sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b could specifically recognize bacterial flagellin and A. hydrophila and activate the downstream NF-κB signaling pathway in HEK293T cells. Moreover, the overexpression of sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b in EPC cells up-regulated the expression levels of IL-8 and TNF. sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b were observed to locate in the intracellular region by confocal microscope. Interestingly, we found that the NF-κB signaling pathway was positively regulated by co-transfecting sgTLR5a or sgTLR5b with TLR trafficking chaperone sgUNC93B1. In conclusion, our results reveal sgTLR5a and sgTLR5b may play an important role in antibacterial response by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

A Lightweight Pose Sensing Scheme for Contactless Abnormal Gait Behavior Measurement.

The recognition of abnormal gait behavior is important in the field of motion assessment and disease diagnosis. Currently, abnormal gait behavior is primarily recognized by pressure and inertial data obtained from wearable sensors. However, the data drift and wearing difficulties for patients have impeded the application of these wearable sensors. Here, we propose a contactless abnormal gait behavior recognition method that captures human pose data using a monocular camera. A lightweight OpenPose (OP) model is generated with Depthwise Separable Convolution to recognize joint points and extract their coordinates during walking in real time. For the walking data errors extracted in the 2D plane, a 3D reconstruction is performed on the walking data, and a total of 11 types of abnormal gait features are extracted by the OP model. Finally, the XGBoost algorithm is used for feature screening. The final experimental results show that the Random Forest (RF) algorithm in combination with 3D features delivers the highest precision (92.13%) for abnormal gait behavior recognition. The proposed scheme overcomes the data drift of inertial sensors and sensor wearing challenges in the elderly while reducing the hardware requirements for model deployment. With excellent real-time and contactless capabilities, the scheme is expected to enjoy a wide range of applications in the field of abnormal gait measurement.

Epinephelus coioides PCSK9 affect the infection of SGIV by regulating the innate immune response.

Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) in mammals is a multifunctional protein. In this study, PCSK9 of marine fish Epinephelus coioides was characterized. The full-length cDNA of E. coioides PCSK9 was 2458 bp in length containing 185 bp 5' UTR, 263 bp 3' UTR and 2010 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 669 amino acids with the predicted molecular weight of 71 kDa and the theoretical PI of 6.6. Similar to other members of PCSK9 family, E. coioides PCSK9 has three conserved domains: Inhibitor_ I9 super family, Peptidases_ S8_ PCSK9_ Proteinase K_ like, and PCSK9_ C-CRD super family. E. coioides PCSK9 mRNA could be detected in all the tissues examined by real-time quantitative PCR, with the highest expression in the brain, followed by skin, trunk kidney, head kidney, intestine, blood, liver, spleen, gill, muscle and heart. E. coioides PCSK9 was distributed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus. The expression of E. coioides PCSK9 was significantly upregulated during Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) infection. Upregulated PCSK9 could significantly affect the activities of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) promoter, SGIV-induced apoptosis, and the expressions of the key SGIV genes (ICP18, LITAT, MCP, and VP19) and the E. coioides proinflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-8, and TNF-α). The results illustrated that E. coioides PCSK9 might be involved in the pathogen infection by regulating the innate immune response.

Pathogen-Mediated Assembly of Plant-Beneficial Bacteria to Alleviate Fusarium Wilt in Pseudostellaria heterophylla.

Fusarium wilt (FW) is a primary replant disease that affects Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Taizishen) and is caused by Fusarium oxysporum, which occurs widely in China under the continuous monocropping regime. However, the ternary interactions among the soil microbiota, P. heterophylla, and F. oxysporum remain unknown. We investigated the potential interaction relationship by which the pathogen-mediated P. heterophylla regulates the soil and the tuberous root microbiota via high-throughput sequencing. Plant-pathogen interaction assays were conducted to measure the arrival of F. oxysporum and Pseudomonas poae at the tuberous root via qPCR and subsequent seedling disease incidence. A growth assay was used to determine the effect of the tuberous root crude exudate inoculated with the pathogen on P. poae. We observed that pathogen-mediated P. heterophylla altered the diversity and the composition of the microbial communities in its rhizosphere soil and tuberous root. Beneficial microbe P. poae and pathogen F. oxysporum were significantly enriched in rhizosphere soil and within the tuberous root in the FW group with high severity. Correlation analysis showed that, accompanied with FW incidence, P. poae co-occurred with F. oxysporum. The aqueous extract of P. heterophylla tuberous root infected by F. oxysporum substantially promoted the growth of P. poae isolates (H1-3-A7, H2-3-B7, H4-3-C1, and N3-3-C4). These results indicated that the extracts from the tuberous root of P. heterophylla inoculated with F. oxysporum might attract P. poae and promote its growth. Furthermore, the colonization assay found that the gene copies of sucD in the P. poae and F. oxysporum treatment (up to 6.57 × 1010) group was significantly higher than those in the P. poae treatment group (3.29 × 1010), and a pathogen-induced attraction assay found that the relative copies of sucD of P. poae in the F. oxysporum treatment were significantly higher than in the H2O treatment. These results showed that F. oxysporum promoted the colonization of P. poae on the tuberous root via F. oxysporum mediation. In addition, the colonization assay found that the disease severity index in the P. poae and F. oxysporum treatment group was significantly lower than that in the F. oxysporum treatment group, and a pathogen-induced attraction assay found that the disease severity index in the F. oxysporum treatment group was significantly higher than that in the H2O treatment group. Together, these results suggest that pathogen-mediated P. heterophylla promoted and assembled plant-beneficial microbes against plant disease. Therefore, deciphering the beneficial associations between pathogen-mediated P. heterophylla and microbes can provide novel insights into the implementation and design of disease management strategies.

Whole-Genome Sequencing of Sinocyclocheilus maitianheensis Reveals Phylogenetic Evolution and Immunological Variances in Various Sinocyclocheilus Fishes.

An adult Sinocyclocheilus maitianheensis, a surface-dwelling golden-line barbel fish, was collected from Maitian river (Kunming City, Yunnan Province, China) for whole-genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation. We obtained a genome assembly of 1.7 Gb with a scaffold N50 of 1.4 Mb and a contig N50 of 24.7 kb. A total of 39,977 protein-coding genes were annotated. Based on a comparative phylogenetic analysis of five Sinocyclocheilus species and other five representative vertebrates with published genome sequences, we found that S. maitianheensis is close to Sinocyclocheilus anophthalmus (a cave-restricted species with similar locality). Moreover, the assembled genomes of S. maitianheensis and other four Sinocyclocheilus counterparts were used for a fourfold degenerative third-codon transversion (4dTv) analysis. The recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) event was therefore estimated to occur about 18.1 million years ago. Our results also revealed a decreased tendency of copy number in many important genes related to immunity and apoptosis in cave-restricted Sinocyclocheilus species. In summary, we report the first genome assembly of S. maitianheensis, which provides a valuable genetic resource for comparative studies on cavefish biology, species protection, and practical aquaculture of this potentially economical fish.

First report of Arcopilus aureus causing leaf black spot disease of Pseudostellaria heterophylla in China.

Pseudostellaria heterophylla (family Caryophyllaceae) is a perennial herbaceous plant. Its tuberous roots are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. It is mainly cultivated in a geo-authentic production zone located in the Guizhou, Anhui, Shandong, and Fujian provinces of China (Zhao et al. 2016). The herb is widely used for treating lung diseases and as a spleen tonic (Pang et al. 2011). A severe leaf black spot disease was observed on P. heterophylla in China, from 2018 to 2020. Plants displayed water-soaking symptoms in the early stage of infection, then the watery areas turned brown-red and a black mold appeared on the lesions. At a later stage, the leaf spots showed concentric rings surrounded by a yellow halo, and the initial infection site became dry and necrotic (Supplementary Figure S1). Nine infected plants were collected from three cultivation fields in Shibing County (N 27°4'21", E 108°8'0"), Guizhou province, on April 13th, 2019. The fungus was consistently isolated from symptomatic leaves on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium according to the method described by Larran et al (2002). A total of 22 isolates were obtained, including 7 isolates of Arcopilus and 15 isolates of Trichoderma. The growth rates of isolate MJ2-2b on PDA and oatmeal agar (OA) medium were 3 to 5 mm/day at 25 °C (Supplementary Figure S2A and S2B). Mycelium of isolate MJ2-2b was dense, yellowish-brown on PDA, while it was sparse, bright-red on OA. Also, the mycelium secreted brownish-red pigment on both PDA and OA. Ascomata when mature were water drop and limoniform. Lateral hairs were brown, erect or flexuous, tapering towards the tips. Ascospores when mature were greyish-white to grey, limoniform, or fusiform to pyriform (Supplementary Figure S2C and S2D). Further, the beta-tubulin gene (Tub2) of the fungus was amplified by using primer pairs T1 and TUB4Rd as described by Wang et al (2016) and subjected to sequencing. NCBI nucleotide BLAST results showed that sequences from seven isolates had a 99.86% identity with A. aureus (strain ChL-C, GenBank accession No. MG889987.1) (Supplementary Figure S2F). Molecular phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood method using MEGA 7 confirmed that the fungal isolate clustered with A. aureus. Hence, the causal agent was identified as A. aureus based on morphological and molecular characteristics. The sequence was deposited in GenBank (accession No. MW531453). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on 15-day old tissue-cultured seedlings according to Ghanbary et al (2018) (Supplementary Figure S3). Leaves of 16 seedlings were inoculated with 1×1 mm 5-day-old PDA-grown mycelial plugsof the fungal isolate. The experiment was repeated 3 times. After 10 days, the inoculated leaves showed the same symptoms observed on plants in the field. The associated fungal pathogen was consistently re-isolated from the inoculated seedlings and identified by Tub2 gene sequencing. At present, there are no reports of A. aureus causing disease of plants. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf black spot disease on P. heterophylla caused by A. aureus in China.

Construction of a chromosome-level genome assembly for genome-wide identification of growth-related quantitative trait loci in Sinocyclocheilus grahami (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae).

The Dianchi golden-line barbel, Sinocyclocheilus grahami (Regan, 1904), is one of the "Four Famous Fishes" of Yunnan Province, China. Given its economic value, this species has been artificially bred successfully since 2007, with a nationally selected breed (" S. grahami, Bayou No. 1") certified in 2018. For the future utilization of this species, its growth rate, disease resistance, and wild adaptability need to be improved, which could be achieved with the help of molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS). In the current study, we constructed the first chromosome-level genome of S. grahami, assembled 48 pseudo-chromosomes, and obtained a genome assembly of 1.49 Gb. We also performed QTL-seq analysis of S. grahami using the highest and lowest bulks (i.e., largest and smallest size) in both a sibling and random population. We screened two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) (Chr3, 14.9-39.1 Mb and Chr17, 4.1-27.4 Mb) as the major growth-related locations. Several candidate genes (e.g., map2k5, stat1, phf21a, sox6, and smad6) were also identified, with functions related to growth, such as cell differentiation, neuronal development, skeletal muscle development, chondrogenesis, and immunity. These results built a solid foundation for in-depth MAS studies on the growth traits of S. grahami.

Restocking of Anabarilius grahami in Lake Fuxian, Southwest China: morphological and genetic effects.

The restocking of the endangered Kanglang white minnow ( Anabarilius grahami) in Lake Fuxian, China, has been conducted for 13 years. However, few studies have reported on the effectiveness of the captive breeding and release of this species. Here, we investigated variations in morphology, including body shape and skeletal deformities, and genetic features among hatchery-born and recaptured A. grahami from Lake Fuxian. Results showed that current hatchery-reared fish displayed a stubbier body shape than their wild conspecifics from the 1980s. Furthermore, high skeletal deformity ratios were found in two aquafarms (Luchong, 50%; Haikou, 45.2%), and the release of malformed fish elevated the skeletal deformity rate of wild stocks found near the Lake Fuxian release sites (west coast, 19.0%; east coast, 12.5%). Based on variations in the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene, existing A. grahami populations showed relatively high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity. Hatchery populations exhibited reduced genetic variations based on microsatellite markers and reintroduction led to markedly lower genetic diversity around the west coast release sites of Lake Fuxian. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of cyt b and microsatellite analysis showed that the greatest genetic variations were found within populations, and genetic distance and Bayesian clustering analysis showed that the 14 populations clustered into one group. Based on morphological and genetic tests, we discuss corresponding recommendations, including release size, feed formulations, breeding strategies, and release tags, to minimize potential risks and improve hatchery practices for better restocking of this species.

Comprehensive transcriptional changes in the liver of Kanglang white minnow (Anabarilius grahami) in response to the infection of parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.

Abstract: The notorious parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) has been recorded worldwide in fish species and causes white spot disease, posing major threats and resulting in severe losses to international fish production. Extensively effective strategies for treating Ich are not available yet, and genetic mechanisms of hosts in response to the parasite are still largely unknown. In this study, we selected Kanglang white minnow (KWM, Anabarilius grahami) to examine its liver transcriptional changes after Ich infection, as white spot disease is one bottleneck problem in exploring this economically important species. We divided the experimental fishes into three groups (control, early-infected, and late-infected) to examine differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A total of 831 DEGs were identified and classified into 128 significantly enriched GO (Gene Ontology) terms and 71 significantly enriched KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways. Most of these terms or pathways were functionally enriched in immunity, inflammatory response, and apoptosis, such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like (NOD-like) receptor signaling, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling, interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling, and apoptosis pathways. We also identified 178 putative antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and AMP precursors based on our previously reported genome assembly of KWM, and revealed that the expressional patterns varied according to different types. In summary, our work reported the first comprehensive transcriptional changes in KWM in response to the exogenous infection of Ich, which would lay a solid foundation for in-depth studies on disease defense or resistant strains selection in this valuable fish.

[Dissection of seed development of Gastrodia elata at different temperatures].

The study is aimed to create seed materials and dissect the molecular mechanism of sexual propagation of Gastrodia elata. In this research, thirteen characteristics of flowers, flower stem, fruits, seeds and embryo of G.elata f. glauca and G.elata f. elata after bolting at room temperature(RT) and constant temperature(CT, 22 ℃) were determined. It was found that the constant temperature condition could prolong the bolting duration of G.elata and increased the number of flowers, while the variety of G.elata only affected the bolting duration, but had no effect on the number of flowers, and the G.elata f. elata was more likely to bolting than the G.elata f. glauca. The variety of G.elata was the main factor affecting the time of dehiscent fruit of G.elata, the temperature was the main factor affecting the fruits number and fruits diameter, and the constant temperature was more conducive to the fruits shape of G.elata than the room temperature. There was no significant difference in seed phenotype of G.elata varieties, but the seed embryo of G.elata seeds cultivated at constant temperature was fuller than that of G.elata cultivated at room temperature, and temperature had less influence on the seed phenotype of G.elata. But it was interesting to find that temperature and varieties had greater influence on the seed embryo of G.elata, constant temperature cultivation was more conducive to the formation of seed embryo of G.elata, and more the seed embryo of G.elata f. elata was easier to form than the seed embryo of G.elata f. glauca. However, the development of seeds and embryos of G.elata was significantly affected, and the development of seeds and embryos of G.elata f. glauca was more sensitive to temperature than G.elata f. elata. The research suggested that it is advisable for G.elata to produce seed materials by bolting at constant temperature(22 ℃).

Alantolactone mitigates renal injury induced by diabetes via inhibition of high glucose-mediated inflammatory response and macrophage infiltration.

Background: Inflammatory response plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Drugs that carry anti-inflammatory effects have the potential to treat diabetic nephropathy. It's reported that alantolactone (ALA), a natural product, has a variety of pharmacological effects against inflammation and oxidation. However, the specific effects of alantolactone on DN and the mechanisms underlying alantolactone remain elusive. Therefore, the present study aimed to probe whether ALA could mitigate inflammation as mediated by high glucose (HG) in NRK-52E cells and reduce renal injury caused by diabetic nephropathy.Materials and methods: The anti-inflammatory effect of ALA was evaluated in the present study using ELISA and RT-qPCR. Western blot and macrophage adhesion assay were then performed to confirm anti-macrophage adhesion and the protein expression of cell adhesion molecules. Finally, the effect of ALA and its underlying mechanism was evaluated in vivo.Results: Results showed that ALA curbed HG-stimulated expression of macrophage adhesion and pro-inflammatory cytokines in renal NRK-52E cells. In addition, both pro-inflammatory cytokines and NF-kappa B witnessed reduced expression or activity in oral administration with ALA in vivo, thus inhibiting the increase of serum creatinine and urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. This in consequence ameliorated fibrosis and stemmed pathological worsening of diabetic renal tissues.Conclusions: These findings suggest that ALA may hold promise in the treatment of DN, and importantly, the anti-inflammatory system may prove to be a new strategy to treat human DN.

Evolution of the intermuscular bones in the Cyprinidae (Pisces) from a phylogenetic perspective.

Intermuscular bones (IBs) are widely present in morphologically generalized teleost fishes and are commonly found in the Cyprinidae. Intermuscular bones are small, hard spicules of bone that are formed by ossification in the myosepta between neighboring myomeres. Why fish have IBs, and whether there is any evolutionary pattern to their occurrence, has been poorly understood. However, the presence of IBs does substantially affect the meat quality and commercial values of many cyprinid fishes in aquaculture. In this study, we sampled 592 individuals of cyprinid fishes to systematically investigate the evolution of IBs from a phylogenetic point of view. We found that the total number of IBs in the Cyprinidae ranged from 73 to 169, and we clarified that only two categories of IBs (epineural and epipleural) were present in all examined cyprinids. Most of the IBs were distributed in the posterior region of the fish, which might be an optimal target for selecting fewer IB strains in aquaculture. There was a positive correlation between IBs and the number of vertebrae, thus making it possible to predict the approximate number of IBs by counting the number of vertebrae. Although the IBs displayed some correlation with phylogenetic relationships in some lineages and to ecological factors such as diet (especially carnivore), in an overall view the variations of IBs in cyprinids were extremely diverse. The number and patterns of IBs in these fishes may reflect their phylogenetic history, but have been shaped by multiple environment factors. In this study, we also confirmed that X-ray photography remains an optimal and reliable method for the study of IBs.