Zygosity-based sex determination in a butterfly drives hypervariability of Masculinizer.

Nature has devised many ways of producing males and females. Here, we report on a previously undescribed mechanism for Lepidoptera that functions without a female-specific gene. The number of alleles or allele heterozygosity in a single Z-linked gene (BaMasc) is the primary sex-determining switch in Bicyclus anynana butterflies. Embryos carrying a single BaMasc allele develop into WZ (or Z0) females, those carrying two distinct alleles develop into ZZ males, while (ZZ) homozygotes initiate female development, have mismatched dosage compensation, and die as embryos. Consequently, selection against homozygotes has favored the evolution of spectacular allelic diversity: 205 different coding sequences of BaMasc were detected in a sample of 246 females. The structural similarity of a hypervariable region (HVR) in BaMasc to the HVR in Apis mellifera csd suggests molecular convergence between deeply diverged insect lineages. Our discovery of this primary switch highlights the fascinating diversity of sex-determining mechanisms and underlying evolutionary drivers.

Investigation of the molecular mechanism of Danggui Buxue tang in treating lung cancer using network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques.

This study used network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques to investigate the molecular targets and pathways of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) in treating lung cancer. The compound-target network was constructed using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP), and a lung cancer-specific network was created using the GEO database and Cytoscape software. GO and KEGG pathway analyses were performed to understand the biological processes associated with DBT. The key compounds from Astragalus, kaempferol, and quercetin, and the potential targets are IL-6, IL-1ß, FOS, ICAM1, and CCL2. GO enrichment analysis revealed numerous biological process-related entries, while KEGG pathway analysis highlighted the TNF and IL-17 signalling pathways. Molecular docking confirmed the stable binding activity between the main active compounds of DBT and the target proteins. Overall, these findings shed light on the molecular mechanism of DBT in treating lung cancer, providing insights into targets, pathways, and biological processes involved.

Cross-contamination and ecological risk assessment of antibiotics between rivers and surrounding open aquaculture ponds.

Antibiotics are causing widespread concern as one of the emerging contaminants. There is the abuse of antibiotics in high-density open aquaculture, and the tailwater is often discharged into surrounding rivers. At the same time, the water replenishment of open aquaculture ponds from nearby rivers containing antibiotic contamination from different sources may result in cross-contamination. However, it is still unclear which pollution intensity is greater in rivers or in open aquaculture. So in this paper, the levels of 20 antibiotics (i.e., Fluoroquinolones (FQs), Sulfonamides (SAs), Tetracyclines (TCs), Macrolides (MLs) and Lincosamides (LCs)) in rivers and high-density open aquaculture ponds were investigated in the Baini River basin in the suburbs of Guangzhou, China. The results showed that norfloxacin (NFX) was the predominant antibiotic in river and aquaculture water, with concentrations ranging from 6.12 to 156.04 ng/L and from 7.47 to 82.62 ng/L in both aquatic systems, respectively. As for the pollution intensity of antibiotics, the annual pollution contribution (28.64 kg/a) of the river water supply to open aquaculture is higher than that (10.81 kg/a) of open aquaculture to the river, which means river pollution has a greater impact on aquaculture ponds. The risk quotient (RQ) showed that the ecological risk of lincomycin (LIN), erythromycin (ERY), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), norfloxacin (NFX), ciprofloxacin (CFX) and chlortetracycline (CTC) in rivers and aquaculture environments had high ecological risks from 1.21 to 1.81. Water interactions with contaminated rivers will result in a corresponding increase in the ecological risk of antibiotics in the aquaculture environment. Overall, according to the results, the risk of polluted rivers to open aquaculture cannot be ignored, and it is recommended that open aquaculture should use these water sources with caution, and that the water quality evaluation of aquaculture water should be increased with monitoring indicators for emerging contaminants such as antibiotics.

Unveiling the power of COD/N on constructed wetlands in a short-term experiment: Exploring microbiota co-occurrence patterns and assembly dynamics.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are a cost-effective and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment technology. The influent chemical oxygen demand (COD)/nitrogen (N) ratio (CNR) plays a crucial role in microbial activity and purification performance. However, the effects of CNR changes on microbial diversity, interactions, and assembly processes in CWs are not well understood. In this study, we conducted comprehensive mechanistic experiments to investigate the response of CWs to changes in influent CNR, focusing on the effluent, rhizosphere, and substrate microbiota. Our goal is to provide new insights into CW management by integrating microbial ecology and environmental engineering perspectives. We constructed two groups of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HFCWs) and set up three influent CNRs to analyse the microbial responses and nutrient removal. The results indicated that increasing influent CNR led to a decrease in microbial α-diversity and niche width. Genera involved in nitrogen removal and denitrification, such as Rhodobacter, Desulfovibrio, and Zoogloea, were enriched under medium/high CNR conditions, resulting in higher nitrate (NO3--N) removal (up to 99 %) than that under lower CNR conditions (<60 %). Environmental factors, including water temperature (WT), pH, and phosphorus (P), along with CNR-induced COD and NO3--N play important roles in microbial succession in HFCWs. The genus Nitrospira, which is involved in nitrification, exhibited a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) with WT, COD, and P. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that increasing influent CNR reduced the complexity of the network structure and increased microbial competition. Analysis using null models demonstrated that the microbial community assembly in HFCWs was primarily driven by stochastic processes under increasing influent CNR conditions. Furthermore, HFCWs with more stochastic microbial communities exhibited better denitrification performance (NO3--N removal). Overall, this study enhances our understanding of nutrient removal, microbial co-occurrence, and assembly mechanisms in CWs under varying influent CNRs.

Current Situation and Prospect of Adoptive Cellular Immunotherapy for Malignancies.

Adoptive cell immunotherapy (ACT) is an innovative promising treatment for tumors. ACT is characterized by the infusion of active anti-tumor immune cells (specific and non-specific) into patients to kill tumor cells either directly or indirectly by stimulating the body's immune system. The patient's (autologous) or a donor's (allogeneic) immune cells are used to improve immune function. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells (CAR-T) is a type of ACT that has gained attention. T cells from the peripheral blood are genetically engineered to express CARs that rapidly proliferate and specifically recognize target antigens to exert its anti-tumor effects. Clinical application of CAR-T therapy for hematological tumors has shown good results, but adverse reactions and recurrence limit its applicability. Tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy is effective for solid tumors. TIL therapy exhibits T cell receptor (TCR) clonality, superior tumor homing ability, and low targeted toxicity, but its successful application is limited to a number of tumors. Regardless, TIL and CAR-T therapies are effective for treating cancer. Additionally, CAR-natural killer (NK), CAR-macrophages (M), and TCR-T therapies are currently being researched. In this review, we highlight the current developments and limitations of several types of ACT.

NPLOC4 is a potential target and a poor prognostic signature in lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Few prognostic biomarkers exist for lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), which has a poor five-year survival rate. Using bioinformatics, this study evaluated NPLOC4 as a prognostic marker for patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma. Shorter survival periods and tumor growth were linked to high NPLOC4 expression.Disulfiram (DSF) combined with copper (Cu) targets NPLOC4 to achieve antitumor effects in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Thus, we investigated the effects of DSF with Cu in LUSC. Gene-set enrichment analysis identified ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis as the NPLOC4-associated mechanism influencing LUSC prognosis. In SK-MES-1 cell lines, DSF + Cu increased K48-linked ubiquitinated protein expression and apoptosis. This study identified NPLOC4 as a prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for LUSC.

Current status and prospects of GREM1 research in cancer (Review).

GREM1 is a secreted protein that antagonizes bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and participates in critical biological processes, including embryonic development, organogenesis and tissue differentiation. Gremlin 1 (GREM1) is also an inhibitor of TGF-ß and a ligand for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2. In addition, GREM1 can induce cells, participate in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and then participate in tumor development. GREM1 has a variety of biological functions and can participate in the malignant progression of a variety of tumors through the BMP signaling pathway. GREM1 also can inhibit TGF-ß in some tumors, thereby inhibiting tumors, and its involvement in tumor development varies in different types of cancer. The present review examines the role and function of GREM1 in tumors. GREM1 is expressed in a variety of tumor types. GREM1 expression can affect the epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of tumor cells. GREM1 has been studied in breast and colon cancer, and its potential role is to promote cancer. However, in pancreatic cancer, which was found to act differently from other cancer types, overexpression of GREM1 inhibits tumor metastasis. The present review suggests that GREM1 can be a diagnostic and prognostic indicator. In future studies, the study of GREM1 based on single-cell sequencing technology will further clarify its role and function in tumors.

Lipidomics Profiling and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease in the BioHEART-CT Discovery Cohort.

The current coronary artery disease (CAD) risk scores for predicting future cardiovascular events rely on well-recognized traditional cardiovascular risk factors derived from a population level but often fail individuals, with up to 25% of first-time heart attack patients having no risk factors. Non-invasive imaging technology can directly measure coronary artery plaque burden. With an advanced lipidomic measurement methodology, for the first time, we aim to identify lipidomic biomarkers to enable intervention before cardiovascular events. With 994 participants from BioHEART-CT Discovery Cohort, we collected clinical data and performed high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry to determine concentrations of 683 plasma lipid species. Statin-naive participants were selected based on subclinical CAD (sCAD) categories as the analytical cohort (n = 580), with sCAD+ (n = 243) compared to sCAD- (n = 337). Through a machine learning approach, we built a lipid risk score (LRS) and compared the performance of the existing Framingham Risk Score (FRS) in predicting sCAD+. We obtained individual classifiability scores and determined Body Mass Index (BMI) as the modifying variable. FRS and LRS models achieved similar areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in predicting the validation cohort. LRS enhanced the prediction of sCAD+ in the healthy-weight group (BMI < 25 kg/m2), where FRS performed poorly and identified individuals at risk that FRS missed. Lipid features have strong potential as biomarkers to predict CAD plaque burden and can identify residual risk not captured by traditional risk factors/scores. LRS compliments FRS in prediction and has the most significant benefit in healthy-weight individuals.

Characteristic of water quality indicators and its response to climate conditions in the middle and lower reaches of Lijiang River, China.

With global climate change and increasingly extreme weather conditions, the water quality of the Lijiang River Basin (LRB) is facing huge threats. At present, there is still a lack of systematic research on water quality indicators and the influence of indirect factors such as meteorological factors on it in the LRB. Therefore, this study is based on the meteorological, hydrological, and water quality data of the LRB from 2012 to 2018, using the Mann-Kendall test, Morlet wavelet method, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, sensitivity, and contribution rate to quantitative analysis of the relationship between climate conditions and water quality indicators. The results show that the change trends of these hydrological and climatic conditions have almost no significant sudden change; precipitation and streamflow are decreasing each year; the streamflow trend exhibits time hysteresis; precipitation has a stronger influence downstream than on the local area; water quality indicators of both stations exhibited a change period of around 18 to 20 months, with the exception of pH. Water quality indicators are insensitive to precipitation and streamflow, and sensitive to humidity and wind speed; DO was negatively correlated with climate indicators apart from wind speed; almost all water quality indicators in Yangshuo are highly sensitive to air temperature, and the contribution rate of air temperature to ORP and TP reached 4.81% and 3.56%, respectively; sunshine duration has a positive impact on reducing NH4-N and TP. The difference between Yangshuo and Guilin is mostly due to the input of external sources on both sides of the Lijiang River, which results in variations in climate conditions sensitivities.

Exploring the mechanism of a novel recirculating aquaculture system based on water quality parameters and bacterial communities.

To mitigate the serious environmental problems caused by aquaculture wastewater discharge, the development of improved aquaculture systems with more self-purification capacity and less environmental impact has become essential. A novel recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) with ecological ponds was introduced. However, the mechanism of how the ecological ponds decompose the nutrients from the residual feed and excrement of fish is still unclear. Therefore, we designed a seven-week field experiment to explore the dynamic of water quality and the shift of bacterial communities during the initial stage of the RAS ecosystem to maintain the stability of the system. According to the result, the dissolved oxygen concentration maintained at 5.63 to 10.22 mg·L-1 in aquaculture water, and electrical conductivity increased by 100% to over 800 µs·cm-1. High-throughput sequencing showed that the abundance and diversity of the bacterial communities in sediment samples were significantly higher than in water samples, and the Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria were dominant phyla in all samples. The relative abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria was lower than 0.10, but rising. Redundancy analysis suggested that TOC, EC, NO3-, and NO2- were the most important factors shaping the bacterial communities in aquaculture water. Our studies assessed the RAS with ecological ponds for the first time based on water quality parameters and bacterial communities, which indicates that decomposition capacity is insufficient but improved at the initial stage of the operation, and potential risks like eutrophication require attention.

Mitochondria-localized lncRNA HITT inhibits fusion by attenuating formation of mitofusin-2 homotypic or heterotypic complexes.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as essential players in multiple biological processes. Mitochondrial dynamics, comprising the continuous cycle of fission and fusion, are required for healthy mitochondria that function properly. Despite long-term recognition of its significance in cell-fate control, the mechanism underlying mitochondrial fusion is not completely understood, particularly regarding the involvement of lncRNAs. Here, we show that the lncRNA HITT (HIF-1α inhibitor at translation level) can specifically localize in mitochondria. Cells expressing higher levels of HITT contain fragmented mitochondria. Conversely, we show that HITT knockdown cells have more tubular mitochondria than is present in control cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrate HITT directly binds mitofusin-2 (MFN2), a core component that mediates mitochondrial outer membrane fusion, by the in vitro RNA pull-down and UV-cross-linking RNA-IP assays. In doing so, we found HITT disturbs MFN2 homotypic or heterotypic complex formation, attenuating mitochondrial fusion. Under stress conditions, such as ultraviolet radiation, we in addition show HITT stability increases as a consequence of MiR-205 downregulation, inhibiting MFN2-mediated fusion and leading to apoptosis. Overall, our data provide significant insights into the roles of organelle (mitochondria)-specific resident lncRNAs in regulating mitochondrial fusion and also reveal how such a mechanism controls cellular sensitivity to UV radiation-induced apoptosis.

Occurrence, source tracking and removal of antibiotics in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) in southern China.

The recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) has attracted much attention in China as a way to rapidly transform and upgrade aquaculture ponds to realize zero-emissions of pollutants in aquaculture tail water. Tail water purification ponds (TWPPs) play an important role in the treatment of aquaculture wastewater. However, until now, there have been few reports on the occurrence of antibiotics in RAS and the removal of antibiotics from the TWPPs of RAS. Therefore, this study focused on the occurrence of antibiotics in a typical ecological RAS. For comparison, the same measurements were simultaneously carried out in nearby open aquaculture ponds and rivers. The pollution level and spatial distribution of antibiotics in the RAS and the removal of antibiotics in the TWPPs were explored. The results showed that (1) eleven and twelve antibiotics were detected in water and sediment samples in the RAS, respectively, but no antibiotics were found in fish muscles and feed. Erythromycin (ERY), lincomycin (LIN), and ciprofloxacin (CFX) were the three main types of antibiotics found in water and sediment samples. (2) The TWPPs of the RAS can effectively remove antibiotics in aquaculture water. The antibiotic concentration in recirculating aquaculture ponds of the RAS was as high as 180 ng/L. After treatments in the TWPPs, the antibiotic concentration of aquaculture water decreased to 81.6 ng/L (3) The antibiotic concentrations in recirculating aquaculture ponds (25.2-180 ng/L) were lower than those in the nearby open aquaculture ponds (126-267.3 ng/L), and the concentration of antibiotics in the sediments of recirculating aquaculture ponds was up to 22.9 ng/g, while that in TWPPs was as high as 56.1 ng/g. In conclusion, the antibiotic residues in the RAS were low after antibiotics were banned in feed in China, and the removal of antibiotics in the TWPPs was more pronounced. Furthermore, cross-contamination was found between the RAS, surrounding open aquaculture ponds and the river, and the water supply of the RAS was likely to be the main contributor of antibiotics in the aquaculture environments. This study can help the government formulate discharge standards for antibiotics in aquaculture and also provide a reference for the transformation and upgrading of aquaculture ponds to achieve a zero-emission aquaculture mode.

Temporal and Spatial Variation Characteristics of Water Quality in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Lijiang River, China and Their Responses to Environmental Factors.

As the climate and the external environment have changed, the environmental factors of the Lijiang River Basin (LRB) have changed, posing new threats to the environmental quality, ecosystem balance, and management and protection of the water environment of the Lijiang River. Water quality indicators and environmental factors vary spatially along the Lijiang River, which runs through urban areas, farmland, and karst areas. However, research on the response of water quality to water environmental factors is still lacking. Within this context, this study considered statistical methods and hydrological, meteorological, and water quality data of the middle and lower reaches of the Lijiang River from 2012 to 2018, expounded on the temporal and spatial change characteristics and evolution trends of water quality indicators; we analyzed the correlation between water quality indicators and environmental factors; we quantitatively assessed the sensitivity and contribution rate of water quality indicators to environmental factors. The results demonstrated that rainfall feedback on the river streamflow was lagging, and upstream precipitation often affected downstream streamflow. The water quality in the upper reaches of Guilin has improved year by year, and pollution levels have increased slightly when flowing through the urban area of Guilin. In spite of this, it still falls within the range of self-purification. River characteristics heavily influence the impact of environmental factors on water quality indicators; in contrast, the effects of different locations along the same river are more similar. Four water quality indicators are negatively correlated with water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO). The sensitivities of ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) and chemical oxygen demand (CODMn) to streamflow increase with the flow direction. The contribution rates of DO-to-total phosphorus (TP) and pH-to-TP are over -6%. Water temperature is the major contributing factor in the Lijiang River, while DO has a higher contribution in tributaries. The external sources affect the concentration of various water quality indicators and the sensitivity of water quality indicators to the external environment. There should be a series of measures implemented to reduce pollution, such as using oxygenation or chemical means to increase pH in Dahe and Yangshuo to control water pollutants. Tourism and particular karst topography make LRB's calculations unique, but the research method can be applied to other watersheds as well.

Loss of PTEN-Induced Kinase 1 Regulates Oncogenic Ras-Driven Tumor Growth By Inhibiting Mitochondrial Fission.

Mitochondrial metabolism and dynamics (fission and fusion) critically regulate cell survival and proliferation, and abnormalities in these pathways are implicated in both neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Mitochondrial fission is necessary for the growth of mutant Ras-dependent tumors. Here, we investigated whether loss of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) - a mitochondrial kinase linked to recessive familial Parkinsonism - affects the growth of oncogenic Ras-induced tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. We show that RasG12D-transformed embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from PINK1-deficient mice display reduced growth in soft agar and in nude mice, as well as increased necrosis and decreased cell cycle progression, compared to RasG12D-transformed MEFs derived from wildtype mice. PINK1 re-expression (overexpression) at least partially rescues these phenotypes. Neither PINK1 deletion nor PINK1 overexpression altered Ras expression levels. Intriguingly, PINK1-deficient Ras-transformed MEFs exhibited elongated mitochondria and altered DRP1 phosphorylation, a key event in regulating mitochondrial fission. Inhibition of DRP1 diminished PINK1-regulated mitochondria morphological changes and tumor growth suggesting that PINK1 deficiency primarily inhibits Ras-driven tumor growth through disturbances in mitochondrial fission and associated cell necrosis and cell cycle defects. Moreover, we substantiate the requirement of PINK1 for optimal growth of Ras-transformed cells by showing that human HCT116 colon carcinoma cells (carrying an endogenous RasG13D mutation) with CRISPR/Cas9-introduced PINK1 gene deletions also show reduced mitochondrial fission and decreased growth. Our results support the importance of mitochondrial function and dynamics in regulating the growth of Ras-dependent tumor cells and provide insight into possible mechanisms underlying the lower incidence of cancers in Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Genomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal metabolic complementarity between whiteflies and their symbionts.

Nutritional mutualism between insects and symbiotic bacteria is widespread. The various sap-feeding whitefly species within the Bemisia tabaci complex associate with the same obligate symbiont (Portiera) and multiple secondary symbionts. It is often assumed that some of the symbionts residing in the whiteflies play crucial roles in the nutritional physiology of their insect hosts. Although effort has been made to understand the functions of the whitefly symbionts, the metabolic complementarity offered by these symbionts to the hosts is not yet well understood. We examined two secondary symbionts, Arsenophonus and Wolbachia, in two species of the B. tabaci whitefly complex, provisionally named as Asia II 3 and China 1. Genomic sequence analyses revealed that Arsenophonus and Wolbachia retained genes responsible for the biosynthesis of B vitamins. We then conducted transcriptomic surveys of the bacteriomes in these two species of whiteflies together with that in another species named MED of this whitefly complex previously reported. The analyses indicated that several key genes in B vitamin syntheses from the three whitefly species were identical. Our findings suggest that, similar to another secondary symbiont Hamiltonella, Arsenophonus and Wolbachia function in the nutrient provision of host whiteflies. Although phylogenetically distant species of symbionts are associated with their respective hosts, they have evolved and retained similar functions in biosynthesis of some B vitamins. Such metabolic complementarity between whiteflies and symbionts represents an important feature of their coevolution.

Experimental Study on the Synergistic Effect between Evaporation Weathering and Emulsification of Oil Spills.

First, a range of experiments using a stainless steel shallow plate in a thermostatic oscillator were carried out to simulate evaporation weathering of oil spills under different temperatures, wind velocities, oil film thicknesses, and wave conditions. The information on influencing factors of evaporation weathering could be obtained. Then, evaporation experiments of four oil samples with three emulsification states were conducted, and the effect of emulsification on evaporation of oil spills was investigated. The characteristics of each operation were described, mass loss characteristics of oil spills with time were plotted, and the effects of evaporative weathering processes under different conditions were quantitatively compared. A high-precision visualization system was utilized to simulate experimentally oil spill emulsification processes, and the effect of evaporative weathering on emulsification weathering of oil spills was investigated. The results of evaporation experiments showed that the increase of temperature could promote the evaporative weathering. The thin film thickness was beneficial to evaporation of oil spills. The increment of the wind speed could promote evaporation behavior when the wind velocity was small, but the increase of velocity had little effect on oil evaporation when the wind speed was large. Wave conditions had little effect on oil evaporation under the conditions of this experiment. The effect of different emulsification states on oil evaporation was not consistent. Unstable or semistable water-in-oil emulsions inhibited oil evaporation at the initial stage of evaporation, but water evaporation would increase oil-phase evaporation with the destruction of the emulsion structure. Stable water-in-oil emulsions inhibited evaporation weathering. The evaporation weathering of oil was conducive to the emulsification of oil.

Response of non-point source pollution to landscape pattern: case study in mountain-rural region, China.

Landscape patterns have a substantial effect on non-point source (NPS) pollution in watersheds. Facilitating sustainable development of mountain-rural areas is a major priority for China. Knowledge of the impacts of various landscapes on water quality in these areas is critical to meeting environmental goals. This study applied the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to create a hydrologic and water quality model of the study watershed; then, the relationship between water quality and landscape patterns was investigated using multiple linear regression and redundancy analysis. The results show that the western sub-basins had higher nitrogen pollution loads, and the total nitrogen concentration reached a maximum value of 3.91 mg/L; the eastern sub-basins had a higher pollution load of phosphorous featured by maximum total phosphorous concentration of 2.15 mg/L. The water quality of the entire watershed in all scenarios tended to deteriorate over time. Landscape metrics accounted for 81.7% of the total variation in pollutant indicators. The percentage of forest landscape was negatively correlated with NPS pollution, while other types of landscape showed a positive correlation. The patch density, landscape shape index, and largest patch index of urban and agricultural lands were negatively correlated with pollutant concentrations. Upland landscapes contributed more pollutants than paddy fields. Some measures, e.g., returning grassland and farmland to forest in steep regions and replacing upland crops with paddy fields, were recommended for mitigating NPS pollution in the study watershed.

Env diversity-dependent protection of the attenuated equine infectious anaemia virus vaccine.

Lentiviruses harbour high genetic variability for efficient evasion from host immunity. An attenuated equine infectious anaemia (EIA) vaccine was developed decades ago in China and presented remarkably robust protection against EIA. The vaccine was recently proven to have high genomic diversity, particular in env. However, how and to what extent the high env diversity relates to immune protection remains unclear. In this study, we compared immune protections and responses of three groups of horses stimulated by the high-diversity vaccine EIAV_HD, a single molecular clone of the vaccine EIAV_LD with low env diversity, as well as a constructed vaccine strain EIAV_MD with moderate env diversity. The disparity of virus-host interactions between three env diversity-varied groups (5 horses in each group) was evaluated using clinical manifestation, pathological scores, and env-specific antibody. We found the highest titres of env antibodies (Abs) or neutralizing Abs (nAbs) in the EIAV_HD group, followed by the EIAV_MD group, and the lowest titres in the EIAV_LD group (P<0.05). The occurrence of disease/death was different between EIAV_HD group (1/0), EIAV_MD (2/2), and EIAV_LD group (4/2). A similar env diversity-related linear relationship was observed in the clinical manifestations and pathological changes. This diversity-dependent disparity in changes between the three groups was more distinct after immunosuppression, suggesting that env diversity plays an important role in protection under low host immunocompetence. In summary, inoculation with vaccines with higher genetic diversity could present broader and more efficient protection. Our findings strongly suggest that an abundance of Env antigens are required for efficient protection against lentiviruses.

Syntrophic splitting of central carbon metabolism in host cells bearing functionally different symbiotic bacteria.

Insects feeding on the nutrient-poor diet of xylem plant sap generally bear two microbial symbionts that are localized to different organs (bacteriomes) and provide complementary sets of essential amino acids (EAAs). Here, we investigate the metabolic basis for the apparent paradox that xylem-feeding insects are under intense selection for metabolic efficiency but incur the cost of maintaining two symbionts for functions mediated by one symbiont in other associations. Using stable isotope analysis of central carbon metabolism and metabolic modeling, we provide evidence that the bacteriomes of the spittlebug Clastoptera proteus display high rates of aerobic glycolysis, with syntrophic splitting of glucose oxidation. Specifically, our data suggest that one bacteriome (containing the bacterium Sulcia, which synthesizes seven EAAs) predominantly processes glucose glycolytically, producing pyruvate and lactate, and the exported pyruvate and lactate is assimilated by the second bacteriome (containing the bacterium Zinderia, which synthesizes three energetically costly EAAs) and channeled through the TCA cycle for energy generation by oxidative phosphorylation. We, furthermore, calculate that this metabolic arrangement supports the high ATP demand in Zinderia bacteriomes for Zinderia-mediated synthesis of energy-intensive EAAs. We predict that metabolite cross-feeding among host cells may be widespread in animal-microbe symbioses utilizing low-nutrient diets.

Effect of intermittent aeration mode on nitrogen concentration in the water column and sediment pore water of aquaculture ponds.

Nitrogen in pond sediments is a major water quality concern and can impact the productivity of aquaculture. Dissolved oxygen is an important factor for improving water quality and boosting fish growth in aquaculture ponds, and plays an important role in the conversion of ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+-N) to nitrite-nitrogen (NO2--N) and eventually nitrate-nitrogen (NO3--N). A central goal of the study was to identify the best aeration method and strategy for improving water quality in aquaculture ponds. We conducted an experiment with six tanks, each with a different aeration mode to simulate the behavior of aquaculture ponds. The results show that a 36 hr aeration interval (Tc = 36 hr: 36 hr) and no aeration resulted in high concentrations of NH4+-N in the water column. Using a 12 hr interval time (Tc = 12 hr: 12 hr) resulted in higher NO2--N and NO3--N concentrations than any other aeration mode. Results from an 8 hr interval time (Tc = 8 hr: 8 hr) and 24 hr interval time (Tc = 24 hr: 24 hr) were comparable with those of continuous aeration, and had the benefit of being in use for only half of the time, consequently reducing energy consumption.