Aneurinibacillus uraniidurans sp. nov., a uranium-resistant bacterium isolated from uranium-contaminated soil.

A novel Gram-positive strain, B1T, was isolated from uranium-contaminated soil. The strain was aerobic, rod-shaped, spore-forming, and motile. The strain was able to grow at 20-45 °C, at pH 6.0-9.0, and in the presence of 0-3 % (w/v) NaCl. The complete genome size of the novel strain was 3 853 322 bp. The genomic DNA G+C content was 45.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain B1T has the highest similarity to Aneurinibacillus soli CB4T (96. 71 %). However, the novel strain showed an average nucleotide identity value of 89.02 % and a digital DNA-DNA hybridization value of 37.40 % with strain CB4T based on the genome sequences. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 and C16 : 0. The predominate respiratory quinone was MK7. Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, unidentified phospholipids, an unidentified aminolipid and an unidentified lipid were identified as the major polar lipids. The phylogenetic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic analyses showed that strain B1T represents a novel species of the genus Aneurinibacillus, for which the name Aneurinibacillus uraniidurans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B1T (=GDMCC 1.4080T=JCM 36228T). Experiments have shown that strain B1T demonstrates uranium tolerance.

Study on the Powder-Spreading Process of Walnut Shell/Co-PES Biomass Composite Powder in Additive Manufacturing.

Powder laying is a necessary procedure during powder bed additive manufacturing (PBAM), and the quality of powder bed has an important effect on the performance of products. Because the powder particle motion state during the powder laying process of biomass composites is difficult to observe, and the influence of the powder laying process parameters on the quality of the powder bed is still unclear, a simulation study of the biomass composite powder laying process during powder bed additive manufacturing was conducted using the discrete element method. A discrete element model of walnut shell/Co-PES composite powder was established using the multi-sphere unit method, and the powder-spreading process was numerically simulated using two different powder spreading methods (rollers/scrapers). The results showed that the quality of powder bed formed by roller laying was better than that formed by scrapers with the same powder laying speed and powder laying thickness. For both of the two different spreading methods, the uniformity and density of the powder bed decreased as spreading speed increased, although the spreading speed had a more important influence on scraper spreading compared to roller spreading. As powder laying thickness increased, the powder bed formed by the two different powder laying methods became more uniform and denser. When the powder laying thickness was less than 110µm, the particles were easily blocked at the powder laying gap and are pushed out of the forming platform, forming many voids, and decreasing the powder bed's quality. When the powder thickness was greater than 140 µm, the uniformity and density of the powder bed increased gradually, the number of voids decreased, and the quality of the powder bed improved.

CDK12 Promotes the Proliferation, Migration, and Angiogenesis of Gastric Carcinoma via Activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) has been found to regulate tumor progression. However, its function in gastric carcinoma (GC) remains controversial. This work aimed to explore the exact effect of CDK12 on GC progression. We detected the expression of CDK12 in GC cells and normal gastric mucosal epithelial cells. Then CDK12 function on GC cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis was researched by colony formation experiment, Transwell experiment, and angiogenesis assay. Moreover, CDK12 effect on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activity was explored by western blot. Further, we used LY294002 (10 µM) to treat GC cells to verify whether CDK12 regulates GC progression by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Additionally, CDK12 effect on the expression of prognostic factors of GC was detected by western blot, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Ki67. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot were utilized to evaluate the expression of mRNAs and proteins. As a result, CDK12 was upregulated in GC cells. CDK12 overexpression facilitated the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of GC cells. However, CDK12 silencing showed an opposite result. CDK12 overexpression activated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, but CDK12 silencing inactivated it in GC cells. The blockage of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway induced by LY294002 treatment counteracted the promotion of CDK12 on the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of GC. Further, CDK12 silencing suppressed the expression of ALP and Ki67 proteins in GC cells. Taken together, CDK12 promotes the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of GC by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. It may be a novel target for GC treatment.

Interface engineering of snow-like Ru/RuO2 nanosheets for boosting hydrogen electrocatalysis.

Ru has recently been regarded as a promising catalyst for hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to its similar binding energy towards *H but lower price compared to Pt. Nevertheless, the quest of high-efficiency Ru-based catalysts for HOR and HER is driven by the current disadvantages including low activity and unsatisfactory stability. Herein, we have fabricated and engineered two-dimensional (2D) Ru-based snow-like nanosheets with Ru/RuO2 interface (Ru/RuO2 SNSs) via a post-annealing treatment. Detailed characterizations and theoretical calculations indicate that the interfacial synergy, which is dependent on the temperature for annealing, can alter the hydrogen binding energy (HBE) and hydroxide binding energy (OHBE), as a result of the enhanced HOR and HER performance. Impressively, the optimal Ru/RuO2 SNSs display a mass activity of 9.13 A mgRu-1 at an overpotential of 50 mV in 0.1 mol L-1 KOH for HOR, which is 65, 304, and 21 times higher than those of Ru SNSs (0.14 A mgRu-1), RuO2 SNSs (0.03 A mgRu-1), and commercial Pt/C (0.43 A mgRu-1), respectively. Moreover, Ru/RuO2 SNSs display improved HER activity with a low overpotential of 20.2 mV for achieving 10 mA cm-2 in 1 mol L-1 KOH. This work not only provides an efficient catalyst for HOR and HER, but also promotes fundamental research on the fabrication and modification of catalysts in heterogeneous catalysis.

Macular Atrophy Incidence, Progression, and Visual Acuity Effects in 5-Year Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Macular atrophy (MA) contributes to declining vision during prolonged anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) so greater understanding of its incidence, evolution, and impact on visual acuity is merited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective review of nAMD patients receiving anti-VEGF therapy for ≥ 5 years. Near-infrared reflectance images and vision data were extracted every 6 months. MA lesion areas were measured using ImageJ. RESULTS: Vision showed a mean decline of -1.2 letters/year. Eyes with MA showed a greater decrease of -1.6 letters/year compared to eyes without MA (-0.7 letters/year). Cumulative incidence of MA was 38% at 5 years. MA was significantly associated with declining vision, showing a -0.7 letter decrease for every 1 mm2 increase in lesion size. CONCLUSION: Over a 5-year course of nAMD treatment, MA affected most eyes, and MA progression was significantly associated with vision decline. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2022;53:546-552.].

Thermo-/pH-Dual-Sensitive PEG/PAMAM Nanogel: Reaction Dynamics and Plugging Application of CO2 Channeling.

Smart hydrogels, owing to their exceptional viscoelastic and deformable capacity in response to environmental stimulation involving temperature and pH, have been successfully applied in oilfields for purposes such as water and/or gas shutoff treatments. However, the CO2 breakthrough problem in low permeability reservoirs has not been well solved. In this work, a rheological method-based Avrami dynamics model and Dickinson dynamics model were employed to investigate the dynamic gelation process of thermo-/pH-dual-sensitive PEG/PAMAM nanogels to further our understanding of the microstructure of their gelation and pertinence plugging application. Plugging experiments were performed by alternating injections of CO2 and hydrogel solution in a slug type on three fractured low permeability cores with a backpressure of 13 MPa. The nanogels presented a secondary growth pattern from three to one dimension from micrometer to nanometer size with a morphological transformation from a sphere to an irregular ellipsoid or disk shape. The phase transition temperature was 50 °C, and the phase transition pH was 10. If both or either were below these values, the hydrogel swelled; otherwise, it shrank. Plugging results show that the plugging efficiency was higher than 99%. The maximum breakthrough pressure was 19.93 MPa, and the corresponding residual pressure remained 17.64 MPa for a 10 mD core, exhibiting great plugging performance and high residual resistance after being broken through by CO2.

Superlattice in a Ru Superstructure for Enhancing Hydrogen Evolution.

Superlattices are attracting extensive attention due to their unique properties. Nevertheless, the observations of superlattices are limited to those layered structures with weak interlayered interactions, and the effect of the superlattice in metal-based nanostructures on catalysis is unexplored yet. We here report a facile wet-chemical method for synthesizing two-dimensional Ru multilayered nanosheets (Ru MNSs) with a superlattice. Characterizations reveal that the superlattice is formed by stacking Ru layers with twisted angles from 2° to 30°. Owing to the strong synergy between the adjacent layers, Ru MNSs can serve as an efficient catalyst for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Theoretical calculations reveal that the superlattice can induce the strain effect, which leads to lattice contraction and weak *H adsorption ability, as a result of improved HER performance. This work sheds new light on the utilization of the superlattice on enhancing catalysis in metal-based materials.

Effect of acupuncture and metformin on insulin sensitivity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance: a three-armed randomized controlled trial.

STUDY QUESTION: Does acupuncture improve insulin sensitivity more effectively than metformin or sham acupuncture in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance (IR)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Among women with PCOS and IR, acupuncture was not more effective than metformin or sham acupuncture in improving insulin sensitivity. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Uncontrolled trials have shown that acupuncture improved insulin sensitivity with fewer side effects compared with metformin in women with PCOS and IR. However, data from randomized trials between acupuncture and metformin or sham acupuncture are lacking. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This was a three-armed randomized controlled trial enrolling a total of 342 women with PCOS and IR from three hospitals between November 2015 and February 2018, with a 3-month follow-up until October 2018. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Women aged from 18 to 40 years with PCOS and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) ≥2.14 were randomly assigned (n = 114 per group) to receive true acupuncture plus placebo (true acupuncture), metformin plus sham acupuncture (metformin, 0.5 g three times daily) or sham acupuncture plus placebo (sham acupuncture) for 4 months, with an additional 3-month follow-up. True or sham acupuncture was given three times per week, and 0.5 g metformin or placebo was given three times daily. The primary outcome was change in HOMA-IR from baseline to 4 months after baseline visit. Secondary outcomes included changes in the glucose AUC during an oral glucose tolerance test, BMI and side effects at 4 months after baseline visit. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: After 4 months of treatment, the changes of HOMA-IR were -0.5 (decreased 14.7%) in the true acupuncture group, -1.0 (decreased 25.0%) in the metformin group and -0.3 (decreased 8.6%) in the sham acupuncture group, when compared with baseline. True acupuncture is not as effective as metformin in improving HOMA-IR at 4 months after baseline visit (difference, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.1-1.1). No significant difference was found in change in HOMA-IR between true and sham acupuncture groups at 4 months after baseline visit (difference, -0.2; 95% CI, -0.7 to 0.3). During the 4 months of treatment, gastrointestinal side effects were more frequent in the metformin group, including diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, vomiting and stomach discomfort (31.6%, 13.2%, 11.4%, 8.8%, 14.0% and 8.8%, respectively). Bruising was more common in the true acupuncture group (14.9%). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: This study might have underestimated the sample size in the true acupuncture group with 4 months of treatment to enable detection of statistically significant changes in HOMA-IR with fixed acupuncture (i.e. a non-personalized protocol). Participants who withdrew because of pregnancy did not have further blood tests and this can introduce bias. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: True acupuncture did not improve insulin sensitivity as effectively as metformin in women with PCOS and IR, but it is better than metformin in improving glucose metabolism (which might reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes) and has less side effects. Metformin had a higher incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects than acupuncture groups, and thus acupuncture might be a non-pharmacological treatment with low risk for women with PCOS. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture combined with metformin on insulin sensitivity in these women. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by grants 2017A020213004 and 2014A020221060 from the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province. The authors have no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT02491333. TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE: 8 July 2015. DATE OF FIRST PATIENT'S ENROLLMENT: 11 November 2015.

[Effect of Astaxanthin on Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Suspended Leukocyte-Depleted Red Blood Cells Stored for Transfusion].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of astaxanthin (ASTA) on the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in suspended leukocyte-depleted red blood cells stored for transfusion. METHODS: The suspended leukocyte-depleted red blood cells were randomly divided into group A, B, C and D. The ASTA was added into preservation solution of suspended leukocyte-depleted red blood cells of group B, C and D with the final concentration 5, 10 and 20 µmol/L, respectively, while DMSO was added into cells of group A in the same volume. After 7, 14, 28 and 42 days of storage, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content in red blood cells was detected by fluorescence microplate reader, malondialdehyde (MDA) content was detected by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method, activity of SOD was detected by xanthine oxidase method, the activity of CAT was detected by visible light method, and activity of GSH-Px was detected by colorimetry. RESULTS: After 7, 14, 28 and 42 days of storage, the contents of ROS and MDA in suspended red blood cells of group B, C and D were significantly lower(P<0.05), while the activities of SOD and GSH-Px were higher than those of group A(P<0.05); and CAT activity in cells treated by ASTA was significantly higher at 28 and 42 days of storage in comparison with that of group A(P<0.05). There were positive correlations between the ROS, MDA content in suspended red blood cells of group A, B, C, D and storage time(P<0.01), while negative correlation between SOD, CAT, GSH-Px activity and storage time(P<0.01). CONCLUSION: ASTA can decrease the oxidative stress level and peroxide damage degree by increasing the antioxidant enzyme activities in suspended leukocyte-depleted red blood cells during storage.

Research on optimization of perforation parameters for formation fractures based on response surface optimization method.

For staged multi-cluster fracturing, methods for controlling perforation friction to adjust the flow distribution of each cluster can effectively promote the uniform extension of multiple fractures but lacks a fast and quantitative optimization method for different perforation parameters of each cluster. By establishing a numerical model of single-stage three-cluster flow-limited fracturing under stress-seepage coupling, and based on the response surface optimization method, fully considering the impact of perforation parameters interaction among three perforation clusters, according to the regression equation fitted under the global response, the rapid optimization of perforation parameters of segmented multi-cluster fracturing model is realized. The results show that: in determining the three factors of the study, it is found that there is an obvious interaction between the number of intermediate cluster perforations and the number of cluster perforations on both sides, the number of cluster perforations on both sides and the diameter of intermediate cluster perforations, the response surface optimization method gives the optimal perforation parameter combination of three clusters of fractures under global response; When the perforation parameters were combined before optimization, the fracture length difference was 32.550m, and the intermediate perforation cluster evolved into invalid perforation cluster, when the perforation parameters were combined after optimization, the fracture length difference was 0.528m, the three perforation clusters spread uniformly, and there are no invalid clusters. At the same time, the regression equation under the response is optimized before and after the comparison between the predicted value of the equation and the actual simulation value. It is found that the estimated deviation rate of the equation before optimization is 1.2%, and the estimated deviation rate after optimization is 0.4%. The estimated deviation rates are all less, and the response regression equation based on the response surface optimization method can quickly optimize the perforation parameters. The response surface optimization method is suitable for the multi parameter optimization research of formation fracturing which is often affected by many geological and engineering factors. Combining with the engineering practice and integrating more factors to optimize the hydraulic fracturing parameters, it is of great significance to improve the success rate of hydraulic fracturing application.

Main control factors affecting mechanical oil recovery efficiency in complex blocks identified using the improved k-means algorithm.

The system efficiency of pumping units in the middle and late stages of oil recovery is characterized by several factors, complex data and poor regulation. Further, the main control factors that affect system efficiency in different blocks vary greatly; therefore, it is necessary to obtain the block characteristics to effectively improve system efficiency. The k-means algorithm is simple and efficient, but it assumes that all factors have the same amount of influence on the output value. This cannot reflect the obvious difference in the influence of several factors in the block on the efficiency. Moreover, the algorithm is sensitive to the selection of the initial cluster centre point, so each calculation result that reflects the efficiency characteristics of the block system cannot be unified. To solve the aforementioned problems affecting the k-means algorithm, the correlation coefficient of all the factors was first calculated, followed by extracting the system efficiency of the positive and negative indicators of standardization. Next, the moisture value was calculated to obtain the weight of each factor used as a coefficient to calculate the Euclidean distance. Finally, the initial centre point selection of the k-means algorithm problem was solved by combining the dbscan and weighted k-means algorithm. Taking an oil production block in the Daqing Oilfield as the research object, the k-means and improved algorithm are used to analyse the main control factors influencing mechanical production efficiency. The clustering results of the two algorithms have the characteristics of overlapping blocks, but the improved algorithm's clustering findings are as follows: this block features motor utilization, pump efficiency and daily fluid production, which are positively correlated with system efficiency. Further, low-efficiency wells are characterized by the fact that the pump diameter, power consumption, water content, daily fluid production, oil pressure and casing pressure are significantly lower than the block average; high-efficiency wells are characterized by pump depths lower than the block average. For this block, it is possible to reduce the depth of the lower pump and increase the water-injection effect to increase the output under conditions of meeting the submergence degree, which can effectively improve the system efficiency.

Impact of Particle Size on Performance of Selective Laser Sintering Walnut Shell/Co-PES Powder.

The agricultural and forestry waste walnut shell and copolyester hot-melt adhesives (Co-PES) powder were selected as feedstock. A kind of low-cost, low-power consumption, and environmentally friendly walnut shell/Co-PES powder composites (WSPC) was used for selective laser sintering (SLS). Though analyzing the size and morphology of walnut shell particle (≤550 µm) as well as performing an analysis of surface roughness, density, and mechanical test of WSPC parts with different particle sizes, results showed that the optimal mechanical performance (tensile strength of 2.011 MPa, bending strength of 3.5 MPa, impact strength of 0.718 KJ/m2) as walnut shell powder particle size was 80 to 120 µm. When walnut shell powder particle diameter was 120 to 180 µm, the minimum value of surface roughness of WSPC parts was 15.711 µm and density was approximately the maximum (0.926 g/cm3).

Novel Gene Signature Reveals Prognostic Model in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal malignant disease with poor prognosis and a low overall survival rate. Although many studies on the treatment and detection of AML have been conducted, the molecular mechanism of AML development and progression has not been fully elucidated. The present study was designed to pursuit the molecular mechanism of AML using a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, and build an applicable model to predict the survival probability of AML patients in clinical use. METHODS: To simplify the complicated regulatory networks, we performed the gene co-expression and PPI network based on WGCNA and STRING database using modularization design. Two machine learning methods, A least absolute shrinkage and selector operation (LASSO) algorithm and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE), were used to filter the common hub genes by five-fold cross-validation. The candidate hub genes were used to build the predictive model of AML by the cox-proportional hazards analysis, and validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort and ohsu cohort, which were reliable in the experimental verification by qRT-PCR and western blotting in mRNA and protein levels. RESULTS: Three hub genes, FLT3, CD177 and TTPAL were used to build a clinically applicable model to predict the survival probability of AML patients and divided them into high and low groups. To compare the survival ability of the model with the classical clinical features, we generated the nomogram. The model displayed the most risk points contrast to other clinical characteristics, which was compatible with the data of cox multivariate regression. CONCLUSION: This study reveal the novel molecular mechanism of AML, and construct a clinical model significantly related to AML patient prognosis. We showed the integrated roles of critical pathways, hub genes associated, which provide potential targets and new research ideas for the treatment and early detection of AML.

[Effect of astaxanthin on oxidative stress of red blood cells and peroxidation damage of membrane].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of astaxanthin (ASTA) on oxidative stress of intra- and extra- red blood cells during stored period and the protective function for cell membrane. METHODS: The blood of volunteers was collected to prepare suspended red blood cells without leukocytes. Then the red blood cells were randomly divided into group A, group B, group C and group D. The ASTA was added into MAP preservation solution of group B, group C and group D, the final concentration of ASTA was 5, 10 and 20 µmol/L respectively. Group A was used as control group, in which only the dissolved liquid DMSO of ASTA was added. The red blood cells were stored in refrigerator at 2 °C-6 °C. On day 7, 14, 28 and day 42 of storage, the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in red blood cells was detected by fluorescence microplate reader. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was detected with TBA method. The content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) outside cell was detected with spectrophotometric method. The mean corpuscular volume(MCV) was detected with blood cell analyzer. The content of free hemoglobin(FHb) was detected with chemical colorimetry. RESULTS: The ROS, MDA, FHb and H2O2 levels in B, C and D groups were lower than those in control group during the stored period. On day 7 and 14 of storage, among group B, group C, group D and group A, the MCV showed no difference in comparison with control group. On day 28 and 42 of storage, the MCV in B, C and D groups was lower than that in control group. CONCLUSION: The ASTA can reduce the oxidative stress level of stored red blood cells inside and outside, relieve the peroxidation damage of cell membrane.

Reduction of Liver X Receptor ß expression in primary rat neurons by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides decreases secreted amyloid ß levels.

Ligand-activated Liver X Receptor (LXR) is known to increase cholesterol efflux from cells and reduce the production of amyloid ß (Aß) from amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP). However, little is known about the effects of LXRß, one subtype of LXR, on endogenous Aß. In this study, we show that LXRß inactivation with specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (As-ODN) significantly reduced secreted Aß and decreased mRNA levels of APP(751+770), and α-, ß-secretase (ADAM10, BACE1) in primary rat neurons. We also show that As-ODN down-regulated the LXR responsive genes ABCA1 and HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR). These changes are associated with decreased cellular cholesterol levels. The effect of LXRß inactivation on Aß levels is likely due to the alteration of cholesterol production and APP processing. Thus, our data suggest that LXRß has an important function in cholesterol homeostasis and endogenous Aß maintenance in neurons.

Characterization of T. aestivum-H. californicum chromosome addition lines DA2H and MA5H.

In order to transfer useful genes of Hordeum californicum into common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the T. aestivum c.v. Chinese Spring (CS)-H. californicum amphiploid was crossed to CS, and its backcrossing and self-fertilized progenies were analyzed by morphological observation, cytological, biochemical and molecular marker techniques. Alien addition lines with two H. californicum chromosomes were identified and their genetic constitution was characterized. STS-PCR analysis using chromosome 2B specific markers indicated that chromosome H3 of H. californicum belongs to homologous group 2, and was thus designated 2H. SDS-PAGE showed that chromosome H2 of H. californicum belongs to homologous group 5, and was designated 5H. The CS-H. californicum amphiploid and the chromosome addition lines (DA2H and MA5H) identified were evaluated for powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis f. sp. triticii) resistance in field. The preliminary results indicated that the amphiploid showed higher powdery mildew resistance than CS. However, chromosome addition lines DA2H and MA5H were highly susceptible to powdery mildew, indicating that major powdery mildew resistant genes of H. californicum should be located on chromosomes other than 2H and 5H.

[Discrimination of the Triticum aestivum-T. timopheevii introgression lines using PCR-based molecular markers].

In order to determine the fragment size of Triticum timopheevii chromosome segments introduced into wheat background and physically map the Pm6 gene, a total of 72 primers (including SSR and STS primers) were used to analyze the eight introduced introgression lines containing Pm6 gene. Referring to the available mapping information of the analyzed markers on chromosome 2B, Pm6 was physically located in distal part of the long arm of chromosome 2B at the region of Bin 2BL-6. The introgressed fragment sizes of the chromosome 2G in different introgression lines was determined to be as follow (from short to long): IGV1-465

[Inheritance analysis and molecular marker selection of genes for wheat spindle streak mosaic disease resistance].

Three wheat spindle streak mosaic viruses (WSSMV) resistant cultivars ('Yining Xiaomai', 'Xu87-633', and 'Xifeng') and one susceptible cultivar ('Zhen9523') were used as parents of 3 crosses in this experiment. WSSMV resistance of the parents, F1, and F2 was evaluated under field condition. Based on the segregation ratios of resistant and susceptible plants in F, and F2 populations, it was deduced that the resistance to WSSMV was dominant and the inheritable factors controlling WSSMV resistance were encoded by the nuclear genome. WSSMV resistances in 'Yining Xiaomai' and 'Xifeng' were controlled by two pairs of alleles, which showed complementary effects. However the resistance in 'Xu-87633' was controlled by a single dominant gene. 266 pairs of SSR primers located on 21 wheat chromosomes were used for polymorphic analysis of the two resistant and the susceptible parents 'Yining Xiaomai' and 'Zhen9523', and 108 of them amplified polymorphic DNA products. By Bulk Segregant Analysis of resistant and susceptible pools, one pair of primer located on chromosome arm 2DS, Xgwm261, were found being linked to WSSMV resistance. The 224 F2 individuals were then amplified with marker Xgwm261. The statistic genetic distance between Xgwm261 and the resistance locus was calculated to be 22.9 cM using the software Mapmaker 3.0.

[Relationship between the increase of hepatic D-bifunctional protein activity and bile acid biosynthesis in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the physiological role of D-bifunctional protein (DBP) in bile acid biosynthesis through investigating the effect of increasing activity of DBP on bile acid biosynthesis. METHODS: Twenty male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). Serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, hepatic DBP activity, and fecal bile acids were assayed. The mRNA levels of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), DBP, and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) were detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with control group, serum triglyceride level was decreased significantly and PPARalphamRNA level was increased significantly in DEHP group (P < 0.01). Together with a sharp induction of DBP mRNA expression and DBP activity in DEHP group (P < 0.01), the levels of CYP7A1 mRNA and fecal bile acids were significantly increased by 1.9 times and 1.6 times respectively compared to control group (P < 0.01). There was a significantly positive correlation between DBP mRNA level or DBP activity and CYP7A1 mRNA level (r = 0.89, P < 0.01; r = 0.95, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The up-regulation of DBP mRNA and activity in liver can result in the increase in CYP7A1 mRNA expression and bile acid biosynthesis, suggesting that DBP may be involved in bile acid biosynthesis together with CYP7A1.

Development and characterization of wheat- Leymus racemosus translocation lines with resistance to Fusarium Head Blight.

Wheat scab (Fusarium Head Blight, FHB) is a destructive disease in the warm and humid wheat-growing areas of the world. Finding diverse sources of FHB resistance is critical for genetic diversity of resistance for wheat breeding programs. Leymus racemosus is a wild perennial relative of wheat and is highly resistant to FHB. Three wheat- L. racemosus disomic addition (DA) lines DA 5 Lr#1, DA 7 Lr#1 and DALr.7 resistant to FHB were used to develop wheat- L.racemosus translocation lines through irradiation and gametocidal gene-induced chromosome breakage. A total of nine wheat-alien translocation lines with wheat scab resistance were identified by chromosome C-banding, GISH, telosomic pairing and RFLP analyses. In line NAU 614, the long arm of 5 Lr#1 was translocated to wheat chromosome 6B. Four lines, NAU 601, NAU 615, NAU 617, and NAU 635, had a part of the short arm of 7 Lr#1 transferred to different wheat chromosomes. Four other lines, NAU 611, NAU 634, NAU 633, and NAU 618, contained translocations involving Leymus chromosome Lr.7 and different wheat chromosomes. The resistance level of the translocation lines with a single alien chromosome segment was higher than the susceptible wheat parent Chinese Spring but lower than the alien resistant parent L. racemosus. At least three resistance genes in L. racemosus were identified. One was located on chromosome Lr.7, and two could be assigned to the long arm of 5 Lr#1 and the short arm of 7 Lr#1.