Characterization of a novel arsenite long-distance transporter from arsenic hyperaccumulator fern Pteris vittata.

Pteris vittata is an arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator that can accumulate several thousand mg As kg-1 DW in aboveground biomass. A key factor for its hyperaccumulation ability is its highly efficient As long-distance translocation system. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. We isolated PvAsE1 through the full-length cDNA over-expression library of P. vittata and characterized it through a yeast system, RNAi gametophytes and sporophytes, subcellular-location and in situ hybridization. Phylogenomic analysis was conducted to estimate the appearance time of PvAsE1. PvAsE1 was a plasma membrane-oriented arsenite (AsIII) effluxer. The silencing of PvAsE1 reduced AsIII long-distance translocation in P. vittata sporophytes. PvAsE1 was structurally similar to solute carrier (SLC)13 proteins. Its transcripts could be observed in parenchyma cells surrounding the xylem of roots. The appearance time was estimated at c. 52.7 Ma. PvAsE1 was a previously uncharacterized SLC13-like AsIII effluxer, which may contribute to AsIII long-distance translocation via xylem loading. PvAsE1 appeared late in fern evolution and might be an adaptive subject to the selection pressure at the Cretaceaou-Paleogene boundary. The identification of PvAsE1 provides clues for revealing the special As hyperaccumulation characteristics of P. vittata.

Hepatitis B Virus Inhibits Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Release by Modulating Reactive Oxygen Species Production and Autophagy.

Neutrophils, an important component of the innate immune system, release extracellular traps (NETs) to eliminate invading pathogens by trapping and killing microbes. Recent studies have shown that NETs play a multitude of additional roles in immunity and inflammatory diseases. Therefore, NETs may be involved in persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and the objectives of the current study were to determine whether HBV influences NET release and to identify the underlying mechanisms. HBV-infected mice (C57BL/6) were used to detect the efficiency of bacterial eradication by neutrophils in vivo. Primary neutrophils and circulating blood samples were collected from 40 patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, as well as 40 healthy controls, to detect NET release using a Quant-iT Pico Green dsDNA assay, Western blotting, and live-cell imaging and to determine the levels of HBV-DNA and HBV markers. NET release was decreased in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, and hepatitis B surface Ag, hepatitis B E Ag, and hepatitis B core Ab levels negatively correlated with NET release. We also examined the effect of HBV proteins (HBV X protein, HBV C protein, HBV E protein, and HBV S protein) on NET release in vitro. Based on flow cytometry, cytochrome c reduction assay, and Western blotting, HBV C protein and HBV E protein inhibited NET release by decreasing reactive oxygen species production and autophagy. Overall, HBV may inhibit NET release by modulating reactive oxygen species production and autophagy to escape the immune system and promote the establishment of chronic infection.

Physiological Ovarian Aging Is Associated with Altered Expression of Post-Translational Modifications in Mice.

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) have been confirmed to be involved in multiple female reproductive events, but their role in physiological ovarian aging is far from elucidated. In this study, mice aged 3, 12 or 17 months (3M, 12M, 17M) were selected as physiological ovarian aging models. The expression of female reproductive function-related genes, the global profiles of PTMs, and the level of histone modifications and related regulatory enzymes were examined during physiological ovarian aging in the mice by quantitative real-time PCR and western blot, respectively. The results showed that the global protein expression of Kbhb (lysineß-hydroxybutyryllysine), Khib (lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyryllysine), Kglu (lysineglutaryllysine), Kmal (lysinemalonyllysine), Ksucc (lysinesuccinyllysine), Kcr (lysinecrotonyllysine), Kbu (lysinebutyryllysine), Kpr (lysinepropionyllysine), SUMO1 (SUMO1 modification), ub (ubiquitination), P-Typ (phosphorylation), and 3-nitro-Tyr (nitro-tyrosine) increased significantly as mice aged. Moreover, the modification level of Kme2 (lysinedi-methyllysine) and Kac (lysineacetyllysine) was the highest in the 3M mice and the lowest in 12M mice. In addition, only trimethylation of histone lysine was up-regulated progressively and significantly with increasing age (p < 0.001), H4 ubiquitination was obviously higher in the 12M and 17M mice than 3M (p < 0.001), whereas the modification of Kpr (lysinepropionylation) and O-GlcNA in 17M was significantly decreased compared with the level in 3M mice (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the expression levels of the TIP60, P300, PRDM9, KMT5B, and KMT5C genes encoding PTM regulators were up-regulated in 17M compared to 3M female mice (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that altered related regulatory enzymes and PTMs are associated with physiological ovarian aging in mice, which is expected to provide useful insights for the delay of ovarian aging and the diagnosis and treatment of female infertility.

ATP-binding cassette sub-family a member1 gene mutation improves lipid metabolic abnormalities in diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes mellitus were often accompanied with hyperlipidemia. ATP-binding cassette sub-family A member1 (ABCA1) promotes the efflux of lipids and thereby mediates the metabolism of cholesterol. The aim of our study was to determine the associations of ABCA1 gene polymorphisms with the risks of diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia in diabetic patients. METHODS: We retrieved literature about the relationship between ABCA1 gene polymorphisms (C69T and R230C) and the risk of diabetes through PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Cochrane database. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and odds ratio (OR) were used to compare continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively, accompanied by their 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: A total of 1746 diabetic patients and 1292 non-diabetic controls were enrolled. All subjects were Caucasians. ABCA1 R230C T allele was significantly associated with reduced the risk of diabetes (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.57-0.98, P = 0.04). There was no association of ABCA1 C69T gene polymorphisms with the risk of diabetes. However, subgroup analyses showed that the ABCA1 C69T gene mutation significantly reduced the risk of hypertriglyceridemia in diabetic patients as compared with that in non-diabetic subjects (dominant model: WMD =0.66, 95% CI = 0.52-0.8, P < 0.0001; recessive model: WMD = 0.47, 95%CI = 0.11-0.83, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: ABCA1 R230C T allele gene mutation is a protective in decreasing the risk of diabetes in Caucasians and ABCA1 C69T gene mutation markedly influences the level of lipid metabolism in diabetic patients.

An aquaporin PvTIP4;1 from Pteris vittata may mediate arsenite uptake.

The fern Pteris vittata is an arsenic hyperaccumulator. The genes involved in arsenite (As(III)) transport are not yet clear. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of a new P. vittata aquaporin gene, PvTIP4;1, which may mediate As(III) uptake. PvTIP4;1 was identified from yeast functional complement cDNA library of P. vittata. Arsenic toxicity and accumulating activities of PvTIP4;1 were analyzed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Arabidopsis. Subcellular localization of PvTIP4;1-GFP fusion protein in P. vittata protoplast and callus was conducted. The tissue expression of PvTIP4;1 was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR. Site-directed mutagenesis of the PvTIP4;1 aromatic/arginine (Ar/R) domain was studied. Heterologous expression in yeast demonstrates that PvTIP4;1 was able to facilitate As(III) diffusion. Transgenic Arabidopsis showed that PvTIP4;1 increases arsenic accumulation and induces arsenic sensitivity. Images and FM4-64 staining suggest that PvTIP4;1 localizes to the plasma membrane in P. vittata cells. A tissue location study shows that PvTIP4;1 transcripts are mainly expressed in roots. Site-directed mutation in yeast further proved that the cysteine at the LE1 position of PvTIP4;1 Ar/R domain is a functional site. PvTIP4;1 is a new represented tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP) aquaporin from P. vittata and the function and location results imply that PvTIP4;1 may be involved in As(III) uptake.

Epitope mapping and identification of amino acids critical for mouse IgG-binding to linear epitopes on Gly m Bd 28K.

Gly m Bd 28K is one of the major allergens in soybeans, but there is limited information on its IgG-binding epitopes. Thirty-four overlapping peptides that covered the entire sequence of Gly m Bd 28K were synthesized, and 3 monoclonal antibodies against Gly m Bd 28K were utilized to identify the IgG-binding regions of Gly m Bd 28K. Three dominant peptides corresponding to (28)GDKKSPKSLFLMSNS(42)(G28-S42), (56)LKSHGGRIFYRHMHI(70)(L56-I70), and (154)ETFQSFYIGGGANSH(168)(E154-H168) were recognized. L56-I70 is the most important epitope, and a competitive ELISA indicated that it could inhibit the binding of monoclonal antibody to Gly m Bd 28K protein. Alanine scanning of L56-I70 documented that F64, Y65, and R66 were the critical amino acids of this epitope. Two bioinformatics tools, ABCpred and BepiPred, were used to predict the epitopes of Gly m Bd 28K, and the predictions were compared with the epitopes that we had located by monoclonal antibodies.

Dietary high-fat lard intake induces thyroid dysfunction and abnormal morphology in rats.

AIM: Excess dietary fat intake can induce lipotoxicity in non-adipose tissues. The aim of this study was to observe the effects of dietary high-fat lard intake on thyroid in rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-fat lard diet for 24 weeks, and then the rats were fed a normal control diet (acute dietary modification) or the high-fat lard diet for another 6 weeks. The serum lipid profile, total thyroxine (TT4), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyrotropin (TSH) levels were determined at the 12, 18, 24 and 30 weeks. High-frequency ultrasound scanning of the thyroid glands was performed at the 24 or 30 weeks. After the rats were sacrificed, the thyroid glands were collected for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. RESULTS: The high-fat lard diet significantly increased triglyceride levels in both the serum and thyroid, and decreased serum TT4 and FT4 levels in parallel with elevated serum TSH levels. Ultrasonic imaging revealed enlarged thyroid glands with lowered echotexture and relatively heterogeneous features in the high-fat lard fed rats. The thyroid glands from the high-fat lard fed rats exhibited enlarged follicle cavities and flattened follicular epithelial cells under light microscopy, and dilated endoplasmic reticulum cisternae, twisted nuclei, fewer microvilli and secretory vesicles under transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, the thyroid glands from the high-fat lard fed rats showed markedly low levels of thyroid hormone synthesis-related proteins TTF-1 and NIS. Acute dietary modification by withdrawal of the high-fat lard diet for 6 weeks failed to ameliorate the high-fat lard diet-induced thyroid changes. CONCLUSION: Dietary high-fat lard intake induces significant thyroid dysfunction and abnormal morphology in rats, which can not be corrected by short-term dietary modification.

Exploring the pharmacological mechanism of Xianlingubao against diabetic osteoporosis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking: An observational study.

Xianlinggubao formula (XLGB), is a traditional Chinese compound Medicine that has been extensively used in osteoarthritis and aseptic osteonecrosis, but its curative effect on diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) and its pharmacological mechanisms remains not clear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible mechanism of drug repurposing of XLGB in DOP therapy. We acquired XLGB active compounds from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology and traditional Chinese medicines integrated databases and discovered potential targets for these compounds by conducting target fishing using the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology and Swiss Target Prediction databases. Gene Cards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man® database were used to identify the DOP targets. Overlapping related targets between XLGB and DOP was selected to build a protein-protein interaction network. Next, the Metascape database was utilized to enrich the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. In addition, Auto-Dock Vina software was used to verify drug and target binding. In total, 48 hub targets were obtained as the candidate targets responsible for DOP therapy. The anti-DOP effect mediated by XLGB was primarily centralized on the advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-receptor for AGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications and osteoclast differentiation. In addition, AKT serine/threonine kinase 1, tumor necrosis factor, Interleukin-6, vascular endothelial growth factor A and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma, which were considered as potential therapeutic targets. Furthermore, molecular docking results confirm the credibility of the predicted therapeutic targets. This study elucidates that XLGB may through regulating AGEs formation and osteoclast differentiation as well as angiogenesis and adipogenesis against DOP. And this study provides new promising points to find the exact regulatory mechanisms of XLGB mediated anti-DOP effect.

Engineering arsenic tolerance and hyperaccumulation in plants for phytoremediation by a PvACR3 transgenic approach.

Arsenic (As) pollution is a global problem, and the plant-based cleanup of contaminated soils, called phytoremediation, is therefore of great interest. Recently, transgenic approaches have been designed to develop As phytoremediation technologies. Here, we used a one-gene transgenic approach for As tolerance and accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana . PvACR3, a key arsenite [As(III)] antiporter in the As hyperaccumulator fern Pteris vittata , was expressed in Arabidopsis , driven by the CaMV 35S promoter. In response to As treatment, PvACR3 transgenic plants showed greatly enhanced tolerance. PvACR3 transgenic seeds could even germinate and grow in the presence of 80 µM As(III) or 1200 µM arsenate [As(V)] treatments that were lethal to wild-type seeds. PvACR3 localizes to the plasma membrane in Arabidopsis and increases arsenite efflux into external medium in short-term experiments. Arsenic determination showed that PvACR3 substantially reduced As concentrations in roots and simultaneously increased shoot As under 150 µM As(V). When cultivated in As(V)-containing soil (10 ppm As), transgenic plants accumulated approximately 7.5-fold more As in above-ground tissues than wild-type plants. This study provides important insights into the behavior of PvACR3 and the physiology of As metabolism in plants. Our work also provides a simple and practical PvACR3 transgenic approach for engineering As-tolerant and -hyperaccumulating plants for phytoremediation.

Air Pollution and Migration Decision of Migrants in Low-Carbon Society.

The influence of environmental quality on the quality of urban life and on migration decisions is an important research issue in urban economics and environmental economics. Using the 2012-2014 China Labor Dynamics Survey data (CLDS), this paper uses a conditional logit model (CLM) and Instrumental Variable (IV) estimation to examine the impact of air pollution on the migrant migration decision. We find that air pollution significantly negatively impacts the migration decisions of migrants. Specifically, if the PM2.5 level of a city increases by 10 µg/m3, the probability of migrants flowing into the city will be significantly reduced by 21.2%. It shows that migrants choose to flow into cities with better spatial quality to reduce the risk of exposure to air pollution. After controlling for the characteristics of the outflow and the reasons for the flow, the impact of air pollution on migrants' migration decisions remains robust. Heterogeneity analysis shows that middle-aged, male, married, and highly educated migrants are more sensitive to air pollution. This paper enriches the research on air pollution and labor mobility at the micro level and provides empirical evidence for policymaking related to environmental governance and labor mobility in a low-carbon society.

High-precision early warning system for rice cadmium accumulation risk assessment.

Rapid global industrialization has resulted in widespread cadmium contamination in agricultural soils and products. A considerable proportion of rice consumers are exposed to Cd levels above the provisional safe intake limit, raising widespread environmental concerns on risk management. Therefore, a generalized approach is urgently needed to enable correct evaluation and early warning of cadmium contaminants in rice products. Combining big data and computer science together, this study developed a system named "SMART Cd Early Warning", which integrated 4 modules including genotype-to-phenotype (G2P) modelling, high-throughput sequencing, G2P prediction and rice Cd contamination risk assessment, for rice cadmium accumulation early warning. This system can rapidly assess the risk of rice cadmium accumulation by genotyping leaves at seeding stage. The parameters including statistical methods, population size, training population-testing population ratio, SNP density were assessed to ensure G2P model exhibited superior performance in terms of prediction precision (up to 0.76 ± 0.003) and computing efficiency (within 2 h). In field trials of cadmium-contaminated farmlands in Wenling and Fuyang city, Zhejiang Province, "SMART Cd Early Warning" exhibited superior capability for identification risk rice varieties, suggesting a potential of "SMART Cd Early-Warning system" in OsGCd risk assessment and early warning in the age of smart.

Parental detection of neonatal jaundice using a low-cost colour card: a multicentre prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Since most infants are usually discharged before age 48-72 hours, peak bilirubin levels will almost always occur after discharge. Parents may be the first to observe the onset of jaundice after discharge, but visual assessment is unreliable. The jaundice colour card (JCard) is a low-cost icterometer designed for the assessment of neonatal jaundice. The objective of this study was to evaluate parental use of JCard to detect jaundice in neonates. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study in nine sites across China. A total of 1161 newborns ≥35 weeks of gestation were enrolled in the study. Measurements of total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels were based on clinical indications. The JCard measurements by parents and paediatricians were compared with the TSB. RESULTS: JCard values of parents and paediatricians were correlated with TSB (r=0.754 and 0.788, respectively). The parents' and paediatricians' JCard values 9 had sensitivities of 95.2% vs 97.6% and specificities of 84.5% vs 71.7% for identifying neonates with TSB ≥153.9 µmol/L. The parents' and paediatricians' JCard values 15 had sensitivities of 79.9% vs 89.0% and specificities of 66.7% vs 64.9% for identifying neonates with TSB ≥256.5 µmol/L. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of parents for identifying TSB ≥119.7, ≥153.9, ≥205.2, and ≥256.5 µmol/L were 0.967, 0.960, 0.915, and 0.813, respectively, and those of paediatricians were 0.966, 0.961, 0.926 and 0.840, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.933 between parents and paediatricians. CONCLUSION: The JCard can be used to classify different levels of bilirubin, but it is less accurate with high bilirubin levels. The JCard diagnostic performance of parents was slightly lower than that of paediatricians.

Nuclear localization and interaction with COP1 are required for STO/BBX24 function during photomorphogenesis.

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) SALT TOLERANCE/B-BOX ZINC FINGER PROTEIN24 (STO/BBX24) is a negative regulator of the light signal transduction that localizes to the nucleus of plant cells and interacts with CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 (COP1) in the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) two-hybrid system. The protein contains two B-box zinc-finger motives at the N terminus and a conserved motif at the C-terminal part required for the interaction with COP1. BBX24 accumulates during deetiolation of young seedlings in the first hours of exposure to light. However, this accumulation is transient and decreases after prolonged light irradiation. Here, we identified the amino acidic residues necessary for the nuclear import of the protein. In addition, we created mutated forms of the protein, and analyzed them by overexpression in the bbx24-1 mutant background. Our results indicate that the degradation of BBX24 occurs, or at least is initiated in the nucleus, and this nuclear localization is a prerequisite to fulfill its function in light signaling. Moreover, mutations in the region responsible for the interaction with COP1 revealed that a physical interaction of the proteins is also required for degradation of BBX24 in the light and for normal photomorphogenesis.

Transcriptomic and physio-biochemical features in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in response to mercury stress.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic and nonessential element for organisms, and its contamination in the environment is a global concern. Previous research has shown that Hg stress may cause severe damage to rice roots; however, the transcriptomic changes in roots and physio-biochemical responses in leaves to different levels of Hg stress are not fully understood. In the present study, rice seedlings were exposed to 20, 80, and 160 µM HgCl2 for three days in hydroponic experiments. The results showed that the majority of Hg was accumulated in rice roots after Hg exposure, and the 80- and 160-µM Hg stresses significantly increased the root-to-shoot translocation factors relative to 20-µM Hg stress, resulting in elevated Hg concentrations in rice shoots. Only the 160-µM Hg stress significantly inhibited root growth compared with the control, while photosynthesis capacity in leaves was significantly reduced under Hg stress. RNA transcriptome sequencing analyses of the roots showed that common responsive differentially expressed genes were strongly associated with glutathione metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, and secondary metabolite metabolism, which may play significant roles in Hg accumulation by rice plants. Nine crucial genes identified by protein-protein interaction network analysis may be used as candidate target genes for further investigation of the detoxification mechanism, encoding proteins involved in jasmonic acid synthesis, sugar metabolism, allene oxide synthase, glutathione peroxidase, dismutase, and catalase. Furthermore, physio-biochemical analyses of the leaves indicated that higher production of reactive oxygen species was induced by Hg stress, while glutathione and antioxidant enzymes may play crucial roles in Hg detoxification. Our findings provide transcriptomic and physio-biochemical features of rice roots and shoots, which advance our understanding of the responsive and detoxification mechanisms in rice under different levels of Hg stress.

Role of pericytes in the development of cerebral cavernous malformations.

Cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) is caused by loss-of-function mutations in CCM1, CCM2, or CCM3 genes of endothelial cells. It is characterized by pericyte deficiency. However, the role of pericytes in CCMs is not yet clarified. We found pericytes in Cdh5Cre ERT2 ;Ccm1 fl/fl (Ccm1 ECKO ) mice had a high expression of PDGFRß. The inhibition of pericyte function by CP-673451 aggravated the CCM lesion development. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed the molecular traits of pericytes, such as highly expressed ECM-related genes, especially Fn1. Furthermore, KLF4 coupled with phosphorylated SMAD3 (pSMAD3) promoted the transcription of fibronectin in the pericytes of CCM lesions. RGDS peptide, an inhibitor of fibronectin, decreased the lesion area in the cerebella and retinas of Ccm1 ECKO mice. Also, human CCM lesions had abundant fibronectin deposition, and pSMAD3- and KLF4-positive pericytes. These findings indicate that pericytes are essential for CCM lesion development, and fibronectin intervention may provide a novel target for therapeutic intervention in such patients.

Liver Endothelial Heg Regulates Vascular/Biliary Network Patterning and Metabolic Zonation Via Wnt Signaling.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The liver has complex interconnecting blood vessel and biliary networks; however, how the vascular and biliary network form and regulate each other and liver function are not well-understood. We aimed to examine the role of Heg in mammalian liver development and functional maintenance. METHODS: Global (Heg-/-) or liver endothelial cell (EC)-specific deletion of Heg (Lyve1-Cre;Hegfl/fl ) mice were used to study the in vivo function of Heg in the liver. Carbon-ink anterograde and retrograde injection were used to visualize the 3-dimensional patterning of liver portal and biliary networks, respectively. RNA sequencing, histology, and molecular and biochemical assays were used to assess liver gene expression, protein distribution, liver injury response, and function. RESULTS: Heg deficiency in liver ECs led to a sparse liver vascular and biliary network. This network paucity does not compromise liver function under baseline conditions but did alter liver zonation. Molecular analysis revealed that endothelial Heg deficiency decreased expression of Wnt ligands/agonists including Wnt2, Wnt9b, and Rspo3 in ECs, which limits Axin2 mediated canonical Wnt signaling and the expression of cytochrome P450 enzymes in hepatocytes. Under chemical-induced stressed conditions, Heg-deficiency in liver ECs protected mice from drug-induced liver injuries. CONCLUSION: Our study found that endothelial Heg is essential for the 3-D patterning of the liver vascular and indirectly regulates biliary networks and proper liver zonation via its regulation of Wnt ligand production in liver endothelial cells. The endothelial Heg-initiated changes of the liver metabolic zonation and metabolic enzyme expression in hepatocytes was functionally relevant to xenobiotic metabolism and drug induced liver toxicity.

Effects of the size distribution of wheat starch on noodles with and without gluten.

To understand the effects of A- and B-type wheat starch on noodle quality, two noodle models with (Model 1) and without (Model 2) gluten were constructed with five different ratios of A- to B-granules (100A-0B, 75A-25B, 50A-50B, 25A-75B, and 0A-100B). With increasing proportions of B-granules, the noodle structures of Models 1 and 2 became increasingly dense. The cooking loss, water absorption, proportion of free water, chewiness, cohesiveness and resilience decreased from 35.64 to 15.49%, 240.92 to 228.58%, 88.89 to 85.98%, 21.93 to 13.24 N, 0.77 to 0.56, and 0.61 to 0.36, respectively, with the increased proportion of B-granules in Model 2, while those parameters normally presented "V" or inverted "V" trends in Model 1. Compared to their counterparts in Model 2, gluten networks with 25-50% B-granules had an outstanding ability to increase the percentage of tightly bound water, hardness, chewiness and springiness by 4.50%, 24.07 N, 25.05 N, and 0.17 at most and reduce the proportion of free water and water absorption by 5.56 and 73.70% at most, respectively. The results indicated that the effect of the gluten network on noodle qualities may partially depend on its structure, which is shaped by the granule size distribution. Compared to the other characteristics of noodles, the springiness was influenced by a more complicated mechanism involving A- and B-granules in Model 2, while it was strongly affected by the gluten network under the given experimental conditions in Model 1.

Cell Cycle Withdrawal Limit the Regenerative Potential of Neonatal Cardiomyocytes.

PURPOSE: The neonatal mouse possesses a transient capacity for cardiac regeneration during the first few days of life. The regenerative response of neonatal mouse is primarily mediated by pre-existing cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation, which has been identified as the primary source of myocardial regeneration. Postnatal 4-day-old (P4) mouse CMs appear to undergo a rapid transition from hyperplastic to hypertrophic growth and binucleation. By 7 days following birth this regenerative potential is lost which coincidently correspond with CM cell cycle arrest and binucleation. CCM2-like (Ccm2l) plays pivotal roles in cardiovascular development and cardiac growth, indicating a potential function in heart regeneration postnatally. The aim of this study was to determine the cardiac regeneration ability of P4 neonatal mouse using a novel and more reproducible injury model and to determine whether Ccm2l has any functional roles in heart repair following ischemic injury. METHODS: We performed a modified left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation procedure on P4 mice to examine cardiac regenerative responses at different time points. Additionally, we generated an endothelial-specific Ccm2l gain-of-function transgenic mouse to determine the role of Ccm2l in neonatal cardiac regeneration. RESULTS: We found that the P4 mouse heart harbor a robust regenerative response after injury that was through the proliferation of pre-existing CMs but cardiac hypertrophy and subsequent remodeling was still evident 60 days after LAD ligation. Furthermore, we show that endothelial-specific overexpression of Ccm2l does not promote CM proliferation and heart repair after LAD ligation. CONCLUSION: The neonatal heart at P4 harbors a robust but incomplete capacity for cardiac regeneration. Endothelial overexpression of Ccm2l has no effect on cardiac regeneration.

[Advances in molecular mechanisms of arsenic hyperaccumulation of Pteris vittata L.]

Arsenic is a toxic metalloid. Arsenic pollution in soils affects food safety and threatens human health. Pteris vittata L. has enormous application value in phytoremediation of arsenic-contaminated soil for its high arsenic hyperaccumulation ability. Understanding the arsenic hyperaccumulation molecular mechanism of P. vittata is the core theoretical basis of phytoremediation technology. This review introduces the omics study on arsenic hyperaccumulation mechanisms, as well as important molecular component that is involved in arsenic hyperaccumulation of P. vittata. Further research directions and trends are also discussed.

The systematic exploration of cadmium-accumulation characteristics of maize kernel in acidic soil with different pollution levels in China.

Cadmium is a toxic element with a half-life of more than a few decades that can be absorbed by crops and threaten human health. The problem of food security caused by cadmium through soil-crop systems has received great attention in China. Maize is a staple food widely cultivated throughout the world. However, the lack of systematic study makes it difficult to draw an accurate conclusion on its exact characteristics of cadmium accumulation and the corresponding health risk assessment. The availability of cadmium increased with the decrease of soil pH in acidic soil, enhancing the uptake of cadmium by crops and thus posing a major threat to food safety. In this study, the performance of kernel cadmium accumulation in abundant maize inbred and important hybrid lines were analyzed on acidic fields with different pollution levels in China. It was found that the kernel cadmium concentration both in inbred and hybrid lines showed left skewed distribution and concentrated significantly in a low interval under different soil cadmium gradients with good correlation. The classification of cadmium risk level in maize germplasm and cultivars and the analysis of soil cadmium threshold for maize safe planting can provide references to utilize the crop more feasibly and effectively. Maize may be an important staple crop to reduce human exposure to cadmium in agricultural soil.