Primary hyperoxaluria type 1(PH1)is a rare but devastating autosomal recessive inherited disease caused by mutations in gene AGXT.Pathogenic mutations of AGXT were mostly reported in Caucasian but infrequently in Asia...Primary hyperoxaluria type 1(PH1)is a rare but devastating autosomal recessive inherited disease caused by mutations in gene AGXT.Pathogenic mutations of AGXT were mostly reported in Caucasian but infrequently in Asian,especially in Chinese.To update the genotypes of PH1 in the Chinese population,we collected and identified 7 Chinese probands with PH1 from 2013 to 2017 in our center,five of whom had delayed diagnosis and failed in kidney transplantation.Samples of peripheral blood DNA from the 7 patients and their family members were collected and sequencing analysis was performed to test the mutations of gene AGXT.Western blotting and enzyme activity analysis were conducted to evaluate the function of the mutations.Furthermore,a systematic review from 1998 to 2017 was performed to observe the genetic characteristics between Chinese and Caucasian. The results showed that a total of 12 mutations were identified in the 7 pedigrees.To the best of ourknowledge,2 novel variants of A GXT,p.Gly41 Trp and p.Leu33Met,were first reported.Bioinformatics and functional analysis showed that only 7 mutations led to a reduced expression of alanine-glyoxylate amino transferase (AGT)at a protein level.The systematic review revealed significant population heterogeneity in PH1.In conclusion,new genetic subtypes and genetic characteristics of PH1 are updated in the Chinese population. Furthermore,a genotype-phenotype correlation is found in PH1.展开更多
Congenital disorders of glycosylation(CDG)are a cluster of monogenic disorders resulting from defects in glycosylation.FCSK encodes fucokinase,an enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of L-fucose to generate fucos...Congenital disorders of glycosylation(CDG)are a cluster of monogenic disorders resulting from defects in glycosylation.FCSK encodes fucokinase,an enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of L-fucose to generate fucose-1-phosphate,an important step in fucosylation.Mutations in FCSK lead to CDG with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern,primarily manifesting as developmental delay,hypotonia,and brain abnormalities.However,no fcsk mutant animal models have yet been established.This study constructed the first fcsk knockout(fcsk^(-/-))zebrafish model using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.Notably,fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish exhibited impaired growth,characterized by delayed epiboly and DNA accumulation during early embryonic development,as well as brain atrophy in adulthood.Larval-stage fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish displayed locomotor deficits and increased susceptibility to pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures.In adulthood,fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish showed neurodevelopmental abnormalities,including increased anxiety,decreased aggression,reduced social preference,and impaired memory.Additionally,total protein fucosylation was markedly reduced in fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish,accompanied by decreased expression of pofut2,which encodes protein Ofucosyltransferase 2,an enzyme involved in the fucosylation salvage pathway.Apoptotic activity was elevated in the midbrain-hindbrain boundary(MHB)of fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish.Supplementation with GDP-L-fucose or the human FCSK gene restored developmental defects and total protein fucosylation in fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish.RNA sequencing revealed dysregulated gene expression associated with glycosylation,apoptosis,and neurodegenerative diseases.These findings suggest that fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish exhibit neurodevelopmental disorders,providing the first fcsk gene knockout animal model and offering a platform for investigating the molecular underpinnings of the disease and facilitating drug screening efforts.展开更多
Background and Objective Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the progression of coronary artery disease(CAD).High-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP)serves as a well-established biomarker for assessing cardiovascul...Background and Objective Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the progression of coronary artery disease(CAD).High-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP)serves as a well-established biomarker for assessing cardiovascular inflammation risk.However,the specific intestinal microbiota alteration contributing to increased inflammation remains unclear.Therefore,the present study investigated the correlation between the intestinal microbiota and inflammation in patients with unstable angina(UA).Methods A cohort of 92 patients with UA was recruited for this study.The plasma hsCRP level was measured via a CardioPhase hsCRP assay,fecal samples were collected after admission,and 16S rRNA sequencing was conducted to identify the fecal microbial profile.The participants were classified into two groups according to the median hsCRP level(1.11 mg/L).The composition of the fecal microbiota was compared between patients with hsCRP≥1.11 mg/L and those with hsCRP<1.11 mg/L.Additionally,the correlations between the fecal microbiota and clinical characteristics were analyzed.Results A notable reduction in the relative abundance of Akkermansia was observed in patients with hsCRP≥1.11 mg/L,whereas the diversity of the fecal microbiota was not significantly different between patients with hsCRP≥1.11 mg/L and those with hsCRP<1.11 mg/L.Furthermore,the abundance of Akkermansia was negatively correlated with hsCRP levels.Conclusion This study suggested a significant association between decreased levels of Akkermansia and inflammatory risk in patients with UA.These findings underscore the potential role of the intestinal microbiota in contributing to inflammation in UA patients.Further work is needed on the mechanism by which the microbiota contributes to inflammatory risk.展开更多
Grain size is one of the most important factors affecting rice grain quality and yield,and attracts great attention from molecular biologists and breeders.In this study,we engineered a CRISPR/Cas9 system targeting the...Grain size is one of the most important factors affecting rice grain quality and yield,and attracts great attention from molecular biologists and breeders.In this study,we engineered a CRISPR/Cas9 system targeting the miR396 recognition site of the rice GS2 gene,which encodes growth-regulating factor 4(OsGRF4)and regulates multiple agronomic traits including grain size,grain quality,nitrogen use efficiency,abiotic stress response,and seed shattering.In contrast to most previous genome editing efforts in which indel mutations were chosen to obtain null mutants,a mutant named GS2^(E) carrying an in-frame 6-bp deletion and 1-bp substitution within the miR396-targeted sequence was identified.GS2^(E) plants showed increased expression of GS2 in consistent with impaired repression by miR396.As expected,the gain-of-function GS2^(E) mutant exhibited multiple beneficial traits including increased grain size and yield and bigger grain length/width ratio.Thousand grain weight and grain yield per plant of GS2^(E) plants were increased by 23.5%and 10.4%,respectively.These improved traits were passed to hybrids in a semidominant way,suggesting that the new GS2^(E) allele has great potential in rice improvement.Taken together,we report new GS2 germplasm and describe a novel gene-editing strategy that can be widely employed to improve grain size and yield in rice.This trait-improvement strategy could be applied to other genes containing miRNA target sites,in particular the conserved miR396-GRF/GIF module that governs plant growth,development and environmental response.展开更多
Apiaceae is a major family from Apiales and includes many important vegetable and medicinal crops.Heat shock transcription factors(Hsf)play important roles in heat tolerance during plant development.Here,we conducted ...Apiaceae is a major family from Apiales and includes many important vegetable and medicinal crops.Heat shock transcription factors(Hsf)play important roles in heat tolerance during plant development.Here,we conducted systematic analyses of the Hsf gene family in three Apiaceae species,including 17 Apium graveolens(celery),32 Coriandrum sativum(coriander),and 14 Daucus carota(carrot).A total of 73 Hsf genes were identified in three representative species,including Arabidopsis thaliana,Vitis vinifera,and Lactuca sativa.Whole-genome duplication played important roles in the Hsf gene family’s expansion within Apiaceae.Interestingly,we found that coriander had more Hsf genes than celery and carrot due to greater expansion and fewer losses.Twenty-seven branches of the phylogenetic tree underwent considerable positive selection in these Apiaceae species.We also explored the expression patterns of Hsf genes in three plant organs.Collectively,this study will serve as a rich gene resource for exploring the molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance.Additionally,this is the first study to report on the Hsf gene family in Apiaceae;thus,our research will provide guidance for future comparative and functional genomic studies on the Hsf gene family and others in Apiaceae.展开更多
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by impaired perception, delusions, thought disorder, abnormal emotion regulation, altered motor function, and impaired drive. The default mode network （DMN）, s...Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by impaired perception, delusions, thought disorder, abnormal emotion regulation, altered motor function, and impaired drive. The default mode network （DMN）, since it was first proposed in 2001, has become a central research theme in neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. In this review, first we define the DMN and describe its functional activity, functional and anatomical connectivity, heritability, and inverse correlation with the task positive network. Second, we review empirical studies of the anatomical and functional DMN, and anti-correlation between DMN and the task positive network in schizophrenia. Finally, we review preliminary evidence about the relationship between antipsychotic medications and regulation of the DMN, review the role of DMN as a treatment biomarker for this disease, and consider the DMN effects of individualized therapies for schizophrenia.展开更多
Simple sequence repeats(SSRs)are one of the most important genetic markers and widely exist in most species.Here,we identified 249,822 SSRs from 3,951,919 genes in 112 plants.Then,we conducted a comprehensive analysis...Simple sequence repeats(SSRs)are one of the most important genetic markers and widely exist in most species.Here,we identified 249,822 SSRs from 3,951,919 genes in 112 plants.Then,we conducted a comprehensive analysis of these SSRs and constructed a plant SSR database(PSSRD).Interestingly,more SSRs were found in lower plants than in higher plants,showing that lower plants needed to adapt to early extreme environments.Four specific enriched functional terms in the lower plant Chlam^tdomonas reinhardtii were detected when it was compared with seven other higher plants.In addition,Guanylate_cyc existed in more genes of lower plants than of higher plants.In our PSSRD,we constructed an interactive plotting function in the chart interface,and users can easily view the detailed information of SSRs.All SSR information,including sequences,primers,and annotations,can be downloaded from our database.Moreover,we developed Web SSR Finder and Batch SSR Finder tools,which can be easily used for identifying SSRs.Our database was developed using PHP,HTML,J avaScript,and MySQL,which are freely available at http://www.pssrd.info/.We conducted an analysis of the Myb gene families and flowering genes as two applications of the PSSRD.Further analysis indicated that whole-genome duplication and whole-genome triplication played a major role in the expansion of the Myb gene families.These SSR markers in our database will greatly facilitate comparative genomics and functional genomics studies in the future.展开更多
Long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs)are widely present in different species and play critical roles in response to abiotic stresses.However,the functions of lncRNAs in Chinese cabbage under heat stress remain unknown.Here,we ...Long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs)are widely present in different species and play critical roles in response to abiotic stresses.However,the functions of lncRNAs in Chinese cabbage under heat stress remain unknown.Here,we first conducted a global comparative analysis of 247,242 lncRNAs among 37 species.The results indicated that lncRNAs were poorly conserved among different species,and only 960 lncRNAs were homologous to 524 miRNA precursors.We then carried out lncRNA sequencing for a genome-wide analysis of lncRNAs and their target genes in Chinese cabbage at different stages of heat treatment.In total,18,253 lncRNAs were identified,of which 1229 differentially expressed(DE)lncRNAs were characterized as being heat-responsive.The ceRNA network revealed that 38 lncRNAs,16 miRNAs,and 167 mRNAs were involved in the heat response in Chinese cabbage.Combined analysis of the cis-and trans-regulated genes indicated that the targets of DE lncRNAs were significantly enriched in the“protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum”and“plant hormone signal transduction”pathways.Furthermore,the majority of HSP and PYL genes involved in these two pathways exhibited similar expression patterns and responded to heat stress rapidly.Based on the networks of DE lncRNA-mRNAs,29 and 22 lncRNAs were found to interact with HSP and PYL genes,respectively.Finally,the expression of several critical lncRNAs and their targets was verified by qRT-PCR.Overall,we conducted a comparative analysis of lncRNAs among 37 species and performed a comprehensive analysis of lncRNAs in Chinese cabbage.Our findings expand the knowledge of lncRNAs involved in the heat stress response in Chinese cabbage,and the identified lncRNAs provide an abundance of resources for future comparative and functional studies.展开更多
Objective To evaluate the impact of hypertension on the clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients aged 60 years old and older.Methods This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled consecutive COVID-19 patients ag...Objective To evaluate the impact of hypertension on the clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients aged 60 years old and older.Methods This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled consecutive COVID-19 patients aged 60 years old and older,who were admitted to Liyuan Hospital from January 1,2020 to April 25,2020.All included patients were divided into two groups:hypertension and nonhypertension group.The baseline demographic characteristics,laboratory test results,chest computed tomography(CT)images and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed.The prognostic value of hypertension was determined using binary logistic regression.Results Among the 232 patients included in the analysis,105(45.3%)patients had comorbid hypertension.Compared to the nonhypertension group,patients in the hypertension group had higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios,red cell distribution widths,lactate dehydrogenase,high-sensitivity C-reactive protein,D-dimer and severity of lung lesion,and lower lymphocyte counts(all P<0.05).Furthermore,the hypertension group had a higher proportion of intensive care unit admissions[24(22.9%)vs.14(11.0%),P=0.02]and deaths[16(15.2%)vs.3(2.4%),P<0.001]and a significantly lower probability of survival(P<0.001)than the nonhypertension group.Hypertension(OR:4.540,95%CI:1.203–17.129,P=0.026)was independently correlated with all-cause in-hospital death in elderly patients with COVID-19.Conclusion The elderly COVID-19 patients with hypertension tend to have worse conditions at baseline than those without hypertension.Hypertension may be an independent prognostic factor of poor clinical outcome in elderly COVID-19 patients.展开更多
Simple sequence repeats(SSRs)are popular and important molecular markers that exist widely in plants.Here,we conducted a comprehensive identification and comparative analysis of SSRs in 14 tree species.A total of 16,2...Simple sequence repeats(SSRs)are popular and important molecular markers that exist widely in plants.Here,we conducted a comprehensive identification and comparative analysis of SSRs in 14 tree species.A total of 16,298 SSRs were identified from 429,449 genes,and primers were successfully designed for 99.44% of the identified SSRs.Our analysis indicated that tri-nucleotide SSRs were the most abundant,with an average of~834 per species.Functional enrichment analysis by combining SSR-containing genes in all species,revealed 50 significantly enriched terms,with most belonging to transcription factor families associated with plant development and abiotic stresses such as Myeloblastosis_DNA-bind_4(Myb_DNA-bind_4),APETALA2(AP2),and Fantastic Four meristem regulator(FAF).Further functional enrichment analysis showed that 48 terms related to abiotic stress regulation and floral development were significantly enriched in ten species,whereas no significantly enriched terms were found in four species.Interestingly,the largest number of enriched terms was detected in Citrus sinensis(L.)Osbeck,accounting for 54.17% of all significantly enriched functional terms.Finally,we analyzed AP2 and trihelix gene families(Myb_DNA-bind_4)due to their significant enrichment in SSR-containing genes.The results indicated that whole-genome duplication(WGD)and whole genome triplication(WGT)might have played major roles in the expansion of the AP2 gene family but only slightly affected the expansion of the trihelix gene family during evolution.In conclusion,the identification and comprehensive characterization of SSR markers will greatly facilitate future comparative genomics and functional genomics studies.展开更多
Elongation factor 4（EF4） is one of the highly conserved translational GTPases, whose functions are largely unknown. Structures of EF4 bound ribosomal PRE-translocation and POST-translocation complexes have both been...Elongation factor 4（EF4） is one of the highly conserved translational GTPases, whose functions are largely unknown. Structures of EF4 bound ribosomal PRE-translocation and POST-translocation complexes have both been visualized. On top of cellular, structural, and biochemical studies, several controversial models have been raised to rationalize functions of EF4. However, how EF4 modulates elongation through its interactions with ribosomes has not been revealed. Here, using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer assays, we directly captured short-lived EF4·GTP bound ribosomal PRE and POST translocation complexes, which may adopt slightly different conformations from structures prepared using GDP, GDPNP, or GDPCP. Furthermore, we revealed that EF4·GTP severely impairs delivery of aminoacyl-tRNA into the A-site of the ribosome and moderately accelerates translocation. We proposed that functions of EF4 are to slow overall elongation and to stall majority of ribosomes in POST states under stress conditions.展开更多
Mental retardation is defined by significant limitations in intellectual function and adaptive behavior that occur before 18 years of age.Many chromosomal diseases come with mental retardation.We reported two Chinese ...Mental retardation is defined by significant limitations in intellectual function and adaptive behavior that occur before 18 years of age.Many chromosomal diseases come with mental retardation.We reported two Chinese families with partial trisomy 9p and other chromosome partial monosomy,clinical features of mental retardation and mild facial and pinkie anomalies.In the family 1,we showed that the proband carried a trisomy 9p21.3→pter and monosomy 21q22.3→qter by using fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis.Molecular genetic analysis defined the precise breakpoint on chromosome 9p between markers D9S1846 and D9S171,an interval of about 2.9 Mb on 9p21.3,and the breakpoint on chromosome 21q between markers D21S1897 and D21S1446,a region of about 1.5 Mb on 21q22.3.In the family 2,a patient with trisomy 9p21.3→pter and monosomy 5p15.33→pter,and a de novo maternal balanced translocation between chromosomes 5 and 9 was identified in his mother.Cytogenetic and molecular genetic analysis defined the precise breakpoints on chromosome 9p21.3 and chromosome 5p15.33.Further clinical investigation found that any individual had no refractoriness eczema disease except the proband in this family.These results further implicate that trisomy 9p is associated with mental retardation,and that there may be key gene duplication on chromosome 9p21.3→9pter responsible for mental retardation and mild facial anomaly.This result has been applied successfully in prenatal diagnosis of the second family.展开更多
Background: The skin serves as the first line of defense for the human body. Direct sunlight contains damaging radiations that can speed up the ageing process of the skin, resulting in wrinkles, leathery skin, dark pa...Background: The skin serves as the first line of defense for the human body. Direct sunlight contains damaging radiations that can speed up the ageing process of the skin, resulting in wrinkles, leathery skin, dark patches, and solar elastosis. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of multiple solar irradiation related factors at the protein level in human dermal fibroblast (HDF). The overall effect of individual solar irradiations such as Infrared A (IRA), blue light (BL), UVA, and UVB on HDF cells and the extent of molecular level aberrations to be assessed and compared against each. Methods: Label-free quantitative proteomics (MS/MS) approach has been adopted in this study to observe the protein level changes induced in the HDF cells through various exposures of full light sources. Following that, downstream insilico analysis has been carried out. Results: In this study, it is demonstrated all the four different solar irradiations significantly contribute to the molecular degeneration of skin cells through various mechanisms. This study confirms that BL down-regulates DNA repair proteins and the skin cells-HDF stimulate the histone proteins as a response mechanism to maintain the chromosomal integrity. Conclusions: The proteomics experiment carried out in the current study intends to support the future sun care products based on full light protection technology that can be custom designed to provide complete protection from the solar radiation. Similar technology could enhance the further investigations for deeper understanding of induction, mode of action, and prevention of skin damage from extensive solar irradiation.展开更多
Bacteriophages are viruses that attack bacteria and kill them through the lytic replication cycle. Many studies have reported that phages are more specific to bacteria than antibiotics are; thus, phage therapy has man...Bacteriophages are viruses that attack bacteria and kill them through the lytic replication cycle. Many studies have reported that phages are more specific to bacteria than antibiotics are; thus, phage therapy has many poten- tial applications in human medicine, with the advantage of having few side effects （Keen, 2012）. Investigating the mechanisms of bacteria-killing phages will therefore aid in the development of antibacterial drugs.展开更多
Lodging reduces grain yield and quality in cereal crops.Lodging resistance is affected by the strength of the culm,which is influenced by the culm diameter,culm wall thickness,and cell wall composition.To explore the ...Lodging reduces grain yield and quality in cereal crops.Lodging resistance is affected by the strength of the culm,which is influenced by the culm diameter,culm wall thickness,and cell wall composition.To explore the genetic architecture of culm diameter in rice(Oryza sativa),we conducted a genome-wide association study(GWAS).We identified STRONG CULM 2(STRONG2),which encodes the mannan synthase CSLA5,and showed that plants that overexpressed this gene had increased culm diameter and improved lodging resistance.STRONG2 appears to increase the levels of cell wall components,such as mannose and cellulose,thereby enhancing sclerenchyma development in stems.SNP14931253 in the STRONG2 promoter contributes to variation in STRONG2 expression in natural germplasms and the transcription factor MYB61 directly activates STRONG2 expression.Furthermore,STRONG2 overexpressing plants produced significantly more grains per panicle and heavier grains than the wild-type plants.These results demonstrate that the MYB61-STRONG2 module positively regulates culm diameter and lodging resistance,information that could guide breeding efforts for improved yield in rice.展开更多
Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy(OR-PAM)has rapidly developed and is capable of characterizing optical absorption properties of biological tissue with high contrast and high resolution(micrometer-scale late...Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy(OR-PAM)has rapidly developed and is capable of characterizing optical absorption properties of biological tissue with high contrast and high resolution(micrometer-scale lateral resolution).However,the conventional excitation source of rapidly diverging Gaussian beam imposes limitations on the depth of focus(DOF)in OR-PAM,which in turn affects the depth-resolving ability and detection sensitivity.Here,we proposed a flexible DOF,depth-invariant resolution photoacoustic microscopy(FDIR-PAM)with nondiffraction of Airy beams.The spatial light modulator was incorporated into the optical pathway of the excitation source with matched switching phase patterns,achieving the flexibly adjustable modulation parameters of the Airy beam.We conducted experiments on phantoms and intravital tissue to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for high sensitivity and highresolution characterization of variable topology of tissue,offering a promising DOF of 926μm with an invariant lateral resolution of 3.2μm,which is more than 17-fold larger compared to the Gaussian beam.In addition,FDIR-PAM successfully revealed clear individual zebrafish larvae and the pigment pattern of adult zebrafishes,as well as fine morphology of cerebral vasculature in a large depth range with high resolution,which has reached an evident resolving capability improvement of 62%mean value compared with the Gaussian beam.展开更多
Salinity is a major abiotic stress factor that seriously affects plant growth. Many genes are involved in the response to salt stress with various metabolism pathways. A number of plant transcription factor family gen...Salinity is a major abiotic stress factor that seriously affects plant growth. Many genes are involved in the response to salt stress with various metabolism pathways. A number of plant transcription factor family genes have been found to be involved in the salt stress response, and NAM, ATAF and CUC(NAC) transcription factors are thought to act as active regulators during abiotic stress, especially salt stress. In this study, we detected a rice NAC transcription factor coding gene, OsNAC041, and confirmed that it influenced the germination of seeds under salt stress and salt tolerance of plants. OsNAC041 was primarily expressed in the leaves and located in the nucleus. Furthermore, the CRISPR/Cas9 method was used to obtain a targeted osnac041 mutant, of which the plant height was higher than that of the wild-type, showing increased salt sensitivity. Moreover, RNA-seq analysis revealed a number of differentially expressed genes(DEGs) involved in several important signaling pathways in the osnac041 mutant. Subsequently, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes annotation also revealed differential expression of DEGs associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, peroxisome, eukaryotictype ABC transporters, photosynthesis and plant hormones, which are involved in stress-related signaling pathways. Overall, our study suggested that OsNAC041 was involved in the salt stress response in rice. These findings not only provide empirical evidence of OsNAC041 function, but also provide new insight into its potential application in rice resistance breeding.展开更多
High-throughput SNP genotyping is widely used for plant genetic studies. Recently, a RICE6K SNP array has been developed based on the Illumina Bead Array platform and Infinium SNP assay technology for genome-wide eval...High-throughput SNP genotyping is widely used for plant genetic studies. Recently, a RICE6K SNP array has been developed based on the Illumina Bead Array platform and Infinium SNP assay technology for genome-wide evaluation of allelic variations and breeding applications. In this study, the RICE6K SNP array was used to genotype a recombinant inbred line （RIL） population derived from the cross between the indica variety, Zhenshan 97, and the japonica variety, Xizang 2. A total of 3324 SNP markers of high quality were identified and were grouped into 1495 recombination bins in the RIL population. A high-density linkage map, consisting of the 1495 bins, was developed, covering 1591.2 cM and with average length ofl.1 cM per bin. Segregation distortions were observed in 24 regions of the 11 chromosomes in the RILs. One half of the distorted regions contained fertility genes that had been previously reported. A total of 23 QTLs were identified for yield. Seven QTLs were firstly detected in this study. The positive alleles from about half of the identified QTLs came from Zhenshan 97 and they had lower phenotypic values than Xizang 2. This indicated that favorable alleles for breeding were dispersed in both parents and pyramiding favorable alleles could develop elite lines. The size of the mapping population for QTL analysis using high throughput SNP genotyping platform is also discussed.展开更多
Dear Editor,At the end of 2019,a new virus,called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)was reported(Benvenuto et al.2020;Zhu et al.2020).The sequences of SARS-CoV-2 reported by different research...Dear Editor,At the end of 2019,a new virus,called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)was reported(Benvenuto et al.2020;Zhu et al.2020).The sequences of SARS-CoV-2 reported by different research groups demonstrated that it is a positive strand RNA virus.The sequence of SARS-CoV-2 is approximately 30 kb long,and could encodes spike,envelope,membrane,nucleocapsid proteins,etc.(Phan 2020).These proteins are responsible for replicating the viral genome as well as generating nested transcripts that are used in the synthesis of the viral proteins.展开更多
Dear Editor,Neuroticism,a crucial dimension of human personality,fluctuates from emotional stability to instability[1].Compared to those with emotional stability,individuals with emotional instability show stronger at...Dear Editor,Neuroticism,a crucial dimension of human personality,fluctuates from emotional stability to instability[1].Compared to those with emotional stability,individuals with emotional instability show stronger attentional bias to negative stimuli,lower life satisfaction,and tend to perform poorly(i.e.,fewer correct responses)in cognitive tasks.For instance,individuals with different emotional stabilities experience distinct decision-making responses,especially when facing inequity,as the unfairness induces typical conflict between self-interest and fairness[2].展开更多
基金This work was supported by the grants from the Special Project of Ministry of Health (No.201302009)and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81700300).
文摘Primary hyperoxaluria type 1(PH1)is a rare but devastating autosomal recessive inherited disease caused by mutations in gene AGXT.Pathogenic mutations of AGXT were mostly reported in Caucasian but infrequently in Asian,especially in Chinese.To update the genotypes of PH1 in the Chinese population,we collected and identified 7 Chinese probands with PH1 from 2013 to 2017 in our center,five of whom had delayed diagnosis and failed in kidney transplantation.Samples of peripheral blood DNA from the 7 patients and their family members were collected and sequencing analysis was performed to test the mutations of gene AGXT.Western blotting and enzyme activity analysis were conducted to evaluate the function of the mutations.Furthermore,a systematic review from 1998 to 2017 was performed to observe the genetic characteristics between Chinese and Caucasian. The results showed that a total of 12 mutations were identified in the 7 pedigrees.To the best of ourknowledge,2 novel variants of A GXT,p.Gly41 Trp and p.Leu33Met,were first reported.Bioinformatics and functional analysis showed that only 7 mutations led to a reduced expression of alanine-glyoxylate amino transferase (AGT)at a protein level.The systematic review revealed significant population heterogeneity in PH1.In conclusion,new genetic subtypes and genetic characteristics of PH1 are updated in the Chinese population. Furthermore,a genotype-phenotype correlation is found in PH1.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2023YFC2706302)National Natural Science Foundation of China(81000079,81170165 and 81870959 to X.Z.)+1 种基金Program of HUST Academic Frontier Youth Team(2016QYTD02)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(HUST:2019JYCXJJ035)。
文摘Congenital disorders of glycosylation(CDG)are a cluster of monogenic disorders resulting from defects in glycosylation.FCSK encodes fucokinase,an enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of L-fucose to generate fucose-1-phosphate,an important step in fucosylation.Mutations in FCSK lead to CDG with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern,primarily manifesting as developmental delay,hypotonia,and brain abnormalities.However,no fcsk mutant animal models have yet been established.This study constructed the first fcsk knockout(fcsk^(-/-))zebrafish model using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.Notably,fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish exhibited impaired growth,characterized by delayed epiboly and DNA accumulation during early embryonic development,as well as brain atrophy in adulthood.Larval-stage fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish displayed locomotor deficits and increased susceptibility to pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures.In adulthood,fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish showed neurodevelopmental abnormalities,including increased anxiety,decreased aggression,reduced social preference,and impaired memory.Additionally,total protein fucosylation was markedly reduced in fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish,accompanied by decreased expression of pofut2,which encodes protein Ofucosyltransferase 2,an enzyme involved in the fucosylation salvage pathway.Apoptotic activity was elevated in the midbrain-hindbrain boundary(MHB)of fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish.Supplementation with GDP-L-fucose or the human FCSK gene restored developmental defects and total protein fucosylation in fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish.RNA sequencing revealed dysregulated gene expression associated with glycosylation,apoptosis,and neurodegenerative diseases.These findings suggest that fcsk^(-/-)zebrafish exhibit neurodevelopmental disorders,providing the first fcsk gene knockout animal model and offering a platform for investigating the molecular underpinnings of the disease and facilitating drug screening efforts.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.82030016,No 82230011 and No.82200533).
文摘Background and Objective Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the progression of coronary artery disease(CAD).High-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP)serves as a well-established biomarker for assessing cardiovascular inflammation risk.However,the specific intestinal microbiota alteration contributing to increased inflammation remains unclear.Therefore,the present study investigated the correlation between the intestinal microbiota and inflammation in patients with unstable angina(UA).Methods A cohort of 92 patients with UA was recruited for this study.The plasma hsCRP level was measured via a CardioPhase hsCRP assay,fecal samples were collected after admission,and 16S rRNA sequencing was conducted to identify the fecal microbial profile.The participants were classified into two groups according to the median hsCRP level(1.11 mg/L).The composition of the fecal microbiota was compared between patients with hsCRP≥1.11 mg/L and those with hsCRP<1.11 mg/L.Additionally,the correlations between the fecal microbiota and clinical characteristics were analyzed.Results A notable reduction in the relative abundance of Akkermansia was observed in patients with hsCRP≥1.11 mg/L,whereas the diversity of the fecal microbiota was not significantly different between patients with hsCRP≥1.11 mg/L and those with hsCRP<1.11 mg/L.Furthermore,the abundance of Akkermansia was negatively correlated with hsCRP levels.Conclusion This study suggested a significant association between decreased levels of Akkermansia and inflammatory risk in patients with UA.These findings underscore the potential role of the intestinal microbiota in contributing to inflammation in UA patients.Further work is needed on the mechanism by which the microbiota contributes to inflammatory risk.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD0102000)“Breeding of Major New Varieties of Main Grain Crops”Program(2020ABA016)from Department of Science and Technology of Hubei Province.
文摘Grain size is one of the most important factors affecting rice grain quality and yield,and attracts great attention from molecular biologists and breeders.In this study,we engineered a CRISPR/Cas9 system targeting the miR396 recognition site of the rice GS2 gene,which encodes growth-regulating factor 4(OsGRF4)and regulates multiple agronomic traits including grain size,grain quality,nitrogen use efficiency,abiotic stress response,and seed shattering.In contrast to most previous genome editing efforts in which indel mutations were chosen to obtain null mutants,a mutant named GS2^(E) carrying an in-frame 6-bp deletion and 1-bp substitution within the miR396-targeted sequence was identified.GS2^(E) plants showed increased expression of GS2 in consistent with impaired repression by miR396.As expected,the gain-of-function GS2^(E) mutant exhibited multiple beneficial traits including increased grain size and yield and bigger grain length/width ratio.Thousand grain weight and grain yield per plant of GS2^(E) plants were increased by 23.5%and 10.4%,respectively.These improved traits were passed to hybrids in a semidominant way,suggesting that the new GS2^(E) allele has great potential in rice improvement.Taken together,we report new GS2 germplasm and describe a novel gene-editing strategy that can be widely employed to improve grain size and yield in rice.This trait-improvement strategy could be applied to other genes containing miRNA target sites,in particular the conserved miR396-GRF/GIF module that governs plant growth,development and environmental response.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31801856)Hebei Province Higher Education Youth Talents Program(Grant No.BJ2018016)+1 种基金the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2020M673188)the innovation and entrepreneurship training program for college students of North China University of Science and Technology(Grant No.X2019256).
文摘Apiaceae is a major family from Apiales and includes many important vegetable and medicinal crops.Heat shock transcription factors(Hsf)play important roles in heat tolerance during plant development.Here,we conducted systematic analyses of the Hsf gene family in three Apiaceae species,including 17 Apium graveolens(celery),32 Coriandrum sativum(coriander),and 14 Daucus carota(carrot).A total of 73 Hsf genes were identified in three representative species,including Arabidopsis thaliana,Vitis vinifera,and Lactuca sativa.Whole-genome duplication played important roles in the Hsf gene family’s expansion within Apiaceae.Interestingly,we found that coriander had more Hsf genes than celery and carrot due to greater expansion and fewer losses.Twenty-seven branches of the phylogenetic tree underwent considerable positive selection in these Apiaceae species.We also explored the expression patterns of Hsf genes in three plant organs.Collectively,this study will serve as a rich gene resource for exploring the molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance.Additionally,this is the first study to report on the Hsf gene family in Apiaceae;thus,our research will provide guidance for future comparative and functional genomic studies on the Hsf gene family and others in Apiaceae.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81271484,81471361,30900486,and 81371480)the National Basic Research Development Program(973 Program)of China(2012CB517904)the Nation Sponsored Study Abroad Program from China Scholarship Council(201506370095)
文摘Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by impaired perception, delusions, thought disorder, abnormal emotion regulation, altered motor function, and impaired drive. The default mode network （DMN）, since it was first proposed in 2001, has become a central research theme in neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. In this review, first we define the DMN and describe its functional activity, functional and anatomical connectivity, heritability, and inverse correlation with the task positive network. Second, we review empirical studies of the anatomical and functional DMN, and anti-correlation between DMN and the task positive network in schizophrenia. Finally, we review preliminary evidence about the relationship between antipsychotic medications and regulation of the DMN, review the role of DMN as a treatment biomarker for this disease, and consider the DMN effects of individualized therapies for schizophrenia.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31801856,31701931,and 31902021)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2020M673188)+1 种基金Hebei Province Higher Fducation Youth Talents Program(BJ2018016)the Jiangsu Province Natural Science Foundation(BK20170462).
文摘Simple sequence repeats(SSRs)are one of the most important genetic markers and widely exist in most species.Here,we identified 249,822 SSRs from 3,951,919 genes in 112 plants.Then,we conducted a comprehensive analysis of these SSRs and constructed a plant SSR database(PSSRD).Interestingly,more SSRs were found in lower plants than in higher plants,showing that lower plants needed to adapt to early extreme environments.Four specific enriched functional terms in the lower plant Chlam^tdomonas reinhardtii were detected when it was compared with seven other higher plants.In addition,Guanylate_cyc existed in more genes of lower plants than of higher plants.In our PSSRD,we constructed an interactive plotting function in the chart interface,and users can easily view the detailed information of SSRs.All SSR information,including sequences,primers,and annotations,can be downloaded from our database.Moreover,we developed Web SSR Finder and Batch SSR Finder tools,which can be easily used for identifying SSRs.Our database was developed using PHP,HTML,J avaScript,and MySQL,which are freely available at http://www.pssrd.info/.We conducted an analysis of the Myb gene families and flowering genes as two applications of the PSSRD.Further analysis indicated that whole-genome duplication and whole-genome triplication played a major role in the expansion of the Myb gene families.These SSR markers in our database will greatly facilitate comparative genomics and functional genomics studies in the future.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31801856 to X.S.)the Hebei Province Higher Education Youth Talents Program(BJ2018016 to X.S.)+1 种基金the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2020M673188 to X.S.)the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei(C2017209103 to X.S.).
文摘Long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs)are widely present in different species and play critical roles in response to abiotic stresses.However,the functions of lncRNAs in Chinese cabbage under heat stress remain unknown.Here,we first conducted a global comparative analysis of 247,242 lncRNAs among 37 species.The results indicated that lncRNAs were poorly conserved among different species,and only 960 lncRNAs were homologous to 524 miRNA precursors.We then carried out lncRNA sequencing for a genome-wide analysis of lncRNAs and their target genes in Chinese cabbage at different stages of heat treatment.In total,18,253 lncRNAs were identified,of which 1229 differentially expressed(DE)lncRNAs were characterized as being heat-responsive.The ceRNA network revealed that 38 lncRNAs,16 miRNAs,and 167 mRNAs were involved in the heat response in Chinese cabbage.Combined analysis of the cis-and trans-regulated genes indicated that the targets of DE lncRNAs were significantly enriched in the“protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum”and“plant hormone signal transduction”pathways.Furthermore,the majority of HSP and PYL genes involved in these two pathways exhibited similar expression patterns and responded to heat stress rapidly.Based on the networks of DE lncRNA-mRNAs,29 and 22 lncRNAs were found to interact with HSP and PYL genes,respectively.Finally,the expression of several critical lncRNAs and their targets was verified by qRT-PCR.Overall,we conducted a comparative analysis of lncRNAs among 37 species and performed a comprehensive analysis of lncRNAs in Chinese cabbage.Our findings expand the knowledge of lncRNAs involved in the heat stress response in Chinese cabbage,and the identified lncRNAs provide an abundance of resources for future comparative and functional studies.
文摘Objective To evaluate the impact of hypertension on the clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients aged 60 years old and older.Methods This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled consecutive COVID-19 patients aged 60 years old and older,who were admitted to Liyuan Hospital from January 1,2020 to April 25,2020.All included patients were divided into two groups:hypertension and nonhypertension group.The baseline demographic characteristics,laboratory test results,chest computed tomography(CT)images and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed.The prognostic value of hypertension was determined using binary logistic regression.Results Among the 232 patients included in the analysis,105(45.3%)patients had comorbid hypertension.Compared to the nonhypertension group,patients in the hypertension group had higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios,red cell distribution widths,lactate dehydrogenase,high-sensitivity C-reactive protein,D-dimer and severity of lung lesion,and lower lymphocyte counts(all P<0.05).Furthermore,the hypertension group had a higher proportion of intensive care unit admissions[24(22.9%)vs.14(11.0%),P=0.02]and deaths[16(15.2%)vs.3(2.4%),P<0.001]and a significantly lower probability of survival(P<0.001)than the nonhypertension group.Hypertension(OR:4.540,95%CI:1.203–17.129,P=0.026)was independently correlated with all-cause in-hospital death in elderly patients with COVID-19.Conclusion The elderly COVID-19 patients with hypertension tend to have worse conditions at baseline than those without hypertension.Hypertension may be an independent prognostic factor of poor clinical outcome in elderly COVID-19 patients.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31801856)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2020M673188)the Hebei Province Higher Education Youth Talents Program(BJ2018016).
文摘Simple sequence repeats(SSRs)are popular and important molecular markers that exist widely in plants.Here,we conducted a comprehensive identification and comparative analysis of SSRs in 14 tree species.A total of 16,298 SSRs were identified from 429,449 genes,and primers were successfully designed for 99.44% of the identified SSRs.Our analysis indicated that tri-nucleotide SSRs were the most abundant,with an average of~834 per species.Functional enrichment analysis by combining SSR-containing genes in all species,revealed 50 significantly enriched terms,with most belonging to transcription factor families associated with plant development and abiotic stresses such as Myeloblastosis_DNA-bind_4(Myb_DNA-bind_4),APETALA2(AP2),and Fantastic Four meristem regulator(FAF).Further functional enrichment analysis showed that 48 terms related to abiotic stress regulation and floral development were significantly enriched in ten species,whereas no significantly enriched terms were found in four species.Interestingly,the largest number of enriched terms was detected in Citrus sinensis(L.)Osbeck,accounting for 54.17% of all significantly enriched functional terms.Finally,we analyzed AP2 and trihelix gene families(Myb_DNA-bind_4)due to their significant enrichment in SSR-containing genes.The results indicated that whole-genome duplication(WGD)and whole genome triplication(WGT)might have played major roles in the expansion of the AP2 gene family but only slightly affected the expansion of the trihelix gene family during evolution.In conclusion,the identification and comprehensive characterization of SSR markers will greatly facilitate future comparative genomics and functional genomics studies.
基金supported by funds from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31570754)Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology to C. ChenLab Innovation Funding from Lab and Instrument Department, Tsinghua University to W. Wang
文摘Elongation factor 4（EF4） is one of the highly conserved translational GTPases, whose functions are largely unknown. Structures of EF4 bound ribosomal PRE-translocation and POST-translocation complexes have both been visualized. On top of cellular, structural, and biochemical studies, several controversial models have been raised to rationalize functions of EF4. However, how EF4 modulates elongation through its interactions with ribosomes has not been revealed. Here, using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer assays, we directly captured short-lived EF4·GTP bound ribosomal PRE and POST translocation complexes, which may adopt slightly different conformations from structures prepared using GDP, GDPNP, or GDPCP. Furthermore, we revealed that EF4·GTP severely impairs delivery of aminoacyl-tRNA into the A-site of the ribosome and moderately accelerates translocation. We proposed that functions of EF4 are to slow overall elongation and to stall majority of ribosomes in POST states under stress conditions.
基金supported by grants from National Natural Sciences Foundation of China [No. 30670736 and No.30972655 (J.Y.L.)]
文摘Mental retardation is defined by significant limitations in intellectual function and adaptive behavior that occur before 18 years of age.Many chromosomal diseases come with mental retardation.We reported two Chinese families with partial trisomy 9p and other chromosome partial monosomy,clinical features of mental retardation and mild facial and pinkie anomalies.In the family 1,we showed that the proband carried a trisomy 9p21.3→pter and monosomy 21q22.3→qter by using fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis.Molecular genetic analysis defined the precise breakpoint on chromosome 9p between markers D9S1846 and D9S171,an interval of about 2.9 Mb on 9p21.3,and the breakpoint on chromosome 21q between markers D21S1897 and D21S1446,a region of about 1.5 Mb on 21q22.3.In the family 2,a patient with trisomy 9p21.3→pter and monosomy 5p15.33→pter,and a de novo maternal balanced translocation between chromosomes 5 and 9 was identified in his mother.Cytogenetic and molecular genetic analysis defined the precise breakpoints on chromosome 9p21.3 and chromosome 5p15.33.Further clinical investigation found that any individual had no refractoriness eczema disease except the proband in this family.These results further implicate that trisomy 9p is associated with mental retardation,and that there may be key gene duplication on chromosome 9p21.3→9pter responsible for mental retardation and mild facial anomaly.This result has been applied successfully in prenatal diagnosis of the second family.
文摘Background: The skin serves as the first line of defense for the human body. Direct sunlight contains damaging radiations that can speed up the ageing process of the skin, resulting in wrinkles, leathery skin, dark patches, and solar elastosis. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of multiple solar irradiation related factors at the protein level in human dermal fibroblast (HDF). The overall effect of individual solar irradiations such as Infrared A (IRA), blue light (BL), UVA, and UVB on HDF cells and the extent of molecular level aberrations to be assessed and compared against each. Methods: Label-free quantitative proteomics (MS/MS) approach has been adopted in this study to observe the protein level changes induced in the HDF cells through various exposures of full light sources. Following that, downstream insilico analysis has been carried out. Results: In this study, it is demonstrated all the four different solar irradiations significantly contribute to the molecular degeneration of skin cells through various mechanisms. This study confirms that BL down-regulates DNA repair proteins and the skin cells-HDF stimulate the histone proteins as a response mechanism to maintain the chromosomal integrity. Conclusions: The proteomics experiment carried out in the current study intends to support the future sun care products based on full light protection technology that can be custom designed to provide complete protection from the solar radiation. Similar technology could enhance the further investigations for deeper understanding of induction, mode of action, and prevention of skin damage from extensive solar irradiation.
基金supported by the National Nature Scientific Foundation of China(No.61301260)the Applied Basic Research Program of Sichuan Province(No.2015JY0100 and LZ-LY-45)+3 种基金the Scientific Research Foundation of the Education Department of Sichuan Province(11ZB122)the Nature Scientific Foundation of Hebei Province(No.C2013209105)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China(No.ZYGX2015J144,ZYGX2015Z006)Program for the Top Young Innovative Talents of Higher Learning Institutions of Hebei Province(No.BJ2014028)
文摘Bacteriophages are viruses that attack bacteria and kill them through the lytic replication cycle. Many studies have reported that phages are more specific to bacteria than antibiotics are; thus, phage therapy has many poten- tial applications in human medicine, with the advantage of having few side effects （Keen, 2012）. Investigating the mechanisms of bacteria-killing phages will therefore aid in the development of antibacterial drugs.
基金funded by the Biological Breeding-National Science and Technology Major Project(2023ZD0406803)the Agro ST Project(NK2022050103)+6 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32272123 and 32072036)the Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(324QN358)the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund(2024TC189)the Postdoctoral Research Projects in Hainan Province(343812)the Hainan Seed Industry Laboratory and the China National Seed Group(B23YQ1517 and B23CQ15HP)the Special Plan for Key Laboratory of“Western Light Western cross team”(xbzg-zdsys202111)the 2115 Talent Development Program of China Agricultural University。
文摘Lodging reduces grain yield and quality in cereal crops.Lodging resistance is affected by the strength of the culm,which is influenced by the culm diameter,culm wall thickness,and cell wall composition.To explore the genetic architecture of culm diameter in rice(Oryza sativa),we conducted a genome-wide association study(GWAS).We identified STRONG CULM 2(STRONG2),which encodes the mannan synthase CSLA5,and showed that plants that overexpressed this gene had increased culm diameter and improved lodging resistance.STRONG2 appears to increase the levels of cell wall components,such as mannose and cellulose,thereby enhancing sclerenchyma development in stems.SNP14931253 in the STRONG2 promoter contributes to variation in STRONG2 expression in natural germplasms and the transcription factor MYB61 directly activates STRONG2 expression.Furthermore,STRONG2 overexpressing plants produced significantly more grains per panicle and heavier grains than the wild-type plants.These results demonstrate that the MYB61-STRONG2 module positively regulates culm diameter and lodging resistance,information that could guide breeding efforts for improved yield in rice.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.62105255 and 62275210)the Xidian University Specially Funded Project for Interdisciplinary Exploration(Grant No.TZJH2024043)+1 种基金the Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Province(Grant No.2023-YBSF-293)the National Young Talent Program and Shaanxi Young Top-notch Talent Program,and the Fundamental Research Funds for CentralUniversities(Grant No.ZYTS23187).
文摘Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy(OR-PAM)has rapidly developed and is capable of characterizing optical absorption properties of biological tissue with high contrast and high resolution(micrometer-scale lateral resolution).However,the conventional excitation source of rapidly diverging Gaussian beam imposes limitations on the depth of focus(DOF)in OR-PAM,which in turn affects the depth-resolving ability and detection sensitivity.Here,we proposed a flexible DOF,depth-invariant resolution photoacoustic microscopy(FDIR-PAM)with nondiffraction of Airy beams.The spatial light modulator was incorporated into the optical pathway of the excitation source with matched switching phase patterns,achieving the flexibly adjustable modulation parameters of the Airy beam.We conducted experiments on phantoms and intravital tissue to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for high sensitivity and highresolution characterization of variable topology of tissue,offering a promising DOF of 926μm with an invariant lateral resolution of 3.2μm,which is more than 17-fold larger compared to the Gaussian beam.In addition,FDIR-PAM successfully revealed clear individual zebrafish larvae and the pigment pattern of adult zebrafishes,as well as fine morphology of cerebral vasculature in a large depth range with high resolution,which has reached an evident resolving capability improvement of 62%mean value compared with the Gaussian beam.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31771486)the Sichuan Youth Science and Technology Foundation (Grant No. 2017JQ0005)+1 种基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFD01005050102)the National Transgenic Major Project (Grant No. SQ2018ZD08019-001-003)
文摘Salinity is a major abiotic stress factor that seriously affects plant growth. Many genes are involved in the response to salt stress with various metabolism pathways. A number of plant transcription factor family genes have been found to be involved in the salt stress response, and NAM, ATAF and CUC(NAC) transcription factors are thought to act as active regulators during abiotic stress, especially salt stress. In this study, we detected a rice NAC transcription factor coding gene, OsNAC041, and confirmed that it influenced the germination of seeds under salt stress and salt tolerance of plants. OsNAC041 was primarily expressed in the leaves and located in the nucleus. Furthermore, the CRISPR/Cas9 method was used to obtain a targeted osnac041 mutant, of which the plant height was higher than that of the wild-type, showing increased salt sensitivity. Moreover, RNA-seq analysis revealed a number of differentially expressed genes(DEGs) involved in several important signaling pathways in the osnac041 mutant. Subsequently, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes annotation also revealed differential expression of DEGs associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, peroxisome, eukaryotictype ABC transporters, photosynthesis and plant hormones, which are involved in stress-related signaling pathways. Overall, our study suggested that OsNAC041 was involved in the salt stress response in rice. These findings not only provide empirical evidence of OsNAC041 function, but also provide new insight into its potential application in rice resistance breeding.
基金supported by the grants from the National High-tech R&D Program(863 Program) on functional genomics of stress resistance and nutrient utility in rice(No.2012AA10A303)the National Basic Research Program(No.2007CB109001)+1 种基金Agriculture Public Welfare Scientific Research Project(No.201303008)the National Special Program for Research of Transgenic Plants of China(No.2011ZX08009-001)
文摘High-throughput SNP genotyping is widely used for plant genetic studies. Recently, a RICE6K SNP array has been developed based on the Illumina Bead Array platform and Infinium SNP assay technology for genome-wide evaluation of allelic variations and breeding applications. In this study, the RICE6K SNP array was used to genotype a recombinant inbred line （RIL） population derived from the cross between the indica variety, Zhenshan 97, and the japonica variety, Xizang 2. A total of 3324 SNP markers of high quality were identified and were grouped into 1495 recombination bins in the RIL population. A high-density linkage map, consisting of the 1495 bins, was developed, covering 1591.2 cM and with average length ofl.1 cM per bin. Segregation distortions were observed in 24 regions of the 11 chromosomes in the RILs. One half of the distorted regions contained fertility genes that had been previously reported. A total of 23 QTLs were identified for yield. Seven QTLs were firstly detected in this study. The positive alleles from about half of the identified QTLs came from Zhenshan 97 and they had lower phenotypic values than Xizang 2. This indicated that favorable alleles for breeding were dispersed in both parents and pyramiding favorable alleles could develop elite lines. The size of the mapping population for QTL analysis using high throughput SNP genotyping platform is also discussed.
基金supported by the National Nature Scientific Foundation of China (31771471, 61772119)the Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholar of Hebei Province (No. C2017209244)。
文摘Dear Editor,At the end of 2019,a new virus,called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)was reported(Benvenuto et al.2020;Zhu et al.2020).The sequences of SARS-CoV-2 reported by different research groups demonstrated that it is a positive strand RNA virus.The sequence of SARS-CoV-2 is approximately 30 kb long,and could encodes spike,envelope,membrane,nucleocapsid proteins,etc.(Phan 2020).These proteins are responsible for replicating the viral genome as well as generating nested transcripts that are used in the synthesis of the viral proteins.
基金by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(61961160705,U19A2082,and 61901077)the National Key Research and Development Plan of China(2017YFB1002501)+1 种基金the Key Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province,China(2018B030339001)the Science and Technology Development Fund,Macao Special Administrative Region,China(0045/2019/AFJ).
文摘Dear Editor,Neuroticism,a crucial dimension of human personality,fluctuates from emotional stability to instability[1].Compared to those with emotional stability,individuals with emotional instability show stronger attentional bias to negative stimuli,lower life satisfaction,and tend to perform poorly(i.e.,fewer correct responses)in cognitive tasks.For instance,individuals with different emotional stabilities experience distinct decision-making responses,especially when facing inequity,as the unfairness induces typical conflict between self-interest and fairness[2].
