Zearalenone can relieve dextran sulfate sodium‐induced inflammatory reaction

In this study, we investigated the influence of zearalenone (ZEA) on the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis model both in vitro and in vivo. Our results show that the mRNA levels of IL‐1β, IL‐18, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase‐1 in the DSS+ZEA‐treated group are lower than those in either the DSS or ZEA group, and the protein expression trends are similar. Furthermore, colitis, which is characterized by body weight loss, stool consistency, and the presence of bloody feces, was significantly alleviated in the DSS+ZEA group when compared with that in the DSS group. In addition, histological analysis showed that inflammatory cell infiltration and tissue damage of the colon in the DSS+ZEA group were recovered compared with that in the DSS‐treated group. These results suggest that, instead of aggravating DSS‐induced colitis, ZEA relieves the inflammatory reaction in colon tissue, which may be related to its estrogenic activity.     

畜禽中药-益生菌复合微生态制剂的研究进展

畜禽中药-益生菌复合微生态制剂是指采用现代发酵技术将益生菌与中药联合发酵,发挥两者的协同作用,以提高畜禽免疫功能、保护畜禽健康的一种新型动物微生态制剂。文中通过调研近几年关于益生菌及中药微生态制剂等方面的文献,综述了畜禽中药-益生菌复合微生态制剂的产生背景及菌种特点,并重点阐述了畜禽中药-益生菌复合微生态制剂的作用机制、在畜禽养殖中的应用及存在问题与建议,以期为畜禽中药-益生菌复合微生态制剂的深入研究提供参考和依据。     

Differential effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagy on cell survival

Autophagy is a cellular response to adverse environment and stress, but its significance in cell survival is not always clear. Here we show that autophagy could be induced in the mammalian cells by chemicals, such as A23187, tunicamycin, thapsigargin, and brefeldin A, that cause endoplasmic reticulum stress. Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagy is important for clearing polyubiquitinated protein aggregates and for reducing cellular vacuolization in HCT116 colon cancer cells and DU145 prostate cancer cells, thus mitigating endoplasmic reticulum stress and protecting against cell death. In contrast, autophagy induced by the same chemicals does not confer protection in a normal human colon cell line and in the non-transformed murine embryonic fibroblasts but rather contributes to cell death. Thus the impact of autophagy on cell survival during endoplasmic reticulum stress is likely contingent on the status of cells, which could be explored for tumor-specific therapy.     

MicroRNAs and their role in viral infection

Recently, a class of about 22 nucleotides (nt) small RNA has been discovered in many eukaryotes, termed microRNAs (miRNAs), which have a variety of functions. Many recent findings have demonstrated that viruses can also encode their own miRNAs. Meanwhile, other findings reveal a relationship between host miRNA and viral infection. These findings suggest a tight relationship between host and viral infection via miRNA pathway. This article introduces the miRNAs encoded by viruses and reviews the advances of the interaction of the mammalian host miRNAs and viral infection.     

锌胁迫对彩色豆马勃体内锌的分布和活性形态及其抗氧化系统的影响

彩色豆马勃Pisolithus tinctorius可广泛与林木建立外生菌根,其共生可促进植物生长,提高植物对重金属的耐受性。然而,关于彩色豆马勃对重金属锌(Zn)胁迫的生理响应还不完全清楚。本研究在纯培养条件下,测定了Zn胁迫对彩色豆马勃生物量、Zn的活性形态和亚细胞分布,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和过氧化物酶(POD)活性,谷胱甘肽(GSH)、抗坏血酸(AsA)和黑色素含量的影响。结果表明,Zn胁迫抑制了彩色豆马勃的生长,在浓度为563 μmol/L时,达到半数最大抑制浓度(IC₅₀),在浓度为600 μmol/L时,生物量降低42.6%。Zn在彩色豆马勃中以活性较低的草酸盐、难溶于水的磷酸盐、果胶酸盐以及与蛋白质呈结合态或吸着态的形式为主。Zn胁迫显著提高了彩色豆马勃菌丝中CAT、POD和SOD活性,增加了GSH和黑色素含量,但对AsA的含量没有显著影响。本研究表明,彩色豆马勃主要通过调节Zn的分布及抗氧化系统,增加黑色素含量,增强对Zn的耐受性,为外生菌根真菌修复重金属污染土壤提供了理论支持。     

卵孢小奥德蘑覆土真菌群落特征及其影响因素

卵孢小奥德蘑Oudemansiella raphanipes是一类依赖覆土栽培的食用菌。本文采用Illumina MiSeq高通量测序技术结合生态学及统计学分析方法研究卵孢小奥德蘑覆土真菌群落特征和影响因素。结果表明,与原始覆土内真菌群落相比,种植卵孢小奥德蘑后的覆土内真菌群落多样性显著下降;在组成方面,虽然优势菌门仍为子囊菌门Ascomycota,但其中的Cladosporium、Acremonium、Gibberella和Emericellopsis等属的相对丰度有所降低,而隶属于被孢霉门Mortierellomycota的Stilbella、Neocosmospora、Pseudogymnoascus和Preussia等属的相对丰度呈增加趋势。卵孢小奥德蘑覆土真菌以腐生营养型为主,与原始覆土相比,种植卵孢小奥德蘑后的粪生营养型真菌和木腐菌呈增加的趋势;进一步研究发现pH、速效钾、速效磷和总氮等覆土土壤理化性质显著影响真菌群落的多样性和结构,pH和速效钾含量与真菌群落的丰富度和多样性呈显著负相关关系。研究结果为深入解析卵孢小奥德蘑覆土微生态机制奠定基础。     

探讨穿心莲内酯对HIV-1感染辅助受体CXCR4启动子作用机制的研究

穿心莲内酯具有明显的抗病毒作用,对HIV-1(Human immunodeficiency virus type 1)具有明显的抑制作用,本研究探讨了穿心莲内酯影响CXCR4启动子活性的作用机制。首先构建双荧光素酶报告基因载体pFireRlucCXCR4(C-X-C chemokine receptor 4),并转染入人HEK293T细胞;利用CCK8法检测穿心莲内酯对人HEK293T细胞细胞毒性作用;双荧光素酶报告基因技术检测穿心莲内酯对CXCR4启动子活性的影响;MTT法检测穿心莲内酯对人T淋巴细胞Jurkat细胞活性影响;实时荧光定量PCR检测穿心莲内酯对人T淋巴细胞Jurkat细胞表面CXCR4 mRNA和蛋白表达的影响。PCR分别扩增了CXCR4启动子（777 bp）和Rluc(1 997 bp)表达单元,通过测序和酶切鉴定双荧光素酶报告基因载体插入正确;穿心莲内酯作用于转染pFireRluc-CXCR4HEK293T细胞,双荧光素酶结果显示：穿心莲内酯能够下调CXCR4启动子活性,差异具有显著性（P<0.05）。穿心莲内酯作用于人T淋巴细胞Jurkat细胞后,qPCR...     

Long term experimental drought alters community plant trait variation,not trait means,across three semiarid grasslands

Plant and Soil - Mechanisms by which soil pH affects rice growth await further elucidation. We have used a Systems Biology approach to elucidate the nature of the damage caused by extreme pH to...     

Non-invasive estimation of root zone soil moisture from coarse root reflections in ground-penetrating radar images

Plant and Soil - Root zone soil moisture is an important component in water cycling through the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. However, its measurement in the field remains a challenge,...     

Identification of core genes and outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma by bioinformatics analysis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignant liver disease in the world. However, the mechanistic relationships among various genes and signaling pathways are still largely unclear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate potential core candidate genes and pathways in HCC. The expression profiles GSE14520, GSE25097, GSE29721, and GSE62232, which cover 606 tumor and 550 nontumour samples, were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Furthermore, HCC RNA-seq datasets were also downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were filtered using R software, and we performed gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) pathway analysis using the online databases DAVID 6.8 and KOBAS 3.0. Furthermore, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network complex of these DEGs was constructed by Cytoscape software, the molecular complex detection (MCODE) plug-in and the online database STRING. First, a total of 173 DEGs (41 upregulated and 132 downregulated) were identified that were aberrantly expressed in both the GEO and TCGA datasets. Second, GO analysis revealed that most of the DEGs were significantly enriched in extracellular exosomes, cytosol, extracellular region, and extracellular space. Signaling pathway analysis indicated that the DEGs had common pathways in metabolism-related pathways, cell cycle, and biological oxidations. Third, 146 nodes were identified from the DEG PPI network complex, and two important modules with a high degree were detected using the MCODE plug-in. In addition, 10 core genes were identified, TOP2A, NDC80, FOXM1, HMMR, KNTC1, PTTG1, FEN1, RFC4, SMC4, and PRC1. Finally, Kaplan-Meier analysis of overall survival and correlation analysis were applied to these genes. The abovementioned findings indicate that the identified core genes and pathways in this bioinformatics analysis could significantly enrich our understanding of the development and recurrence of HCC; furthermore, these candidate genes and pathways could be therapeutic targets for HCC treatment.