Comparative analysis of cation/proton antiporter superfamily in plants

The cation/proton antiporter superfamily is associated with the transport of monovalent cations across membranes. This superfamily was annotated in the Arabidopsis genome and some members were functionally characterized. In the present study, a systematic analysis of the cation/proton antiporter genes in diverse plant species was reported. We identified 240 cation/proton antiporters in alga, moss, and angiosperm. A phylogenetic tree was constructed showing these 240 members are separated into three families, i.e., Na⁺/H⁺ exchangers, K⁺ efflux antiporters, and cation/H⁺ exchangers. Our analysis revealed that tandem and/or segmental duplications contribute to the expansion of cation/H⁺ exchangers in the examined angiosperm species. Sliding window analysis of the nonsynonymous/synonymous substitution ratios showed some differences in the evolutionary fate of cation/proton antiporter paralogs. Furthermore, we identified over-represented motifs among these 240 proteins and found most motifs are family specific, demonstrating diverse evolution of the cation/proton antiporters among three families. In addition, we investigated the co-expressed genes of the cation/proton antiporters in Arabidopsis thaliana. The results showed some biological processes are enriched in the co-expressed genes, suggesting the cation/proton antiporters may be involved in these biological processes. Taken together, this study furthers our knowledge on cation/proton antiporters in plants.     

宁南山区不同乔木林地土壤干层分布及干燥化特征

以宁南山区典型坡面不同人工林地为研究对象,分层采集0~600 cm土样,分析杏树(Armeniaca vulgaris)、杨树(Populus simonii)、榆树(Ulmus pumila)、刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)和松树(Pinus sylvestris var.mongolica)及农田(对照)土壤含水量垂直剖面分布特征,采用干燥化指数(SID)、土壤水分相对亏缺指数(CSWDI)、干层起始深度(DSLFD)、干层厚度(DSLT)和干层内平均含水量(DSL-SWC)等指标对土壤干燥化强度和干层分布特征进行分析,利用冗余分析(RDA)确定相关环境因子对土壤干燥化和干层的影响,为黄土高原山区植被合理利用水土资源和生态恢复等提供数据支撑。结果表明:(1)杏树、杨树、榆树、刺槐、松树土壤水分均属中等变异,且0~600 cm平均土壤含水量与对照农田相比分别降低了31.17%、24.15%、23.19%、29.67%和18.35%。(2)不同人工林地干层起始深度、干层厚度及垂直剖面土壤水分分布明显不同,杏树、杨树、榆树、刺槐、松树和农田土壤干层起始深度分别为90、160、140、140、160和600 cm,干层厚度分别为510、460、480、480、460和0 cm。(3)杏树、杨树、榆树、刺槐和松树0~600 cm平均土壤干燥化指数分别为63.48%、91.88%、95.17%、73.97%和111.91%,土壤水分相对亏缺指数分别为0.68、0.59、0.52、0.63和0.41,其土壤水分干燥化强度及亏缺程度由高到低依次为杏树>刺槐>杨树>榆树>松树。(4)RDA分析结果表明,乔木类型、黏粒含量和地形条件是影响土壤干燥化的重要因素。     

黄连总生物碱对外阴阴道假丝酵母菌病患者阴道微生态影响

目的探讨黄连总生物碱治疗外阴阴道假丝酵母菌病(VVC)的疗效及对阴道微生态的影响。方法选取VVC非妊娠期患者101例,按照随机数表法分为观察组(50例)和对照组(51例),观察组使用黄连总生物碱阴道栓,对照组使用克霉唑阴道片,观察两种药物对VVC临床效果及对阴道微生态影响。结果观察组治愈率为83.67%,总有效率96.00%,对照组治愈率为86.00%,总有效率96.00为%,两组差异无统计学意义(P0.05),治疗后观察组乳杆菌分级正常所占比例显著高于对照组(P0.05),两组VVC症状评分、分群密集度与多样性差异均无统计学意义。结论黄连总生物碱治疗VVC的临床疗效基本等同于克霉唑,在乳杆菌分级方面优于克霉唑。     

A Lithium Oxythioborosilicate Solid Electrolyte Glass with Superionic Conductivity

As potential next‐generation energy storage devices, solid‐state lithium batteries require highly functional solid state electrolytes. Recent research is primarily focused on crystalline materials, while amorphous materials offer advantages by eliminating problematic grain boundaries that can limit ion transport and trigger dendritic growth at the Li anode. However, simultaneously achieving high conductivity and stability in glasses is a challenge. New quaternary superionic lithium oxythioborate glasses are reported that exhibit high ion conductivity up to 2 mS cm^?1 despite relatively high oxygen: sulfur ratios of more than 1:2, that exhibit greatly reduced H₂S evolution upon exposure to air compared to Li₇P₃S₁₁. These monolithic glasses are prepared from vitreous melts without ball‐milling and exhibit no discernable XRD pattern. Solid‐state NMR studies elucidate the structural entities that comprise the local glass structure which dictates fast ion conduction. Stripping/plating onto lithium metal results in very low polarization at a current density of 0.1 mA cm^?2 over repeated cycling. Evaluation of the optimal glass composition as an electrolyte in an all‐solid‐state battery shows it exhibits excellent cycling stability and maintains near theoretical capacity for over 130 cycles at room temperature with Coulombic efficiency close to 99.9%, opening up new avenues of exploration for these quaternary compositions.     

Study of Lead Level During Pregnancy by Application of Synchrotron Radiation Micro XRF

In order to study the daily Pb absorption in fetus and to monitor the main Pb sources in prenatal fetus, we have investigated several cases of Pb distribution along the longitudinal axis of fetal hair. The changes of Pb levels in the pregnancy period, even the daily changes of Pb levels can be detected in the hair. Therefore, by analyzing the Pb distribution curves in the fetal hair and the living habits of their mothers, the main sources of Pb in the prenatal fetus can be evaluated. In our study, the main sources of Pb in the two cases of prenatal fetus studied here should be from the polluted aquatics.     

Identification of candidate genes in Arabidopsis and Populus cell wall biosynthesis using text-mining, co-expression network analysis and comparative genomics

Populus is an important bioenergy crop for bioethanol production. A greater understanding of cell wall biosynthesis processes is critical in reducing biomass recalcitrance, a major hindrance in efficient generation of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. Here, we report the identification of candidate cell wall biosynthesis genes through the development and application of a novel bioinformatics pipeline. As a first step, via text-mining of PubMed publications, we obtained 121 Arabidopsis genes that had the experimental evidence supporting their involvement in cell wall biosynthesis or remodeling. The 121 genes were then used as bait genes to query an Arabidopsis co-expression database, and additional genes were identified as neighbors of the bait genes in the network, increasing the number of genes to 548. The 548 Arabidopsis genes were then used to re-query the Arabidopsis co-expression database and re-construct a network that captured additional network neighbors, expanding to a total of 694 genes. The 694 Arabidopsis genes were computationally divided into 22 clusters. Queries of the Populus genome using the Arabidopsis genes revealed 817 Populus orthologs. Functional analysis of gene ontology and tissue-specific gene expression indicated that these Arabidopsis and Populus genes are high likelihood candidates for functional characterization in relation to cell wall biosynthesis.     

Ser149 is another potential PKA phosphorylation target of Cdc25B in G2/M transition of fertilized mouse eggs

It is well documented that protein kinase A (PKA) acts as a negative regulator of M phase promoting factor (MPF) by phosphorylating cell division cycle 25 homolog B (Cdc25B) in mammals. However, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we identified PKA phosphorylation sites in vitro by LC-MS/MS analysis, including Ser(149), Ser(229), and Ser(321) of Cdc25B, and explored the role of Ser(149) in G(2)/M transition of fertilized mouse eggs. The results showed that the overexpressed Cdc25B-S149A mutant initiated efficient MPF activation by direct dephosphorylation of Cdc2-Tyr(15), resulting in triggering mitosis prior to Cdc25B-WT. Conversely, overexpression of the phosphomimic Cdc25B-S149D mutant showed no significant difference in comparison with the control groups. Furthermore, we found that Cdc25B-Ser(149) was phosphorylated at G(1) and S phases, whereas dephosphorylated at G(2) and M phases, and the phosphorylation of Cdc25B-Ser(149) was modulated by PKA in vivo. In addition, we examined endogenous and exogenous Cdc25B, which were expressed mostly in the cytoplasm at the G(1) and S phases and translocated to the nucleus at the G(2) phase. Collectively, our findings provide evidence that Ser(149) may be another potential PKA phosphorylation target of Cdc25B in G(2)/M transition of fertilized mouse eggs and Cdc25B as a direct downstream substrate of PKA in mammals, which plays important roles in the regulation of early development of mouse embryos.