Morphology and infraciliature of Holosticha bradburyae nov. spec. (Ciliophora,Hypotrichida) from the Yellow Sea,China

The living morphology and infraciliature of a new marine hypotrichous ciliate, Holosticha bradburyae nov. spec., collected from the coastal water off Qingdao (Tsingtao), China, are investigated. This species is characterized by: body size 150–320 × 25–75 m with brownish to dark brown cell colour, ca. 53 adoral membranelles and 1 anteriorly positioned buccal cirrus; 3 frontal, 2 frontoterminal and 20–26 transverse cirri; midventral rows comprising 27-32 pairs of cirri; one conspicuous gap always present between anterior and posterior parts of AZM, and 2–5 distinctly elongated membranelles are always present at the posteriormost end; cortical granules conspicuous, round and flattened with central depression, arranged in about 10 lines on dorsal side; 28–33 irregularly arranged macronuclear nodules; 9–11 complete dorsal kineties; caudal cirri absent.     

An approach to determining the sampling effort for analyzing biofilm-dwelling ciliate colonization using an artificial substratum in coastal waters

A new approach to determining sampling effort for analyzing biofilm-dwelling ciliate colonization was studied in the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, northern China, from May to June 2010. The optimal sample size for evaluating biofilm-dwelling ciliate colonization increased with shortening exposure time, and can be determined according to the probability of recovering those species with a specified cumulative contribution to communities. More slide-replicates were required at a depth of 3 m than at 1 m to recover equivalent proportions of the ciliate communities. For routine colonization dynamics analyses, 10 slide-replicates (175 cm(2)) were sufficient to achieve a 95% probability of recovering those species with a cumulative contribution of >90% to the ciliate communities at a depth of 1 m. These results suggest that 10 slide-replicates immersed at a depth of 1 m may be an optimal sampling strategy for analyzing the colonization dynamics of biofilm-dwelling ciliate communities in marine habitats.     

An approach to determining the sampling effort for analyzing biofilm-dwelling ciliate colonization using an artificial substratum in coastal waters

A new approach to determining sampling effort for analyzing biofilm-dwelling ciliate colonization was studied in the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, northern China, from May to June 2010. The optimal sample size for evaluating biofilm-dwelling ciliate colonization increased with shortening exposure time, and can be determined according to the probability of recovering those species with a specified cumulative contribution to communities. More slide-replicates were required at a depth of 3 m than at 1 m to recover equivalent proportions of the ciliate communities. For routine colonization dynamics analyses, 10 slide-replicates (175 cm²) were sufficient to achieve a 95% probability of recovering those species with a cumulative contribution of >90% to the ciliate communities at a depth of 1 m. These results suggest that 10 slide-replicates immersed at a depth of 1 m may be an optimal sampling strategy for analyzing the colonization dynamics of biofilm-dwelling ciliate communities in marine habitats.     

Kartogenin prevents cartilage degradation and alleviates osteoarthritis progression in mice via the miR-146a/NRF2 axis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common articular degenerative disease characterized by loss of cartilage matrix and subchondral bone sclerosis. Kartogenin (KGN) has been reported to improve chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. However, the therapeutic effect of KGN on OA-induced cartilage degeneration was still unclear. This study aimed to explore the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of KGN on articular cartilage degradation using mice with post-traumatic OA. To mimic the in vivo arthritic environment, in vitro cultured chondrocytes were exposed to interleukin-1β (IL-1β). We found that KGN barely affected the cell proliferation of chondrocytes; however, KGN significantly enhanced the synthesis of cartilage matrix components such as type II collagen and aggrecan in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, KGN markedly suppressed the expression of matrix degradation enzymes such as MMP13 and ADAMTS5. In vivo experiments showed that intra-articular administration of KGN ameliorated cartilage degeneration and inhibited subchondral bone sclerosis in an experimental OA mouse model. Molecular biology experiments revealed that KGN modulated intracellular reactive oxygen species in IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes by up-regulating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), while barely affecting its mRNA expression. Microarray analysis further revealed that IL-1β significantly up-regulated miR-146a that played a critical role in regulating the protein levels of NRF2. KGN treatment showed a strong inhibitory effect on the expression of miR-146a in IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes. Over-expression of miR-146a abolished the anti-arthritic effects of KGN not only by down-regulating the protein levels of NRF2 but also by up-regulating the expression of matrix degradation enzymes. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that KGN exerts anti-arthritic effects via activation of the miR-146a-NRF2 axis and KGN is a promising heterocyclic molecule to prevent OA-induced cartilage degeneration.Subject terms: Osteoarthritis, Drug development