Negative regulation of AMPK signaling by high glucose via E3 ubiquitin ligase MG53

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Decreased dengue cases attributable to the effect of COVID-19 in Guangzhou in 2020

The dengue fever epidemic in Guangzhou may have been affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The number of dengue cases dropped drastically in 2020, and there have been only 2 local cases, suggesting that dengue has not become endemic in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou is located on the southeast coast of China and is the country’s third largest city. Since 1978, outbreaks of dengue fever have occurred intermittently in this city. In the past decade, the number of reported dengue cases reached more than 1,000 in 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019, with 37,385 cases reported in 2014 alone. Therefore, dengue fever is a major public health concern in Guangzhou, and there is a continuing argument that it is endemic in Guangzhou [1–3].The numbers of dengue cases from 2017 to 2020 are shown in Table 1. In 2020, the total and local case numbers dropped dramatically compared to the previous years. With a high proportion of imported cases (n = 32, 94.12%), the proportion of local cases (n = 2, 5.88%) was considerably low in 2020. All the prevention and control strategies for dengue, including issuing public education messages, preventing further mosquito bites in patients, cleaning vector breeding sites, and using pesticides, were similar during these years. Additionally, dengue, as a mosquito-borne viral infectious disease, is closely related to mosquito density. The mosquito ovitrap index (MOI), which is the proportion of positive mosquito ovitraps, is usually used to indicate mosquito density. The MOI in 2017, 2018, and 2019 was 7.073 ± 1.016, 9.657 ± 1.307, and 8.464 ± 0.961, respectively. The average MOI was 8.398 ± 0.648 from 2017 to 2019 in Guangzhou. The MOI in 2020 was 7.135 ± 0.786, which remained at the median risk level. Therefore, the abnormal decline in dengue cases could not be attributed to the change in mosquito density in 2020.Table 1Numbers and percentages of dengue cases from 2017 to 2019.

Genetic characterization of QTL associated with resistance to Fusarium head blight in a doubled-haploid spring wheat population.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most important fungal wheat diseases worldwide. Understanding the genetics of FHB resistance is the key to facilitating the introgression of different FHB resistance genes into adapted wheat. The objectives of the present study were to detect and map quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with FHB resistance genes and characterize the genetic components of the QTL in a doubled-haploid (DH) spring wheat population using both single-locus and two-locus analysis. A mapping population, consisting of 174 DH lines from the cross between DH181 (resistant) and AC Foremost (susceptible), was evaluated for type I resistance to initial infection during a 2-year period in spray-inoculated field trials, for Type II resistance to fungal spread within the spike in 3 greenhouse experiments using single-floret inoculation, and for resistance to kernel infection in a 2001 field trial. One-locus QTL analysis revealed 7 QTL for type I resistance on chromosome arms 2DS, 3AS, 3BS, 3BC (centromeric), 4DL, 5AS, and 6BS, 4 QTL for type II resistance on chromosomes 2DS, 3BS, 6BS, and 7BL, and 6 QTL for resistance to kernel infection on chromosomes 1DL, 2DS, 3BS, 3BC, 4DL, and 6BS. Two-locus QTL analysis detected 8 QTL with main effects and 4 additive by additive epistatic interactions for FHB resistance and identified novel FHB resistance genes for the first time on chromosomes 1DL, 4AL, and 4DL. Neither significant QTL by environment interactions nor epistatic QTL by environment interactions were found for either type I or type II resistance. The additive effects of QTL explained most of the phenotypic variance for FHB resistance. Marker-assisted selection for the favored alleles at multiple genomic regions appears to be a promising tool to accelerate the introgression and pyramiding of different FHB resistance genes into adapted wheat genetic backgrounds.     

A water quality analysis system to evaluate the impact of agricultural activities on N outflow in river basins in Japan

We have developed a personal-computer-based water quality analysis system for river basins. The system estimates potential N outflow by model and calculates actual N outflow from monitoring data. For the former it uses the potential load factor method to estimate annual nitrogen load from various sources and runoff potential from each area of land in a basin. For the latter it analyzes water quality monitoring data in relation to meteorological data. We used the system to analyze N outflow in basins around Lake Kasumigaura and the Yahagi River in central Honshu, Japan. The land around Lake Kasumigaura is rather flat, and about 25% is periodically flooded for rice and lotus cultivation. The land around the Yahagi River is mountainous, and much less land is flooded. In the Yahagi River basin the actual N outflow agreed closely with the potential. However, the actual N outflow in the basin around Lake Kasumigaura was much less than the potential, suggesting that a large part of the N load is denitrified in flooded soils. This further indicates that a sequence of different land uses including flooded rice fields is an important factor determining N outflow in basins in Japan. On the basis of the above analyses, we incorporated a denitrification model into the system that enables us to estimate N balance in a designated basin; this system may be helpful in the formulation of scenarios of land use and soil management for improving water quality.     

Importance of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in taxol biosynthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taxus chinensis</Emphasis> cultures

The roles of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) in paclitaxel production were investigated in cell suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis. In the normal cultures, the trend of G6PDH activity was similar to that of cell growth. Addition of glutamate increased G6PDH activity, while dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) decreased G6PDH activity. In elicitor-treated cultures, cell growth was depressed, while G6PDH activity and taxol production were enhanced compared with the control. Glutamate recovered the depression of cell growth, and resulted in further increase in G6PDH activity and taxol production. Contrarily, DHEA exacerbated the depression of cell growth, and decreased G6PDH activity and taxol production induced by fungal elicítor. The results indicated that G6PDH played a critic role of taxol production by affecting cell viability.     

Tibetan land use and change near khawa karpo, Eastern Himalayas

Collaborating Authors: Bee Gunn, Wayne Law, George Yatskievych, Wu Sugong, Fang Zhendong, Ma Jian, Wang Yuhua, Andrew Willson, Peng Shengjing, Zhang Chuanling, Sun Hongyan, Meng Zhengui, Liu Lin, Senam Dorji, Ana, Liqing Wangcuo, Sila Cili, Adu, Naji, Amu, Sila Cimu, Sila Lamu, Lurong Pingding, Zhima Yongzong, Loangbao, Bianma Cimu, Gerong Cili, Wang Kai, Sila Pingchu, Axima, and Benjamin Staver.TIBETAN LAND USE AND CHANGE NEAR KHAWA KARPO, EASTERN HIMALAYAS. Economic Botany 59(4):312-325, 2005. Tibetan land use near Khawa Karpo, Northwest Yunnan, China, incorporates indigenous forest management, gathering, pastoralism, and agriculture. With field-based GIS, repeat photography, and Participatory Rural Appraisal we quantitatively compare land use between higher and lower villages, and between villages with and without roads. Households in higher elevation (> 3,000 meters) villages cultivate more farmland (z = -5.387, P ≤ 0.001), a greater diversity of major crops (z = -5.760, P < 0.001), a higher percentage of traditional crops, and fewer cash crops (z = -2.430, P = 0.015) than those in lower elevation villages (< 2,500 meters). Villages with roads grow significantly more cash crops (z = -6.794, P ≤ 0.001). Both lower villages and villages with roads travel farther to access common property resources. Historical analyses indicate agricultural intensification in valleys, an increase in houses, new crop introduction, hillside aforestation, cessation of hunting, glacial retreat, and timberline advance within the past century. We suggest that Tibetan land use reveals trade-offs between high, remote villages and lower villages near roads. Higher villages offer abundant land and access to natural resources but short growing seasons and little market access; in contrast, lower villages have road and market access, an extended growing season, and modern technology, but limited access to land and many other natural resources.     

The homochiral metallosupramolecular column structure of rhenium (I) complex

The chiral construction of complex supramolecular systems is receiving much interest, especially with achiral building units. In this paper, we reported the helix supramolecular structure of an achiral rhenium complex crystal, [Re(CO)₃(C₁₆H₁₂N₂)(MeCN)] · ClO₄, which was formed by coordination of Re(CO)₅Cl with 2-methenepyridyl-1-aminonaphthalene and acetonitrile. X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that homohelical column metallosupramolecular architecture results from the array of the six-coordinated Re around and along a line: the helical axis in chiral P1211 (No. 4) space group. There is rare example of constructing helical architectures with both coordinated and hydrogen bonds from achiral units. The helical self-assembly process is induced by the intrastrand interaction and crystal growth. Here, the perchlorate acts as both the counter ion and the bridge linking the neighboring coordinated parts together by weak non-covalent interaction. Furthermore, the two-dimensional arrangement adopts double-edged axe-shaped motif, which is different from the common herringbone or brick-wall pattern in coordination polymers. Our investigation introduced the special arrangement model into complicated helical architecture, especially homochiral single-colony.     

Human pescadillo induces large-scale chromatin unfolding

Pescadillo was initially identified in a genetic screen for mutations that affect embryonic develop-ment of the zebrafish Daniorerio[1]. Pescadillo-/- ze-brafish mutants showed abnormal embryonic devel-opment such as reduced brain, eye size and a lack of extension of the jaw on developmental day 3. Further study showed that the Pescadillo protein is mainly distributed in tissues containing a significant number of proliferating cells and dramatically elevated in ma-lignant human astrocytomas an…