NYEs/SGRs‐mediated chlorophyll degradation is critical for detoxification during seed maturation in Arabidopsis

In the seed industry, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence is often used as a major non‐invasive reporter of seed maturation and quality. Breakdown of Chl is a proactive process during the late stage of seed maturation, as well as during leaf senescence and fruit ripening. However, the biological significance of this process is still unclear. NYE1 and NYE2 are Mg‐dechelatases, catalyzing the first rate‐limiting step of Chl a degradation. Loss‐of‐function of both NYE1 and NYE2 not only results in a nearly complete retention of Chl during leaf senescence, but also produces green seeds in Arabidopsis. In this study, we showed that Chl retention in the nye1 nye2 double‐mutant caused severe photo‐damage to maturing seeds. Upon prolonged light exposure, green seeds of nye1 nye2 gradually bleached out and eventually lost their germination capacity. This organ‐specific photosensitive phenotype is likely due to an over‐accumulation of free Chl, which possesses photosensitizing properties and causes a burst of reactive oxygen species upon light exposure. As expected, a similar, albeit much milder, photosensitive phenotype was observed in the seeds of d1 d2, a green‐seed mutant defective in NYE/SGR orthologous genes in soybean. Taken together, our data suggest that efficient NYEs‐mediated Chl degradation is critical for detoxification during seed maturation.     

The evaluations of 99mTc cyclopentadienyl tricarbonyl triphenyl phosphonium cation for multidrug resistance

A triphenylphosphonium cation, [^99mTc]Technetium cyclopentadienyltricarbonyl-6-hexanoyl-triphenylphosphonium cation ([^99mTc]3) was prepared to target multidrug resistance (MDR). The radiotracer was evaluated in the MDR-negative MCF-7 and MDR-positive MCF-7/ADR cell lines in vitro, as well as animal models in vivo. [^99mTc]3 was proofed to be a substrate of P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistant protein 1, and showed a higher accumulation in the MDR-negative MCF-7 cells compared to ^99mTc-sestamibi in vitro. The MCF-7 tumor-to-MCF-7/ADR tumor ratio of [^99mTc]3 was ～3 at 1 h p.i. in the biodistribution study. These results demonstrated the capability of the radiotracer to detect multidrug resistance in tumor cells.     

ZIKA virus isolated from mosquitoes: a field and laboratory investigation in China, 2016

A field investigation of arboviruses was conducted in Dejiang, Guizhou Province in the summer of 2016. A total of 8,795 mosquitoes, belonging to four species of three genera, and 1,300 midges were collected. The mosquito samples were identified on site according to their morphology, and the pooled samples were ground and centrifuged in the laboratory. The supernatant was incubated with mosquito tissue culture cells (C6/36) and mammalian cells (BHK-21) for virus isolation. The results indicated that 40% (3,540/8,795) were Anopheles sinensis, 30% (2,700/8,795) were Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus, and 29% (2,530/8,795) were Armigeres subbalbeatus. Furthermore, a total of eight virus isolates were obtained, and genome sequencing revealed two Zika viruses (ZIKVs) isolated from Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus and Armigeres subbalbeatus, respectively; three Japanese encephalitis viruses (JEVs) isolated from Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus; two Banna viruses (BAVs) isolated from Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus and Anopheles sinensis, respectively; and one densovirus (DNV) isolated from Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus. The ZIKVs isolated from the Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus and Armigeres subbalbeatus mosquitoes represent the first ZIKV isolates in mainland China. This discovery presents new challenges for the prevention and control of ZIKV in China, and prompts international cooperation on this global issue.     

碳源、生长素及诱导子对木豆不定根生长和次生代谢产物合成的影响

以1/2MS为基本培养基,研究了蔗糖、IBA、茉莉酸甲酯（MJ）及水杨酸（SA）对木豆不定根生物量和次生代谢产物合成的影响。研究结果表明,蔗糖浓度对木豆不定根的生物量和次生代谢产物合成有显著影响,蔗糖浓度为30 g·L^-1时,木豆不定根的生物量和次生代谢产物的含量均达到最大值。低浓度的IBA有利于木豆不定根的生长和次生代谢产物的积累,高浓度的IBA表现出抑制作用。IBA浓度为0.1 mg·L^-1时,生物量、染料木素及芹菜素含量均为最大值,分别为对照组的1.1、1.1和2.8倍。在0~200 μmol·L^-1浓度范围内,MJ对不定根的生长几乎无影响（P>0.05）,但对次生代谢产物的合成有重要影响。MJ浓度为100 μmol·L^-1时,染料木素和芹菜素的含量均达到最大值,分别为对照组的1.9和2.1倍。SA抑制木豆不定根的生长和染料木素的合成,但对芹菜素的合成有一定促进作用,SA浓度为100 μmol·L^-1时,芹菜素的含量最高,为对照组的1.5倍。木豆不定根的悬浮培养是获得次生代谢产物的一条有效途径,为大规模生产染料木素和芹菜素提供了很好的思路。     

Pirh2 mediates the sensitivity of myeloma cells to bortezomib via canonical NF-κB signaling pathway

Clinical success of the proteasome inhibitor established bortezomib as one of the most effective drugs in treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). While survival benefit of bortezomib generated new treatment strategies, the primary and secondary resistance of MM cells to bortezomib remains a clinical concern. This study aimed to highlight the role of p53-induced RING-H2 (Pirh2) in the acquisition of bortezomib resistance in MM and to clarify the function and mechanism of action of Pirh2 in MM cell growth and resistance, thereby providing the basis for new therapeutic targets for MM. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib has been established as one of the most effective drugs for treating MM. We demonstrated that bortezomib resistance in MM cells resulted from a reduction in Pirh2 protein levels. Pirh2 overexpression overcame bortezomib resistance and restored the sensitivity of myeloma cells to bortezomib, while a reduction in Pirh2 levels was correlated with bortezomib resistance. The levels of nuclear factorkappaB (NF-κB) p65, pp65, pIKBa, and IKKa were higher in bortezomib-resistant cells than those in parental cells. Pirh2 overexpression reduced the levels of pIKBa and IKKa, while the knockdown of Pirh2 via short hairpin RNAs increased the expression of NF-κB p65, pIKBa, and IKKa. Therefore, Pirh2 suppressed the canonical NF-κB signaling pathway by inhibiting the phosphorylation and subsequent degradation of IKBa to overcome acquired bortezomib resistance in MM cells.     

冠心病患者数量皮纹学特征波动性不对称的研究

本文研究了宁夏汉族男性256例(正常: 128例; 冠心病患者: 128例) 双手数量皮纹学特征及其波动性不对称, 比较了其均值的差异性。结果表明: 1)冠心病患者组与正常对照组相比较, 指纹嵴线数、指纹总嵴线数及a-b嵴线数均值均低于正常对照组; 2)冠心病患者组双手atd角及a-b间距均值均高于对照组, 双手atd角表现为显著增高(P<0.05), 右手a-b嵴线数均值表现为患者组低于对照组, 有显著性差异(P<0.01); 3)冠心病患者组数量皮纹性状波动性不对称水平与对照组在FAⅡ(a-b嵴线数, P<0.01)及FAⅤ(atd角, P<0.05)两项上表现出显著增高; 冠心病患者组a-b嵴线数FA分布在|R-L|≥7组显著增高(P<0.05)。     

Naringenin reduces lung metastasis in a breast cancer resection model

Metastasis is the main cause of death in cancer patients. To improve the outcomes of patients undergoing a surgery, new adjuvant therapies that can effectively inhibit metastases have to be developed. Studies have shown that flavonoid naringenin, a natural product that is mainly present in grapes and citrus, may contribute to cancer prevention. It has many advantages compared to traditional chemotherapeutic drugs, such as low toxicity. To determine whether naringenin can also inhibit metastases, a breast cancer resection model that mimics clinical situations was established. We found that orally administered naringenin significantly decreased the number of metastatic tumor cells in the lung and extended the life span of tumor resected mice. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that T cells displayed enhanced antitumor activity in naringenin treated mice, with an increased proportion of IFN-γ and IL-2 expressing T cells. In vitro studies further demonstrated that relief of immunosuppression caused by regulatory T cells might be the fundamental mechanism of metastasis inhibition by naringenin. These results indicate that orally administered naringenin can inhibit the outgrowth of metastases after surgery via regulating host immunity. Thus, naringenin can be an ideal surgical adjuvant therapy for breast cancer patients.     

秦岭南坡川金丝猴的食物组成及季节性变化

2013年3月至2014年2月,在秦岭南坡观音山自然保护区大坪峪颜家沟内选取一群半野生川金丝猴的成年个体作为研究对象,采用瞬时扫描取样法收集其觅食的食物类型数据,目的是为该猴群建立食谱,并通过对比不同季节内觅取的食物组成差异探讨秦岭南坡川金丝猴如何应对喜食食物的季节性缺乏。结果表明：秦岭南坡川金丝猴共采食53种植物（包括34种乔木、13种灌木、6种藤本植物）和4种大型真菌,分别占取食植物组成的64.3%、25.3%、8.0%和2.2%,春、夏、秋、冬季节取食种类和多样性指数分别为20种(3.93)、19种(3.73)、21种(3.87)和25种(4.12)。在秦岭南坡川金丝猴的食物组成中,地衣占总觅食记录的22%;树叶占20%,其中嫩叶9%和成熟叶11%;种子、树皮、芽苞、果实和叶柄分别占16%、15%、11%、 9%和7%。该猴群觅取的植物部位具有明显的季节性差异。春季,对树皮和芽苞的觅食量较高,分别为28%和25%;夏季,增加了对成熟叶的采食量(29%),而减少了芽苞的觅取量(5%);秋季,以取食种子和果实为主,分别占总觅食的48% 和16%;冬季,地衣的采食量达到最大值（41%）。觅食的食物组成与食物的可获得性呈正相关性(R = 0.984, P < 0.01),这与大多数叶猴的适应策略类似,在喜食食物短缺的冬季,它们选择更多的地衣和树皮为食,同时它们采食的种类和食物多样性也有相应增加。     

短期物理应激对云芝菌丝体SOD活性的影响

选取高低温分别胁迫、协同胁迫以及超声波处理等方式研究了短期物理应激对云芝菌丝体超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性的影响。与未作胁迫处理的对照相比,在低温处理中,10℃较之15℃处理SOD活性整体水平有明显提高,10℃处理2h可使SOD活性提高36.2%,延长处理时间导致SOD活性下降;高温协迫中30℃处理效果优于40℃、50℃和60℃,30℃处理4h,SOD相对酶活可提高至26.8%,延长处理时间和提高处理温度均导致SOD活性下降。高低温协同作用L16(2×42)正交试验结果分析表明,30℃处理2h后10℃处理