Elevated temperature increased nitrification activity by stimulating AOB growth and activity in an acidic paddy soil

Plant and Soil - Cadmium (Cd) is the most widespread toxic heavy metal to plant growth. As the second leading oil crop, some genotypes of Brassica napus (B. napus) are potential Cd accumulators....     

Plant traits interacting with sediment properties regulate sediment microbial composition under different aquatic DIC levels caused by rising atmospheric CO2

Plant and Soil - Current knowledge of soil heterogeneity-diversity relationships (HDR) is largely based on studies manipulating single factor, but the advancements in HDR may require a...     

Nurse effects mediated by acid-tolerance of target species and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization in an acid soil

Plant and Soil - During the process of domestication of herbaceous seed-producing perennial crops, selection for high yield induces a shift in the resource-use strategy from conservative to...     

Calculation of an Adequate Intake (AI) Value and Safe Range of Selenium (Se) for Chinese Infants 0–3 Months Old Based on Se Concentration in the Milk of Lactating Chinese Women with Optimal Se Intake

Biological Trace Element Research - The required selenium intake for optimal health in Chinese residents was published in 2014. However, the adequate intake (AI) value for Chinese infants...     

SAMD9 is a (epi-) genetically regulated anti-inflammatory factor activated in RA patients

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - The immune responses, involved in recognition of cancer-specific antigens, are of particular interest as this may provide major leads towards developing new...     

Genome-wide analysis of the MATE gene family in potato

Molecular Biology Reports - The multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) protein family is a newly discovered family of secondary transporters that extrude metabolic waste and a variety of...     

CKIP-1 regulates the immunomodulatory function of mesenchymal stem cells

Molecular Biology Reports - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are self-renewing multipotent cells with immunoregulatory function, which makes them attractive candidates for regenerative medicine....     

Transcriptome analysis of the endometrium from Chinese Erhualian sows that differ in calcium ion concentration and litter size

Embryonic survival rate, an important factor in the fecundity of sows, is affected by endometrium‐secreting histotroph. A higher concentration of calcium ion has been observed in the uterus of highly prolific Erhualian sows (EH) compared with those of less prolific (EL) sows. This suggests that EH sows have better establishment and maintenance of pregnancies, thus increasing embryonic survival rate during the peri‐implantation period. To understand the mechanisms of how the endometrium‐secreting histotroph affects embryonic survival rate during the Erhualian peri‐implantation period, the expression patterns of endometrial mRNA in the EH and EL sows on day 12 of gestation were analyzed using RNA sequencing technology. A total of 164 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified (P_adj < 0.05, |log₂(FC)| ≥ 1), including 46 upregulated and 118 downregulated genes in EH compared to EL. Gene Ontology enrichment indicated that a subset of DEGs was involved in calcium ion binding and cell adhesion. Solute carrier family 8 member A3 and solute carrier family 24 member 4, identified as upregulated genes (P_adj < 0.05) in EH, were considered key candidate genes expressed in the endometrium affecting embryonic survival rate during the peri‐implantation period. The results improve understanding of the genetic mechanism underlying the variation in litter size of Erhualian pigs during the peri‐implantation period.     

The Effect of SPTLC2 on Promoting Neuronal Apoptosis is Alleviated by MiR-124-3p Through TLR4 Signalling Pathway

To investigate the role and mechanism of microRNA-124-3p (miR-124-3p) and serine palmitoyltransferase long chain base subunit 2 (SPTLC2) in neuronal apoptosis induced by mechanical injury. Transient transfection was used to modify the expression of miR-124-3p and SPTLC2. After transfection, neuronal apoptosis was evaluated in an in vitro injury model of primary neurons using TUNEL staining and western blot. The correlation between miR-124-3p and SPTLC2 was identified through a dual luciferase reporter assay in HEK293 cells. A rescue experiment in primary neurons was performed to further confirm the result. To explore the downstream mechanisms, co-immunoprecipitation was performed to identify proteins that interact with SPTLC2 in toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signalling pathway. Subsequently, the relative expression levels of TLR4 pathway molecules were measured by western blot. Our results showed that increased miR-124-3p can inhibit neuronal apoptosis, which is opposite to the effect of SPTLC2. In addition, miR-124-3p was proved to negatively regulate SPTLC2 expression and suppress the apoptosis-promoting effect of SPTLC2 via the TLR4 signalling pathway.