Distinct basolateral amygdala excitatory inputs mediate the somatosensory and aversive-affective components of pain

Pain is a multidimensional perception that includes unpleasant somatosensory and affective experiences; however, the underlying neural circuits that mediate different components of pain remain elusive. Although hyperactivity of basolateral amygdala glutamatergic (BLA^Glu) neurons is required for the somatosensory and emotional processing of pain, the precise excitatory inputs to BLA^Glu neurons and their roles in mediating different aspects of pain are unclear. Here, we identified two discrete glutamatergic neuronal circuits in male mice: a projection from the insular cortex glutamatergic (IC^Glu) to BLA^Glu neurons, which modulates both the somatosensory and affective components of pain, and a projection from the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD^Glu) to BLA^Glu neurons, which modulates only the aversive-affective component of pain. Using whole-cell recording and fiber photometry, we found that neurons within the IC→BLA and MD→BLA pathways were activated in mice upon inflammatory pain induced by injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) into their paws. Optical inhibition of the IC^Glu→BLA pathway increased the nociceptive threshold and induced behavioral place preference in CFA mice. In contrast, optical inhibition of the MD^Glu→BLA pathway did not affect the nociceptive threshold but still induced place preference in CFA mice. In normal mice, optical activation of the IC^Glu→BLA pathway decreased the nociceptive threshold and induced place aversion, while optical activation of the MD^Glu→BLA pathway only evoked aversion. Taken together, our results demonstrate that discrete IC^Glu→BLA and MD^Glu→BLA pathways are involved in modulating different components of pain, provide insights into its circuit basis, and better our understanding of pain perception.     

不同后作生境对玉米地天敌的冬季保育作用

不同的作物生境可为田间自然天敌提供不同的栖息场所及猎物或寄主,从而影响天敌自身种群的维持及繁衍。在秋收后的玉米地布局不同的作物生境(玉米秸秆生境、叶菜类生境、甘薯生境及杂草带生境),采用目测法和扫网法调查研究其天敌群落组成及时序动态,通过聚类分析探讨了不同作物生境对玉米地自然天敌冬季保育作用的差异性。结果表明,玉米秸秆生境天敌数量最大,共收集天敌555头,约为叶菜类(甘蓝、菜心、油麦菜)生境的2倍,为杂草带和甘薯生境的4.5倍;天敌种类以蜘蛛类群为主,其中甘蓝、甘薯和杂草带生境蜘蛛个体数量占天敌总量的80%以上,而玉米秸秆生境天敌优势种为稻红瓢虫,其种群发生量达30头/100株以上。天敌物种数、多样性指数大小为玉米秸秆生境>叶菜类生境≥杂草带生境>甘薯生境,天敌群落优势度集中性指数与之相反。系统聚类可将6种不同作物生境聚为3类,玉米秸秆生境为一类,叶菜类生境为一类,杂草带和甘薯生境为一类。研究发现,玉米秸秆生境对玉米地天敌的冬季保育作用最佳。     

地表覆盖栽培对雷竹林凋落物养分及其化学计量特征的影响

为了解不同覆盖栽培年限雷竹林凋落物养分及其化学计量特征,分析了换叶期雷竹林凋落物的凋落量,C、N、P、K养分含量,养分季节归还量以及养分元素生态化学计量比值在不同覆盖年限之间的差异。结果表明:(1)雷竹林在连续覆盖3a后,叶凋落量极显著性提高(P＜0.01),在总凋落量中比例增加,但枝凋落量变化不明显。(2)连续3a覆盖对雷竹林凋落物中的养分含量影响极显著(P＜0.01),C、N养分含量极显著降低,P含量极显著升高,而K养分含量在覆盖2a时就出现了显著增加的变化响应;林地凋落物的养分归还量同时还受凋落量的影响,其伴随覆盖年限增长的变化趋势与养分含量并不一致。(3)覆盖2a内的雷竹林地凋落物表现出稳定的高N∶P以及低P含量,表明凋落物分解速率较低;连续覆盖3a的林地凋落物P含量极显著升高,N∶P极显著下降(P＜0.01),表明此时凋落物分解速率加快。(4)线性回归分析表明,凋落物中K元素随覆盖年限增长而消耗的规律与N、P元素无显著相关关系。     

Age‐dependent aneuploidy in mammalian oocytes instigated at the second meiotic division

Ageing severely affects the chromosome segregation process in human oocytes resulting in aneuploidy, infertility and developmental disorders. A considerable amount of segregation errors in humans are introduced at the second meiotic division. We have here compared the chromosome segregation process in young adult and aged female mice during the second meiotic division. More than half of the oocytes in aged mice displayed chromosome segregation irregularities at anaphase II, resulting in dramatically increased level of aneuploidy in haploid gametes, from 4% in young adult mice to 30% in aged mice. We find that the post‐metaphase II process that efficiently corrects aberrant kinetochore‐microtubule attachments in oocytes in young adult mice is approximately 10‐fold less efficient in aged mice, in particular affecting chromosomes that show small inter‐centromere distances at the metaphase II stage in aged mice. Our results reveal that post‐metaphase II processes have critical impact on age‐dependent aneuploidy in mammalian eggs.     

Effect of a Functional Phospholipid Metabolome-Protein Association Pathway on the Mechanism of COVID-19 Disease Progression

This study aimed to explore the clinical practice of phospholipid metabolic pathways in COVID-19. In this study, 48 COVID-19 patients and 17 healthy controls were included. Patients were divided into mild (n=40) and severe (n=8) according to their severity. Phospholipid metabolites, TCA circulating metabolites, eicosanoid metabolites, and closely associated enzymes and transfer proteins were detected in the plasma of all individuals using metabolomics and proteomics assays, respectively. 30 of the 33 metabolites found differed significantly (P<0.05) between patients and healthy controls (P<0.05), with D-dimmer significantly correlated with all of the lysophospholipid metabolites (LysoPE, LysoPC, LysoPI and LPA). In particular, we found that phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) could identify patients from healthy controls (AUC 0.771 and 0.745, respectively) and that the severity of the patients could be determined (AUC 0.663 and 0.809, respectively). The last measurement before discharge also revealed significant changes in both PI and PC. For the first time, our study explores the significance of the phospholipid metabolic system in COVID-19 patients. Based on molecular pathway mechanisms, three important phospholipid pathways related to Ceramide-Malate acid (Cer-SM), Lysophospholipid (LPs), and membrane function were established. Clinical values discovered included the role of Cer in maintaining the inflammatory internal environment, the modulation of procoagulant LPA by upstream fibrinolytic metabolites, and the role of PI and PC in predicting disease aggravation.     

Long COVID and its Management

The pandemic of COVID-19 is the biggest public health crisis in 21^st Century. Besides the acute symptoms after infection, patients and society are also being challenged by the long-term health complications associated with COVID-19, commonly known as long COVID. While health professionals work hard to find proper treatments, large amount of knowledge has been accumulated in recent years. In order to deal with long COVID efficiently, it is important for people to keep up with current progresses and take proactive actions on long COVID. For this purpose, this review will first introduce the general background of long COVID, and then discuss its risk factors, diagnostic indicators and management strategies. This review will serve as a useful resource for people to understand and prepare for long COVID that will be with us in the foreseeable future.     

Root developmental responses to phosphorus nutrition

Phosphorus is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development. Root system architecture (RSA) affects a plant's ability to obtain phosphate, the major form of phosphorus that plants uptake. In this review, I first consider the relationship between RSA and plant phosphorus-acquisition efficiency, describe how external phosphorus conditions both induce and impose changes in the RSA of major crops and of the model plant Arabidopsis, and discuss whether shoot phosphorus status affects RSA and whether there is a universal root developmental response across all plant species. I then summarize the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing root developmental responses to phosphorus deficiency. I also explore the possible reasons for the inconsistent results reported by different research groups and comment on the relevance of some studies performed under laboratory conditions to what occurs in natural environments.     

基于CRISPR/Cas9的基因编辑技术研究进展及其在植物中的应用

CRISPR/Cas9技术是利用RNA靶向引导Cas9核酸酶对基因组中的目标基因进行编辑的生物技术。近年来,该技术的多种新型基因编辑器更新迅猛,编辑效果愈加精细和高效,在作物定向分子设计育种中展现出巨大的应用前景。该文对CRISPR/Cas9及其相关编辑器的技术原理、编辑效果和应用情况进行综述,并探讨了该技术在应用中面临的问题、应对措施和发展前景,旨在为相关领域的科研工作者提供参考。     

薰衣草叶片对低温胁迫的生理与分子响应机制

薰衣草(Lavandula angustifolia)作为名贵的芳香植物,其生长、繁育、品质和产量均受低温影响。前期研究已获得1个耐低温薰衣草品种。该研究将对其处理的温度从20℃降至0℃,揭示薰衣草响应冷胁迫的生理及分子调控机制,同时结合薰衣草的细胞质膜透性、可溶性糖和蛋白质含量及抗氧化酶活性等生理变化。采用转录组学和生物信息学方法挖掘分析相关耐寒基因,并探讨外施水杨酸缓解–10℃冻胁迫的可行性。研究发现7个编码脂肪酸去饱和酶和转移酶的基因(LaFADs)、3个参与合成可溶性糖的基因(LaBAM1和LaSS2)、19个编码胚胎晚期丰富蛋白的基因(LaLEAs)及7个编码过氧化物酶的基因(LaPODs),这些基因在低温胁迫下均上调表达,指导薰衣草合成并积累保护物质,维持膜稳定性以应对胁迫。此外, 150 mg·L^-1水杨酸预处理能有效缓解植株冻害,可作为低温保护剂。该研究丰富了薰衣草重要抗逆基因家族的遗传背景,为后续分子遗传学功能分析和定向品种改良奠定基础。     

Targeting ACLY efficiently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the biggest public health challenge the world has witnessed in the past decades. SARS-CoV-2 undergoes constant mutations and new variants of concerns (VOCs) with altered transmissibility, virulence, and/or susceptibility to vaccines and therapeutics continue to emerge. Detailed analysis of host factors involved in virus replication may help to identify novel treatment targets. In this study, we dissected the metabolome derived from COVID-19 patients to identify key host factors that are required for efficient SARS-CoV-2 replication. Through a series of metabolomic analyses, in vitro, and in vivo investigations, we identified ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) as a novel host factor required for efficient replication of SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and variants, including Omicron. ACLY should be further explored as a novel intervention target for COVID-19.