Association between blooming time and climatic adaptation in Prunus mume

Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc. is an important fruit crop of the subtropical region, originating in China. It blooms earlier than other deciduous fruit trees, but different regions have different blooming periods. The time of anthesis is related to the dormancy period, and a certain amount of chilling promotes bud break and blooming. To identify the relationship between blooming time and the climatic adaptation of P. mume cultivars in China, the nuclear and chloroplast genomes of 19 cultivars from the main cultivation areas of P. mume in China were resequenced. The average depth of coverage was 34X–76X, and a total of 388,134 single nucleotide polymorphisms were located within the coding regions of the gene (CDs). Additionally, the 19 cultivar accessions were divided into three groups based on their blooming time: early, mid, and late. Associated with the blooming time groups, 21 selective sweep regions were identified, which could provide evidence supporting the possible model of P. mume domestication originating due to natural selection. Furthermore, we identified a flowering gene, FRIGIDA‐LIKE 3 (FRL3), seems to affect the blooming time and the climatic adaptation of P. mume cultivars. This study is a major step toward understanding the climatic adaptation of P. mume cultivars in China.     

QTL Mapping for Fiber and Yield Traits in Upland Cotton under Multiple Environments

A population of 178 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed using a single seed descendant from a cross between G. hirsutum. acc DH962 and G. hirsutum. cv Jimian5, was used to construct a genetic map and to map QTL for fiber and yield traits. A total of 644 polymorphic loci were used to construct a final genetic map, containing 616 loci and spanning 2016.44 cM, with an average of 3.27 cM between adjacent markers. Statistical analysis revealed that segregation distortion in the intraspecific population was more serious than that in the interspecific population. The RIL population and the two parents were phenotyped under 8 environments (two locations, six years), revealing a total of 134 QTL, including 64 for fiber qualities and 70 for yield components, independently detected in seven environments, explaining 4.40–15.28% of phenotypic variation (PV). Among the 134 QTL, 9 common QTL were detected in more than one environment, and 22 QTL and 19 new QTL were detected in combined analysis (E9). A total of 26 QTL hotspot regions were observed on 13 chromosomes and 2 larger linkage groups, and some QTL clusters related to fiber qualities or yield components were also observed. The results obtained in the present study suggested that to map accurate QTL in crops with larger plant types, such as cotton, phenotyping under multiple environments is necessary to effectively apply the obtained results in molecular marker-assisted selection breeding and QTL cloning.     

安徽省兽类一属和种新纪录——侯氏猬

Two specimens of Mesechinus hughi were collected from Pingshan, Yi County, Huangshan (29°56'23"N, 117°58'48"E) and Xikou, Xuanzhou, Xuancheng (30°34'42"N, 118°41'47"E) in Anhui Province, in July and September 2018, respectively. Ears of the two specimens are similar, in length, to the surrounding spines. The two specimens have few wholly white spines, and most spines (>95%) have four sections; white constituting the basal two-thirds, followed by a black ring, narrow light ring, and black tip. These characters are similar to those of the specimens from the type locality (Baoji, Shaanxi Province). The P-distance of Cyt b between the population in Anhui and that of Shaanxi is from 4.9% to 5.3%, and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses support the two populations as monophyletic (BS = 95%). This was the first recorded distribution of Mesechinus in Anhui Province and Mesechinus hughi south of the Changjiang River.     

SARI suppresses colitis‐associated cancer development by maintaining MCP‐1‐mediated tumour‐associated macrophage recruitment

SARI (suppressor of AP‐1, regulated by IFN) impaired tumour growth by promoting apoptosis and inhibiting cell proliferation and tumour angiogenesis in various cancers. However, the role of SARI in regulating tumour‐associated inflammation microenvironment is still elusive. In our study, the colitis‐dependent and ‐independent primary model were established in SARI deficiency mice and immuno‐reconstructive mice to investigate the functional role of SARI in regulating tumour‐associated inflammation microenvironment and primary colon cancer formation. The results have shown that SARI deficiency promotes colitis‐associated cancer (CAC) development only in the presence of colon inflammation. SARI inhibited tumour‐associated macrophages (TAM) infiltration in colon tissues, and SARI deficiency in bone marrow cells has no observed role in the promotion of intestinal tumorigenesis. Mechanism investigations indicated that SARI down‐regulates p‐STAT1 and STAT1 expression in colon cancer cells, following inhibition of MCP‐1/CCR2 axis activation during CAC development. Inverse correlations between SARI expression and macrophage infiltration, MCP‐1 expression and p‐STAT1 expression were also demonstrated in colon malignant tissues. Collectively, our results prove the inhibition role of SARI in colon cancer formation through regulating TAM infiltration.     

Initial reactions of methyl-nitramine confined inside armchair (5,5) single-walled carbon nanotube

The dissociation and isomerization reactions of methyl-nitramine(MNA) confined inside armchair CNT(5,5) single-walled carbon nanotube were investigated by using the ONIOM (B3LYP/6-311++G**:UFF) method. The results showed that some geometries of the confined MNA were modified by the CNT(5,5) in comparison with the structure of the isolated MNA. By analyzing the relevant structures and energies involved in the dissociation and isomerization reactions, we found that the transition state structures of the isomerization reactions to form CH₃NHONO (R1) and CH₃NNOOH (R2) were modified by the confinement of CNT(5,5). However, this confinement does not evidently affect the transition state structure of the HONO elimination reaction (R3). In addition, no transition state was found for the N-N bond dissociation (R4) of the isolated MNA, but this dissociation process occurred via a transition state for the confined MNA. When MNA was confined inside CNT(5,5), the activation energies of R1, R2, and R4 were decreased obviously but the energy barrier of R3 was increased slightly. The order of activation energy for these four initial reactions was also changed by the confinement of CNT(5,5). Furthermore, it was found that the relative energies of the intermediates formed by the isomerization and dissociation of MNA were also modified by the confinement of CNT(5,5). These intermediates become more stable in the confined case than in the isolated case. It was concluded that the initial reactions of MNA could be modified evdiently by confinement within a carbon nanotube.     

Genome- Wide Analysis and Characterization of the TRX Gene Family in Upland Cotton

Thioredoxins (TRX) are small molecules of proteins that are present in all organisms. TRXs play an important role in diverse functions of plant growth and development. In this study, we performed genome-wide, characterization and expression levels of TRX gene family in cotton. A total of 150 GhTRX proteins were identified in upland cotton and classified into five subfamilies based on their domain compositions. Phylogenetic tree analysis divided TRX genes into seven subgroups. GhTRX genes covered all upland cotton chromosomes, with duplicated gene events. Ka/Ks ratio of three gene pairs was less than 1, suggesting purifying selection. The functions of GhTRX genes were studied using gene ontology, protein localization, and promoter analysis. Furthermore, six GhTRX genes were randomly selected to examine their expression level in cotton development and under various exogenous treatments. The genes showed high expressions in various tissues and at different stages of leaf senescence, also showed high expression under abscisic acid, ethylene, drought, and salinity. This study reveals the first report of TRX family genes in upland cotton. However further studies are needed to elucidate their specific functions in cotton plant.     

河南省核桃良种选育研究

本文阐述了核桃良种选育的标准、方法、步骤和结果。优良品种(系)阿85、禹林1号和嵩县1号的主要经济性状是理想的,平均出仁率54%,含油率达72%以上,产量比对照良种提高1.3—1.7倍,生产中开始大面积推广应用。