Effects of the Conversion of Native Vegetation to Farmlands on Soil Microarthropod Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in a Desert Oasis

Increased demand for food due to the rapidly growing human population has led to extensive conversion of native steppes at the margins of oases in arid lands of northwest China into intensively managed farmlands. However, the consequences of this land-use change for soil microarthropod biodiversity and ecosystem functioning remain unknown. Here we assessed how conversion of a native steppe to irrigated farmlands of different ages affects the abundance and composition of soil microarthropods and how changes in soil microarthropod biodiversity could scale up to influence soil carbon and nitrogen stocks. We sampled microarthropod communities over two growing seasons from native steppes and cultivated soils of a 27-year-old irrigated farmland and a 90-year-old irrigated farmland, both of which were converted from the native steppe. Topsoil properties and bulk and labile pools of carbon and nitrogen, including soil organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), total nitrogen (TN), inorganic nitrogen (IN), and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), were also measured. The conversion of native steppe to either of the two farmlands significantly increased the abundance and taxa richness of three taxonomic groups (mites, collembolans, and others) and four trophic groups (herbivores, predators, detritivores, and fungivores); this effect was greater in the 90-year-old farmland for the abundance of all taxonomic and trophic groups except for herbivores and was similar between the two farmlands for the richness of all taxonomic and trophic groups. Taxonomic and trophic composition of the microarthropod community showed strong shifts in response to conversion of native steppe to either of the two farmlands. Compositional changes were largely mediated by changes in soil environments. Changes in soil carbon and nitrogen stocks due to conversion of native steppe to farmlands followed similar patterns to soil microarthropod biodiversity, but the greater storage of DOC, MBC, TN, IN, and MBN occurred in the 90-year-old farmland. Our results suggest that soil microarthropod communities are affected positively by native steppe conversion to farmland and farmland age, and that increased microarthropod biodiversity significantly improved the ability of soils to retain carbon and nitrogen.     

Genetic Manipulation of Sex Ratio for the Large-Scale Breeding of YY Super-Male and XY All-Male Yellow Catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco (Richardson))

Yellow catfish has become one of the most important freshwater aquaculture species in China. The mono-sex male yellow catfish has important application value in aquaculture because the male grows generally faster than the sibling females under the same conditions. This study has screened YY super-male and YY physiological female yellow catfish by sex reversal, gynogenesis, and progeny testing, which can help to achieve the large-scale production of YY super-male and XY all-male. From 2008 to 2010, about 123,000 YY super-male were produced, and about 81 million XY all-male fry were produced with 100 % male rate by random sampling. Therefore, these results indicate that YY super-male and YY physiological female yellow catfish can be viable and fertile. We conclude that the mono-sex breeding technique by YY super-male yellow catfish is stable and reliable, which has great potential for application in yellow catfish aquaculture.     

Physiological mechanisms for plant distribution pattern: responses to flooding and drought in three wetland plants from Dongting Lake, China

Both flooding and drought are important in determining plant distribution in wetlands. However, the roles of plant’s physiological response to flooding and drought in accounting for plant distribution are far from clear. To this end, three typical wetland plants with different distribution patterns (high-elevation species Miscanthus sacchariflorus, low-elevation species Carex brevicuspis and Polygonum hydropiper) in Dongting Lake were treated with three water levels (flooding 25 cm, control 0 cm, drought ?25 cm), and relative growth rate (RGR), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, electrolyte leakage and proline content were investigated. The RGR of the three species decreased significantly in both flooding and drought treatments. Compared to the control, the RGR of M. sacchariflorus decreased more in the flooding treatment but less in the drought treatment compared to the other two species. The contents of MDA in the three species increased in both flooding and drought treatments, except for P. hydropiper in the flooding treatment. MDA contents increased more in M. sacchariflorus in the flooding treatment but less in the drought treatment compared to the other two species. Only M. sacchariflorus had a higher electrolyte leakage in the flooding treatment, and drought led to a higher electrolyte leakage in P. hydropiper and C. brevicuspis. Proline content increased 69.2, 66.7 and 39.6 % in P. hydropiper, C. brevicuspis and M. sacchariflorus in the flooding treatment, and increased 44.2, 13.0 and 45.3 % in the drought treatment, respectively. These results suggest that M. sacchariflorus has a higher tolerance to drought but a lower tolerance to flooding than do the other two species, which might be the intrinsic mechanisms accounting for their different distribution patterns.     

Cell Budding from Normal Appearing Epithelia: A Predictor of Colorectal Cancer Metastasis?

Background: Colorectal carcinogenesis is believed to be a multi-stage process that originates with a localized adenoma, which linearly progresses to an intra-mucosal carcinoma, to an invasive lesion, and finally to metastatic cancer. This progression model is supported by tissue culture and animal model studies, but it is difficult to reconcile with several well-established observations, principally among these are that up to 25% of early stage (Stage I/II), node-negative colorectal cancer (CRC) develop distant metastasis, and that circulating CRC cells are undetectable in peripheral blood samples of up to 50% of patients with confirmed metastasis, but more than 30% of patients with no detectable metastasis exhibit such cells. The mechanism responsible for this diverse behavior is unknown, and there are no effective means to identify patients with pending, or who are at high risk for, developing metastatic CRC.Novel findings: Our previous studies of human breast and prostate cancer have shown that cancer invasion arises from the convergence of a tissue injury, the innate immune response to that injury, and the presence of tumor stem cells within tumor capsules at the site of the injury. Focal degeneration of a capsule due to age or disease attracts lymphocyte infiltration that degrades the degenerating capsules resulting in the formation of a focal disruption in the capsule, which selectively favors proliferating or “budding” of the underlying tumor stem cells. Our recent studies suggest that lymphocyte infiltration also triggers metastasis by disrupting the intercellular junctions and surface adhesion molecules within the proliferating cell buds causing their dissociation. Then, lymphocytes and tumor cells are conjoined through membrane fusion to form tumor-lymphocyte chimeras (TLCs) that allows the tumor stem cell to avail itself of the lymphocyte''s natural ability to migrate and breach cell barriers in order to intravasate and to travel to distant organs. Our most recent studies of human CRC have detected nearly identical focal capsule disruptions, lymphocyte infiltration, budding cells, and the formation of TLCs. Our studies have further shown that age- and type-matched node-positive and -negative CRC have a significantly different morphological and immunohistochemical profile and that the majority of lymphatic ducts with disseminated cells are located within the mucosa adjacent to morphologically normal appearing epithelial structures that express a stem cell-related marker.New hypothesis: Based on these findings and the growth patterns of budding cells revealed by double immunohistochemistry, we further hypothesize that metastatic spread is an early event of carcinogenesis and that budding cells overlying focal capsule disruptions represent invasion- and metastasis-initiating cells that follow one of four pathways to progress: (1) to undergo extensive in situ proliferation leading to the formation of tumor nests that subsequently invade the submucosa, (2) to migrate with associated lymphocytes functioning as “seeds” to grow in new sites, (3) to migrate and intravasate into pre-existing vascular structures by forming TLCs, or (4) to intravasate into vascular structures that are generated by the budding cells themselves. We also propose that only node-positive cases harbor stem cells with the potential for multi-lineage differentiation and unique surface markers that permit intravasation.     

Interferon Induced IFIT Family Genes in Host Antiviral Defense

Secretion of interferons (IFNs) from virus-infected cells is a hallmark of host antiviral immunity and in fact, IFNs exert their antiviral activities through the induction of antiviral proteins. The IFN-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats (IFITs) family is among hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes. This family contains a cluster of duplicated loci. Most mammals have IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3 and IFIT5; however, bird, marsupial, frog and fish have only IFIT5. Regardless of species, IFIT5 is always adjacent to SLC16A12. IFIT family genes are predominantly induced by type I and type III interferons and are regulated by the pattern recognition and the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. IFIT family proteins are involved in many processes in response to viral infection. However, some viruses can escape the antiviral functions of the IFIT family by suppressing IFIT family genes expression or methylation of 5'' cap of viral molecules. In addition, the variants of IFIT family genes could significantly influence the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy. We believe that our current review provides a comprehensive picture for the community to understand the structure and function of IFIT family genes in response to pathogens in human, as well as in animals.     

Molecular Characterization and Alternative Splicing of a Sodium Channel and DSC1 Ortholog Genes in Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae)

Alternative splicing greatly contributes to the structural and functional diversity of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) by generating various isoforms with unique functional and pharmacological properties. Here, we identified a new optional exon 23 located in the linker between domains II and III, and four mutually exclusive exons (exons 27A, 27B, 27C, and 27D) in domains IIIS3 and IIIS4 of the sodium channel of Liposcelis bostrychophila (termed as LbVGSC). This suggested that more alternative splicing phenomena remained to be discovered in VGSCs. Inclusion of exon 27C might lead to generation of non-functional isoforms. Meanwhile, identification of three alternative exons (exons 11, 13A, and 13B), which were located in the linker between domains II and III, indicated that abundant splicing events occurred in the DSC1 ortholog channel of L. bostrychophila (termed as LbSC1). Exons 13A and 13B were generated by intron retention, and the presence of exon 13B relied on the inclusion of exon 13A. Exon 13B was specifically expressed in the embryonic stage and contained an in-frame stop codon, inclusion of which led to generation of truncated proteins with only the first two domains. Additionally, several co-occurring RNA editing events were identified in LbSC1. Furthermore, remarkable similarity between the structure and expression patterns of LbVGSC and LbSC1 were discovered, and a closer evolutionary relationship between VGSCs and DSC1 orthologs was verified. Taken together, the data provided abundant molecular information on VGSC and DSC1 orthologs in L. bostrychophila, a representative Psocoptera storage pest, and insights into the alternative splicing of these two channels.     

Involvement of two type 2C protein phosphatases BcPtc1 and BcPtc3 in the regulation of multiple stress tolerance and virulence of Botrytis cinerea

Type 2C Ser/Thr phosphatases (PP2Cs) are involved in various cellular processes in many eukaryotes, but little has been known about their functions in filamentous fungi. Botrytis cinerea contains four putative PP2C genes, named BcPTC1, ‐3, ‐5, and ‐6. Biological functions of these genes were analysed by gene deletion and complementation. While no phenotypes aberrant from the wild type were observed with mutants of BcPTC5 and BcPTC6, mutants of BcPTC1 and BcPTC3 had reduced hyphal growth, increased conidiation, and impaired sclerotium development. Additionally, BcPTC1 and BcPTC3 mutants exhibited increased sensitivity to osmotic and oxidative stresses, and to cell wall degrading enzymes. Both mutants exhibited dramatically decreased virulence on host plant tissues. All of the defects were restored by genetic complementation of the mutants with wild‐type BcPTC1 and BcPTC3 respectively. Different from what is known in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, BcPtc3, but not BcPtc1, negatively regulates phosphorylation of BcSak1 (the homologue of S. cerevisiae Hog1) in B. cinerea, although both BcPTC1 and BcPTC3 were able to rescue the growth defects of a yeast PTC1 deletion mutant under various stress conditions. These results demonstrated that BcPtc1 and BcPtc3 play important roles in the regulation of multiple stress tolerance and virulence of B. cinerea.     

Inhibition of in vivo Slicer activity of Argonaute protein 1 by the viral 2b protein independent of its dsRNA‐binding function

The 2b protein of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) has several unique properties, such as targeting to the nucleolus and interaction with both Argonautes (AGOs) and short and long double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA). We have recently uncoupled the domain requirements for dsRNA binding and nucleolar targeting from the physical interactions with AGO proteins, and have found that the direct 2b–AGO interaction is sufficient to inhibit the in vitro AGO1 Slicer function independent of the other biochemical properties of 2b. Because the AGO binding activity of 2b is not required for its suppressor function in vivo, this raises the question of whether in vivo 2b–AGO interaction is possible to inhibit the in vivo AGO Slicer function. In this study, by taking advantage of a technology for the production of artificial trans‐acting small interfering RNA (tasiRNA), a process uniquely associated with AGO1‐mediated in vivo Slicer activity, we demonstrated that the expression of the 2b protein in planta interfered with the production of tasiRNA. Through further detailed analysis with deletion mutants of 2b proteins, we found that the inhibition of in vivo AGO1 Slicer function required the nucleolar localization signal (NoLS), in addition to the AGO‐binding domain, of the 2b protein. Our finding demonstrates that in vivo 2b–AGO1 interaction is sufficient to inhibit AGO1 Slicer function independent of the dsRNA‐binding activity of the 2b protein.     

Involvement of FgERG4 in ergosterol biosynthesis,vegetative differentiation and virulence in Fusarium graminearum

The ergosterol biosynthesis pathway is well understood in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but currently little is known about the pathway in plant‐pathogenic fungi. In this study, we characterized the Fusarium graminearum FgERG4 gene encoding sterol C‐24 reductase, which catalyses the conversion of ergosta‐5,7,22,24‐tetraenol to ergosterol in the final step of ergosterol biosynthesis. The FgERG4 deletion mutant ΔFgErg4‐2 failed to synthesize ergosterol. The mutant exhibited a significant decrease in mycelial growth and conidiation, and produced abnormal conidia. In addition, the mutant showed increased sensitivity to metal cations and to various cell stresses. Surprisingly, mycelia of ΔFgErg4‐2 revealed increased resistance to cell wall‐degrading enzymes. Fungicide sensitivity tests revealed that ΔFgErg4‐2 showed increased resistance to various sterol biosynthesis inhibitors (SBIs), which is consistent with the over‐expression of SBI target genes in the mutant. ΔFgErg4‐2 was impaired dramatically in virulence, although it was able to successfully colonize flowering wheat head and tomato, which is in agreement with the observation that the mutant produces a significantly lower level of trichothecene mycotoxins than does the wild‐type progenitor. All of these phenotypic defects of ΔFgErg4‐2 were complemented by the reintroduction of a full‐length FgERG4 gene. In addition, FgERG4 partially rescued the defect of ergosterol biosynthesis in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ERG4 deletion mutant. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that FgERG4 plays a crucial role in ergosterol biosynthesis, vegetative differentiation and virulence in the filamentous fungus F. graminearum.