Trinorsesquiterpenoids from Inula racemosa

Four trinorsesquiterpenoids (1–4) were isolated from the roots of Inula racemosa and the structures of two new compounds, (4R,5S,10S)-5-hydroxy-11,12,13-trinoreudesm-6-en-8-one (1) and (4R,5R,10R)-4,15-epoxy-11,12,13-trinoreudesman-8-one (3), were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis. Furthermore, the structure of compound 2a should be revised as (4R,5R,10S)-5-hydroxy-11,12,13-trinoreudesm-6-en-8-one (2) and compound 2 showed antiproliferative activity against A549, HepG2, and HT1080 cell lines with IC50 values of 3.71, 5.94, and 3.95 μg/mL, respectively.     

Molecular and Functional Analysis of UDP-N-Acetylglucosamine Pyrophosphorylases from the Migratory Locust,Locusta migratoria

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylases (UAP) function in the formation of extracellular matrix by producing N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residues needed for chitin biosynthesis and protein glycosylation. Herein, we report two UAP cDNA’s derived from two different genes (LmUAP1 and LmUAP2) in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria. Both the cDNA and their deduced amino acid sequences showed about 70% identities between the two genes. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that LmUAP1 and LmUAP2 derive from a relatively recent gene duplication event. Both LmUAP1 and LmUAP2 were widely expressed in all the major tissues besides chitin-containing tissues. However, the two genes exhibited different developmental expression patterns. High expression of LmUAP1 was detected during early embryogenesis, then decreased greatly, and slowly increased before egg hatch. During nymphal development, the highest expression of LmUAP1 appeared just after molting but declined in each inter-molting period and then increased before molting to the next stage, whereas LmUAP2 was more consistently expressed throughout all these stages. When the early second- and fifth-instar nymphs (1-day-old) were injected with LmUAP1 double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), 100% mortality was observed 2 days after the injection. When the middle second- and fifth-instar nymphs (3- to 4-day-old) were injected with LmUAP1 dsRNA, 100% mortality was observed during their next molting process. In contrast, when the insects at the same stages were injected with LmUAP2 dsRNA, these insects were able to develop normally and molt to the next stage successfully. It is presumed that the lethality caused by RNAi of LmUAP1 is due to reduced chitin biosynthesis of the integument and midgut, whereas LmUAP2 is not essential for locust development at least in nymph stage. This study is expected to help better understand different functions of UAP1 and UAP2 in the locust and other insect species.     

Oral and Craniofacial Manifestations and Two Novel Missense Mutations of the NTRK1 Gene Identified in the Patient with Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis

Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA) is a rare inherited disorder of the peripheral nervous system resulting from mutations in neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1 gene (NTRK1), which encodes the high-affinity nerve growth factor receptor TRKA. Here, we investigated the oral and craniofacial manifestations of a Chinese patient affected by autosomal-recessive CIPA and identified compound heterozygosity in the NTRK1 gene. The affected boy has multisystemic disorder with lack of reaction to pain stimuli accompanied by self-mutilation behavior, the inability to sweat leading to defective thermoregulation, and mental retardation. Oral and craniofacial manifestations included a large number of missing teeth, nasal malformation, submucous cleft palate, severe soft tissue injuries, dental caries and malocclusion. Histopathological evaluation of the skin sample revealed severe peripheral nerve fiber loss as well as mild loss and absent innervation of sweat glands. Ultrastructural and morphometric studies of a shed tooth revealed dental abnormalities, including hypomineralization, dentin hypoplasia, cementogenesis defects and a dysplastic periodontal ligament. Genetic analysis revealed a compound heterozygosity- c.1561T>C and c.2057G>A in the NTRK1 gene. This report extends the spectrum of NTRK1 mutations observed in patients diagnosed with CIPA and provides additional insight for clinical and molecular diagnosis.     

RNA-Seq analysis of compatible and incompatible styles of Pyrus species at the beginning of pollination

Plant Molecular Biology - At the early stage of pollination, the difference in gene expression between compatibility and incompatibility is highly significant about the pollen-specific expression...     

Age,growth and reproductive traits of invasive goby Taenioides cirratus in the Chaohu Lake,China

The eel goby Taenioides cirratus (Blyth, 1,860) is a small fish inhabits muddy bottoms of brackish-water in the Indo-West Pacific. It has invaded many inland freshwater lakes in China, such as the Chaohu Lake, Gaoyou Lake and Nansi Lake, and its population increased rapidly in these freshwater lakes in recent years. The age, growth and reproductive traits of T. cirratus invading the Chaohu Lake were studied. A total of 482 specimens (210 females, 204 males and 68 juveniles) with total length (TL) ranging from 9.4 to 20.6 cm were collected using the benthic fyke nets at monthly intervals from March 2018 to February 2019. The sagittal otolith was used for age determination. Monthly variation of marginal increment ratio indicated that the annual forming of opaque band on sagittal otolith was completed during March and April. For both sexes, only four (from 0+ to 3+ years) age groups were observed and 1+ and 2+ years age individuals dominated the population. Back calculated length at age showed males grew faster than females. Both sexes reached maturity at 1+ year age and the TL at first maturity (TL₅₀) was 12.6 cm for females and 11.9 cm for males. Monthly variation of gonado-somatic index indicated that the spawning occurred from May to August. The fecundity ranged from 967 ova to 5,114 ova, with a mean of 3,205 ova. Our study provides a comprehensive data on the key life history traits of T. cirratus for the first time.     

Molecular characterization and functional analysis of the vitellogenin receptor in the rice stem borer,Chilo suppressalis

As a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) superfamily, vitellogenin (Vg) receptor (VgR) is responsible for the uptake of Vg into developing oocytes and is a potential target for pest control. Here, a full-length VgR complementary DNA (named as CsVgR) was isolated and characterized in the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis. The composite CsVgR gene contained an open reading frame of 5,484 bp encoding a protein of 1,827 amino acid residues. Structural analysis revealed that CsVgR contained two ligand-binding domains (LBDs) with four Class A (LDLR_A) repeats in LBD1 and seven in LBD2, which was structurally different from most non-Lepidopteran insect VgRs having five repeats in LBD1 and eight in LBD2. The developmental expression analysis showed that CsVgR messenger RNA expression was first detectable in 3-day-old pupae, sharply increased in newly emerged female adults, and reached a peak in 2-day-old female adults. Consistent with most other insects VgRs, CsVgR was exclusively expressed in the ovary. Notably, injection of dsCsVgR into late pupae resulted in fewer follicles in the ovarioles as well as reduced fecundity, suggesting a critical role of CsVgR in female reproduction. These results may contribute to the development of RNA interference-mediated disruption of reproduction as a control strategy of C. suppressalis.     

外来西方蜜蜂放蜂密度对云南罗平本地传粉蜂群落结构及物种多样性的影响

【目的】近年来随着交通条件的改善,每年有大量西方蜜蜂Apis mellifera蜂场从全国各地赶到云南放蜂。本研究旨在揭示西方蜜蜂这一外来蜂种对云南本地传粉蜂种类、数量及其物种多样性的影响。【方法】采用马来氏网收集、调查了云南省罗平县西方蜜蜂高放蜂密度试验点(鲁特和走马田)、中放蜂密度试验点(外纳和下阿列)和低放蜂密度试验点(马把和下庄科)共6个试验点包括山林生境和农田生境的本地传粉蜂群落结构;并对比分析了不同放蜂密度、不同生境下各试验点传粉蜂物种多样性指数(H′)、均匀度指数(J′)及丰富度指数(Dm)之间的差异。【结果】采集到的1 715头本地传粉蜂隶属于10科53种,其中蜜蜂科(Apidae)、隧蜂科(Halictidae)和胡蜂科(Vespidae)为优势类群,东方蜜蜂Apis cerana和切淡脉隧蜂Lasioglossum excisum为优势种。在放蜂密度(试验点周围3 km范围内西方蜜蜂蜂群数量)为723～2 750群这一变动范围内,各试验点本地传粉蜂物种数量、个体数量均随西方蜜蜂放蜂密度的增大而减少,物种多样性指数(H′)及丰富度指数(Dm)也相应降低,但西方蜜蜂放蜂密度对本地传粉蜂均匀度指数(J′)没有影响。此外,在相同放蜂密度下,山林生境的本地传粉蜂物种多样性均显著高于农田生境。【结论】云南罗平本地传粉蜂的群落结构及物种多样性受西方蜜蜂放蜂密度的影响,在放蜂密度从723～2 750群这一变动范围内,放蜂密度越大,本地传粉蜂的个体数、物种数、多样性指数和丰富度指数越小。本研究结果为进一步研究合理控制西方蜜蜂放蜂密度以保护云南本地传粉蜂种的多样性提供了思路。     

A risk signature-based on metastasis-associated genes to predict survival of patients with osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary solid malignant bone tumor, and its metastasis is a prominent cause of high mortality in patients. In this study, a prognosis risk signature was constructed based on metastasis-associated genes. Four microarrays datasets with clinical information were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus, and 256 metastasis-associated genes were identified by limma package. Further, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed, and survival analysis was performed using data from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments data matrix, identifying 19 genes correlated with prognosis. Six genes were selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression for multivariate cox analysis. Finally, a three-gene (MYC, CPE, and LY86) risk signature was constructed, and datasets GSE21257 and GSE16091 were used to validate the prediction efficiency of the signature. The survival times of low- and high-risk groups were significantly different in the training set and validation set. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the genes in the signature may affect the cell cycle, gap junctions, and interleukin-6 production. Therefore, the three-gene survival risk signature could potentially predict the prognosis of patients with OS. Further, proteins encoded by CPE and LY86 may provide novel insights into the prediction of OS prognosis and therapeutic targets.