Direct and size-mediated effects of temperature and ration-dependent growth rates on energy reserves in juvenile anadromous alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Growth rate and energy reserves are important determinants of fitness and are governed by endogenous and exogenous factors. Thus, examining the influence of individual and multiple stressors on growth and energy reserves can help estimate population health under current and future conditions. In young anadromous fishes, freshwater habitat quality determines physiological state and fitness of juveniles emigrating to marine habitats. In this study, the authors tested how temperature and food availability affect survival, growth and energy reserves in juvenile anadromous alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus), a forage fish distributed along the eastern North American continent. Field-collected juvenile anadromous A. pseudoharengus were exposed for 21 days to one of two temperatures (21°C and 25°C) and one of two levels of food rations (1% or 2% tank biomass daily) and compared for differences in final size, fat mass-at-length, lean mass-at-length and energy density. Increased temperature and reduced ration both led to lower growth rates, and the effect of reduced ration was greater at higher temperature. Fat mass-at-length decreased with dry mass, and energy density increased with total length, suggesting size-based endogenous influences on energy reserves. Lower ration also directly decreased fat mass-at-length, lean mass-at-length and energy density. Given the fitness implications of size and energy reserves, temperature and food availability should be considered important indicators of nursery habitat quality and incorporated in A. pseudoharengus life-history models to improve forecasting of population health under climate change.     

Congestive heart failure in COX2 deficient rats

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit prostaglandin (PG) formation by targeting cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2.Long-term use of NSAIDs that selectively inhibit COX2 increases the risk for thrombotic events,cardiac failure,and hypertension.However,the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.In this study,COX1- and COX2-deficient rats were created via Cas9/RNA-mediated gene targeting.DNA genotyping and Western blot analysis confirmed successful generation of COX1~(-/-)and COX2~(-/-)rats.Adult COX1~(-/-)rats grew normally,while more than 70%of COX2~(-/-)rats after wean died within 2 months.Echocardiography showed markedly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional shortening in adult COX2~(-/-)rats compared to those in wildtype (WT) controls.Histological analysis revealed accumulation of inflammatory cells and severe interstitial and perivascular fibrosis in COX2~(-/-)cardiac tissues.Moreover,cardiac ATP and acetyl-Co A production was dramatically decreased in COX2~(-/-)rats.Consistently,the expression of genes related to mitochondrial oxidation,such as those that encode for subunits of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and acyl Co A dehydrogenases,were downregulated,while glycolytic hexokinase 1 (HK1) was upregulated in COX2~(-/-)heart tissues.These observations indicate that COX2-deficient rats developed spontaneously heart failure,likely as a result of dysregulated cardiac energy metabolism.     

Lower Emsian biostratigraphy and event stratigraphy of Ha Giang Province,northern Vietnam

A new species of rugose coral, Sanidophyllum dubium n. sp., and the typical Emsian (Early Devonian) rugose coral Xystriphylloides nobilis are described from the Mia Le Formation in northern Vietnam. The lower Emsian index conodonts ranging from the Polygnathus excavatus zone to the P. nothoperbonus zone are illustrated. The biostratigraphic correlation between northern Vietnam and South China shows that the Mia Le Formation in northern Vietnam is early Emsian in age, and its upper part can be correlated with the lower part of the Shizhou Member of the Yukiang Formation in Liujing, Guangxi and its equivalents in South China. Based on the study of the lower Emsian biostratigraphic sequence, the disappearance of Xystriphylloides nobilis fauna in the overlying bed of the uppermost Mia Le Formation and the extinction of the “tonkinensis fauna” (sensu lato) in the interval between the basal Si Phai Formation and the uppermost Mia Le Formation demonstrate the influence of the Yujiang Event in northern Vietnam.     

Effect of volatiles emitted from wilted Populus nigra L. leaves on the mating and oviposition of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)

Wilted black poplar, Populus nigra ‘Italica’ L., leaves are very attractive to a vast number of noctuid moth species. This provides an opportunity for the development of effective trapping methods for the integrated management of pest species, such as Helicoverpa armigera, a major global and economically important insect pest.In the present study, we investigated the (1) nocturnal attraction patterns of H. armigera males and females to wilted P. nigra leaves; (2) effects of P. nigra volatiles on the mate-searching behavior of males through laboratory serial-chamber bioassays and field trapping; and (3) effects of P. nigra volatiles on the ovipositional choice and reproductive performance of females. Females and males, when tested alone, could be attracted by wilted P. nigra leaves, and the time periods of the first two attraction peaks were largely overlapped between sexes. Streams consisting of wilted P. nigra leaves and virgin females were not more attractive than virgin females alone, regardless of the stream sequence in a serial chamber. However, a stream of virgin females passed through wilted P. nigra leaves was more attractive than wilted P. nigra leaves alone. The addition of P. nigra extracts and its major aromatic components to the sex lure of H. armigera did not attract more moths than the sex lure alone. The volatiles from wilted P. nigra leaves were significantly more attractive to ovipositing females than those from cotton, tomato, and corn leaves, but equally attractive to tobacco leaves. Females exposed to volatiles from different leaves (P. nigra, cotton, and tobacco) showed similar fecundities. In summary, the attraction of moths to wilted P. nigra leaves may be attributable to multiple mechanisms, including the adsorption of sex pheromones, ovipostional attraction, and possible feeding attraction.     

CCAT2 enhances autophagy-related invasion and metastasis via regulating miR-4496 and ELAVL1 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Autophagy is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) CCAT2 functions as an oncogene in a variety of tumours. However, it is still unknown whether CCAT2 is involved in autophagy and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In our study, we found that lncRNA CCAT2 expression was significantly increased in HCC tissue and was correlated with advanced stage and venous invasion. Further experiments revealed that CCAT2 induced autophagy and promoted migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic investigations found that CCAT2 involved in HCC by regulating miR-4496/Atg5 in cytoplasm. In nucleus, CCAT2 bound with ELAVL1/HuR to facilitate HCC progression. Our findings suggest that CCAT2 is an oncogenic factor in the progression of HCC with different regulatory mechanisms and may serve as a target for HCC therapy.     

Circadian misalignment promotes vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis via defective autophagy

Journal of Molecular Histology - Defective autophagy in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in response to oxidative stress can lead to cellular apoptosis and plaque instability. Previous studies...     

Temperature-related effects of treatments with jasmonic and salicylic acids on Arabidopsis infected with cucumber mosaic virus

Plant-virus interactions are affected by environmental factors, including temperature. Plant defenses are often inhibited by high or low temperature. In this study, oxidative damage and gene expression were detected in Arabidopsis thaliana infected with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) at different temperatures. Before virus inoculation, plants were treated with jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), both of which are important signaling molecules in plant defense responses. The levels of MDA and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and electrolyte leakage were significantly higher in CMV-infected leaves at 15 and 37°C. The accumulation of H₂O₂ and superoxide radical (O ₂ ^·? ) was obviously suppressed by spraying with JA followed by SA (JA → SA) at different temperatures. The CMV-CP expression analysis showed that virus replication was inhibited efficiently in the (JA → SA) treatment. Therefore, many JA- and SA-responsible resistance genes were quantified; MPK4 was expressed highly and steadily in the (JA → SA) treatment. To further confirm the role of MPK4, the CMV-CP gene expression was evaluated in wild-type Arabidopsis and its mpk4 mutant infected with CMV. The results suggested that MPK4 might play an important role in the antagonism between JA and SA at temperature fluctuation.     

The differential contributions of herkogamy and dichogamy as mechanisms of avoiding self‐interference in four self‐incompatible Epimedium species

Self‐interference is one of the most important selective forces in shaping floral evolution. Herkogamy and dichogamy both can achieve reductions in the extent of self‐interference, but they may have different roles in minimizing self‐interference in a single species. We used four self‐incompatible Epimedium species to explore the roles of herkogamy and dichogamy in avoiding self‐interference and to test the hypothesis that herkogamy and dichogamy may be separated and become selected preferentially in the taxa. Two species (E. franchetii and E. mikinorii) expressed strong herkogamy and weak protogyny (adichogamy), whereas another two species (E. sutchuenense and E. leptorrhizum) expressed slight herkogamy and partial protandry. Field investigations indicated that there was no physical self‐interference between male function and female function regarding pollen removal and pollen deposition in all species. Self‐pollination (autonomous or facilitated) was greater in species with slight herkogamy than in those with strong herkogamy. Artificial pollination treatments revealed that self‐pollination could reduce outcrossed female fertility in all species, and we found evidence that self‐interference reduced seed set in E. sutchuenense and E. leptorrhizum in the field, but not in E. franchetii and E. mikinorii. These results indicate that well‐developed herkogamy is more effective compared with dichogamy in avoiding self‐interference in the four species. In genus Epimedium, herkogamy instead of dichogamy should be selected preferentially and evolved as an effective mechanism for avoiding self‐interference and might not need to evolve linked with dichogamy.     

A Strategy for the Molecular Diagnosis in Hemophilia A in Chinese Population

Hemophilia A is an x-linked recessive inherited bleeding disorder. So far, more than 1,885 disease-causing mutations of factor VIII gene have been identified. Clinic confers a great challenge for the molecular diagnosis. We aim to make a better strategy for the molecular diagnosis in Hemophilia A. First, factor VIII intron 22 inversion and intron 1 inversion mutations were detected using Inversion-PCR and double-tube multiple PCRs. And then, non-inversion mutations were analyzed by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography and/or direct sequencing. Novel mutations were further analyzed the conservation and 3D structures by a B domain deleted crystallographic model and bioinformatics. Finally, we can indirectly confirm the diagnosis by linkage analysis for the patients with the confusing diagnosis by the techniques mentioned above. Eleven patients with the factor VIII Inv 22 were found, and the remaining 16 patients were found with 11 different mutations, of which 3 was novel mutations affecting A1, B domains and splicing site. Moreover, the prenatal diagnosis was performed on 14 fetuses. Ten fetuses were successfully confirmed to be normal, 1 fetus to be a heterozygote with factor VIII c.3275–3276 ins A and 3 fetuses to be hemizygotes with factor VIII Inv 22 mutation.     

Ecological Risk Assessment of Organochlorine Pesticides in Surface Waters of Lake Taihu,China

The residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface waters from Meiliang Bay, Gonghu Bay, and Xukou Bay of Lake Taihu, China, were investigated, and their ecological risks were assessed using the risk quotient method and probabilistic risk assessment. Environmental concentrations of OCPs in surface water of these bays were relatively lower compared with other rivers or lakes in China. Calculation of risk quotient associated with taxonomic groups indicates moderate ecological risks from OCPs for crustaceans and insects in these bays, while the ecological risks were low for fish and negligible for phytoplankton. The ecological risk quotients associated with individual OCPs were lower than 0.01 in these bays, suggesting a negligible risk to aquatic organisms. Ecological risk from α-HCH was relatively lower compared with DDTs, endosulfans, and γ-HCH. The combined ecological risks were evaluated using probabilistic risk assessment for only eight OCPs owing to a lack of available toxicity data for β-HCH and δ-HCH. The percentage of species with the potential to be at risk from mixture of OCPs was lower than the criteria of 5% in each bay, indicating that the combined ecological risks were acceptable.