Length-weight relationships of four fish species from the Yalong River,China

Parameters of the length-weight relationship (LWR) were estimated for four fish species [Beaufortia szechuanensis (Fang, 1930), Claea dabryi (Sauvage, 1874), Percocypris pingi (Tchang, 1930), and Yunnanilus sichuanensis Ding, 1995] from the Yalong River. Samples were collected seasonally from June 2018 to July 2019, using various fishing gears [set nets (mesh: 1.5 × 2.0 cm), hook, drift gill nets (three mesh sizes: 1.0; 2.0; 3.0 cm) and electro fishing]. Two new maximum standard length were recorded for C. dabryi and P. pingi.     

Structural analysis of glycosaminoglycans from Colla corii asini by liquid chromatography-electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry

Glycoconjugate Journal - Colla corii asini (CCA) made from donkey-hide has been widely used as a traditional animal-based Chinese medicine. Chondroitin sulfate (CS), dermatan sulfate (DS) and...     

High expression of NEK2 promotes lung cancer progression and drug resistance and is regulated by mutant EGFR

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - An increasing amount of research showed that endothelial cells (ECs) play crucial role in vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis (AS). LncRNA OIP5-AS1 and...     

A novel peroxiredoxin from the antagonistic endophytic bacterium Enterobacter sp. V1 contributes to cotton resistance against Verticillium dahliae

Plant and Soil - [Aims] To reveal the molecular mechanism of endophytic bacteria in Verticillium wilt-resistant cottons and deeply understand the interaction between soil and plants. [Methods]...     

Knockout of SlNPR1 enhances tomato plants resistance against Botrytis cinerea by modulating ROS homeostasis and JA/ET signaling pathways

Tomato is one of the most popular horticultural crops, and many commercial tomato cultivars are particularly susceptible to Botrytis cinerea. Non-expressor of pathogenesis-related gene 1 (NPR1) is a critical component of the plant defense mechanisms. However, our understanding of how SlNPR1 influences disease resistance in tomato is still limited. In this study, two independent slnpr1 mutants were used to study the role of SlNPR1 in tomato resistance against B. cinerea. Compared to (WT), slnpr1 leaves exhibited enhanced resistance against B. cinerea with smaller lesion sizes, higher activities of chitinase (CHI), β-1, 3-glucanases (GLU) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), and significantly increased expressions of pathogenesis-related genes (PRs). The increased activities of peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and decreased catalase (CAT) activities collectively regulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis in slnpr1 mutants. The integrity of the cell wall in slnpr1 mutants was maintained. Moreover, the enhanced resistance was further reflected by induction of defense genes involved in jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) signaling pathways. Taken together, these findings revealed that knocking out SlNPR1 resulted in increased activities of defense enzymes, changes in ROS homeostasis and integrity of cell walls, and activation of JA and ET pathways, which confers resistance against B. cinerea in tomato plants.     

Natural sex change in mature protogynous orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides): gonadal restructuring,sex hormone shifts and gene profiles

Sexual patterns of teleosts are extremely diverse and include both gonochorism and hermaphroditism. As a protogynous hermaphroditic fish, all orange-spotted groupers (Epinephelus coioides) develop directly into females, and some individuals change sex to become functional males later in life. This study investigated gonadal restructuring, shifts in sex hormone levels and gene profiles of cultured mature female groupers during the first (main) breeding season of 2019 in Huizhou, China (22° 42′ 02.6″ N, 114° 32′ 10.1″ E). Analysis of gonadal restructuring revealed that females with pre-vitellogenic ovaries underwent vitellogenesis, spawning and regression and then returned to the pre-vitellogenic stage in the late breeding season, at which point some changed sex to become males via the intersex gonad stage. A significant decrease in the level of serum 17β-estradiol (E2) was observed during ovary regression but not during sex change, whereas serum 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) concentrations increased significantly during sex change with the highest concentration in newly developed males. Consistent with serum hormone changes, a significant decrease in cyp19a1a expression was observed during ovary regression but not during sex change, whereas the expression of cyp11c1 and hsd11b2 increased significantly during sex change. Interestingly, hsd11b2 but not cyp11c1 was significantly upregulated from the pre-vitellogenic ovary stage to the early intersex gonad stage. These results suggest that a decrease in serum E2 concentration and downregulation of cyp19a1a expression are not necessary to trigger the female-to-male transformation, whereas increased 11-KT concentration and upregulation of hsd11b2 expression may be key events for the initiation of sex change in the orange-spotted grouper.     

shRNA-Mediated Suppression of γ-Synuclein Leading to Downregulation of p38/ERK/JNK Phosphorylation and Cell Cycle Arrest in Endometrial Cancer Cells

Molecular Biology - In this study, we explored the effects of treating human endometrial cancer cells with γ-synuclein-specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and elucidated the associated...     

Dietary Selenium Supplementation Does Not Attenuate Mammary Tumorigenesis-Mediated Bone Loss in Male MMTV-PyMT Mice

Biological Trace Element Research - Bone wasting occurs during the progression of breast cancer and contributes to breast cancer mortality. We evaluated the effect of methylseleninic acid (MSeA),...     

SmMYB98b positive regulation to tanshinones in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge hairy roots

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - Tanshinones are major secondary metabolites in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Danshen. Increasing the production...