The role of astrocytes in oxidative stress of central nervous system: A mixed blessing

Central nervous system (CNS) maintains a high level of metabolism, which leads to the generation of large amounts of free radicals, and it is also one of the most vulnerable organs to oxidative stress. Emerging evidences have shown that, as the key homeostatic cells in CNS, astrocytes are deeply involved in multiple aspects of CNS function including oxidative stress regulation. Besides, the redox level in CNS can in turn affect astrocytes in morphology and function. The complex and multiple roles of astrocytes indicate that their correct performance is crucial for the normal functioning of the CNS, and its dysfunction may result in the occurrence and progression of various neurological disorders. To date, the influence of astrocytes in CNS oxidative stress is rarely reviewed. Therefore, in this review we sum up the roles of astrocytes in redox regulation and the corresponding mechanisms under both normal and different pathological conditions.     

丛枝菌根真菌促进南美蟛蜞菊生长及对难溶磷的吸收

为了解2种丛枝菌根真菌(AMF)摩西管柄囊霉(Funneliformis mosseae, FM)和地表球囊霉(Glomus versiforme, GV)对入侵植物南美蟛蜞菊(Wedelia trilobata)的生长和对难溶性磷酸盐利用的影响,采用沙培盆栽方式,研究了南美蟛蜞菊在接种AMF与添加难溶性磷酸盐的生长和磷含量的变化。结果表明,在磷限制环境下FM对南美蟛蜞菊的侵染率达55%～69%,GV的侵染率达到63%～80%。添加难溶性磷酸盐后,2种AMF均促进了南美蟛蜞菊茎的伸长(FM:+46%; GV:+65%)、总生物量的增加(FM:+27.2%; GV:+40%)和磷含量的增加(FM:+36.6%; GV:+40.7%)。对比FM,GV对植物利用难溶性磷有更显著的促进作用。因此,南美蟛蜞菊与2种AMF形成的共生体系可以促进植物生长和对营养资源的利用,提高对难溶性磷的吸收效率可能使得南美蟛蜞菊在营养贫乏的环境中更好地建立种群。     

新一代遥感技术助力生态系统生态学研究

随着气候变化和人类活动的加剧, 生态系统正处于剧烈变化中, 生态学家需要从更大的时空尺度去理解生态系统过程和变化规律, 应对全球变化带来的威胁和挑战。传统地面调查方法主要获取的是样方尺度、离散的数据, 难以满足大尺度生态系统研究对数据时空连续性的要求。相比于传统地面调查方法, 遥感技术具有实时获取、重复监测以及多时空尺度的特点, 弥补了传统地面调查方法空间观测尺度有限的缺点。遥感通过分析电磁波信息从而识别地物属性和特征, 反演生态系统组成、能量流动和物质循环过程中的关键要素, 已逐渐成为生态学研究中必不可少的数据来源。近年来, 随着激光雷达、日光诱导叶绿素荧光等新型遥感技术以及无人机、背包等近地面遥感平台的发展, 个人化、定制化的近地面遥感观测逐渐成熟, 新一代遥感技术正在推动遥感信息“二维向三维”的转变, 为传统样地观测与卫星遥感之间搭建了尺度推绎桥梁, 这也给生态系统生态学带来了新的机遇, 推动生态系统生态学向多尺度、多过程、多学科、多途径发展。因此, 该文从生态系统生态学角度出发, 重点关注陆地生态系统中生物组分, 并分别从生态系统类型、结构、功能和生物多样性等方面, 结合作者在实际研究工作中的主要成果和该领域国际前沿动态, 阐述遥感技术在生态系统生态学中的研究现状并指出我国生态系统遥感监测领域发展方向及亟待解决的问题。     

The intronic promoter of Actin4 mediates high-level transgene expression mainly in the wing and epidermis of silkworms

Transgenic Research - The cytoplasmic actin gene Actin4 (A4) in silkworm (Bombyx mori) was isolated 20 years ago and has a distal promoter upstream of the first exon and a proximal...     

Overexpression of the chitinase gene CmCH1 from Coniothyrium minitans renders enhanced resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in soybean

Transgenic Research - Pathogenic fungi represent one of the major biotic stresses for soybean production across the world. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot, is a...     

肺炎支原体感染对川崎病的影响及机制探讨

目的分析肺炎支原体感染对川崎病的影响及其机制,以期指导临床诊疗。方法回顾性分析2013年8月至2018年8月我科住院的496例川崎病患儿临床资料,其中合并肺炎支原体感染组193例,未合并肺炎支原体感染组303例。应用倾向评分匹配法1∶1校正2组的年龄、性别、是否为不完全型川崎病、是否使用糖皮质激素、丙种球蛋白使用时间、丙种球蛋白使用方法和阿司匹林初始剂量,比较2组患儿的总发热天数、冠状动脉直径、冠状动脉扩张发生率、冠状动脉瘤发生率和丙种球蛋白无反应发生率。结果川崎病合并肺炎支原体感染组男性患儿多,更易发生颈部淋巴结肿大,年龄、中性粒细胞百分比、血沉和低密度脂蛋白高于川崎病未合并肺炎支原体感染组,血钾、血钙、高密度脂蛋白和白蛋白低于川崎病未合并肺炎支原体感染组,差异有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。应用倾向评分匹配法1∶1配对后发现,川崎病合并肺炎支原体感染组患儿总发热时间更长[8(6~10)d vs 7(6~9)d,Z=-2.089,P<0.05),冠状动脉直径值更大[(2.81±0.81)mm vs(2.63±0.45)mm,t=2.532,P<0.05],冠状动脉瘤发生率更高(5.5% vs 1.1%,χ²=5.516,P<0.05)。结论肺炎支原体感染可能引起川崎病患儿脂质代谢及电解质的紊乱,其炎症反应更强,持续时间更长,对冠状动脉损伤更大。     

Studies on reproductive strategies of Vitex negundo L. var. heterophylla (Franch.) Rehder (Lamiaceae) based on morphological characteristics and SSR markers

Vitex negundo L. var. heterophylla (Franch.) Rehder (Lamiaceae) is an important tree species for soil and water conservation, yet the reproductive ecology of this species remains to be elucidated. To investigate the reproductive traits of V. negundo var. heterophylla, the phenology, morphological characteristics (a suite of characters was assessed: floral morphology, nectar production, pollen viability, and stigma receptivity) and mating system of this species were systematically revealed for the first time in this study. Phenological observations, morphological measurements, and nectar production analysis were conducted during anthesis. Pollen viability and stigma receptivity at different flowering stages were measured by biochemical methods. Finally, genetic analysis based on SSR markers was used to reveal the mating system; outcrossing index and pollen‐ovule ratio were also calculated to help analysis. V. negundo var. heterophylla showed several obvious characteristics of outcrossing, such as abundant and attractive flowers, secreting nectar, and emitting scent. In addition, mechanisms such as homogamy and a short anther‐stigma distance that can promote self‐fertilization were also identified in this species. The coexistence of selfing and outcrossing characteristics demonstrates a predominantly outcrossed mixed mating system (outcrossing rate, t = 95%). The scientific information provided by this study may contribute to conservation of V. negundo var. heterophylla from a reproductive perspective.     

Histone deacetylase 10, a potential epigenetic target for therapy

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) 10, a class II family, has been implicated in various tumors and non-tumor diseases, which makes the discovery of biological functions and novel inhibitors a fundamental endeavor. In cancers, HDAC10 plays crucial roles in regulating various cellular processes through its epigenetic functions or targeting some decisive molecular or signaling pathways. It also has potential clinical utility for targeting tumors and non-tumor diseases, such as renal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), intracerebral hemorrhage, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and schizophrenia. To date, relatively few studies have investigated HDAC10-specific inhibitors. Therefore, it is important to study the biological functions of HDAC10 for the future development of specific HDAC10 inhibitors. In this review, we analyzed the biological functions, mechanisms and inhibitors of HDAC10, which makes HDAC10 an appealing therapeutic target.     

Correlations between glycolysis with clinical traits and immune function in bladder urothelial carcinoma

Background: Glycolysis was a representative hallmark in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and we aimed to explore the correlations between glycolysis with immune activity and clinical traits in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA).Methods: Our study obtained glycolysis scores for each BLCA samples from TCGA by a single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm, based on a glycolytic gene set. The relationship between glycolysis with prognosis, clinical characteristics, and immune function were investigated subsequently.Results: We found that enhanced glycolysis was associated with poor prognosis and metastasis in BLCA. Moreover, glycolysis had a close correlation with immune function, and enhanced glycolysis increased immune activities. In other words, glycolysis had a positive correlation with immune activities. Immune checkpoints such as IDO1, CD274, were up-regulated in high-glycolysis group as well.Conclusion: We speculated that in BLCA, elevated glycolysis enhanced immune function, which caused tumor cells to overexpress immune checkpoints to evade immune surveillance. Inhibition of glycolysis might be a promising assistant for immunotherapy in bladder cancer.