MiR‐16, as a potential NF‐κB‐related miRNA,exerts anti‐inflammatory effects on LPS‐induced myocarditis via mediating CD40 expression: A preliminary study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biological effect of miR‐16 on myocarditis and the underlying molecular mechanism. H9c2 cells were treated with 10 µg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 12 hours to form a myocarditis injury model. We observed that LPS treatment distinctly decreased the level of miR‐16 in H9c2 cells. Upregulation of miR‐16 increased cell proliferation and reduced cell apoptosis. Then, CD40 was predicted and verified as a target gene of miR‐16 by TargetScan and luciferase reporter assay, respectively. Furthermore, the messenger RNA and protein expression of CD40 are negatively regulated by miR‐16. The relative expression of inflammatory factors was dramatically decreased by the miR‐16 mimic. Cells cotransfected with miR‐16 mimic and si‐CD40 could significantly abolish the injury of cardiomyocytes caused by myocarditis. Our study illustrated that the upregulation of miR‐16 has a protective effect on LPS‐damaged H9c2 cells, which may be achieved by regulating CD40 and the nuclear factor kappa B pathway.     

Soil seed bank in different vegetation types in the Loess Plateau region and its role in vegetation restoration

In the Loess Plateau region, soil erosion is a serious problem. Vegetation restoration is an effective approach to control soil erosion and improve ecosystems. The soil seed bank generally plays an important role in vegetation restoration after disturbance. Thus, we reviewed soil seed bank studies to reveal the soil seed bank characteristics and its role in vegetation restoration in three vegetation types (forest, forest‐steppe, and steppe). We selected 38 seed bank studies and analyzed several seed bank characteristics, such as seed density, species composition, and the relationship between seed size and seed bank. We also assessed the role of the soil seed bank in vegetation restoration. The soil seed bank density ranged from 2,331 ± 1,993 to 6,985 ± 4,047 seeds/m² among the different vegetation types. In the soil seed bank, perennial herbs and grasses accounted for 51.5% of the total species. Native species that were dominant or common in the standing vegetation usually had relatively high seed bank densities. Moreover, species with smaller seeds generally had higher soil seed bank densities. The present study indicates that the soil seed bank plays a significant role in spontaneous vegetation restoration, especially during the early successional stages in abandoned slope farmlands and grazing‐excluded grasslands. However, species with large seeds or transient soil seed banks should be reintroduced through seeding to accelerate target species restoration. More studies on soil seed banks need to be conducted to comprehensively reveal their characteristics.     

LINC00667 promotes Wilms’ tumor metastasis and stemness by sponging miR‐200b/c/429 family to regulate IKK‐β

Wilms' tumor, also known as nephroblastoma, is a kind of pediatric renal cancer. Previous studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate various cancers progression. However, whether miR‐200 family regulated Wilms' tumor progression remains to be elucidated. In our study, miR‐200b/c/429 expression was downregulated in Wilms' tumor tissue samples from 25 patients. And data from three independent analyses of quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the expression of miR‐200b/c/429 was downregulated in Wilms' tumor cell lines. Functionally, Cell counting kit‐8 assay revealed that cell viability was reduced by overexpressing miR‐200b/c/429. Transwell assay manifested that cell migration and invasion was hindered by miR‐200b/c/429 overexpression. Sphere‐forming and western blot assays demonstrated that miR‐200b/c/429 overexpression suppressed the sphere formation ability. Mechanically, nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) pathway was confirmed to be associated with Wilms' tumor progression; miR‐200b/c/429 overexpression inactivated NF‐κB pathway as miR‐200b/c/429 was identified to target IκB kinase β (IKK‐β), an NF‐κB pathway‐related gene. Moreover, miR‐200b/c/429 was sponged by LINC00667 in Wilms' tumor cells. LINC00667 competitively bound with miR‐200b/c/429 to regulate IKK‐β expression and then activated NF‐κB pathway in Wilms' tumor. Subsequently, rescue assays illustrated that silencing of IKK‐β could reverse the effect of miR‐200b/c/429 inhibition on the progression of sh‐LINC00667‐transfected Wilms' tumor cells. In summary, LINC00667 promoted Wilms' tumor progression by sponging miR‐200b/c/429 family to regulate IKK‐β.     

Probiotic Lactobacillus johnsonii BS15 Promotes Growth Performance,Intestinal Immunity,and Gut Microbiota in Piglets

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Numerous studies have investigated the beneficial effects of Lactobacillus johnsonii strain BS15 on mice and broilers. This study aimed to understand the...     

Genetic basis of kernel nutritional traits during maize domestication and improvement

The nutritional traits of maize kernels are important for human and animal nutrition, and these traits have undergone selection to meet the diverse nutritional needs of humans. However, our knowledge of the genetic basis of selecting for kernel nutritional traits is limited. Here, we identified both single and epistatic quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that contributed to the differences of oil and carotenoid traits between maize and teosinte. Over half of teosinte alleles of single QTLs increased the values of the detected oil and carotenoid traits. Based on the pleiotropism or linkage information of the identified single QTLs, we constructed a trait–locus network to help clarify the genetic basis of correlations among oil and carotenoid traits. Furthermore, the selection features and evolutionary trajectories of the genes or loci underlying variations in oil and carotenoid traits revealed that these nutritional traits produced diverse selection events during maize domestication and improvement. To illustrate more, a mutator distance–relative transposable element (TE) in intron 1 of DXS2, which encoded a rate‐limiting enzyme in the methylerythritol phosphate pathway, was identified to increase carotenoid biosynthesis by enhancing DXS2 expression. This TE occurs in the grass teosinte, and has been found to have undergone selection during maize domestication and improvement, and is almost fixed in yellow maize. Our findings not only provide important insights into evolutionary changes in nutritional traits, but also highlight the feasibility of reintroducing back into commercial agricultural germplasm those nutritionally important genes hidden in wild relatives.     

Sl‐lncRNA15492 interacts with Sl‐miR482a and affects Solanum lycopersicum immunity against Phytophthora infestans

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the resistance of plants to infection by pathogens via interactions with microRNAs (miRNAs). Long non‐coding RNAs are cleaved by miRNAs to produce phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs), which, as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), function as decoys for mature miRNAs, thus inhibiting their expression, and contain pre‐miRNA sequences to produce mature miRNAs. However, whether lncRNAs and miRNAs mediate other molecular mechanisms during plant resistance to pathogens is unknown. In this study, as a positive regulator, Sl‐lncRNA15492 from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Zaofen No. 2) plants affected tomato resistance to Phytophthora infestans. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments and RNA ligase‐mediated 5′‐amplification of cDNA ends (RLM‐5′ RACE) also revealed that Sl‐miR482a was negatively involved in tomato resistance by targeting Sl‐NBS‐LRR genes and that silencing of Sl‐NBS‐LRR1 decreased tomato resistance. Sl‐lncRNA15492 inhibited the expression of mature Sl‐miR482a, whose precursor was located within the antisense sequence of Sl‐lncRNA15492. Further degradome analysis and additional RLM‐5′ RACE experiments verified that mature Sl‐miR482a could also cleave Sl‐lncRNA15492. These results provide a mechanism by which lncRNAs might inhibit precursor miRNA expression through antisense strands of lncRNAs, and demonstrate that Sl‐lncRNA15492 and Sl‐miR482a mutually inhibit the maintenance of Sl‐NBS‐LRR1 homeostasis during tomato resistance to P. infestans.     

中国缺齿藓科新记录种——冻原丝瓜藓(新拟,Pohlia tundrae A. J. Shaw)

冻原丝瓜藓(Pohlia tundrae)在北美被首次描述,随后在欧洲中部、俄罗斯远东地区和西伯利亚西北部也相继报道。最近,作者在西藏林芝也发现了冻原丝瓜藓的分布。该文详细描述了冻原丝瓜藓的形态结构特征,提供了显微形态学照片,并对其生境、地理分布以及与相似种的形态学进行了比较讨论。凭证标本存放于中国农业大学标本馆(BAU)。     

金鱼草AmPDS基因克隆及调节类胡萝卜素合成功能分析

八氢番茄红素脱氢酶(phytoene desaturase,PDS)是类胡萝卜素进行生物合成途径中的关键酶。为了深入探究金鱼草PDS基因的功能,该研究以‘马里兰’金鱼草(Antirrhinum majus‘Maryland True Pink’)为材料,对其PDS基因(AmPDS)全长序列及蛋白结构进行分析,并克隆了AmPDS基因片段;采用qRT-PCR技术检测AmPDS基因在不同时期及部位的相对表达水平,利用VIGS技术验证AmPDS基因功能,用紫外分光法测定叶片中各类色素含量。结果显示:(1)成功克隆AmPDS基因片段(500 bp);AmPDS基因cDNA全长1743 bp,编码580个氨基酸;其蛋白分子量为64.75 kD,理论等电点6.66;同源比对分析显示AmPDS基因与芝麻(Sesamum indicum)的序列相似性最高。(2)qRT-PCR分析表明,AmPDS基因在全株均有表达,且在全盛期花朵的上瓣和叶片中表达量最高。(3)构建pTRV2-AmPDS载体,建立了金鱼草的VIGS沉默体系,AmPDS基因沉默效率约为53%,与阴性对照相比叶片中各类色素含量均显著降低。研究认为,AmPDS基因是金鱼草类胡萝卜素生物合成途径中的关键基因,可作为金鱼草VIGS沉默体系的指示基因,为后续研究金鱼草其他基因功能奠定基础。