An eukaryotic translation initiation factor,AteIF5A‐2, affects cadmium accumulation and sensitivity in Arabidopsis

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic elements and can be accumulated in plants easily; meanwhile, eIF5A is a highly conserved protein in all eukaryotic organisms. The present work tried to investigate whether eIF5A is involved in Cd accumulation and sensitivity in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L.) by comparing the wild‐type Columbia‐0 (Col‐0) with a knockdown mutant of AteIF5A‐2, fbr12‐3 under Cd stress conditions. The results showed that the mutant fbr12‐3 accumulated more Cd in roots and shoots and had significantly lower chlorophyll content, shorter root length, and smaller biomass, suggesting that downregulation of AteIF5A‐2 makes the mutant more Cd sensitive. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the expressions of metal transporters involved in Cd uptake and translocation including IRT1, ZIP1, AtNramp3, and AtHMA4 were significantly increased but the expressions of PCS1 and PCS2 related to Cd detoxification were decreased notably in fbr12‐3 compared with Col‐0. As a result, an increase in MDA and H₂O₂ content but decrease in root trolox, glutathione and proline content under Cd stress was observed, indicating that a severer oxidative stress occurs in the mutant. All these results demonstrated for the first time that AteIF5A influences Cd sensitivity by affecting Cd uptake, accumulation, and detoxification in Arabidopsis.     

Detoxification of insecticides,allechemicals and heavy metals by glutathione S‐transferase SlGSTE1 in the gut of Spodoptera litura

Insect glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs) play important roles in detoxifying toxic compounds and eliminating oxidative stress caused by these compounds. In this study, detoxification activity of the epsilon GST SlGSTE1 in Spodoptera litura was analyzed for several insecticides and heavy metals. SlGSTE1 was significantly up‐regulated by chlorpyrifos and xanthotoxin in the midgut of S. litura. The recombinant SlGSTE1 had V_max (reaction rate of the enzyme saturated with the substrate) and K_m (michaelis constant and equals to the substrate concentration at half of the maximum reaction rate of the enzyme) values of 27.95 ± 0.88 μmol/min/mg and 0.87 ± 0.028 mmol/L for glutathione, respectively, and V_max and K_m values of 22.96 ± 0.78 μmol/min/mg and 0.83 ± 0.106 mmol/L for 1‐chloro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene, respectively. In vitro enzyme indirect activity assay showed that the recombinant SlGSTE1 possessed high binding activities to the insecticides chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin, malathion, phoxim and dichloro‐diphenyl‐trichloroethane (DDT). SlGSTE1 showed higher binding activity to toxic heavy metals cadmium, chromium and lead than copper and zinc that are required for insect normal growth. Western blot analysis showed that SlGSTE1 was induced in the gut of larvae fed with chlorpyrifos or cadmium. SlGSTE1 also showed high peroxidase activity. All the results together indicate that SlGSTE1 may play an important role in the gut of S. litura to protect the insect from the toxic effects of these compounds and heavy metals.     

Clinical,Virological and Immunological Features from Patients Infected with Re-Emergent Avian-Origin Human H7N9 Influenza Disease of Varying Severity in Guangdong Province

BackgroundThe second wave of avian influenza H7N9 virus outbreak in humans spread to the Guangdong province of China by August of 2013 and this virus is now endemic in poultry in this region.MethodsFive patients with H7N9 virus infection admitted to our hospital during August 2013 to February 2014 were intensively investigated. Viral load in the respiratory tract was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) and cytokine levels were measured by bead-based flow cytometery.ResultsFour patients survived and one died. Viral load in different clinical specimens was correlated with cytokine levels in plasma and broncho-alveolar fluid (BALF), therapeutic modalities used and clinical outcome. Intravenous zanamivir appeared to be better than peramivir as salvage therapy in patients who failed to respond to oseltamivir. Higher and more prolonged viral load was found in the sputum or endotracheal aspirates compared to throat swabs. Upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines IP-10, MCP-1, MIG, MIP-1α/β, IL-1β and IL-8 was found in the plasma and BALF samples. The levels of cytokines in the plasma and viral load were correlated with disease severity. Reactivation of herpes simplex virus type 1(HSV-1) was found in three out of five patients (60%).ConclusionExpectorated sputum or endotracheal aspirate specimens are preferable to throat swabs for detecting and monitoring H7N9 virus. Severity of the disease was correlated to the viral load in the respiratory tract as well as the extents of cytokinemia. Reactivation of HSV-1 may contribute to clinical outcome.     

Advancing Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Variations of Soil Nutrients in the Water Level Fluctuation Zone of China’s Three Gorges Reservoir Using Self-Organizing Map

The ~350 km² water level fluctuation zone (WLFZ) in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) of China, situated at the intersection of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, experiences a great hydrological change with prolonged winter inundation. Soil samples were collected in 12 sites pre- (September 2008) and post submergence (June 2009) in the WLFZ and analyzed for soil nutrients. Self-organizing map (SOM) and statistical analysis including multi-way ANOVA, paired-T test, and stepwise least squares multiple regression were employed to determine the spatio-temporal variations of soil nutrients in relation to submergence, and their correlations with soil physical characteristics. Results showed significant spatial variability in nutrients along ~600 km long shoreline of the TGR before and after submergence. There were higher contents of organic matter, total nitrogen (TN), and nitrate (NO3-) in the lower reach and total phosphorus (TP) in the upper reach that were primarily due to the spatial variations in soil particle size composition and anthropogenic activities. Submergence enhanced soil available potassium (K), while significantly decreased soil N, possibly due to the alterations of soil particle size composition and increase in soil pH. In addition, SOM analysis determined important roles of soil pH value, bulk density, soil particle size (i.e., silt and sand) and nutrients (TP, TK, and AK) on the spatial and temporal variations in soil quality. Our results suggest that urban sewage and agricultural runoffs are primary pollutants that affect soil nutrients in the WLFZ of TGR.     

Olfactory Dysfunction and Neurotransmitter Disturbance in Olfactory Bulb of Transgenic Mice Expressing Human A53T Mutant α-Synuclein

Parkinson disease is a multi-system neurodegenerative disease characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms. Hyposmia is one of the early non-motor symptoms occurring in more than 90% of Parkinson disease cases, which can precede motor symptoms even several years. Up to now, the relationship between hyposmia and Parkinson disease remains elusive. Lack of proper animal models of hyposmia restricts the investigation. In this study we assessed olfactory function in Prp-A53T-α-synuclein transgenic (αSyn^A53T) mice which had been reported to show age-dependent motor impairments and intracytoplasmic inclusions. We also examined cholinergic and dopaminergic systems in olfactory bulb of αSyn^A53T mice by immunofluorescent staining, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and western blot. We found that compared to wild type littermates, αSyn^A53T mice at 6 months or older displayed a deficit of odor discrimination and odor detection. No significant changes were found in olfactory memory and odor habituation. Furthermore compared to wildtype littermates, in olfactory bulb of αSyn^A53T mice at 10 months old we detected a marked decrease of cholinergic neurons in mitral cell layer and a decrease of acetylcholinesterase activity, while dopaminergic neurons were found increased in glomerular layer, accompanied with an increase of tyrosine hydroxylase protein. Our studies indicate that αSyn^A53T mice have olfactory dysfunction before motor deficits occur, and the cholinergic and dopaminergic disturbance might be responsible for the Parkinson disease-related olfactory dysfunction.     

Cerebral Hemodynamic Changes of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury at the Acute Stage

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a significant public health care burden in the United States. However, we lack a detailed understanding of the pathophysiology following mTBI and its relation to symptoms and recovery. With advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we can investigate brain perfusion and oxygenation in regions known to be implicated in symptoms, including cortical gray matter and subcortical structures. In this study, we assessed 14 mTBI patients and 18 controls with susceptibility weighted imaging and mapping (SWIM) for blood oxygenation quantification. In addition to SWIM, 7 patients and 12 controls had cerebral perfusion measured with arterial spin labeling (ASL). We found increases in regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the left striatum, and in frontal and occipital lobes in patients as compared to controls (p = 0.01, 0.03, 0.03 respectively). We also found decreases in venous susceptibility, indicating increases in venous oxygenation, in the left thalamostriate vein and right basal vein of Rosenthal (p = 0.04 in both). mTBI patients had significantly lower delayed recall scores on the standardized assessment of concussion, but neither susceptibility nor CBF measures were found to correlate with symptoms as assessed by neuropsychological testing. The increased CBF combined with increased venous oxygenation suggests an increase in cerebral blood flow that exceeds the oxygen demand of the tissue, in contrast to the regional hypoxia seen in more severe TBI. This may represent a neuroprotective response following mTBI, which warrants further investigation.     

High-Density Genetic Linkage Map Construction and QTL Mapping of Grain Shape and Size in the Wheat Population Yanda1817 × Beinong6

High-density genetic linkage maps are necessary for precisely mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling grain shape and size in wheat. By applying the Infinium iSelect 9K SNP assay, we have constructed a high-density genetic linkage map with 269 F ₈ recombinant inbred lines (RILs) developed between a Chinese cornerstone wheat breeding parental line Yanda1817 and a high-yielding line Beinong6. The map contains 2431 SNPs and 128 SSR & EST-SSR markers in a total coverage of 3213.2 cM with an average interval of 1.26 cM per marker. Eighty-eight QTLs for thousand-grain weight (TGW), grain length (GL), grain width (GW) and grain thickness (GT) were detected in nine ecological environments (Beijing, Shijiazhuang and Kaifeng) during five years between 2010–2014 by inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) (LOD≥2.5). Among which, 17 QTLs for TGW were mapped on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3D, 4A, 4D, 5A, 5B and 6B with phenotypic variations ranging from 2.62% to 12.08%. Four stable QTLs for TGW could be detected in five and seven environments, respectively. Thirty-two QTLs for GL were mapped on chromosomes 1B, 1D, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3B, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4D, 5A, 5B, 6B, 7A and 7B, with phenotypic variations ranging from 2.62% to 44.39%. QGl.cau-2A.2 can be detected in all the environments with the largest phenotypic variations, indicating that it is a major and stable QTL. For GW, 12 QTLs were identified with phenotypic variations range from 3.69% to 12.30%. We found 27 QTLs for GT with phenotypic variations ranged from 2.55% to 36.42%. In particular, QTL QGt.cau-5A.1 with phenotypic variations of 6.82–23.59% was detected in all the nine environments. Moreover, pleiotropic effects were detected for several QTL loci responsible for grain shape and size that could serve as target regions for fine mapping and marker assisted selection in wheat breeding programs.     

Is Yield Increase Sufficient to Achieve Food Security in China?

Increasing demand for food, driven by unprecedented population growth and increasing consumption, will keep challenging food security in China. Although cereal yields have substantially improved during the last three decades, whether it will keep thriving to meet the increasing demand is not known yet. Thus, an integrated analysis on the trends of crop yield and cultivated area is essential to better understand current state of food security in China, especially on county scale. So far, yield stagnation has extensively dominated the main cereal-growing areas across China. Rice yield is facing the most severe stagnation that 53.9% counties tracked in the study have stagnated significantly, followed by maize (42.4%) and wheat (41.9%). As another important element for production sustainability, but often neglected is the planted area patterns. It has been further demonstrated that the loss in productive arable land for rice and wheat have dramatically increased the pressure on achieving food security. Not only a great deal of the planted areas have stagnated since 1980, but also collapsed. 48.4% and 54.4% of rice- and wheat-growing counties have lost their cropland areas to varying degrees. Besides, 27.6% and 35.8% of them have retrograded below the level of the 1980s. The combined influence (both loss in yield and area) has determined the crop sustainable production in China to be pessimistic for rice and wheat, and consequently no surprise to find that more than half of counties rank a lower level of production sustainability. Therefore, given the potential yield increase in wheat and maize, as well as substantial area loss of rice and wheat, the possible targeted adaptation measures for both yield and cropping area is required at county scale. Moreover, policies on food trade, alongside advocation of low calorie diets, reducing food loss and waste can help to enhance food security.     

Sevoflurane Inhibits Nuclear Factor-κB Activation in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Inflammatory Lung Injury via Toll-Like Receptor 4 Signaling

Background

Infection is a common cause of acute lung injury (ALI). This study was aimed to explore whether Toll-like receptors 4 (TLR₄) of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) play a role in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and potential mechanisms.

Methods

In vivo: A sensitizing dose of LPS (50 µg) was administered i.p. to female mice before anesthesia with either 3% sevoflurane or phenobarbital i.p. After stabilization, the mice were challenged with 5 µg of intratracheal LPS to mimic inflammatory attack. The effects of sevoflurane were assessed by measurement of airway responsiveness to methacholine, histological examination, and IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Protein and gene expression of TLR₄ and NF-κB were also assessed. In vitro: After pre-sensitization of ASMCs and ASM segments for 24h, levels of TLR₄ and NF-κB proteins in cultured ASMCs were measured after continuous LPS exposure for 1, 3, 5, 12 and 24h in presence or absence of sevoflurane. Constrictor and relaxant responsiveness of ASM was measured 24 h afterwards.

Results

The mRNA and protein levels of NF-κB and TLR₄ in ASM were increased and maintained at high level after LPS challenge throughout 24h observation period, both in vivo and in vitro. Sevoflurane reduced LPS-induced airway hyperresponsiveness, lung inflammatory cell infiltration and proinflammatory cytokines release in BALF as well as maximal isometric contractile force of ASM segments to acetylcholine, but it increased maximal relaxation response to isoproterenol. Treatment with specific NF-κB inhibitor produced similar protections as sevoflurane, including decreased expressions of TLR₄ and NF-κB in cultured ASMCs and improved pharmacodynamic responsiveness of ASM to ACh and isoproterenol.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the crucial role of TLR₄ activation in ASMCs during ALI in response to LPS. Sevoflurane exerts direct relaxant and anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and in vitro via inhibition of TLR₄/NF-κB pathway.