Genome-wide analysis of Nilaparvata lugens nymphal responses to high-density and low-quality rice hosts

The brown planthopper （BPH） Nilaparvata lugens is an economically impor- tant pest on rice plants. In this study, the higher population density and yellow-ripe stage of rice plants were used to construct adverse survival conditions （ASC） against BPH nymphs. Simultaneously, the low population density and tillering stage of rice plants were used to establish a suitable survival condition （SSC） as a control. Solexa/Illumina sequencing was used to identify genes of BPH nymphs responding to ASC. Significantly longer duration development of BPH nymphs and significantly lower brachypterous ratio of BPH adults were observed by ASC compared with SSC. A total of 2 544 differentially expressed genes （DEGs） were obtained and analyzed by BLASTx, Gene Ontology and KEGG Orthology. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the DEGs were mainly involved in categories of cell, cell part, cellular process, binding, catalytic, organelle and metabolic processes. 1138 DEGs having enzyme commission numbers were assigned to different metabolic pathways. The largest clusters were neurodegenerative diseases （137, 12.0%）, followed by carbohy- drate metabolism （113, 9.9%）, amino acid metabolism （94, 8.3%）, nucleotide metabolism （76, 6.7%）, energy metabolism （64, 5.6%）, translation （60, 5.3%）, lipid metabolism （58, 5.1%）, and folding, sorting and degradation （52, 4.6%）. Expressing profile of 11 DEGs during eight nymphal developmental stages of BPH were analyzed by quantitative real- time polymerase chain reaction. The 11 genes exhibited differential expression between ASC and SSC during at least one developmental stage. The DEGs identified in this study provide molecular proof of how BPH reconfigures its gene expression profile to adapt to overcrowding and low-quality hosts.     

Revealing mechanism of Caulis Sargentodoxae for the treatment of ulcerative colitis based on network pharmacology approach

Objective: The traditional Chinese medicine Caulis Sargentodoxae is widely used in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC), but the mechanism remains unknown. The present study aims to reveal its effective components, targets and pathways through network pharmacology and bioinformatics approaches.Materials and methods: Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) was used to identify effective components. The ligand-based targets prediction was achieved through SwissTargetPrediction and TargetNet. UC-related targets were identified using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data and DisGeNET. The common targets of disease and components were constructed and analyzed by PPI network. Lastly, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses are used to explain the functions of these common targets. Components-Targets-Pathways network was visualized and analyzed to further reveal the connection between the components and targets.Results: Eight active components and 102 key targets were identified to play an important role in UC. These targets were related to regulation of protein serine/threonine kinase activity, positive regulation of cell motility, response to molecule of bacterial origin, response to toxic substance, ERK1 and ERK2 cascade, peptidyl-tyrosine modification, inositol lipid-mediated signaling, cellular response to drug, regulation of inflammatory response and leukocyte migration. Moreover, HIF-1 signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were the key targets involved in UC-related signaling pathways.Conclusion: The eight active components of Caulis Sargentodoxae mainly play a therapeutic role for UC through synergistic regulation of HIF-1 signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.     

Cd污染及其与大气CO2浓度升高、N添加复合作用对大叶相思生长的影响

为了解Cd污染胁迫下树木对CO_2浓度升高、N添加及其复合作用的响应,应用开顶箱,探讨Cd及其与CO_2、N的复合作用对大叶相思(Acacia auriculiformis)基径、树高和生物量的影响。结果表明,Cd添加抑制大叶相思基径、树高和生物量的增长,并且具有时间滞后性;大气CO_2浓度升高、N添加及CO_2+N均有缓解Cd对植物生长抑制作用的趋势,其中, N添加更能促进大叶相思基径的生长,树高生长则对CO_2升高更为敏感;在Cd污染土壤中,N添加的缓解作用最显著。因此,氮肥管理是重金属污染土地修复初期促进植物修复的重要策略。     

三江平原七星河流域湿地植物多样性及影响因素

湿地植物多样性是生物多样性的重要组成部分,在维护湿地生态功能和湿地生态系统稳定性方面发挥着极其重要的作用。为研究七星河流域湿地植物的多样性,选择七星河流域的七星河国家级自然保护区和三环泡国家级自然保护区,分别于2016年和2017年,对该流域内湿地植物进行了实地植物样方调查,共计调查194个样方,利用TWINSPAN进行了样方群落划分,并采用广义线性模型分析了影响植物多样性的影响因素。结果表明七星河流域湿地植物共有532种,隶属于80科,212属,主要群落类型为湿苔草-隐果苔草群丛;狭叶甜茅群丛;萍蓬草-狐尾藻群丛;漂筏苔草群丛;小叶章-臌囊苔草群丛;甜茅-芦苇群丛;芦苇群丛;貉藻群丛等,狭叶甜茅群丛物种多样性较单一,芦苇群丛的物种多样性较丰富。广义线性模型分析结果得出物种多样性与植被密度密切相关,植被密度越大,物种的多样性越小。为七星河流域物种多样性研究提供了重要的基础数据。     

利用外源γ-氨基丁酸调控海洋绿藻亚心形四爿藻淀粉积累

微藻被看作第三代生物质能源的来源。微藻淀粉结构与高等植物的高度相似性使其可以作为粮食作物的替代,在生物能源领域有广泛的应用。γ-氨基丁酸(GABA)被认为是一种信号分子,可以调节植物细胞的生长代谢。本研究在缺氮培养条件下添加外源GABA调控海洋绿藻亚心形四爿藻生理代谢和淀粉积累。结果表明,添加外源GABA可以抑制细胞生长,降低光合作用效率;OJIP实验显示,GABA的添加增强了光合器官能量耗散,降低了光能利用效率,阻碍了电子传递,造成额外胁迫,从而促使细胞将碳流更多地分配到淀粉积累,导致藻细胞的淀粉含量、淀粉产量和淀粉产率提高。添加10 mmol/L GABA获得最大淀粉含量39%DW,比未添加GABA的对照组淀粉含量提高39%;同时获得最大淀粉产量和产率为1.72 g·L^-1和0.36 g·L^-1·d^-1,分别比未添加GABA的对照组提高39%和50%。以上结果表明在缺氮条件下添加外源GABA是一种调控亚心形四爿藻细胞代谢并提高其淀粉生产的有效方法。     

贵州省山地-坝地系统土地利用与景观格局时空演变

探讨贵州省山地-坝地系统的景观变迁与优化调控具有重要的意义。以贵州省典型的蒲场、洋川山地-坝地系统为例,从一个地貌单元对以万亩大坝为中心的山地-坝地土地系统1960年代到2010年的土地利用变化与格局演变进行系统的研究。把研究区划分成中央坝地、坝中丘陵和坝周山地3个部分,结合遥感技术与实地调查,获得研究区4个时期土地利用的空间分布,基于移动窗口法计算了景观格局指标。坝中丘陵和坝周山地景观多样性高于坝地,土地利用综合程度以坝地最高;平坝耕地从1963年所占比例90.81%下降到2010年的79.94%,坝中丘陵和坝周山地林地减少,灌木林增加,坡耕地仍保持在较高水平;耕地有向经济效益更高的土地利用方式转变的趋势。坝子在土地利用变化和景观格局演变过程中,原有的土地利用格局逐渐被改变,形成新的斑块-廊道-基质格局。研究区中部坝地、坝中丘陵和坝周山地的土地利用变化表明,坝地的土地利用变化和土地集约利用可对坝中丘陵及坝周山地产生影响,坝子与坝中丘陵和坝周山地土地利用存在耦合变化。进一步应加强研究区土地利用优化调控,使坝地、坝周山地和坝中丘陵的土地利用协同演化。研究结果对贵州省山地-坝地系统土地优化利用有参考价值。     

Attenuation of Notch and Hedgehog signaling is required for fate specification in the spinal cord

During the development of the spinal cord, proliferative neural progenitors differentiate into postmitotic neurons with distinct fates. How cells switch from progenitor states to differentiated fates is poorly understood. To address this question, we studied the differentiation of progenitors in the zebrafish spinal cord, focusing on the differentiation of Kolmer-Agduhr″ (KA″) interneurons from lateral floor plate (LFP) progenitors. In vivo cell tracking demonstrates that KA″ cells are generated from LFP progenitors by both symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions. A photoconvertible reporter of signaling history (PHRESH) reveals distinct temporal profiles of Hh response: LFP progenitors continuously respond to Hh, while KA″ cells lose Hh response upon differentiation. Hh signaling is required in LFP progenitors for KA″ fate specification, but prolonged Hh signaling interferes with KA″ differentiation. Notch signaling acts permissively to maintain LFP progenitor cells: activation of Notch signaling prevents differentiation, whereas inhibition of Notch signaling results in differentiation of ectopic KA″ cells. These results indicate that neural progenitors depend on Notch signaling to maintain Hh responsiveness and rely on Hh signaling to induce fate identity, whereas proper differentiation depends on the attenuation of both Notch and Hh signaling.     

Neuroprotection from stroke in the absence of MHCI or PirB

Recovery from stroke engages mechanisms of neural plasticity. Here we examine a role for MHC class I (MHCI) H2-Kb and H2-Db, as well as PirB receptor. These molecules restrict synaptic plasticity and motor learning in the healthy brain. Stroke elevates neuronal expression not only of H2-Kb and H2-Db, but also of PirB and downstream signaling. KbDb knockout (KO) or PirB KO mice have smaller infarcts and enhanced motor recovery. KO hippocampal organotypic slices, which lack an intact peripheral immune response, have less cell death after in?vitro ischemia. In PirB KO mice, corticospinal projections from the motor cortex are enhanced, and the reactive astrocytic response is dampened after MCAO. Thus, molecules that function in the immune system act not only to limit synaptic plasticity in healthy neurons, but also to exacerbate brain injury after ischemia. These results suggest therapies for stroke by targeting MHCI and PirB.     

不同土壤水分处理对水稻光合特性及产量的影响

为探明土壤水分对水稻生长发育的影响机理,以武香粳14和两优培九为试验材料,分析了不同土壤水分处理下(W1、W2、W3和CK分别表示土壤体积含水量为20%、30%、40%和5cm水层灌溉)的水稻光合特性、产量及水分生产率等。结果表明,轻度水分胁迫(W3)具有处理间最大的叶片气孔导度、蒸腾速率和净光合速率,其他处理规律不显著。灌浆初期各水分处理下叶位间光合指标均表现为:剑叶＞顶2叶＞顶3叶>顶4叶,其他生育期规律不显著。与对照处理(CK)相比,武香粳14的W1、W2和W3处理的产量分别减少61.14%和29.13%、增加0.96%,水分生产率分别减少10.69%、增加1.53%和20.61%;两优培九的产量分别减少64.11%和28.76%,增加2.08%,水分生产率分别减少16.39%,增加2.46%和22.13%。研究结果为水稻精确灌溉和节水生产提供了技术支撑。