Practical methodology for gametophyte proliferation and sporophyte production in green penny fern (Lemmaphyllum microphyllum C. Presl) using mechanical fragmentation

Propagation of gametophytes and sporophytes using mechanical fragmentation has been considered a suitable method for mass production of ferns. This study aimed to develop a practical propagation method for Lemmaphyllum microphyllum C. Presl, which is a fern of significant ornamental and medicinal value. Gametophytes were obtained through in vitro spore germination and used for propagation experiments. The gametophyte was mechanically fragmented using a scalpel into small fragments, which were then used to investigate gametophyte proliferation. In addition, the gametophyte was fragmented using a blender and then used to study sporophyte formation. Optimal proliferation conditions of the gametophyte were determined using Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium (double-, full-, half-, quarter-strength), Knop medium, and medium components (sucrose, nitrogen sources, activated charcoal), at various concentrations. The fresh weight of the gametophyte was 14-fold higher than that of gametophytes (300 mg) used as culture material, when cultured on double-strength MS. Moreover, 1 g of the gametophyte fragmented in 25 mL of distilled water formed more than 430 sporophytes in a soil mixture in an area of 7.5 cm². The sporophytes were successfully cultivated in the greenhouse after acclimation. A large-scale production method for L. microphyllum that can be easily implemented in a fern production farm is outlined.

     

Tripartite motif protein 52 (TRIM52) promoted fibrosis in LX‐2 cells through PPM1A‐mediated Smad2/3 pathway

To investigate the roles of tripartite motif containing 52 (TRIM52) in human hepatic fibrosis in vitro, human hepatic stellate cell line LX‐2 cells were transfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) replicon to establish HBV‐induced fibrosis in LX‐2 cells, and then treated with small interfering RNA‐mediated knockdown of TRIM52 (siTRIM52). LX‐2 cells without HBV replicon transfection were treated with lentiviruses‐mediated overexpression of TRIM52 and phosphatase magnesium dependent 1A (PPM1A). Fibrosis response of LX‐2 cells were assessed by the production of hydroxyproline (Hyp) and collagen I/III, as well as protein levels of α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA). PPM1A and phosphorylated (p)‐Smad2/3 were measured to assess the mechanism. The correlation between TRIM52 and PPM1A was determined using co‐immunoprecipitation, and whether and how TRIM52 regulated the degradation of PPM1A were determined by ubiquitination assay. Our data confirmed HBV‐induced fibrogenesis of LX‐2 cells, as evidenced by significant increase in Hyp and collagen I/III and α‐SMA, which was associated with reduction of PPM1A and elevation of transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β), p‐Smad2/3, and p‐Smad3L. However, those changes induced by HBV were significantly attenuated with additional siTRIM52 treatment. Similar to HBV, overexpression of TRIM52 exerted promoted effect in the fibrosis of LX‐2 cells. Interestingly, TRIM52 induced the fibrogenesis of LX‐2 cells and the activation of TGF‐β/Smad pathway were significantly reversed by PPM1A overexpression. Furthermore, our data confirmed TRIM52 as a deubiquitinase that influenced the accumulation of PPM1A protein, and subsequently regulated the fibrogenesis of LX‐2 cells. TRIM52 was a fibrosis promoter in hepatic fibrosis in vitro, likely through PPM1A‐mediated TGF‐β/Smad pathway.     

Nanobiohybrid Material‐Based Bioelectronic Devices

Biomolecules, especially proteins and nucleic acids, have been widely studied to develop biochips for various applications in scientific fields ranging from bioelectronics to stem cell research. However, restrictions exist due to the inherent characteristics of biomolecules, such as instability and the constraint of granting the functionality to the biochip. Introduction of functional nanomaterials, recently being researched and developed, to biomolecules have been widely researched to develop the nanobiohybrid materials because such materials have the potential to enhance and extend the function of biomolecules on a biochip. The potential for applying nanobiohybrid materials is especially high in the field of bioelectronics. Research in bioelectronics is aimed at realizing electronic functions using the inherent properties of biomolecules. To achieve this, various biomolecules possessing unique properties have been combined with novel nanomaterials to develop bioelectronic devices such as highly sensitive electrochemical‐based bioelectronic sensing platforms, logic gates, and biocomputing systems. In this review, recently reported bioelectronic devices based on nanobiohybrid materials are discussed. The authors believe that this review will suggest innovative and creative directions to develop the next generation of multifunctional bioelectronic devices.     

The effect of intrauterine inflammation on mTOR signaling in mouse fetal brain

Fetuses exposed to an inflammatory environment are predisposed to long‐term adverse neurological outcomes. However, the mechanism by which intrauterine inflammation (IUI) is responsible for abnormal fetal brain development is not fully understood. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is closely associated with fetal brain development. We hypothesized that mTOR signaling might be involved in fetal brain injury and malformation when fetuses are exposed to the IUI environment. A well‐established IUI model was utilized by intrauterine injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to explore the effect of IUI on mTOR signaling in mouse fetal brains. We found that microglia activation in LPS fetal brains was increased, as demonstrated by elevated Iba‐1 protein level and immunofluorescence density. LPS fetal brains also showed reduced neuronal cell counts, decreased cell proliferation demonstrated by low Ki67‐positive density, and elevated neuron apoptosis evidenced by high expression of cleaved Caspase 3. Furthermore, we found that mTOR signaling in LPS fetal brains was elevated at 2 hr after LPS treatment, declined at 6 hr and showed overall inhibition at 24 hr. In summary, our study revealed that LPS‐induced IUI leads to increased activation of microglia cells, neuronal damage, and dynamic alterations in mTOR signaling in the mouse fetal brain. Our findings indicate that abnormal changes in mTOR signaling may underlie the development of future neurological complications in offspring exposed to prenatal IUI.     

Land-cover changes and distribution of wetland species in small valley habitats that developed in a Late Pleistocene middle terrace region

Wetlands Ecology and Management - Small valley topology on terraced uplands is a unique groundwater-dependent ecosystem in East Asia. Traditionally, this characteristic valley topology has been...     

Insecticidal and insect growth regulatory activities of secondary metabolites from entomopathogenic fungi,Lecanicillium attenuatum

Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are effective alternatives to chemical insecticides because of their specificity and low environmental toxicity. Entomopathogenic fungi are an important natural pathogen of insects and have been developed as biological control agents. They produce a wide range of secondary metabolites such as antibiotics, pesticides, growth-promoting or inhibiting compounds and insect attracting agents. In this study, to explore novel IGR substances from entomopathogenic fungi, culture extracts of 189 entomopathogenic fungi isolated from Korean soil samples were investigated for their juvenile hormone (JH)-based IGR activities. Whereas none of the culture extracts exhibited JH agonist (JHA) activity, 14 extracts showed high levels of JH antagonist (JHAN) activity. Among them, culture extract of JEF-145 strain, which was identified as Lecanicillium attenuatum, showed the highest insecticidal against Aedes albopictus and Plutella xylostella. At liquid culture condition, JHAN activity was observed in culture soup rather than mycelial cake, indicating that substances with JHAN activity are released from the JEF-145 strain during culture. Furthermore, while extract from solid cultured JEF-145 strain showed insecticidal activities against both A. albopictus and P. xylostella, that from liquid cultured fungi showed insecticidal activity only against A. albopictus, indicating that L. attenuatum JEF-145 strain produces different kinds of secondary metabolites with JHAN activity depending on culture conditions. These results suggested that JHAN substances derived from entomopathogenic fungi could be usefully exploited to develop novel eco-friendly IGR insecticides.     

Inferring the sources of postglacial range expansion in two large European land snails

Exact locations of glacial refugia are relevant for the study of contemporary biodiversity, not only as places less disturbed during the climatic changes but also as sources of rapid expansion of the biota after the Last Glacial cycle. If continuously inhabited over several of the Quaternary glacial cycles, the refugia are readily identifiable by the accumulated genetic diversity. However, the sources of the Holocene range expansion, particularly important for the emergence of present-day bio- and phylogeographic patterns and for realistic estimation of species’ expansion rates, might have been located at the fringes of the glacial species ranges and lack unique lineages. This problem is pertinent when the variation is explored at slowly evolving genetic markers. We suggest that the location of such source refugia may be approximated by reconstructing the geographic location as a continuous trait evolving along the branches of a phylogenetic tree. We applied this approach, using the BEAST software, on two large southeast European land snail species: Caucasotachea vindobonensis and Helix thessalica. We found evidence for C. vindobonensis refugia in the western Balkans; notable is an apparently old refugium in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The plausible sources of the species’ Holocene range expansion, however, were located around the south-western end of the Carpathians. Although the source areas were likely similar in H. thessalica, some expansion sources suggested by the analyses (e.g., Podolia, Ukraine) appeared implausible and driven by sampling clustered in that area. The applied approach allows for additional exploitation of the mitochondrial data gathered during the past two decades of animal phylogeography studies.     

新建川藏铁路(雅安-昌都段)沿线外来入侵植物种类及分布特征

横断山区为全球生物多样性热点地区之一, 也是全国生态屏障的重要组成部分。新建川藏铁路雅安至昌都段横跨横断山核心地区, 铁路建设形成的交通网络将沿线生物多样性热点区域与外界相连, 导致生物入侵风险陡增。为获得区域内外来入侵植物的种类及分布特征信息, 为即将开始的铁路工程建设、生态保护及生态修复等工作提供参考, 我们在雅安-昌都段内选择43个位点各进行长度1 km、宽度20 m的样线调查。研究结果显示: 雅安-昌都段共发现外来入侵植物58种, 隶属于18科42属, 其中出现频度最高的种类依次是牛膝菊(Galinsoga parviflora)、秋英(Cosmos bipinnatus)和鬼针草(Bidens pilosa)。从危害等级来看, 其中10种为恶性入侵种, 16种为严重入侵种, 8种为局部入侵种, 15种为一般入侵种, 9种为有待观察种, 超过半数种类具有明显入侵性。原产地分析结果显示美洲是该区域外来入侵植物的主要原产地。基于海拔及主要河流区段的比较研究发现: 入侵植物的种类数量呈现出明显的由东向西、由低海拔向高海拔逐渐递减的趋势, 该分布格局是环境因子和人类活动共同作用的结果。结合铁路沿线入侵现状和生境特征, 本文分析了铁路建设可能造成的外来植物入侵风险, 并针对入侵的防范提出了相应的建议。