Quantitative trait locus mapping of yield and plant height in autotetraploid alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.)

Alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.)is the most widely grown forage legume crop worldwide.Yield and plant height are important agronomic traits influenced by genetic and environmental factors.The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci(QTL)and molecular markers associated with alfalfa yield and plant height.To understand the genetic basis of these traits,a full-sib F1 population composed of 392 individuals was developed by crossing a low-yielding precocious alfalfa genotype(male parent)with a high-yielding latematuring alfalfa cultivar(female parent).The linkage maps were constructed with 3818 single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)markers on 64 linkage groups.QTL for yield and plant height were mapped using phenotypic data for three years.Sixteen QTL associated with yield and plant height were identified on chromosomes 1 to 8.Six QTL explained more than 10%of phenotypic variation,representing major loci controlling yield and plant height.One locus on chromosome 1 controlling yield traits had not been identified in previous studies.Three QTL co-located with other QTL(qyield-1 and qheight-7,qheight-5 and qyield-4,qheight-6,and qyield-6).With further validation,the markers closely linked with these QTL may be used for marker-assisted selection in breeding new alfalfa varieties with high yield.

The protective and therapeutic effects of total flavonoids of Astragalus against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis are through the enhancement of autophagy

Background:Previously,we showed that total flavonoids from astragalus(TFA)had beneficial effects against transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1-mediated fibrosis,but whether these effects involved autophagy is not known.We attempt to explore the effects of TFA on autophagy in an animal model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF)induced by bleomycin,and to look for TFA components that may have an effect on autophagy.Methods:C57BL/6 mice were randomized to the sham group(SG),model group,low-dose TFA group(LDTG),and high-dose of TFA group(HDTG).The A549 cell line was treated with the TFA components including formononetin,calycosin,isorhamnetin,kaempferol,and quercetin.Lung tissues and cells were examined by histology,immunohistochemistry(anti-TGF-β1,α-smooth muscle actin(SMA),and cadherin),immunofluorescence(microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3)),hydroxyproline content,and immunoblotting(smad3,smad7,phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K),α-SMA,E-cadherin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ).Results:In vivo,TFA inhibited TGF-β1 expression and decreased collagen content in lung tissues induced by bleomycin.TFA increased autophagy following suppression of the smad pathway.In vitro,quercetin inhibited the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)of A549 cells induced by TGF-β1 through suppression of the smad pathway.Autophagy was also increased by quercetin through inhibition of the AKT/mTOR pathway,but without change in PI3K expression.Formononetin,calycosin,isorhamnetin,and kaempferol had no such effects.Conclusion:TFA can alleviate bleomycin-induced PF in C57BL/6 mice via enhanced autophagy.The smad and AKT/mTOR pathways are possibly involved in these effects.Quercetin was the main active compound in TFA.

IGF2BP3-induced activation of EIF5B contributes to progression of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

In this study,we investigated the functional role of eukaryotic initiation factor 5B(EIF5B)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and the underlying mechanisms.Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that the EIF5B transcript and protein levels as well as the EIF5Bcopy number were significantly higher in the HCC tissues compared with the non-cancerous liver tissues.Down-regulation of EIF5B significantly decreased proliferation and invasiveness of the HCC cells.Furthermore,EIF5B knockdown suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)and the cancer stem cell(CSC)phenotype.Down-regulation of EIF5B also increased the sensitivity of HCC cells to 5-fluorouracil(5-FU).In the HCC cells,activation of the NF-kappa B signaling pathway and IkB phosphorylation was significantly reduced by EIF5B silencing.IGF2BP3 increased the stability of the EIF5B mRNA in an m6A-dependent manner.Our data suggested that EIF5B is a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in HCC.

The acceleration degradation processes of different aged refuses with the forced aeration for landfill reclamation

Forced aeration is one of the promising ways to accelerate landfill reclamation,and understanding the relation between aeration rates and waste properties is the prerequisite to implementing forced aeration under the target of energy saving and carbon reduction.In this work,landfill reclamation processes with forced aeration were simulated using aged refuses(ARs)of 1,4,7,10,and 13 disposal years,and the potential of field application was also investigated based on a field project,to identify the degradation rate of organic components,the O_(2)consumption efficiency and their correlations to microbes.It was found that the removal rate of organic matter declined from 20.3%(AR_(1))to 12.6%(AR_(13)),and that biodegradable matter(BDM)decreased from 5.2%to 2.4%at the set aeration rate of 0.12 L O_(2)/kg waste(Dry Matter,DM)/day.A linear relationship between the degradation rate constant(K)of BDM and disposal age(x)was established:K=−0.0002193x+0.0091(R^(2)=0.854),suggesting that BDM might be a suitable indicator to reflect the stabilization of ARs.The cellulose/lignin ratio decrease rate for AR1(18.3%)was much higher than that for AR13(3.1%),while the corresponding humic-acid/fulvic-acid ratio increased from 1.44 to 2.16.The dominant bacteria shifted from Corynebacterium(9.2%),Acinetobacter(6.6%),and Fermentimonas(6.5%),genes related to the decompose of biodegradable organics,to Stenotrophomonas(10.2%)and Clostridiales(3.7%),which were associated with humification.The aeration efficiencies of lab-scale tests were in the range of 5.4–11.8 g BDM/L O_(2)for ARs with disposal ages of 1–13 years,and in situ landfill reclamation,ARs with disposal ages of 10–18 years were around 1.9–8.8 g BDM/L O_(2),as the disposal age decreased.The increased discrepancy was observed in ARs at the lab-scale and field scale,indicating that the forced aeration rate should be adjusted based on ARs and the unit compartment combined,to reduce the operation cost.

Genome Assembly of Alfalfa Cultivar Zhongmu-4 and Identification of SNPs Associated with Agronomic Traits

Alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.)is the most important legume forage crop worldwide with high nutritional value and yield.For a long time,the breeding of alfalfa was hampered by lacking reliable information on the autotetraploid genome and molecular markers linked to important agronomic traits.We herein reported the de novo assembly of the allele-aware chromosome-level genome of Zhongmu-4,a cultivar widely cultivated in China,and a comprehensive database of genomic variations based on resequencing of 220 germplasms.Approximate 2.74 Gb contigs(N50 of 2.06 Mb),accounting for 88.39%of the estimated genome,were assembled,and 2.56 Gb contigs were anchored to 32 pseudo-chromosomes.A total of 34,922 allelic genes were identified from the allele-aware genome.We observed the expansion of gene families,especially those related to the nitrogen metabolism,and the increase of repetitive elements including transposable elements,which probably resulted in the increase of Zhongmu-4 genome compared with Medicago truncatula.Population structure analysis revealed that the accessions from Asia and South America had relatively lower genetic diversity than those from Europe,suggesting that geography may influence alfalfa genetic divergence during local adaption.Genome-wide association studies identified 101 single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)associated with 27 agronomic traits.Two candidate genes were predicted to be correlated with fall dormancy and salt response.We believe that the alleleaware chromosome-level genome sequence of Zhongmu-4 combined with the resequencing data of the diverse alfalfa germplasms will facilitate genetic research and genomics-assisted breeding in variety improvement of alfalfa.