Advances in Research of Drought Stress in Major Pinus spp.: A Bibliometric Analysis and Narrative Review

Climate change has caused fluctuations in the frequency and severity of droughts,favoring extended periods of drought associated with anthropic actions and triggering other stressful abiotic effects that threaten terrestrial ecosystems.As climate warming intensifies,drought is a major challenge for forest growth.Pine(Pinus Linn.)is an important genus of forest in the Northern Hemisphere and has a certain tolerance to drought.This article analyzes and reviews the advances in research about drought stress of major Pinus spp.plants in recent years and discusses understanding and future core problems.To adapt to water-deficient environments,pine plants adapt to drought by changing growth traits,closing some stomata on leaves,changing the growth and structure of roots,and adjusting their physiological activities.Moreover,the expression of specific genes is altered,causing changes in the expression of several signaling molecules and metabolites to counteract drought stress.

Offspring Sex Is Not Determined by Gestation Temperature in a Viviparous Lizard(Eremias multiocellata) from the Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia

Sex-determining systems show a striking diversity not only among species, but also among popula tions. In reptiles, sex-determina tion is a continuum, from tempera ture-dependent sex determination(TSD) to genetic sex determination(GSD).The multi-ocellated racerunner(Eremias multiocellata)is reported to be a cryptic ZZ/ZW chromosomal TSD species, with male-biased sex ratios at high temperatures in two Gansu populations. However, the generality of the sex-determining pattern in different populations of this species remains unclear. To investigate the mode of sex determina tion in a popula tion of E.multiocellata from the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia,we first identified sex chromosomes via comparative genomic hybridization(CGH). We then conducted a thermal manipulation experiment to determine the effect of gestation temperature on offspring sex ratios.From the CGH studies we found that lizards from the Inner Mongolia population possessed ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes. However, our thermal manipulation experiment showed that gestation temperature did not affect the sex ratio of neonates in this population. In combination, these results rule out TSD in the Inner Mongolia population of E. multiocellata, and suggest that there is widespread geographic variation in the sexdetermining system of this species.

Multi-gene-based investigation on the molecular phylogeny of the hypotrichous family Strongylidiidae(Protista,Ciliophora),with notes on the ontogeny of a new genus and new species

Ciliates in the subclass Hypotrichia have long been difficult to classify as they are one of the most polymorphic and highly differentiated groups,leading to their systematics remaining unresolved.Phylogenetic relationships within the hypotrich family Strongylidiidae have been ambiguous due to discordance between the morphological and genetic data.In this study,a new strongylidiid genus Heterouroleptus is established,mainly based on the novel mode of origin of the ventral cirral rows:left ventral cirral row(LVR)originates from frontal-ventral-transverse cirral anlagen(FVTA)Ⅲ(anterior portion),IV(middle portion),and V(rear portion);right ventral cirral row comes from the entire FVTA VI.A new species,Hetero-uroleptus weishanensis gen.nov.,sp.nov.,is investigated along with the morphometric and molecular data from a population of Strongylidium wuhanense.Eight new sequences and nuclear gene markers(single-gene and multi-gene)are provided to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of strongylidiids,with the COI gene utilized to uncover further genetic information at species level and below.The results reveal that:(1)Strongylidiidae is monophyletic and has a close relationship with Dorsomarginalia;(2)Heterouroleptus gen.nov.forms a clade that is sister to all the other strongylidiids;(3)Hemiamphisiella Foissner,1988 and Pseudouroleptus Hemberger,1985 should not be synonyms,and both genera should be subdivided due to their variable morphological characteristics;(4)LVR originating from three anlagen is a plesiomorphy of Strongylidiidae.The discovery of the origin of the LVR not only contributes to the establishment of the genus Heterouroleptus,but also helps to improve the diagnosis of the family Strongylidiidae.

Early initiation of ARBs without blood pressure risk via neutrophil membrane-fused pH-sensitive liposomes to reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis after acute myocardial infarction

Activation of the local renin-angiotensin system(RAS)promotes cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac remodeling after acute myocardial infarction(AMI).As an anti-RAS drug,the effect of Valsartan in the early stage of acute MI is limited by its low drug concentration in the heart and low dosage.Here,by exploiting the inherent nature of neutrophils migrating to the injured myocardium and the local low-pH microenvironment caused by ischemia and hypoxia after myocardial infarction,we designed nanocarrier(NSLP)-hybridized neutrophil membranes and pH-sensitive liposomes(SLPs)for the delivery of Valsartan(NSLPVal).These functional nanocarriers could mimic neutrophils and are homed to the injured heart;they were also found to respond to a low-pH microenvironment.In the mouse model of MI,we found that NSLP-Val could target the infarct marginal zone and release Valsartan locally in the low-pH microenvironment without affecting hemodynamic stability.Further,locally released angiotensin receptor inhibitors reduced the infarct size and inflammatory response by inhibiting cardiomyocytes.Ultimately,NSLP-Val improved cardiac function and inhibited cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis.

LPS adsorption and inflammation alleviation by polymyxin B-modified liposomes for atherosclerosis treatment

Chronic inflammation is critical in the onset and progression of atherosclerosis(AS).The lipopolysaccharide(LPS)level in the circulation system is elevated in AS patients and animal models,which is correlated with the severity of AS.Inspired by the underlying mechanism that LPS could drive the polarization of macrophages toward the M1 phenotype,aggravate inflammation,and ultimately contribute to the exacerbation of AS,LPS in the circulation system was supposed to be the therapeutic target for AS treatment.In the present study,polymyxin(PMB)covalently conjugated to PEGylated liposomes(PLPs)were formulated to adsorb LPS through specific interactions between PMB and LPS.In vitro,the experiments demonstrated that PLPs could adsorb LPS,reduce the polarization of macrophages to M1 phenotype and inhibit the formation of foam cells.In vivo,the study revealed that PLPs treatment reduced the serum levels of LPS and pro-inflammatory cytokines,decreased the proportion of M1-type macrophages in AS plaque,stabilized AS plaque,and downsized the plaque burdens in arteries,which eventually attenuated the progression of AS.Our study highlighted LPS in the circulation system as the therapeutic target for AS and provided an alternative strategy for AS treatment.

Nanobody-based polyvinyl alcohol beads as antifouling adsorbents for selective removal of tumor necrosis factor- α

Highly efficient removal of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)from plasma by hemoperfusion for autoim-mune disease therapy remains a challenge in the clinical field owing to the low adsorption capacity and poor blood compatibility of adsorbents.In this work,a new class of nanobody(Nb)-coupled antifouling polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)beads was constructed as an immunosorbent for the selective removal of TNF-αfrom plasma.Notably,our immunosorbent exhibited an exceptionally high specific TNF-αadsorption ca-pacity of 416.9 ng/g in human plasma(at a plasma-to-adsorbent ratio of 300).More importantly,the ob-tained adsorbent beads showed outstanding blood compatibility.In addition,during in vivo experiments,the blood circulation device was constructed to remove TNF-αin rat models,proving that the beads had good removal performance(∼85%/60 min).Furthermore,95%of the original capacity was retained after 6-month storage,showed strong stability and prolonged storage of PVA-Nb.Above all,the results indi-cate that the novel PVA-Nb immunosorbent has possible clinical applications for treating autoimmune diseases in the clinic.

Hippo pathway-manipulating neutrophil-mimic hybrid nanoparticles for cardiac ischemic injury via modulation of local immunity and cardiac regeneration

The promise of regeneration therapy for restoration of damaged myocardium after cardiac ischemic injury relies on targeted delivery of proliferative molecules into cardiomyocytes whose healing benefits are still limited owing to severe immune microenvironment due to local high concentration of proinflammatory cytokines.Optimal therapeutic strategies are therefore in urgent need to both modulate local immunity and deliver proliferative molecules.Here,we addressed this unmet need by developing neutrophil-mimic nanoparticles NM@miR,fabricated by coating hybrid neutrophil membranes with artificial lipids onto mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSNs)loaded with microRNA-10b.The hybrid membrane could endow nanoparticles with strong capacity to migrate into infammatory sites and neutralize proinfammatory cytokines and increase the delivery efficiency of microRNA-1Ob into adult mammalian cardiomyocytes(CMs)by fusing with cell membranes and leading to the release of MSNs-miR into cytosol.Upon NM@miR administration,this nanoparticle could home to the injured myocardium,restore the local immunity,and efficiently deliver microRNA-1Ob to cardiomyocytes,which could reduce the activation of Hippo-YAP pathway mediated by excessive cytokines and exert the best proliferative effect of miR-1Ob.This combination therapy could finally improve cardiac function and mitigate ventricular remodeling.Consequently,this work offers a combination strategy of immunity modulation and proliferative molecule delivery to boost cardiac regeneration after injury.