Overexpression of ARAhPR10, a Member of the PR10 Family, Decreases Levels of <i>Aspergillus flavus</i>Infection in Peanut Seeds

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most susceptible host crops to Aspergillus flavus invasion and subsequent aflatoxin contamination. In this report, a new member of PR10 family putative resistant gene (designated as ARAhPR10, No. EU661964.1) encoding a PR10 protein was isolated and characterized. Analysis of qRT-PCR showed that the expression of ARAhPR10 was induced by pre-harvested A. flavus infection, but no significant difference was observed between resistant genotype “GT-C20” and susceptible genotype “Yueyou 7”. Seven transgenic peanut lines expressing the ARAhPR10 gene under the control of 35S promoter were obtained using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated method. Real time RT-PCR results showed that the expression level of the ARAhPR10 was significantly higher and the A. flavus infection and aflatoxin content were significantly lower in seeds of transgenic lines than that of the wild type. A significant negative correlation between ARAhPR10 expression at transcript level and seeds aflatoxin production was observed. Combining the previous results, it is suggested that ARAhPR10 expression play an important role in peanut host resistance to A. flavus infection and aflatoxin producing.

Piperacillin enhances the inhibitory effect of tazobactam on β-lactamase through inhibition of organic anion transporter 1/3 in rats

To assess the mechanism of the pharmacokinetic interaction between piperacillin and tazobactam,renal excretion and pharmacokinetic studies of piperacillin/tazobactam were investigated in normal and bacteremia rats.A bacteremia model was established to investigate the pharmacokinetic properties of piperacillin and tazobactam under different conditions.Renal slices were taken to examine the uptake of piperacillin and tazobactam.Pharmacokinetic studies ofβ-lactamase in rats were performed to study the contribution of rOat1/3 to the inhibition of tazobactam onβ-lactamase.The AUC(from 2.93±0.58 to 6.52±1.44 mg·min/ml)and the plasma clearance(CL P)(from 2.41±1.20 to 0.961±0.212 ml/min/kg)of tazobactam were both altered after the intravenous coadministration of piperacillin and tazobactam in the bacteremia rats.The renal clearance(CL R)of tazobactam decreased from 1.30±0.50 to 0.361±0.043 ml/min/kg.In summary,there was a beneficial interaction between piperacillin and tazobactam mediated by rOat1 and rOat3.Piperacillin enhances the inhibitory effect of tazobactam onβ-lactamase through the inhibition of rOat1 and rOat3 in rats.The contribution rate of rOat1/3 for the synergistic effect was 20%when the two drugs were coadministered.

Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of the Sealing Performance of a Diesel-Engine Cylinder Gasket

Taking the combustor composite structure of a high-strength diesel engine as the main research object,dedicated tests have been conducted to verify the accuracy of three distinct cylinder gasket pressure simulation models.Using the measured cylinder gasket compression rebound curve,a gasket unit has been designed and manufactured.For this unit,the influence of the bolt pretension,cylinder body and cylinder head material on gasket sealing pressure has been investigated systematically in conditions of thermo-mechanical coupling.The results show that the bolt pretension force is one of the most important factors affecting the cylinder gasket sealing pressure.The change of the body material has little effect on this pressure.The cylinder gasket seal pressure decreases progressively with the reduction of the elastic module of the cylinder head material.

Sequencing of Cultivated Peanut, Arachis hypogaea, Yields Insights into Genome Evolution and Oil Improvement

Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is an allotetraploid crop planted in Asia, Africa, and America for edible oil and protein. To explore the origins and consequences of tetraploidy, we sequenced the allotetraploid A. hypogaea genome and compared it with the related diploid Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis genomes. We annotated 39 888 A-subgenome genes and 41 526 B-subgenome genes in allotetraploid peanut. The A. hypogaea subgenomes have evolved asymmetrically, with the B subgenome resembling the ancestral state and the A subgenome undergoing more gene disruption, loss, conversion, and transposable element proliferation, and having reduced gene expression during seed development despite lacking genome-wide expression dominance. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses identified more than 2 500 oil metabolism-related genes and revealed that most of them show altered expression early in seed development while their expression ceases during desiccation, presenting a comprehensive map of peanut lipid biosynthesis. The availability of these genomic resources will facilitate a better understanding of the complex genome architecture, agronomically and economically important genes, and genetic improvement of peanut.