Promoter silencing by ectopic?de novo?methylation of tumor suppressor genes has been proposed as comparable or equivalent to inactivating mutations as a factor in carcinogenesis. However, this hypotheses had not previ...Promoter silencing by ectopic?de novo?methylation of tumor suppressor genes has been proposed as comparable or equivalent to inactivating mutations as a factor in carcinogenesis. However, this hypotheses had not previously been tested by high resolution,?high-coverage whole-genome methylation profiling in primary carcinomas. We have determined the genomic methylation status of a series of primary mammary carcinomas and matched control tissues by examination of more than 2.7 billion CpG dinucleotides. Most of the tumors showed variable losses of DNA methylation?from all sequence compartments, but increases in promoter methylation were infrequent, very small in extent, and were observed largely at CpG-poor promoters. De novo methylation at the promoters?of proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes occurred at approximately the same frequency. The findings indicate that tumor suppressor silencing by?de novo?methylation is much less common than currently believed. We put forward a hypothesis under which the demethylation commonly observed in carcinomas is a manifestation of a defensive system that kills incipient cancer cells.展开更多
The Paleogene is a crucial period when terrestrial and marine ecosystems recovered from major disruptions and gradually approached their modern states.In the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions,the Pal...The Paleogene is a crucial period when terrestrial and marine ecosystems recovered from major disruptions and gradually approached their modern states.In the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions,the Paleogene also represents a significant phase of tectonic evolution in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau-Himalaya orogeny,reorganization of Asian climates,and evolution of biodiversity.Due to limitations in research conditions and understanding,there are still many controversies regarding stratigraphic divisions in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions.In recent years,extensive studies on sedimentary petrology,magnetostratigraphy,and isotope dating have been conducted in the region.Numerous fossils have been discovered and reported,contributing to a more systematic understanding of biostratigraphy.These studies have laid a solid foundation for the comprehensive investigation of the stratigraphy,biotas and paleogeographic evolution of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions during the Paleogene.In this paper,we integrate recent research on fossils,isotopic dating,magnetostratigraphy,and geochemistry to refine the stratigraphic divisions and correlation framework of different tectonic units in the region,building upon previous studies.Since the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research,the knowledge of Paleogene floras has gradually expanded.This paper discusses the biostratigraphic significance of extinct and newly appeared taxa based on the latest dating results of these plant species.The new understanding of fossil species such as the“Eucalyptus”and Arecaceae establishes connections between the Paleogene flora of the Qinghai-Tibetan region and the biotas of Gondwana,specifically Oceania and South America.The evolutionary history of key taxa near the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone indicates that the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates occurred approximately 65-54 Ma.Paleoelevation reconstructions,based on plant fossils,suggest that the Hengduan Mountain had already formed their current topographic pattern prior to the Early Oligocene.The warm and humid lowlands adjacent to the main suture zones in the Paleogene Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau served as the primary pathway for biota exchanges.The relatively low elevation of the Himalaya during the Paleogene did not effectively block the moisture from the Indian Ocean.展开更多
BACKGROUND Altered miR-188-3p expression has been observed in various human cancers.AIM To investigate the miR-188-3p expression,its roles,and underlying molecular events in gastric cancer.METHODS Fifty gastric cancer...BACKGROUND Altered miR-188-3p expression has been observed in various human cancers.AIM To investigate the miR-188-3p expression,its roles,and underlying molecular events in gastric cancer.METHODS Fifty gastric cancer and paired normal tissues were collected to analyze miR-188-3p and CBL expression.Normal and gastric cancer cells were used to manipulate miR-188-3p and CBL expression through different assays.The relationship between miR-188-3p and CBL was predicted bioinformatically and confirmed using a luciferase gene reporter assay.A Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to associate miR-188-3p or CBL expression with patient survival.A nude mouse tumor cell xenograft assay was used to confirm the in vitro data.RESULTS MiR-188-3p was found to be lower in the plasma of gastric cancer patients,tissues,and cell lines compared to their healthy counterparts.It was associated with overall survival of gastric cancer patients(P<0.001),tumor differentiation(P<0.001),lymph node metastasis(P=0.033),tumor node metastasis stage(I/II vs III/IV,P=0.024),and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage(I/II vs III/IV,P=0.03).Transfection with miR-188-3p mimics reduced tumor cell growth and invasion while inducing apoptosis and autophagy.CBL was identified as a direct target of miR-188-3p,with its expression antagonizing the effects of miR-188-3p on gastric cancer(GC)cell proliferation by inducing tumor cell apoptosis and autophagy through the inactivation of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.The in vivo data confirmed antitumor activity via CBL downregulation in gastric cancer.CONCLUSION The current data provides ex vivo,in vitro,and in vivo evidence that miR-188-3p acts as a tumor suppressor gene or possesses antitumor activity in GC.展开更多
The biodiversity of the Himalaya,Hengduan Mountains and Tibet,here collectively termed the Tibetan Region,is exceptional in a global context.To contextualize and understand the origins of this biotic richness,and its ...The biodiversity of the Himalaya,Hengduan Mountains and Tibet,here collectively termed the Tibetan Region,is exceptional in a global context.To contextualize and understand the origins of this biotic richness,and its conservation value,we examine recent fossil finds and review progress in understanding the orogeny of the Tibetan Region.We examine the deep-time origins of monsoons affecting Asia,climate variation over different timescales,and the establishment of environmental niche heterogeneity linked to topographic development.The origins of the modern biodiversity were established in the Eocene,concurrent with the formation of pronounced topographic relief across the Tibetan Region.High(>4 km)mountains to the north and south of what is now the Tibetan Plateau bounded a Paleogene central lowland(<2.5 km)hosting moist subtropical vegetation influenced by an intensifying monsoon.In mid Miocene times,before the Himalaya reached their current elevation,sediment infilling and compressional tectonics raised the floor of the central valley to above 3000 m,but central Tibet was still moist enough,and low enough,to host a warm temperate angiosperm-dominated woodland.After 15 Ma,global cooling,the further rise of central Tibet,and the rain shadow cast by the growing Himalaya,progressively led to more open,herb-rich vegetation as the modern high plateau formed with its cool,dry climate.In the moist monsoonal Hengduan Mountains,high and spatially extensive since the Eocene but subsequently deeply dissected by river incision,Neogene cooling depressed the tree line,compressed altitudinal zonation,and created strong environmental heterogeneity.This served as a cradle for the then newly-evolving alpine biota and favoured diversity within more thermophilic vegetation at lower elevations.This diversity has survived through a combination of minimal Quaternary glaciation,and complex relief-related environmental niche heterogeneity.The great antiquity and diversity of the Tibetan Region biota argues for its conservation,and the importance of that biota is demonstrated through our insights into its long temporal gestation provided by fossil archives and information written in surviving genomes.These data sources are worthy of conservation in their own right,but for the living biotic inventory we need to ask what it is we want to conserve.Is it 1)individual taxa for their intrinsic properties,2)their services in functioning ecosystems,or 3)their capacity to generate future new biodiversity?If 2 or 3 are our goal then landscape conservation at scale is required,and not just seed banks or botanical/zoological gardens.展开更多
Yunnan in southwestern China is renowned for its high plant diversity.To understand how this modern botanical richness formed,it is critical to investigate the past biodiversity throughout the geological time.In this ...Yunnan in southwestern China is renowned for its high plant diversity.To understand how this modern botanical richness formed,it is critical to investigate the past biodiversity throughout the geological time.In this review,we present a summary on plant diversity,floristics and climates in the Cenozoic of Yunnan and document their changes,by compiling published palaeobotanical sources.Our review demonstrates that thus far a total of 386 fossil species of ferns,gymnosperms and angiosperms belonging to 170 genera within 66 families have been reported from the Cenozoic,particularly the Neogene,of Yunnan.Angiosperms display the highest richness represented by 353 species grouped into 155 genera within 60 families,with Fagaceae,Fabaceae,Lauraceae and Juglandaceae being the most diversified.Most of the families and genera recorded as fossils still occur in Yunnan,but seven genera have disappeared,including Berryophyllum,Cedrelospermum,Cedrus,Palaeocarya,Podocarpium,Sequoia and Wataria.The regional extinction of these genera is commonly referred to an aridification of the dry season associated with Asian monsoon development.Floristic analyses indicate that in the late Miocene,Yunnan had three floristic regions:a northern subtropical floristic region in the northeast,a subtropical floristic region in the east,and a tropical floristic region in the southwest.In the late Pliocene,Yunnan saw two kinds of floristic regions:a subalpine floristic region in the northwest,and two subtropical floristic regions separately in the southwest and the eastern center.These floristic concepts are verified by results from our areal type analyses which suggest that in the Miocene southwestern Yunnan supported the most Pantropic elements,while in the Pliocene southwestern Yunnan had abundant Tropical Asia(Indo e Malaysia)type and East Asia and North America disjunct type that were absent from northwestern Yunnan.From the late Miocene to late Pliocene through to the present,floristic composition and vegetation types changed markedly,presumably in response to altitude changes and coeval global cooling.An integration of palaeoclimate data suggests that during the Neogene Yunnan was warmer and wetter than today.Moreover,northern Yunnan witnessed a pronounced temperature decline,while southern Yunnan experienced only moderate temperature changes.Summer precipitation was consistently higher than winter precipitation,suggesting a rainfall seasonality.This summary on palaeoclimates helps us to understand under what conditions plant diversity occurred and evolved in Yunnan throughout the Cenozoic.展开更多
Recent paleobotanical investigations in Vietnam provide a good opportunity to improve our understanding of the biodiversity and paleoclimatic conditions in the geological past of Southeast Asia.Palms(Arecaceae)are a d...Recent paleobotanical investigations in Vietnam provide a good opportunity to improve our understanding of the biodiversity and paleoclimatic conditions in the geological past of Southeast Asia.Palms(Arecaceae)are a diverse family of typical thermophilous plants with a relatively low tolerance for freezing.In this study,we describe well-preserved fossil palm leaves from the Oligocene Dong Ho Formation of Hoanh Bo Basin,northern Vietnam.Characters of the fossil leaves,such as a fan-shaped costapalmate lamina,an unarmed petiole,a costa slightly enlarged at the base that then tapers distally into the blade,and well-preserved amphistomatic leaves with cuticles,suggest that they represent a new fossil species,which we herein designate Sabalites colaniae A.Song,T.Su,T.V.Do et Z.K.Zhou sp.nov.Together with other paleontological and palaeoclimatic evidence,we conclude that a warm climate prevailed in northern Vietnam and nearby areas during the Oligocene.展开更多
Objective To explore the possible role of voltage-gated potassium channel-interacting protein 1 (KChIP1) in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Methods Sprague Dawley female adult rats were treated with pentylenettrazole (P...Objective To explore the possible role of voltage-gated potassium channel-interacting protein 1 (KChIP1) in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Methods Sprague Dawley female adult rats were treated with pentylenettrazole (PTZ) to develop acute and chronic epilepsy models. The approximate coronal sections of normal and epilepsy rat brain were processed for immunohistochemistry. Double-labeling confocal microscopy was used to determine the coexistence of KChIP1 and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Results KChIP1 was expressed abundantly throughout adult rat brain. KChIP1 is highly co-localize with GABA transmitter in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. In the acute PTZ-induced convulsive rats, the number of KChIP1-postive cells was significantly increased especially in the regions of CA1 and CA3 (P < 0.05); whereas the chronic PTZ-induced convulsive rats were found no changes. The number of GABA-labeled and co-labeled neurons in the hippocampus appeared to have no significant alteration responding to the epilepsy-genesis treatments. Conclusion KChIP1 might be involved in the PTZ-induced epileptogenesis process as a regulator to neuronal excitability through influencing the properties of potassium channels. KChIP1 is preferentially expressed in GABAergic neurons, but its changes did not couple with GABA in the epileptic models.展开更多
Understanding how geographical patterns of plant richness are established is a key scientific question in ecology and biogeography.Climate factors,such as environmental energy,water availability,and rainfall seasonali...Understanding how geographical patterns of plant richness are established is a key scientific question in ecology and biogeography.Climate factors,such as environmental energy,water availability,and rainfall seasonality,have been widely proposed to account for geographical patterns of plant richness at large scales.Using a compiled distribution data set of 3166 native woody dicotyledons across 732 calibration grids at the county level in humid regions of China,we explored the geographical pattern of woody dicotyledon richness and its relationship to climatic variations,especially the Asian monsoonal climate.We found that species richness decreases with increasing latitude.Our study indicates that water availability(particularly mean annual precipitation,MAP)is the major abiotic factor in determining large-scale distribution patterns of species richness,Moreover,the seasonality of rainfall variables under the Asian monsoon climate largely contributes to species richness,because species richness correlates more significantly with precipitation during the three driest consecutive months(P3 DRY)than precipitation during the three wettest consecutive months(P3 WET).Therefore,we conclude that woody dicotyledon richness in humid regions of China is mainly affected by the Asian winter monsoon.展开更多
AIM:To investigate the risk factor of primary open angle glaucoma(POAG),which is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.An abnormally high level of endogenous formaldehyde(FA) has recently been fou...AIM:To investigate the risk factor of primary open angle glaucoma(POAG),which is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.An abnormally high level of endogenous formaldehyde(FA) has recently been found correlated with cell death and neurodegenerative disease,raising the possibility of a putative correlation of abnormal endogenous FA with POAG.· METHODS:Thirty-four elderly patients with POAG and sixteen healthy controls were enrolled.Glaucomatous visual defects were present at both the functional(visual field) and structural[retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness]levels.Morning urine samples were obtained and were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) to detect the endogenous FA level in a double blind manner.· RESULTS:Patients with POAG(P 〈0.05) had significantly higher urine FA levels.The urine FA level of patients with severe visual field defects[mean deviation(MD)≥12 dB]was significantly(P〈0.001) greater than that of patients with mild to moderate defects(MD〈12 dB).By optical coherence tomography(OCT),the superior and inferior RNFL thickness of POAG group was significantly(P〈0.001) thinner than in controls.Furthermore,the superior and inferior thinning of the RNFL was correlated with the elevation of urine FA concentration.CONCLUSION:Endogenous FA level is positively correlated with the neuronal defects of POAG.展开更多
Determining whether the high-latitude Bering land bridge(BLB)was ecologically suitable for the migration of mesothermal plants is significant for Holarctic phytogeographic inferences.Paleobotanical studies provide a c...Determining whether the high-latitude Bering land bridge(BLB)was ecologically suitable for the migration of mesothermal plants is significant for Holarctic phytogeographic inferences.Paleobotanical studies provide a critical source of data on the latitudinal positions of different plant lineages at different times,permitting assessment of the efficacy of the BLB for migration.Here we report exceptionally preserved fossils of Firmiana and Tilia endochrysea from the middle Miocene of South Korea.This represents a new reliable record of Firmiana and the first discovery of the T.endochrysea lineage in the fossil record of Asia.The occurrence of these fossils in South Korea indicates that the two lineages had a distribution that extended much farther north during the middle Miocene,but they were still geographically remote from the BLB.In light of the broader fossil record of Asia,our study shows that,in the middle Miocene,some mesothermal plants apparently inhabited the territory adjacent to the BLB and thus they were possibly capable of utilizing the BLB as a migratory corridor.Some other mesothermal plants,such as Firmiana and the T.endochrysea lineages,however,are restricted to more southern regions relative to the BLB based on current fossil evidence.These lineages may have been ecologically unable to traverse the BLB,which raises questions about the efficacy of the BLB as a universal exchange route for mesothermal plants between Asia and North America during the middle Miocene.展开更多
This article is concerned with the existence of traveling wave solutions for a discrete diffusive ratio-dependent predator-prey model. By applying Schauder’s fixed point theorem with the help of suitable upper and lo...This article is concerned with the existence of traveling wave solutions for a discrete diffusive ratio-dependent predator-prey model. By applying Schauder’s fixed point theorem with the help of suitable upper and lower solutions, we prove that there exists a positive constant c* such that when c > c* , the discrete diffusive predator-prey system admits an invasion traveling wave. The existence of an invasion traveling wave with c = c* is also established by a limiting argument and a delicate analysis of the boundary conditions.Finally, by the asymptotic spreading theory and the comparison principle, the non-existence of invasion traveling waves with speed c < c* is also proved.展开更多
Compressed materials of fossil foliage described here as Itea polyneura sp.nov.(Iteaceae)were collected from the Oligocene ofWenshan,Yunnan Province,southwestern China.The identification is based on the following char...Compressed materials of fossil foliage described here as Itea polyneura sp.nov.(Iteaceae)were collected from the Oligocene ofWenshan,Yunnan Province,southwestern China.The identification is based on the following characters:eucamptodromous secondary veins,strict scalariform tertiary veins,irregular tooth with setaceous apex.The leaf morphology of all modern and fossil species was compared with the new species from Wenshan and show that I.polyneura is most similar to the extant East Asian species Itea omeiensis,which inhabits subtropical forests of southern China.This discovery represents the first unambiguous leaf fossil record of Itea in East Asia.Together with other species in the Wenshan flora and evidence from several other flora in southern China,these findings demonstrate that Itea from East Asia arose with the Paleogene modernization.展开更多
Short squall lines that occurred over Lishui, southwestern Zhejiang Province, China, on 5 July 2012, were investigated using the WRF model based on 1°× 1° gridded NCEP Final Operational Global Analysis ...Short squall lines that occurred over Lishui, southwestern Zhejiang Province, China, on 5 July 2012, were investigated using the WRF model based on 1°× 1° gridded NCEP Final Operational Global Analysis data. The results from the numerical simulations were particularly satisfactory in the simulated radar echo, which realistically reproduced the generation and development of the convective cells during the period of severe convection. The initiation of this severe convective case was mainly associated with the uplift effect of mesoscale mountains, topographic convergence, sufficient water vapor, and enhanced low-level southeasterly wind from the East China Sea. An obvious wind velocity gradient occurred between the Donggong Mountains and the southeast coastline, which easily enabled wind convergence on the windward slope of the Donggong Mountains; both strong mid–low-level southwesterly wind and low-level southeasterly wind enhanced vertical shear over the mountains to form instability; and a vertical coupling relation between the divergence on the upper-left side of the Donggong Mountains and the convergence on the lower-left side caused the convection to develop rapidly. The convergence centers of surface streams occurred over the mountain terrain and updrafts easily broke through the lifting condensation level(LCL) because of the strong wind convergence and topographic lift, which led to water vapor condensation above the LCL and the generation of the initial convective cloud. The centers of surface convergence continually created new convective cells that moved with the southwest wind and combined along the Donggong Mountains, eventually forming a short squall line that caused severe convective weather.展开更多
Eurya has an excellent fossil record in Europe, but it has only a few fossil occurrences in East Asia though this vast area houses the highest modern diversity of the genus. In this study, three-dimensionally preserve...Eurya has an excellent fossil record in Europe, but it has only a few fossil occurrences in East Asia though this vast area houses the highest modern diversity of the genus. In this study, three-dimensionally preserved fossil seeds of Eurya stigrnosa (Ludwig) Mai from the late Pliocene of northwestern Yunnan, southwestern China are described. The seeds are compressed and flattened, slightly campylotropous, and nearly circular to slightly angular in shape. The surface of the seeds is sculptured by a distinctive foveolate pattern, consisting of funnel-shaped and finely pitted cells. Each seed valve contains a reniform or horseshoe-shaped embryo cavity, a characteristic condyle structure and an internal raphe. These fossil seeds represent one of the few fossil records of Eurya in East Asia. This new finding therefore largely extends the distributional ranges of Eurya during Neogene. Fossil records summarized here show that Eurya persisted in Europe until the early Pleistocene, but disappeared thereafter. The genus might have first appeared in East Asia no later than the late Oligocene, and dispersed widely in regions such as Japan, Nepal, and southwestern China.展开更多
The palaeodiversity of flowering plants in Yunnan has been extensively interpreted from both a molecular and fossil perspective. However, for cryptogamic plants such as ferns, the palaeodiversity remains poorly known....The palaeodiversity of flowering plants in Yunnan has been extensively interpreted from both a molecular and fossil perspective. However, for cryptogamic plants such as ferns, the palaeodiversity remains poorly known. In this study, we describe a new ferny fossil taxon, Drynaria lanpingensis sp. nov. Huang,Su et Zhou(Polypodiaceae), from the late Pliocene of northwestern Yunnan based on fragmentary frond and pinna with in situ spores. The frond is pinnatifid and the pinnae are entirely margined. The sori are arranged in one row on each side of the primary vein. The spores have a semicircular to bean-shaped equatorial view and a tuberculate surface. Taken together with previously described fossils, there are now representatives of three known fossil taxa of Drynaria from the late Pliocene of western Yunnan.These finds suggest that Drynaria diversity was considerable in the region at that time. As Drynaria is a shade-tolerant plant, growing preferably in wet conditions in the understory of forests, its extensive existence may indicate forest vegetation and humid climates in western Yunnan during the late Pliocene.This is in line with results from floristic investigations and palaeoclimatic reconstructions based on fossil floras.展开更多
文摘Promoter silencing by ectopic?de novo?methylation of tumor suppressor genes has been proposed as comparable or equivalent to inactivating mutations as a factor in carcinogenesis. However, this hypotheses had not previously been tested by high resolution,?high-coverage whole-genome methylation profiling in primary carcinomas. We have determined the genomic methylation status of a series of primary mammary carcinomas and matched control tissues by examination of more than 2.7 billion CpG dinucleotides. Most of the tumors showed variable losses of DNA methylation?from all sequence compartments, but increases in promoter methylation were infrequent, very small in extent, and were observed largely at CpG-poor promoters. De novo methylation at the promoters?of proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes occurred at approximately the same frequency. The findings indicate that tumor suppressor silencing by?de novo?methylation is much less common than currently believed. We put forward a hypothesis under which the demethylation commonly observed in carcinomas is a manifestation of a defensive system that kills incipient cancer cells.
基金supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(Grant No.2019QZKK0705)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42002020)+1 种基金the Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology and Stratigraphy,Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant Nos.203127 and 193117)the West Light Project(Grant No.2020000023)。
文摘The Paleogene is a crucial period when terrestrial and marine ecosystems recovered from major disruptions and gradually approached their modern states.In the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions,the Paleogene also represents a significant phase of tectonic evolution in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau-Himalaya orogeny,reorganization of Asian climates,and evolution of biodiversity.Due to limitations in research conditions and understanding,there are still many controversies regarding stratigraphic divisions in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions.In recent years,extensive studies on sedimentary petrology,magnetostratigraphy,and isotope dating have been conducted in the region.Numerous fossils have been discovered and reported,contributing to a more systematic understanding of biostratigraphy.These studies have laid a solid foundation for the comprehensive investigation of the stratigraphy,biotas and paleogeographic evolution of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions during the Paleogene.In this paper,we integrate recent research on fossils,isotopic dating,magnetostratigraphy,and geochemistry to refine the stratigraphic divisions and correlation framework of different tectonic units in the region,building upon previous studies.Since the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research,the knowledge of Paleogene floras has gradually expanded.This paper discusses the biostratigraphic significance of extinct and newly appeared taxa based on the latest dating results of these plant species.The new understanding of fossil species such as the“Eucalyptus”and Arecaceae establishes connections between the Paleogene flora of the Qinghai-Tibetan region and the biotas of Gondwana,specifically Oceania and South America.The evolutionary history of key taxa near the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone indicates that the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates occurred approximately 65-54 Ma.Paleoelevation reconstructions,based on plant fossils,suggest that the Hengduan Mountain had already formed their current topographic pattern prior to the Early Oligocene.The warm and humid lowlands adjacent to the main suture zones in the Paleogene Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau served as the primary pathway for biota exchanges.The relatively low elevation of the Himalaya during the Paleogene did not effectively block the moisture from the Indian Ocean.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Funds of China,No.81974448Guangdong Medical Research Foundation,No.B2019126Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission,No.JCYJ20210324135005013.
文摘BACKGROUND Altered miR-188-3p expression has been observed in various human cancers.AIM To investigate the miR-188-3p expression,its roles,and underlying molecular events in gastric cancer.METHODS Fifty gastric cancer and paired normal tissues were collected to analyze miR-188-3p and CBL expression.Normal and gastric cancer cells were used to manipulate miR-188-3p and CBL expression through different assays.The relationship between miR-188-3p and CBL was predicted bioinformatically and confirmed using a luciferase gene reporter assay.A Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to associate miR-188-3p or CBL expression with patient survival.A nude mouse tumor cell xenograft assay was used to confirm the in vitro data.RESULTS MiR-188-3p was found to be lower in the plasma of gastric cancer patients,tissues,and cell lines compared to their healthy counterparts.It was associated with overall survival of gastric cancer patients(P<0.001),tumor differentiation(P<0.001),lymph node metastasis(P=0.033),tumor node metastasis stage(I/II vs III/IV,P=0.024),and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage(I/II vs III/IV,P=0.03).Transfection with miR-188-3p mimics reduced tumor cell growth and invasion while inducing apoptosis and autophagy.CBL was identified as a direct target of miR-188-3p,with its expression antagonizing the effects of miR-188-3p on gastric cancer(GC)cell proliferation by inducing tumor cell apoptosis and autophagy through the inactivation of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.The in vivo data confirmed antitumor activity via CBL downregulation in gastric cancer.CONCLUSION The current data provides ex vivo,in vitro,and in vivo evidence that miR-188-3p acts as a tumor suppressor gene or possesses antitumor activity in GC.
基金XTBG International Fellowship for Visiting Scientists to R.A.S.the NSFCeNERC(Natural Environment Research Council of the United Kingdom)joint research program[nos.41661134049 and NE/P013805/1]。
文摘The biodiversity of the Himalaya,Hengduan Mountains and Tibet,here collectively termed the Tibetan Region,is exceptional in a global context.To contextualize and understand the origins of this biotic richness,and its conservation value,we examine recent fossil finds and review progress in understanding the orogeny of the Tibetan Region.We examine the deep-time origins of monsoons affecting Asia,climate variation over different timescales,and the establishment of environmental niche heterogeneity linked to topographic development.The origins of the modern biodiversity were established in the Eocene,concurrent with the formation of pronounced topographic relief across the Tibetan Region.High(>4 km)mountains to the north and south of what is now the Tibetan Plateau bounded a Paleogene central lowland(<2.5 km)hosting moist subtropical vegetation influenced by an intensifying monsoon.In mid Miocene times,before the Himalaya reached their current elevation,sediment infilling and compressional tectonics raised the floor of the central valley to above 3000 m,but central Tibet was still moist enough,and low enough,to host a warm temperate angiosperm-dominated woodland.After 15 Ma,global cooling,the further rise of central Tibet,and the rain shadow cast by the growing Himalaya,progressively led to more open,herb-rich vegetation as the modern high plateau formed with its cool,dry climate.In the moist monsoonal Hengduan Mountains,high and spatially extensive since the Eocene but subsequently deeply dissected by river incision,Neogene cooling depressed the tree line,compressed altitudinal zonation,and created strong environmental heterogeneity.This served as a cradle for the then newly-evolving alpine biota and favoured diversity within more thermophilic vegetation at lower elevations.This diversity has survived through a combination of minimal Quaternary glaciation,and complex relief-related environmental niche heterogeneity.The great antiquity and diversity of the Tibetan Region biota argues for its conservation,and the importance of that biota is demonstrated through our insights into its long temporal gestation provided by fossil archives and information written in surviving genomes.These data sources are worthy of conservation in their own right,but for the living biotic inventory we need to ask what it is we want to conserve.Is it 1)individual taxa for their intrinsic properties,2)their services in functioning ecosystems,or 3)their capacity to generate future new biodiversity?If 2 or 3 are our goal then landscape conservation at scale is required,and not just seed banks or botanical/zoological gardens.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U1502231)the Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. 163108)the foundation of the Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University (No. 2015DG007-KF01)
文摘Yunnan in southwestern China is renowned for its high plant diversity.To understand how this modern botanical richness formed,it is critical to investigate the past biodiversity throughout the geological time.In this review,we present a summary on plant diversity,floristics and climates in the Cenozoic of Yunnan and document their changes,by compiling published palaeobotanical sources.Our review demonstrates that thus far a total of 386 fossil species of ferns,gymnosperms and angiosperms belonging to 170 genera within 66 families have been reported from the Cenozoic,particularly the Neogene,of Yunnan.Angiosperms display the highest richness represented by 353 species grouped into 155 genera within 60 families,with Fagaceae,Fabaceae,Lauraceae and Juglandaceae being the most diversified.Most of the families and genera recorded as fossils still occur in Yunnan,but seven genera have disappeared,including Berryophyllum,Cedrelospermum,Cedrus,Palaeocarya,Podocarpium,Sequoia and Wataria.The regional extinction of these genera is commonly referred to an aridification of the dry season associated with Asian monsoon development.Floristic analyses indicate that in the late Miocene,Yunnan had three floristic regions:a northern subtropical floristic region in the northeast,a subtropical floristic region in the east,and a tropical floristic region in the southwest.In the late Pliocene,Yunnan saw two kinds of floristic regions:a subalpine floristic region in the northwest,and two subtropical floristic regions separately in the southwest and the eastern center.These floristic concepts are verified by results from our areal type analyses which suggest that in the Miocene southwestern Yunnan supported the most Pantropic elements,while in the Pliocene southwestern Yunnan had abundant Tropical Asia(Indo e Malaysia)type and East Asia and North America disjunct type that were absent from northwestern Yunnan.From the late Miocene to late Pliocene through to the present,floristic composition and vegetation types changed markedly,presumably in response to altitude changes and coeval global cooling.An integration of palaeoclimate data suggests that during the Neogene Yunnan was warmer and wetter than today.Moreover,northern Yunnan witnessed a pronounced temperature decline,while southern Yunnan experienced only moderate temperature changes.Summer precipitation was consistently higher than winter precipitation,suggesting a rainfall seasonality.This summary on palaeoclimates helps us to understand under what conditions plant diversity occurred and evolved in Yunnan throughout the Cenozoic.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(31800183,41922010,42002020,41661134049)Yunnan Basic Research Projects(202001AU070137,2019FB026)+2 种基金Chinese Academy of Sciences"Light of West China"Program(2020000023)the CAS 135 program(2017XTBG-T03)Project“Study,collection of fossil woods in Vietnam for exhibition in System of Vietnam National Museum of Nature”(CT0000.01/19-21).
文摘Recent paleobotanical investigations in Vietnam provide a good opportunity to improve our understanding of the biodiversity and paleoclimatic conditions in the geological past of Southeast Asia.Palms(Arecaceae)are a diverse family of typical thermophilous plants with a relatively low tolerance for freezing.In this study,we describe well-preserved fossil palm leaves from the Oligocene Dong Ho Formation of Hoanh Bo Basin,northern Vietnam.Characters of the fossil leaves,such as a fan-shaped costapalmate lamina,an unarmed petiole,a costa slightly enlarged at the base that then tapers distally into the blade,and well-preserved amphistomatic leaves with cuticles,suggest that they represent a new fossil species,which we herein designate Sabalites colaniae A.Song,T.Su,T.V.Do et Z.K.Zhou sp.nov.Together with other paleontological and palaeoclimatic evidence,we conclude that a warm climate prevailed in northern Vietnam and nearby areas during the Oligocene.
基金National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 30370503 and No. 30570642).
文摘Objective To explore the possible role of voltage-gated potassium channel-interacting protein 1 (KChIP1) in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Methods Sprague Dawley female adult rats were treated with pentylenettrazole (PTZ) to develop acute and chronic epilepsy models. The approximate coronal sections of normal and epilepsy rat brain were processed for immunohistochemistry. Double-labeling confocal microscopy was used to determine the coexistence of KChIP1 and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Results KChIP1 was expressed abundantly throughout adult rat brain. KChIP1 is highly co-localize with GABA transmitter in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. In the acute PTZ-induced convulsive rats, the number of KChIP1-postive cells was significantly increased especially in the regions of CA1 and CA3 (P < 0.05); whereas the chronic PTZ-induced convulsive rats were found no changes. The number of GABA-labeled and co-labeled neurons in the hippocampus appeared to have no significant alteration responding to the epilepsy-genesis treatments. Conclusion KChIP1 might be involved in the PTZ-induced epileptogenesis process as a regulator to neuronal excitability through influencing the properties of potassium channels. KChIP1 is preferentially expressed in GABAergic neurons, but its changes did not couple with GABA in the epileptic models.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.U1502231 and 41661134049)the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDA19050301)。
文摘Understanding how geographical patterns of plant richness are established is a key scientific question in ecology and biogeography.Climate factors,such as environmental energy,water availability,and rainfall seasonality,have been widely proposed to account for geographical patterns of plant richness at large scales.Using a compiled distribution data set of 3166 native woody dicotyledons across 732 calibration grids at the county level in humid regions of China,we explored the geographical pattern of woody dicotyledon richness and its relationship to climatic variations,especially the Asian monsoonal climate.We found that species richness decreases with increasing latitude.Our study indicates that water availability(particularly mean annual precipitation,MAP)is the major abiotic factor in determining large-scale distribution patterns of species richness,Moreover,the seasonality of rainfall variables under the Asian monsoon climate largely contributes to species richness,because species richness correlates more significantly with precipitation during the three driest consecutive months(P3 DRY)than precipitation during the three wettest consecutive months(P3 WET).Therefore,we conclude that woody dicotyledon richness in humid regions of China is mainly affected by the Asian winter monsoon.
基金Supported by National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program,No.2012CB911004)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No. 81041008No.30772376)
文摘AIM:To investigate the risk factor of primary open angle glaucoma(POAG),which is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.An abnormally high level of endogenous formaldehyde(FA) has recently been found correlated with cell death and neurodegenerative disease,raising the possibility of a putative correlation of abnormal endogenous FA with POAG.· METHODS:Thirty-four elderly patients with POAG and sixteen healthy controls were enrolled.Glaucomatous visual defects were present at both the functional(visual field) and structural[retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness]levels.Morning urine samples were obtained and were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) to detect the endogenous FA level in a double blind manner.· RESULTS:Patients with POAG(P 〈0.05) had significantly higher urine FA levels.The urine FA level of patients with severe visual field defects[mean deviation(MD)≥12 dB]was significantly(P〈0.001) greater than that of patients with mild to moderate defects(MD〈12 dB).By optical coherence tomography(OCT),the superior and inferior RNFL thickness of POAG group was significantly(P〈0.001) thinner than in controls.Furthermore,the superior and inferior thinning of the RNFL was correlated with the elevation of urine FA concentration.CONCLUSION:Endogenous FA level is positively correlated with the neuronal defects of POAG.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31900194)the Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy,Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.183112)+1 种基金the Yunnan Province Natural Science Foundation(No.2019FB061)the“Light of West China”Program,CAS,and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association,CAS(No.2017439).
文摘Determining whether the high-latitude Bering land bridge(BLB)was ecologically suitable for the migration of mesothermal plants is significant for Holarctic phytogeographic inferences.Paleobotanical studies provide a critical source of data on the latitudinal positions of different plant lineages at different times,permitting assessment of the efficacy of the BLB for migration.Here we report exceptionally preserved fossils of Firmiana and Tilia endochrysea from the middle Miocene of South Korea.This represents a new reliable record of Firmiana and the first discovery of the T.endochrysea lineage in the fossil record of Asia.The occurrence of these fossils in South Korea indicates that the two lineages had a distribution that extended much farther north during the middle Miocene,but they were still geographically remote from the BLB.In light of the broader fossil record of Asia,our study shows that,in the middle Miocene,some mesothermal plants apparently inhabited the territory adjacent to the BLB and thus they were possibly capable of utilizing the BLB as a migratory corridor.Some other mesothermal plants,such as Firmiana and the T.endochrysea lineages,however,are restricted to more southern regions relative to the BLB based on current fossil evidence.These lineages may have been ecologically unable to traverse the BLB,which raises questions about the efficacy of the BLB as a universal exchange route for mesothermal plants between Asia and North America during the middle Miocene.
基金supported by NSF of China(11861056)Gansu Provincial Natural Science Foundation(18JR3RA093).
文摘This article is concerned with the existence of traveling wave solutions for a discrete diffusive ratio-dependent predator-prey model. By applying Schauder’s fixed point theorem with the help of suitable upper and lower solutions, we prove that there exists a positive constant c* such that when c > c* , the discrete diffusive predator-prey system admits an invasion traveling wave. The existence of an invasion traveling wave with c = c* is also established by a limiting argument and a delicate analysis of the boundary conditions.Finally, by the asymptotic spreading theory and the comparison principle, the non-existence of invasion traveling waves with speed c < c* is also proved.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31800183,No.U1502231,No.41661134049)Yunnan Basic Research Projects(No.2019FB026)Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)135 Program(No.2017XTBGT03).
文摘Compressed materials of fossil foliage described here as Itea polyneura sp.nov.(Iteaceae)were collected from the Oligocene ofWenshan,Yunnan Province,southwestern China.The identification is based on the following characters:eucamptodromous secondary veins,strict scalariform tertiary veins,irregular tooth with setaceous apex.The leaf morphology of all modern and fossil species was compared with the new species from Wenshan and show that I.polyneura is most similar to the extant East Asian species Itea omeiensis,which inhabits subtropical forests of southern China.This discovery represents the first unambiguous leaf fossil record of Itea in East Asia.Together with other species in the Wenshan flora and evidence from several other flora in southern China,these findings demonstrate that Itea from East Asia arose with the Paleogene modernization.
基金Sponsored by the National (973) Program on Key Basic Research project entitled "Observation,Prediction and Analysis of Severe Convection of China" (Grant No. 2013CB430104)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41575047)
文摘Short squall lines that occurred over Lishui, southwestern Zhejiang Province, China, on 5 July 2012, were investigated using the WRF model based on 1°× 1° gridded NCEP Final Operational Global Analysis data. The results from the numerical simulations were particularly satisfactory in the simulated radar echo, which realistically reproduced the generation and development of the convective cells during the period of severe convection. The initiation of this severe convective case was mainly associated with the uplift effect of mesoscale mountains, topographic convergence, sufficient water vapor, and enhanced low-level southeasterly wind from the East China Sea. An obvious wind velocity gradient occurred between the Donggong Mountains and the southeast coastline, which easily enabled wind convergence on the windward slope of the Donggong Mountains; both strong mid–low-level southwesterly wind and low-level southeasterly wind enhanced vertical shear over the mountains to form instability; and a vertical coupling relation between the divergence on the upper-left side of the Donggong Mountains and the convergence on the lower-left side caused the convection to develop rapidly. The convergence centers of surface streams occurred over the mountain terrain and updrafts easily broke through the lifting condensation level(LCL) because of the strong wind convergence and topographic lift, which led to water vapor condensation above the LCL and the generation of the initial convective cloud. The centers of surface convergence continually created new convective cells that moved with the southwest wind and combined along the Donggong Mountains, eventually forming a short squall line that caused severe convective weather.
基金Acknowledgments We thank Lin-Bo Jia from Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for help with fossil collection and the editor and two anonymous reviewers for improving the manuscript. Fossil examinations with the 3D Super Depth Digital Microscope and SEM were performed in the Central Lab of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences and examination of the extant seeds with the SEM was performed in the Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Extant seeds of Eurya were provided by the Herbarium of Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U1502231, 31300187). This study is a contribution to NECLIME (Neogene Climate of Eurasia).
文摘Eurya has an excellent fossil record in Europe, but it has only a few fossil occurrences in East Asia though this vast area houses the highest modern diversity of the genus. In this study, three-dimensionally preserved fossil seeds of Eurya stigrnosa (Ludwig) Mai from the late Pliocene of northwestern Yunnan, southwestern China are described. The seeds are compressed and flattened, slightly campylotropous, and nearly circular to slightly angular in shape. The surface of the seeds is sculptured by a distinctive foveolate pattern, consisting of funnel-shaped and finely pitted cells. Each seed valve contains a reniform or horseshoe-shaped embryo cavity, a characteristic condyle structure and an internal raphe. These fossil seeds represent one of the few fossil records of Eurya in East Asia. This new finding therefore largely extends the distributional ranges of Eurya during Neogene. Fossil records summarized here show that Eurya persisted in Europe until the early Pleistocene, but disappeared thereafter. The genus might have first appeared in East Asia no later than the late Oligocene, and dispersed widely in regions such as Japan, Nepal, and southwestern China.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31300187,U1502231)the Major Program of National Science Foundation of China (31590823)
文摘The palaeodiversity of flowering plants in Yunnan has been extensively interpreted from both a molecular and fossil perspective. However, for cryptogamic plants such as ferns, the palaeodiversity remains poorly known. In this study, we describe a new ferny fossil taxon, Drynaria lanpingensis sp. nov. Huang,Su et Zhou(Polypodiaceae), from the late Pliocene of northwestern Yunnan based on fragmentary frond and pinna with in situ spores. The frond is pinnatifid and the pinnae are entirely margined. The sori are arranged in one row on each side of the primary vein. The spores have a semicircular to bean-shaped equatorial view and a tuberculate surface. Taken together with previously described fossils, there are now representatives of three known fossil taxa of Drynaria from the late Pliocene of western Yunnan.These finds suggest that Drynaria diversity was considerable in the region at that time. As Drynaria is a shade-tolerant plant, growing preferably in wet conditions in the understory of forests, its extensive existence may indicate forest vegetation and humid climates in western Yunnan during the late Pliocene.This is in line with results from floristic investigations and palaeoclimatic reconstructions based on fossil floras.