RAD-seq data reveals robust phylogeny and morphological evolutionary history of Rhododendron

Rhododendron is famous for its high ornamental value.However,the genus is taxonomically difficult and the relationships within Rhododendron remain unresolved.In addition,the origin of key morphological characters with high horticulture value need to be explored.Both problems largely hinder utilization of germplasm resources.Most studies attempted to disentangle the phylogeny of Rhododendron,but only used a few genomic markers and lacked large-scale sampling,resulting in low clade support and contradictory phylogenetic signals.Here,we used restriction-site associated DNA sequencing(RAD-seq)data and morphological traits for 144 species of Rhododendron,representing all subgenera and most sections and subsections of this species-rich genus,to decipher its intricate evolutionary history and reconstruct ancestral state.Our results revealed high resolutions at subgenera and section levels of Rhododendron based on RAD-seq data.Both optimal phylogenetic tree and split tree recovered five lineages among Rhododendron.Subg.Therorhodion(cladeⅠ)formed the basal lineage.Subg.Tsutsusi and Azaleastrum formed cladeⅡand had sister relationships.CladeⅢincluded all scaly rhododendron species.Subg.Pentanthera(cladeⅣ)formed a sister group to Subg.Hymenanthes(cladeⅤ).The results of ancestral state reconstruction showed that Rhododendron ancestor was a deciduous woody plant with terminal inflorescence,ten stamens,leaf blade without scales and broadly funnelform corolla with pink or purple color.This study shows significant distinguishability to resolve the evolutionary history of Rhododendron based on high clade support of phylogenetic tree constructed by RAD-seq data.It also provides an example to resolve discordant signals in phylogenetic trees and demonstrates the application feasibility of RAD-seq with large amounts of missing data in deciphering intricate evolutionary relationships.Additionally,the reconstructed ancestral state of six important characters provides insights into the innovation of key characters in Rhododendron.

Effects of insoluble dietary fiber from wheat bran on noodle quality

Benefiting from its favorable effects in promoting intestinal peristalsis,increasing satiety and reducing postprandial blood sugar,wheat bran insoluble dietary fiber(IDF)could be added to noodles to improve the nutrition value of noodle products.However,the addition of IDF usually results in an adverse effect on the quality characteristics of fiber fortified products,leading to unfavorable texture and consumption drop.It was found that IDF could weaken dough characteristics,thereby causing the quality deterioration of noodles,but the mechanism is unclear as yet.This study aimed to investigate the effects of different amounts of IDF on the texture quality and cooking quality of noodles.The water distribution,rheological properties,pasting properties and cooking properties of the noodles were determined by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance(LF-NMR),dynamic rheometer,and rapid visco-analyzer.The results of the LF-NMR showed that the increased IDF in the noodles resulted in a contraction of relaxation time and an increase in the proportion of loosely bound water.At a high amount of IDF,the water absorption and tensile distance of the noodles significantly decreased and the cooking loss rate increased,with a downward trend in peak viscosity,final viscosity and setback values.Moreover,IDF could improve the storage modulus and loss modulus of sheeted dough and enhance the texture of noodles.Furthermore,the correlations between IDF addition amounts and rheological properties as well as cooking properties were analyzed,and the results confirmed that noodles with the IDF amount of 2%–4%had higher nutrition and quality.This study provides the basis for future development and improvement of IDF-enriched health foods.

Microstructure observation of multilayers separated from wheat bran

In order to understand more clearly the morphology of the structural layers of the soft and hard wheat bran to understand the effect of mechanical force on the wheat grain,we observed the microstructure of each layer of the wheat bran from soft and hard mature wheat.Based on the differences in mechanical properties and water permeability of each wheat bran layer,the mature wheat grains were alternately treated under cold and heat conditions and separated by manual dissection.The microstructure of each layer of wheat bran from soft and hard mature wheat was determined by optical and fluorescence microscopy.Seven different structure layers were observed by optical microscopy,named them as epidermis,epicarp,cross cells,tube cells,testa,nucellar layer,and aleurone layer.All the layers of the outer bran of wheat grains were separated,except for the tube cells layer.The autofluorescence imagings of five layers were obtained.It was found that the morphology of the structural layers of the soft and hard wheat bran did not differ much,except for the aleurone layer.The aleurone layer of soft wheat bran was significantly different from that of the hard wheat bran,which is fuller and denser compared to soft wheat.In this study,more aleurone grains were lost in the aleurone layer obtained by the outsidein peeling method.The mastery of the morphology of each structural layer of the bran helps us to quickly quantify the degree of peeling of wheat milling,and to make immediate adjustments to the process.At the same time,we understand that the contents of the aleurone cells have different binding strengths with the nucellar layer and the starchy endosperm.The paper is instructive to deep investigation of wheat milling mechanism and product process refinement.

Dispersal and germination of winged seeds of Brandisia hancei,a shrub in karst regions of China

Brandisia hancei(Paulowniaceae)is a widely distributed shrub in karst regions in southwestern China.Its seeds have a membranous wing,and they mature just before the rainy season begins.To assess the effect of the wing on seed dispersal and germination of B.hancei,we measured the dispersal distance at varying wind speeds and release heights,falling duration from different release heights,floating duration on still water,rates of imbibition of water,and drying and soil adherence to seeds.Germination experiments were conducted on intact and de-winged seeds immediately after harvest.The wing increased the falling duration in still air and the floating ability on water.Dispersal distance of winged and de-winged seeds did not differ at a wind speed of 2.8 m s1,but at 3.6 and 4.0 m s1 dispersal distances were greater for de-winged than for winged seeds.Seed wing had little effect of absorption and retention of water,but significantly increased soil adherence to the seeds.Mature seeds were non-dormant and germinated to over 90%with a mean germination time of about 10 days.By combining the environmental conditions in karst habitat with the seed traits of B.hancei,we conclude that dispersal and germination of winged seeds are adapted to the precipitation seasonality in heterogeneous habitats absence of soil.

EMMPRIN enhances the metastatic ability of CT26 murine colon adenocarcinoma

Objective: Colon cancer metastasis is the key in fertility rate of colon cancer. Many recent results about metastasis research indicated that EMMPRIN played an important role in cancer metastasis. So, we designed this experiment to investigate whether EMMPRIN can enhance the metastatic ability of murine colon adenocarcinoma cell, CT26. Methods: EMMPRIN was over expressed in CT26 cells through transfecting pCMV-HA2-EMMPRIN into the CT26 cells. Invasion assay, wound migration assay and adhesion assay were utilized to analyze the metastasis of CT26 cells in vitro after EMMPRIN over expression. Results: After EMMPRIN over expression, invasion assay showed that invasive cells were 103.33 + 8.49 in EMMPRIN group and 48.67 + 5.3 in control group (P < 0.001). Migration assay showed that migrating cells were 40.67 + 2.49 in EMMPRIN group and 18.33 + 2.05 in control group (P < 0.001). CCK-8 absorbance value in adhesion assay were 3.33 + 0.17 in EMMPRIN group and 2.10 + 0.22 in control group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Over expression of EMMPRIN could enhance the CT26 cell capacity of invasion and migration, and inhibit CT26 cell capacity of adhesion remarkably. The results suggest that EMMPRIN may be involved in cancer metastasis and play an important role in promotion of cancer metastasis.

Effects of milling methods on rheological properties of fermented and non-fermented dough

The rheological properties of wheat flour are very important for the production of bakery products,and the milling methods greatly influence the rheological properties.In this paper,we measured the particle size distributions,damaged starch contents,granular morphology,and pasting properties of the wheat flour,also carried out the uniaxial elongation test,the texture profile analysis,and rheological properties of the dough to evaluate effects of two milling methods,i.e.impact mill(IM)and hammer mill(HM),on the rheological properties of wheat flour and dough.The results showed that milling methods had no significant effects on flour pasting temperature(except the flour H3 obtained by HM grinding three times)and springiness of dough.Flour samples milled by IM had a lower damaged starch content,higher trough viscosity,higher final viscosity and higher values of setback compared to samples processed by HM.After repeated milling of IM,the damaged starch content of the endosperm granules could be controlled below 1%(P<0.05).There was a gap between H1 and H2 in the elastic modulus value of the non-fermented dough group,and the difference increased after fermentation,which was more obvious in the values of viscosity modulus.The more the milling times,the greater the elastic and viscosity modulus of dough of flour processed by both IM and HM.

Single nucleotide variants in lung cancer

Germline genetic variants,including single-nucleotide variants(SNVs)and copy number variants(CNVs),account for interpatient heterogeneity.In the past several decades,genome-wide association studies(GWAS)have iden-tified multiple lung cancer-associated SNVs in Caucasian and Chinese populations.These variants either reside within coding regions and change the structure and function of cancer-related proteins or reside within non-coding regions and alter the expression level of cancer-related proteins.The variants can be used not only for cancer risk assessment and prevention but also for the development of new therapies.In this review,we discuss the lung cancer-associated SNVs identified to date,their contributions to lung tumorigenesis and prognosis,and their potential use in predicting prognosis and implementing therapeutic strategies.

The Two Reemergent Confirmed COVID-19 Cases--Manzhouli City,Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,China,November 20,2020

On November 20,2020,a 55-year-old male went to the Zhongmeng Hospital of Manzhouli City,Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region for diagnosis and treatment of pain in the waist and lower extremities.His wife,a 55-year-old female,accompanied him to the hospital also feeling unwell.They were first tested for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)in Manzhouli People’s Hospital based on China’s policy of ensuring that“all those in need are tested,isolated,hospitalized,and treated.”