Mutations in the miRNA165/166 binding site of the HB2 gene result in pleiotropic effects on morphological traits in wheat

Leaf,spike,stem,and root morphologies are key factors that determine crop growth,development,and productivity.Multiple genes that control these morphological traits have been identified in Arabidopsis,rice,maize,and other plant species.However,little is known about the genomic regions and genes associated with morphological traits in wheat.Here,we identified the ethyl methanesulfonate-derived mutant wheat line M133 that displays multiple morphological changes that include upward-curled leaves,paired spikelets,dwarfism,and delayed heading.Using bulked segregant RNA sequencing(BSR-seq)and a high-resolution genetic map,we identified TraesCS1D02G155200(HBD2)as a potential candidate gene.HB-D2 encodes a class III homeodomain-leucine zipper(HD-ZIP III)transcription factor,and the mutation was located in the miRNA165/166 complementary site,resulting in a resistant allele designated rHb-D2.The relative expression of rHb2 in the mutant plants was significantly higher(P<0.01)than in plants homozygous for the WT allele.Independent resistant mutations that disrupt the miRNA165/166 complementary sites in the A-(rHb-A2)and B-genome(rHb-B2)homoeologs showed similar phenotypic alterations,but the relative intensity of the effects was different.Transgenic plants expressing rHb-D2 gene driven by the maize UBIQUITIN(UBI)promoter showed similar phenotypes to the rHb-D2 mutant.These results confirmed that HB-D2 is the causal gene responsible for the mutant phenotypes.Finally,a survey of 1397 wheat accessions showed that the complementary sites for miRNA165/166 in all three HB2 homoeologs are highly conserved.Our results suggest that HB2 plays an important role in regulating growth and development in wheat.

Adsorption separation performance of H_2/CH_4 on ETS-4 by concentration pulse chromatography

To exploit an effective adsorbent to separate hydrogen and methane, microporous titanium silicate molecular sieve NaETS-4 was synthesized and modified by strontium. The adsorption characteristics and diffusion behaviors of the prepared titanosilicate molecular sieve were studied by concentration pulse chromatography. And the effects of ion-exchange and dehydration temperature on adsorbent structure and gas diffusion were also discussed. The results showed that the thermal stability and Henry＇s Law constants were enhanced and micropore diffusivity decreased after exchanging Na＋ with Sr2＋. With the increase of dehydration temperature, Henry＇s Law constant and micropore diffusivity of CI-I4 decreased in both NaETS-4 and SrETS-4. While for 1-12 in SrETS-4, the increase of Henry＇s Law constant and the decrease of diffusion rate can be attributed to the shrinks of pore diameter resulting from the relocation of Sr2＋. Correspondingly, the kinetic selectivity of H2/CH4 reached 8.91 indicating its potentiality in separating H2 and CH4.

生物效应导向的污染物分析研究新进展

与日俱增的化学品污染导致环境形势日益严峻.效应导向分析技术(effect-directed analysis, EDA)是分析复杂基质中效应污染物的实用工具,该方法结合了生物效应测试、有机污染物分离、污染物浓度测定和结构鉴定等分析评价方法.本文综述了近年来EDA在样品提取、生物效应测试、分离制备流程和质谱鉴定方法等方面的最新研究进展.同时,本文介绍了高通量筛选在EDA中的应用,并对EDA未来的研究方向和挑战进行了展望.

Noncontrast-enhanced MRI-based Noninvasive Score for Portal Hypertension(CHESS1802):An International Multicenter Study

Background and Aims:This study aimed to determine the performance of the non-invasive score using noncontrastenhanced MRI(CHESS-DIS score)for detecting portal hy-pertension in cirrhosis.Methods:In this international multicenter,diagnostic study(ClinicalTrials.gov,NCT03766880),patients with cirrhosis who had hepatic venous pressure gradient(HVPG)measurement and noncontrast-enhanced MRI were prospectively recruited from four university hospitals in China(n=4)and Turkey(n=1)between December 2018 and April 2019.A cohort of patients was retrospectively recruited from a university hospital in Italy between March 2015 and November 2017.After segmentation of the liver on fat-suppressed T1-weighted MRI maps,CHESS-DIS score was calculated automatically by an in-house developed code based on the quantification of liver surface nodularity.Results:A total of 149 patients were included,of which 124 were from four Chinese hospitals(training cohort)and 25 were from two international hospitals(validation cohort).A positive correlation between CHESS-DIS score and HVPG was found with the correlation coefficients of 0.36(p<0.0001)and 0.55(p<0.01)for the training and validation cohorts,respectively.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of CHESS-DIS score in detection of clinically significant portal hypertension(CSPH)was 0.81 and 0.9 in the training and validation cohorts,respectively.The intra-class correlation coefficients for assessing the inter-and intra-observer agreement were 0.846 and 0.841,respectively.Conclusions:A non-invasive score using noncontrast-enhanced MRI was developed and proved to be significantly correlated with invasive HVPG.Besides,this score could be used to detect CSPH in patients with cirrhosis.

Possible role of extracellular vesicles in exogenous chemical exposure-associated health concern

Extracellular vesicles(EVs) are mediators of intercellular message communication by transferring lipids, proteins, genetic materials, and are therefore involved in a wide spectrum of physiological or pathological processes. Exogenous chemicals exposure may affect the function of EVs at the biogenesis, secretion, transport or reception stage, which could further result in abnormal information communication between cells, and thus induce toxicity and diseases. This review briefly explores the role of EVs in chemical exposure-associated health concern and progressive diseases.

Clinical characteristics of acute lobar nephronia in renal allograft

To the Editor:Acute lobar nephronia(ALN),also known as acute focal bacterial nephritis,is a severe form of upper urinary tract infection(UTI)that is characterized by the presence of an inflammatory mass lesion in the kidney without abscess formation.It is considered to be the midpoint between acute pyelonephritis and renal abscess.^([1])ALN was first described in 1979 as a radiologic diagnosis in ten adults and two children.^([2])

Use of serum Golgi protein 73 for screening chronic hepatitis B virus infection patients needing antiviral therapy in the community

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global public health problem. Approximately 887,000 people die of HBV infection-related diseases annually, with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being the principal causes of mortality.[1] Timely antiviral therapy greatly reduces the risks of cirrhosis and HCC. However, unfortunately, of those patients who are eligible for antiviral treatment, only 25% of patients in clinic settings and 12% of those in community settings obtain timely antiviral therapy.[2] Therefore, reliable means of identifying patients with chronic HBV infection that require antiviral therapy are necessary, particularly for use in the community.

Mutations in wheat TaAPA2 gene result in pleiotropic effects on plant architecture

Dear Editor,Bread wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)is a globally important cereal providing~20% of the calories and proteins for>4.5billion people.Plant architecture,including morphologies of leaves,spikes,stems,and roots,has great impact on plant development and productivity,and thus has been extensively investigated in various plant species(Jiang et al.,2023;Zhang et al.,2017).