High patatin like phospholipase domain containing 8 expression as a biomarker for poor prognosis of colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Patatin like phospholipase domain containing 8(PNPLA8)has been shown to play a significant role in various cancer entities.Previous studies have focused on its roles as an antioxidant and in lipid peroxidation.However,the role of PNPLA8 in colorectal cancer(CRC)progression is unclear.AIM To explore the prognostic effects of PNPLA8 expression in CRC.METHODS A retrospective cohort containing 751 consecutive CRC patients was enrolled.PNPLA8 expression in tumor samples was evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining and semi-quantitated with immunoreactive scores.CRC patients were divided into high and low PNPLA8 expression groups based on the cut-off va-lues,which were calculated by X-tile software.The prognostic value of PNPLA8 was identified using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis.The over-all survival(OS)rates of CRC patients in the study cohort were compared with Kaplan-Meier analysis and Log-rank test.RESULTS PNPLA8 expression was significantly associated with distant metastases in our cohort(P=0.048).CRC patients with high PNPLA8 expression indicated poor OS(median OS=35.3,P=0.005).CRC patients with a higher PNPLA8 expression at either stage I and II or stage III and IV had statistically significant shorter OS.For patients with left-sided colon and rectal cancer,the survival curves of two PN-PLA8-expression groups showed statistically significant differences.Multivariate analysis also confirmed that high PNPLA8 expression was an independent prog-nostic factor for overall survival(hazard ratio HR=1.328,95%CI:1.016-1.734,P=0.038).

Transforming growth factor-β1 and vascular endothelial growth factor levels in senile acute myeloid leukemia and correlation with prognosis

BACKGROUND Acute myeloid leukemia(AML)is a disease in which immature hematopoietic cells accumulate in the bone marrow and continuously expand,inhibiting hematopoiesis.The treatment and prognosis of this disease have always been unsatisfactory.AIM To investigate the correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and transforming growth factor-β1(TGFβ1)expression and prognosis in older adults with AML.METHODS This study enrolled 80 patients with AML(AML group),including 36 with complete response(AML-CR),23 with partial response(AML-PR),and 21 with no response(AML-NR).The expression levels of VEGF and TGFβ1 were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in bone marrow mononuclear cells isolated from 56 healthy controls.Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to assess overall survival(OS)and progression-or disease-free survival(DFS).Prognostic risk factors were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model.RESULTS The AML group showed a VEGF level of 2.68±0.16.VEGF expression was lower in patients with AML-CR than those with AML-PR or AML-NR(P<0.05).TGFβ1 expression in the AML group was 0.33±0.05.Patients with AML-CR showed a higher TGFβ1 expression than those with AML-PR or AML-NR(P<0.05).VEGF and TGFβ1 expression in patients with AML was significantly correlated with the counts of leukocytes,platelets,hemoglobin,and peripheral blood immature cells(P<0.05);Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with high TGFβ1 expression had better OS and DFS than those with low TGFβ1 expression(P<0.05),whereas patients with low VEGF levels showed better OS and DFS than those with high VEGF levels(P<0.05).VEGF,TGFβ1,and platelet count were identified by the Cox proportional hazards model as independent risk factors for OS(P<0.05),while VEGF,TGFβ1,and white blood cell count were independent risk factors for DFS(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Decreased VEGF expression and increased TGFβ1 expression in patients with AML provide valuable references for determining and individualizing clinical treatment strategies.

Study on the Expression,Prognosis,and Clinical Features of HOXA6 in Liver Cancer

Objective:To study and analyze the expression level of homeobox A6(HOXA6)in patients with liver cancer and its correlation with prognosis.Methods:From January 2020 to July 2021,43 patients with liver cancer who underwent surgery without prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy were selected.Liver cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were collected,and the expression levels of HOXA6 mRNA and protein were measured using RT-qPCR and Western blot.The expression level of HOXA6 in tumor tissues(without radiotherapy and chemotherapy)was compared with that in adjacent tissues.Additionally,the prognosis and clinical characteristics of patients with low HOXA6 expression were compared to those with high HOXA6 expression,and the factors influencing high HOXA6 expression in liver cancer patients were analyzed.Results:HOXA6 mRNA and protein expression levels in tumor tissues were significantly higher than in adjacent tissues(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the 1-year and 2-year survival rates between the high HOXA6 expression group and the low HOXA6 expression group(P>0.05).However,the 3-year survival rate was lower in the high HOXA6 expression group compared to the low HOXA6 expression group(P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender,age,tumor diameter,alpha-fetoprotein levels,or hepatitis B virus DNA levels(P>0.05).However,significant differences were found in the number of tumor lesions,degree of differentiation,and the proportion of tumor metastasis between the two groups(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the number of tumor lesions,degree of differentiation,and tumor metastasis were influencing factors for high HOXA6 expression in liver cancer patients(P<0.05).Conclusion:HOXA6 expression levels are abnormally elevated in liver cancer patients,and higher HOXA6 expression is associated with a worse 3-year survival rate.The factors influencing HOXA6 expression include the number of tumor lesions,degree of differentiation,and tumor metastasis.

Expression level of beta-catenin is associated with prognosis of esophageal carcinoma

AIM： To examine the association of beta-catenin with the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）. METHODS： Beta-catenin mRNA expression level in 40 ESCC patients （28 males and 12 females, age range 38-82 years, median 60 years） was analyzed by real- time PCR. Beta-catenin mRNA expression levels in tumor cells were categorized as weaker （level 1） or equal to or stronger （level 2） than those in endothelial cells. We examined the correlation between the beta-catenin expression and the clinicopathological factors and prognosis of ESCC patients. RESULTS： Level 2 beta-catenin expression was found in 29 patients. ESCC with level 2 expression had a higher rate of lymphnode metastasis （0.0776±0.0369 vs 0.3413±0.1803, P 〈 0.001） and deeper tumor invasion （0.0751±0.0356 vs 0.3667±0.1928, P 〈 0.001）, and a poorer survival rate （P = 0.0024） than ESCC with level I expression. CONCLUSION： Beta-catenin expression in ESCC is of great importance.

Expression level of augmenter of liver regeneration in patients with hepatic failure and hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is an important polypeptide in the process of liver regeneration. This study aimed to determine the expression level of ALR in different liver diseases and its significance. METHODS: We prepared murine polyclonal antibody against ALR protein from Balb/C mice and purified the IgG fraction, which specifically combined to ALR protein as shown by Western blotting. Serum ALR levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), hepatic failure (HF), chronic hepatitis B, and healthy persons were compared by ELISA. ALR mRNA expression levels in liver tissues in some of these patients were also compared by real-time RT-PCR. Immunohistochemical analysis was carried out on HF and HCC liver tissues. RESULTS: Different serum ALR levels foreshowed completely different prognoses in 18 HF patients. Higher ALR levels were noted in 6 improved patients (1613.5+/-369.6 pmol/ml) than in 12 deteriorating patients (462.3+/-235.8 pmol/m1). Similar levels were found in 20 HCC patients (917.9+/-332. 7 pmol/m1), 24 chronic hepatitis B patients (969.2+/-332.5 pmol/ml) and 10 healthy persons (806.9+/-240.8 pmol/ml). ALR mRNA levels in HCC liver tissues [10E6.24 (1.74x10(6)) copies/mu l] were much higher than in those of HF patients receiving orthotopic liver transplantation [10E3.45 (2.82x10(3)) copies/mu l] or in healthy liver tissues [10E4.31 (2.04x10(4)) copies/mu l]. In immunohistochemical analysis, positive immunostaining in HCC liver tissue was more intense than that in HF liver tissue. CONCLUSION: Serum ALR level is helpful in estimating the survival time of patients with HF, and ALR may play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis.

A study of the relationship between expression level of TRF1 protein and telomerase activity in human acute leukemia

Objective： To study the expression level of TRF1 （telomeric repeat binding factor 1） protein in human acute leukemia and relationship between expression level of TRF1 protein and telomerase, Methods： A quantitative Western±Blot technique was developed using anti±TRF1^33±277 monoclonal antibody and GST±TRFI purity protein as a standard to further determine the expression level of TRF1 protein in total proteins extracted from clinical specimens. Results： Bone marrow tissues of 20 acute leukemia patients were studied, 11 healthy donors＇ bone marrows were taken as a control. The expression level of TRF1 protein was significantly higher （P〈0.01） in normal bone marrow （（2.2174±0.462） μg/μl） than that of acute leukemia patients （（0.7544±0.343） μg/μl）, But there was no remarkable difference between ALL and ANLL patients （（0.6184±0.285） μg/μl vs （0.8454±0.359） μg/μl, P〉0.05）. After chemotherapy, TRFI expression level of patients with complete remission elevated （（0.7724±0.307）/μg/μl vs （1.6834±0,344）μg/μl, P〈0.01 ）, but lower than that of normal （（2.2174±0.462）/μg/μl, P〈0.01）. There was no significantly difference after chemotherapy （（0.7264±0.411） μg/μl vs （0.895±0.339） μg/μl,p〉0.05）. TRF1 expression level of patients with complete remission is higher than that of patients without complete remission （（1,683±0.344）μg/μl vs （0.895±0.339）μg/μl P〈0.01）. All samples were determined for telomerase activity. It was confirmed that the activity of telomerase in normal bone marrow was lower than that of acute leukemia patients （（0.125±0.078） μg/μl vs （0.765±0.284）μg/μl, P〈0.01）. There was no significant difference of expression level ofTRF I protein between ALL and ANLL patients （（0.897±0.290） μg/μl vs （0.677±0.268） μg/μl, P〉0.05）. After chemotherapy, telomerase activity of patients with complete remission decreased （（0.393±0.125） μg/μl）, but was still higher than that of normal （（0.125±0.078） μg/μl, P〈0.01）. Conclusion： The expression level of TRF1 protein has correlativity to the activity of telomerase （P〈0.001）.

Cloning and Expression Level Analysis of Melanocyte-stimulating Hormone Receptor 1 Gene(MC1R) in Alpacas with Different Coat Color

Specific primers for the MC1R gene of alpacas(GenBank EU1358800) were designed to amplify the cDNA sequence using RT-PCR to seek variation in the sequence and explore the relationship between the expression level of MC1R gene and alpaca coat color.The MC1R gene from white alpaca was cloned successfully and sequence analysis verified that the MC1R gene,encoding 317 amino acids,was 1081 bp in length.Compared with the existing sequence in GenBank,sequence identity was 99.9%and 7 mutations were found.Primers,designed from the sequence obtained,were used to assess the relative expression of MC1R in alpacas of different coat color using QRT-PCR and SPSS 13.0 software.Relative expression of MC1R in the skin of brown alpacas was 4.32 times higher than that in white alpacas after normalization with GAPDH(P【0.01),indicating that MC1R expression may be related to coat color of alpacas.

Effect of the Flanking Sequence Architecture of Translation Initiation AUG Codon on Gene Expression Level in Rice

The relationship between the codon usage bias, gene expression level and the AUG context(from -20 to +6 positions relative to the initiator AUG codon) was examined in 541unigene sequences of rice. A significant correlation for CAI values (codon adaptationindex) was observed at five nucleotide positions (-19, -18, -9, -4, +5), eight (-19, -18,-14, -9, -6, -4, -1, +5) for CPP (codon preference parameter), and seven (-18, -16, -15,-9, -7, -1, +6) for mRNA abundance in the flanking sequence of the initiator AUG codonrespectively, but a significantly positive correlation for both CAI and CPP at twopositions (-4 and +5), indicating that both those positions are evolutionally under thenatural selection constraint at the translational level. By site-directed mutagenesis atseven specific positions (-18, -16, -15, -9, -7, -1 and +6) for allergenic protein thathad the highest mRNA abundance in this study, its expression level decreased dramatically63.3 and 72.5% respectively, indicating the importance of those 7 positions for geneexpression. A highly positive correlation (r=0.625, P<0.01) between AUGCAI and GCcontent in the flanking sequence of the initiator AUG codon showed a more effectivehigher GC content on translation initiation efficiency. The strong preference for G orC at those 8 positions (-6, -5, -3, -2, -1, +4, +5 and +6) in the AUG context suggestedthat an important factor in modulation of the translation efficiency, as well assynonymous codon usage bias, particularly in highly expressed genes.

Effect of TGIF1 expression on epithelial cadherin and Twist1 protein expression in breast cancer cells

Objective: To observe the effect of the expression of transforming growth factor β-homologous inducible factor 1 (TGIF1) on the expression of epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) and human Twist-related protein 1 (Twist1) in breast cancer cells. Methods: Total of twenty-four 6-week-old female SPF Balb/c mice were randomly divided into a control group, a TGIF1-silencing group, a TGIF1-normal group, and a TGIF1-overexpression group. In the TGIF1-silencing group, 4T1 breast cancer cells were interfered by lentivirus shRNA (H) lentiviral particles (sc-36659-v) to construct a breast cancer model. TGIF1-normal group used breast cancer cells (4T1) to construct a mouse model of breast cancer. And the TGIF1-overexpression group used 4T1 breast cancer cells with TGIF1 overexpression to establish a mouse model of breast cancer. Determination of TGIF1, E-cadherin and Twist1 protein levels in breast tumor tissue of mice in each group. Results: The tumor volume of mice in the TGIF1-overexpression group was significantly larger than that in the TGIF1-normal group and the TGIF1-silencing group, and the differences between the groups were statistically significant (P <0.05).The expression levels of TGIF1 and Twist1 protein in TGIF1-normal group, TGIF1-silencing group, and TGIF1-overexpression group were significantly higher than those in control group, and E-cadherin was significantly lower than that in control group. The differences between groups were statistically significant (P <0.05).The expression level of TGIF1 and Twist1 protein in TGIF1-silencing group was significantly lower than that in TGIF1-normal group, and E-cadherin was significantly higher than that in TGIF1-normal group (P < 0.05).The expression levels of TGIF1 and Twist1 proteins in the TGIF1-overexpression group were significantly higher than those in the TGIF1-normal group, and E-cadherin was significantly lower than that in the TGIF1-normal group. The differences between the groups were statistically significant (P <0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression level of TGIF1 in breast cancer tissue was significantly negatively correlated with the expression level of E-cadherin protein, and was significantly positively correlated with the level of Twist1 protein (P <0.05). Conclusion: TGIF1 can affect the metastasis and invasion of breast cancer by regulating E-cadherin and Twist1 to interfere with the EMT pathway, which deserves further study.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 mRNA and protein level of corpora striata in ischemic side at the early stage of middle cerebral artery ischemia/reperfusion in rhesus monkeys

BACKGROUND： Insulin-like growth factor-I（IGF-1）, as one of the important members of growth factor family, participants in the regulation of many physiological functions and behaviors, having very strong neuroprotective effect. However, the expression of IGF-1 following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion is still disputed. OBJECTIVE： To observe the expression of IGF-1 and protein of corpora striata in ischemic side at the early stage of middle cerebral artery ischemia/reperfusion in rhesus monkey. DESIGN ： A completely randomized grouping design, controlled animal experiment SETTING ： Institute of Cerebrovascular Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University MATERIALS： ① Totally 17 rhesus monkeys , of either gender, aged 4 to 5 years, were enrolled . Seven rhesus monkeys observed with gene chip were randomly divided into 2 groups： sham operation group （n=3） and ischemia/reperfusion group 〈n=4〉. Ten rhesus monkeys observed with in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry method were randomly divided into 2 groups： sham operation group 〈n=3 〉and ischemia/reperfusion group （n=7）. Rhesus monkeys observed under microscope were divided into 2 groups： sham operation group （n=6） and ischamia/reperfusion group （n=-11）.②Materials used in the experiment： cresyl violet （Sigma Company, America）; immunohistochemical reagent kit （ Huamei Bio-engineering Company）; In situ hybridization reagent kit （Boshide Bio-engineering Co.Ltd, Wuhan）; 12 800 dots chip （Boxing Company, Shanghai）. METHODS ： This experiment was carried out at the Institute of Cerebrovascular Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University from January 2001 to December 2003.① The onset area of middle cerebral artery was blocked for 2 hours, middle cerebral artery ischemia/reperfusion models were created.② After ischemia/reperfusion for 24 hours, cerebral tissue sections of rhesus monkeys were prepared and stained with cresyl violet. Image analysis was performed with 5001W image analysis software. Morphological change of corpora striata of operative side was observed in the rhesus monkeys between two groups. Total RNA was extracted from cerebral tissue. ③ Detection of gene chip： Cy3-duTP and Cy5-duTP were used to respectively perform reverse transcription labeling. The sample was reversely transcribed into cDNA, then hybridized with cDNA of cerebral tissue. Genes with the separate absolute value of cy3 and cy5〉800, cY3/cy5 〉 2（high expression） or 〈 0.5 （low expression） were found out. Those were genes with differential expression. ④ The expressions of IGF-1 mRNA and protein level of corpora striata in ischemic side of rhe- sus monkeys were detected between sham operation group and ischemia/reperfusion group at 9 and 24 hours after ischemia/reperfusion with in situ hybridization method and immunohistochemical method. Brown granules were IGF-1 protein positive cells. ⑤ Analysis of variance was used in the difference comparison of measurement data among groups. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES ： ① Change of morphological structure of corpora striata at ischemic side in rhesus monkeys. ② Change of cerebral gene expression profiles at ischemia/reperfusion in rhesus monkeys between two groups.③ Expression of IGF-1 mRNA and protein level of corpora striata at ischemia/reperfu- sion in rhesus monkeys between two groups. RESULTS ： ① Pathological change ： Obvious pathological change of cerebral infarction appeared in the ischemia and reperfusion group, while there was no such pathological change in the sham operation group.② Change of gene expression profile ： There were 4480 genes with difference expression in the ischemia/reperfusion group and sham-operation group, in which, 260 genes had high expression and their absolute value was over 800, and 63 genes had low expression, cy3/cy5 of IGF-1 was 0.379, being relative low ex- pression. ③ IGF-1 mRNA and protein positive cell counts in corpora striata at cerebral ischemic side[IGF-1 mRNA： 〈9.72±1.18）,（9.11 ±0.76）,（14.77±0.60） counts/field：lGF-1 protein： （15.11 ±1.83）,（15.39±0.78）, （34.62±0.97）counts/field, P 〈 0.05-0.01]. CONCLUSION： IGF-1 mRNA and protein are lowly expressed in middle cerebral artery of rhesus monkeys at ischemia/reperfusion.

Repeated release of cerium oxide nanoparticles altered algal responses:Growth,photosynthesis,and photosynthetic gene expression

The expanding production of engineered nanomaterials(ENMs)can eventually cause their increased release into and presence in aquatic ecosystems,potentially threatening the health of aquatic organisms and the stability of the ecological environment.Generally,ENMs are repeatedly released into real-world aquatic environments in relatively low concentrations,potentially affecting photosynthesis in primary producers such as algae.However,knowledge regarding the effects of repeated exposure to ENMs on algal photosynthesis is still lacking.Herein,the physiological responses of the freshwater algae Chlorella vulgaris following single and repeated exposures to cerium oxide nanoparticles(CeO2 NPs)were investigated at 10 mg/L,with a focus on photosynthesis.The results showed that repeated exposures triggered increased photosynthetic pigment contents,oxidative stress levels,decreased photosynthetic performance,and lower biomass in C.vulgaris compared to a single exposure.Photosynthesis-related genes(i.e.,petA,petB,psaA,atpB,and rbcL)were found to be upregulated following repeated exposures.Particularly for petB,repeated rather than single exposure treatment significantly upregulated its expression levels by 2.92–10.24-fold compared to unexposed controls.Furthermore,increased exposure times could aggravate the interaction between CeO2 NPs and algae,elevating 8.13%,12.13%,and 20.51%Ce distribution on the algal cell surface or intracellularly,compared to a single exposure.This study is the first to investigate the effects of ENM exposure times on algal photosynthesis,providing new insights into the assessment of the risks these materials pose to real-world aquatic environments.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the endothelin 3 gene in black bone sheep

Background: Black bone sheep was first discovered in Yunnan province of China in 1970, with unique black pigmentation on the body and internal organs. Endothelin 3(EDN3) has been known as a key gene causing hyperpigmentation in black bone chicken, the Silky fowl.Methods: In this study, EDN3 was employed as a candidate gene for regulating black color pigmentation. First,EDN3 was cloned from sheep to obtain the full-length cDNA by using the rapid amplification of cDNA ends(RACE).Genomic EDN3 was screened and a total of thirty predicted single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) were genotyped for allele and genotype frequency analysis in a case-control study involving two black bone sheep populations. Genomic copy number analysis of EDN3 in sheep was conducted to measure the variation in copy number. EDN3 expression levels were observed among the groups in adult liver, lymph node, and kidney tissues, as well as embryo kidney samples. Also, among the tissues of black bone and non-black bone sheep.Results: The size of the full-length cDNA was 1,578 bp, which included 426 bp of 5′-untranslated region(5′-UTR),an open reading frame(ORF) of 639 bp encoding a protein of 212 amino acids, and a 3′-UTR of 513 bp. Genotype and allele frequencies of all the discovered SNPs were found insignificantly different in black bone and non-black bone sheep(P > 0.05). Genomic copy number analysis of EDN3 in sheep revealed no significant difference between the two sheep groups. No significant variations were found in the adult liver and kidney embryo samples. However,the expression in lymph node and kidney tissue was significantly higher in black bone sheep than that in non-black bone sheep(P < 0.05). Significant variations in the EDN3 expression levels were observed among the tissues of nonblack bone sheep.Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that unlike in Silky chickens, EDN3 is not responsible for hyperpigmentation but may play a key functional role in immune and excretory systems of black bone sheep.

Flexible manipulation of Omb levels in the endogenous expression region of Drosophila wing by combinational overexpression and suppression strategy

Manipulating an exogenous or endogenous gene of interest at a defined level is critical for a wide variety of experiments.The Gal4/UAS system has been widely used to direct gene expression for studying complex genetic and biological problems in Drosophila melanogaster and other model organisms.Driven by a given tissue-specific Gal4,expressing UAS-transgene or UAS-RNAi(RNA interference)could be used to up-or down-regulate target gene expression,respectively.However,the efficiency of the Gal4/UAS system is roughly predefined by properties of transposon vector constructs and the insertion site in the transgenic stock.Here,we describe a simple way to modulate optomotor blind(omb)expression levels in its endogenous expression region of the wing disc.We co-expressed UAS-omb and UAS-omb-RNAi together under the control of dpp-Gal4 driver which is expressed in the omb expression region of the wing pouch.The repression effect is more sensitive to temperature than that of overexpression.At low temperature,overexpression plays a dominant role but the efficiency is attenuated by UAS-omb-RNAi.In contrast,at high temperature RNAi predominates in gene expression regulation.By this strategy,we could manipulate omb expression levels at a moderate level.It allows us to manipulate omb expression levels in the same tissue between overexpression and repression at different stages by temperature control.

Cloning and characterization of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthetase from Pinus massoniana and its correlation with resin productivity

Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthetase(GGPPS) has gained increasing attention as a key enzyme in terpene analysis.We designed specific primers based on plant GGPPS homologs and used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) to obtain and identify Pin GGPPS,a GGPPS gene sequence from Pinus massoniana,using bioinformatics tools.Quantitative PCR analysis of Pin GGPPS expression levels in roots,pine needles,immature stems,and semilignified stems from 6-month-old P.massoniana showed that expression levels of Pin GGPPS were highest in pine needles,followed by immature stems and semilignified stems,and lowest in roots.When we examined the correlation between Pin GGPPS gene expression levels and resin productivity in 20 adult plants for 28 successive days,Pin GGPPS expression levels presented a substantially linear distribution when plotted against their corresponding resin yields.In summary,we characterized the gene Pin GGPPS for the first time in P.massoniana,and established a correlation between Pin GGPPS gene expression levels and resin productivity,suggesting the importance of theory and production practice for P.massoniana.

Molecular cloning, characterization, and antioxidant function of catalase in Lymantria dispar asiatic (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) under avermectin stress

The critical antioxidant catalase(CAT)breaks down hydrogen peroxide induced by environmental stresses.Here we cloned full length catalase cDNA from Lymantria dispar asiatic(LdCAT).Bioinformatic analyses showed that open reading frames of LdCAT contains 1524 bp,encoding 507 amino acids with molecular weight of 126.99 kDa,theoretical pI of 5.00,aliphatic index of 29.92,grand average of hydropathicity of 0.764,and instability index(II)of 46.56.Protein BLAST and multiple sequence alignment indicated that LdCAT had high identity with CAT from other insects,especially lepidopterans.In a phylogenetic analysis,LdCAT was most similar to CAT from Spodoptera litura and S.exigua.Quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction showed that LdCAT transcripts in all instar larvae and the five tissues tested,verifying the ubiquity of LdCAT in L.disapr.Moreover,LdCAT of third instar larvae was significantly upregulated after they fed on avermectin at sublethal and LC10 doses.The highest relative transcript levels were found 2 h after an avermectin spray at LC90,and in the cuticula,rather than heads,fat bodies,malpighian tubes,and midguts after a spray avermectin at a sublethal concentration.The expression level of LdCAT under pesticide stresses here suggested that CAT is an important antioxidant enzyme of L.disapr defensing against pesticide stress and may be a good target for controlling this pest.

3-D rheologic model of earthquake prepa-ration (III): Precursor field

On the basis of the theory of viscoelastic displacement and strain field for the three-dimensional rheologic model of earthquake preparation, this paper mainly studies the theoretical solution of precursor field for the three-dimensional rheologic model of earthquake preparation. We derive the viscoelastic analytical expressions of the ground tilt, underground water level, earth resistivity at an arbitrary point （x, y, z） in the rheologic medium, and analyzed the earth resistivity preliminarily, providing a certain theoretical basis for the precursor analysis of seismogenic process.

The effects of thyroid-stimulating hormone,estradiol and prolactin on sodium/iodide symporter mRNA expression in mouse lactating mammary gland cells under different iodine levels

Objective The present study investigated the sodium/iodide symporter mRNA expression in mouse lactating mammary gland cells under different iodine levels and the effects of thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH),estradiol(E2)and prolactin(PRL)on NIS mRNA expression in mouse lactating mammary gland cells.

Expression patterns and functional divergence of homologous genes accompanied by polyploidization in cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Naturally allotetraploid cotton has been widely used as an ideal model to investigate gene expression remodeling as a consequence of polyploidization.However,the global gene pattern variation during early fiber development was unknown.In this study,through RNA-seq technology,we comprehensively investigated the expression patterns of homologous genes between allotetraploid cotton(G.hirsutum)and its diploid progenitors(G.arboreum and G.raimondii)at the fiber early development stage.In tetraploid cotton,genes showed expression level dominance(ELD)bias toward the A genome.This phenomenon was explained by the up-/downregulation of the homologs from the nondominant progenitor(D genome).Gene ontology(GO)enrichment results indicated that the ELD-A genes might be a prominent cause responsible for fiber property change through regulating the fatty acid biosynthesis/metabolism and microtubule procession,and the ELD-D genes might be involved in transcription regulation and stress inducement.In addition,the number and proportion of completely A-and D-subfunctionalized gene were similar at different fiber development stages.However,for neofunctionalization,the number and proportion of reactivated D-derived genes were greater than those of A at 3 and 5 DPA.Eventually,we found that some homologous genes belonging to several specific pathways might create novel asymmetric transcripts between two subgenomes during polyploidization and domestication process,further making the fiber property meet the human demands.Our study identified determinate pathways and their involved genes between allotetraploid cotton and their progenitors at early fiber development stages,providing new insights into the mechanism of cotton fiber evolution.

Natural Variation in the Sequence of SNAC1 and Its Expression Level Polymorphism in Rice Germplasms under Drought Stress

Water is a major limiting factor for food production and many countries fail to produce sufficient food for their population due to severe water scarcity （Jury and Vaux, 2005）. Rice is the main staple food worldwide. More than 50% of rice in the world is rain-fed and drought causes severe reduction in rice grain yield in rain-fed environments （Venuprasad et al., 2007; Zhang, 2007; Sandhu et al., 2014）. Therefore, enhancing drought resistance （DR） of rice is important for food security. However, DR is a complex trait, which is controlled by a large number of loci with small effect and is also affected by different genetic background, genotype-by-environment interaction and other stresses such as heat （Hu and Xiong, 2014）.

High Level Expression of tcs Gene in E.coli

Trichosanthin is a valuable protein in medical applications. An NMR analytical of the trichosanthin solution conformation is made to study the structural-functional relationship of this protein. For preparing a sample labled with 15 N, the tcs gene was cloned into the expression vector pQE 30, and produced a high level expression of trichosanthin in the E coli strain M15. The amount of fusion TCS synthesized in E coli was about 6 4% of the total cellular protein. The fusion protein was purified by using affinity chromatography with Ni NTA resin.