Effects of Nitrogen Fertigation Rate on Protein Components in Grains and Processing Quality of Different Wheat Varieties

[Objective] This study aimed to explore the effects of nitrogen fertigation rate on the protein components in grains and processing quality of different wheat varieties. [Method] Under the condition of higher soil fertility, different amounts of N-fertilizer were applied in the plots, and then the contents of total protein and its components, percentage of the component content to total protein content as well as the processing quality of grains of two strong-gluten wheat varieties （Linyou145 and Zhengmai9023） and two weak-gluten wheat varieties （Ningmai9 and Baofeng949） were determined. [Result] The contents of total protein and globulin, gliadin and glutenin were improved significantly with the increase of the N-fertilizer amount; but the content of albumin did not show remarkable increase; in addition, the percentage of each protein component was relative stable and did not increase significantly. Increase in the amount of N-fertilizer improved the sedimentation value, wet gluten content, loaf volume and loaf score, decreased the volume weight of grain. [Conclusion] This study provideed theoretical support for high-quality wheat production.

Pse-in-One 2.0: An Improved Package of Web Servers for Generating Various Modes of Pseudo Components of DNA, RNA, and Protein Sequences

Pse-in-One 2.0 is a package of web-servers evolved from Pse-in-One (Liu, B., Liu, F., Wang, X., Chen, J. Fang, L. & Chou, K.C. Nucleic Acids Research, 2015, 43:W65-W71). In order to make it more flexible and comprehensive as suggested by many users, the updated package has incorporated 23 new pseudo component modes as well as a series of new feature analysis approaches. It is available at http://bioinformatics.hitsz.edu.cn/Pse-in-One2.0/. Moreover, to maximize the convenience of users, provided is also the stand-alone version called “Pse-in-One-Analysis”, by which users can significantly speed up the analysis of massive sequences.

High Temperature During Rice Grain Filling Enhances Aspartate Metabolism in Grains and Results in Accumulation of AspartateFamily Amino Acids and Protein Components

Global warming causes the exacerbation of rice growing environment, which seriously affects rice growth and reproduction, and finally results in the decrease of rice yield and quality. We investigated the activities of aspartate metabolism enzymes in grains, and the contents of Aspartate-family amino acids and protein components to further understand the effects of high temperature （HT） on rice nutritional quality during rice grain filling. Under HT, the average activities of aspartate aminotransferase （AAT） and aspartokinase （AK） in grains significantly increased, the amino acid contents of aspartate （Asp）, lysine （Lys）, threonine （Thr）, methionine （Met） and isoleucine （lie） and the protein contents of albumin, globulin, prolamin and glutelin also significantly increased. The results indicated that HT enhanced Asp metabolism during rice grain filling and the enhancement of Asp metabolism might play an important role in the increase of Asp-family amino acids and protein components in grains. In case of the partial appraisal of the change of Asp-family amino acids and protein components under HT, we introduced eight indicators （amino acid or protein content, ratio of amino acid or protein, amino acid or protein content per grain and amino acid or protein content per panicle） to estimate the effects of HT. It is suggested that HT during rice grain filling was benefit for the accumulation of Asp-family amino acids and protein components. Combined with the improvement of Asp-family amino acid ratio in grains under HT, it is suggested that HT during grain filling may improve the rice nutritional quality. However, the yields of parts of Asp-family amino acids and protein components were decreased under HT during rice grain filling.

Trichloroethylene Induces Biphasic Concentration-dependent Changes in Cell Proliferation and the Expression of SET-Associated Proteins in Human Hepatic L-02 Cells

Trichloroethylene （TCE） is a major pollutant that affects both occupational and general environments. The liver is an important target organ of TCEE. Substantial efforts and remarkable progress into understanding TCE cytotoxicity have been made in cultured liver cells. However, the molecular mechanisms by which TCE induces hepatotoxicity are not well understood. SET （also known as protein phosphatase 2A inhibitor, 12PP2A, or template-activating factor-I, TAF-D is a nuclear protein that regulates histone modification, gene transcription, DNA replication, nucleosome assembly,

Protein changes in rice seedlings during the enhancement of chilling resistance by different stress pretreatment

The changes of proteins in the rice (Oryzasativa L.) Tesanai 2 seedling under salt (NaCl,4 g/L), heat shock (42℃, 3h ), and cold(14℃, 3d ) pretreatments were compared toexplore the mechanism of the cross adaptationto different environmental stresses. The chill-ing resistance of rice seedling after 1℃, 150pmol·msPFD(photo flux density) for 2d was enhanced distinctly by salt, heat shock,

Interannual Changes of Land Surface Radiation Components in Loess Plateau and Their Responses to Climate Change

In this paper,land surface observation data at semi-arid climate and environmental observation station（ SACOL station） of Lanzhou University during 2006- 2012 and the data of Yuzhong meteorological station were used to analyze the responses of land surface radiation budget components to climate fluctuation,study the interannual variability of surface albedo,and discuss the feedback of various land surface process parameters on the interannual fluctuations of temperature and precipitation in Loess Plateau. According to the type of precipitation in Loess Plateau,the year was divided into winter and summer in order to get more significant interannual variability and correlation. The results showed that the trends of temperature and precipitation during 2006- 2012 were consistent with the warming and drying total trend in recent years in Loess Plateau. Shallow surface soil moisture and temperature showed a good response to temperature and precipitation,and the annual variation of summer half year had greater impact on the trend in the whole year. Incident solar radiation increase was major reason for climate warming in the Loess Plateau region.The combined effect of climatic factors was the reason for the change of surface albedo. Through the distinguish inquiry by winter and summer data,it was obtained that most correlations between summer radiation components and climatic factors have been improved,and partial correlations between winter radiation components and climatic factors have been increased.

Detergent-Induced Changes in the Protein Constituents of Various Cell Types of Opercular Epidermis of Rita rita

Fish (Rita rita) were exposed to an anionic detergent, dodecylbenzene sodium sulfonate, at a concentration of 6.9mg/liter (96-hr LC_(50) of the detergent).A series of histochemical techniques, used in this study for the demonstration of various protein constituents, indicated a gradual decrease in the intensity of staining reactions of the cytoplasmic material, suggesting a loss of protein moieties from the club cells and the epithelial cells of the opercular epidermis as a result of detergent exposure. 1990 Academic Press.Inc.

Time-dependent changes of glial fibriliary acidic protein and cytosolic phospholipase A2 in hippocampal area of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats

BACKGROUND： Interaction between astrocyte and neuron may two-dimensionally influence on ischemic injury; however, glial fibriliary acidic protein （GFAP） and cytosolic phospholipase A2 （cPLA2） are both important markers to reflect changes of astrocyte and neuron after cerebral ischemia, respectively. OBJECTIVE： To observe the changes of GFAP and positive cPLA2 cells in hippocampal area of model rats with focal cerebral ischemia in various phases of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. DESIGN ： Randomized contrast observation SETTING： Department of Basic Medical Science of Human Anatomy and Histology ＆ Embryology, Medical College of Wuhan Polytechnic University; Faculty Medical College of Wuhan University. MATERIALS： The experiment was carried out in the Department of Basic Medical Science, Medical College of Wuhan Industry College from May to June 2004. A total of 28 healthy SD rats of either gender and weighing 200-250 g were provided by Animal Department of Medical College of Jianghan University. METHODS： All 28 rats were randomly divided into 7 groups, including sham operation group, 2-, 6-, 12-, 24- and 48-reperfusion groups, and triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） group, with 4 in each group. Two hours after ischemia, ischemia/reperfusion models were established in left middle cerebral artery （MCA）; common carotid artery was ligated and line cork was inserted into it with the depth of （1.8±0.5） cm. Rats in sham operation group were inserted with the depth of 1.0 cm, and other operations were as the same as those in 2-hour ischemia/reperfusion groups. Models in TTC group were established as the same as those in 2-hour ischemia/24-hour reperfusion group, and they were used to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Changes of GFAP and cPLA2 in hippocampal area in various phases were detected with immunohisto- chemical method. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES ： Changes of GFAP and positive cPLA2 cells in hippocampal area of rats with focal cerebral ischemia in various phases of ischemia/reperfusion. RESULTS： All 28 rats were involved in the final analysis without any loss. （1） Animal models successfully showed the effect of focal cerebral ischemia. （2） Changes of GFAP and cPLA2 in hippocampal area in various phases： Two hours after ischemia/reperfusion, changes of GFAP and cPLA2 were increased gradually, reached at peak at 24 hours, and decreased gradually. CONCLUSION ： Courses of GFAP and cPLA2 are changed at the onset of focal cerebral ischemia, and this suggests that both of them participate in injury or protection of brain tissue of focal cerebral ischemia.

Changes of carbohydrate and protein metabolism in seedling leaves of a temperature-induced greenable albino mutant line W25 of rice

W25 is a low-temperature-sensitive albino mu-tant line. Temperature not only controls thealbino phenotype expression of W25, but alsodetermines whether it could survive. When thetemperature is lower than 25℃, the leaves ofW25 shows complete albino, but they exhibitsnormal green when temperature is higher than30℃. Meanwhile, at 25℃, it can be greenable

Agronomic Trait and Protein Component of F_2 Hybrid Originated from Intergeneric Somatic Hybridization Between Triticum aestivum and Agropyron elongatum

Protoplasts derived from common wheat (Triticum aestivum L,. cv. Jinan 177) were fused with UV-treated protoplasts of Agropyron elongatum. (Host) Nevski by PEG method, and fertile asymmetric somatic hybrid plants resembling wheat morphology were obtained. The F-2 hybrid plants could be divided into 3 types according to their morphology. Type I hybrids had high and loosely standing stalks with big spikes and grains. Type ii hybrids were dwarf and compact in shape with high tillering ability and smaller spikes. Type III hybrids were similar to type I as a whole but had more compact and erect spikes. All the F-2 hybrid lines were superior to wheat in seed protein content, although some difference existed between themselves. Protein analysis of immature embryos and flag leaves from hybrids by two-dimensional electrophoresis showed that they possessed characteristic proteins of both parents and some new proteins. There existed also some different kinds of proteins in different lines.

Biochemical changes in phenols,flavonoids,tannins,vitamin E,β-carotene and antioxidant activity during soaking of three white sorghum varieties

Objective:To investigate the changes in total phenols,flavonoids,tannins,vitamin E, β-carotene and antioxidant activity during soaking of three white sorghum varieties.Methods: The changes in total phenols,total ilavonoids,tannins,phenolic acids compounds,flavonoid components,vitamin E,P-carotene and antioxidant activity during soaking of sorghum grains were determined.Results:Total phenols,total flavonoids,tannins,vitamin E,P-carotene and antioxidant activity in raw sorghum were ranged from 109.21 to 116.70,45.91 to 54.69,1.39 to 21.79 mg/100 g,1.74 to 5.25,0.54 to 1.19 mg/kg and 21.72%to 27.69%and 25.29%to 31.97%,respectively. The above measured compounds were significantly decreased after soaking.p-Hydroxybenzoic acid,vanillic acid,syringic acid and cinnamic acid represent the major phenolic acids in Dorado variety.While ferulic acid,p-coumaric acid,gallic acid and caffeic acid represent the major phenolic acids in Shandaweel-6.On the other hand,protocatechuic acid represents the major phenolic acids in Giza-15.Regarding flavonoids components,Dorado was the highest variety in kampferol and naringenin while Shandaweel-6 was the highest variety in luteolin, apigenin,hypersoid,quercelin and christen.Finally,Giza-15 was the highest variety in catechin. Phenolic acids,flavonoid compounds and antioxidant activities were decreased after soaking. Conclusions:Sorghum varieties have moderate quantities from total phenols,total flavonoids, tannins,phenolic acids compounds,flavonoid components,vitamin E,P-carotene and antioxidant activity which decreased after soaking.

Recent progress of porcine milk components and mammary gland function

As the only nutritional source for newborn piglets,porcine colostrum and milk contain critical nutritional and immunological components including carbohydrates,lipids,and proteins(immunoglobulins).However,porcine milk composition is more complex than these three components.Recently,scientists identified additional and novel components of sow colostrum and milk,including exosomes,oligosaccharides,and bacteria,which possibly act as biological signals and modulate the intestinal environment and immune status in piglets and later in life.Evaluation of these nutritional and non-nutritional components in porcine milk will help better understand the nutritional and biological function of porcine colostrum and milk.Furthermore,some important functions of the porcine mammary gland have been reported in recent published literature.These preliminary studies hypothesized how glucose,amino acids,and fatty acids are transported from maternal blood to the porcine mammary gland for milk synthesis.Therefore,we summarized recent reports on sow milk composition and porcine mammary gland function in this review,with particular emphasis on macronutrient transfer and synthesis mechanisms,which might offer a possible approach for regulation of milk synthesis in the future.

Electroacupuncture reduces apoptotic index and inhibits p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway in the hippocampus of rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Electroacupuncture attenuates cerebral hypoxia and neuronal apoptosis induced by cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.To further identify the involved mechanisms,we assumed that electroacupuncture used to treat cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury was associated with the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase（MAPK） signaling pathway.We established rat models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury using the modified Zea-Longa＇s method.At 30 minutes before model establishment,p38 MAPK blocker SB20358 was injected into the left lateral ventricles.At 1.5 hours after model establishment,electroacupuncture was administered at acupoints of Chize（LU5）,Hegu（LI4）,Zusanli（ST36）,and Sanyinjiao（SP6） for 20 minutes in the affected side.Results showed that the combination of EA and SB20358 injection significantly decreased neurologic impairment scores,but no significant differences were determined among different interventional groups.Hematoxylin-eosin staining also showed reduced brain tissue injuries.Compared with the SB20358 group,the cells were regularly arranged,the structures were complete,and the number of viable neurons was higher in the SB20358 ＋ electroacupuncture group.Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase（Td T）-mediated d UTP nick-end labeling assay showed a decreased apoptotic index in each group,with a significant decrease in the SB20358 ＋ electroacupuncture group.Immunohistochemistry revealed reduced phosphorylated p38 expression at 3 days in the electroacupuncture group and SB20358 ＋ electroacupuncture group compared with the ischemia/reperfusion group.There was no significant difference in phosphorylated p38 expression between the ischemia/reperfusion group and SB20358 group.These findings confirmed that the electroacupuncture effects on mitigating cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury are possibly associated with the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.A time period of 3 days could promote the repair of ischemic cerebral nerves.

Denatured Thermodynamics of Proteins in Weak Cation-exchange Chromatography

The thermostability of some proteins in weak cation-exchange chromatography was investigated at 20-80 ℃. The results show that there is a fixed thermal denaturation transition temperature for each protein. The appearance of the thermal transition temperature indicates that the conformations of the proteins are destroyed seriously. The thermal behavior of the proteins in weak cation-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatographies were compared in a wide temperature range. It was found that the proteins have a higher thermostability in a weak cation-exchange chromatography system. The thermodynamic parameters(Δ H 0, Δ S 0) of those proteins were determined by means of Vant Hoff relationship(ln k -1/ T ). According to standard entropy change(Δ S 0), the conformational change of the proteins was judged in the chromatographic process. The linear relationships between Δ H 0 and Δ S 0 can be used to evaluate 'compensation temperature'( β ) at the protein denaturation and identify the identity of the protein retention mechanism in weak cation-exchange chromatography.

The effect of protein oxidation on the formation of advanced glycation end products after chicken myofibrillar protein glycation

Investigation that protein oxidation to the formation of advanced glycation end products(AGEs)after chicken myofibrillar protein glycation is limited.Models of protein oxidation induced by different concentrations of hydroxyl radicals(·OH)were developed after the chicken myofibrillar protein mild glycation(MPG).Results exhibited that levels of AGEs and surface hydrophobicity(H_(0))steadily increased with the a ddition of h ydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))concentration.However,levels of s ulfhydryl group,free amino group,and particle size gradually decreased with the H_(2)O_(2)concentration.The protein carbonyl value increased in H_(2)O_(2)concentration until 10 mmol/L.Pearson's correlation indicated that MPG structure modification(unfolding and degradation)induced by protein oxidation were significantly positively correlated with AGEs concentration(P<0.05).Finally,a mechanism was proposed to hypothesize t he effect of protein oxidation on the formation of AGEs under MPG conditions.

Hepatitis C virus core proteins derived from different quasispecies of genotype 1b inhibit the growth of Chang liver cells

AIM: To investigate the influence of different quasispecies of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1b core protein on growth of Chang liver cells. METHODS: Three eukaryotic expression plasmids (pEGFP-N1/core) that contained different quasispecies truncated core proteins of HCV genotype 1b were constructed. These were derived from tumor (T) and non- tumor (NT) tissues of a patient infected with HCV and C191 (HCV-J6). The core protein expression plasmids were transiently transfected into Chang liver cells. At different times, the cell cycle and apoptosis was assayed by flow cytometry, and cell proliferation was assayed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. RESULTS: The proportion of S-phase Chang liver cells transfected with pEGFP-N1/core was significantly lower than that of cells transfected with blank plasmid at three different times after transfection (all P < 0.05). The proliferation ratio of cells transfected with pEGFP-N1/corewas significantly lower than that of cells transfected with blank plasmid. Among three different quasispecies, T, NT and C191 core expression cells, there was no significant difference in the proportion of S- and G0/G1-phase cells. The percentage of apoptotic cells was highest for T (T > NT > C191), and apoptosis was increased in cells transfected with pEGFP-N1/core as the transfection time increased (72 h > 48 h > 24 h). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that HCV genotype 1b core protein induces apoptosis, and inhibits cell- cycle progression and proliferation of Chang liver cells. Different quasispecies core proteins of HCV genotype 1b might have some differences in the pathogenesis of HCV persistent infection and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Chemometrics of differentially expressed proteins from colorectal cancer patients

AIM:To evaluate the usefulness of differentially expressed proteins from colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues for differentiating cancer and normal tissues.METHODS:A Proteomic approach was used to identify the differentially expressed proteins between CRC and normal tissues.The proteins were extracted using Tris buffer and thiourea lysis buffer (TLB) for extraction of aqueous soluble and membrane-associated proteins,respectively.Chemometrics,namely principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA),were used to assess the usefulness of these proteins for identifying the cancerous state of tissues.RESULTS:Differentially expressed proteins identified were 37 aqueous soluble proteins in Tris extracts and 24 membrane-associated proteins in TLB extracts.Based on the protein spots intensity on 2D-gel images,PCA by applying an eigenvalue > 1 was successfully used to reduce the number of principal components (PCs) into 12 and seven PCs for Tris and TLB extracts,respectively,and subsequently six PCs,respectively from both the extracts were used for LDA.The LDA classification for Tris extract showed 82.7% of original samples were correctly classified,whereas 82.7% were correctly classified for the cross-validated samples.The LDA for TLB extract showed that 78.8% of original samples and 71.2% of the cross-validated samples were correctly classified.CONCLUSION:The classification of CRC tissues by PCA and LDA provided a promising distinction between normal and cancer types.These methods can possibly be used for identification of potential biomarkers among the differentially expressed proteins identified.

Gene and protein expression profiles of olfactory ensheathing cells from olfactory bulb versus olfactory mucosa

Olfactory ensheathing cells(OECs) from the olfactory bulb(OB) and the olfactory mucosa(OM) have the capacity to repair nerve injury. However, the difference in the therapeutic effect between OB-derived OECs and OM-derived OECs remains unclear. In this study, we extracted OECs from OB and OM and compared the gene and protein expression profiles of the cells using transcriptomics and non-quantitative proteomics techniques. The results revealed that both OB-derived OECs and OM-derived OECs highly expressed genes and proteins that regulate cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis and vascular endothelial cell regeneration. The differentially expressed genes and proteins of OB-derived OECs play a key role in regulation of nerve regeneration and axon regeneration and extension, transmission of nerve impulses and response to axon injury. The differentially expressed genes and proteins of OM-derived OECs mainly participate in the positive regulation of inflammatory response, defense response, cytokine binding, cell migration and wound healing. These findings suggest that differentially expressed genes and proteins may explain why OB-derived OECs and OM-derived OECs exhibit different therapeutic roles. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University(approval No. 2017-073) on February 13, 2017.

Simulation of Growth and Leaf Area Index of Quality Protein Maize Varieties in the Southwestern Savannah Region of the DR-Congo

Logistic and exponential approaches have been used to simulate plant growth and leaf area index (LAI) in different growing conditions. The objective of the present study was to develop and evaluate an approach to simulate maize LAI that expresses key physiological and phonological processes using a minimum entry requirement for Quality Protein maize (QPM) varieties grown in the southwestern region of the DR-Congo. Data for the development and testing of the model were collected manually in experimental plots using a non-destructive method. Simulation results revealed measurable variations between crop seasons (long season A and short season B) and between the two varieties (Mudishi-1 and Mudishi-3) for height, number of visible leaves, and LAI. For both seasons, Mudishi-3, a short stature variety was associated with expected stable yield based on simulation data. In general, the model simulated reliably all the parameters including the LAI. The LAI value for mudishi-1 was higher than that of Mudishi-3. There were significant differences among the model parameters (K, Ti, a, b, Tf) and between the two varieties. In all crop conditions studied and for the two varieties, the senescence rate (a) was higher, while the growth rate (b) was lower compared to the estimates based on the STICS model.

Lipopolysaccharide Binding Protein and Cardiovascular Changes in Obese Children

Objective: Despite the growing evidence that lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) plays a major role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) pathophysiology and obesity, data regarding this association in children are rare. Therefore, our objectives were to assess whether there was a difference between overweight/obese and normal-weight children in plasma LBP levels and to assess the cardiovascular changes in both groups. Methods: In an observational, case-control study, a total of 30 children as obese and overweight children. Obese children with body mass index (BMI) above 95th percentile, and overweight children with BMI between 85th and 95th percentile were recruited if they aged between 8-16 years old. A similar number of matched controls were included. Serum LBP was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Results: With regard to serum LBP, the mean LBP was significantly higher in obese children than in the control group (52.74 ± 17.25 versus 12.34 ± 2.67 μg/mL, respectively;p < 0.001). The ROC curve showed that the serum LBP, at a cutoff value of >19 μg/mL, was a significant discriminator of obesity with a sensitivity of 96.67% and specificity of 100%. The regression analysis showed that BMI was an independent predictor of serum LBP (B coefficient = 0.684;p = 0.024). The serum LBP correlated significantly with age (r = 0.58;p = 0.001), BMI (r = 0.834;p = 0.001), and LV longitudinal strain (r = 0.362;p = 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings showed that obesity was associated with a worse lipid profile and cardiovascular function. LBP is a promising predictor of obesity in children.