Relationships between Phosphatidylglycerol Molecular Species of Thylakoid Membrane Lipids and Sensitivities to Chilling-induced Photoinhibition in Rice

In an attempt to explore the relationships between phosphatidylglycerol （PG） molecular species of thylakoid membrane lipids and sensitivities to chilling-induced photoinhibition, PG molecular species, D1 protein, electron transport activities of thylakoid membrane and the potential quantum yield （FvlFm） in rice treated under middle and low photon flux density （PFD） at 11℃ were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography, enzyme hydrolysis, gas phase chromatography （GC） and so on. Results showed that the major molecular species of PGs in rice thylakoid membrane were 18：3/16：0, 18：3/16：1（3t）, 18：2/16：0, 18：2/16：1（3t）, 18：1/16：0, 18：1/16：1（3t）, 16：0/16：0, 16：0/16：1（3t）. There were large differences in the contents of unsaturated PG molecular species such as 18：1-3/16：0-16：1（3t） and saturated PG molecular species like 16：0/16：0-16：1（3t） among japonica cv 9516 0-9516）, japonica-indica hybrid F1 j-9516/i-SY63 （ji-95SY） and indica cv Shanyou 63 （i-SY63）. J-9516 containing higher contents of unsaturated PG molecular species was manifest in stable D1 protein contents under chill and tolerant to chill-induced photoinhibition. In contrast to j-9516, i-SY63 with lower contents of unsaturated PG molecular species, exhibited unstable D1 protein contents under chill and was sensitive to chill-induced photoinhibition, ji-95SY containing middle contents of unsaturated PG molecular species between those of j-9516 and i-SY63, exhibited mid extent of sensitivity to chill-induced photoinhibition. The losses in D1 protein also account for the inhibition in electron transport activity of thylakoid membrane and the observed decline in FvlFm. The PG molecular species that is efficient in raising chilling-resistant capacity were those containing unsaturated fatty acids, namely, unsaturated PG molecular species. These results implied that the substrate selectivity of the glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase in chloroplasts towards 16：0 or 18：1 displayed greatly the difference between japonica and indica rice. Itwas possible to enhance the capacity of resistance to chilling-induced photoinhibition by improving or modifying the GPAT gene.

Morphological and molecular evidence supports the occurrence of a single species of Zebrias zebrinus along the coastal waters of China

The so-called zebra sole includes a group of small flatfishes characterized by transverse band pairs on the ocular side and distributed throughout shallow waters along the coast of the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. Sev-eral species of the zebra sole have been recorded from the coastal waters of China. Morphological analysis of 1 107 specimens of the zebra sole from 15 successive localities along the China’s coast demonstrated that no significant variations among these localities were found on the basis of meristic counts and morphometric characters. Phylogenetic analysis based onCOI gene sequences of 14 individuals and D-loop of 22 indi-viduals from eight localities showed that they were indistinguishable among these localities. Therefore, both morphological and molecular evidence supported the occurrence of a single species of the zebra sole along the China’s coast. The available name for this species isZebriaszebrinus （Temminck and Schlegel, 1846） in-stead ofZ.zebra （Bloch, 1787）.Zebrias fasciatus（Basilewsky, 1855） andSolea ommatura （Richardson, 1846） are considered here as two synonyms ofZ. zebrinus.

A New Species of the Genus Tylototriton(Amphibia,Salamandridae) from Hunan,China

A new species of the genus Tylototriton is described in this article based on morphological and genetic evidence. The new species is identified belonging to the T. asperrimus group and is similar to T. wenxianensis. The diagnostic characters of the new species are as follows: dorsal ridge broad and thick,its width approximately equal to eye diameter(P < 0.001); tail height greater than width at base of tail(P < 0.001); no villous genital papilla found inside the male anal fissure; nodule-like warts,along lateral margin of the trunk,bulge and forming tubercles,and thin and transverse striae present between the tubercles.

Hatching egg polyunsaturated fatty acids and the broiler chick

Transgenerational effects of certain nutrients such as essential fatty acids are gaining increased attention in the field of human medicine and animal sciences as a new tool to improve health and animal performance during perinatal life.Omega-3(n-3)and omega-6(n-6)fatty acids are denoted by the position of the first double bond from methyl end of the hydrocarbon chain.Alpha-linolenic acid(18:3 n-3)and linoleic acid(18:2 n-6)are essential n-3 and n-6 fatty acids and cannot be synthesized by the vertebrates including chickens.Alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid are the parent fatty acids of long chain(>20–22C)n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA)such as eicosapentaenoic acid(20:5 n-3,EPA),docosapentaenoic acid(22:5 n-3/or 22:5 n-6,DPA),docosahexaenoic acid(22:6 n-3,DHA)and arachidonic acid(20:4 n-6).As components of cell membrane phospholipids,PUFA serves as precursors of eicosa-noids,act as ligands for membrane receptors and transcription factors that regulate gene expression and are pivotal for normal chick growth and development.Considering the role of egg lipids as the sole source of essential fatty acids to the hatchling,dietary deficiencies or inadequate in ovo supply may have repercussions in tissue PUFA incorpora-tion,lipid metabolism,chick growth and development during pre and early post-hatch period.This review focus on studies showing how maternal dietary n-3 or n-6 fatty acids can lead to remodeling of long chain n-3 and n-6 PUFA in the hatching egg and progeny chick tissue phospholipid molecular species and its impact on chick growth and PUFA metabolism during early life.

Cloning of fatty acid elongase1 gene and molecular identification of A and C genome in Brassica species

The fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) genes of Brassic napus were cloned from two cultivars, i.e. Zhong- shuan No. 9 with low erucic acid content, and Zhongyou 821 with high erucic acid content, using the degenerate PCR primers. The sequence analysis showed that there was no intron within the FAE1 genes. The FAE1 genes from Zhongyou 821 contained a coding sequence of 1521 nucleotides, and those cloned from Zhongshuan No. 9 contained a 1517 bp coding sequence. Alignment of the FAE1 sequences from Brassica rapa, B. oleracea and B. napus detected 31 single nucleotide polymorphic sites (2.03%), which resulted in 7 amino-acid substitutions. Further analysis indicated that 19 SNPs were genome-specific, of which, 95% were synonymous mutations. The nucleotide substitution at po- sition 1217 in the FAE1 genes led to a specific site of restricted cleavage. An AvrII cleavage site was present only in the C genome genes and absent in the A genome FAE1 genes. Digestion profile of the FAE1 sequences from B. rapa, B. oleracea and B. napus produced with AvrII confirmed that the FAE1 genes of B. oleracea origin was recognized and digested, while that of B. rapa origin could not. The results indicated that by AvrII cleavage it was possible to distinguish B. rapa from B. oleracea and be- tween the A and C genome of B. napus. In addition, the FAE1 genes could be used as marker genes to detect the pollen flow of B. napus, thus providing an alternative method for risk assessment of gene flow.

Characterization of refined fish oil from small fish in Mauritania

In this study,the effects of chemical refining on the physicochemical indices,environmental pollutants,lipid functional groups,relaxation characteristics,fatty acid profiles,and triglyceride(TG)molecular species in crude oil extracted from small fish in Mauritania were evaluated.The acid,peroxide,and iodine values of crude oil were identified as 5.52 mg KOH/g,1.73 meq/kg,and 200.78 g/100 g oil,respectively.After refining,these values were determined to be 0.29 mg KOH/g,0.76 meq/kg,and 210.80 g/100 g oil,respectively.The polychlorinated biphenyls and arsenic content of crude oil were identified as 32.30μg/kg and 1.00 mg/kg,respectively.After refining,these were not detected.The content of eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA)and docosahexaenoic acid(DHA)accounted for as much as 87.55%of the polyunsaturated fatty acids in the refined oil,indicating that high-quality fish oil is suitable as a food supplement.The correlation coefficient of the infrared spectra before and after refining was 0.968,and the relaxation time and peak shape data were almost similar before and after purification.Meanwhile,there were no significant differences(P≥0.05)in fatty acid profiles between the crude and refined oils,except for C16:0(P<0.01).Based on UPLC-Q E-MS/MS detection,137 TG molecules were identified in both crude and refined oils.Among the detected TG molecular species,64 contained EPA or DHA,which accounted for 46.83%and 46.00%of the total TG content in crude and refined oils,respectively.After refining,the content of the molecular species decreased by 31.95 mg/10 g,among which the three most variable molecular species were TG(16:0/18:1/22:6),(16:1/16:2/18:1),and(18:4/16:0/20:5),accounting for 29.26%of the decline of the molecular species.Overall,the refining process had little effect on the fatty acid profile and distribution of TG molecular species in fish oil.

The speciation, leachability and bioaccessibility of Cu and Zn in animal manure-derived biochar： effect of feedstock and pyrolysis temperature

Biochars derived from animal manures may accumulate potentially toxic metals and cause a potential risk to ecosystem. The synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopy, sequential fractionation schemes, bioaccessibility extraction and leaching procedure were performed on poultry and swine manure-derived biochars （denoted PB and SB, respectively） to evaluate the variance of speciation and activity of Cu and Zn as affected by the feedstock and pyrolysis temperature. The results showed that Cu speciation was dependent on the feedstock with Cu-citrate-like in swine manure and species resembling Cu-glutathione and CuO in poultry manure. Pyrolyzed products, however, had similar Cu speciation mainly with species resembling Cu-citrate, CuO and CuS/Cu2S. Organic bound Zn and Zn3（PO4）2-1ike species were dominant in both feedstock and biochars. Both Cu and Zn leaching with synthetic precipitation leaching procedure （SPLP） and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure （TCLP） decreased greatly with the rise of pyrolysis temperature, which were consistent with the sequential extraction results that pyrolysis converted Cu and Zn into less labile phases such as organic/ sulfide and residual fractions. The potential bioaccessibility of Zn decreased for both the PB and SB, closely depending on the content of non-residual Zn. The bioaccessibility of Cu, however, increased for the SB prepared at 300℃ 700℃, probably due to the increased proportion of CuO. Concerning the results of sequential fi＇actionation schemes, bioaccessibility extraction and leaching procedure, pyrolysis at 500℃ was suggested as means of reducing Cu/Zn lability and poultry manure was more suitable for pyrolysis treatment.

Catalase-imprinted Fe3O4/Fe@fibrous SiO2/polydopamine nanoparticles： An integrated nanoplatform of magnetic targeting, magnetic resonance imaging, and dual-mode cancer therapy

Recent advances in the research on the molecular mechanism of cell death and methods for preparation of nanomaterials make the integration of various therapeutic approaches, targeting, and imaging modes into a single nanoscale complex a new trend for the development of future nanotherapeutics. Hence, a novel ellipsoidal composite nanoplatform composed of a magnetic Fe3O4/Fe nanorod core （-120 nm） enwrapped by a catalase （CAT）-imprinted fibrous SiO2/ polydopamine （F-SiO2/PDA） shell with thickness 70 nm was prepared in this work. In vitro experiments showed that the Fe3O4/Fe@F-SiO2/PDA nanoparticles can selectively inhibit the bioactivity of CAT in tumor cells by the molecular imprinting technique. As a result, the H2O2 level in tumor cells was elevated dramatically. At the same time, the Fe304FFe core released Fe ions to catalyze the conversion of H2O2 to ＊OH in tumor cells. Eventually, the concentration of ＊OH in tumor cells rapidly rose to a lethal level thus triggering apoptosis. Combined with the remarkable near-infrared light （NIR） photothermal effect of the CAT- imprinted PDA layer, the Fe3O4/Fe@F-SiO2/PDA nanoparticles can effectively kill MCF-7, HeLa, and 293T tumor cells but are not toxic to nontumor cells. Furthermore, these nanoparticles show good capacity for magnetic targeting and suitability for magnetic resonance imaging （MRI）. Therefore, the integrated multifunctional nanoplatform opens up new possibilities for high-efficiency visual targeted nonchemo therapy for cancer.