China’s Elia: A Study of Liang Yuchun’s Translation Activities

Liang Yuchun,who once played an important role in introducing and translating foreign literature(especially English essays)in the 1920s&1930s,has been hitherto much neglected by the research field of translation studies.The present study first gives a general description of Liang’s translation practices,the exploratory analysis of his motivation and the collection of his thinking on translation.Based on that,the author explores the influences of Liang’s translation activities from the point of view of media translatology,thus proposing that Liang Yuchun should be given a deserved position in the history of Chinese translation literature.

A Study of Robert Morrison’s Translation of Chinese Poetry

The translation activities of Robert Morrison,the first protestant missionary to China,exert a profound impact on the following missionaries of their missionary efforts and Chinese Studies.Morrison’s translations of Chinese poetry,mainly cited as examples of certain cultural context,are scattered in various publications,and are not yet systematically studied.This paper aims to integrate and analyze Morrison’s translations of Chinese poetry,summarize their linguistic features,thereby providing insight into the studies on translation of the early missionary sinologues in China.

The PIWI-specific insertion module helps load longer piRNAs for translational activation essential for male fertility

PIWI-clade proteins harness pi RNAs of 24–33 nt in length.Of great puzzles are how PIWI-clade proteins incorporate pi RNAs of different sizes and whether the size matters to PIWI/pi RNA function.Here we report that a PIWI-Ins module unique in PIWIclade proteins helps define the length of pi RNAs.Deletion of PIWI-Ins in Miwi shifts MIWI to load with shorter pi RNAs and causes spermiogenic failure in mice,demonstrating the functional importance of this regulatory module.Mechanistically,we show that longer pi RNAs provide additional complementarity to target m RNAs,thereby enhancing the assembly of the MIWI/e IF3f/Hu R super-complex for translational activation.Importantly,we identify a c.1108C>T(p.R370W)mutation of HIWI(human PIWIL1)in infertile men and demonstrate in Miwi knock-in mice that this genetic mutation impairs male fertility by altering the property of PIWI-Ins in selecting longer pi RNAs.These findings reveal a critical role of PIWI-Ins-ensured longer pi RNAs in fine-tuning MIWI/pi RNA targeting capacity,proven essential for spermatid development and male fertility.

Interplay of RNA-binding proteins controls germ cell development in zebrafish

The specification of germ cells in zebrafish mostly relies on an inherited mechanism by which localized maternal determinants,called germ plasm,confer germline fate in the early embryo.Extensive studies have partially allowed the identification of key regulators governing germ plasm formation and subsequent germ cell development.RNA-binding proteins,acting in concert with other germ plasm components,play essential roles in the organization of the germ plasm and the specification,migration,maintenance,and differentiation of primordial germ cells.The loss of their functions impairs germ cell formation and causes sterility or sexual conversion.Evidence is emerging that they instruct germline development through differential regulation of mRNA fates in somatic and germ cells.However,the challenge remains to decipher the complex interplay of maternal germ plasm components in germ plasm compartmentalization and germ cell specification.Because failure to control the developmental outcome of germ cells disrupts the formation of gametes,it is important to gain a complete picture of regulatory mechanisms operating in the germ cell lineage.This review sheds light on the contributions of RNA-binding proteins to germ cell development in zebrafish and highlights intriguing questions that remain open for future investigation.