Diet and monensin influence the temporal dynamics of the rumen microbiome in stocker and finishing cattle

Background Stocker cattle diet and management influence beef cattle performance during the finishing stage,but knowledge of the dynamics of the rumen microbiome associated with the host are lacking.A longitudinal study was conducted to determine how the feeding strategy from the stocker to the finishing stages of production affects the temporal dynamics of rumen microbiota.During the stocker phase,either dry hay or wheat pasture were provided,and three levels of monensin were administrated.All calves were then transported to a feedlot and received similar finishing diets with or without monensin.Rumen microbial samples were collected on d 0,28,85 during the stocker stage(S0,S28 and S85)and d 0,14,28,56,30 d before slaughter and the end of the trial during the finishing stage(F0,F14,F28,F56,Pre-Ba,and Final).The V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene of 263 rumen samples was sequenced.Results Higher alpha diversity,including the number of observed bacterial features and the Shannon index,was observed in the stocker phase compared to the finishing phase.The bacterial amplicon sequence variants(ASVs)differentiating different sampling time points were identified.Dietary treatments during the stocker stage temporally impact the dynamics of rumen microbiota.For example,shared bacteria,including Bacteroidales(ASV19)and Streptococcus infantarius(ASV94),were significantly higher in hay rumen on S28,S85,and F0,while Bacteroidaceae(ASV11)and Limivicinus(ASV15)were more abundant in wheat.Monensin affected rumen microbial composition at a specific time.Transportation to feedlot significantly influenced microbiome structure and diversity in hay-fed calves.Bacterial taxa associated with body weight were classified,and core microbiotas interacted with each other during the trial.Conclusions In summary,the temporal dynamics of the rumen microbiome in cattle at the stocker and finishing stage are influenced by multiple factors of the feeding strategy.Diet at the stocker phase may temporarily affect the microbial composition during this stage.Modulating the rumen microbiome in the steers at the stocker stage affects the microbial interactions and performance in the finishing stage.

Essential Oils as an Alternative to Antibiotics to Reduce the Incidence and Severity of Necrotic Enteritis in Broiler Chickens: A Short Review

Due to the removal of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) and consumer pressure for antibiotic-free (ABF) or no antibiotics ever (NAE) poultry production, there is a need for sustainable alternatives to prevent disease in commercial poultry operations. Without AGPs, there has been a rise in diseases that were traditionally controlled by subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics in the diet. This has impacted the health of commercial poultry and has been a significant cost to poultry producers. To mitigate this, the industry has started to investigate alternatives to antibiotics to treat these forthcoming health issues, such as necrotic enteritis (NE). NE is an enteric disease caused by an over proliferation of toxigenic Clostridium perfringens (CP) in the gastrointestinal tract. Although CP is a commensal in the avian intestinal tract, dysbiosis caused by inflammation and impaired intestinal integrity facilitates uncontrolled replication of CP. Infectious agents, such as Eimeria maxima, appear to be a predominant predisposing factor that promotes NE. However, non-infectious stressors, including dietary changes, have also been associated with NE to some degree. As a result of increased pressure to restrict the use of antibiotics, there is a need for research evaluating the efficacy of alternatives, such as plant-derived essential oils, as potential tools to mitigate NE in commercial poultry flocks. The aim of this study is to review the effects of essential oils as an alternative to antibiotics to reduce the incidence and severity of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens.

Physico-chemical properties and nutrition quality of potato flour: chuño vs modern processing technology

Chuño production is a kind of ancient method of potato preservation that has been used to the present day.In this study,physicochemical property and nutrition quality of white chuño(WC),black chuño,and dehydrated potato flour prepared by hot air drying(AD)and freezing drying were analyzed and compared.The results revealed that the average particle size of the starch in WC is almost 10 times of the dehydrated potato flour by AD treatment according to the laser particle size meter.During the dehydration of WC,water-soluble minerals(K+,Mg2+),proteins,ascorbic acid,etc.were partly lost while Ca2+content increased dramatically.In addition,WC showed the lowest antioxidant capacity among the four different kinds of dehydrated potato products.The polyphenol oxidase activity of WC,black chuño and AD were between 0.62–12.2 U/g fresh weight,which indicated that the color will be stable when chuño was used as staple food ingredient in the subsequent process.Therefore,as a potato processed food,chuño displayed great potential for promotion in the cold and poor rural areas of the northern China.

Tobacco-specific Carcinogen 4-(Methylnitrosoamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone(NNK) Activating ERK1/2 MAP Kinases and Stimulating Proliferation of Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

Cigarette smoking is correlated with the development of various cancers. 4- （Methylnitresoamino） -1- （3-pyridyl） - 1-butanone（NNK） is one of the major tobacco-specific carcinogens in the cigarette smoke, which increases the risk of breast cancer. In the present study, it was demonstrated that NNK rapidly activated ERK1 and ERK2 MAP kinases in human normal mammary epithelial cells. It was found that there are two different routes for the activation of ERK1/2 with NNK. One is from nicotinic receptor nAchR to MEK1/2, and the other is from tyrosine kinase containing receptor to MEK1/2. The tobacco-specific carcinogen NNK shows a strong proliferative effect on normal human mammary epithelial cells and cancer mammary epithelial cells.

Isolation of bacteria from fermented food and grass carp intestine and their efficiencies in improving nutrient value of soybean meal in solid state fermentation

Background: Soybean meal is an excellent and cost-effective protein source; however, its usage is limited in the piglet due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors and the antigens glycinin and β-conglycinin. The objective of the current study was to screen and select for bacteria that can be efficiently adopted to ferment soybean meal in order to solve this problem.Results: Bacteria were isolated from fermented soy foods and the grass carp intestine, and strains selected for high protease, cellulase and amylase activities. The isolated bacteria were characterized as Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacilus amyloliquefacien, respectively. Fermentation with food-derived Isolate-2 and fish-derived F-9 increased crude protein content by 5.32% and 8.27%, respectively; improved the amino acid profile by increasing certain essential amino acids, broke down larger soy protein to 35 k Da and under, eliminated antigenicity against glycinin and β-conglycinin, and removed raffinose and stachyose in the soybean meal following a 24-h fermentation.Conclusions: Our results suggest these two B. amyloliquefaciens bacteria can efficiently solid state ferment soybean meal and ultimately produce a more utilizable food source for growing healthy piglets.

Kinetics and mechanisms of p-nitrophenol biodegradation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa HS-D38

The kinetics and mechanisms of p-nitrophenol （PNP） biodegradation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa HS-D38 were investigated. PNP could be used by HS-D38 strain as the sole carbon, nitrogen and energy sources, and PNP was mineralized at the maximum concentration of 500 mg/L within 24 h in an mineral salt medium （MSM）. The analytical results indicated that the biodegradation of PNP fit the first order kinetics model. The rate constant kpNp is 2.039 ×10^-2/h in MSM medium, KeNp＋N is 3.603 × 10^-2/h with the addition of ammonium chloride and KPNP＋c is 9.74 ×10^-3/h with additional glucose. The addition of ammonium chloride increased the degradation of PNP. On the contrary, the addition of glucose inhibited and delayed the biodegradation of PNP. Chemical analysis results by thin-layer chromatography （TLC）, UV-Vis spectroscopy and gas chromatography （GC） techniques suggested that PNP was converted to hydroquinone （HQ） and further degraded via 1,2,4-benzenetriol （1 ,2,4-BT） pathway.

Breeding of NHase hyper-producing <i>Rhodococcus ruber</i>strain LUV_30-06and verification of mutants by RAPD

A nitrile hydratase (NHase) hyper-producing Rhodococcus ruber strain LUV30-06 was bred by mutagenization on the starting strain CGMCC3090 with ultraviolet irradiation and lithium chloride. The NHase activity of the strain LUV30-06 was increased by 21.99% (3881.3 U/ml), as compared with that of R. ruber CGMCC3090 (3181.4 U/ml). The mutant strain UV30-06 has been proved genetically stable with higher NHase activity in seven successive subcultures as well as random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD).

Donor age and body weight determine the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation on growth performance,and fecal microbiota development in recipient pigs

Background:The application of fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)to improve swine growth performance has been sporadically studied.Most of these studies used a single microbiota source and thus the effect of donor characteristics on recipient pigs’fecal microbiota development and growth performance is largely unknown.Results:In this study,we collected feces from six donors with heavy(H)or light(L)body weight and different ages(d 42,nursery;d 96,growing;and d 170,finisher)to evaluate their effects on the growth performance and fecal microbiota development of recipient pigs.Generally,recipients that received two doses of FMT from nursery and finisher stages donor at weaning(21±2 days of age)inherited the donor’s growth pattern,while the pigs gavaged with grower stage material exerted a numerically greater weight gain than the control pigs regardless of donor BW.FMT from heavier donors(NH,GH,and FH)led to the recipients to have numerically increased growth compared to their lighter counterparts(NL,GL,and FL,respectively)throughout the growing and most finishing stages.This benefit could be attributed to the enrichment of ASV25 Faecalibacterium,ASV61 Faecalibacterium,ASV438 Coriobacteriaceae_unclassified,ASV144 Bulleidia,and ASV129 Oribacterium and decrease of ASV13 Escherichia during nursery stage.Fecal microbiota transplantation from growing and finishing donors influenced the microbial community significantly in recipient pigs during the nursery stage.FMT of older donors’gut microbiota expedited recipients’microbiota maturity on d 35 and 49,indicated by increased estimated microbiota ages.The ageassociated bacterial taxa included ASV206 Ruminococcaceae,ASV211 Butyrivibrio,ASV416 Bacteroides,ASV2 Streptococcus,and ASV291 Veillonellaceae.The body weight differences between GL and GH pigs on d 104 were associated with the increased synthesis of the essential amino acid,lysine and methionine,mixed acid fermentation,expedited glycolysis,and sucrose/galactose degradation.Conclusions:Overall,our study provided insights into how donor age and body weight affect FMT outcomes regarding growth performance,microbiota community shifts,and lower GI tract metabolic potentials.This study also provided guidance to select qualified donors for future fecal microbiota transplantation.

Accumulation Pattern of Gliadin Fractions α, β, γ, ω and Regulation of Nitrogen

Gliadin, the major storage protein in endosperm, affects grain quality in spring wheat by its content and composition. Eighteen cultivars differing in HMW-GS were used in the study to approach the accumulation pattern of gliadin fractions α, β, γ, ω and regulation of three kinds of nitrogen source. The results showed that the content of gliadin in grains increased gradually along with the process of grain-filling, but the accumulation intensity and final content differed evidently among cultivars with different HMW-GS composition. Of all the subunit types used here, cultivars with subunits 7＋9 and 2＋12 had smaller accumulation intensity and lower final content. During grain-filling, 4 gliadin fractions had the same increase trend, but differed in accumulation course. The dynamic trends of gliadin accumulation were similar in different nitrogen treatments whose effects on initial amount, accumulation intensity and final level of accumulation varied with cultivars. Of three nitrogen fertilizer types, the amide-form nitrogen source was better to the formation and accumulation of gliadin as well as its four fractions.

Efficacy of Xylooligosaccharides and Probiotics Additive to the Diets of Sows and/or Piglets on Performance,Milk Composition and Appearance of Diarrhea in Sows and Their Offspring

The present study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of xylooligosaecharides （XOS） and probiotics （PR） on performance, milk compo- sition and diarrhea incidence of sows or their offspring. From day 90 of gestation until weaning, a total of 60 muhiparous sows were randomly assigned to three groups and given three different diets that included either the control diet （ sCON, n = 20 ）, the control diet containing 175 mg/kg XOS （ sXOS, n = 20 ） or 175 mg/kg XOS and 300 mg/kg probiotics （sXOS ＋ PR, n =20）. On day 21 of age, offspring were assigned within sow treatments to the piglet basal diet （pCON） or the piglet basal, diet supplemented with 175 mg/kg XOS （pXOS） for 28 d. Sow feed intake was recorded daily. Body weight and feed consumption of the pigs in each replicate were determined biweekly （on day 0, 14 and 28） to calculate the average daily gain （ADG） of body weight, average daily feed intake （ADFI） and the gain-to-feed ratio （ G： F）. The colostrum and milk samples were obtained on day 0 and 14 of lactation, respectively. Sow XOS or XOS ＋ PR dietary had no effect on the number of total piglets born and born alive and the piglet weight at birth. Milk composition in sow colostrum and milk were not affected by sow diet XOS or （ XOS ＋ PR） supplementation （ P 〉 0.05 ）. No maternal dietary effect was observed on the weaning weight and pre-weaning weight gains of piglets. However, there were interaction effects between sow and piglet dietary treatments on diarrhea rate and diarrhea index during day 35 -49 （P = 0.03 ） and day 21 -49 （P =0.02）. Although sow diet XOS and （XOS ＋ PR ） supplementation did not influence growth performance of weanling piglets, such as ADG and ADFI （ P 〉0.05 ）, piglets XOS supplementation significantly decreased ADFI during the whole experiment period and increased G： F during day 35 -49 and day 21 -49 （ P 〈0.05 ）. These results might suggest that combination of XOS and PR in sow diets had negative impact on the diarrhea incidence of offspring. XOS supplementation in weaned piglet diets decreased ADFI and feed conversion efficiency of weaning piglets.

Effects of n-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation on Performance, Relative Organ Weight and Fatty Acid Composition of Thigh Meat in Broiler Chickens

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with marine microbe accumulating n-3 fatty acids on growth performance, relative organ weight and fatty acid composition of thigh meat in broilers. A total of 480 broilers were randomly allotted to three treat-ments with eight replications per treatment and 20 chicks per pen. A corn-soybean meal-based diet was formulated as a control diet and the broilers were then provided with one of the following dietary treatments:(1) CON(basal diet);(2) N0.1(basal diet+0.10% marine microbe accumulating n-3 fatty acids);(3) N0.2(basal diet+0.20% marine microbe accumulating n-3 fatty acids). No significant differences were observed in the growth performance or the relative organ weight among treatments. However, the levels of saturated fatty acids(SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids(MUFA)were significantly lower(P<0.05) in groups that received the n-3 fatty acids treatments, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA) were increased(P<0.05) significantly in these groups. Overall, these results indicate that dietary supplementation with marine microbe accumulating n-3 fatty acids can increase PUFA and decrease SFA and MUFA in thigh meat.

Effects of Moringa oleifera and Morinda citrifolia Extracts on Performance of Multiparous Sows and Suckling Piglets

[Objective]The test was to investigate the effects of MM(Moringa oleifera and Morinda citrifolia)extracts on reproductive performance of multiparous sows and growth performance of suckling piglets.[Method]A total of 60 multiparous sows(Landrace×Large White,2-4 parities)were randomly assigned into two treatments,30 replicates per treatment and one sow per replicate.Sows in control group were fed with basal diet,and those in experimental groups were fed with the basal diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg MM extract.The trial lasted 28 d(from 7 d before delivery to 21 d post lactation).[Result]MM extract had no significant effect on sow’s stage of labor and estrus rate at 7 d post weaning(P>0.05).MM extract had no significant impact on growth performance of suckling piglets(P>0.05).[Conclusion]Addition of MM extracts in the diet of multiparous sows at 7 d before delivery did not improve the performance of sows and piglets,but shortened sow’s stage of labor and promoted estrus of sows after weaning to a certain extent.

An Efficient Novel Synthesis of 14-O-[(4-Amino-6-hydroxy-pyrimidine-2-yl)thioacetyl] Mutilin and the Antibacterial Evaluation

The title structure of 14-O-[（4-amino-6-hydroxy-pyrimidine-2-yl）thioacetyl] mutilin, C26H47N3O5S, has been synthesized using 22-O-tosyl pleuromutilin and 4-amine-6-hydroxy-2-mercatopyrimidine monohydrate, and its structure was characterized by IR, NMR, H RMS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This compound has a 5-6-8 tricyclic carbon skeleton and a pyrimidine ring. It crystallizes in orthorhombic, space group P212121 with a = 10.494（3）, b = 16.997（5）, c = 16.997 A, Z = 4, Dc = 1.275 Mg×m^–3, μ = 0.220 mm^–1, F（000） = 1248, wR（F^2） = 0.1159 and R = 0.0381. The preliminary biological test showed that the title compound has more potent inhibitions to Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA and MRSE than that of tiamulin fumarate in vitro.

Effects of Macleaya cordata Extracts on Growth Performance and Immune Function of Immunosuppressed Laying Chicks

[Objective] The paper was to study the effects of Macleaya cordata extracts on growth performance and immune function of immunosuppressed laying chicks. [Method] A total of 120 1-day-old laying chicks with the body weight of (38.76±1.12) g were randomly divided into 3 groups with 40 replicates per treatment and 1 chick per replicate according to the principle of consistent body weight and half male and half female,namely control group, cyclophosphamide (CTX) group and M. cordata group. The trial lasted 21 d. The chicks in control group and CTX group were fed with basal diet, and those in M. cordata group were fed with the basal diet supplemented with 40 mg/kg M. cordata extract. On the 8^(th), 9^(th), 10^(th) and 17^(th) day of the trial, the chicks in CTX group and M. cordata group were intraperitoneally injected with 80 mg/kg BW CTX, and those in control group were intraperitoneally injected with equal dose of normal saline. [Result] (1) Compared with control group, the average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) of chicks in CTX group reduced significantly;the feed gain ratio (F/G) increased significantly;the white blood cell count (WBC) decreased significantly;the alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspertate aminotransferase (AST) levels in the blood increased significant -ly;the total protein (TP) and globulin (GLOB) content in the blood decreased significantly;the serum malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased significantly;and the contents of immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), interleukin-1 β (IL-1β) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the serum decreased significantly. (2)Compared with CTX group, the ADG and ADFI of chicks in M. cordata group increased significantly;the F/G decreased significantly;the WBC, red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), hematokrit (HCT) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) increased sig -nificantly;the contents of ALT, AST and MDA in the serum decreased significantly;the contents of TP, GLOB, IgG, Ig M, IL -1β, interleukin-6(IL-6) and IL-10 in the serum increased significantly;and the bursa of fabricius index increased significantly. (3) Compared with control group, the ADG and ADFI of chicks in M. cordata group increased significantly, and the contents of HGB and HCT in the blood increased significantly. [Conclusion] CTX injection will reduce the growth performance, antioxidant and immune function of laying chicks. The addition of M. cordata extract could restore the growth performance, immune function and antioxidant function impaired by CTX.

Effects of Small Peptide Chelated Copper,Iron,Manganese and Zinc on Growth Performance,Chicken Quality and Antioxidant Capacity of Yellow Feather Broilers

[Objective]The paper was to study effects of small peptide chelated trace elements(copper,iron,zinc and manganese)on growth performance,chicken quality and antioxidant capacity of rapid yellow feather broilers.[Method]Three hundred one-day-old yellow feather broilers with similar body weight were selected and randomly divided into three treatments:inorganic trace element group(basal diet+inorganic trace elements),organic trace element group(basal diet+small peptide chelated trace elements)and compound group(basal diet+50%inorganic trace elements+50%small peptide chelated trace elements).There were 10 replicates per treatment and 10 chickens per replicate.The trial lasted for 63 d.[Result]①Compared to inorganic trace element group,average daily gain(ADG)of yellow feather broilers in organic trace element group was significantly increased over the whole period(P<0.05).②There was no significant difference in slaughter performance and immune organ indices among the three test groups(P>0.05).③There was no significant difference in breast muscle pH,chicken color,drip loss,and shear force among the three groups(P>0.05),but cooking loss of chicken breast in inorganic trace element group was 27.46%and 22.53%higher than those in organic trace element group and compound group,respectively(P<0.05).④MDA content in serum in organic trace element group was 15.61%lower than that in inorganic trace element group(P<0.05).[Conclusion]Complete substitution of inorganic copper,iron,zinc and manganese by small peptide chelated copper,iron,zinc,and manganese significantly increases ADG of broilers,improves quality of chicken breast,and enhances antioxidant capacity.

Effects of Irrigation on Soil and Wheat Yield under Drought Conditions in Sichuan

In order to study the effective water-saving cultivation of wheat in Sichuan under drought conditions to reduce grain loss,the effects of different irrigation methods（ natural rainfall,artificial irrigation,and infiltrating irrigation） on soil physical characteristics and main agronomic characters and yield of wheat were analyzed. The results showed that different irrigation treatments at different growth stages had different effects on soil physical characteristics and agronomic characters of wheat. At the seedling and jointing stage,there were small differences between the treatments in soil compactness,soil bulk density,and soil water content. At the flowering and maturation stage,different irrigation treatments had great impacts on soil compactness,soil bulk density,soil water content,and agronomic characters of wheat. In the hilly areas of Sichuan Basin,infiltrating irrigation at the jointing stage was the best,and wheat yield increased significantly,2 113. 46 kg/hm^2 higher than that in the control.

Effects of Dietary Yeast Cell Wall Polysaccharides Supplementation to Late Gestation and Lactation Diets on Reproductive Performance and Blood Profiles of Sows and Their Offspring

This study was conducted to determine the effects of yeast cell wall polysaccharides（YCWP） on reproductive performance, serum profiles and milk composition during late gestation and lactation. A total of 96 sows（Landrace × Yorkshire） were blocked on a basis of breed, parity（2-3）and their respective d 85 of gestation, and then randomly allotted to the following three dietary treatments： CON（basal diet, treatment 1）, YCWP1（CON＋0.2% YCWP, treatment 2） and YCWP2（CON＋0.4% YCWP, treatment 3）. The experiment lasted from d 85 of gestation to weaning（d 21 of lactation）. Sows fed YCWP diets had lower backfat thickness reduction from postpartum to weaning（ P〈0.05）. The supplementation of YCWP tended to increase litter weight at weaning（P=0.08） compared with CON. The non-lipid and total milk solids in colostrum was improved by YCWP2（P〈0.05）.No differences were observed in milk composition among dietary treatments（ P〉0.05）. The supplementation of YCWP decreased（P〈0.05） the levels of alanine amino transferase（ALT）, aspartate amino transferase（AST）, while it did not affect（ P〉0.05） alkaline phosphatase（ALP）, total protein（TP）,albumin（ALB）, globulin（GLB）, glucose（GLU）, total cholesterol（TC）, triglyceride（TG） or immunoglobulin G（IgG） in the sow serum. The serum IgG of piglets was increased by the YCWP. The levels of serum ALT and AST were reduced（P〈0.05） for suckling piglets in YCWP treatments. Taken together, the results of current studies might indicate beneficial effects of YCWP supplementation to late gestation and lactation diets on the sow productivity by improving litter weight at weaning, reducing backfat loss, and increasing serum IgG concentrations of piglets.

Effects of Ethephon on Aerenchyma Formation in Rice Roots

The effects of ethephon on the constitutive aerenchyma formation in roots were studied with a rice variety Yangdao 6 as material. The number of air spaces formed by disintegrated cells in mediopellis increased significantly with the rising ethephon concentrations, whereas superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity showed downward trends. Compared with the control, the expression levels of xyloglucan endotransglycosylase （XED gene were markedly higher both at the apical 10 mm and distal parts of roots in 100 mg/L ethephon treated plants. The accumulation of XET was supposed to be associated with the aerenchyma development. Furthermore, earlier cortical cell death was observed under the ethephon treatments, and most of nuclei of cells at 4 mm from the root apex disintegrated with many Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and membranebound vesicles around the cell wall.

The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor TabHLH1 increases chlorogenic acid and luteolin biosynthesis in Taraxacum antungense Kitag

Polyphenols are the main active components of the anti-inflammatory compounds in dandelion,and chlorogenic acid(CGA)is one of the primary polyphenols.However,the molecular mechanism underlying the transcriptional regulation of CGA biosynthesis remains unclear.Hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:quinate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase(HQT2)is the last rate-limiting enzyme in chlorogenic acid biosynthesis in Taraxacum antungense.Therefore,using the TaHQT2 gene promoter as a probe,a yeast one-hybrid library was performed,and a basic helix-loop-helix(bHLH)transcription factor,TabHLH1,was identified that shared substantial homology with Gynura bicolor DC bHLH1.The TabHLH1 transcript was highly induced by salt stress,and the TabHLH1 protein was localized in the nucleus.CGA and luteolin concentrations in TabHLH1-overexpression transgenic lines were significantly higher than those in the wild type,while CGA and luteolin concentrations in TabHLH1-RNA interference(RNAi)transgenic lines were significantly lower.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that overexpression and RNAi of TabHLH1 in T.antungense significantly affected CGA and luteolin concentrations by upregulating or downregulating CGA and luteolin biosynthesis pathway genes,especially TaHQT2,4-coumarate-CoA ligase(Ta4CL),chalcone isomerase(TaCHI),and flavonoid-3′-hydroxylase(TaF3′H).Dual-luciferase,yeast one-hybrid,and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that TabHLH1 directly bound to the bHLH-binding motifs of proTaHQT2 and proTa4CL.This study suggests that TabHLH1 participates in the regulatory network of CGA and luteolin biosynthesis in T.antungense and might be useful for metabolic engineering to promote plant polyphenol biosynthesis.

Genetic Analysis of Distorted Segregation Ratio of Mating Types AmongBasidiospores in Lentinula edodes

This study prepared 17 strains of Lentinula edodes, including wild and cultivated strains as materials, and statistically analyzed the ratios of spores from different aspects via mating types＇ analysis and the OWE-SOJ technique. The results from this study first systematically identified skewed expected distribution of mating-type factors segregation in Lentinula edodes spores has commonly statistical meanings in wild and cultivated strains. Genetic analysis of positive and negative parental-recombined fruiting showed that the nuclear type of F1 progeny spores among those strains segregated through theoretical distribution mainly depended on the combined state of parental dikaryons, and the predominant spores were those with the mating type identical to the dikaryotic parent, indicating that the genetic basis of segregation distortion of spores is different from that of protoplast monokaryons in which the B factor takes predominant responsibility for that phenomenon, and it cooperates A factor with B factor to influence the ratio of spores.