Ratoon rice generated from primed parent plants exhibit enhanced herbivore resistance

Rice ratooning is practiced in many rice-growing countries for achieving increased rice production with limited labour input. Here, we report that attack by insect herbivores, or treatment with a defense signaling compound in parent plants, can prime anti-herbivore defense responses in subsequent ratoon plants. We compared the defense responses of rice ratoons generated from parent plants that had been either infested by Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (rice leaffolder, LF) caterpillars or treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) during vegetative growth, with ratoons generated from control parent plants. Ratoon plants generated from parents receiving prior LF infestation or MeJA treatment exhibited higher jasmonic acid (JA) levels, as well as elevated levels of transcripts of defense-related genes associated with JA signaling. In addition, elevated activities of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and trypsin protease inhibitor were observed, as well as enhanced resistance towards subsequent LF infestation. Pre-priming of ratoon defense responses was significantly reduced in plants where expression of OsAOS (allene oxide synthase, involved in JA biosynthesis) or OsCOI1 (CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1, involved in JA perception) was inhibited by RNA interference. Our results indicate that herbivore exposure or MeJA treatment in rice parent plants enhances anti-herbivore resistance in subsequently generated ratoons through priming of JA-mediated defenses.

Anatomical structure of the coracohumeral ligament and its effect on shoulder joint stability

BACKGROUND

In this study, coracohumeral ligament (CHL) specimens were carefully dissected to observe its length, width, thickness and tension at different positions of the shoulder joint, thereby elucidating its effects on shoulder joint stability.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fresh frozen shoulder joints from 40 normal adult cadaveric specimens were dissected to reveal the CHL. With the shoulder joints placed at different positions, the length of the CHL and the width and thickness of the middle part of the ligament were measured. The changes in tension of the CHL were also observed. When the shoulder joint maintained the neutral position, the length of the CHL was 52.23 ± 1.02 mm and the width and thickness of the middle part of the ligament were 15.95 ± 0.59 mm and 1.46 ± 0.06 mm, respectively.

RESULTS

When the shoulder joint moved from the neutral position to 90° external rotation, from the neutral position to 30° adduction or from the neutral position to 30° flexion/extension or when the shoulder joint is pulled down with a 5 kg weight, the CHL was elongated and thinned, maintaining a strained state. When the shoulder joint moved from the neutral position to 90° internal rotation, from the neutral position to 90° abduction or from the neutral position to 30° flexion/ extension, the CHL was shortened and thickened, maintaining a relaxed state.

CONCLUSIONS

The CHL may limit the external rotation, adduction and downward movement of the shoulder joint and the process from the neutral position to the 30° flexion/extension, maintaining shoulder joint stability.

Transition-metal-free dehydrogenation coupling of pyridinium through a self-promoted hydride transfer process

An intramolecular dehydrogenation coupling between phenol and pyridinium through a unique substrate self-promoted hydride transfer process has been developed.

Interactions between Nitrogen and Silicon in Rice and Their Effects on Resistance toward the Brown Planthopper Nilaparvata lugens

Nitrogen (N) and silicon (Si) are two important nutritional elements required for plant growth, and both impact host plant resistance toward insect herbivores. The interaction between the two elements may therefore play a significant role in determining host plant resistance. We investigated this interaction in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and its effect on resistance to the herbivore brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (BPH). Our results indicate that high-level (5.76 mM) N fertilization reduced Si accumulation in rice leaves, and furthermore, this decrease was likely due to decreased expression of Si transporters OsLsi1 and OsLsi2. Conversely, reduced N accumulation was observed at high N fertilization levels when Si was exogenously provided, and this was associated with down-regulation of OsAMT1;1 and OsGS1;1, which are involved in ammonium uptake and assimilation, respectively. Under lower N fertilization levels (0.72 and/or 1.44 mM), Si amendment resulted in increased OsNRT1:1, OsGS2, OsFd-GOGAT, OsNADH-GOGAT2, and OsGDH2 expression. Additionally, bioassays revealed that high N fertilization level significantly decreased rice resistance to BPH, and the opposite effect was observed when Si was provided. These results provide additional insight into the antagonistic interaction between Si and N accumulation in rice, and the effects on plant growth and susceptibility to herbivores.

Association of polymorphisms in intron 2 of FGFR2 and breast cancer risk in Сhinese women

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) demonstrated that genetic variation in intron 2 of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) was a novel risk for breast cancer. We investigated whether two SNPs rs1219648 and rs2981582 in intron 2 of FGFR2 were associated with the risk of breast cancer in Chinese women. A total of 340 female breast cancer patients and 400 normal age-matched controls were recruited. Two SNPs were genotyped using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. The two SNPs rs1219648 and rs2981582 showed no association with the risk of breast cancer. A subgroup analysis by menopausal status demonstrated that the distribution of rs2981582 T alleles, including CT and TT genotypes, was significantly higher in premenopausal patients compared with postmenopausal patients. The TT genotype in rs2981582 was more strongly associated with ER-positive than with ER-negative tumors by ER status analysis. Analysis by haplotypes showed that no haplotypes associated with breast cancer. The results showed no association between two SNPs, rs1219648 and rs2981582 and breast cancer risk, although in a stratified analysis rs2981582 strongly associated with premenopausal and ER-positive breast cancer patients in Chinese women.

Association of C1q Binding Status With De Novo HLA Antibody Clinical Features and Allograft Function in Kidney Transplantation Patients During Eight Years of Dynamic Follow-up

BACKGROUND

C1q-binding donor-specific antibody (DSA) is detrimental to transplanted kidney function. However, the factors that affect C1q binding status are unclear.

METHODS

A total of 519 samples from 129 consecutive kidney transplantation patients during 8 years of dynamic follow-up were collected for HLA antibody (Ab) screening and C1q detection.

RESULTS

Among the detected HLA Abs, the majority were class II, and the DQ subtypes composed the highest proportion. The C1q-binding Abs were all HLA-II, and the DQ subtypes had the highest rate of C1q positivity. With a cutoff mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) value of 7349, the sensitivity and specificity of detecting C1q-binding Abs from all HLA-II Abs were 84.48% and 83.56%, respectively. Additionally, C1q is more likely to be bound by DSA than non-donor-specific antibody (NDSA). Compared with free DSA/NDSA, the MFI values of C1q-binding DSA/NDSA are more closely correlated with serum creatinine levels and reflect the effect of anti-antibody-mediated rejection treatment more sensitively.

CONCLUSIONS

HLA-II Abs (particularly DQ subtypes), high titers of Abs, and DSA are important relevant factors of C1q positivity. The MFI value of C1q-binding DSA may be a useful clinical indicator of HLA antibody-mediated graft injury before the appearance of histologically typical humoral rejection.

The Effectiveness of hCG and LHRH in Boys with Cryptorchidism: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

To systematically review the efficacy of hCG and LHRH on testicular descent in boys with cryptorchidism, comprehensive search was performed to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) up to March 2014. Outcomes included testicular complete descent rate (TCDR) and cure rate of patients. Study quality was evaluated using the Jadad scale. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager software. Finally, 13 studies were included. hCG and LHRH increased TCDR comparing with control group. The success rate of hCG and LHRH was 24 and 19%, respectively. Further, hCG and LHRH had significant effect on bilateral cryptorchidism, but not on unilateral cryptorchidism. All side effects were transitory and not severe, but if they have long-term harms were not clear. hCG and LHRH can effectively increase TCDR and there was no significant difference between them. However, the hormones cannot be recommended for everyone because of their low success rates and potential long-term harms. Further studies are needed to determine the efficacy of hormonal treatment for subtypes of cryptorchidism.

Resistance to glufosinate is proportional to phosphinothricin acetyltransferase expression and activity in LibertyLink(®) and WideStrike(®) cotton

Insertion of the gene encoding phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) has resulted in cotton plants resistant to the herbicide glufosinate. However, the lower expression and commensurate reduction in PAT activity is a key factor in the low level of injury observed in the WideStrike(®) cotton and relatively high level of resistance observed in LibertyLink(®) cotton. LibertyLink(®) cotton cultivars are engineered for glufosinate resistance by overexpressing the bar gene that encodes phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT), whereas the insect-resistant WideStrike(®) cultivars were obtained using the similar pat gene as a selectable marker. The latter cultivars carry some level of resistance to glufosinate which enticed certain farmers to select this herbicide for weed control with WideStrike(®) cotton. The potency of glufosinate on conventional FM 993, insect-resistant FM 975WS, and glufosinate-resistant IMACD 6001LL cotton cultivars was evaluated and contrasted to the relative levels of PAT expression and activity. Conventional cotton was sensitive to glufosinate. The single copy of the pat gene present in the insect-resistant cultivar resulted in very low RNA expression of the gene and undetectable PAT activity in in vitro assays. Nonetheless, the presence of this gene provided a good level of resistance to glufosinate in terms of visual injury and effect on photosynthetic electron transport. The injury is proportional to the amount of ammonia accumulation. The strong promoter associated with bar expression in the glufosinate-resistant cultivar led to high RNA expression levels and PAT activity which protected this cultivar from glufosinate injury. While the insect-resistant cultivar demonstrated a good level of resistance to glufosinate, its safety margin is lower than that of the glufosinate-resistant cultivar. Therefore, farmers should be extremely careful in using glufosinate on cultivars not expressly designed and commercialized as resistant to this herbicide.

Pdcd4 restrains the self-renewal and white-to-beige transdifferentiation of adipose-derived stem cells

The stemness maintenance of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) is important for adipose homeostasis and energy balance. Programmed cell death 4 (Pdcd4) has been demonstrated to be involved in the development of obesity, but its possible roles in ADSC function and adipogenic capacity remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that Pdcd4 is a key controller that limits the self-renewal and white-to-beige transdifferentiation of ADSCs. Pdcd4 deficiency in mice caused stemness enhancement of ADSCs as evidenced by increased expression of CD105, CD90, Nanog and Oct4 on ADSCs, together with enhanced in situ proliferation in adipose tissues. Pdcd4 deficiency promoted proliferation, colony formation of ADSCs and drove more ADSCs entering the S phase accompanied by AKT activation and cyclinD1 upregulation. Blockade of AKT signaling in Pdcd4-deficient ADSCs led to a marked decline in cyclinD1, S-phase entry and cell proliferation, revealing AKT as a target for repressing ADSC self-renewal by Pdcd4. Intriguingly, depletion of Pdcd4 promoted the transdifferentiation of ADSCs into beige adipocytes. A reduction in lipid contents and expression levels of white adipocyte markers including C/EBPα, PPAR-γ, adiponectin and αP2 was detected in Pdcd4-deficient ADSCs during white adipogenic differentiation, substituted by typical beige adipocyte characteristics including small, multilocular lipid droplets and UCP1 expression. More lactate produced by Pdcd4-deficient ADSCs might be an important contributor to the expression of UCP1 and white-to-beige transdifferentiation. In addition, an elevation of UCP1 expression was confirmed in white adipose tissues from Pdcd4-deficient mice upon high-fat diet, which displayed increased energy expenditure and resistance to obesity as compared with wild-type obese mice. These findings provide evidences that Pdcd4 produces unfavorable influences on ADSC stemness, which contribute to adipose dysfunction, obesity and metabolic syndromes, thereby proposing Pdcd4 as a potential intervening target for regulating ADSC function.

Crosstalk between astrocytic CXCL12 and microglial CXCR4 contributes to the development of neuropathic pain

BACKGROUND

Chemokine axis chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 12/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCL12/CXCR4) is an emerging pain modulator, but mechanisms for its involvement in neuropathic pain remain unclear. Here, we aimed to study whether CXCL12/CXCR4 axis modulated the development of neuropathic pain via glial mechanisms. In this study, two mouse models of neuropathic pain, namely partial sciatic nerve ligation (pSNL) model and chronic post-ischemia pain (CPIP) model, were used.

RESULTS

In the dorsal horn of L3-L5 segment of spinal cord, CXCL12 and CXCR4 were expressed in both astrocyte and microglia in normal mice. In the pSNL or CPIP model, the expression level of CXCL12 in the ipsilateral L3-L5 segment of mice spinal cord was increased in an astrocyte-dependent manner on post-operative day (POD) 3. Intrathecal administration of CXCL12 with AMD3100 (CXCR4 antagonist) or minocycline (microglia activation inhibitor), but not fluorocitrate (astrocyte activation inhibitor), reversed CXCL12-indued mechanical allodynia in naïve mice. In these models, AMD3100 and AMD3465 (CXCR4 antagonist), administered daily from 1 h before surgery and up to POD 3, attenuated the development of mechanical allodynia. Moreover, AMD3100 administered daily from 1 h before surgery and up to POD 3 downregulated mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1β, and interleukin 6 in the ipsilateral L3-L5 segment of spinal cord in the pSNL and CPIP models on POD 3.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the crosstalk between astrocytic CXCL12 and microglial CXCR4 in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain using pSNL and CPIP models. Our results offer insights for the future research on CXCL12/CXCR4 axis and neuropathic pain therapy.

Alstoscholarisines H-J, Indole Alkaloids from Alstonia scholaris: Structural Evaluation and Bioinspired Synthesis of Alstoscholarisine H

Alstoscholarisines H-J (1-3), new monoterpenoid indole alkaloids with an unprecedented skeleton created via the formation of a C-3/N-1 bond, were isolated from Alstonia scholaris. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic analyses and the assessment of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The total synthesis of alstoscholarisine H was achieved via the regioselective nucleophilic addition of pyridinium through a bioinspired iminium ion intermediate followed by Pictet-Spengler-like cyclization.

Effects of Adoptive Transferring Different Sources of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Mice Corneal Transplant Survival

BACKGROUND

Adoptively transferring different sources of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) may assist in mice corneal transplant survival.

METHODS

Allogeneic full thickness corneal transplantation (donor C57BL/6 to recipient Balb/c mice) was performed. Naive myeloid cells, inflammation-induced MDSCs (iMDSCs), and tumor-induced MDSCs (tMDSCs) were purified from bone marrow of naive, cecal ligation and puncture, or tumor-bearing Balb/c mice, respectively. The inhibitory abilities of myeloid cells toward CD4(+) T cell proliferation were accessed by in vitro carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester (CFSE) assays. Myeloid cells were adoptively transferred to corneal recipients by retroorbital injection after corneal transplantation. Corneal grafts were examined and photographed for a period of 45 days. The growth of corneal graft neovascularization was quantitatively measured by image editing software. Histopathology was performed to evaluate corneal graft inflammation.

RESULTS

The iMDSCs and tMDSCs significantly inhibited T cell proliferation in vitro and significantly prolonged corneal allograft survival in vivo. Strikingly, iMDSC transferring significantly reduced neovascularization that was comparable to transferring of tMDSCs, without additional immunosuppression. However, additional adoptive transfer of MDSCs did not further ameliorate corneal survival in these allogeneic corneal transplantation mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Inflammation-induced MDSC transfer could reduce corneal neovascularization and prolong corneal allograft survival.

Surface Collective Modes in the Topological Insulators Bi_{2}Se_{3} and Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_{3-x}Se_{x}

We used low-energy, momentum-resolved inelastic electron scattering to study surface collective modes of the three-dimensional topological insulators Bi_{2}Se_{3} and Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_{3-x}Se_{x}. Our goal was to identify the "spin plasmon" predicted by Raghu and co-workers [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 116401 (2010)]. Instead, we found that the primary collective mode is a surface plasmon arising from the bulk, free carriers in these materials. This excitation dominates the spectral weight in the bosonic function of the surface χ^{"}(q,ω) at THz energy scales, and is the most likely origin of a quasiparticle dispersion kink observed in previous photoemission experiments. Our study suggests that the spin plasmon may mix with this other surface mode, calling for a more nuanced understanding of optical experiments in which the spin plasmon is reported to play a role.