Genome-Wide Identification of Genes Probably Relevant to the Uniqueness of Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis) and Its Cultivars.

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is a popular beverage all over the world and a number of studies have focused on the genetic uniqueness of tea and its cultivars. However, molecular mechanisms underlying these phenomena are largely undefined. In this report, based on expression data available from public databases, we performed a series of analyses to identify genes probably relevant to the uniqueness of C.

Potential risk assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) by consuming animal-derived foods collected from interior areas of China.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are one class of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Although studies have reported the occurrence of PBDEs in freshwater fish species from several locations, to our best knowledge, there was no comprehensive data on PBDEs in foods of animal origin, such as pork, egg, and milk samples from interior areas of China, where pork and eggs are the major constituents of diet. The levels of PBDEs (BDE-28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, and 183) were determined in samples of animal-derived foods widely consumed by the population of Hubei in east-central China and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

Waterborne exposure to microcystin-LR alters thyroid hormone levels and gene transcription in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in zebrafish larvae.

Microcystin-leucine-arginine (MCLR) is the most toxic and the most commonly encountered variant of microcystins (MCs) in aquatic environment, and it has the potential for disrupting thyroid hormone homeostasis, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process have not yet been clarified. In the present study, we observed body growth retardation associated with decreased levels of thyroid hormones (THs) in zebrafish larvae, highlighting the interferences of MCLR with the growth of fish larvae. To further our understanding of mechanisms of MCLR-induced endocrine toxicity, quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed on hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis related genes of developing zebrafish embryos exposed to 100, 300 and 500 μg L(-1) MCLR until 96 h post-fertilization.