Reciprocal conversion between annual and polycarpic perennial flowering behavior in the Brassicaceae.

The development of perennial crops holds great promise for sustainable agriculture and food security. However, the evolution of the transition between perenniality and annuality is poorly understood. Here, using two Brassicaceae species, Crucihimalaya himalaica and Erysimum nevadense, as polycarpic perennial models, we reveal that the transition from polycarpic perennial to biennial and annual flowering behavior is a continuum determined by the dosage of three closely related MADS-box genes.

Identification of a novel HIV-1 second-generation circulating recombinant form (CRF136_0107) among MSM in China.

Objective: To investigate the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in Heilongjiang, China, and try to spot signs of new circulating recombinant form (CRF) in this region.

Design: A molecular epidemiological study was conducted in Heilongjiang, China during 2011-2020.

Methods: Plasma samples were collected from three HIV-1-positive patients (two MSM and one man lacking risk factor information).

Young MSM changed temporal HIV-1 epidemic pattern in Heilongjiang Province, China.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) epidemic in China is featured by geographical diversity of epidemic patterns. Understanding the characteristics of regional HIV-1 epidemic allows carrying out targeted prevention and controlling measures. This seven-year cross-sectional study was conducted in Heilongjiang, one province of Northeast China, where newly diagnosed infection is fast increasing yearly, but temporal HIV-1 epidemic trend is largely unknown.

A baseline epidemiological study of the co-infection of enteric protozoans with human immunodeficiency virus among men who have sex with men from Northeast China.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and enteric parasite co-infection not only aggravates the clinical symptoms of parasites but also accelerates acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) progression. However, co-infection research on men who have sex with men (MSM), the predominant high-risk population of HIV/AIDS in China, is still limited. In this study, we investigated the epidemiology of enteric parasites, risk factors, and associations with clinical significance in an MSM HIV/AIDS population in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China.

Towards a hierarchical gene regulatory network underlying somatic embryogenesis.

Genome-editing technologies have advanced in recent years but designing future crops remains limited by current methods of improving somatic embryogenesis (SE) capacity. In this Opinion, we provide an update on the molecular event by which the phytohormone auxin promotes the acquisition of plant cell totipotency through evoking massive changes in transcriptome and chromatin accessibility. We propose that the chromatin states and individual totipotency-related transcription factors (TFs) from disparate gene families organize into a hierarchical gene regulatory network underlying SE.

FindIT2: an R/Bioconductor package to identify influential transcription factor and targets based on multi-omics data.

Background: Transcription factors (TFs) play central roles in regulating gene expression. With the rapid growth in the use of high-throughput sequencing methods, there is a need to develop a comprehensive data processing and analyzing framework for inferring influential TFs based on ChIP-seq/ATAC-seq datasets.

Results: Here, we introduce FindIT2 (Find Influential TFs and Targets), an R/Bioconductor package for annotating and processing high-throughput multi-omics data.

A robust mechanism for resetting juvenility during each generation in Arabidopsis.

Multicellular organisms undergo several developmental transitions during their life cycles. In contrast to animals, the plant germline is derived from adult somatic cells. As such, the juvenility of a plant must be reset in each generation.

Dynamic chromatin state profiling reveals regulatory roles of auxin and cytokinin in shoot regeneration.

Shoot regeneration is mediated by the sequential action of two phytohormones, auxin and cytokinin. However, the chromatin regulatory landscapes underlying this dynamic response have not yet been studied. In this study, we jointly profiled chromatin accessibility, histone modifications, and transcriptomes to demonstrate that a high auxin/cytokinin ratio environment primes Arabidopsis shoot regeneration by increasing the accessibility of the gene loci associated with pluripotency and shoot fate determination.

Protocol for assaying chromatin accessibility using ATAC-seq in plants.

Open or accessible regions of the genome are the primary positions of binding sites for transcription factors and chromatin regulators. Transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq) can probe chromatin accessibility in the intact nucleus. Here, we describe a protocol to generate ATAC-seq libraries from fresh tissues and establish an easy-to-use bioinformatic analysis pipeline.

Chromatin Accessibility Dynamics and a Hierarchical Transcriptional Regulatory Network Structure for Plant Somatic Embryogenesis.

Plant somatic embryogenesis refers to a phenomenon where embryos develop from somatic cells in the absence of fertilization. Previous studies have revealed that the phytohormone auxin plays a crucial role in somatic embryogenesis by inducing a cell totipotent state, although its underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we show that auxin rapidly rewires the cell totipotency network by altering chromatin accessibility.

Critical amino acid residues and potential N-linked glycosylation sites contribute to circulating recombinant form 01_AE pathogenesis in Northeast China.

Objective: The current study aimed to understand epidemiological feature and critical factors associated with pathogenesis of circulating recombinant form (CRF) 01_AE strains in Northeast China.

Design: Compared analysis was made between CRF01_AE and non-CRF01_AE samples to understand the pathogenicity features of CRF01_AE. Further analyses between CRF01_AE samples with high or low CD4 cell counts and between samples with different coreceptor usages were done to explore the possible factors correlating to the pathogenesis of CRF01_AE viruses.

A spatiotemporally regulated transcriptional complex underlies heteroblastic development of leaf hairs in .

Heteroblasty refers to a phenomenon that a plant produces morphologically or functionally different lateral organs in an age-dependent manner. In the model plant , the production of trichomes (epidermal leaf hairs) on the abaxial (lower) side of leaves is a heteroblastic mark for the juvenile-to-adult transition. Here, we show that the heteroblastic development of abaxial trichomes is regulated by a spatiotemporally regulated complex comprising the leaf abaxial fate determinant () and the developmental timer (miR172-targeted AP2-like proteins).

Identification of a Novel HIV-1 Unique Recombinant Form Comprising CRF01_AE, Subtype B', and CRF65_cpx Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Jilin, China.

The current HIV-1 epidemic in China is featured by diverse subtypes and continual emergence of new recombinant viruses. This study identified a novel unique recombinant form (URF), JL16013, among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Jilin, China. The JL16013 virus was different from all known subtypes and set up a distinct branch on the phylogenetic tree.

Identification of a New HIV-1 Circulating Recombinant Form CRF65_cpx Strain in Jilin, China.

This study reported a new HIV-1 circulating recombinant form CRF65_cpx virus isolated from a man who have sex with men (MSM) in Jilin, China. The near full-length genome of this virus was composed of 14 mosaic gene fragments derived from CRF01_AE, subtype B' (Thai B) and subtype C, highly similar to the CRF65_cpx viruses recently identified in Yunnan and Anhui of China. Phylogenetic tree analysis suggested that this CRF65_cpx strain was not generated among MSM in Jilin, but originated in southern regions of China and spread to Jilin by MSM population.

N-Hydroxy sulfonamides as new sulfenylating agents for the functionalization of aromatic compounds.

An unprecedented use of N-hydroxy sulfonamides as sulfenylating agents has been established. In the presence of catalytic amounts of iodine and N-hydroxysuccinimide, N-hydroxy sulfonamides participated in sulfenylation with indoles, 7-azaindole, N-methyl pyrrole, and 2-naphthol to afford structurally diverse thioethers in moderate to excellent yields with very high regioselectivity.

A rapid loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for detection of the macrolide-streptogramin type B resistance gene msrA in Staphylococcus aureus.

Macrolide-streptogramin type B resistance (the MSB phenotype) is a multidrug resistance phenotype in Staphylococcus aureus conferred by the resistance gene msrA. However, bacteria having the MSB phenotype are susceptible to lincosamides and 16-membered ring macrolides, which makes profiling resistance genes necessary and urgent for timely and appropriate use of antimicrobials. In this study, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was optimized for prompt detection of the msrA gene.

Live attenuated Salmonella displaying HIV-1 10E8 epitope on fimbriae: systemic and mucosal immune responses in BALB/c mice by mucosal administration.

The HIV-1 membrane proximal external region (MPER) that is targeted by several broadly neutralizing antibodies (BNAbs) has been considered a potential immunogen for vaccine development. However, to date the immunogenicity of these BNAb epitopes has not been made sufficiently adequate. In the present work, we used live attenuated Salmonella as a platform to present the HIV-1 MPER 10E8 epitope in the fimbriae.

Selection of affinity-improved neutralizing human scFv against HBV PreS1 from CDR3 VH/VL mutant library.

A CDR3 mutant library was constructed from a previously isolated anti-HBV neutralizing Homo sapiens scFv-31 template by random mutant primers PCR. Then the library was displayed on the inner membrane surface in Escherichia coli periplasmic space. Seven scFv clones were isolated from the mutant library through three rounds of screening by flow cytometry.

Cyclization of N-Arylacrylamides via Radical Arylsulfenylation of Carbon-Carbon Double Bonds with Sulfonyl Hydrazides.

An unprecedented tandem radical sulfenylation/cyclization reaction of N-arylacrylamides with sulfonyl hydrazides has been developed in the presence of iodine for the selective synthesis of 3-(sulfenylmethyl)oxindoles and 3-sulfenyl-3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-ones. Preliminary mechanistic studies showed that sulfonyl hydrazides decomposed completely at an early stage to thiosulfonates and disulfides, both of which underwent tandem radical sulfenylation/cyclization with N-arylacrylamides at a late stage.

Association of Upregulated HMGB1 and c-IAP2 Proteins With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development and Progression.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most important health problems in China.

Objectives: This study analyzed expression of high-mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) and inhibitor of apoptosis protein-2 (c-IAP2) proteins in HCC compared to paired para-tumor tissue samples to assess the association with HCC pathogenesis and progression.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-eight HCC and para-tumor tissue samples were collected for Western blot, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses of HMGB1 and c-IAP2.