Publications by authors named "Hai-Jun Xu"

Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied the planthopper Nilaparvata muiri, which is closely related to the rice pest N. lugens, to explore their different host preferences and evolutionary adaptations.
  • They assembled a high-quality reference genome for N. muiri using advanced sequencing technologies, determining its size to be 531.62 Mb with a high level of completeness (98.6%).
  • The research identified over 22,000 protein-coding genes and significant repetitive sequences in the genome, making it a crucial resource for further studies on planthopper evolution and potential pest management strategies.
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Herein, we have designed and synthesized two novel BODIPY dimer-based small molecules, denoted as ZMH-1 and ZMH-2, covalently linked and functionalized with triphenylamine (TPA) (ZMH-1) and carbazole (C) (ZMH-2) units as the electron donor at the 3- and 5-positions of the BODIPY core, respectively. Their optical and electrochemical properties were investigated. We have fabricated all small molecule bulk heterojunction organic solar cells using these BODIPY-based small molecules as electron donors along with fullerene derivative (PCBM) and medium bandgap non-fullerene acceptor IDT-TC as electron acceptors.

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The Bethylidae are the most diverse of Hymenoptera chrysidoid families. As external parasitoids, the bethylids have been widely adopted as biocontrol agents to control insect pests worldwide. Thus far, the genomic information of the family Bethylidae has not been reported yet.

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Background: Saliva has a crucial role in determining the compatibility between piercing-sucking insects and their hosts. The brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens, a notorious pest of rice in East and Southeast Asia, secretes gelling and watery saliva when feeding on rice sap. Nlsalivap-5 (NlSP5) and Nlsalivap-7 (NlSP7) were identified as potential planthopper-specific gelling saliva components, but their biological functions remain unknown.

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Wing polyphenism is found in a variety of insects and offers an attractive model system for studying the evolutionary significance of dispersal. The Forkhead box O (FoxO) transcription factor (TF) acts as a wing-morph switch that directs wing buds developing into long-winged (LW) or short-winged morphs in wing-dimorphic planthoppers, yet the regulatory mechanism of the FoxO module remains elusive. Here, we identified the zinc finger TF rotund as a potential wing-morph regulator via transcriptomic analysis and phenotypic screening in the brown plathopper, .

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The forkhead box O (FoxO) protein is the main transcriptional effector downstream of the insulin/insulin-like signaling pathway and regulates many developmental and physiological processes. Holometabolous insects with loss-of-function mutations in FoxO exhibit phenotypes distinct from those of hemimetabolous insects in which RNA interference was used. Despite the functional importance of FoxO, whether hemimetabolous insects share an evolutionally conserved function of FoxO with holometabolous insects remains to be clarified.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to validate a model for understanding how remifentanil and propofol affect motor responses during painless gastroscopy in elderly patients, focusing on their optimal dosing range.
  • In this randomized trial with 300 elderly participants, different dosages of remifentanil and propofol were administered, and their impacts on motor responses and side effects were analyzed.
  • Results indicated that using both drugs together is more effective in reducing motor responses than using either drug alone and that preinjection of remifentanil can lessen the required dosage of propofol.
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Background: The migratory brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is the most destructive pest affecting rice plants in Asia and feeds exclusively on rice. Studies have investigated the olfactory response of BPHs to the major rice volatile compounds in rice. The insect olfactory co-receptor (Orco) is a crucial component of the olfactory system and is essential for odorant detection.

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Insect wing polyphenism is characterized by its ability to produce two or more distinct wing morphs from a single genotype in response to changing environments. However, the molecular basis of this phenomenon remains poorly understood. Here, we identified a zinc finger homeodomain transcription factor Zfh1 that acts as an upstream regulator for the development of long-winged (LW) or shorted-winged (SW) morphs in planthoppers.

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The homeotic complex gene Abdominal-B (Abd-B) is involved in regulating the development of posterior abdomens and has been extensively studied in holometabolous insects. However, the function of Abd-B in hemimetabolous insects is not fully understood. Here, we functionally characterize an Abd-B homologue in the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens.

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Background: A plethora of prognostic biomarkers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) that have hitherto been reported are challenged with low reproducibility due to high molecular heterogeneity of ESCC. The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal biomarkers for ESCC using machine learning algorithms.

Methods: Biomarkers related to clinical survival, recurrence or therapeutic response of patients with ESCC were determined through literature database searching.

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The homeobox family is a large and diverse superclass of genes, many of which act as transcription factors that play important roles in tissue differentiation and embryogenesis in animals. The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, is the most destructive pest of rice in Asia, and high fecundity contributes significantly to its ecological success in natural and agricultural habits. Here, we identified 94 homeobox genes in BPH, which could be divided into 75 gene families and 9 classes.

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Article Synopsis
  • A SERS sensor made from gold-silicon nanowire arrays modified with bovine serum albumin is used to accurately detect mercury ions (Hg2+) in water, crucial for environmental safety.
  • The sensor demonstrated a high Raman enhancement factor of around 2.52 × 10^5 and a remarkably low detection limit of approximately 10^-12 M, well below EPA standards for drinking water.
  • The detection method is highly reliable, showing a linear response to varying Hg2+ concentrations and minimal interference from other metal ions, with a relative standard deviation of about 9.21%.
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A single insulin receptor (InR) gene has been identified and extensively studied in model species ranging from nematodes to mice. However, most insects possess additional copies of InR, yet the functional significance, if any, of alternate InRs is unknown. Here, we used the wing-dimorphic brown planthopper (BPH) as a model system to query the role of a second InR copy in insects.

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To investigate whether miR-124-3p influences cell apoptosis, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress in rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by mediating the SIRT1/FGF21/CREB/PGC1α pathway. A dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to verify the relationship between miR-124-3p and SIRT1. AMI rats were established via coronary artery ligation after injection with agomiR-124-3p, antagomiR-124-3p, and/or SIRT1 siRNA, and triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), HE, and TUNEL stainings were performed.

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The brown planthopper (BPH), , can develop into either short-winged (SW) or long-winged (LW) adults according to environmental conditions, and has long served as a model organism for exploring the mechanisms of wing polyphenism in insects. The transcription factor FoxO acts as a master regulator that directs the development of either SW or LW morphs, but the underlying molecular mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we microinjected SW-destined morphs with double stranded-RNA (dsRNA) targeting (ds) to change them into LW-winged morphs.

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Wing polymorphism is an evolutionary feature found in a wide variety of insects, which offers a model system for studying the evolutionary significance of dispersal. In the wing-dimorphic planthopper Nilaparvata lugens, the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) pathway acts as a 'master signal' that directs the development of either long-winged (LW) or short-winged (SW) morphs via regulation of the activity of Forkhead transcription factor subgroup O (NlFoxO). However, downstream effectors of the IIS-FoxO signaling cascade that mediate alternative wing morphs are unclear.

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Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor with the ability to bind to a CCAAT box in nearly all eukaryotes. However, the function of NF-Y in the life-history traits of insects is unclear. Here, we identified three NF-Y subunits, NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC, in the wing-dimorphic brown planthopper (BPH), .

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Oxidative stress and apoptosis serve an important role in the development of pressure overload-induced cardiac remodelling. Carnosic acid (CA) has been found to exert antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. The present study investigated the underlying mechanism of CA protection and whether this effect was exerted against pressure overload-induced cardiac remodelling.

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A facile method for synthesizing Au nanoparticle-coated FeO magnetic composite nanospheres (FeO@Au MCS) via seed-mediated growth and iterative reduction is reported. The nanospheres were then successfully used to detect malachite green (MG) residues in water bodies via surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique. FeO@Au MCS has excellent optical properties and superparamagnetism; it can be dispersed into the solution to fully adsorb target molecules and then collected with a magnet to increase the molecular density and the number of SERS hot spots.

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At present, most of the drugs have little effect on the pathological process of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Analgesia is an important measure in the treatment of RA and is also one of the criteria to determine the therapeutic effects of the disease. Some studies have found that crocin, a kind of Chinese medicine, can effectively alleviate pain sensitization in pain model rats, but the mechanism is not clear.

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The homeotic complex (Hox) gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx) plays pivotal roles in modifying specific morphological differences among the second (T2), the third thoracic (T3), and the first abdomen (A1) segment in several insects. Whether Ubx regulates wing dimorphism and other morphological traits in the delphacid family (order Hemiptera) remains elusive. In this study, we cloned a full-length Ubx ortholog (NlUbx) from the wing-dimorphic planthopper Nilaparvata lugens, and identified two NlUbx isoforms.

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Histone acetylation is a specific type of chromatin modification that serves as a key regulatory mechanism for many cellular processes in mammals. However, little is known about its biological function in invertebrates. Here, we identified 12 members of histone deacetylases (NlHDACs) in the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens.

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The production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) is an important fermentation process. However, 1,3-PDO could not be distinguished separately and efficiently in fermentations previously because it has a highly similar molecular structure to the feedstock glycerol (GLY) and by-product lactic acid (Lac), which leads to the difficulty of quantification. In this paper, a low-cost and environmentally friendly biosensor based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique was developed.

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