Loss of OsMATE6 Function Enhances Drought Resistance Without Yield Penalty by Regulating Stomatal Closure in Rice.

Drought is one of the most severe environmental factors limiting plant growth and crop yield, necessitating the identification of genes that enhance drought resistance for crop improvement. Through screening an ethyl methyl sulfonate-mutagenized rice mutant library, we isolated the PEG tolerance mutant 97-1 (ptm97-1), which displays enhanced resistance to osmotic and drought stress, and increased yield under drought conditions. A point mutation in OsMATE6 was identified as being associated with the drought-resistant phenotype of ptm97-1.

OsNLP3 enhances grain weight and reduces grain chalkiness in rice.

Grain weight, a key determinant of yield in rice (Oryza sativa L.), is governed primarily by genetic factors, whereas grain chalkiness, a detriment to grain quality, is intertwined with environmental factors such as mineral nutrients. Nitrogen (N) is recognized for its effect on grain chalkiness, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be clarified.

Effectiveness and mechanism study of glutamine on alleviating hypermetabolism in burned rats.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effects of glutamine on hypermetabolic reactions in burned rats and its underlying mechanism.

Methods: Fifty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, namely, the control (C), burned (B), and burned + glutamine (B + G) groups. Rats in the glutamine treatment group were supplemented with 1 g glutamine per kg body weight.

H-NMR metabolomics identifies significant changes in hypermetabolism after glutamine administration in burned rats.

Glutamine is an important amino acid that plays a crucial role in nutritional therapy for patients with burns, but its effects on post-burn metabolism and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-NMR) was used to examine the effects of glutamine on plasma metabolites in burned rats and to explore the underlying mechanisms. After burn injury, the rats exhibited significant increases in resting energy expenditure (REE) and hypercatabolism, and anabolism was inhibited.

Loss of Hippocampal Oligodendrocytes Contributes to the Deficit of Contextual Fear Learning in Adult Rats Experiencing Early Bisphenol A Exposure.

During early development, continuous exposure to environmental contaminants such as bisphenol A (BPA) is known to alter neuronal development, resulting in aberrant brain structure and predisposing individuals to developing neuropsychiatric disorders later in life. While the altered oligodendrocyte (OL) structure and function have been casually linked to the occurrence of numerous psychiatric diseases, it remains open whether early BPA exposure (EBE) also recruits OLs to mediate its toxicity in the brain. Here, we observed that EBE from birth to postnatal day 21 caused a substantial loss of hippocampal OLs in rat pups.

Bisphenol A regulates the estrogen receptor alpha signaling in developing hippocampus of male rats through estrogen receptor.

Bisphenol A (BPA), one of the most common environmental endocrine disruptors, has been recognized to have wide adverse effects on the brain development and behavior. These adversities are related to its ability to bind estrogen receptor (ER) with subsequent alteration of its expression in the target areas. However, very little is known about whether BPA exposure also affects ER phosphorylation and its translocation to nucleus during postnatal development, two critical steps for its function.

[Prophylactic effect of artesunate against experimental infection of Schistosoma mansoni].

Objective: To study the prophylactic effect of artesunate against the infection of Schistosoma mansoni in mice and its optimal scheme for preventing schistosomiasis mansoni.

Methods: BALB/c mice were infected by tail dipping method with S. mansoni cercariae.