Genome-wide association study reveals the advantaged genes regulating rice grain shape traits in northern China.

Background: Rice, a staple food for over half of the global population, exhibits significant diversity in grain shape characteristics, which impact not only appearance and milling quality but also grain weight and yield. Identifying genes and loci underlying these traits is crucial for improving rice breeding programs. Previous studies have identified multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes regulating grain length, width, and length-width ratio; however, further investigation is necessary to elucidate their regulatory pathways and their practical application in crop improvement.

Critical Assessment of Protein Engineering (CAPE): A Student Challenge on the Cloud.

The success of AlphaFold in protein structure prediction highlights the power of data-driven approaches in scientific research. However, developing machine learning models to design and engineer proteins with desirable functions is hampered by limited access to high-quality data sets and experimental feedback. The Critical Assessment of Protein Engineering (CAPE) challenge addresses these issues through a student-focused competition, utilizing cloud computing and biofoundries to lower barriers to entry.

Identification and functional analysis of differentially expressed proteins in high and low freezing tolerance sheep sperm.

The purpose of this study was to identify proteins associated with differences in the freezing tolerance of sheep sperm and to analyze their functions. Qualified fresh semen from four breeds of rams, the Australian White, white-head Dorper, Black-head Dorper, and Hu sheep breeds, were selected for cryopreservation. The sperm freezing tolerance was investigated by evaluation of the overall vitality, progressive vitality, and rapidly advance vitality of the sperm.

Photoperiod Genes Contribute to Daylength-Sensing and Breeding in Rice.

Rice ( L.), one of the most important food crops worldwide, is a facultative short-day (SD) plant in which flowering is modulated by seasonal and temperature cues. The photoperiodic molecular network is the core network for regulating flowering in rice, and is composed of photoreceptors, a circadian clock, a photoperiodic flowering core module, and florigen genes.

A meta-analysis of mRNA expression profiling studies in sheep with different FecB genotypes.

The FecB mutation in the sheep BMPRIB is strongly correlated with high ovulation traits but its mechanism remains unclear. This study explored differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their associated molecular mechanisms that may be involved in FecB mutation-induced high ovulation from the perspective of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. The PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, WanFang, and CBM databases were searched for eligible articles published before August 2022, focusing on mRNA sequencing of different tissues in the HPG axis in sheep with different FecB genotypes.

Scalable Fabrication of Metallic Conductive Fibers from Rheological Tunable Semi-Liquid Metals.

Conductive polymer fibers/wires (CPFs) are important materials in modern technologies due to their unique one-dimension geometry, electrical conductivity, and flexibility. However, the advanced applications of current CPFs are limited by their low electrical conductivities (<500 S/m) and poor interfacial interactions between conductive fillers (e.g.

Differential expression and functional prediction of mRNA in the ovaries of Hanper sheep of high and low fecundity.

Hanper ewes that were either monotocous or polytocous provided ovarian follicles of diameter >3 mm in the follicular phase and, in the luteal phase, samples of corpora lutea that had developed from follicles of diameter >3 mm. Differentially expressed mRNAs (monotocous versus polytocous) were then identified, and their functions were predicted. Results showed that 1508 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the follicular phase, with 885 being in the luteal tissues.

Influence of Early Multidisciplinary Collaboration on Prevention of ICU-Acquired Weakness in Critically Ill Patients.

Objective: This study focused on elucidating the influence of early multidisciplinary collaboration on preventing intensive care unit- (ICU-) acquired weakness (AW) in critically ill patients (CIPs).

Methods: Ninety-five CIPs admitted between December 2018 and December 2021 were selected and assigned to the following two groups according to the intervention pattern: the control group (the Con; = 40) treated with routine early rehabilitation intervention, and the research group (the Res; = 55) intervened by early multidisciplinary collaborative intervention. The incidence of complications (ICU-AW, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pressure ulcers (PSs)) and recovery indices (days of ventilator use, ICU treatment time, and length of hospital stay (LOS)) were recorded.

Understanding of Hormonal Regulation in Rice Seed Germination.

Seed germination is a critical stage during the life cycle of plants. It is well known that germination is regulated by a series of internal and external factors, especially plant hormones. In , many germination-related factors have been identified, while in rice, the important crop and monocot model species and the further molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks controlling germination still need to be elucidated.

Mesenchymal stem cells inhibited the apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells caused by ARDS through CXCL12/CXCR4 axis.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a wide range of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and have been observed to have potential therapeutic potential in the clinical treatment of various diseases. We pretreated lung cancer cells A549 with tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), knocked down the key chemokine receptor CXCR4 on MSCs using lentivirus, and induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) mouse model using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and CXCL12 expression in vivo by adeno-associated virus (AAV-rh10) infection in mice. By co-culturing the MSCs with A549 and in vivo experiments, we observed the effects of MSCs on cell biological functions after inflammatory stimulation, oxidative stress, and the amelioration of lung injury in ARDS mice.

Differential expression and prediction of function of lncRNAs in the ovaries of low and high fecundity Hanper sheep.

Litter size is an important trait that determines the production efficiency of sheep bred for meat. Its detailed investigation can reveal the molecular mechanisms that control the fecundity of sheep and possibly accelerate the breeding process of new varieties of sheep that have high prolificacy. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have proven to be an important factor in the regulation of follicular development.

Effects of Diets Containing Finger Millet Straw and Corn Straw on Growth Performance, Plasma Metabolites, Immune Capacity, and Carcass Traits in Fattening Lambs.

As the byproduct of finger millet, millet straw is a new forage resource of ruminants. The effect of the combined utilization of millet straw with corn straw on fattening lamb production is seldom reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different proportions of millet straw instead of corn straw on the growth performance, blood metabolites, immune response, meat yield, and quality of fattening lamb.

Expression, location and biological effects of four and a half LIM domain protein 2 (FHL2) on granulosa cells in ovine.

Previous studies have shown that four and a half LIM domain protein 2 (FHL2) plays an essential role in the regulation of follicular development in mammals. Although the FHL2 genes of human and mouse have been well characterized, the expression and location of FHL2 in ovary and the biological functions of FHL2 on granulosa cells (GCs) of ovine are still not clear. In this study, full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) of FHL2 from ovine follicular GCs was amplified by real-time PCR (RT-PCR).

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the OPR Gene Family in Wheat ( L.).

The 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid reductases (OPRs), which belong to the old yellow enzyme (OYE) family, are flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-dependent oxidoreductases with critical functions in plants. Despite the clear characteristics of growth and development, as well as the defense responses in , tomato, rice, and maize, the potential roles of OPRs in wheat are not fully understood. Here, forty-eight putative genes were found and classified into five subfamilies, with 6 in sub.

Effect of supplemetation of Zebularine and Scriptaid on efficiency of developmental competence of ovine somatic cell nuclear transferred embryos.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology has been applied in the construction of disease model, production of transgenic animals, therapeutic cloning, and other fields. However, the cloning efficiency remains limited. In our study, to improve SCNT efficiency, brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) staining were chosen to select recipient oocytes.

Zebularine significantly improves the preimplantation development of ovine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos.

Aberrant DNA methylation reduces the developmental competence of mammalian somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. Thus, hypomethylation-associated drugs are beneficial for improving reprogramming efficiency. Therefore, in the present study we investigated the effect of zebularine, a relatively novel DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, on the developmental potential of ovine SCNT embryos.

Oxytocin-secreting system: A major part of the neuroendocrine center regulating immunologic activity.

Interactions between the nervous system and immune system have been studied extensively. However, the mechanisms underlying the neural regulation of immune activity, particularly the neuroendocrine regulation of immunologic functions, remain elusive. In this review, we provide a comprehensive examination of current evidence on interactions between the immune system and hypothalamic oxytocin-secreting system.

The histone deacetylase inhibitor Scriptaid improves in vitro developmental competence of ovine somatic cell nuclear transferred embryos.

Although the success rate of sheep cloning remains extremely low, using a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor to increase histone acetylation in SCNT embryos has significantly enhanced developmental competence in several species. The objective was to determine whether HDAC inhibitors trichostatin A (TSA) and the novel inhibitor Scriptaid enhance cloning efficiency in sheep cumulus cell (passage 2) reconstructed embryos. In this study, 0.

Microporous Ni-doped TiO2 film photocatalyst by plasma electrolytic oxidation.

Ni-doped TiO2 film catalysts were prepared by a plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) method and were mainly characterized by means of SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, and DRS, respectively. The effects of Ni doping on the structure, composition and optical absorption property of the film catalysts were investigated along with their inherent relationships. The results show that the film catalyst is composed of anatase and rutile TiO2 with microporous structure.

Dickkopf-1 autoantibody is a novel serological biomarker for non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: We investigated whether or not there are autoantibodies for DKK1 (Dickkopf-1) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and whether this autoantibody can be used for cancer detection.

Methods: The levels of DKK1 autoantibodies were determined in 93 NSCLC patients and 87 healthy controls.

Results: We found that, in the sera, the presence of autoantibody against DKK1 was highly correlated with NSCLC.

Vitrification solution containing DMSO and EG can induce parthenogenetic activation of in vitro matured ovine oocytes and decrease sperm penetration.

This study was designed to examine the reduced incidence of normal fertilization in vitrified ovine oocytes. After in vitro maturation for 24 h, the oocytes were randomly allocated into three groups: (1) untreated (control), (2) exposed to vitrification solution (VS) without being plunged into liquid nitrogen (toxicity), or (3) vitrified by open-pulled straw method (vitrification). In experiment 1, the treated and control oocytes were matured for another 2 h, and the oocytes were then in vitro fertilized for 12 h to examine sperm penetration.

Improved development by Taxol pretreatment after vitrification of in vitro matured porcine oocytes.

This study was designed to examine the effect of Taxol pretreatment on vitrification of porcine oocytes matured in vitro by an open pulled straw (OPS) method. In the first experiment, the effect of Taxol pretreatment and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) staining on parthenogenetic development of oocytes was evaluated. In the second experiment, viability, microtubule organization and embryo development of oocytes were assessed after oocytes were exposed to vitrification/warming solutions or after vitrification with or without Taxol pretreatment.

Effects of acupuncturing Tsusanli (ST36) on expression of nitric oxide synthase in hypothalamus and adrenal gland in rats with cold stress ulcer.

Aim: To study the protective effect of acupuncturing Tsusanli (S(T)36) on cold stress ulcer, and the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in hypothalamus and adrenal gland.

Methods: Ulcer index in rats and RT-PCR were used to study the protective effect of acupuncture on cold stress ulcer, and the expression of NOS in hypothalamus and adrenal gland. Images were analyzed with semi-quantitative method.