Spatial distribution pattern and correlation of dominant populations in the shrub layer of Fengshui forest in Leizhou Peninsula, China.

To elucidate the spatial patterns of understory species in fragmented forests adjacent to human settlements, we examined the spatial distribution and intraspecific correlations of three dominant species , , and by employing point pattern analysis, which were the top three in terms of importance value in the shrub layer of Fengshui forest in Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong. The results showed that all the three species were mainly aggregated at the scale of 0-25 m, especially for young trees. The degree of aggregation gradually diminished with increasing age class.

Cell Type-Specific Whole-Genome Landscape of ΔFOSB Binding in the Nucleus Accumbens After Chronic Cocaine Exposure.

Background: The ability of neurons to respond to external stimuli involves adaptations of gene expression. Induction of the transcription factor ΔFOSB in the nucleus accumbens, a key brain reward region, is important for the development of drug addiction. However, a comprehensive map of ΔFOSB's gene targets has not yet been generated.

Factors affecting NO fluxes from heavy metal-contaminated mangrove soils in a subtropical estuary.

A 1-year field monitoring program was carried out to observe seasonal variation in NO fluxes at two typical mangrove wetlands in a subtropical estuary. The soils in the island-type mangrove wetland had a higher level of heavy metal(loid) contamination and a lower level of salinity compared to the small bay-type mangrove wetland. While there was a high level of similarity in the seasonal variation pattern of NO fluxes between the two investigated sites with both being significantly higher in summer than in other seasons, the average of NO fluxes in the island-type mangrove wetland was 7.

Seasonal and vegetational variations of culturable bacteria concentrations in air from urban forest parks: a case study in Hunan, China.

It is important to investigate the airborne bacterial air quality in urban forest parks as tree bacteriostasis practices are being increasingly advocated as measures to improve the air quality and public health in urban green spaces around the world. The aim of the study was to quantitatively investigate airborne culturable bacteria (ACB) concentration levels based on field measurements in every season in five selected forest communities and the uncovered space in an urban forest park, as well as the effects of several factors on the culturability of airborne bacteria. Results suggested that the airborne bacterial levels of all the forest communities reached the clean air quality standard with regard to the airborne bacteria content, with the highest concentration of ACB showing in the uncovered space (1658 ± 1298 CFU/m) and the lowest showing in the mixed community (907 ± 567 CFU/m).

Estimating the recreational value of a coastal wetland park: Application of the choice experiment method and travel cost interval analysis.

Estimating the recreational value of a coastal wetland park is useful in understanding wetland ecosystem and nurturing a balanced relationship between wetland tourism exploration and natural conservation. This study aims to apply appropriate methodologies to accurately estimate the recreational value of a coastal wetland park. The Nansha Wetland in China was used as the study site, and its recreational value was divided into non-use value (estimated using the choice experiment method (CEM)) and use value (estimated using travel cost interval analysis (TCIA)).

Chromatin-mediated alternative splicing regulates cocaine-reward behavior.

Neuronal alternative splicing is a key gene regulatory mechanism in the brain. However, the spliceosome machinery is insufficient to fully specify splicing complexity. In considering the role of the epigenome in activity-dependent alternative splicing, we and others find the histone modification H3K36me3 to be a putative splicing regulator.

[Spatial Patterns and Spatial Autocorrelations of Wetland Changes in China During 2003-2013].

Wetlands play an important role in maintaining ecosystem functions. Wetlands in China have suffered intensive human disturbance, especially before 2000, resulting in great losses and degradation. Therefore, two national wetland resource surveys were carried out by the Chinese government during 1998-2003 and 2008-2013 to determine the status of wetlands, understand their dynamics, and provide substantial data that can aid scientific wetland conservation.

Stress Regulation of Sustained Attention and the Cholinergic Attention System.

Background: Stress exacerbates symptoms of schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which are characterized by impairments in sustained attention. Yet how stress regulates attention remains largely unexplored. We investigated whether a 6-day variable stressor altered sustained attention and the cholinergic attention system in male and female rats.

Recent advances in neuroepigenetic editing.

A wealth of studies in the mammalian nervous system indicate the role of epigenetic gene regulation in both basic neurobiological function and disease. However, the relationship between epigenetic regulation and neuropathology is largely correlational due to the presence of mixed cell populations within brain regions and the genome-wide effects of classical approaches to manipulate the epigenome. Locus-specific epigenetic editing allows direct epigenetic regulation of specific genes to elucidate the direct causal relationship between epigenetic modifications and transcription.

Restoring Tip60 HAT/HDAC2 Balance in the Neurodegenerative Brain Relieves Epigenetic Transcriptional Repression and Reinstates Cognition.

Cognitive decline is a debilitating hallmark during preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the causes remain unclear. Because histone acetylation homeostasis is critical for mediating epigenetic gene control throughout neuronal development, we postulated that its misregulation contributes to cognitive impairment preceding AD pathology. Here, we show that disruption of Tip60 histone acetlytransferase (HAT)/histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) homeostasis occurs early in the brain of an AD-associated amyloid precursor protein (APP) model and triggers epigenetic repression of neuroplasticity genes well before Aβ plaques form in male and female larvae.

Epigenetic mechanisms underlying NMDA receptor hypofunction in the prefrontal cortex of juvenile animals in the MAM model for schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is characterized not only by psychosis, but also by working memory and executive functioning deficiencies, processes that rely on the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Because these cognitive impairments emerge prior to psychosis onset, we investigated synaptic function during development in the neurodevelopmental methylazoxymethanol (MAM) model for SCZ. Specifically, we hypothesize that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction is attributable to reductions in the NR2B subunit through aberrant epigenetic regulation of gene expression, resulting in deficient synaptic physiology and PFC-dependent cognitive dysfunction, a hallmark of SCZ.

Tip60 HAT Action Mediates Environmental Enrichment Induced Cognitive Restoration.

Environmental enrichment (EE) conditions have beneficial effects for reinstating cognitive ability in neuropathological disorders like Alzheimer's disease (AD). While EE benefits involve epigenetic gene control mechanisms that comprise histone acetylation, the histone acetyltransferases (HATs) involved remain largely unknown. Here, we examine a role for Tip60 HAT action in mediating activity- dependent beneficial neuroadaptations to EE using the Drosophila CNS mushroom body (MB) as a well-characterized cognition model.

Tip off the HAT- Epigenetic control of learning and memory by Drosophila Tip60.

Disruption of epigenetic gene control mechanisms involving histone acetylation in the brain causes cognitive impairment, a debilitating hallmark of most neurodegenerative disorders. Histone acetylation regulates cognitive gene expression via chromatin packaging control in neurons. Unfortunately, the histone acetyltransferases (HATs) that generate such neural epigenetic signatures and their mechanisms of action remain unclear.

Tungsten- and cobalt-dominated heavy metal contamination of mangrove sediments in Shenzhen, China.

A baseline investigation into heavy metal status in the mangrove sediments was conducted in Shenzhen, China where rapid urban development has caused severe environmental contamination. It is found that heavy metal contamination in this mangrove wetland is characterized by the dominant presence of tungsten and cobalt, which is markedly different from the neighboring Hong Kong and other parts of the world. The vertical variation pattern of these two metals along the sediment profile differed from other heavy metals, suggesting an increasing influx of tungsten and cobalt into the investigated mangrove habitat, as a result of uncontrolled discharge of industrial wastewater from factories that produce or use chemical compounds or alloys containing these two heavy metals.

Epigenetic control of learning and memory in Drosophila by Tip60 HAT action.

Disruption of epigenetic gene control mechanisms in the brain causes significant cognitive impairment that is a debilitating hallmark of most neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Histone acetylation is one of the best characterized of these epigenetic mechanisms that is critical for regulating learning- and memory- associated gene expression profiles, yet the specific histone acetyltransferases (HATs) that mediate these effects have yet to be fully characterized. Here, we investigate an epigenetic role for the HAT Tip60 in learning and memory formation using the Drosophila CNS mushroom body (MB) as a well-characterized cognition model.