Population performance and detoxifying and protective enzyme activities of four thrips species feeding on flowers of Magnolia grandiflora (Ranunculales: Magnolia).

Background: Different thrips species can co-occur on the same flowers with different dominance degrees. To accurately evaluate the population performance on different thrips species on Magnolia grandiflora flowers, we investigated the diversity of thrips species and their population dynamics both in the field and laboratory. In addition, the activities of detoxifying and protective enzymes in thrips were also measured.

Full-length transcriptome assembly of andrias davidianus (amphibia: caudata) skin via hybrid sequencing.

The Chinese giant salamander, Andrias davidianus, is the largest amphibian species in the world; it is thus an economically and ecologically important species. The skin of A. davidianus exhibits complex adaptive structural and functional adaptations to facilitate survival in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Structural characterization and immunogenicity evaluation of amphibian-derived collagen type II from the cartilage of Chinese Giant Salamander ().

Collagen type II (CT-II) has unique biological activities and functions, yet the knowledge on amphibian-derived CT-II is rare. Herein, acid-soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC) were successfully isolated and characterized from the cartilage of Chinese Giant Salamander (CGS). The immunogenicity of collagen was then evaluated and compared with that of the standard bovine CT-II (SCT-II) by T-lymphocyte cell proliferation activity.

Identification and Expression Analysis of Four Small Heat Shock Protein Genes in Cigarette Beetle, (Fabricius).

Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are molecular chaperones that play crucial roles in the stress adaption of insects. In this study, we identified and characterized four genes (, , , and ) from the cigarette beetle, (Fabricius). The four cDNAs encoded proteins of 169, 180, 181, and 194 amino acids with molecular weights of 19.

Fabrication and characterization of Chinese giant salamander skin composite collagen sponge as a high-strength rapid hemostatic material.

Chinese giant salamander (CGS) has high medicinal value and long history of clinical use in ancient China. In this study, CGS skin (CGSS) collagen was extracted and purified to prepare collagen sponge by freeze-drying. TEMPO oxidized microfibrillated cellulose (TEMPO-MFC) and genipin were adopted to improve the mechanical properties of collagen sponge.

Functional characterization of chitin deacetylase 1 gene disrupting larval-pupal transition in the drugstore beetle using RNA interference.

Chitin deacetylases (CDAs) are chitin degradation enzymes that strictly regulate growth and development in insects. In this study, we identified and characterized a full-length cDNA of the CDA gene (SpCDA1) in the drugstore beetle, Stegobium paniceum. The open reading frame of SpCDA1 (1614 bp) encoded a 537 amino acid protein, which possessed typical domain structures of CDAs.

Effects of Temperature on the Development and Reproduction of Thrips hawaiiensis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

Environmental temperature has a significant impact on insect behavior. The present study aimed to determine the effects of temperature on the development, survival, and reproduction of Thrips hawaiiensis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), an important flower-inhabiting thrips. These effects were evaluated at five constant temperatures (18, 21, 24, 27, and 30°C) on thrips reared in the laboratory on excised Gardenia jasminoides flowers.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the bamboo snout beetle, (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The bamboo snout beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a destructive forest pest and distributed widely in Southeast Asia. The 15,035 bp complete mitochondrial genome of the species consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), 21 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs) and a control region (GenBank accession no. MG674390).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the cigarette beetle, (Coleoptera: Anobiidae).

The cigarette beetle, (Fabricius), is an important pest of stored commodities and distributed widely in the world. Here, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of which was 15,958 bp and composed of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a control region. The gene order and orientation of were identical to those of other Coleopteran mitogenomes.

RhMKK9, a rose MAP KINASE KINASE gene, is involved in rehydration-triggered ethylene production in rose gynoecia.

Background: Flower opening is an important process in the life cycle of flowering plants and is influenced by various endogenous and environmental factors. Our previous work demonstrated that rose (Rosa hybrida) flowers are highly sensitive to dehydration during flower opening and the water recovery process after dehydration induced ethylene production rapidly in flower gynoecia. In addition, this temporal- and spatial-specific ethylene production is attributed to a transient but robust activation of the rose MAP KINASE6-ACC SYNTHASE1 (RhMPK6-RhACS1) cascade in gynoecia.

The complete mitochondrial genome of (Coleoptera: Anobiidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) is a circular DNA molecule of 15,271 bp (GenBank accession number XK819317), and its nucleotide composition is biased towards A + T nucleotides (78.32%). This genome comprises 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and an A + T-rich region.

Responses of rose RhACS1 and RhACS2 promoters to abiotic stresses in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.

Promoter activities of RhACS1 and RhACS2 , two rose genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis, are highly sensitive to various abiotic stresses in an organ-specific manner. Our previous studies indicated that two rose (Rosa hybrida) 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase genes, RhACS1 and RhACS2, play a role in dehydration-induced ethylene production and inhibition of cell expansion in rose petals. Here, both RhACS1 and RhACS2 promoters were analyzed using histochemical staining and glucuronidase synthase (GUS) gene reporter activity assays following their introduction into transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

Precise spatio-temporal modulation of ACC synthase by MPK6 cascade mediates the response of rose flowers to rehydration.

Drought is a major abiotic stress that affects the development and growth of most plants, and limits crop yield worldwide. Although the response of plants to drought has been well documented, much less is known about how plants respond to the water recovery process, namely rehydration. Here, we describe the spatio-temporal response of plant reproductive organs to rehydration using rose flowers as an experimental system.

TRV-GFP: a modified Tobacco rattle virus vector for efficient and visualizable analysis of gene function.

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a useful tool for functional characterization of genes in plants. Unfortunately, the efficiency of infection by Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) is relatively low for some non-Solanaceae plants, which are economically important, such as rose (Rosa sp.).

An organ-specific role for ethylene in rose petal expansion during dehydration and rehydration.

Dehydration is a major factor resulting in huge loss from cut flowers during transportation. In the present study, dehydration inhibited petal cell expansion and resulted in irregular flowers in cut roses, mimicking ethylene-treated flowers. Among the five floral organs, dehydration substantially elevated ethylene production in the sepals, whilst rehydration caused rapid and elevated ethylene levels in the gynoecia and sepals.

Transesterification of rapeseed oil for biodiesel production in trickle-bed reactors packed with heterogeneous Ca/Al composite oxide-based alkaline catalyst.

A conventional trickle bed reactor and its modified type both packed with Ca/Al composite oxide-based alkaline catalysts were studied for biodiesel production by transesterification of rapeseed oil and methanol. The effects of the methanol usage and oil flow rate on the FAME yield were investigated under the normal pressure and methanol boiling state. The oil flow rate had a significant effect on the FAME yield for the both reactors.

Effect of calcination temperature on the activity of solid Ca/Al composite oxide-based alkaline catalyst for biodiesel production.

A solid Ca/Al composite oxide-based alkaline catalyst containing Ca(12)Al(14)O(33) and CaO was prepared by chemical synthesis and thermal activation from sodium aluminate solution and calcium hydroxide emulsion. The effect of calcination temperatures ranging from 120 °C to 1000 °C on activity of the catalyst was investigated. The catalyst calcined at 600 °C showed the highest activity with >94% yield of fatty acid methyl esters (i.