Identification of a transforming growth factor-β type I receptor transcript in Eriocheir sinensis and its molting-related expression in muscle tissues.

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway is conserved across animals, and knowledge of its roles during the molt cycle in crustaceans is presently very limited. This study investigates the roles of the TGF-β receptor in molting-related muscle growth in Eriocheir sinensis. Using the RT-PCR and RACE techniques, we obtained a 1722 bp cDNA sequence encoding a transforming growth factor-β type I receptor in Eriocheir sinensis, designated EsTGFBRI, which contains a 124 bp 5'-untranslated region, a 20 bp partial 3'-untranslated region and a 1578 bp open reading frame encoding 525 amino acids.

Molt-dependent transcriptome analysis of claw muscles in Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis.

Background: Molting is a critical developmental process for crustaceans, during which the claw muscles undergo periodic atrophy and restoration. But the mechanism underlying this special muscle reshuffle around ecdysis is not yet thoroughly understood.

Objective: To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the muscle's reshuffle over the molting cycle of Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis.

[Content of rare earth elements in wild Hypericum japonicum Thunb].

Rare earth elements are important nutritional elements for human health, and today more and more attention has been paid to the effective components in Chinese traditional medicine, especially to rare earth elements. Fifteen rare earth elements in wild hypericum japonicum Thunb were analyzed by the methods of ICP-MS. The results showed that the concentrations of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, Tm, Lu and Y ranged from 6 ng x g(-1) x DW to 14 522 ng x g(-1) x DW, and among them the concentrations of La, Ce and Nd were higher than 2 000 ng x g(-1) x DW.

[Application of ICP-MS to detect rare elements in wild Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma].

Rare metals are important nutritional elements for human health. Fifteen rare metals in wild Cistanche deserticola Y. C.

Association of polymorphisms of leptin gene with body weight and body sizes indexes in Chinese indigenous cattle.

PCR-SSCP was used to analyze the polymorphism of leptin gene in 539 samples of six cattle breeds, namely Nanyang (NY), Qinchuan (QC), Jiaxianred (JXR), Xizhen (XZ), Luxi (LX), and Holstein cow (HOL) breeds. PCR products with a 330 bp were amplified and sequenced. The results showed that the frequencies of alleles A/B of NY, QC, JXR, XZ, LX, and HOL breeds were 0.