Diversity of the Obligate Gut Bacteria Indicates Host-Symbiont Coevolution at the Population Level in the Plataspid Stinkbug .

is an obligate gut bacterium in stinkbugs that belong to Plataspidae family (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). It is vertically transmitted to newborn nymphs through capsules laid on eggs by maternal stinkbugs. Previous research has established a pattern of strict cospeciation between Plataspidae stinkbugs and .

Diversity and distribution of bamboo-feeding true bugs in China.

The Bambusoideae subfamily, originating in the late Cretaceous, has evolved to include over 1500 species globally. Notably, China hosts the richest diversity of Bambusoideae, with 728 species documented. After a long period of coevolution, plenty of animals could feed on these plants rich in cellulose and lignin.

Phylogenetic placement and comparative analysis of the mitochondrial genomes of Idiostoloidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).

The classification system and the higher level phylogenetic relationships of Pentatomomorpha, the second largest infraorder of Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera), have been debated and remain controversial over decades. In particular, the placement and phylogenetic relationship of Idiostoloidea are not well resolved, which hampers a better understanding of the evolutionary history of Pentatomomorpha. In this study, for the first time, we reported the complete mitochondrial genome for two narrowly distributed families of Idiostoloidea (including Idiostolidae and Henicocoridae), respectively.

Integrated analysis of miRNA profiles and gut bacterial changes in following antibiotic treatment.

The gut bacteria involves in insect homeostasis by playing essential roles in host physiology, metabolism, innate immunity, and so forth. microRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small noncoding RNAs that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression to affect immune or metabolic processes in insects. For several non-model insects, the available knowledge on the relationship between changes in the gut bacteria and miRNA profiles is limited.

Embryonic stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles rejuvenate senescent cells and antagonize aging in mice.

Aging is a degenerative process that leads to tissue dysfunction and death. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have great therapeutic potential for age-related diseases due to their capacity for self-renewal and plasticity. However, the use of ESCs in clinical treatment is limited by immune rejection, tumourigenicity and ethical issues.

The anthropogenic effect of land use on population genetics of .

Since the beginning of the Holocene era, human activities have seriously impacted animal habitats and vegetative environments. Species that are dependent on natural habitats or with narrow niches might be more severely affected by habitat changes. is distributed in subtropical China and highly dependent on the mountain environment.

Mitogenomes provide new insights of evolutionary history of Boreheptagyiini and Diamesini (Diptera: Chironomidae: Diamesinae).

Mitogenomes have been widely used for phylogenetic reconstruction of various Dipteran groups, but specifically for chironomid, they have not been carried out to resolve the relationships. Diamesinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) are important bioindicators for freshwater ecosystem monitoring, but its evolutionary history remains uncertain for lack of information. Here, coupled with one previously published and 30 new mitogenomes of Diamesinae, we carried out comparative mitogenomic analysis and phylogenetic analysis.

Toward a global DNA barcode reference library of the intolerant nonbiting midge genus Brundin, 1956.

Environmental DNA metabarcoding is becoming a predominant tool in biodiversity assessment, as this time- and cost-efficient tactics have the ability to increase monitoring accuracy. As a worldwide distributed genus, Brundin, 1956 still does not possess a complete and comprehensive global DNA barcode reference library for biodiversity monitoring. In the present study, we compiled a cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) DNA barcode library of with 434 barcodes around the world, including 121 newly generated DNA barcodes of 32 morphospecies and 313 public barcodes.

From mouse to mouse-ear cress: Nanomaterials as vehicles in plant biotechnology.

Biological applications of nanomaterials as delivery carriers have been embedded in traditional biomedical research for decades. Despite lagging behind, recent significant breakthroughs in the use of nanocarriers as tools for plant biotechnology have created great interest. In this Perspective, we review the outstanding recent works in nanocarrier-mediated plant transformation and its agricultural applications.

Targeted Repair of Vascular Injury by Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Modified with P-Selectin Binding Peptide.

Percutaneous coronary intervention for coronary artery disease treatment often results in pathological vascular injury, characterized by P-selectin overexpression. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) therapeutic efficacy remains elusive due to poor ADSCs targeting and retention in injured vessels. Here, conjugated P-selectin binding peptide (PBP) to polyethylene glycol-conjugated phospholipid derivative (DMPE-PEG) linkers (DMPE-PEG-PBP; DPP) are used to facilitate the modification of PBP onto ADSCs cell surfaces via hydrophobic interactions between DMPE-PEG and the phospholipid bilayer.

Superior antitumor effect of self-assembly supramolecular paclitaxel nanoparticles.

Paclitaxel (Ptx), a microtubule depolymerization inhibitor, is one of the first-line regimens in lung cancer chemotherapy. However, the poor solubility of Ptx, as well as hypersensitivity of the solvent Cremphor EL, severely limits its clinical application. Here we developed a drug-polymer conjugate of Ptx-SA-PEG, in which amphiphilic copolymers poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and Ptx were conjugated by succinic acid (SA).

Heat Shock Protein Inspired Nanochaperones Restore Amyloid-β Homeostasis for Preventative Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease.

Amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation is generally believed as the crucial and primary cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, current Aβ-targeted therapeutic strategies show limited disease-modifying efficacy due to the irreversible damages in the late stage of AD, thus the treatment should be given before the formation of deposition and target primary Aβ species rather than advanced plaques. Herein, inspired by heat shock protein, a self-assembly nanochaperone based on mixed-shell polymeric micelle (MSPM) is devised to act as a novel strategy for AD prevention.

Embryonic stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles enhance the therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells (ES) have a great potential for cell-based therapies in a regenerative medicine. However, the ethical and safety issues limit its clinical application. ES-derived extracellular vesicles (ES-EVs) have been reported suppress cellular senescence.

Histone Deacetylase 7-Derived Peptides Play a Vital Role in Vascular Repair and Regeneration.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Accumulating evidence indicates that local resident stem/progenitor cells play an important role in vascular regeneration. Recently, it is demonstrated that a histone deacetylase 7-derived 7-amino acid peptide (7A, MHSPGAD) is critical in modulating the mobilization and orientated differentiation of these stem/progenitor cells.

Sequentially Programmable and Cellularly Selective Assembly of Fluorescent Polymerized Vesicles for Monitoring Cell Apoptosis.

The introduction of controlled self-assembly into living organisms opens up desired biomedical applications in wide areas including bioimaging/assays, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Besides the enzyme-activated examples reported before, controlled self-assembly under integrated stimuli, especially in the form of sequential input, is unprecedented and ultimately challenging. This study reports a programmable self-assembling strategy in living cells under sequentially integrated control of both endogenous and exogenous stimuli.

IFITM1 suppresses expression of human endogenous retroviruses in human embryonic stem cells.

Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1), a member of the IFITM protein family, is a component of a multimeric complex involved in the transduction of antiproliferation and cell adhesion signals. IFITM1 is thought to play a role in antiproliferation and immune surveillance, and has been shown to restrict infection by numerous viruses. It is highly expressed in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) but its role in hESCs remains to be elucidated.

Endophyte species influence the biomass production of the native grass (L.) Keng under high nitrogen availability.

Research on the interaction of endophytes and native grasses normally takes infection status into account, but less often considers the species of endophyte involved in the interaction. Here, we examined the effect of endophyte infection, endophyte species, nitrogen availability, and plant maternal genotype on the performance of a wild grass, . Six different -infected maternal lines of .

Effect of Endophyte Infection and Clipping Treatment on Resistance and Tolerance of .

It is well-documented that endophytes can enhance the resistance of agronomical grasses, such as tall fescue and perennial ryegrass to herbivory. For native grasses, however, the related reports are limited, and the conclusions are variable. is a grass native to the Inner Mongolian steppe.

MET18 Connects the Cytosolic Iron-Sulfur Cluster Assembly Pathway to Active DNA Demethylation in Arabidopsis.

DNA demethylation mediated by the DNA glycosylase ROS1 helps determine genomic DNA methylation patterns and protects active genes from being silenced. However, little is known about the mechanism of regulation of ROS1 enzymatic activity. Using a forward genetic screen, we identified an anti-silencing (ASI) factor, ASI3, the dysfunction of which causes transgene promoter hyper-methylation and silencing.

ATP-dependent effector-like functions of RIG-I-like receptors.

The vertebrate antiviral innate immune system is often considered to consist of two distinct groups of proteins: pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that detect viral infection and induce the interferon (IFN) signaling, and effectors that directly act against viral replication. Accordingly, previous studies on PRRs, such as RIG-I and MDA5, have primarily focused on their functions in viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) detection and consequent antiviral signaling. We report here that both RIG-I and MDA5 efficiently displace viral proteins pre-bound to dsRNA in a manner dependent on their ATP hydrolysis, and that this activity assists a dsRNA-dependent antiviral effector protein, PKR, and allows RIG-I to promote MDA5 signaling.

Specific but interdependent functions for Arabidopsis AGO4 and AGO6 in RNA-directed DNA methylation.

Argonaute (AGO) family proteins are conserved key components of small RNA-induced silencing pathways. In the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway in Arabidopsis, AGO6 is generally considered to be redundant with AGO4. In this report, our comprehensive, genomewide analyses of AGO4- and AGO6-dependent DNA methylation revealed that redundancy is unexpectedly negligible in the genetic interactions between AGO4 and AGO6.