C/EBPα promotes porcine pre-adipocyte proliferation and differentiation via mediating MSTRG.12568.2/FOXO3 trans-activation for STYX.

As a key adipogenic marker, C/EBPα (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α) is also an important factor in regulating targets containing CCAAT element for transcription, whose products include coding and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). However, knowledge of the mechanism of C/EBPα affecting pre-adipocyte proliferation and adipogenesis through regulating ncRNA is still limited. In this study, we firstly conducted an investigation concerning the impact of C/EBPα knockdown on porcine pre-adipocytes by using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to identify the role of key ncRNAs, especially lncRNAs and their correlated mRNAs in regulating proliferation and differentiation of porcine pre-adipocytes.

Mobile cabin hospital compulsory quarantine for mild patients can serve as an alternative treatment for COVID-19: the Chinese experience.

Objective: To explore the application value of mobile cabin hospitals in combating COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods: The basic clinical data, the number of admission, CT scan, novel coronavirus nucleic acid testing results were collected and calculated. The operational elements of running this temporary hospital were reviewed from its construction to closing.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the R2R3-MYB gene family in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.).

Background: The R2R3-MYB transcription factor is one of the largest gene families in plants and involved in the regulation of plant development, hormone signal transduction, biotic and abiotic stresses. Tobacco is one of the most important model plants. Therefore, it will be of great significance to investigate the R2R3-MYB gene family and their expression patterns under abiotic stress and senescence in tobacco.

Fe fortification limits rice Cd accumulation by promoting root cell wall chelation and reducing the mobility of Cd in xylem.

Fe biofortification and Cd mitigation in rice is essential for human health, thus the effects of fertilization with Fe on Cd uptake and distribution in rice need to be comprehensively studied. In this study, we investigated the roles of root iron (Fe)/manganese (Mn) plaques, root cell wall, organic acid, and expressions of Cd-transport related genes in restricting Cd uptake and translocation. The rice plants were exposed to 1 μM CdCl with or without the addition of three doses of Fe at 5, 50, and 500 μM EDTA-NaFe.

Linkages between social and financial performance: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa microfinance institutions.

Microfinance Institutions provide financial services to low-income clients and the poor who are excluded from formal financial institutions. Hence, the sustainability of microfinance institutions (MFIs) remains essential. This study examines the relationship between social and financial performance and whether there is a trade-off between both objectives after the 2008 global financial crisis.

Sulfur fertilization integrated with soil redox conditions reduces Cd accumulation in rice through microbial induced Cd immobilization.

Sulfate and water management can be respectively applied to control Cd accumulation in rice, but the interaction mechanisms remain unclear. Three water management coupled with five sulfate application concentrations were employed to investigate rice Cd uptake. Results showed there was a significant interaction between sulfate application and soil redox state, and the highest sulfate treatments reduced rice grain Cd by 63.

Selenate regulates the activity of cell wall enzymes to influence cell wall component concentration and thereby affects the uptake and translocation of Cd in the roots of Brassica rapa L.

Selenium (Se) can be used to counteract cadmium (Cd) toxicity in plants. However, mechanisms underlying the alleviation of Cd toxicity by Se have not been completely elucidated, especially those by which Se reduces Cd translocation. A hydroponic experiment was performed to illustrate the regulatory mechanisms of Cd transport by selenate (Se (VI)) in pakchoi (Brassica rapa L.

Genome-Wide Association Study of QTLs Conferring Resistance to Bacterial Leaf Streak in Rice.

Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) is a devastating rice disease caused by the bacterial pathogen, pv. (), which can result in severe damage to rice production worldwide. Based on a total of 510 rice accessions, trialed in two seasons and using six different multi-locus GWAS methods (mrMLM, ISIS EM-BLASSO, pLARmEB, FASTmrMLM, FASTmrEMMA and pKWmEB), 79 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) reflecting 69 QTLs for BLS resistance were identified (LOD > 3).

Metagenomic evidence for co-occurrence of antibiotic, biocide and metal resistance genes in pigs.

Antibiotic-resistant pathogens constitute an escalating public health concern. Hence a better understanding of the underlying processes responsible for this expansion is urgently needed. Co-selection of heavy metal/biocide and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has been suggested as one potential mechanism promoting the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Five Family Members Are Identified as Senescence-Related Genes in Rice by Reverse Genetics Approach.

A total of 16 genes of were identified in our previous work, but their functions remain unclear. In this study, 13 members were knocked out using the CRISPR/cas9 gene-editing technology. After screening phenotype characterization of CRISPR/Cas9 mutants compared to WT, five mutants exhibited a stay-green phenotype at 30 days after heading.

Microbial reduction and resistance to selenium: Mechanisms, applications and prospects.

Selenium is an essential trace element for humans, animals and microorganisms. Microbial transformations, in particular, selenium dissimilatory reduction and bioremediation applications have received increasing attention in recent years. This review focuses on multiple Se-reducing pathways under anaerobic and aerobic conditions, and the phylogenetic clustering of selenium reducing enzymes that are involved in these processes.

Application of inorganic selenium to reduce accumulation and toxicity of heavy metals (metalloids) in plants: The main mechanisms, concerns, and risks.

Anthropogenic activities such as mining, industrialization and subsequent emission of industrial waste, and agricultural practices have led to an increase in the accumulation of metal(loid)s in agricultural soils and crops, which threatens the health of people; the risk is more pronounced for individuals whose survival depends on food sources from several contaminated regions. Selenium (Se) is an element essential for the normal functioning of the human body and is a beneficial element for plants. Se deficiency in the diet is a common issue in many countries around the world, such as China and Egypt.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the Class III Peroxidase Gene Family in Potato ( L.).

Class III peroxidases (PRXs) are plant-specific enzymes and play important roles in plant growth, development and stress response. In this study, a total of 102 non-redundant gene members () were identified in potato ( L.).

First record of Rilipertus Haeselbarth (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) from China with description of a new species.

Euphorinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) is a large subfamily of endoparasitoid wasps with 1,270+ described species worldwide (Yu et al. 2016). In the phylogenetic analysis of Stigenberg et al.

Patterns of Expansion and Expression Divergence of the Polygalacturonase Gene Family in .

Plant polygalacturonases (PGs) are closely related to cell-separation events during plant growth and development by degrading pectin. Identifying and investigating their diversification of evolution and expression could shed light on research on their function. We conducted sequence, molecular evolution, and gene expression analyses of PG genes in .

Underlying mechanisms responsible for restriction of uptake and translocation of heavy metals (metalloids) by selenium via root application in plants.

Since selenium (Se) was shown to be an essential element for humans in 1957, the biofortification of Se to crops via foliar spraying or soil fertilization has been performed for several decades to satisfy the daily nutritional need of humans. Appropriate doses of Se were found to counteract a number of abiotic and biotic stresses, such as exposure to heavy metals (metalloids) (HMs), via influencing the regulation of antioxidant systems, by stimulation of photosynthesis, by repair of damaged cell structures and functions, by regulating the metabolism of some substances and the rebalancing of essential elements in plant tissues. However, few concerns were paid on why and how Se could reduce the uptake of a variety of HMs.

A new species of Marshall (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) from China.

A new species of the genus Marshall, 1898, Li, from the Palaearctic (China, Ningxia, Hubei), is described and illustrated. A key to known species of is provided. (Wesmael, 1835), is a new record for Jilin province (NE China).

Efficiency and risks of selenite combined with different water conditions in reducing uptake of arsenic and cadmium in paddy rice.

The co-contamination of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) in soils is a common problem. Selenium (Se) can reduce the uptake of As and Cd in plants, and in practice, the alternate wetting and drying is a common culture mode in rice production. However, it is unknown whether Se can efficiently reduce As and Cd concentrations in crops suffering from a high-level contamination of As and Cd under different soil water conditions.

Multiple Factors Determine the Structure of Bacterial Communities Associated With Under Artificial Rearing Conditions.

Insect symbionts are major manipulators of host's behavior. Their effect on parameters such as fecundity, male mating competitiveness, and biological quality in general, can have a major influence on the effectiveness of the sterile insect technique (SIT). SIT is currently being developed and applied against human disease vectors, including , as an environment-friendly method of population suppression, therefore there is a renewed interest on both the characterization of gut microbiota and their exploitation in artificial rearing.

Scope for non-crop plants to promote conservation biological control of crop pests and serve as sources of botanical insecticides.

Besides providing food and shelter to natural enemies of crop pests, plants used in conservation biological control interventions potentially provide additional ecosystem services including providing botanical insecticides. Here we concurrently tested the strength of these two services from six non-crop plants in managing cabbage pests in Ghana over three successive field seasons. Crop margin plantings of Ageratum conyzoides, Tridax procumbens, Crotalaria juncea, Cymbopogon citratus, Lantana camara and Talinum triangulare were compared with a bare earth control in a three-way split plot design such that the crop in each plot was sprayed with either a 10% (w/v) aqueous extract from the border plant species, a negative control (water) and a positive control (emamectin benzoate 'Attack' insecticide).

Toxicity of different forms of antimony to rice plants: Effects on reactive oxidative species production, antioxidative systems, and uptake of essential elements.

Antimonite [Sb(III)] and antimonate [Sb(V)] are known to have different toxicity to plants, but the corresponding mechanisms are not fully understood. This study was conducted to investigate reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant systems, and levels of certain essential elements in response to exposure to Sb(III) and Sb(V). Results showed that exposure to Sb(V) caused oxidative stress in a rice plant (Yangdao No.

A non-structural protein encoded by Rice Dwarf Virus targets to the nucleus and chloroplast and inhibits local RNA silencing.

RNA silencing is a potent antiviral mechanism in plants and animals. As a counter-defense, many viruses studied to date encode one or more viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSR). In the latter case, how different VSRs encoded by a virus function in silencing remains to be fully understood.

Soil acidification in Chinese tea plantations.

Soil acidification is a major problem in intensive agricultural systems and is becoming increasingly serious. Most research has reported the soil acidification of cereal crops, forests, and grasslands. However, there is no information about soil acidification under tea cultivation on a national scale.