Identification of novel juvenile-hormone signaling activators via high-throughput screening with a chemical library

Juvenile hormone (JH) is an insect-specific hormone that regulates molting and metamorphosis. Hence, JH signaling inhibitors (JHSIs) and activators (JHSAs) can be used as effective insect growth regulators (IGRs) for pest management. In our previous study, we established a high-throughput screening (HTS) system for exploration of novel JHSIs and JHSAs using a Bombyx mori cell line (BmN_JF&AR cells) and succeeded in identifying novel JHSIs from a chemical library. Here, we searched for novel JHSAs using this system. The four-step HTS yielded 10 compounds as candidate JHSAs; some of these compounds showed novel basic structures, whereas the others were composed of a 4-phenoxyphenoxymethyl skeleton, the basic structure of several existing JH analogs (pyriproxyfen and fenoxycarb). Topical application of seven compounds to B. mori larvae significantly prolonged the larval period, suggesting that the identified JHSAs may be promising IGRs targeting the JH signaling pathway.     

中国昆虫文化简论

中国昆虫文化是在历史过程中创造并发展起来的,保留在中华民族中间,具有稳定形态,并对现代社会仍有影响的与昆虫相关的精神文化现象的。它是在一定历史条件下,国人及其生存环境辩证地互相影响的结果,是由劳动创造和生活提炼的精神产品。它包含在国人思想观念、思维方式、价值取向、道德情操、生产生活方式、礼仪制度、风俗习惯、宗教信仰、文学艺术、教育科技等领域之中。它具有神秘性、功利性、民族性、地域性、综合性等特征,以及满足需要、认知、规范、凝聚和娱乐等功能。     

不同水肥条件下夏玉米/冬小麦农田生态系统碳平衡研究

农田生态系统碳平衡取决于农作物固定碳量和土壤异养呼吸排放碳量。为揭示水肥用量对农田生态系统碳平衡的综合影响，设置3个灌水水平：高水、中水和低水（W1、W0.85、W0.7夏玉米季分别为90、76.5、63mm，冬小麦季分别为140、119、98mm），4个施氮水平：高氮、中氮、低氮和不施氮（N1、N0.85、N0.7、N0夏玉米季分别为300、255、210、0kg/hm2，冬小麦季分别为210、178.5、147、0kg/hm2），4个施磷水平：高磷、中磷、低磷和不施磷（P1、P0.85、P0.7和P0夏玉米季分别为90、76.5、63、0kg/hm2，冬小麦季分别为150、127.5、105、0kg/hm2）进行了田间试验。结果表明：不同水肥处理下夏玉米/冬小麦农田生态系统表现为碳汇，夏玉米季净生态系统生产力固碳量（CNEP）为6805~7233kg/hm2，冬小麦季CNEP为5842~6434kg/hm2，夏玉米CNEP高于冬小麦。在高、中、低肥水平下，增加灌水量，夏玉米/冬小麦周年净初级生产力固碳量（CNPP）提高2.48%~5.96%，土壤微生物异养呼吸碳释放量（CRm）增加2.15%~15.20%，净生态系统生产力固碳量（CNEP）增加1.16%~6.47%。在高、中、低供水水平下，增加施肥量，夏玉米/冬小麦周年CNPP增加2.95%~3.43%，土壤CRm增加5.23%~18.67%，CNEP增加0.93%~2.79%，CNEP增加比例与供水水平呈负相关。在低水条件下，氮磷肥配施处理夏玉米/冬小麦农田周年CNEP较单施氮、磷肥分别增加4.86%、7.34%，且氮磷肥交互作用显著（P<0.05），水肥供应水平相差15%时对冬小麦农田CNEP有显著的正交互作用。氮磷肥配施、水肥协调供应均有助于促进夏玉米/冬小麦农田生态系统的净碳输入，在节水节肥原则下，夏玉米和冬小麦分别在W0.85N0.85P0.85和W0.7N0.85P0.85水肥供应条件下有利于增加农田CNEP。     

CnAβ基因对大鼠RBL-2H3细胞脱颗粒的影响

过敏是人和养殖动物常见的疾病，而且发生的频率呈现逐渐增加的趋势。为了深入了解过敏反应的机制，本研究利用CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术，构建钙调磷酸酶A beta （calcineurin A beta，CnAβ）基因敲除的大鼠RBL-2H3细胞株，并探讨CnAβ基因对RBL-2H3细胞生长及脱颗粒的影响。选取大鼠CnAβ基因第一外显子为敲除靶点，设计并合成3个单导向RNA （single guide RNA，sgRNA），构建pX459-CnAβ-sgRNA质粒，并用脂质体3000将构建好的质粒转染到RBL-2H3细胞内；利用嘌呤霉素对转染细胞进行筛选，通过DNA测序验证获得CnAβ基因敲除的RBL-2H3细胞株；并检测CnAβ基因缺失对细胞增殖和脱颗粒的影响。结果表明，成功构建了CnAβ单基因敲除的大鼠RBL-2H3细胞株；CnAβ基因缺失对RBL-2H3细胞增殖、细胞的颗粒形成以及颗粒含量无显著影响，但显著抑制由细胞表面受体介导的RBL-2H3细胞脱颗粒作用。该研究结果有助于深入了解动物过敏性疾病的发生机制，为动物过敏性疾病的预防提供了理论基础。     

蓟马为害对苜蓿叶茎显微结构的影响

为了揭示蓟马为害后紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa L.）叶片和茎秆细胞组织结构的变化及其与苜蓿耐害性的关系，本研究选用抗、感蓟马苜蓿无性系R-1和I-1，比较蓟马为害后苜蓿叶片和茎秆的显微结构及叶片超微结构的变化。结果表明，受害后，R-1和I-1苜蓿的组织结构有明显改变：叶片上下表皮细胞锯齿边缘消失，细胞显著隆起，气孔缩小，单位面积细胞和气孔数显著增加。在茎秆中，维管束间距和直径变小，维管束细胞减少，厚角组织宽度下降；表皮细胞变短变窄，细胞和气孔数明显增加。叶片栅栏组织细胞收缩，液泡变小，叶绿体淀粉粒变小或减少，叶绿体片层基粒增加，嗜锇体增多。健康R-1叶片上下表皮单位面积细胞和气孔数均少于I-1。受害后，R-1叶片上下表皮单位面积细胞数分别增加1.75和1.51倍，细胞增加倍数、叶绿体片层和基粒均多于I-1。受蓟马为害后，R-1组织结构的变化较I-1更显著。     

Shikonin inhibits neuronal apoptosis induced by OGD through targeting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

AIM: To explore the effect of shikonin on rat primary cortical neurons in oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced injury model.METHODS: The neurons were pretreated with shikonin at different concentrations (0.02, 0.2, 2 and 20 μmol/L) followed by treatment with OGD. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay and fluorescein diacetate/propidium iodide (FDA/PI) double staining were used to detect neuronal viability and apoptosis, and then the optimal concentration of shikonin was determined. LY294002 (PI3K/Akt signaling pathway inhibitor, 1 μmol/L) was added before the addition of shikonin, and the protein level of p-Akt (Ser473) in the neurons was determined by Wes-tern blot. LDH release assay and FDA/PI double staining were also used to detect neuronal viability and apoptosis.RESULTS: A certain concentration (0.2~20 μmol/L) of shikonin increased the viability of impaired neurons (P<0.05) and the protein level of p-Akt (Ser473) in the neurons (P<0.05). The effect of shikonin on neuronal p-Akt (Ser473) levels and the cell death were blocked by LY294002 (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: A certain concentration of shikonin reduces OGD-induced apoptosis of rat primary cortical neurons by activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.     

一个CRISPR/Cas9-VQR基因编辑系统的构建

CRISPR/Cas9系统是一种广泛应用于细菌、酵母、动物和植物中的基因组定点编辑技术,但该编辑系统的使用范围受PAM (proto-spacer-motif)位点NGG的限制。本研究通过突变Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9)编码氨基酸(1135位的天冬氨酸D突变成缬氨酸V, 1335位的精氨酸R突变为谷胱氨酸Q, 1337位的苏氨酸T突变为精氨酸R,命名该突变子为Cas9-VQR)改造其识别PAM为NGA的位点以扩大其使用范围。并使用玉米Ubi启动子启动Cas9-VQR基因、优化SpCas9的密码子、加入保守的核定位信号序列、增加单子叶植物中保守的3′UTR序列和使用水稻U6启动子启动gRNA来修饰该编辑系统。结果表明Cas9-VQR系统能够识别PAM为NGA的位点,并进行有效的切割。体外酶切活性检测结果表明Cas9-VQR的切割效率为5%～70%。水稻转化检测结果表明Cas9-VQR的切割效率约为27.5%～70.5%,平均切割效率为46.23%。本研究拓宽了CRISPR/Cas9系统在作物中的使用范围,特别是NGA PAM位点较高的作物。     

Study on the Hepatoprotective Effect of Oxalis coriniculata L. and Related Mechanism by Regulating Oxidative Stress and TLR-2/NF-κB Signaling Pathway

[Objectives]This study aimed to explore the protective effect of Oxalis coriniculata L.on rats with acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)and ...