Search

Qingyuan partridge chicken is a renowned indigenous yellow broiler breed in China. Egg production traits are important economic traits for chickens. With the decreasing cost of whole genome resequencing, identifying candidate genes with more precision has become possible. In order to identify molecular markers and candidate genes associated with egg production traits, we conducted genome‐wide association studies based on the resequencing data of 287 female Qingyuan partridge chickens. For each hen, age at first egg and egg laying rate were recorded and calculated, respectively. With a univariate linear mixed model, we detected one genome‐wide significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and three chromosome‐wide significant SNPs associated with egg laying rate. MTA2 is highly likely to be a functional gene for egg laying rate. Our study identifies MTA2 as the first time to be associated with egg laying rate. Findings in our study will advance our understanding of the genetic basis of egg production and have the potential to improve the efficiency of genomic selection in chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a common additive in cigarette filters, nanosilica has been implemented to reduce the release of harmful substances in cigarette smoke. However, the potential risk of occupational exposure for cigarette factory workers is unknown. We collected physical examination data from 710 cigarette factory workers to evaluate the adverse effects of cigarette filter silica exposure. We also established mouse models induced by cigarette filter silica and crystalline silica separately to compare the lung inflammation, pulmonary function, apoptosis, and fibrosis of the two models. Workers in the rolling and packing workshop exposed to cigarette filter silica had a higher rate of abnormal lung function (17.75%) than those in the cutting workshop (0.87%). Animal experiments showed that compared with the same dose of crystalline silica, cigarette filter silica resulted in higher levels of inflammatory factors in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice at day 7, and lower levels of total lung capacity (TLC), inspiratory capacity (IC), vital capacity (VC), and forced vital capacity (FVC) in mice at day 28. Additionally, both exposed groups of mice showed increased levels of caspase 3, collagen I (Col-Ⅰ), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and hydroxyproline (HYP) in the lungs, as well as collagen accumulation and fibrous nodules at day 28, with no significant difference between the two groups. The results suggested that cigarette filter silica caused more severe early lung inflammation and late ventilation impairment than the same dose of crystalline silica. In the future, we need to pay more attention to nanosilica protection in cigarette factories to prevent pulmonary dysfunction in workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicosis, characterized by irreversible pulmonary fibrosis, remains a major global public health problem. Nowadays, cumulative studies are focusing on elucidating the pathogenesis of silicosis in order to identify preventive or therapeutic antifibrotic agents. However, the existing research on the mechanism of silica-dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis is only the tip of the iceberg and lags far behind clinical needs. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), as a pulmonary fibrosis disease, also has the same problem. In this study, we examined the relationship between silicosis and IPF from the perspective of their pathogenesis and fibrotic characteristics, further discussing current drug research and limitations of clinical application in silicosis. Overall, this review provided novel insights for clinical treatment of silicosis with the hope of bridging the gap between research and practice in silicosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qingyuan partridge chicken is one of the most well‐known Chinese indigenous yellow broilers. In breeding programmes, five traits are usually selected when the chickens are 105 days old, namely body weight (BW), comb height (CH), shank length (SL), shank girth (SG) and feather maturity (FM). The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of these five traits, especially direct additive genetic correlations, to lay the foundation for balanced selection of Qingyuan partridge chickens. Approximately 9600 records were used for estimation. Variance components for these five traits were estimated using three multi‐trait models incorporating different effects via Gibbs sampling. Based on model 1 in which the random effects included direct additive genetic effects and residuals, the estimated direct heritabilities for BW, CH, SL, SG and FM were 0.29 ± 0.04, 0.53 ± 0.04, 0.47 ± 0.04, 0.43 ± 0.05 and 0.18 ± 0.03, respectively. The direct genetic correlations ranged from −0.08 to 0.46. When additionally considering maternal additive genetic effects (model 2), the estimates of direct heritabilities and absolute values of direct additive genetic correlations were smaller. The heritabilities were 0.14 ± 0.04, 0.40 ± 0.02, 0.34 ± 0.05, 0.27 ± 0.05 and 0.12 ± 0.03 for BW, CH, SL, SG and FM, respectively. The direct additive genetic correlations ranged from −0.33 to 0.36. More specifically, the direct additive genetic correlations between BW and CH, SL, SG and FM were 0.19 ± 0.13, 0.15 ± 0.15, 0.36 ± 0.15 and − 0.33 ± 0.21, respectively. The genetic correlations of FM with SL, SG and CH were − 0.15 ± 0.15, −0.08 ± 0.17 and 0.18 ± 0.15, respectively. The direct genetic correlations between CH and SG and SL were − 0.02 ± 0.11 and − 0.20 ± 0.11, respectively, and that between SL and SG was 0.19 ± 0.11. The total heritabilities and maternal additive genetic correlations ranged from 0.16 to 0.44 and from −0.13 to 0.61, respectively. The third model also included the maternal permanent environmental effect for BW. The estimates of direct heritability, direct additive genetic correlation, total heritability and maternal additive genetic correlation were only slightly different from those based on the second model. Therefore, the maternal additive genetic effect has a large effect on the estimation of genetic parameters, and it is better to consider this effect in the genetic evaluation of these five traits. Relatively high direct and maternal additive genetic correlations for most trait pairs suggested that it is better to jointly evaluate these five traits in breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qingyuan partridge chicken is an important indigenous chicken in China. In its breeding schemes, chickens are usually selected at the age of 105‐day‐old for five traits, including body weight (BW), shank length (SL), shank girth (SG), comb height (CH) and feather maturity (FM). At present, genetic parameters of the aforementioned traits have still not been studied in Qingyuan partridge chickens. The objectives of this study were the following: (1) to investigate whether the optimal statistical models of these traits need to consider maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects in late‐feathering Qingyuan partridge hens, and (2) to estimate genetic parameters for these traits based on the optimal models. The numbers of records for BW, SL, SG, CH and FM were 13,721, 13,671, 13,670, 13,669 and 13,672, respectively. Variance components were estimated using average information‐restricted maximum likelihood method, and the optimal model was determined based on Bayesian information criterion. More specifically, the optimal model for BW considered maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects in addition to direct additive genetic effect; SL, SG and FM considered direct and maternal genetic effects; and CH considered direct and maternal genetic effects, and the covariance between them. The direct heritabilities of these traits estimated using the optimal models were 0.21 ± 0.04, 0.30 ± 0.05, 0.40 ± 0.05, 0.59 ± 0.09 and 0.09 ± 0.04, respectively; the maternal heritabilities were 0.01 ± 0.04, 0.05 ± 0.05, 0.04 ± 0.05, 0.09 ± 0.09 and 0.03 ± 0.04, respectively. Maternal genetic effect evidently played an important part in FM and maternal heritability accounted for 30 per cent of total heritability. Furthermore, the direct and maternal genetic effects for CH were estimated to be negatively and moderately correlated (−0.51 ± 0.11). For all traits, neglecting existent maternal effects biased the estimation of direct heritability. Therefore, to implement optimum breeding strategies for improvement of these traits in Qingyuan partridge hens, maternal effects should be taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on molecular structural design of boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY), nine BODIPY derivatives decorated with vinyl, phenyl, dimethylamino, nitro and aldehyde group substituents, respectively, have been systematically investigated by the density function theory (DFT) method. The purposes of this paper are to study the effect of various substituents and their positions on geometric structures, electronic structures and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. In addition, the effects of polarizable environment and electric fields on the first hyperpolarizabilities (βtot) values have been investigated. It is found that the incorporation of strong electron-donating dimethylamino could induce a significant enhancement of the βtot values, and the βtot values of the bilateral α-position substitution are much larger with respect to the unilateral α-position substitution, because those substituents are able to expend the BODIPYs' delocalized π-electron system to different extents. Time-dependent DFT results suggest that the increasement of the βtot values is related to the intramolecular charge transfer from substituents to BODIPY core. Thus, forming a D-π-A model is favorable for increasing the βtot values, where BODIPY was used as electron accepting. Hence, we hope this work will be beneficial to further investigating versatile and novel NLO materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of turning a maglev motorized spindle, there are problems such as system model time-varying, cross-coupling of control parameters, difficult measurement of system state variables, and nonlinear characteristics of active magnetic bearings, which lead to the inevitable cutting chatter phenomenon, difficult control algorithm design, and then the reduction of workpiece surface quality and accuracy, affecting machining efficiency and tool life. In this paper, the "multimodal-distributed parameter" model is extended to the "magnetic bearing-rotor-workpiece" variable mass turning process. An adaptive backstepping fast dynamic terminal sliding mode control is designed to address the model's time-varying parameters and cross-coupling issues. In view of the difficulty in measuring the vibration displacement at the cutting point, the displacement field reconstruction method was introduced to reconstruct the vibration displacement field online and provide effective feedback for the previously designed control strategy. Finally, the proposed controller is applied to adjust and control the turning process of a maglev motorized spindle and compared with other advanced controllers. The simulation results show that the proposed control method has a better control effect than other control methods in the presence of unmodeled dynamics, uncertainties, and external disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A new-synthesized diarylethene with near-infrared fluorochrome unit exhibited excellent photochromism under the irradiation of UV light (297 nm) and visible light (λ > 500 nm). When Cu2+ was added to the diarylethene solution, a fluorescent emission band centered at 736 nm appeared, indicating that the emission peak wavelength of compound is in near-infrared region. According to data of NMR, MS and other experiments, the complex ratio of the target compound to Cu2+ was 1:1 in the CH 3 CN–H 2 O solution (v/v = 9:1) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.10 μM. Furthermore, a logic circuit was constructed with four input signals (ultraviolet stimulus, visible light stimulus, Cu2+ and EDTA) and one output signal (fluorescent intensity at 736 nm). Graphical Abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • A new diarylethene was synthesized. • 1O exhibits colorimetric response to Cu2+. • 1O displays fluorescent signal for Cu2+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new diarylethene compound with a triazole-linked rhodamine 6G unit attached to the imino group ( 1O ) was designed and synthesized. According to the test results, the solution color and fluorescence color of diarylethene can be modulated by lights and metal ions. The solution color could change from colorless to light purple when irradiated with UV light. When Cu 2+ was added to the diarylethene solution, the color of diarylethene solution became blue, the fluorescence color turned from dark to bright yellow. Although the solution color did not change by adding Fe 3+ , its fluorescence color varied from dark to yellow. Moreover, it was found that the complex ratio of the diarylethene to Cu 2+ was 1:1 and the binding stoichiometry of the diarylethene to Fe 3+ was also 1:1 based on the data of NMR, MS, and other experiments. Based on these findings, photochromic figure of the diarylethene with UV/Vis light, Cu 2+ and Fe 3+ was constructed. Furthermore, the logic circuit was designed by input signals (ultraviolet stimulus, visible light stimulus, Cu 2+ (or Fe 3+ ) and EDTA) and an output signal (fluorescent intensity at 566 nm (or 575 nm)). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enrich the map of genomic variations in swine, we randomly sequenced 13 domestic and wild individuals from China and Europe. We detected approximately 28.1 million single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 3.6 million short insertions and deletions (INDELs), of which 2,530,248 SNVs and 3,456,626 INDELs were firstly identified compared with dbSNP 143. Moreover, 208,687 SNVs and 24,161 INDELs were uniquely observed in Chinese pigs, potentially accounting for phenotypic differences between Chinese and European pigs. Furthermore, significantly high correlation between SNV and INDEL was witnessed, which indicated that these two distinct variants may share similar etiologies. We also predicted loss of function genes and found that they were under weaker evolutionary constraints. This study gives interesting insights into the genomic features of the Chinese pig breeds. These data would be useful in the establishment of high-density SNP map and would lay a foundation for facilitating pig functional genomics study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] EIS was employed for the first time employed to determine fenvalerate. [•] Pre-treatment for the detection is simple in operation with this technique. [•] This method is label-free with high sensitivity and selectivity, rapidity and low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) are essential transcription factors found in many eukaryotes. In this study, the focus is on identifying and analyzing the KLF gene family members in chickens using bioinformatic tools, and comparing them with representative classes such as fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals. The analysis includes the structural characterization, evolutionary relationship assessment, and functional predictions. Additionally, in this study, the impact of miRNA-22 is explored, associated with lipid metabolism, on the expression of KLF genes in the liver, heart, and muscle tissues of Qingyuan partridge chickens. The results indicate that the avian KLF gene family is evolutionarily closer to that of mammals, and all chicken KLFs are non-transmembrane proteins. Moreover, the effect of miRNA-22 on KLF expression varies across different tissues. These findings provide a scientific basis for further research into the functions of KLFs in chickens. Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) are a class of fundamental transcription factors that are widely present in various eukaryotes from nematodes to humans, named after their DNA binding domain which is highly homologous to the Krüppel factor in fruit flies. To investigate the composition, organization, and evolutionary trajectory of KLF gene family members in chickens, in our study, we leveraged conserved sequences of KLF genes from representative classes across fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals as foundational sequences. Bioinformatic tools were employed to perform homology alignment on the chicken genome database, ultimately identifying the KLF family members present in chickens. The gene structure, phylogenetic analysis, conserved base sequences, physicochemical properties, collinearity analysis, and protein structure were then analyzed using bioinformatic tools. Additionally, the impact of miRNA-22, related to poultry lipid metabolism, on the expression of the KLF gene family in the liver, heart, and muscle of Qingyuan partridge chickens was explored. The results showed that: (1) compared to fish, the KLF family in birds is more closely related to mammals and amphibians; (2) KLFs within the same subgroups are likely to be derived from a common ancestral gene duplication; (3) KLF3/8/12 in the same subgroup may have some similar or overlapping functions; (4) the motif 4 of KLF5 was most likely lost during evolution; (5) KLF9 may perform a similar function in chickens and pigs; (6) there are collinear relationships between certain KLF genes, indicating that there are related biomolecular functions between these KLF genes; (7) all members of the KLF family in chickens are non-transmembrane proteins; and (8) interference and overexpression of miRNA-22 in Qingyuan partridge chickens can affect the expression levels of KLF genes in liver, heart, and muscle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Genomic selection (GS) is increasingly widely used in animal breeding, owing to its high efficiency in the genetic improvement of economic traits. In China, GS has been implemented for genetic evaluation of young bulls in dairy cattle breeding programs since 2012. GS is commonly based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips. The cost of whole genome sequencing (WGS) has decreased tremendously in recent years, allowing increased studies of WGS-based GS. In this study, based on the imputed WGS data of approximately 8000 Chinese Holsteins, we investigated the performance of GS of milk production traits using the feature selection method of regularized regression. The results showed that WGS-based GS using regularized regression models and the commonly used linear mixed models achieved comparable prediction accuracies. For milk and protein yields, GS using a combination of SNPs selected with a regularized regression model and 50K SNP chip data achieved the best prediction performance, and GS using SNPs selected with a linear mixed model combined with 50K SNP chip data performed best for fat yield. The proposed method of GS based on WGS data, i.e., feature selection using regularization regression models, provides a valuable novel strategy for genomic selection. Genomic selection (GS) is an efficient method to improve genetically economic traits. Feature selection is an important method for GS based on whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data. We investigated the prediction performance of GS of milk production traits using imputed WGS data on 7957 Chinese Holsteins. We used two regularized regression models, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and elastic net (EN) for feature selection. For comparison, we performed genome-wide association studies based on a linear mixed model (LMM), and the N single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the lowest p-values were selected (LMMLASSO and LMMEN), where N was the number of non-zero effect SNPs selected by LASSO or EN. GS was conducted using a genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) model and several sets of SNPs: (1) selected WGS SNPs; (2) 50K SNP chip data; (3) WGS data; and (4) a combined set of selected WGS SNPs and 50K SNP chip data. The results showed that the prediction accuracies of GS with features selected using LASSO or EN were comparable to those using features selected with LMMLASSO or LMMEN. For milk and protein yields, GS using a combination of SNPs selected with LASSO and 50K SNP chip data achieved the best prediction performance, and GS using SNPs selected with LMMLASSO combined with 50K SNP chip data performed best for fat yield. The proposed method, feature selection using regularization regression models, provides a valuable novel strategy for WGS-based GS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel photochromic diarylethene fluorescence sensor 1o bearing a triazole-linked rhodamine B unit was designed and synthesized. Results showed that 1o had multi-responsive photoswitchable characteristics under the stimulation of light, proton, and specific metal ions. It also showed highly selectivity and sensitivity to recognize Hg2+ over other interfering heavy and transition metal ions through the spirolactam ring-opening reaction, which could be detected with "naked-eyes". Upon the treatment with Hg2+, the fluorescence intensity of 1o at 606 nm was enhanced by 88-fold with notable fluorescence color changing from dark to pink. And its detection limit to Hg2+ was as low as 0.13 μM. Significant fluorescence quenching was observed upon the irradiation with 297 nm light due to FRET between rhodamine B moiety and diarylethene unit. Moreover, an INHIBIT logic gate was established with UV light and proton as the dual data inputs, and the fluorescence intensity at 605 nm as the data output. A novel photochromic diarylethene derivative bearing a triazole-linked rhodamine B unit was synthesized and its multi-addressable switching characteristics with light and chemical stimuli were studied systematically. Image 1 • A novel photochromic diarylethene fluorescence sensor 1o bearing a triazole-linked rhodamine B unit was synthesized. • 1o displayed multi-responsive photoswitchable characteristics under the stimulation of light, proton, and mercuric ion. • The sensor exhibited exhibits both colorimetric and fluorescent response to mercuric ion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The liver plays a critical role in maintaining health and normal functions in chickens. This study focuses on understanding how a specific small molecule called microRNA-122, which is found in large amounts in the liver, influences these functions. To do this, we used a specially designed virus to increase the levels of microRNA-122 in the liver of young chickens. By analyzing the changes in gene activity, we discovered that higher levels of microRNA-122 impact several vital processes. These include fat metabolism, the aging of cells, cell adhesion, and cellular communication. Additionally, we identified eight specific genes that microRNA-122 may regulate. These findings provide new insights into how microRNA-122 controls important liver functions and can help improve the health and productivity of chickens. The liver of chickens is essential for maintaining physiological activities and homeostasis. This study aims to investigate the specific function and molecular regulatory mechanism of microRNA-122 (miR-122), which is highly expressed in chicken liver. A lentivirus-mediated overexpression vector of miR-122 was constructed and used to infect 12-day-old female Qingyuan Partridge chickens. Transcriptome sequencing analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes in the liver. Overexpression of miR-122 resulted in 776 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Enrichment analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed associations with lipid metabolism, cellular senescence, cell adhesion molecules, and the MAPK signaling pathway. Eight potential target genes of miR-122 (ARHGAP32, CTSD, LBH, PLEKHB2, SEC14L1, SLC2A1, SLC6A14, and SP8) were identified through miRNA target prediction platforms and literature integration. This study provides novel insights into the molecular regulatory mechanisms of miR-122 in chicken liver, highlighting its role in key biological processes and signaling pathways. These discoveries enhance our understanding of miR-122's impact on chicken liver function and offer valuable information for improving chicken production performance and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several core breeding and supporting lines of the Qingyuan partridge chicken, a representative local chicken breed in China, have been developed over 20 years. Consequently, its economic traits related to growth and reproduction have been significantly improved by breeding selection and commercial utilization, but some characteristic traits, such as partridge feathers, high meat quality and sufficient flavor, have always been retained. However, effective methods for genetic assessment and functional gene exploration of similar trait groups are lacking. The presence of identical haplotype fragments transmitted from parent to offspring results in runs of homozygosity (ROH), which offer an efficient solution. In this study, genomes of 134 Qingyuan partridge chickens representing two breeding populations and one preserved population were re-sequenced to evaluate the genetic diversity and explore functional genes by analyzing the diversity, distribution, and frequency of ROH. Results: The results showed a low level of genomic linkage and degree of inbreeding within both the bred and preserved populations, suggesting abundant genetic diversity and an adequate genetic potential of the Qingyuan partridge chicken. Throughout the long-term selection process, 21 genes, including GLI3, ANO5, BLVRA, EFNB2, SLC5A12, and SVIP, associated with breed-specific characteristics were accumulated within three ROH islands, whereas another 21 genes associated with growth traits including IRX1, IRX2, EGFR, TPK1, NOVA1, BDNF and so on were accumulated within five ROH islands. Conclusions: These findings provide new insights into the genetic assessment and identification of genes with breed-specific and selective characteristics, offering a solid genetic basis for breeding and protection of Qingyuan partridge chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Carcass traits are crucial indicators of meat production efficiency. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms associated with these traits remain unclear. Results: In this study, we conducted comprehensive transcriptomic and genomic analyses on 399 Tiannong partridge chickens to identify key genes and variants associated with carcass traits and to elucidate the underlying regulatory mechanisms. Based on association analyses with the elastic net (EN) model, we identified 12 candidate genes (AMY1A, AP3B2, CEBPG, EEF2, EIF4EBP1, FGFR1, FOXD3, GOLM1, LOC107052698, PABPC1, SERPINB6 and TBC1D16) for 4 carcass-related traits, namely live weight, dressed weight, eviscerated weight, and breast muscle weight. SERPINB6 was identified as the only overlapping gene by 3 analyses, EN model analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis and differential expression analysis. Cell-level experiments confirmed that SERPINB6 promotes the proliferation of chicken DF1 cells and primary myoblasts. Further expression genome-wide association study and association analysis indicated that rs317934171 is the critical site that enhances SERPINB6 expression. Furthermore, a dual-luciferase reporter assay proved that gga-miR-1615 targets the 3′UTR of SERPINB6. Conclusions: Collectively, our findings reveal that SERPINB6 serves as a novel gene for chicken carcass traits by promoting fibroblast and myoblast proliferation. Additionally, the downstream variant rs317934171 regulates SERPINB6 expression. These results identify a new target gene and molecular marker for the molecular mechanisms of chicken carcass traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral perovskites have various applications in nonlinear optics due to their asymmetric structures. Currently, nonlinear optical studies have focused on lead‐based perovskite. However, the toxic element, Pb, hinders their further applications. Herein, (R/S‐MBA)4Bi2Br10 (MBA = α‐phenylethylamine) and (R/S‐MPA)2BiBr5 (MPA = 1‐phenylpropan‐1‐amine) crystals were synthesized and explored about the nonlinear optics. Both pairs of chiral perovskite enantiomers exhibit good thermal stability and symmetric circular dichroism signals. Interestingly, MPA and MBA differ by only one methylene but show significant differences in the crystal structures synthesized under the same conditions. The (R/S‐MBA)4Bi2Br10 crystal is a zero‐dimensional (0D) structure in which the [Bi2Br10]4– dimer is spaced by an organic amine. (R/S‐MPA)2BiBr5 crystals are 1D structures in which [BiBr6]2– units form infinitely extended chains by angle sharing. The crystals exhibit efficient second harmonic generation response, and the intensity of (R‐MPA)2BiBr5 is four times that of (R‐MBA)4Bi2Br10 at 980 nm excitation wavelength. The 1D infinitely extended inorganic chain in (R‐MPA)2BiBr5 allows for a more regular arrangement of chiral organic amines, and adjacent organic amines are arranged differently, together leading to its stronger non‐centrosymmetry, which is the decisive factor of nonlinear optics. The study guides the design and deep research of novel second‐order nonlinear optical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Epistasis provides a feasible way for probing potential genetic mechanism of complex traits. However, time-consuming computation challenges successful detection of interaction in practice, especially when linear mixed model (LMM) is used to control type I error in the presence of population structure and cryptic relatedness. Results: A rapid epistatic mixed-model association analysis (REMMA) method was developed to overcome computational limitation. This method first estimates individuals' epistatic effects by an extended genomic best linear unbiased prediction (EG-BLUP) model with additive and epistatic kinship matrix, then pairwise interaction effects are obtained by linear retransformations of individuals' epistatic effects. Simulation studies showed that REMMA could control type I error and in- crease statistical power in detecting epistatic QTNs in comparison with existing LMM-based FaST-LMM. We applied REMMA to two real datasets, a mouse dataset and the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) data. Application to the mouse data further confirmed the performance of REMMA in controlling type I error. For the WTCCC data, we found most epistatic QTNs for type 1 diabetes (T1D) located in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, from which a large interacting network with 12 hub genes (interacting with ten or more genes) was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondria Ca 2+ overload has long been recognized as a cell death trigger. Unexpectedly, we demonstrated a signaling complex composed of Calmodulin (CaM), Arabidopsis thaliana Bcl-2-associated athanogene 5 (AtBAG5) and Heat-shock cognate 70 protein (Hsc70) within Arabidopsis thaliana mitochondria which transduces mitochondria Ca 2+ elevations to suppress leaf senescence. Gain- and loss-of-function AtBAG5 mutant plants revealed that, mitochondria Ca 2+ elevation significantly increase chlorophyll retention and decrease H 2 O 2 level in dark-induced leaf senescence assay. Based on our findings, we proposed a molecular mechanism in which chronic mitochondria Ca 2+ elevation reduced ROS levels and thus inhibits leaf senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The mortality rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks second. circRNAs are abnormal expression in some diseases, and their dysregulation is associated with cancer progression. Recent studies have shown that the malignant progression of colorectal cancer is inseparable from the abnormal expression of circRNAs. Methods. First, the circ_0052184 expression in clinical tissue and cell samples was analyzed by qRT-PCR. Then, we constructed circ_0052184-silenced CRC cells and detected by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, the proliferation ability of cells was detected by colony formation assay. Cell migration ability was tested by wound healing assay and transwell assay. Cell invasion ability was detected by transwell assay. Results. Expression of circ_0052184 was significantly increased in colorectal cancer cell lines and tissues. Silencing circ_0052184 affected the proliferation, migration, and invasion of colorectal cancer cells. miR-604 was targeted by circ_0052184. The downstream target of miR-604 was HOXA9, and silencing circ_0052184 inhibited HOXA9 expression. The existence of the circ_0052184/miR-604/HOXA9 regulatory network in colorectal cancer was validated. circ_0052184 promoted the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer by targeting the miR-604/HOXA9 axis. Conclusions. Our study revealed that the molecular mechanism of circ_0052184 regulated the miR-604/HOXA9 axis, which might promote the malignant progression of colorectal cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PC4 is a robust and easy-to-use C -symmetry-based sequence for band-selective ZQ recoupling. • PC4 uses a low 13C RF power of 0.5 times MAS frequency for recoupling and moderate 1H power for decoupling. • PC4 can selectively enhance 13Cα-13Cβ correlation by up to 50 % while suppressing unwanted correlations compared to DARR under moderate MAS. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a potent tool for studying the structures and dynamics of insoluble proteins. It starts with signal assignment through multi-dimensional correlation experiments, where the aliphatic 13Cα-13Cβ correlation is indispensable for identifying specific residues. However, developing efficient methods for achieving this correlation is a challenge in solid-state NMR. We present a simple band-selective zero-quantum (ZQ) recoupling method, named POST-C4 16 1 (PC4), which enhances 13Cα-13Cβ correlations under moderate magic-angle spinning (MAS) conditions. PC4 requires minimal 13C radio-frequency (RF) field and proton decoupling, exhibits high stability against RF variations, and achieves superior efficiency. Comparative tests on various samples, including the formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLF) tripeptide, microcrystalline β1 immunoglobulin binding domain of protein G (GB1), and membrane protein of mechanosensitive channel of large conductance from Methanosarcina acetivorans (MaMscL), demonstrate that PC4 selectively enhances 13Cα-13Cβ correlations by up to 50 % while suppressing unwanted correlations, as compared to the popular dipolar-assisted rotational resonance (DARR). It has addressed the long-standing need for selective 13C–13C correlation methods. We anticipate that this simple but efficient PC4 method will have immediate applications in structural biology by solid-state NMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fluorimetric and colorimetric chemosensor (1O) was synthesized with diarylethene-rhodamine unit and characterized by ESI–MS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR. The chemosensor can selectively recognize extremely low concentrations of Hg2+ over a variety of metal ions with remarkable colorimetric and fluorescent responses. The colorimetric and fluorescent changes were ascribed the reaction between 1O and Hg2+ destructed the rhodamine hydrazide into open-ring form which was proved by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic titration analyses. The detection limits of the UV absorption and fluorescence methods for Hg2+ were found to be 0.708 μM and 24.6 nM, respectively. Moreover, the chemosensor exhibited excellent photochromism and outstanding fatigue resistance property under alternating UV and visible light irradiation. The application potential of the chemosensor was demonstrated with the qualitative detection of Hg2+ in real water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A body distribution with high intramuscular fat and low abdominal fat is the ideal goal for broiler breeding. Preadipocytes with different origins have differences in terms of metabolism and gene expression. The transcriptome analysis performed in this study of intramuscular preadipocytes (DIMFPs) and adipose tissue-derived preadipocytes (DAFPs) aimed to explore the characteristics of lipid deposition in different chicken preadipocytes by dedifferentiation in vitro. Results: Compared with DAFPs, the total lipid content in DIMFPs was reduced (P < 0.05). Moreover, 72 DEGs related to lipid metabolism were screened, which were involved in adipocyte differentiation, fatty acid transport and fatty acid synthesis, lipid stabilization, and lipolysis. Among the 72 DEGs, 19 DEGs were enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway, indicating its main contribution to the regulation of the difference in lipid deposition between DAFPs and DIMFPs. Among these 19 genes, the representative APOA1, ADIPOQ, FABP3, FABP4, FABP7, HMGCS2, LPL and RXRG genes were downregulated, but the ACSL1, FABP5, PCK2, PDPK1, PPARG, SCD, SCD5, and SLC27A6 genes were upregulated (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) in the DIMFPs. In addition, the well-known pathways affecting lipid metabolism (MAPK, TGF-beta and calcium) and the pathways related to cell communication were enriched, which may also contribute to the regulation of lipid deposition. Finally, the regulatory network for the difference in lipid deposition between chicken DAFPs and DIMFPs was proposed based on the above information. Conclusions: Our data suggested a difference in lipid deposition between DIMFPs and DAFPs of chickens in vitro and proposed a molecular regulatory network for the difference in lipid deposition between chicken DAFPs and DIMFPs. The lipid content was significantly increased in DAFPs by the direct mediation of PPAR signaling pathways. These findings provide new insights into the regulation of tissue-specific fat deposition and the optimization of body fat distribution in broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an optimized error sensitivity analysis (ESA) approach based on stream-of-variation (SOV) theory in multi-axis precise motion platform (MPMP) is introduced. Unlike the conventional ESA method, this approach utilizes stream-of-variation theory to establish error model firstly. By regarding each axis as a station, the error propagation and deviation accumulation processes are clear station by station. Through obtaining the deviations after each station, the sensitive stations can be developed, and corresponding error terms are collected. Thus, by analyzing the appearance frequency of the errors, a precise sensitive order can be developed, and a sensitivity results with different steps is given. Through ignoring the insensitive and irrelevant errors, the computational volume of error model can be saved, and the efficiency can be improved. A case study about a typical MPMP used in laser welding system (LWS) is carried out, and the results indicate that the optimized ESA approach is more efficient and accurate, and it is flexible as well. This ESA approach is not only accurate in developing sensitive levels, but also balancing the systematic accuracy and working efficiency, which is helpful to provide informative guide to engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Current dynamic phenotyping system introduces time as an extra dimension to genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which helps to explore the mechanism of dynamical genetic control for complex longitudinal traits. However, existing methods for longitudinal GWAS either ignore the covariance among observations of different time points or encounter computational efficiency issues. Results We herein developed efficient genome-wide multivariate association algorithms for longitudinal data. In contrast to existing univariate linear mixed model analyses, the proposed method has improved statistic power for association detection and computational speed. In addition, the new method can analyze unbalanced longitudinal data with thousands of individuals and more than ten thousand records within a few hours. The corresponding time for balanced longitudinal data is just a few minutes. Availability and implementation A software package to implement the efficient algorithm named GMA (https://github.com/chaoning/GMA) is available freely for interested users in relevant fields. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD) if injury is severe and/or repair is incomplete. However, the pathogenesis of CKD following renal ischemic injury is not fully understood. Capillary rarefaction and tubular hypoxia are common findings during the AKI to CKD transition. We investigated the tubular stress response to hypoxia and demonstrated that a stress responsive transcription factor, FoxO3, was regulated by prolyl hydroxylase. Hypoxia inhibited FoxO3 prolyl hydroxylation and FoxO3 degradation, thus leading to FoxO3 accumulation and activation in tubular cells. Hypoxia-activated Hif-1α contributed to FoxO3 activation and functioned to protect kidneys, as tubular deletion of Hif-1α decreased hypoxia-induced FoxO3 activation, and resulted in more severe tubular injury and interstitial fibrosis following ischemic injury. Strikingly, tubular deletion of FoxO3 during the AKI to CKD transition aggravated renal structural and functional damage leading to a more profound CKD phenotype. We showed that tubular deletion of FoxO3 resulted in decreased autophagic response and increased oxidative injury, which may explain renal protection by FoxO3. Our study indicates that in the hypoxic kidney, stress responsive transcription factors can be activated for adaptions to counteract hypoxic insults, thus attenuating CKD development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two carbide-derived carbons (CDCs) were synthesized by chlorination from TiC at 600 and 1000 °C. These CDCs were treated by HNO solution and evaluated as supercapacitor electrode materials in an alkaline electrolyte. It is found that the structure in CDC synthesized at 600 °C is disordered carbon with micropores, whereas for the CDC synthesized at 1000 °C, the structure in it is mainly well-ordered graphitic structure with micro- and meso-pores. Due to the big difference of these two CDCs, HNO activation plays the different effects in structure and consequently the specific capacitance. CDC synthesized at 600 °C is easier to be activated with the same HNO concentration and the increase of specific capacitance with HNO concentration mainly caused by pseudocapacitance. For CDC synthesized at 1000 °C, HNO activation improves the wettability of it and the increased accessible surface area causes considerable increase in specific capacitance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electromechanical properties of bone may play roles in the growth of bone tissue. The electrostriction effect of bone, which is one of the electromechanical properties of bone, was investigated using the digital image correlation technique (DIC). The advantage of using DIC is that the light beam used for the displacement measurement does not interfere with the electric field exerted on the bone specimen. To measure the bending deflections of a bone cantilever in an electric field, the displacement of the free end surface of the cantilever was measured using the image correlation technique. The experimental results show that the bending direction of the bone cantilevers is independent of the electric field direction and that the bending deflections are proportional to the square of the applied voltages. The attractive force between the charges on the electrode and the unlike charges in the specimen can be equivalent to a uniform distribution load regardless of the thickness of the bone specimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copy number variations (CNVs) are important forms of genomic variation, and have attracted extensive attentions in humans as well as domestic animals. In the study, using a custom-designed 2.1 M array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), genome-wide CNVs were identified among 12 individuals from diverse pig breeds, including one Asian wild population, six Chinese indigenous breeds and two modern commercial breeds (Yorkshire and Landrace), with one individual of the other modern commercial breed, Duroc, as the reference. A total of 1,344 CNV regions (CNVRs) were identified, covering 47.79 Mb (∼1.70%) of the pig genome. The length of these CNVRs ranged from 3.37 Kb to 1,319.0 Kb with a mean of 35.56 Kb and a median of 11.11 Kb. Compared with similar studies reported, most of the CNVRs (74.18%) were firstly identified in present study. In order to confirm these CNVRs, 21 CNVRs were randomly chosen to be validated by quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) and a high rate (85.71%) of confirmation was obtained. Functional annotation of CNVRs suggested that the identified CNVRs have important function, and may play an important role in phenotypic and production traits difference among various breeds. Our results are essential complementary to the CNV map in the pig genome, which will provide abundant genetic markers to investigate association studies between various phenotypes and CNVs in pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copy number variations (CNVs) are important forms of genetic variation complementary to SNPs, and can be considered as promising markers for some phenotypic and economically important traits or diseases susceptibility in domestic animals. In the present study, we performed a genome-wide CNV identification in 14 individuals selected from diverse populations, including six types of Chinese indigenous breeds, one Asian wild boar population, as well as three modern commercial foreign breeds. We identified 63 CNVRs in total, which covered 9.98 Mb of polymorphic sequence and corresponded to 0.36% of the genome sequence. The length of these CNVRs ranged from 3.20 to 827.21 kb, with an average of 158.37 kb and a median of 97.85 kb. Functional annotation revealed these identified CNVR have important molecular function, and may play an important role in exploring the genetic basis of phenotypic variability and disease susceptibility among pigs. Additionally, to confirm these potential CNVRs, we performed qPCR for 12 randomly selected CNVRs and 8 of them (66.67%) were confirmed successfully. CNVs detected in diverse populations herein are essential complementary to the CNV map in the pig genome, which provide an important resource for studies of genomic variation and the association between various economically important traits and CNVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Meishan is a pig breed indigenous to China and famous for its high fecundity. The traits of Meishan are strongly associated with its distinct evolutionary history and domestication. However, the genomic evidence linking the domestication of Meishan pigs with its unique features is still poorly understood. The goal of this study is to investigate the genomic signatures and evolutionary evidence related to the phenotypic traits of Meishan via large-scale sequencing. Results We found that the unique domestication of Meishan pigs occurred in the Taihu Basin area between the Majiabang and Liangzhu Cultures, during which 300 protein-coding genes have underwent positive selection. Notably, enrichment of the FoxO signaling pathway with significant enrichment signal and the harbored gene IGF1R were likely associated with the high fertility of Meishan pigs. Moreover, NFKB1 exhibited strong selective sweep signals and positively participated in hyaluronan biosynthesis as the key gene of NF-kB signaling, which may have resulted in the wrinkled skin and face of Meishan pigs. Particularly, three population-specific synonymous single-nucleotide variants occurred in PYROXD1 , MC1R , and FAM83G genes; the T305C substitution in the MCIR gene explained the black coat of the Meishan pigs well. In addition, the shared haplotypes between Meishan and Duroc breeds confirmed the previous Asian-derived introgression and demonstrated the specific contribution of Meishan pigs. Conclusions These findings will help us explain the unique genetic and phenotypic characteristics of Meishan pigs and offer a plausible method for their utilization of Meishan pigs as valuable genetic resources in pig breeding and as an animal model for human wrinkled skin disease research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]