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Ticks are specialized ectoparasites that feed on blood, causing physical harm to the host and facilitating pathogen transmission. The genus Haemaphysalis contains vectors for numerous infectious agents. These agents cause various diseases in humans and animals. Mitochondrial genome sequences serve as reliable molecular markers, forming a crucial basis for evolutionary analyses, studying species origins, and exploring molecular phylogeny. We extracted mitochondrial genome from the enriched mitochondria of Haemaphysalis tibetensis and obtained a 14,714-bp sequence. The mitochondrial genome consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA, 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and two control regions. The nucleotide composition of H. tibetensis mitochondrial genome was 38.38 % for A, 9.61 % for G, 39.32 % for T, and 12.69 % for C. The A + T content of H. tibetensis mitochondrial genome was 77.7 %, significantly higher than the G + C content. The repeat units of H. tibetensis exhibited two identical repeat units of 33 bp in length, positioned downstream of nad1 and rrnL genes. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses based on the 13 PCGs indicated that Haemaphysalis tibetensis (subgenus Allophysalis) formed a monophyletic clade with Haemaphysalis nepalensis (subgenus Herpetobia) and Haemaphysalis danieli (subgenus Allophysalis). Although the species Haemaphysalis inermis, Haemaphysalis kitaokai, Haemaphysalis kolonini , and Haemaphysalis colasbelcouri belong to the subgenus Alloceraea , which were morphologically primitive hemaphysalines just like H. tibetensis , these four tick species cannot form a single clade with H. tibetensis. In this study, the whole mitochondrial genome sequence of H. tibetensis from Tibet was obtained, which enriched the mitochondrial genome data of ticks and provided genetic markers to study the population heredity and molecular evolution of the genus Haemaphysalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large numbers of receptor-like kinases (RLKs) play key roles in plant development and defense by perceiving extracellular signals. The mechanisms of ligand-induced kinase activation and downstream signal transduction have been studied for only a few RLK pathways, among which the brassinosteroid (BR) pathway is the best characterized. Recently, proteomics studies identified new components that bridge the last gap in the genetically defined BR-signaling pathway, establishing the first complete pathway from an RLK to transcription factors in plants. Furthermore, analyses of phosphorylation events, mostly by mass spectrometry, provided insights into the mechanistic details of receptor kinase activation and regulation of downstream components by phosphorylation. This review focuses on recent progress in understanding BR signal transduction made by proteomics studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell (MS-SOFC) has been attracting increasing attention due to relatively low materials cost and robust mechanic strength particularly for mobile applications. However, long term stability has been an issue for its application. It is challenging to isolate the degradation behavior and predict maximum lifetime of the metal substrate when assembled as full cell since many parameters may affect cell performance and life expectancy. We systematically investigated and reported the long-term oxidation behavior of porous stainless steel 430 L for up to 1500 h at 800°C under dry and 3 vol% H 2 O humidified H 2 /Ar mixture (10 vol% H 2) atmosphere to simulate its applications in MS-SOFC. Our results show that the surface oxide scale of the porous 430Lsubstrate in both atmospheres are dominated by Cr 2 O 3 and small amounts of MnCr 2 O 4 or FeCr 2 O 4 spinel oxides depending on the gas conditions, where the oxidation process could be divided into three stages with distinct characteristics. Stepwise surface color change, morphology and thickness of the formed oxide scale, elemental migration and distribution along the bulk alloy/oxide scale interface, and oxidation kinetics as a function of exposure time are systematically and thoroughly studied at high resolution. Based on the measured weight gains and thicknesses, oxidation kinetic parameters are extracted. These kinetic parameters are not only valuable for understanding the oxidation rate of porous 430 L in high temperature applications such as in MS-SOFC, but also can be used to predict the life expectancy of 430 L supported SOFC device which is critical for real and long-term applications. • Oxidative studies are performed simulated SOFC anode conditions for 1500 h. • The oxidation kinetics reflect three stages of oxidation characteristics. • Oxides are mainly composed of Cr 2 O 3 and did not undergo breakaway oxidation. • The estimated life of porous 430 L by oxidation kinetics is about 10,000 h. • Oxidation rate is as low as 2.33 × 10−4 %2 h−1 under ppm level of oxygen partial pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We sought to explore the effects of sodium valproate combined with lamotrigine on quality of life and serum inflammatory factors in patients with poststroke secondary epilepsy.Methods: A total of 145 patients with post-stroke secondary epilepsy admitted to our hospital from January 2017 to June 2018 were collected: 76 treated with sodium valproate combined with lamotrigine (study group) and 69 patients treated with sodium valproate alone (control group). The levels of serum high-mobility group protein B1, matrix metalloproteinase 9, and interleukin 6 were detected before and after treatment, and the therapeutic efficacy and adverse reactions were compared between the 2 groups.Results: The total effective rate of the study group was higher than that of the control group. Both groups decreased in epileptiform discharges or in the number of involved leads after treatment, with the results of the study group being lower than those of the control group. The quality of life scores in both groups was increased after treatment, albeit the scores of the study group were higher than those of the control group. In terms of the levels of serum inflammatory factors, the 2 groups were reduced after treatment; the levels of the study group were lower than those of the control group. Regarding the incidence of adverse reactions, no significant difference was seen between the 2 groups.Conclusions: Sodium valproate combined with lamotrigine has better clinical efficacy and higher safety in the treatment of poststroke secondary epilepsy and is able to reduce the expression levels of serum inflammatory factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is associated with sustained vasoconstriction, inflammation and suppressed apoptosis of smooth muscle cells. Our previous studies have found that rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) transduced with a mutant caveolin-1(F92A-Cav1) could enhance endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity and improve pulmonary vascular remodeling, but the potential mechanism is not yet fully explored. The present study was to investigate the gene expression profile upon rBMSCs/F92A-Cav1delivered to PAH rat to evaluate the role of F92A-Cav1 in its regulation. Methods PAH was induced with monocrotaline (MCT, 60 mg/kg) prior to delivery of lentiviral vector transduced rBMSCs expressing Cav1 or F92A-Cav1. Gene expression profiling was performed using Rat Signal Transduction PathwayFinder array. The expression changes of 84 key genes representing 10 signal transduction pathways in rat following rBMSCs/F92A-Cav1 treatment was examined. Results Screening with the Rat Signal Transduction PathwayFinder R 2 PCR Array system and subsequent western blot, immunohistochemistry or real time PCR analysis revealed that F92A-Cav1 modified rBMSCs can inhibit the inflammation factors (TNF-alpha, Icam1 and C/EBPdelta), pro-proliferation genes (c-Myc, Bcl2a1d, Notch1and Hey2), oxidative stress gene (Hmox1) and activate cell cycle arrested gene Cdkn1a, ameliorating inflammation and inhibiting cell proliferation in PAH rat. Conclusion rBMSCs/F92A-Cav1 inhibits inflammation and cell proliferation by regulating signaling pathways that related to inflammation, proliferation, cell cycle and oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Brassinosteroids (BRs) regulate a wide range of developmental and physiological processes in plants through a receptor-kinase signaling pathway that controls the BZR transcription factors. Here, we use transcript profiling and chromatin-immunoprecipitation microarray (ChIP-chip) experiments to identify 953 BR-regulated BZR1 target (BRBT) genes. Functional studies of selected BRBTs further demonstrate roles in BR promotion of cell elongation. The BRBT genes reveal numerous molecular links between the BR-signaling pathway and downstream components involved in developmental and physiological processes. Furthermore, the results reveal extensive crosstalk between BR and other hormonal and light-signaling pathways at multiple levels. For example, BZR1 not only controls the expression of many signaling components of other hormonal and light pathways but also coregulates common target genes with light-signaling transcription factors. Our results provide a genomic map of steroid hormone actions in plants that reveals a regulatory network that integrates hormonal and light-signaling pathways for plant growth regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Brassinosteroids (BRs) are essential hormones for plant growth and development. BRs regulate gene expression by inducing dephosphorylation of two key transcription factors, BZR1 and BZR2/BES1, through a signal transduction pathway that involves cell-surface receptors (BRI1 and BAK1) and a GSK3 kinase (BIN2). How BR-regulated phosphorylation controls the activities of BZR1/BZR2 is not fully understood. Here, we show that BIN2-catalyzed phosphorylation of BZR1/BZR2 not only inhibits DNA binding, but also promotes binding to the 14-3-3 proteins. Mutations of a BIN2-phosphorylation site in BZR1 abolish 14-3-3 binding and lead to increased nuclear localization of BZR1 protein and enhanced BR responses in transgenic plants. Further, BR deficiency increases cytoplasmic localization, and BR treatment induces rapid nuclear localization of BZR1/BZR2. Thus, 14-3-3 binding is required for efficient inhibition of phosphorylated BR transcription factors, largely through cytoplasmic retention. This study demonstrates that multiple mechanisms are required for BR regulation of gene expression and plant growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]