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The YMR253C open reading frame encodes a membrane protein that is highly expressed in NaCl-resistant Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants. Whether it mediates NaCl tolerance is unclear. By knocking out YMR253C in S. cerevisiae, we found that the salt tolerance of yeast was reduced, the integrity of the cell wall was impaired, and cell death was induced; transcriptome analysis further revealed that YMR253C gene knockout mediates significant changes of 1291 genes, and YMR253C mediates the regulation of MAPK signal pathways. Therefore, the transmembrane protein YMR253C may regulate the MAPK signaling pathway to regulate the salt stress of S. cerevisiae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dysfunction of placenta is common in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) cloned cattle and would cause aberrant fetal development and even abortion, which occurred with highest rate at the mid- to late gestation. However, the mechanism of abnormal placentas was unclear. To analyze the transcriptome-wide characteristics of abnormal placentas in SCNT cloned cattle, the mRNA, lncRNA and miRNA of placental cotyledon tissue at day 180 after gestation were sequenced. A total of 19,055 mRNAs, 30,141 lncRNAs and 684 miRNAs were identified. Compared with control group, 362 mRNAs, 1,272 lncRNAs and nine miRNAs (six known and three novel miRNAs) were differentially expressed (fold change ≥ 2 and P-value < 0.05). The differentially expressed genes were functionally enriched in urea and ions transmembrane transport, which indicated that the maternal-fetal interactions were disturbed in impaired placentas. Furthermore, the competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) networks were identified to illustrate their roles in abnormal placental morphology. The present research would be helpful to discover the mechanism of late gestational abnormality of SCNT cattle by provides important genomic information and insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report two models of the lateral displacement of acoustic-wave scattering on a fluid-solid interface that reveal an acoustic analog of the Goos-Hänchen effect in optics. This acoustic analog is called the acoustic Goos-Hänchen effect. Using newly proposed models, we made numerical calculations for the system of a water-Perspex interface. Specifically, in the post-critical-angle region, we observed a lateral displacement (and transition time) of the reflected P-wave with respect to the incident P-wave. The first arrival of the acoustic signal from the interface is found to be a reflected P-wave rather than the sliding-refraction P-wave usually described in traditional acoustic-logging sliding P-wave theory. For both proposed models, the effective propagation speed of the reflected P-wave along the interface depends on not only the physical properties of the interfacial media but also the incident angle. These observations are intriguing and warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dazl (deleted in azoospermia-like) is a conserved gene in mammalian meiosis, which encodes RNA binding protein required for spermatocyte meiosis. Up to date, the expression and function of Dazl in the goat testis are unknown. The objectives of this study were to investigate the expression pattern of Dazl in dairy goat testis and their function in male germline stem cells (mGSCs). The results first revealed that the expression level of Dazl in adult testes was significantly higher than younger and immature goats, and azoospermia and male intersex testis. The dairy goat Dazl is highly conserved analysed by several online and bioinformatics software, respectively. Over-expression of Dazl promoted the expression of meiosis-related genes in dairy goat mGSCs. The expression of Stra8 was up-regulated by over-expression of Dazl analysed by Luciferase reporter assay. Taken together, results suggest the Dazl plays an important role in dairy goat spermatogenesis and that over-expression of Dazl may promote Stra8 expression in dairy goat mGSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]