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Abstract Coprinus comatus, widely known as “Jituigu”, is an important commodity and food in China. The yield of C. comatus, however, is substantially reduced by the autolysis of the fruiting bodies after harvest. To gain insight into the molecular mechanism underlying this autolysis, we divided the growth of C. comatus fruiting bodies into four stages: infant stage (I), mature stage (M), discolored stage (D), and autolysis stage (A). We then subjected these stages to de novo transcriptomic analysis using high-throughput Illumina sequencing. A total of 12,946 unigenes were annotated and analyzed with the Gene Ontology (GO), Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COG), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). We analyzed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between stages I and M, M and D, and D and A. Because the changes from M to D are thought to be related to autolysis, we focused on the DEGs between these two stages. We found that the pathways related to metabolic activity began to vary in the transition from M to D, including pathways named as autophagy—yeast, peroxisome, and starch and sucrose metabolism. This study also speculates the possible process of the autolysis of Coprinus comatus. In addition, 20 genes of interest were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR to verify their expression profiles at the four developmental stages. This study, which is the first to describe the transcriptome of C. comatus, provides a foundation for future studies concerning the molecular basis of the autolysis of its fruiting bodies.

The Quaternary red soil widely distributed in China is an important arable land resource. A quantitative understanding of nutrient changes of Quaternary red soils under different land-use patterns is the necessary premise for effective regulation, management, and sustainable utilization. In this study, five typical Quaternary red soil profiles under different land-use patterns were taken as the research object in Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, China. The results showed that: (1) Buried Quaternary red soils were minimally affected by external disturbances. The contents of nitrogen (around 0.02%), phosphorus (ranging from 0.06% to 0.07%), and potassium (ranging from 3.12% to 3.50%) were at relatively low levels and homogeneously distributed with depth. (2) The total nitrogen content of red soils under each land-use pattern showed an increasing trend in the upper part of the profile (A and B horizons), and a sequence of woodland (CL-04) > grassland (CL-03) > arable land (CL-05) = sparse forest–grassland (CL-02). The nitrogen content in the lower part of different land-use patterns was about 0.02%. The phosphorus content of the topsoil layer remained unchanged (ranging from 0.05% to 0.06%), while the subsoil phosphorus decreased to varying extents. The potassium experienced leaching in both topsoil and subsoil layers, with the topsoil losses being lower than that in the subsoil. The range of total potassium content in the grassland (CL-03) ranged from 2.64% to 4.21%, from 3.91% to 4.44% for sparse forest–grassland (CL-02), from 2.41% to 2.63% for woodland (CL-04), and 2.85% to 2.92% for arable land (CL-05), respectively. The variation in nutrient content was related to the vegetation type, coverage rate, artificial fertilization method and species, etc. The accumulative mass change in the sparse forest–grassland increased by 384.16 g/100 cm2, and the other land-use patterns showed a decreasing trend of arable land (83.71 g/100 cm2) > woodland (83.71 g/100 cm2) > grassland (83.71 g/100 cm2), with the topsoil leaching losses being smaller than those in the subsoil layer. The characteristics of windbreak, sand fixation, and soil and water conservation of the sparse forest–grassland could well hold the nutrient-rich loess sediments, resulting in increased nutrients in the Quaternary red soil, which is a reasonable land-use pattern for the Chaoyang area.

Taper implants differ greatly from anatomical teeth in shape. In this study, seven three-dimensional finite element models were established, including a conventional taper implant and six root-analog implants with different root numbers and shapes. Vertical, horizontal, and oblique instantaneous loads of 100 N were applied to the models to obtain stress distribution in the implant, mucosa, cortical bone, and cancellous bone. ANSYS was used to perform the analysis under hypothetical experimental conditions. We find the stresses in all the implants and surrounding tissues varied by loading direction, the sequence of stress magnitude is vertical load, oblique load, and then horizontal load. The maximum stress values in root-analog implants were significantly less than in the taper implant. Moreover, stress distribution in the former was equalized contrary to the concentrated stress in the latter. Root-analog implants with different root geometry also revealed a pattern: stresses in multiple-root implant models were lower than those in single-root implants under the same load. The implant with a long and rounded root distributed the stress more uniformly, and it was mainly concentrated on the implant itself and cancellous bone. However, the opposite effect was observed in the short implant on mucosa and cortical bone. The root geometry of anatomical teeth can modify their functions. A uniform-shaped implant can hardly meet their functional requirements. Thus, the root-analog implant could be a possible solution.

The present study for the first time describes the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Antheraea pernyi Guérin-Méneville 1855 strain Luhong, a genetic lethal mutant exhibiting especially red skin color. The mt genome is 15,563 bp in length that is the smallest among the sequenced A. pernyi inbred strains. This genome displays an identical genomic component and gene order to other six known A. pernyi mt genomes. The mt genome-based phylogenetic analysis clustered Luhong with four strains exhibiting yellow skin color, consistent with the traditional view that all of them belonged to the yellow blood lineage.

The p8 gene encodes a transcription factor known to modulate cell growth, division, and apoptosis and influences gene expression. In this study, an Atlantic halibut ( Hippoglossus hippoglossus) homolog of the p8 gene was cloned, sequenced, and characterized. The full-length p8 cDNA consists of 601 bp and encodes 76 amino acids with a molecular mass of 9 kD. The bHLH region is well conserved between Atlantic halibut and other animals. Analysis by RT-PCR showed that the p8 transcript is constitutively expressed in 9 of the 12 tissues tested: pancreas, intestine, stomach, gill, head kidney, heart, liver, ovary, and spleen. A predicted microRNA target site was found in the 3′UTR of Atlantic halibut p8 mRNA. We speculate that the target site may pair to microRNA molecules because the target site resides in a big loop, a space large enough for the binding of microRNA molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]