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KNOTTED-like homeodomain (KNOX) genes are transcriptional regulators that play an important role in morphogenesis. In the present study, a comparative analysis was performed to investigate the molecular evolution of the characteristics of the KNOX gene family in 10 different plant species. We identified 129 KNOX gene family members, which were categorized into two subfamilies based on multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. Several segmental duplication pairs were found, indicating that different species share a common expansion model. Functional divergence analysis identified the 15 and 52 amino acid sites with significant changes in evolutionary rates and amino acid physicochemical properties as functional divergence sites. Additional selection analysis showed that 14 amino acid sites underwent positive selection during evolution, and two groups of co-evolutionary amino acid sites were identified by Coevolution Analysis using Protein Sequences software. These sites could play critical roles in the molecular evolution of the KNOX gene family in these species. In addition, the expression profiles of KNOX duplicated genes demonstrated functional divergence. Taken together, these results provide novel insights into the structural and functional evolution of the KNOX gene family.

Background: The skin condition of women is different at different ages, and skin surface lipids are also different. According to the "7–7 theory" of the Huangdi Neijing, the physiological condition of women changes significantly every 7 years, and women aged 22–28 are in the "4–7" stage as mentioned in the "7–7 theory" of the Huangdi Neijing. Women's skin is in different states at different ages and produces different lipids. Objectives: To explore the key lipids that contribute to skin differences between women aged 22–28 and 29–35 years, and to explore the relationship with physiological parameters and daily routine. Methods: Differential lipids were detected and screened between 22–28 year old (group D1) and 29–35 year old (group D2) dry‐skinned women using UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS and correlated between the two groups with questionnaires and physiological parameters based on basic information, lifestyle habits, work situation, and emotional stress. Results: The results showed that all of the eight major classes of lipids had the highest expression in the D2 group, with the largest differences in glycerophospholipids, glycerol esters, and fatty acids. The BMI value of D2 group was higher than that of D1 group, the skin elasticity index (R2) and brightness index (L, a, ITA values) were lower than that of D1 group, and Cer (d18:0/16:0) was positively correlated with the R2, L, a, and ITA, and LMSP01080056 (N,N‐dimethyl‐Safingol) was positively correlated with the b‐value, the LMSPGP03020013, LMSPGP03020014, LMSP03020024 were significantly negatively correlated with R2. Conclusions: Cer(d18:0/16:0) is a neurosphingol that inhibits elastase expression. N,N‐dimethyl‐Safingol readily undergoes oxidation to form yellow‐brown solids. The macromolecular structure and excessive carbonyl structure of [LMGP0302] are susceptible to cross‐linking and carbonyl stress reactions, which accelerate skin aging and reduce skin elasticity, and thus, they may be key lipids contributing to skin differences between the two age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larch bark procyanidins (LBPCs) have not only antioxidant and antitumor properties, but also strong bacteriostatic effects. However, it is not clear about the antibacterial mechanisms of LBPC. In this work, the antibacterial effects and mechanisms of LBPC on Staphylococcus aureus were studied in the aspects of morphological structure, cell wall and membrane, essential proteins, and genetic material. The results showed that LBPC effectively inhibited bacterial growth at a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1.75 mg/ml. Bacterial morphology was significantly altered by LBPC treatment, with the cell walls and membranes being destroyed. Extracellular alkaline phosphatase content, bacterial fluid conductivity, and Na+/K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase activities in the membrane system were all increased. In the energy metabolic systems, the activities of succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) were all decreased, resulting in a slowdown of metabolism and bacterial growth inhibition. Changes of protein content and composition in the bacteria suggested that the protein expression system was affected. In addition, LBPC was found to bind to DNA grooves to form complexes. Thus, LBPC has a very strong inhibitory effect on S. aureus and can kill S. aureus by destroying the integrity and permeability of the cell wall and cell membrane, affecting protein synthesis, and binding to DNA., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)