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Supplementary Table 1: The mRNA level changes of representative components or targets of JAK-STAT, JNK, and Notch signaling pathways in snr1-RNAi tumorous wing discs relative to control wildtype wing discs.

Supplementary figure 1: Snr1 is required for cell survival in Drosophila wing imaginal disc. Supplementary figure 2: Tumorigenic overgrowth in wing discs carrying snr1-depletion by tissue-specific Gal4 drivers. Supplementary figure 3: Coexpression of rpr and p35 does not induce neoplastic tumorigenic overgrowth in the wing disc. Supplementary figure 4: Wing discs with snr1 loss shows neoplastic overgrowth. Supplementary figure 5: Tumorigenic overgrowth in the wing disc with mosaic clones of snr1 mutation. Supplementary figure 6: Depletion of brm or osa causes apoptotic phenotype in wing pouch region. Supplementary figure 7: Subcellular localization in salivary gland cells. Supplementary figure 8: Knockdown of other components of the SWI/SNF complex does not affect trafficking signaling. Supplementary figure 9: Transmembrane proteins are not accumulated in brm- or osa-depleted cells. Supplementary figure 10: Notch signaling is not upregulated in brm- or osa-RNAi cells. Supplementary figure 11: Depletion of brm or osa does not change JAK-STAT signaling activity. Supplementary figure 12: JNK signaling is barely affected in brm- or osa-depleted cells. Supplementary figure 13: Knockdown of dilp8 or mmp1 does not suppress snr1 depletion-induced tumorigenic overgrowth.

Components of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex are among the most frequently mutated genes in various human cancers, yet only SMARCB1/hSNF5, a core member of the SWI/SNF complex, is mutated in malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT). How SMARCB1/hSNF5 functions differently from other members of the SWI/SNF complex remains unclear. Here, we use Drosophila imaginal epithelial tissues to demonstrate that Snr1, the conserved homolog of human SMARCB1/hSNF5, prevents tumorigenesis by maintaining normal endosomal trafficking-mediated signaling cascades. Removal of Snr1 resulted in neoplastic tumorigenic overgrowth in imaginal epithelial tissues, whereas depletion of any other members of the SWI/SNF complex did not induce similar phenotypes. Unlike other components of the SWI/SNF complex that were detected only in the nucleus, Snr1 was observed in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Aberrant regulation of multiple signaling pathways, including Notch, JNK, and JAK/STAT, was responsible for tumor progression upon snr1-depletion. Our results suggest that the cytoplasmic Snr1 may play a tumor suppressive role in Drosophila imaginal tissues, offering a foundation for understanding the pivotal role of SMARCB1/hSNF5 in suppressing MRT during early childhood. Cancer Res; 77(4); 862–73. ©2017 AACR.

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the variation rules of the freezing/thawing period and soil water-heat exchange. With the use of meteorological and soil observation data, this study highlighted the importance of vegetation cover and soil moisture for the beginning of the freezing/thawing period, and an improved calculation equation of the soil moisture content was presented, which could be used to simulate the variation in soil moisture during the freezing/thawing period. Our analyses showed that the temperature changes at the beginning of the soil freezing month (December) and the soil thawing month (February) were significantly different from 2009 to 2018. The rate of air temperature increase in December reached 0.38 °C/a. However, the air temperature in February changed little. As a result, the beginning of the soil freezing period was clearly lagged, while the beginning of the soil thawing period fluctuated little. The total soil thawing time increased by 25 days over 10 years. Furthermore, it was shown that the surface vegetation cover and soil moisture affected the beginning of the freezing/thawing time. In general, the soil freezing/thawing state at sites with low vegetation cover and soil moisture content was more likely to change. To further study the freezing/thawing mechanism, the relationship between the soil temperature and soil moisture during the freezing/thawing period was expressed as a fitting function of the relationship between soil water and heat. It was shown that the relationship between the soil moisture and soil temperature followed the new fitting function in both warm and cold years.

As a result of the culmination of data, and the fast-paced advancement of new research, all the biological information collected can make it difficult to sort data. This is oftentimes experienced when learning about the human genome. Fortunately, with the advancement of technology, the field of bioinformatics has emerged which has allowed for the creation of a variety of biological databases. These biological databases provide a condensed reservoir of organized information that is easy to use and topic-specific. Here, we provide a list of 39 biological databases that help break down the fundamental details of a gene. This chapter uses the NOTCH1 gene as an example to demonstrate how biological databases can be used to extract gene information. Five sections were created to highlight the major areas needed to build a comprehensive foundation of NOTCH1. The first section lists databases containing basic gene and protein product information. The next section consists of protein interactions and signaling pathway databases which are essential in understanding the biological processes a gene product is involved in. Gene expression and disease databases are the next two sections which are connected since disease results from the aberrant expression of a gene product. The last database section examines model organisms which serve a key role in the study of human genetic diseases. Using these databases, we can elucidate NOTCH1's gene/protein structure, expression, and vital physiological function through the Notch signaling pathway.

Many highly conserved pathways control the development and determine cell fate in organisms. One of these pathways is the Notch signaling pathway that allows for local cell-cell communication. Researchers have found that the timing for when Notch signaling activates the target gene is important for maintaining normal gene expression. Any alterations in the downstream gene expression could cause issues with development or certain diseases. The Drosophila oogenesis is a widely used model in developmental biology for analyzing the Notch pathway. However, determining the stage of oogenesis is difficult and varies depending on individual analyzing it. Here, we provide a MATLAB tool to automatically identify the stage of a Drosophila egg chamber and reveal the Notch expression pattern.

Epithelial cells form continuous membranous structures for organ formation, and these cells are classified into three major morphological categories: cuboidal, columnar, and squamous. It is crucial that cells transition between these shapes during the morphogenetic events of organogenesis, yet this process remains poorly understood. All three epithelial cell shapes can be found in the follicular epithelium of Drosophila egg chamber during oogenesis. Squamous cells (SCs), are initially restricted to the anterior terminus in cuboidal shape. They then rapidly become flattened to assume squamous shape by stretching and expansion in twelve hours during midoogenesis. Previously, we reported that Notch signaling activated a zinc-finger transcription factor Broad (Br) at the end of early oogenesis. Here we report that ecdysone and JAK/STAT pathways subsequently converge on Br to serve as an important spatiotemporal regulator of this dramatic morphological change of SCs. The early uniform pattern of Br in the follicular epithelium is directly established by Notch signaling at stage 5 of oogenesis. Later, ecdysone and JAK/STAT signaling activities synergize to suppress Br in SCs from stage 8 to 10a, contributing to proper SC squamous shape. During this process, ecdysone signaling is essential for the SC stretching, while JAK/STAT regulates SC clustering and cell fate determination. This study reveals an inhibitory role of ecdysone signaling in suppressing Br in epithelial cell remodeling. In this study we also used single-cell RNA sequencing data to highlight the shift in gene expression which occurs as Br is suppressed and cells become flattened.

Surface solar radiation is affected by many random mutation factors, which makes the ultra-short-term prediction face great challenges. In this paper, the surface radiation observation station in the northwest (Dunhuang) desert area with broad PV prospects is selected as the research object. The input parameters of the test sample are: cloud forecast value, reflectivity and brightness temperature value of a satellite cloud image closest to the forecast time. The MATLAB software is used to model the prediction program and to predict the surface solar radiation in the next 10 minutes. A combined algorithm of satellite cloud images and neural network is applied to predict surface solar radiation for the next 10 minutes and is compared with the measured surface solar radiation. The model is a lightweight calculation model, it satisfies the calculation precision of engineering requirements. The results show that the diurnal variation trend of measured and predicted radiation values is basically the same. Among them, the prediction accuracy of the model for cloudy days is higher, while for snowy days with more abrupt changes, the prediction error of abrupt points is larger. The model can provide reference for ultra-short-term prediction of surface radiation.

Living organisms require complex signaling interactions and proper regulation of these interactions to influence biological processes. Of these complex networks, one of the most distinguished is the Notch pathway. Dysregulation of this pathway often results in defects during organismal development and can be a causative mechanism for initiation and progression of cancer. Despite previous research entailing the importance of this signaling pathway and the organismal processes that it is involved in, less is known concerning the major Notch downstream targets, especially the onset and sequence in which they are modulated during normal development. As timing of regulation may be linked to many biological processes, we investigated and established a model of temporal patterning of major Notch downstream targets including broad, cut, and hindsight during Drosophila melanogaster egg chamber development. We confirmed the sequential order of Broad upregulation, Hindsight upregulation, and Cut downregulation. In addition, we showed that Notch signaling could be activated at stage 4, one stage earlier than the stage 5, a previously long-held belief. However, our further mitotic marker analysis re-stated that mitotic cycle continues until stage 5. Through our study, we once again validated the effectiveness and reliability of our MATLAB toolbox designed to systematically identify egg chamber stages based on area size, ratio, and additional morphological characteristics.

The incidence of ovarian cancer dramatically increases in early menopause but the factors contributing to cancer onset are unclear. Most ovarian cancers originate in the fallopian tube with subsequent implantation of malignant cells into the ovary. However, the events and conditions that lead to cancer cell implantation are unknown. To quantify which conditions are conducive to the seeding of cancer cells in an immunocompetent mouse model, we surgically implanted mouse ovarian cancer cells into the oviducts of syngeneic mice and simulated conditions associated with ovulatory wound repair, incessant ovulation, ovarian surface scarring, and aging. We found that the dominant site of cancer cell seeding was not the ovary but the nearby surgical wound site, which was associated with a strong and persistent inflammatory reaction. Conditions in the ovary associated with inflammation, such as acute ovulatory wound repair, active healing of the scarred ovarian surface, and mouse aging, contributed to increased seeding of the cancer cells to the surgical wound site and tissues surrounding the ovary. Changes in the ovary not accompanied by inflammation, such as completed ovulatory cycles and fully-healed scars on the ovarian surface, did not contribute to increased cancer cell seeding. We conclude that inflammation is the most likely mechanism by which ovulation and postmenopausal events contribute to the increased risk of ovarian cancer.

Cardiovascular stent restenosis remains a major challenge in interventional treatment of cardiovascular occlusive disease. Although the changes in arterial mechanical environment due to stent implantation are the main causes of the initiation of restenosis and thrombosis, the mechanisms that cause this initiation are still not fully understood. In this article, we reviewed the studies on the issue of stent-induced alterations in arterial mechanical environment and discussed their roles in stent restenosis and late thrombosis from three aspects: (i) the interaction of the stent with host blood vessel, involve the response of vascular wall, the mechanism of mechanical signal transmission, the process of re-endothelialization and late thrombosis; (ii) the changes of hemodynamics in the lumen of the vascular segment and (iii) the changes of mechanical microenvironment within the vascular segment wall due to stent implantation. This review has summarized and analyzed current work in order to better solve the two main problems after stent implantation, namely in stent restenosis and late thrombosis, meanwhile propose the deficiencies of current work for future reference.

Voltage standard source is an important basic instrument in the electrical measurement and testing field, and it has important guarantee significance for many industries. AC voltage standard source is based on AC-DC conversion technology to achieve output function of high precision AC voltage. In order to get a better effect of AC-DC conversion, the three factors—operational amplifier, resistance and diode—that have a greater impact on the accuracy of the rectifier output were taken the research object, and their impacts on the circuit error were analyzed respectively. The output result was compared with the output of full wave precision rectification circuit under ideal state, and the scheme of reducing error in the precision rectifier circuit was summarized, which provides a reference for improving the accuracy of AC-DC conversion in the design of full wave rectifier circuit.

The variation trends of sensible heat (SH) and latent heat (LH) flux over the alpine wetlands in the source region of the Yellow River (SRYR) have been altered in the past 30 years. The variations in the surface heat source and its influence on the plateau summer monsoon have become attractive and important. The Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5), driven by the forcing data from CRUNCEP, was used to simulate the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of the SH and LH from 1980 to 2010 over the SRYR. The simulated SH and LH are compared to the situ measurements of the Maduo climatic monitoring station from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources. In addition, the relationships between the SH, LH and plateau summer monsoon have also been analysed. The results show that the seasonal mean SH reaches its maximum in spring and its minimum in winter. For the annual SH, there is an increasing trend in the early period and then a decreasing trend, while the variation trends of the LH are opposite to those of the SH flux. In addition, the LH transfer in summer reaches a maximum; the SH flux in the northern SRYR was higher in spring and summer. The SH of the two lakes, Lake Gyaring and Lake Ngoring, are significantly smaller than those of the surrounding areas. For the spatial distributions of the annual mean flux, the SH flux presented larger values over the central SRYR, while it presented smaller values in the southern areas. The LH shows an increasing trend from the northwest to the southeast of the SRYR. Meanwhile, the LH transport over the two lakes is notably higher than those of the surrounding areas. The time series of SH amplitude shows that it changes every 6–10 a. The SH amplitude is a mostly positive anomaly in the spatial distribution of the first pattern. EOF2 shows a high west of 101°E and a low centre east of 101°E; the relationship between the SH in spring and the different plateau summer monsoon indices are negatively correlated over SRYR. The negative correlations between the SH flux and ZPMI, DPMI, and QPMI are more remarkable in the northeast of the region.

This study focuses on the relationships between wind velocity, temperature, water vapour, CO2, and the stability parameters over an alpine wetland. The turbulence data collected by a suite of instruments in the Maduo wetland, which is located at the source of the Yellow River (from June to August 2014), were used to study the characteristics of turbulence transport, turbulence kinetic energy, humidity variance, temperature variance, CO2 variance, and turbulence intensity. The results show that the normalized standard deviation of the wind velocity components (σ u , σ v , and σ w ) generally satisfies a 1/3 power-law relation. The values of σ u,v,w /u * increase with increasing |(z − d)/L|. Moreover, the normalized standard deviation of the temperature, CO2, and water vapour is scatter under stable stratification at night. However, they increase as the absolute stability parameters decrease under unstable stratification. The results also indicate that the turbulent kinetic energy and turbulence intensity reach their peak values when the stability parameter is close to zero. When the wind velocity is less than 2 m/s, the turbulence intensities in the three directions decrease rapidly with increasing wind velocity. Moreover, the average value of C D (the overall momentum transfer coefficient) is significantly larger than those of C H (the sensible heat transfer coefficient) under different conditions. The bulk transport coefficient decreases as the stability increases. Finally, because of the high temperatures, the leaf stomata are nearly closed, and the pulse of the CO2 flux is very small at noon time. Meanwhile, the latent and sensible heat fluxes reach their maximum values.

At the early stage of atherosclerosis, neointima is formed due to the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from the media to the intima. VSMCs are surrounded by highly adhesive 3D matrices. They take specific strategies to cross various 3D matrices in the media, including heterogeneous collagen and mechanically-strong basement membrane. Migration of VSMCs is potentially caused by biomechanical mechanism. Most in vitro studies focus on cell migration on 2D substrates in response to biochemical factors. How the cells move through 3D matrices under the action of mechanosensing machineries remains unexplored. In this review, we propose that several interesting tension-dependent machineries act as “tractor”— posterior myosin II accumulation, and “wrecker” – anterior podosome maintaining, to power VSMCs ahead. VSMCs embedded in 3D matrices may accumulate a minor myosin II isoform, myosin IIB, at the cell rear. Anisotropic myosin IIB distribution creates cell rear, polarizes cell body, pushes the nucleus and reshapes the cell body, and cooperates with a uniformly-distributed myosin IIA to propel the cell forward. On the other hand, matrix digestion by podosome further promote the migration when the matrix becomes denser. Actomyosin tension activates Src to induce podosome in soft 3D matrices and retain the podosome integrity to steadily digest the matrix.

COVID-19 epidemic doubling time by Chinese province was increasing from January 20 through February 9, 2020. The harmonic mean of the arithmetic mean doubling time estimates ranged from 1.4 (Hunan, 95% CI, 1.2-2.0) to 3.1 (Xinjiang, 95% CI, 2.1-4.8), with an estimate of 2.5 days (95% CI, 2.4-2.6) for Hubei.

Notch signaling is a highly conserved regulatory pathway involved in many cellular processes. Dysregulation of this signaling pathway often leads to interference with proper development and may even result in initiation or progression of cancers in certain cases. Because this pathway serves complex and versatile functions, it can be studied extensively through many different approaches. Of these, bioinformatics provides an undeniably cost-efficient, approachable, and user-friendly method of study. Bioinformatics is a useful way to extract smaller pieces of information from large-scale datasets. Through the implementation of various bioinformatics approaches, researchers can quickly, reliably, and efficiently interpret these large datasets, yielding insightful applications and scientific discoveries. Here, a protocol is presented for integration of bioinformatics approaches to investigate the role of Notch signaling in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, bioinformatics findings are validated through experimentation.

Polyamines not only play roles in plant growth and development, but also adapt to environmental stresses. Polyamines can be oxidized by copper-containing diamine oxidases (CuAOs) and flavin-containing polyamine oxidases (PAOs). Two types of PAOs exist in the plant kingdom; one type catalyzes the back conversion (BC-type) pathway and the other catalyzes the terminal catabolism (TC-type) pathway. The catabolic features and biological functions of plant PAOs have been investigated in various plants in the past years. In this review, we focus on the advance of PAO studies in rice, Arabidopsis, and tomato, and other plant species.

Cancer is essentially a genetic disease. Accumulated gene mutations accelerate genome instability, which eventually leads to uncontrollable growth of the tumor. Bladder cancer is the most common form of urinary tract cancer. This form of cancer has a poor prognosis due to its clinical heterogeneity and molecular diversity. Despite recent scientific advances, the knowledge and treatment of bladder cancer still lags behind that of other types of solid tumor. In the present study, available large data portals and other studies were used to obtain clinically relevant information, and the data were systematically processed to decipher the genes associated with bladder cancer. Genes associated with the survival time of patients with bladder cancer were successfully identified. The genes were enriched in common biological processes and pathways, and upregulated in tumor samples from patients. Among the top genes identified as associated with good or poor survival in bladder cancer, DNA topoisomerase IIα (TOP2α) and RAD21 cohesin complex component (RAD21) were also increased in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. Therefore, TOP2α and RAD21 could be used as potential therapeutic targets in bladder cancer.

Components of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex are among the most frequently mutated genes in various human cancers, yet only SMARCB1/hSNF5, a core member of the SWI/SNF complex, is mutated in malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT). How SMARCB1/hSNF5 functions differently from other members of the SWI/SNF complex remains unclear. Here, we use Drosophila imaginal epithelial tissues to demonstrate that Snr1, the conserved homolog of human SMARCB1/hSNF5, prevents tumorigenesis by maintaining normal endosomal trafficking-mediated signaling cascades. Removal of Snr1 resulted in neoplastic tumorigenic overgrowth in imaginal epithelial tissues, whereas depletion of any other members of the SWI/SNF complex did not induce similar phenotypes. Unlike other components of the SWI/SNF complex that were detected only in the nucleus, Snr1 was observed in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Aberrant regulation of multiple signaling pathways, including Notch, JNK, and JAK/STAT, was responsible for tumor progression upon snr1-depletion. Our results suggest that the cytoplasmic Snr1 may play a tumor suppressive role in Drosophila imaginal tissues, offering a foundation for understanding the pivotal role of SMARCB1/hSNF5 in suppressing MRT during early childhood. Cancer Res; 77(4); 862–73. ©2017 AACR.

Osteosarcoma is a highly malignant tumor that contains a small subpopulation of tumor-propagating cells (also known as tumor-initiating cells) characterized by drug resistance and high metastatic potential. The molecular mechanism by which tumor-propagating cells promote tumor growth is poorly understood. Here, we report that the transcription factor forkhead box C2 (FOXC2) is frequently expressed in human osteosarcomas and is important in maintaining osteosarcoma cells in a stem-like state. In osteosarcoma cell lines, we show that anoikis conditions stimulate FOXC2 expression. Downregulation of FOXC2 decreases anchorage-independent growth and invasion in vitro and lung metastasis in vivo, while overexpression of FOXC2 increases tumor propagation in vivo. In osteosarcoma cell lines, we demonstrate that high levels of FOXC2 are associated with and required for the expression of osteosarcoma tumor-propagating cell markers. In FOXC2 knockdown cell lines, we show that CXCR4, a downstream target of FOXC2, can restore osteosarcoma cell invasiveness and metastasis to the lung.

Local abnormal angiogenesis and cardiovascular system reorganization have been observed in embryos exposed to a simulated microgravity (SM) environment. In this study, changes in key molecular signals and pathways in cardiovascular development have been investigated under microgravity conditions. In particular, the caudal vein plexus (CVP) network, formed by sprouting angiogenesis has been chosen. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to SM using a ground-based microgravity bioreactor for 24 and 36 h. The SM was observed to have no effect on the zebrafish length, tail width and incubation time whereas it was observed to significantly reduce the heart rate frequency and to promote abnormal development of the CVP network in the embryos. Nitric oxide (NO) content demonstrated that the total proteins in zebrafish embryos were significantly higher in SM than in the control group grown under normal conditions. It was then preliminarily determined how NO signals were involved in SM regulated zebrafish CVP network formation. nos2b MO was injected and CVP network evolution was observed in 36 h post fertilization (hpf) under SM condition. The results showed that the CVP network formation was considerably decreased in the nos2b MO treated group. However, this inhibition of the CVP network development was not observed in control MO group, indicating that nos2b is involved in the SM-regulated vascular development process in zebrafish. Moreover, specific phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors such as LY294002 were also tested on zebrafish embryos under SM condition. This treatment significantly inhibited the formation of zebrafish CVP network. Furthermore, overexpression of nos2b partly rescued the LY294002-caused CVP network failure. Therefore, it can be concluded that SM affects zebrafish CVP network remodeling by enhancing angiogenesis. Additionally, the PI3K-nos2b signaling pathway is involved in this process.

The expansion of poisonous plants can change vegetation community structures and affect grassland ecosystem service values. Stellera chamaejasme is one of the most important poisonous plants and has rapidly expanded in the arid areas of Northwest China in recent decades. The objective of this study was to elucidate the expansion process and model of an S. chamaejasme population. Therefore, we classified the S. chamaejasme population into five classes based on coverage: 31–40%, 41–50%, 51–60%, 61–70% and 71–80%. We investigated the spatial distribution patterns and the size compositions of S. chamaejasme under different coverages. The results show that the spatial distribution pattern of S. chamaejasme under low coverage (31–40%) at all study scales (0–100 cm) was random; the spatial distribution pattern translated to a clumped distribution from a random distribution at some scales, and the clumped distributions gradually became obvious, with coverage increasing from 41–50% to 61–70%; the spatial distribution tended to be random at all study scales when coverage was increased further (71–80%). However, the spatial distribution patterns were closely related to the size composition of the S. chamaejasme population. In particular, the quantity of older individuals had a significant impact on the variation of the spatial distribution patterns of S. chamaejasme. The spatial distribution pattern varied from a random distribution to a clumped distribution and then returned to a random distribution with increasing coverage (from 31–40% to 71–80%), and this may indicate that the S. chamaejasme patches experienced patch formation and extension and merged with each other.

Notch signaling is well-known for its role in regulating cell self-renewal and differentiation. Within the cancer research field, it has been identified that dysregulated Notch signaling is involved directly with various types of cancer. Although Notch signaling is generally considered as oncogenic, it sometimes acts as a tumor suppressor, highlighting the complexity of the role of Notch in cancer. A number of studies have associated Notch signaling components with ovarian cancer, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well-elucidated. In the present study, the roles of main components of Notch signaling in ovarian cancer were systematically analyzed through large data portals, including Prediction of Clinical Outcomes from Genomic Profiles, Gene Expression across Normal and Tumor tissue, CSIOVDB, Broad Institute Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and cBioPortal. Upregulated expression of proteins in the Notch signaling pathway components in ovarian cancer was identified to be generally associated with poor overall and disease-free survival time, and more advanced cancer stages. In addition, Notch components were enriched in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. These results led to a proposed neurogenic locus notch homolog protein (NOTCH)2/NOTCH3/Delta-like protein 3/Mastermind-like protein 1/a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 17 network. Anticancer drugs, developed to target this network, may have high specificity in treating Notch-associated ovarian cancer.

One of the most extensively used techniques inDrosophilais the Gal4/UAS binary system, which allows tissue-specific misexpression or knockdown of specific genes of interest. The original UAS vector, UASt, can only be activated for transgene expression in somatic tissues and not in the germline cells. Rørth (1998) generated UASp, a modified UAS vector that is responsive to Gal4 in both somatic and germline tissues, by replacing both thehsp70promoter and the SV40 3’UTR with the P transposase promoter and the K10 3’UTR respectively. At present, the mechanisms by which UASt is silenced in germline cells are not fully understood. Here, we report that the piRNA pathway is involved in suppressing UASt expression in ovarian germline cells. Individually knocking down or mutating components of the piRNA biogenesis pathway (e.g., Piwi, AGO3, Aub, Spn-E, and Vasa) resulted in the expression of the UASt-reporter (GFP or RFP) in the germline. An RNA-seq analysis of small RNAs revealed that thehsp70promoter of UASt is targeted by piRNAs, and in theaubmutant ovary, the amount of piRNAs targeting thehsp70promoter is reduced by around 40 folds. In contrast, the SV40 3’UTR of the UASt, which happens to be targeted by the Nonsense-mediated RNA decay (NMD) pathway, is not responsible for germline UASt suppression, as UASt-reporters with NMD-insensitive 3’UTRs fail to show germline expression. Taken together, our studies reveal a crucial role of the piRNA pathway, potentially via the suppression of thehsp70promoter, in germline UASt silencing inDrosophilaovaries.

Agarwood can be divided into resinous heartwood from the Hoi-An zone and Sin-Chew zone. Traditionally, an experienced human grader classifies agarwood by odor. However, sensory errors can follow from subjectivity, poor reproducibility, and time consumption during manual work. In this study, agarwood samples were heat-treated to release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which were analyzed using the thermal desorption - gas chromatograph mass spectrograph (TD-GCMS) method and chemometrics analysis. The classification of agarwood was then identified. Sesquiterpenes and other aromatic compounds were the main compounds of heat-treated VOCs. Twenty-six characteristic compounds were screened via stepwise regression. Fisher discriminant analysis and Bayes discriminant analysis were conducted, based on the 26 compounds, to classify the agarwood samples. Discriminant functions of the two analysis methods were obtained.The results showed that it is feasible to use the TD-GCMS method combined with chemometrics analysis to analyze VOCs from heat-treated agarwood instead of experienced graders to classify the agarwood samples as being from either the Hoi-An zone and Sin-Chew zone. This study also provides a way to classify unknown samples by odor through 26 characteristic compound’srelative peak area and the discriminant equations, offering the possibility of testing an unknown sample’s cultivation region.

Polyamines (PAs) are implicated in developmental processes and stress responses of plants. Polyamine oxidases (PAOs), flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent enzymes that function in PA catabolism, play a critical role. Even though PAO gene families of Arabidopsis and rice have been intensely characterized and their expression in response to developmental and environmental changes has been investigated, little is known about PAOs in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). We found seven PAO genes in S. lycopersicum and named them SlPAO1∼7. Plant PAOs form four clades in phylogenetic analysis, of which SlPAO1 belongs to clade-I, SlPAO6 and SlPAO7 to clade-III, and the residual four (SlPAO2∼5) to clade-IV, while none belongs to clade-II. All the clade-IV members in tomato also retain the putative peroxisomal-targeting signals in their carboxy termini, suggesting their peroxisome localization. SlPAO1 to SlPAO5 genes consist of 10 exons and 9 introns, while SlPAO6 and SlPAO7 are intronless genes. To address the individual roles of SlPAOs, we analyzed their expression in various tissues and during flowering and fruit development. The expression of SlPAO2∼4 was constitutively high, while that of the other SlPAO members was relatively lower. We further analyzed the expressional changes of SlPAOs upon abiotic stresses, oxidative stresses, phytohormone application, and PA application. Based on the data obtained, we discuss the distinctive roles of SlPAOs.