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Plant-associated microbes have been reported as important but overlooked drivers of plant-herbivorous insect interactions. Influence of plant-associated microbes on plant-insect interactions is diverse, including beneficial, detrimental, and neutral. Here, we determined the effects of three Penicillium fungi, including Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium sumatrense, and Penicillium digitatum, on the oviposition selection and behavior of the yellow peach moth (YPM), Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenée). Compared with fungi noninfected apples (NIA), mechanically damaged apples (MDA), and P. citrinum in potato dextrose agar medium (PC), the oviposition selection and four-arm olfactometer experiments both showed that mated YPM females preferred to P. citrinum-infected apples (PCA). For P. sumatrense or P. digitatum, we also found that mated YPM females preferred to P. sumatrense-infected apples (PSA) or P. digitatum-infected apples (PDA), respectively. Among three Penicillium fungi-infected apples, the selection rates including oviposition and olfactometer behavior of mated YPM females on PDA were both higher than those on PSA and PCA. Further analyses of host plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by GC-MS showed that the absolute contents of ethyl hexanoate and (Z, E)-α-farnesene in PCA, PSA, and PDA were all higher than those in NIA, and a total of 16 novel VOCs were detected in fungi-infected apples (PCA, PSA, and PDA), indicating that fungi infection changed the components and proportions of apple VOCs. Taken together, three Penicillium fungi play significant roles in mediating the host selection of YPMs via altering the emissions of VOCs. These findings will be beneficial for developing formulations for field trapping of YPMs in the future.

The present study aims to investigate the effects of ginsenoside Rg3 combined with oxaliplatin on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the related mechanism. In this study, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was applied to examine the proliferation rate of hepatocellular carcinoma cell SMMC-7721 with different treatment. Flow cytometry was performed to examine apoptosis rate of hepatocellular carcinoma cells with different treatment. Immunofluorescence and Western blot methods were used to evaluate the expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclin D1 in different groups. We found that ginsenoside Rg3, oxaliplatin or ginsenoside Rg3 + oxaliplatin significantly suppressed the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of SMMC-7721. Meanwhile, ginsenoside Rg3, oxaliplatin or ginsenoside Rg3 + oxaliplatin also significantly inhibited the expressions of PCNA and cyclin D1. Moreover, compared with ginsenoside Rg3 group and oxaliplatin group, the effect of ginsenoside Rg3 + oxaliplatin was more remarkable. Taken together, cells treated with oxaliplatin+ ginsenoside enhanced the anti-tumor effect and may inhibit the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating the expression of PCNA and cyclin D1.

A novel laccase was purified from fermentation broth of white rot fungus Trametes sp. LAC-01 using an isolation procedure involving three ion-exchange chromatography steps on DEAE-cellulose, SP-Sepharose, and Q-Sepharose, and one gel-filtration step. The purified enzyme (TSL) was proved as a monomeric protein with a Mr of 59kDa based on SDS-PAGE and FPLC. Partial amino acid sequences were obtained by LC-MS/MS sharing considerably high sequence similarity with that of other laccases. It possessed optimal pH of 2.6 and temperature of 60°C using ABTS as the substrate. The Km of the laccase toward ABTS was estimated to 30.28μM at pH 2.6 and 40°C. TSL manifested considerably high oxidizing activity toward ABTS, but was avoid of degradative activity toward benzidine, caftaric acid, etc. It was effective in the decolorization of phenolic dyes - Bromothymol Blue and Malachite Green with decolorization rate higher than 60% after 24h of incubation. Adjunction of Cu(2+) with the final concentration of 2.0mmol/L significantly activated laccase production with a steady high level of 275.8-282.2U/mL in 96-144h. The high yield and short production period makes Trametes sp. LAC-01 and TSL potentially useful for industrial and environmental application and commercialization.

Peach (Prunus persica L.) is a model species for stone fruit studies within the Rosaceae family. Auxin plays an important role in the development of peach fruit. To reveal the distribution of auxin in the tissues of peach fruit, immunohistochemical localization of IAA was carried out in the seed, mesocarp, and endocarp in developing peach fruit using an anti-indole-3-acetic acid (anti-IAA) monoclonal antibody. A strong IAA signal was observed throughout the outer and inner integument during peach fruit development, and the distribution was zonal. The IAA signal was mainly focused in mucilage layers in the outer integument. The outer integument may function to produce or store IAA in the seed; a strong IAA signal was detected in the cells around the vascular tissue, whereas a weak IAA signal was located in the vascular tissues. In the mesocarp, the cells around the vascular bundle tissue gave rise to an IAA signal that increased in the late phase of fruit growth, which coincided with a significant increase in fruit growth. The distribution of IAA, however, was changed when fruit was treated with auxin transport inhibitors NPA (1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid) or TIBA (2, 3, 5-triiodobenzoic acid); in mesocarp tissues, an IAA signal was detected mainly in vessels of the t reated f ruit. During the c ritical period o f endocarp l ignification, the vessel lignification process was negatively correlated with IAA signal. The present results confirmed that the distribution of IAA was different in various tissues of peach fruit according to the developmental stage. This research provides cytological data for further study of the regulatory mechanism of auxin in peach fruit.

Fruit bagging has been widely practiced in peach cultivation to produce high quality and unblemished fruit. Moreover, fruit bagging has been utilized to study the effect of shading on the quality of fruit. We conducted a proteomic analysis on peach fruit to elucidate the biochemical and physiological events that characterize the effect of bagging treatment. Comparative analysis of 2D electrophoresis (2-DE) gels showed that relative protein levels differed significantly at 125 DAFB (days after full bloom), as well as at 133 DAFB in fruit that had been bagged until 125 DAFB, followed by exposure to sunlight. Most of the proteins with altered expression were identified by MALDI TOF/TOF. Twenty-one proteins with differential expression among the groups were identified at 125 DAFB, while thirty proteins with differential expression among the groups were identified at 133 DAFB. The analysis revealed that expression of proteins involved in photosynthesis, stress responses, and biochemical processes influencing metabolism were altered during bagging treatment, suggesting that regulation of the synthesis of carbohydrates, amino acids, and proteins influenced fruit size, solid/acid ratio, and peel color. This work provides the first characterization of proteomic changes in peach in response to fruit bagging treatment. Identifying and tracking protein changes may allow us to better understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of bagging treatment.