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Abstract Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) and ER-phagy are two principal degradative mechanisms for ER proteins and aggregates, respectively; however, the crosstalk between these two pathways under physiological settings remains unexplored. Using adipocytes as a model system, here we report that SEL1L-HRD1 protein complex of ERAD degrades misfolded ER proteins and limits ER-phagy and that, only when SEL1L-HRD1 ERAD is impaired, the ER becomes fragmented and cleared by ER-phagy. When both are compromised, ER fragments containing misfolded proteins spatially coalesce into a distinct architecture termed Coalescence of ER Fragments (CERFs), consisted of lipoprotein lipase (LPL, a key lipolytic enzyme and an endogenous SEL1L-HRD1 substrate) and certain ER chaperones. CERFs enlarge and become increasingly insoluble with age. Finally, we reconstitute the CERFs through LPL and BiP phase separation in vitro, a process influenced by both redox environment and C-terminal tryptophan loop of LPL. Hence, our findings demonstrate a sequence of events centered around SEL1L-HRD1 ERAD to dispose of misfolded proteins in the ER of adipocytes, highlighting the profound cellular adaptability to misfolded proteins in the ER in vivo.

The soil organic carbon (SOC) content is determined by multiple factors in terrestrial ecosystems. This study explored the SOC content and its influencing factors in multiple forests of subtropical, temperate, and transitional climate zones in Central China. The quantile regression forest algorithm (QRF) was employed to model the SOC contents along the soil depths up to 100 cm. The models had the highest explained variance score of 0.621 for the topsoil layer (0–20 cm), which decreased with soil depths. In addition to parent material, bulk density, mean tree height, NDVI and topography, climate factors, especially summer precipitation, and surface soil temperature, were identified as the most influential factors for SOC accumulation and spatial variability in these forests. SOC was positively affected by summer precipitation from zero to 100 cm. A higher surface soil temperature was beneficial only for forest SOC in the top layer. The highest SOC > 50 g kg−1 was found under the cover of mixed coniferous forests and evergreen broad-leaved forests at high elevations approximately 1000 m asl, which were dominated by high summer precipitation. At the vertical depth, SOC largely accumulated at a depth of 40 cm but decreased thereafter. Owing to the positive impact of precipitation on forest SOC and the urgent demand for increasing carbon sinks, forest management could focus on mixed evergreen broad-leaved forests and mixed coniferous forests, afforestation, and reforestation of mixed forests based on local species in vast areas.

Sleep apnea syndrome is a breathing disorder with a prevalence exceeding 20% in the overall population, and it can seriously affect health and well-being. However, this condition usually remains undetected because suitable monitoring solutions are lacking. This contribution presents an approach to facilitate apnea diagnosis using a battery-powered, wireless, miniaturized sensing system embedded in a patient’s mask. It combines a photoacoustic-based carbon dioxide detector with temperature and humidity sensors as well as embedded algorithms to automatically detect apnea episodes. The results show the feasibility of detecting apnea using an easily deployable analysis system.

Procambarus clarkii is adept at using natural shelters and caves to evade attacks from predators. However, the concealment abilities and mechanisms of P. clarkii for different types of shelters under predation pressure have not yet been reported. In this study, laboratory experiments were carried out to determine the effects of different coverages (25%, 50%, and 75%) and different combinations (I–VII) of three types of shelters (PVC pipes, water grass, and stone) on the predation rhythm, behavior, and abilities of Silurus asotus on P. clarkii. The results indicated that the predation of S. asotus on P. clarkii exhibited significant rhythmicity under shelter conditions, excluding PVC pipes, 75% stone, and combination VI. Among the three types of shelters, PVC pipes provided the strongest concealment, followed by stone and water grass. With the increase in shelter coverage, the anti-predation ability of P. clarkii continued to increase, and the optimal shade rate for water grass was 50%. In the different shelter combinations, the environmental complexity had little effect on the predation activity of S. asotus on P. clarkii. These findings demonstrated that the type and abundance of shelters in the wild environment can affect the predation rhythm and activities of S. asotus on P. clarkii.

Heat stress is an increasingly concerning topic under global warming. Heat stress can induce organisms to produce excess reactive oxygen species, which will lead to cell damage and destroy the antioxidant defense of aquatic animals. Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, is sensitive to the change in water temperature, and parent crabs are more vulnerable during the breeding stage. In the present study, the multi-omics responses of parent E. sinensis gills to heat stress (24 h) were determined via transcriptome and proteome. The integrative analysis revealed that heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and glutathione s-transferase (GST) were significantly up-regulated at gene and protein levels after heat stress, indicating that HSP70 and the antioxidant system participated in the regulatory mechanism of heat stress to resist oxidative damage. Moreover, the “Relaxin signaling pathway” was also activated at gene and protein levels under 30 °C stress, which implied that relaxin may be essential and responsible for reducing the oxidative damage of gills caused by extreme heat stress. These findings provided an understanding of the regulation mechanism in E. sinensis under heat stress at gene and protein levels. The mining of key functional genes, proteins, and pathways can also provide a basis for the cultivation of new varieties resistant to oxidative stress.

The effects of salinity on behavior are far-reaching, and Eriocheir sinensis showed disparate behaviors under different salinity conditions. Female crabs were more active in saline water, especially low salinity stress, which is beneficial for female crabs to escape from the low-salinity environment quickly. Then, antennal movement indicated that antennae might be the main osmoreceptors in E. sinensis, and 65 min might be a good starting time for salinity stress to analyze osmoregulation in crabs. Interestingly, E. sinensis had obvious behavioral differences in the high and low salinity stress, and behaviors were more intense in a salinity dip from salinity 18 to salinity 0. This study analyzed the osmoregulatory process of catadromous E. sinensis in different salinity from the point of osmoregulatory organ and behavioral response. These results will provide a scientific basis for the osmoregulatory mechanism of E. sinensis, which are conducive to evaluating and analyzing the impact of saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze River estuary on resource fluctuation.

At present, the resources of anadromous fish in the world are drastically reduced and one of the solutions to promote its recovery may be to identify and protect its feeding grounds. To determine whether the feeding grounds of anadromous Coilia nasus in the Yangtze River are still in the sea area, the quantitative line analysis of Sr and Ca contents (Sr/Ca ratios) and the area distribution analysis of Sr content in the otoliths of C. nasus in three water areas (Poyang Lake, Yangtze River estuary and Shengsi Sea area) were carried out by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) to analyze the habitat use and the migratory patterns of different estuarine C. nasus. These results showed that the Sr/Ca ratios of all otoliths fluctuated significantly. By comparison, it was found that C. nasus of Yangtze River might exist in the Shengsi Sea area, and the Shengsi Sea area might be one of the feeding grounds of migratory C. nasus. Therefore, it is urgent to carry out a comprehensive investigation on the distribution of related groups in the Shengsi Sea area and the influence of potential threat factors, such as fishing and harsh habitat, to effectively protect the resources and habitats of C. nasus in the Shengsi Sea area.

A shelter is a good habitat for aquatic organisms, which could aid in avoiding cannibalism and facilitate predation. Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is an important aquaculture species with troglodytism and nocturnal habit. To clarify the preference for shelters at different developmental stages of E. sinensis, different shelters (mud, sand, grass and rocks) were selected for comparison. These results indicated that juvenile crabs had a significant preference for grass; button-sized crabs preferred to hide in mud; and the favorite shelters for parent crabs were rocks, followed by mud. E. sinensis in three stages all showed concealing behavior. The concealing behavior of juvenile crabs was the most significant, followed by button-sized and parent crabs. Additionally, E. sinensis held a low hiding rate at night but a high hiding rate during the daytime due to nocturnal habits. These findings will help to better understand the habits of E. sinensis and provide a reference for resource restoration, habitat construction and the restoration of E. sinensis.

Olfaction plays a vital role in the survival and reproduction of shrimps. However, very little information is available about Procambarus clarkii, an important aquaculture species. Thus, we conducted the antennules transcriptome of Procambarus clarkii and identified 26 olfactory-related genes, including nine ionotropic receptors, two ionotropic glutamate receptors, ten variant ionotropic glutamate receptors, four cytochrome P450s, and one carboxylesterase. Our study suggested that ionotropic receptors were the main odorant receptors in Procambarus clarkii. Additionally, the key genes that are responsible for olfactory transduction in Procambarus clarkii were identified in the cAMP-mediated olfactory transduction pathway, including Cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel beta-1, Adenylyl cyclase III, Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. As a whole, our study laid a solid foundation for further functional elucidations of olfactory molecular mechanism in Procambarus clarkii, and provided further insight for a better understanding of olfaction molecular mechanism in crustaceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTObjectives Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease characterized by a single clonal proliferation of B cell-derived plasma cells in the bone marrow. It is the second most common haematologic malignancy in adults. The objective of this retrospective study is to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of haematologic parameters in MM.Methods The difference of NLR/ALB ratio (NAR) and NLR/HDL-C ratio (NHR) between the 151 newly diagnosed MM patients and 153 healthy controls was compared. According to NAR and NHR cutoff values obtained from the ROC curve, MM patients were divided into low group and high group. The differences in hematological parameters and survival time between the two groups were compared. Independent prognostic analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazard regression model.Results The NAR and NHR values in MM group were significantly higher than those in control group (P