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The ocular mucosa (OM) is an important and unique part of the vertebrate mucosal immune system. The OM plays an important role in maintaining visual function and defending against foreign antigens or microorganisms, while maintaining a balance between the two through complex regulatory mechanisms. However, the function of ocular mucosal defense against foreign pathogens and mucosal immune response in bony fish are still less studied. To acquire deeper understanding into the mucosal immunity of the OM in teleost fish, we established a study of the immune response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) infected with the infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Our findings revealed that IHNV could successfully infiltrate the trout's OM, indicating that the OM could be an important portal for the IHNV. Furthermore, qPCR and RNA-Seq analysis results showed that a large number of immune-related genes were significantly upregulated in the OM of trout with IHNV infection. Critically, the results of our RNA-Seq analysis demonstrated that viral infection triggered a robust immune response, as evidenced by the substantial induction of antiviral, innate, and adaptive immune-related genes in the OM of infected fish, which underscored the essential role of the OM in viral infection. Overall, our findings revealed a previously unknown function of teleost OM in antiviral defense, and provided a theoretical basis for the study of the mucosal immunity of fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of China's low-carbon city policy on employment using a quasi-natural experiment approach based on microdata from A-share listed companies (2007–2021). The findings indicate a statistically significant positive effect on employment levels, with an average increase of 7.27% in pilot compared to non-pilot cities. This boost in employment is primarily linked to green innovation, improved financing conditions, and increased sales activities. The policy disproportionately benefits high-skilled workers and positively affects employment in sales, research and development, and management while having a lesser impact on low-skilled and production workers. The employment gains are particularly significant in non-polluting sectors, regions with high marketization, and in the eastern areas of China. This study underscores the complex interplay between environmental policies and labor markets, emphasizing the need for skill differentiation in policy frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is an essential enzyme in the phenylpropanoid pathway, in which numerous aromatic intermediate metabolites play significant roles in plant growth, adaptation, and disease resistance. Cultivated peanuts are highly susceptible to Aspergillus flavus L. infection. Although PAL genes have been characterized in various major crops, no systematic studies have been conducted in cultivated peanuts, especially in response to A. flavus infection. In the present study, a systematic genome-wide analysis was conducted to identify PAL genes in the Arachis hypogaea L. genome. Ten AhPAL genes were distributed unevenly on nine A. hypogaea chromosomes. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the AhPAL proteins were classified into three groups. Structural and conserved motif analysis of PAL genes in A. hypogaea revealed that all peanut PAL genes contained one intron and ten motifs in the conserved domains. Furthermore, synteny analysis indicated that the ten AhPAL genes could be categorized into five pairs and that each AhPAL gene had a homologous gene in the wild-type peanut. Cis-element analysis revealed that the promoter region of the AhPAL gene family was rich in stress- and hormone-related elements. Expression analysis indicated that genes from Group I (AhPAL1 and AhPAL2), which had large number of ABRE, WUN, and ARE elements in the promoter, played a strong role in response to A. flavus stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capability of embryogenic callus induction is a prerequisite for in vitro plant regeneration. However, embryogenic callus induction is strongly genotype-dependent, thus hindering the development of in vitro plant genetic engineering technology. In this study, to examine the genetic variation in embryogenic callus induction rate (CIR) in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) at the seventh, eighth, and ninth subcultures (T7, T8, and T9, respectively), we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for CIR in a population of 353 peanut accessions. The coefficient of variation of CIR among the genotypes was high in the T7, T8, and T9 subcultures (33.06%, 34.18%, and 35.54%, respectively), and the average CIR ranged from 1.58 to 1.66. A total of 53 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected (based on the threshold value −log10(p) = 4.5). Among these SNPs, SNPB03-83801701 showed high phenotypic variance and neared a gene that encodes a peroxisomal ABC transporter 1. SNPA05-94095749, representing a nonsynonymous mutation, was located in the Arahy.MIX90M locus (encoding an auxin response factor 19 protein) at T8, which was associated with callus formation. These results provide guidance for future elucidation of the regulatory mechanism of embryogenic callus induction in peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]