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Clarifying the evolution pattern of groundwater storage (GWS) is crucial for exploring the amount of available water resources at a regional or basin scale. Currently, the groundwater resources of Northeast China have been extensively exploited, but only limited studies have assessed the extent of GWS depletion and its driving mechanisms. In this study, the groundwater storage anomaly (GWSA) in the black soil region of Northeast China was explored based on the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite combined with the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) hydrological model. The results show that from 2002 to 2021, the overall GWSA decreased (−0.4204 cm/a), and specifically, the average rates of decrease in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning Provinces were −0.2786, −0.5923, and −0.6694 cm/a, respectively, with the eastern, southern, and central parts of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning Provinces losing seriously. Especially the GWSA deficit trend can reach −0.7471 cm/a in southern Jilin Province. The GWSA deficits in the three provinces from April to September were greater than 0.40 cm/a, while the deficit values from January to March and from October to December were less than 0.40 cm/a. This study is the first to quantitatively analyze the GWSA and its influencing factors in Northeast China for 2002–2021. The results of the study help clarify the differences in the spatial and temporal distribution of groundwater resources and their driving mechanisms in the northeastern black soil regions and provide a reference for the conservation and sustainable utilization of groundwater resources in the black soil region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous study, microRNA (miR)-381 was found to be the most down-regulated miRNA in skeletal muscle of Liaoning cashmere goats with higher skeletal muscle mass, but the molecular mechanism involved remains unclear. In this study, primary caprine skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs) were isolated and identified. We investigated the effect of miR-381 on the viability, proliferation and differentiation of caprine SMSCs, and the target relationships of miR-381 with jagged canonical Notch ligand 2 (JAG2) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). Cells isolated were positive for SMSC-specific marker protein Pax7. This suggests that purified SMSCs were obtained. The expression level of miR-381 achieved a peak value on day 4 after SMSC differentiation, and miR-381 also significantly increased the expression levels of myogenic differentiation marker genes: myosin heavy chain (MyHC), myogenin (MyoG) and myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) in differentiated SMSCs, the area of MyHC-positive myotubes and the myogenic index. These findings suggest that miR-381 promoted myogenic differentiation of caprine SMSCs. The CCK8 assay and EDU staining analysis showed that miR-381 mimic both inhibited the viability of SMSCs and decreased the percentage of EDU-labeled positive SMSCs. In contrast, miR-381 inhibitor had the opposite effect with miR-381 mimic. A dual luciferase reporter assay verified that miR-381 can target JAG2 and PTEN by binding to the 3′-untranslated regions (3′-UTR) of the genes. The transfection of miR-381 mimic into caprine SMSCs resulted in decreases in expression levels of JAG2 and PTEN, while miR-381 inhibitor increased the two target genes in expression. This is the first study to reveal the biological mechanisms by which miR-381 regulates caprine SMSC activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]