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The main purpose of the present study was undertaken to isolate bioactive substances from microbial secondary metabolites of Streptomyces gilvosporeu AXY-25 and to determine their antiparasitic effect against Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. A pure compound showing strong anti- I. multifiliis activity was isolated from a culture of S. gilvosporeu AXY-25 by using the method of bioassay-guided isolation. The chemical structure of the active compound was confirmed as natamycin (NAT) by spectral analysis (EI-MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR). An in vitro anti-parasitic assay demonstrated that 100% of theronts were killed with a concentration of 25.0 mg L−1 NAT for 4 h with an effective concentration (EC50) (95% CI) at 10.9 (10.7–11.1) mg L−1. Similiary, all tomonts were killed by a dose of 25.0 mg L−1. An in vivo anti-parasitic assay showed that the number of I. multifiliis trophonts on the surface of hybrid Erythroculter ilishaeformis in the NAT-treated group were markedly lower when compared to the control group (p

Background. Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignant tumour that originates in the gastric mucosal epithelium and is associated with high mortality rates worldwide. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified to play an important role in the development of various tumours, including GC. Yet, lncRNA biomarkers in a competing endogenous RNA network (ceRNA network) that are used to predict survival prognosis remain lacking. The aim of this study was to construct a ceRNA network and identify the lncRNA signature as prognostic factors for survival prediction. Methods. The lncRNAs with overall survival significance were used to construct the ceRNA network. Function enrichment, protein-protein interaction, and cluster analysis were performed for dysregulated mRNAs. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to screen the potential prognostic lncRNAs. RT-qPCR was used to measure the relative expression levels of lncRNAs in cell lines. CCK8 assay was used to assess the proliferation of GC cells transfected with sh-lncRNAs. Results. Differentially expressed genes were identified including 585 lncRNAs, 144 miRNAs, and 2794 mRNAs. The ceRNA network was constructed using 35 DElncRNAs associated with overall survival of GC patients. Functional analysis revealed that these dysregulated mRNAs were enriched in cancer-related pathways, including TGF-beta, Rap 1, calcium, and the cGMP-PKG signalling pathway. A multivariate Cox regression analysis and cumulative risk score suggested that two of those lncRNAs (LINC01644 and LINC01697) had significant prognostic value. Furthermore, the results indicate that LINC01644 and LINC01697 were upregulated in GC cells. Knockdown of LINC01644 or LINC01697 suppressed the proliferation of GC cells. Conclusions. The authors identified 2-lncRNA signature in ceRNA regulatory network as prognostic biomarkers for the prediction of GC patient survival and revealed that silencing LINC01644 or LINC01697 inhibited the proliferation of GC cells.

The present study investigated the effect of Ficus carica polysaccharide (FCP), isolated from the fruit of F. carica L., at 0%, 0.1%, 0.5% and 1.0% doses supplementation with feed on genes Interleukin 1-β (IL-1β), Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) gene expression in blood, humoral innate immune parameters and resistant to Flavobacterium columnare of grass carp at weeks 1, 2 and 3. The results revealed that administration of FCP significantly (P

Both tuberization and flowering are influenced by photoperiod in potato. TERMINAL FLOWER1 is a key regulator of floral timing in Arabidopsis and other herbaceous species. In order to clarify the relationship of TFL1 protein with tuberization, a homolog of TFL1, designated Solanum tuberosumTFL1 (StTFL1; accession no. DQ307621), was isolated from potato plantlets by reverse transcriptase-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The predicted amino acid sequence of this cDNA had a high degree of identity with other homologous members of the phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein family. Analysis of mRNA levels for StTFL1 showed that it was highly expressed in roots and initial stolons, with the expression becoming progressively weaker during subsequent tuberization. Over-expression of StTFL1 resulted in normal tuberization in transgenic lines under the long-day condition. These results demonstrate that StTFL1 is involved in the regulation of tuberization.

A homologue of FLORICAULA/LFY, designated StLEAFY (accession number EF062357), was isolated from potato by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of StLFY was 1,417 bp long and contained an open reading frame of 1,257 bp. Its corresponding genomic sequence (EU371047) showed that the StLFY gene contained three exons and two introns. The predicted amino acid sequence of the gene consisted of 418 amino acids and had a conserved region in the C-terminal when being aligned with sequences of other LFY homologues. The StLFY protein had a high identity with LFY homologous members from other species. Analysis of StLFY expression at the mRNA level by RT-PCR showed that it was slightly expressed in the apical buds, floral buds, and initial stolons.

A full-length cDNA of a StCONSTANS-like (StCOL) gene was cloned from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) by RT-PCR and RACE. The predicted amino acid sequence of this cDNA has a high degree of identity with other homologous members of the CO or COL family. Analysis of mRNA levels for StCOL shows that it is highly expressed in leaves and becomes weaker during tuberization; moreover, is independent of gibberellin A(3) and sucrose.

Background Dioscorea is an important plant genus in terms of food supply and pharmaceutical applications. However, its classification and identification are controversial. DNA barcoding is a recent aid to taxonomic identification and uses a short standardized DNA region to discriminate plant species. In this study, the applicability of three candidate DNA barcodes (rbcL, matK, and psbA-trnH) to identify species within Dioscorea was tested. Methodology/Principal Findings One-hundred and forty-eight individual plant samples of Dioscorea, encompassing 38 species, seven varieties and one subspecies, representing majority species distributed in China of this genus, were collected from its main distributing areas. Samples were assessed by PCR amplification, sequence quality, extent of specific genetic divergence, DNA barcoding gap, and the ability to discriminate between species. matK successfully identified 23.26% of all species, compared with 9.30% for rbcL and 11.63% for psbA-trnH. Therefore, matK is recommended as the best DNA barcoding candidate. We found that the combination of two or three loci achieved a higher success rate of species discrimination than one locus alone. However, experimental cost would be much higher if two or three loci, rather than a single locus, were assessed. Conclusions We conclude that matK is a strong, although not perfect, candidate as a DNA barcode for Dioscorea identification. This assessment takes into account both its ability for species discrimination and the cost of experiments.