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The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor Say (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), is a pest of wheat and belongs to a group of gall-inducing herbivores. This species has a unique life history and several ecological features that differentiate it from other Diptera such as Drosophila melanogaster and blood-feeding mosquitoes. These features include a short, non-feeding adult life stage (1–2 days) and the use of a long-range sex pheromone produced and released by adult females. Sex pheromones are detected by members of the odorant receptor (OR) family within the Lepidoptera, but no receptors for similar long-range sex pheromones have been characterized from the Diptera. Previously, 122 OR genes have been annotated from the Hessian fly genome, with many of them showing sex-biased expression in the antennae. Here we have expressed, in HEK293 cells, five MdesORs that display male-biased expression in antennae, and we have identified MdesOR115 as a Hessian fly sex pheromone receptor. MdesOR115 responds primarily to the sex pheromone component (2S,8E,10E) 8,10-tridecadien-2-yl acetate, and secondarily to the corresponding Z,E-isomer. Certain sensory neuron membrane proteins (i.e., SNMP1) are important for responses of pheromone receptors in flies and moths. The Hessian fly genome is unusual in that it encodes six SNMP1 paralogs, of which five are expressed in antennae. We co-expressed each of the five antennal SNMP1 paralogs together with each of the five candidate sex pheromone receptors from the Hessian fly and found that they do not influence the response of MdesOR115, nor do they confer responsiveness in any of the non-responsive ORs to any of the sex pheromone components identified to date in the Hessian fly. Using Western blots, we detected protein expression of MdesOrco, all MdesSNMPs, and all MdesORs except for MdesOR113, potentially explaining the lack of response from this OR. In conclusion, we report the first functional characterization of an OR from the Cecidomyiidae, extending the role of ORs as long-range sex pheromone detectors from the Lepidoptera into the Diptera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular-targeted therapy against tyrosine kinase receptors (RTKs) plays an important role in gastric cancer (GC) treatment. Understanding the correlation between RTK coexpression could better guide clinical drug use. In the present study, the coexpression status of c-MET, fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in human GC and their clinical significance in clinical therapy were explored. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and fluorescent in situ hybridization were performed in 143 cases of GC who had undergone gastrectomy without preoperative chemoradiotherapy. Their association with clinicopathological features and clinical prognosis was analyzed. The frequencies of c-MET, FGFR2, and HER2 overexpression were 47.6% (68/143), 34.3% (49/143), and 10.5% (15/143), respectively. In the RTK coexpression study, 30.1% of patients (43/143) were positive for only one RTK, 25.8% (37/143) were positive for two RTKs, 3.5% (5/143) had triple-positive status, and 40.6% (58/143) had triple-negative status. In survival analysis, the overexpression of c-MET, FGFR2, and HER2 were significantly associated with overall survival (OS) (P=0.018, 0.004, and 0.049, respectively). In coexpression analysis, patients with triple-positive GC had the poorest OS (P=0.013). In conclusion, RTK coexpression is significantly associated with poor clinical outcome in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Odorant binding proteins (OBPs) are proposed to be directly required for odorant discrimination and represent potential interesting targets for pest control. In the notoriously agricultural pest Adelphocoris lineolatus, our previous functional investigation of highly expressed antennal OBPs clearly supported this viewpoint, whereas the findings of the current study by characterizing of AlinOBP11 rather indicated that OBP in hemipterous plant bugs might fulfill a different and tantalizing physiological role. The phylogenetic analysis uncovered that AlinOBP11 together with several homologous bug OBP proteins are potential orthologs, implying they could exhibit a conserved function. Next, the results of expression profiles solidly showed that AlinOBP11 was predominantly expressed at adult mouthparts, the most important gustatory organ of Hemiptera mirid bug. Finally, a rigorously selective binding profile was observed in the fluorescence competitive binding assay, in which recombinant AlinOBP11 displayed much stronger binding abilities to non-volatile secondary metabolite compounds than the volatile odorants. These results reflect that AlinOBP11, even its orthologous proteins across bug species, could be associated with a distinctively conserved physiological role such as a crucial carrier for non-volatiles host secondary metabolites in gustatory system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we isolated a trypsin-producing strain DMN6 from the leather waste and identified it as Bacillus licheniformis through a two-step screening strategy. The trypsin activity was increased up to 140 from 20 U/mL through culture optimization. The enzyme was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity with a molecular mass of 44 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the specific activity of purified enzyme is 350 U/mg with Nα-Benzoyl-L-arginine ethylester as the substrate. The optimum temperature and pH for the trypsin are 65 °C and pH 9.0, respectively. Also, the enzyme can be significantly activated by Ba2+. This enzyme is relatively stable in alkaline environment and displays excellent activity at low temperatures. It could retain over 95% of enzyme activity after 180 min of incubation at 45 °C. The distinguished activity under low temperature and prominent stability enhance its catalytic potential. In the current work, the open reading frame was obtained with a length of 1371 nucleotides that encoded a protein of 456 amino acids. These data would warrant the B. licheniformis trypsin as a promising candidate for catalytic application in collagen preparation and leather bating through further protein engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have described vasculogenic mimicry (VM) as an alternative circulatory system to blood vessels in multiple malignant tumor types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the current study, we aimed to seek novel and more efficient treatment strategies by targeting VM and explore the underlying mechanisms in HCC cells.Methods: Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and colony survival assay were performed to explore the inhibitory effect of incarvine C (IVC) on human cancer cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the cell cycle distribution after DNA staining and cell apoptosis by the Annexin V-PE and 7-AAD assay. The effect of IVC on Rho-associated, coiled-coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK) was determined by western blotting and stress fiber formation assay. The inhibitory role of IVC on MHCC97H cell VM formation was determined by formation of tubular network structures on Matrigel in vitro, real time-qPCR, confocal microscopy and western blotting techniques.Results: We explored an anti-metastatic HCC agent, IVC, derived from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, and found that IVC dose-dependently inhibited the growth of MHCC97H cells. IVC induced MHCC97H cell cycle arrest at G1 transition, which was associated with cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK-2)/cyclin-E1 degradation and p21/p53 up-regulation. In addition, IVC induced apoptotic death of MHCC97H cells. Furthermore, IVC strongly suppressed the phosphorylation of the ROCK substrate myosin phosphatase target subunit-1 (MYPT-1) and ROCK-mediated actin fiber formation. Finally, IVC inhibited cell-dominant tube formation in vitro, which was accompanied with the down-regulation of VM-key factors as detected by real time-qPCR and immunofluorescence.Conclusions: Taken together, the effective inhibitory effect of IVC on MHCC97H cell proliferation and neovascularization was associated with ROCK inhibition, suggesting that IVC may be a new potential drug candidate for the treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Per-Arnt-Sim Kinase (PASK) is an evolutionarily-conserved nutrient-responsive protein kinase that regulates lipid and glucose metabolism, mitochondrial respiration, phosphorylation, and gene expression. Recent data suggests that mammalian PAS kinase is involved in glucose metabolism and acts on pancreatic islet α/β cells and glycogen synthase (GS), affecting insulin secretion and blood glucose levels. In addition, PASK knockout mice (PASK-/-) are protected from obesity, liver triglyceride accumulation, and insulin resistance when fed a high-fat diet, implying that PASK may be a new target for metabolic syndrome (MetS) treatment as well as the cellular nutrients and energy sensors--adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the targets of rapamycin (m-TOR). In this review, we will briefly summarize the regulation of PASK on mammalian glucose and lipid metabolism and its possible mechanism, and further explore the potential targets for MetS therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study compared the apical sealing ability of a bioceramic based root canal repair filling material (iRoot FS) with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). Methods and materials: Forty single-canal teeth were prepared and randomly divided into two experimental groups (n=18) and two control groups (n=2). Teeth in experimental groups were retrofilled with either MTA or iRoot FS. After setting of the retrofillings, all roots were exposed to 0.2% Rhodamine B solution for 48 h and were then washed for 12 h before longitudinal sectioning. The extent of dye penetration was measured under fluorescence microscope. Results: The mean leakage values in MTA and iRoot FS samples were 35.63 and 35.15 µm, respectively. There was no significant differences between the two materials in this regard (P=0.584). Conclusion: According to dye leakage results, iRoot FS had similar apical sealing ability to MTA and might be considered as a promising root-end filling material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction In regenerative endodontic treatment (RET) for immature permanent tooth, better treatment results could be obtained by applying platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as the scaffold rather than the blood clot. The goal of this study was to compare the histologic differences between using PRP and blood clot in RET. Methods Three 6-month-old beagles each carrying 9 premolars with double root canals were randomly assigned to the PRP group, blood clot group, or negative control group. All experimental teeth suffered apical periodontitis, and RET was performed. In the blood clot group, bleeding was induced from the periapical tissues to fill the canal space. In the PRP group, autologous PRP was injected into each root canal. The animals were sacrificed 3 months later. Histologic sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Statistical analysis was performed by the Fisher exact test, with the significance set at 0.05. Results With the ingrowth of cellular cementumlike tissues, the canal wall was thickened, and the apical apex was closed in both the PRP and blood clot groups. Cementocytelike cells were present in the newly formed tissues. Meanwhile, no statistical difference was found in both experimental groups for the average percentage of apical closure, new tissue formation, and pulplike tissue formation. Noticeably, a large number of inflammatory cells were present in some root canals in both groups although the postoperative radiograph revealed the disappearance of periapical radiolucency. Conclusions PRP application could be an option for clinical cases in which little or no bleeding were found when irritating the apical tissue during RET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We constructed a concept of the full-organic carrier collection layer (CCL) used for polymer solar cells. The CCL is composed of dipyrazino[2,3-f:2',3'-h]quinoxaline-2,3,6,7,10,11-hexacarbonitrile as hole collection layer (HCL) and chlorine-free solvents (formic acid (FA)) processed 4,7-Diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen) as electron collection layer, exhibiting good solubility, and environmental protection. The FA based device shows ideal power conversion efficiency (3.75%), which is higher than that of control device (3.6%). Besides, the HCL shows a different mechanism in hole extraction by functioning as a charge recombination zone for electrons injected from anode and holes extracted from the donor materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of illumination on the connection part of the tandem organic light-emitting diodes was studied by using a special organic multilayer sample consisted of two organic active layers coupled with different transition metal oxide (TMO)-based intermediate connectors (ICs). Through measuring the current density-voltage characteristic, interfacial electronic structures, and capacitance-voltage characteristic, we observe an unsymmetrical phenomenon in current densityvoltage and capacitance-voltage curves of Mg:Alq3/MoO3 and MoO3 composed devices, which was induced by the charge spouting zone near the ICs region and the recombination state in the MoO3 layer. Moreover, Mg:Alq3/MoO3 composed device displays a photovoltaic effect and the Voc shifts to forward bias under illumination. Our results demonstrate that the TMO-based IC structure coupled with photovoltaic effect can be a good approach for the study of photodetector, light sensor, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the role of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) in acute liver failure (ALF) and changes in macrophage activation by blocking it. ALF was induced in rats by administration of D-galactosamine (D-GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Rats were injected intraperitoneally with AA-861 (a specific 5-LO inhibitor), 24hr before D-GalN/LPS administration. After D-GalN/LPS injection, the liver tissue was collected for assessment of histology, macrophage microstructure, macrophage counts, 5-LO mRNA formation, protein expression, and concentration of leukotrienes. Serum was collected for detecting alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total bilirubin (Tbil), and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-)α. Twenty-four hours after injection, compared with controls, ALF rats were characterized by widespread hepatocyte necrosis and elevated ALT, AST, and Tbil, and 5-LO protein expression reached a peak. Liver leukotriene B4 was also significantly elevated. However, 5-LO mRNA reached a peak 8 hr after D-GalN/LPS injection. Simultaneously, the microstructure of macrophages was changed most significantly and macrophages counts were increased significantly. Moreover, serum TNF-a was also elevated. By contrast, AA-861 pretreatment significantly decreased liver necrosis as well as all of the parameters compared with the rats without pretreatment. Macrophages, via the 5-LO pathway, play a critical role in ALF, and 5-LO inhibitor significantly alleviates ALF, possibly related to macrophage inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test the hypothesis that µ-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene might be involved in the prevalence of obesity, a population-based association study was carried out in Uyghur population. Overall 10 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) in OPRM1 gene were genotyped. We showed that genotypes of rs1799971 in exon 1, and rs514980 and rs7773995 in intron 1 were significantly associated with the BMI. The BMI significantly decreased by the copy of minor allele carriers of rs1799971 which is a nonsynonymous functional polymorphism, whereas the BMI significantly increased by the copy of minor allele carriers of rs514980 and rs7773995. Subsequently, subjects were subsequently divided into case (BMI ≥ 28) and control group (BMI < 24). Significant associations were again observed at rs1799971, rs514980, and rs7773995, regardless of controlling for covariates age and gender or not. The stronger evidence for association was found under the additive model for each of the three SNPs. The per-allele odds ratio of the minor allele for obesity was 0.75 (95% confidence interval 0.58–0.96, P = 0.023) for rs1799971, 1.68 (95% confidence interval 1.14–2.49, P = 0.009) for rs514980, and 1.80 (95% confidence interval 1.14–2.85, P = 0.012) for rs7773995, respectively. Our observations give the evidence that OPRM1 gene is involved in the prevalence of obesity in Uyghurs.Obesity (2008) 17 1, 121–125. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.504 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four-armed airflow olfactometer was used to determining the foraging behavior of Pteroptrix longgiclava (Girault) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) and Encarsia gigas (Tshumakova) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) to the essential oils which emitted from the healthy bark of Populus pseudo-simonii×P. nigra, the infested bark injured by Quadraspidiotus gigas (Thiem & Gerneck), the body and scale of fixed 1st-instar-nymph of Q. gigas. The results from these experiments showed that the volatile oils produced from the injured bark and from the scale of fixed 1st-instar-nymph had a higher attractive ability to female adults of the two species of wasps. The essential oil produced from the scale of the pest at dosages of 3–7 μL and the essential oil emitted by injured bark at dosages of 5–9 μL had a stronger alluring effect on the host searching behavior of Pteroptrix longgiclava. The essential oil from the body of fixed 1st-instar-nymph of Q. gigas also had certain effect on the host locating effort of Pteroptrix longgiclava and Encarsia gigas. Those two wasps did not shown any reaction to the essential oil produced by the healthy bark of poplar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 4,4′,4″-tris(3-methylphenylphenylamino)triphenylamine thin film doped with Fe3O4 has been demonstrated an efficient p-type hole-injection layer (HIL) in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). The tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum-based OLEDs with the p-type HIL exhibit a very low turn-on voltage of 2.4 V and a high luminance of 29 360 cd/m2 at 8 V, while it is 3 V and 6005 cd/m2, respectively, for the nondoped devices. The improvement in the device performance is clarified as arising from the improved hole injection and transport by the results of ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared absorption, x-ray photoelectron spectra and current density-voltage characteristics of hole-only devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hole injection improvement in organic light-emitting devices with Fe3O4 as a buffer layer on indium tin oxide (ITO) has been demonstrated. The luminance and the current density are significantly enhanced by using the Fe3O4/ITO anode, as well as the turn-on voltage is reduced by 1.5 V compared to the devices without the buffer. Results of atom force microscopy, x ray, and UV photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal that the enhanced hole injection is attributed to the modification of the ITO surface and the reduced hole-injection barrier by the insertion of the Fe3O4 thin film between the ITO and hole-transporting layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verticillium dahliae is a broad host-range pathogen that causes vascular wilt in plants. The Verticillium wilt disease severity assay on plants caused by V. dahliae mainly includes two methods, one is a plant disease grade classification based on disease severity statistics [namely the disease index (DI)], and the other is the V. dahliae biomass quantification in plants (namely the fungal biomass). In this study, the relationships of pathogenicity with the DI, pathogenicity with the biomass, and the correlation analysis of the DI and relative fungal biomass were analysed. The results showed that pathogenicity assessment of V. dahliae strains using the DI method was able to give an intuitive reflection of the pathogenic ability for defoliating and non-defoliating strains; moreover, the method of quantitative PCR for fungal biomass also had high repeatability and stability. As a whole, the correlation coefficient between the DI and fungal biomass values of 28 strains was 0.728, indicating that the two data sets were highly correlated; however, the correlation coefficients of the defoliating strains and non-defoliating strains were only 0.5384 and 0.4547, respectively. In conclusion, the correlation coefficient between the DI and the fungal biomass presented high consistency, which could provide some meaningful exploration for the more accurate pathogenicity identification of V. dahliae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endophytes play important roles in promoting plant growth and controlling plant diseases. Verticillium wilt is a vascular wilt disease caused by Verticillium dahliae, a widely distributed soilbome pathogen that causes significant economic losses on cotton each year. In this study, an endophyte KRS015, isolated from the seed of the Verticillium wilt-resistant Gossypium hirsutum 'Zhongzhimian No. 2', was identified as Bacillus subtilis by morphological, phylogenetic, physiological, and biochemical analyses. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by KRS015 or its cell-free fermentation extract had significant antagonistic effects on various pathogenic fungi, including V. dahliae. KRS015 reduced Verticillium wilt index and colonization of V. dahliae in treated cotton seedlings significantly; the disease reduction rate was ~62%. KRS015 also promoted plant growth, potentially mediated by the growth-related cotton genes GhACL5 and GhCPD-3. The cell-free fermentation extract of KRS015 triggered a hypersensitivity response, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) and expression of resistance-related plant genes. VOCs from KRS015 also inhibited germination of conidia and the mycelial growth of V. dahliae, and were mediated by growth and development-related genes such as VdHapX, VdMcml, Vdpf, and Veil. These results suggest that KRS015 is a potential agent for controlling Verticillium wilt and promoting growth of cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays critical roles in stress responses under challenging conditions such as hypoxia, via regulating gene expression and integrating activities of hypothalamus-pituitary-targets cells. However, the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and signaling pathways of hypoxic stress in the pituitary remain to be defined. Here, we report that hypoxia induced dynamic changes in the transcription factors, hormones, and their receptors in the adult rat pituitary. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), oxidative phosphorylation, and cAMP signaling pathways were all differentially enriched in genes induced by hypoxic stress. In the pituitary gene network, hypoxia activated c-Fos and HIFs with specific pituitary transcription factors (Prop1), targeting the promoters of hormones and their receptors. HIF and its related signaling pathways can be a promising biomarker during acute or constant hypoxia. Hypoxia stimulated the transcription of marker genes for microglia, chemokines, and cytokine receptors of the inflammatory response. Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) mediated the transcription of Pomc, Sstr2, and Hif2a, and regulated the function of HPA axis. Together with HIF, c-Fos initiated and modulated dynamic changes in the transcription of hormones and their receptors. The receptors were also implicated in the regulation of functions of target cells in the pituitary network under hypoxic stress. CRHR1 played an integrative role in the hypothalamus-pituitary-target axes. This study provides new evidence for CRHR1 involved changes of hormones, receptors, signaling molecules and pathways in the pituitary induced by hypoxia.

Though Verticillium dahliae is an asexually reproducing fungus, it is considered heterothallic owing to the presence of only one of the two mating-type idiomorphs (MAT1-1 or MAT1-2) in individual isolates. But sexual reproduction has never been observed either in nature or in the laboratory. All of the genomic information in the literature thus far has therefore come from studies on isolates carrying only the MAT1-2 idiomorph. Herein, we sequenced and compared high-quality reference genomes of MAT1-1 strain S011 and MAT1-2 strain S023 obtained from the same sunflower field. The two genomic sequences displayed high synteny, and encoded similar number genes, a similarity especially notable among pathogenicity-related genes. Homolog analysis between these two genomes revealed that 80% of encoded genes are highly conserved (95% identity and coverage), but only 20% of the single copy genes were identical. These novel genome resources will support the analysis of the structure and function of the two idiomorphs and provide valuable tools to elucidate the evolution and potential mechanisms of sexual reproduction in V. dahliae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The distribution knowledge structure and pattern of the literature on labor analgesia in PubMed were examined. Methods: Scientific papers on labor analgesia published from 1 January, 2000 to 31 June, 2020 were retrieved. The extracted MeSH items were quantitatively analyzed by the Bibliographic Item Co-Occurrence Matrix Builder (BICOMB), and the high frequency MeSH items were identified. In gCLUTO software, repeated bisection method was used to Mountain visualisation, and the visual matrix was established. By constructing high-frequency MeSH terms co-occurrence matrix, strategic diagram and social network are further completed. Results: The search strategy yielded 2870 papers, and the number of papers published annually had changed slightly during the study period. Among all extracted MeSH terms, 42 high-frequency MeSH terms were identified by consensus, and were divided into six categories by diclustering analysis. In the strategic diagram, the methods of labor analgesia, drug doses, and routes of administration were properly presented. In contrast, statistical and numerical data on obstetric analgesia were relatively underdeveloped, and management of pain during labor was undeveloped. In the social network analysis, the position status of each component was determined by the centrality values. Conclusions: The findings on labor analgesia are relatively divergent, and the six research categories outlined in this study reflect the publication trends in the field of labor analgesia to some extent. Our quantitative bibliometric research across a 20-year span depicts the overall direction of the latest topics and provides some hints for researchers when launching new projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As organ-specific three-dimensional cell clusters derived from cancer tissue or cancer-specific stem cells, cancer-derived organoids are organized in the same manner of the cell sorting and spatial lineage restriction in vivo, making them ideal for simulating the characteristics of cancer and the heterogeneity of cancer cells in vivo. Besides the applications as a new in vitro model to study the physiological characteristics of normal tissues and organs, organoids are also used for in vivo cancer cell characterization, anti-cancer drug screening, and precision medicine. However, organoid cultures are not without limitations, i.e., the lack of nerves, blood vessels, and immune cells. As a result, organoids could not fully replicate the characteristics of organs but partially simulate the disease process. This review attempts to provide insights into the organoid models for cancer precision medicine.

The article explores the genetic analysis of the cognate receptor for the olfactory pheromone indicates an important role for this sensory pathway in promoting sexual isolation of subspecies, in combination with auditory signals. It mentions the poor understanding of the communication mechanisms underlying the sexual isolation of species.