Search

Background: The nitrate regulates soybean nodulation and nitrogen fixation systemically, mainly in inhibiting nodule growth and reducing nodule nitrogenase activity, but the reason for its inhibition is still inconclusive., Methods: The systemic effect of nitrate on nodule structure, function, and carbon distribution in soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) was studied in a dual-root growth system, with both sides inoculated with rhizobia and only one side subjected to nitrate treatment for four days. The non-nodulating side was genetically devoid of the ability to form nodules. Nutrient solutions with nitrogen concentrations of 0, 100, and 200 mg L -1 were applied as KNO 3 to the non-nodulating side, while the nodulating side received a nitrogen-free nutrient solution. Carbon partitioning in roots and nodules was monitored using 13 C-labelled CO 2 . Other nodule responses were measured via the estimation of the nitrogenase activity and the microscopic observation of nodule ultrastructure., Results: Elevated concentrations of nitrate applied on the non-nodulating side caused a decrease in the number of bacteroids, fusion of symbiosomes, enlargement of the peribacteroid spaces, and onset of degradation of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate granules, which is a form of carbon storage in bacteroids. These microscopic observations were associated with a strong decrease in the nitrogenase activity of nodules. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that the assimilated carbon is more likely to be allocated to the non-nodulating roots, as follows from the competition for carbon between the symbiotic and non-symbiotic sides of the dual-root system., Conclusion: We propose that there is no carbon competition between roots and nodules when they are indirectly supplied with nitrate, and that the reduction of carbon fluxes to nodules and roots on the nodulating side is the mechanism by which the plant systemically suppresses nodulation under nitrogen-replete conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Li, Wu, Liu, Lyu, Xiao, Zhao, Ma, Yan, Liu, Li, Wang and Gong.)

The regulatory effects of uneven phosphorus supplies on phosphorus transport in soybean roots are still unclear. To further analyze the regulatory effects of low-phosphorus stress on phosphorus transport in soybean roots and the effects of uneven phosphorus application on the physiological mechanism of phosphorus transport in soybean roots, dual-root soybean plants were prepared via grafting, and a sand culture experiment was performed. From the unfolded cotyledon stage to the initial flowering stage, one side of each dual-root soybean system was irrigated with a low-phosphorus-concentration solution (phosphorus-application [P+] side), and the other side was irrigated with a phosphorus-free nutrient solution (phosphorus-free [P-] side); this setup allowed the study of the effects of different phosphorus supply levels on the expression of genes and proteins and the accumulation of metabolites in soybean roots on the P- side to clarify the method through which phosphorus transport is regulated in soybean roots and to provide a theoretical basis for improving the use rate of phosphorus fertilizer. The results revealed that the unilateral supply of low-concentration phosphorus promoted the uptake of phosphorus by soybean roots and the transport of phosphorus from the P+ side to the P- side. Compared with the normal concentration of phosphorus supply and the phosphorus-free supply, the low concentration phosphorus supply affected the regulation of the metabolic pathways involved in starch and sucrose metabolism, glycolysis, fructose, and mannose metabolism, etc., thereby affecting soybean root phosphorus transport. The low-phosphorus stress inhibited fructose synthesis and sucrose synthase synthesis in the soybean roots and the synthesis of hexokinase (HK) and fructose kinase, which catalyzes the conversion of fructose to fructose-6-phosphate. Low-phosphorus stress promoted the synthesis of sucrose invertase and the conversion of sucrose into maltose by the activity of starch synthase (StS) and stimulated the synthesis of UDPG pyrophosphorylase (UGP) and phosphoglucose isomerase (GP1), which is involved in the conversion of UDP-glucose to glucose-6-phosphate. The phosphorus transport pathway of soybean roots was then affected, which promoted phosphorus allocation to UTP and glucose-6-phosphate. Additionally, low-phosphorus stress hastened glycolysis in the soybean roots and inhibited the synthesis of malic acid, thereby promoting the transport of phosphorus in the roots. In addition, low-phosphorus stress inhibited the synthesis of fructose, mannose, and mannose-1-phosphate and the synthesis of other enzymes involved in phosphorus transport as well as invertase, thereby inhibiting the transport and synthesis of several organic phosphorus-containing compounds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Li, Xu, Li, Lyu, Li, Wang, Wang, Ma and Yan.)

Drought affects crop developmentnand growth. To explore the physiological effects of drought stress on soybean, HeiNong44 (HN44) and HeiNong65 (HN65) varieties were used as experimental materials and PEG-6000 was used as the osmotic medium. The antioxidant enzyme activity, osmotic adjustment substance content, antioxidant capacity, and endogenous hormone content of the two soybean varieties were studied under different drought degrees and different treatment durations. Drought stress caused significant physiological changes in soybean. The antioxidant enzyme activities, osmoregulation substance content, and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of HN65 and HN44 showed an increasing trend under mild and moderate drought, however, they first increased and then decreased under severe drought conditions. Following the extension of treatment time, malondialdehyde (MDA) showed an increasing trend. As drought increased, gibberellin (GA) content showed a decreasing trend, while abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and zeatin nucleoside (ZA) content showed an increasing trend. The auxin (IAA) content of the two varieties showed opposite change trends. In short, drought had a significant impact on the physiology of these two soybean varieties; however, overall, the drought resistance of HN65 was lower than that of HN44. This study provides a research theoretical basis for addressing the drought resistance mechanism and the breeding of drought resistant soybean varieties.

Nitrogen (N) inhibits soybean ( Glycine max L.) nodulation and N 2 fixation. Isoflavones secreted by soybean roots can stimulate signal transduction for symbiotic nodules, thus playing a key role in root nodule development and N 2 fixation. The relationship between the inhibition of soybean nodulation, N 2 fixation and isoflavones by N is still unclear. In this study, dual-root soybean plants were prepared by grafting, and N or isoflavones were supplied to unilateral roots. The number and dry weight of the soybean nodules, nitrogenase activity, isoflavone concentrations and relative changes in the level of expression of nodulation-related genes were measured to study the response relationship between the N systemic regulation the soybean nodule N 2 fixation and changes in the concentrations of isoflavones in its roots. The results showed that N supply to one side of the dual-root soybeans systematically affected the N 2 fixation of root nodules on both sides, and this effect began in the early stage of nodulation. Moreover, a unilateral supply of N systematically affected the concentrations of daidzein and genistein on both sides of the roots. The concentrations of isoflavones were consistent with the change trend of soybean root nodule and nodulation-related gene expression level. Treatment with unilateral N or isoflavones affected the soybean nodule N 2 fixation and its nodulation-related genes, which had the same response to the changes in concentrations of root isoflavones. N regulates soybean nodulation and N 2 fixation by systematically affecting the concentrations of isoflavones in the roots., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Lyu, Sun, Lin, Wang, Li, Zhao, Gong, Wei, Yan and Ma.)

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the diagnostic value of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) combined with serum miRNA-149 expression in prostate cancer (PCa) by conducting experiments and bioinformatics analysis. Patients and Methods . 50 PCa patients were enrolled on the experimental group from January 2020 to December 2021. 56 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were selected as the control group at the same time. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was applied to investigate the miRNA-149 expression. PSA was detected by using a chemiluminescence meter using Abbott i4000. Applying bioinformatics analysis, we explored the expression of hsa-miR-149 in PCa in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to evaluate the prognostic value, and the ROC curve was applied., Results: The expression level of miRNA-149 in the PCa group was significantly higher than that in the BPH group ( P  < 0.05). The PSA level in the PCa group was also significantly higher than that in the BPH group ( P  < 0.05). TCGA data analysis revealed that PCa tissues had significantly increased hsa-miR-149 expression. The results of survival analysis showed that patients with high expression of hsa-miR-149 had better prognosis. Additionally, the pathological N stage of PCa correlates with the hsa-miR-149 expression level ( P  = 0.002). According to ROC curve analysis, the region under the curve was 0.653, 95% CI: 0.576-0.730., Conclusion: High expression of serum miRNA-149 is associated with PCa patients. Although combined PSA did not improve the diagnostic efficacy, miRNA-149 has high specificity in the diagnosis of PCa. miRNA-149 might be a novel marker for early diagnosis and prognosis assessment for PCa., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hao Wang et al.)

In agroecosystems, a plant-usable form of nitrogen is mainly generated by legume-based biological nitrogen fixation, a process that requires phosphorus (P) as an essential nutrient. To investigate the physiological mechanism whereby phosphorus influences soybean nodule nitrogen fixation, soybean root nodules were exposed to four phosphate levels: 1 mg/L (P stress), 11 mg/L (P stress), 31 mg/L (Normal P), and 61 mg/L (High P) then proteome analysis of nodules was conducted to identify phosphorus-associated proteome changes. We found that phosphorus stress-induced ribosomal protein structural changes were associated with altered key root nodule protein synthesis profiles. Importantly, up-regulated expression of peroxidase was observed as an important phosphorus stress-induced nitrogen fixation-associated adaptation that supported two nodule-associated activities: scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell wall growth. In addition, phosphorus transporter (PT) and purple acid phosphatase (PAPs) were up-regulated that regulated phosphorus transport and utilization to maintain phosphorus balance and nitrogen fixation function in phosphorus-stressed root nodules., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yao, Yuan, Wu, Ma and Gong.)

With the promotion and popularization of machine cotton-picking, more and more attention has been paid to the selection of early-maturity varieties with compact plant architecture. The type of fruit branch is one of the most important factors affecting plant architecture and early maturity of cotton. Heredity analysis of the cotton fruit branch is beneficial to the breeding of machine-picked cotton. Phenotype analysis showed that the types of fruit branches in cotton are controlled by a single recessive gene. Using an F 2 population crossed with Huaxin102 (normal branch) and 04N-11 (nulliplex branch), BSA (Bulked Segregant Analysis) resequencing analysis and GhNB gene cloning in 04N-11, and allelic testing, showed that fruit branch type was controlled by the GhNB gene, located on chromosome D07. Ghnb5 , a new recessive genotype of GhNB , was found in 04N-11. Through candidate gene association analysis, SNP 20&#95;15811516&#95;SNV was found to be associated with plant architecture and early maturity in the Xinjiang natural population. The GhNB gene, which is related to early maturity and the plant architecture of cotton, is a branch-type gene of cotton. The 20&#95;15811516&#95;SNV marker, obtained from the Xinjiang natural population, was used for the assisted breeding of machine-picked cotton varieties.

Background: There is currently no effective treatment for vascular dementia (VaD). Scalp electroacupuncture (EA) has served clinically as an alternative treatment for VaD, but its mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of EA at the Baihui (GV 20) and Shenting (GV 24) acupoints on spatial learning and memory ability, and the expression level of microRNA-81 ( miR-81 ), interleukin-16 ( IL-16 ), and postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) in the frontal cortex of VaD rats., Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups, sham, VaD, non-acupuncture (non-AP) and EA group. The VaD model was established by permanent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries. Morris Water Maze was used to assess the rats' spatial learning and memory. Immunochemistry (IHC), quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blot analysis were performed to detect the expression level of miR-81 , IL-16 , and PSD-95. Finally, luciferase assay was used to determine the effect of miR-81 on IL-16 expression in PC12 cells., Results: The space exploration experiment of MWM showed the time and distance of the rat's activities around the platform were decreased in the EA group. Compared to the VaD and non-AP group, the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUDP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive frontal cortical neurons was significantly decreased in EA group. The number of the PSD-95-positive cells and the miR-81 expression level in the frontal cortical in the EA group was dramatically increased in comparison with the other groups. In the PC12 cell validation experiment, IL-16 expression level was reduced under the condition of the miR-81 mimic treatment, while increased in the miR-81 inhibitor group. The PSD-95 protein level was up-regulated in the small interfering ( si ) RNA-IL16 group compared to the NC-IL16 groups with or without oxygen/glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) conditions (P<0.05). However, this was abolished by miR-81 mimic., Conclusions: In VaD rats, EA may improve spatial learning and memory through miR-81/IL-16/PSD-95 pathway., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-2068/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Although mitochondria are known to be involved in host defense against viral infection, the physiological role of mitophagy, a crucial mechanism for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis, in antiviral immunity remains poorly defined. Here, we show that Parkin, a central player in mitophagy, has a vital function in regulating host antiviral responses. Parkin-knockout mice exhibit improved viral clearance and survival after viral infection. However, Parkin deficiency does not affect antiviral signaling and interferon production. Instead, Parkin deficiency augments innate antiviral inflammation by enhancing mitochondrial ROS (mtROS)-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation and promoting viral clearance. Loss of NLRP3 can reverse the enhanced antiviral responses in Parkin knockout mice. Furthermore, we find that Parkin expression is downregulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients infected with virus. Collectively, our results suggest that Parkin plays an important role in antiviral immunity by controlling mtROS-NLRP3 axis-mediated inflammation. These findings provide physiological insight of the importance of mitophagy in regulating host antiviral response., (Crown Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of Ganoderma lucidum preparation on the behaviors,biochemistry,and autoimmunity parameters of mouse models of APP/PS-1 double transgenic Alzheimer's disease(AD).Methods A total of 44 4-month-old APP/PS-1 double transgenic AD mice were randomly divided into AD model group,Aricept group,Ganoderma lucidum middle-dose(LZ-M)group,and Ganoderma lucidum high-dose(LZ-H)group,with 11 mice in each group.In addition,10 4-month-old C57BL/6 mice were used as the control group.Water maze test was conducted to observe the behavior changes,and the protein expressions in brain tissues were detected by Western blot analysis.The autoimmune indicators were detected by indirect immunofluorescence method.Results In the navigation experiment,the time of finding the platform was gradually shortened since the 2 nd day in the control,LZ-H,and LZ-M groups,and the time of searching the platform in the AD model group gradually increased.On the 5 th day,the time of finding platform was significantly shorter in control group (t=5.607,P=0.000) and LZ-H group(t=2.750,P=0.010)than AD model group.In the space exploration experiment,the number of crossing the target platform(t=2.452,P=0.025)and the residence time in the target quadrant(t=2.530,P=0.020)in AD model group mice was significantly smaller/shorter than those in control group;in addition,the number of crossing the target platform in the AD model group was significantly smaller than that in LZ-H group(t=2.317,P=0.030)and LZ-M group(t=2.443,P=0.030),while the residence time in target quadrant decreased significantly(t=2.770,P=0.020)compared with LZ-H group;the number of crossing through the target platform quadrant(t=2.493,P=0.022)and residence time in the target quadrant(t=2.683,P=0.015)in LZ-H group were significantly higher than in Aricept group.Western blot analysis showed that the expression of ApoA1 in the brain tissues of mice in LZ-H and LZ-M groups were significantly higher than those in AD model group(P<0.01,P<0.05);Aβ-40 expression in LZ-H group was significantly lower than that in AD model group(P<0.05);the expressions of Syt1,ApoE,and ABCA1 in brain tissues of mice in LZ-H group were significantly higher than those in model group(P<0.01,P<0.05).The plasma IgG level in Aricept group(t=30.945,P=0.000),LZ-M group(t=25.639,P=0.000)and LZ-H group(t=4.689,P=0.001)were significantly higher than that in the control group.Conclusion Ganoderma lucidum preparation can improve behavior disorders of AD model mice,promote the expressions of ApoA1,ApoE and Syt1,inhibit the expression of Aβ-40 protein,and improve the autoimmune function.

Objective: To evaluate the value of simplified pulmonary embolism severity index (sPESI) , brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and high-sensitivity troponin I (hs-TnI) in predicting the short-term and long-term prognosis of patients with acute pulmonary embolism., Methods: We collected the clinical data of 162 consecutive patients with acute pulmonary embolism in The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from January of 2010 to September of 2012. Hospital death, shock, mechanical ventilation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation were defined as the primary endpoints while death within 38 months as the secondary endpoint. The correlations between sPESI,BNP and hs-TnI, and the primary and secondary endpoints in the overall cohort and hemodynamically stable subgroup were analyzed respectively., Results: BNP, hs-TnI and sPESI were independent predictors in multivariate regression of the primary endpoints in the overall cohort. The area under ROC curve and the risk odds ratio of them were 0.87, 8.16;0.91, 6.09 and 0.78 , 14.07 respectively.Only BNP and sPESI were independent predictors in multivariate regression of the primary endpoints in hemodynamically stable subgroup.Only sPESI was an independent risk factor in COX regression of the secondary endpoint. The combination of BNP and hs-TnI further improved the positive predictive value (44.4%), while the negative predictive value was unaffected(97.8%). There was no adverse event in patients with low score of sPESI and single-positive or negative combination of BNP and hs-TnI., Conclusion: sPESI could reflect overall risk of pulmonary embolism.It had a high value in the evaluation of pulmonary embolism prognosis, especially for long-term prognosis.It should be integrated into the risk stratification strategy of pulmonary embolism.In the evaluation of short-term prognosis, BNP and hs-TnI were the best indicators, and the combination of BNP, hs-TnI and sPESI could further improve the prognostic value.

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) has been reported to accumulate in Lewy bodies (LBs), a histological hallmark of Parkinson's disease. Recent findings propose that GRK5 might function in Parkinson's disease via phosphorylation of alpha-synuclein, a major component of LBs. In this study, the changes of the expression levels of GRK5 and its possible effects in Parkinson's disease were evaluated in cell lines and transgenic mice model of alpha-synuclein overexpression. Both the expression levels of cytoplasmic and nuclear distributed GRK5 were induced an increase via alpha-synuclein overexpression in vivo and in vitro. The observations that the levels of alpha-synuclein phosphorylated at Ser-129 (pS129-alpha-synuclein) remain unchanged despite the downregulation of GRK5 by short hairpin ribonucleic acid (shRNA) transfection suggest that GRK5 is not the sole kinase involved in phosphorylating alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease. In addition, the findings that nuclear accumulation of GRK5 inhibits bcl-2 transcription and expression, at least in part by enhancing histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity, show an unexpected role for nuclear GRK5 in the regulation of an apoptosis-related gene. The present study suggests that GRK5 may be extensively involved in the mechanism of Parkinson's disease.

Fat-induced hepatic insulin resistance (FIHIR) in obesity induced by high-fat diet leads to ectopic lipid accumulation and may contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. We examined the alterations in hepatic gene expression involved in FIHIR by using obese insulin-resistant and diabetic hamsters that received high-fat diet with or without low-dose streptozotocin. Microarray analysis and confirmatory real-time RT-PCR indicated that increased mRNA levels of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) and decreased mRNA levels of liver X receptor (LXRalpha) and peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor (PPARalpha) occurred in FIHIR in insulin-resistant and diabetic hamsters. Expression levels of hepatic LXRalpha, SREBPs, and PPARalpha differed significantly between insulin-resistant and diabetic hamsters. Expression of LXRalpha, SREBPs, and PPARalpha all change in FIHIR associated with hepatic lipid accumulation in insulin-resistant and diabetic hamsters in which disease is induced by high-fat diet and streptozotocin injection.

Objectives: A purpose of this study is to compare the differential effects of melatonin on hippocampal neurodegeneration in accelerated senescence prone mouse-8 (SAMP8) which is initiated treatment at different age., Methods: The 4-months old SAMP8 mice were injected subcutaneously with melatonin (1 mg/kg/day) for 4 months. Similar treatments were performed in the 7-months old mice. When the animals were complete 11-months old, a series of tests were performed. Y maze test and Eight-arm radial maze task were used to assess cognitive performance. Hippocampal pyramidal cells were estimated by Nissl's staining. By using Gomori's methenamine silver methods, the methenamine silver staining granules (MSSG) were observed in area CA1 of hippocampus. A computer-assisted morphometric study was carried out on the ultrastructure of perikaryal CA1 pyramidal cell mitochondria. The volume density (Vv), surface density (Sv), numerical density (Nv) and mean volume (V) of the mitochondria were calculated., Results: Melatonin treatment obviously reduced the deposition of MSSG and elevated hippocampal pyramidal cell number while improving the learning and memory deficits of SAMP8. The mice initiated treatment from 4-months old exhibited a greater response to melatonin supplementation than 7-months old mice. It also decreased mean volume (V) and significantly elevated the Sv and Nv of the mitochondria in hippocampal CA1 region. However, 7-months old mice showed little effects on it., Conclusions: Our results indicate that the protective effects of melatonin on hippocampal neurodegeneration of SAMP8 are age dependent.