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To improve rapeseed yield, Brassica napus hybrid cultivar Huayouza 9 was selected as material, and was planted in pots and fields. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of wood vinegar application on seedling growth and seed yield under different foliar spraying times, different application intervals and different growth periods under 3 sowing dates. Results of pot experiments showed that total dry weight of rapeseed was significantly increased by 29.63%-74.07% when wood vinegar was sprayed for 2 to 4 times continuously and at intervals. At the same time, continuous and interval spraying of wood vinegar for 4 times could significantly increase leaf area by 81.58%-85.65%. Results of field experiments showed that the final seed yield treated by spraying once, twice and three times at seedling stage, bud bolting stage and flowering stage respectively increased by 3.30%, 9.52% and 11.38%, and protein content decreased by 2.62%, 4.02% and 4.68%, respectively. Compared with control, field yields of 3 different sowing dates sprayed with wood vinegar were increased by 20.13%, 23.25%, 13.97%, and the number of effective pods per plant increased by 47.29%, 61.87%, 72.90%, respectively. Comprehensive analysis showed that the promotion effect was better when wood vinegar was sprayed 2 to 4 times during growth period, with an interval of more than 5 days each time. Under different sowing dates, the effect of wood vinegar on rapeseed growth and yield was more significant in the suitable sowing date (on Oct. 9th). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide which is closely related to metastasis. But the exact molecular mechanism of ERα-36 and STAT3 on metastasis is still not fully understood. Methods MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines and MCF-10A were overexpressioned or knockdown ERα-36 and STAT3 and tested for migration, invasion and proliferation assays. Direct interaction of STAT3 and ERα-36 were analyzed by coimmunoprecipitation assays. The effect of STAT3 and ERα-36 on MMP2/9 expression was analyzed by qPCR and western blotting. STAT3 phospholyation and acetylation by ERα-36 and p300 were observed and quantified by coimmunoprecipitation assays and western blotting. Results Cross-talk between ERα-36 and STAT3 was demonstrated to mediate through a direct physical association between the two proteins. Furthermore, the interaction between ERα-36 and STAT3 was demonstrated to give rise to functional changes in their signaling events. Both MMP2 and MMP9 expression require the binding of the newly identified protein complex, ERα-36-STAT3, to its promoter, the second phase, which is more robust, depends on ERα-mediated recruitment of p300 onto the complex and the subsequent acetylation of STAT3. In addition, STAT3 is tyrosine-phosphorylated in a biphasic manner, and the late phase requires ERα-36-mediated p300-dependent acetylation. Furthermore, interference with acetylation of STAT3 by overexpression of acetylation null STAT3 mutant led to the loss of MMP2 and MMP9 expression. ChIP analysis and reporter gene assays revealed that ERα-36-STAT3 complex binding to the MMP2 and MMP9 promoter led to an enhanceosome formation and facilitated MMP2 and MMP9 expression. Conclusions Our studies demonstrate for the first time that the function of MMP2 and MMP9 in breast cancer cell migration, which is mediated by interactions between ERα-36 and STAT3.

The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stål, has become a major threat in tropical Asian and China since the rice green revolution of the 1960s. Currently, insecticide application remains the primary choice for controlling this rice insect pest, but heavy use of insecticides poses dangerous risks to beneficial natural enemies and pollinators, and stimulates N. lugens reproductivity, and has caused a resurgence of the pest in the major rice-planting regions throughout Asia. Achieving the long-lasting goal of sustainable management of N. lugens requires understanding of the molecular basis of outbreaks of the pest and the development of environment-friendly pest-control strategies. Here, we review the recent molecular advances in N. lugens research on the aspects of its endosymbionts, virus transmission, insecticide resistance, and interaction between N. lugens and rice plants. We also put forward further research directions that may shed some lights on management of the rice pest.

Non-ATPase regulatory subunits (Rpns) are components of the 26S proteasome involved in polyubiquitinated substrate recognition and deubiquitination in eukaryotes. Here, we identified 15 homologues sequences of Rpn and associated genes by searching the genome and transcriptome databases of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, a hemipteran rice pest. Temporospatial analysis showed that NlRpn genes were significantly highly expressed in eggs and ovaries but were less-highly expressed in males. RNA interference-mediated depletion of NlRpn genes decreased the proteolytic activity of proteasome and impeded the transcription of lipase and vitellogenin genes in the fat bodies and ovaries in adult females, and reduced the triglyceride content in the ovaries. Decrease of the proteolytic activity of the proteasome via knockdown of NlRpns also inhibited the transcription of halloween genes, including NlCYP307A2, NlCYP306A2 and NlCYP314A1, in the 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) biosynthetic pathway in the ovaries, reduced 20E production in adult females, and impaired ovarian development and oocyte maturation, resulting in reduced fecundity. These novel findings indicate that the proteolytic activity of the proteasome is required for female reproductive processes in N. lugens, thus furthering our understanding of the reproductive and developmental strategies in insects.

The hydrogeochemical characteristics of coalbed-produced water can provide insights into the sources of ions and water, the groundwater environments, hydrodynamic conditions, and water-rock interactions of depositional basins. To study the water-rock reaction process and reveal whether there is a microbial activity in the groundwater, a case of the Dafosi biogenic gas field was chosen by testing the ionic concentrations and hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of coalbed-produced water and employing R-type cluster and principal component analyses. The results showed that Na+, Cl−, and HCO3- are the principal ions in the coalbed-produced water, while the water type is mainly a Na–Cl. Due to the hydrolysis of HCO3-, the pH in this region was controlled primarily by HCO3-. As the main cation in water, Na+ contributed substantially to the total dissolved solids. Na+ is also related to the exchange between rock-bound Na+ and Ca2+ and Mg2+ in water or surrounding rocks. The coalbed-produced water’s oxygen isotopes displayed a characteristic 18O drift and enrichment, indicating that the 16O isotope in the water was preferentially exchanged with the coal organic matter. Early evaporation is also contributed to the enrichment of TDS (total dissolved solids) and 18O in the water. The central part of the study area, including the Qijia anticline, was affected by the Yanshanian uplift and denudation and subsequently developed a water-conducting fissure zone and was recharged atmospheric precipitation; these conditions were conducive to the formation of secondary biogenic gas.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) is an essential enzyme that transfers electrons from NADPH to cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. CPR is involved in cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) synthesis in insects and is vital for insect development and survival. Here, we clarify the physiological function of a CPR gene in Nilaparvata lugens, an important rice pest, by using RNA interference. CPR gene knockdown leads to the functional loss of waterproofing and water retention in the integument of female adults, which causes significantly reduced body weight and a lethal phenotype. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the lipid layer on the outermost surface of the abdominal cuticle becomes thin in dsCPR-injected adults. Furthermore, CHC profile analysis reveals that CPR knockdown significantly decreases the contents of CHCs with a carbon chain length ≥ C27 in adult females. Moreover, we find that CPR knockdown generates a deficient phenotype in ovaries with deformed oocytes and a complete failure of egg-laying. These findings suggest that CPR plays multiple functional roles in CHC biosynthesis and embryo development in insects.

Magnaporthe oryzae causes rice blast disease, but little is known about the dynamic restructuring of the actin cytoskeleton during its polarized tip growth and pathogenesis. Here, we used super-resolution live-cell imaging to investigate the dynamic organization of the actin cytoskeleton in M. oryzae during hyphal tip growth and pathogenesis. We observed a dense actin network at the apical region of the hyphae and actin filaments originating from the Spitzenkörper (Spk, the organizing center for hyphal growth and development) that formed branched actin bundles radiating to the cell membrane. The actin cross-linking protein Fimbrin (MoFim1) helps organize this actin distribution. MoFim1 localizes to the actin at the subapical collar, the actin bundles, and actin at the Spk. Knockout of MoFim1 resulted in impaired Spk maintenance and reduced actin bundle formation, preventing polar growth, vesicle transport, and the expansion of hyphae in plant cells. Finally, transgenic rice (Oryza sativa) expressing RNA hairpins targeting MoFim1 exhibited improved resistance to M. oryzae infection, indicating that MoFim1 represents an excellent candidate for M. oryzae control. These results reveal the dynamics of actin assembly in M. oryzae during hyphal tip development and pathogenesis, and they suggest a mechanism in which MoFim1 organizes such actin networks.

Pore structure plays an essential role in the reservoir heterogeneity and methane adsorption capacity. Significant progress has been made in the pore structure classification of porous materials (such as coal and shale). Considering the pore structure characterization of the coal measures and the measuring range of high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry and low-pressure N 2 /CO 2 gas adsorption, an integrated classification for coal and shale is provided. They are micropore (10 µm). For coal and shale samples from Guxu mining area, the micropores and mesopores largely control the gas adsorption while micro-fractures and macropore B are significant for the storage and flow of free gas. The fractal dimensions calculated from limited N 2 adsorption data are not suitable for the coal samples which are not developed in mesopore and macropore A; these samples are precisely corresponding to the N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherms of group B (reversible isotherm). Furthermore, the main factors influencing the methane adsorption capacity of coal and shale in the coal measures are micropore frequency, micro-fracture width, clay mineral composition, and total organic carbon content.

Two clamp pressure cells for QENS and INS have been developed. One is a hybrid CuBe/NiCrAl cell which is for relative high pressure up to 2.5 GPa and another one is made from high strength aluminium alloy (mesolite NA723) with pressure up to 0.5 GPa. The sample volume is 0.3 mL and 1 mL, respectively. The pressure cells have been thoroughly calibrated and tested. In addition, the contribution to phonon density of states from the pressure cells has been evaluated. Measurements of the phonon density of states for two perfluorocarbon polymer liquids FOMBLIN oil and Fluorinert have indicated that they are suitable to serve as the low background pressure transmission media for high pressure INS experiments. The applications of the pressure cells for INS and QENS are demonstrated by studies of pressure-induced phase transition of plastic crystals.

In this paper, we report on the theoretical and numerical study of the transmission of circularly polarized vortex beams through a plasmonic coaxial nanoring. We show that the transmission peak wavelength of an incident circularly polarized vortex beam is dominantly governed by the total angular momentum, which determines the coupling to the plasmonic eigenmode supported by the coaxial nanoring with a given geometry and ultimately the transmitted beam in the far field. In addition, our study shows that the total angular momentum of the incident circularly polarized vortex beam can be conserved, where the far field of the transmitted beam contains both left- and right-handed circular polarization components with correspondingly modulated orbital angular momentum preserving the same total angular momentum. Our work can be potentially useful to advanced nanophotonic devices harnessing light's angular momentum division.

BackgroundVariable temperature condition is the most extensive requirement in many scattering experiments. Automatic sample shifting technology based on the variable temperature condition can significantly improve the detection efficiency of samples.PurposeThis study aims to develop a varied temperature automatic sample shifting device for synchrotron radiation small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiment.MethodsThe device was designed to accommodate up to 100 samples, covering a wide temperature range of 25~280 °C with temperature control accuracy of ±1 °C. Two-dimensional mobile platform was used to control sample switching, and the temperature controller and heating element were used to control the sample temperature of experiment. In addition, the temperature-stroke coupling control software suitable for this device was implemented to realize the remote control of sample switching and temperature changing. The structure and the temperature distribution of the sample rack were analyzed by numerical simulation and compared with that of experiment to finalize the appropriate structure for this device.Results & ConclusionsThe maximum error between the simulated temperature and the measured temperature is less than 2% and the structure design is reasonable, satisfying multi-sample variable temperature test requirements for SAXS experiment.

Abstract Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is a pivotal player in angiogenesis. It is capable of influencing such cellular processes as tubulogenesis and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, yet very little is known about the actual signaling events that mediate VEGF-A induced VSMC phenotypic switch. In this report, we describe the identification of an intricate VEGF-A-induced signaling cascade that involves VEGFR2, STAT3, and Myocardin. We demonstrate that VEGF-A promotes VSMC proliferation via VEGFR2/STAT3-mediated upregulating the proliferation of markers like Cyclin D1 and PCNA. Specifically, VEGF-A leads to nitrosylation of Myocardin, weakens its effect on promoting the expression of contractile markers and is unable to inhibit the activation of STAT3. These observations reinforce the importance of nitric oxide and S-nitrosylation in angiogenesis and provide a mechanistic pathway for VEGF-A-induced VSMC phenotypic switch. In addition, Myocardin, GSNOR and GSNO can create a negative feedback loop to regulate the VSMC phenotypic switch. Thus, the discovery of this interactive network of signaling pathways provides novel and unexpected therapeutic targets for angiogenesis-dependent diseases.