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Abstract Background Leucine-rich repeat (LRR) extensins (LRXs), which are cell wall-localized chimeric extensin proteins, are essential for the development of plants and their resistance to stress. Despite the significance of these genes, an extensive genome-wide analysis of the LRX gene family in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is lacking. Results We here detected 14 grapevine LRX genes and classified them into four groups through phylogenetic analysis. Then, their physiological and biochemical properties and gene/protein structures were analyzed. According to synteny analysis, tandem and segmental duplications have appreciably affected the expansion of the grapevine LRX gene family. On investigating tissue-specific expression profiles and cis-regulatory elements, we observed that VvLRXs likely serve as regulators of both the growth of grapevines and their responses to various environmental stresses. Salt stress treatments induced the expression of several VvLRXs, and VvLRX7 expression was the most significantly upregulated. Furthermore, VvLRX7 expression was positively correlated with the salt tolerance of grape rootstocks. VvLRX7 overexpression in Arabidopsis markedly enhanced its salt tolerance. Conclusion This study provides a general understanding of the characteristics and evolution of the LRX gene family in grapevine. VvLRX7 may function as a positive regulator of plant’s response to salt stress. These findings offer a basis for future studies on the function of grapevine LRXs and their role in improving salt stress tolerance in grapevine.

Abstract Grape quality is a key factor in determining wine quality, and it depends not only on management skills, but also on the geographic location of the producing area. In China, Shandong is the province with the largest wine production, and ‘Cabernet Franc’ is widely planted. This study evaluated the ‘Cabernet Franc’ fruit quality in relation to geographical conditions in five ‘Cabernet Franc’ producing districts of Shandong province, China, including Dezhou Aodeman Winery (DZ), Tai’an Zhongqingsongshi Winery (TA), Penglai Longhu Winery (PL), Rushan Taiyihu Winery (RS), and Rizhao Taiyangcheng Winery (RZ). At the time of veraison and maturity, fruit was harvested from five areas, and compared for cosmetic and internal fruit quality. The soluble sugar content in the Rizhao area was rich, and the weight and volume of single fruit were relatively large. The titratable acid of the berries in Tai'an area was high. RNA-seq analysis showed that the number of genes in the véraison stage was 19,571–20,750, and the number of genes in the mature stage was 19,176–20,735. The analysis found that areas with multiple high-quality characteristics tended to have more DEGs (differential expressed genes). And the DEGs in different areas were mainly distributed on chromosome 7, and at least on chromosome 15. DEGs in 5 areas were enriched on 855 GO terms and 116 KEGG pathways during berries development. Among them, it was found that the up/down-regulation of DEGs was related to the formation of berry quality, which helps to explain the impact of environment on grape quality components. In summary, this study is helpful to understand the influence of cultivation location on the quality of 'Cabernet Franc' in different production areas in Shandong province, and further provide a reference for the production of high-quality wine grapes and winemaking.

Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) and N6-methyladenosine (m6A) have been shown to play an increasingly critical role in the development of different cancers. However, there is limited evidence on how circRNAs and m6A interact to affect the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer (CC). This study provides a mechanistic understanding of the novel m6A-regulated circRNF13 in enhancing radioresistance in CC. Methods Differentially expressed circRNAs were identified from radiosensitive and radioresistant CC tissues. Meanwhile, these circRNAs were subjected to methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (Me-RIP). Finally, the effects of these circRNAs on radiosensitivity were characterized. Results CircRNF13 was poorly expressed in CC patients that were sensitive to concurrent radiochemotherapy. Experiments conducted both in vitro and in vivo confirmed that the knockdown of circRNF13 potentiated the radiosensitivity of CC cells. Further mechanistic studies revealed that METTL3/YTHDF2 promoted the degradation of circRNF13 and subsequently affected the stability of CXC motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1), ultimately enhancing the radiosensitivity of CC cells. Conclusion This study identified circRNF13 as a novel m6A-modified circRNA and validated the METTL3/YTHDF2/circRNF13/CXCL1 axis as a potential target for CC radiotherapy.

IntroductionWhite Hypsizygus marmoreus is a popular edible mushroom. It is rich in nutrition and flavor but vulnerable to fungal disease, resulting in nutrient loss and aging.MethodsIn this study, the pathogenic fungus Trichoderma spp. BBP-6 and its antagonist Bacillus sp. 1–23 were isolated and identified. The negative effects caused by this pathogen were judged by detecting a series of changes in the infected white H. marmoreus. The effects of Bacillus sp. 1–23 on Trichoderma spp. BBP-6 and the infected white H. marmoreus were detected. The effect of Bacillus sp. 1–23 treatment combined with salicylic acid (SA) was also considered.ResultsThe results showed that Trichoderma spp. BBP-6 could affect the activities of antioxidant enzymes PAL, POD, CAT, SOD, GR, PPO, and APX to interfere with the stability of the white H. marmoreus antioxidant enzyme system and cause the mushroom severe browning and nutrition loss, as well as general quality deterioration. Bacillus sp. 1–23 could produce chitinase and chitosanase enzymes to inhibit Trichoderma spp. BBP-6 directly. SA reinforced this inhibitory. Bacillus sp. 1–23 alone or combined with SA could help white H. marmoreus from the Trichoderma spp. BBP-6 infection to effectively maintain nutrients, restore and stabilize the antioxidant system, and reduce the production of malondialdehyde, superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide.DiscussionThus, such treatments could be considered potential methods to alleviate damage from disease and extend the shelf life of white H. marmoreus.

For most fruit and forest species vegetative propagated from elite genotypes, adventitious rooting is essential. The ability to form adventitious roots significantly decreased during the juvenile to adult phase change. Apart from the miR156-SPL pathway, whether there is another regulation mechanism controlling age-dependent adventitious rooting ability remained largely unknown. In the present study, we showed that MdWRKY87 expression level was positively correlation with adventitious rooting ability. In addition, over-expressing of MdWRKY87 in tobacco leads to enhanced adventitious rooting ability, more adventitious root number and accelerated adventitious rooting process. Comparative transcriptome profiling indicated that MdWRKY87 overexpression can activate the expression of adventitious rooting-induced genes, such as WOX11 and AIL. In addition, MdWRKY87 overexpression can inhibit the transcription of adventitious rooting-repressed genes, such as AUX/IAAs and type-B cytokinin RRs. Collectively, here we demonstrated that higher expression level of MdWRKY87 contributes to age-dependent adventitious rooting-competent in juvenile apple rootstock.

Objective: To explore the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of action of volatile oil from Chuanxiong (Chuanxiong Rhizoma) - Suhexiang (Styrax) - Bingpian (Borneolum) (hereinafter referred to as C-S-B volatile oil) in treating angina pectoris based on network pharmacology and to detect its protective effects against rat myocardial damage. Methods: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to determine the constituents of volatile oils from Chuanxiong (Chuanxiong Rhizoma), Suhexiang (Styrax), and Bingpian (Borneolum), and the targets of the three main constituents were found predicted and screened using the PharmMapper server, and GeneCards and CooLGeN databases. The STRING database and Cytoscape software were used to draw the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, RStudio software was used to analyze Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genome and Genome (KEGG) pathways, and Cytoscape software was used to construct the component-target-pathway-disease network. The rat model of myocardial injury was established by intraperitoneal injection of a large dose of isoprenaline hydrochloride. After continuous intervention with C-S-B volatile oil for 14 d, the ejection fraction (EF) and short axis shortening rate (FS) of the left ventricle were detected. The indices of myocardial damage were detected after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Results: Fifteen volatile oil components from the C-S-B formula were identified. There are 470 targets of these volatile oil components and 401 angina-related genes. There are 28 core targets, including CHRM4, ADRA1A, FGFR1, CHRM2, CYP2A6, CHRM5, CHRM1, CHRM3, HDAC2, and MPO, etc.. The results of the KEGG analysis indicated that the C-S-B formula probably interferes with the following pathways: neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, calcium signaling, cytochrome P450 metabolism of heteropoietin, among others. The results of animal experiments showed that the C-S-B formula essential oil could significantly improve the following myocardial indices in rats with myocardial injury: EF, FS, left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVIDs), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVIDd), and stroke volume (SV), and all the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.01). Conclusion: The mechanism of action of volatile oil components in the C-S-B formula in treating angina pectoris was analyzed using multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway systems, which has laid a foundation for further revealing its mechanism of action. Animal experiments have shown that the volatile oil of the C-S-B formula can improve EF, FS, and other indices of myocardial damage in a rat model, thus relieving myocardial damage caused by heart hyperactivity, improving cardiac function, and protecting against myocardial damage.

Abstract Background The class III peroxidases (PODs) are involved in a broad range of physiological activities, such as the formation of lignin, cell wall components, defense against pathogenicity or herbivore, and abiotic stress tolerance. The POD family members have been well-studied and characterized by bioinformatics analysis in several plant species, but no previous genome-wide analysis has been carried out of this gene family in grapevine to date. Results We comprehensively identified 47 PODs in the grapevine genome and are further classified into 7 subgroups based on their phylogenetic analysis. Results of motif composition and gene structure organization analysis revealed that PODs in the same subgroup shared similar conjunction while the protein sequences were highly conserved. Intriguingly, the integrated analysis of chromosomal mapping and gene collinearity analysis proposed that both dispersed and tandem duplication events contributed to the expansion of PODs in grapevine. Also, the gene duplication analysis suggested that most of the genes (20) were dispersed followed by (15) tandem, (9) segmental or whole-genome duplication, and (3) proximal, respectively. The evolutionary analysis of PODs, such as Ka/Ks ratio of the 15 duplicated gene pairs were less than 1.00, indicated that most of the gene pairs exhibiting purifying selection and 7 pairs underwent positive selection with value greater than 1.00. The Gene Ontology Enrichment (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes Genomics (KEGG) analysis, and cis-elements prediction also revealed the positive functions of PODs in plant growth and developmental activities, and response to stress stimuli. Further, based on the publically available RNA-sequence data, the expression patterns of PODs in tissue-specific response during several developmental stages revealed diverged expression patterns. Subsequently, 30 genes were selected for RT-PCR validation in response to (NaCl, drought, and ABA), which showed their critical role in grapevine. Conclusions In conclusion, we predict that these results will lead to novel insights regarding genetic improvement of grapevine.

As a polymicrobial disease, sour rot decreases grape berry yield and wine quality. The diversity of microbial communities in sour rot-affected grapes depends on the cultivation site, but the microbes responsible for this disease in eastern coastal China, has not been reported. To identify the microbes that cause sour grape rot in this important grape-producing region, the diversity and abundance of bacteria and fungi were assessed by metagenomic analysis and cultivation-dependent techniques. A total of 15 bacteria and 10 fungi were isolated from sour rot-affected grapes. High-throughput sequencing of PCR-amplicons generated from diseased grapes revealed 1343 OTUs of bacteria and 1038 OTUs of fungi. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were dominant phyla among the 19 bacterial phyla identified. Ascomycota was the dominant fungal phylum and the fungi Issatchenkia terricola, Colletotrichum viniferum, Hanseniaspora vineae, Saprochaete gigas, and Candida diversa represented the vast majority ofmicrobial species associated with sour rot-affected grapes. An in vitro spoilage assay confirmed that four of the isolated bacteria strains (two Cronobacter species, Serratia marcescens and Lysinibacillus fusiformis) and five of the isolated fungi strains (three Aspergillus species, Alternaria tenuissima, and Fusarium proliferatum) spoiled grapes. These microorganisms, which appear responsible for spoiling grapes in eastern China, appear closely related to microbes that cause this plant disease around the world.

Interaction with the gamma-aminobutyric-acid-type-A (GABAA) receptors is recognized as an important component of the mechanism of propofol, a sedative-hypnotic drug commonly used as anesthetic. However the contribution of GABAA receptors to the central nervous system suppression is still not well understood, especially in the thalamocortical network. In the present study, we investigated if intracerebral injection of bicuculline (a GABAA receptor antagonist) into the thalamus ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM, a thalamus specific relay nuclei that innervated S1 mostly) could reverse propofol-induced cortical suppression, through recording the changes of both spontaneous and somatosensory neural activities in rat's somatosensory cortex (S1). We found that after injection of bicuculline into VPM, significant increase of neural activities were observed in all bands of local field potentials (total band, 182±6%), while the amplitude of all components in somatosensory evoked potentials were also increased (negative, 121±9% and positive, 124±6%).These data support that the potentiation of GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic inhibition in a thalamic specific relay system seems to play a crucial role in propofol-induced cortical suppression in the somatosensory cortex of rats.

Aims: To investigate the predictive value of peripheral blood monocyte count and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (monocyte/HDL-C, MHR) combined with thromboelastography (TEG) related parameters in acute Cerebral infarction (ACI). Methods:The study group included 201 patients with ACI, and the comparison group included 201 patients with non-ACI. Using dispersion analysis, changes in MHR and TEG were compared between the two groups. Using logistic regression analysis, valuable measures of model building were screened. Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the predictive effect of a combination of single and multiple indices on ACI was evaluated. Based on NIHSS scores, the research team was also divided into a mild nerve injury group (152 cases) and a moderate to severe nerve injury group (49 cases). Compare the changes in the two groups of indicators. Correlations between NIHSS scores and each index were analyzed by pearson correlation. Reasults:Lymphocyte count, monocyte count, MHR, angle, MA, G and A30 were higher in the study group than in the control group. HDL-C, NLR, R and K values were lower in the study group than in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Among the indicators, MHR had the highest diagnostic concordance rate and area under the curve (AUC) (0.806 and 0.883, respectively), the highest sensitivity (0.891) for the count of monocyte, and the highest R-value specificity (0.776). Logistic regression analysis showed that MHR>0.367, monocyte count >0.38×109/L, A30>63.1mm and R value<5.0min were independent risk factors for ACI. The 4-factor regression equation has been established: logit(P)=-2.19+1.541* monocyte count -1.731*R+1.466*A30+2.040*MHR. Using this model to predict ACI, the cut-off value was 0.409, the sensitivity was 84.1%, the specificity was 86.1%, the AUC was 0.912, and the diagnostic concordance rate was 85.1%. Specificity, diagnostic concordance, and AUC were higher than single index assays. The moderate-to-severe neurological deficit group had higher counts of neutrophil count, monocyte count, MHR, NLR, Angle, MA, G, and A30 than the mild neurological deficit group. Lymphocyte counts and HDL-C were lower in moderate-to-severe nerve injury groups than in mild nerve injury groups, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The NIHSS score was positively correlated with the counts of neutrophil count, monocyte count, MHR and NLR (P<0.001). Among them, the NIHSS score had the strongest correlation with MHR (r=0.674, P<0.001). Conclusions:MHR>0.367, monocyte count >0.38×109/L, A30>63.1mm, R value<5.0min were independent risk factors for ACI. Combining the four factors for detection is more effective in predicting ACI. The elevated MHR can be used as an index for judging the severity of ACI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]