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Discovery of the Asgard superphylum of archaea provides new evidence supporting the two-domain model of life: eukaryotes originated from an Asgard-related archaeon that engulfed a bacterial endosymbiont. However, how eukaryotes acquired bacterial-like membrane lipids with a sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) backbone instead of the archaeal-like sn-glycerol-1-phosphate (G1P) backbone remains unknown. In this study, we reconstituted archaeal lipid production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by expressing unsaturated archaeol-synthesizing enzymes. Using Golden Gate cloning for pathway assembly, modular gene replacement was performed, revealing the potential biosynthesis of both G1P- and G3P-based unsaturated archaeol by uncultured Asgard archaea. Unexpectedly, hybrid neutral lipids containing both archaeal isoprenoids and eukaryotic fatty acids were observed in recombinant S. cerevisiae. The ability of yeast and archaeal diacylglycerol acyltransferases to synthesize such hybrid lipids was demonstrated.

BACKGROUND Dysmenorrhea, including primary and secondary, is defined as pain in the lower abdomen occurring before or during menstruation. It was reported that dysmenorrhea accounted for 600 million lost work hours and $2 billion lost productivity annually. The loss in working hours and school days induced by dysmenorrhea has affected national economy. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to provide valid data on the scientific progress of this disease through bibliometric analysis, which may help researchers to know its status and pick up the most active hotspots and trends quickly. METHODS We retrieved literatures on WOSCC from Jan 1st, 2001 to Dec 31th, 2021 and finally acquired 944 papers. Bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace was used in combination with VOSviewer. RESULTS The research trend over the last 21 years in dysmenorrhea can be evaluated through the number of papers in each year. An upward trend in articles continued in this field on the whole. Through the map, China contributed the most, followed by The United States and Turkey. For institutions, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in China contributed most, followed by National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan, China, and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. Hsieh JC and Hellman KM were both the most prolific author with 14 articles. We can find 5 major research groups, respectively with Hsieh JC, Hellman KM, Zhu J, Liang F and Dun W as the core of the group. Dawood MY is the most famous author and the most frequently cited author with 488 citations. Advances in pathogenesis and management for primary dysmenorrhea wrote by Dawood MY was most cited of 197 citations and most influential. Pathophysiology, the potential central mechanism, syndrome, evaluation index, diagnosis to adenomyosis-associated dysmenorrhea, treatment, et al, were the main trends and hotspots. CONCLUSIONS The cooperative relationships among authors, countries, and institutions, as well as research hotspots and trends in the field of dysmenorrhea were presented, which can guide scholars to look for new research directions. Further and closer cooperation among authors, institutions, and countries in the future is expected to accelerate the development of dysmenorrhea research.

Fused phenazine-based organic redoxmers capable of six-electron redox activities have been designed and evaluated in aqueous flow batteries. Such a novel molecular engineering approach opens an avenue for enabling energy-dense storage strategies.

With the development of portable and wearable devices, flexible displays have attracted extensive interest and have become increasingly important in our daily life. In this study, a flexible electrowetting display (FEWD) was proposed and fabricated. To prevent a short circuit between the top and bottom electrodes, various types of support pillars were fabricated on the top substrates through a photolithography technique. The FEWD was measured under positive and negative bending conditions, with the applied voltage increasing from 0 to 24 V. The aperture ratio and response time were investigated to better evaluate and understand the performance of the FEWD. The mechanical properties of the support pillars and the FEWD were evaluated by means of compression force and cyclic bending tests, respectively. The results showed that the FEWD operated properly at 24 V under a bending curvature of 0.25 cm−1, achieving the largest aperture ratio of 54.96%. Moreover, the oil movement could be influenced by the support pillars in the pixel. With the advantages of both optical performance and flexibility, an FEWD with support pillars is a novel item for future development of reflective transparent displays and provides a promising strategy for developing flexible, wearable, and visible devices.

Background/Aims: Intestinal flora, especially Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), can affect the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we examined the composition of intestinal flora and metabolites in the tissues, serum and feces of CRC patients. Materials and Methods CRC tissues, adjacent normal colonic tissues, and fecal and serum samples were collected from CRC patients who received surgical treatment between January 2018 and January 2020. Fecal and serum samples were collected from healthy individuals for comparison. In addition, fecal samples were collected from BALB/c female mice. SW480, a human CRC cell line, was utilized for in vitro studies. Results The abundance of Bacteroides and propionic acid concentration were decreased. The abundance of Lactobacillus and lactic acid concentration were increased in CRC tissues. KEGG pathway analysis showed that Bacteroides and Lactobacillus were related to the apoptotic pathway. Additionally, lactic acid inhibited and propionic acid promoted apoptosis among SW480 CRC cells. Similar findings were noted in the feces of Fn gavage mice. In addition, the abundances of Ruminococcus, Prevotella, and Sutterell were decreased in CRC patients. The levels of leucine and isoleucine were decreased in the serum and tumor tissues of CRC patients. Aspartate, glutamate and glutathione levels were elevated in the tissues of CRC patients only. The serum glutamine, tyrosine, valine, alanine, and histidine levels were decreased significantly. Conclusions Fn affected the apoptosis of CRC cells and promoted the progression of CRC by affecting the distribution of intestinal flora, which altered the concentrations of metabolites such as lactic acid, propionic acid, and amino acids.

With the rising development of the portable and wearable sensors and displays, the compact power source devices have become increasingly important and indispensable in our daily life. In this study, a flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), fabricated by the direct ink writing (DIW) method, has been proposed for the purpose of vibration energy harvesting to support power for these electronic devices. To strengthen the effective contact area of the opposite triboelectric polarities, the silicone elastomer, as viscoelastic inks, is extruded out directly onto the aluminum foil through the nozzle tip to construct the triboelectric patterns with rich and regular micro structures on the surface. Various film thickness, printing fibers spaces, contact frequencies, applied forces and printing paths are investigated to better understand the effects of the printing parameters in detail. The results show that the TENG can yield an output voltage of 124 V and the corresponding maximum power density of 608.5 mW/m2. Meanwhile, via vibration energy harvesting, the TENG is demonstrated to sustainably drive 51 LEDs and a 3-in. electrowetting display. Our work paves a new way for the individual design and digital manufacture of friction surface structures for the flexible, stretchable and wearable TENG.

The multi-scale composite porous wick (MCPW) was fabricated with alloying-dealloying mehtod for the application in the two-phase heat transfer device. The nanostructures were constructed on the sintered copper powders, resulting in the change of surface topography and wettability for MCPW. The capillary rise test was conducted to study the capillary performance based on the IR thermal imaging method. In this study, the comparisons of the two kinds of copper powders and two types of corrosive solutions were conducted to explore porous structure effects and the interactions between the microstructures and nanostructures. Three different working liquids, i.e., acetone, ethanol and water were performed and compared on the MCPW and sintered wick. Test results showed that the MCPW presented hydrophilic performance, facilitating the penetration of the working fluid into the pores. Capillary performance could be significantly enhanced owing to the nanostructures, especially for the sample sintered with irregular copper powder and deallyed by NaOH solution.

The novel triphenylene derivatives with one, two or three diphenylacrylonitrile groups on the side chain were prepared in yields of 75–83%. The influence of the number of diphenylacrylonitrile groups on the mesophase and fluorescence properties were investigated. The triphenylene derivatives with one or two diphenylacrylonitrile groups exhibited not only the ordered hexagonal columnar mesophase but also good AIE fluorescence properties in both solution and solid state.

The first near-infrared fluorescent and columnar liquid crystal based on Bodipy was achieved by modifying 3,5-alkenyl substituted Bodipy with two triphenylene units. Triphenylene-Bodipy-triphenylene triad with 3,5-alkenyl groups exhibited hexagonal columnar mesophase and near-infrared fluorescence at 650–800 nm with the quantum yield of 31%.

Rapid advancements in flexible and multifunctional electronics bring challenges to the corresponding power suppliers. Soft triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), as a promising route to satisfy the demands of various self-powered sources and energy harvesting devices, has been developed in this study via facile all-printing method. The nanogenerator features a thin film with micro patterned friction silicone layers, which is fabricated through direct ink writing technology. Wrinkled silver electrode is sandwiched and protected by silicone layers, and constructed through prestrain, release, and buckling process based on inkjet printing technology. As an experimental result, TENG with 100% prestrain produces the maximum output voltage of 44.16 V at the frequency of 5 Hz and external force of 10 N, higher than the pristine nanogenerator. The output voltage of these TENGs could be enhanced slightly when it is stretched to a certain degree. The as-prepared TENG can work for biomechanical energy harvesting driven by human motions and instantaneously power 20 commercial Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Moreover, the all-printed soft TENG arrays show potential applications in tactile sensor for touch perception. Our work opens a new idea for fabrication of flexible and wearable TENG based on printing technology to shorten fabrication cycle, simplify individual design and make it more accessible for practical application.

Four novel triphenylene-Bodipy dyads were synthesized in yields of 32–38% and characterized by MS, NMR, elemental analysis. They exhibit good columnar liquid crystal behaviors at room temperature. The alkyl substitution on the Bodipy unit does not cause the disruption of the mesophase. They possess excellent fluorescence properties with high quantum yields in solution and the weak fluorescence in film. The alkyl substitutions on the Bodipy unit increase the fluorescence intensity and the introduction of triphenylene units reduce the aggregation-caused quenching of orderly stacking of Bodipy units.

We report a theoretical calculation of the processes proceeding in the combustor of combustion-driven cw DF/HF chemical lasers with different mixtures of fuels preheated to high temperatures. Calculation results demonstrate a great effect of the preheating temperature on the yield of F atoms and strongest deactivator, on the primary dilution ratio and on the estimated specific power. When fuels are preheated to about , the specific power is improved by about 74.2 %, and the total mass of the fuel is reduced by about 43 %, which makes it possible to realise a more compact and efficient design of combustion-driven cw DF/HF chemical lasers at elevated combustor pressures. Fuel preheating can facilitate the development of chemical lasers and high-power lasers based not only on airborne and space-borne platforms, but also on mobile ground-based platforms.

Two novel gallic trimer 7 and tetramer 8 based on acylhydrazone structures were designed and synthesized in yields 76% and 81%, respectively. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, ESI-MS, and elemental analysis. Their mesomorphic properties were investigated by DSC, POM, and XRD analyses. The mesomorphic results suggested that they possessed good room-temperature columnar liquid crystalline property with wide range of mesomorphic temperature. The ranges of mesomorphic temperatures for compounds 7 and 8 were as wide as 115°C and 124°C, respectively.

By the Schiff-base condensation of formacyl calix[4]crown(2) with raw chitosan, a novel calix[4]crown-grafted chitosan chelating polymer(3) was conveniently prepared in good yield. The structure of polymer 3 was confirmed by elemental analysis, infrared(IR) spectrometry and X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis. The elemental analysis suggests that the grafting degree of calixcrown unit was 22% on the amino groups of chitosan. The morphological characteristic of polymer 3 was studied by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Polymer 3 possessed loose porous and smooth morphology of surface. The dyes adsorption abilities of polymer 3 for a series of organic dyes[Orange I(OI), Neutral red(NR), Victoria blue B(VB) and Brilliant green(BG)] were studied by solid-liquid adsorption experiments. The adsorption percentages increased from 45%―60%(raw chitosan for dyes) to 75%―90%(polymer 3 for dyes). The highest adsorption percentage reached 89% for VB. The saturated adsorption capacities for OI, NR, VB and BG were as high as 622, 564, 854 and 781 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption abilities kept stable at 70%―90% in the scope of pH=5―9. The adsorption abilities for anionic dye(OI) decreased gradually with the increase of pH and the opposite trend was observed for cationic dyes(NR, BG, VB). The adsorption percentages were 70%―90% after five times’ cycles for adsorption.

Fluid motion control has always been essential in electrowetting devices. Using the inkjet printing technique, an organic-inorganic hybrid material, polytitanosiloxane, was patterned as a secondary dielectric under the hydrophobic fluoropolymer coating in an optical electrowetting device (OEWD). The effects of different structural parameters of the inkjet-printed polytitanosiloxane (IPP) layer on both the fluid motion at the microscopic level and the macroscopic visual performances of the device were studied experimentally. The leakage-current test was also performed to evaluate the insulating performance of the composite dielectric layer. In addition, COMSOL Multiphysics was used to simulate the fluid flow inside the OEWD with/without the polytitanosiloxane layer. The results showed that, by introducing this IPP layer, precise fluid motion control and improved performance could be obtained.

Viral infection of marine phytoplankton releases a variety of dissolved organic matter (DOM). The impact of viral DOM (vDOM) on the uninfected co-occurring phytoplankton remains largely unknown. Here, we conducted transcriptomic analyses to study the effects of vDOM on the cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, which is the most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth. Using Prochlorococcus MIT9313, we showed that its growth was not affected by vDOM, but many tRNAs increased in abundance. We tested tRNA-gly and found that its abundance increased upon addition of glycine. The decreased transcript abundances of N metabolism genes also suggested that Prochlorococcus responded to organic N compounds in vDOM. Addition of vDOM to Prochlorococcus reduced the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and CO2 fixation while increasing its respiration rate, consistent with differentially abundant transcripts related to photosynthesis and respiration. One of the highest positive fold-changes was observed for the 6S RNA, a noncoding RNA functioning as a global transcriptional regulator in bacteria. The high level of 6S RNA might be responsible for some of the observed transcriptional responses. Taken together, our results revealed the transcriptional regulation of Prochlorococcus in response to viral lysis products and suggested its metabolic potential to utilize organic N compounds.

Marine phytoplankton contributes to about one half of global primary production, and a significant proportion of their photosynthetically fixed organic carbon is released after viral infection as dissolved organic matter (DOM). This DOM pool is known to be consumed by heterotrophic microorganisms; however, its impact on the uninfected co-occurring phytoplankton remains largely unknown. Here, we conducted transcriptomic analyses to study the effects of viral lysis products on the unicellular cyanobacteriumProchlorococcus, which is the most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth. WhileProchlorococcusgrowth was not affected by viral lysis products, many tRNAs increased in abundance, which was also seen after amino acid addition, suggesting that amino acids are one of the compounds in viral lysis products that affected the expression of tRNA genes. The decreased transcript abundances of N metabolism genes also suggested thatProchlorococcusresponded to organic N compounds, consistent with abundant amino acids in viral lysis products. The addition of viral lysis products toProchlorococcusreduced the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and CO2fixation while increased its respiration rate, consistent with differentially expressed genes related to photosynthesis and respiration. One of the highest positive fold-changes was observed for the 6S RNA, a non-coding RNA functioning as a global transcriptional regulator in bacteria. The high level of 6S RNA might be responsible for some of the observed transcriptional responses. Taken together, our results revealed the transcriptional regulation ofProchlorococcusin response to viral lysis products and suggested its metabolic potential to utilize organic N compounds.ImportancePhotosynthetic microorganisms called phytoplankton are abundant in the oceans and contribute to about one half of global CO2fixation. Phytoplankton are frequently infected by viruses and after infection their organic carbon is released into the ocean as dissolved organic matter (DOM). Marine DOM is important for the marine food web because it supports the growth of heterotrophic microorganisms. However, the impact of viral DOM on the uninfected phytoplankton is largely unknown. In this study, we conducted transcriptomic analyses and identified many differentially expressed genes when viral DOM was added to the marine cyanobacteriumProchlorococcus. One effect of viral DOM is that the carbon fixation ofProchlorococcuswas reduced by ~16%, which might affect carbon cycling in the world’s oceans sinceProchlorococcusis the most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth.

Background There are six known families of homing endonucleases, LAGLIDADG, GIY-YIG, HNH, His-Cys box, PD-(D/E)-XK, and EDxHD, which are characterized by their conserved residues. Previously, we discovered a novel homing endonuclease F-CphI encoded by ORF177 of cyanophage S-PM2. F-CphI does not resemble any characterized homing endonucleases. Instead, the C-terminus of F-CphI aligns well with the N-terminal catalytic domain of a Holliday junction DNA resolvase, phage T4 endonuclease VII (Endo VII). Results A PSI-BLAST search resulted in a total of 313 Endo VII motif–containing sequences in sequenced genomes. Multiple sequence alignment showed that the catalytically important residues of T4 Endo VII were all well conserved in these proteins. Our site-directed mutagenesis studies further confirmed that the catalytically important residues of T4 Endo VII were also essential for F-CphI activity, and thus F-CphI might use a similar protein fold as Endo VII for DNA cleavage. A phylogenetic tree of the Endo VII motif–containing sequences showed that putative resolvases grouped into one clade while putative homing endonucleases and restriction endonucleases grouped into another clade. Conclusions Based on the unique conserved residues, we proposed that F-CphI represents a new homing endonuclease family, which was named the DHHRN family. Our phylogenetic analysis could be used to predict the functions of many previously unknown proteins. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13100-018-0132-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Table S3. Oligonucleotides used in this study (restriction sites are underlined and mutated sites are italicized). (DOCX 12 kb)

Figure S4. Sequence logos of the DHHRN, HNH, and His-Cys box endonuclease families. Sequences near the active site of an endonuclease family are used to generate sequence logos. At each position of the sequence logo, the total height of a stack of letters shows the information content in bits that is calculated from a profile hidden Markov model, and the height of a letter relative to the total height of letters at a position represents the letterâ s frequency. The red lines indicate gaps in the multiple sequence alignment. Above each sequence logo, the corresponding residue numbers of Endo VII, I-HmuI, and I-PpoI are shown, which are representatives of the DHHRN, HNH, and His-Cys box families, respectively. Black boxes show the corresponding catalytic residues used by Endo VII, I-HmuI, and I-PpoI. (PDF 351 kb)

Figure S1. Purification of F-CphI wild type and mutants. (A) E. coli cells were induced to express F-CphI and then disrupted by sonication. The crude lysate was centrifuged and the supernate was loaded on a HisTrap FF crude column. Five elutions (1Â ml each) were collected. The crude lysate, supernate, pellet, and five elutions were separated on 15% SDS-PAGE. (B) Purified F-CphI wild type and mutants (second elutions) were separated on 15% SDS-PAGE. (PDF 233 kb)

Figure S2. Multiple sequence alignment of the Endo VII motif sequences. Dots represent gaps in the alignment. Totally conserved residues at a position are shown by white letters in red background. Residues with conservation above 70% at a position are shown by red letters in blue boxes. The position numbers of F-CphI and Endo VII residues are shown on top of the alignment. (PDF 1993 kb)

Figure S3. Gel shift assay of F-CphI wild type and mutants. (A) 2 nM 32P labeled 60 bp duplex containing the F-CphI recognition site was incubated on ice for 15 min with increasing concentration of each protein. The free DNA (F) and protein-bound complexes (C) were separated on 8% native polyacrylamide gel. (B) 2 nM 32P labeled 60 bp duplex containing the F-CphI recognition site and 200 nM protein were incubated with increasing concentration of unlabeled non-specific 60 bp duplex (0 nM to 20 nM). The first lane in each gel shows the pattern of free DNA (no protein was added in the reaction). (C) Using the gels in A, the fractions of protein-bound complexes for wild type, D101N, and H102T were plotted against protein concentrations. The binding curves were generated from the non-linear regression fitted data, and were used to estimate the apparent equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd). Kd values are shown in each graph and errors represent 95% confidence interval. (PDF 126 kb)

Three novel gallic-calixarene derivatives 5, 6 and 7 were prepared in yields of 57–76%. Their structures and conformations were confirmed by element analyses, IR, ESI-MS and NMR spectra. Compounds 5 and 6 with stable cone conformation show liquid crystalline behaviours but compound 7 with no stable conformation exhibits no mesophase. These results indicated that the stable cone conformation plays a crucial role for mesomorphic property.

The gallic–cyanuric monomer 4, gallic–cyanuric dimer 5, gallic–cyanuric trimer 6 and gallic–cyanuric tetramer 7 containing multiple hydrogen bond were designed and synthesized in yields of 70–80%. Their symmetric structures were characterized by element analyses, FT-IR, ESI-MS, and NMR spectra. Their hexagonal columnar liquid crystalline phases were confirmed by DSC, POM, and XRD analyses. The scope of mesomorphic temperature of compounds 5, 6, and 7 is as wide as 45.7, 70.1, and 134.4 °C, respectively. The more gallic ether units are favorable for excellent mesophase.

As an initial step towards understanding the molecular mechanisms by which plants become invasive, we present here the first transcriptome analysis for an invasive weed Mikania micrantha. The analysis was based on the 75-nucleotide short reads data generated by the Illumina Genome Analyzer II system. A total of 31 131 unique sequences were assembled de novo based on 8.7 million filtered paired-end sequence reads for the transcriptome of an individual M. micrantha growing in the field. 73 % of the unique sequences showed significant similarity to existing proteins in the NCBI database, and 21 448 could be grouped based on gene ontology assignments. Of particular interest are the sequences that share homology with genes involved in genome evolution, plasticity, secondary metabolism and defense responses.

Three novel gallic monomer 7, dimer 10 and trimer 12 with conjugated cyanuric core were designed and synthesised by Schiff-base condensation mode in yields of 80–90%. Their structures were characterised by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and elemental analyses. Their mesomorphic behaviours were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarising optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The gallic monomer 7 has no mesomorphic property, but the dimer 10 and trimer 12 possess good mesomorphic properties. The trimer 12 with high symmetry exhibited the typical hexagonal columnar liquid crystal at room temperature. The temperature range of mesophase is as wide as 149°C (14–163°C). The results suggested that the more gallic units and symmetric structures are favourable for excellent mesomorphic properties.

Cavity mirrors of high power lasers are easily damaged by heat absorption of laser beam, so there is an urgent need to detect the absorption coefficient of the coating layers on them. High power combustion drived lasers, which operate with large size cavity mirrors, high gas consumption and short running time, cannot offer a convenient source of radiation for studies of absorption coefficient. Other kinds of lasers cannot achieve the high power density required easily. To solve this problem, in this paper, a small-scale and cost-effective laser source is described to detect the absorption coefficient under high power density with a Quasi-Closed Cavity. This laser source is rebuilt on the basis of a 1000W-class Direct Current (DC)-discharge drived continuous-wave (CW) HF/DF chemical laser. At first, the structure of the laser source is introduced. Then, some performance parameters are measured and the experiment results are analyzed. The laser operated with a (He+NF 3 )+D 2 gas mixture, and output of about 126W with a transmission of 3% was achieved through the experiment, corresponding to an electrical efficiency of about 3%. Power density on the surfaces of mirrors under test reached 3.74 kW/cm 2 . It satisfies the requirement of the Quasi-Closed Cavity test well. Experimental results show that this improved DC-discharge drived CW HF/DF chemical laser is applicable as the laser source to detect the absorption coefficient under high power density.

Combustion-driven continuous wave (CW) DF/HF chemical lasers cannot be inflamed successfully sometimes because the spark-plug-igniter is intolerant of ablation especially after long-time operation which deeply affected the reliability of the lasers. In this paper, a pre-igniter is designed as a new igniter system to produce F 2 to solve the problem. Based on the engineering practices and the principle that high-intensity spontaneous combustion will happen when mixing F 2 and H 2 . The results of NF 3 and H 2 reacting with different mole ratios were calculated by CEA software. The operation reliability of the pre-igniter, the mole concentration of F 2 in the mixing gas, and the equilibrium temperature were validated by a series of experiments. The experimental results were consistent with the calculated data: with the mole ratio of NF 3 to H 2 increasing, the equilibrium temperature decreased gradually and finally leveled off; the mole concentration of F 2 in the mixing gas first increased and then decreased, achieving the maximum of about 40% when the mole ratio of NF 3 to H 2 was about 3.2. Experimental results outlined that the pre-igniter performed reliability and could produce high output of F 2 . The ignition system with a pre-igniter and a spark plug could provide a new alternative for combustion-driven CW DF/HF chemical lasers.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Microsatellite markers were developed for the invasive species Mikania micrantha to investigate its invasion history. Transcriptome sequencing projects offer a potential source for the development of new markers. METHODS AND RESULTS Sixteen polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers derived from ESTs were identified and screened in 36 samples of M. micrantha. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to four, with an average of 2.7 alleles per locus. The expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.7754 and 0 to 0.8333, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These EST-SSR markers may be useful for further investigation of the population genetics of M. micrantha as additional tools to trace its invasion history.