Two New Species of Placolecis (Lichenized Ascomycota) from China

( An Cheng Yin ),( Xin Yu Wang ),( Dong Liu ),( Yan Yun Zhang ),( Mei Xia Yang ),( Li Juan Li ),( Li Song Wang ) 한국균학회 2019 Mycobiology Vol.47 No.4

Two new species of the lichen genus Placolecis are discovered in China, namely P. kunmingensis An. C. Yin & Li S. Wang and P. sublaevis An. C. Yin & Li S. Wang. The new combination P. loekoesiana (S.Y. Kondr., Farkas, J.J. Woo & Hur) An. C. Yin is proposed. Placolecis kunmingensis is characterized by having simple, spherical or ellipsoid, hyaline spores, and pear-shaped pycnidia; while P. sublaevis can be distinguished by its thallus forming larger aggregations with slightly flattened lobes at the thallus margin, and urn-shaped pycnidia. Descriptions, a phylogenetic tree and a key are provided for all the known Placolecis species in China.

Draft Genome Assembly and Annotation for Cutaneotrichosporon dermatis NICC30027, an Oleaginous Yeast Capable of Simultaneous Glucose and Xylose Assimilation

Wang Laiyou,Guo Shuxian,Zeng Bo,Wang Shanshan,Chen Yan,Cheng Shuang,Liu Bingbing,Wang Chunyan,Wang Yu,Meng Qingshan 한국균학회 2022 Mycobiology Vol.50 No.1

The identification of oleaginous yeast species capable of simultaneously utilizing xylose and glucose as substrates to generate value-added biological products is an area of key eco- nomic interest. We have previously demonstrated that the Cutaneotrichosporon dermatis NICC30027 yeast strain is capable of simultaneously assimilating both xylose and glucose, resulting in considerable lipid accumulation. However, as no high-quality genome sequenc- ing data or associated annotations for this strain are available at present, it remains chal- lenging to study the metabolic mechanisms underlying this phenotype. Herein, we report a 39,305,439 bp draft genome assembly for C. dermatis NICC30027 comprised of 37 scaffolds, with 60.15% GC content. Within this genome, we identified 524 tRNAs, 142 sRNAs, 53 miRNAs, 28 snRNAs, and eight rRNA clusters. Moreover, repeat sequences totaling 1,032,129 bp in length were identified (2.63% of the genome), as were 14,238 unigenes that were 1,789.35 bp in length on average (64.82% of the genome). The NCBI non-redundant protein sequences (NR) database was employed to successfully annotate 11,795 of these unigenes, while 3,621 and 11,902 were annotated with the Swiss-Prot and TrEMBL databases, respectively. Unigenes were additionally subjected to pathway enrichment analyses using the Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COG), Clusters of orthologous groups for eukaryotic com- plete genomes (KOG), and Non-supervised Orthologous Groups (eggNOG) databases. Together, these results provide a foundation for future studies aimed at clarifying the mech- anistic basis for the ability of C. dermatis NICC30027 to simultaneously utilize glucose and xylose to synthesize lipids.

The genome of the mesopolyploid crop species Brassica rapa

Wang, Xiaowu,Wang, Hanzhong,Wang, Jun,Sun, Rifei,Wu, Jian,Liu, Shengyi,Bai, Yinqi,Mun, Jeong-Hwan,Bancroft, Ian,Cheng, Feng,Huang, Sanwen,Li, Xixiang,Hua, Wei,Wang, Junyi,Wang, Xiyin,Freeling, Michael Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan P 2011 Nature genetics Vol.43 No.10

We report the annotation and analysis of the draft genome sequence of Brassica rapa accession Chiifu-401-42, a Chinese cabbage. We modeled 41,174 protein coding genes in the B. rapa genome, which has undergone genome triplication. We used Arabidopsis thaliana as an outgroup for investigating the consequences of genome triplication, such as structural and functional evolution. The extent of gene loss (fractionation) among triplicated genome segments varies, with one of the three copies consistently retaining a disproportionately large fraction of the genes expected to have been present in its ancestor. Variation in the number of members of gene families present in the genome may contribute to the remarkable morphological plasticity of Brassica species. The B. rapa genome sequence provides an important resource for studying the evolution of polyploid genomes and underpins the genetic improvement of Brassica oil and vegetable crops.

Relaxation Effect of Schisandra Chinensis Lignans on the Isolated Tracheal Smooth Muscle in Rats and Its Mechanism

Cheng-Cheng Lin,Zhi-Ying Xu,Bi-Han Wang,Wenyue Zhuang,Jinghui Sun,He Li,JianGuang Chen,Chunmei Wang 한국식품영양과학회 2021 Journal of medicinal food Vol.24 No.8

Schisandra chinensis (S. chinensis) is one of the core drugs used for relieving cough and asthma in traditional Chinese medicine. However, there are few basic studies on the treatment of respiratory diseases with S. chinensis in modern pharmacology, and the material basis and mechanism of its antiasthmatic effect are still unclear. Lignans are the main active components of S. chinensis. The aim of this study was to observe the relaxation effect of S. chinensis lignans (SCL) on the tracheal smooth muscle of rats by in vitro tracheal perfusion experiments, and to explore the mechanism by preincubation with L-type calcium channel blocker verapamil, four potassium channel blockers glibenclamide, tetraethylamine, 4-aminopyridine and barium chloride (BaCl2), β-adrenoceptor blocker propranolol, nitric oxide synthase inhibitor Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, respectively. The results showed that SCL (0.25–1.75 mg/mL) reduced the contraction of isolated tracheal smooth muscle induced by acetylcholine, the preincubation with verapamil and glibenclamide could attenuate the relaxation effect, whereas propranolol, 4-aminopyridine, BaCl2, tetraethylamine, L-NAME, and indomethacin had no such effect. These results suggest that SCL has a significant relaxation effect on the isolated tracheal smooth muscle of rats, and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of extracellular calcium influx and intracellular calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, as well as the activation of ATP-sensitive potassium channels. These findings may provide a pharmacological basis for the traditional use of S. chinensis to treat asthma.

Ruptured Spinal Dermoid Cysts with Lipid Droplets into the Syrinx Cavity : Reports of Fourteen Cases

Cheng, Cheng,Li, Rong,Gao, Haihao,Tao, Benzhang,Wang, Hui,Sun, Mengchun,Gao, Gan,Wang, Jianzhen,Shang, Aijia The Korean Neurosurgical Society 2022 Journal of Korean neurosurgical society Vol.65 No.3

Objective : Dermoid cysts are uncommon in spinal cord tumors, and the phenomenon of their spontaneous rupture into the syrinx cavity is quite rare. We aimed to analyze the imaging characteristics and etiologies, and propose some surgical strategies, for this uncommon phenomenon. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed 14 cases with spinal dermoid cysts that ruptured into the cervical and thoracic syrinx cavity. There were six male and eight female cases, aged 21 to 46 years, who had lipid droplets in the syrinx cavity from C1 to L3. The dermoid cysts were always located at the conus. Based on patients' complaints, clinical manifestations, and imaging results, we adopted tumor excision and/or syrinx cavity aspiration in one stage or multiple stages. Results : Three patients had only a syrinx cavity aspiration surgery due to a history of dermoid cyst excision. Eight patients had dermoid cyst resection and syrinx cavity aspiration in one stage. One patient was operated upon in two stages due to the development of new symptoms at nine months follow-up. Two patients underwent only tumor resection since they did not show similar symptoms or signs caused by the cervicothoracic syrinx. The axial magnetic resonance imaging indicated that the lipid droplets were always not at the center but were eccentric. The clinical effect was satisfactory during the follow-up period in this group. Conclusion : The lipid droplets filled the spinal syrinx cavity, not entirely confined to the central canal. Based on the chief complaints and associated signs, we adopted different surgical strategies and had satisfactory clinical results.

High-density single nucleotide polymorphism chip-based conservation genetic analysis of indigenous pig breeds from Shandong Province, China

Wang, Yanping,Zhao, Xueyan,Wang, Cheng,Wang, Wenwen,Zhang, Qin,Wu, Ying,Wang, Jiying Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2021 Animal Bioscience Vol.34 No.7

Objective: Shandong indigenous pig breeds are important Chinese pig resources. Their progressive population decline in recent decades has attracted attention towards their conservation. Conservation genetics of these indigenous breeds are essential for developing a conservation and utilization scheme. Methods: A high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (HD-SNP) chip-based comparative analysis of genetic characteristics was performed for seven Shandong indigenous pig breeds in the context of five Western commercial breeds. Results: The results showed that Shandong indigenous pig breeds varied greatly in genetic diversity, effective population size, inbreeding level, and genetic distance with the Western commercial breeds. Specifically, Laiwu and Dapulian displayed low genetic diversity, and had a genetically distant relationship with the Western commercial breeds (average F statistics [F_ST] value of 0.3226 and 0.2666, respectively). Contrastingly, the other five breeds (Yantai, Licha, Yimeng, Wulain, and Heigai) displayed high genetic diversity within breed and had some extent of mixture pattern with the Western commercial breeds, especially Duroc and Landrace (F_ST values from 0.1043 to 0.2536). Furthermore, intensive gene flow was discovered among the seven Shandong indigenous breeds, particularly Wulian, Licha, and Heigai, as indicated by the large cluster formed in the principal component analysis scatterplot and small population differentiation (average of 0.1253) among them. Conclusion: Our study advances the understanding of genetic characteristics of Shandong indigenous breeds and provides essential information for developing an appropriate conservation and utilization scheme for these breeds.

Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth of Graphene Domains Across the Cu Grain Boundaries

Yang Wang,Yu Cheng,Yunlu Wang,Shuai Zhang,Chen Xu,Xuewei Zhang,Miao Wang,Yang Xia,Qunyang Li,Pei Zhao,Hongtao Wang 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2018 NANO Vol.13 No.08

Many aspects in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene remain unclear such as its behavior near the catalyst grain boundaries. Here we investigate the CVD growth mechanism of graphene across the Cu grain boundaries using unidirectional aligned graphene domains, which simplifies the analysis of both graphene and Cu to a large extent. We found that for a graphene domain grown across the Cu grain boundary, the domain orientation is determined by the Cu grain where the domain nucleation center is located, and the Cu grain boundary will not change the growth behavior for this graphene domain. This growth mechanism is consistent with the Custep-attached nucleation and edge-attachment-limited growth mechanism for H-terminated graphene domains and will provide more guidance for the synthesis of high-quality graphene with less domain boundaries.

Green-revertible Chlorina 1 (grc1) is Required for the Biosynthesis of Chlorophyll and the Early Development of Chloroplasts in Rice

Jieqin Li,Yihua Wang,Juntao Chai,Lihua Wang,Chunming Wang,Wuhua Long,Di Wang,Yunlong Wang,Ming Zheng,Cheng Peng,Mei Niu,Jianmin Wan 한국식물학회 2013 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.56 No.5

The nuclear genes involved in chloroplast developmentand chlorophyll biosynthesis must be investigated tounderstand their functions in plant growth and development. In this study, we isolated and identified a unique leaf-colormutant of rice with a green-yellow phenotype before thefour-leaf stage and named the mutation green-revertiblechlorina 1 (grc1). The mutants had significantly lower plantheight, number of tillers, and panicle length and headedsignificantly earlier than the wild type. The levels ofchlorophylls, carotenoids, and chlorophyll precursors werealso lower. The mutation in grc1 affected chloroplastultrastructure, particularly thylakoid development. Geneticanalysis indicated that the green-yellow phenotype wascontrolled by a single recessive gene. We mapped the grc1gene to a 32.4-kb region on the long arm of chromosome 6. Through map-based cloning, we identified a 45-bp insertionin the genomic region of LOC_Os06g40080, which encodeda heme oxygenase. Expression of LOC_Os06g40080 wassignificantly down-regulated in the grc1 mutant. Subcellularlocalization showed that this heme oxygenase was localizedin the chloroplast. In summary, we isolated and identified thegene for grc1, which plays an important role in chlorophyllbiosynthesis and chloroplast development in rice.

The Effect of Agomelatine in Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia

Carol Sheei-Meei Wang(Carol Sheei-Meei Wang ),Kuo-Sheng Cheng(Kuo-Sheng Cheng),Chia-Hung Tang(Chia-Hung Tang),Ming-Chyi Pai(Ming-Chyi Pai),Pai-Lien Chen(Pai-Lien Chen),Pei-Fang Chien(Pei-Fang Chien) 대한정신약물학회 2022 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.20 No.4

Objective: Moderate and severe behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) often need medical treatment to improve symptoms. Agomelatine is a selective melatonergic (MT1/MT2) agonist that has normalizing effects on disturbed circadian rhythms and disrupted sleep−wake cycles. Its activity of 5HT-2C receptor antagonism is associated with lessening depression and anxiety and increasing slow-wave sleep. Based on past clinical records and current findings it suggests that agomelatine can improve BPSD for patients. This retrospective cohort study was designed to compare the BPSD before and after using agomelatine. Methods: Records of dementia cases who had ever received agomelatine treatment for BPSD in a general hospital setting during the past 2.5 years were identified and reviewed. Scores from before and after 3 months of treatment with agomelatine were collected for Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) to compare and analyze the difference of psychological and behavioral symptoms pre- and post-agomelatine used. Results: Records of 144 cases of dementia with BPSD who had ever used agomelatine from January 2015 to June 2017 were collected. All of the 112 cases had BPRS and CGI scores, of which 75 cases had additional NPI scores. Among these 112 cases, the BPRS and CGI scores were significantly improved in all types of dementia. NPI scores indicated that the use of agomelatine alleviated obvious symptoms and decreased overall distress, especially in the depression/poor mood, anxiety, and sleep/night behavior. Conclusion: It is consistent with an effective result of agomelatine in improving BPSD.

A putative plastidial adenine nucleotide transporter, BRITTLE1-3, plays an essential role in regulating chloroplast development in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Jia Lyu,Yihua Wang,Linglong Liu,Chunming Wang,Yulong Ren,Cheng Peng,Feng Liu,Yunlong Wang,Mei Niu,Di Wang,Ming Zheng,Kunneng Zhou,Shaolu Zhao,Fuqing Wu,Haiyang Wang,Jianmin Wan 한국식물학회 2017 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.60 No.5

Differentiation from proplastids into chloroplasts isa light- and energy-dependent process. How this process isregulated is still poorly understood at the molecular level. We herein report a new putative plastidial adenine nucleotidetransporter, BRITTLE1-3 (referred to as OsBT1-3), encoded bythe rice (Oryza sativa) White Stripe Leaf 2 (WSL2) gene. Loss of OsBT1-3 function results in defective chloroplastbiogenesis, severely reduced photosynthetic efficiency, andfinally a white stripe leaf phenotype in the first four leaves. The expression levels of genes related to chlorophyllbiosynthesis and photosynthesis are drastically reduced,accompanied with over accumulation of reactive oxygenspecies (ROS) in the wsl2 mutant. OsBT1-3 is targeted tothe chloroplasts and it expresses in almost all tissues inplants, especially in young leaves. OsBT1-3 consists of 419amino acids and exhibits features of all mitochondrialcarrier proteins, including a typical transmembrane-spanningdomain and a highly conserved sequence motif designatedas the ‘mitochondrial energy transfer signatures’. Phylogeneticanalysis shows that OsBT1-3 is a putative plastidialadenine nucleotide transporter and is most closely relatedto ZmBT1-2. Together, these observations suggest that thenew putative adenine nucleotide transporter, OsBT1-3,plays an essential role in regulating chloroplast biogenesisand maintenance of ROS homeostasis during rice seedlingde-etiolation.