Comparative transcriptome analysis of lipid biosynthesis in seeds and non-seed tissues of sea buckthorn

Jian Ding,Li Wang,Chengjiang Ruan 한국유전학회 2017 Genes & Genomics Vol.39 No.9

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae L.) is a woody crop with an unusual ability to thrive in very dry, nutrient-poor habitats. Seeds and berry pulp are rich in bioactive compounds with powerful medicinal properties, and are being used worldwide to an increasing extent. However, genomic information is still lacking for this crop, which limits the possibilities of raise the oil quality and yield with advanced breeding program. In this study, (1) sea buckthorn de novo transcriptome libraries for seeds, pulp, leaf, stem and root tissues were first constructed simultaneously, and 62,166 unigenes were assembled. Sixty-six differential expression genes (e-value cutoff <1 × 10−30) were found to be involved in lipid biosynthesis pathway, (2) based on the comparative transcriptome data, we first revealed the differentially expressed genes of oil biosynthesis and accumulation in seeds and berry pulp, and the high unigene expression of source gene ‘GPD1’ (3.61) contributed to synthesis more G3P of TAG precursor in pulp, and the high expression of sink genes ‘DGAT1 and DGAT2’ (14.57 and 12.57, respectively) accelerated high TAG accumulation in pulp, compared to their expressions in seeds (0, 1.24 and 6.85, respectively). The oil content in pulp (36.90%) was also higher than that in seed (14.15%), (3) qRT-PCR verification results showed the expressions of GPD1, DGAT1 and DGAT2 genes (1.46, 0.93 and 2.13 fold change, respectively) in pulp were also higher than those in seeds (0.47, 0.21 and 1.02 fold change, respectively). Our results suggest that the high coordinated expression of source ‘GPD1’ and sink ‘DGAT1 and DGAT2’ genes resulted in strong oil biosynthesis and accumulation in the pulp with highoil pulp, compared to its seed with low-oil seeds. These transcriptome data provide genomic information for identification of genetic regulation system for sea buckthorn, especially understanding lipid biosynthesis mechanism in seeds and pulp. The detection of these three source and sink genes of lipid biosynthesis provided scientific basis for improving low oil contents in seeds and pulp of sea buckthorn berries.

Development of TREND dynamics code for molten salt reactors

Yu, Wen,Ruan, Jian,He, Long,Kendrick, James,Zou, Yang,Xu, Hongjie Korean Nuclear Society 2021 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.53 No.2

The Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), one of the six advanced reactor types of the 4th generation nuclear energy systems, has many impressive features including economic advantages, inherent safety and nuclear non-proliferation. This paper introduces a system analysis code named TREND, which is developed and used for the steady and transient simulation of MSRs. The TREND code calculates the distributions of pressure, velocity and temperature of single-phase flows by solving the conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy, along with a fluid state equation. Heat structures coupled with the fluid dynamics model is sufficient to meet the demands of modeling MSR system-level thermal-hydraulics. The core power is based on the point reactor neutron kinetics model calculated by the typical Runge-Kutta method. An incremental PID controller is inserted to adjust the operation behaviors. The verification and validation of the TREND code have been carried out in two aspects: detailed code-to-code comparison with established thermal-hydraulic system codes such as RELAP5, and validation with the experimental data from MSRE and the CIET facility (the University of California, Berkeley's Compact Integral Effects Test facility).The results indicate that TREND can be used in analyzing the transient behaviors of MSRs and will be improved by validating with more experimental results with the support of SINAP.

Expression analysis of HSP70 gene in response to environmental stress in Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Zhou Lv,Meng Jian-Yu,Ruan Hong-Yun,Zhang Chang-Yu 한국응용곤충학회 2023 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.26 No.3

This study aimed to investigate the role of heat shock proteins in the response of Spodoptera frugiperda to environmental stress. Four Hsp70 genes of S. frugiperda were cloned using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and their sequence characteristics were characterized using bioinformatics analysis. RTqPCR was used to detect Hsp70 at different developmental stages, in different tissues, and under varying environmental stresses (45 ◦ C, 36 ◦ C, 4 ◦ C, ultraviolet-A, and emamectin benzoate) to quantify the relative expression of this gene. Four Hsp70 genes were obtained by cloning, namely SfHsp70-1, SfHsp70-2, SfHsp70-3, and SfHsp70-like, which encode 653, 686, 638, and 627 amino acids, respectively, and all contain the three Hsp70 family signature sequences. Neighbor-joining (NJ) method was used to construct phylogenetic tree, and four Hsp70 of the S. frugiperda species were clustered with Lepidoptera. The results of real-time PCR showed that the SfHsp70s gene was specifically expressed in different tissues at different developmental stages and its expression increased considerably under nearly all environmental stresses in adults. This study shows that the SfHsp70 gene contributes to a large extent to the resistance of S. frugiperda to environmental stress.

Association of Leptin Receptor Lys109Arg and Gln223Arg Polymorphisms with Increased Risk of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Mu, Hui-Jun,Zou, Jian,Xie, Ping,Xu, Zhuo-Qun,Ruan, Jun,Yang, Shu-Dong,Yin, Ying Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.10

Background: Although roles of genetic polymorphisms of leptin receptor (LEPR) gene in several cancers have been documented, the association between polymorphisms of LEPR and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CC-RCC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to explore any relation. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 77 patients with CC-RCC and 161 healthy control subjects. Polymorphism analyses of Lys109Arg and Gln223Arg were performed by direct DNA sequencing and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism approaches respectively. Results: Comparisons of allelic and genotypic frequencies in Lys109Arg and Gln223Arg showed no significant difference between the cases and controls. However, when evaluating the combined genotype of Lys109Arg and Gln223Arg, risk with GG/GG was increased (OR=1.85, 95%CI=1.04-3.30) and with GA/GG or GG/GA was decreased (OR=0.07, 95%CI=0.01-0.54; OR and 95%CI of the latter could not be calculated for a value of zero). Furthermore, the G-G haplotype frequency of Lys109Arg and Gln223Arg in the cases was higher (OR=1.68; 95%CI=1.02-2.76). In contrast, the A-G and G-A haplotype frequencies in the cases were lower than those in the controls (OR=0.06; 95%CI=0.01 to 0.47; OR and 95%CI of the latter could not be calculated for a value of zero). In addition, the Lys109Arg A allele was in LD with the Gln223Arg A allele (d'=0.9399) in the CC-RCC subjects, but not in the controls. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the GG/GG combined genotype and G-G haplotype of Lys109Arg and Gln223Arg can act as evaluating factors for CC-RCC risk.

Aberrant Expression of HOXA5 and HOXA9 in AML

Zhao, Peng,Tan, Li,Ruan, Jian,Wei, Xiao-Ping,Zheng, Yi,Zheng, Li-Xia,Jiang, Wei-Qin,Fang, Wei-Jia Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.9

Background: Aberrant expression of HOX gene expression has been observed in cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the alteration of HOXA5 and HOXA9 expression and their clinical significance in acute meloid leukemia (AML). Materials and Methods: The expression of HOXA5 and HOXA9 genes of bone marrow samples from 75 newly diagnosed AML patients and 22 healthy controls for comparison were examined by Real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) assay. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate HOXA5 and HOXA9 expression as possible biomarkers for AML. Results: The results showed that the complete remission rate (52.6%) of the patients who highly expressed HOXA5 and HOXA9 was significantly lower than that (88.9%) in patients who lowly express the genes (P=0.015). Spearmann correlation coefficients indicated that the expression levels for HOXA5 and HOXA9 genes were highly interrelated (r=0.657, P<0.001). Meanwhile, we detected significant correlations between HOXA9 expression and age in this limited set of patients (P=0.009). Conclusions: The results suggest a prognostic impact of increased expression of HOXA5 and HOXA9 in AML patients.

Output characteristics of a horizontal type electro-hydraulic excitation system with inertial loading: Modeling and experimentation

Ren Yan,Ji Xiancheng,Ruan Jian 대한기계학회 2019 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.33 No.11

In a conventional electro-hydraulic excitation system it is difficult to realize high frequency vibration, even though at the cost of a decreased hydraulic force. A 2D rotary valve, characterized by the spool’s simultaneous rotary and sliding motions, was improved and adopted in a horizontal type electro-hydraulic excitation system in order to improve its high frequency performance. A description of vibration characteristics is still a challenge for the excitation system with inertial loading subjected to high frequency excitation. Therefore, this paper investigated the output characteristics of this electro-hydraulic excitation system in detail. A mass force dominant excitation system was taken as an example to demonstrate those output characteristics, which was facilitated by a specially designed approximate phenomenological model. Based on this model, the analytical expressions of the excitation waveform, working frequency and some boundary values were derived and subsequently shown to be in line with the experimental data. Theoretical and experimental results indicate that the output excitation waveforms could be described using the analytical expressions, even though the measured waves demonstrate different distortions. The distortions are especially obvious when the operating frequencies are below the resonant frequency, while they are attenuated as the frequencies increase beyond the resonance. This noteworthy phenomenon is one of the manifestations of hydraulic resonance. These results and findings provide clear guidance for the understanding and designing of the electro-hydraulic excitation system with high frequency feature.

Study on the Joining of 2D Microstructure during the Fabrication of 3D Micro-Mold

Bin Xu,Xiao-yu Wu,Jian-guo Lei,Feng Luo,Chen-lin Du,Shuang-chen Ruan,Zhen-long Wang 한국정밀공학회 2014 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

The 3D micro-mold which is fabricated by the femtosecond laser cutting and micro electric resistance slip welding is formed throughthe lamination of multilayer 2D microstructures. By using this technology, the 3D micro-mold with a high depth-width ratio can bemanufactured. In order to improve the laminated precision and joining strength of each layer of 2D microstructure, this researchapplied layer-by-layer micro electric resistance slip welding to weld each layer of 2D microstructure. Firstly, the proper technicalparameters were obtained through the experiments of layer-by-layer micro electric resistance slip welding. Secondly, through thelayer-by-layer micro electric resistance slip welding, multilayer 2D microstructures were weld together and a 3D micro-mold wasformed. Moreover, the anti-shear stress test of 3D micro-mold was done. In the layer-by-layer slip welding process, electrode couldproduce some losses and the losses could deposit on the surface of micro-mold. This research also studied the deposition effect ofthe electrode. Finally, based on the above studies, the micro square-hole array and the micro-gear cavity were fabricated by joiningmultilayer 2D microstructure.

Molecular dynamics study of H4TTP crystal morphology

Chen Jing,Li Jun,Li Yongxiang,Liu Qiao'e,Zhang Xuan,Ruan Jian,Wang Xiaojun,Liu Wendong,Kim Chan Kyung 대한화학회 2022 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.43 No.7

To understand the role of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the crystal growth morphology of 2,3,5,6-tetra(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)pyrazine (H4TTP), the vacuum morphology of H4TTP crystal was predicted by the Bravais–Friedel–Donnay–Harker (BFDH) and the attachment energy (AE) models. The growth morphology of H4TTP in DMSO solvent was predicted using a modified AE model. The results show that the main growth surfaces of H4TTP in vacuum are (1 0 0), (0 0 2), (0 1 1), and (1 1 0) surfaces. Among them, (1 0 0) surface is the most important growth surface. (0 0 2) surface is the roughest crystal surface, while (1 1 0) surface is the flattest. (1 1 0) surface grows rapidly, and (1 0 0) surface has the greatest morphological importance. The analysis of radial distribution function shows that (1 0 0) surface has the strongest hydrogen bonding interactions in the interface between H4TTP and DMSO solvent.

Carotid Plaque Stiffness Measured with Supersonic Shear Imaging and Its Correlation with Serum Homocysteine Level in Ischemic Stroke Patients

Jing Shang,Wen Wang,Jun Feng,Guo-gang Luo,Ying Dang,Jian Sun,Yan-qiu Yang,Li-tao Ruan 대한영상의학회 2018 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.19 No.1

Objective: To ascertain the feasibility of using shear wave velocity (SWV) in assessing the stiffness of carotid plaque by supersonic shear imaging (SSI) and explore preliminary clinical value for such evaluation. Materials and Methods: Supersonic shear imaging was performed in 142 patients with ischemic stroke, including 76 males and 66 females with mean age of 66 years (range, 45–80 years). The maximum, minimum, and mean values of SWV were measured for 129 carotid plaques. SWVs were compared between echolucent and echogenic plaques. Correlations between SWVs and serum homocysteine levels were investigated. Based on neurological symptom, the surrogate marker of vulnerable plaque (VP), binary logistic regression was performed and area under curve (AUC) of homocysteine only and homocysteine combing SWVmean was calculated respectively. Results: Echogenic plaques (n = 51) had higher SWVs than echolucent ones (n = 78) (SWVmin 3.91 [3.24−4.17] m/s vs. 1.51 [1.04−1.94] m/s; SWVmean, 4.29 [3.98−4.57] m/s vs. 2.09 [1.69−2.41] m/s; SWVmax, 4.67 [4.33−4.86] m/s vs. 2.62 [2.32−3.31] m/s all p values < 0.01). Pearson correlation analysis showed that stiffness of plaques was negatively correlated with homocysteine level. R values for SWVmin, SWVmean, and SWVmax were -0.205, -0.213, and -0.199, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that sex (p = 0.008), low-density lipoprotein (p = 0.015), triglycerides (p = 0.011), SWVmean (p = 0.004), and hyper-homocysteinemia (p = 0.010) were significantly associated with symptomatic ischemic stroke. Receiver operating characteristic curves revealed that SWVmean combing serum homocysteine level (AUC = 0.67) presented better diagnostic value than serum homocysteine only (AUC = 0.60) for symptomatic ischemic stroke. Conclusion: Supersonic shear imaging could be used to quantitatively evaluate stiffness of both echolucent and echogenic carotid plaques. More importantly, SWVs of plaques were not only correlated to serum homocysteine level, but also associated with symptomatic ischemic stroke, suggesting that SSI might be useful for understanding more about VP.

Investigation on a novel high frequency two-dimensional (2D) rotary valve variable mechanism for fluid pulse-widthmodulation application

Chengdu Xu,Yan Ren,Hesheng Tang,Lizhong Lu,Yu Huang,Jian Ruan 대한기계학회 2023 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.37 No.2

In the traditional valve controlled hydraulic system, flow control is realized by changing the orifice area of the control valve, which inevitably leads to throttling loss. However, the high-speed on-off valve is different from other control valves because it realizes the instantaneous release of energy by quickly opening the valve port. Therefore, it can be theoretically considered that there is no throttling loss in the fully open state. Inspired by the operating principle of the high-speed on/off valve, a novel high frequency two-dimensional (2D) rotary valve variable mechanism is proposed, which is used to generate discrete fluid by the fluid pulsewidth-modulation to control and distribute the flow. This rotary valve variable mechanism is similar to an on/off valve group, and a group of rhombic valve ports are evenly arranged on the circumferential shoulder. The valve spool has two non-interference degrees of freedom: rotary motion and sliding. With the high speed rotation of the valve spool, the valve port can be quickly ‘opened’ (connected with the load) - ‘closed’ (connected with the oil tank); while the valve spool slides, the duration ratio of "on" and "off" of the valve port can be adjusted. Similar to the on-off valve, the flow through the rotary valve port mainly depends on the communication time of the valve port (the instant of opening and closing the valve port is not in the scope of discussion). The concept of 2D rotary valve variable mechanism is verified by the simulation and the experiment. The results show that the variable mechanism generates discrete fluid with adjustable duty cycle. In the PWM driven high-speed on/off valve, this is the technology to realize the fluid pulse-width-modulation through the mechanical structure of the fluid control element itself, rather than the PWM control to control the motor, and finally the fluid is controlled to meet the system's demand for oil supply.