Identification and comparative profiling of microRNAs in wild-type Xanthoceras sorbifolia and its double flower mutant

Yan Ao,Yanwei Wang,Lei Chen,Tao Wang,Haiyan Yu,Zhixiang Zhang 한국유전학회 2012 Genes & Genomics Vol.34 No.5

MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and have crucial roles in plant biological and metabolic processes. To date, there has been no report concerning miRNAs in Xanthoceras sorbifolia, one of the most important woody energy plants for biofuel production. To study the roles of miRNAs during floral organ differentiation and development in X. sorbifolia, two small RNA libraries were constructed from the flower buds of simple flowers (wild-type) and double flowers (mutant). Each library was sequenced individually and generated over 33 million raw reads in total. Forty-three conserved miRNAs belonging to 30families and 10 novel miRNAs were identified. The expressions of a selected group of conserved and novel miRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR. Target gene prediction identified 230 target genes for most of the conserved and novel miRNAs. Fifteen miRNAs were demonstrated to be differentially ex-pressed between wild-type and mutant. This is the first study to identify conserved and novel miRNAs and profile their expression changes during floral organ differentiation and development in X. sorbifolia.

Panax ginseng and its ginsenosides: potential candidates for the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects

Yan Wan,Jing Wang,Jin-feng Xu,Fei Tang,Lu Chen,Yu-zhu Tan,Chao-long Rao,Hui Ao,Cheng Peng 고려인삼학회 2021 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.45 No.6

Chemotherapy-induced side effects affect the quality of life and efficacy of treatment of cancer patients. Current approaches for treating the side effects of chemotherapy are poorly effective and may causenumerous harmful side effects. Therefore, developing new and effective drugs derived from natural nontoxiccompounds for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects is necessary. Experimentsin vivo and in vitro indicate that Panax ginseng (PG) and its ginsenosides are undoubtedly non-toxic andeffective options for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects, such as nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity,cardiotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and hematopoietic inhibition. The mechanism focus on antioxidation,anti-inflammation, and anti-apoptosis, as well as the modulation of signaling pathways, suchas nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), P62/keap1/Nrf2, c-jun Nterminalkinase (JNK)/P53/caspase 3, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signalregulatedkinases (ERK), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4)/JNK, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT. Since a systemic review of the effect and mechanism of PG and its ginsenosides onchemotherapy-induced side effects has not yet been published, we provide a comprehensive summarizationwith this aim and shed light on the future research of PG.

Effects of Diet Complexity and Fermented Soy Protein on Growth Performance and Apparent Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility in Weanling Pigs

Ao, X.,Kim, H.J.,Meng, Q.W.,Yan, L.,Cho, J.H.,Kim, I.H. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2010 Animal Bioscience Vol.23 No.11

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of diet complexity and fermented soy protein on growth performance and amino acid digestibility. In Exp. 1, a total of 120 crossbred weanling pigs ($5.68{\pm}0.80\;kg$ BW) were randomly allocated into 4 treatments. Each treatment had 6 replicate pens comprising 5 pigs in each replicate. Experimental diets consisted of simple (soybean meal as protein source) and complex (soybean meal, rice protein concentrate, potato protein concentrate and fish meal as protein sources) diets; each diet contained 0 or 5% fermented soy protein (FSP), respectively. Dietary treatments included: i) simple diet; ii) simple diet with 5% FSP; iii) complex diet; iv) complex diet with 5% FSP. Pigs were provided each experimental diet for 20 d (phase 1) and then fed the same common diet for 10 d (phase 2). During days 0-10, pigs fed FSP diets had greater ADG than those fed non-FSP diets (p<0.05). G/F in FSP treatments was significantly higher than that in non-FSP treatments (p<0.05) from days 0 to 10. Throughout the overall period, G/F was greater in FSP treatments compared with non-FSP treatments (p<0.05). On d 10, N digestibility was higher in pigs fed FSP diets than in those fed non-FSP diets (p<0.05). Diet complexity did not affect growth performance and nutrient digestibility (p>0.05) in this experiment. In Exp 2, 12 ileal-cannulated, weanling barrows were housed in individual metabolism crates and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments (same as Exp. 1) by using a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design. Among the essential amino acids, apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of Met and Val were increased in pigs fed FSP diets compared with those fed non-FSP diets (p<0.05). AID of Met, Phe and total essential amino acids were higher in pigs fed complex diets than in those fed simple diets (p<0.05). Among the non-essential amino acids, AID of Ala in FSP treatments was greater than that in non-FSP treatments (p<0.05). In addition, Asp, Cys, Glu, Pro, Ser and total non-essential amino acid digestibilities in pigs fed complex diets were higher compared with those fed simple diets (p<0.05). Interaction was observed in AID of Met, Asp and Pro. In conclusion, these results indicated that feeding of 5% FSP to nursery pigs improved feed efficiency and AID of amino acids, and diet complexity did not maximize the growth performance of pigs in the subsequent phase.

Evaluation of Dietary Supplementation of Delta-aminolevulinic Acid and Chito-oligosaccharide on Production Performance, Egg Quality and Hematological Characteristics in Laying Hens

Yan, L.,Lee, J.H.,Meng, Q.W.,Ao, X.,Kim, I.H. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2010 Animal Bioscience Vol.23 No.8

The effects of delta-aminolevulinic acid (DALA) or chito-oligosaccharide (COS) in layer diets on production performance, egg quality and hematological characteristics were investigated in this 8-week trial. Two hundred and seventy 27-week-old (Hy-Line brown) layers were randomly assigned to 5 treatments with 9 replications per treatment. Dietary treatments were i) Control (basal diet); ii) DALA1 (basal diet+DALA 2 mg/kg); iii) DALA2 (basal diet+DALA 4 mg/kg); iv) COS1 (basal diet+COS 100 mg/kg) and v) COS2 (basal diet+COS 200 mg/kg). In this study, no significant difference was observed in feed intake and egg shell quality (eggshell breaking strength and egg shell thickness) among treatments. The inclusion of DALA increased egg production during the first 4 weeks. Egg weight was increased in both DALA (quadratic, p<0.05) and COS (linear, p<0.05) treatments compared with the control treatment. Laying hens fed the DALA treatment had an increased yolk color unit (quadratic, p<0.05) and haugh unit (linear, p<0.05) compared with the control group. Similarly, these characteristics were also affected by COS treatments, with both values being linearly increased (p<0.05) in COS treatments compared with the control treatment. Additionally, birds fed DALA treatments significantly increased (quadratic, p<0.05) the number of RBC, WBC and lymphocytes compared with the control treatment. Dietary DALA supplementation linearly increased (p<0.05) the serum iron concentration at the end of the 8th week. The inclusion of COS increased (linear, p<0.05) the concentration of RBC, WBC and lymphocytes compared with the control treatment. In conclusion, dietary DALA at the lower dosage (2 mg/kg) could exert better effects in laying hens than higher dosage (4 mg/kg). Birds fed DALA supplemented diet had an increased iron availability, egg weight, eggshell quality and immunity. Moreover, the inclusion of COS (200 mg/kg) can increase egg weight, eggshell quality and immunity in laying hens. Therefore, both the utilization of COS and DALA could be considered as a new strategy for optimizing egg quality and health condition of laying hens.

Phospholipid and Fatty Acid Composition in Leaves and Roots of Ten Autumn Chrysanthemum Cultivars Grown at Low Temperature

Yan Li,Yonghua Li,Pan Yang,Hua’ao Zhang,Dan He 한국원예학회 2017 Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Vol.58 No.4

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between cold hardiness and phospholipid andfatty acid content in leaves and roots of chrysanthemum, and to explore cold resistance mechanisms of chrysanthemumin order to provide a theoretical basis for selecting and breeding a new cold-resistant cultivar. We analyzed thephospholipid and fatty acid components in leaves and roots of 10 autumn chrysanthemum cultivars including sixearly-flowering cultivars and four late-flowering cultivars. We determined the content of phosphatidyl ethanolamine(PE), phosphatidyl choline (PC), phosphatidyl serine (PS), phosphatidyl glycerol (PG), myristic acid (C14:0), palmiticacid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), docosanoic acid (C22:0), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), and linolenic acid(C18:3) in leaves and roots of chrysanthemum seedlings grown at 16C and 5C. The cultivars had different responsesto low temperature that included changes in the cell membrane composition in leaves and roots. The main phospholipidin leaves and roots of chrysanthemum was PE, and the main saturated fatty acid was palmitic acid. Amongunsaturated fatty acids, linolenic acid was found in leaves, whereas oleic acid and linoleic acid were present in theroots. Based on the unsaturated fatty acid content and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids in leaves, theearly-flowering cultivars ‘Tan Xiang Shi Zi’ and ‘Tong Que Chun Shen’ and the late-flowering cultivars ‘Guan DongXin Xia’ and ‘Yun Long Feng Wu’ were classified as strongly cold tolerant, while the early-flowering cultivar ‘JinFeng Ling’ and the late-flowering cultivar ‘Mo Bao’ were weakly cold tolerant.

Effects of Non-starch Polysaccharide-degrading Enzymes on Nutrient Digestibility, Growth Performance and Blood Profiles of Growing Pigs Fed a Diet Based on Corn and Soybean Meal

Ao, X.,Meng, Q.W.,Yan, L.,Kim, H.J.,Hong, S.M.,Cho, J.H.,Kim, I.H. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2010 Animal Bioscience Vol.23 No.12

Two experiments with growing pigs were conducted to investigate the effects of two distinct multienzyme preparations on nutrient digestibility, growth performance and blood profiles. In Exp. 1, a total of 96 pigs ($29.7{\pm}0.69\;kg$) were utilized in a 42-day performance and digestibility trial using four dietary treatments: CON (control diet), ENDO (control+0.10% Endopower), NSPase1 (control+0.10% NSPase) and NSPase2 (control+0.20% NSPase). Endopower was a commercial multienzyme preparation which contained ${\alpha}$-galactosidase, galactomannase, xylanase and ${\beta}$-glucanase. NSPase mainly contained ${\alpha}$-1,6-${\beta}$-galactosidase, ${\beta}$-1,4-mannanase and ${\beta}$-1,4-mannosidase. There were six replication pens per treatment with four pigs per pen. Pigs fed NSPase1 diet had a higher ADG (p<0.05) and G:F (p<0.05) than those fed the control diet. There were no significant differences in growth performance among the multienzyme treatments (p>0.05). Compared with CON, apparent digestibility of DM was increased (p<0.05) by ENDO treatment. N digestibility was improved (p<0.05) in response to multienzyme treatments during the experimental period. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was higher (p<0.05) in ENDO treatment than in CON and NSPase1 treatments at the end of the experiment, while the glucose level improved (p<0.05) due to ENDO and NSPase2 treatments. In Exp. 2, four ileal-cannulated, growing barrows ($20.17{\pm}1.31\;kg$) were housed in individual metabolism crates and randomly assigned to 1of 4 treatments (same as Exp. 1) within a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design. Enzyme supplementations improved the majority of apparent ileal amino acid digestibilities (p<0.05). It is concluded that the supplementation of NSPase1 improved growth performance as well as N digestibility and partially improved apparent ileal amino acid digestibility in growing pigs fed a diet based on corn and soybean meal.

Growth of monolayer and bilayer MoS2 through the solution precursor for high-performance photodetectors

Hailong Yan,Jinbing Cheng,Kejia Zhua,Ao Li,Tao Peng,Yongsong Luo 한국물리학회 2020 Current Applied Physics Vol.20 No.5

Various studies suggest that the performances of TMDs are largely thickness dependent. In this paper, we develop a chemical vapor deposition method to synthesis monolayer and bilayer MoS2 flakes with a solution precursor. The MoS2 phototransistors were prepared to investigate their optoelectronic performance. The MoS2 photodetectors exhibit high detectivity of 2.44 × 1011 and a fast response/recovery time of 97 ms/291 ms. The photoresponsivity of bilayer MoS2 flakes was found up to 7160 A W−1. Our research will pave a pathway to control the layer numbers of other TMDs nanostructures, expand the application of high performance 2D materials.

Extending absorption of near-infrared wavelength range for high efficiency CIGS solar cell via adjusting energy band

Lingling Yan,Yiming Bai,Bo Yang,Nuofu Chen,Zhan'ao Tan,Tasawar Hayat,Ahmed Alsaedi 한국물리학회 2018 Current Applied Physics Vol.18 No.4

The efficient photon harvesting in near infrared wavelength range is still a challenging problem for high performance Cu(In1-x, Gax)Se2 (CIGS) solar cell. Herein, adjusting the energy band distribution of CIGS solar cell could provide significant academic guidance for devices with superior output electric power. To understand the role of each functional layer, the optimal 3000 nm CIGS absorber layer with 1.3 eV bandgap and 30 nm CdS buffer layer were firstly obtained via simulating the uniform band-gap structures. By introducing CIGS absorber layer with a double grading Ga/(GaþIn) profile, the power conversion efficiency of the double gradient band gap cell is superior to that of uniform band-gap cell through extending absorption of near-infrared wavelength range. Upon optimization, the best power conversion efficiency of CIGS with a double gradient band gap solar cell is improved significantly to 24.90%, among the best values reported in literatures, which is an 8.17% relative increase compared with that of the uniform band-gap cell. Our findings provide a theoretical guide toward the design of high performance solar cells and enrich the understandings of the energy band engineering for developing of novel semiconductor devices.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Trisubstituted Tetrahydrothiophenes via in Situ Generated Chiral Fluoride-Catalyzed Cascade Sulfa-Michael/Aldol Reaction of 1,4-Dithiane-2,5-diol and α,β-Unsaturated Ketones

Duan, Mengying,Liu, Yidong,Ao, Jun,Xue, Lu,Luo, Shilong,Tan, Yu,Qin, Wenling,Song, Choong Eui,Yan, Hailong American Chemical Society 2017 ORGANIC LETTERS Vol.19 No.9

<P>A chiral, fluoride-catalyzed asymmetric cascade sulfaMichael/aldol condensation reaction of 1,4-dithiane-2,5-diol and a series of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones is described to access chiral trisubstituted tetrahydrothiophene derivatives. The target products, including the spiro tetrahydrothiophene derivatives bearing a five-, six-, and seven-membered ring, were highly functionalized and showed high ee value. This established protocol realized a highly enantioselective reaction with a catalytic amount of KF and Song's chiral oligoEG via in situ generated chiral fluoride to construct useful heterocyclic skeletons with great complexity.</P>

Integrative applications of network pharmacology and molecular docking: An herbal formula ameliorates H9c2 cells injury through pyroptosis

Zhongwen Qi,Zhipeng Yan,Yueyao Wang,Nan Ji,Xiaoya Yang,Ao Zhang,Meng Li,Fengqin Xu,Junping Zhang The Korean Society of Ginseng 2023 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.47 No.2

Background: QiShen YiQi pills (QSYQ) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula, which has a significant effect on the treatment of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) in clinical practice. However, the molecular mechanism of QSYQ regulation pyroptosis after MI is still not fully known. Hence, this study was designed to reveal the mechanism of the active ingredient in QSYQ. Methods: Integrated approach of network pharmacology and molecular docking, were conducted to screen active components and corresponding common target genes of QSYQ in intervening pyroptosis after MI. Subsequently, STRING and Cytoscape were applied to construct a PPI network, and obtain candidate active compounds. Molecular docking was performed to verify the binding ability of candidate components to pyroptosis proteins and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) induced cardiomyocytes injuries were applied to explore the protective effect and mechanism of the candidate drug. Results: Two drug-likeness compounds were preliminarily selected, and the binding capacity between Ginsenoside Rh2 (Rh2) and key target High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1)was validated in the form of hydrogen bonding. 2 μM Rh2 prevented OGD-induced H9c2 death and reduced IL-18 and IL-1β levels, possibly by decreasing the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, inhibiting the expression of p12-caspase1, and attenuating the level of pyroptosis executive protein GSDMD-N. Conclusions: We propose that Rh2 of QSYQ can protect myocardial cells partially by ameliorating pyroptosis, which seems to have a new insight regarding the therapeutic potential for MI.