Subjects: Biology >> Ecology submitted time 2025-07-17 Cooperative journals: 《干旱区科学》
Abstract： Grassland is a key component of the ecosystem in the Qinghai Lake Basin, China. Understanding the effects of climate change and human activities on grassland productivity significantly improves ecological conservation and promotes sustainable vegetation growth in this area. Based on the net primary productivity (NPP) products of MOD17A3HGF (a moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) product that provides annual NPP at 500 m resolution) and meteorological data, we analyzed the spatial and temporal evolution of grassland NPP and its interaction with climate factors in the Qinghai Lake Basin from 2001 to 2022 via partial correlation and trend analysis methods. We also used the deflecting trend residual method and scenario analysis method to quantitatively assess the relative contributions of climatic factors and human activities to grassland NPP. The results revealed that: (1) during the past 22 a, grassland NPP increased considerably, with a gradient change from the northwest to the southeast of the study area; (2) sunshine duration, precipitation, and temperature positively influenced grassland NPP, with sunshine duration exerting a stronger effect on grassland NPP than precipitation and temperature; and (3) 98.47% of the grassland in the study area was restored, with an average contribution of 65.00% from human activities and 35.00% from climatic alterations. Compared with climate change, human-induced factors had a greater effect on grassland NPP in this area. The results of the study not only provide important scientific support for ecological restoration and sustainable development of the basin but also offer new ideas for research on similar ecologically fragile areas.
Subjects: Biology >> Ecology submitted time 2025-07-17 Cooperative journals: 《干旱区科学》
Abstract： Understanding plant community assembly is crucial for effective ecosystem conservation and restoration. The ecological filter framework describes community assembly as a process shaped by dispersal, environmental, and biotic filters. Additionally, functional traits and phylogenetic relationships are increasingly recognized as important factors influencing species coexistence and community structure. However, both the ecological filter framework and the roles of functional traits and phylogeny in community assembly remain underexplored in the Algerian steppes—particularly in the El Bayadh region, where ongoing vegetation degradation threatens ecosystem stability. This study applied Hierarchical Modeling of Species Communities (HMSC) as an integrative approach to assess how ecological filters influence plant community assembly in the El Bayadh steppe and to evaluate the roles of functional traits and phylogenetic relationships in this process. Environmental data—including soil properties, topography, precipitation, and land use types (grazing and exclosure)—were collected across 50 plots in April and October, 2023, along with functional traits from 24 species. These traits include root length, leaf area, specific leaf area, clonality, life history, and seed mass. HMSC results revealed that soil properties and precipitation were the primary drivers of community structure, while sand height and elevation had a moderate influence. In contrast, competition and grazing played relatively minor roles. Species responses to environmental covariates were heterogeneous: soil fertility and texture had mixed effects, benefiting some species while limiting others; sand encroachment and precipitation variability generally had negative impacts, whereas grazing exclusion favored many species. A weak phylogenetic signal was recorded, indicating that community assembly was driven more by environmental filtering than by shared evolutionary history. Functional trait responses to environmental variation reflected plant strategies that balanced resource acquisition and conservation. Specifically, seed mass, leaf area, and root length increased under higher soil moisture and nutrient availability but declined in response to salinity, precipitation variability, and sand height. Clonality and perennial life history traits enhanced the survival of plant species under harsh conditions. Overall, this study provides a holistic understanding of community assembly processes in the El Bayadh steppe and offers valuable insights for ecosystem management and restoration in arid and degraded ecosystem environments.
Subjects: Biology >> Biomathematics submitted time 2025-07-14
Xiuzhu Liu
Li Wei
Rong Zhang
Jiaxin Chen
Tongshan Zhang
Junrui Hua
Jufang Wang
Jinpeng He
Xiaodong Xie
Abstract： Senescence is a cellular response closely associated with genotoxic stress and plays a critical role in determining cell fate following irradiation exposure. Primary cilia, sensory organelles on the cell surface, detect and transmit diverse signaling cues. However, the relationship between primary cilia and senescence in long-term cell fate decisions after ionizing radiation (IR) remains poorly understood. Here, we show that DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (p-DNA-PKcs) co-localized with centromeres during various mitosis stages, while during interphase, p-DNA-PKcs is confined to the nucleus in tumor cells. Following irradiation exposure, primary cilia are formed and persistently maintained at high levels in senescent tumor cells. Inhibition of DNA-PKcs enhances primary cilia formation, while combines inhibition with siDNA-PKcs and irradiation reduces cilia generation, moreover, Chloral hydrate-induced primary cilia removal results in senescent cell death and decreases p-DNA-PKcs protein expression. Notably, treatment with the apoptosis inducer ABT263, also leads to increased cell death and a decreased incidence of primary cilia. Inhibition of either primary cilia or DNA-PKcs further enhances the radiosensitivity of tumor cells. These findings suggest that p-DNA-PKcs contributes to primary cilia formation after irradiation and plays a critical role in both the induction and maintenance of cellular senescence.
Peer Review Status:
Awaiting Review
Subjects: Biology >> Cell Biology submitted time 2025-07-04
Abstract： Live-imaging microscopy technology has been increasingly applied for meiosis study in plants, which largely relies on the set up of a healthy ex vivo culture system for inflorescences ensuring that the captured chromosomes dynamics approaches the natural features of meiosis. Here, we report that Arabidopsis thaliana flowers cultivated in a culture medium (CCM) composed of the half-strength Murashige and Skoog basal salt, MES, Myo-inositol, sucrose and agar produce diploid microspores due to occurrence of meiotic restitution. Cytological studies revealed adjacent nuclei distribution and incomplete cytokinesis at late meiosis II in meiocytes within the CCM flowers. Immunolocalization of α-tubulin and the microtubule-associated protein MAP65-3 showed that the orientation of spindles at metaphase II and the organization of radial microtubule arrays at the tetrad stage are interfered, which explains the production of meiotically-restituted microspores. Moreover, the CCM flowers showed a gradually impaired expression of Aborted Microspores (AMS), a key transcription factor regulating tapetum development and meiotic cytokinesis. Interestingly, an increased supply of sucrose in culture medium promoted the expression of AMS and partially rescued haploid microspore formation in the CCM flowers. Taken together, this study suggests a role of sucrose in facilitating meiotic cytokinesis and gametophytic ploidy stability in plants.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Biology >> Biochemistry submitted time 2025-07-02
Abstract： Tea and black coffee, two of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide, play important roles in supporting overall health. Urinary proteins do not originate directly from the beverages. Instead, changes in the urine proteome reflect the changes in the body influenced by beverage consumption, rather than their metabolites. Can the effects of teas with different fermentation levels and black coffee on the body be explored via the urine proteome? In this study, urine samples were collected from rats before and after seven consecutive days of consuming green tea, oolong tea, black tea, Pu-erh tea, or black coffee. Both before-and-after comparisons and between-group comparisons were performed, and the samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that the urine proteome reflected the changes in rats after one week of consuming teas with different fermentation levels or black coffee. Biological processes and pathways enriched from differential proteins included fat cell differentiation, lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, fatty acid transport, and immune response. Furthermore, the effects of teas with different fermentation levels and black coffee on the body exhibited a high degree of specificity. Additionally, several differential proteins identified in this study have been reported as biomarkers for diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This suggests that beverage consumption, including tea and black coffee, should be considered in clinical application of urine biomarkers of diseases and related studies. And the use of biomarker panels may be necessary to improve accuracy. In conclusion, the urine proteome provides a comprehensive and systematic reflection of the overall effects of all components in tea and black coffee on the body, and can distinguish changes in the body after consuming teas with different fermentation levels and black coffee.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Biology >> Ecology submitted time 2025-06-18
Abstract： As a flagship species in the Yangtze River, Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) fell into a spiral population decline driven by the Gezhou Dam. Then, further impacted by the subsequent water projects, the population of the Chinese sturgeon declined rapidly, and its natural reproduction was interrupted in 2013. The field population of the species is critically endangered. The key problem in this tragedy is that the Chinese sturgeon failed to adapt to the changes in migration and breeding conditions caused by the Gezhou Dam. Aimed the goal of restoring self-sustaining populations of wild-spawning Chinese sturgeon, the current manuscript 1) raised the demand of promoting the adaptation of Chinese sturgeon to the new migration and breeding conditions; 2) explained the possibility of Chinese sturgeon adapting to the new migration and breeding conditions in the perspective of population genetics; 3) discussed the practical possibility of promoting the adaptation of Chinese sturgeon to the new migration and breeding conditions; 4) finally, delineated the operational difficulties and future expectations of promoting the adaptation of Chinese sturgeon to the new migration and reproduction conditions. We hope that the current discussion could promote the formation of the consensus on the Chinese sturgeon conservation issues of the preservation and breeding of artificial population, enhancement and releasing of juveniles, and self-sustaining population restoration of wild-spawning Chinese sturgeon.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Biology >> Biochemistry submitted time 2025-05-23
Abstract： Hypertension, one of the most prevalent chronic non-communicable diseases worldwide, is a primary risk factor for stroke and coronary heart disease. This study investigated dynamic changes in protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) and associated biological processes during hypertension progression by comparative analysis of urinary proteome PTMs in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and normal rats at 1-, 8-, and 14-15-month-old stages. Results revealed both stage-specific and shared PTM alterations across hypertensive phases. Notably, multiple differentially modified proteins identified here have been previously implicated in hypertension pathogenesis or progression. Randomized group validation demonstrated that over 95% of differential PTMs between hypertensive and control groups exhibited non-random characteristics, confirming the biological robustness of these findings. Furthermore, proteins harboring differential PTMs were significantly enriched in hypertension-related biological pathways and KEGG pathways, including regulation of systemic arterial blood pressure, Renin-angiotensin system (RAS), and complement and coagulation cascades. These results highlight distinct urinary proteome PTM profiles between SHRSP and normal rats, providing a novel dimension for understanding hypertension mechanisms.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Plant ecology, plant geography submitted time 2025-05-19 Cooperative journals: 《干旱区科学》
Abstract： Salt-tolerant bacteria associated with halophytes enhance plant resistance and adaptation to environmental stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diversity and plant-beneficial traits of bacteria associated with three halophytes in an arid land, Northwest China. The bacterial strains were isolated from the roots, shoots, rhizosphere, and bulk soil of three halophytes, i.e., Salicornia europaea L., Kalidium foliatum (Pall.) Moq., and Suaeda aralocaspica (Bunge) Freitag & Schütze, collected from the saline soils near to the Wujiaqu City, Xinjiang, Northwest China. A total of 567 strains were isolated and identified from these three halophytes belonging to 4 phyla, 6 classes, 25 orders, 36 families, and 66 genera, including 147 potential novel species. A total of 213 strains exhibited one or more plant growth- promoting properties, while 20 strains demonstrated multiple in vitro plant growth-promoting activities, including phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, siderophore production, and production of hydrolytic enzymes such as protease and cellulase. Our findings showed that halophytes in the arid land harbor diverse bacteria with the potential to enhance plant growth and adaptability under challenging environmental conditions.
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Plant ecology, plant geography submitted time 2025-05-19 Cooperative journals: 《干旱区科学》
Abstract： Climate change and human activities have led to desertification and decreased land productivity, significantly affecting human livelihoods in desert regions. Identifying suitable areas for cultivating economic and native plants based on ecological capacity, biological restoration, and risk management can be valuable tools for combating desertification. In this study, we identified suitable areas for the growth of economic and medicinal Moringa peregrina trees in desert regions of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southern Iran, using library research and field methods. We also assessed the economic involvement of local communities in areas under different topographic conditions (namely flat area, undulating area, rolling area, moderately sloping area, and steep area) in the study area. Financial indicators such as the net present value (NPV), benefit-cost ratio (BCR), internal rate of return (IRR), and return on investment (ROI) were calculated for areas under various topographic conditions in the study area. The rolling area with results of NPV (6142.75 USD), IRR (103.38), BCR (5.38), and ROI (in the 3rd year) was the best region for investing and cultivating M. peregrina. The minimum economic level varied from 0.80 hm2 in the flat area to 21.60 hm2 in the steep area. Also, approximately 5,314,629.51 hm2 of desert lands in the study area were deemed suitable for M. peregrina cultivation, benefiting around 1,743,246 households in the study area. Cultivating M. peregrina in southern Iran can positively affect local communities and help preserve land from erosion. Our study will provide theoretical support for planting native species in other degraded desert regions to enhance ecosystem services and the well-being of indigenous populations.
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Plant ecology, plant geography Subjects: Geosciences >> Geography submitted time 2025-05-19 Cooperative journals: 《干旱区科学》
Abstract： Investigating the spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation and its response mechanisms to natural and anthropogenic elements is crucial for regional vegetation restoration and ecological preservation. The Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL), which is situated in the semi-arid zone of northwestern China adjacent to the Loess Plateau, has been at the forefront of desertification and oasis formation over the past two millennia. This study is based on the synthesis of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from MOD13A3 data in the MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) dataset (2002–2021) and climate data (temperature and precipitation) at annual and monthly scales from the National Earth System Science Data Center. A range of analytical methods, including univariate linear regression, Theil-Sen trend analysis and Mann-Kendall significance test, correlation analysis, residual analysis, and Hurst index, were used to explore the response mechanisms of the NDVI to climate change and human activities and to predict the future trends of the NDVI in the MUSL. The results showed that through the method of correlation analysis, in terms of both spatially averaged correlation coefficients and area proportion, the NDVI was positively correlated with temperature and precipitation in 97.59% and 96.51% of the study area, respectively, indicating that temperature has a greater impact on the NDVI than precipitation. Residual analysis quantified the contributions of climate change and human activities to the NDVI changes, revealing that climate change and human activities contribute up to 30.00% and 70.00%, respectively, suggesting that human activities predominantly affect the NDVI changes in the MUSL. The Hurst index was used to categorize the future trend of the NDVI into four main directions of development: continuous degradation (0.05% of the study area), degradation in the past but improvement in the future (54.45%), improvement in the past but degradation in the future (0.13%), and continuous improvement (45.36%). In more than 50.00% of the regions that have been degraded in the past but were expected to improve in the future, the NDVI was expected to exhibit a stable trend of anti-persistent improvement. These findings provide theoretical support for future ecological protection, planning, and the implementation of ecological engineering in the MUSL, and also offer a theoretical basis for the planning and execution of construction projects, environmental protection measures, and the sustainable development of vegetation.
Subjects: Biology >> Biophysics >> Neurosciences Subjects: Physics >> Interdisciplinary Physics and Related Areas of Science and Technology submitted time 2025-05-06
Abstract： How animals perceive weak magnetic signals remains a mystery. Here I propose that the sensory inputs can be modulated in their transmission velocity along the peripheral nerves surrounded by Schwann cells which contain huge amounts of superparamagnetic iron nanoparticles stored in ferritins, forming the ordered arrays of hexagonal paracrystalline. Through interparticle interactions within the arrays, the superparamagnetic nanoparticles become subtly magnetized and aligned orderly with the Earth’s magnetic field. The Lorentz force of the small magnetic field created by the paracrystalline arrays will shift the motion trajectory of cations of action potentials whenever the magnetic line is not parallel to the direction of movement of the ions, from a straight path to a curve track within the myelinated axons. Since bending orientations of the peripheral nerve are always mirror-symmetric, the Lorentz force can delay transmission on one side where the ion trajectory does not fit the axon curve, but has almost no such effect on the other side where the ions can travel along the radian of the axon curve. This mechanism can create a time difference in arrival at the CNS nucleus between the two sides, activating the deviated coincidence detector neurons so that the directions of the external magnetic “source” are encoded and processed.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Plant ecology, plant geography submitted time 2025-04-14 Cooperative journals: 《干旱区科学》
Abstract： Diversity of soil microorganisms in different habitats of arid and semi-arid areas plays an important role in the soil texture and nutrient, promoting the growth of vegetation in those areas. To clarify the response of soil bacterial community diversity to the changes of environmental factors in different habitats, this study collected soil samples under the canopies of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. in oasis, transition zone, and desert habitats in the upper reaches of the Tarim River, Northwest China. High-throughput sequencing technology and PICRUSt2 software were used to explore the composition and function of soil bacterial communities in different habitats of T. ramosissima. The results showed that: (1) soil environmental factors under the canopy of T. ramosissima in the three habitats differed significantly, with soil moisture and nutrient conditions being better in the oasis; (2) Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes were the major bacterial communities in the three habitats; (3) soil bacterial community composition under the canopy of T. ramosissima varied greatly, and the richness was significantly different among the three habitats; (4) redundancy analysis indicated that soil water content and available phosphorous were the most important environmental factors influencing the composition of soil bacterial community; and (5) 6 primary functions and 21 secondary functions were obtained by PICRUSt2 function prediction, with metabolism being the most dominant function. This study revealed the response of soil bacterial community composition to habitat changes and their driving factors in the upper reaches of the Tarim River, which could improve the understanding of ecological sensitivity of soil microorganisms in arid and semi-arid areas, and provide a theoretical foundation for improving soil quality and ecological protection.
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Plant physiology submitted time 2025-04-14 Cooperative journals: 《干旱区科学》
Abstract： Agriophyllum squarrosum (L.) Moq., commonly known as sandrice, is an annual medicinal plant prevalent in the dunes across China's deserts. A garden trial revealed that flavonoid content varies among sandrice ecotypes due to long-term local adaptation to water variability. To investigate how sandrice responds to drought stress through the molecular metabolic regulation of flavonoids, we employed transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses during a 9-d ambient drought stress, examining three ecotypes along a precipitation gradient. The three ecotypes located in Dengkou (DK) County, Dulan (DL) County, and Aerxiang (AEX) village of northern China, which had 137, 263, and 485 mm precipitation, respectively. Soil moisture content was 4.04% after drought stress, causing seedlings of the three sandrice ecotypes to display collapsed structures, yellowing leaves, wilting, and curling. Among these, DL exhibited superior drought tolerance, in which plant height increase (PHI) and leaf area (LA) were significantly higher than those of DK and AEX. Flavonoid-targeted metabolomics identified that rutin, isoquercitrin, and astragalin constituted over 95.00% of the 15 flavonoid metabolites detected. A total of 12 differentially accumulated flavonoids (DAFs) were found, with rutin being the most abundant (1231.57–2859.34 ng/100 mg fresh weight (FW)), showing a gradual increase along the precipitation gradient. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 14 common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with flavonoid synthesis among the three ecotypes. Integrative analysis of DEGs and DAFs indicated that sandrice adapts to drought stress by activating different flavonoid synthesis pathways. In DK, the dihydrokaempferol-dihydroquercetin pathway, regulated by flavonoid 3'-monooxygenase (CYP75B1), likely enhances drought adaptation. In AEX, transcriptional repression by O-methylatransferase (OMT) shifts the metabolic flux from the quercetin-isorhamnetin pathway to the quercetin-isoquercetin-rutin pathway in response to drought. DL, the most drought- tolerant ecotype, appears to activate the naringenin-apigenin-luteolin route and employs a unique flavonoid accumulation pattern in response to drought stress. Our data reveal that flavonoid synthesis in sandrice is fine-tuned among ecotypes to cope with drought, offering valuable germplasm resources and evaluation methods for sandrice acclimation and providing insights into drought response in non-model plants.
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Applied botany submitted time 2025-04-14 Cooperative journals: 《干旱区科学》
Abstract： The Qinghai–Xizang Plateau of China faces challenges like thaw slumping, threatening slope stability and infrastructure. Understanding the mechanical properties of the roots of the dominant herbaceous plant species in the alpine meadow layer of the permafrost regions on the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau is essential for evaluating their role in enhancing soil shear strength and mitigating slope deformation in these fragile environments. In this study, the roots of four dominant herbaceous plant species—Kobresia pygmaea, Kobresia humilis, Carex moorcroftii, and Leontopodium pusillum—that are widely distributed in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau were explored to determine their mechanical properties and effects in enhancing soil shear strength. Through indoor single root tensile and root group tensile tests, we determined the root diameter, tensile force, tensile strength, tensile ratio, and strength frequency distributions. We also evaluated their contributions to inhibiting slope deformation and failure during the formation and development of thermal thaw slumps in the alpine meadow. The results showed that the distribution of the root diameter of the dominant plant species is mostly normal, while the tensile strength tends to be logarithmically normally distributed. The relationship between the root diameter and root tensile strength conforms to a power function. The theoretical tensile strength of the root group was calculated using the Wu–Waldron Model (WWM) and the Fiber Bundle Model (FBM) under the assumption that the cumulative single tensile strength of the root bundle is identical to the tensile strength of the root group in the WWM. The FBM considers three fracture modes: FBM–D (the tensile force on each single root is proportional to its diameter relative to the total sum of all the root diameters), FBM–S (the cross–sectional stress in the root bundle is uniform), and FBM–N (each tensile strength test of individual roots experiences an equal load). It was found that the model-calculated tensile strength of the root group was 162.60% higher than the test value. The model-derived tensile force of the root group from the FBM–D, FBM–S, and FBM–N was 73.10%, 28.91%, and 13.47% higher than the test values, respectively. The additional cohesion of the soil provided by the roots was calculated to be 25.90–45.06 kPa using the modified WWM, 67.05–38.15 kPa using the FBM–S, and 57.24–32.74 kPa using the FBM–N. These results not only provide a theoretical basis for further quantitative evaluation of the mechanical effects of the root systems of herbaceous plant species in reinforcing the surface soil but also have practical significance for the effective prevention and control of thermal thaw slumping disasters in the permafrost regions containing native alpine meadows on the Qinghai–Xizang Plateau using flexible plant protection measures.
Subjects: Biology >> Biochemistry submitted time 2025-04-03
Abstract： Methamphetamine addiction is characterized by complex mechanisms and a high relapse rate, posing a serious public health threat. In this study, urinary proteome modifications of rehabilitation patients who had abstained from methamphetamine for over three months and those of healthy individuals were analyzed and compared. A total of 984 differentially modified peptides were identified, 362 of which showed changes from presence to absence or vice versa. Results from the randomized grouping test indicated that at least 74.85% of these differentially modified peptides were not randomly generated. Several proteins containing these peptides have been reported to be associated with methamphetamine, including prostaglandin-H2 D-isomerase, complement factor H, filamin-A, and plasminogen. Additionally, some significantly changed modified peptides and the proteins they are located in, which have not been previously reported to be associated with methamphetamine, may provide new insights into addiction rehabilitation. This study establishes a method for investigating drug addiction through urinary proteome modifications and observes differences between methamphetamine-abstinent rehabilitation patients and healthy individuals, which may help explain the drug’s high relapse rate. It offers a new perspective on drug withdrawal research and holds potential for tracking and assessing the rehabilitation process of methamphetamine addiction.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Biology >> Biochemistry Subjects: Biology >> Molecular Biology submitted time 2025-03-21
Abstract： Objective: To explored whether the urinary proteome changed after self-consumption of sweet substances and whether the changes were different for different sweet substances..
Methods: Urine samples of C57BL/6l mice were collected before and after self-consumption of sweet substances, including sucrose, stevia glycosides, acesulfame and sucralose, which are widely used in the world and can cause the preference reaction of mice. Among them, the concentration of non-nutritive sweeteners was selected as the concentration that has been shown to have the strongest preference reaction of mice. Label-free quantitative proteomics using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used for analysis. Differential proteins of urinary proteome were screened in groups for analysis of protein functions and biological pathways. The urinary proteome of single mice before and after self-consumption of sweet substances was compared, and the common differential proteins were counted; and the different sweet substances were compared horizontally.
Results and conclusions: The differential proteins in the urinary proteome after self-consumption of sucrose and sucralose were enriched in biological processes related to sugar and lipid metabolism and heat production. The differential proteins in the urinary proteome after self-consumption of stevia glycosides were mainly enriched in biological processes related to nucleosome assembly, cell division, and chromatin organization. The differential proteins in the urinary proteome after self-consumption of acesulfame were enriched in biological changes related to cellular and humoral immunity. Differential proteins related to the brain reward circuit were found in the urinary proteome both before and after the self-consumption of different sweet substances. The results showed that the urinary proteome of mice changed after self-consumption of sweet substances, and the changes were different for different sweet substances. This not only expanded the boundary of the sensitivity of the urinary proteome but also provided a new strategy for exploring the potential effects of various food additives on the body.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Applied botany submitted time 2025-03-19 Cooperative journals: 《广西植物》
LI Jing
ZOU Biqun
ZENG Siwen
WANG Yafeng
YANG Bingyuan
LI Guiqin
LIU Zhangbin
HUANG Yonglin
GUO Lunfa
GE Li
HE Ruijie
YANG Kedi
Abstract： To study the chemical constituents of Melastoma normale roots and their ant-inflammatory activities, the ethanol extracts of M. normale roots were isolated using techniques such as Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and RP-HPLC．The structures of obtained compounds were determined using a comprehensive analysis of NMR and HRESIMS data. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory activity of the compound was evaluated by inducing the release of nitric oxide in RAW 264.7 cells using lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results were as follows: (1) A total of 19 compounds were isolated and identified as 1,6-di-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose (1), syringylglycerol-9-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), (-)-epicatechin gallate (3), vanillic acid 4-O-β-D-glucoside (4), myricetin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), 6-O-galloylglucose (6), 3-O-Methylellagic acid 4'-O-rhamnopyranoside (7), ellagic acid-3,3′,4-trimethoxy-4′-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (8) , 3,3′,4-tri-O-methyl-4′-O-rutinosylellagicacid (9), 3,3′-di-O-methylellagic acid-4′-O-glucoside (10), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoicacid (11), 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (12), β-D-glucopyranosyloxyphenylacetoniwile (13), 1-O-Benzoyl-myo-inositol (14), 2α-hydroxyursolic acid (15), ursolic acid (16), friedelin (17), α-amyrin (18), and harprogenin-28-β-D-glucopyranosylester (19). Except for compounds 6, 10, and 18, all others were obtained from this plant for the first time. (2) Compound 12 exhibited significant inhibitory effect on LPS induced NO release in RAW 264.7 cells with an IC 50 value of 18.2 μ mol · L-1. This finding provids a scientific basis for in-depth research on the anti-inflammatory effect of M. normale.
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Applied botany submitted time 2025-03-19 Cooperative journals: 《广西植物》
Abstract： To investigate the pollen morphology and its potential taxonomic implicatons for the genus Iris L. (Iridaceae), the pollen grains of 31 Iris taxa were researched by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their pollen morphology was clustered and analyzed. Pollen grains were prepared using the critical-point drying method. The results were as follows: (1) All the pollen grains of the 31 taxa were monad, heteropolar and sulcate, oblate, suboblate or spheroidal in shape, with medium or large size. The sulcus membrane was smooth or ornamented. The pollen grains were semitectate or atectate, with different types of heterobrochate (rarely gemmate-clavate) exine ornamentation. (2) Zonasulcate pollen grains were found in Iris bungei, Iris kobayashii and Iris ventricosa. For the first time the disulcate pollen grains were found in Iris hookeri in the genus Iris. (3) Cluster analysis showed that at a squared Euclidean distance of 10, 31 taxa could be clustered into six types (i.e., Sibirica type, Germanica type, Pumila type, Ruthenica type, Laevigata type and Spuria type). The taxa studied cluster basically in accordance with the subgenera, sections and series of the morphotaxonomy. Of the six types, the Germanica type had the largest pollen grains and a heterobrochate reticulate exine with the largest lumina, while the Ruthenica type had the smallest pollen grains and a microreticulate or nanoreticulate exine. The Pumila type was characterized by atectate pollen grains with a gemmate-clavate exine ornamentation and the Spuria type was characterized by suboblate shape pollen grains with an ornamented sulcus membrane. (4) The possible evolutionary trends of the pollen morphology of three subgenera were proposed: the subgenus Limniris was more primitive than the subgenus Iris, series Ruthenicae was the most primitive taxon among the species studied, and subgenus Pardanthopsis and section Lophiris could be the intermediate types in the transition of the subgenus Limniris to the subgenus Iris. (5) The critical-point drying method and 2,2-dimethoxypropane (DMP) direct method were suitable methods for the preparation of pollen micromorphology of the genus Iris. The results of this study indicate that the pollen morphology of 31 Iris taxa reflects both consistency and differences. The morphology data of pollen can be used as supplementary characteristics to identify the subgenera, sections and series, providing reliable palynological evidence.
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Applied botany submitted time 2025-03-19 Cooperative journals: 《广西植物》
Abstract： Sycopsis triplinervia is an evergreen shrub in the genus Sycopsis (Hamamelidaceae). The phylogenetic position of Sycopsis has been a subject of debate, and its evolutionary relationships with closely related genera such as Distyliopsis and Distylium remain unclear. Here we sequenced and assembled its chloroplast genome and conducted comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses together with publicly available Hamamelidaceae chloroplast genomes. The results were as follows: (1) The chloroplast genome of S. triplinervia was 159 375 bp in length and encoded 133 genes, including 8 rRNA genes, 37 tRNA genes, 87 protein-coding genes and 1 pseudogene. (2) A total of 33 interpersed repeats, 39 tandem repeats and 82 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified in the genome. (3) Codon usage was biased toward A/U endings. Nine optimal codons were detected, and natural selection was determined to be the main driver of codon usage bias. (4) Overall, the chloroplast genome of S. triplinervia was highly conserved relative to its close relatives. Fifteen highly variable regions were identified as potential markers for molecular identification in Sycopsis. (5) Phylogenetic analyses indicated that Hamamelidaceae was monophyletic, and the six genera Hamamelis, Parrotiopsis, Sycopsis, Distyliopsis, Parrotia, and Distylium formed a strongly supported monophyletic clade. Within this clade, S. triplinervia was sister to the remaining taxa. However, Sycopsis, Parrotia, Distyliopsis, and Distylium were each non-monophyletic. This study provides fundamental data and a valuable reference for further phylogenetic research on Hamamelidaceae.
Subjects: Biology >> Botany >> Applied botany submitted time 2025-03-19 Cooperative journals: 《广西植物》
Abstract： For a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of the species diversity of Carex in Guangxi, China, this article based on specimens identification, literature research and field investigation, 20 species of Carex were newly recorded from Guangxi and reported here, which are C. bodinieri Franch., C. dayuongensis Z. P. Wang, C. foraminata C. B. Clarke, C. gongshanensis Tang & F. T. Wang ex Y. C. Yang, C. henryi (C. B. Clarke) T. Koyama, C. jizhuangensis S. Yun Liang, C. longipes D. Don, C. manciformis C. B. Clarke ex Franch., C. metallica H. Lév., C. olivacea Boott, C. orbicularinucis L. K. Dai, C. oxyphylla Franch., C. phoenicis Dunn, C. pseudotristachya X. F. Jin & C. Z. Zheng, C. remotistachya Y. Y. Zhou & X. F. Jin, C. rugata Ohwi, C. sinodissitiflora Tang & F. T. Wang ex L. K. Dai, C. tsaiana F. T. Wang & Tang ex P. C. Li, C. tungfangensis L. K. Dai & S. M. Huang, C. wuyishanensis S. Yun Liang. The discovery of these newly recorded species in Guangxi has not only enriched the species diversity of Carex, but also provided valuable background information which will facilitate subsequent research endeavors and utilization of this genus.
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