Lingli He - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Lingli He
XXVII International Horticultural Congress - IHC2006: International Symposium on Sustainability through Integrated and Organic Horticulture, 2008
Jinlan Yang1, Liwang Liu1, 2*, Yiqin Gong1, Lingli He1, Xiaoyan Li1 and Limin Chen1 1National Key... more Jinlan Yang1, Liwang Liu1, 2*, Yiqin Gong1, Lingli He1, Xiaoyan Li1 and Limin Chen1 1National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China 2Department of Plant ...
BMC Plant Biology, 2015
Background: The DA1 gene family is plant-specific and Arabidopsis DA1 regulates seed and organ si... more Background: The DA1 gene family is plant-specific and Arabidopsis DA1 regulates seed and organ size, but the functions in soybeans are unknown. The cultivated soybean (Glycine max) is believed to be domesticated from the annual wild soybeans (Glycine soja). To evaluate whether DA1-like genes were involved in the evolution of soybeans, we compared variation at both sequence and expression levels of DA1-like genes from G. max (GmaDA1) and G. soja (GsoDA1). Results: Sequence identities were extremely high between the orthologous pairs between soybeans, while the paralogous copies in a soybean species showed a relatively high divergence. Moreover, the expression variation of DA1-like paralogous genes in soybean was much greater than the orthologous gene pairs between the wild and cultivated soybeans during development and challenging abiotic stresses such as salinity. We further found that overexpressing GsoDA1 genes did not affect seed size. Nevertheless, overexpressing them reduced transgenic Arabidopsis seed germination sensitivity to salt stress. Moreover, most of these genes could improve salt tolerance of the transgenic Arabidopsis plants, corroborated by a detection of expression variation of several key genes in the salt-tolerance pathways.
Journal of Great Lakes Research, 2015
Climate change in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin is affecting the socio-ecological syst... more Climate change in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin is affecting the socio-ecological system, including the residents who depend on the basin for drinking water, energy, and commerce. Over the past 50 years, air temperatures increased and heavier precipitation events became more frequent, and those trends are projected to continue. Climate change is expected to impact energy supply and demand, governance, and changes in demographics and societal values. More extreme events may exacerbate transport of biological and chemical contaminants and invasive species, and impact lake levels and water quality. We describe historical trends of the regional climate, examine global and regional climate model projections, and explore impacts of climate change with other key drivers of change defined by the Great Lakes Futures Project. Because reducing climaterelated damages and economic losses is crucial; we offer three plausible future scenarios of mitigation and adaptation plans. Recommendations to reach a future Utopian scenario require immediate actions, such as improvements in energy conservation, efficiency and generation, curbs to emissions, preventative infrastructure upgrades, and investments in maintaining and monitoring a healthy ecosystem.
International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 2011
β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ1-42)-induced learning and memory impairment in rats is believed to be associat... more β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ1-42)-induced learning and memory impairment in rats is believed to be associated with inflammation. Cytokine production is a key pathologic event in the progression of inflammatory processes.In this rat study, soybean isoflavones (SIF) was used to investigate it's protective effects on inflammation caused by β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ1-42), which is associated with learning and memory impairment in Alzheimer disease.
Lin chuang er bi yan hou tou jing wai ke za zhi = Journal of clinical otorhinolaryngology, head, and neck surgery, 2013
To study the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma. Eight pati... more To study the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma. Eight patients with sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma from February 2009 to February 2012 were retrospectively analyzed and the related literatures were reviewed. There were seven males and one female. Three cases were treated by surgery only, one case received surgery followed by radiotherapy, and four cases were treated by combined treatment (surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy). There were three patients with a primary tumor originating from the maxillary sinus, two cases died after 8 and 14 months, another patient was survived in 10 months of follow-up, and the carcinomas did not recur. There were five patients with primary neuroendocrine carcinoma from the nasal cavity, one patient recurred after the surgery and after radiotherapy, the patient did not recur after 20 months of follow-up, and the other four patients did not recur, in 13, 20, 27 and 28 months of follow-up. Neuroen...
BMC evolutionary biology, 2013
PHOSPHATE1 (PHO1) gene family members have diverse roles in plant growth and development, and the... more PHOSPHATE1 (PHO1) gene family members have diverse roles in plant growth and development, and they have been studied in Arabidopsis, rice, and Physcomitrella. However, it has yet to be described in other plants. Therefore, we surveyed the evolutionary patterns of genomes within the plant PHO1 gene family, focusing on soybean (Glycine max) due to its economic importance. Our data show that PHO1 genes could be classified into two major groups (Class I and Class II). Class I genes were only present and expanded in dicotyledonous plants and Selaginella moellendorffii; Class II genes were found in all land plants. Class I sequence losses in other lineages may be attributed to gene loss after duplication events in land plant evolution. Introns varied from 7 to 14, and ancestral state reconstruction analyses revealed that genes with 13 introns were ancestral, thus suggesting that the intron loss was a chief constituent of PHO1 gene evolution. In the soybean genome, only 12 PHO1-like genes ...
Nature communications, 2014
The genetic basis of size variation in the reproductive organs of tomatillo (Physalis philadelphi... more The genetic basis of size variation in the reproductive organs of tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica) is unknown. Here we report that the expression levels of the gene Physalis Organ Size 1 (POS1) are positively associated with size variation in P. philadelphica reproductive organs such flowers, berries and seeds. POS1 knockdown results in smaller flowers and berries with smaller cells as compared with their wild-type counterparts. Conversely, POS1 overexpression promotes organ size without increasing the cell number. The first introns of the POS1 alleles from the large, intermediate and small tomatillo groups contain one, two and three 37-bp repeats, respectively. Furthermore, our results show that copy variation of repeats in the first intron of POS1 alleles results in differential expression of this gene. Thus, co-variation in tomatillo reproductive organ sizes can be attributed to the novel regulatory variation in POS1.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013
In 2011, Lake Erie experienced the largest harmful algal bloom in its recorded history, with a pe... more In 2011, Lake Erie experienced the largest harmful algal bloom in its recorded history, with a peak intensity over three times greater than any previously observed bloom. Here we show that long-term trends in agricultural practices are consistent with increasing phosphorus loading to the western basin of the lake, and that these trends, coupled with meteorological conditions in spring 2011, produced record-breaking nutrient loads. An extended period of weak lake circulation then led to abnormally long residence times that incubated the bloom, and warm and quiescent conditions after bloom onset allowed algae to remain near the top of the water column and prevented flushing of nutrients from the system. We further find that all of these factors are consistent with expected future conditions. If a scientifically guided management plan to mitigate these impacts is not implemented, we can therefore expect this bloom to be a harbinger of future blooms in Lake Erie. extreme precipitation events | climate change | aquatic ecology | Microcystis sp. | Anabaena sp.
Journal of Vision, 2010
Culture shapes how people gather information from the visual world. We recently showed that Weste... more Culture shapes how people gather information from the visual world. We recently showed that Western observers focus on the eyes region during face recognition, whereas Eastern observers fixate predominantly the center of faces, suggesting a more effective use of extrafoveal information for Easterners compared to Westerners. However, the cultural variation in eye movements during scene perception is a highly debated topic. Additionally, the extent to which those perceptual differences across observers from different cultures rely on modulations of extrafoveal information use remains to be clarified. We used a gaze-contingent technique designed to dynamically mask central vision, the Blindspot, during a visual search task of animals in natural scenes. We parametrically controlled the Blindspots and target animal sizes (0-, 2-, 5-, or 8-). We processed eye-tracking data using an unbiased data-driven approach based on fixation maps and we introduced novel spatiotemporal analyses in order to finely characterize the dynamics of scene exploration. Both groups of observers, Eastern and Western, showed comparable animal identification performance, which decreased as a function of the Blindspot sizes. Importantly, dynamic analysis of the exploration pathways revealed identical oculomotor strategies for both groups of observers during animal search in scenes. Culture does not impact extrafoveal information use during the ecologically valid visual search of animals in natural scenes.
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2006
A novel reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of Gastrodin ... more A novel reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of Gastrodin (Gas) and Ligustrazine hydrochloride (LZH) in dog plasma after oral administration of the preparation 'Tianxiong Capsule'. The assay involves deproteinization, extraction and subsequent detection with a gradient solvent system at two different wavelengths. Retention times were 10.6 and 18.9 min for Gas and LZH, respectively. Linear responses were observed over a wide range (0.40-200.0 microg/ml for Gas and 0.0999-39.96 microg/ml for LZH) in plasma. The mean intra- and inter-assay variation coefficients were 2.7 and 3.4% for Gas and 3.4 and 4.2% for LZH, respectively. The average extract recoveries were 76.77% for Gas and 75.8% for LZH. This assay has been successfully used to provide pharmacokinetic data for Gastrodin with oral administration of Tianxiong capsules.
Journal of Neuroimmunology, 2001
. The influence of social disruption stress SDR on the susceptibility to endotoxic shock was inve... more . The influence of social disruption stress SDR on the susceptibility to endotoxic shock was investigated. SDR was found to increase Ž . the mortality of mice when they were challenged with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide LPS . Histological examination of SDR animals after LPS injection revealed widespread disseminated intravascular coagulation in the brain and lung, extensive meningitis in the brain, severe hemorrhage in the lung, necrosis in the liver, and lymphoid hyperplasia in the spleen, indicating inflammatory organ damage. In situ hybridization histochemical analysis showed that the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor mRNA was down-regulated in the brain and spleen of SDR animals while the ratio of expression of AVPrCRH-the two adrenocorticotropic hormone secretagogue, increased. After LPS injection, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1b and TNF-a, was found significantly higher in the lung, liver, spleen, and brain of the SDR mice as compared with the LPS-injected home cage control animals. Taken together, these results show that SDR stress increases the susceptibility to endotoxic shock and suggest that the development of glucocorticoid resistance and increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines are the mechanisms for this behavior-induced susceptibility to endotoxic shock. q
Journal of Neuroimmunology, 2003
Splenocytes from socially stressed male mice display functional glucocorticoid (GC) resistance, v... more Splenocytes from socially stressed male mice display functional glucocorticoid (GC) resistance, viz., the antiproliferative effects of GC on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated splenocytes is absent. In this study, we investigated changes in the structure and function of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in socially stressed animals. Changes of GR at both DNA and RNA levels were excluded. Reduced GR function was restricted to macrophages (CD11b + ) in association with impaired nuclear translocation of GR after GC stimulation. Consequently, GC failed to block the activation of NF-nB in these cells. Thus, impaired nuclear translocation of GR and the lack of transcriptional suppression of NF-nB by GC were identified as the molecular mechanisms responsible for the observed GC resistance in spleens of socially stressed mice. D
Genome Biology and Evolution, 2014
The Arabidopsis DA1 genes appear to have multiple functions in regulating organ size and abiotic ... more The Arabidopsis DA1 genes appear to have multiple functions in regulating organ size and abiotic stress response, but the biological roles of its closely related genes remain unknown. Evolutionary analyses might provide some clues to aid in an understanding of their functional diversification. In this work, we characterized the molecular evolution and expressional diversification of DA1-like genes. Surveying 354 sequenced genomes revealed 142 DA1-like genes only in plants, indicating plant-specificity of these genes. The DA1-like protein modular structure was composed of two UIMs (ubiquitin interaction motifs), one LIM-domain (from lin-11, isl-1, and mec-3), and a conserved C-terminal, and was distinguishable from the already defined three groups of LIM-domain proteins. We further found that the DA1-like genes diverged into Classes I and II at the ancestor of seed plants and acquired 13 clade-specific residues during their evolutionary history. Moreover, diverse intron size evolution was noted following the transition from sizeexpandable introns to minimal ones, accompanying the emergence and diversification of angiosperms. Functional diversification as it relates to gene expression was further investigated in soybean. Glycine max DA1 genes showed diverse tissues expression patterns during development and had substantially varied abiotic stress response expression. Thus, variations in the coding regions, intron size, and gene expression contributed to the functional diversification of this gene family. Our data suggest that the evolution of the DA1-like genes facilitated the development of diverse molecular and functional diversification patterns to accompany the successful radiation of plants into diverse environments during evolution.
Frontiers in Biology, 2011
Soybean (Glycine max), an important domesticated species originated in China, constitutes a major... more Soybean (Glycine max), an important domesticated species originated in China, constitutes a major source of edible oils and high-quality plant proteins worldwide. In spite of its complex genome as a consequence of an ancient tetraploidilization, platforms for map-based genomics, sequence-based genomics, comparative genomics and functional genomics have been well developed in the last decade, thus rich repertoires of genomic tools and resources are available, which have been influencing the soybean genetic improvement. Here we mainly review the progresses of soybean (including its wild relative Glycine soja) genomics and its impetus for soybean breeding, and raise the major biological questions needing to be addressed. Genetic maps, physical maps, QTL and EST mapping have been so well achieved that the marker assisted selection and positional cloning in soybean is feasible and even routine. Whole genome sequencing and transcriptomic analyses provide a large collection of molecular markers and predicted genes, which are instrumental to comparative genomics and functional genomics. Comparative genomics has started to reveal the evolution of soybean genome and the molecular basis of soybean domestication process. Microarrays resources, mutagenesis and efficient transformation systems become essential components of soybean functional genomics. Furthermore, phenotypic functional genomics via both forward and reverse genetic approaches has inferred functions of many genes involved in plant and seed development, in response to abiotic stresses, functioning in plant-pathogenic microbe interactions, and controlling the oil and protein content of seed. These achievements have paved the way for generation of transgenic or genetically modified (GM) soybean crops.
Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 2010
The role of ALT as a predictor of liver injury has been questioned. The aim of this study is to u... more The role of ALT as a predictor of liver injury has been questioned. The aim of this study is to use liver biopsy to assess the degree of liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB) whose ALT < 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN). A total of 49.2% of patients in this study had significant inflammation (grade >or=2) and 36.4% had significant fibrosis (stage >or=2). The frequency of serious inflammation and fibrosis was similar in patients with different ALT levels. The level of serum HBV DNA was not significantly associated with the extent of inflammation and fibrosis. Advanced age was a significant independent predictor of histological damage and the presence of more significant inflammation and fibrosis. We conclude that many CHB patients with ALT < 2 x ULN have significant liver inflammation or fibrosis and that liver biopsy is necessary to assess liver damage and should be used to assess the need for anti-viral therapy.
Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2007
Methods. Primary rat articular chondrocytes were exposed to biomechanical signals in the form of ... more Methods. Primary rat articular chondrocytes were exposed to biomechanical signals in the form of cyclic tensile strain, and the effects on the NF-B signaling cascade were examined by Western blot analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunofluorescence.
Annals of Epidemiology, 2004
PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between adult or adolescent sexual abuse (ASA) and erectile ... more PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between adult or adolescent sexual abuse (ASA) and erectile dysfunction (ED). METHODS: The analyses were conducted using preliminary data from the Boston Area Community Health Survey (BACH), a population-based random sample survey of Hispanic, non-Hispanic African American, and non-Hispanic Caucasian men aged 30 to 79 years of age residing in Boston, MA. We conducted multiple logistic regression analyses in our sample of 741 men with complete data on ED and ASA. We used complex sampling strategies with stratification and multiple stages; therefore, the data were weighted to account for the unequal probability of subject selection. Weighted and unweighted data were analyzed in this study. ED and ASA were each operationalized using a selfadministered questionnaire. The presence of ED was determined based on the subjects response to a question related to impotence, where a response of ''Not impotent'' was scored as no ED and ''minimally'', ''moderately,'' and ''completely impotent'' responses were scored as ED present. The presence of ASA was determined based on the subjects responses to questions related to sexual abuse occurring at age 14 or older. RESULTS: Our sample included 262 men with ED and 479 without ED. In addition, 99 men experienced ASA with 642 men having no such experience. In the unweighted analyses, the multiple logistic regression model, controlling for race and age, ASA (odds ratio OR Z 1.65, 95% confidence interval CI Z 1.10, 2.60) was positively associated with ED. We hypothesized that depression was a mediator here; however, adding depression to the model had only a minor influence on the odds ratio for ASA (OR Z 1.59, 95% CI Z 1.01, 2.50). The weighted analyses yielded similar results. The multiple logistic regression model, controlling for race and age, yielded ASA OR Z 1.75 (95% CI Z 0.83, 3.69). The weighted data including depression in the model yielded ASA OR Z 1.55 (95% CI Z 0.78, 3.08). CONCLUSION: Men who have experienced sexual abuse as adolescents or adults appear to experience more erectile dysfunction than other men. 2 currently at RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC PURPOSE: Previous studies have reported an association between chronic exposure to elevated levels of drinking water arsenic and cardiovascular and other health effects. There is debate, however, whether human health effects exist at lower exposure levels. Prior studies have been unable to investigate these potential health effects due to imprecise exposure estimation. Examining a sensitive subpopulation such as pregnant women proves more efficient in detecting potential health effects associated with drinking water arsenic. METHODS: A population-based cohort study was conducted based on the prenatal care visits of 5306 women in Inner Mongolia, China, from 1997 to 1999. Repeated measures mixed models were used to assess associations between drinking water arsenic estimates and serial blood pressure measurements taken during prenatal care visits. RESULTS: Once selected confounders were controlled for, exposure to drinking water arsenic was positively associated with mean arterial blood pressure, even at lower ranges of exposure. Arsenic exposure categories of 51 to 100 mg/L and more than 100 mg/L were associated with increases in mean arterial pressure of 3.56 (95% CI Z 1.66, 5.47) and 2.30 (0.57, 4.02) mmHg, respectively, relative to the mean arterial pressure of women exposed to drinking water arsenic concentrations ranging from below detectable levels to 20 mg/L. These changes were not consistent over the course of gestation and became somewhat less pronounced later in pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Mean arterial pressure during pregnancy is associated with exposure to drinking water arsenic among otherwise healthy pregnant women, suggesting a potential vascular effect of drinking water arsenic at lower doses than had been previously reported.
XXVII International Horticultural Congress - IHC2006: International Symposium on Sustainability through Integrated and Organic Horticulture, 2008
Jinlan Yang1, Liwang Liu1, 2*, Yiqin Gong1, Lingli He1, Xiaoyan Li1 and Limin Chen1 1National Key... more Jinlan Yang1, Liwang Liu1, 2*, Yiqin Gong1, Lingli He1, Xiaoyan Li1 and Limin Chen1 1National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China 2Department of Plant ...
BMC Plant Biology, 2015
Background: The DA1 gene family is plant-specific and Arabidopsis DA1 regulates seed and organ si... more Background: The DA1 gene family is plant-specific and Arabidopsis DA1 regulates seed and organ size, but the functions in soybeans are unknown. The cultivated soybean (Glycine max) is believed to be domesticated from the annual wild soybeans (Glycine soja). To evaluate whether DA1-like genes were involved in the evolution of soybeans, we compared variation at both sequence and expression levels of DA1-like genes from G. max (GmaDA1) and G. soja (GsoDA1). Results: Sequence identities were extremely high between the orthologous pairs between soybeans, while the paralogous copies in a soybean species showed a relatively high divergence. Moreover, the expression variation of DA1-like paralogous genes in soybean was much greater than the orthologous gene pairs between the wild and cultivated soybeans during development and challenging abiotic stresses such as salinity. We further found that overexpressing GsoDA1 genes did not affect seed size. Nevertheless, overexpressing them reduced transgenic Arabidopsis seed germination sensitivity to salt stress. Moreover, most of these genes could improve salt tolerance of the transgenic Arabidopsis plants, corroborated by a detection of expression variation of several key genes in the salt-tolerance pathways.
Journal of Great Lakes Research, 2015
Climate change in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin is affecting the socio-ecological syst... more Climate change in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin is affecting the socio-ecological system, including the residents who depend on the basin for drinking water, energy, and commerce. Over the past 50 years, air temperatures increased and heavier precipitation events became more frequent, and those trends are projected to continue. Climate change is expected to impact energy supply and demand, governance, and changes in demographics and societal values. More extreme events may exacerbate transport of biological and chemical contaminants and invasive species, and impact lake levels and water quality. We describe historical trends of the regional climate, examine global and regional climate model projections, and explore impacts of climate change with other key drivers of change defined by the Great Lakes Futures Project. Because reducing climaterelated damages and economic losses is crucial; we offer three plausible future scenarios of mitigation and adaptation plans. Recommendations to reach a future Utopian scenario require immediate actions, such as improvements in energy conservation, efficiency and generation, curbs to emissions, preventative infrastructure upgrades, and investments in maintaining and monitoring a healthy ecosystem.
International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 2011
β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ1-42)-induced learning and memory impairment in rats is believed to be associat... more β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ1-42)-induced learning and memory impairment in rats is believed to be associated with inflammation. Cytokine production is a key pathologic event in the progression of inflammatory processes.In this rat study, soybean isoflavones (SIF) was used to investigate it's protective effects on inflammation caused by β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ1-42), which is associated with learning and memory impairment in Alzheimer disease.
Lin chuang er bi yan hou tou jing wai ke za zhi = Journal of clinical otorhinolaryngology, head, and neck surgery, 2013
To study the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma. Eight pati... more To study the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma. Eight patients with sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma from February 2009 to February 2012 were retrospectively analyzed and the related literatures were reviewed. There were seven males and one female. Three cases were treated by surgery only, one case received surgery followed by radiotherapy, and four cases were treated by combined treatment (surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy). There were three patients with a primary tumor originating from the maxillary sinus, two cases died after 8 and 14 months, another patient was survived in 10 months of follow-up, and the carcinomas did not recur. There were five patients with primary neuroendocrine carcinoma from the nasal cavity, one patient recurred after the surgery and after radiotherapy, the patient did not recur after 20 months of follow-up, and the other four patients did not recur, in 13, 20, 27 and 28 months of follow-up. Neuroen...
BMC evolutionary biology, 2013
PHOSPHATE1 (PHO1) gene family members have diverse roles in plant growth and development, and the... more PHOSPHATE1 (PHO1) gene family members have diverse roles in plant growth and development, and they have been studied in Arabidopsis, rice, and Physcomitrella. However, it has yet to be described in other plants. Therefore, we surveyed the evolutionary patterns of genomes within the plant PHO1 gene family, focusing on soybean (Glycine max) due to its economic importance. Our data show that PHO1 genes could be classified into two major groups (Class I and Class II). Class I genes were only present and expanded in dicotyledonous plants and Selaginella moellendorffii; Class II genes were found in all land plants. Class I sequence losses in other lineages may be attributed to gene loss after duplication events in land plant evolution. Introns varied from 7 to 14, and ancestral state reconstruction analyses revealed that genes with 13 introns were ancestral, thus suggesting that the intron loss was a chief constituent of PHO1 gene evolution. In the soybean genome, only 12 PHO1-like genes ...
Nature communications, 2014
The genetic basis of size variation in the reproductive organs of tomatillo (Physalis philadelphi... more The genetic basis of size variation in the reproductive organs of tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica) is unknown. Here we report that the expression levels of the gene Physalis Organ Size 1 (POS1) are positively associated with size variation in P. philadelphica reproductive organs such flowers, berries and seeds. POS1 knockdown results in smaller flowers and berries with smaller cells as compared with their wild-type counterparts. Conversely, POS1 overexpression promotes organ size without increasing the cell number. The first introns of the POS1 alleles from the large, intermediate and small tomatillo groups contain one, two and three 37-bp repeats, respectively. Furthermore, our results show that copy variation of repeats in the first intron of POS1 alleles results in differential expression of this gene. Thus, co-variation in tomatillo reproductive organ sizes can be attributed to the novel regulatory variation in POS1.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013
In 2011, Lake Erie experienced the largest harmful algal bloom in its recorded history, with a pe... more In 2011, Lake Erie experienced the largest harmful algal bloom in its recorded history, with a peak intensity over three times greater than any previously observed bloom. Here we show that long-term trends in agricultural practices are consistent with increasing phosphorus loading to the western basin of the lake, and that these trends, coupled with meteorological conditions in spring 2011, produced record-breaking nutrient loads. An extended period of weak lake circulation then led to abnormally long residence times that incubated the bloom, and warm and quiescent conditions after bloom onset allowed algae to remain near the top of the water column and prevented flushing of nutrients from the system. We further find that all of these factors are consistent with expected future conditions. If a scientifically guided management plan to mitigate these impacts is not implemented, we can therefore expect this bloom to be a harbinger of future blooms in Lake Erie. extreme precipitation events | climate change | aquatic ecology | Microcystis sp. | Anabaena sp.
Journal of Vision, 2010
Culture shapes how people gather information from the visual world. We recently showed that Weste... more Culture shapes how people gather information from the visual world. We recently showed that Western observers focus on the eyes region during face recognition, whereas Eastern observers fixate predominantly the center of faces, suggesting a more effective use of extrafoveal information for Easterners compared to Westerners. However, the cultural variation in eye movements during scene perception is a highly debated topic. Additionally, the extent to which those perceptual differences across observers from different cultures rely on modulations of extrafoveal information use remains to be clarified. We used a gaze-contingent technique designed to dynamically mask central vision, the Blindspot, during a visual search task of animals in natural scenes. We parametrically controlled the Blindspots and target animal sizes (0-, 2-, 5-, or 8-). We processed eye-tracking data using an unbiased data-driven approach based on fixation maps and we introduced novel spatiotemporal analyses in order to finely characterize the dynamics of scene exploration. Both groups of observers, Eastern and Western, showed comparable animal identification performance, which decreased as a function of the Blindspot sizes. Importantly, dynamic analysis of the exploration pathways revealed identical oculomotor strategies for both groups of observers during animal search in scenes. Culture does not impact extrafoveal information use during the ecologically valid visual search of animals in natural scenes.
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2006
A novel reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of Gastrodin ... more A novel reversed-phase HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous determination of Gastrodin (Gas) and Ligustrazine hydrochloride (LZH) in dog plasma after oral administration of the preparation 'Tianxiong Capsule'. The assay involves deproteinization, extraction and subsequent detection with a gradient solvent system at two different wavelengths. Retention times were 10.6 and 18.9 min for Gas and LZH, respectively. Linear responses were observed over a wide range (0.40-200.0 microg/ml for Gas and 0.0999-39.96 microg/ml for LZH) in plasma. The mean intra- and inter-assay variation coefficients were 2.7 and 3.4% for Gas and 3.4 and 4.2% for LZH, respectively. The average extract recoveries were 76.77% for Gas and 75.8% for LZH. This assay has been successfully used to provide pharmacokinetic data for Gastrodin with oral administration of Tianxiong capsules.
Journal of Neuroimmunology, 2001
. The influence of social disruption stress SDR on the susceptibility to endotoxic shock was inve... more . The influence of social disruption stress SDR on the susceptibility to endotoxic shock was investigated. SDR was found to increase Ž . the mortality of mice when they were challenged with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide LPS . Histological examination of SDR animals after LPS injection revealed widespread disseminated intravascular coagulation in the brain and lung, extensive meningitis in the brain, severe hemorrhage in the lung, necrosis in the liver, and lymphoid hyperplasia in the spleen, indicating inflammatory organ damage. In situ hybridization histochemical analysis showed that the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor mRNA was down-regulated in the brain and spleen of SDR animals while the ratio of expression of AVPrCRH-the two adrenocorticotropic hormone secretagogue, increased. After LPS injection, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1b and TNF-a, was found significantly higher in the lung, liver, spleen, and brain of the SDR mice as compared with the LPS-injected home cage control animals. Taken together, these results show that SDR stress increases the susceptibility to endotoxic shock and suggest that the development of glucocorticoid resistance and increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines are the mechanisms for this behavior-induced susceptibility to endotoxic shock. q
Journal of Neuroimmunology, 2003
Splenocytes from socially stressed male mice display functional glucocorticoid (GC) resistance, v... more Splenocytes from socially stressed male mice display functional glucocorticoid (GC) resistance, viz., the antiproliferative effects of GC on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated splenocytes is absent. In this study, we investigated changes in the structure and function of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in socially stressed animals. Changes of GR at both DNA and RNA levels were excluded. Reduced GR function was restricted to macrophages (CD11b + ) in association with impaired nuclear translocation of GR after GC stimulation. Consequently, GC failed to block the activation of NF-nB in these cells. Thus, impaired nuclear translocation of GR and the lack of transcriptional suppression of NF-nB by GC were identified as the molecular mechanisms responsible for the observed GC resistance in spleens of socially stressed mice. D
Genome Biology and Evolution, 2014
The Arabidopsis DA1 genes appear to have multiple functions in regulating organ size and abiotic ... more The Arabidopsis DA1 genes appear to have multiple functions in regulating organ size and abiotic stress response, but the biological roles of its closely related genes remain unknown. Evolutionary analyses might provide some clues to aid in an understanding of their functional diversification. In this work, we characterized the molecular evolution and expressional diversification of DA1-like genes. Surveying 354 sequenced genomes revealed 142 DA1-like genes only in plants, indicating plant-specificity of these genes. The DA1-like protein modular structure was composed of two UIMs (ubiquitin interaction motifs), one LIM-domain (from lin-11, isl-1, and mec-3), and a conserved C-terminal, and was distinguishable from the already defined three groups of LIM-domain proteins. We further found that the DA1-like genes diverged into Classes I and II at the ancestor of seed plants and acquired 13 clade-specific residues during their evolutionary history. Moreover, diverse intron size evolution was noted following the transition from sizeexpandable introns to minimal ones, accompanying the emergence and diversification of angiosperms. Functional diversification as it relates to gene expression was further investigated in soybean. Glycine max DA1 genes showed diverse tissues expression patterns during development and had substantially varied abiotic stress response expression. Thus, variations in the coding regions, intron size, and gene expression contributed to the functional diversification of this gene family. Our data suggest that the evolution of the DA1-like genes facilitated the development of diverse molecular and functional diversification patterns to accompany the successful radiation of plants into diverse environments during evolution.
Frontiers in Biology, 2011
Soybean (Glycine max), an important domesticated species originated in China, constitutes a major... more Soybean (Glycine max), an important domesticated species originated in China, constitutes a major source of edible oils and high-quality plant proteins worldwide. In spite of its complex genome as a consequence of an ancient tetraploidilization, platforms for map-based genomics, sequence-based genomics, comparative genomics and functional genomics have been well developed in the last decade, thus rich repertoires of genomic tools and resources are available, which have been influencing the soybean genetic improvement. Here we mainly review the progresses of soybean (including its wild relative Glycine soja) genomics and its impetus for soybean breeding, and raise the major biological questions needing to be addressed. Genetic maps, physical maps, QTL and EST mapping have been so well achieved that the marker assisted selection and positional cloning in soybean is feasible and even routine. Whole genome sequencing and transcriptomic analyses provide a large collection of molecular markers and predicted genes, which are instrumental to comparative genomics and functional genomics. Comparative genomics has started to reveal the evolution of soybean genome and the molecular basis of soybean domestication process. Microarrays resources, mutagenesis and efficient transformation systems become essential components of soybean functional genomics. Furthermore, phenotypic functional genomics via both forward and reverse genetic approaches has inferred functions of many genes involved in plant and seed development, in response to abiotic stresses, functioning in plant-pathogenic microbe interactions, and controlling the oil and protein content of seed. These achievements have paved the way for generation of transgenic or genetically modified (GM) soybean crops.
Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 2010
The role of ALT as a predictor of liver injury has been questioned. The aim of this study is to u... more The role of ALT as a predictor of liver injury has been questioned. The aim of this study is to use liver biopsy to assess the degree of liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB) whose ALT < 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN). A total of 49.2% of patients in this study had significant inflammation (grade >or=2) and 36.4% had significant fibrosis (stage >or=2). The frequency of serious inflammation and fibrosis was similar in patients with different ALT levels. The level of serum HBV DNA was not significantly associated with the extent of inflammation and fibrosis. Advanced age was a significant independent predictor of histological damage and the presence of more significant inflammation and fibrosis. We conclude that many CHB patients with ALT < 2 x ULN have significant liver inflammation or fibrosis and that liver biopsy is necessary to assess liver damage and should be used to assess the need for anti-viral therapy.
Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2007
Methods. Primary rat articular chondrocytes were exposed to biomechanical signals in the form of ... more Methods. Primary rat articular chondrocytes were exposed to biomechanical signals in the form of cyclic tensile strain, and the effects on the NF-B signaling cascade were examined by Western blot analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunofluorescence.
Annals of Epidemiology, 2004
PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between adult or adolescent sexual abuse (ASA) and erectile ... more PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between adult or adolescent sexual abuse (ASA) and erectile dysfunction (ED). METHODS: The analyses were conducted using preliminary data from the Boston Area Community Health Survey (BACH), a population-based random sample survey of Hispanic, non-Hispanic African American, and non-Hispanic Caucasian men aged 30 to 79 years of age residing in Boston, MA. We conducted multiple logistic regression analyses in our sample of 741 men with complete data on ED and ASA. We used complex sampling strategies with stratification and multiple stages; therefore, the data were weighted to account for the unequal probability of subject selection. Weighted and unweighted data were analyzed in this study. ED and ASA were each operationalized using a selfadministered questionnaire. The presence of ED was determined based on the subjects response to a question related to impotence, where a response of ''Not impotent'' was scored as no ED and ''minimally'', ''moderately,'' and ''completely impotent'' responses were scored as ED present. The presence of ASA was determined based on the subjects responses to questions related to sexual abuse occurring at age 14 or older. RESULTS: Our sample included 262 men with ED and 479 without ED. In addition, 99 men experienced ASA with 642 men having no such experience. In the unweighted analyses, the multiple logistic regression model, controlling for race and age, ASA (odds ratio OR Z 1.65, 95% confidence interval CI Z 1.10, 2.60) was positively associated with ED. We hypothesized that depression was a mediator here; however, adding depression to the model had only a minor influence on the odds ratio for ASA (OR Z 1.59, 95% CI Z 1.01, 2.50). The weighted analyses yielded similar results. The multiple logistic regression model, controlling for race and age, yielded ASA OR Z 1.75 (95% CI Z 0.83, 3.69). The weighted data including depression in the model yielded ASA OR Z 1.55 (95% CI Z 0.78, 3.08). CONCLUSION: Men who have experienced sexual abuse as adolescents or adults appear to experience more erectile dysfunction than other men. 2 currently at RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC PURPOSE: Previous studies have reported an association between chronic exposure to elevated levels of drinking water arsenic and cardiovascular and other health effects. There is debate, however, whether human health effects exist at lower exposure levels. Prior studies have been unable to investigate these potential health effects due to imprecise exposure estimation. Examining a sensitive subpopulation such as pregnant women proves more efficient in detecting potential health effects associated with drinking water arsenic. METHODS: A population-based cohort study was conducted based on the prenatal care visits of 5306 women in Inner Mongolia, China, from 1997 to 1999. Repeated measures mixed models were used to assess associations between drinking water arsenic estimates and serial blood pressure measurements taken during prenatal care visits. RESULTS: Once selected confounders were controlled for, exposure to drinking water arsenic was positively associated with mean arterial blood pressure, even at lower ranges of exposure. Arsenic exposure categories of 51 to 100 mg/L and more than 100 mg/L were associated with increases in mean arterial pressure of 3.56 (95% CI Z 1.66, 5.47) and 2.30 (0.57, 4.02) mmHg, respectively, relative to the mean arterial pressure of women exposed to drinking water arsenic concentrations ranging from below detectable levels to 20 mg/L. These changes were not consistent over the course of gestation and became somewhat less pronounced later in pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Mean arterial pressure during pregnancy is associated with exposure to drinking water arsenic among otherwise healthy pregnant women, suggesting a potential vascular effect of drinking water arsenic at lower doses than had been previously reported.