Most butterflies feed on nectar, while some saprophagous butterflies forage on various non-nectar foods. To date, little is known about the genomic and molecular shifts associated with the evolution of the saprophagous feeding strategy. Here, we assembled the high-quality chromosome-level genome of Hestina assimilis to explore its saprophagous molecular and genetic mechanisms. This chromosome-level genome of H. assimilis is 412.82 Mb, with a scaffold N50 of 15.70 Mb. In total, 98.11% of contigs were anchored to 30 chromosomes. Compared with H. assimilis and other Nymphalidae butterflies, the genes of metabolism and detoxification experienced expansions. We annotated 80 cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes in the H. assimilis genome, among which genes belonging to the CYP4 subfamily were significantly expanded (p < 0.01). These P450 genes were unevenly distributed and mainly concentrated on chromosomes 6-9. We identified 33 olfactory receptor (OR), 20 odorant-binding protein (OBP), and six gustatory receptor (GR) genes in the H. assimilis genome, which were fewer than in the nectarivorous Danaus plexippus. A decreased number of OBP, OR, and GR genes implied that H. assimilis should resort less to olfaction and gustation than their nectarivorous counterparts, which need highly specialized olfactory and gustatory functions. Moreover, we found one site under positive selection occurred in residue 996 (phenylalanine) of GR genes exclusive to H. assimilis, which is conservative in most lineages. Our study provides support for the adaptive evolution of feeding habits in butterflies.
To investigate the effects of FGF-8 on cranial neural crest cell (CNCC) differentiating into ectomesenchymal cell of the first branchial arch, and determine the appropriate dose and stage of CNCC exposure to FGF-8.Cranial neural crest explants were cultured in free-serum medium containing modified DMEM/F12 and different doses of FGF-8. The differentiation type of CNCC were determined by in situ hybridization for Hoxa2 and immunocytochemistry for vimentin.Pre-emigrating CNCC demonstrated the negative Hoxa2 stain and positive vimentin stain after treated by 100 ug/FGF-8. Both post-emigrating CNCC group and control group were positive for Hoxa2 and vimentin stain.On the early stage of CNCC emigration, the first branchial arch phenotype of CNCC could be induced by FGF-8. This experiment could provide in vitro model for study on the mechanism of tooth-jaw regeneration.
In recent years, there has been a growing concern about safety and quality of food in the public society. This requires food suppliers or retailers who can monitor their food supply chains providing adequate information that can be easily accessed by customers who purchase food products in supermarkets. This can be achieved partially by implementing fast-growing IT techniques such as an integrated RFID (radio frequency identification)-based management system into an entire network of food supply chains. Nevertheless, this may lead to additional costs that need to be addressed when designing and implementing such an RFID-based food supply chain network. This paper presents a development of a multi-objective mathematical model that was used for quantifying a proposed design of a three-echelon Halal meat supply chain (HMSC) network, which is monitored by an integrated RFID-based management system. The study was aimed at maximizing the integrity of Halal meats, return of capital investment and minimizing costs in implementation of such a system into the HMSC network. A case study was also used for examining the validation and applicability of the developed HMSC model.
The nearly complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Teredorus nigropennis was determined and analyzed. This mitogenome was 14,652 bp in size and encoded 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes. The most common start codon is ATN, the most common termination codon is TAA and two genes have incomplete termination codon T (TA). The overall nucleotide composition was 45.2% of A, 10.2% of G, 28.6% of T, and 16.1% of C. The data will increase the basic information of Tetrigidae phylogenetic research and can help to better understand the phylogenetic status of T. nigropennis in Tetrigiodea.
The gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem integral to host wellbeing, is modulated by environmental triggers, including exposure to heavy metals such as chromium. This study aims to comprehensively explore chromium-induced gut microbiota and metabolomic shifts in the quintessential lepidopteran model organism, the silkworm (Bombyx mori). The research deployed 16S rDNA sequence analysis and LC/MS metabolomics in its experimental design, encompassing a control group alongside low (12 g/kg) and high (24 g/kg) feeding chromium dosing regimens. Considerable heterogeneity in microbial diversity resulted between groups. Weissella emerged as potentially resilient to chromium stress, while elevated Propionibacterium was noted in the high chromium treatment group. Differential analysis tools LEfSe and random forest estimation identified key species like like Cupriavidus and unspecified Myxococcales, offering potential avenues for bioremediation. An examination of gut functionality revealed alterations in the KEGG pathways correlated with biosynthesis and degradation, suggesting an adaptive metabolic response to chromium-mediated stress. Further results indicated consequential fallout in the context of metabolomic alterations. These included an uptick in histidine and dihydropyrimidine levels under moderate-dose exposure and a surge of gentisic acid with high-dose chromium exposure. These are critical players in diverse biological processes ranging from energy metabolism and stress response to immune regulation and antioxidative mechanisms. Correlative analyses between bacterial abundance and metabolites mapped noteworthy relationships between marker bacterial species, such as Weissella and Pelomonas, and specific metabolites, emphasizing their roles in enzyme regulation, synaptic processes, and lipid metabolism. Probiotic bacteria showed robust correlations with metabolites implicated in stress response, lipid metabolism, and antioxidant processes. Our study reaffirms the intricate ties between gut microbiota and metabolite profiles and decodes some systemic adaptations under heavy-metal stress. It provides valuable insights into ecological and toxicological aspects of chromium exposure that can potentially influence silkworm resilience.
Abstract So far, many problems of the primitive exponent of traditional single nonnegative matrix have been resolved. Currently, pushing traditional single nonnegative matrix to matrix pairs which have relatively application in many areas such as information science, communication networks, computer science, is a new trend. According to correspondence relation, two-colored digraphs can be used to solve matrix problems. We consider the uncolored digraph of two-colored digraph has vertices and none non-common arc. The range of exponents and extremal two-colored digraphs are given.
The functions of 17beta-estradiol (E2) are mediated by estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and beta. ERs display similar DNA- and ligand-binding properties in vitro. However, ERbeta shows lower transcriptional activity than ERalpha from the estrogen response element (ERE)-dependent signaling. We predicted that distinct amino termini contribute to differences in transcription efficacies of ERs by affecting in situ ER-ERE interactions. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation and a novel in situ ERE competition assay, which is based on the ability of ER to compete for ERE binding with a designer activator that constitutively induces transcription from an ERE-driven reporter construct. Interference of activator-mediated transcription by unliganded or liganded ERs was taken as an indication of ER-ERE interaction. Results revealed that ERs interacted with ERE similarly in the absence of E2. However, E2 enhanced the ERE binding of ERalpha but not that of ERbeta. The removal of the amino terminus increased the ERbeta-ERE interaction independent of E2. The ERbeta amino terminus also prevented E2-mediated enhancement of the chimeric ERalpha-ERE interaction. Thus, the amino terminus of ERbeta impairs the binding of ERbeta to ERE. The abrogation of ligand-dependent activation function 2 of the amino-terminally truncated ERbeta resulted in the manifestation of E2 effect on ERbeta-ERE interaction. This implies that E2-mediated enhancement of ERbeta-ERE interaction is masked by the activation function 2, whereas the intact amino terminus is a dominant region that decreases the binding of ERbeta to ERE. Thus, ERbeta-ERE interaction is independent of E2 and is impaired by its amino terminus. These findings provide an additional explanation for differences between ERalpha and ERbeta functions that could differentially affect the physiology and pathophysiology of E2 signaling.
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