Lonicera macranthoides is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb valued for its chlorogenic acid (CGA) and triterpenoid saponins. To elucidate the genetic basis of these medicinal properties, we generated a haplotype-resolved chromosome-scale genome assembly combining PacBio long-read sequencing and High-throughput Chromosome Conformation Capture (Hi-C) data. The assembly comprises two haplomes, LmacA (857.17 Mb, contig N50 = 31.19 Mb) and LmacB (824.65 Mb, contig N50 = 27.17 Mb), representing the most contiguous genomic resource for the genus to date. Comparative genomic analyses identified species-specific gene families enriched in triterpenoid biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid metabolism, and stress-response pathways. Integrated GWAS, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses identified key genes regulating CGA and triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis, including a UGT cluster, an HCT cluster, and MYB transcription factors. We further found evidence that jasmonic acid and isopentenyl adenine dynamically balance floral organ development and secondary metabolite accumulation via MYB/bHLH transcription factors and MAPK signaling. This study establishes the first biosynthetic pathways for CGA and saponins in L. macranthoides, reveals regulatory mechanisms driven by haplotype structural variations (notably a Chr7 inversion), and provides genomic resources for molecular breeding and bioactive compound exploitation.
Engineered nano-metal oxides discharged into river–lake systems interact with water chemistry before reaching biota, yet the fraction of their acute toxicity that derives from the particles themselves, rather than from dissolved ions, remains unresolved in authentic natural waters. This study determined the acute toxic effects of CuO, ZnO, and SiO2 nanoparticles at a concentration of 100 mg/L dispersed in water samples from Taihu Lake and Suzhou River (two representative and polluted water bodies in eastern China) on Vibrio fischeri (V. fischeri), and partitioned each measured inhibition E(total) into an ion-attributed component E(ion) and a particle-attributed component E(particle) using paired assays of the whole suspension and of its 0.02 µm filtrate. Aggregation, surface charge, and dissolution kinetics were followed for 72 h (15 d for SiO2). CuO nanoparticles aggregated moderately in both natural waters and released at most 0.087 mg/L Cu2+, so that the persistent suspension inhibition of 0.09–0.64% coexisted with a mildly stimulatory ion fraction (−0.19% to 0.01%), leaving the particle component to account for 81.1–94.0% of the measured effect. ZnO nanoparticles released up to 7.15 mg/L Zn2+ in Suzhou River water, where inhibition rose in step with the dissolved fraction and the ion component contributed 56.8–95.6% of the effect; in Taihu Lake water, both the suspension and the ion fraction remained stimulatory. SiO2 nanoparticles and the released reactive silicate induced no acute inhibition over 15 d (mean −0.024% and −0.013% in the two waters, both significantly below zero) despite the net dissolution solubility reaching up to 32.4% of the nominal dose. The toxicity source therefore differs by material within the same water matrix, indicating that risk-management measures for CuO should target particle transport and settling, whereas measures for ZnO should suppress dissolution.
Current preclinical studies evaluating cGAS inhibition as a novel anti-inflammatory strategy rely predominantly on young murine models, leaving the impact of aging largely unexplored. At baseline, aged (56-week-old) female mice, in both WT and cGAS-/- mice, demonstrated more pronounced oxidative stress (malondialdehyde) and diminished antioxidant capacity (glutathione) relative to young (8-week-old) controls. Upon the induction of liver ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI), the most severe hepatic damage was provoked exclusively in aged cGAS-/- mice. This exacerbated injury was confirmed by elevated liver enzymes, higher histological scores, widespread apoptosis (activated caspase-3), enhanced macrophage accumulation (F4/80+ cells), and increased serum cell-free DNA as a tissue damage marker. Additionally, aged cGAS-/- mice exhibited a significant surge in serum IL-6 and gut barrier dysfunction (FITC-dextran assay) at 6 h post-injury. Mechanistically, while cGAS-/- macrophages showed blunted inflammatory signaling upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, co-incubation with D-galactose, which induces intracellular peroxide accumulation, restored their pro-inflammatory responses to WT levels. Concurrently, starvation protocols revealed that cGAS-/- hepatocytes were more vulnerable to mitochondrial oxidative stress (MitoSOX) than WT cells. Ultimately, aging critically modifies the cGAS-deficient phenotype, warranting the careful re-evaluation of cGAS therapeutic models in aged populations.
The Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) is an economically important aquaculture species, and its reproductive development and artificial propagation have received considerable attention. However, the absence of a stable in vitro female germ cell culture system has hindered investigations into oogenesis, reproductive regulation, and germplasm conservation. In this study, cells isolated from immature Japanese eel ovaries were enriched through differential adhesion, Percoll density-gradient centrifugation, and single-cell cloning, followed by optimization of culture conditions. A stable oogonial stem cell-like cell line of A. japonica, designated AjOSCL, was established and characterized via morphological observation, proliferation assays, colony-forming assays, karyotyping, immunofluorescence staining, alkaline phosphatase detection, and transcriptomic sequencing. AjOSCL maintained stable growth and self-renewal capacity during continuous culture for over 35 passages in vitro, with a cumulative culture duration exceeding 12 months, and retained a predominant chromosome number of 2n = 38 (consistent with the chromosome number of A. japonica), suggesting chromosomal stability during long-term culture. AjOSCL exhibited strong alkaline phosphatase activity and expressed germline-related markers (e.g., Vasa and Nanos2), together with pluripotency-related genes or proteins such as Nanog and Oct4. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed that AjOSCL displayed a molecular profile compatible with a germline stem cell-like phenotype, with enrichment of pathways related to germ cell maintenance and oocyte development, including ECM–receptor interaction, TGF-β signaling, Wnt signaling, and oocyte meiosis. Collectively, these results indicate that AjOSCL may serve as a renewable in vitro model for studying oogonial maintenance, offering a foundation for future investigations into female germ cell biology and germplasm conservation in A. japonica.
The effect of nitrogen (N) (0, 75, 150, 225 and 300 kg N ha−1, N0-N4) on the yield, photosynthetic properties and nitrogen-use efficiency of forage oat (Avena sativa L.) was studied in the Horqin Sandy Land in northern China. Mantel tests and chord diagrams were used to investigate the correlation of traits. Plant height, stem–leaf ratio, hay production, chlorophyll content and heading stage photosynthesis indices showed a unimodal response with highest values at N3 (225 kg N ha−1; p < 0.05). The dry matter yield at filling stage, net photosynthetic rate (Pn) at heading stage and total chlorophyll content (Total Chl) of N3 were 74.52%, 101.65%, and 62.18% higher than that of N0. The nitrogen contribution ratio (NFCR) of N3 reached 42.70%, which was 60.59% greater than that of N1. Nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUpE) was achieved at N3 that was 21.50% relative to N1.The N3 treatment showed the best comprehensive performance across agronomic, photosynthetic and nitrogen-use efficiency traits. In contrast, N3 achieved a favorable balance between yield and nitrogen use efficiency and can be regarded as a suitable nitrogen application rate for high-yield forage oat production in this region.
