Multi-omics analyses reveal MdMYB10 hypermethylation being responsible for a bud sport of apple fruit color.

Apple bud sports offer a rich resource for clonal selection of numerous elite cultivars. The accumulation of somatic mutations as plants develop may potentially impact the emergence of bud sports. Previous studies focused on somatic mutation in the essential genes associated with bud sports. However, the rate and function of genome-wide somatic mutations that accumulate when a bud sport arises remain unclear. In this study, we identified a branch from a 10-year-old tree of the apple cultivar 'Oregon Spur II' as a bud sport. The mutant branch showed reduced red coloration on fruit skin. Using this plant material, we assembled a high-quality haplotype reference genome consisting of 649.61 Mb sequences with a contig N50 value of 2.04 Mb. We then estimated the somatic mutation rate of the apple tree to be 4.56 × 10 -8 per base per year, and further identified 253 somatic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including five non-synonymous SNPs, between the original type and mutant samples. Transcriptome analyses showed that 69 differentially expressed genes between the original type and mutant fruit skin were highly correlated with anthocyanin content. DNA methylation in the promoter of five anthocyanin-associated genes was increased in the mutant compared with the original type as determined using DNA methylation profiling. Among the genetic and epigenetic factors that directly and indirectly influence anthocyanin content in the mutant apple fruit skin, the hypermethylated promoter of MdMYB10 is important. This study indicated that numerous somatic mutations accumulated at the emergence of a bud sport from a genome-wide perspective, some of which contribute to the low coloration of the bud sport.

Non-pharmacological treatments for irritable bowel syndrome: study protocol of an umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analyses.

INTRODUCTION: Non-pharmacological treatments are used in the management of irritable bowel syndrome, and their effectiveness has been evaluated in multiple meta-analyses. The robustness of the results in the meta-analyses was not evaluated. We aimed to assess whether there is evidence of diverse biases in the meta-analyses and to identify the treatments without evidence of risk of bias. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science and CINAHL Plus for meta-analyses that evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatments. The time of publication will be limited from inception to December 2018. The credibility of the meta-analyses will be evaluated by assessing between-study heterogeneity, small-study effect and excess significance bias. The between-study heterogeneity will be assessed using the Cochrane's Q test, and the extent of the heterogeneity will be classified using the I2 statistics. The existence of a small-study effect in a meta-analysis will be evaluated using the funnel plot method and confirmed by Egger's test. Excess significance bias will be evaluated by comparing the expected number of clinical studies with positive findings with the observed number. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No formal ethical approval is required since we will use publicly available data. We will disseminate the findings of the umbrella review through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and conference presentations. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018111516.

Effect of dietary zinc pectin oligosaccharides chelate on growth performance, enzyme activities, Zn accumulation, metallothionein concentration, and gene expression of Zn transporters in broiler chickens1.

This study was to investigate the effect of zinc pectin oligosaccharides chelate (Zn-POS) on growth performance, serum enzyme activities, tissue zinc accumulation, metallothionein (MT) concentrations, and gene expression of zinc transporters (ZnT) in broilers. Five hundred forty 1-d-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 5 dietary groups with 6 replicates of 18 birds per replicate. The diets were formulated with the same supplemental Zn level (80 mg/kg diet) but different amount of the Zn-POS: 0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mg Zn-POS/kg diet. ZnSO4 was used to adjust to the desired amount of the Zn (80 mg/kg) in the Zn-POS diets. Broilers were fed with the experimental diets for 42 d including the starter (days 1 to 21) and grower (days 22 to 42) phases. Our results showed that dietary supplementation of Zn-POS linearly and quadratically increased (P < 0.05) the average daily gain and gain-to-feed ratio during 22 to 42 d and 1 to 42 d as well as body weight on day 42, whereas reduced (P < 0.05) the sum of mortality and lag abnormalities in broilers on day 42. Besides, serum alkaline phosphatase and copper-zinc superoxide dismutase activities increased (P < 0.05) linearly and quadratically in response to dietary Zn-POS supplemental level on day 42. Dietary Zn-POS supplementation increased Zn accumulation in serum (linear, P < 0.05), liver (linear, P < 0.05), and pancreas (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05). In addition, Zn-POS supplementation linearly and quadratically increased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, respectively) MT concentrations in liver and pancreas of broilers. Pancreatic mRNA levels of MT, ZnT-1, and ZnT-2 increased (P < 0.05) linearly and quadratically, and the mRNA expression of metal response element-binding transcription factor-1 increased linearly (P < 0.05), in response to dietary Zn-POS supplementation. In conclusion, supplementation of Zn-POS in the diet increases Zn enrichment in the metabolic organs such as liver and pancreas and promotes productive performance in broilers.

[Early cardiac injury in patients with obstructive sleep apnea].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the early cardiac injury caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) before the development of cardiovascular symptoms of OSA. METHODS: Ninety-two patients without any known cardiovascular disorders who underwent polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled in the study. Subjects were divided into mild, moderate, and severe OSA groups by their apnea hypopnea index (AHI), and 25 healthy individuals were identified as controls. After PSG examination, fasting blood samples for the evaluation of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (h-FABP) were collected in the morning, and left ventricular(LV) functions were assessed by using echocardiographic methods. Thirty moderate and severe OSA patients were treated with continuous positive airway pressure respectively (CPAP). RESULTS: The levels of h-FABP and NT-proBNP were obviously higher in all OSA groups than those in the control group (P<0.01), and were positively correlated with AHI (P<0.01). The Em/Am values of all OSA groups and E/A values of the moderate and severe OSA groups were significantly reduced (P<0.01). The difference in Em/Am values among the groups was statistically significant (P<0.01). Compared with those before treatment, h-FABP and NT-BNP levels in serum of OSA patients after CPAP treatment were significantly reduced (P<0.01), and Em/Am and E/A values were significantly increased (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and early myocardial microtrauma are major manifestations of early heart damage in patients with OSA. CPAP therapy could significantly improve early cardiac damage in OSA patients.

An updated GA signaling 'relief of repression' regulatory model.

Gibberellic acid (GA) regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. The DELLA proteins act to restrain plant growth, and GA relieves this repression by promoting their degradation via the 26S proteasome pathway. The elucidation of the crystalline structure of the GA soluble receptor GID1 protein represents an important breakthrough for understanding the way in which GA is perceived and how it induces the destabilization of the DELLA proteins. Recent advances have revealed that the DELLA proteins are involved in protein-protein interactions within various environmental and hormone signaling pathways. In this review, we highlight our current understanding of the 'relief of repression' model that aims to explain the role of GA and the function of the DELLA proteins, incorporating the many aspects of cross-talk shown to exist in the control of plant development and the response to stress.

Cloning and functional characterization of a cation-chloride cotransporter gene OsCCC1.

Potassium (K+) and chloride (Cl-) are two essential elements for plant growth and development. While it is known that plants possess specific membrane transporters for transporting K+ and Cl-, it remains unclear if they actively use K+-coupled Cl- cotransporters (KCC), as used in animals, to transport K+ and Cl-. We have cloned an Oryza sativa cDNA encoding for a member of the cation-Cl- cotransporter (CCC) family. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that plant CCC proteins are highly conserved and that they have greater sequence similarity to the sub-family of animal K--Cl- cotransporters than to other cation-Cl- cotransporters. Real-time PCR revealed that the O. sativa cDNA, which was named OsCCC1, can be induced by KCl in the shoot and root and that the expression level was higher in the leaf and root tips than in any other part of the rice plant. The OsCCC1 protein was located not only in onion plasma membrane but also in O. sativa plasma membrane. The OsCCC1 gene-silenced plants grow more slowly than wild-type (WT) plants, especially under the KCl treatment regime. After 1 month of KCl treatment, the leaf tips of the gene-silenced lines were necrosed. In addition, seed germination, root length, and fresh and dry weight were distinctly lower in the gene-silenced lines than in WT plants, especially after KCl treatment. Analysis of Na+, K+, and Cl- contents of the gene-silenced lines and WT plants grown under the NaCl and KCl treatment regimes revealed that the former accumulated relatively less K+ and Cl- than the latter but that they did not differ in terms of Na+ contents, suggesting OsCCC1 may be involved in K+ and Cl- transport. Results from different tests indicated that the OsCCC1 plays a significant role in K+ and Cl- homeostasis and rice plant development.

Evolutionarily conserved DELLA-mediated gibberellin signaling in plants.

Gibberellins (GAs) play important roles in many essential plant growth and development processes. A family of nuclear growth-repressing DELLA proteins is the key component in GA signaling. GA perception is mediated by GID1, and the key event of GA signaling is the degradation of DELLA proteins via the 26S proteasome pathway. DELLA proteins integrating other plant hormones signaling and environmental cue modulating plant growth and development have been revealed. GA turning on the de-DELLA-repressing system is conserved, and independently establishes step-by-step recruitment of GA-stimulated GID1-DELLA interaction and DELLA growth-repression functions during land plant evolution. These discoveries open new prospects for the understanding of GA action and DELLA-mediated signaling in plants.