Molecular phylogenetic relationships based on mitochondrial genomes of novel deep-sea corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea): Insights into slow evolution and adaptation to extreme deep-sea environments.

A total of 10 specimens of Alcyonacea corals were collected at depths ranging from 905 m to 1 633 m by the manned submersible Shenhai Yongshi during two cruises in the South China Sea (SCS). Based on mitochondrial genomic characteristics, morphological examination, and sclerite scanning electron microscopy, the samples were categorized into four suborders (Calcaxonia, Holaxonia, Scleraxonia, and Stolonifera), and identified as 9 possible new cold-water coral species. Assessments of GC-skew dissimilarity, phylogenetic distance, and average nucleotide identity (ANI) revealed a slow evolutionary rate for the octocoral mitochondrial sequences. The nonsynonymous ( Ka) to synonymous ( Ks) substitution ratio ( Ka/ Ks) suggested that the 14 protein-coding genes (PCGs) were under purifying selection, likely due to specific deep-sea environmental pressures. Correlation analysis of the median Ka/ Ks values of five gene families and environmental factors indicated that the genes encoding cytochrome b (cyt b) and DNA mismatch repair protein ( mutS) may be influenced by environmental factors in the context of deep-sea species formation. This study highlights the slow evolutionary pace and adaptive mechanisms of deep-sea corals.

Identification of global alternative splicing and sex-specific splicing via comparative transcriptome analysis of gonads of Chinese tongue sole ( Cynoglossus semilaevis).

Chinese tongue sole ( Cynoglossus semilaevis) is an economically important marine fish species with a ZZ/ZW sex determination mechanism, which can be influenced by temperature. Alternative splicing (AS) is an important mechanism regulating the expression of genes related to sex determination and gonadal differentiation, but has rarely been reported in fish. In this study, to explore the molecular regulatory mechanisms of sex determination and gonadal differentiation, we combined isoform and RNA sequencing (Iso-Seq and RNA-Seq) to perform transcriptome profiling of male and female gonads in C. semilaevis. In total, 81 883 and 32 341 full-length transcripts were obtained in males and females, respectively. A total of 8 279 AS genes were identified, including 2 639 genes showing differential AS (DAS) between males and females. Many intersecting DAS genes and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in the meiotic cell cycle pathway, and genes related to gonadal differentiation, such as esrrb and wt1a, were found to have sex-specific isoforms. Thus, this study revealed AS events in the gonadal transcriptomes of male and female C. semilaevis, described the characteristics of active transcription in the testes, and identified candidate genes for studying the regulatory mechanisms of AS during gonadal differentiation.

Anti-Lung Cancer Activities of 1,2,3-Triazole Curcumin Derivatives via Regulation of the MAPK/NF-κB/STAT3 Signaling Pathways.

In this study, a series of curcumin derivatives containing 1,2,3-triazole were designed and synthesized, and their inhibitory activities against the proliferation of lung cancer cells were studied. Compound 5 k (3,4-dichlorobenzyltriazole methyl curcumin) had the best activity against A549 cells, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) of 2.27 µM, which was approximately 10 times higher than that of the lead curcumin and higher than that of gefitinib (IC50 =8.64 µM). Western blotting revealed that 5 k increased the phosphorylation levels of p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Compound 5 k also promoted the expression of the inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB (IκBα) and decreased that of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and ß-catenin. Therefore, 5 k suppresses A549 cell proliferation by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinases and suppressing NF-κB/STAT3 signaling pathways. So, 5 k can potentially be used for treating non-small cell lung cancer.

Voltine Ecotypes of the Asian Corn Borer and Their Response to Climate Warming.

In the Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), diapause is governed by a multigenetic constitution that responds to daylength and temperature with seasonality. The ACB displays uni- or multivoltinism, depending on its geographic specificity. Hence, warmer temperatures may result in alternation of voltinism in the ACB, which will help in understanding the ecological consequences of climate warming on insects. In the present study, we investigated the voltinism in two natural populations from Harbin (H) and Gongzhuling (G) as well as a laboratory (L) population (established from the H population in 2017) of the ACB, at ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 (aCO2 390 µL/L and eCO2 750 µL/L) and temperature (aT and Et = At + 2 °C). From the diapause response, both the uni- and multivoltine ecotypes were coexisting in the H population. The neonate occurrence date of 50% individuals that induced diapause was ca. 10 days later in the G population than in the H population, but it was about 10 days earlier than in the L population. Comparing to the dates of onset and the peak of diapause induction, the G and L populations were less variable than the H population in response to a short and/or shortening daylength in the field. The univoltine individuals could not be eliminated completely after 19 generations of selection. Diapause incidence decreased with a climate-warming scenario, which was temporally specific and could be overridden by significantly low daily average temperatures. The eCO2 did not directly impact the voltinism. On the basis of voltinism, the H population was sympatric for uni- and multivoltine ecotypes, with multivoltinism being dominant. The univoltinism trait was recessive. Climate warming could significantly override the effect of photoperiod, which was yearly dependent. Warmer temperatures and a decreased latitude (shortened daylength), and their interaction, would drive ACB evolution toward diapause homogeneity for multivoltinism.