AlCl3 exposure regulates neuronal development by modulating DNA modification.

BACKGROUND: As the third most abundant element, aluminum is widespread in the environment. Previous studies have shown that aluminum has a neurotoxic effect and its exposure can impair neuronal development and cognitive function. AIM: To study the effects of aluminum on epigenetic modification in neural stem cells and neurons. METHODS: Neural stem cells were isolated from the forebrain of adult mice. Neurons were isolated from the hippocampi tissues of embryonic day 16-18 mice. AlCl3 at 100 and 200 µmol/L was applied to stem cells and neurons. RESULTS: Aluminum altered the differentiation of adult neural stem cells and caused apoptosis of newborn neurons while having no significant effects on the proliferation of neural stem cells. Aluminum application also significantly inhibited the dendritic development of hippocampal neurons. Mechanistically, aluminum exposure significantly affected the levels of DNA 5-hydroxy-methylcytosine, 5-methylcytosine, and N6-methyladenine in stem cells and neurons. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that aluminum may regulate neuronal development by modulating DNA modifications.

[An improved method and its application for agricultural drought monitoring based on remote sensing].

From the viewpoint of land surface evapotranspiration, and by using the semi-empirical evapotranspiration model based on the Priestley-Taylor equation and the land surface temperature-vegetation index (LST-VI) triangle algorithm, the current monitoring technology of agricultural drought based on remote sensing was improved, and a simplified Evapotranspiration Stress Index (SESI) was derived. With the application of the MODIS land products from March to November in 2008 and 2009, the triangle algorithm modeling with three different schemes was constructed to calculate the SESI to monitor the agricultural drought in the plain areas of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, in comparison with the Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDI). The results showed that SESI could effectively simplify the remote sensing drought monitoring method, and there was a good agreement between SESI and surface soil (10 and 20 cm depth) moisture content. Moreover, the performance of SESI was better in spring and autumn than in summer, and the SESI during different periods was more comparable than TVDI. It was feasible to apply the SESI to the continuous monitoring of a large area of agricultural drought.