RESUMO
Plant root and shoot growth are closely interrelated, though the connotation of root-shoot balance should not be limited to their connectivity in biomass and physiological indicators. Their directional distribution of mass in architecture and the resulting root-shoot interactions are the keys to understanding the dynamic balance of the below- and above-ground organs related to tree anchorage. This study focuses on the 4-year-old camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora L.) as a system to observe the biomass distribution in response to the asymmetric disturbance treatments of biased root (BRT), inclined trunk (ITT), and half-crown (HCT) in a controlled cultivation experiment using the minirhizotron technique. We found an inverse relationship of biomass distribution of crowns to roots in BRT and opposite asymmetries of roots with crowns in response to the ITT and HCT treatments. We also observed higher net photosynthesis rate (Pn ), water use efficiency, and chlorophyll content in the leaves on the side opposite the lean in ITT, and higher Pn , transpiration rate, and chlorophyll content on the root-bias side in BRT, which is consistent with the nutrient allocation strategies of allocating nutrients across plant organs in an optimal way to obtain 'functional equilibrium' and adapt to the stressed environment. Furthermore, the asymmetrical growth transformation of first-level branch length from the root-bias side to the opposite side in BRT, and a similar transformation of root length from the crown-bias side to the opposite side in HCT, imbues further theoretical support of the nutrient allocation strategy and the biomechanical stability principle, respectively. In summary, this study is the first to identify opposite interaction between below- and above-ground biomass distributions of the camphor tree. The findings enrich the connotation of root-shoot interactions and help to realize root design for the silviculture management of urban forests.
RESUMO
Background: The expression of homeobox A10 (HOXA10) in endometrial stromal cells is regulated by steroid hormones, especially by estrogen. As a precursor molecule of estrogen, abnormal cholesterol metabolism is significantly positively correlated with endometriosis. The purpose of this study was to explore the regulation of HOXA10 on cholesterol synthesis in endometrial stromal cells. Method: mRNA expression data of eutopic endometrial stromal cell (ESC) and ovarian endometriotic cysts stromal cell (OESC) were download from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Overexpression and silence of HOXA10 were conducted in cultured ESC and subjected to mRNA sequencing. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected by analyzing the sequencing data. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to identify the key genes associated with HOXA10. The methylation rate of HOXA10 CpGs and the correlation between HOXA10 expression and the methylation in eutopic endometrial tissue (EU) and ovarian cyst (OC) were analyzed. Results: HOXA10 in ESC was significantly higher expressed than that in OESC. Six key genes (HMGCR, MSMO1, ACAT2, HMGCS1, EBP, and SQLE), which were regulated by HOXA10, were identified from the salmon4 module by WGCNA. All these key genes were enriched in cholesterol synthesis. Moreover, the expression of HOXA10 was negatively related to its CpGs methylation rate. Conclusion: In this study, six key genes that were regulated by HOXA10 were selected, and all of them were enriched in cholesterol synthesis. This finding provided a new insight into the metabolic mechanism of cholesterol in ESC. It also provided a potential treatment strategy for cholesterol metabolism maladjustment in patients with ovarian endometriosis.
