The degeneration of germplasm is a key factor limiting the yield and quality of <i>Gastrodia elata</i> Blume. Sexual reproduction is a primary method to address this degeneration, while the number of flowers and capsules is directly related to sexual reproduction. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying the high flower/fruit-bearing traits in <i>G. elata</i> remain unclear. We first compared the quantitative and qualitative traits during the flowering to fruiting period of <i>G. elata</i>, including bolting height, flowering quantity, flowering time, fruiting quantity, capsule spacing, seed quality, etc. The natural materials were selected by multi-capsule and few-capsule for transcriptome analysis to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs); the candidate gene <i>GePIF4</i> was suspected to regulate the formation of multiple flowers and fruits. It was confirmed that GePIF4 has multiple biological functions in the overexpression of transgenic lines, including increasing numbers of vegetative propagation corms (VPCs) and promoting the growth of <i>G. elata</i>. Through comparative transcriptomic analysis of EV and OE-GePIF4 transgenic lines, the transcriptional regulatory network of GePIF4 was identified, and transient expression of GePIF4 was demonstrated to significantly promote gastrodin accumulation. The dual-LUC assay and in vitro yeast one hybrid results showed that GePIF4 could directly bind to GeRAX2 to regulate multi-capsule formation, and GePIF4 could directly bind to GeC4H1 to promote gastrodin accumulation. Therefore, we elucidate the role of GePIF4 in multi-capsule formation and secondary metabolite accumulation, thereby laying the groundwork for the genetic improvement of <i>G. elata</i> germplasm resources.
Adeyinka Oye Akintunde, Stacey Ogheneovo Ohwofa, Imam Mustofa
et al.
Background and Aim: Enhancing poultry reproductive performance is essential for improving productivity and addressing protein shortages in developing regions. Yoruba ecotype chickens (YECs) are resilient but limited in commercial potential due to small body size and low egg yield. This study assessed the fertilizing potential of YEC × Sussex (SS) crossbred cocks by integrating conventional reproductive morphometrics with seminal plasma metabolite profiling to identify potential biomarkers of sperm quality.
Materials and Methods: Thirty 24-week-old YEC × SS cocks (2842.86 ± 137.33 g) were evaluated over 28 days. Semen was collected through abdominal massage, and semen volume, sperm concentration, and testosterone levels (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were recorded. Testicular and epididymal morphometrics, densities, and sperm reserves were measured. Seminal plasma metabolites were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Pearson correlations and linear regression models were applied to predict testosterone concentration from semen and morphometric traits.
Results: The left testis was heavier (8.00 g) and larger in volume (12.77 mL) than the right (6.75 g; 1.35 mL). Spermatozoa reserves averaged 0.20 × 109, with a strong positive correlation with testis volume (r = 0.998, p < 0.01) and a moderate negative correlation with daily sperm production (r = –0.585, p < 0.01). Testosterone concentration prediction from live weight, semen volume, and sperm concentration achieved high accuracy (R2 = 0.829). Thirteen seminal plasma metabolites were identified, including ascorbic acid, quercetin, epicatechin, citric acid, and procyanidin B2 – compounds linked to antioxidant defense, energy metabolism, and sperm viability.
Conclusion: YEC × SS crossbred cocks exhibit favorable reproductive morphometrics, strong correlations between testis volume and sperm reserves, and a metabolite profile enriched in fertility-enhancing antioxidants. Predictive models using basic semen traits can reliably estimate testosterone levels, while identified metabolites have potential as biochemical markers for breeding selection. Integrating morphometric and metabolomic profiling can refine breeding strategies, improve artificial insemination outcomes, and enhance the genetic improvement of local poultry breeds.
Dayana Cabral-da-Silva, Ariane M. Zanesco, Fernando Valdivieso-Rivera
et al.
Abstract Background Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is highly expressed in the hypothalamus where it exerts regulatory functions over neurogenesis, reproduction, energy balance, and metabolism. Analyzing a hypothalamic single-nucleus transcriptomic, we identified Fezf1 ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) neurons as an important source of BDNF. During development, Fezf1 neurons are involved in the organization of the olfactory bulb, and mutations on this gene are responsible for Kallmann syndrome; however, in adult life, little is known about the functions of Fezf1 neurons. Methods In this study, we aimed at providing advance in the characterization of Fezf1 neurons and exploring the role of Fezf1-BDNF in the regulation of the metabolic phenotype of mice. Hypothalamic immunofluorescence was employed to determine the distribution and projections of Fezf1 neurons. Mice with a Fezf1-specific knockout of BDNF were constructed and used in the determination of the metabolic phenotype. Results Using a Cre-Lox system to express mCherry specifically in Fezf1 neurons of the VMH, we identified projections to the dorsomedial hypothalamus and the zona incerta, regions involved in metabolic control and motor activity, respectively. The Fezf1-specific knockout of BDNF resulted in increased cold tolerance in males, and protection against diet-induced obesity due to a reduction in food intake and increased spontaneous ambulatory activity in females. This was accompanied by protection against glucose intolerance, and increased insulin sensitivity, in females. Conclusions Thus, the present work provides advance in the understanding of the biology of VMH Fezf1 neurons, revealing the details of its distribution and projections, and demonstrating that the expression of BDNF in these neurons is involved, according to a sexual dimorphic pattern, in the regulation of metabolic function. In addition, this is the first evidence that, in a specific hypothalamic cell population, BDNF may have a detrimental rather than positive role in the regulation of systemic metabolism.
The replication crisis has highlighted the importance of reproducibility and replicability in the social and behavioral sciences, including in communication research. While there have been some discussions of and studies on replications in communication research, the extent of this work is significantly lower than in psychology. The key reasons for this limitation are the differences between the disciplines in the topics commonly studied and in the methods and data commonly used in communication research. Communication research often investigates dynamic topics and uses methods (e.g., content analysis) and data types (e.g., media content and social media data) that are not used, or, at least, are much less frequently used, in other fields. These specific characteristics of communication research must be considered and require a more nuanced understanding of reproducibility and replicability. This thematic issue includes commentaries presenting different perspectives, as well as methodological and empirical work investigating the reproducibility and replicability of a wide range of communication research, including surveys, experiments, systematic literature reviews, and studies that involve social media or audio data. The articles in this issue acknowledge the diversity and unique features of communication research and present various ways of improving its reproducibility and replicability, as well as our understanding thereof.
Japanese flounder is usually gonochoristic, with gonads that are either testes or ovaries. Here, we report an unusual case of hermaphroditism in Japanese flounder captured from the Bohai Sea. In the intersex flounder, the membrane of the upper ovary was closely connected to the abdominal muscles and internal organs, and the eggs filled the entire abdomen. The lower ovary was small and closely connected to the testes. The testes contained few fully mature sperm. Both eggs and sperm were capable of fertilization. The levels of several reproduction-related hormones (17β-estradiol, 11-ketotestosterone, 17α, 20β-dihydroxyprogesterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone) in the intersex flounder were intermediate, between those in females and males. The results showed that the heterozygosity of the intersex flounder was 0.632, and there were 28 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the <i>cyp21a</i> gene. Compared with that of wild flounder, the activity of 21-hydroxylase was reduced by approximately 20.0%, and expressions of <i>cyp19a</i>, <i>amh</i>, and <i>dmrt1</i> differed. We present the first report of its kind, detailing the anatomy, hormonal endocrinology, molecular biology, and physiology of the intersex Japanese flounder.
Understanding the differences in genetic variation between local Chinese dairy goat breeds and imported breeds can help germplasm innovation and molecular breeding. However, the research is limited in this area. In this study, whole-genome resequencing data from 134 individuals of both local and imported dairy goat breeds were analyzed, and their differences in genomic genetic variation, genetic diversity, and population structure were subsequently identified. We also screened candidate genes associated with important traits of dairy goats such as milk production (STK3, GHR, PRELID3B), reproduction (ATP5E), growth and development (CTSZ, GHR), and immune function (CTSZ, NELFCD). Furthermore, we examined allele frequency distributions for the genes of interest and found significant differences between the two populations. This study provides valuable resources for the study of genetic diversity in dairy goats and lays the foundation for the selective breeding of dairy goats in the future.
Grażyna Liczbińska, Szymon Antosik, Marek Brabec
et al.
Abstract This study examines whether exposure to ambient temperature in nineteenth-century urban space affected the ratio of boys to girls at birth. Furthermore, we investigate the details of temperature effects timing upon sex ratio at birth. The research included 66,009 individual births, aggregated in subsequent months of births for the years 1847–1900, i.e. 33,922 boys and 32,087 girls. The statistical modelling of the probability of a girl being born is based on logistic GAM with penalized splines and automatically selected complexity. Our research emphasizes the significant effect of temperature in the year of conception: the higher the temperature was, the smaller probability of a girl being born was observed. There were also several significant temperature lags before conception and during pregnancy. Our findings indicate that in the past, ambient temperature, similar to psychological stress, hunger, malnutrition, and social and economic factors, influenced the viability of a foetus. Research on the effects of climate on the sex ratio in historical populations may allow for a better understanding of the relationship between environmental factors and reproduction, especially concerning historical populations since due to some cultural limitations, they were more prone to stronger environmental stressors than currently.
Background Uterine contractions may interfere with embryo implantation in assisted reproductive technology. To reduce these contractions and improve success rates, the oxytocin antagonist atosiban has been suggested for administration during embryo transfer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of atosiban in increasing live birth rates among women who have previously experienced a single implantation failure and are scheduled for single blastocyst transfer.Methods and analysis We conduct a single-centre randomised controlled study comparing atosiban and placebo in women undergoing a single blastocyst transfer with a previous failed blastocyst transfer. Women with endocrine or systemic illnesses, recurrent miscarriages, uterine malformations or fibroids, untreated hydrosalpinx, endometriosis (stage III or IV) or uterine fibroids, as well as women undergoing preimplantation genetic testing, are ineligible. The primary outcome is live birth resulting from the frozen-thawed embryo transfer. Secondary outcomes include biochemical/clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, multiple pregnancies as well as maternal and perinatal outcomes. We plan to recruit 1100 women (550 women per group). This will allow us to demonstrate or refute an increase in live birth rate from 40% to 50%. Data analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle. We will measure patterns of uterine peristalsis which will allow subgroup analysis for women with or without uterine peristalsis.Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of Northwest Women’s and Children’s Hospital (No. SZ2019001). Written informed consent will be obtained from each participant before randomisation. The results of the trial will be presented at scientific meetings and reported in publications.Trial registration number ChiCTR1900022333.
Allesandra Stratigakis, Dylan Paty, Peng Zou
et al.
The development of an effective method for predicting the transfer of biologics from plasma into breast milk is important to ensure the safe use of medications during lactation. The aim of this study was to develop a regression model that could predict the transfer of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and Fc-fusion proteins from plasma into breast milk. By searching various databases, a list of eleven mAbs and Fc-fusion proteins with available information of presence in the breast milk was generated. Physicochemical properties such as the isoelectric point (pI), molecular weight (MW), dissociation constant (Kd), and pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters such as clearance (CL), volume of distribution (Vd), and half-life (T1/2) were collected or calculated. A two-variable non-linear regression analysis and a multivariate regression analysis were employed to establish correlation of milk-to-plasma (M/P) ratios with different combinations of two physicochemical properties. The 3D isoelectric point (pI) of the Fv region and the buried surface area (BSA) between the light and heavy chains (LC_HC) were two factors that emerged as a promising predictor of the milk-to-plasma concentration ratio (M/P). The correlation between M/P ratio, 3D pI of Fv region, and BSA_LC_HC was found to be good with R2 of 0.9058. Other combinations of the physicochemical properties did not show a statistically significant correlation. The multivariate regression model was used to predict the MP ratios for 79 different mAbs. We believe that this regression model could serve as a valuable tool to estimate the M/P ratios of mAbs and Fc-fusion proteins. Further model validation is necessary when the M/P ratios of additional biologics are available. This could inform clinical decision-making and improve the safety of large molecule drug use during lactation.
Marcela Plascencia-Cruz, Arturo Plascencia-Hernández, Yaxsier De Armas-Rodríguez
et al.
The prevalence of colonization by <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> (<i>P. jirovecii</i>) has not been studied in Mexico. We aimed to determine the prevalence of colonization by <i>P. jirovecii</i> using molecular detection in a population of Mexican patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and describe their clinical and sociodemographic profiles. We enrolled patients discharged from our hospital diagnosed with COPD and without pneumonia (<i>n</i> = 15). The primary outcome of this study was <i>P. jirovecii</i> colonization at the time of discharge, as detected by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of oropharyngeal wash samples. The calculated prevalence of colonization for our study group was 26.66%. There were no statistically significant differences between COPD patients with and without colonization in our groups. Colonization of <i>P. jirovecii</i> in patients with COPD is frequent in the Mexican population; the clinical significance, if any, remains to be determined. Oropharyngeal wash and nested PCR are excellent cost-effective options to simplify sample collection and detection in developing countries and can be used for further studies.
Rheumatic diseases in women of childbearing years may necessitate drug treatment during a pregnancy, to control maternal disease activity and to ensure a successful pregnancy outcome. This survey is based on a consensus workshop of international experts discussing effects of anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive and biological drugs during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, effects of these drugs on male and female fertility and possible long-term effects on infants exposed to drugs antenatally are discussed where data were available. Recommendations for drug treatment during pregnancy and lactation are given.