Biomedical subjects

Qian Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to Qian Zhou.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Methylation histology reveals the molecular mechanism by which red light-mediated DNA methylation delays leaf senescence in pak choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis).

Leaf senescence is a key factor affecting the postharvest quality and shelf life of vegetables. The specific mechanisms by which light environment and DNA methylation mediate leaf senescence remain unclear. This study explored the molecular mechanism by which red light (RL) LED delays leaf senescence through DNA methylation in pak choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis). In this study, RL treatment significantly suppressed leaf senescence in pak choi during postharvest storage and downregulated the expression of senescence-associated genes (SAGs). Experiments with methylation inhibitors confirmed its association with DNA methylation. Furthermore, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing revealed that during storage-induced senescence, pak choi exhibited significantly reduced methylation levels across its genome, particularly in promoter regions, and RL treatment reversed this effect. Furthermore, virus-induced gene silencing and overexpression experiments confirmed the central role of the demethylase BrDML3 (BraA01g004250.3.5C) in this process. Subsequently, a transcription factor under its regulation, BrNAC55 (BraA05g032630.3.5C), was identified and shown to promote leaf senescence by activating downstream SAGs (BrSGR1, BrPPH, BrSAUR36) to promote leaf senescence. In addition, this study found that BrNAC55 can also form a feedback loop with BrDML3, continuously amplifying leaf senescence. This study elucidates the mechanism by which RL-mediated DNA methylation delays leaf senescence, providing a foundation for postharvest preservation technologies.

DNA Methylation↗

PubMed2026

Comparative Analysis of Volatile Compounds, Amino Acids, Fatty Acids, and Lipidomic Profiles in Thigh Muscles of Commercial Arbor Acres (AA) Broilers and Indigenous Chengkou and Langshan Chickens.

Flavor-related compounds and nutritional components of chicken meat vary among different breeds, but comprehensive comparisons of these characteristics between commercial and indigenous chickens remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, three chicken breeds (Arbor Acres, Chengkou, and Langshan) were slaughtered at their respective market ages, and the volatile flavor compounds, amino acids, fatty acids, and lipidomic profiles of thigh muscle were analyzed to investigate breed-associated differences in flavor-related and nutritional characteristics. Langshan chickens exhibited the highest total volatile compound content and also had the highest total amino acid levels, with significantly higher contents of umami and sweet amino acids. In addition, both indigenous breeds showed higher levels of arachidonic acid (C20:4n6) than Arbor Acres broilers, while Chengkou chickens had the highest content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n3). Lipidomic analysis identified 787 lipids, with glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids as the predominant classes. Differential lipid analysis revealed that Langshan chickens had 38 upregulated lipids compared with Arbor Acres chickens, while Chengkou chickens exhibited 258 differential lipids relative to Arbor Acres chickens. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these differential lipids were mainly associated with glycerolipid, sphingolipid, and glycerophospholipid metabolism. Correlation analysis further revealed significant associations between specific lipids and flavor-related compounds, amino acids, and fatty acids, suggesting their potential roles in breed-associated differences. Overall, this study demonstrates that indigenous chicken breeds possess distinct flavor-related and nutritional profiles compared with commercial Arbor Acres broilers and provides valuable insights into breed-associated differences in chicken meat characteristics.

amino acids↗

PubMed2026

Microplastic aging drives convergence of the plastisphere microbiome and resistome toward agricultural soils.

The degree of microplastic (MP) aging varies substantially in agricultural soils; however, how this common aging gradient influences the plastisphere microbiome and resistome remains largely unknown. We therefore collected polyethylene MPs from long‑term mulched farmlands and classified them into low‑aged plastispheres (LAPs) and high‑aged plastispheres (HAPs). Bacterial community dissimilarity to soil decreased progressively from LAPs to HAPs, accompanied by broadening niche breadth, increasing bacterial diversity, and a shift toward more stochastic community assembly. The diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) declined significantly along the aging gradient, with clinically relevant high-risk ARGs (e.g., vanR, ugd, and aac(6')-I) decreasing by 53.34-84.01%. Furthermore, the ARG hosts shifted from Actinomycetota in LAPs to Pseudomonadota in soils. Variance partitioning showed that the carbonyl index uniquely explained 57.03% of the variation in plastisphere ARG profile distance toward soil, identifying MP aging as the primary driver of resistome convergence. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that natural MP aging drives a progressive convergence of the plastisphere resistome toward that of the surrounding soil, indicating that aged MPs may pose a reduced risk of antibiotic resistance compared to newly formed MPs. This convergence underscores the need to incorporate plastic aging into future risk assessment frameworks for plastisphere-associated ARGs.

Soil Microbiology↗

PubMed2026

Adaptive genomic evolution and WD40-regulated temporal dynamics of anthocyanins support leaf photoplasticity in Parrotia subaequalis.

BACKGROUND: Parrotia subaequalis, a Tertiary relict endemic to China, plays a significant role in phylogeny and adaptive evolution as a key species in the early differentiation of angiosperms. It has abundant leaf colors and great potential as an ornamental tree. RESULTS: This study assembled the first chromosome-level genome of P. subaequalis (Contig N50 = 2.15 Mb), revealing transposable element proliferation, key paleopolyploid events and dynamic gene family evolution, including the expansion of secondary metabolite transport and synthesis genes (such as WD40, 2OG-FeII_Oxy) and the contraction of gene families related to flower morphogenesis (such as F-box-like, K-box). Through integrative transcriptomics and targeted metabolomics approaches, we further revealed that the color transition of young leaves from red to green was driven by temporal accumulation differences of malvidin-3,5-O-diglucoside, whose biosynthesis is progressively down-regulated during leaf development. WGCNA revealed that a subset of WD40 genes (light-signaling, TTG1/HOS15-like, etc.) coexpresses with anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, like 4CLL9, GT1, in anthocyanin-related modules enriched for auxin signaling and hydrolase activity, suggesting a potential link between WD40 expansion and photoprotective plasticity. Relevant regulatory networks were found to complement the species-specific gene pool related to leaf color regulation. CONCLUSION: This genomic resource of P. subaequalis advanced our understanding of early angiosperm adaptation through neofunctionalized regulatory networks and established a foundation for molecular breeding aimed at enhancing environmental resilience while preserving ornamental traits.

Anthocyanins↗

PubMed2026

Genomic and virulence characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from foodborne outbreak cases.

This study aimed to investigate the genomic characteristics, enterotoxin production, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Staphylococcus aureus isolates associated with foodborne outbreaks. A total of 19 bacterial isolates were collected from foodborne outbreaks in Guizhou Province, China between 2014 and 2023. Following biochemical identification, all isolates were confirmed as S. aureus. Phylogenetic analysis divided the 19 strains into seven branches. Enterotoxin production was detected using standard microbiological techniques and immunoassays. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated using the broth microdilution method. Whole-genome sequencing and subsequent bioinformatic analyses were conducted to characterize virulence genes, antimicrobial resistance genes, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) genotypes, and phylogenetic relationships among the isolates. This study found that all strains produced classical staphylococcal enterotoxins, with staphylococcal enterotoxin (SEA) showing the highest detection rate (63.16%). Virulence gene profiling revealed widespread presence of hlb, hlgA, nuc, clfB, spa, and set genes. All strains were resistant to penicillin, with high resistance rates for erythromycin and cefoxitin. Multidrug resistance occurred in 11 of the 19 strains, and 22 resistance genes were identified. MLST analysis showed that ST6 and ST59 were the dominant types, with ST59 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains displaying stronger resistance and more virulence determinants. These findings provide insights into the virulence, resistance, and molecular epidemiology of S. aureus strains involved in foodborne outbreaks, and may provide useful information for future surveillance and risk assessment.

Staphylococcus aureus↗

PubMed2025

Impacts of non-spherical polyethylene nanoplastics on microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes in the rhizosphere of pea (Pisum sativum L.): An integrated metagenomic and metabolomic analysis.

The ecological effects of nanoplastics (NPs) has become a growing concern; however, the influence of non-spherical NPs-which better represent real-world morphologies-remains poorly understood. This study investigated the impact of non-spherical polyethylene (PE) NPs on the growth of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and its rhizosphere microenvironment across different concentration levels (0, 20, and 200 mg/kg) using integrated metagenomics and metabolomics. Results showed that high-dose (200 mg/kg) exposure significantly inhibited plant growth. Although soil physicochemical properties remained unchanged, the rhizosphere microbial communities experienced significant restructuring, characterized by a marked enrichment of Pseudomonas and a reduction in beneficial Rhizobium populations. Metagenomic analysis revealed a concurrent increase in the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) under non-spherical PE-NP stress. This was accompanied by a shift in bacterial host composition, with a trend toward a higher prevalence of potentially pathogenic taxa such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Metabolomics analysis further revealed that non-spherical PE-NPs altered the rhizosphere metabolite profile, thereby significantly driving the succession of ARG hosts. Our integrated analysis enhances the understanding of how non-spherical PE-NPs disrupt microbial communities and elevate the risks of ARGs in rhizosphere soil, highlighting the significance of incorporating environmentally relevant NPs into environmental risk assessments.

Pisum sativum↗

PubMed2024

Clinical efficacy of thalidomide for various genotypes of beta thalassemia.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of thalidomide across various genotype presentations of β-thalassemia so as to facilitate the early screening of thalidomide-sensitive thalassemia cases and to understand the impact of iron overload on thalidomide. METHODS: From our initial sample of 52 patients, we observed 48 patients with β-thalassemia for two years after administration of thalidomide. This cohort included 34 patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) and 14 patients with non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT). We recorded the values of hemoglobin (Hb), fetal hemoglobin (HbF), and serum ferritin (SF) in the baseline period and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after enrollment, as well as the pre- and post-treatment blood transfusion volume in all 48 cases. According to the increase in Hb levels from baseline during the 6-month observation period, the response to thalidomide was divided into four levels: main response (MaR), minor response (MiR), slow response (SLR), and no response (NR). A decrease in serum ferritin levels compared to baseline was considered alleviation of iron overload. We calculated the overall response rate (ORR) as follows: ORR = MaR + MiR + SLR/number of observed cases. RESULTS: The ORR was 91.7% (44/48 cases), and 72.9% showed MaR (35/48 cases). Among the 34 patients with TDT, 21 patients (61.8%) were free of blood transfusion, and the remaining 13 patients still required blood transfusion, but their total blood transfusion volume reduced by 31.3% when compared to the baseline. We found a total of 33 cases with 10 combinations of advantageous genes, which included 5 cases with βCD41-42/βCD17 and 6 cases with βCD41-42/β-28. Based on the treatment outcomes among the 48 cases in the observation group, there were 33 cases in the MaR group and 15 cases in the SLR/NR group. There was a difference in HbF between the two groups at baseline (P = 0.041). There were significant differences between the two groups in Hb and HbF at the time points of 6 and 12 months, respectively (P < 0.001). Compared to the baseline measurement, there was a significant decrease in the level of SF at months 12 and 24 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, we identified 10 β-thalassemia gene combinations that were sensitive to thalidomide. These gene combinations can be used for initial screening and to predict the therapeutic effect of thalidomide in clinical practice. We examined the therapeutic response to thalidomide and found that the administration of thalidomide in combination with standardized iron removal was more beneficial in reducing iron overload.

Humans↗