Tissue optical clearing technique provides a prospective solution for the application of advanced optical methods in life sciences. This paper gives a review of recent developments in tissue optical clearing techniques. The physical, molecular and physiological mechanisms of tissue optical clearing are overviewed and discussed. Various methods for enhancing penetration of optical-clearing agents into tissue, such as physical methods, chemical-penetration enhancers and combination of physical and chemical methods are introduced. Combining the tissue optical clearing technique with advanced microscopy image or labeling technique, applications for 3D microstructure of whole tissues such as brain and central nervous system with unprecedented resolution are demonstrated. Moreover, the difference in diffusion and/or clearing ability of selected agents in healthy versus pathological tissues can provide a highly sensitive indicator of the tissue health/pathology condition. Finally, recent advances in optical clearing of soft or hard tissue for in vivo imaging and phototherapy are introduced.

We developed an advanced clearing method with superior fluorescence-preserving capability for 3D imaging of whole organs.

Genomic selection is an upgrading form of marker-assisted selection for quantitative traits, and it differs from the traditional markerassisted selection in that markers in the entire genome are used to predict genetic values and the QTL detection step is skipped. Genomic selection holds the promise to be more efficient than the traditional marker-assisted selection for traits controlled by polygenes. Genomic selection for pure breed improvement is based on marker information and thus leads to cost-saving due to early selection before phenotypes are measured. When applied to hybrid breeding, genomic selection is anticipated to be even more efficient because genotypes of hybrids are predetermined by their inbred parents. Hybrid breeding has been an important tool to increase crop productivity. Here we proposed and applied an advanced method to predict hybrid performance, in which a subset of all potential hybrids is used as a training sample to predict trait values of all potential hybrids. The method is called genomic best linear unbiased prediction. The technology applied to hybrids is called genomic hybrid breeding. We used 278 randomly selected hybrids derived from 210 recombinant inbred lines of rice as a training sample and predicted all 21,945 potential hybrids. The average yield of top 100 selection shows a 16% increase compared with the average yield of all potential hybrids. The new strategy of marker-guided prediction of hybrid yields serves as a proof of concept for a new technology that may potentially revolutionize hybrid breeding. T he mission of plant breeding is to develop high-yield varieties to increase crop productivity to meet the need of human population. Hybrid breeding has been proved to be an important tool to improve yield. The most successful examples are hybrid maize and rice, which have greatly increased the global food security. Despite the successes of hybrid breeding programs, selection of desirable hybrids has largely been a practice of trial and error in the past. It takes much luck to find desired matches between selected parents. The biggest challenge in hybrid breeding is how to predict the performance of future crosses based on existing data. Large efforts have been made in the past to develop methods for hybrid prediction, with the goal to facilitate hybrid breeding by obtaining better hybrids with fewer crosses. A common approach in the early days was to find correlations between marker polymorphisms and hybrid performance in crosses involving diverse germplasms. Extensive studies in corn and rice using this approach have produced variable results depending on the germplasms used in the studies (1).Bernardo (2) applied best linear unbiased prediction technology to predict hybrid corn. He used existing hybrids and the pedigree relationship between them and untested hybrids to make prediction. Recent development in genomic research has greatly increased the availability of molecular makers to easily cover the entire genome, which are used to calculate the relationship matrix,...

Optimal insulin secretion required to maintain glucose homeostasis is the summation of total pancreatic islet β cell mass and intrinsic secretory capacity of individual β cells, which are regulated by distinct mechanisms that could be amplified by glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1). Because of these actions of GLP-1 on islet β cells, GLP-1 has been deployed to treat diabetes. We employed SNARE protein VAMP8-null mice to demonstrate that VAMP8 mediates insulin granule recruitment to the plasma membrane, which partly accounts for GLP-1 potentiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. VAMP8-null mice also exhibited increased islet β cell mass from increased β cell mitosis, with β cell proliferative activity greatly amplified by GLP-1. Thus, despite the β cell exocytotic defect, VAMP8-null mice have an increased total insulin secretory capacity, which improved glucose homeostasis. We conclude that these VAMP8-mediated events partly underlie the therapeutic actions of GLP-1 on insulin secretion and β cell growth.

The penetration of light in biological tissues can be enhanced by using optical-clearing techniques. However, researches on the mechanism are limited to in vitro experiments. In this study, rat dorsal skin was used to discuss the mechanism for in vivo optical clearing. Glycerol solutions with different concentrations were applied by dermal injection; then the skin reflectance spectrum, SHG imaging and microstructural changes were monitored. The results showed that with the skin becoming transparent, the corresponding reflectance decreased, and the thickness of dermis and diameter of collagen fibril decreased, but no collagen fiber was dissolved or fractured. Hence, it can be concluded that the thickness decrease of dermis and corresponding more regular packing of tissue fibers plays an important role in the mechanism for glycerol-induced optical clearing of skin in vivo.

The production of soybean products has been increasing throughout the world, and there has been a corresponding increase in the quantity of soybean curd residue (SCR) being thrown out. The dumping of SCR has become a problem to be solved due to its contamination to the environment. SCR is rich in fiber, fat, protein, vitamins, and trace elements. It has potential for value-added processing and utilization; options that simultaneously hold the promise of increased economic benefit as well as decreased pollution potential for the environment. The objective of this study is to fully investigate, review, and summarize the existing literature in order to develop a comprehensive knowledge base for the composition and reuse of SCR. It is evident from the literature survey that SCR shows good potential as a functional food material. However, there are several drawbacks to the use of SCR and corresponding solutions presented in this paper.

Aims/hypothesis The molecular basis of the exocytosis of secretory insulin-containing granules (SGs) during biphasic glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) from pancreatic beta cells remains unclear. Syntaxin (SYN)-1A and SYN-4 have been shown to mediate insulin exocytosis. The insulinsecretory function of SYN-3, which is particularly abundant in SGs, is unclear. Methods Mouse pancreatic islets and INS-1 cells were treated with adenovirus carrying Syn-3 (also known as Stx3) or small interfering RNA targeting Syn-3 in order to examine insulin secretion by radioimmunoassay. The localisation and distribution of insulin granules were examined by confocal and electron microscopy. Dynamic single-granule fusion events were assessed using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). Results Depletion of endogenous SYN-3 inhibited insulin release. TIRFM showed no change in the number or fusion competence of previously docked SGs but, instead, a marked reduction in the recruitment of newcomer SGs and their subsequent exocytotic fusion during biphasic GSIS. Conversely, overexpression of Syn-3 enhanced both phases of GSIS, owing to the increase in newcomer SGs and, remarkably, to increased SG-SG fusion, which was confirmed by electron microscopy. Conclusions/interpretation In insulin secretion, SYN-3 plays a role in the mediation of newcomer SG exocytosis and SG-SG fusion that contributes to biphasic GSIS.

Imaging cells and microvasculature in the living brain is crucial to understanding an array of neurobiological phenomena. Here, we introduce a skull optical clearing window for imaging cortical structures at synaptic resolution. Combined with two-photon microscopy, this technique allowed us to repeatedly image neurons, microglia and microvasculature of mice. We applied it to study the plasticity of dendritic spines in critical periods and to visualize dendrites and microglia after laser ablation. Given its easy handling and safety, this method holds great promise for application in neuroscience research.