The coexistence of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), and cholecystokinin (CCK)- or somatostatin-immunoreactive material in the same neurons was studied in the hippocampus and visual cortex of the cat. One-micrometer-thick serial sections of the same neuron were reacted to reveal different antigens by the unlabeled antibody enzyme method. All CCK- and somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons in the cortex and all CCK-immunoreactive and the majority of somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons in the hippocampus that could be examined in serial sections were also immunoreactive for GABA. In neurons that were immunoreactive for GAD it was often possible to demonstrate immunoreactivity for one of the peptides as well as for GABA. GABA-immunoreactive neurons, as revealed by an antiserum to GABA, were present in all layers of the cortex and hippocampus, and their shape, size, and distribution were similar to GAD-immunoreactive neurons. All GAD-immunoreactive neurons were also positive for GABA, but the latter staining revealed additional neurons. CCK/GABA- and somatostatin/GABA-immunoreactive neurons were present mainly in layers II and upper III and in layers V and VI in the visual cortex. CCK/GABA-immunoreactive neurons were most frequently present in the strata oriens, pyramidale, and moleculare of the hippocampus and in the polymorph cell layer of the dentate gyrus. Somatostatin/GABA-immunoreactive neurons were localized mainly in the stratum oriens and in the hilus of the fascia dentata. The two peptides could not be found in the same neuron. The majority of neurons that were GABA immunoreactive did not stain for either peptide. The presence of CCK- and somatostatin-immunoreactive material in GABAergic cortical neurons raises the possibility that neuroactive peptides affect GABAergic neurotransmission.

BackgroundSalt stress is a major factor limiting plant growth and productivity. Salicylic acid (SA) has been shown to ameliorate the adverse effects of environmental stress on plants. To investigate the protective role of SA in ameliorating salt stress on Torreya grandis (T. grandis) trees, a pot experiment was conducted to analyze the biomass, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis (Pn), gas exchange parameters, relative leakage conductivity (REC), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) of T. grandis under 0.2% and 0.4% NaCl conditions with and without SA.Methodology/Principal FindingsThe exposure of T. grandis seedlings to salt conditions resulted in reduced growth rates, which were associated with decreases in RWC and Pn and increases in REC and MDA content. The foliar application of SA effectively increased the chlorophyll (chl (a+b)) content, RWC, net CO2 assimilation rates (Pn), and proline content, enhanced the activities of SOD, CAT and POD, and minimized the increases in the REC and MDA content. These changes increased the capacity of T. grandis in acclimating to salt stress and thus increased the shoot and root dry matter. However, when the plants were under 0% and 0.2% NaCl stress, the dry mass of the shoots and roots did not differ significantly between SA-treated plants and control plants.ConclusionsSA induced the salt tolerance and increased the biomass of T. grandis cv. by enhancing the chlorophyll content and activity of antioxidative enzymes, activating the photosynthetic process, and alleviating membrane injury. A better understanding about the effect of salt stress in T. grandis is vital, in order gain knowledge over expanding the plantations to various regions and also for the recovery of T. grandis species in the future.

ABSTRACT

Background Pecan ( Carya illinoinensis ) and Chinese hickory ( C. cathayensis ) are important commercially cultivated nut trees in the genus Carya (Juglandaceae), with high nutritional value and substantial health benefits. Results We obtained >187.22 and 178.87 gigabases of sequence, and ∼288× and 248× genome coverage, to a pecan cultivar (“Pawnee”) and a domesticated Chinese hickory landrace (ZAFU-1), respectively. The total assembly size is 651.31 megabases (Mb) for pecan and 706.43 Mb for Chinese hickory. Two genome duplication events before the divergence from walnut were found in these species. Gene family analysis highlighted key genes in biotic and abiotic tolerance, oil, polyphenols, essential amino acids, and B vitamins. Further analyses of reduced-coverage genome sequences of 16 Carya and 2 Juglans species provide additional phylogenetic perspective on crop wild relatives. Conclusions Cooperative characterization of these valuable resources provides a window to their evolutionary development and a valuable foundation for future crop improvement.

Inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) activity has been considered to be a promising therapy approach to treat type 2 diabetes. In this work, a novel PTP1B activity inhibitor, named FYGL (Fudan-Yueyang-G. lucidum), was screened from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum and showed an efficient PTP1B inhibitory potency with IC₅₀ = 5.12 ± 0.05 μg/mL. FYGL is a water-soluble macromolecular proteoglycan with a protein to polysaccharide ratio of 17:77 and a viscosity-average molecular weight (M(η)) of 2.6 × 10⁵. The type 2 diabetic mice treated orally by FYGL showed an obvious decrease in plasma glucose level compared with the diabetic controls without drug treatment, comparable with that of diabetic mice treated with metformin, a clinical drug. The toxicity of FYGL is very low. The results indicate that FYGL may serve as a drug candidate or a health-care food for diabetic therapy or protection.