Project description:We measured transcriptional profiles of individuals of Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans, two C4 grass species native to North American grasslands, in a field experiment in which both temperature and precipitation have been manipulated to simulate key aspects of forecasted climate change.
Project description:We measured transcriptional profiles of individuals of Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans, two C4 grass species native to North American grasslands, in a field experiment in which both temperature and precipitation have been manipulated to simulate key aspects of forecasted climate change. 99 samples were analyzed.
Project description:Mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) is essential for energy production and cellular homeostasis, yet its specific role in sperm function has remained unclear. Through whole-exome sequencing of 673 patients with asthenozoospermia, we identified biallelic TEX44 variants in six individuals, all of whom exhibited defective mitochondrial sheath assembly and impaired sperm motility. Using Tex44 knockout mice, we demonstrated that TEX44 interacts with carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1B (CPT1B) to form a mitochondrial glue, anchoring adjacent mitochondria and facilitating the assembly of the sperm-specific mitochondrial sheath. In vitro, we show that purified TEX44 protein can modulates CPT1B enzymatic activity, limiting the conversion of long-chain fatty acids such as palmitic acid and myristic acid into acyl-carnitines, thereby reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Loss of TEX44 disrupts this regulatory mechanism, leading to unregulated FAO, excessive ROS generation, and severe oxidative damage to sperm DNA and flagellar structure. Additionally, germ cell-specific Cpt1b knockout mice exhibited phenotypes similar to TEX44 deficiency, including mitochondrial sheath defects and reduced sperm motility. These findings reveal a sperm-specific mechanism by which TEX44 regulates CPT1B activity to balance FAO and ROS generation, providing critical insights into energy metabolism, mitochondrial integrity, and male infertility.
Project description:Porcine 60K BeadChip genotyping arrays (Illumina) are increasingly being applied in pig genomics to validate SNPs identified by re-sequencing or assembly-versus-assembly method. Here we report that more than 98% SNPs identified from the porcine 60K BeadChip genotyping array (Illumina) were consistent with the SNPs identified from the assembly-based method. This result demonstrates that whole-genome de novo assembly is a reliable approach to deriving accurate maps of SNPs.
