This study investigated the effect of Cornus officinalis vinegar on gut microbiota and hepatic lipid droplet in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) model mice. The C57BL/6J male mice were divided into three treatment groups: Control group (CON group) fed with a purified diet; high fat diet (HFD) group and C. officinalis vinegar treatment (CVT) group fed with high fat diet. After 10 weeks, the CVT group was orally administered with C. officinalis vinegar once a day for 6 weeks. We found that C.officinalis vinegar improved gut microbiota, significantly reduced body weight and liver injury of HFD-fed mice. Observation of histopathology and ultrastructure showed that C.officinalis vinegar improved histological changes, reduced size and number of lipid droplets. Additionally, C.officinalis vinegar significantly inhibited the expression of perilipin 2 (PLIN-2) and increased the expression of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL). In conclusion, C. officinalis vinegar could exert beneficial effects on NAFLD through modulation of gut microbiota and lipid droplets.

The senescence of fruit is a complex physiological process, with various cell types within the pericarp, making it highly challenging to elucidate their individual roles in fruit senescence. In this study, a single-cell expression atlas of the pericarp of pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) is constructed, revealing exocarp and mesocarp cells undergoing the most significant changes during the fruit senescence process. Pseudotime analysis establishes cellular differentiation and gene expression trajectories during senescence. Early-stage oxidative stress imbalance is followed by the activation of resistance in exocarp cells, subsequently senescence-associated proteins accumulate in the mesocarp cells at late-stage senescence. The central role of the early response factor HuCMB1 is unveiled in the senescence regulatory network. This study provides a spatiotemporal perspective for a deeper understanding of the dynamic senescence process in plants.

Microbes, as one of the primary producers of the biosphere, play an important role in ecosystems. Exploring the mechanism of adaptation and resistance of microbial population to various environmental factors has come into focus in the fields of modern microbial ecology and molecular ecology. However, facing the increasingly serious problem of acoustic pollution, very few efforts have been put forth into studying the relation of single cell organisms and sound field exposure. Herein, we studied the biological effects of sound exposure on the growth ofE. coliK-12 with different acoustic parameters. The effects of sound exposure on the intracellular macromolecular synthesis and cellular morphology ofE. coliK-12 were also analyzed and discussed. Experimental results indicated thatE. coliK-12 exposed to sound waves owned a higher biomass and a faster specific growth rate compared to the control group. Also, the average length ofE. coliK-12 cells increased more than 27.26%. The maximum biomass and maximum specific growth rate of the stimulation group by 8000 Hz, 80dB sound wave was about 1.7 times and 2.5 times that of the control group, respectively. Moreover, it was observed thatE. coliK-12 can respond rapidly to sound stress at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels by promoting the synthesis of intracellular RNA and total protein. Some potential mechanisms may be involved in the responses of bacterial cells to sound stress.