The hard-shelled mussel (Mytilus coruscus) is an economically important shellfish, which has been cultivated for the last decade. Due to over-exploitation, most mussel stocks have dramatically declined. Efforts to study this species' natural distribution, genetics, breeding and cultivation have been hindered by the lack of a high-quality reference genome. To address this, we produced a hybrid high-quality reference genome of M. coruscus using a long-read platform to assemble the genome and short-reads, high-quality technology to accurately correct for sequence errors. The genome was assembled into 10,484 scaffolds, a total length of 1.90 Gb and a scaffold N50 of 898 kb. Ab initio annotation of the M. coruscus genome assembly identified a total of 42,684 genes. This accurate, reference genome of M. coruscus provides an essential resource with the advantage of enabling the genome-scale selective breeding of M. coruscus. More importantly it will also help the deciphering of the speciation and local adaptation of the Mytilus species.

D-galactose injection has been shown to induce many changes in mice that represent accelerated aging. This mouse model has been widely used for pharmacological studies of anti-aging agents. The underlying mechanism of D-galactose induced aging remains unclear, however, it appears to relate to glucose and 1ipid metabolic disorders. Currently, there has yet to be a study that focuses on investigating gene expression changes in D-galactose aging mice. In this study, integrated analysis of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-based metabonomics and gene expression profiles was used to investigate the changes in transcriptional and metabolic profiles in mimetic aging mice injected with D-galactose. Our findings demonstrated that 48 mRNAs were differentially expressed between control and D-galactose mice, and 51 potential biomarkers were identified at the metabolic level. The effects of D-galactose on aging could be attributed to glucose and 1ipid metabolic disorders, oxidative damage, accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), reduction in abnormal substance elimination, cell apoptosis, and insulin resistance.

Three salinities (4‰, 12‰ and 25‰) were selected to determine the effects of different salinities on the growth, survival, nutrition and energy metabolism of Scylla paramamosain during indoor overwintering. Growth performance (survival rate, condition factor, hepatopancreatic index, weight gain rate and specific growth rate), nutrient composition (ash, moisture, crude fat, crude protein and total nitrogen), fatty acids, energy metabolites (glycogen, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol and lactic acid) and energy metabolic enzymes (hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase) were measured and calculated. The results showed that S. paramamosain exhibited the best growth and survival at 25‰ and worst at 4‰ after overwintering. In addition to consuming crude fat, excess protein was also broken down to provide energy in the 4‰ and 12‰ groups. The content of unsaturated fatty acids in the 25‰ group was higher after overwintering. Glycogen and glucose consumption and triglycerides, cholesterol and lactic acid production were lowest in the 25‰ group. The activity of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase was highest in the 4‰ group and lowest in the 25‰ group. The activity of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase in the hepatopancreas was higher than in the muscle. In conclusion, S. paramamosain uses less energy, has more unsaturated fatty acids and has a higher survival rate at a salinity of 25‰ after overwintering. The results of this study provide helpful information the indoor overwintering S. paramamosain in aquaculture production systems.

Comparatively less toxic and more tolerated, epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are recommendable for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR-sensitive mutations. Some EGFR wild-type patients with specific biomarkers also show a response to the drug. TAZ is an oncogene closely associated with the therapeutic effect of EGFR-TKIs. However, this association remains to be clarified. This study aimed to clarify the mechanism through which TAZ sensitizes EGFR wild-type NSCLC to gefitinib. We used CCK-8 assays and in vivo experiments to investigate the influence of TAZ on gefitinib in EGFR wild-type NSCLC. To further validate the tumorigenic role of TAZ, we performed Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) tube formation and migration assays. Luciferase reporter assays, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), immunoblotting and Chromatin immunoprecipitation collaborated with qPCR illuminated the mechanism through which TAZ caused those phenotypes. The results showed TAZ promoted the angiogenesis of NSCLC cell lines and improved gefitinib sensitivity in EGFR wild-type NSCLC in vitro and in vivo. Luciferase reporter assays and ChIP-qPCR experiments showed TAZ upregulated AREG by promoting its transcription. EGFR signaling pathway was activated as TAZ was highly expressed. Rescue experiments were conducted to confirm the indispensable role of AREG in tumorigenesis and gefitinib sensitivity regulated by TAZ. Our study concluded that TAZ sensitized EGFR wild-type NSCLC to gefitinib through promoting amphiregulin transcription.

High salinity impedes efficient nitrogen removal from mariculture wastewater, which inhibits the colonization and nitrogen removal capabilities of nitrogen-removing microbes. This study aimed to isolate and characterize a salt-tolerant heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification bacterial strain. We evaluated 30 bacterial strains isolated from Portunus trituberculatus aquaculture ponds, among which Pseudomonas aeruginosa SH3 exhibited superior nitrogen removal efficiencies (99 % of NH₄⁺-N, 71 % of NO₂^--N, and 85 % fof NO₃^--N at a salinity of 30 ‰) than the other strains. Single-factor experiments demonstrated that SH3 effectively removed either NH₄⁺-N or NO₂^--N across various C/N ratios (10-20), pH levels (7-9), salinity levels (15-35 ‰), and temperatures (25-35 °C), highlighting its promising nitrogen removal capabilities under conditions suitable for mariculture. Genomic analysis showed that SH3 removes NH₄⁺-N through ammonia assimilation and nitrification and converts NO₂^--N and NO₃^--N via denitrification and assimilatory nitrate reduction. Bioaugmentation with SH3 reduced the startup period by 14 d, addressing a common challenge of prolonged startup times in a moving-bed biofilm reactor used for nitrogen removal in marine recirculating aquaculture systems. Meanwhile, bioaugmentation maintained minimal fluctuations in nitrogen levels throughout the operational period, resulting in consistently low concentrations of NO₂^--N and NH₄⁺-N, both below 1 mg/L. Therefore, strain SH3 exhibits robust nitrogen removal capabilities, demonstrating its practicality and reliability in mariculture wastewater treatment along with providing robust data support for industrial-scale applications.

By the search for new natural compounds with beneficial health effects, cephalopod ink has been considered as an attempt to develop new drugs and functional foods, which is an especially active field in Asia, where cephalopods are a major fishery catch, for which ink sacs are a bi-product and where homeopathic medicine has deep roots. There is a demand to evaluate the safety and influence to the organism. The specific composition and relative abundance of the gut microbiota, which is potentially a major modulator of host metabolism, drives the interaction between functional foods and host health. We explore the effects of melanin from Sepiella Maindroni, most common cuttlefish in China, on the intestinal microbiome of mice. ICR mice were randomly divided four groups, which were normal group (S), low melanin dose group (D; 120 mg/kg), medium melanin dose group (Z; 240 mg/kg), and high melanin dose group (G; 480 mg/kg). Melanin was delivered for 28 consecutive days. Fecal samples were used to generate 7715 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) via high-throughput sequencing. There were significant shifts in relative abundance of the dominant taxa at the phylum, class, order, family, and genus levels following melanin treatment. MSMI had no significant effect on the structure of intestinal flora in mice. The main effect was in the proportion of dominant bacterial communities. The effect positively correlated with the dose. From a health point of view, the use of melanin does not cause intestinal flora disorder. Our results may have important implications for MSMI as functional food component and potential therapeutic for manipulating gut microbiota.