In this study, a new disomic addition line, 12-5-2, with 44 chromosomes that was derived from BC3F2 descendants of the hybridization between Triticum aestivum cv. CN19 and Aegilops biuncialis was created and reported. 12-5-2 was immune to both powdery mildew and stripe rust and has stable fertility. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and C-banding revealed that 12-5-2 was a 1U(b) disomic addition line (ADL1U(b)). The seed storage protein electrophoresis showed that 12-5-2 presented all high molecular weight glutenin subunits (7 + 8 and 2 + 12) of CN19 and 2 new subunits that were designated Ux and Uy. Additionally, the flour quality parameters showed that the protein content, Zeleny sedimentation value, wet gluten content, and grain hardness of 12-5-2 were significantly higher than those of its parent CN19. Moreover, 5 pairs of the chromosome 1U(b)-specific polymerase chain reaction-based landmark unique gene markers, TNAC1021, TNAC1041, TNAC1071, TNAC1-01, and TNAC1-04, were also obtained. The new ADL1U(b) 12-5-2 could be a valuable source for wheat improvement, especially for wheat end-product quality and resistance to disease.

To investigate the potential of myristic acid (MC) to mediate brain delivery of polyethylenimine (PEI) as a gene delivery system, a covalent conjugate (MC-PEI) of MC, and PEI was synthesized. A near-infrared fluorescence probe, IR820 was conjugated to MC-PEI to explore its in vivo distribution after intravenous (i.v.) administration in mice. The brain targeting ability of MC-PEI was evaluated by near-infrared fluorescence imaging and analyzed semiquantitatively by fluorescence intensity, respectively. Significant NIR fluorescent signal was detected in the brain 12 h after i.v. administration and further confirmed by imaging the whole brain and brain slices. Semiquantitative results from fluorescence intensity further supported the successful brain delivery of MC-PEI which led to a very significant increase (∼200%) in the brain uptake after i.v. injection in comparison with unmodified PEI. The capability of MC-PEI to condense DNA was further confirmed using agarose gel retardation assay, indicating its potential for gene delivery. The significant in vivo and ex vivo results suggest that MC-PEI is a promising brain-targeting drug delivery system, especially for gene delivery.