222 words; Main text: 8,290 words (including figure legends); 4 Tables; 4 Figures 2 Highlights  PDCoV infection dynamics and appropriate sample collection are reviewed. Virological methods for PDCoV detection are discussed. Serological methods for PDCoV detection are discussed. Global prevalence of PDCoV in swine population is described. Genetic analyses of global PDCoV are discussed. AbstractPorcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) was first reported in Hong Kong, China in 2012 and

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Strains of Equine arteritis virus (EAV) differ in the severity of the disease that they induce in horses. Infectious cDNA clones are potentially useful for identification of genetic determinants of EAV virulence; to date, two clones have been derived from a cell culture-adapted variant of the original (Bucyrus) isolate of EAV, and it has previously been shown that recombinant virus derived from one of these (rEAV030) is attenuated in horses. A complete cDNA copy of the genome of the virulent Bucyrus strain of EAV has now been assembled into a plasmid vector. In contrast to rEAV030, recombinant progeny virus derived from this clone caused severe disease in horses, characterized by pyrexia, oedema, leukopenia, high-titre viraemia and substantial nasal shedding of virus. The availability of infectious cDNA clones that produce recombinant viruses of different virulence to horses will facilitate characterization of the virulence determinants of EAV through reverse genetics.

Inorganic phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (IPB) are an important component of microbial populations in lake sediments. The phosphate that they decompose and release becomes an important source of phosphorus for eutrophic algae. The IPB strains were screened and isolated from the sediments of Sancha Lake using National Botanical Research Institute’s phosphate (NBRIP) plates. Their taxonomy was further determined by the 16S rDNA technique. The tricalcium phosphate-solubilizing ability of obtained IPB strains was evaluated using NBRIP- bromophenol blue (BPB) plates and Pikovskaya (PVK) liquid medium. Then, the ability of IPB strains to release phosphorus from the sediments were investigated by mimicking the lake environment. In this study, a total of 43 IPB strains were screened and isolated from the sediments of Sancha Lake, belonging to three phyla, eight families, and ten genera. Among them, two potentially new strains, SWSI1728 and SWSI1734, belonged to genus Bacillus, and a potentially new strain, SWSI1719, belonged to family Micromonosporaceae. Overall, the IBP strains were highly diverse and Bacillus and Paenibacillus were the dominant genera. In the tricalcium phosphate-solubilizing experiment, only 30 of the 43 IPB strains exhibited clear halo zones on plates, while in the liquid culture experiment, all strains were able to dissolve tricalcium phosphate. The phosphate-solubilizing abilities of the strains varied significantly, and the strain SWSI1725 of the Bacillus genus showed the strongest ability with a phosphate-solubilizing content of 103.57 mg/L. The sterilized systems demonstrated significantly elevated phosphorus hydrochloride (HCl–P) decomposition and release from the sediments after the inoculation of IPB strains, whereas no significant effect was demonstrated on the phosphonium hydroxide (NaOH-P). Thus, the IPB strains in the sediments of Sancha Lake possessed rich diversity and the ability to release phosphorus in sediments.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important gene regulators that play a profound role in tumorigenesis. Previous studies have revealed that miR-26b is downregulated in a wide range of malignant tumors and plays an important role in the regulation of carcinogenesis and tumor progression. In the present study, we revealed that miR-26b expression was decreased in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma and was associated with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis and survival prognosis. Ectopic expression of miR-26b suppressed the proliferation and metastasis of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells. Using a luciferase reporter assay, combined with western blot analysis results, we identified PTGS2 (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase-2, encoding COX-2) as the functional target of miR-26b. Specific inhibition of COX-2 activity by nimesulide further confirmed that miR-26b was able to regulate the cell proliferation and metastasis of the human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells through a COX-2-dependent mechanism. Taken together, these results suggest that miR-26b serves as a tumor suppressor by targeting COX-2 and calls for the use of miR-26b as a potential therapeutic tool for human tongue squamous cell carcinoma, where COX-2 is often hyperactivated.