Blastocystis is one common protist inhabiting in gastrointestinal tracts of animals and humans. Examining the subtypes has important implications for assessing the zoonotic potential of Blastocystis and intestinal health of hosts. In the present study, a total of 497 fecal samples collected from 37 wild animal species in Qinling Mountains were investigated for the presence and subtypes of Blastocystis. Of them, 200 (40.2%) were positive for Blastocystis and 13 subtypes were found, including eight known subtypes (STs1-3, 5, 10, 12-14) and five possible novel subtypes (temporarily named as STs18-22), with ST10 as the predominate subtype and the subtype ST5 was detected in an ostrich for the first time. These findings indicated the wide distribution and specific subtype characteristics of Blastocystis in wild animals of Qinling Mountains.

BackgroundSeedlessness in grape (Vitis vinifera) is of considerable commercial importance for both the table grape and processing industries. Studies to date of grape seed development have been made certain progress, but many key genes have yet to be identified and characterized.ResultsIn this study we analyzed the seed transcriptomes of progeny derived from the V. vinifera seeded maternal parent ‘Red Globe’ and the seedless paternal parent ‘Centennial seedless’ to identify genes associated with seedlessness. A total of 6,607 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and examined from multiple perspectives, including expression patterns, Gene Ontology (GO) annotations, pathway enrichment, inferred hormone influence and epigenetic regulation. The expression data of hormone-related genes and hormone level measurement reveals the differences during seed development between seedless and seeded progeny. Based on both our results and previous studies of A. thaliana seed development, we generated network maps of grape seed-related DEGs, with particular reference to hormone balance, seed coat and endosperm development, and seed identity complexes.ConclusionIn summary, the major differences identified during seed development of seedless and seeded progeny were associated with hormone and epigenetic regulation, the development of the seed coat and endosperm, and the formation of seed identity complexes. Overall the data provides insights into the possible molecular mechanism controlling grape seed size, which is of great importance for both basic research and future translation applications in the grape industry.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-3193-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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In recent years, the stereoselective toxicity of chiral organophosphorus pesticides has received increasing attention from environmental toxicology scientists. In an attempt to explore the stereoselective effects of chiral organophosphorus pesticides on non-target organisms and enzymes, this work investigated the stereoselective toxicity and inhibition of malathion, malaoxon and isomalathion on Daphnia magna and on acid a-naphthyl acetate esterase extracted from wheat flour, respectively. Toxicity differences were observed between the two enantiomers of malathion and malaoxon and among the four stereoisomers of isomalathion in the LC50 values on D. magna and the IC50 values on acid a-naphthyl acetate esterase. Enantiomers with (R)-configuration in all the tested compounds showed higher toxicity to D. magna than their (S)-forms and racemic forms. Racemic malaoxon and isomalathion showed the strongest inhibition on acid a-naphthyl acetate esterase compared to their respective enantiomers and stereoisomers.

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